I give him a skeptical look.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Ellie. Kayne is in the same place you are. He’s just as confused, and borderline desperate.”
“Desperate?”
“Mmm hmm. Desperate to get you back.”
“What if I can’t . . .”
“Forgive him?”
“Trust him.”
Jett studies me like a science experiment, those turquoise-blue eyes poking me like probes.
“Trust him not to lie to you?”
I look up at the stars and take a deep breath. “In a way. I’m afraid he’s always going to see me as an object. I’m afraid his feelings aren’t real, and I’m afraid if I open myself up I’m just going to get hurt again.”
Jett puts his arm around my shoulders comforting me. “I get it, Ellie. I do. You and Kayne have a very sordid past. Your fears are justified, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that Kayne’s feelings are real.” He lifts my chin so I’m looking at him in the eyes. I’m convinced they are the most genuine eyes on the planet. “Let me tell you something about Kayne. Trusting women is a hard limit for him.”
I sit up straight, surprised. “Why?”
“It stems from his upbringing. I’ll let him give you the gory details. You should hear it from him anyway. It’s his story to tell. But I can say confidently, with you, he’s shattering all his insecurities. And it’s making him vulnerable.”
“Vulnerable?” I question skeptically. Are we talking about the same alpha male who stripped me naked, forced me to submit, and controlled my entire existence without one bat of an eyelash?
“Yes,” Jett confirms, “and that’s a very dangerous place for Kayne.”
“Why?”
“Because it makes him lose control.”
“Control of what?”
“His life.”
“Oh.” I frown.
“Ellie, let me paint you picture to try and help you understand.
Imagine what it would be like to live your entire life in the dark, and then one day suddenly experience the sun. To feel its warmth and bask in its light, to feed off it and become dependent on it. And then in a flash have it ripped away leaving you in the cold dark place you once were.
“Kayne lived in the dark. And then you came. You were his sun, and his light, and his warmth. The moment you left, he was thrust back into the darkness. An abysmal place where he drowns in the demons of his past. He needs the light now more than ever. He needs you. Don’t doubt the sincerity of his feelings. They’re more real than you and me, and the air that we breathe. Trust me, I would never lie to you about something as delicate as Kayne’s feelings.
“He’ll never intentionally hurt you. Of that, I’m sure. The man is more loyal than a dog. But I’ll be honest, Kayne is intense and sometimes hard to handle, especially when his emotions get involved. That’s why he was so over the top when it came to you, in all aspects,” he insinuates, and I nod, understanding. “He wanted you to feel what he was feeling. And it was the only way he knew how to show it.”
My cheeks suddenly heat. The man does know what he’s doing between the sheets. I can still feel every orgasm like they were branded between my legs.
“Ellie?” Jett wiggles my hand.
“Hmmm?”
“Where did you go?”
I feel my cheeks burn brighter.
Jett eyes me knowingly. “Oh, I know. Taking a little trip down memory lane?”
