Page 19 of Just My Luck

I leaned my back against the door, staring up at the vaulted ceiling. Everything was a complete, suffocating mess.

Vegas had been a disaster. When I’d flown back out there on Sunday evening, Kit Sterling had been visibly irritated that I hadn’t brought Nova back with me. I’d lied straight to his face, telling him that she was tied up overseeing a critical transition, but Kit had barely listened. Instead, he’d taken me out to an absurdly lavish rooftop bar, acting like a gracious host while surrounded by two high-fashion models who draped themselves over his arms like expensive accessories.

It was all a show. The second the models stepped away to the bar, Kit’s charm turned ice-cold and dangerously deliberate. He’d talked about Nova as if she were a rare, priceless painting he was determined to acquire for his collection—praising her intellect, her fire, and the way she’d looked in that gold dress—daring me to object. I’d sat across from him, my jaw clenched so tight my teeth ached. I’d forced myself to keep my hands flat on the table and play the cool-headed executive while every instinct in my body screamed at me to put him through the glass, like an apex predator was raging inside of me.

I’d wanted to call Nova. Hell, I’d wanted to be with her every single second since we’d gotten off that plane. But the reality waiting for me back home was crushing. Besides, if I hadn’t taken a step away, I doubt I could have kept my hands from her for a second.

My dad’s health was failing faster than anyone wanted to admit. While Dad had officially handed the title of CEO to Rick so my brother could manage the day-to-day administrative chaos, he’d quietly dumped his entire load of high-stakes legacy clients straight onto my plate. My workload had tripled overnight. I was drowning in compliance files, emergency board updates, and international ad buys, all while trying to protect Nova from the vultures at the top.

A sharp, firm knock on my front door, which I was still leaning against, echoed through the quiet entryway.

I froze. My pulse spiked instantly. I didn’t need to check the security camera to know who was standing on the front porch. I could feel her presence right through the heavy wood.

I turned the lock, pulled the door open, and there she was. Nova. The woman of my dreams.

She stood under the soft porch light, her coat pulled tight against the light rain. Her dark eyes flashed with a fierce, stubborn determination that told me she had come here ready to tear down every wall I’d put up over the past week.

She opened her mouth, her lips parting to deliver what was undoubtedly a carefully prepared corporate ambush.

Before she could utter a single word, I grabbed her by the lapels of her coat, hauled her over the threshold, and slammed the front door shut behind her.

My mouth found hers in the dark entryway.

I wasn’t gentle, and I wasn’t professional. The kiss was desperate, possessive, and thick with the days of absolute hell that I’d just spent without her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her waist, pulling her flush against my chest, burying my fingers into her wet hair as I drank her in.

She let out a breathless, muffled gasp against my lips, her hands instantly flying up to clasp the back of my neck, clinging to me just as hard.

When I finally pulled back just a fraction, our foreheads rested together, our heavy breathing filling the dark foyer.

“I missed you,” I rasped, my voice low, rough, and completely stripped of any defense. “God, Nova, I missed you.”

“You didn’t have to miss me,” she said, stiffening.

“Later,” I said against her lips. “Now, I just need…” I kissed her and felt her relax against me. “I need you,” I finished. I lifted her up and carried her up the few steps to the hallway that led to my bedroom.

Her legs wrapped around my hips as we fell onto my mattress.

She laughed as she tugged my shirt off my shoulders, running her fingertips over my heated skin. God, I’d missed her. Why had I talked myself into believing I could live without her? I should have known better after tasting her.

Unlike the time in Vegas, tonight we were both fully cognitively aware as we peeled off each other’s clothes.

I had been too into her last time to admire every part of her that I had explored. Trust me, I wasn’t going to make the same error this time.

Now, instead of devouring, I savored. Every heartbeat, every soft sigh that escaped her lips. My fingers trailed over her skin, paused, warming her until she was so heated under my touch that her skin almost burned.

“Jax,” she sighed, pulling me back down to trail kisses along my shoulders. “Don’t make me wait any longer.”

“There’s still so much I want to do for you,” I admitted.

“Later.” She looked up at me. “If you don’t ghost me again that is.” The corner of her lips curved up, and when she bit her bottom lip I lost all the will to fight.

“No,” I promised and returned into her waiting arms. “I’ll make the time.” I kissed her like we had all the time in the world.

When I walked into work the next morning, I had only gotten a few hours of sleep and zero work done, but the smile on my face was impossible to shake.

I rounded the corner into the executive wing and caught sight of Nova in the small break room. She was standing by the counter, leaning over a fresh box of donuts someone had brought in, picking out her choice. Hearing my footsteps, she looked over her shoulder.

Our eyes locked. She gave me a soft, secret little smile, her cheeks flushing warm as she remembered exactly how we’d left things on my doorstep just an hour ago before she’d headed home to shower and change. I didn’t say a word. I just smiled back and picked a chocolate sprinkle donut, making sure our bodies brushed ever so slightly. With a quiet, lingering look passing between us, we parted ways without making a scene. We didn’t want the rumors to start up before we were ready to admit what was going on ourselves.