He groaned. “This is going to be a very cold shower.”
“Or you could just beat off in the shower. I want you ready to last later,” she added with a saucy wink.
He groaned again as she brushed her hand over his burgeoning erection barely restrained by his jeans. “Christ, it’s not going to take me long to come. Going to shower. Jackson is down the hall.”
Trinity grinned as he hurried into the bathroom. She had gotten the reaction she wanted from one of her men. Now for the other. She strolled out of the bedroom carrying her jacket and peeked into the rooms down the hallway only to find them empty. Her steps slowed as she approached the left wing of the house and the room where she never wanted to go into again.
The smell of paint hit her as she approached the closed door. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and found Jackson working in the empty room with all the windows wide open. She stared in shock at the white walls that had been a deep crimson only yesterday. The big bed that had once dominated the room was now gone. She took a step into the doorway, still not wanting to enter the room.
Jackson froze in his crouched position. He felt her more than heard her and slowly turned his head to look at her. All the blood in his body drained down to his cock, filling him to bursting. She was fucking glorious. Framed in the doorway was a vision of every fantasy, every wish, every dream that he had ever had of the perfect woman.
And she was his.
He surged to his feet, his only thought to claim her.
“Stop,” she ordered.
He stilled, his body practically vibrating with the need to touch her.
“Jackson, you’re covered with paint.”
He glanced down at himself and winced. Shit, she was right. Like a mortal standing in front of a goddess, he wasn’t worthy of touching her. Her eyes searched his face, and he could see the bright shimmer of tears in them.
“What did you do, Jackson?”
“I told you I’d take this room apart. This is your home now, Kat. I won’t have you uncomfortable here. I already threw out all my toys. If we ever want to use anything in our play, we can buy new ones together.”
Trinity felt it then. It wasn’t a slow slide into love. It was like a punch in the gut. She loved this man. Hell, she loved them both. How that was possible when she’d only known them for such a short amount of time, she didn’t know.
The simple truth was that she did.
“I fucking love you,” she whispered, then wanted to wince at how crass she had made her declaration sound. It didn’t seem to matter since the look on Jackson’s face was worth it. His green eyes burned with such intense emotion they looked like they were glowing. He stalked up to the doorway, grabbing onto the doorframe to anchor himself, his hold so tight his hands were white with the strain.
“Say it again,” he demanded.
“I love you,” she said breathlessly. “So much. And I know that sounds crazy, but—”
His mouth cut off her words as he leaned in and attacked. She swayed into him but kept enough control not to brush up against his paint-streaked body. When their kiss finally ended, they were both breathing hard, hearts racing. She looked away and pushed her hair behind one ear in a nervous gesture.
“Well, you should probably get ready for the meeting. I’m going to go downstairs and wait for you guys.”
Jackson watched as she turned and walked away. She’d only made it a few steps before he called out to her.
“Katrina?” He waited until their eyes met, the connection still smoldering between them. “I love you, too, baby.”
And he realized that he had never spoken truer words.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Sinful was the posh, fine-dining restaurant located in the Palace Resort and Spa. It was a favorite of guests and island natives alike, and patrons were encouraged to make reservations ahead of time to ensure they got in. With its curved fish tank separating the room into intimate sections and black leather chairs with contemporary embellishments, Sinful was just that.
Sinfully elegant.
Maxwell had put on a bespoke blue suit with a crisp white shirt for their date tonight, and Trinity had removed her jacket once they left the meeting, leaving her toned arms and back bare. They made a striking couple, and dozens of heads had turned their way when they entered the restaurant. Because of Maxwell’s status, they had been seated right away even though there were plenty of people in the bar area waiting for a table.
While the restaurant was packed with people, Trinity and Maxwell sat at a secluded booth that gave them a semblance of privacy. Music played softly over the hidden speakers, adding to the ambiance but not distracting enough to interfere with intimate conversations.
They sipped icy champagne and enjoyed delicate scallop appetizers as they discussed the meeting that had taken place earlier upstairs in one of the conference rooms. Joseph Riviera, the owner of Riviera Construction, had come to the meeting with his son Eric, the acting president, and daughter, Pamela, their VP of finance. The family had been all apologies, furious themselves at the damage done to their reputation by this type of screwup.