If looks could kill, I would be dead. Instead, I met her furious gaze with a calm one of my own.

“Do we understand each other, Sabrina? Leave my husband alone. Leave us alone. Move on.” I walked toward the door, pausing before I opened it and looking back at her. She was reeling from what I had told her. My threats. Her face was ashen and her posture downtrodden. She looked almost human.

“Get some counseling,” I advised. “Life is too short to be angry all the time.”

And I walked out.

Michael was at his desk when I walked in, my legs shaking as the adrenaline left me. Jaxson’s door was shut, but Michael indicated it with the jerk of his head.

“He wants to see you.”

“Ah,” I croaked.

“And I have the rest of the afternoon off.” He stood. “The outer office door will be locked, and the phone is being answered by the front desk.”

I nodded. He stopped next to me and gave me a hug. “Talk to him, Grace. Listen to what he is trying to say, even though he can’t use the words,” he encouraged.

He walked out, and I heard the lock engage. I shut my eyes and drew in a long breath. I opened Jaxson’s door. He was leaning against his desk, as if waiting for me. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms, and his large hands rested on the wood beside him.

We regarded each other as I shut the door and approached him.

“You told them. You told the partners we were married.”

“I was honest, yes.”

“You accepted a partnership,” I stated without rancor.

“Yes. The loophole I found stated no fraternization with regard to associates, not partners.”

“I thought the loophole was marrying me.”

He shrugged. “I lied. I married you because I wanted to. The phone call I got before we flew out to Vegas was my colleague confirming the loophole of associates dating. I called Hodges that day and told him I would accept the partnership they kept offering as long as it was backdated to December first. And they had to wait until after the holidays to announce it. It didn’t take long for us to come to an agreement.”

I frowned. “If you could just date me, Jaxson, why did you marry me?”

“Because even if you agreed to seeing me again, dating you was no longer enough.”

I passed a hand over my head, weary and confused. Would I ever understand him?

He tilted his head, studying me. “I know you don’t remember Vegas. But the fact is it happened pretty simply. We’d had a lot to drink—you more than me—you told me off about hurting you. I confessed to why I did it. You kissed me, and I knew I didn’t want to give you up. We were by one of the chapels, and the idea hit me. I asked, you said yes, and we got a license and got married. I knew as a partner I could have dated you and ignored Sabrina and her threats. But the bottom line is, I wanted to marry you. I wanted you with me forever, even if I couldn’t say it. The bonus was it gave you an extra layer of protection.” He held up his hand to stop me talking. “Even if you didn’t want it. Sabrina would never dare disparage a partner or his wife. Not even she is that stupid.”

I didn’t know what to say.

“What I didn’t realize—” he smirked “—was that my wife had something up her sleeve far more effective. That of a woman determined to protect what was hers.” He leaned forward. “I heard you, Gracie.”

“That was you on the other side of the washroom door.”

“Yes.” He tutted, a smirk tugging at his lips. “You lied. You blatantly lied. You had no idea when I became partner.”

I tossed my hair. “It’s called a calculated bluff. You taught me that. I assumed a little white lie about a date wouldn’t bother you or the partners much.”

“I taught you well. You were very passionate. You defended me. Fought on my behalf.”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to be a fabulous lawyer.” He winked, then became sober. “No one has ever done that for me.” He cocked his head to the side. “Of all the things I knew, this one thing shouldn’t have surprised me, but it did. Your tigress hidden inside, protecting the ones you love.”

“I guess you didn’t know me as well as you thought.”

He lifted one shoulder. “I know one thing now I didn’t before.”

“What?”

“That having you, knowing you—it’s changed me, Gracie. I want, I need that warmth you carry inside in my life. I need you.”

I was stunned at his words. They echoed what he’d said to Addi and Brayden, but this time, he was saying them to me.

“I’ve learned a few other things about us,” he murmured, meeting my eyes.

Tags: Melanie Moreland Vested Interest - ABC Corp Romance
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