JACKSON (The Billionaire Croft Brothers, Book One)

by Paige North

  “Okay,” Ivy replied, her arms folded across her chest.

  He looked at her with wary eyes. “You understand, if what you’re saying is true, this could cost me my company, my work, my livelihood, my freedom. That’s what you’ve just told me.”

  She nodded, biting her lower lip. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before.”

  He sighed. “You’re telling me now. So go on.”

  She started with Lucas coming to her cubicle, leaving out the part about the email from Xavier Montrose. After all, that was small potatoes compared to the issues with the FBI. And if she told him about Xavier’s email and that she’d kept that occurrence secret as well, then Cullen would surely never trust her again.

  So she simply told him that Lucas had approached her in the office and told her he needed to meet with her in private.

  And then Ivy continued on, telling the story as accurately as she could remember it, and Cullen listened without speaking.

  When Ivy told him about the texts that had been sent to her phone before she passed out, Cullen nodded.

  “Of course,” he said, almost smirking. “That’s the real reason you fainted.”

  “I’m sorry I lied,” she said.

  When she was done telling her story, Cullen went back to the window and looked out of it. “And Lucas never told you the exact reason they’re investigating me,” he said.

  “No,” she told him. “He just said that it’s serious, that they consider you a potential enemy of the U.S. government and that I need to start helping them get information about you. Lucas was very clear that if I told you about the investigation or refused to help him, I’d be punished.”

  Cullen shook his head. “I wish I could tell you what I believe is happening,” he said. “But unfortunately, anything I tell you from here on out could be used against me someday.”

  Ivy realized that this was the death knell of their relationship.

  Now that Cullen Sharpe understood the government intended to use her testimony in some way, anything he might tell her—anything she might accidentally even see—would eventually be turned against him.

  “I just want you to know,” she said, “that I truly believe you’re a good man.”

  “Why do you think that?” he said, looking at her over his shoulder.

  “Because,” she said, “I care about you. And I see kindness in you, even if you don’t think it’s there.”

  He shook his head. “You don’t even know me, Ivy.”

  “Are you sure about that?” she asked.

  He didn’t answer for a long time. “The best thing for you is to get as far away from me as possible,” he said.

  Ivy stood in the middle of the room. “Cullen, please don’t do this,” she begged.

  He came slowly to her and put his arms around her, drawing her close. His cheek grazed hers, and his lips were on her ear.

  “I care about you also,” he whispered. “I care too much to let you be destroyed by my problems. I’ll never let anyone harm you—even if it means protecting you from myself.”

  “But what if I don’t want to go away? What if I’d rather stay with you now and deal with the consequences later?”

  He stroked her hair. “We’ll never be able to trust one another after today. There will always be questions, fears of being turned on, turned in, used against each other.”

  Cullen let go of her after kissing her cheek.

  She cried a little, wiping her eyes. “I feel like we were only just getting started, and now you’re ending it.”

  “We’ll spend the day and night together,” he told her. “One last night, and we make it count. We save it in our hearts forever.”

  She nodded, knowing she could never resist another moment with him.

  Knowing that she would live with Cullen Sharpe inside of her forever.

  They pretended that everything was fine, and if there was an undercurrent of sadness, of desperate longing for what might have been, they both hid it well.

  Ivy thought it ironic how amazing this last day together felt, considering how difficult it had been to get this close to him in the first place.

  And now that they’d finally broken down some of his highest walls, fate had decided to have the last laugh and play the cruelest trick yet.

  Cullen cooked her a lovely late afternoon lunch, consisting of broiled fish that was absolutely delectable, and some rice pilaf and mixed vegetables.

  They sat together and ate, and drank wine, and Cullen regaled her with humorous tales from his med school days.

  Afterwards, they made slow love in his master bedroom. Her body was like an instrument he played to perfection. Lying naked in each other’s arms, Cullen’s hardness inside her, enveloping her, she had the most beautiful and painful orgasm.

  It hurt because it was final, and it was sad and lovely and Cullen kissed her at the same time, as if trying to drink her in.

  Later on, they went back downstairs and cuddled on the couch, and watched a silly movie starring Seth Rogan and ate ice cream and made jokes.

  It was so normal and yet so amazing, it made her stomach ache from the wanting of it to just last a little longer.

  Deeper into the night, her eyes started to close as she lay with her head on Cullen’s chest, hearing his heart slowly beating, while the TV played softly, its images flickering in the now darkened room.

  When she woke up again, Cullen was carrying her in his strong arms like he’d done that first night when she’d been drunk. Only now, he was carrying her upstairs to the master bedroom.

  “I can walk,” she said.

  “Let me carry you, beautiful,” he said softly.

  And then they were in his big bed together. She slid down, kissing his chest and then his stomach, and finally she took his hardness into her mouth, sucking him slowly, enjoying his taste, enjoying his everything.

  Cullen lay back and allowed her to go down on him, and soon she was stroking him fast with her hand and he said that he was going to finish.

  Ivy put her mouth over his wet, thick cock and sucked as fast as she could, while continuing to stroke him.

  He groaned, and his cock sent bursts of hot semen into her mouth, and Ivy was surprised to find that she liked it. Actually, she loved it.

  She was practically climaxing herself, as Cullen finished in her mouth, and her tongue slid over and over, circling his cock head, sliding down his shaft as he gushed into her throat.

  When it was over, Cullen was lying with one arm across his forehead, breathing heavily, seemingly relaxed.

  Ivy laid her head on his chest and snuggled up to his warm body. “This is so nice,” she murmured.

  “It is,” he agreed.

  “Then why does it have to end?” she asked. “Why?”

  “You know why,” he said. “I can’t let you be hurt by all of this.”

  “I don’t care. I want to be with you. I’ll do anything.”

  He laughed. “I appreciate the sentiment, but it’s not as if…” he trailed off.

  “Not as if what?” she said.

  Cullen didn’t answer her and she turned her gaze up to him. He was staring into the darkness. “There might be a way,” he said, his voice hesitant, but somewhat hopeful.

  Ivy sat bolt upright in the bed. “Are you serious? Don’t tease me, Cullen.”

  He sat up too, running his hand through his hair. “If we do what I’m thinking, though, it’s going to make your life much more complicated.”

  “I don’t see how that’s even possible,” she said.

  His eyes stared into hers. “It would be a sacrifice, but it would allow me to come clean with you about all of it. Everything.”

  She swallowed, feeling nervous now. “What can we do to make this work between us?”

  He grabbed her hand and held it tightly. “We get married,” he said simply.

  “Married,” she repeated, the word sounding somehow jumbled as she said it.

  “You and I get married,” Cu
llen repeated. “It’s the only way we can go on together, Ivy. You and I must be linked together in every way. Legally.”

  He looked at her, waiting to see what she thought.

  She owed him a real answer.

  It was so obvious, but somehow her voice wouldn’t speak.

  But then she replied, and she knew her life would never be the same.

  END OF BOOK 6

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