Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

The rest of the week had been extremely stressful for Maisy. She felt as if she was walking on eggshells. Every time Jack asked her a question, she was sure the jig was up. That she'd say the wrong thing and his memory would suddenly return.

Now it was Saturday morning—her wedding day.

It was ironic. She'd dreamed about this day for so long. One of her favorite games when she was little was dressing up and using a towel or blanket as a "veil" and walking down the stairs as if she was descending toward her soon-to-be husband. Her mom used to play the part of the officiant, and Maisy would repeat the vows word-for-word to her imaginary beau.

And now here she was, going through with this sham of a marriage. She pretty much hated herself. Hated Jason for making her too afraid to say no to him.

She didn't care about the money…would give it up in a heartbeat if it meant Jack wasn't in this situation. But he wa s. And that sucked because in the last week, Maisy had discovered that she liked the man.

He was considerate, smart, polite, and protective.

It was the last trait that gave her pause. He truly thought she was his wife, and anytime Jason crossed the line—which he was very careful not to do around Jack very often—he'd intervene, getting her away from her brother.

There was no way he'd forgive her for what she was doing. Lying to him, pretending to be someone she wasn't.

But it was mornings like this one, lying in his arms, feeling loved for the first time since her parents had died, when Maisy could almost forget this was all a charade. Hearing his heart beat under her cheek as she lay against his chest, smelling his manly scent, feeling his arms around her…she felt safe.

She already knew she didn't want to give up Jack, but she also knew the inevitable moment would come. He'd remember that they weren't actually man and wife, that he'd been kidnapped, that he'd been tricked into marrying her. And he'd leave.

On one hand, Maisy prayed for his memory to return. She wanted him to get out. To get away from Jason. If he was still here after the requisite three months had passed, he was a goner. As was Maisy. She knew that down to her very bones. And yet, here she was. Complicit in anything Jason was doing.

She was a horrible person. Being afraid of what her brother might do to her if she messed up his plan was no excuse. Not when she suspected what he'd done to her sister-in-law, or even their parents. But what were her options when she was literally penniless? She supposed she could go live on the streets, though Jason would never stop trying to find her. He needed her to gain access to her money.

Jack jerked under her, and Maisy turned her thoughts from her own depressing situation to the man who'd gotten under her skin in just a few short days.

There hadn't been one night so far when he hadn't endured a nightmare. She had no idea what they were about, but if his reactions were anything to go by, they were horrific. And she hated the idea that this man—this strong, compassionate, caring man—was traumatized by something so horrible that he suffered over it every night.

She prayed that whatever Jason's nasty acquaintances had done to get Jack here wasn't the reason for his nightmares.

"You're okay," she murmured soothingly, moving a hand up to his face and palming his cheek. "You're safe."

"Owl! Are you okay? Talk to me, man!"

Maisy didn't know who Owl was, but this wasn't the first time he'd said the name while in the middle of a nightmare. And it was obvious he was someone Jack cared about deeply. "He's all right," she said, praying she wasn't lying. But then again, it would be just one more lie piled on the heap she'd already told him.

"They're hurting him!" Jack moaned as his head thrashed on the pillow.

The arm that was around her tightened, almost painfully so.

"What's wrong with him?"

Maisy jerked at the sound of Jason's voice. She'd been so focused on Jack, she hadn't even heard her brother enter the room. She wasn't surprised he'd come in uninvited. He invaded her privacy all the time, but he hadn't done it since Jack had woken up after being brought into the house. She didn't know why he was there now, but she didn't like it. Not at all.

"Nightmare," she said brusquely, keeping her eyes on Jack.

"Wake up!" Jason exclaimed loudly.

Maisy glared at her brother. She didn't think that was an appropriate way to wake someone who was having a bad dream.

Jason stepped to the edge of the bed, not caring that she was lying there with her soon-to-be husband, and put a hand on Jack's arm, shaking him almost violently. "Hey! Snap out of it! You need to get up and get ready for your wedding!"

Jack moved so fast, Maisy wasn't at all prepared. He pushed her to the side and swung at Jason, his fist making contact with her brother's cheekbone with a loud thud.

Jason grunted as his head whipped back.

Then Jack did something Maisy had a hard time understanding. Instead of pushing her brother away, he grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him toward the bed. And he hit him again.

Maisy could only watch with wide eyes as Jack did his best to beat the crap out of Jason.

Even though he was strong, and apparently had a very mean right hook, Jason was able to yank his shirt out of his grip and stumble backward.

"What the fuck?" he exclaimed.

"No more!" Jack said. "Stop!"

Unbelievably, Jack still seemed to be asleep, caught in the grip of whatever horrors he saw in his mind.

Not thinking about her own safety, only wanting to soothe him, Maisy scooted back up next to Jack and put her hand on his chest. "It's okay, he's stopping!"

