She glanced up, catching the slack-jawed look on Jax’s face.
“I would never want you to be the other woman. If you were mine, there wouldn’t be anyone else in my life but you. You’d be all I’d need.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart thump-thumped in her chest. She’d only ever dreamed of someone speaking such endearing words to her.
The kitchen timer buzzed. In a blink the fairy-tale moment ended.
Jax moved around the counter. “I have to take care of the pasta, but don’t go anywhere. We aren’t through with this conversation.”
She watched as he drained the pasta, dribbled some olive oil on it, gave it a toss and put the lid on the pan. She thought of sneaking off while he stirred the sauce, but she was certain that he’d track her down. She might as well get this over with. Her stomach growled its agreement. Her only road to dinner was a detour through her past.
After turning down the heat and giving the sauce one final stir, Jax joined her at the counter. He settled down on the stool and faced her. “Now, what is this about you being hurt by another woman?”
“It’s not worth getting into the details. Let’s just say the moral of the story is I let myself fall for the wrong guy. And now I know better. So let’s have dinner and forget all of this.”
“Not so fast. I want to know the parts you’re skipping over.”
She exhaled an exasperated sigh. She hated to think about how naive she’d been. She’d never be that trusting again because putting your heart on the line was just asking to be hurt—even from those that you’d least expect.
“It was my last year in college and I’d fallen hard for this guy from my public speaking class. He was charming and charismatic. Let’s just say he aced the class without breaking a sweat.”
“And you fell for his charms, not knowing that he had a darker side?”
She nodded. “He was perfect. Good-looking. Talkative. Funny. Or so I thought at the time.”
“What kind of things did he like to talk about?”
She shrugged. “His classes. His future plans. Foot
ball. Nothing specific.”
“Did he ever care about what was important to you?”
“Not really.” She stopped, not realizing until that moment that most of their conversations had revolved around him. “When I had news, he’d quickly change the subject back to him. I guess I should have seen the warning signs earlier.”
“It’s not your fault. You tried. He obviously didn’t. So what made you see him as the jerk that he is?”
“We’d been dating for a little more than six months when I didn’t feel well and came back to my dorm room early from a class to find him in bed with my roommate.”
Jax clenched his hands. “If I’d been around, he wouldn’t have gotten away with that.”
She took comfort in hearing the protective tones in Jax’s voice. “Well, I’m glad you weren’t there.”
Jax’s brows rose in a question.
“He wasn’t worth you getting into trouble. Besides, I’ve lived and learned, even if it was the hard way. The important part is I won’t be making those same mistakes again.”
“But you have to know that all men aren’t like him.” Jax’s voice grew deep. “If you were mine, I’d never look at another woman as long as I lived.”
Her gaze met his. Her heart once again went thump-thump. “Seriously? You’d really only have eyes for me?”
“You’re the most beautiful woman in the world.” His thumb stroked her cheek, followed her jawline and rubbed over her bottom lip. His gaze never left hers.
His touch sent her insides quivering with excitement. She was drawn to him like a butterfly to a field of poppies. Not waiting for him to make the first move, she pressed her lips to his thumb. His eyes lit up with excitement. She was enjoying this new side of herself and she didn’t want this moment to end.
The tip of her tongue darted out, stroking the length of his finger. She immediately heard the swift intake of his breath. He wanted her. And she wanted him. There were no strings. No promises. Just the intrigue of finding out where this moment might lead.
Jax pulled away. “I have to get the sauce... It’s getting too hot. It’s bubbling over. I don’t want it to...uh, burn.”