“Not your fault.”
“But it is,” she insisted. “If it weren’t for me, those men never would have come after us. And they wouldn’t have done that.” Poppy motioned to his Ferrari.
“It’s just a car, Kitten.” The words physically hurt to say, but they were true. He paid an insanely hefty price for a premium insurance package, so the damage would be repaired.
Eventually.
“I know, but…” Poppy’s tormented gaze slid back to the subject of their discussion. “That looks bad, Jax. Likereallybad.”
The damage to his carwasbad, but again…it was just a car.
Picking up her suitcases—despite their wheels for easy transport—Jax started up the cabin’s stone walkway. “Let’s get you settled in.”
And then he needed to make a call.
Once inside, he watched her closely as she got her first look of his private oasis. Most nights, he stayed in the city at his apartment, but he came here when he needed to get away from it all.
The city. The people. The club. The dumbass criminals.
Sometimes it all became too much. When that happened, Jax would come here. Alone.
“This is…wow.”
Poppy spun in a slow circle, her expression one of awe as she took in the home’s impressive walls and exposed beams made from the finest Douglas fir logs money could buy.
The open floor plan of the cabin’s main floor allowed for views of its kitchen—complete with a large island and granite countertops—and a dining room table that seated six.
Despite Jax having never invited anyone here.
Jax kept a close eye on the first woman to ever step foot inside his sanctuary as she soaked up the living room’s large, vaulted ceilings and generously sized windows scattered throughout.
The fireplace Jax had personally designed had been erected of a dark limestone with hues of creams and browns, the massive floor-to-ceiling feature serving as the centerpiece for his expansive living room.
Two bedrooms, a full bath, and a laundry room completed the main floor, while the upstairs was dedicated to the master bedroom—complete with a comfortable sitting area—an ensuite bathroom, and generous walk-in closet.
The whole thing was overkill for a single man living alone. Jax wasn’t even sure why he’d gone with such a large floorplan to begin with. But the day his architect had shown him the plans, Jax knew it would make the perfect, secluded getaway.
“I take it you approve.” His deep voice cut through the comfortable silence.
“Uh…yeah.” Poppy chuckled. “You could say that.” Facing him, she added, “Jax, this place is absolutely beautiful.”
Just like you.
The sentiment was right there on the tip of his tongue, but he held it back and gave her a mumbled, “Thanks,” followed by, “I’ll show you to your room.”
Starting up the log staircase, Jax’s stomach became tight the closer he got to his room. Not because he didn’t want her here. Quite the contrary.
He’d never brought a woman to the cabin. Not even once. Yet here he was, guiding Poppy-Like-The-Flower to the bedroom designed and built solely for him.
That unsettling sensation he was feeling wasn’t regret. Oh, no. It was because having her here felt exactly…
Right.
“Wait.” Poppy stopped just shy of entering the wide-open room and looked around. “Is this your bedroom?”
Jax set the suitcases down at the foot of his California king-sized bed. “Yep.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I’m not taking your bed again. You said there’s another bedroom downstairs. I can use that one.”