The Soldier's Refuge by Sabrina York

Author:Sabrina York
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2023-03-05T21:01:56+00:00

Chapter Seven

It wasn’t until Natalie was alone and cuddled up in bed and reliving every detail of that almost kiss, that the full implication of it truly hit her. She had almost locked lips with her baby sister’s boyfriend. Natalie flushed with chagrin. And she’d wanted to kiss him! She still did. Mortification swamped her.

What a horrible person she was.

She knew Amy and Jax were together. And hadn’t she, just a day ago, been thankful that her sister had finally found someone? Amy had been through hell after losing George. She was raising two boys alone. She deserved to be happy. She’d seemed happy with Jax. They even finished each other’s sentences, for pity’s sake.

What kind of monster stepped in and ruined something like that?

No. No. She had to keep away from Jax. He was far too tempting. That conversation he promised could never happen.

Still, she mourned. Some small corner of her soul mourned, because just being with him lit her up, made her feel full and alive and...seen.

A good person would be able to excise thoughts of lust for her sister’s boyfriend. Enjoy his company. Laugh. Smile. Not quietly plot how to get him alone for a kiss. Not lie in bed and think about him, when he’d committed to someone else—

Another wave of emotion hit her, and this one was more difficult to interpret.

Because Jax had almost kissed her, too.

She knew it had not been her imagination. He’d leaned in, dabbed his lower lip with his tongue. His body had tightened around her, the thud of his pulse had kicked up—all the signs, damn it.

That meant his relationship with Amy wasn’t as solid as it could be, should be—especially with two boys looking for a father figure. That meant he hungered for her the way she hungered for him. Quietly, behind a wall.

And while that was wonderful for her tattered ego, it was not wonderful for Amy. It meant their relationship would not last. At some point there would be a breakup.

She hated that the thought lifted her heart—yes, she was a terrible person—but at the same time, she knew she could not be the cause of the breakup. She would not be. Her relationship with her sister was on thin ice on a good day—something like this would be irreparable. She would never be able to sleep at night if she stole her sister’s boyfriend. What decent person could?

With such resolution solidified in her heart and soul, she knew the only way to proceed was to stay away from Jaxon Stringfellow altogether. Which meant canceling tomorrow. Her heart drooped at the thought because, aside from Jax’s company, she’d been looking forward to spending time with her nephews and being on the water and enjoying the sunshine.

The thought of quietly packing up and leaving in the dead of night flickered through her mind—returning to LA made it easy to avoid Jax, after all—but she quickly ditched the thought.

Running away didn’t solve anything. This trip had shown her that. She’d missed so much by running away, and she hadn’t gained very much at all.

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