flames of passion (Book 1 Series 1)

Chapter 8 Jackson

I hold on to her longer then necessary, my touch remaining on her skin. 

"Are you okay? You almost tripped there." I ask, still holding her. 

"yeah, sorry." she says. I let go of her arm, feeling a pang of disappointment.

"It's okay. You don't need to apologize." I glance up at the top shelf, realizing how tall it is, I stretch my arm up towards the top shelf, easily returning the book that she couldn't reach. 

"Easy peasy. Got to love being tall, right?"

"thanks." She smiles. 

"No problem. Glad I could reach it for you. Can't have you getting hurt just to place a book back on the shelf."  I notice the blush creeping up her cheeks, and I can't help but smirk a little bit.

"What's with the blush? Embarrassed that you needed my help?" 

"no, at your thoughtful comment." I can feel my own heart skip a beat at her response. I wasn't expecting her to admit that my comment had an effect on her, I try to play it cool. 

"Oh, that. Just being honest. Wouldn't want you hurting yourself just to get a book."

"yeah." My heart skips a beat because of her giggle. It's a sound I never thought I'd hear from her, and it's strangely adorable. I chuckle along her, feeling a sense of playfulness between us. 

"You know, you don't giggle often. It's a nice change from your usual grumpy attitude." 

"I'm not that grumpy." I raise an eyebrow at her denial.

"Oh really? You could've fooled me with all the scowling and eye rolling you do on a daily basis."

"you do that too, you know." She tells me with sass in her voice.

"Me? Scowling? Eye-rolling? Never." 

"HAHAHAHA." She laughs out loud. 

I can't help but smile as I hear her laughter ring out through the room. It's such an unfamiliar sound coming from her, but it's also strangely infectious. I have to admit, I kind of like it.  

"See? There it is again. That laugh. Sounds a hell of a lot better than all the sarcastic remarks you usually throw at me."

"why thanks." she says. I shrug, pretending to be nonchalant.

"Hey, what can I say? I'm a fan of that sound. You should do it more often."

I notice the blush creeping up her cheeks again, and I can feel a sense of pride at being the one to cause it. There's something satisfying about making her flustered, especially after seeing her so distant all the time.

I lean against the bookshelf, crossing my arms and smirking at her.

"You really are cute when you blush." I admit.

I chuckle as her whole face turns red from embarrassment. It's cute how easily flustered she gets, especially when it comes to compliments.

"Oh, don't hide your face. I like seeing that blush on your cheeks. It's adorable."

 her smile makes my heart flutter a little, but I try to keep my cool. I don't want her to know how much her reactions are affecting me. I push off from the bookshelf and take a step closer to her, a small smirk on my face. 

"You know, you're kind of cute when you're all shy and bashful like this." 

I notice her shaky breath and it only makes me wanna tease her more. I take another step closer to her, closing the distance between us. I reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

"See? You're all flustered and nervous right now. It's adorable."  

 I see her stumble and quickly reach out to steady her, my hands gripping her arms to prevent her from falling.

"Careful now. Don't want you falling again." 

My touch lingers on her arms for a moment longer than necessary again, my fingers tracing along her skin gently.

"yeah." She chuckles, I chuckle along with her, feeling the tension in the air. My hands are still on her arms, and I'm resisting to pull away.

"You really are clumsy, Always tripping and falling."

"yeah." I can't help but smile at her admission. It's kinda cute how uncoordinated she is, despite her usual tough exterior. I release her arms, but not before trailing my fingers down her forearms lightly.