The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc Book 3)

by Avery James

  On their ride back to the house, Charlotte hadn't brought up anything from before the debate. Even if Jack didn't love her, she knew he felt something for her, and that was better than trying to force him to be something he wasn't. Or at least she tried to convince herself.

  Once they were inside, Jack paced back and forth throughout the house, still fuming about what had happened after the debate. Charlotte stood in the foyer and looked up at the intricate plasterwork of the high ceilings. The house was at least as large as his place in Georgetown, and she looked into the dark rooms as she waited for Jack to calm down. When she followed him into the kitchen, he was standing in front of the refrigerator, shaking his head.

  "He had no right to come after us like that," he said. "You have to know that I never meant to make you a target for anything like this."

  "Calm down," Charlotte said. "You might not want to hear it right now, but there was some truth to his criticism, even if he doesn't know that and you don't want to admit it."

  "What are you talking about?" Jack asked.

  "This," Charlotte said, holding up the hand with her wedding ring on it. "I'm talking about this. The contract, the agreement, all of it."

  "It's complicated," Jack said.

  "There was nothing complicated about the way you almost blew up at him after the debate, nothing complicated about the way you acted the entire time we were on the island together or any time you think I'm not paying attention."

  Jack scowled. "You don't understand. I can't explain how I feel."

  Charlotte moved closer to him. "Then tell me."

  The last time she had seen him so moody was at his family's house, when his brother and sister started to turn on him at dinner. It was what led him to open up to her about his family. She wondered if maybe he was about to open up to her again.

  "You have feelings for me, admit it," Charlotte said.

  "I do, but there are things I need to figure out. I need to figure out how to do this."

  "Stop thinking so much, and follow your heart." Charlotte placed her hand on the center of his chest. She leaned up and kissed his lips, slowly, gently. Warmth flooded through her body.

  Jack pulled away. "Charlotte," he said, "there's something I need to tell you now, before the moment passes."

  She pulled herself against him. "You don't have to say anything you don't want to say."

  "That's just it. I do want to say this, and I need to get it out. There are things you don't know about me and about my family, and I find this strange to say, but there were things I didn't know about myself before I met you."

  Charlotte raised an eyebrow. Was Jack about to apologize?

  "The fact is I have seen so many marriages go sour. I have seen friends and loved ones lose themselves in attempts to make someone else happy, and never, not even for a moment, did I think I needed someone to show me who I am, someone to help me see what I couldn't see in myself."

  Charlotte gave him a wry grin. "What exactly are you trying to say?"

  "I'm saying that I have a few things I'm trying to work through right now, and it means the world to me that you're by my side. I know we've crossed the line from a business arrangement to something… much more."

  "I'm glad to hear you say that. Is this why you've been so weird since our honeymoon?"

  "I don't want to hurt you," Jack said. "And I don't want to lead you on. I don't know if I can be the person you think I am."

  "Then don't hurt me, and don't lead me on," Charlotte said. "Problem solved."

  "How can I be sure I won't? You are so far from the problem. You are the only thing that is right with my life, and now I can see that. I don't know how to even start to explain everything. I don't know how to keep everything from going wrong."

  "Well, you can start by being gentle," Charlotte teased. She wrapped her arms around his torso and nuzzled against his neck. As he hugged her back, Charlotte let go of her tension and leaned into him. It felt so right to be in his arms.

  "Is that the trick?" Jack said. He pulled her close, and Charlotte felt his breath on her neck.

  A thrill rose up through her body, and she felt that familiar warm shiver of delight. She had missed that feeling. It had been her constant companion on the island. Each time she had fallen into his arms, she had felt it, and in the weeks since, she had all but forgotten its warmth or the way it sang through her and took control, guiding her motions with wild abandon. She hoped to never have the chance to forget the feeling again.

  "I just need some time," Jack said. He rubbed Charlotte's back slowly, massaging her as she lightly kissed his neck.

