Chapter 32
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
“ W ell, that was convenient,” Jemma said, her voice laced with sarcasm. “That clerk just happened to have everything all ready to go and on a Sunday no less. Let me guess, he’s on the Salvini payroll?”
I glanced over at her. “Don’t give me that look,” I said, buckled myself in, and waited until she did the same. “It’s not like your family doesn’t operate the exact same way.”
I could feel Dante’s eyes on me through the rearview mirror but decided to ignore both of my brothers, who showed up uninvited and demanded to be our drivers for today.
Fucking meddling family. I was pretty sure Matt had called both Dante and Hero and shared the news with them, and they’d rushed over as fast as they could.
Jemma shook her head, rolled her eyes, then stared back down at the marriage license in her hands. The strands of fading green hair poking out from under her baseball cap caught the sunlight streaming through the window.
The green was almost gone, which made me think her punk persona—at least the external expression of it—was maybe on the way out, as well.
She’d completely ditched the wig, as well, which told me she was just hiding it from her father, not all of her family, since Fee and Alex clearly knew. “Why did you cut your hair and dye it green, and why are you hiding it from your father?”
She snapped her gaze to me, and her mouth hung slightly open, but she hid her surprise immediately. “Why do you think it’s okay to boss everyone around and bully them into doing whatever it is you want?”
Dante and Hero chuckled.
I stayed silent for a second, giving my flaring ego time to calm down while enjoying the sparkle in her eyes.
Would I ever get her to answer my questions without her deflecting or turning the tables back at me?
And did I even want that?
Well, for now, it might be better to just go with it since she was pissed off enough already. “If I answer your question, will you answer mine?”
She cocked her head.
Dante steered the car into the bustling city streets and barely missed a biker driving by.
“Watch it, Dimwit,” I snapped, which earned me a stern glance from Hero in the passenger seat.
I exhaled and tried to relax. Was it just in my nature to always take the reins in every situation, to seize control, and expect everyone to fall in line, or was it something I’d developed over time? My father was the same way, so maybe it was in my genes, or it might come with the territory—or both.
“Shaving off my hair was a bit impulsive, I just…needed to do something.” She hesitated, and it almost seemed like she had to think about it.
“And why are you hiding it?”
She chuckled. “Have you met my father? He will lose it when he finds out.”
I nodded. If Craig Donnelly was anything like my father, keeping traditions and appearances was right up there, along with loyalty and family. “So will you keep the hair, or is it the plan to grow it back out?”
She narrowed her brows, glared at me, and exhaled. “Why?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “No reason. I just wanted to know if I have to budget for green hair dye in the future. It suits you and your personality…and you don’t need to hide it…from anyone.”
I could feel her stare as if it were a laser beam burning a hole into my head. Was she contemplating if I was telling the truth?
“What about my question? Have you always been a bully, or did you become one over time?”
She was provoking me on purpose, probably in an attempt to make me mad and have a reason to reestablish some boundaries.
She still hadn’t told me what she and Isabella had been talking about, and she clearly wasn’t amused about the marriage I was forcing on her. Not that I would let her do any of it. Keep quiet or get under my skin. “I think taking charge is just part of my personality.”
There was some scoffing and snickering in the front, and I kneed the back of the seat. “Shut it, assholes.”
A hint of a smirk played at the corners of Jemma’s lips. “So you’re a born bully, then.”
I gripped the door handle tighter, clenched my jaw, then relaxed and shrugged. Why was I annoyed by her low opinion of me? When I knew it was just her way to create distance? And why did I want her to see me, the real me? “I’m not, but it’s easier if people think you are. They don’t even try to mess with you and your family.”
Hero’s head snapped around, and he stared at me. He probably didn’t expect me to honestly answer the question.
“So it’s your way to protect your siblings?” she said.
“I never said that.”
“Well, that’s what I’m hearing.” She narrowed her eyes. “It fits.”
I shrugged. “Maybe it does. I’m the oldest…it comes with a set of expectations.”
