The Connection (The Exception #1.5)

He grins his boyish smile.

“That’s not helping things,” I laugh.

He folds his arms behind his head, the muscles in his arms flexing.

“That’s not either.”

“I really want you to go with Kari. She made reservations last night for you two to have all that girly shit done.”

“But we do spa days all the time. I don’t need to do them here.”

His face grows serious. “I think she and Max are having problems. I’m not sure. I think they’re trying to get a little time apart while we’re here. So just go and relax and enjoy your day and I’ll take Max golfing or some stupid shit.”

“I can’t see you golfing.” Images of him tossing his clubs across the lawn make me giggle.

“Yeah, I wasn’t really built for it. We do a lot of business on the golf course, but Max goes to a lot of that stuff. Golf pisses me off usually.”

“Imagine that.”

He shrugs.

I don’t really want to go. I want to climb back into bed and just spend the entire day in his arms. But if he’s right and Kari needs me, I can’t say no. I look at him again. His hair is tousled and he has a sleepy, sexy grin on his face.

It’s for Kari . . .

“Last chance to keep me here. In bed. Naked.”

He growls. “Stop.”

I sigh dramatically. “Okay. I’ll go take my clothes off and have someone else’s hand on me.” I turn and hear the sheets rifle behind me. I grin and before I even expect it, he’s spinning me around.

“If there’s a guy working and he’s not one hundred and fucking twenty percent gay, he’s not allowed to touch you. Hear me?”

“Don’t be silly.”

“There’s nothing silly about it.”

I kiss him sweetly. “I’m your girl. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I better not because it won’t matter. If anyone tries to take you from me, I’ll kill them.”

I kiss him again, feeling his fight wane a bit as our lips touch. I love him and all of his possessive tendencies because I know they come from the very best place.

Turning towards the door, my hand is on the handle when I hear him say my name. I turn to see him watching me, biting his bottom lip.

“I hope you have a good day today,” he says.

“I will.” I blow him a kiss and force myself to walk out before I disregard what he says and stay with him.

Kari is standing in the hallway, typing away on her phone. A smile as wide as the hall graces her face and she shoves her phone in the pocket of her shorts. “Ready?”

“Yes. You’re sure chipper this morning,” I laugh.

“Yeah, well . . .” She pushes the button for the elevator and it dings immediately. We step inside the empty car. “Max made sure that I left with a smile, if you catch my drift.”

“I thought you and Max were having trouble?”

“What in the world makes you say that?”

“Something Cane said.”

She laughs, her voice echoing off the walls around us. “I’m sure he did.” She sticks her hand in her purse and pulls out a pink envelope. “I have something for you.”

“What’s this?”

She shrugs, but smiles coyly.

I open the envelope and pull out a white card with a pink and silver design on it. One letter is printed on the card: “I.”

“An ‘I’? What’s this supposed to mean?” I ask, thoroughly confused.

“I don’t know. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

“You’re a liar,” I laugh. “And a poor one at that.”

“You know what else I am?”

“What’s that?”

“Not about to ruin this.”





JADA


The spa is gorgeous. I love the one we go to in Scottsdale, but this one is even more posh. It’s luxuriously decorated in whites and golds. A fountain is in the corner and the entire atmosphere is completely tranquil.

A beautifully coiffed woman sitting behind a slab of marble checks us in. “We have you both down for aromatherapy massages. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Kari says.

“Perfect. Please head through those doors and Shera will get you all set up.”

We turn to go, but stop as she speaks again. “Which one of you is Jada?”

“Me,” I say, my eyebrows pulling together. “Is something wrong?”

“No, not at all.” She smiles sweetly at me. “I have this for you.”

In her hand lies another pink envelope. It’s identical to the one Kari gave me earlier. I take it and look at Kari. “Another one? What is this? Some sort of Bingo?”

She laughs as I open it. I pull out another pink card. This time “Want” is typed out across the center.

“I want,” I grin, “a lot of things. But the first thing is to know what this is all about!”

Kari shrugs and heads through the doors, leaving me standing alone with the card in my hand.





CANE


I take a sip of my coffee. Max is sprawled out on the couch on the other side of the room, flipping through a newspaper.

“What do we need to do today?” I ask him.