  "Maybe you can buy some time by kissing me," she said.

  Jack met her lips with his. Charlotte trembled and stood on her toes as she pushed herself harder into his body. Inhaling the dark scent of his cologne relieved her of all of the stresses of wondering about their relationship. With each passing second, her desire moved from a comforting warmth to an overwhelming urge. Her heart raced and her lungs ached.

  Jack kissed her cheek and her neck. He was holding back, hesitating for a moment as the slight stubble on his chin scratched against her delicate skin.

  Charlotte tugged at his tie and loosened it.

  "I should really—" Jack tried to say, but Charlotte cut him off, turning her head and meeting his kiss again, sliding her tongue against his, melting into the warmth of his embrace.

  She couldn't bear the thought of stopping. She needed to feel that connection with him again, needed to feel the warmth and strength of his arms and his chest as he wrapped himself around her, as he moved inside her. She needed to feel the full force of his desire. She wanted to go back to the way things had been before she had told him how she felt, wild and breathless and uncomplicated.

  She closed her eyes and tasted his lips again. She could feel his excitement growing as well as his hands ranged over her body. He slipped pulled her tighter against his chest, grinding her hips against his.

  Charlotte felt dizzy with delight as she entered that spiral of need and want and desire, with each movement only making her want more. She tore at the buttons of his shirt, ripping them open. She tugged at his belt, whipping it off in one swift pull, and she slid her hands below his undershirt, feeling the smooth contours of his abs.

  Jack slowly unzipped her dress. Charlotte listened to the ticking of the zipper as Jack pulled it lower and lower. He pulled her dress off of her shoulders and slipped it down around her hips, letting it fall to the ground. She stepped out of it, and he ran his hands over her bare back, slipping his fingers beneath her panties, massaging the smooth skin of her hips.

  Charlotte was even more excited now, and she pressed her hips against his, grinding herself against him as she helped him pull his shirt off. She reached down and fumbled with the button and zipper of his pants, feeling the heat of his arousal as she worked to free him. She trembled as he slid her underwear down around her knees.

  "Here?" she asked.

  "Here," he said. "Now."

  Charlotte tried to control her breathing, but it was hopeless. She was too excited, and she felt the blood rushing into her cheeks as she became flushed with excitement.

  Jack slid his hand between her legs and she shouted in delight as she felt his touch. At first he rubbed lightly. He pressed her back against the cabinet and counter and held his weight against her as he stoked her desire, ranging his hands up and down her body, wildly caressing every inch of her flesh until he settled one hand between her thighs. Charlotte shuddered as a wave of excitement crashed through her body. She tensed around him and a wave of bliss crashed through her. His every motion made her cry out in delight.

  Charlotte pulled his hand back and sealed her mouth against his, gasping softly as he tilted slid himself inside her. He flexed his hips between her legs, and she cried out as the pleasure surged inside her. There was a new urgency to Jack's kisses, to the rhythm of his hips against hers, a need deeper than anything he had shown before. Despite h
is He was vulnerable, and he needed her as she needed him.

  A trembling pleasure rose up inside her, and Charlotte tried to hang onto to Jack for a few more moments. "More," she whispered, but soon it was too much for her to bear, and she dug her fingers into his back as climax rang through her. The air in her lungs felt like it was on fire, and sweat beaded on her forehead and her chest.

  Jack planted a long, hard kiss on her lips and then tilted her back onto the floor.

  "More?" Charlotte asked.

  Jack nodded and teased his tongue against her body, sending little thrills up and down her chest, accentuating the warmth of climax that still rang in her body. It was clear that he wasn't done. To Charlotte's surprise, when Jack sank back into position, tensing his body against hers, she was ready for more as well.

