Bad Boy (An Indecent Proposal) - J.C. Reed Page 0,58
my motives. “I just thought you fucked someone hours after me.”
My honesty surprised me. It also made me feel oddly self-conscious. After all, I knew how I sounded: insecure and yeah, jealous.
“Whoa. Let’s stop there,” Chase said. I raised my head and caught his hurt expression, my heart speeding up a little. “I’m offended that you think so lowly of me. Come on. What do you think I am? A sex addict? A cheater? We have a contract. I tend to respect those.” He pressed a hand to his chest theatrically, which made me snort. “My reputation as your husband means a lot to me.”
“Fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I was ridiculous in my assumption.”
He gestured with his hand, prompting for more. “And?”
“And what? Don’t push it, Chase.”
“You forget the most important fact: we’re married,” he said proudly, as if I was missing the most obvious thing. “That means in our relationship you won’t ever have a reason to be jealous. I’m very committed to our cause.”
What the hell was our cause?
“Being married has never stopped anyone from cheating,” I mumbled.
“That might apply to a lot of people out there.” He leaned closer. “But I only have eyes for you, baby.”
“Says the guy who agreed to a pretend marriage and married me for my money without even knowing me.”
“Which only shows my level of commitment.” He brushed aside a strand of hair that clung to my cheek. “Have I ever disappointed you?”
I cocked my head. “Seriously? You’re asking me that after I basically summed up our entire relationship?”
He waved his hand. “Yeah, let’s leave aside the ‘I married you for a reason’ part. Other than that?”
His words had me silent.
I stared at him. A tenuous ball of fear formed in my belly as I remembered Jude’s words. “Clint called today. How about that?”
“Good.” He sighed and got up. “Let’s grab some coffee.”
“Good?” I frowned. “Is that all you have to say?”
He shrugged. “Well, what else do you want me to say? It was to be expected. That guy is about to lose all your inheritance and his business. Of course he’s going to be mad. Next thing he’ll appeal to your goodwill. Then he’ll start threatening you. My advice?” He stared at me, his playfulness gone, replaced with a thick layer of ice. “Tell him you’re not interested in talking to him. That’ll save us both time.”
He stopped in the doorway, waiting for me to follow him. That’s when I noticed the suitcases. I scanned his room. It was tidy—too tidy. It looked like he was about to move out.
“Are you leaving?” I asked. An unexpected pang of shock shot through me.
I met his gaze, and for the first time I noticed his face was cleanly shaven, his hair still wet.
“I’m going back to L.A.,” he replied, his tone sober.
“When?”
“My plane leaves this afternoon.”
“Because of Clint?”
Why did I feel faint? That he was leaving was the best thing that could have happened to me, and yet I wanted him to stay.
He nodded. “Yes. I need to get to work. It’s going to be one of many trials.”
“But I thought we couldn’t leave for a week.” My throat closed up. As he cocked his head, his lips drawn into a tight line, realization hit me.
He had lied to me.
The disappointment at having been lied to yet again hurt me, but not as much as the fact that he was about to leave me. “I thought we were being honest with each other.”
“I’m working on it,” he said softly. “Would you have listened to my explanation if I told you I was only here to bail you out?”
He was right.
I wouldn’t have.
“You ignored my wishes, Chase,” I whispered. “I asked you not to go against him, but you went ahead with your plans. Why?”
He sighed and turned around. “I already told you that I don’t have a choice. I owe this to my family.” His footsteps thudded in the silence of the room. The bed moved under his weight as he sat next to me, only inches away.
“I owe it to my family, Laurie,” he repeated. “Please, you have to understand. Don’t you want your inheritance back?”
I fell silent. Did I want it back?
Waterfront Shore—the place had never been one of happiness. A place where I never had a father to grow up with, a place where my mom had killed herself.
Somehow, it didn’t matter either way. It held no importance to me.
“What if I don’t want it?” I asked, casting