Page 90 of Sweet Surrender

I study her as my pulse races alongside my fury. “I’m not mad but . . . there’s a fucking reason he’s here. To keep you safe.” I reach out to shake her shoulders in frustration but stop myself.

His hands were on her.

The thought sickens me.

“He didn’t assault me,” she lies. I can see it clear as day in those eyes of hers. She was scared. Wasn’t sure what the fucktard was capable of. That makes my blood boil even more.

“Don’t make excuses for his behavior.”

She reaches out and grabs one of my arms with both of her hands. “I’m not. Please. He’s just angry. Going through the emotions of finding out we’re married. That I traded up for a much more successful, sexier man.”

“Now you’re slinging bullshit, Cookie.” But she put a smile on my lips and lowered the temperature slightly.

“Maybe.” She shrugs and presses a kiss to my shoulder. “Possibly.” Another kiss. “Regardless, I’m extremely grateful of the timing of your arrival. Nothing happened. You protected me. I just don’t want you to get in any further trouble when we have so many eyes on us and one in particular that makes all the difference.”

“Yes. Fine. Sammy is—”

“Not going to get in trouble for doing what I asked of him. But . . . I won’t do it again.”

“Promise?” I ask.

“Promise.”

I nod and run a hand through my hair.

What if I’d been too late?

For the first time in a long time, I don’t care just about myself. Yeah, I need to be on the world tour and make this all work, but seeing the fear in her eyes? Seeing his anger—his aggression—completely focused on her? It enraged me. Have I ever felt that before?

No.

Hendrix Wright deserves the affection of someone far better than me, but she’s managed to wind herself around my heart.

I care about her.

And damn if that’s not a mindfuck for a selfish prick like me.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Hendrix

I wake up alone.

Again.

Not that Jase and I are sleeping in my bed together on the regular or anything, but after sex . . . sometimes we fall asleep tangled together. Sometimes he keeps a respectable distance. Regardless of how we fall asleep, by morning his side of the bed is always cold.

I don’t know what I think of that. Like, we’re doing everything a married couple does so maybe it would be nice every once in a while to not wake up alone.

Or maybe it’s for the best and a perfect way for us to keep our great sex life from creeping over the line into the emotion realm.

Then again, I think my toes are already dangling over that line despite telling myself daily that it’s not going to happen.

But who could blame me?

The man is everything he said he wasn’t. Considerate. Caring. Attentive.

This whole scheme may be all about looking good for the judge and to his benefit, but time and again Jase has adjusted on the fly with my needs and wants and best interest in mind.