Page 9 of The Billionaire's Caress

“And I thought you were tiptoeing around because you didn’t want to wake us-”

“That’s is why,” I butted in stubbornly. Ignoring the fact that he knew me, just like I knew him. When I first saw them, I was locked in the moment, not wanting to disturb them, then I remembered that I had some heavy news to share and decided to delay the inevitable as long as possible...by being as quiet as possible. “That’s not the only reason,” I backtracked. “But you’re right. It is one of the reasons.”

“And the other?” he pressed. He wasn’t gonna let this go and all the symbolism around us wasn’t lost on me. The bed between us. Anger creeping into his voice. I was surprised I didn’t see steam rising off him. “For someone that requires complete and unrelenting transparency and honesty from me, at all times, at every turn, you seem to have problems sharing when it’s your turn to come clean.”

I flinched like he struck me. One step forward and two steps back. I knew that even though we’d called a truce, made amends from our earlier argument, the ripples of it still rocked through us both. Made it way too easy to pile on, turn this new rough spot into another opportunity to remind each other that we weren’t perfect. That we both could do more to give each other the benefit of the doubt. Be more gentle with each other.

I drew a sobering breath and tried to not get defensive. Tried to hear the truth beneath the hurt that edged his words. He just wanted me to tell him I loved him. That there was no one else.

I opened my mouth to say just that, but he wasn’t done.

“If this were reversed, at least your accusations of cheating would make some sort of sense.”

“That’s not really fair,” I fired back, nostrils flaring. My vision swam when I met his gaze head on. I expected to find no mercy, then realized that I wasn’t really being fair. Couples argued. Buttons were pushed. Toes were stepped on. I knew I wouldn’t be able to just tell him Corbin existed and we’d glaze right over it. He had questions, just like I’d have questions if he had gone to the concert and it was an ex of his that stepped up to the microphone. Went bug eyed and called out his name.

But something changed in Jacob when he saw me. He tossed aside his phone, the battle lines that turned his handsome face into something fierce and not to be trifled with softening. He reached for the towel that was on the bed and dried himself off, his eyes lost to me, but his voice surrounded me. Told me that it would be okay.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I know that I probably don’t make it very easy to come to me about things. And considering we were hardly talking to each other, it’s absurd for me to suggest that you’d just send me a text like it’s been smooth sailing in the Whitmore household.”

At some point, I’d crossed my arms against my chest. Just as defensive, drawing battle lines of my own. I released my arms to my side. “It’s not like either of us have a roadmap for this thing. The only thing that matters, that I’m trying to let guide me, is that I love you. And I know you love me.”

He could’ve easily scoffed. Let out a snort to remind me that if that had been standard operating procedure from the start, maybe our last little showdown could have been avoided altogether. He did neither. And he didn’t rub my nose in it. In fact, he did the last thing I expected. He stretched out on the bed and patted the space beside him. I climbed on the bed to join him, not caring when my towel went loose. Grateful that it did when his eye wandered, then shot back to my face, a sly grin tweaking his lips.

He propped his chin on his palm. “Instead of interrogating you, I want you to know that there’s very little that you can say to upset me. I’m not worried about some guy taking what is mine. And you are mine, Leila.” He paused, letting that sink in. He was probably expecting me to roll my eyes, annoyed by the alpha tone of his declaration. He’d all but beat his chest and said, ‘Me, Jacob—you, Leila’.

I raced my fingertips through his brown locks, smiling because I found it sweet. Hot as fuck, if I was being completely honest. And Dom or not, I knew that my husband wasn’t trying to subjugate me, collar me so the world knew I was his property. I was his in a spiritual sense of the word. Our souls bound together. Like every other person who came before was merely practice for the real thing.

“This is the kind of convo I wanted to have the other day,” I quipped, getting comfortable. Trying to infuse some humor before we ventured into un-funny territory.

He leaned in, brushing his lips against mine. “Then let’s do what we should have done. Let’s talk to each other.” The nerve in his forehead ticked, a physical reminder that while he was rising above and all sunshine and sharing (I guess his therapist was finally rubbing off on him), we were still human. “So, who is this fool who had the most amazing women in existence at his side and discarded her?”

CORBIN WOLFE.

Even saying his name out loud was like I was headed to some far corner of my closet. Dusting off some old book. Gathering knick knacks, forced to remember why I kept that old thing around in the first place.

The last time I’d pointed a flash light on that uncomfortable part of my past, I’d ugly cried for two hours straight. I wanted to just shrug and give all of it—the past, him, that weak, heartbroken girl who didn’t think she could do better—and just strike it from the record altogether.

But if I couldn’t just tell him about Corbin, wasn’t I lying about how little he meant? If I couldn’t talk to my husband about my asshole ex, that I was so over, then how could I truly close the door on him? How could I expect him to come to me if I couldn’t come to him?

I scooted a little closer, my body snuggled up to Jacob. His arm draped around me. Shampoo, soap and that pine, masculine smell of him filled my nostrils. “We met a couple of days after graduation,” I began. “I was in a rush and driving home and not paying attention and I t-boned this car.”

Jacob’s arm tightened, like he was trying to protect me. Like he wished he could turn back the hands of time and spare me from one iota of pain.

I nuzzled his arm. “It was totally my fault and I was in this state of shock after it happened. With the airbag in my lap and the guy I hit just outside my window, calling me everything but a child of God.”

Jacob was stroking my hair and his fingers tightened. Would have probably made a fist if he wasn’t worried his reaction to my story would deter me from sharing further.

It didn’t escape me that he and Corbin had the same reaction to that man. Both ready to bust some heads in the name of protecting me.

I shook off the thought and kept going. I wanted to get it all out. Get this over with so we could get on with our evening.

“Corbin showed up to check on us and saw what was going on. Realized that the other dude was threatening me. He...” I trailed off with a shrug. “I guess he saved the day.”

I expected some sort of physical response from Jacob. A twitch. A grunt. Even for him to pull away, all alpha and incapable of letting another man be my hero.

He didn’t budge.

He just waited for me to continue.

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