38. Alex

Chapter 38

Alex

A bigail and Laura still aren't here, and I'm growing impatient by the minute. There are far too many variables, and the longer I'm away from Jaclyn, there is more of a chance that Finn or Mickey could get to her. The only reason I'm attending this ridiculous gala is to keep tabs on everything and protect her from two of the most dangerous men I've ever met.

And to torture myself seeing my wife with my brother. The masochism is strong tonight.

I stow my phone in my breast pocket, button my jacket, and head for the door. After double checking I have both hotel keys, I step out and take the elevator down to the gala. It should be starting in about an hour, but I may be able to sneak in early and watch Jaclyn in action as she puts on the finishing touches for the event .

As I steal a glass of champagne from an unmanned tray, I find Jaclyn talking to a woman with a clipboard and headset. I can't tear my eyes away; my wife is a fucking vision. Sipping the cool bubbly, I smirk against the glass when our eyes meet. For years, I've admired her from afar, and I don't intend to stop now, especially now that she's mine.

Jaclyn excuses herself and makes her way over, hips swaying with each step. When she reaches me, she takes my glass and tosses back the crisp champagne in a single gulp. "Easy, princess. There's more where that came from." The faded marks on her neck are covered with additional makeup, but still visible. Part of me knows Chris attempted to claim part of her for himself, hoping I'd see it. He may have even thought it would be enough to keep me away, but Jaclyn's mine. I won't give her up over a damn hickey.

"Do you have a minute?" Her voice is void of her usual levity; I nod without hesitation. "Come with me."

She leads us into a small conference room next to the ballroom, and I take out my phone to check for mics. With no visible cameras, if it weren't for the floor-to-ceiling windows spanning the wall, I'd lay her down right here on this table and take back what's mine.

Arms folded, I rest against the oak table while she shuts the door and pushes a button that drops the blinds of the windows surrounding us. It's pitch black for a brief moment before she turns the lights on and turns to face me. "I'm only going to ask this once, and you need to be honest with me: Are you working with the Gallaghers? "

"Yes," I sigh, "but it's not what it looks like."

"I think it's exactly what it looks like." She crosses her arms to mirror me, lifting her pert breasts an inch higher. I force my gaze to meet hers, finding her eyes boring into me. "I can't believe you're involved with them! They are basically"—she lowers her voice—" mafia ."

"I believe the politically correct term is ‘organized crime,'" I tease.

"This isn't funny, Alex! Why did Finn Gallagher imply that I should run for office?"

My breath catches, and my arms fall to my sides, itching to pull her to me. Gripping the edge of the table is a safe bet; the temptation to touch her is too much. I have to remind myself there are more pressing matters. "You talked to him? Why were you talking with a Gallagher? Did he threaten you?"

"No. No one threatened me. I ran into Finn when I was leaving your suite. Is he the reason you keep saying I'll be President one day? Was"—her voice shakes before she sucks in a breath—"any of it true? Or was all of it their idea?" I push off the table, reaching for her, but she shrugs away. "Don't touch me."

"Jaclyn," I plead. The simmering war she is fighting in her mind is visible in her deep ocean eyes. I would throw everything away if it meant she didn't have to feel an ounce of this. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything. But I've never lied to you. Ever ." As I cautiously take her hand, thankfully, she lets me, and I gently swipe my thumb over hers. "I believe in you with my whole heart; you're the best choice for our country. None of this was supposed to happen the way it has. From what I was privy to, Chris was supposed to get caught with his aide before the wedding, giving you the pity of the nation. When he got in the accident and killed her, that plan went out the window."

Her brows pinch. "I'm not following. Why do you and the Gallaghers want me in office?"

"You, my extraordinary wife …" I bring her knuckles to my lips, dusting them with a gentle kiss, my eyes never leaving hers. "You are the bridge. It has nothing to do with the Gallaghers. The country has been in the hands of old-as-fuck men for far too long. We need a familiar name that will appeal to one side of the aisle, but the other will also vote for you if you campaign as a moderate. We need to fix this country, Jaclyn." I chew on my lip for a brief moment. I hope with all my being that she knows this is real… It always has been. "I won't apologize for that."

Jaclyn blows out a long breath, and I allow her the time to work through everything without interrupting. "Why didn't you let Chris get caught for the accident? Wouldn't that have solved everything?"

