I smile faintly. "Yes, I can see that you do."
"Are you hungry?" He walks towards the kitchen.
I walk into the living room, still clutching the bottle of wine I've brought with me. I immediately notice several photographs displayed on a shelf. One is of two small boys. "Is this you and Brighton?" I call in the direction of the kitchen.
Jax appears around the corner. He moves next to me. "That's us."
"How old were you here?" I stare at the photo noticing the younger boy is missing a few teeth.
"I'm six I think. Brighton would have been ten then." His voice becomes more expressive, "I always looked up to him. He picked on me constantly until I was taller than him."
I chuckle. "When did that happen? When you were eight?"
"Witty, are we?" His index finger lightly brushes against my nose.
"I am," I counter. "I haven't figured out if you are yet."
That brings up a laugh. "I'll take that," he says as he reaches for the wine. He disappears into the kitchen again as I sit on the couch.
"You bought a lot of my pieces," I say under my breath as I pick up one of the crimson plush Veray jewelry boxes. I open it and see a necklace I designed more than a year ago. I silently close it and grab another from the pile. This one contains a bracelet I remember working on with Mark. With shaking hands I reach to place the box back on the table.
"That's one of my favorites." Jax hands me a glass of wine as he settles in next to me on the couch.
"Mine too." I smile faintly taking a small sip of the fragrant, red liquid.
"I was out of line when I asked about Mark."
I look up and into his eyes. "You were curious."
"I was." He nods slightly. "I still am. You two were engaged, weren't you? I read it online."
I take a second, heartier drink from my glass. "We were for a time, yes."
"He was a fool to end it." Jax raises the glass to his lips, taking a healthy swallow.
I do the same, realizing the wine is helping calm my reservations about talking about Mark. "I ended it, actually."
"Would it be out of line to ask why?"
"It would. But seeing how you were so generous to give me that...um...shall we say, interesting piece of artwork, I think I can oblige with an answer."
He laughs. "I heard from my brother that you found it breathtaking." He emphasizes the last word, while holding his chest, mirroring my response to Brighton at the gallery.
"You are..." I let my voice trail as I lean closer to Jax. "Almost as witty as me."
"Almost?"
"We can work on that." I run my finger along his strong chin. "I'll teach you things and you can teach me." I'm shocked by my shameless desire for this man.
He moves back slightly, raising the glass to his mouth. He empties it in one gulp. "You have no idea how much I want that."
"You can show me how much..." I whisper, my lips almost touching his. "After you feed me."
He smiles and stands, offering me his hand.
I reach for it and allow him to help me off the couch. Holding my hand he leads the way to a small, simply decorated dining table.
"Ivy." He stops and turns to me. "Tell me why. Why you ended things with Mark."