Too angry to smile at him, Ari glowered and looked away.
“Come on,” Trey coaxed, easing down beside her. “See things from Jai’s point of view. His life has not been easy. He doesn’t understand what he’s feeling.” At her silence, Trey touched her shoulder, and his expression softened when he saw the hurt in her eyes. “You still have a lot going on right now and you need to trust him.”
“From now on, I rely on no one but myself, Trey. No one. I walk into these situations with my heart splayed open like an idiot asking to have it cut out. Well, I’m done. I’m done being the girl whose daddy didn’t love her enough, who’s best friend doesn’t love her enough… who Jai will never love enough to work out his crap and put it behind him.”
“You don’t even know what that crap is. Maybe if you knew—”
“He wouldn’t tell me.” Ari shook her head. “I’m not important enough to confide in.”
“Ari—”
“No!” Ari stood up, whirling around, eyes blazing. “I feel like a crumpled up piece of paper that has something really important written on it. But no one will ever know what that is because all they see is something people discarded. I’m done feeling like that! Last night was… well, it was a wake-up call.”
She trembled with hurt and determination. After a moment’s silence, he stood up and pressed an understanding kiss to her cheek. She gave Trey a weak smile and he walked away and left her to her thoughts.
Ari had just finished blow-drying her hair when the knock came at her bedroom door. What does Trey want now? She rolled her eyes as she grasped the door handle.
Her heart froze in her chest for a moment and then plummeted into her stomach with a sickening ‘oof’. “Jai,” she whispered, surprised to see him standing outside her door. Willingly.
Looking as uncomfortable as she felt, Jai gestured inside. “May I come in?”
Stepping aside in answer, Ari ignored the way her stomach fluttered as he brushed past her. She hated how aware she was of him. “What’s up?” she asked as soon as she closed the door. The room felt tiny now Jai was in it.
Looking adorably unsure, Jai shrugged. “I thought maybe we should talk after all.”
Deep suspicion took hold of Ari and she pinned her guardian to the wall with a deadly look. “Trey sent you.”
“No.” Jai shook his head quickly, looking anywhere but at her.
“Do you really want me to use the seal against you cause’ I will,” Ari lied, standing arms akimbo.
At the threat, the old Jai melted into place, and he shot her a warning look. “Fine,” he snapped. “Trey sent me.”
She pointed to the door. “Get out.”
“No.”
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
Picking up a photograph of Derek that she’d placed on the dresser, Jai studied it for a second. He put the photo down carefully and turned to her. His vivid eyes held her in place, and her heart pounded as she waited for him to say something. Anything. “Trey told me you don’t trust me anymore.”
Trey has a big mouth. Using cold composure as armor, Ari sauntered past him to put her hairdryer away. “I trust you to do your job.”
“But you don’t trust me entirely, Ari, and I can’t have that. We need to trust each other for this to work.”
Sighing wearily, Ari slumped down on a footstool and Jai took that as permission for him to sit too. He sat on the end of the bed. He looked at his feet as if trying to gather his thoughts and Ari hated the butterflies that erupted to life in her stomach just gazing at him. Could a guy be beautiful? She bit her lip to stop a sigh from escaping.
“I don’t do talking.” Jai looked up at her ruefully. “I get on with stuff, you know. Shit happens, I move on. But you deserve an explanation for last night. And I guess I need you to understand me a little… in order to trust me.”
Ari shook her head. “Jai, you don’t need to do that.”
His expression sincere, Jai held up a hand to quiet her. “I do. And I will because I trust you.”
Trying not to let that warm her insides, Ari leaned back against the wall. “Okay.”
Heaving the biggest sigh she’d ever heard, Jai dropped his gaze. He may trust her, but this was clearly still hard for him. “I don’t need a psychologist to tell me why I am the way I am. I was…” he sucked in a breath, “I was beaten, battered, kicked, neglected, toyed with and stomped on as a kid.”
A slice of pain cut open inside her for him. “Jai…”
He shook her off. “I don’t want pity or sympathy, Ari. It’s in my past and I came to terms with it a long time ago. I’m just trying to...” Jai frowned. “I’m trying to paint you a picture, a history, so maybe you can understand me better. Nicki and David were the worst. But I could take the physical abuse. The slaps, the belts, the punches, the kicks. Thankfully, never magic. It was the terrible stuff like Nicki forcing Luca to hit me to prove he loved her more than me that kind of messed with my head.”