"You got your wish," Jax said.
"I almost can't believe it. I can't wait to tell Walter." She checked her watch. "It's too late to call him now. I'll try in the morning before I go to work." She gave him a happy smile. "This is going to be amazing."
"I hope so. But maybe set your expectations a little lower than amazing."
"I can't do that. I have a good feeling about this. Don't you?"
"Well, your enthusiasm is contagious, so I'm feeling optimistic. But remember these people haven't seen each other in fifty-something years and they've been married to other people. They have children and grandchildren. Maybe they just meet and say hello and that's the end of it."
"Or it could just be the beginning. Whatever happens, they're going to see each other. The rest is up to them. Sometimes, all people need is a chance, a lucky break…"
His gaze turned more serious. "You're right, Kaia. Sometimes, it is just about getting a chance…"
He lifted his hand, his fingers brushing lightly against her cheek, as if giving her time to pull away. She didn’t. She couldn't.
His thumb slid along her jaw, roughened fingertips catching beneath her chin as he leaned toward her slowly, carefully, like this mattered too much to rush. And somehow that tenderness undid her more than urgency ever could. When his mouth finally touched hers, the kiss was soft at first, almost searching, as if asking a quiet question neither of them was brave enough to ask out loud.
Her fingers curled into the front of his T-shirt as warmth spread through her chest, dissolving the last of the uncertainty she’d been carrying around for weeks. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around him, needed to get as close to him as possible. His hand tightened at her waist, and the kisses between them turned to passion and exploration, every taste building a desire that felt almost overwhelming. She wanted to keep going. She wanted to strip away the barriers between them, including their clothes, but Jax was pulling away, and she looked at him in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
His gaze filled with regret. "I want this to happen, but…"
"Let's just go with I want this to happen."
"I don't want you to have regrets. It's been a long day for you, a lot of emotional turmoil. I don't know if this is the right time."
"You know what is never the right time? Perfect dates with a fancy restaurant and expensive wine and the perfect setting, the perfect lighting, the perfect conversation."
"I'm getting the idea you don't like perfect," he said with a smile, pulling a strand of hair away from her face.
"I like real, and this is real." She paused. "It's the right time for me if it's the right time for you. Only you can decide that."
His decision came in the form of another kiss, this one hotter, more demanding. There was no uncertainty, just desire, longing, and connection. And she didn't care about what had happened before or what might happen tomorrow. She wanted him, and he wanted her. Sometimes, it was just that simple.
Chapter Nineteen
Kaia woke up to the sound of her alarm, which she'd somehow remembered to set sometime in the night. She grabbed for the phone on the nightstand and then looked over at Jax, who'd spent the night loving her like no one else ever had. "Sorry," she said, smiling at his sleepy blue eyes. "Go back to sleep."
"It's fine. I'm sorry you have to go to work."
"Me, too," she said with a sigh that had nothing to do with exhaustion and everything to do with yearning. "I'd like to stay here for a few more hours." She leaned over and gave him a kiss, which deepened as he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. Breathlessly, she said, "We can't. No time."
"So, tonight then."
She nodded as she pulled away. "I'll be off at five. Everyone is bringing meat to grill, and I'll pick up a side dish on my way home as I have no time to make anything."
"I can make something."
She raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"I can make a side dish."
"Like what?"
"How about a Greek salad?"
"Well, that would be great."
