Page 5 of Stuck with my Brother's Firefighter Besties

Two hours, I told myself.One flight.

But when Jaxon shifted beside me, his arm brushing against mine just enough to send a jolt of electricity through my skin, I realized just how much trouble I might be in.

And the flight had only just begun…

CHAPTERTWO

Lila

Jaxon Reed was trouble.

I knew it from the moment he leaned a little too close, his cologne—warm cedarwood and something smoky—curling into my senses like it was meant to distract me.

I had promised myself this flight would be uneventful. Quiet. A time to think, regroup, and brace myself for the mess waiting on the other side.

But Jaxon had other plans.

“You’ve got that look again,” he murmured.

“What look?” I asked, my tone sharper than I intended, but my pulse betrayed me, quickening under his gaze.

“That faraway, ‘I’m carrying the weight of the world’ look.” He tilted his head, his eyes searching mine. “You should let it go for a bit. Whatever it is, it can wait until you’re back on solid ground. You keep getting that look. Every time we stop talking…”

I turned toward him, ready to fire back with something clever, but the words stuck in my throat.

He was closer now—he had been getting increasingly closer over the last hour or so, his body angled toward me—and I couldn’t help but notice the way his shirt stretched over his broad shoulders.

His grin was gone, replaced by a quiet intensity that stole the air right out of my lungs.

“Easier said than done,” I muttered, trying to sound unaffected.

“Maybe,” he said, his voice a little rougher, “but you deserve a break, Lila. Some time to justbe.”

My breath hitched.

It wasn’t the words themselves… it was the way he said them, like he wasn’t just trying to flirt but actually meant it. Like he could see the cracks I was trying so hard to hide.

I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could, his hand brushed against mine where it rested on the armrest. It was subtle, like he hadn’t meant to do it, but it sent a spark through me all the same.

And then, just like that, the air between us shifted.

The playful banter that had carried us through the last hour dissolved, replaced by something heavier.

More dangerous.

He leaned in, his eyes locking onto mine, and I felt my pulse race.

“Jaxon,” I said, my voice barely a whisper, “what are you doing?”

His lips quirked into a small, almost self-deprecating smile. “Honestly? I don’t know.”

But he didn’t move away.

Instead, he brought his hand up, brushing a stray piece of hair from my face, his fingers lingering just long enough to make my skin tingle.

“Is this too much?” he asked, his voice soft now, almost hesitant.

I should have said yes.

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