Afterburn

doing. Honestly, I haven’t had this much fun in years.”
    Our men. I snorted and turned in time to see the door opening...and Jax appearing. “I have to go, Lei, but I’m here if you need me.”
    “We’ll hit it again fresh in the morning. Good night, Gianna.”
    “You, too.” I set my phone aside.
    We sized each other up for a long minute. He was wearing the gray sweater and slacks from earlier in the day, the casualness more familiar—and beloved. A lock of his dark hair fell over his brow, softening the severity of his beauty. He had his back against the door, his hands in his pockets, his legs crossed at the ankles. But only an idiot would fail to sense the predatory alertness in him. His hooded gaze was watchful and knowing, seeing way too much.
    “I miss the curls in your hair,” he said finally.
    I backed up to my father’s desk, resting my butt against it. I crossed my arms. “That’s a seriously delayed response.” A couple years too late...
    “You were closing in on the kill when I got here. Are you thinking about fucking Chad Williams because you want to, or because you want him to sign on the dotted line?”
    Some other woman might have held her tongue because the question didn’t deserve an answer. I didn’t say anything because I was too hurt. I’d never seen Jax deliberately mean or cruel—he’d just disappeared from my life.
    “Gia...”
    “Don’t call me that.”
    “What would you prefer?”
    My foot tapped restlessly. “I’d rather not see or hear from you.”
    “Why not?”
    “I would think that’d be obvious.”
    His wonderfully sensitive mouth tightened. “Not to me. We know each other. We get along well. Very, very well.”
    “I’m not fucking you again!” I snapped, feeling the walls close in on us. He’d always had that effect on me. When he was with me, I didn’t register anything else.
    “Why not?”
    “Stop asking me that!”
    Jax straightened, and the office got even smaller. My breathing quickened, my gaze darting to the door at his back.
    “It’s a valid question.” He engaged the lock without taking his eyes off me. “Tell me why you’re so angry.”
    A surge of panic got the better of me. “You fell off the face of the earth!”
    “Did I?” He took a step toward me. “Are you saying you didn’t know how to find me?”
    I frowned, confused. “What are you talking about?”
    “It had to end, and it did.” He came closer. “Quietly. No messy scenes. No ugly memories. We—”
    “Neat and tidy.” I sucked in a sharp breath, more wounded than I could say. I lashed out in self-defense. “So why rehash and screw it up?”
    “Can’t we be friends?”
    “No.”
    Jax stepped into my space. “Can’t we do business together?”
    “Nope.” I unfolded my arms, feeling the need to take the defensive. “You made this personal from the get-go.”
    He smiled, flashing that damned dimple. “You’re sexy as hell when you’re mad at me. I should’ve pissed you off more often.”
    “Back off, Jax.”
    “I did. It didn’t take.”
    “Actually, it did. Go back to your world and forget me again.”
    “My world.” The smile faded along with the light in his eyes. “Right.”
    He’d stopped his advance, so I skirted him quickly, aware that I had been gone too long and Chad was waiting.
    Jax caught my arm, his hand flexing around it. He spoke in my ear. “Don’t fuck him.”
    I shivered. We stood shoulder-to-shoulder, facing in opposite directions, which mirrored our entire relationship. I smelled him, felt his warmth, was reminded of other occasions when he’d whispered in my ear.
    Jax knew how to seduce and he never shirked the effort. Even when I’d been a sure thing, he’d get me hot long before he took me to bed. Giving me long, searing looks, touching me often, murmuring naughty promises that made me blush.
    “Are you celibate, Jax?” I retorted.
    “I will be, if you are.”
    A harsh laugh burst out of me. “Yeah, right.”
    He held my gaze. “Try me.”
    “I’m not interested in playing games.”
    The doorknob rattled, making me jump. “Gianna? Are you in there?”
    Vincent. “Yes,” I called out. “Hang on.”
    “Don’t fuck him,” Jax repeated, his eyes dark and hard. “I mean it, Gia.”
    I shook free and fumbled the lock open, pulling the door wide.
    My brother paused with the office key in his hand, then glared over my shoulder at Jax. “You got a death wish, Rutledge?”
    Rolling my eyes, I pushed Vincent