For once, my brothers remained quiet.
“To keep everyone in check, or to keep everyone safe?”
“Both.”
She fell silent again, her gaze fixed on the marriage license.
What was she thinking? That forcing her to marry me was me keeping her in check or me keeping her safe?
By now, it was definitely both. I should probably tell her, voice my feelings, make her understand.
Honesty—wasn’t that what was missing between us?
We stopped at a red light, and I looked at her sideways. Jemma’s question about keeping everyone in check versus keeping everyone safe echoed in my mind. The truth was, it had always been both. Controlling what you could control in your environment had been vitally important to protect my siblings. But lately, with her, it felt different. More urgent. More personal.
A necessity more than a responsibility.
“Why are you so determined to marry me?” she asked quietly without meeting my eyes.
Quiet enough, my brothers probably didn’t catch it.
I glanced at her again, taking in the soft curves of her profile, the determined set of her chin. Even now, defiant and distant, she took my breath away. Just as much as she did sprawled out on the desk in my office or underneath me in the throws of an orgasm.
I needed her by my side, craved her touch, her trust. I’d do whatever it took to make her mine. And marrying her would be the first step, would guarantee she couldn’t run away. “Don’t you think, after the past couple of days, it’s the next logical step?”
She turned to me, green eyes flashing with a mix of defiance and uncertainty. “You don’t seriously believe that.”
I reached over and gently took the sheet of paper from her hands, folded it, and put it in the pocket of my jacket. “Yes. I seriously believe that.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re insane.”
I smiled at her, then nodded once in acknowledgment. She was right. All of this was crazy.
I was crazy.
For her.
“Now tell me the truth,” she said.
Just then, a call came through, and I wasn’t surprised at the caller ID on the display upfront. But, at least it gave me a couple of seconds to come up with an answer for her. If we’d met under different circumstances, if we were different people, dating would probably be the next logical step. But something inside of me told me dating Jemma wouldn’t be enough.
I nodded at Hero, who accepted the call. “Hawk? You’re on speaker,” I said.
Jemma straightened right next to me, and I shot her a glance.
She sat ramrod straight and stared straight ahead.
“Hey, we’re almost finished and ready to pack it up,” Hawk’s deep voice resonated through the car. “But there’s something you have to hear in person.” He sounded serious. “Can you come to Salvini Global Enterprises?”
“You’re at the company?” I was surprised. I knew Hawk had arrived in the city a couple of hours ago; I even cleared his access with security yesterday. I just didn’t expect him to join his team straight away.
“Yes, I’m here with the boys.”
I nodded. “We’re on our way right now. I don’t have a lot of time, but we’ll be there in five. Meet me in the elevator,” I replied, hung up and ignored Hero’s questioning stare.
The traffic light turned green, and we accelerated. “Jemma,” I began cautiously, “I know there’s a lot we have to talk about?—”
“Was that Noah Hawthorne of Raptor Security?” she asked, cutting me off mid-sentence.
I narrowed my eyes. “Yes, why?” How did she even know Hawk? Through Gabe and Sophie? Had they ever met?
She nodded. “What are they doing for you? What are they almost finished doing?”
I side-eyed Hero, who was eagerly awaiting an answer, before I focused back on her. “How do you know Hawk, and why do you want to know?”
“Answer the question.”
She sounded dead serious. Her eyes were fixed on the traffic in front of us, her hands clutched in her lap.
“Hawk’s guys are conducting a forensic investigation on our IT system.”
Her head snapped to me, and there was so much guilt in her eyes. It hit me that we’d never really addressed the elephant in the room.
The reason that even brought her to my attention.
“The hacking?” she whispered.
I nodded.
“So, you know?”
I nodded again.
“Know what?” Dante asked, but we both ignored him.
“So that’s the reason you’re still insisting on this marriage?” Jemma whispered.
