Page 38 of Catch
How could I, with Loxley lying beside me, looking so effortlessly beautiful it hurt? Her hair spilled across the pillow in soft waves, catching the faint glow from the small lamp that I had left on. Every time I’d close my eyes, she’d sigh,or twitch ever so slightly, and I’d open them again, completely enthralled by the fact that she was even there, in my bed, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The night had been a complete whirlwind of emotions. Taking her to my parents’ abandoned home was a lot to take in, but then I had to add dancing with her, and my battle between wanting to kiss her and knowing I shouldn’t. All that turmoil just to have my decision derailed by a mouse. A damn mouse. The universe really said, “Not today, Miles.” If that wasn’t fate stepping in to stop me from making more mistakes, then I don’t know what it is.
When I took her to my room for the night, there was no agenda. I wasn’t trying to pull anything. I just knew we both needed sleep before something else happened. But like a dumbass, I thought lying beside her was the very definition of “nothing else happening.”
Fuck I was wrong. So wrong.
Because as I laid there, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest, a thousand things happened. Memories of her laugh from earlier that evening played in my mind. The way her cheeks flushed when she asked if I was going to kiss her. The way she trusted me to keep her safe, even from something as small as a rodent.
And that’s when I made a list.
10 Reasons Why Catching Feelings for Loxley Adams Is a Bad Idea:
1. She’s got too much to figure out, and me catching feelings isn’t going to help her untangle the mess she’s trying to escape.
That was the only one that mattered. It was the main thing stopping me from pursuing the feelings I had for her any further.
By the time the sun crept through the blinds, I had resolutely determined that I couldn’t let myself go any further. So, I got up early, pulled on my uniform as quietly as possible, and checked the house for any more unwelcome guests. I even set traps outside. That may have been overkill, but it made me feel like I was doing something useful. By the time I left, I felt good about my resolve. I’d put things back where they belonged: in the friend zone.
The fire station parking lot felt like the safest place to hide out for the morning. Captain had me on “Loxley lookout” duty again, but instead of driving in circles, I parked and saved the fuel.Maybe I was also hoping Easton would be on duty and up for a visit. He’d always been good at dragging me out of my head.
It wasn’t long until I saw him striding up to my car with his trademark grin and knocking on the passenger-side window.
“Got any new buttons I can push?”
“Don’t touch anything, you jackass.” I laughed as he slid into the seat, immediately looking around like he hadn’t done it a hundred times before.
“Is this where my tax dollars are going? Or is hanging out at the fire station part of your super-secret mission?”
Instead of answering, I sighed. “Where’d you find my keys the other day?”
Easton’s eyes widened, and he squirmed in his seat. My question was random and immediate, but it wasn’t my intention to make him uncomfortable. I was just genuinely curious. “Grams gave them to me.”
“Grams? How’dsheget them?”
“Hell if I know. She brought them to the station and told me to take them to you. Ask Linc, he’s the one that said he lost them.”
I nodded, letting the subject drop because the last thing I wanted to do was get into a fake conversation about where Linc may have left my keys when I knew damn well it was Loxley.
We shifted to small talk, catching up on Easton’s partner, Jesse, and their plans for the future. It was nice hearing him talk about something so steady and sure.
“You about ready to tell Jesse about the house?” I asked.
“Not yet. It's gonna take a lot of time and I wanna make sure everything’s right.”
“You mean between the two of you?” I asked, but he was already shaking his headno,as if my question was ridiculous.
“I know everything is right between us. I just meant with the house. I wanna make sure the plans are in place and anydecisions you and West need to be a part of are taken care of before it’s her turn to make the decisions.”
Made sense. “I was there yesterday, and the place looks great. I think the house is ready to live again.”
“And I am so ready to bring it back to life,” he smiled.
We stayed quiet for a few minutes after that, which was unlike us, but with so much on my mind, it was hard to think about anything other than Loxley.
Then, out of nowhere, Easton sighed dramatically. “Speaking of Loxley Adams...”
I nearly choked on the coffee I had been tentatively bringing to my lips. “What about her?” Had I said her name out loud?
