Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
“We should do this more often.” I glided my fingers along Halle’s spine, tracing patterns on her bare skin.
“Have sex?” she teased. “Because I’m not sure my body can take much more. Three orgasms in the last hour.”
“Want to go for round four before we have to head back to the office?” I teased. Well, half teased. If she was game, I was.
She snuggled deeper into my side. “I would, but I found the perfect spot and now I don’t want to move.”
We were ensconced in her bed, enjoying our lunch break away from the office. An hour alone felt like sheer decadence. A luxury we so rarely got to indulge in. Slow sex. In a bed. Time alone to talk. To cuddle.
“Me either,” I admitted. “Maybe we should just spend the rest of the day in bed.”
“Right. Because that wouldn’t look questionable at all.” She laughed. “It might be Friday, but there are still enough people at the office to notice.”
Sometimes, it seemed ridiculous that we were continuing to keep our relationship a secret. Lately, I felt as if I were bending over backward just to make sure no one knew about the most important person in my life.
“Come on.” She pushed up, patting my chest. Her hair cascaded down her shoulder, over her breast. She was stunning. “We promised this wouldn’t affect our work.”
The trouble was, it already was. Even if she didn’t realize it. Even if neither of us wanted to admit it.
Pierce’s earlier comments rang in my ears, his ultimatum to tell my family, tell the board about our relationship.
I didn’t want to pressure Halle, but the longer we waited to disclose it, the more suspicious our actions would seem.
The last thing I wanted was for the board to lose faith in Halle or me.
As Pierce had so bluntly stated, it was all about politics and perception.
I’d waited for Kai to get better. And now that Kai had bounced back from his endoscopy, and he had a diagnosis and a path forward, I finally felt like the time was right to broach the topic with Halle once more.
“You and Kai are coming to the Leatherbacks’ home game next weekend, right?” Knox had invited the family to enjoy the game from the owner’s suite, and I was looking forward to it.
Kai seemed to be feeling better overall now that he was following a gluten-free diet.
That wasn’t necessarily surprising, especially now that we knew he had celiac disease.
Halle had been upset but also relieved. And since then, we’d researched celiac and felt more confident with how best to support Kai.
“I was planning on it.” She pulled on her underwear. “If that’s okay with you.”
“Of course it is,” I said. “I always want you and Kai with me.”
She smiled, bending forward to kiss me. I cupped the back of her neck, holding her close. Our tongues danced and sparred as the kiss turned heated.
I pulled her onto my lap, and she moaned as she rocked against my erection. “Jasper.”
“Halle.” I squeezed her breasts, her hips, her ass, each one met with an answering sound of pleasure. “Come with me.”
She pulled back ever so slightly, her palms pressed to my chest, a smirk playing at her lips. “I didn’t realize you were already so close.”
“No. Well, yes, that too. Later. But come with me to the game.” I took a deep breath. “As my girlfriend.” Girlfriend sounded so juvenile, but nothing else seemed quite right either. “It’s the perfect opportunity to soft launch our relationship to my family.”
“I—” She paused, and I couldn’t gauge what she was thinking. The fact that she was hesitating gave me hope that maybe she was actually considering it. “I want to say yes, but there’s just so much going on.…” She hedged. “Now’s not a good time. Sloan’s not even back from her maternity leave.”
I tried to tamp down my frustration. To remind myself that this was progress. Maybe Halle just needed to talk it through so she’d feel ready. “There’s always a lot going on. There will never be a perfect time.”
An alarm chimed, and she reached over, grabbing her phone from the nightstand. Halle started grabbing her clothes from the floor. She pulled on her skirt and zipped it up.
“Halle.” I wasn’t ready to let this go. I understood why she was scared, and I didn’t want to let Pierce’s negativity impact my thoughts, but I needed some type of assurance that we were still working toward telling my family. Some kind of plan.
“You won’t always feel ready to take the next step,” I said, taking her hand in mine.
“I didn’t feel ready when I had to step up to become CEO.
Just as I think you also felt some hesitation when you were going to become the SVP.
But now that we’re in these roles, we’re thriving.
And I think once we tell my family and the board, we’ll feel so much lighter.
