Page 75 of Brewer Family Collection, Part 1

Chloe

“ L ook at her,” I say, beaming as Jason navigates his car into the driveway. “She’s sitting outside with her coffee and crossword puzzle book.”

Jason stops the car by the side of the house and shuts the engine.

He’s been quiet since we got into the car at the airport. Typically, he keeps me engaged in a conversation or a story. Over the last hour, he’s focused on the road with his right hand resting on my thigh.

Mimi waves. Even from here, I can tell she has color in her cheeks. The sunshine and fresh air are doing her good.

I glance at Jason. He’s doing me good, too.

“Are you okay?” I ask, touching the side of his face. His stubble is rough against my hand, and I immediately wonder what that would feel like between my legs.

“Of course, I’m okay.” He leans over and kisses me. “And that thought you just had? You’ll find out tonight.”

I flush, forgetting that he knows me too well.

“Let’s check on your grandmother,” he says, climbing out of the car. He says something to Mimi as he rounds the front and then opens my door for me. “She’s feisty. I’m warning you.”

I laugh, getting to my feet. “When is she not?”

My ring catches the light as we walk hand in hand to the patio outside of the guesthouse. Mimi tosses her book aside and prepares for our arrival with a big smile.

“Jason, you get more handsome every time I see you,” she says, holding her arms out for a hug.

He envelops her without hesitation. “You look like you’ve been enjoying yourself. Mara told me you’ve been romping the streets in the golf cart.”

Mimi gives me a quick hug. The fact that I’m an afterthought in her new life is amusing.

“So,” she says, as if discussing war strategy. “There’s a man who lives two streets down and four houses to the right. Samuel Hickman. Do you know him?”

“Oh, Sammy. Yeah,” Jason says. “I know him. Why?”

She wiggles her brows.

Jason snorts, shaking his head. “I’m going to leave the two of you alone.”

He pulls me to him, pressing his lips softly to mine. The tenderness in his kiss makes my knees go weak.

“I’ll be inside soon,” I say.

“Take your time, beautiful.”

He pats me on the butt before waving at Mimi and walking toward his house.

I pull out a chair and sit with my grandmother. “You look good.”

“You know what? I’m feeling good, Chloe.” She grins. “I’d forgotten what it was like to have a friend like Mara. Someone upbeat and energetic who doesn’t care how old we are. Old women can still have fun.”

“Of course, you can.”

“How was the honeymoon?”

I’m not sure what my face does, but Mimi cackles. “As expected.”

“What?” I laugh. “What’s that mean?”

“You just gave me a look of a very satisfied woman and that’s just what I predicted would happen when you returned.” She points at me and winks. “Good for you, Chloe. Good for you.”

“I’m not … I don’t know how to respond to that.”

She stands, vaguely groaning, and smiles. “I’ll tell you how to respond to that. March that little, cute butt of yours over to the big house and enjoy your man. Mara should be here in a few minutes for some recon.”

I stand, too. “Recon?”

“Recon of Samuel Hickson.”

“I leave you for two days, and you’re a totally different person,” I say, laughing.

“It’s funny what a little fresh air will do for a woman.”

She shuffles back to her house. “Don’t mind me if I roll in late.”

I watch her swing open her door and scoot inside her house.

Her home.

I turn around and stare at the massive brick structure behind me.

My home.

Cotton lines my throat as I go to the patio door. I hesitate before entering, feeling the need to knock first. My knuckle hovers over the glass when Jason comes into sight. He’s shirtless, his abs on full display thanks to a pair of black shorts. His hair is damp, as if he’s already had a shower.

He’s freaking gorgeous.

He catches me staring and the smirk on his face isn’t to turn me on—it’s to warn me. Don’t knock.

Sheepishly, I sneak through the door and grimace. “Hey.”

“What are you doing?”

“Just coming over.” I dust my hands against my sides as if I’m relaxed and hanging out. “What are you doing?”

“Were you about to knock?”

“What? Me ? No. No, I wasn’t.”

He stalks across the living room and pulls me against his chest. I breathe in the scent of his skin mixed with his body wash, toying with the ends of his hair.

“This is your home,” he whispers, swaying me side to side.

“I actually just had that thought, and then I got to the door and had a little panic attack.”

His brows lift. “But you had that thought? That this is your home?”

I nod slowly.

His smile is immediate and wide. “Good. I’ll forgive you then.”

