Obsessed(13)

I look up and into his eyes. "You were curious."

"I was." He nods slightly. "I still am. You two were engaged, weren't you? I read it online."

I take a second, heartier drink from my glass. "We were for a time, yes."

"He was a fool to end it." Jax raises the glass to his lips, taking a healthy swallow.

I do the same, realizing the wine is helping calm my reservations about talking about Mark. "I ended it, actually."

"Would it be out of line to ask why?"

"It would. But seeing how you were so generous to give me that...um...shall we say, interesting piece of artwork, I think I can oblige with an answer."

He laughs. "I heard from my brother that you found it breathtaking." He emphasizes the last word, while holding his chest, mirroring my response to Brighton at the gallery.

"You are..." I let my voice trail as I lean closer to Jax. "Almost as witty as me."

"Almost?"

"We can work on that." I run my finger along his strong chin. "I'll teach you things and you can teach me." I'm shocked by my shameless desire for this man.

He moves back slightly, raising the glass to his mouth. He empties it in one gulp. "You have no idea how much I want that."

"You can show me how much..." I whisper, my lips almost touching his. "After you feed me."

He smiles and stands, offering me his hand.

I reach for it and allow him to help me off the couch. Holding my hand he leads the way to a small, simply decorated dining table.

"Ivy." He stops and turns to me. "Tell me why. Why you ended things with Mark."

Sensing that he'll press the subject until I share, I sigh. "He travels a lot for his work and he was easily distracted."

"I understand." I feel his lips gently brush my forehead.



***



"Dinner was delicious. Thank you." I take the linen napkin from my lap and place it next to the plate. The remnants of the seafood pasta Jax prepared still tempting me.

"It was my pleasure." He reaches the short distance across the table to cover my hand with his. "Can I get you anything else? A coffee? Maybe some tea? Scotch?"

I smile at his willingness to please me. "Another glass of wine would be perfect."

"Of course." He reaches for the bottle and half-fills both our glasses. "Let's go back to the living room. It's much more comfortable."

I pick up my glass and follow Jax. I stop along the way to admire a small painting on the wall.

"That's one of Brighton's earliest works." He's standing next to me now, his voice soft.

"I'm surprised. It's so different than what he's doing now."

"He's so different now than he was then." There's an unmistakable edge of displeasure to his voice.

I sigh. "Success can change people."

He studies my face for a moment. "It does. I know you understand."

I turn to walk back towards the living room. I sit in the same spot I was earlier. He settles in closer to me than he was before. He reaches for my wine glass, placing it next to his on the coffee table before picking up a jewelry box and opening it.

"Your work is really brilliant." He pulls one of the soft pink crystal earrings from the box. "When did you decide to start designing jewelry?"

I take it from him and place it back in the box. "Before I do that, can you tell me why you find my jewelry so interesting?" I raise my eyebrow mischievously as I continue, "I'm used to women buying my stuff. I don't think men buy it. I mean, I just get checks from Veray but I think it's mostly women…or maybe I've just always guessed it is." I stop as I realize I'm rambling.

He hesitates before answering. "I was dating a woman a few months ago and she was wearing one of your bracelets. It was stunning. I asked her about it, and she mentioned Veray so I went to check it out."

"I see." I feel a pit in my stomach at the mention of him dating another woman. What's wrong with me? We just met and judging by his behavior in the powder room last night, he's likely dated a lot of women, or at the very least slept with them. "So you rushed out and bought all of these to give to that woman?" I cringe at my own words before picking up my glass and bringing it my lips.

"No, I never saw her again after that night," he admits.

I try to hold in a smile while swallowing the wine. "That's too bad." I place the glass back down on the table, moving my hand to rest on his thigh.

"I just think they're beautiful." He inches his entire body closer to mine on the couch. "Much like the woman who created them."

"That's very flattering."

"You do all the work yourself?" He cradles the earring I'm wearing between his fingers. "It's all so intricate. Where's your studio? I'd love to stop by sometime and see you in action."