But personally? Emotionally? Sexually?
Jewel couldn’t lie and say she’d had any sort of romantic fulfillment in the past decade. Including visiting Rogen in Italy that one time seven years ago. Another fleeting weekend that had left her feeling as though they were on varying planes. Again, the different trajectories of their lives that just didn’t match up.
And Vin? Well. That was an excruciating scenario unto itself. To now know that he’d learned of her trip to Trinity. For him to have not realized—all this time—that she’d gone to speak to Rogen about them and that she and Rogen had not made love, had not gotten back together.
Was there any way under the sun to make that up to Vin?
The prom stand-up, his disappearance … none of that mattered to Jewel anymore. He’d had every right to blow her off. For his own sake. She could validate and accept that now.
What Jewel couldn’t accept was that Vin hadn’t confronted her. Hadn’t asked her about her intentions. H
e’d just left.
And that was something else Jewel had to contemplate. When Vin was done with her this time around … could he simply leave her again?
Whether it was completely effortless or not for him to do it—could he? Would he?
“Fuck,” she mumbled. She might as well have swallowed a box of rocks for the dead weight in her stomach.
She certainly hadn’t made things easier for any of them.
But holy hell. Had it been an incredible night!
She pressed her thighs together as the tingling of her clit made her restless. Breathless. It’d been amazing to have both of them touch her, kiss her, make her come.
So, yeah … She wanted more.
Which made the guilt return.
A vicious cycle. But one she didn’t have time to deliberate over further because there was activity in the hangar, which she heard through the opened jet door.
She jerked alert just as Vin ascended the steps and entered the cabin. She stood and moved into the aisle. Greeted him with a hug.
He held her tightly, the way he had in her kitchen. When she’d cried on his shoulder for all that they’d been through. The wounds they’d both inflicted.
“Damn, you always feel so good,” he murmured.
Heat flowed through her veins. She threaded her fingers in his lush hair and said against his neck, “I like your arms around me.”
Not helping matters.
She couldn’t seem to contain her response to Vin. She knew his torment now. And suffered right along with him.
His embrace tightened. Jewel sighed contentedly.
But then, over Vin’s broad shoulder, she saw Rogen enter the plane. She gasped.
“Aw, fuck,” Vin grumbled, instantly releasing her. He shook his head and dropped his laptop bag into a single seat on one side of the aisle and plopped into another seat arranged in a foursome facing each other.
Jewel stared at Rogen’s split and swollen lip, his slightly bruised chin.
Her heart wrenched.
“Rogen.” She lifted her hand but didn’t dare touch him.
Rogen shot a look toward Vin. “Isn’t that sweet?” he ribbed, as Vin had done when Jewel had called the day before. “She’s worried about me. Thanks for the punch, pal.”
Jewel whirled around and glared at Vin. “You did this to him?”