Not that there was any animosity lingering between them. Throwing punches at the middle Knox sibling was more about technique than working through a problem.
Jayson was frustrated with the way things hadn’t gone with Gia, but there was no need for him to exercise that frustration physically. He preferred to funnel that irritation into his work—namely solving the problem with the tablet before Royce and Taylor arrived home from their honeymoon.
Jayson finally landed a hit on Bran’s ribs and earned a satisfying grunt from his opponent. Bran caught his breath against the ropes, nodding that he was done.
“You’re a fast learner,” he praised as he and Jayson stepped from the ring.
A pair of loungers was set up in the grass, a cooler of ice-cold beer bottles between them.
“And I thought your daughter was beautiful. That cooler is a sight.” Jayson accepted a beer and sat down, spinning off the cap and taking a long, refreshing slug.
Bran let out a beer commercial–worthy “Ahhhh.”
After Bran reminded Jayson to keep his face protected in the ring, he paused, stared into his beer bottle and asked, “You and Gia avoiding each other?”
Here we go.
“Why?”
“You two arrive separately to meetings. I thought at first you were trying to make it look like you weren’t dating by avoiding each other, but since Quinn was born, it seems like things went south.”
“Well. Well. Look who’s become observant.”
“Very funny.”
“I was being serious.” This was the same man who, last year, hadn’t had a single clue that Addison was madly in love with him. If it hadn’t been for Bran and Addi’s road trip to Lake Tahoe, Jayson wondered if Bran would have ever figured it out.
“So am I,” Bran said, studying Jayson closely. “What’s going on? Gia and Addi were talking when Gia was here yesterday, but Addi told me she’s sworn to secrecy.” Bran took a swig from his bottle. “Can you believe that?”
“Yeah, I believe it.” Jayson sighed. “Nothing happened. Not really. We worked. She insisted on paying me for her half of dinner. We fell into old patterns of arguing like we did when we were married.” He shrugged, unsure how else to explain it to someone who had been married for about two minutes. “It’s hard after a while. The arguments become tiresome. And they’re never about what they’re about.”
“Meaning Gia’s paying for dinner was about more than money.” Bran, his gaze unfocused on the yard, shook his head. “She always wanted to be treated like one of the guys. I suspect it’s because of having two older brothers. And of course, we have this adorable kid sister who is a smart-ass, but loves so fiercely it’s undeniable. All we wanted to do was protect her from anything—or anyone—that might make her cry.”
Jayson stared at Bran’s profile in deep thought. He could relate to that. How many times had he stepped in to protect Gia the way he’d stepped in to protect his mother? Only Gia hadn’t really needed that sort of protection. There was no dragon to slay where his ex-wife was concerned.
But for the first time he considered how Bran and Royce, and Jack, too, had handled Gia with kid gloves. She wouldn’t have seen their efforts as protection, but as them stunting her growth. She’d wanted to flourish on her own, without their involvement.
And, he reasoned, without his as well.
“She’s not weak,” Jayson said, and wondered if his protectiveness made her feel like he thought she was. Then he remembered a bunch of other arguments that had ended with her accusing him of being “controlling” and he didn’t have to wonder any longer.
“I overstepped,” Jayson admitted for the first time in his life.
“By buying her dinner?” Bran asked, dubious.
“In the past. By telling her what she needs. By making decisions without her. By refusing to let her stand on her own two feet.”
“You were trying to take care of her. We all saw that.” Bran sipped his beer. “Plus you know how much she loves to win. She’ll do anything to make you see her point of view.”
“She stuffed the money down my shirt.”
“’Course she did,” Bran laughed. “Listen, whatever stuff you and G have going on is your business. I care about you both, but I also know you’re capable of working things out. I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to lose the dream team when it came to fixing this tablet issue.”
“Gia and I are pros at dancing around each other,” Jayson assured his friend.
That was the truth. They knew how to button down and focus on work. No matter what had happened between them since their divorce, they would prioritize ThomKnox and fix the tablet because nothing was more important than that.
Almost nothing... but there was no fixing what had been broken between him and Gia.
Twelve
The motivation to succeed was an attribute Jayson and Gia shared. Which was why they’d agreed that on Saturday, he’d return to the house and fire up Big Ben, and the three of them would make a decent bit of headway.
He’d been working for four hours straight without coming up for air when Gia interrupted.
“How’s it going?” She was carrying her own T13 while his was being used as a coaster for his coffee cup. Without a solution for the update, “coaster” was the only purpose the tablet would serve. She moved the empty mug, clucking her tongue.
She didn’t need to say anything. That small gesture spoke volumes.
It spoke of mini arguments about using a coaster or a napkin, about not resting his shoes on the coffee table. All insignificant, but they had a way of becoming bigger and bigger over time—the way individual grains of sand eventually became an island.
That’s what he and Gia had between them. An island of misunderstandings and assumptions.
“I thought I had a breakthrough, but it turned out to be nothing.” He might as well be talking about them. He’d had an inkling of the part he’d played in the deterioration of their marriage, but hell if he knew what to do about it now.