  Charlotte locked eyes with him as he arced his back and crashed against her. She reached up and pulled him down. She wanted to feel his chest against her chest, his skin against her skin. She wanted to seal herself against him and never let go. Everything felt just like it had on the island, where their passion didn't need words to connect them. Jack knew now that Charlotte loved him, and every sensation as their bodies worked together seemed infused with a deeper meaning. This wasn't just anyone she was clinging to, not just a man, not just her husband. It was Jack. Her Jack. "Jack," Charlotte cried out again as she felt a second rush even stronger than the first.

  He kissed her neck and her earlobe. "Oh, Charlotte," he said, more exhaling her name than saying it. "Charlotte." His voice fell with each whispered repetition, as if there were more he wanted to say. Instead, he chanted her name, bracing himself against her, kissing her again and again until finally he rested his chin against her shoulder.

  Charlotte smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. Her head thrummed with a pleasant contentment. She had all but forgotten that she was lying naked on a kitchen floor in a house she'd never been in before. She cuddled there with Jack, looking out the window into the hazy winter sky. She tried to catch her breath as she rubbed her cheek. It was still tingling from the way his facial stubble had rubbed against her. She hadn't noticed until that moment. The skin felt warm to the touch. If this was the price of feeling this wonderful, she was willing to pay it.

  "So that was wonderfully unexpected," she said.

  "What are you talking about?" Jack asked. He rolled onto his side and slid a hand over Charlotte's stomach, making her abs tie themselves in knots. "I thought that was your idea."

  "Oh, so it was all me?" Charlotte said, feigning surprise. "And here I was thinking that you were a willing participant."

  Jack grinned. "Maybe I helped things along a little."

  "That might be an understatement," Charlotte said.

  "Are you complaining? I guess I should wait a while before attempting a repeat performance."

  "Me? Complain? Never," Charlotte replied. "But if you're thinking about trying that again, you should know you've worn me out. Maybe if you carry me to the bedroom, your luck might improve. A glass of water wouldn't hurt either."

  "Be careful what you wish for." Jack scooped Charlotte up into his arms as he stood.

  "What are you doing?" she asked, surprised that he actually followed through on her request. "The sink's over there."

  "I'm bringing you to bed," he said. "Don't worry. I won't exhaust you again."

  "That's a shame."

  "You only say that because you don't know what I have in mind instead." Jack lifted her higher, propping her up to kiss her as he headed out of the kitchen.

  Charlotte felt like Jane in Tarzan's arms as Jack carried her up the stairs. "Be careful," she said, "I just might get used to this."

  "I know I never will," Jack said as he brought her to the top of the stairs. The way he looked down at her told Charlotte everything she needed to know. She just wished he'd find some way to tell her in words.

  ***

  Jack lay awake as Charlotte turned over and pulled the sheets across the bed, wrapping herself tight. Moonlight streamed in through the windows and pooled on the bed, casting a silver glow over Charlotte's skin. She looked so perfect, so beautiful. He smiled as he watched her. He just wanted to wake her up and stare into her eyes and tell her that he loved her.

  Love, the word he had held out against for so long now. He loved her. He couldn't deny that to himself any longer. He was crazy about her. He just wanted to reach over, tap her on the shoulder and tell her that he loved her.

  There was no getting around his feelings for her. For a while, he had been able to fool himself into thinking that their attraction was merely physical, and that all of the fun back and forth had been nothing more than a game. He'd had his reasons for it at the beginning. He didn't want to let her in. That way he could keep his commitments without hurting her in the process, but here they were, months later, and he still couldn't spend a waking moment without thinking about her. Something had to change. He had to figure out a way to explain the truth without making her hate him if he wanted any chance at making what they had last longer than a few months.

  Of course, if Jack were honest with Charlotte, he'd have to be with his brother and sister and mother as well. He wouldn't have to tell them about the marriage, but he would need to explain why his father had named him executor of the trust, why Jack alone had access to all of the records and accounts. If he did that, he could no longer protect his family from the truth. The secret Jack had worked for so many years to hide would be out in the open. It would tear his family apart.

