Kace looked me in the eyes and said, “Don’t be a pathetic excuse for a man who only thinks of himself. Strap your sorry-ass balls back on and take charge before she goes and does something completely stupid, like marrying Rex Titan.”

Pain seared through my skin as the thought of Goldie marrying Rex became a possible reality in my head. That could not happen. Kace was right, I was being a narcissist. I was so wrapped up in protecting myself that I forgot that I wasn’t protecting Goldie, like I promised.

“Fuck!” I shouted, as I passed by Kace and headed toward my bedroom to grab a box that I should have passed along a long time ago. I didn’t need Goldie making me feel, making me want more than I’m ready for, but hell if I was going to push her toward a life full of misery. She was better than that. She had potential and, when I first saw her, I swore to myself and to my mom that I was going to help her fulfill that potential.

Chapter Forty Three

“Stay”

Goldie/Lo

I didn’t know how long I had been crying, but I knew it was for a long time because, by the time I peeled my tear-soaked face off my pillow, it was completely dark outside and I could barely open my eyes from them being so swollen. I knew I had to get going…that I had to leave before I was actually kicked out, but leaving the warm confines of the bedroom Jett so beautifully put together for me was heart-shattering. Even though I was confused as fuck as to who to believe, my heart still ripped apart from being torn away from Jett. The man did so much for me, even though he ended our “partnership” brashly and with little remorse. He still changed me…made me feel whole again.

I walked to the bathroom and wet a wash cloth with warm water to press against my eyes. I didn’t want to look too scary when I returned back to Lyla’s. She was more than happy to have me stay with her, but I was going to have to sleep on the couch, since Crystal with the massively large tits that scared the hell out of me, now occupied my old room. She didn’t question me on the phone, but the tone in her voice said we were going to have a very long conversation once I got back to her place.

I put down the wash cloth and stared at myself one last time in the perfectly lit bathroom. I had the same clothes on that I arrived with, sans underwear, since I wasn’t allowed to keep the “cheap polyester.” Stupid fuckhead of a man, I thought, as I walked out to my bedroom. I grabbed the pillowcase of my measly items, took a deep breath, and turned to walk to the door.

My heart lurched in my chest as I saw Jett standing in the doorway holding a flat medium-sized box. He was still in his unbuttoned business shirt and pants, but instead of his normal put-together exterior, there was blood on his now-wrinkled shirt and when I looked up at his face, his mouth was completely swollen and bloody.

I sucked in a gasp of air at his disheveled appearance. The only thought I had was that he and Kace had to have gotten into it because I spoke to Kace about an hour ago about driving me back to the French Quarter. He wasn’t happy and stormed off without muttering a word.

The urge to run to Jett and see if he was okay was overpowering, but I didn’t. Instead, I stood in place and waited for him to make the first move. My heart pounded through my chest as he slowly closed the door and walked toward me. At that moment, seeing the usually strong and stoic man look run down and almost desperate, broke my stubborn wall I was holding up. Why was I even thinking about walking away from this man? Why did I even question him in the first place? Maybe because I was desperate for him to confess any kind of feeling he had for me; I wanted to hear that he actually cared about me. The little reassurance of him admitting to any kind of need for me would have settled my need to run, my need to go see Rex, but instead, he just kept pushing me away and I didn’t know why.

Jett placed the box in his hand on my bed and stood a few feet away from me. He looked down at my shabby clothes and winced at my appearance. I didn’t blame him, I looked like a beast of a zombie.

He exhaled as he ran a hand through his untamed hair and then made eye contact with me as his hand slid from his hair to the back of his neck. “Goldie…” his voice was raspy as he spoke, “I uh, I don’t want you to leave, at all.”

His words caught me off-guard…completely. In the back of my mind where the inner teenage girl lived, who fancied unicorns and believed in romance, I wished that when he showed up he was going to sweep me off my feet and carry me into the sunset, but I knew that was far from reality. This was Jett Colby, the man that showed no fear, no emotions, and no need for anyone but himself. So you could imagine the way his confession affected me.

“Why?” I said feebly, not able to look him in his deep blue eyes because I knew, if I did, I would crumple into his arms.

“I want you here. You belong here and I don’t want to see you anywhere else or hear about you in anyone else’s bed. You are meant to be a Jett Girl.”

“But why did you pick me?” I asked once again, just dying for any kind of reason.

Jett exhaled again and sat on my bed as he rubbed his eyes. His toned abdomen muscles bunched together as he tried to figure out what to say. Even in his most disheveled state, he was still the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. From the scruff on his face, to the slight tan to his skin and the way his dark blonde hair fell to the side, he was perfection. He was the one man that made my heart stop when he walked in the room, the one man that I could see losing myself in.

“I wasn’t lying when I told you originally the reason I picked you. The moment I saw you next to my mom’s grave, I knew she brought us together…that there was a reason why you and I were there at the same time. I didn’t learn about Rex’s infatuation with you until later. I mean, I knew that he was paying you for sex, but I thought that’s all it was. I didn’t know he actually had some sort of feelings for you. There’s a lot that’s happened between Rex and I that I am sure he told you half-truths about, but I am not going to get into that because it’s in the past now. But, I want you to know, he has nothing to do with the reason why I asked you to come here…the reason I asked you to share your life and body with me.”

He looked up at me with such soulful eyes that it was hard to turn away; it was hard for me to be mad at him. I hated myself for not being able to put up much of a fight, even though I knew he would never give me what I wanted.

“I want you to stay, little one.” His term of endearment almost brought me to my knees. “I need you to stay,” he said lightly, as he looked down at his hands. “I know I can’t give you everything you want, everything you need and deserve, but what I can offer you is protection, a future and security. It’s not much, but it’s all I have for now.”

The way he said for now, made my heart leap. He made it seem like for now he can’t give me what I need, but there was the possibility in the future.

He looked up at me and grabbed my hand as he guided me to stand between his legs. His hands rested on my hips as his thumbs rubbed lazy circles. He looked so shattered, agonized…almost crushed.

When I first came to the Lafayette Club, Jett specifically said that I held the cards and, at this moment, he was right. I held the cards and I had the ability to either make or break this man with one single word. The stubborn girl inside me wanted to break him the way he broke me, but the girl that was falling hard for the man with the deep southern voice couldn’t do that.

I nodded my head silently as a tear ran down my face. Jett exhaled sharply as he rested his forehead against my stomach in relief, as if he was ready to combust if I didn’t answer yes. This strong man that held onto me put up such a front about not needing anyone or a relationship, but at this moment, I knew that was all it was, a front, a façade of the complex man he was. Inside, he needed someone more than he let on…he needed me.