“Fine. I surrender,” she said between big gasping breaths.
“Do you really surrender?” I asked as I held the hose away from her. “Or is this just a trick to steal it back from me?”
Jax laughed even harder now, throwing her head back dramatically as she did and showing off her very kiss… her neck… showing off her neck. A neck that did absolutelynothingto me. “Carter, I’m swimming in my own clothes. Of course I mean it.”
I stared at her for a few seconds and when she didn’t flinch, I brought the hose back down. “Okay. I believe you.”
I put the hose back in its spot on the sink, and Jax stuck to her word. She squeezed past me and tore off her apron. I looked away, because I refused to get lost in the way her T-Shirt clung to her chest and tight stomach.
“I’m going to go change quick and then we can get back to cooking,” Jax said before skipping out of the room, clearly not experiencing the same tension I was at the moment.
I forced my legs to move and carried myself to my room as well, where I also changed out of my soaking wet clothes.
I walked out of my room at the same time as Jax did, and as soon as she looked over at me, she threw her head back and groaned. “You’re still trying to get your revenge, aren’t you?”
I looked down at myself, but couldn’t figure out what she could possibly be talking about. “What do you mean?”
Jax lifted an eyebrow at me as if she didn’t believe me. “You’re telling me you didn’t know that pretty girls in gray oversized sweatpants are my kryptonite?”
I rolled my eyes, because she was obviously kidding. I had stolen these sweatpants from Ronan three years ago, and they were a complete mess. There was a hole in each of the knees and a stain down the one side from butter that had dripped out of a lobster roll I was eating last year. The only reason I kept them was because they were the most comfortable sweatpants I owned. They weren’t a pair that I could wear out of the house, but I wore them as much as I possibly could inside. I was honestly shocked Jax hadn’t seen them before. Honestly, sheprobably had, but had just chosen this moment to make a flirty comment.
“Wow. So smooth,” I said sarcastically. “I can only imagine how many numbers you get at the cafe using lines like that.”
Jax wiggled her eyebrows. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
I actually wouldn’t, but the reasons for that were much too complicated to think about right now. Or ever.
Jax was able to make the potatoes perfectly, but she ended up burning both pieces of steak, then insisted it was because she wanted to try it the way I liked it.
We worked together to store the food and clean up the kitchen. It was late by the time we finished, and we still hadn’t eaten, so we ordered pizza and watched a movie. The whole time we watched, all I could think about was my story. As soon as the movie was over, I told Jax I needed to go to bed, which wasn’t exactly a lie since itwaswhat Ishould havedone. Instead, I pulled out my laptop and typed away, completely captivated by my characters sharing cute moments together and falling harder and harder for each other, unbeknownst to both of them.
Idiots.
Chapter 11
Even though work only got harder, my next week passed by much more easily than the first since the meals were already prepared. When the following Sunday rolled around, Jax and I cooked together again, making my third week of work easier as well. When I left work that Friday, I was feeling strangely refreshed, so I decided to take a walk through the city.
I studied each building I passed and did a double-take when I noticed an animal rescue. The smart thing would have been to keep walking, but my feet had other plans and carried me inside.
I had barely stepped in the door when a young guy with curly brown hair, who couldn’t have been much over twenty, ran over to greet me. “Hey, Ma’am. How may I help you? Are you interested in adopting?”
I nodded, because I figured it would seem strange if I was there and had no interest in adopting, which I obviously didn’t. I was much too busy to take care of an animal.
“That’s great! Did you fill out our adoption paperwork online?”
I shook my head and looked back toward the exit.What the hell am I doing right now?
If the guy noticed my trepidation, he certainly wasn’t showing it. “No problem at all. Why don’t we take a look at the animals first? That way you don’t waste your time giving us a bunch of information if none of these little cuties feel like a fit for you.”
“S-sure. That sounds great.”Must.escape.now.
The guy turned and faced me, walking backward as he led me down a long hallway. “My name is Trent, by the way.”
I pointed my finger against my chest before I could find my voice. “I’m Carter.”
“Nice to meet you, Carter. What kind of animal are you looking for today?”
“Huh?” I still couldn’t even comprehend what I was doing here or why I hadn’t left yet.
