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Time passed, the world spun, our breathing slowed. Jake stayed planted, holding me, brushing my hair from my eyes, leaving light kisses all over my face. It was tender and perfect.
“You’re making me feel adored,” I slurred.
“That would be because I do adore you, Clara. Completely. You know that, right?”
“Mmm.” My eyes fluttered open. “I might forget sometimes, but you don’t let it go on for long. When you kiss my forehead, I fall right back into the softness of your feelings for me. I can’t tell you how much I love being yours, Jake.”
“Same way I love being yours.” His eyes darted between mine, then he grabbed me, yanking me tight against him. His arms were steel bands around my shoulders. We were so close his thrashing heart pounded through his cage, rattling mine too.
In the back of my mind, I noticed something frantic about how tightly he held me, something unsettled about him in general, but I brushed it away. He’d had a bad day. If he needed me close to soothe himself, I would give him me a hundred times over.
Hopefully, tomorrow would be better for him. If not, I’d be there for him anyway.
Chapter Forty
Clara
Mornings on the executive floor of Rossi were normally quiet. We all locked ourselves in our offices to fully wake up over cups of coffee and answer emails that couldn’t wait. At least, that was what I did.
This morning, Thomas had flagged me down before I could make it past his desk.
His eyes were wide, and for once, he didn’t beat around the bush. “Meeting in the conference room starting as soon as you get in there.”
I dropped my bag on his desk, grabbing my phone and tablet out of it. “What’s going on?”
“No idea, but a team of lawyers went in there with Luca and Sally right before you got here.”
I did not like the sound of that. Nothing good could come from an emergency meeting with lawyers at eight thirty in the morning.
I strode into the conference room, scanning the sea of suited men and women. Luca caught my eye and nodded toward the seat beside him. With a curious look, I sat down.
He didn’t keep me waiting long. While the others were in the midst of quiet conversation, he leaned over to fill me in.
“We’re canceling the deal with Motor Zone.”
I almost jumped in shock. “What? Why?”
As far as I knew, it was a sure thing. I’d kept my distance from the intricacies, but of course I was up to date with the proceedings. We were scheduled to sign contracts later this week. Everything was set.
“One of our investigators turned up a recording starting to get some attention.”
I nodded, on tenterhooks. Luca was terrible at telling stories. He conveyed snippets and paused for drama. If we were alone, I might’ve flicked his forehead.
“What is it?” My impatience wasn’t very well hidden, but Luca was unfazed.
“Motor Zone’s spokesperson, Dallas Fox, is a racist piece of shit. The recording is of him talking about the type of women he likes and the type he…doesn’t. I’m not going to go into detail, but it's ugly and disgusting.”
I swallowed hard to keep the bile from working its way up my throat. This wasn’t what I’d expected to hear. Otherwise, I might’ve skipped the coffee. My stomach gurgled from the implications of Luca’s revelation.
“I don’t need those details.” That was where the devil was, after all.
Steepling his fingers, he took a deep breath. “Look, I know this might put some strain on your relationship, but there’s no way we can go forward with this deal. You know how long it took us to recover from the hit we took after Miller’s crimes came to light. We can’t take a chance on anything scandalous blowing back on us.”
“Of course,” I answered immediately, trying not to allow my guilt over my ex-husband’s misdeeds and the way it affected our company seep in. Now was not the time for that. “There’s no question the contract can’t go through.”
He covered my hand with his. “I’m glad you agree.”
“I’m glad our investigators picked this up before it was too late.”
