"Stop apologizing."
"Oh come on," I said, making a useless gesture toward the destruction. "How could I not be sorry? I mean, jeez, look at this place." As I spoke, I crouched down to pick up some of the scattered clothing.
"Stop," Jax repeated. "Please."
With the clothes in-hand, I stood and gave him a perplexed look. "Stop what?"
He stood and pointed toward the stuff in my hands. "That."
"You mean stop cleaning? But why?"
"I told you, I have a service."
"Yeah, but they're already gone."
"So they'll come back."
"But won't that cost extra?"
"So I'll pay it. Not a big deal."
Okay, I was fully aware that he could afford it just fine. But I hated the thought of costing him any more money or trouble. Already, I owed him a small fortune for the undergarments alone.
Plus, unlike my mom, I was the kind of person who cleaned up my own messes. But why would Jax care, anyway? And then it hit me. "Oh, sorry. Is it because you don't want me pawing through your stuff?"
"No."
I tried to think. "Are you worried the butler will get mad?" Yes, it seemed far-fetched, but I was running out of theories.
He gave me a look. "I don't have a butler."
"But last night—"
"He was a temp. And it wasn't my idea."
"Oh." If nothing else, this explained why I hadn't seen the guy after the party. "So then why can't I clean this up?"
"Because I want to talk to you. And I want your full attention."
Well, that wasn't ominous or anything.
I looked around, wondering where I should set the clothes that I'd gathered already. Finally, I walked to the nearest dresser and placed them on top in a jumbled pile.
I'd wanted to fold them, but I didn't dare, not with Jax glowering from the sidelines.
He looked to the doorway and said, "We'll talk in my office."
Once again, this sounded more like a summons than an invitation. But this time, I had to decline. "I can't leave, not with Allie here."
Plus, I simply didn't have the time.
"I meant my home office," he clarified. "It's just downstairs."
"Oh." Still, I wasn't terribly enthused. The way it looked, he wanted to chew me out, not that I could blame him.
I sighed.Oh well, I might as well get it over with.
But as it turned out, I was only half-correct. Oh sure, he wanted to have a serious discussion, but it wasn't because of the mess.
