by Liz Lovelock
We step through the airport doors, and I’m hit with a wall of cold—like ice. Instinctively, I move closer to Kane’s side. His hand rests on my hip and secures me against him. The same driver who took us to Kane’s birthday party is waiting with the back door of a black SUV open. Kane leads me to it, and I slide in and across the leather seats. Kane follows. The middle seat is like a gaping hole between us.
“How did you know when I’d get back since we haven’t spoken?”
He cracks a grin. “Your friend can play hardball, but whenever I ask her for something to help me with you, she happily obliges.”
“I’m going to kill her.” I shake my head. That girl is trying really hard to make this fake relationship actually work. But while there are secrets between Kane and me, it can’t be real. None of it. I’ll continue to fight the attraction for as long as I can.
“She sees what a good couple we are together,” he teases.
I sigh. “If only she knew the whole truth.”
“What whole truth?”
I turn toward him. There’s a puzzled expression on his face.
I hadn’t realized I’d spoken that out loud. Panic seizes my chest. “Oh, nothing,” I say, trying to deflect what I’d let slip.
“No, it’s not, or you wouldn’t have said it.” He pushes.
“It’s nothing. Where are we going?” I notice that we haven’t taken the road back to my apartment.
He’s silent a moment. Finally, he says, “It’s a surprise. You’ll like it.”
“Are you sure I will?” I cock a brow, staring at him. The last remnants of the sun turn the tips of his hair golden through the back window of the car. I can’t believe this is my life right now. Here I am sitting with my college ex-boyfriend, now turned fake fiancé—and the father of my child.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Kane
What did she mean, ‘whole truth’? I can’t get it out of my head for the rest of the drive to my place. I want to keep pushing her, but I know if I do, she’ll shut down, and everything will go south from there. It’s like walking on eggshells with her. One minute, I think she wants to give in and let this happen—then all of a sudden, she’s cold and distant. This relationship, or whatever it is, is like a constant yoyo.
Even telling her I wanted to be exclusive wasn’t enough. ‘Prove it.’ I damn well will, Jojo. My Jojo. I no longer want this to be fake. I want this to be real like the diamond that’s sitting on her finger. I want the big, grand wedding, the family, and her. Just her would be enough for me.
We pull up into my driveway.
“What are we doing here?” Jojo’s voice pulls me from my thoughts.
I face her and smile. “This is the surprise. Well, one of them. You’re staying here tonight.” Her mouth opens to respond. I cut in. “In your room. Don’t worry. I figure our relationship needs to start appearing real to those around us.” Really, I just want you close to try to show you I’m not the person I once was.
“I’m not so sure this is a good idea. You know . . . after what happened last time.” Her head lowers, and her fingers twist together. Reaching over, I lay my hand over both of hers. She stops and glances up at me. The uncertainty in her eyes makes my heart constrict. I need to show her how much she means to me. Even in the small amount of time we’ve spent together, it’s like slipping on a pair of my favorite jeans, and they still fit perfectly. I never want to take them off. “Don’t worry. That’s something we can work through together. Like I’ve said, it’s only you I want,” I repeat, and I’ll keep telling her the same thing until it’s ingrained into her beautiful mind.
“Yeah, yeah . . .” Her words hang in the thick air of the car interior.
“Come on.” The door opens, and I climb out. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I say to Barry, my driver.
Jojo’s legs are the first things out of the car. I want to run my hands up their smoothness. Snap out of it! I grill myself. I hold my hand out to her, and she gladly takes it. I help her from the car. Barry has gotten her suitcase from the trunk. Taking the handle, we start walking up the small path to my front door. Laughter grabs my attention.
“Who’s that?” she asks.
“Your surprise.” Pushing the door open, we step into the entryway.
“Surprise!” Adele shouts from the living room, a glass of wine in her hand.
“What . . .” Jojo looks between Adele and me. “What’s this?” she asks with a smile so bright it lights up the room and my heart.
