15. Jareth
We followed the staff member to our private Villa. He was kind enough to go ahead while Hazel stopped and oh’d and ah’d over everything. For the first time in forever, I wasn’t in a hurry to get to where we were going, and at Hazel’s insistence, I was trying to step away from work.
I couldn’t forget Hazel’s look of utter disappointment at missing Christmas. In my blinding rage, it didn’t even occur to me that I’d be making her miss out on her favorite holiday at home. I needed to make it up to her.
“So, how did it go?” she asked, leaning over to smell the blooms along the well lit walkway with the night sky framed behind it. My two bodyguards who had flown ahead were trailing at a discreet distance behind us. They were staying at the villa next door to us.
Hazel had been considerate enough to give me a few minutes alone with Katia. “Good. I apologized like you suggested.” Insisted was more like it, but this was our first day together, and I had enough self-preservation to know I should keep my mouth shut.
She hooked her arm through mine and grinned. “Don’t you feel so much better now?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Sure, we’ll go with that.”
“Jareth, don’t be a jerk. You owed her that apology. I hope you at least sounded sincere.” She gave me that look of ‘what am I going to do with you.’ An entirely typical Hazel stare that she seemed to reserve just for me.
I had been sincere. I still stood by the fact that Katia knew the score and I hadn’t promised her anything, but I acknowledged Hazel’s point that it was a shit move to flaunt the two of us in front of someone I’d slept with five months prior.
Hazel was hell-bent on making me a better person. “I hope you’re not thinking you can change me overnight,” I teased.
She stopped short. “I don’t want to change you.”
“Just some things then,” I pressed. Some twisted part of me wanted Hazel to say she wanted to change everything about me because if she did, it proved I was right. I wasn’t good enough for her as myself.
Hazel ran her hands up my chest and laid her palms against my fast-beating heart. The tingles that followed the slide of her fingers made me lose focus. The warmth of her hand on my body had my cock sit up and take notice. The sincerity in her gaze was enough for me to forget the reasons I’d pushed her away for so long. It was like the world narrowed, pinpointed to just the two of us, in moments like this. I cataloged these seconds of time for when she realized I was right about us and walked away.
“Jareth, you don’t need to change to be with me.” It was like she could read my mind. Her lips pressed against my chin for the briefest kiss. “I see you. The real you.”
I shook my head and placed my hands over hers to cup them. “I will disappoint you.”
“You could never disappoint me,” she said, a slight gleam in her eye as she repeated my words from yesterday. Touché.
I decided to play along. “You don’t know that.”
“I do.” Her voice sounded so sure.
“How?” I asked, genuinely interested in her answer.
“Have you ever felt like you were your true self with anyone?” Her unwavering gaze held mine steady.
“Only one person. My dad.” Without a doubt, I kept myself at a distance from people and only showed them what I wanted them to see. Not the real me. My enemies would use that information in ways that would undermine me personally and professionally.
“Does it make you happy to always need to pretend?” We’d gotten a little off script, but I cared enough about her and her opinion to want to know what else she would say.
“I’ve stopped measuring my life in happy moments,” I admitted for the first time. “I look forward to accomplishments and revenge.”
She squeezed my hands. “Whose fault is it that you don’t even try to be happy anymore?”
I gave her the same response she gave me, except I didn’t question it. I knew I was the problem. “Mine.”
Her firm, pouty lips gently kissed the backs of my hands. I thought about getting a tattoo of her lips in that spot. “No. Your life has taught you to keep everything close to your chest. To not trust anyone. Right?”
I nodded, too enraptured by what she would choose to reveal in her next words to say anything in response.
“In the last three years, you’ve grown to trust me, and I see pieces of the good man you try to hide. It’s true you make morally questionable decisions… ” She grinned, letting me know she didn’t see that as a deal breaker.
She wasn’t wrong. We both knew I wasn’t above a little kidnapping, extortion, and blackmail. I’d been involved in the darker, seedier side of life in my quest to find my father’s killer, but since she came into my life, I’d started to pull back from that. Especially in the last few months.
“I need you to know… I need you to hear that at the heart of it all, you, Jareth Vizier, have a damn good reason for making those morally gray decisions. You would protect a loved one with your life if it came to that. And in the last year, I’ve seen you opening up to others. Not all the way, but enough that I think you have true friends who like you, not your money, and not for what you can do for them. They like you. And you are good enough and deserving enough to find happiness.”
