“Morning,” she says, before inclining her head towards her coffee. “I didn’t make you one as you were sleeping.”
I drop into one of the cushioned chairs nearby.
“That’s okay,” I say, my stomach jumping, as a dullness envelops my chest.
An awkward silence settles between us.
“I have a meeting with Don in an hour. After yesterday’s trip, there are a few ideas I want to run past him before we leave.”
She swings her legs off the sofa, wrapping the gown more tightly around her. “I didn’t want to disturb you, but I need to pack.”
She turns to walk away. A chill settles in my chest, and I’m suddenly aware I’m probably not going to like what comes next.
“So that’s it?” My voice is coming out huskier than I want.
She stops, but doesn’t turn. Her eyes close, and she inhales, the image clear in the glass reflection of the doors in front of her.
She turns her head sideways, but her gaze doesn’t meet mine.
“I think with the project and —”
“Don’tfuckingsay it,” I interrupt, trying hard to hold on to my anger. “I’ll get out of your hair. I have my own packing to do.”
I stand up and move towards the beach entrance. I don’t want any of the staff members to see me leaving Kat’s villa. Rumours and gossip have a nasty habit of taking hold, and I don’t want last night tarnished, even if it meant nothing to Kat.
Kat grips my arm, appearing at my side. I freeze, before turning my head to look at her.
“I’m sorry,” she says quietly, her brows furrowed. “I just think getting involved now would be a mistake. Last night was amazing.” She pinches the bridge of her nose. “But we’re about to embark on a major project together. This. Us… muddies the waters. The board?—”
I harrumph. “Don’t worry, princess. I get it.”
“I don’t think you do. I need to be impartial and independent. If not?—”
“I said, I get it. Look, you’re not the only one who needs to pack. I’ll see you at the jetty in a couple of hours.”
I gently pull my arm out of her grip and begin walking away. Each step adding additional weight to my already heavy soul.
“Jax,” she calls my name.
I spin to face her. “What, Kat? What do you want from me?” I snap.
She drops her chin to her chest, shaking her head. “I want, need you to understand.”
“Understand what?” I say sarcastically. “How you can fall apart in my arms one night, but the next day, you expect me to crawl back into my box and act like nothing happened?”
She opens her mouth and closes it again, so I plough on. “Forget that I have bite marks on my shoulders, or scratch marks down my back, or that my cum, even now, is dripping from your body after I filled you with it, over and over again.”
Colour floods her cheeks.
“Sorry, princess, I can’t turn it on and off like you apparently can.”
Last night was magical. Words can’t describe what it was like to kiss her lips, sink into her body. I’ve never felt for anyone what I feel when I’m with Kat, it’s like she opens something up inside me, something no one else has been able to reach.
A painful pressure builds in my chest around my heart, as if my ribs are suddenly too tight.
“You think this is easy for me,” she chokes out, her voice heavy. “I’d love to be like any other woman, but I’m not. People rely on me… It’s not about my happiness.”
I sigh, knowing this is one battle I’ll never win.
