Page 85 of The Denver Alpha
Jax winces, dropping down to sit on the edge of the bed. “Enough for me to fill in the blanks. I know you two are… involved,” he says with a cringe. “And that you had a fight before finding out you’re mates. I told him he’d better fix things if he wants you to stay.”
I shake my head. “I’m not staying. I can’t.” That panicked feeling rises up in me again, the same one that sent me running last night. Turns out, while I have no shortage of bravery most of the time, I’m a chicken shit when it comes to facing emotional pain. Avoidance is easier. If I shut it out, it can’t hurt me.
“C’mon, Jules, just talk to the guy,” Jax urges, scooching closer on the bed and bumping his shoulder into mine. “Hear him out.”
Is someone else inhabiting my brother’s body right now?It almost seems like he’s trying to push me into Cole’s arms, which is opposite of his usual stance on the idea of me dating.
“I don’t want to,” I mutter with another shake of my head.
Jax slides his finger under my chin, turning my head so I meet his eyes. “Youhaveto. He’s your fated mate. Didn’t you hear what happened to Vienna’s friend when her fated bond broke? It almost killed her.” Something shutters in his gaze as he clenches his jaw. “I don’t want that for you, Jules. I love you. I can’t stand seeing you hurting.”
“I’m a big girl,” I grit out as I swipe his hand away, his patronizing tone putting me on the defensive. “I can handle it. Believe it or not, I can make my own decisions, Jax. You have to let me fight my own battles!”
“I know, but there’s two sides to that coin.” My brother sighs deeply, his voice hardening as he continues. “If you want to be treated like an adult, then start acting like one. Do the mature thing and at least talk to Cole. Don’t run from your problems like a child, grow up and face them.”
I flinch back at the harshness of his words and he drops his gaze, softening as he takes my hand.
“Listen, Jules. You’ll always be my baby sister. But…” He hesitates, his eyes flickering back up to mine. “I know I have to start accepting that I can’t protect you from everything anymore, but this fated mates thing, it’s bigger than both of us. I can’t just sit back and watch you throw that away.”
I wring my hands in my lap as I glance from Jax to Quinn. She’s staring at her mate with a smile on her lips, beaming with pride. I know I have her to thank for this sudden change in him, but as I look between the two of them, there’s something else I see. Intense, unwaveringlove. The kind of connection that only comes with finding your true other half.
I want that.
But can Cole and I have it?
My emotions are all over the place. I’m not sure if I want to laugh or cry or throw up. Maybe all three. The intensity of what I’m feeling is overwhelming, and I can’t deny that I still have the urge to run. To push it all away, leave it all behind. Numb myself to the pain so I don’t have to feel it.
“Can we just get away for the day, do something fun?” I ask tentatively, sliding my gaze between Jax and Quinn. “I’ll talk to him tonight. I just need some room to breathe first.”
Jax smiles and takes my hand, more tender than I’ve ever seen him. As annoyed as I get with Jax’s overprotective antics, I can’t deny that he’s a good big brother. The fucking best.
“Sure,” he replies. “Where do you wanna go?”
I stare at him as I think it over for a moment, then feel a smile come to my lips. “I think I have an idea.”
34
Blonde hair whips around Juliet’s face as she screams out in anxious excitement and pushes off from the platform to sail over the trees. She kicks out her dangling legs, screaming and laughing as she builds momentum, rapidly disappearing from view until she’s little more than a speck in the distance.
The video ends and I immediately replay it. I’ve already watched it at least ten times since Jax sent it to me, soaking in the bright smile on Juliet’s face, the joyful sounds she makes as she flies over the trees on the zip line. The three of them have been out all day doing touristy things in the area and I can’t say I’m surprised that ziplining made the list. It’s the perfect fit for Juliet’s reckless, wild nature, as evidenced by how much fun she’s having in the video.
I replay it again.
She looks beautiful.Free. Completely in her element as she rides the wave of adrenaline.
Breathing a heavy sigh, I toss my phone onto the pool lounger beside me, leaning back and throwing an arm over my face.
They should’ve been back by now. The sun has gone down, the stars bright overhead. The ripple of the water in the swimming pool reflects off the lights below the surface, phantom waves dancing across the concrete surrounding it in a hazy blue glow.
I startle at the sound of the patio door opening, sliding my arm from my face and lifting my head to glance in that direction. It’s dark, but I’d know the shape of that shadowed figure anywhere. Hope blooms in my chest and I sit up straighter as Juliet walks out, closing the door behind her and starting toward me.
“Gotta say, I was surprised when Sam said you were out here,” she comments, bare feet slapping across the concrete as she makes her way closer.
I twist to place my own bare feet on the ground, smoothing my t-shirt against my abs as I rise to stand. “Why’s that?”
She stops short a few paces away from me and folds her arms across her chest, her perky tits pressing together beneath her tank top. “Figured you’d be in your office trying to bury yourself in work. That’s usually what you do when you feel out of control.”
She’s right.We haven’t known one another for very long, but the girl has me pegged.