Page 18 of That Time I Accidentally Took Over the Mafia

“You’re still mad at me,” he says, his voice low and heavy with regret. It’s the kind of regret I never let myself show. “After everything... after all this time, you’re still mad?”

I shoot him a glare, though it’s not as sharp as it should be. “You lied to me. You kept things from me, Jax. You didn’t tell me what you really did for a living. You didn’t trust me.”

“I was protecting you.”

“From what?” My voice rises, the frustration spilling out as we stand naked in the dim motel room. His cum drips down my leg, and I hate it because I feel emptier with every drop that leaves me. “What were you protecting me from, Jax? From feeling abandoned? Because that didn’t fucking work. You left me at the altar, and then you left me alone in the world when they took you away in handcuffs.”

“You didn’t wait for me.” His voice is softer now, broken with pain. “Why didn’t you wait for me?”

He takes a step toward me, and I instinctively step back.

“I looked for you, every day during the trial,” he continues, his eyes pleading. Another step forward, another step back.

It’s the same dance we’ve always done—pushing and pulling, never finding steady ground.

“You were charged with murder, Jax.”

He winces like the word itself hurts. “You know it was a bullshit charge.”

His fists clench at his sides. “That day... that was supposed to be the start of our lives together. I should have told you the truth about what I really did for a living, but I was trying to keep you safe.”

Another step backward, and my legs hit the dresser. I have nowhere left to retreat.

“I hurt you, and you hurt me back. God, baby, I wrote you every damn day, but you never wrote back. You just... gave up on me.”

His words hit me like a brick, and something inside me softens. He’s right. I did walk away. I didn’t wait for him. But at the time, I thought I had my reasons.

“I couldn’t come to the trial,” I confess, my voice trembling. I stare at my hands, unable to meet his eyes. “I couldn’t be that close to you and not touch you. To have to walk away and leave you there... it would have ripped my heart apart.”

My chin quivers, and I take a deep breath to steady myself. “I did write you—every single day.”

Jax’s sharp intake of breath cuts through the silence, his disbelief palpable.

I take a step toward him. “I read every letter you sent me. Over and over. Every day. But I never sent you anything. I couldn’t.”

My breasts brush against his chest as I take another step. My hands find his taut muscles, and I feel him tense beneath my touch.

“I mostly told you how much I hated you,” I admit with a dry laugh. It’s not humor—it’s the apology I never knew how to give.

He chuckles softly, his hands reaching for me. “I figured that part out on my own.”

His gaze softens as he pulls me into his arms. I wrap mine around his neck, my fingers playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. “But I also wrote about my new job... my dickhead of a boss.”

He grins knowingly. “Enzo.”

“I wrote about my dreams too,” I continue, a small smile tugging at my lips. “About wanting to publish more of my books. When my first book hit the best-sellers list... I imagined how proud you’d be.”

“I am proud of you, Peach.” His voice is warm, his thumb brushing against my cheek. “I always have been. I always will be.”

Before I can respond, his lips find mine. The kiss is soft, unhurried, and it carries me somewhere far from the motel and all its ghosts.

He lays me back onto the bed, and when our bodies come together this time, it’s different. There’s no urgency, no frantic need to fill the silence. It’s tender, deliberate, and filled with a warmth I’ve missed for far too long.

The climax isn’t explosive—it’s steady, like a wave cresting and retreating. When it’s over, we lie tangled together, the quiet between us no longer suffocating but comforting.

His hand traces lazy patterns on my side as we stare at each other, lost in the moment.

“I’m sorry, Peach,” he whispers, his voice thick with regret. “I’m so damn sorry I left you.”

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