Why did I ever let her go? I was a fool. I was young and dumb.
“I thought you might like to celebrate the new job and fiancé with your friend, but I’m not sure who that is with her?” I stare at the largely built man standing beside Adele. When I organized this, she made no mention of another person coming. He has copper-colored hair and looks very similar to Adele.
He takes a step forward and extends his hand. “Hey, I’m Chance. I’m Adele’s brother.” His Australian accent is thick. I take his hand in a firm shake. “You look shocked. Didn’t she tell you I was with her?”
“Ah . . . no, she didn’t. It’s fine, though.” We step back.
“Here are some snacks.”
All heads swing to the voice coming into the room. My eyebrows shoot up.
“Oh, hello.” A petite woman places the platter of food on the coffee table and comes toward us. “I’m Aubrey . . . Chance’s wife.” Her bright green eyes shine with adoration as she glances at her husband. That’s the kind of look I want Jojo to give me.
“Nice to meet you both,” I say.
Jojo smiles and says hello. Adele takes her arm and pulls her over to the table. Adele’s smile is mischievous—what has that girl done? I trust her with one small task, and she invites her entire family.
“I’m going to get changed,” Jolene says as she walks past, Adele hot on her heels. I’m glad she’s going to use the clothes I got her.
“Okay, did you want a drink waiting when you get back?” I ask.
“Sure, I’ll have wine.” Her eyes sparkle as she grins. Is she happy? I turn to Chance and Aubrey. “Can I get you anything while I’m at it?” I make my way over to the bar where I keep a stockpile of drinks.
“I’ll have what Jolene is having,” Aubrey answers.
“I’ll take a beer, thanks,” Chance responds.
While I’m getting the drinks ready, Chance asks, “How long have you and Jolene been together? I had heard from Adele that she was recently with someone who ended things with her for some stupid reason. Nathan, I think his name was, wasn’t it?” He turns to his wife, seeking confirmation. She nods.
“I knew she’d just come out of something before we reconnected. I don’t know the details.” I don’t really want to know, or I’d want to go and give that guy a piece of my mind. Why the hell would anyone let her go? I was that dumb once, and I won’t do it again.
She’s my Jojo.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Jolene
“Why are you here?” I hiss to Adele as we walk upstairs and back into the room I stayed in.
She shrugs. “Because Kane wanted to do something nice for you. Chance and Aubrey are here for a little while, so I brought them with me. Chance will scare him into not hurting you.” She giggles.
“I don’t need someone fighting my battles for me,” I say as I walk to the closet and pull the doors open.
“What the hell?” Adele brushes past me and ogles the little space that’s stocked full of clothes for me.
“He bought all these for me because you gave him my sizes. Thanks for that.” I go to the drawer where I know there is a pair of jeans and grab a long-sleeved light blue top to go with them. I begin stripping off while she scans the clothes and oohs and aahs over everything.
“Have you seen the prices on some of these tags?” she gushes.
“Yeah. Can’t say I’m impressed that he spent all that on me. I’m not the sort of person who needs to be showered in luxuries,” I sa
y as I pull the new shirt over my head.
“Oh, stop being a party pooper. Enjoy it. Can’t you see he’s trying?”
“Yeah, trying to get in my pants. I almost let him the other day.”
She whirls on me. “What?” she yells.
“Keep your voice down, or we’ll have two men barreling in the door when I’m half-dressed. I really don’t want your brother seeing me in my underwear.”
“Stop right there and rewind.” She waves her finger at me in a circle motion. “He almost got into your pants, and you didn’t tell me?”
I pull up my jeans and do the zipper and button. “Yeah, it kind of slipped my mind. You know, there’s a part of me that wants to give in to my feelings and let this whole thing become real. How do I let go of the hurt and give my heart to him?” I plead, tears on the verge of spilling from my eyes.
