24. William

Igot off the call with Derrick and sighed deeply. I noticed Jane had been sad for the past few days. She didn't tell me about her meeting with Derrick so I decided to call him myself. What he told me left me shell-shocked so I could only imagine how Jane must be feeling.

Of all the people who could have been behind her false accusation, I never expected it to be Skylar.

I never liked the woman but I never expected her to betray Jane in this way. I sighed again and massaged my temples. It was a weekend. Jane typically spent days like this with Skylar but today she was home. Josie informed me that she had barely left her room all day. I'd been in my home office most of the day so I wouldn't know.

I stepped out of the office and walked to Jane's room. I was about to knock but I paused when I heard small sobs coming from the other side of the door. A tightness gripped my chest at the sound of Jane crying. I'd never seen her cry before. She always seemed too strong to do it.

I knocked gently and the sobs stopped. Seconds passed by but she said nothing. "Jane?" I could hear her moving around in there but the door was still closed.

Finally, it opened and Jane's freshly washed face stared back at me. She did her best to hide it but her eyes were red-rimmed and I'd heard the sobbing. "Yes?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"Derrick called."

She nodded and bit her lip. I could tell she was holding back more tears. I wanted to wrap my arms around her. I wanted to pull her close and let her know she could lean on me. My strength was hers. I wanted to tell her that but I said nothing.

"He… He did good work. Skylar… she…" Jane swallowed. "She—

I pulled her into my arms before she could finish that sentence. Jane's tears flowed freely as I held her. I ran my hand through her hair and caressed her lower back. I held Jane until her sobbing stopped. For a moment, I just stayed there with her in my arms. Her head rested against my chest and it moved silently as I breathed in and out. There was something peaceful about that moment. I breathed in the vanilla scent of her hair and sighed.

I knew I should leave but I didn't want to be away from her right now. I had a better idea. Jane gasped when I lifted her into my arms. She stared at me with wide eyes as I carried her to her bed. This was what a regular couple would have done weeks ago but we weren"t a normal couple.

I set Jane down on her bed. Her eyes were still as wide as a shocked deer. They grew even wider when I joined her in bed. "William, what are you—

"Shh." I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her to me. Her back collided with my chest. Jane took a deep breath before settling into my embrace. For some reason, it all felt normal. It felt like I was supposed to hold her in my arms. Her body molded so perfectly into mine that it felt like I was born to hold her.

Born to kiss her. I placed a soft kiss on the back of Jane's ear. Her breath hitched and my kiss lowered. I kissed her neck, her shoulder, and her bare back. I wanted more. I wanted to kiss her all over. I wanted to taste her skin on my tongue.

Wanted to brand her with my kisses. I pulled at the strap of Jane's top. The spaghetti strap slid down her arm. Jane moaned when I placed another kiss on her neck. I turned her around and our lips combined immediately. I tugged at the strap of her shirt until the poor thing snapped.

Jane gasped. "You owe me a new shirt," she said as she laughed.

"I'll buy you a thousand more."

I brought her lips back to mine but we separated again so I could explore her body. Without the strap, more of her chest was exposed to me but it still wasn't enough. Jane's hard nipple pushed against her shirt and I dipped my head to take one into my mouth. She gasped softly when I grazed the hard bud with my teeth. I pulled the top over her head and stared at her.

My gaze dropped to her breasts. I rubbed a thumb over her nipple and she jerked. I loved knowing what drove her wild. I wanted to give her more pleasure than she thought possible and that was exactly what I did all night.

I woke up with Jane in my arms. The feel of her skin against my own was electrifying. I wanted to stay in this moment, in this bed forever. I pushed her hair away and placed a kiss on her shoulder. Jane stirred but she didn't wake up.

The sunlight seeping in cast a warm glow on her gorgeous skin. Everything about her was beautiful in a way that almost felt ethereal. I loved touching her. I loved kissing her. I loved being with her. I loved—

I paused when I realized how strange my thoughts were. This was Jane Hart, my best friend's sister and the woman who had been the bane of my existence for years. I shouldn't be having these feelings for her. It wasn't right. Feelings like these were for real couples and we were anything but that.

As if Jane could sense my anxiety, she turned to me with a frown. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"Nothing you just feel… tense."

I ran a hand through her hair, loving how the strands felt between my fingers. Her beautiful blue eyes stared at me and I smiled softly. "Everything is fine." I kissed her forehead. "Just fine."

Jane placed a hand on my chest. Her hand slipped up until it was around my neck. She pulled me to her and I claimed her lips gladly. For a moment, I forgot all of my worries. I forgot that this was a fake marriage and that soon we would be divorced. I forgot that I wasn't supposed to have this kind of relationship with her because it was dangerous. Things would never end well between us.

A frantic knock on the door pulled us apart. The only other person here was Josie and she wouldn't knock like that unless it was an emergency. "Will, you have a call from a woman named Riley Matthews. She says it"s urgent."

How did Josie know I was in here?

"She's still on the line," the older woman added.

Jane gave me a strange look. Her eyebrows scrunched together and her mouth dipped with a frown. "She's my new assistant," I explained.

Why did I feel the need to explain myself?

Jane's expression became more neutral. I got out of bed and headed to the door. It would be weird meeting Josie with my shirt off. I still don't understand how she figured I was here. I decided not to dwell on that because something bigger was happening.

Riley would only call my home line if she had tried my work line several times and gotten no response. My phone still sat on the table in my home office.

Why had Riley called me several times?

I felt a strange sense of foreboding as I answered the door and took the phone for Josie. She gave me a cheeky smile but I ignored her. "What happened?" I asked as I picked up. I glanced at the clock behind me. "It's 7:03 in the morning. What could possibly be so important?"

"It's really bad sir."

"What happened?"

"There's an article about your marriage in the news. They"re saying it's a contract marriage that you signed up for because you wanted to keep your position as CEO. They're calling you… incompetent."

"Incompetent?" I asked while anger coursed through my veins. Who would dare label me incompetent? My mind shifted to the other person this would affect. "What about Jane?"

"Things are even worse for her sir. They're saying she only married you for money. They called her every name in the book. They—

I lifted a hand to silence her, forgetting that she wasn't in front of me. "You can spare me the details."

"Of course sir."

"I'll be at the office in—

Josie cut me off before I could finish. "Will, it's your grandfather."

Shit.

Clearly, he had already seen the news. My mind raced as I tried to think of a possible excuse. Riley was still on the line and so was my grandfather. A few feet from here, Jane was in bed, completely oblivious to what was happening.

I wished I could keep it that way. I never wanted her to get hurt.