Chapter 30
JAX
Ienter a silent villa. The hair on the back of my neck is prickling. Something feels off.
The cot bed has been removed. Everything has been freshened up, there’s even a fresh bowl of fruit on the sideboard. Kat has been erased, as if she were never here.
I glance at my watch. It’s nearly seven.
It was a full-day trip, island hopping, and just what the doctor ordered.
The last five days with Kathryn Frazer have been an emotional rollercoaster, exhilarating yet terrifying. The woman ties me up in knots. All the years I’ve spent desensitising myself to her have disappeared almost overnight. Yet I haven’t felt this alive in sixteen years.
I’m treading on dangerous ground.
I wander out onto the terrace and sit down on one of the sun loungers.
Leaning down, I pick up the paperback Kat was reading.
I smirk when I see the semi-naked man on the cover.
Flicking through the pages, I skim read the story as I go.
Well, well. Kat Frazer, romance reader. Who would’ve known?
The thought of Kat reading these words and imagining this story makes me instantly hard. I close the book and lean back, inhaling the sea air, trying to get a grip on my emotions.
The sun has set by the time I make my way across the island. I reach Kat’s villa and press the bell next to the gate. It rings, but there’s no answer.
Shit, she’s probably still at dinner.
I glance down at the book in my hand.
I’d hate to deprive her of her reading material.
I follow the path around the side of the villa and head towards the beach, where a small gate leads into the garden.
Continuing along the path, I reach the main entrance, where I place the book in front of the door.
Behind me, the gate opens and shuts with a bang. I turn in time to see Kat jump at the sight of me, her hand going to her chest.
“Shit, Jax. What the hell? You scared the life out of me.”
“Sorry, I came to return this.”
I pick up the book.
She raises an eyebrow, and I swear her cheeks darken.
“Oh, er, thanks.”
I grin.
“Very informative reading,” I say. “I didn’t know you were into vampires and shifters. That’s some kinky—”
Kat comes over and reaches for the book in my hand.
I hold it out of her reach and above my head.
“How old are you?” she asks scowling.
“I’m nearly thirty-seven,” I say.
She rolls her eyes. “That was a rhetorical question,” she says, finally grasping the book and pulling it out of my grip.
“I know,” I say, grinning. “How was dinner?”
“Good,” she says, her tone non-committal. “How was your day trip?”
My heart leaps, and I bite the inside of my cheek to stop my smirk.
She knows I left the island.
“It was good,” I say. “Different, seeing how the locals live. We also went manta ray and shark spotting, snorkelling off another reef.”
“A full day.”
She turns and places the book on the table.
“Thank you for bringing it back. I wondered where it had gone.”
“It was under the sun lounger outside.”
Kat nods, her gaze not quite meeting mine.
There’s a pause before Kat looks up. “Would you like a drink?”
I should probably say no, go back to my room, but now I’m here, with her. I find myself wanting to stay.
“That would be great.”
Kat moves past me, and the citrus, and vanilla notes of her Dior perfume invade my senses. I realise now, I missed that smell when I returned to the villa this evening, as I have done over the years.
“Wine?”
I snap myself into the present.
“Please,” I say, moving to one side and taking a seat on the edge of the daybed.
“I’ll be right back.”
Kat disappears inside, returning almost immediately with a bottle of red wine, two glasses and a corkscrew.
She places the glasses down, and I relieve her of the bottle and corkscrew.
I stare down at the label.
“It’s one of Tristan’s,” she says. “He’s one of our main suppliers.”
Tristan’s business has gone from strength to strength. From one wine bar to six across London, he’s even looking at opening a club. His distribution business, however, is where he’s currently making his money.
“Last time I saw him, he said it was in the pipeline.”
I remove the foil from the top of the bottle before using the corkscrew to lever the cork out. It comes with a pop.
I look up to find Kat watching me. She motions to the table and the glasses.
I half fill each before passing one to Kat.
Our fingers brush as she takes it, tingles of electricity snaking up my arm at the connection. Her pupils dilate at the contact, and something inside me shifts.
I’m not the only one affected.
“Thank you.”
We clink glasses, and I swirl the wine around the glass.
“This is one of my favourites,” I say, raising the glass to my nose and inhaling the bouquet.
“Mine too,” Kat says, taking a sip.
There’s another pause.
Kat motions to the daybed, and we both sit down.
I take a sip of my wine, allowing the taste to explode on my tongue.
We sit in silence for a moment.
“I know I’ve apologised a lot this week, but I’m sorry I didn’t get you involved from the beginning. Caleb is right, you and your company are the best qualified to work with us on the project.”