Adele rushes over, wrapping her arms around me. “Oh, girl, perhaps if you both sat down and had an actual conversation about the past, it would help lift the weight you’ve had resting there for however many years. You’re holding a grudge you can’t seem to shake. It’s time to let it go.” She releases me, and I know she’s right. I have to tell him everything. Not tonight, though. That’s something I’ll have to work up the courage for.
“I’m holding a grudge. I guess when the time is right, I’ll talk to him about it,” I say as I wipe away the loan tear that fell. Pull it together, Jolene.
“Let’s go have a great dinner and chill the heck out. You’re too highly strung at the moment.” She gives a half-hearted laugh while shaking my shoulders a little.
I scoff. “Yeah, I already know that. Let’s go eat some food.”
Downstairs, we sit around in the living room eating out of Chinese containers—my favorite meal. It’s simple, easy, and tastes amazing.
The room fills with laughter as Chance and Aubrey tell us the sweet story of how they met. Kane looks like he is going to choke on his food when Chance comes to the part about when he was locked away. He searched out Aubrey after his release.
“So, you got locked up for helping your sister?”
Chance nods. I shove another mouthful of chicken into my mouth. Adele has gone silent. I glance in her direction and watch her long face and her fork digging aimlessly in the container.
Before any more is said on the topic, I jump in. “So anyway, let’s talk about weddings.” All eyes turn to me at my sudden change of topic. Adele’s head stays down as though she didn’t hear what I’d said. Three pairs of eyes stare at me. I nod in Adele’s direction, and suddenly, their mood changes.
“Adele, are you going to be a bridesmaid for Jolene’s wedding?” Aubrey asks gently, lightly reaching for her arm.
Adele’s head comes up. “Sorry, what were you talking about?”
“My wedding and how you’re going to be my maid of honor.” I grin.
Right away, her body language changes from being closed off to open, and even a wicked grin appears on her face.
“Well, of course, I’m going to be. I have the bachelorette party all planned with strippers and everything.”
Laughter fills the room.
“I’m not so sure I like the idea of strippers,” Kane chimes in. I shake my head and drop it low while hiding a smile.
“Yeah, I’m with Kane on this one,” Chance says. The long face that Adele had has disappeared, and she’s full of life again.
When everyone has gone, everything is peaceful. Sitting on the couch, I take in the view of the room while Kane stacks the dishwasher. I’m sure he could afford to pay someone to do that for him, but he chooses to be independent. I like that about him. While he’s loaded with money, he doesn’t flaunt it. Perhaps he did in that past, but now, not so much.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
I turn toward his low, deep voice. He stands in the doorway of the living room. His hair ruffled again, and he’s wearing comfy sweats.
“I’m wondering why you don’t have a maid.” I smile.
He comes over and sits beside me. “I like doing things myself. Growing up, I had everyone doing stuff for me, and I didn’t want that as I got older. Cleaners, cooks . . . in my experience, they’re often nosey people. When things turn upside down for a family member, the first people they go to are the hired help. Which means money gets involved, secrets get spilled.”
I nod. “I get it.”
“Jojo . . .” he whispers, moving closer. My heart leaps into my throat.
“Kane . . .” I must sound like a fool, but it’s the only thing that comes to my mind. I take Adele’s advice and let go of the grudge for the moment. I allow myself to feel and want Kane in a way I haven’t in such a long time.
He leans in. Our mouths are inches apart. “I’m going to kiss you and take you upstairs to my bedroom. You’re everything I want. You’re all I need.”
I sigh. It’s what I’ve been waiting to hear all my life. My walls are slowly coming down, but for how long, I’m not sure. “You can kiss me, but I’m sleeping in my bed.”
He sighs at my response. “You drive me crazy, woman.”
“It’s my job as your fiancée.” I laugh before he closes the gap between us. His soft lips smash into mine. Heat spreads through me, and tingles curl up and down my spine, then shoot right to my toes. The connection is electric, powerful. Each kiss with Kane gets better, deeper, and so much more passionate.
