Chapter 17 #2
I should be thinking, sell it to the highest bidder. Instead, I want to be the one unfastening it at the end of the night.
What is this woman doing to me? Whatever it is should have me ending it before she gets caught up in the danger that surrounds me and anyone in my personal life.
But I’m not about to stop what we’ve started. She’s a damn drug I became addicted to fast, and I’m going to ride out this high until I can’t take any more.
And that could be a long time because I’ve never fallen for anyone the way I’m falling for her.
“Jaxon, did you hear me?” She places her hand on my shoulder and brings me out of my thoughts.
I turn her way. “No. Sorry, I was lost in this sketch.”
“So you like it?” Her voice is timid, but hope lingers in it.
“It’s one of the best I’ve seen.”
Her eyes sparkle like a diamond, which gives me an idea.
I pull my phone out of my jacket pocket to pull up my concierge’s information. “What are you doing tonight?”
“I’m having dinner with Trent. Why?”
“Cancel your plans.”
She folds her arms over her chest. “No. I have a previous commitment.”
“No?” I raise my brows. “Are you saying…”
Well, shit. I can’t ask if Trent is more important to her than me. I growl and roll my eyes.
Her gaze narrows. “What were you going to say?”
“Nothing that matters.”
“Jaxon, I don’t go back on my word when I tell my friends I’m going to do something with them. It’s hurtful when people drop everything just to do something different. I won’t be that kind of person.”
“When you say it like that, I understand.” My letdown must be clear by the way I sound like a longing fool who just got turned down. I square my shoulders and take my attention to her work. “Show me what else you have.”
“I will, but first tell me why you wanted me to cancel my plans.”
“It doesn’t matter, Livianna.” I slide my phone back into my pocket. “Let’s get back to your business.”
She stands still, tilts her head, and studies me. I stare back at her and wait for her to do what I’ve instructed.
But in true Livianna form, she shakes her head in defiance. “I would, but I don’t think you would care that much at the moment.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because your expression is like someone slapped you.” She takes my palm in hers. “Did I do something that upset you?”
Aware of where we are, I pull my hand away and slide it into my pants pocket. “No.”
“Yeah… Okay, then.” Her cheeks turn red, and she picks up the sketch. “You said you like this one. Why?”
She builds an iron mask and puts it on in seconds. I clench down on my molars.
Why is she so damn difficult all the time? Better yet, why can’t we ever be on the same page?
A rumble lies deep in my chest, and I move to leave before I say something I’ll regret. Like, pick me and ditch Trent.
I turn to leave. “You’re right. I’m no longer interested in this discussion. I’ll check back with you later.”
She starts to say something. I face her, but she stops and drags her wounded gaze away. I should’ve seen that one coming.
For a moment, I let my feelings surface and be exposed. “Livianna—”
“No, Jax. It’s fine.” She packs up her things. “I should’ve known this is how it’s going to be.”
“Why do you say that?”
She gathers her hair and pulls it to one side. “This is how you’ve always been with me.”
“How so?”
“One minute, we’re getting along and you let me see glimpses of your kindness, then something happens, and you shut down. It’s always been this way with you. I don’t know why I thought it would be any different.”
My insides twist because the tone in her voice tells me this will not be behavior she puts up with. At least not with the man she’s sleeping with.
A tightening winds around my stomach and I shrink inside. “Livianna, I’m sorry. This is new territory for me.”
“It is for me, too.”
We stand in place, neither of us willing to take a step to close the distance. Neither of us willing to be vulnerable with the other.
Her gaze locks on mine, a storm I can’t read. For a second, I think she’s about to end the space between us. Then the shutters drop, and I’m staring at the kind of fortress even I can’t infiltrate without leaving damage.
“You can go, Jax.” Her words wear indifference, but I can hear the hurt bleeding underneath. Soft enough to tempt me to want to soothe her, sharp enough to cut if I push too far.
I’ve built an empire on control. Every step, every move, and every negotiation designed to bend outcomes without anyone seeing my hand in it.
But with her, nothing holds. Not the detachment, nor the rules.
I should leave.
Instead I linger, mapping every line of her face, the stubborn tilt of her chin, the way her fingers grip the edge of the table like she’s holding herself together by sheer will.
If I step closer, I’ll have her against the wall, breathing my name like she’s forgotten every reason she ever had to resist. If I step away, I’ll replay this moment until it rots me from the inside.
The air between us fractures. I nod and force myself toward the door, every muscle screaming at me to stop.
But just before I’m gone, my hand brushes hers—barely there, a ghost of contact—and the shiver that runs through her follows me out of the room like a brand seared on my soul.
The moment I’m away from her, I’m already starving for the sound of her voice when it isn't coated in steel. For the way she looked in my shirt that morning…bare legs, bare skin, and no caution in her smile.
And God help me, I’ll do anything to feel that again.