Epilogue
Jax
Three Years Later
Being as silent as possible, I slip into the room and close the door behind me, making sure to muffle any noise from the latch engaging.
Myles is sitting at his desk, his fingers flying over his keyboard as lines of code scroll by on his monitors.
Casually, I lean against the door and drink him in.
A lot has changed over the last three years, but at the same time, they’ve stayed pretty much the same.
Jace, Killian, and I all graduated from Silvercrest two years ago, and we’ve been working for our dads ever since.
Jace in the IT department, Killian and Xave in Finance, and Felix and I have been learning the ins and outs of the import/export portions of the family businesses.
They’re exactly the jobs we expected to be funneled into, and working so closely with my cousins is one of the things that makes working in general tolerable.
Myles just graduated a month ago, and the moment he was done at Silvercrest, I moved him into my loft and we’ve been living together ever since.
Being long distance for almost three years sucked, but we broke up the time with lots of visits and vacations together.
And the two cameras that Myles insisted I set up in his rooms at Boone House every year definitely came in handy when I wanted to check in on him, and when he was in the mood to recreate some of our earlier encounters.
“I know you’re there,” Myles says, not bothering to turn around.
“How did you know?” I ask, not moving away from the door.
Myles stops typing and spins around in his chair. “Because I can feel you,” he says with a smirky smile. “Doesn’t matter how silent you are or if you come home a day early, I’ll always be able to feel you.”
I can’t stop my grin as he jumps up from his chair and rushes into my outstretched arms.
“I missed you,” he says softly and presses several kisses against my neck. “When did you get in?”
“Just now. I dropped Jace off at his place and came right home.”
He lets out a happy sound and nuzzles my neck. “I’m really glad you’re here.”
“Me too.” I drop a few kisses against his temple and hold him tight.
“Good trip?” he asks, still clinging to me like I’m his lifeline.
“It was fine.”
“Anything interesting happen?”
“Define interesting.”
He pulls away from our hug, a smile on his handsome face. “Did Jace commit any felonies?”
I let out a huff of laughter. “Is water wet?”
He shakes his head, a grin stretching his lips. “And I’m guessing you weren’t exactly Mr. Innocent, either, hmmmmm?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“Of course you do.” He tips his face up, and I cover his lips with mine and give him a real kiss.
Even after three and a half years together, every kiss from Myles feels as incredible as that first one. It doesn’t matter how many times I kiss him or hold him or make him scream my name; it’s always amazing.
When I finally break the kiss, we’re both a little breathless.
“That never gets old,” he says with a soft smile. “Do you think it’ll ever get old?”
“Never.” I kiss him again. “You’re mine, Myles, and you will always be mine.”
He beams a smile at me, but I can see something else in his expression.
“Why do you look nervous?” I ask.
“Maybe because I am nervous,” he says, two spots of color appearing high on his cheekbones.
“Why?”
He doesn’t answer and instead tips his head up for another kiss.
I oblige and brush my lips against his, but pull back before either of us can get too into it.
“Why are you nervous?” I ask again.
“No reason.” He shoots me a wobbly smile.
“Tell me,” I say softly.
He slips his hands under my shirt and strokes his palms over my back. “It’s nothing.”
“Are you nervous about Monday?”
He makes a face. “Is it that obvious?”
“Why are you nervous about it?”
“Maybe because I’m about to start a new job at my boyfriend’s company, working directly under his uncles and father.”
“And why is that making you nervous?”
“Because I’m worried everyone will see that I’m nothing more than a nerd who’s good with code.” He chews on his bottom lip. “What if I suck at my job? What if I screw up and?—”
I cut him off with a quick kiss.
Myles hasn’t spent a lot of time with my dad or uncles over the years, thanks to their busy schedules and him still being at school, but he’s spent every major holiday with us since we got together and spent the summers with us too.
He’s as much a part of the family as Felix is, but after a lifetime of feeling like an afterthought in his own family, I understand why he doesn’t feel like he is.
Things with Myles’s family aren’t great, but they’re not exactly bad, either.
He still talks with his parents and makes sure to visit with his siblings as they get older, but they’re not close-knit like my family is, and our “in your face” brand of family togetherness was a bit of a shock to him when he came home with me that first summer.
“You’re not going to suck at your job, and you’re not going to screw up,” I tell him patiently.
“What if I do?” he presses.
“Then you fix it and move on.”
“What if?—”
I kiss him again to try and quell some of his nerves. “Do you trust me?”
He nods quickly.
“Then trust me when I say you have nothing to be nervous about. My father wouldn’t have offered you this job if he didn’t think you could do it.