Well, fuck.
I had no idea what to say to that. My little speech in the plane paled compared to how she laid my heart open and massaged it back to life. If I didn’t watch myself, there was a very good chance that, in the end, I’d never be able to give her up.
“You are?—”
She let go of my hands and quickly pressed her fingertips over my mouth. “No, I’m not going to let you sarcasm your way out of this or say something dumb to diminish my words because you don’t believe them yet. I said what I said. And I’ll believe enough for the both of us.”
I nodded solemnly to let her know I heard her even if I might disagree. To create a little levity and take the attention away from our discussion, I pulled an uncharacteristic move and licked the inside of her hand.
She yanked them back and held them close to her chest. “Why was that completely disgusting and sexy all at the same time?”
The time for our serious conversation was over, and I was just fine with leaving it behind. Hazel was not willing to change her idealistic view of me. She’d die on that hill if she had to. And it made me want to be the man she believed me to be.
My first step in being a better man was to make sure she connected with Gran. “We’re about thirteen hours ahead of home so it might be a good time to call your grandmother.”
We entered the villa, and Hazel gasped. It was the perfect blend of Italian sophistication and Balinese beauty. The room opened up into the large space featuring a living room in the center with floor-to-ceiling windows showcasing our secluded tropical garden that surrounded our private plunge pool. Soft lighting thread throughout the flora, trees, and the pool itself lent a romantic air to the setting.
Hazel skirted past our luggage that the staff left by the door at my insistence. She hummed happily as her fingers lightly skimmed the exotic art pieces displayed on a nearby wooden bookcase that was likely indigenous to the area.
“This place is gorgeous,” she whispered. Her gaze drifted around the room, taking in the decorative details of the furniture and the native art.
Pride settled in my chest. I provided this for her. Hazel deserved the world and I would give it to her.
Hazel shifted back to the luggage and grabbed her laptop bag, settled on the couch closest to us. She glanced at me after opening her computer. Her adorable nose, with a tiny smatter of freckles, wrinkled. “With the time difference it’s 9:30 Thursday morning at home, right?”
“Yes,” I confirmed.
She glanced out the windows to the dark sky beyond our villa. “Let me text Gran to make sure she’s free.”
In a few minutes an answering buzz let us know she had a response.
Hazel tapped the Facetime button and curled up on the couch.
“Hazel! Hi sweet girl.” Her grandmother’s voice easily carried over to where I was in the kitchen getting us two bottles of water.
“Hi Gran. I’m guessing you’ve heard.” She shot a narrowed gaze my way.
“I did. You’re spending Christmas in a tropical paradise.” Her tone gave nothing away about her feelings over this new development.
“If I grab another flight in a few hours I could be home late Friday to spend Christmas Eve with you and the Belmont’s like we planned.” Hazel worried her bottom lip between her teeth.
“And Jareth doesn’t need you there?” Gran asked. “He whisked you away pretty fast. This trip must have been important.”
“Not important enough to miss the holidays with you. Or if I left in the morning after he does what he needs to do I could still make it,” Hazel said, a sheen of tears shimmered in her eyes. She’d agreed to come because she’d wanted to help me, but being away from home was tearing her apart.
I was a total fucking asshole.
“I’ll have the plane ready to go whenever Hazel is ready,” I said moving into the frame behind her, handing off one of the opened bottles.
Gran didn’t say a word. She stared at me then her gaze flicked to Hazel.
Hazel swallowed the sip she’d taken. “What? Why are you giving me that look?”
“Jareth,” Gran said in greeting. I stiffened at her stern tone.
Whatever she had to say I’d shut my mouth and listen. She had no idea how rare that was. “Mrs. Finley.”
“We haven’t had a chance to really get to know one another have we?” Her penetrating gaze saw right through me.
“No ma’am, we have not.” I didn’t lower my eyes.
Hazel blinked at me, her mouth dropping open in surprise. It was very likely my use of the word ma’am. For Hazel I could dredge up a modicum of politeness and be respectful to the one person that mattered most to her.
A gentle smile crossed Gran’s face. “I think maybe you both should stay in Bali.”
“Excuse me?” I must have heard her wrong.
Hazel cut in spearing me with an angry glare. “No, absolutely not. Just because Jareth made a stupid decision doesn’t mean it has to ruin the holidays for us.”
I didn’t want her to go but I wasn’t going to prevent her from leaving.
