Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Liam

T he sunlight filtered softly through the sheer curtains, casting golden stripes across the hotel room. Everything felt surreal, like a photograph captured in smoky light. My head rose and fell with the steady rhythm of Jack’s breathing, his chest solid and warm beneath my cheek. This wasn’t just contentment—it was something deeper, a bliss that sank into my bones. After all we’d endured, waking up here with him felt like a fragile miracle I wanted to cradle forever.

I closed my eyes for a moment, overwhelmed by gratitude. Jack was my anchor when my world tipped sideways, the one person who saw me not as broken but as a whole. If only he could see what I saw now—the potential of what we’d built together, not just in this room, but beyond it. FantasyFans wasn’t just a side hustle anymore; it was a dream taking shape, a life we could share. I wished he could feel it, too, the way I did.

“Are you awake yet?” His voice, low and gentle, broke through my thoughts. His breath tickled my hair, and the intimacy of it made my chest tighten.

I tilted my head to meet his gaze, the corners of my mouth curving into a grin. His sleepy smile, unguarded and soft, made me want to bottle this moment. I stretched upward, capturing his lips in a kiss—slow and tender, savoring the taste of him like he was the first sip of coffee on a frosty morning.

“Good morning,” I whispered, the words brushing against his lips.

“Good morning,” he murmured back, pulling me closer. His arms encircled me with a quiet possessiveness, as if he, too, was reluctant to let this moment slip away.

I considered suggesting breakfast in bed, the idea of lingering here with him, untouched by the world, too tempting to ignore. But before I could speak, a muffled sound came from the room next door.

Jack’s lips twitched, a grin spreading across his face. “I hope whoever that is didn’t hear us last night.”

His teasing tone brought a flush to my cheeks, and I laughed, closing my eyes again as the memories of the night before poured over me. The way he’d looked at me when we stumbled back into this room, his eyes dark with need. The way he touched me, slow and reverent, like he was mapping every part of me. We’d made love, not just with our bodies, but with every unspoken word we were too scared to say out loud.

And yet, the peace that wrapped around us now felt fragile, like glass catching the light.

A loud, relentless pounding erupted from the connecting door to the adjoining room, each strike sounding like a fire alarm in the dead of night. Jack groaned, dragging himself upright. “What the hell?”

Adrenaline surged through me as I bolted out of bed, snagging a towel from the bathroom and hastily wrapping it around my waist. We’d specifically told the clerk we didn’t need that room. So who the hell was on the other side of that door?

As I reached for the handle, a thousand scenarios ran through my head, none of them good. Was it hotel staff? Another guest? Someone with a grudge? But when I opened the door, nothing could have prepared me for the hurricane that stormed in.

She was tall, imposing, with a face that looked like it had been chiseled from granite—and not by a kind sculptor. Lines etched deep around her mouth twisted her expression into something between a snarl and a sneer, and her eyes blazed with a fury so unrestrained it was almost feral.

“Jack!” she shrieked. Before I could say a word, she barged past me like I was a piece of furniture. The sheer force of her presence left me frozen in place.

“You think I flew you down here so you could fuck some random guy in a hotel room I’m paying for?” she bellowed, her voice ricocheting off the walls.

I whipped around to see Jack sitting up in bed, his eyes wide. The sheet had slipped to his waist, and he looked utterly exposed—not just physically, but emotionally, like a deer caught in the headlights of a freight train.

“Holy shit, it’s Evelyn,” he muttered, his tone half-disbelieving, half-resigned.

This is the crazy woman Jack’s been stressing out about? This deranged banshee?

Evelyn spun toward me then, her lip curling with such venom, I instinctively took a step back. “And who the fuck are you?” she spat, her voice dripping with disdain. Her eyes swept over me like I was something rancid she’d found under her shoe. “What, are you some cheap whore he picked up for the night? A tiny distraction from the job I hired him to do?”

Her words hit like a slap, and my cheeks burned. I opened my mouth to respond, but she was already turning back to Jack, her attention snapping to him like a predator locking onto prey.

“I didn’t spend thousands of dollars to have you whore yourself out in some beachfront paradise,” she roared, her voice rising to an almost hysterical pitch. “You ungrateful little shit! I’m paying you to work, goddamn it—not to frolic around with this—this nobody!”

My anger flared, not just for myself, but for Jack. How could he put up with this? How could he not see that the life she offered him—this job from hell—was killing him? And why wouldn’t he even consider the potential of what we had together, of the FantasyFans business we were building? He could be free. Happy. Loved.

Jack’s expression was tight with barely contained anger, but before he could get a word out, a sharp knock echoed from the main door.

I turned and opened it, only to find Wilfred, the bellhop, standing there. His usual serene demeanor was gone, replaced by a strained look of concern. His eyes flicked past me to the scene behind, and his lips thinned.

“We can hear the yelling all the way at the front desk,” he said through gritted teeth. “This must stop immediately.”

For a moment, the room was silent except for the sound of Evelyn’s ragged breathing. Her wild eyes darted between Wilfred, Jack, and me, and for the briefest second, I wondered if she was about to explode again.

Evelyn’s eyes snapped to Wilfred, her lips curling into a feral sneer. “You’ve got some goddamn nerve, barging into a private matter,” she spat, her voice dripping with venom. “This is between me and my idiot employee. Why don’t you go fetch a mop or whatever it is they pay you for?”

I stiffened, anger flaring in my chest. Her words were like acid, burning everything they touched. I opened my mouth to defend Jack—to say something—but before I could, Jack swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood.

Completely naked.

Evelyn froze, her manicured hand hovering mid-gesture. Her eyes went wide, darting between Jack’s face and his very exposed body. For a split second, I thought I saw something almost human flicker across her expression—shock? Embarrassment? But it was gone in an instant, replaced by cold, seething fury.

