“Lux isn’t a what, my dear, but rather a who. In fact, she’s the woman who broke my son’s heart.”
At his father’s words, Jason felt Aviva stiffen against him and commended himself at how far he’d come. In the past, Aviva’s reaction would have irked him. Now that he understood her and Josh’s affection for each other, he saw it for what it was; the love of a sister for her brother. Leaning over, he kissed his wife on the forehead as Jackson began to fill in the details.
“Lux was the only woman Josh ever introduced me to. I’ll admit that when I first met her I had reservations.” Coming to an abrupt stop, Jackson appeared lost in introspection.
“Reservations about what?” MacKenzie asked.
Visibly pulling himself from his reverie, Jackson stared at MacKenzie as though choosing his words with care. “It is my belief that Josh loved her too much,” Jackson finally replied.
“Why do you say that?” Aviva inquired.
“I say that because she didn’t take enough care of his love,” Jackson said looking between Aviva and MacKenzie. “To me, Lux always appeared to have one foot in their relationship, and the other lifted and poised to leave. In the end, that’s exactly what she did.”
Jason stiffened. The feel of Aviva’s hand entwining their fingers gave him a silent reassurance that Jackson wasn’t speaking about their relationship.
“Poor Josh,” Aviva whispered.
“He was a mess for such a long time after she left, Jake and I wondered if he would ever break loose of his melancholy. When he finally did, he began staying out late and getting into all kinds of trouble.
I’m sure I don’t know the half of what he got up to. Jake no doubt could fill you in much more accurately than I.”
All eyes turned to Jake, who shrugged his broad shoulders before he spoke. “I don’t know as much as dad thinks I do. All he ever really told me was that he’d made a mistake. What that mistake was, I don’t know. When I realized his reluctance to fill me in, I didn’t press the matter. We’ve always been close, so I was prepared to wait until he was ready to talk. To this day, I have no idea what went wrong between them. Did he say anything else?” Jake asked his twin.
“Only that he’d call us if he needed us.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Jason? Do you know where he’s gone?” At the negative shake of his head, Aviva continued her reprimand of her husband. “What were you thinking; I can’t believe you allowed him to just walk out of this house on his own!”
“Angel, Josh is a grown man. If he wants to leave, I have no sway over him doing just that.” The only reaction he received for that piece of information was a narrowing of her eyes.
Chapter 2
When Josh left Jason and Aviva’s house, he made a quick stop at the Kingdom mansion to collect his passport and clothes before traveling to the airport. He didn’t order the Kingdom jet to standby; doing so would have possibly drawn unwanted attention to his final destination. Instead, he paid cash for a first-class return ticket to the island of Trinidad.
It was Carnival season in Trinidad and Tobago, and Josh was relieved at how well he blended in with the countless other tourists.
Reclining in a seat, he waited for his flight to be announced. Outwardly, he gave the impression of casual calm, but his mind refused to slow down. As his eyes panned the crowded departure area, he knew he needed a distraction, and there she was; a beautiful woman sitting a few seats over. In his musings, he hadn’t noticed her before, but the same couldn’t be said for her, she was staring right at him in open invitation.
Josh smiled, his dimples on full display even as he readied himself to go and make her acquaintance. Before he could move, the woman rose and sauntered towards him. The first thing that caught his attention as she moved ever closer was that she was built and racked.
The woman had to be at least six feet tall and her breasts and hips were in direct proportion to her height. There was no getting away from it, she was one sexy woman. Josh knew a challenge when he saw one. The woman’s eyes were daring him; silently asking whether he could handle her. If he’d encountered her at any other time, he knew he would be in for the kind of sex he deliberately sought out. His preference was all about variety. White, black, Asian; hell it didn’t matter to him as long as it was hard and hot.
Ironically, though he wanted a distraction, he knew this woman wasn’t going to be it, or at least he wasn’t going to take up her challenge. Whatever she had in mind, he wasn’t about to indulge her. That didn’t say he couldn’t enjoy himself with a brief flirtation while he waited.
Easing back into his seat, he waited for her to arrive. When she reached him, she looked him up and down, her eyes coming to a stop on his groin.