Page 53 of Rise Above

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“Sexy?” Her big eyes blinked up at me. She was

truly beautiful.

“Yes,” I said, trying to contain my urge to fuck her

on the balcony. The images that ran through my head were unholy, and I had to shake it to clear them. Friends didn’t have sex, and we were friends. That’s all she wanted. It’s all I could give while still keeping her in my life.

“Oh, well thanks.” Her cheeks flushed red. Did she not view herself as sexy? She was a

walking hard-on. Aife was gorgeous but also clever and witty and kind. She was someone I could easily converse with, and that was rare to find these days. Friends, TJ. Just friends.

“Come on.” I held a hand out to her. “It’s late. You

can borrow a shirt and sleep in the guest room.”

Nodding, Aife grabbed my hand to stand and

followed me back inside. Every inch of her exuded exhaustion. She looked like she was on the brink of passing out. Her eyes were hooded, practically glazed over with tiredness. Somehow, she still looked adorable. It was doing weird things to my heart to see her like this, and I still barely knew her.

“Carry me.” Her voice was soft. “Please.” She lifted her arms out to me. While Aife wasn’t

exactly tiny, I towered over her. My guess was that she was average height, but I was six foot six. She was dwarfed by me.

“James, please.”

I looked down at her. “James?”

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“Up.” Aife was suddenly very demanding. It was

cute to see her like this. Tired Aife was adorable but also bossy.

“Why James?” I asked as I lifted her into my arms. “Everyone calls you TJ, and you seem embarrassed

by Talon. James feels right.” Aife buried her face into my chest. “So warm.”

I smiled at her. I wasn’t sure if she had meant to say

that last part out loud. For some reason though, the way she said Talon felt right. It wasn’t awkward coming from her. Hell, I’d let her call me Talon if she liked it. She could call me anything, and I’d probably answer.

Slowly, I walked us upstairs. I appreciated that she

cared enough to try a different name. Most people wouldn’t care what their name preference was. When we made it to my room, I carefully lowered her to the bed. Aife was precious cargo.

“You can call me Talon if you want,” I said, turning

to my dresser drawers to find her something to wear.

“I thought you didn’t like it.” Aife’s voice was

muffled. Turning around, I found her face first in my pillows. “I’m not calling you something you don’t like.”