“Enough!” Jack’s voice cracked through the tension like a whip. “Get out of our room, Evelyn. Now.”

The raw authority in his tone sent a shiver down my spine. I’d never seen him like this before—completely unyielding, a force of nature. And Evelyn, for all her bravado, looked momentarily stunned, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water.

“Excuse me?” she finally hissed, recovering enough to lace her words with venom. Her gaze darted down to his chest, then lower, and her nostrils flared. “You think you can talk to me like that? Me? You wouldn’t even be on this stupid island if it wasn’t for me.”

“Evelyn, I…” Jack began, but she cut him off.

“After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?”

I couldn’t help but gape at her. Done for him? Was she serious? The audacity of this woman was almost impressive in its insanity. She didn’t just think she owned Jack’s time—she thought she owned him.

“You heard me,” Jack said, his voice like ice. “This is my personal life, Evelyn. You have no right to barge in here, no matter how much money you’ve thrown around. Leave. Now.”

For a moment, Evelyn didn’t move. Her eyes blazed with an unhinged intensity that made my skin crawl.

Her manicured nails drummed against her crossed arms. Then, with a venomous smile that didn’t reach her eyes, she stepped closer to Jack, tilting her head like a predator sizing up prey.

“Let’s get one thing straight, Jack,” she said, her voice low and menacing, like a snake coiled to strike. “I paid for this room. And if anyone’s leaving, it’s going to be you. So pack up your little boyfriend and your trashy excuses for clothes, and get the fuck out. Now.”

Her words sliced through the air, and I felt a rush of protectiveness surge in my chest. I clenched my fists at my sides, every muscle in my body screaming to intervene. This is the woman Jack’s been bending over backward to please? This deranged, entitled lunatic?

I glanced at Jack, willing him to see what I saw. This wasn’t just about her barging in or the money she dangled over his head. This was about freedom—his freedom. And he could have it. We could have it, if only he’d take a chance.

Why can’t he see it? I thought, frustration bubbling up alongside my anger. We don’t need her. We have something better—our business, our future. He could be free of her, free of this insanity. He could be happy.

But Evelyn wasn’t finished. Her eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. “You are just a cog in a machine, Jack. Do you hear me? After this, you’ll be lucky to find a job flipping burgers in New York.”

Her words hung in the air like a toxic cloud, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. “Jack’s better off without you,” I stated, my voice laced with contempt. “Because all I see is a sad, bitter woman who’s so desperate to control everyone around her, she can’t even recognize when she’s the problem.”

Evelyn’s head snapped toward me, her wild eyes narrowing into slits. For a moment, I thought she might actually lunge at me, but Wilfred cleared his throat, stepping forward.

“That’s enough,” Wilfred said firmly, his calm tone cutting through the chaos. “If you don’t leave immediately, ma’am, I’ll have security escort you out.”

Evelyn’s face contorted, fury bubbling just beneath the surface, but even she seemed to realize she’d pushed too far. She shot one last glare at Jack, then at me, before storming out of the room in a whirlwind of designer rage.

The door slammed behind her, and the silence that followed was deafening. I turned to Jack, my chest heaving with residual adrenaline. He looked at me, his expression a mix of gratitude, exhaustion, and something else—something that gave me hope.

Now was the moment. Seize it.

I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and pulled up the FantasyFans dashboard. After finding our monthly earnings, I handed it to Jack.

His eyes scanned the screen, and a slow grin spread across his face. He passed the phone back to me with a wink.

“She can’t fire me,” Jack muttered. Then he crossed the room and opened the connecting door to the other room.

“Wait,” Wilfred stepped forward, but I put my arm out, stopping him. Jack stepped back as Evelyn walked in.

“You know what, Evelyn?” Jack’s voice was eerily calm. “You can take your job and shove it straight up your entitled ass. I quit.”

Evelyn’s mouth fell open. “You what?”

“You heard me. I quit. And for the record?” He gestured to me. “This is Liam. He’s not some random hookup - he’s the love of my life.”

Jack turned to Wilfred, who was doing an admirable job of maintaining his professional composure despite the show. “I’ve said all I need to say.”

“But, but…” Evelyn’s eyebrows reached for the ceiling. “Nobody dares…”

“Ma’am, please.” Wilfred’s tone was polite but firm. “Go back to your room.”

She was still sputtering protests when he shut the door in her face.

When Wilfred turned back to us, his eyes wandered appreciatively over Jack’s naked form before snapping back to his face. He cleared his throat. “Will there be anything else, gentlemen?”

“Actually, yes.” Jack crossed his arms, completely unbothered by his nudity. “We’d like a different room. Preferably one without a crazy woman next door.”

“That can certainly be arranged.” Wilfred’s gaze dipped lower again before he caught himself. “I’ll have a new room ready within the hour. Shall I send someone to help with your belongings?”

“That would be perfect, thank you,” Jack said.

After Wilfred left, I collapsed onto the bed, laughing. “Well, that’s one way to quit your job.”

Jack flopped onto the bed beside me and pulled me close, his lips finding mine. When we finally pulled apart, his eyes were bright with excitement.

“You were right all along,” he said, tracing his fingers down my chest. “There’s no reason not to go all in on FantasyFans. Hell, we’ll make far more money, and I won’t have to deal with psychotic socialites breathing down my neck.”

My heart soared. I’d been hoping he’d come around, but hadn’t wanted to push. “Really? You’re sure?”

“Absolutely sure.” He grinned. “Besides, I’ve got the best business partner anyone could ask for.”

I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him hard. “God, I love you so much,” I breathed against his lips. “We’re going to kill it, you know that?”

Jack smirked. “Oh, really?”

“Damn right. We’re going to be the kings of internet porn.”