Don't Lie to Me (20 page)

And he was mine.

I lusted after him for two years. I knew him better than almost anyone, probably. And there wasn’t a single thing I didn’t love about this man in front of me.

I cupped his cheeks softly with my small hands and rubbed them against his soft stubble. I leaned in a kissed both of his cheeks and then his jaw, before moving to his mouth.

He sat still, letting me move against him and kiss him tenderly. He seemed frozen in time as if the intimacy and tenderness of a woman to him was unexperienced.

“I love you,” I whispered into his ear as I leaned forward. “There isn’t a single thing about you I don’t love.”

It wasn’t the most romantic setting; straddling him in the back of a limo while we professed our love to one another. But the instant his lips touched mine, I knew it was perfect. It was how Jack did everything with me. I pictured him setting up spreadsheets and graphs and commanding a boardroom and creating a pro and con list of reasons why and why not to love me. And then I pictured him seeing me in a doorway and throwing all of it on the floor in a mad second of craziness, like he always said he felt around me.

It was us. Messy and wild and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Slowly, the car pulled to a stop and Jack pressed the intercom button next to him. “Give us a minute before opening the door,” he told his driver, Shane.

I blushed a thousand shades of pink as I looked down between us.

Slowly, I climbed off him and adjusted my dress while he tucked everything back into his tuxedo pants.

He took my hand firmly and steeled his dark brown eyes on me. “I want you to know before we go in there that I mean every word. I didn’t say this because of Marcus or whatever bullshit we may face tonight.” I took a deep breath before he continued. “You and Logan are my world and I love you both. I will do anything to protect you and keep you both safe. You get me?”

I got him. I wiped away a tear and gently pressed a finger underneath my eyes to prevent my mascara from running.

He not only loved me, but he loved Logan. That alone was more powerful and emotional than anything he could have just said to me.

I couldn’t speak for fear of more tears so I simply nodded and took in Jack’s eyes as he smiled at me. His dimple appeared on his left cheek. I leaned forward and licked it.

“I’ve always wanted to do that,” I said with a smile.

Jack threw his head back, laughing. “Get out of the car, Emma.”

I had never attended a charity ball before in my life. And as I walked into the ballroom at the Omni Hotel, I hoped I never had to attend one again. This wasn’t my life. This was Macy or Tate’s, and obviously Jack’s. I knew for a fact Macy had her cotillion in a hotel just like this when she was a teenager and introduced to Chicago’s elite society.

The thought made me snicker as we crossed the threshold into the hotel and the most extravagant setting I’d ever seen. Crystal chandeliers dripped everywhere. Lights sparkled all over the place as if we’d stepped out of the city and into heaven with streets paved with gold. I was walking on clouds and living in the stars at that exact moment. Women drenched in diamonds and emeralds and jewels I couldn’t place walked by us with the dignity of royalty and their men looked just as regal.

I had never felt so homely. Odd considering Macy picked out my dress and on the outside, I probably looked like I fit right in. Inside I was a quivering pool of insecurity.

Jack gripped my elbow tighter and pulled me to him. “You are the most beautiful woman in the room tonight.”

I looked up at him and smiled as he looked down on me. I wondered if anyone could see our swollen lips or our mussed up hair. Hopefully not.

“I’m good,” I whispered back and smiled even though I felt my lips tremble slightly and my knees felt like they could give out at any second.

Jack nodded and removed his arm from my elbow and wrapped it around my waist, securing me to him. “Let’s go find Martin and Marissa and get you a drink.”

Best plan I had heard all night. I followed Jack as he led me through the room. I didn’t miss the looks from the women with one eyebrow raised and pursed lips as they perused me on his arm or the way they flicked their hair and their mouths dropped slightly as they looked at him. They were all wondering what in the hell I was doing with Jack McMillan.

It was, ironically, the first time I had wondered the same thing.

By the time we reached Martin’s table, Jack’s arm around my waist was tighter and my entire body was humming with nervous energy. I expected any minute for Jack to furrow his brows at me and tell me to tap my shit down. But he didn’t, and I was oddly disappointed. Strange that that one sentence from him could be so calming.

“There’s my favorite girl.” Martin affectionately leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Good evening, Mr. Crawlson,” I said softly and turned to his wife when he let me go. “Mrs. Crawlson.”

“Emma,” Martin scolded me and I wrinkled my nose.

“Fine. Martin and Marissa, it’s lovely to see you both.”

“Finally!” Martin exclaimed with an energetic clap of his hands, “Five years and you’ve finally called us by our names.” Jack chuckled softly and Marissa lovingly held her husband’s elbow.

“It won’t become a habit,” I assured him with a large genuine smile. I took the champagne that Jack offered from a nearby waiter and soaked in the room.

