Chapter 9
JAX
When I stepped out of the cabin, I took one look at Kat and wondered if Cal was right in setting this up.
Yes, I’d complained she wasn’t returning my calls. I’m set to meet with the board to discuss my proposal in two and a half weeks. Her lapdog, Michael, arranged a meeting for over a week and a half’s time, telling me she was going to be out of the country. This is my reputation on the line.
I saw red.
That timeframe was going to stretch even my talents, and I don’t take kindly to being messed around. But now it seems like I jumped the gun. I scan the document Kat sent me. It’s detailed. Her answers are clear and well thought out.
Fuck, now I feel stupid.
I don’t know what Caleb did to get me on board, or what he told Claudia and the pilot, to prevent them from tipping Kat off. However, looking at the woman before me, she’s a shell of the woman I’ve spent the past sixteen years jousting with.
Her face is drawn, and she has dark circles under her eyes. Even her fighting voice sounds exhausted, and it’s not surprising if she was still up at two-thirty this morning.
Cal’s words come back to haunt me.
“She needs you. Do this as a favour for me.”
I just hope he knows what he’s doing.
“Shall we get to work?”
Kat’s voice pulls me back into the present.
“Let me get my laptop.”
I head back into the cabin, grabbing my bag. My phone pings.
CALEB:
Are you in the air?
ME:
Yes. You have one very pissed off sister.
CALEB:
I’ll deal with that when you both return. Happy working.
I shake my head. My eyes drift towards the door. My phone pings again.
PEN:
Please tell me you’re not where I think you are.
ME:
Depends where you think I am.
PEN:
She doesn’t need this.
I stare at the message. This is not like Pen. Three dots keep appearing and disappearing as if she’s trying to decide what to say.
ME:
I need answers.
Surely Pen gets that. She’s a businesswoman after all.
PEN:
Don’t push her. Give her time.
ME:
I don’t have time Pen, I’m on a deadline. This is my reputation at stake.
PEN:
You’re there for the project?
ME:
What else would I be here for?
ME:
Pen?
PEN:
Ignore me, pregnancy hormones.
ME:
I call BS.
PEN:
Kat has been through enough recently.
PEN:
She doesn’t need you giving her any grief.
ME:
I’m here to work.
ME:
Once I have the info I need, I’ll stay out of her way.
PEN:
For your sake, I would.
The phone goes silent. Pen, like everyone else, is clearly worried about Kat. The bombshell that Darra and Zach dropped over two months ago has had far-reaching consequences for the entire family. And Kat held a ringside seat.
My stomach turns over when I think of Zach and what he’s done to Kat.
I don’t get it.
She chose him, yet he threw her away.
I jump as Kat appears at the door.
“Are you coming?”
“Just answering some messages.”
“My brother?”
I chuckle. “Who else? He’s on warning, but I think he assumes he’s safe, at least for the next week.”
She smirks, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
“He is, then all bets are off. In the meantime, I’ve messaged Pen, April and Leah.”
“Ouch, low blow,” I say, chuckling, knowing that the Frazer women, born and married-in, stick together like glue. It also explains how Pen knew where I was.
I should feel sympathy for Cal, but he knew what he was doing when he set this train in motion.
“Shall we do this?” Kat says, sweeping her arm back towards the main cabin.
“Let’s.”
Kat turns and heads back, her long, glossy hair flowing loose down her back, her trim waist and tight arse are clearly visible in the leggings she’s wearing for the flight.
I swallow at the sight. It’s obvious she wasn’t expecting company.
I haven’t seen Kat this casual in over sixteen years.
My cock begins to harden, and I close my eyes, counting to ten.
This is my problem. She’s always had this effect on me, although these days, it’s purely physical, there was a time when it was mental as well.
When I re-enter the cabin, Kat is sitting back in her seat, her laptop open in front of her. She ignores me as I take my seat, setting myself up. When I’m finally ready, she looks up.
“This is what I have so far.”
For the next couple of hours, we work our way through the brief. When I said I wanted to be involved in this project, I wasn’t joking. Speaking to Kat, going into more detail, I’m hooked.
Kat exhales loudly and stretches her arms above her head. Her top outlines her perfect breasts. I force my eyes upwards, pleased to find Kat’s closed, so she did not see my slip-up. I’m going to need to be more careful.
When Claudia appears with some food and drink, we place our laptops on the seats next to us.
Kat continues to drink water. Some of the exhaustion I saw in her eyes earlier has been replaced by sparks of excitement.
She clearly meant it when she admitted she’s invested a lot of time and energy into this project.
We’ve spent time bouncing ideas back and forth.
Not just going through my questions, but also discussing possibilities and what is currently available on the market.
Kat appears to be impressed by my knowledge and insight.
As the leader in this field, I have more contacts than even Kat is aware of and am privy to a lot of new and upcoming technology.
Claudia places our food in front of us.
I tuck into the beef stew Cal had requested for me, while Kat pushes her salad leaves around her plate.
“You really should try this,” I say.
She looks up, a little startled as if she was lost in her own thoughts.
“It’s fine.”
“Doesn’t Leah say, people who say they’re fine, never are?”
Kat rolls her eyes, but her lips turn up at the edges.
“She does,” she says, surprising me.
I put my knife and fork down and sit back.
Kat looks up again.
“What?”
“You just said you’re fine. Then agreed with me that people who say they’re fine usually aren’t.”
“Are you trying to be obtuse?”
“Are you trying to dodge the question?”
Kat shakes her head and looks down, repositioning the napkin in her lap.
“Kat?”
My muscles tighten, and a dullness spreads through my chest as I watch her.
She screws the napkin up before changing her mind and folding it neatly. She places it on the table.
“If you don’t mind, I’m going to try to get some sleep. It’s been a crazy week.”
I kick myself mentally as she closes down before my eyes. Her famous icy facade slips neatly into place.
You idiot! Why did you push her?
Kat gives me her best professional smile before sliding herself out of the chair and making her way to the back of the plane and into the bedroom.
She stops and turns, her voice subdued. “Do you need anything from your bag?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll continue working on the brief with the information you’ve given me.”
She nods and disappears into the room, her limbs appearing heavy as though she’s carrying the weight of the world. The door clicks shut softly behind her.
I lean in, cupping my chin in my hand. This is not what I expected to find.
Part of me can understand why Caleb pushed for me to help.
He knows I only have his best interests at heart, and therefore, by default, Kat’s.
What he doesn’t understand is that I’ve always had her best interests at heart, even when she’s hated me.