  Once the rest of the Coburn family knew the truth, Jack didn't know if they'd ever speak to him again either, and for once, he didn't care. He needed to do this — he wanted to do this — for Charlotte and for himself. It was the right thing to do. His marriage to Charlotte had been only one in a long list of lies he had told over the years, and if Jack wanted any chance at making the marriage real, he'd have to go back and fix the biggest lie of all. The only question was how to do it.

  Jack wished it was as easily as telling Charlotte about it, just leaning over to wake her up and say, "Honey, there's something I need to tell you," and that she'd understand what he had done and why he had done it. He knew that would be irresponsible. It would be reckless. He looked over at Charlotte as she slept, her chest rising and falling slowly with her breaths, a calm, contented look on her face. All Jack wanted to do was protect her, but he couldn't mislead her any longer. He wanted what they had to be real, not some lie. That was it. As soon as possible, he was going to get on a plane to North Carolina to make Maria understand. He would make things right.

  Jack lay there until the sun started to brighten the sky behind the Beacon Hill brownstones. His head ached. He was dead tired, and he knew he couldn't sleep until he told Charlotte everything. She was sound asleep next to him. She had pulled the sheets up to her cheek, and she had a little smile on her lips.

  Quietly, Jack slid out of bed and slowly opened the drawer to his nightstand. He pulled back a few pieces of paper and grabbed the small cell phone out from the back of the drawer. He looked at Charlotte and then back at the phone. He wondered if he really wanted to do this. He had spent years protecting this secret, lying to family and friends, and now he was about to risk it all for Charlotte. It was selfish of him, it was rash and short-sighted, and it would put everything at risk — his career, his family's name, even his relationship with Charlotte. If he made this call, he lost all control over his fate.

  Jack looked at his wife one more time. More than anything, he wanted to crawl back into bed and wrap his arms around her. He wanted to tell her that he'd been waiting his entire life for her, that he had needed her for longer than he had known, that deep down there had always been a part of him that needed her, a part that always would.

  Jack stepped carefully across the maple floor and headed for the bathroom, doing his best not to make a sound. Once inside, he shut the door and turned on the shower. He powered the phone on and stared down at it for a minute. The r
ubberized numbers on the dial pad seemed so ancient to him. He raked his mind to remember the last time he had used this phone, the last time he had made this call. It had been months at least. He wondered if it was too early to call. It was a little after six.

  They're probably already up, he told himself. They're probably eating breakfast and getting ready for school. He pictured them at the dining table, a little family of two, watching the sunlight reach down toward the dunes. As he thought about it, he could almost hear the sound of the surf in the distance.

  They'll be happy to hear from you. They always are.

  Even so, he felt his chest tighten with anticipation of having to make the call.

  I'll do it after my shower, he thought, but instead of getting his mind off the situation while he cleaned, he was trapped with his own thoughts. When he was finished, he toweled off and stood in the center of the bathroom with the phone in his hand. He left the shower running.

  Jack's heart raced as he dialed the number. His thumb hovered over the little green button that would divide his life into the half he lived for other people and the half he lived for himself. The phone rang long enough that Jack's thumb moved to disconnect. He had gotten off lucky. Then he heard the voice on the other end of the line.

  "Hello?" she said.

  Jack looked at himself in the mirror and realized he was chewing on his fingernail.

  "Hi, Maria. It's Jack. It's about you and little Jack. I need to come down and talk with you today. I'll take the first flight down."

  "What's this about?" she asked.

  "Family," he said. "What else?"

  Jack hung up and placed the phone down on the sink. He looked at himself in the mirror.

  "This is the right thing to do," he whispered to his reflection.

  As soon as he took care of the situation, he'd tell Charlotte everything. He had been carrying this secret for years, and in a few hours, he would finally be able to tell someone else. He hoped Charlotte would react well. Either way, she deserved the truth. She deserved more than he had been able to give her.