“Hazel, sweetheart?—”
“But I have it all planned. We need to bake our holiday cookies and sing Christmas carols. What about Christmas dinner? I don’t want you alone.” With each word Hazel’s dictation sped up and her hands fluttered at her side.
“We can do all of that when you return. Which will be when?”
“A week from now,” I answered. I’d actually planned to be away for two weeks.
“But Gran?—”
“The Belmont’s are having me over for Christmas Eve and I’ll spend the night and be there Christmas morning. I think it’s time you do something for you, sweetheart.”
I rested my hands on Hazel’s shoulders, gently rubbing at the tense muscles.
“I’m sure Jareth will make Christmas special for you,” Gran insisted. I recognized the silent demand for what it was.
I lifted my chin in acknowledgment.
“And Jareth, you and I will have a chat when you get back.”
I knew not to disagree. “I’ll be sure to stop by when we return.”
She smiled. “Take good care of my girl. Make sure she has some fun.”
“Gran… ” Hazel paused.
“I’ll call you on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. What’s the time difference?” Gran didn’t give Hazel time to finish what was likely another rebuttal.
“Thirteen hours,” I answered. “We can set up a video chat whenever you want.”
“Perfect.” She placed her hand against her mouth and blew a kiss. “I love you, sweet girl. How about you just go with the flow and no planning while you’re away?”
“I’ll try,” Hazel responded with a sniff. “I love you, too.”
The screen went dark, and I shifted to sit next to Hazel on the couch. “Why don’t you get some rest and we can discuss our itinerary in the morning?”
She gave me a wry smile. “Isn’t that planning?”
I wrapped my arm around her, pleased when she laid her head in the crook of my shoulder. “I won’t tell Gran if you won’t.” Hazel found comfort in schedules so even with Gran’s advice I knew she needed something normal to hold on to right now. Her world had been turned upside down. Unfortunately, by me.
“I’m not sure how tired I am, but I’ll try. Maybe I’ll read for a bit.” She stood and headed to her luggage. “Where should I sleep?”
I waved my hand towards the two bedroom doors on the other side of the room. “Take either one.” I stood and grabbed her luggage before she could.
With a shrug, she crossed the room and entered the first door.
I placed the bags inside. “Get some rest.”
“Okay. Are you… ” Her voice trailed off and her nervous gaze flitted between the bed and me.
I drew her in close, breathing in her sweet honeysuckle scent, before I placed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. “Not tonight.”
She drew back her head with a frown firmly in place. “Why?”
“You need to rest and I have business to take care of. If I share a room with you tonight neither will happen.”
She ran her hands up and down my back, leaving a tingle in their wake. “Stay.”
Her quiet demand frayed at the control I held tightly within my grasp. I almost gave in and was ready to pick her up and head to the large California king-sized bed when she yawned. “I want your first time to be everything for you. Today has been a lot.”
A devilish gleam entered her eyes. I waited while Hazel snaked an arm around my neck and tugged before she rocked up to the tips of her toes. Her lips hovered over mine for only a second before crashing down on them. My need for her surged like a wildfire spreading through my body, obliterating my objections. She pressed her hips into mine, the friction only hardening my cock further.
I swallowed her gasps and moans as I devoured her mouth. With each sweep of her tongue, I lost myself in the heat of her body and the hum of our shared desire.
An unexpected thud had me pull back. My heavy lidded gaze searching for the source.
“It was my purse,” Hazel explained. Her fingers threaded through my hair and tugged hard at the strands to pull me toward her to continue our kiss.
With a groan, I drew on strength I didn’t know I had and let her go. Only allowing myself a quick peck of her lips, I stepped away, missing the feeling of her arms around me as they slid down to her sides. “Sweet dreams, sweet Hazel.”
The slight pout of her lips made me want to smooth my thumb across them. Instead I hooked my hand around the door jamb. The solid feel of the wood within my grasp was enough to keep me from going to her.
She sighed. “Fine, you spoilsport. Until tomorrow.” The soft smile on her lips let me know she wasn’t upset, just slightly disappointed. “Sweet dreams to you too.”
I closed her door, letting out a breath as it clicked shut. The business I had to take care of tonight was for Hazel. I had calls to make to find out what I needed for the cookies and what songs they sang for the carols. Perhaps if Gran, Niki, and Lacey were generous, they’d help me figure out how to give Hazel a traditional Christmas in Bali.