In one swift move, he lifts me over his lap, so I’m straddling him, and he pulls me tighter against him. I groan.
“Please stay with me tonight. We don’t have to have sex. I only want you close, to wake up next to you,” he whispers between zealous, wet kisses.
My heart tears in two. Do I jump in and let my feelings take flight or shut it all down like I did last time?
His hands dive under the back of my shirt, his fingers caress and massage deep into my back. Our breaths are fiery and heavy. I want more, so much more.
Finally, I say, “Okay.”
With ease, he stands, gripping my ass, and carries me upstairs. Our lips barely leave each other. We are both hungry for more.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Jolene
Waking up in strange beds seems to be a habit for me since Kane came back into my life. Light breathing beside me draws my attention. Slowly, I roll over and come face to face with pure dreaminess.
I sigh at how peaceful he looks.
“Like what you see?” he grumbles against the pillow.
My heart skips a beat. “How did you know I was staring at you?” I pull the blanket up to my shoulder and snuggle into the pillow.
His eyes are still shut, but he says, “People do sense when they’re being watched. I’m sure you’ve had that feeling before.”
“Hmm . . . maybe. What are your plans today?”
He moves a little, and his warm hand touches my bare leg. Flashes from last night flick through my head like an old-time movie. We spent the night exploring each other, getting to know one another again. He tightens his grip on my hips, and he shuffles closer to me. When I glance at him, his gentle eyes are staring right at me as if he can read my mind. Oh, what secrets lay there.
“I’m going to snuggle with you for a long as you’ll allow it, and then make you breakfast and take you into the office to fill out your paperwork to start work later this week.” He grins before pressing his mouth to mine.
Damn his kisses. They’re pure gold. I can’t help but want more and more—to keep those lips on mine as much as I can tolerate before wanting to strip his clothes and ravish him senseless.
He moves on top of me, his bare, ripped chest pressing against my mostly naked body. We may as well have slept together given our lack of clothing—me, in my sports bra and underwear, and him, in his briefs. The view is something I won’t be wiping from my memory bank any time soon.
“What if I don’t want to do any of that?” I tease.
Kane props up on his elbow and looks at me, studies me. I wish I knew
what he was thinking. “Oh, beautiful, you don’t get a say. In fact, your body language tells me a completely different story.”
I’m rewarded with another peck on my mouth. “I mean, I could stay in bed all day.”
“I’d like that very much.” He peppers kisses down my neck and across my collarbone. My chest rises and falls with my heavy breaths. “See? Your body tells me all I need to know.”
“My body is a traitor, especially when it comes to you.” My legs wrap around his waist, and my arms embrace his large frame. With his body resting on top of mine, I simply take him in, cataloging every crease on our faces.
Then his hand comes up and gently brushes some hair away from my face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers before showering me with an array of kisses starting on my lips, then moving behind my ear, which makes me lose my mind. “Why did I ever let you go?”
My eyes widen at his question. His face comes back to mine. “You’re the only one who can answer that.” I shrug.
He moves off me but keeps one of his legs over mine. “I think I was scared. I mean, my family loved you, and I was reaching a point in my life where the pressure would be on to get married, and my head wasn’t there,” he admits. His hand comes to my cheek and stays there, his thumb moving from side to side. Now would be a perfect time to tell him about my secret.
“I understand.” My heart pounds. “There’s something I need to tell you about back then.” I attempt to swallow the hard lump in my throat. The silence between us continues as I work out the right words to say. “Something you’re not going to like.”
“Whatever it is, I’m sure it wasn’t as bad as me leaving you. You can tell me.” Even with his support, it doesn’t help the quaking in my body.
I pull in a deep breath. “I was pregnant when you walked away. I was going to tell you but didn’t want you to feel obligated to stay with me.” My voice cracks and tears fill my eyes. My body trembles, and I hug myself and inhale deeply to try and bring it under control. When I meet Kane’s gaze, he looks like I’ve kicked him in the stomach. “Kane?” I plead.