Amazingly, Jack stilled at her touch and voice.

"Seriously, what the fuck?" Jason seethed as he stumbled backward a little farther. "I think he broke my nose!"

"He's dreaming, he didn't know it was you," Maisy said defensively.

"He's lucky I need him to marry your ass!"

Feeling relieved now that Jack had flopped down next to her again, she asked, "What are you doing in here so early?"

"The sooner I get you married, the better. The officiant is downstairs."

"Now?" Maisy asked, looking over at the clock. "It's not even seven o'clock."

"One hour," Jason warned. "I want your ass downstairs by eight. Hear me?"

Maisy ground her teeth as she pressed her lips together.

"Trust me, Maise. You'll be downstairs at eight, or you'll be fucking sorry," Jason threatened. Then he turned and walked out of the room, bitching about his nose under his breath.

The thing was, Maisy was already sorry. Sorry she'd let herself get into this situation. Sorry that she hadn't already confessed to Jack. Sorry that she hadn't helped him get the hell out of this house and away from her.

But even if she had, Jason would've kidnapped someone else. He didn't care who she married, as long as it was done. It was likely he'd find someone horrible too, just to show her that she had no control over anything. Someone who would beat and rape her. Someone like his awful so-called friend , Don.

Determination filled her then. For the first time in years, she had someone else to worry and care about other than herself. If it was just her, she'd probably continue on as she'd been doing for the last decade. Doing whatever Jason wanted, turning a blind-eye to the horrible things he'd done, hiding behind a drug-induced haze, just so she'd have a place to live. But now, she was responsible for the safety of someone else.

She'd marry Jack and do what she could to protect him from Jason. It would buy them some time. If she didn't marry Jack, her brother would kill him and kidnap someone else.

She had three months to figure out what to do and how to tell Jack what was going on. She had every intention of telling him…if nothing else, so he could protect himself from her brother. She'd help Jack find where he came from; she had no doubt he had lots of people who were probably worried sick about what had happened to him. He'd hate her, of that Maisy had no doubt, but if he was outraged enough to leave her, to get away from her brother…

It was the best thing she could do for Jack.

She hoped it would keep him safe.

She didn't need Jack with her at the bank, in person, to gain access to her inheritance. The marriage certificate should suffice. Jason would still get her money, and she'd either be free or dead. At this point, it didn't really matter which.

Jack shifted under her, and Maisy realized her hand had slipped under his shirt and she'd been caressing his chest, both to soothe him and because his warm skin felt amazing against her palm.

"Morning," he said in a deep, rumbly voice that seemed to pierce straight into her soul. He shifted against her so his arm was around her back and his other hand pressed against hers, keeping her from removing it from under his shirt.

"Morning," she said cautiously. It wasn't that long ago that he'd been decking her brother. Would he remember?

"What time is it?"

"Seven. And I have to tell you, Jason's anxious for our ceremony and wants us downstairs by eight."

One of Jack's brows lifted in surprise. "That doesn't give you much time to get ready. What's the rush?"

She shrugged. "I guess he's excited?" Understatement of the century. The sooner he got her married, the sooner the countdown to him getting millions of dollars started.

"Are things…all right between you two?" Jack asked gently.

Maisy stilled. She had no idea how to answer that. She couldn't be honest and tell her soon-to-be husband that she hated her brother. That he was an awful human being.

"It's just that I've noticed he doesn't exactly treat you with care. I must've really hurt you if you chose to come back here to live with him."

Maisy felt tears spring to her eyes. She hated that Jack thought he'd done something to alienate her.

"Don't cry," Jack begged. "I can handle anything but that. I'm sorry, this is our re-wedding day. I'll back off. But you should know…I want out of here. I want to get a place just for us. I don't like how he talks to you sometimes, and while he's family, it's not cool. I need to see about getting a re placement ID and accessing our bank account and talking to my landlord about lease deposits and getting a replacement cell phone."

His words made her tears stop as she stared at him. Of course he'd want to do those things. Anyone who was renting an apartment that had burned down would do the same. But the issue was that he had no bank account, there was no landlord, and she had no idea where his previous cell phone had gone. Not to mention identification. Jack Smith didn't exist, and he would find that out pretty quickly once he started trying to re-claim his nonexistent life.

"Breathe, Stellina . I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stress you out today of all days." Then he smiled. "I have to say, I like waking up to you touching me."

Maisy swallowed hard.

"I won't push, but tonight…I'd really like to make love with my wife. Though it sucks, because I don't remember what you like."

"What I like?" she whispered.

Jack grinned. "Yeah. Do you like it hard and fast? Slow and easy? How sensitive is your clit? Can you come with nipple play or do you need more stimulation? I don't know what your favorite position is, or whether you like to be in control, or if you like it when I'm more dominant."

