Page 19 of The Twisted Beats

I’m in love with her but have never told her because of her father and the danger that surrounds me. We’re friends and he won’t accept our relationship. Also, I don’t want her to feel pressured and put her family ties on the line if she doesn’t feel the same.

Maybe I should tell her how I feel.

No, I won’t do that to her. It’s a desperate attempt to manipulate her into waiting around for me. It’s all I want, but I could be gone for a while. She’s young and needs her freedom. While I’m away, she deserves to live her life without any restrictions.

“Make love to me, Jax. Take me back to our bed and show me how much you care. I promise I won’t do anything to damage us.”

I cradle her in my arms and carry her to our room. We make love slowly and carefully. To prevent any more injury, I stay away from her breast but still give her pleasure in other ways.

I send her messages of love through my warm gaze while staring into her soul. In sync, we come together and I hold her tight. She drifts to sleep as I count the hours before I go.

My heart drops to my stomach and my insides hollow. My nose tingles and my eyes sting. I can’t help but think this is the last time I’ll hold her like this.

I swallow the thought and force myself to focus on my desired result. Us making it through this and getting married.I can only hope I return in time and she’s waiting for me here in the home that means so much to us.

I’m in the kitchen making coffee after a sleepless night. My bags are packed and in the car. All that’s left to do is say goodbye to Livianna. My chest aches and I can’t seem to swallow the lump in my throat.

Livianna shuffles into the room. “Good morning, my king.”

I smile at the sentiment. “Good morning,mon trésor. How did you sleep?”

“Pretty well.” She tightens her robe and winces.

My stomach wrenches down. “How bad are they?”

“Please, Jax. Let’s not do this today. I know how to care for them and they’ll be better soon.”

“You’re right. We cleared that up last night.” I gesture to the coffeepot. “Would you like some?”

“Yes, please.” She slides onto a chair at the kitchen table. “I’m going to miss this place.”

I pour her a cup of coffee and take it to her. “Before I go, there’s some paperwork I need you to sign.”

She reaches for her drink. “What paperwork is that?”

“The two companies you invested in with my help, the cosmetic company and the high-end materials supplier company, remember they had you add an addendum to your contract about me being active in your meetings since I was your mentor. They wanted it in place so it was clear I didn’t have a stake in their organizations and ensured I wouldn’t disclose any proprietary information.”

“Yes, I recall that being added. What’s the issue?”

I sit next to her as she blows on her coffee.

I move my mug to the side. “You don’t need my guidanceany longer. You know what you’re doing, so I’m filing new addendums that remove my privileges and eliminate any requirements you had of them to provide me access to their records and allow my presence at your meeting.”

“So you’re basically excusing yourself completely.”

“Correct.”

Her brow furrows as she takes a sip of her drink. She sets her cup down and rests back in her chair.

She studies me. “Why do this now?”

“Livianna, you don’t need me to mentor you anymore. You know how to invest now. You know what to look for, how to negotiate with people, and have contracts drawn up. And your fashion house is doing fantastic. You’re on the same track as Rihanna was when she launched Fenty.”

Livianna smiles wide. “I’ve never thought about it like that, but you’re right.”

“Like I said last night, you’ve worked hard and should be proud of all you’ve created.”

We sit in the quiet for a moment. My insides have a gigantic hole in them that seems to have no bottom. My chest grows heavier with each passing second.