Chapter 41 Jace
JACE
The mansion’s main room was a testament to luxury: walnut paneling, leather chairs, and a custom poker table. The Sinners and Saints Club, aptly named for the mix of sinners (primarily, Axel) and reluctant saints (debatably, Blake) that made up our brotherhood.
I shuffled poker chips between my fingers—click-click-click—a nervous habit from college finals that now surfaced whenever my mind was a category-five hurricane. And lately, that hurricane had a name: Scarlett.
Blake walked in, hanging his hoodie on the rack with the surgical precision you’d expect from a man who regularly held lives in his hands. “Just saw Scarlett,” he announced casually, like he hadn’t just detonated a bomb in my chest.
My heartbeat accelerated at the mere mention of her name. Like a teenager. Like a goddamn lovesick puppy.
“You did?” I tried for casual disinterest.
“She and Tess were drinking that new cabernet I imported.” He settled across from me, rolling up his sleeves. “She seemed … guarded.”
“Did she say why?” The chips moved faster. Click-click-click-click.
Blake’s doctor eyes diagnosed my pathetic condition instantly. “I presume it’s because of her sperm donor situation. Why? Did something else happen with the guy from work?”
I’d dumped the whole situation into our group chat at two a.m., seeking advice but getting only variations of just talk to her and you’re screwed from these three emotional geniuses.
Before I could answer, Axel sauntered in with a bottle of scotch. “Please tell me you two aren’t going to talk about women all night? I came to take your money, not audition for the Lifetime Movie Network.”
I watched him, resentment building in my chest. How did he do it? How did Axel float through life, sampling women like wine vintages, while I was over here, drowning in feelings I’d never wanted?
Ryker poured himself a neat whiskey and smirked. “Rich, coming from you. Last week, you spent three hours describing a bartender’s, and I quote, ‘transcendent legs.’ ”
“I talk about the beauty of women,” Axel clarified, dealing cards. “Emotions are ugly. Like Ryker’s attempt at a beard last summer.”
The chips stilled in my hand. Must be nice, treating emotions like an optional side dish. Meanwhile, I’d cannonballed into the deep end for a woman I could never have.
“Besides,” Axel added with his trademark smirk, “those were exceptional legs.”
“Will you shut up?” I snapped. “We all know the emotionless-playboy act is bullshit.”
Axel’s trademark smirk vanished, and something flashed in his eyes I rarely saw. Something raw and unguarded. The transformation was so quick, I almost missed it before his walls slammed back into place.
“You know, that’s the second time you’ve said that recently,” he said, voice quiet but tight. “If you have something to say, Jace, just say it.”
The room went silent. Blake and Ryker exchanged glances, suddenly very interested in their cards. We’d rarely ever heard that tone from Axel before. It wasn’t his usual defensiveness or sarcasm. This was different. This was real.
That was when I realized I’d stumbled on to something he didn’t want anyone to see. The carefully constructed image of Axel—the carefree playboy with a different woman every night, the guy who joked about everything and took nothing seriously—had cracked, just for a second.
I’d always suspected his exaggerated womanizing was a shield.
It was why I’d said that, twice by his count, but now, I was certain.
The more outrageous his stories, the fewer questions people asked.
The more he played up being shallow, the less anyone looked for depth.
It was brilliant really: hide in plain sight behind a reputation so consistent, no one bothered to look past it.
Who the hell was I to throw that in his face, especially when I had my own problems?
I ran a hand over my face. “Sorry,” I managed. “I’m on edge.”
His eyes held mine like he was deciding whether to let me off the hook or finally have it out with me. Then the moment passed, and Axel was back to smirking and shuffling cards.
“This is exactly why I avoid dating. Emotions make you lose all sense, dude. Look at Blake.” He nodded to him. “He texted from the jeweler, wanting our approval, picking out an engagement ring.”
“Opinion,” Blake corrected, placing a small velvet box on the table. “I’ve never bought one before. I want to make sure it’s perfect.”
“You came to the wrong club if you think we’ll have the first clue,” Ryker said, examining his cards with exaggerated interest. “Half of us are emotionally stunted, and the other half are … well, Axel.”
“Screw you very much,” Axel replied cheerfully, then picked up the box with a low whistle. “Better not take her on a boat. She’ll sink to the bottom of the lake with this rock weighing her down.”
“Too much?” Blake looked legitimately concerned.
“Depends. Does she like being able to lift her hand?” Axel arched a brow.
Ryker snatched the box from Axel. “It’s nice, man. Tessa will lose her mind.”
“Speaking of losing minds,” Blake said, reclaiming the ring. “Scarlett. She doing okay? Tess mentioned something about a tense meeting at work between you two.”
