“Or driven.”
I didn't argue because no one could argue work ethic with Stonewood men.
Instead, I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed exactly what I felt. They all needed rest, to be healthy, to be taking care of themselves.
“I don't work half as much as him.”
I shrugged, “Okay.”
“I haven't seen you disagree with me like that in years.”
“I didn't disagree.”
“No, you placated me without sharing your true feelings.”
I sighed and looked over at his view again. “It's a beautiful place to work a lot if you're going to do it.”
He stood and came to look at the view with me. “If I worked less, would you come to see me more often?”
I raked my hands through hair, feeling guilty that I'd ditched my meeting and was condemning myself for not feeling worse when I eyed Jax, still bare chested next to me. “I didn't come to see you. I should be meeting with your brother.”
He smiled. “Next time, you’ll come to see only me.”
I groaned because his voice sounded so damn gravelly, I almost leaned into him. “No, this should stay casual, Jax. I know we said things a moment ago …”
“Things I meant.”
“You mean them right now, at this moment, but later it won’t be the same,” I said it, hoping it wasn’t true, and knowing it needed to be all the same.
Talking to Jett and Jay had burst our little bubble.
We couldn’t do this, not again. Not with what he did, where he lived, who he was, who I was. We were so far apart from compatible, it seemed ridiculous to even consider it.
“I could have said those things to you a year ago, in high school, today, tomorrow. The time wouldn’t matter.” His voice shook me from my thoughts.
“The timing always matters, Jax. Our timing will never be right. This could be perfect for us. You and me, getting over each other by keeping it casual and—”
“I’m already starting to hate that word,” he groaned.
I wrung my hands. “You have your demons, and I have mine. We couldn't possibly do well tied to each other exclusively. You have to know that, considering all your relationships.”
“What relationships are you referring to?”
“Well, Isabel is a perfect example.” I turned away and started for the door, not really wanting to talk about her at all. Thinking of him with someone else struck something feral in me that I wasn’t proud of.
“She works my PR and knows me having a girlfriend works well for the media. We’ve never been exclusive and no feelings are involved. We’re nothing.” He grabbed my elbow to turn me and stop my beeline for the door.
I glared, weighing his words, wanting them to be true and knowing it didn’t matter at the same time.
I’d never be able to deal with the PR. Or the media. Or him visiting my father. “It’s fine if it’s something. That’s what I am saying. What we have is nothing.”
He stepped back as if struck with the finality of my words.
I continued trying to convey my point. “What we should have is a casual, no-strings relationship and beyond that, hopefully, we’re friends and getting over whatever we were under in the past.”
He flexed that chiseled jaw like he was grinding steel between his teeth. I almost winced.
“If you think this is casual—” He trailed off as he stared into my eyes.