Don't Lie to Me (36 page)

“Jack….the Senator?” I asked, just barely breathing even though I could feel my own pulse racing.

He shook his head as if clearing it and brought his eyes back to mine. And I waited, while he figured out what to say. Somehow, I didn’t even care anymore. I loved him. And I knew he loved me. I just wanted this shit behind us so we could figure out where to go from here.

“He had the pictures.” Jack cleared his throat and looked at me apologetically. “Somehow he paid off a security employee – who has now been fired – to release them. He showed me the video and pictures and demanded I stopped seeing you or else he would release them to the public.”

I hated seeing the remorse in Jack’s eyes. They weren’t for himself, they were for me. He had to have known I was stronger than that.

“I wouldn’t have cared, Jack.”

His head snapped to mine. “I cared, Emma. There was no way I was letting that shit get out and have you be a fucking laughingstock all over the country. That’s exactly what would have happened. I promised to take care of you.

“I didn’t want moms at Logan’s school talking about you – or anyone thinking less of you because I felt the need to screw you on the roof. It was my mistake in the first place, and mine to clean up.”

He quickly moved and sat next to me on the couch, adjusting us so we were facing each other. Far enough away where we weren’t on each other, but close enough to where I could feel the heat from his body. It seemed to emanate from every pore of his body and I saw his pulse beating a little bit too fast on the vein in his neck as his eyes dropped to the skin just showing above my robe.

“Why did he resign?”

“Marcus had his mom’s suicide note that talked about all of his affairs.” He stopped and shook his head. “She mentioned over a dozen women in her note, Emma. Marcus has held on to that thing since he found her when she died. He eventually showed a copy of the note to his dad and said he’d go public and ruin his dad’s career and reputation if he went public with the shit from our video. We’ve been fighting with him for the last month, Emma. Senator Whitmore pulling his punches, and calling our bluffs. Marcus finally had a meeting with his dad tonight and had a reporter show up. He held up the note to tell the truth about his mom when the Senator finally caved.”

“I don’t get it,” I said shaking my head. “Wouldn’t seeing that note be enough reason to get him to back down from showing the videos and pictures of us. Why force his hand into quitting?”

Jack smirked. “That was Marcus’s own personal vendetta with his dad and he finally had the winning hand. He forced him to quit because he blamed his dad’s position as Senator as the reason why he forced you to leave so many years ago and what gave him the opportunity to screw around on his mom for so many years. I didn’t know that was going to happen until we showed up tonight.”

I swallowed slowly. “You were there?”

“I figured we’d show up, scare him with the reporter and he’d finally cave. I also had some legal documents for him to sign that says he can’t contact Logan until he’s eighteen.”

I frowned.

“It’s the best I could do. Logan will be an adult then and able to make his own decision about seeing the older Whitmore, but Marcus’s dad can’t contact him in anyway until then.”

I exhaled slowly. The realization of everything he’d done, falling down on me. A faint smile touched my lips. “Because of you…”

Gently, he put his hand on my cheek and I melted into the warmth he offered me. When he pulled me so I was facing him again, I swear I saw tears in his eyes before he blinked them back.

“I’m sorry I was pissed and I took it out on you. That day….” His voice trailed off and I knew exactly what day he was talking about. “I’m just fucking sorry. It’s a shitty excuse. I was pissed and stressed and needed to feel you one more time. I met with him the day before and found out that he had people watching you since Logan’s been born,” he skewered me with a glance, “which you neglected to tell me before. But regardless, I had to know what shit he was trying to pull and when I found out you were being tailed by some goons he fucking hired, I almost lost it on him.”

“Jack….” I said softly but he started talking again.

“I’ve never loved anyone since my parents died. I’ve never cared about anyone until you and Logan. I was so wrapped up in what I was feeling for you that I would do anything to keep you safe. The only thing I could figure out was cutting all contact so there was no point in him showing those photos.” He swallowed and his voice choked out the words a little bit. I moved closer, almost curled into his lap, wanting to be near him. To feel every inch of him when he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“It almost killed me to do that to you, baby. I promised to protect you regardless of the cost, and I hated pushing you away, but it had to be done. I figured if we weren’t associated anymore then the Senator would lose his pull with the pictures and video.”

I got it. I understood everything the instant he told me in the club about the pictures.

“It’s okay, Jack,” I said and rubbed my hands through his hair. I wanted to get closer, but I couldn’t. There was too much between us, too many clothes and it didn’t matter that I crawled up into his lap and pressed my cheek against his. It wasn’t close enough.

“I never stopped loving you.”

He began pressing his lips against my cheek and laughing softly when he saw the goose bumps that followed his trail of kisses; softly, barely touching my skin but still lighting a fire and leaving a trail of proof of how much I wanted him.

“I don’t deserve you.” He whispered against my ear when he finally reached it and I pulled back slightly.

He was so dead wrong. But I had one more question.

“Have you talked to Brian?”

Jack shook his head. “I called the counselors a couple of times but they keep saying he’s not ready to talk to me. There’s just too much history that’s passed between us, but I keep hoping once he’s clean – if he stays clean – we’ll be able to talk.”

“I hope so, too.” I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. Jack exhaled as I pulled away and I felt some of the tension leave his body. “How long will he be there?”

“Until he demands to leave, or three more months whichever comes first, but I’ve heard he’s doing really well.” He pushed me back a little bit and my eyes widened at the distance he put between us. “How can you not fucking hate me right now? I treated you like shit and yet you’re hear listening to all of this and caring about me and Brian.” He shook his head and closed his eyes like he couldn’t believe how someone could love him so much to see past their faults.

