“Gia.” Jax scrubbed his hands over his face. “Damn it. Take what I can give you.”
“It’s not enough!”
“It has to be. Christ... Don’t ask me to turn you into one of them!”
I jerked back, startled by his vehemence. “What are you talking about?”
He turned his back to the house and picked up the bottle of champagne, drinking deeply.
Confused, I studied him and saw only mulish determination. I looked past him into the ballroom, seeing the glittering couples inside. Lei appeared at that moment, walking onto the terrace with Chad on her arm.
In that moment I understood how badly I wanted to unravel the mystery of Jax, bad enough that I didn’t care how much it was going to cost me.
“Mind if we join you?” Lei asked as she and Chad approached.
Her eyes caught mine. I sank onto the bench, my body still throbbing with unappeased hunger.
Glancing at Jax, I found his eyes on me. A challenge was there in those dark depths. I held my hand out for the champagne, gripping the bottle by the neck when he handed it to me.
I lifted it in toast and drank to that dare.
Chapter 6
DON’T DISAPPEAR. See me again....
Jax’s last words, whispered in my ear as we said goodbye, haunted me on the flight back to New York.
If I tangled with him I’d get hurt, because I would hope. I wanted more. But what choice did I have? I had to know what had gone so wrong before and what was still holding him back now. I’d always assumed it was me—who I was, where I came from—not meshing with who he was and what he wanted long-term.
I glanced at Lei, who was seated across from me on the plane, as she opened her clutch and withdrew a folded piece of paper. She slid it over and I smoothed it out on the table in front of us. I read the first paragraph, shot a look down to see the signature at the bottom, then lifted my head.
“Oh, my God... You got Chad to sign?”
“It’s a tentative agreement,” she qualified, “based on getting Isabelle and Inez on board—and you overseeing the first restaurant—but it’s got him on the hook.”
“Wow.” I refolded the document carefully, taking in the fact that I’d just been handed a major responsibility. “I can’t believe you had this with you. Did you know he’d be there?”
“I suspected, knowing Ian.”
I handed the agreement back to her.
“Rutledge took care of you tonight,” Lei noted. “Ian tried to throw you to the wolves, but Jackson kept you too close for that.”
And he’d wanted me even closer.
I shrugged off her unspoken query, not wanting to get into something so deeply personal. “By the way, Parker Rutledge explained the connection. Ian introduced Parker to the latest Mrs. Rutledge.”
“Did he?” Lei’s elegantly arched brows rose. “Then it’s likely Ian knows Regina Rutledge intimately.”
“Are you kidding?”
“’Fraid not.”
“Okay, then.”
She leaned her head back against the seat. “Let’s enjoy the weekend. Turn off your phone, forget about work. Just recharge. We’ll hit it fresh on Monday.”
That sounded perfect to me. “I’m more than game, but I’ll leave my phone on in case you need me.”
Lei smiled. “I won’t need you, I promise. I’ve got a date this weekend.”
“All weekend?”
“I’m overdue.”
I laughed. In the year I’d been with Lei, I hadn’t known her to date. She was due for a good time, all right. So was I. “Rock it.”
She shot me a look. “I plan to.”
* * *
WHEN I GOT HOME, it was just past two in the morning and everyone was asleep. I padded to my room on bare feet, eager to strip and scrub down to my bare skin.
I was reaching for the concealed zipper on the side of my dress when I caught sight of my reflection in the mirrored closet doors. I paused, really taking a good hard look at myself.
Was Jax attracted to the polished businesswoman I’d become in a way he hadn’t been to the girl I was before? Was I okay with that?
“God.” I sat on the edge of my bed, wishing someone were awake that I could talk to. If Nico had been around, he’d be up. He was a night owl.
Impulsively, I reached for the phone on my nightstand and speed-dialed him. It rang three times before he answered.
“Hey,” he said. “This better be good.”
I winced at his irritated and slightly breathless tone, suspecting I’d interrupted him when he had someone staying over. “Nico, hi. Sorry. I’ll call back tomorrow.”
“Gianna.” He exhaled roughly and I heard rustling. “What’s up?”
“Nothing. We’ll chat tomorrow. Bye.”
“Don’t hang up on me!” he snapped. “You wanted me, you got me. Spill it.”
I hung up, figuring the sooner I let him go, the sooner he’d get back to whatever he’d been doing.
A half second later, the phone started ringing. I answered quickly, hoping it didn’t wake up the rest of the house. “Nico, come on. It’s not a big deal. I’m sorry I bugged you so late.”
“Gianna, if you don’t start talking, I’m heading up there to kick your ass. Is this about Jackson?”
I sighed. I should have known he would’ve heard the news from someone. “I’ve got a free weekend. I thought maybe I could come visit. Give you a hard time. Harass you a little. Or a lot.”
“Now?”
Actually, I’d been thinking about it, but... “No, tomorrow.”
“Bullshit. You don’t call after two in the morning to say you want to stop by tomorrow.”
“You’re busy.”
“By the time you get here, I won’t be.” His voice softened. “You got a safe ride down?”
“Nico—”
“I’ll call a service, have a car pick you up.”
I closed my eyes, grateful for him and more certain than ever that hanging with him would do me a world of good. It’d been a few weeks since I’d seen him. Too long. “I need to shower and change.”
“Thirty minutes. I’ll see you when you get here.” He hung up.
Setting the handset back into its cradle, I hurried to get ready.
* * *
IT WAS CREEPING past four in the morning when I arrived at Nico’s apartment complex. He’d called a few minutes before to check where I was and was standing on the sidewalk waiting for me when I pulled up. Dressed in sweats with a shadow of stubble on his jaw, he looked a bit dangerous in that bad-boy way so many women gravitated toward.