Page 59 of Bourbon Deceit
“Goldie, I want you to know that what you heard was so far from the truth. I can’t get into it too much because I will not allow you to get wrapped up in my fucked-up world, but that man I was talking to would do anything to bring me down and he saw my weakness, he saw right through me and I had to deflect him, make him think differently.”
“Your weakness?” I croaked out, my eyes growing heavy from crying for too long.
“You Goldie, you’re my weakness and he saw that.”
“How?” I sniffed.
Caressing my face gently, he said, “By the way I held you, looked at you, worshipped the ground you walked on. He saw it all and he fucking called me out on it.” Jett pulled away, frustrated with himself.
“What does it matter?”
Turning back toward me, he answered, “Because he is dangerous . . .”
I huffed and tried to turn away again but he stopped me and pulled me back in his direction.
“I’m not fucking kidding,” he warned. “He is a desperate man who would do anything—and I meananything—to get what he wanted, even if that meant harming you. He wouldn’t think twice about it.”
The concern in his eyes made me realize that he was serious and not bullshitting me for his own benefit.
“Does this have to do with Lot 17?” I asked, trying to piece everything together.
“I don’t want to get into that right now.”
“That means yes,” I interrupted.
Ignoring me, he continued, “What I want to talk about is what you heard and how everything about it was a lie. You’re everything to me, Goldie. Slowly, you have whittled your heart into mine and have stolen every part of my body. You own me, Goldie, and there is no one I want more, no one I want to hold more, and no one I want to wear my necklace more than you.”
A stray tear trickled down my cheek as I blinked away others.
“Why is it so hard?”
Rubbing my face with his thumbs, he said, “Because my life is so messed up and I just had to drag you into it, because the moment I saw you in the cemetery, I couldn’t walk away. So now you have to deal with my bullshit emotions, my inability to be the man that you need, and the horrible people in my life who want nothing but my money and power.”
“You’re so much more than that,” I confessed, as I watched the strong man I once knew continue to crumble into a pile right in front of me. No wonder he kept this side away from me for so long; it was gut-wrenching to see him so emotionally drained.
Shaking his head, he pulled away and looked at something over my shoulder, like he was contemplating. “There is so much you don’t know that I’m terrified to tell you, and I know you need to know, to understand me, but I can’t, I just can’t, especially with everything that’s going on.”
“I understand that, but you not telling me is slowly tearing me apart. If you’d only warned me tonight, I could have been prepared for what you said.”
“I didn’t think I would run into him there,” Jett stated, agitated with himself. “He wasn’t supposed to be there.”
“Well now that I know, I can be prepared for next time.”
“There won’t be a next time,” he stated without hesitation.
I sat up and looked down at him. He avoided all eye contact with me.
“What do you mean there won’t be a next time? Don’t you have other events you have to go to? Don’t you have some more ass kissing you have to do?”
“Yes, but you’re not going.”
“Because of one asshole?”
The bed rocked as Jett sat up straight and looked me dead in the eyes. “What don’t you understand about this? He is a dangerous man, incredibly dangerous, and has no problem getting rid of someone to get what he wants. I swore I would do anything to protect you, to keep you safe, and I will live up to that. You’re not to go to any events and you are to stay in the club until further notice.”
“You have got to be kidding me. You can’t keep me here like a prisoner.”
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
