Page 4 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

“Making strangers forget they’re strangers,” I declared before I could stop myself.

Jaxon’s smile softened, losing some of its teasing edge. He studied me, his blue eyes narrowing just slightly, like he was seeing something beyond the surface.

“Not a bad thing, is it?” he asked quietly.

I shook my head, unsure how to answer. For someone who’d spent the last several days feeling betrayed and broken, his words carried a suggestion I wasn’t ready to unpack.

“No,” I said finally, my voice softer than I intended. “Not bad at all.”

For a moment, neither of us said anything.

The hum of the engines filled the silence, and I felt the tension in my chest loosen just a little more.

Jaxon glanced out the window, his profile sharp against the dusky sky.

“You know, they say every flight has a story,” he said after a beat, his tone lighter now.

“Do they?” I asked, grateful for the shift.

“Oh, sure,” he said, turning back to me with a grin. “The question is whether it’s a comedy, a drama, or something more… exciting.”

I laughed, shaking my head. “Let me guess. You’re aiming for ‘exciting’?”

“Always,” he said with a wink. “But don’t worry, Lila. I’m a professional.”

“At what, exactly?”

“Making the most out of unexpected encounters,” he said, his grin widening.

I rolled my eyes but couldn’t stop the smile that crept onto my face. “Well, I hate to break it to you, but this is probably the least exciting part of my week.”

“Challenge accepted,” he said, leaning in again, lowering his voice and sending a shiver down my spine. “Buckle up, sweetheart. This flight’s about to get interesting.”

I raised an eyebrow, but before I could respond, the seatbelt sign dinged off and a flight attendant’s voice came over the intercom, announcing the start of inflight service.

Jaxon’s grin turned playful again.

“Stay tuned,” he said, leaning back in his seat with a casual air that belied the heat in his gaze.

I shook my head, turning toward the window to hide the flush creeping up my neck.

This was ridiculous.

I’d just lost everything—my savings, my trust, my sense of control—and here I was, flirting with a man I’d known for all of fifteen minutes.

A man who, for all his charm and good looks, probably spent half his time collecting smiles and phone numbers from women on flights just like this one.

And yet…

The way he looked at me, the way he pulled me out of my own head without even trying… it was disarming.

And dangerous.

But this wasn’t who I was.

Or at least, it hadn’t been.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to look away from him and focus on the world outside the tiny window.

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