Page 18 of Accidental Attraction

“Yes?” I immediately stopped, thinking something was wrong. “Is something wrong?” Her smile calmed me down instantly.

“No, I was just wondering if I could get a drink.”

“Of course. No alcohol.”

“Wait, how did you know I don’t like alcohol?” she asked. I could hear the confusion clear in her voice. When I watched her in the beginning and at dinner at my parents’ house, I saw that she did not like alcohol.

“I saw your face at my parents’ when we had wine, and whenever we eat you only ever have water,” I explained. She stood there, shocked. Shaking my head at her, I dropped her hand. “I’ll go get you a water. Just stay right here.” After making sure she would stay, I hurried over to the bar. I did not want to leave Jenna by herself longer than necessary. One of the men or even women would pounce on her like a panther. If she was by my side, I didn’t have to worry about her. The realization that I could have taken her to the bar with me didn’t occur to me until I reached it.

After quickly ordering a water for both of us, I waited impatiently for the guy behind the counter to give the drinks to me. He was taking his fucking sweet time, and when he finally did hand the drinks over, I ripped them from his hand and went back to Jenna. The moment I spotted her, I knew something was wrong. She was just standing there, staring off in space. Her face looked like someone had killed her puppy and they were making her watch. Handing the new drinks to a waiter walking around with an empty tray, I quickly walked toward her. I called her name softly, but she didn’t respond. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I shook her gently.

“Jenna,” I called softly. This time she did respond. Her green eyes looked up at me in a daze, like she wasn’t really here. The hurt in her eyes was so deep that even I felt it.

“I…I n-need air,” she choked out. Nodding, I grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a balcony exit. When I pushed open the doors, Jenna let go of my hand and raced to the railing. I heard her taking deep breaths as I closed the doors, not wanting anyone else out here.

“Jenna, what’s wrong?” I finally asked after a few minutes. Without thinking about it, I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her back into me. I saw two tears run down her cheeks. What the hell happened after I left her? Did someone try something? Did someone say something? Because if they did, they were going to pay.

“My m-mother is here,” she whispered. I tensed. Her mother?

“What do you mean, your mother is here?” I asked.

“S-she was right in front of me when you left to get us a drink. She was with a man.” Jenna’s voice sounded so broken. My own heart broke for her. “How can she be here, Liam? I thought I’d never see her again, and here she is.” I could tell she was going to start crying. I needed to get her out of here, back home.

“Jenna,” I said, gently turning her by her waist to face me. “Let’s get you out of here.” I brought my hands up and cupped her cheeks. With the pads of my thumbs, I wiped away the tears coming down her cheeks. She looked sad and hurt. I just wanted to take her into my arms and never let her go.

“What? No, Liam, we can’t go. This is your benefit party,” she said, looking up at me. Her entire world was crumbling around her, and she was worried about this damn benefit.

“I do not care. They will be fine without me. I don’t want you to face that woman,” I said fiercely. There was no way I was going to make her stay here any longer. Especially with her mother walking around here.

“But—”

“No, we are leaving,” I interrupted her. Giving her a firm look, I wiped away the mascara that was smearing under her eyes. “Let’s go.” After she gave me a nod, I grabbed her hand, pulling her after me. The sooner we got out of here, the better. Just as we made it halfway across the room, someone had to stop us. I bit back a groan and smiled, hearing Jenna groan beside me.

“Liam!” a man said. Looking over, I saw Martin Brotherson, the head of Brotherson’s Inc. He was not the worst guy in the world, but he could be slimy when he wanted to be.

“Martin,” I said. I glanced over at Jenna after I felt her hand tighten in mine.

“It is great to see you. We haven’t talked in a while,” Martin said. “My wife keeps asking about you as well.” He was talking to me as if he couldn’t see Jenna right beside me. Wanting to burst his bubble, I interrupted him.

“Martin, this is my fiancé.”

“Hello. I guess I better introduce myself. I am Martin Brotherson.” He stuck his hand out.

The pressure on my hand increased, and I started to worry more about Jenna. She needed to get out of here.

“Honey…oh, it is Liam Stanford,” Martin’s wife said as she wrapped an arm around his.

“Karen,” I replied. I did not mind her, but then again, I didn’t know much about her. A strangled noise reached my ears, and I looked down at Jenna just as her hand tightened painfully in mine once again. She was staring at Karen with a weird expression. Looking between the two, I came to the realization that this was her mother. Karen Brotherson was Jenna’s birth mother!

“I am sorry, but my fiancé and I have to get going. It was nice seeing you again,” I bit out, needing to get her away from here. Without waiting for their response, I tugged Jenna with me out the door. The moment we got in the car, she broke down. I brought her close to me and let her cry on my chest, not caring that my shirt was getting wet. Normally the sight of a woman crying put me off, but not with her. I wanted to comfort her and take all her pain away. The entire ride home, she sobbed, and all I could do was rub her back. Once we pulled up to the house, I gently lifted her up into my arms bridal style and carried her inside. Once we reached my room I sat on my bed, holding her tight against me.

“Jenna, baby, it’s okay,” I said soothingly into her ear. I ran my fingers over her hair and back, trying to comfort her. She slowly started to stop sobbing and was now softly hiccupping against me.

“Let’s get you out of your clothes,” I whispered and lifted her up. She wrapped her body around me like a bear as I carried her to the bathroom. Setting her gently on the counter, I pulled away from her and to the bath tub. “Do you want to take a bath?” I watched as she started to nod, but then she shook her head. Nodding, I grabbed a clean wash cloth and wetted it. I went back to her and spread her legs before stepping in between them. Being gentle, I started wiping her face clean of makeup. While I cleaned her up, I felt her looking up at me. I ignored her staring and continued cleaning her up until I was finished.

Our gazes suddenly locked, making me stop and stare at her. I wanted to kiss her so badly, but right now was not the time. She didn’t need me kissing her when she just met her mother for the first time in fourteen years. Instead of kissing her, I laid my forehead on hers.

“I am sorry about your mother. I did not know she was Martin Brotherson’s wife,” I murmured softly. I did really feel bad.

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