“You think I’ve got skeletons, darlin’ Dee?”
“Well, yeah,” I replied airily. “You’re cocky, rich, and handsome. Bet you’ve left a trail of broken hearts from Charleston to Dublin.”
“You think I’m handsome?” His eyes twinkled, his dimples—aye, aye, the ones that should be feckin’ illegal—deepened as he smiled.
“And cocky,” I reminded him.
He groaned. “I could say something now, but it would come off as crude, and I’d prove your point that I am indeed a cocky asshole.”
“Jax, were you goin’ to make a joke about your cock?” I teased.
He made a sound like he was being strangled. "Ah, Dee, you’re a tonic, so you are,” he said in a bad Irish accent.
“You saying I’m an astringent?”
“No, darlin’, a dose of good medicine.” There were those insidious dimples again, and that, combined with the kindness in his blue-blue eyes, was enough to make any lass’s head spin.
“I had a Cillian. Her name was Dani. We were high school sweethearts. In love. She was my first and only for a long time.”
Dani was a hussy. I was certain of it.
“What happened?” I urged.
He took a deep breath. “She wanted me to be a Caldwell. My family has some businesses, and she saw me running one of them. I saw myself swinging a golf club.” The memory appeared hard as he ran a hand through his hair. “My father disowned me, and Dani left.”
“What?” I was outraged on his behalf.
He smiled as if amused by my defense of him. “I couldn’t give her what she wanted. Stability, certainty, status, family name. She fell in love with a guy who joined his family’s business and settled down—and dumped the one chasing a golf dream.”
“If you love someone, you don’t leave them because they make a choice you don’t agree with,” I fumed.
“It was for the best. She married someone else. She’s got kids. I’m happy for her.”
He sounded sincerely pleased for the bitch who broke his heart. That made my chest ache. “You don’t hold a grudge?”
“No, I don’t.” He met my eyes. “You can’t make someone stay if they’ve already decided to leave.”
I had to admit there was wisdom in his words.
“If you were in love with a man who didn’t conform to society, you’d hang on tight, wouldn’t you?” he continued softly, dangerously. “You wouldn’t run, would you, darlin’ Dee?”
My mouth went dry.
“No,” I agreed. “Not if I was in love.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He leaned his head back and looked up at the sky. “I don’t think I’ve seen so many stars in ages.”
“Well, we don’t have a lot of city lights around here.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” His voice was quieter now, like he didn’t want to disturb the night. “Here, it feels as if the stars are brighter, closer.”
I followed his gaze, tilting my head back to take in the sky. It was breathtaking, a view you didn’t appreciate when you saw it every night.
“See that one?” Jax pointed toward the sky, tracing a curve of bright stars. “That’s the Plough.”
I squinted. “The one shaped like a ladle?”
“That’s the one.” He took my hand in his, and I didn’t resist. This Yank was making mush out of me.