We spoke with the Crawlson’s and a few of Jack’s business associates and competitors until it was time for our sit down dinner. I felt more comfortable in the company at the table while I listened mostly to the men discuss business and the women discuss designers and fashion. I wasn’t completely ignorant when it came to fashion. Macy had been my best friend long enough that I was able to hold my conversation, but I spent most of the night distracted – looking for Marcus, who I knew was there somewhere.

I was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for my moment to tell him about Logan and potentially, when my life would change.

I must have tensed up because Jack pulled me closer and stopped his discussion with his CFO and turned to me, concern marring his features.

“You okay?” he asked me as he leaned down and brushed his lips against my ear. To anyone else, it seemed like a typical whispered conversation, but that one simple touch – of his breath so close to me - sent chills down my spine. Jack laughed softly and flicked his tongue out barely grazing my earlobe. “Later, babe. I promise. Now tell me what’s wrong.”

I shook my head to clear my thoughts, and then tensed completely when I saw him. Marcus looked just as handsome as he did when we were younger as he approached us with his perfectly fitted tuxedo. He was dateless, and stopped to shake a few hands. I grimaced when I saw him smile. His dad, the effervescent politician, used the same manufactured smile.

I hated it.

Anger and disappointment rose in me and I tightened my shoulders. I felt the pain in the palm of my hands and looked down to realize I was clenching my fists tightly together. I had never wanted to hit anyone in my entire life; but at that moment, when I saw that slick smile, I wanted to push it off his face and scream all sorts of obscenities at him. I wanted to embarrass Marcus like he had embarrassed me.

I wanted him to feel the pain I felt when I opened the door the night we were supposed to elope only to see his father standing in front of me with that same damn smile, his eyes filled with malice, and his hands filled with a large padded envelope.

I took a deep breath and looked to Jack. His jaw was tense and I noticed his hand on my hip was holding me so tightly he might actually bruise me.

“I don’t know if I can do this, Jack.” I looked at him with frightened eyes but rolled my shoulders back, standing as straight as I could trying to mask my fear. I refused to let Marcus see how much he affected me. I had to get control of myself before my fantasies of pain and revenge played out in a room full of some of the most prominent members of Chicago’s society.

Jack turned me to him so my back was to Marcus and placed his hands firmly on my shoulders. He slowly brought his eyes from Marcus down to me and smiled. It took a minute for the tension to leave, but slowly I watched the affection he felt for me fill his eyes.

It helped immensely. I needed the reminder I wasn’t alone and that Jack was here to support me with this.

“We’ll tell him after dinner so we can leave immediately if you need to.”

My bottom lip trembled and tears filled my eyes. “I can’t, Jack.”

He softly brought his hands up to my neck and laced them together behind me. His thumbs came up and brushed just under my chin. I loved when he held me like this. His hands were large and strong and I loved how the roughness of his hands rubbed against my soft skin.

“I won’t let him hurt you,” he said softly and leaned in to kiss my escaped tear away from my left cheek.

I knew I needed to do this. Jack was right – and had been for weeks. Marcus deserved to know the truth and even if I didn’t want anything to do with him, Logan had the right to know his father. And I had Jack standing in front of me, keeping me safe. He would do whatever he could to keep me from being ruined by this.

I nodded and noticed that it was time to sit down to eat.

“I just need a few minutes. I’m going to go to the bathroom to freshen up a little bit, okay?”

Jack released his hands but kept his gaze on me. “Want me to come with you?”

With one hand resting on his elbow I nodded towards our table. “It’s fine. I’ll be back in a little bit and then we can enjoy our food.”

I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t eat a single thing of the delicious food that we’d be served but it seemed to comfort Jack, and that was all I needed to do.

As I walked away to the restroom, I saw Marcus follow me out of the corner of my eye. I focused on the artwork in front of me, some portrait of a woman with a tortured expression and refused to look at him; too afraid that if I did my expression would mirror the artwork.

After taking a few minutes to rub cold water on the insides of my wrists and dot my neck with paper towels, I was finally able to take a deep breath and relax. I walked through the door of the women’s restroom, only to gasp in fear when an icy cold hand gripped my arm.

Before I knew what was happening, my back hit a wall, and my attacker’s forearm pushed against my chest, keeping me pinned in place. I gasped loudly, and waved my head around, trying to see if anyone saw what just happened to me. It was then I recognized the evil, slimy looking pair of steel-blue eyes. They haunted my dreams for months, years even after Marcus left. There were a few more lines around the eyes now, and my attacker’s hair had more silver in it; but other than that, he looked the same. I resisted the urge to spit in his face.

“Senator,” I spit out. I would not allow this man to scare me again. Even though every nerve ending in my body was sparking with fear.

He leaned in to my ear making me cringe in disgust. He smelled like scotch, just like always. “I see you’ve moved on to whoring around with even more successful men now. I should applaud your good taste.”

“You don’t know shit.”

He tsked at me twice. “That’s not how a lady speaks. Although I suppose with how easy you spread your legs for the rich, you’re not much of a lady are you.”

“Get off me, Senator, before you regret it.”