Page 34 of Only Ever Yours
“It’s not hard. We’re not exactly speaking.” Her tone was flat. “Anyway, this isn’t about my issues. What’s going on?”
Briefly, I filled her in on the past couple of days with the basic facts: road trip, collecting my stuff, our encounter with Gil, and ending up staying in a hotel because of the weather.
“Ooh, sounds awfully romantic,” she teased.
“That’s exactly it.”
“Oh. My. God. Did something happen with you and Jase?” She could hardly keep the incredulity from her voice. “This is huge.”
“Nothing actually happened.” I took a deep breath. “I got upset over seeing Gil again, and Jase comforted me. We slept in the same bed, and when I woke up this morning, we were all tangled up in each other, and he had a definite case of morning wood.”
The silence coming from Ella’s end of the phone wasn’t what I wanted. I needed good advice, someone else’s opinion about the situation. To tell me I was crazy for thinking of pursuing it. Or to tell me I was crazy if I didn’t.
“Ella?”
“Sorry. I was trying to work out what to say.”
“It’s a bad idea, right?”
Ella let out a whistle. “It would be complicated. Can you imagine telling Finn you and Jase have hooked up?”
If I thought about it, I probably could imagine it. And it wouldn’t be pretty.
She went on. “I mean, you and Jase have always had an easy, flirty relationship, and it’s obvious he cares about you.”
I thought about how Jase had reacted around Gil. If that didn’t scream concern for someone you liked and respected, I don’t know what did. “Ugh. This is so hard.”
“It’s not been long since you broke up with your ex, and I guess seeing him brought up some stuff for you. Maybe Jase being around gave you something, or rather someone else, to think about?”
Ella’s explanation seemed reasonable. But I knew it ran deeper than that, and the past few weeks had confirmed it. I made a non-committal sound as she continued.
“Part of me wants to tell you to go for it. But I’m scared about how Finn might react. You have to consider whether pursuing Jase is something worth risking your relationship with your brother over.”
I hated the fact she spoke a lot of sense.
Why Jase? When there were millions of other men in the world, why did I have to like this one?
Chapter Thirteen
Jase
At last, some fucking peace.
And some time to think.
The past couple of days in Hollis’s company had been…everything. Not to mention an absolute mind-fuck.
I dropped down onto my bed and kicked back, hands laced behind my head, feet crossed at the ankles. Two days of driving had taken it out of me, who was more used to doing shorter, more direct journeys around town.
Not to mention two days spent falling even harder for a woman I couldn’t have.
Usually, if I had woman trouble, I would confide in Finn. Given I was fantasising about his sister, he was the last person I could go to for advice, unless I wanted him to punch me.
After the past forty-eight hours, I couldn’t deny she was the woman I wanted. No number of hook-ups with Felicity or short-term relationships came close to how I felt about Hollis. Waking up with her in my arms this morning had definitely been a trigger for the rock-solid hard-on. What Hollis didn’t know was that I was awake all the time she hadbeen snuggled in before escaping to the bathroom. It had taken me all of my self-control not to act on my feelings.
I blew out a breath. Lying here wasn’t going to fix anything. I pushed myself up off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Stripping off my clothes, I stepped into the shower and turned it on, hoping the warm jets would have a relaxing effect. My hand gripped my shaft, palming up and down, desperate for release. Thoughts of Hollis had forced me down this path, and it wasn’t one I was proud of. Conflicted feelings over her raced through my head as I brought myself towards the peak.
She’s Finn’s sister. But I’m not seeing her like that anymore. She’s fucking beautiful inside and out.
