"You lied to me once." I nuzzle my face against his neck. "How do I know you aren't holding more secrets inside?"
"We all have secrets." He traces a line along my cheek before tilting my chin up so my gaze meets his. "Some secrets aren't meant to be shared."
I study his eyes trying to find some semblance of emotion in them. I can't tell if he's being facetious or telling me discreetly to back off.
"You made me share my secret about Nathan. You made me tell you all about what I wanted him to do to my body," I tease knowing that it will elicit a reaction that I can use in my favor.
"You wanted him to but he's never made you feel what I make you feel." His lips brush against my neck and I instantly feel my resolve weakening.
"He still wants me. You were right." I push the issue, knowing that Jax's jealousy is a tool that I can easily use to my advantage.
"How do you know?" He pulls back from me and greedily grabs my upper arms. "He told you that."
"He didn't have to," I say quietly. "I could see it in his eyes when he cam
e over the other night."
"Why the fuck was your attorney at your apartment?"
I continue the façade knowing that it's bringing all of his emotions to the surface. "He stopped by and my air conditioner was broken. I was wearing a short sheer dress and the way he looked at me."
His eyes gloss over and there's a mixture of pure indignation and disappointment. "You shouldn’t have let him in."
"Why not? He's my attorney."
"What happened? What did you do?" Irritation envelops the question.
"Nothing." I step back from his grasp. "I'm not a whore. I didn't sleep with him."
Relief washes over his face and he reaches for me. "I can't stand the thought of another man touching you. Please don't give yourself to anyone else, Ivy. Please."
I hear the pleading in his voice and it stirs a familiar place within me. I don't have to question Jax about his secrets. I already know what he's hiding. Why had I been so blind to this? I can't believe I didn't see it before today.
"What was her name?" I whisper against his chest.
"Who?" He exhales loudly as if he's losing his patience with me.
"The woman who cheated on you."
He turns away and walks toward his desk. I can see his shoulders trembling. "No woman has ever cheated on me, Ivy."
"You are a liar," I say it, not caring that it sounds harsh. "Maybe that's how you deal with it. You lie to yourself and everyone else about it."
He looks straight ahead, avoiding my glare. "Not everyone is cheated on. I'm sorry that you were but you're projecting your pain and disappointment."
I smirk, shaking my head from side-to-side. "Maybe you can fool the world into believing that you're cold and heartless. Maybe you move from one woman's bed to another to help you feel more like a man because she stripped that away from you when she slept with someone else. "
"Maybe I'm just fickle." He doesn't flinch.
"Somebody broke your heart. She tore it into so many pieces that when you think about it, you can't fathom how you can put it back together again. So instead of trying you built a barrier around it to keep everyone out. You use women to get back at the one who rejected you. "
"Are you done analyzing me? I have a meeting to get to. "He moves back towards the doorway.
"I'm done." I sigh, frustrated again by his refusal to open up to me.
"Leonard will pick you up for dinner at eight tonight." The way he casually throws the comment out in midst of our current discussion irks me.
"Not tonight." I reach for my phone, scanning through the numbers. "I have plans."