I stay silent.
“I don’t usually let my personal life get in the way of my business decisions, but—”
“Where I’m concerned, you can’t help it.”
I turn. Kat is watching me over the top of her glass.
“No,” she admits, surprising me.
Her lip curls and her nose wrinkles. “I shall have to thank Caleb for making me see sense.”
I chuckle. “Leave him to stew. He’ll hate not knowing if his meddling was successful.”
Kat’s eyes widen, and she lets out a bark.
“I still can’t believe you believed him?”
“I admit, I was a little surprised, but often desperate times.”
“When did you realise?”
“After I read the brief. Everything in it told me this was your baby.” She turns, her eyes locking on mine. “Michael confirmed my suspicions when I called to speak to someone about my questions. That’s when I confronted Caleb, and he confessed to being a little free and easy with the truth.”
“Why go to all this trouble? Why follow me here?”
“Your dad spoke to me about it,” I admit.
Kat’s eyes fly to mine. “What? When?”
“About a year before he died. He told me about your idea for a fully sustainable hotel. Asked my opinion.”
Kat inclines her head. “It doesn’t surprise me. He was sceptical,” she admits.
“He was, but only because he knew the technology was not where it needed to be.”
“He was right.”
“We talked a lot about possibilities, for when the technology caught up.”
“And it has,” she says slightly wistfully.
“As it always does. Where there’s a need, someone will always find a way.”
We sit in silence, drinking our wine and listening to the waves lapping on the shore. A gecko chirps from somewhere nearby. I grab the bottle of wine from the table and top up both our glasses.
Kat sighs. “It’s so peaceful here. I can finally think.”
She turns her head and chuckles, as if shocked by her own words.
“Is that why you came? To think?” I ask.
“Yes. The past two and a half months have been like being caught in the eye of a storm. Not knowing which way to turn. My brothers have been pussyfooting around me, wanting to know if I’m okay.
They’ve nearly driven me insane. I put it to the back of my mind, and then they call, asking if I’m okay and drag it all up again. ”
“You’ve had a lot to deal with.”
Her eyes lock with mine.
“Not as much as Elijah. He’s been dealing with Darra for years.
And as for Zach, I wonder in my heart if he suspected him deep down.
” She brushes a speck of invisible flint from her dress.
“For me, I’m embarrassed. I let myself be manipulated by vindictive individuals, let myself be used, and that’s not a nice feeling.
Not when I’ve worked so hard at being in control of my destiny. ”
“I think you’re being a bit hard on yourself. No one could have foreseen this. It’s sick and twisted. Zach’s letter was hard reading,” I admit.
Kat drops her chin to her chest. “I don’t think I am. I’ve been a coward, Jax. I ran away even to read it. It’s offered me answers, excuses for the way I’ve behaved, but most of all, it’s left me feeling empty inside.”
“I wouldn’t say this is running away. You’ve simply taken yourself out of the eye of the storm. Allowed yourself to regroup. You’re not superwoman, Kat. You’re allowed to hurt, to feel everything you’re trying to process at the moment.”
She grunts and downs the rest of her wine before refilling her glass.
“Nope, definitely not superwoman,” she says, staring off into the darkness.
It’s then that I realise she’s serious.
“You’re one of the youngest, most successful CEOs in the hotel industry. Since taking over, the FHG has won more awards and been listed as one of the top destination hotels to visit in the world.”
Her lips tilt up, but she doesn’t turn around.
“You can talk, Mr Entrepreneur. You also pointed out that my life is sad. That I have nothing else.”
She gets up and moves to the edge of the plunge pool.
“Sorry, this is not meant to be a pity party,” she says, scooping up her dress and sitting down, her legs dangling in the water.
She turns and faces me.
“I used to love watching you all in the pool. The camaraderie.”
I move to join her. Rolling my shorts above my knees, I drop down next to her. The water is cool, refreshing against the humidity.
“The holidays were fun. Being an only child, I loved spending time with you all. My parents’ divorce during my first year meant home was not a happy place. Francesca and Robert offered me an escape. They made me feel welcome.”
“Mum enjoyed watching us all grow and develop. You became her adopted child. Dad was happy when she was happy.”
Francesca always made us welcome, and we respected and followed her rules. I still visit her if I’m in the area and support her charity. I’ve even offered internships to the students she supports.
Kat gently swings her legs, sending ripples through the water.
“I’m sorry I didn’t trust you,” she says, turning her head, her eyes locking on mine.