Chapter 27
KAT
Iwatch him disappear into the toilet cubicle, the only place in this villa that offers a semblance of privacy, and I drop the side of my head onto the doorframe.
I sigh.
That was cruel.
But I couldn’t help myself. Being around Jaxson is doing strange things to my equilibrium, and his questions were becoming increasingly personal.
The more time we spend together, the more I find myself caught up in unwelcome memories.
Memories that have left me more than a little hot and bothered, not to mention incredibly horny.
Intimacy. Hell yes, I miss it. But it comes with a price.
Three years with only battery-operated toys to sustain me. I was tempted to track Zach down after Caleb and April’s wedding. Thank goodness I refrained.
I close my eyes for a second and inhale. Yes, I miss coming home to someone, the warmth of a hard body pressing me into the bed.
I sigh.
If only I had one.
My nickname The Ice Queen, is not for nothing.
Being strong-willed, persistent and extremely industrious in business, has gained me the title of queen of the hotel industry. In my private life, however, I’ve been deemed as distant, with an icy exterior.
It’s amazing how the expectation after a single expensive meal and a semi-expensive bottle of wine is full access to my body. It’s called stress relief, apparently.
I may be thirty-five, but I still want to feel something for the man I let between my thighs. There’s no shame in having one-night stands, they just aren’t my thing.
I push off the doorframe and head towards the wardrobe, grabbing my bikini as I go. Jax comes out, his swim shorts in place, his smooth chest is bare. I swallow hard, darting in behind him.
“Won’t be a moment,” I say.
“No rush. This is a semi-holiday after all, and we’ve worked hard all morning.”
I close my eyes for a second, inhaling deeply.
What the hell is going on?
Forty-eight hours ago, I could quite easily have murdered the man. Now… now I don’t know what I want. All I know is I’ve seen far too much of Jax’s naked body recently, and it’s playing havoc with my emotional and mental state.
I pull on my bikini and tie a sarong around my waist.
I step out onto the terrace and watch as Jax twists and turns, trying to apply sunscreen to his back and shoulders.
“Here,” I say, before I can stop myself.
Old habits die hard, and it’s something we all did for one another during those summers. Mum was a stickler. She wanted no burnt teenagers.
I pick up the bottle and add a generous blob to my hand. I pause, suddenly realising what I’m about to do.
I suck in a silent breath and place my hands on his back. Electricity shoots south, almost knocking me backwards. I stifle a groan as my core contracts violently.
Jax has frozen under my hands.
I rub in the cream carefully, enjoying the feel of his taut skin under my hands. My eyes trace the intricate design of the tattoo that covers his left shoulder and bicep, while my hands enjoy their journey over his broad, smooth shoulders down to his tight, ripped waist.
“All done,” I say, rubbing what’s left on my hands into my skin.
“Turn around,” Jax orders, his voice a little deeper than usual. I can’t meet his gaze, instead, I do as I’m told, for once.
When his hands touch my skin, I jump.
“That’s cold,” I squeak, although it’s not the cold and definitely the man who’s got my bikini bottoms in a twist.
I bite the inside of my lip as he takes his sweet time, applying sun lotion to my skin.
By the time he’s finished, I’m nothing more than a soaking wet mess.
I turn in a daze, only to find Jax moving away, although not before I spot the enormous tent he’s sporting in his swim shorts.
“See you in the water,” he mumbles, practically sprinting for the steps.
“Yeah, see you in there.”
I head back inside and grab a drink of water, rubbing the ice-cold bottle against my fevered forehead.
Oh heavens… Come on, Kat, this is Jax. Suck it up!
I put the bottle back on the side and make my way outside. I reach the steps and look down. Jax is nowhere in sight.
“Over here.”
I look up to see Jax treading water off the side of the reef.
I turn and climb down the ladder into the water, carefully navigating my way towards him. When I finally step off and into the deeper water, my breath hitches. The water is warm, but different to the air.
“Your body will get used to it once you start moving.”
“I know,” I say, following him as he begins a leisurely swim.
“Do you still swim daily?” Jax asks.
“No. I’m more of a runner these days. It’s easier to fit in. I can run on the treadmill, or when I was living at the apartment, I would run to work and back. Get showered at either end. How about you?”
“Daily,” he says. “Can’t break the habit of a lifetime.”
“Do you miss it?”
“What?”
“The competitions, the competitive nature?”
He stops for a moment, treading water, as if thinking how to answer.
“I did, when I first moved to the US. I missed training with Eli, Zach and the rest of the team.” He pauses after Zach’s name. “But then learning from Dillon Myers took over. I shifted my focus. I never lost that competitive drive, just redirected it towards something new.”
I can understand where he’s coming from.
I played piano to a professional level, was invited to play as a soloist with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
But, like Jax, my focus shifted. It became all about learning how to run the hotels, what I would need to know before I could take over from my father one day.
I thought I’d have years of learning alongside him, but that was stolen from us.
Then it was down to me to hold it all together.
Jax ups the pace, but not enough to leave me behind. We swim once around the island. My arm muscles are screaming by the time I haul myself out of the water.
I slip, only to have Jax grip my waist, pulling me back against his chest.
“Careful,” he cautions, his breath tickling my ear. My nipples pebble, and I bite my lip to stop myself sinking further into his arms. Grabbing the handrail, I pull myself up and forward, using all my leftover strength to haul myself up the ladder and onto the decking.
I make my way over to one of the sun loungers and grab a towel, wrapping it tightly around myself.
Jax joins me, grabbing his own towel, encircling his waist.
“Nothing like sea swimming,” he mumbles.
“Invigorating,” I say.
“Do you want to use the shower first?”
“It’s fine, you can go first. I’ll just sit here and watch the water.”
Watch the water?
I drop down onto the nearest sun lounger, facing away from the bathroom and stare out to sea.
Jax pauses for a moment, and I wonder if he’s about to say something. I look up, but he’s already turning away and walking inside.