Page 51 of Sweet, Sweet Jewel: A Sweet Treats Novel

Finn went quiet.

Jewel cringed. Should she have said that? Did it sound like flirting?

Her mind flew to a warped zone of self-doubt and over-analyzing.

She’d invited Finn to share her bed and then complimented him. What if he got the wrong idea? What if he thought that her usual discomfort around men was just a front and that she was interested in him sexually?

Jewel inched away from the pillow separating them until her leg wobbled off the bed. She hauled herself back before catapulting over the edge of the mattress and shot a quick, terrified look at the man lying beside her.

“I’m not that great,” Finn said.

Jewel paused, wondering what he meant by that. She’d heard a strange, wistful note in his voice.

Curious, she asked, “I don’t understand.”

Finn grunted. “It’ll be sunrise in a few hours. You should try and get some rest.”

“I don’t think I’ll be able to.”

“I’ll be right here,” Finn said calmly. “Nothing’s going to happen tonight.”

Jewel closed her eyes, but she didn’t hold out much hope for falling asleep again.

The fan whirred, pushing cool air through the room. Finn’s breathing was a soothing soundtrack to the rotation of the blades. The insects outside belted out throaty songs.

Jewel thought of the first time she’d met Finn, how handsome he’d looked reaching out to help her to her feet. How she’d rejected him instinctively.

She thought of how his hair had curled in the rain and the slope of his forearms as he’d sheltered her from the storm.

To her surprise, Jewel eventually drifted to sleep.

17

Finn got up before Jewel. He stretched, his hands knocking the bed-board. When the clatter of his knuckles against the frame caused Jewel to stir, he froze and lifted his head so he could peek over the pillow.

Jewel was sleeping soundly on the other side of the narrow bed. Tendrils of her bun had come undone and framed her cheeks. Sunlight splayed past the blinds over the windows and highlighted her dark skin. Her eyelashes fluttered and her nostrils flared with every deep breath.

Even with half her face pressed into a pillow and her mouth slacking she looked stunning.

Finn rose and padded softly to the bathroom. After taking care of business, he returned to the main room and swiped his phone off the stand. His eyes bugged when he saw his notifications.

There were over forty messages.

Some from Tiffany.

Most from Nolan.

As he’d predicted.

Finn sighed and glanced at Jewel. She threw her leg over the pillow and burrowed her face into it. He imagined her doing the same thing to him and then brushed the thought away.

Jewel was too fragile to desire a physical relationship with him and, even if she did, his life was… complicated.

Finn searched for a corner of the room where he could talk to Nolan privately. Leaving Jewel alone was not an option. Not with Kross on the loose. He didn’t need his sister’s killer sneaking in here when he was gone and disappearing into the wind.

His phone lit up.

Nolan.

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