Page 27 of Close to Heaven

Even if he was just providing comfort, this hug felt different than before. She wasn’t crushing him with her girlish enthusiasm but seeking something from him. Approval, maybe? Acceptance?

He kept some space between them this time, but it was no less intoxicating. He fought to prevent himself from tugging her closer, rubbing his hands up and down her back, and burying them in her lustrous hair. He was concentrating so hard that it took him a few seconds to realize that someone was knocking on the door.

They quickly pulled apart, and once there was adequate space between them, he said, “Come in.”

The door slowly opened, and Dakota poked her head in. Jax was leaning back against his desk, his hands clutching the edges, and Avery stood off to the side, her hands clasped loosely in front of her. Nobody would have thought anything was amiss, but this was his sister, and the way she eyed them said otherwise.

“Everything okay in here?”

“Yes,” he and Avery replied at the same time.

Dakota wrinkled her brow like she didn’t believe them.

“I was just giving Jax a head’s up about Mary’s gift,” Avery said.

They hadn’t spoken a word about that, but Jax nodded anyway.

“I didn’t want him to be surprised when he saw the picture of your family with Mary from when the resort first opened,” she smoothly added.

Jax knew the picture she was referring to, since it was in the photo album his parents had made of the resort. He’d kept it in a drawer behind the front desk, which is where Avery must have gotten it from.

“Avery called and asked what I thought about having the picture enlarged and framed,” said Dakota. “I think Mary’s going to love it.”

“I agree. It was a great idea,” he said, looking directly at Avery.

She gave him a brief smile. “Well, we better get back out there before the guests leave.”

“Right,” Jax said, pushing himself off the desk. “After you two.”

As they went back down the hall to rejoin the party, his head was spinning. He couldn’t have prevented the first hug when she’d flung herself at him, but he could have declined the second one. Not only could have but should have.

She has a boyfriend, he reminded himself. Jax wasn’t perfect, but he wasn’t a cheater. But was that really cheating? Hugging was a common form of expression, especially for someone like Avery, who wore her emotions on her sleeve. That was his excuse for the first hug. However, he had no good excuse for the second one.

It shouldn’t have mattered that she’d looked at him with those doe eyes and seemed so vulnerable. He should have said something like, “I don’t think your boyfriend would approve.” Then again, what kind of boyfriend was he if he gave Avery a hard time for coming to her dad’s aid? The guy certainly hadn’t done anything to make the transition easier for her.

Jax shoved away his thoughts as they reentered the lobby. It was just a hug. It didn’t mean anything, but I won’t let it happen again.