She seemed content to keep her distance. She’d worked by the pool today rather than inside the house, and when she did venture into the house, she grabbed whatever was fastest to eat before returning to the pool again.
“We’ll find it.” She sounded tired, as if she might not believe that.
He understood how hard it was to admit something was unfixable. Admitting as much about their marriage had been the most difficult thing he’d ever done.
“I’m going to run a few errands. I can’t look at a screen any longer.” She started to leave the room but he wasn’t ready to let her go yet. In an attempt to keep her attention, he dealt a low blow.
“Finally met our niece,” he said, receiving the smile he’d expected.
She crossed her arms over a simple sundress that looked anything but simple on his ex-wife. Her curves tantalizingly stretched every seam.
“I love that both Addison and Taylor have baby girls. Serves my male-dominated family right.”
Remembering what Bran had told him, Jayson said, “They were overprotective.”
“Men tend to treat me like fine china.”
“Not a bad thing to be cared for.” He still didn’t fully understand why she didn’t like her family looking out for her. He’d have given anything for a father who wanted to protect him at all costs.
“I had to run off to MIT for my brothers to admit I grew up. Jack didn’t catch on ever, I don’t think.”
Yeah. Jayson didn’t think so, either. Gia’s father had stepped in time and again to make sure she was taken care of. Including with her husband. Whenever he thought of Jack’s conversation with him before he and Gia married, Jayson bristled. Mistakes were definitely made.
“I’m not fragile,” she stated now, and just stubbornly as she had in the past. “And I don’t give up. On anything.”
He thought of something else he and Bran talked about—how competitive she was, and suddenly had a great idea.
“Except you’re going shopping. So you sort of are giving up.”
She made a disgusted sound. “I’m taking a break. Breaks are good for the brain.”
So was sex.
“I’ll bet you I find and fix the bug before you do.” She was smart, but so was he. “We’ve been stuck on this for far too long. Maybe what we need is a little friendly competition to motivate us.”
“I’m plenty motivated.” But her eyebrow arched high on her forehead, a sure sign she’d been properly provoked. “I know I’ll find the problem before you do.”
“If you’re so sure, then why not bet?” he goaded.
“What do you have that I could possibly want?”
When he held out his arms, she rolled her eyes, but her smile was worth it. “Be serious.”
“Okay.” He thought for a second, and then landed on the one offer she couldn’t refuse. “If you win, I’ll cook for you.”
She snorted.
“My grandmother’s homemade pasta.”
Her mouth dropped open.
He grinned, knowing he had her. He didn’t make his grandmother’s homemade pasta recipe often, but he had made it for Gia when they were married—for their anniversaries. Both of them.
“I can guess what you want if you win.” She folded her arms. “I’m not having sex with you again.”
“You’re sure you’ll win. What are you worried about?”
“Hmm. Well I was sure. You’re pretty motivated by sex.” Her smile held. She didn’t hate this idea. Not even a little.
“I admit, that’s a good motivator.” Especially sex with her. “But this time we’re not doing it on a bathroom counter. We’ll be in bed.”
He tipped his head and walked closer, daring her to say no. To admit that she was afraid of losing, and therefore sleeping with him. Or worse, to refuse the bet because she didn’t want to sleep with him.
She did neither.
Because she’d sooner die than admit she didn’t think she could win. Plus, as he’d suspected, she wanted to sleep with him again.
She folded her arms over her breasts. “This is bribery. I love that pasta more than anything.”
“I know.” He loved every second of this exchange. He slid by her and headed for the kitchen. “Have fun shopping. I’ll be here toiling away on a solution.”
“Shopping can wait,” she said. “If I’m going to win, I may as well do it. Also, I expect the works for my meal. Candles. Music. I want to walk in and mistake my kitchen for a fancy Italian restaurant.”
Yep. He had her. Now all he had to do was win.
“Sounds like you’re taking the bet.” He pulled open the refrigerator and pretended to search for something to eat.
“Okay, Jay.” She faced him. “We have a deal.”
She picked up her tablet and walked through the kitchen, sliding her sunglasses onto her nose. She took her place outside on the lounger by the pool.
The clock was officially ticking. He no longer cared whether or not he found the problem before Royce and Taylor came home.
All he had to do was find it before Gia did.
* * *
Gia justified her decision not to shop since she had something to wear to her date tomorrow. Nothing new, but still.
She’d spent the remainder of the day hunched over her notes and her tablet, though sadly didn’t feel much closer to the answer than before.
The stakes were high. Jayson’s grandmother’s pasta recipe was nothing to joke about. Plus, while sex with him was off the charts fantastic, she also knew the repercussions of falling into bed with him again.
She didn’t need to feel any more for him than she already did. Letting her heart be involved after she’d put their marriage and divorce to bed could be disastrous. She was supposed to be moving on, but here she was a year and a half later and not only had she had sex with him already, he was inside their former shared house right now.
Which was why she didn’t cancel her date.