I sighed, letting my cards fall face down. “Scarlett’s turned out to be a worthy adversary. I knew she was fierce, but, damn …” I shook my head, remembering the fire in her eyes. “I just had a conference-room showdown with her that made me fall even deeper.”
Fall even deeper? Did I just say that?
“Oh?” Blake asked, a hint of genuine curiosity breaking through his usual reserve.
“She stood up to me—to ME—in front of the entire team. Played a game of chess and won. Most people can’t even maintain eye contact with me in those meetings.”
“So, she yelled at you, and that made you horny?” Axel asked, raising the bet. “That’s some next-level masochism. I’m both disgusted and impressed.”
I glared. “It wasn’t like that. She was brilliant. Fierce. It was …”
“Hot?” supplied Axel.
“Impressive,” I corrected, though the heat crawling up my neck betrayed me.
“Should we be worried?” Ryker asked, studying me. “I’ve known you for years and never seen you this …”
“Pathetic?” Axel offered helpfully.
“Invested,” Ryker finished, shooting Axel a look.
“Still haven’t figured out who hurt her?” Blake asked.
I shook my head. “Thought she’d tell me by now. The fact that she hasn’t makes me admire her more. It would be easy for her to tell me, but she’s so damn private.” I collected my winnings absently. “Maddeningly inconvenient, but I respect the hell out of it.”
“Maybe you should give up,” Axel suggested, refilling his glass. “Some battles aren’t worth fighting. Some women aren’t worth the heartburn.”
“Like that brunette from the charity gala who stole your watch?” Ryker asked innocently.
“We agreed never to speak of that again,” Axel said through gritted teeth.
“Never,” I said, answering Axel’s suggestion. “I’m not giving up on her.”
Blake’s eyebrows rose slightly in a silent acknowledgment.
“All right, let’s address the elephant in the boardroom,” Ryker said, leaning forward. “What’s your endgame? She works for you. You’ve got your no-fraternization policy. Where exactly do you see this going?”
I ran my hand down my face. “I really thought she was going to tell me everything the other day. She had that NDA in her hand, and I swore she was about to give it to me. Then she just … pulled the rug out. No explanation.”
“You really like this woman,” Blake noted.
“I do.” The admission felt like jumping off a cliff without knowing if there was water below. “But I don’t know if she feels the same. And even if she does …”
“Even if she does?” Blake prompted.
“Even if she does, I’m not sure she’d ever act on it.” The truth ached in my chest. “She’s built walls so high, I’m not sure anyone’s meant to scale them.”
“Does she know how you feel?” Blake asked.
I grabbed my lip angrily between my teeth. “I’ve never …” I stopped. How could I explain that in the boardroom, I could command armies with a few words, but with Scarlett, I was suddenly illiterate?
“You’ve never what?” Blake pressed.
“I’ve never felt this way before,” I admitted quietly. “I don’t know the protocol. There’s no business strategy for this. No contingency plan.”
Blake nodded, as if confirming a diagnosis he’d suspected all along.
“Show her,” he said simply.
“Show her what? My emotional incompetence?” I asked, shuffling chips again. “Not sure that’s the wisest move. We’re still forbidden to date, remember?”
“You’re the boss,” Blake pointed out. “You make the rules. And I’m not saying break them, but … sometimes, people need to see action, not just words.”
“What Blake’s trying to say,” Ryker translated, “is that you need to find a way to show her you care.”
“Do something meaningful that shows you’ve been paying attention,” Blake continued, his voice softening.
“When I found out Tessa had never seen the ocean, I flew her to Malibu for the weekend. It wasn’t about the money or the private jet; it was about showing her I’d listened when she talked about her dreams.”
“Dude, you falling in love is giving me hives,” Axel complained, but something almost wistful crossed his face. “Next, you’ll be telling us how the sound of her laugh makes flowers bloom or some shit.”
Falling in love. The thought should’ve terrified me, but instead, it felt like putting a name to a condition I’d been suffering from.
“Show her,” I repeated, the wheels already turning.
“Think about what she cares about most,” Blake advised. “What lights her up when she talks about it?”
As Axel dealt another hand, a plan began forming. Scarlett deserved something big, something that would show her I understood what mattered to her.
“All right,” Axel conceded, pouring me another drink. “If you’re going to be disgustingly romantic, at least do it with style. Make it big enough that when she inevitably breaks your heart, we can mock you for years.”
“Your support is touching,” I said dryly.
“That’s what brothers are for,” he replied with a grin. “Now, are we playing poker or planning your emotional demise?”
“Both,” Ryker said, raising the bet. “We’re excellent multitaskers.”
As chips clacked and cards flew, I couldn’t focus. My mind was filled with Scarlett. Her fierce intelligence, her guarded heart, and what it might take to finally break through.
For the first time in my life, I was all in on something that had nothing to do with business. And for the first time, I had absolutely no idea if I was going to win or lose everything.