He’s about to kiss me when footsteps interrupt us. A round woman, who must be in her sixties, appears out of nowhere. I swear she swoons.

“Oh, Jason,” she says, holding her hands over her heart. On the counter behind her are my three floral arrangements. “This is a picture I’ve always hoped to see.”

He wrinkles his nose at me and pulls me into his side. “Mara, this is my wife, Chloe. Chloe, this is the woman who keeps this ship afloat.”

“I am so pleased to meet you,” she says, tugging me out of Jason’s arms and into a deep, warm hug. “It’s been a long time coming.”

“It has?” I step from her embrace, only to be tucked away at Jason’s side once again. “How do you figure?”

She grins at her boss. “I’ve seen the groceries and takeout, and I knew he didn’t order on his own. And I’ve received the massage therapist who came on ‘Chloe’s orders’ and found your notes to Jason lying around the house.”

“You have?” I glance up at Jason. “What notes?”

She waves a hand through the air. “Nothing personal or anything. But let’s say Mr. Brewer doesn’t take orders from anyone, until one of your notes pops up. All of a sudden, he has your sticky note stuck to the coffee pot as a reminder to take his vitamins.”

Huh . I smirk, proud of myself. “I like that.”

“Don’t get cocky,” he says, teasing me.

“Maybe I will.”

Mara heads for the door. “I’m going cruising with Mimi for a while, then I’m heading home, Jason. Unless you need anything, that is.”

“No,” he says, wrapping his other arm around me. “Thank you, Mara, for everything. I couldn’t survive without you.”

She stops just short of the door and faces us, a grin splitting her face. She smiles at me and then focuses her attention back to Jason. “I don’t think that’s true anymore.”

Jason and Mara exchange a look I don’t quite understand before she slips outside.

The house is not quiet; it’s peaceful. It’s as if we’re locked in a castle away from everything and everyone. I understand why Jason loves it here so much. After what he goes through on a normal day in the office, this would be heaven.

It’s heaven for me just because he’s here.

He laces his fingers through mine, stroking the top of my hand with his thumb, and leads me upstairs. I follow him quietly, lost in my thoughts.

An odd sensation fills my chest. It’s heavy and weighs nothing. It’s wobbly yet so amazingly still. I could run a race or take a long nap, and I don’t know what to make of that.

The only thing that makes any sense is that I’m falling in love with Jason.

I squeeze his hand as the idea cements in my heart and then my brain.

This must be what it feels like. This must be what people search for.

A smile ghosts my lips as I sit with this revelation.

Of course, I fell for him. He’s patient and thoughtful, humble and protective. He’s honest and hardworking, a nurturer by nature. A lover by design. He’s a rock in storms, and a soft spot to land when I fall. It’s as soothing as it is terrifying.

“Want to see our wedding pictures?” he asks, guiding me into our bedroom. “They’re pretty epic.”

“I’d love to.”

He goes into his closet, so I sit on the bed, and he returns moments later, carrying a poster-sized picture frame.

“What is that?” I ask, curious.

He tries to hide his amusement. “We need to decide where to hang this—over our bed or above the fireplace downstairs?”

“Let me see it, and I’ll let you know.”

He twists the frame around and waits.

I burst out laughing. “ Oh, my gosh .”

“Above the fireplace, right?” He laughs, too. “I mean, who are we to keep our guests from enjoying this picture?”

“Don’t you dare hang that anywhere.” My laughter turns to giggles. “That’s the worst wedding photograph I’ve ever seen.”

He peers around the corner. “I don’t know. I kind of like it. My eyes are closed. I’m guessing I’m dreaming of the life we’ll have together. Your face looks like you just sucked a lemon. Not sure what that’s about. Gold Jumpsuit is gyrating, I think.” He stops. “Did his penis touch you?”

“No.”

“Good.” He studies the image again. “Tate’s engrossed in a conversation with Mimi on the phone, and it looks like Ripley just saw a ghost.” He nods. “I think that covers it.”

I pull my legs up and shimmy until my back’s against the headboard. I take a moment to appreciate the softness of his bed. It’s a freaking cloud—a million times better than the mattress in the Pliny apartment.

“Is that the only picture they got?” I ask. “Tell me there are others. Better ones .”

He leans the frame against the wall. “I don’t know. Ripley has them, from what I hear. He had this one printed and delivered for our enjoyment.”

“It’s … enjoyable.”

