Chapter 46
JAX
Islam the car door shut, hit reverse, pull out of the parking space, then slam it back into drive and re-park. The need to get away is riding me hard, but it’s not like I can go back to Caleb and April in my current state. They’ll know instantly something’s up, and I can’t face their questions.
Thumping the steering wheel, I push open the door and climb out.
I head for the hotel bar, taking up a spot at the bar itself.
“Good evening, Mr Lockwood. What can I get you?”
“Malt whiskey on ice, please, Dom. Top shelf,” I say.
I’ve stayed here enough in the past that I know a large portion of the long-term staff. Which is most of them. People seem to love working for the Frazers. For Kat.
My drink appears in seconds, and I take a deep swallow, enjoying the bold, fiery sensation.
Seeing Zach in Kat’s suite. The smug look on his face as he opened the door.
What the hell?
I’d reined myself in, even though my hands balled into tight fists and I wanted to flatten my once close friend. Kat had been nowhere in sight. Was she even there? Had some unsuspecting staff member let him in?
I’m sure there’s an explanation, and my head tells me nothing is going on between them, but seeing him there was a reminder of what they shared.
The fact that he lived with her for years and slept next to her every night.
Was welcomed as her partner at family events.
That she chose to be with him, despite all we shared.
I finish my first before motioning for Dom to refill my glass.
Dark eyes clash with mine in the mirror behind the bar.
“You’re still here.”
“I am,” I say, looking at the stool next to me.
“Are you going to join me?”
I push it with my foot.
“Why not?”
Dom appears.
“Evening, Ms Frazer,” he says. “What can I get you?”
“I’ll have what he’s having, Dom, thank you.”
I smile. It was all Mai Tais on holiday, now we’re back in the real world.
“I have three brothers,” she says.
I say nothing, instead turning to face her. She’s makeup-free, her damp hair screwed up in a messy top knot.
A designer jumper over— Are those leggings?
A pink flush spreads high over her cheekbones as I take in her appearance.
The bar is almost empty, with only a few guests enjoying post-dinner drinks. All however, are dressed in smart business attire befitting a top-end five-star hotel.
Kat looks around, her shoulders tense as she notices people watching.
She straightens her spine and smiles. Several return her greeting.
Dom places her whiskey down in front of her.
“Charge them to my account,” Kat says to Dom.
He nods and moves away.
Silence descends between us.
“Zach?” I say, eventually.
“Turned up unexpectedly.”
“Yet he was in your suite?”
Kat flinches at the sarcasm in my tone.
“I had no choice. Was I supposed to have a conversation with him in front of God knows who?”
She has a point, but I still smart at the idea of her being alone with him.
“Big brother is always watching,” I say, under my breath.
Something Elijah used to say when we’d go out on the town as students.
“You have no idea,” she murmurs, almost too quietly for me to hear.
We nurse our drinks, taking a moment.
Kat takes a sip of hers, the ice clinking against the side. Then she stares at the glass.
“Do you want to come up?” she asks suddenly, turning her head towards me. “I can order us some room service?”
I look at her. Something flashes across her eyes. Defiance? Vulnerability?
A man comes to stand next to us at the bar.
“You have the plans you want me to look over?” I say, suddenly.
Kat shoots me a look, then smiles.
“They arrived this afternoon. I’m sorry I got held up in meetings. We can do this another time if you’d prefer?”
“No, now is fine,” I say.
Kat’s eyes sparkle as she slips off the stool.
I follow suit. “After you.”
We stand at the elevator, it pings open, and I place a hand on her back, sucking in a breath as she looks up at me, her pupils dilating.
We enter, allowing the doors to close behind us.
Kat motions with her head to the camera in the corner, so I keep my hands by my side.
We make it to her floor with no stoppages.
Kat retrieves her key, letting us in.
She’s in my arms before the door clicks shut.