Maybe he didn’t get it.

I grabbed his cheeks with both of my hands and pulled his face to mine.

“Because I love you, Jack. And love isn’t always rainbows and unicorns. It’s work. And sometimes it’s ugly and nasty, but when you love someone, you press through all the bullshit because you remember how good it can be.”

He leaned forward, resting his forehead on mine. “I don’t deserve you, Emma. But I swear,” his eyes pierced me and I saw how much he loved me. “Give me another chance, and I promise not to fuck it up ever again. I love you, Emma. Take me back and I promise I will make it up to you and will never push you away again.”

I didn’t know if it was a promise he could keep, but I knew Jack’s love for me was real. Any type of relationship with Jack would feel like a rollercoaster. I would always feel the absolute thrill of being at the top where you think you could conquer anything, and we would have our heart splattering plummets at the very bottom. But he loved me, and he loved me fiercely. He also loved Logan

That alone would make the ride completely worth it.

It took me about a half second to agree and he knew the moment I did because he smiled and his eyes dropped again to my hideous robe.

His smile increased and I laughed softly, knowing what he was thinking.

Slowly, he reached out and rubbed the edge of my robe, just above my breasts. My breath caught in my throat as he touched me for the first time in too damn long.

He brought his eyes to mine, one eyebrow raised. “Haven’t we talked about this ugly thing?”

I pursed my lips, biting back my smile. “I’m not sure it’s yours to critique anymore.”

Jack licked his lips and rubbed his tongue across the front of his teeth. “You’ve been mine since our first kiss and you always will be.”

“Always?” My breath hitched in my throat.

He nodded and I smiled. In an instant, I was in Jack’s arms, being carried down the hall.

He tossed me on the bed and all I could do was stare at him wide eyed as he began unbuttoning his shirt, a feral and wild look in his eyes as he watched me remove my robe.

“Always.” His eyes darkened as I took off my robe and he climb slowly, predatorily over me. He lowered his mouth to one of my breasts and sucked it until it hardened into a pink nub. Soon we were a mess of hands, furiously roaming each other’s bodies. We stroked, pulled, grasped at each other, our moans and the sound of skin slapping together the only things I could hear.

“I need you,” I cried out as his fingers teased my clit. “All of you.”

He leaned forward, panting just inches from my mouth and smiled wickedly. “I’m one fucking lucky man to have you. I won’t ever forget this chance.”

His mouth descended onto mine as his hand left my body. His hips pulled back until I felt the tip of his cock sitting at my entrance. My hands gripped him, pulling him into me. I arched into him, wiggling my hips against him, getting used to the feel of him inside me again.

It was perfect. The feel of him on top of me, his body surrounding me, the way he moved inside of me, his scent permeated everything in the room. Jack owned every inch of me.

I was in heaven as he slowly began moving again. His eyes stayed on mine, peering down on me with nothing but love in them.

“Jack?” I whispered, almost against his mouth when he was so close to me.

His raised eyebrows asked the question ‘what?’

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Always.”

“Always.”

TWENTY-SIX

Almost four months later

My cheeks felt like they were plastered into a permanent smile. I had been standing at the front of the church for almost two hours, smiling and posing for the camera. The heat wasn’t working properly and my body felt frozen.

I was sure that when Macy got her pictures back from her overly excited photographer, my lips would show a slight tinge of blue, and my bare shoulders would be bright pink from frostbite.

“Say cheese!” Her photographer cheered and clicked away at least a half dozen times. I looked down at Logan, dressed immaculately in his little tuxedo that matched the groomsmen and groom and cringed.

“Logan,” I hissed quietly so as not to interrupt the photographer; again. “Look at the camera.”

His eyes moved to mine. He was standing in front of the group while I was in the back next to Macy. “My feet hurt,” he whined and all the guys laughed.

“I understand your pain, man,” Tate said and patted him on the shoulder. “Just hang on a little bit longer, okay?”

Logan frowned but nodded.

Twenty minutes later, the pictures were finally done and I was in a back bridal room, with Macy, her younger sister and two of her cousins, waiting for the time when she would walk down the aisle.

We were drinking mimosas, and wearing plastic bibs to ensure we didn’t spill on our dresses. We looked absolutely ridiculous, but I had to hand it to Macy’s mom for the idea.

“You ready for this?” I asked Macy, completely joking. Her and Tate were completely in love and if any couple could stand the test of time it was them.

She brushed an invisible piece of lint off her dress and smiled. Her brown eyes got all fuzzy looking, like they always did when she thought of – or looked at – Tate. You could feel her peace and excitement from a mile away.

“I’ve never been more ready. How about you? Are you ready for school next week?”

“You’re about to get married and you’re asking me about school?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m starting to freak out. Quit being a bitch and take my mind off of it.”

Who could blame her? Even if we all knew her and Tate were perfect together, I’d be nervous too if I was getting ready to confess something like that in front of hundreds of people. “I feel nervous, but that’s probably because I’m going to be older than most law students, but Jack’s been really supportive.”

He was actually my biggest supporter next to Macy and my parents. They were thrilled when I told them I was re-admitted to DePaul School of Law when they came to visit for Christmas, and stayed with Jack, Logan and me in Jack’s condo where we were now living together. Jack didn’t waste any time in taking advantage of the second chance I gave him months ago. We were spending every night together anyway, so it only made sense, and now that there were no longer any secrets between us, we only continued to grow closer. We had moved in right after Thanksgiving at Jack’s insistence the only thing he wanted for Christmas was me, in his bed, every day. How could I say no?