3.1 | Animal Instinct ✓

05 | belle

0 5

b e l l e

WHEN JED'S EYES met mine, the expression in them was dark and absolutely indecipherable. It was like Adrian's words had pulled a trigger from within him, and he was completely different now. Shoulders squared, posture stiff, jaw clenched – it was amazing what body movements could convey and suddenly, I was almost scared of him.

He strode over to the door and flipped the latch shut. Then he propped several pieces of furniture against the door.

When he was done, he looked at me and I swallowed. I knew exactly what he was thinking without him having to say it. "Fire escape?"

He nodded. Picking up the box, I followed him to the fire escape. He took the box from me and held the window open. I hurried down the stairs, with Jed following close behind.

But the ground floor was a danger zone all on its own, and the moment we stepped off the last of the stairs, Jed manoeuvred me towards the nearest dark alcove. He did it in an almost odd manner, not quite touching me, simply turning so his back was to me and backing me into the corner, before setting the box down on the ground. His hands were braced on either side of the wall in a way that spoke volumes – whoever wanted to get to me would have to go through him first. His eyes were sharp as he scanned our surroundings, and when I peeked over his shoulder, I realised what it was that he'd seen.

Bianca strode past with a guy, but she kept one hand tucked in her jacket. When she lifted that hand, I didn't miss the revolver strapped to her waist.

Instinctively, my hand darted out to latch tightly onto the fabric of Jed's jacket. He stilled at the movement, then turned to face me, with movements so stealthy and quiet that I didn't hear a thing. Keeping one arm braced against the wall and his gaze locked on mine, he reached up to press a finger to his lips.

I realised then that we were closer than I'd imagined. His stance caged me in, but made me feel safe. I held my breath, not wanting this moment to end.

Jed seemed to realise it only seconds after I did. His eyes flickered down to my lips, briefly, and it was enough to spike up the temperature between us as the green in his irises slid back, only to be replaced by a darker shade that was pure intensity. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, I registered that Bianca and her henchman had left and we were safe now. But that hardly mattered now. The air was charged and my heart raced – not just because of the dangerous situation we were in, but because of how close he was to me. So close that I could see the freckles dotting his cheeks, feel the whisper of his breath on my lips when he exhaled and hear the faint ruffling of his jacket when he shifted even closer to me.

I couldn't for the life of me comprehend what it was. Plain physical attraction was not supposed to make you feel so...gravitated. Like you had been lost in space for a long, long time and there he was, a magnetic pull that anchored you down, dragged you back in, and –

But the moment was lost when Jed suddenly blinked. And when he opened his eyes again, the black in his irises seemed to fade until he was staring at me with that familiar green shade I was so acquainted with. He seemed to register the distance we were in, and he quickly took a step back, angling his head to see if it was safe out there.

It was. I smiled faintly when he looked back at me, trying to calm the stuttering of my heart and the way just being near him threw me completely off balance. "All clear?"

He nodded.

"What about the others?" I asked, as we headed to his car. He shook his head and I bit my lip anxiously. "Do you think they'll need help?"