"I should've." Cupping the back of her neck, I kiss her forehead. "I wish I had done a lot of things differently." With a deep sigh, she wraps her arms around my middle, and I envelop her with mine, loving the feel of her warm, bare skin of her back against my palms. I should thank the designer of her gown for the lack of fabric. "If he was caught, the attention would be on vehicular manslaughter, not on you. I went against the Gallaghers when I stood up with you at the altar. I'm selfish, Jaclyn. Marrying you meant I had a reason to be close to you."

"You're so full of it," she chuckles softly, but I still feel it everywhere. My heart aches for this, for her. I need the lightness we had for those few days more than the air in my lungs, void of this nightmare we're currently living. "I thought you said you wouldn't lie to me?"

"I promise, I've never lied. Falling in love with you wasn't part of the plan, either. It just happened. So, even if it rips my soul in half, if you want to stay with him, I'll respect your wishes…" I shake my head, pain and disgust washing over me. "No. I'm sorry. I can't do it. Fuck, please don't ask me to… What if I can figure out a way for us to be together, would you consider it?"

I have no plan, but I'll fucking come up with one if there's a chance I get to keep her.

Jaclyn rests her chin on my chest, looking up at me. "As long as it doesn't include that hot Irishman or his brother… Even then, how would that even be possible? I can't risk it. My hands are dirty enough. I don't want to make it worse."

"Wait… did you just call Finn ‘hot?' I don't blame you, he's an attractive man, but you should've figured out by now that I don't share." She laughs, shaking her head, and I can't help asking, "In all seriousness, what do you mean yo ur hands are dirty? You won't get caught for marrying me instead of Chris. If you do, you can feign ignorance. I'll take the fall if it gets out; tell them I tricked you." Stepping out of my arms, she starts and stops a few times, only getting out a syllable at a time. I cock an eyebrow. "What are you hiding, princess?"

After taking a long, deep breath, she finally admits, "I knew about Chris cheating because of one of the housekeepers at one of the hotels he stayed at. I paid them off so they wouldn't talk. If it leaks that I bribed them…"

"That's your biggest worry?" I laugh and open my arms wide. "Come here, my adorable, little wife."

"No." About to step into my arms, Jaclyn shakes her head, retreating as her words tumble out of her. "This was a mistake. We shouldn't be in here. If we get caught… This, you and me, it's impossible. There's no way out of my marriage to Chris without it getting out that you stepped in for him. It'll burn both of us."

"The marriage license, did you file it?" I remind her. She chews on her lip, lowering her head; the answer I've been hoping for. "Then, as far as I'm concerned, you're married to me, not him."

"As sweet as that sentiment is, what are we supposed to do?" As she lifts her gaze, any joy that was there previously is absent from her glassy eyes. "You're working with the Gallaghers, and from the sounds of it, so are both of our parents… And I'm supposed to be married to your brother. "

"I love you, Jaclyn. I'm not giving up on this, on us. Stay with me, fight for this. I know you feel the same way."

"What do you want me to say? That I'm falling in love with you?" Her voice raises, arms wide. "It doesn't matter that I have feelings for you. We can't do this!"

"Shh. We have to keep our voices down. You never know who may be listening in." I take a step forward, but she moves back.

"You think?" she whisper-shouts, then returns to normal volume with a huff. "On top of everything else, my favorite wedding coordinator heard a little too much and blackmailed her way onto Chris' staff. Or at least that's what I took from my interaction with her earlier."

"What the hell?" I can't help my humorless laugh.

"We don't have time to get into it," she sighs. "I'm more worried about the Gallaghers. I think they wanted Chris dead, or at least wanted him to have a heart attack. I can't wrap my brain around why."

It's as if I've been slapped in the face, and I'm still reeling from it. I know there are more details to all of this than either of us is aware of, and the Gallaghers hold all the cards.

"They didn't want him dead," I admit. "They needed him to get caught with Cara."

Jaclyn's shoulders fall. "I don't think it's that simple. Finn said something about Cara getting a dosage wrong. Chris was always terrible about taking his medication, but I saw the toxicology report. He took so much more than what he was supposed to. That's not an accidental second dose. It could've killed him."

Did they try to kill him? Sure, they hinted that he was a problem, but to go through with it…

"You're right. That doesn't sound like an accident. If you want, we can go on a fact-finding mission after the gala."

Taking another step away from me, she swallows hard. "They're dangerous."

"I know. For now, the best course of action is to pretend everything is normal. You're going to go out there and ensure the gala goes as planned." I take a small, slow step closer. "You're going to auction me and a dozen other bachelors off for the damn cherry blossoms." Another short step. "As much as it'll kill me, when it's all over, you'll go home to Chris, not letting him know anything we discussed tonight." Closing the distance, her chest is nearly pressed to mine. "And tomorrow morning, you'll tell him you need to run an errand and come to my suite."

