Page 69 of Rule Number Five

My mind was too fuzzy to respond. Instead, I laid my head on his shoulder, matching his breaths as I came down from the best orgasm of my life.

Jax stroked my hair and soothed a hand down my back until I could stand on my own.

His eyes met mine. “Your place or mine?”

“Anthony and Mia don’t get back until Sunday.”

“Fucking perfect.” He led me from the stacks and gathered all my things. It felt like everyone’s eyes were on me, and for once, I didn’t care.

He came up behind me and pressed his rock-hard cock into my ass. “Let’s go before I fuck you on this table.”

It was more of a promise than a statement. He was dead serious.

The next two days were filled with quiet moments and cuddles on the couch. He didn’t leave my side the entire time, and I soaked up all of his attention.

I leaned my head back on the sofa, humming in the back of my throat as he worked the tendons in my foot with his strong hands. There were empty takeout containers on the coffee table, and the TV was playing something I couldn’t be bothered to watch. We’d been playing house, and this was our last night together. I swallowed hard, pushing down the haunted feeling of what was coming.

Jax set my foot down and crawled over me, always attuned to my emotions. He placed gentle kisses along my face, finally landing on my mouth. “When do your roommates get back?”

“Early tomorrow.”

He groaned and lifted me from the couch, carrying me to my room. “Then let’s not waste tonight.”

TWENTY-SEVEN

JAX

The clock saidit was two in the morning. I shifted carefully so as not to wake Sid. She’d stayed here, or I’d gone to her place for the last two weeks, not wasting a second we had together, knowing that we were running out of time. I slid my fingers through her hair, letting it fall across my chest, and she nuzzled closer. I gently placed a kiss on the top of her head and breathed in her vanilla citrus scent. It was only late at night that I let the ache of what was coming settle over me. The closer we got, the more I knew I couldn’t let her go. That I had to figure this out before it was too late.

Her hand slowly drifted up to my side, curling around my neck, and she tipped her head up, eyes still closed, pulling me forward. My tongue dipped into her mouth in a slow kiss, and I savored every second I got with her.

She pulled back, and my hands trembled, cupping her face as her gaze searched mine, eyes rimmed with unshed silver. I knew mine stared back, pleading into hers. Her slim fingers traced the lines of my face, the slant of my nose, the curve of my cheekbone. One corner of her mouth lifted in a smile, but the slight wobble gave her away.

You’re mine, Sidney, and you’re dead wrong if you think I’m going to let you go.

She stared into my eyes, reading everything written there, and she nodded.

One word repeated itself in my head:Mine.

She pressed her lips against mine, and I let her lull me with her body. Losing myself in her.

The sun crept into my room when I woke, still tangled with her. Her soft hair was wrapped around us, and my heart ached in my chest. I could never ask Sid to give up her dreams, but I would try my fucking hardest to convince her to take a chance on me. That we were worth everything. Sidney, with her contagious laugh and sassy mouth, had created a gravitational pull that I never wanted to escape. The way she laughed, how she tilted her head when she pieced something together, and now the way she cuddled into my arms. All of it reminded me of home, one that I wanted to keep coming back to. I could feel the void filling up, and I was petrified of the downturn coming toward us. She was worth any compromise or sacrifice. Now I had to prove to her I was worth the same. I had her, she had me, and that was enough. Nothing else mattered. We could make everything work, right? There had to be a way. If she wasn’t so freaking stubborn, maybe we could.

“Good morning.” Sid’s voice was muffled as she turned her face deeper into my chest. She stretched her body across mine, giving me an excellent view. Before I could do anything about it, her phone rang. Sid came to life when she saw the name across her screen. A twinge of jealousy made its way to my gut, wondering who was making her smile that way. I quickly found out I had nothing to worry about when she answered her phone.

“Hey, Dad, how are you?” Her tone lifted with her excitement.

I shifted closer, and she gave me a curious grin, but I was close enough that I could make out his reply.

“Hi, kiddo. How’s my favorite kid doing?”

“I’m your only kid.”

“I know, but even if you weren’t, you’d still be my favorite.Shhh… don’t tell the others.” Sid’s laugh filled the room, listening to her dad.

“I’m good,” she said. “Same old, same old. Studying, tests, and more studying.”

“You always worked too hard,” he said.

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