Chapter Nine
Ariella
Why hadn’t Jaxson been able to sleep? If it wasn’t Izzie, what had kept him up at night? I’d slept great, the guest room hadn’t been as cozy as the first night that I had curled up under his sheets, and he’d held me, but neither of us spoke about that incident. He’d been there to look after me, that was all.
“I promise I’ll be out of your house soon,” I said.
“Good,” he said, his tone gruff. He rubbed at his jaw, not able to meet my stare.
“Did I do something to piss you off? Because if I remember correctly, I should be mad at you. Not the other way around.”
That caught his attention. His gaze fell down to my eyes and then my lips.
Had the heat come on? The room was several degrees warmer than it had been just a few minutes earlier.
Jaxson didn’t answer me. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have to. His brow furrowed, and his eyes looked tired.
“I shouldn’t have said anything,” I muttered under my breath. I’d probably just gone and made things a lot worse for the two of us.
“No,” he said, his voice hoarse. He grabbed my arm and pulled me closer, invading my personal space.
I struggled not to meet his stern gaze that studied me. What was he thinking? My breathing came out in soft, shallow breaths. His proximity was all it took to further heighten my senses. A simple touch of his hand sent a spark of lightning through my body, warming me, creating an ache of need that I’d squashed down to nothingness.
“I want you to talk to me, Freckles.”
Hearing him use the nickname he’d given me was my undoing. I couldn’t stand there in front of him and pretend that everything would be all right. It wasn’t fine. My heart ached beyond measure. He’d left in the middle of the night after our first intimate night together. There’d been no note, no discussion later of it.
“Was I just a girl you wanted to get into bed?” I hadn’t intended the question to come out quite so harshly.
Jaxson took a step back like I’d slapped him. His eyes widened, and he ran a hand through his hair. “Come with me,” he commanded.
“Are you always this grumpy?” I snipped, irritated that every second I spent time with him, he’d grown to be a different person. Was this what he was like at work? How did the guys stand it?
He quirked an eyebrow, not looking the least bit amused by my question. “I’m not the grumpy one,” he retorted. He grabbed my hand, tugged me into his office, and shut the door abruptly at my heels, his hands letting go of mine.
I tried not to jump when he’d startled me, but I wasn’t great at hiding my emotions or reactions, apparently. “What are you doing?” I didn’t feel in danger or threatened, but Jaxson also hadn’t been himself, at least what I knew of him.
“We need to talk.” He gestured for me to come closer while he perched himself at the edge of his desk.
I stood, arms folded, staring at him. I wouldn’t sit down. “Whatever you need to say, say it.” I was tired of his antics.Jaxson had been warm, protective, and kind when I’d gotten to know him, but every minute that I was in his presence, it seemed like I could do nothing right. It had only been a few days at work, and maybe I needed to give us time to figure it out.
He exhaled a heavy sigh and folded his arms across his chest, mirroring my position. “I think it would be best if you stayed with Hazel at the resort. I’ll make sure when I book the reservation that I request a room with two queen beds.”
“Excuse me?” I didn’t back down, challenging him. “You brought me in here, shut the door, to tell me to what, get out of your house?” Was he not man enough to do it in front of his buddies?
“No. That’s not,” he groaned when his phone buzzed. Skylar’s name popped up on the screen. “Fuck.” He rejected her call.
It seemed he wasn’t only avoiding me. Had his change in mood been a result of Skylar coming to visit? “You should take that call; it might be important,” I said.
“It’s not,” Jaxson said.
I stared at him, surprised he hadn’t taken the opportunity as an excuse to end the awkwardness between us.
“You think I’m a jerk for not answering Skylar.”
That wasn’t what crossed my mind. “No. You’re a jerk for not saying goodbye, texting me, or leaving a note after we slept together. You’re a grumpy bosshole at the office and lately at home. If I had realized how much my presence irritated you, I wouldn’t have accepted the job.”
I didn’t wait for his response. I jetted out of his office in time as the local sheriff was on his way out the main door. “Hi Hazel, I’m Ariella,” I said, offering her my hand as I introduced myself to her. “I’m going to take you someplace safe.”