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“You jumped,” Callie drawled. “Probably without even knowing what you were jumping into,” she muttered.

Jax took a step closer to her, bridging the small space between them. “I don’t jump, Callie.”

Callie took a step backward. What was it about Jax that always made her so unsettled? He was as handsome as all get-out. That was a fact. His dark, almost jet black hair contrasted nicely with his azure eyes. Strong bone structure and a manly jaw put him in the category of too handsome for his own good. And the ladies loved him. Jax dated frequently and was in demand as a Savannah bachelor. A trickle of unease ran through her at the thought of Jax and the many women he squired around town. Why did she even care? Jax wasn’t her type. Not in the slightest.

Jax narrowed his eyes. “Do I make you nervous, Callie?”

She met his intense gaze head-on. “Of course not,” she said smoothly, surprised by the fact that her voice wasn't shaking. “Why would you? We’ve known each other since…kindergarten wasn’t it?”

“If I were you, I'd be a little nervous. Haven’t you heard? I’m a very dangerous man,” he said in a teasing voice. “And I think it was first grade when my family moved to Savannah. Would you believe that I remember my first day of school?”

She shrugged. “Memories tend to stay with us. Sometimes they serve as reminders of who we are. What we are,” she said, fighting against a rising tide of emotion. Jax needed to go back to work and leave her alone. He had no idea of what emotions were roiling under the surface. Memories of her past with Mac were swirling all around her these days. She was like an open wound with her nerves riding close to the surface.

Jax narrowed his gaze. “You seem stressed, Callie. It might not be a good time to make a major life decision.”

She jutted her chin out. “Beg my pardon, Jax Holden, but since when do you think you have a say in my life? You work for Duvall Investments. Or should I say you work for Lionel Duvall. That has little or nothing to do with me.”

He let out a harsh laugh. “Listen. Whatever little spat you had with your father, why don’t you be a good little girl and

face facts. You’ve got it good here from what I can see. If you move out and cut up all your credit cards life won’t be half as much fun as it could be.”

She blew out an air of frustration. “What do you know about my life? And this was way more than a spat. I think you’re a little over your head in the deep end of the swimming pool, Jax.”

“I know that from the outside looking in you seem to have quite a cushy life.” He looked around the room with a shrewd expression etched on his face. “You want for nothing.”

She bristled. “How dare you! Don’t you waltz in here making judgments about me. Money isn’t everything. You have no idea where I’ve come from or what I’ve been through.”

Oh no. Where had that come from? Why had she blurted that out? She never shared her past with people. At least not people she couldn’t trust. Jax had never shown her the slightest reason to trust him. And she had no intention of allowing tidbits of the Duvall family skeletons to make their way into the gossip rags. It was bad enough that she knew the deep, dark secret her parents had been harboring. She didn’t want all of Savannah to be whispering about it.

Jax narrowed his gaze, which only served to make his features more handsome. And more brooding. “What have you been through, Callie?” he asked in a voice that suddenly sounded tender.

For a minute she considered telling him the truth. What would he say if she told him about her past?

“Callie. Is everything okay in here?” The deep voice that cut into her conversation with Jax caused her heart to thump wildly inside her chest.

“Mac,” she said, rushing toward the tall, ruggedly built man standing in the doorway. Her heart felt as if it had just expanded to three times its normal size. If she lived to be one hundred she would never get used to the sight of her handsome, wonderful brother.

She threw herself into Mac’s arms and breathed him in, relishing the scent of sandalwood and the great big outdoors. Her hero. Her brother. The other half of her heart wrapped up in a big gorgeous package. She couldn’t get enough of seeing him and spending time with him.

Callie was over the moon. Not even Jax could bring her down from this glorious high.

Jax could believe what he wanted about her “spat” with her father. She knew the truth. For twenty long years her father had kept her and her beloved brother Mac separated. Secrets. Lies. The lengths he had gone to in order to make her a Duvall rather than maintain the ties she had to Mac Donahue. All because he wanted her to be a Duvall through and through. It sickened her. Every last bit of it. And even though she knew that her mother’s heart might break, she had to make a move. She had to leave the Duvall mansion and forge a new life for herself far away from this gilded cage that had once been home.

The cherry on the ice cream sundae was that Mac had traveled all the way from Breeze Point so he could help her make the transition to her new digs on Tybee Island. That meant the world to her. God was showing her each and every day that by bringing Mac back into her life He had given her back a piece of herself that she had believed was gone forever.

The sheer magnitude of it made her want to weep with joy.

**

Anger spiked through Jax at the sight of Callie wrapped up in another man’s arms. It felt like his heart had actually stopped beating for a few seconds. There was a huge lump sitting in his throat.

Who was this guy? He looked like a massive Oak tree. All brawn, muscles and height. He was slightly intimidating with his brooding expression and handsome features. Was this the type of man Callie went for? Evidently it was. She looked so peaceful in his arms. Jax knew he was scowling, but he couldn’t help himself.

Callie was looking at this guy as if he had hung the moon. And she didn’t seem inclined to introduce him. Taking matters into his own hands, he stepped forward. “Hey. I’m Jax Holden.”

The man studied him, then jutted his chin at him. “Mac,” he said, his voice flat and unfriendly. No last name given. No hand extended.

“Did you come to help Callie move?” he asked, deliberately asking a probing question.

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