Beautiful Chaos/A Jordan Knight FanFic/ Book One in the Beautiful series. ✔️

15

Dallas

WE'RE JUST A FEW WEEKS FROM Halloween. Back in Glory Falls, Aunt Ruthie's probably making sure there's plenty of firewood for cold nights. She's serving hot cider to the morning crowd. Not mint cider. We save that for Christmas. By now, there's a nip in Glory Falls' autumn air that would make me pull my scarf closer and huddle into the light jacket I grabbed "just in case" before I left the house. We don't get the variety of seasons as much on the left coast, and I miss it some days. But today, standing in eighty-degree weather in a bikini and cut offs with the sun suspended high in the sky, warming the bare skin of my shoulders and neck, today isn't one of those days.

I've been working too hard. I can tell because my body and my mind soak up rest like water in a desert. Like it's a mirage that might disappear any moment. On the two-hour . . . correction, almost three-hour . . . drive to Pismo Beach, I fell asleep. Jordan's voice was a lullaby, making a sleepy song of all the goings on in his life. His semi-addiction to Madden, his growing irritation with the details for the upcoming world tour, this group of musicians he has flown in from all over the world for sessions this week. It's hard to believe the public sees him as broody and almost reclusive. I mean, yeah, I've seen firsthand how the guy wears disguises so he can go out in public undisturbed, but with me, he's open and downright chatty.

He's living the life I want so badly, and instead of listening with bated breath and sitting on the edge of my seat, exhaustion forces me to sleep. He wakes me up with his thumb whispering across my cheekbone. His eyes and his smile hold so much affection it makes my heart ache. Soon he'll stop pretending with me. He wants out of the friend zone. It's apparent, but I had my reasons for putting him there in the first place, and they still stand.

"We're here, sleepyhead." He pushes strands of hair back behind my ear. "Should I be offended that you fell asleep on me?"

I subtly pull back from his fingers, and his smile slips a little. It's hard not to give him what he wants. It's even harder to consider giving up our friendship though, so I'll just let this go for as long as I can. I'm so selfish, but I can't imagine my life without him now. By the same token, I can't imagine risking my peace of mind, my independence, or my focus for the kisses I know we both crave. Well, I know I crave. I can only speak for myself, but Jordan isn't great at hiding what he wants either.

Once we're out on the beach, I find myself grinning hard. There's nothing but sand and ocean as far as the eye can see. Instead of renting from a public spot where he'd be spotted and stalked, Jordan's had the spot come to him. It's just us and the dune buggy, this contraption made of fluorescent green metal bars, oversized wheels, and testosterone. It's one of the larger ones, with an open top and two seats. Jordan  practically bounces even though he stands perfectly still, listening to the guy making sure we're ready for the ride. The energy he's emitting draws me in and has me bouncing inside too. When the guide moves to place the helmet on my head, Jordan snatches it from his hands.

"I'll do it." Jordan frowns and puts the helmet on, tightening the strap under my chin.

I can't help but smile. If he ever got out of that friend zone—not that I plan to let that happen any time soon—he'd be a possessive handful. I can already tell.

"What are you grinning about?" He grins back at me as he puts on his own helmet.

"You, acting like that guy was trying to cop a feel or something." I recreate his frown and imitate his gravelly voice. "I'll do it."

"He was flirting with you the whole time. You didn't notice?"

"No, I really didn't."

He rolls his eyes and says, "Figures," under his breath.