He flops on the bed beside me, pulling me on top of him. “I’ll show you enjoyable.”

As I lean down and kiss him, he holds my face between his hands like I’m a treasure. My heart does a cartwheel right across my chest.

“Are you going to tell me what was bothering you today?” I ask, sliding off him and cozying up against his side. “You said no secrets.”

He doesn’t answer me immediately, and a pang of guilt hits me hard. He doesn’t have to tell me everything that happens in his life—I don’t expect him to. I only want him to feel how he makes me feel: I’m never on my own.

“Okay,” he says, sighing. “You’re right. I’ve been a little thrown off today because my father has agreed to take responsibility for the fraud and extortion charges being levied at me and Gannon, as well as pleading guilty to the murder charges and all that entails.”

What is he talking about? I pull away to see his face.

“Whoa. Hang on.” My heart pounds. “You told me there was a threat that was aimed at you, but made it seem like it was being handled. And I didn’t ask you about it because you didn’t seem to want to discuss it.

” I shift my weight to sit up, my brows pinched.

“There are fraud and extortion charges against you and Gannon?”

His gaze grows weary as his palm finds my thigh. “Not yet.”

Wow.

“But it has nothing to do with me or Gannon,” he says quickly, his eyes searching mine. “I mean it, Chloe. It’s?—”

“ Shh . Of course, it doesn’t. That’s not where I was going with this.”

He sinks into the mattress and catches his breath.

I caress the side of his face. “For what it’s worth, even if those charges were against you, we’d beat them.”

He stills. A small breath leaves his lips as he jerks me into his arms.

I giggle as he rolls me onto my side, my back to his front. “Hey, what’s this for?”

“Just let me hold you here for a while.”

“Okay.” I hold on to his hands locked at my waist. “But you said he’s taking responsibility for it all, right? So it’s done?”

He kisses the back of my head. “Not exactly.”

“And why not?”

He sighs, resting his chin on me. “There’s a condition—one I don’t want to meet.”

“Which is …”

“He wants to meet with me.”

Oh . I know how much he dislikes his father, and rightfully so. I hate the man for what he’s done to Jason and his family. There’s no way Jason would want to face him. Not after everything that’s happened.

But I also know Jason’s sense of loyalty and his need to protect those he loves. And if he thinks this is the only way to protect the others from dealing with the mess of a trial, I know he’ll do it.

It’ll hurt him, even if he doesn’t admit it.

“Want me to go with you?” I offer softly.

He smiles against my hair. “No.”

“Are you sure?”

He kisses me again. “The fact that you’d even offer is more than enough for me.

” This time, a third kiss touches me in the crook of my neck.

“I’m not even sure I’m going yet. The fucker doesn’t deserve a soundboard to rattle off whatever venom or excuse he has.

And, quite frankly, I’m not sure I could look at him and not kill him. ”

I hum, pressing my back against him.

I have my thoughts on the situation, but my opinion doesn’t matter now. What matters is that Jason knows I’m on his side regardless of his decision and the outcome. I’m doing what he said—acting like Mrs. Brewer.

“Can I help you?” I ask sweetly.

“I don’t know how you can.”

I laugh. “We haven’t been home from our honeymoon for a couple of hours, and have you already forgotten how distracting I can be? Damn. I guess you didn’t enjoy— ah !”

I’m on my back, sundress bunched at my waist, and Jason’s hands are elevating my ass before I know what’s happening. His eyes twinkle with mischief.

“Don’t you ever, ever insinuate that I forget any part of you. And I never want to hear you suggest that I don’t enjoy you, either.”

“What if I do?”

He blows against my swollen clit. “Then I’ll have to spend the next few hours ensuring we’re clear.”

I sink into the bed, my insides quivering with anticipation of his mouth on me. “It’ll take at least that long because I think you don’t remember— Jason !”

I’m unsure if I’m distracting him or if he’s distracting me. What I am certain about, however, is that I’m Chloe Brewer, a name I never expected, nor did I want. But I absolutely love it.

But only forty-eight hours since we said “I do” and I already dread the day when it will be over. This just feels … right, and if I truly am in love with this man, will I be able to keep our arrangement? Will I be able to walk away and leave this— leave him?

What if Jason asks me to stay? What if he wants more than six months?

Despite my initial easy acceptance of the lack of permanence, I’m now terrified. I’m not sure I could live without him anymore.

Fuck.