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hear and then I
have his full attention again. “I just need to know you’re safe.”
    It’s hard to hide my
irritation. I think it’s time for my brother to treat me like the
adult I am. “Fine, I’ll play nice since you gave me soooo many
options.”
    “Great, Addie. I knew
you would see it my way. Listen, I have to go. I love you.”
    “Love you too,” I
say before he hangs up.
    I hate that they all
treat me like I’m still five and that I can’t take care of
myself. All three of them need to realize that I’m twenty-four. Jax
is the last person that I need to take care of me.
    After discarding the
phone on the coffee table, I will myself to relax. My mind drifts
over last night’s events and as much as I want to, I can’t
dismiss the feeling that I know Kohen. There’s something about him
that’s telling me that I know him from a long time ago. That
thought is beyond idiotic since I met him for the first time when he
rescued me at the gym. He didn’t even know my name until I told
him. I chalk it up as seeing him in the building before in passing.
    I don’t know why I
can’t stop thinking about him. It’s not like we’ll end up
dating. I never date. My last date was six years ago with Jax. For a
moment I wonder what it would be like to date someone in the open,
not having to keep everything a secret; every caress, every smile,
every kiss. All too quickly, the image evaporates. Kohen seems like a
great guy, too good of a guy for someone like me. The guilt of what
I’ve done weighs heavily on my shoulders, crippling me. He deserves
someone who isn’t haunted by the past.
    Even though I keep
telling myself that it’s pointless to continue thinking about him,
I can’t help smiling whenever I picture his face. As much as I wish
I could just ignore this foreign attraction, that might be hard since
we live in the same building. I know I need to think of how to go
about the whole Kohen thing, but by the time I come up with a game
plan, my medicine has kicked in. My last thought before sleep pulls
me under is Jax’s strong arms around me.

    The aroma of bacon
wakes me. Someone’s fingers brush my hair out of my face. I open my
eyes. After rubbing the sleep out of them, I’m able to focus on the
second best sight in the entire world.
    Food.
    Jax crouches beside me
with a platter of food and orange juice on the table. My mouth
instantly fills with saliva as I take in all of my favorite breakfast
foods in front of me. My stomach growls so loudly I’m sure people
in Brooklyn can hear it as clearly as if they were in my living room.
    He chuckles as he
passes me a glass of orange juice. I give him a small smile when I
notice the straw. For some unknown reason I’ve always hated
drinking orange juice without a straw. As much as I want to comment
on the fact that Jax is the only person that seems to remember myquirks, I don’t. I know it will only cause an awkward
silence. Some things are better left unsaid when it comes to us.
    He hands me my platter
full of food; eggs, hash-browns, bacon, a bowl of freshly cut fruit,
and a stack of pancakes, along with my new iPhone.
    “Thanks!” I notice
that he somehow managed to back up my phone so all my music is
already on it.
    Nodding, he says
sternly, “Eat all of the food.”
    Before I realize what
I’m doing, words spill out of my mouth. “Do you think I should
call him?”
    His grip on his fork
tightens. “Who?”
    Well
if he wants to play dumb . . . “The hot doctor who
rescued me.”
    He chokes on his food.
Miraculously, my next bite of hash-browns taste better than it did a
second ago. Must be because Jax isn’t as in control of his feelings
as he would like to be.
    “Maybe we can
double?” he asks.
    And just like that I
lose my appetite. Don’t do it, I repeat in my head as I eye my bowl of fruit. I snatch a few pieces
and throw them at his handsome face.
    I shrug. “Whoops.”
    He stops eating and
glares at the fruit scattered on him. When he