Page 10 of Intrigued By Love

“Night-night. I’ll lock up.”

Fifteen minutes later, I parked the little golf cart I used to drive around the resort at the front door of my bungalow. It was a beautiful two-story home, with a private beach and views I could lose myself in for hours. I opened the door, dropped my keys on an entry table, and went straight to the wine fridge. After pouring myself a healthy glass of my favorite cabernet, I made my way up the stairs to my bedroom and changed out of my work uniform before walking onto the second-story deck overlooking the star-covered ocean.

Inhaling the warm night air, I took a deep gulp of my wine, letting the alcohol warm me, and stared at the gorgeous house lighting up the distant cove. It wasn’t the first time I’d studied the beautiful home.

There were many nights I’d made up stories of the man who’d built the mansion, just as many of the locals would do. Sometimes even going as far as to think Jax lived up there and built the place for me. It was worse now because Jax was here, reminding me of the past, of what we’d shared. I knew it was childish to avoid him or pretend he wasn’t there when every nerve in my body was very much aware of his presence.

Especially my libido.

I desperately wanted to feel Jax’s hands on my body, demanding my pleasure, forcing me to accept my desires. It had been so easy with him. Hell, until he entered my life, I hadn’t put a name to the things I’d always craved with a man. I needed someone I felt safe enough with to let them control my body, someone who wouldn’t abuse the trust, who understood my need to let go. Jax had been the one to show me there was freedom in giving up control.

My sisters loved to tease me about the kink aspect of the relationship Jax and I’d shared but it wasn’t something we labeled. It was a natural aspect of who we were.

I doubted there was ever going to be another man who could make my pulse jump with one heated look or have my core clench with an innocent touch on my back.

Setting my wine glass down, I rested my hands on the railing and closed my eyes. I could survive three more weeks. I had the willpower to do it.

“I’d give up a fortune to know what you’re thinking about at this moment, Little Bird.”

Chapter Six

Kailani

My pulse jumped as I whirled around to face Jax. He leaned against the railing closest to the stairs leading down to the lower patio.

It was as if my thoughts, my memories had conjured him, but I knew the truth. It was his need to talk to me, to throw me off-kilter, to make me lose the control I liked in my life.

The energy burned between us like a livewire, just as it had been since he’d stepped foot on my resort. However, here we were alone. There was no escaping him now.

He looked so good. The rolled-up sleeves and open collar of his shirt gave a hint of the tattoos that covered his arms and body and made a woman glimpse the rebel under the polished businessman. The fact I knew every inch of him, the way he kissed, the way he possessed a woman, the way he fucked added to the anxiety now coursing through me.

“Why are you on my balcony, Jax?”

His slight smile touched his full lips, and he moved closer to where I stood. “You tell me what you were thinking about and I’ll answer your question.”

I retreated until my back hit the pillar near the balcony rail, realizing too late that I’d just put myself in a more compromising position than if I’d stayed still and stood my ground.

“Jax. This area is off-limits to guests.”

What was the point of having a lone villa away from the resort if no one respected my privacy?

“Am I only a guest to you, Kai? The last time we were alone, I thought I was the man you loved.”

Closing my eyes, I tried to hide the pain his words brought forth as well as the tears that burned my eyes.

Jax cupped my jaw, causing a startled gasp to escape my lips.

I stared into his stormy gray eyes, seeing the intensity I’d imagined so many times over the last few years.

He thumbed the wetness dampening my cheeks. “You wouldn’t cry if you didn’t still feel something for me.”

“Feeling something for you was never the problem. It’s how you felt about me.”

Confusion flashed over his face, then hurt before it disappeared and was replaced with his standard cool mask.

“You were my world. My future. My everything.”

I swallowed, not wanting to scream and tell him to fuck off. If it was true then why had he let me believe I hadn’t mattered, that his career, his ambition, his family were more important than me?

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