Page 16 of Intrigued By Love

God. She truly believed I’d picked my family over her. How could she not see it was always her? What I did for my parents was to be free of them and make a path to her.

Had I fucked up that bad? Obviously, I had.

“Kai, I’m sorry. The last thing I ever wanted was for you to think you didn’t matter.”

She shook her head. “I can’t do this with you, Jax. Let’s leave it all in the past. I have a new life and a business to run. I have a wedding to orchestrate. I think it’s better if we keep things professional from this point forward and chalk this up to unfinished attraction.”

This was a hell of a lot more than something physical.

“Better for who?”

“For both of us. There’s no point in rehashing things we can’t change. It’s not as if we have a future. I live in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you in Vegas. Besides, long-distance relationships never work.”

If she only knew what lengths I’d gone to in order to be near her. At this moment, though, she’d shut down and there was no convincing her how I felt about her.

I moved toward the stairs leading to the lower living area.

Just as I took the first step, I said, “Believe what you want, Kai. You’re my future, always have been and always will be. I’m not giving up, even if you have.”

Chapter Eight

Kailani

“Want to tell me what the hell is going on between you and Jax?” Lina asked as she cornered me in the larger-than-average galley kitchen of the yacht we were using to cruise around Bora Bora for the day.

I’d avoided any conversations of significance with my family, Thad, and especially Jax. My heart hadn’t gotten its footing from the moment Jax left my bungalow, and I’d let the tears and pain I’d held in for so long erupt. I couldn’t make heads or tails of what Jax had said. We’d lived the same life and interpreted everything differently.

I’d spent the better part of the night and most of this morning lost in an endless loop of the same thoughts.

Had he really fought for me with his family? Was keeping me away from his Hollywood life Jax’s way of protecting me from his mother? Had I made a mistake?

“There’s nothing to tell. Jax and I talked, and we aren’t going to see things the same. I don’t have time to sort through the mess of our past before he leaves again.”

A frown marred Lina’s perfect features. “Well, the least you could have done was end your self-imposed celibacy with the only man’s cock you’ve seen in the last seven years.”

“Are you for real right now? I tell you I had an argument with Jax, and you’re telling me to sleep with him.”

“Sleeping isn’t what I had in mind.”

My cheeks heated as the image of Jax fucking me flashed behind my eyes.

“Oh my God, you slept with him.” She grabbed my forearm. “How could you not tell me? I bet you told Cora. You tell her everything.”

If only Cora was down here, I’d probably do exactly that, but she was taking a nap on a sun lounger at the front of the ship.

“Tell you what?” Kiana asked as she came down the stairs from the deck above us into the galley area.

She studied me and sighed before walking up to me and wrapping me in her arms. “It’s okay. He’s not doing much better. Sex is supposed to relieve the tension, but it looks like the two of you just made it ten times worse.”

I pulled back and muttered, “Thanks for the recap.”

“You’re welcome.” Kiana wiped the tear I hadn’t realized slipped down my cheek. “You love him, and it’s obvious he still loves you.”

I couldn’t deny her assessment of the situation.

Lina set her head on my shoulder and hugged both Kiana and me. “Isn’t there any way to fix this?”

“We have too much history to work through. Too many people and situations that have caused us pain.” One of them being the woman who’d done everything to make my relationship with Jax harder.

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