"If we want to go anywhere with whatever it is that’s happening between us, then you need to learn to give a little."
"I’m too—" He firms his lips.
"You were saying."
"You can stay in a different room. You don’t have to move into my bedroom," he says through gritted teeth.
I scoff. "And see you at every turn, and sneak peeks while you show off your sculpted physique while you swim every night?"
His eyebrows rise. "You spied on me swimming?"
"You know I did. So no, I can’t stay here under your roof. It’s too much."
"You mean you find me irresistible?" He smirks again.
"Oh, my god! Do you always need to have your ego stroked?"
A full-fledged smile lights up his face. He looks so much younger, so carefree, for just that moment. Is this how he’d come across if he were relaxed? More laid-back. More approachable. More fun?
"You do find me irresistible," he says in a satisfied tone.
"You know I do. And you know, even though it was you and Isaac fucking me, I couldn’t take my eyes off you. Isaac was nothing more than an extension of you to me. You were the leader through and through when the three of us made love."
His gaze heats. Silver and gold flecks flash in the depths of his eyes. The heat from his body seems to dial up. The air between us heats.
"This is what I mean." I clear my throat. "We spend any length of time together, and invariably, things turn steamy."
"Nothing wrong with that."
"That’s true, and it’s exactly what I want to avoid right now."
"I can’t let you leave, Lena." His tone turns serious. "I can’t."
"You can, JJ."
He shakes his head.
"You have to, JJ. If you have any hope for the two of us getting together, then let me go."
52
JJ
"You let her go?" Isaac glances at me from across the pool table.
"She’s in the city, just not in my house." I bend over the snooker table, position my cue, then let the ball fly. It cracks into the one halfway down the table, and both roll into the holes.
"So, you’re keeping an eye on her?"
I stare at him.
"So, youarekeeping an eye on her."
"I’m not the head of the Kane company anymore," I remind him.
"So, you killed the unreliable men in your syndicate, created a security company to absorb the rest, and now they take care of all of your security needs and perform errands for you, like this one."
"Huh." I straighten. "So, you have been paying attention."