I stared straight ahead and focused on the traffic in front of us. Now, that was a question that had no easy answer. Actually, it had. Because the simple “no” on the tip of my tongue was easy and, at the same time, unbelievably complicated.
It would open a can of worms I was not ready to tackle right here, right now, and definitely not in front of my brothers.
“There’s a lot of things we have to talk about,” I began cautiously, “but I need you to understand?—”
“Enlighten me then,” she said, her tone guarded but also challenging.
Always challenging. “Why don’t we talk about it all after we’ve talked to your father?” I said.
The way she scowled at me was annoying as hell. As if she expected the worst from me…even now.
I rubbed my neck. “How about, instead, you tell me what you and Isabella talked about?” I said because there was something bigger going on. Something in the way they’d acted told me it was something serious. And not knowing made my skin crawl.
“Maybe we should talk about that later, as well,” she retorted, avoiding eye contact.
“Damn it, Jemma!” I slammed my fist against the seat in front of me, frustrated by her refusal to open up to me.
“Watch it,” Dante snapped.
I took a deep breath, tried to regain my composure. “From now on, we’re in this together. The least we can do is be honest with each other.”
We turned into the underground parking garage beneath Salvini Global Enterprises, and the dim, flickering lights cast eerie shadows across her face, so I couldn’t read her reaction.
She glanced around, her eyes darting from corner to corner like a trapped animal searching for an escape route. “Fine,” she muttered, still not looking at me. “Let’s lay it all out in the open after we’ve talked to Dad.”
I twisted in my seat and faced her. “You’re not scared of me, right?” My heart clenched at the mere thought of her feeling that way. But how could I blame her if it was the case? I had forced all of this on her—I was still forcing her. And at the same time, there was no chance I was letting her go.
Ever.
Our start wasn’t ideal. Hell, I couldn’t have handled things more poorly. But I couldn’t change that now, and she was a feisty one. If anyone could ever handle me, it would be her. “Look at me,” I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.
She finally met my gaze, and I saw uncertainty in her eyes. My chest squeezed tight. “Whatever happens, you’re mine now.”
Dante killed the engine, which gave my words unnecessary emphasis, but a little embarrassment wouldn’t stop me.
“We’ll face whatever the future brings together. And I promise, we’ll be okay,” I said, hoping she could see the sincerity in my eyes and hear the conviction in my voice.
We would make this marriage work. Because for some strange reason, I’d found my perfect match in all of this.
The moment of silence stretched, but thankfully, for once, my asshole brothers kept their mouths shut.
“Alright.” She sighed, relenting. Then she glanced around the parking garage.
“Where are we exactly?”
“Salvini Global Enterprises headquarters,” Hero said.
She nodded. “And we’re here because…” she asked. Her brow furrowed in confusion.
“Helicopter’s on the rooftop,” I said. “We’re heading to Boston to see your father. Since there’s a 24-hour waiting period on the marriage license anyway, I figured we may as well do this the right way and tackle this conversation head-on.”
“Of course,” Jemma muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes. “Let’s do this the right way.” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. “And let’s add another lovely trip to this already fantastic day.”
“Jemma,” I warned, and the muscle ticking in my jaw betrayed my impatience.
“Sorry,” she said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. “I forgot you’re the boss here. And I need to learn my place.”
Again, my brothers in the front seat snickered, and I did my darndest to pretend they were not here. I thought we were over this. But obviously not. I grabbed Jemma’s neck and squeezed until she turned and faced me.
Her eyes flashed, and she yanked her head from my grasp. “What? I’m just surprised since you didn’t share your plans with me. Am I not allowed to be surprised?”
“Look.” I laid my hand on her thigh. “I know I’m bossy. I know you’re not happy about the situation, but it is what it is,” I told her, feeling a pang of guilt for the way I was pushing my agenda, and her.
“Really?” she snapped, then pulled my fingers off her thigh. “You could try not bulldozing over me, for starters.”
She shoved the car door open and stormed out, her boots echoing on the concrete.