Maisy squirmed against him, and he chuckled.

"I kind of feel like one of those men of old…desperately wanting his woman but having to wait until his wedding night to uncover all her secrets. But this time, I feel like I'm the virgin. It'll be like our first time all over again—and I can't wait."

Maisy hadn't allowed herself to think too much about this part of the ruse her brother had foisted on them. Yes, she'd been sleeping at Jack's side since her brother had dragged him home, but she'd blocked out the sex part of being married, assuming she could come up with some reason to put it off. Now she realized how foolish she'd been. Again. Of course she couldn't put off sex with her husband for months.

He wanted to make love tonight. And it would be their first time together, but she couldn't exactly tell him that.

" Stellina ? I'm sorry, did I shock you?"

She forced herself to breathe. The only thing shocking about what he'd said was how much she wanted it. She could feel how wet she was between her legs. "No," she lied.

"Liar," he accused gently.

It took everything in Maisy not to flinch at that word.

He leaned up, keeping her hand trapped under his shirt as he moved closer and closer. Maisy's eyes closed at the last second and she lowered her head, meeting him halfway. She needed his kiss more than she realized.

The second his lips touched hers, she felt as if she'd come home.

He'd kissed her before, several times now, but they'd all been chaste touches. This kiss was completely different. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she opened to him immediately.

He surged inside, taking control, and all Maisy could do was hold on and moan as he took her mouth like a man possessed. He nipped, sucked, and explored every inch of her mouth. Her nipples were hard under her shirt and her fingernails dug into his chest as he devoured her .

When he pulled back, they were both breathing hard, and all Maisy could do was stare at him.

"I'm not letting you go again," Jack said, the words sounding like a vow. "Whatever happened between us is in the past. From this day forward, it's us against the world. I won't let you down, and I'll always be your champion. Thank you for giving me a chance to make things right. This time, I promise to be the husband you deserve."

His words sounded like something straight out of a movie. Like…marriage vows. The pesky tears sprang to her eyes again. He wouldn't be saying those things if he knew everything was a lie. That they'd known each other for less than a week. That her brother had kidnapped him to force him into marriage. That he'd planned on torturing them both if either of them resisted.

"I promise that I'll do right by you," Maisy told him in a low, husky voice. "That I'll do what I can to support you and keep you safe."

"That's my job," Jack said with a small smile as he ran a hand over her hair. "To keep you safe, that is."

Maisy closed her eyes and lowered her head to his shoulder. This man. He was killing her.

They lay there for a couple of minutes, lost in thought. Then he finally said, "If we're going to be downstairs by eight, you need to get up and start getting ready."

He wasn't wrong. But the thought of the enormous wrong she was doing to this man was overwhelming.

"Come on, Stellina , up. The sooner this is done, the sooner we can come back up here and start our honeymoon."

Her head came up at that, and she saw the sparkle in his eye .

"That is, if I can get this erection to subside long enough to not look like a pervert in public."

Her eyes moved without conscious thought. And when Maisy saw the bulge in his sweatpants, she swallowed hard. To be honest, his size scared her. The one time she'd had sex, it had hurt. A lot. And that boy was nowhere near Jack's impressive proportions.

Jack's finger under her chin lifted her face back up so he could look into her eyes. "I won't hurt you. Surely you know that."

He would hurt her, devastate her when he turned his hate toward her after he understood the deception that had taken place. But she nodded anyway.

"I don't remember our sex life, but you've obviously taken me many times—I can't imagine I was able to resist you—so it's gonna be good. Better than good. I give you my word."

She nodded. And suddenly, she wanted this. Him. Wanted to feel every inch of him deep inside her body. Wanted to know what it felt like to be cherished in bed. She'd read a lot of books, knew what sex was supposed to feel like, and for once, she wanted to experience what the fuss was all about. And she knew without a doubt that sex with Jack would be unforgettable.

"Right," she said firmly. "I'm getting up. We're getting married, then we're having sex."

He grinned. "Re-married, and yes, we are."

Shoot. She had to remember that this was supposed to be a renewal of vows ceremony, and not an actual marriage. Jack was smart, really smart, and if she screwed up too many times, he'd get suspicious .

"Get up, Mrs. Smith. Get ready. We'll walk down together."

Sliding her hand out from under his shirt, Maisy nodded. He picked up her hand, kissed the palm, then grinned at her as she scooted over to the edge of the bed.

When she was halfway across the room, Jack said, "Maisy?"

She turned around to look at him.

"I feel like the luckiest man in the world that you're willing to give me a second chance. Thank you."

Shit, Maisy felt like the worst fraud. Her throat was so tight, she couldn't speak, so she simply smiled at him, then turned back toward the bathroom. As soon as the door was shut behind her, the tears fell.