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Lei had wished , but she’d been notably subdued That was hard for me, because I’d come to seek and depend on her approval

"Looks like I arrived right on time"

I felt Jax stiffen at the sound of his father’s voice His hold onht beer," he said, holding up a twelve-pack His s in its resemblance to his son’s He thrust his hand out to Vincent and introduced hiot ain, Gianna"

"Hello, Mr Rutledge"

"Parker, please" He ripped open the top of the twelve-pack and handed a beer to Vincent, then stepped down into the living room to shake hands with Nico "Saw the other Rossi downstairs in the lobby Sounded like he wasa bet with the doorman"

I shot a look at Jax and saw his face had hardened into an inscrutableas Parker passed a beer to ether so in everyone with a sweeping glance "Your parents, too, of course And ina"

"The Rossis are as busy as we are," Jax said tightly "Possibly more so"

"I’m sure they are American entrepreneurship at its finest" Parker set the case of beer down on the coffee table and pulled one out for hi out Faaze ed "Sure Why not?"

Jax holed up in his ho me to put my stuff aherever I wanted We didn’t talk about it, but I was pretty sure he’d had different plans for our Saturday before his dad showed up It tripped e blew into a room like a ray of sunshine and his son turned instantly arctic

What was the story there? Why was it that every tie between us?

I was unpacked within an hour, leavingto do I debated watching TV, then decided to surf online for movie showti to ruinonto the couch, I propped my bare feet up on the coffee table and set my laptop on my knees I’d scarcely typed in reeted hihtness around his eyes and ht?"

"Sure Why?"

"Your hair’s a sexyhis hands into the I would have been happy to do for hi me a sheepish look, Jax ran a hand over his hair to s--you up for one of thoseaffairs I warned you about?"

"I’ that puts you in a tuxedo"

His ht, then"

I snapped my laptop closed and set it on the coffee table "I’ll need to go shopping, though When is it?"

"Tonight"

My brows rose "You couldn’t give rimly "We can have a stylist come here with so you’re asking ht have seey I could al you as et it into your head that I want you looking any particular way, let ht now"

Pushing to lanced down at my basic white ribbed tank top and tan capris "Shut up"

"Baby, that killer body of yoursin "I just don’t want you running all over town"

"I can find so off the rack, unless you have a proble soet to watch you dress and undress We hit the stores, they’ll kickrooms"

My lips twitched with a repressed sed"

"You do this sort of thing often?" I asked as casually as I could uys wouldn’t have a stylist on call for their girlfriends

"Get kicked out of dressing rooms? Not as a rule, no"

I toldAnywayI’ll just head out for a couple hours, let you work"

"And stew all afternoon over whether or not I play dress-up with all the chicks I fuck?" he asked, straightening

"I don’t want to talk about your sexual conquests" I grabbed my purse off the armchair and looked around for my flats

"You just want to be lared at hiot issues with your dad"

"This has nothing to do with hiet the i to do with hierously He closed the distance between us "Stop changing the subject and spit it out, Gia"

"It doesn’t et over it"