Jaclyn's breath hitches as I reach behind her. Unzipping her dress, I slide my hand inside until I'm gripping her bare ass, pulling her flush with me. She whimpers a soft moan and doesn't stop me as I continue, "And after I have you screaming my name with my cock buried deep inside you, we'll make a plan for how to walk away from the Gallaghers, keep my place in the Senate, and give you a seat at the table." Brushing the right of my nose with hers, I whisper a breath away from her lips, "But he does not touch you again. He may be your husband to the rest of the world, but you're my wife , Jaclyn. If you let him, there will be consequences."

"Wh-what kind of consequences?"

I squeeze her ass firmer, and I'm unable to hide my grin. "You'll be my good fucking girl and do as I asked, or I'll mark every last inch of you until you look like a damn cheetah. There will be no denying that you're mine. I don't give a fuck who sees the bright red and purple bruises I leave behind with my mouth."

There's a faint knocking at the door, and I pull my hand from her dress, quickly zipping it. "Mrs. Blake? Are you in there?"

"It's my assistant," Jaclyn whispers, then raises her voice. "Yes, I'll be there in a moment, Rose. I'm briefing someone on tonight's events."

"Okay, great. I'll just… wait here?"

Jaclyn's shoulders sag as she steps out of my hold, glancing down and swiping at her dress. "You're beautiful," I assure her.

With a small smile that meets her eyes, she calls to the woman, "No need, I'll be in the ballroom momentarily." There's the faint sound of retreating footsteps, and when it's silent again, she asks, "What is this?" She gestures between us.

"We both know you're mine, but what do you want, princess?" I counter with a smirk I can't contain .

She chews on her lip and lets out a long breath. All of it makes me feel uneasy as anguish overcomes her features. "I'm sorry. Even if it breaks my heart—or yours—I have to try to make things work with Chris."

"You can't have both of us." I resist the urge to unzip her dress again and show her with my face between her legs why it's supposed to be me, not my brother. "But no matter what, I'll always be yours , Jaclyn."

Pain continuing to etch her face, she whines, "Why are you making this so hard?"

"Because you're worth fighting for." There's no use hiding how I feel. It goes beyond pretending to be married to her, I want Jaclyn for myself. She's my wife.

Period.

No, scratch that.

Fucking exclamation point.

And I'll give up everything to keep her.

Jaclyn lets out another deep sigh, and the ache in my chest is too much; she's giving me no indication of what she's thinking. I fucking hate it. All I want to do is throw her over my shoulder, and run far away from my brother, Washington, and two very untrustworthy Irish brothers.

"I… I'll see you in a few," she whispers sheepishly.

Fuck. That .

After this, she may push me away, choose him, take the easy route, and further entangle herself with the Gallaghers. On the off chance she does, I need one more moment, one more second with her where it's just… us . Capturing her lips with mine in a bruising kiss, she moans into my mouth, confirming this isn't one-sided. I know in my soul she loves me, but her situation is significantly more fucked-up than mine is.

Jaclyn slides her hands up my chest until they're around my neck, pulling me impossibly close to her. The desperate need to have her is overwhelming.

Refusing to end our kiss, her words contradict her actions as she mutters against my lips, "We can't do this."

"Then, stop kissing me."

"I can't," she whimpers. "I'm falling in love with you." A possessive growl rumbles in my chest. With an insecure shakiness in her voice, she adds, "You have to know this is breaking my heart," and mine skips a beat at her admission.

"I'd rather die than hurt you, princess." She stills in my arms. "Too soon? With the accident?"

Jaclyn huffs a soft laugh. "Probably."

"Don't do this. Stay with me, choose me , and I'll find a way out of this mess." I finally break our kiss, needing her to see how serious I am when I confess, "I love you, Jaclyn. Fuck, I need you more than I need to breathe. Choose. Me. "

"It's not a matter of choice." She places my hand over her heart. "You stole this and I don't want it back. I'm trying to do what's right for us and for the country."

"We'll do it together." I slide my hand into her hair and keep my thumb resting on her cheek, unable to tear my eyes away from hers. She melts into my touch and I'm a fucking goner. "And I'm trying to be a gentleman, but I swear if you don't get out of here, I'm going to bend you over that table until you're coming all over my face and cock… twice."

"Promise?" she taunts, a small light beaming from her that I haven't seen in a while.

"Later, my little wife. Go be magnificent, and I promise you won't regret waiting."