Please just…think about it. Pierce—” I stopped myself before I could say more, say too much.
“What about Pierce?” she asked, assessing me. Her eyes widened. “Does Pierce know about us?”
I pressed the heels of my hands to my eyes, wishing I’d kept my mouth shut.
“Jasper?”
Fuck.
“He knows I’m seeing someone. He guessed it was you.”
She squeezed her eyes shut, and I could sense the fear radiating from her. Where was the strong, confident woman who commanded meetings? Where was the badass who negotiated seven-figure art deals without breaking a sweat?
“He won’t say anything,” I added. At least not in the short-term. “I’m sorry. I know you didn’t want anyone to know about us, but I was trying to protect us. Protect the company. Protect you. And the best way to do this is by telling my family and the board.”
My phone chimed, reminding me that we had to get back to the office.
“Can we discuss it more later?” She slid into her heels, sans shirt.
I splayed my hands on my thighs, stretching then relaxing them in an attempt to stem my frustration.
I didn’t want to add even more pressure to an already stressful situation.
And I didn’t want Halle to think that I was trying to manipulate her into a decision she wasn’t comfortable with. But I couldn’t keep living like this.
The longer we waited to tell everyone, the worse this would be. My conversation with Pierce had confirmed that.
“Sure,” I said, hating the sullen tone to my voice. “How about tonight?” I pressed.
She raced to button up her shirt, not meeting my eyes. “We can’t. You have your date. And my mom’s coming into town.”
Right. My date.
I had no idea what the woman from the charity auction was expecting from our evening together, but she’d paid a lot of money for the pleasure of my company. I’d been so preoccupied, I’d nearly forgotten that it was coming up.
“How about tomorrow?” I asked, unwilling to let it go. Not without some resolution. “I have dinner with Sloan, but I could come over before that.”
Halle shook her head. “I’m meeting Alexis to look at a few houses.”
Wait. What?
“Is that what you and Alexis have been doing when you get together?”
She lifted a shoulder. “Sometimes. Other times, we’re just hanging out.”
I supposed deep down I should’ve realized that.
Halle’s contract stipulated that the company would only expense her housing for so long.
With time running out, she didn’t want to stay at the Huxley Grand forever; she wanted a home for Kai.
But I guessed I’d somewhat foolishly assumed I’d factor into her decision.
Wherever she moved, it was going to affect both of us. It was going to reduce our already limited time together because we would no longer be able to sneak away to her suite midday. And depending on where the house was, commute time and traffic would be an issue.
There was only one solution in my mind. Something that would help with her money concerns, our desire to be together, and the need to keep our relationship secret—for now.
“Move in with me,” I blurted.
Yes, there were practical reasons for suggesting it, but they weren’t my primary motivation.
“What?” Halle dropped her hand and took a step back.
“Move in with me,” I said again, smiling at the idea of it.
She wouldn’t let me help her pay for her dad’s care, even though I knew she was stressed about it. But maybe she’d let me help with this. It probably seemed impulsive—asking her to move in together. But I’d been thinking about it for a while.
I was so excited about the prospect that I kept talking. “I’ve been wanting to buy a house. Something in a good school district for Kai. Something close to the office. I’d keep the penthouse anyway for convenience, but we could all move somewhere new—you, Kai, Rosie, and me. A fresh start.”
“It’s too much, too fast. We haven’t told your family or Kai. And then I’d be having him not only move again, but also asking him to accept our relationship.” She shook her head.
I sighed, my shoulders drooping. I knew Halle had to do what was best for her son, but it felt as if she was using him as an excuse. Halle said she was all in, but when it came down to it, I didn’t like that I had to question if she was.
“Halle—” I dragged a hand through my hair, my agitation growing. “Fuck. Are we ever going to be a normal couple?”
“A normal couple?” She frowned.
“Are we ever going to do the normal things that couples do? Are you ever going to tell your friends or family about us? Am I ever going to be allowed to tell mine?” I was trying to remain calm, but it was a struggle.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I invited you to come to dinner with my mom.”
“Does she even know we’re together?” The words came out harsher than I’d intended.
“My mom is already dealing with so much. I don’t want her to worry about my job or my ability to pay for my dad’s care, especially when the price is about to go up.”