So this was enough.
In fact, it was plenty.
The perfect renewal and recovery before throwing myself back into the career I wanted way more than any relationship. Helping others and making the world a better place.
I ignored the subsequent buzzing of my phone and allowed myself to doze with nothing but the floral-scented air and the faint sound of a gardener doing work in the distance.
Being a highly paid escort had its upsides.
It was enough, I told myself again.
It was plenty.
15
LOCKE
When I finally woke up,the sun was high over the house, and I felt much better. Jett was long gone, thank fuck. I wasn’t interested in morning-after awkwardness, and right now, I needed caffeine more than an orgasm.
“Good morning, Concetta,” I said, strolling into the dining room and heading for the table out on the balcony. “I would kill for a coffee and breakfast, please.”
She flashed me a smile. “I heard about your late night. We will have something right out for you.”
I held back from asking where Jett was, but a few minutes later, he was the one who appeared with my coffee.
“For shame, Locke,” he said with a grin. “Don’t you know American coffee preferences kill an Italian’s soul? Your chef is back there sobbing into your omelette.”
I shrugged and reached for it. “He hates me anyway, so my coffee order can’t make it worse.” I took a sip and groaned. “Thank you.”
He propped his ass against the balcony railing. This time, he wore white linen pants and a navy tank top, fitted enough to show off the outline of every single muscle in his chest andabdomen. “I checked in with Minnie at the office to see if there was anything urgent, and there isn’t. She did say you have a call at five this afternoon—Italy time—but that she will try to handle anything else that comes your way.”
I blinked at him in surprise, replaying the words in my head since I hadn’t been focused on what he was saying. “Uh, thank you. That… wasn’t necessary.”
Jett tilted his head in mock confusion. “Isn’t that what your assistant is supposed to do?”
I shot him a look and took another sip of coffee, keeping my eyes firmly away from his body. “I need to talk to Concetta about the room assignments for our guests.”
“Already done,” he said. “Only, she wanted to warn you that Emil Sorenson and his wife are very loud in bed and?—”
“Jett, you are telling tales!” Concetta said with a laugh, arriving through the open doors and setting my omelette down on the table. “I said he and his wife are not quiet guests. They sometimes argue and stay up late with requests for additional drinks. We used to put them near your grandfather’s suite so they wouldn’t bother the other guests, but remember, your grandfather was hard of hearing.”
Jett met my eyes. “Anyway, since the room they’ll be in is closest to mine, not yours, I think it’ll be fine. But Concetta wanted to make sure you were okay with it.”
I nodded, wondering if anyone would end up sleeping in Jett’s bedroom at all. At this rate, the man seemed to have staked his territory in the center of my personal space.
Surprisingly, I hadn’t minded sharing a bed with him, even though I usually preferred sleeping alone.
“I live in the city. Noise isn’t a problem. Besides, Jett’s right. It probably won’t be heard in my bedroom. If he wants to be the one to suffer their marital spats, so be it.”
She nodded and turned away but stopped before disappearing back through the doors. She returned and reached into the pocket of her skirt to hand something to Jett. “I almost forgot. Put this on the burns. It will help.”
He took the small piece of aloe plant from her hands and beamed at her. “This is from Roberto, isn’t it?”
She nodded, waved her hand over her shoulder, and disappeared into the house.
I watched in shock as Jett casually swiped the cut end of the aloe leaf over the tips of his finger. As the caffeine finally hit my brain, I realized what must have happened.
I shoved my chair back and stepped close to take his hand. “You burned yourself? How the fuck did he let you close enough to the stove for that? I told you not to go in there. He’s a menace. You know what? He’s fired. We’ll have to find someone else for the tournament.”