It doesn’t matter that you’re with me, my dad and uncles don’t fuck around when it comes to business.
And you’ll be working with Jace, so you won’t be alone. ”
He chews on his lip again, but I can see I’m getting through to him.
“I just don’t want to make them regret trusting me,” he whispers.
“They won’t.” I drop another kiss against his lips.
“Hola, fuckers,” Jace announces as he throws the door to our room open and comes inside like he owns the place. “Oh good, you’ve still got your pants on.”
“What do you want?” I ask, shooting him a flat look.
“Is that any way to talk to your favorite brother?” He makes an exaggerated sad face at me.
“Hey, Jace,” Myles says, giving him a big smile. “What are you doing here?” He looks between us. “I thought Jax dropped you off at your place.”
“He did.” Jace lumbers over to our bed and jumps up on it. “But there’s no one home, and you know what happens when I’m left to my own devices.” He leans back on his hands and gently swings his feet. “Besides, we’re going out.”
“We are? Myles asks.
“Yup. It’s a time-honored tradition.”
Myles shoots me a confused look.
“Do you remember how we took Felix out the weekend before he started at the company?” Jace asks. “Now it’s your turn.”
“I think there has to be more than two instances for something to be a time-honored tradition,” Myles says with a grin.
“Probably,” Jace agrees. “But whatever. We’re going out, and you’re the man of the hour.
And it’s a good thing you kept your pants on because Killian and Felix are on their way over and Xave’s gonna meet us once he finishes up whatever the fuck he’s doing.
You’ll have lots of time to bone later.” He gives Myles a little wink.
“Where are we going?” Myles looks down at himself. “Do I need to change.”
“Nope, you’re good. And it’s a surprise.”
“A surprise?” Myles asks.
Jace nods. “Yup, but don’t worry. Jax planned it, so you’ll enjoy it.”
Myles turns his attention to me. “You planned it?”
I nod. “Everyone was supposed to come over in a few hours.” I give Jace some side-eye. “But yes, I planned tonight.”
“What are we doing?” he asks, some excitement creeping into his voice.
“It’s a surprise,” I tell him.
He makes a face. “You’re really not going to tell me?”
“Nope.” I grin at him.
He rolls his eyes, but he can’t hide his smile. “You’re annoying.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You sure about that?” He arches one eyebrow at me playfully.
I peck a kiss against his lips. “Yup.”
“You’re lucky I love you.”
“Yes, I am,” I tell him, my tone serious.
“I’m the lucky one.” He smiles softly at me.
“You two are beyond adorable,” Jace says loudly. “Are you gonna start talking in baby talk and making even more moon eyes at each other?”
“Maybe,” Myles says with a grin.
“Is everyone decent?” Felix calls from outside the room.
“Define decent,” Jace calls back.
“Do we want to know what’s going on in there?” Felix asks loudly.
“You’ve got three seconds to do whatever you need to do,” Killian says and pushes the door open. “Three.”
“Nice countdown,” Felix says to him, but the affection in his eyes belies his teasing tone.
Killian shoots him a smirk as they come into the room. “It worked, didn’t it?” He flicks his gaze to us. “Ready?”
Myles glances at me. “Are we?”
I nod. “How about you shut everything down, and I’ll grab you a sweater.”
“Make sure it’s one of yours,” Myles says as he heads over to his desk to shut his computer down.
Myles has a thing with wearing my hoodies and t-shirts, and I can’t deny that seeing him in my clothes when we’re out tickles my possessive side. I like knowing that he’s wearing something of mine, even if no one else realizes he is.
While Myles does what he needs to do, I go to our closet and pull out a black hoodie with an oversized hood.
Myles’s eyes widen as I hand it to him, and the look in his eyes tells me we’ll definitely be playing one of our games when we get home tonight.
“Ready?” I ask as he pulls on my sweater.
He nods and leans in so his lips are next to my ear. “Ready or not. Here I come,” he whispers.
Heat flares in my chest at the promise of what’s to come, and I’m grinning when he slips his hand into mine and gives it a squeeze.
“Come on,” Jace says and jumps off the bed. “Last one in the car picks up the check.”
Both he and Killian take off at a sprint, with Felix and Myles right behind them.
I follow at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the view of watching Myles running away from me and counting down the hours until we can have a proper homecoming.
Three years ago, I thought watching Myles was going to be a simple job. That simple job turned into an obsession, and now that I know just how incredible it is to have all of him, I’m never letting him go.
Good thing he isn’t letting me go, either.
What happens when Jace and his rival are forced to work together for the good of the frat? Find out in Fight or Flight. Coming this fall