She’d paused from her work by the pool to check her messages on the Divinely Yours app. She had several, including one from Denver Pippen. He mentioned he’d be out of the country for a skateboarding competition in Germany. He let her down easy, telling her know that while he’d had fun at the wedding, he didn’t see them going further.
She agreed, but appreciated his candor. He could’ve ghosted her, but chose to lay out the facts. Pip wasn’t a bad guy, he just wasn’t right for her.
She’d scrolled down through a few seriously gross offers in her inbox before coming across a message from a name she recognized. Elias Hill.
Elias was the founder/owner of Hill Yacht Company. He’d praised her work at ThomKnox and then invited her out on the maiden voyage of his latest model before it hit the showroom floor. He’d sealed the deal at the end: “No pressure, Gia. Just a day on the water.”
She so needed a day without pressure.
She didn’t expect a relationship to bloom from a yacht-date with Elias Hill. But if the unthinkable happened and Jayson won this bet, she could lean on the excuse of dating Elias and avoid going to bed with Jayson. That was cheating, she supposed, but didn’t they say that all was fair in love and war?
Yawning, she gathered her things and headed inside. She was done for today and looking forward to curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. It was time for Jayson to head home, too. He’d been tireless, but he had to give up at some point.
Plus, she needed to tell him about the date—which he wouldn’t like—and let him know that the house was off-limits while she was away. They could resume their investigation on Monday when they were both working.
But halfway through those thoughts, she found her ex-husband, the heels of his sneakers resting on the arm of the sofa, fast asleep.
“Jayson.” A familiar frustration bubbled up at the sight of him sprawled out, his shoes on the furniture. Irritation was easy to come by when she spotted his empty coffee cup and a plate with crumbs on it left on the table.
And yet, she didn’t have the heart to wake him. He had to be exhausted. He’d admitted earlier today that he hadn’t slept well this week, too worried about this update fix. There was something so vulnerable about the way his long eyelashes shadowed his cheeks. And something so animal about the way his dark scruff decorated his jaw. She remembered the last time he’d kissed her, his whiskers abrading her chin. How hard it’d been to stop kissing him. To put up her guard and turn him down when her body had begged her to continue...
She tossed a blanket over him rather than wake him, reassured that the date tomorrow was exactly what she needed. There was a time when she would’ve kissed the corner of Jayson’s mouth and told him it was time for bed. A time when he would’ve pulled her down into his arms and said, “Lie with me a while.”
No longer.
Their passion and sexual need for each other was alive and well, but their ability to be vulnerable had vanished. She mourned that briefly as she flipped off the lamp. But by the time she locked the front and back doors and headed upstairs to bed, she justified that her mourning period was well and truly over.
Already she could feel herself softening toward her ex-husband, those old feelings lurking around in her head and, if she wasn’t careful, in her heart.
That was one risk she wasn’t willing to take.
Thirteen
Jayson exited the downstairs bathroom and wandered into the kitchen. He’d fallen asleep in his former house. Being here this early in the morning, and stumbling into the kitchen in search of coffee, was so familiar it was bizarre.
He didn’t know if he was more surprised he’d slept through the night or that Gia had let him stay.
He could hear her moving a
round upstairs, but evidently she’d been in here earlier. Coffee was made, most of the pot gone. He poured what was left into a mug and took a long draw.
“Morning.” Gia breezed into the kitchen dressed in a bright pair of shorts and a shimmery shirt. Her shoes were tall. Her toenails painted the same color pink as her shorts.
“You look nice,” he said, unable to keep from running his eyes over those tanned, smooth legs. Her hair was wavy and draped over her shoulders, the way he liked it.
“Thanks,” she replied.
“I’m making more coffee,” he told her as she gathered her purse and stuck a pair of sunglasses on top of her head. “Sorry I crashed on the couch. I was beat.”
“No big deal.” She flashed him a quick smile.
“Where are you off to?” Apparently, he was going to have to ask.
“Oh, I have a thing.” She waved a hand like she wasn’t going to say more but then she did. “A date.”
“A date.” What the hell?
“Yes. It’s a casual day on a yacht.”
“With who?”
“Jayson. This isn’t any of your business.”
He knew that. He forced a smile, hoping it’d gain him an inch. “Just curious if you and Pip ended up working everything out.”
“No.” She said it with enough finality that he believed her. “I met today’s date on the same app where I met Denver, though. His name is Elias Hill.”
“You’re still on the dating app?” He blinked down at his coffee, wondering if he was still asleep. Or hallucinating. After what had happened between them at the wedding, he hadn’t expected her to be dating.
She started for the front door and he chased after her, careful not to spill his coffee. “Is that safe?”
“Is what safe?” she asked, grabbing her keys.
“Going on a boat with a guy who could be a serial killer.”
“Jay.” She gave him a bland look. “Elias Hill is the CEO of a billion-dollar yacht company. I doubt he has murder on the high seas at the front of his mind.”
Jealousy roared to life inside him at the same time he had the realization that even though this setup felt familiar—them waking up in the same house and chatting over coffee—there was one big difference.
One Last Kiss Page 7