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My cock jerked in my pants again. Apparently, we all likedboth.
“So…what’s in the boxes?” I jerked my head towards the entryway.
She half-turned. “Oh. I requested the files that my dad had left at the house. I didn’t want to leave them there unguarded in case someone had the bright idea to break in and look for them.” She stopped and stirred the pot again. “I mean, someone might still break in, but we’re not there anymore, and neither are the files. There are some things I still want to double-check in those papers now that we’ve discovered more today.” She finished with a shrug, and the spoon in her hand scraped against the bottom of the pan as she stirred again.
“Oh.” I looked at the floor, studying the oversized tiles. I’d hoped the boxes contained her things — the things that signaled she’d be staying with me, clothes or possessions she wanted to keep nearby. “You know, you can stay here with me, if you like.” But maybe that sounded a little pathetic on its own, and not really like a choice, either. “Or you can stay closer to Wesley and Charmaine.”
She turned and approached me before pressing a palm to my cheek and kissing me, taking her time even as she coaxed my lips to a quick response. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and hold her to me so she wouldn’t leave.
When she drew away, she left her hand against my face and I fought not to lean into the warmth. I needed that contact.
“Thank you,” she said. “But I’ll probably stay on the same floor as Wes and Charmaine. Maybe we can talk about the two of us living together some other time?”
Before I could respond and set that date, she continued. “And even though I didn’t want to leave those files in case someone came looking for them, I also wanted your help.”
I raised an eyebrow. This sounded serious.
But anything. I’d do anything.
“What can I do?” I didn’t set boundaries on that. This was Jo. I didn’t need to.
She cast a glance at the stove, checking on the contents of her pan. Then she looked back at me and sighed.
“I’ve been thinking, and your buyout could give the Gold Moon Inc. loyal and innocent employees an extraordinary severance package, right? They’d all be okay.” She looked at me for confirmation, and I nodded.
“I think so.”
She nodded back, although her movement was more deliberate, like she was deciding her next words. “Okay. Good. Because I think no matter what, Gold Moon is tainted. I mean, I’d love to keep it going in honor of my dad, in his memory, but if rumors start about the company dealing in illegal activities…it would be the end. And from what I’ve seen, any of those rumors would be true.” She shook her head, her sentences disjointed as she worked through her thoughts. “Gold Moon’s reputation would never recover. My family name would never recover. I won’t be in any kind of position to maintain or restart business relationships with a shadow of impropriety hanging over us.” She took a quick breath in. “So I’m going to take your deal.”
I clasped my hands and stood, nodding so she knew I’d heard. But now was the exact moment I’d been waiting for, the one I’d discussed with Jackson and Davina. The one I wanted more than I’d admitted to either of them.
“I have a clause to add to the takeover deal,” I said, my heart beating faster with every word I spoke. “I want to marry you.”
I closed my eyes briefly. This went against everything I’d fought for in the years since Saundra. Marrying anyone for an advantage in a business transaction or to influence business was far too close to what she’d done to me.
But I wasn’t lying to Jo at all or trying to deceive her. I was laying it all out for her to see, and she still had a choice. It was completely upfront and in the open. I had no intention of lying to her.
She laughed, and I flinched. Not the reaction I was expecting.
“Is this a continuation of last night? The only thing that’s changed is which one of us is cooking?”
I nodded. That was really about it. “I didn’t know how else to ask. It wouldn’t be real.” Not yet at least. I wanted something real again in my life at some stage, and my wolf wanted real, but I wasn’t sure what Jo wanted yet. So I told her the business reasons. “I need to rebuild my public image as something more than just the guy who crunches up little businesses. I’m well-known in the community, but maybe not for the right reasons.” I’d reconsidered how many doors would truly be open to me without making some immediate changes.
“I want to dive into the world of philanthropy and genuinely helping those in need — a wider world than just my pack. I think having you by my side will help that. And we can take down the criminals ruining your father’s business together.” It all sounded so cold as I said it. “The better my image, the wider I expect donor wallets to open, and then I won’t need to burn through Apex profits so fast. We’ll still have a safety net.”
She moved the pan off the heat before resting her elbows on the counter alongside me. “Let me get this straight.” She didn’t sound mad. Just thoughtful and matter-of-fact. “You want me to marry you simply to bolster your public image? Because you want to move Apex from, essentially, legally sanctioned corporate piracy to humanitarian activities?”
I nodded.
“And you’ll also bring your security knowledge and your resources to help me investigate and end what’s happening at Gold Moon? Even after the buyout, when the employees are secure?”
I nodded again. When she phrased it like that, she made it sound like the best of both worlds. “Yes, that’s exactly it.”
She twisted her mouth to the side. Evidently that clever mind was thinking this through. Something in her was holding back, though. It didn’t take a genius to see that.
Nevertheless, I pressed on.
“Jo Everly,” I continued. “Will you pretend-marry me?”