I followed, and thanks to my long strides, I quickly caught up to her. I grabbed her arm. “You’re right,” I conceded, my jaw clenched. “I’ll try to be more considerate in the future and talk to you before making plans or decisions that concern both of us. But what doesn’t change is we’re still getting married. And we’re talking to your father. Those two are non-negotiable.”
“Fine,” she huffed, turning away from me and refusing to meet my gaze. “But don’t expect me to play the obedient, little wife.”
I cupped her face with both of my hands and waited until she looked up at me. “Never did,” I murmured, watching her closely as we stood in silence, the tension between us palpable. “It’s the opposite.”
She couldn’t be an obedient, little wife even if she tried, and it was exactly why she caught my attention, why she fascinated me so much, and why I was so obsessed with her.
Why I needed to have her. Why I needed to make her mine.
Jemma cocked her head and stared at me, her eyes searching mine.
For a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of something soft and warm in her gaze. But then she blinked, and it was gone, replaced by a wariness.
I dragged her closer and pulled her into my arms. “You’re perfect for me just the way you are,” I whispered against her temple.
She relaxed against me and sighed. “You’re giving me whiplash,” she whispered.
“I know.”
“You’re not so bad yourself—sometimes—when you’re not trying to rule the world, bark orders, and waltz over everyone and everything that stands in your way,” she whispered back.
I smiled. She wasn’t wrong. But that’s how you got what you wanted in life. That’s what it took. Take what you want. Give everything you’ve got. At least then you wouldn’t have any regrets later.
I let her go, took her hand, kissed her palm, then wove our fingers together and led her to the elevator.
We would get there somehow.
My brothers closed the distance. At least they had the decency to give us a little bit of privacy. Not that it would get them out of the doghouse for tagging along in the first place.
The doors slid open with a soft ding, revealing Hawk, Peaches, and Goofy inside.
And before I could react, Jemma broke away from me and walked straight into Hawk’s open arms.
What the actual fuck?
Fire spread through my veins and settled in my chest. I clenched my jaw as I watched her disappear in his embrace. A surge of red-hot jealousy coursed through me, hot and unexpected. When exactly did she meet Hawk? And why was she this comfortable with him?
Peaches and Goofy looked equally surprised, as did Dante and Hero.
“Hey, you,” Hawk said, his deep voice rumbling as he tightened his arms around her. “It’s good to see you, Little One.”
Little One?
Excuse me?
I stepped into the elevator, my eyes never leaving Jemma and Hawk. And I barely held myself back. Hawk’s gaze met mine over her head, and whatever he saw in my eyes made him raise an eyebrow in question.
Did he really not realize what he was doing?
That he was touching what was mine?
Peaches and Goofy exchanged glances, clearly sensing the tension.
“You two know each other?” I asked, trying to keep my voice neutral. I put my thumb on the reader, then pushed the button to the roof before I focused back on them, barely keeping my composure.
Jemma pulled away from Hawk, her eyes darting between us before she settled fully on me. “Oh, for God’s sake,” she said, then put her hands on her hips and faced me fully. “We met in Italy,” she said, then sighed.
Hawk nodded, his expression unreadable.
“Hawk helped Gabe to find us and bring us home.”
My gaze snapped back to Jemma. The tone of her voice and her vulnerability took me by surprise, but suddenly, the pieces of the puzzle settled into place.
Italy. The kidnapping. Jemma’s panic attack when I had her bound to that chair in my apartment.
Fuck me.
I grabbed her neck and pulled her into my arms and against my chest.
We’ve never talked about it…another thing I’d missed addressing properly.
I could only imagine the impact that must’ve had on her.
I really needed to be more considerate about the impact on her from what must’ve happened to her during her captivity.
Was that why she struggled so much with my dominance, why she desperately held onto her independence?
My eyes met Hawk’s over her head.
He looked thoughtful, but one corner of his mouth slightly lifted, and he nodded.
As if he approved.
Not that I needed anyone’s approval—apart from Jemma’s.