Page 140 of The Broken Keys

I stop when I get in front of my office door. I reach for the doorknob, but freeze before my hand touches the metal.

My insecurities scream. What do I think I’m doing? There’s no way I can pull this off.

My heart pounds. My breathing picks up, and my wrists get that itchy sensation I know too well. I have to scratch away the increasing terror that’s creeping up my spine. If not that, then this approaching panic attack is certain to take me under.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

JAXON/JAX

Now

The Art of Holding Back Everything That Matters

Every instinct in me wants to reach for her, which is exactly why I don’t.

Istep off the elevator, trying to focus on anything but Livianna. I round the corner, and there she is. Warmth spreads through my chest.

God, she’s beautiful.

She pulls her arm back and scratches her wrist with a kind of urgency and determination that makes my stomach fill with lead.

Fuck!

“Livianna, I was just thinking about you.” I rush to her side, willing her to stop gouging her skin with her fingernails.

She turns my way. “Oh, hi Jaxon. I was just… Why were you thinking about me?”

“I saw Cash pulling out of the parking lot. I figured that meant he was dropping you off.”

“Of course.” She lets out a nervous laugh. “Why else would you be thinking about me?”

Because I love you and miss you more than I can bear.

“Is everything okay?” I gesture toward the door. “Do you need help with something?”

Her brow furrows, and she adjusts her bag over her shoulder. “Can I ask you a question?”

“Anything.”

“Did you help me with the deal I made with Marcus Chen?”

“When you asked, yes.”

She nods and glances at the entrance to her office. “I know what I’m doing, right?”

The insecurity in her voice tells me all I need to know. This isn’t the Livianna I’ve grown with over the past few years. This is a scared eighteen-year-old version of her who can’t connect her missing reality to now.

“Livianna, you know what you’re doing, but I get the sense you need someone to help you get through your first day back at work.”

Her head snaps my way. “What does that mean?”

“Follow me.” I take her hand and lead her into my office. “Let me place my briefcase down and clear a few things off my calendar.”

“And then what?” She follows behind me, but doesn’t release me.

“Then I’ll help you sort out your day.”

We pass Natalie’s office on the way down the hall. She lifts her head as we pass.