Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
After a quick plane ride home, I was back in my apartment, packing up my things into a hastily put together stack of moving boxes. Three months wasn’t long enough to leave my apartment completely. Clothes and necessities were the only things I’d be taking with me.
It only took an hour to get everything ready and put all of my boxes into my car.
I was supposed to be enjoying the Baking Expo today.
I couldn’t walk around the booths with Jade’s ring on my finger, especially since everyone saw us kissing last night.
The entire convention knew we hooked up, the people who hated each other.
The smug looks and snide comments weren’t worth staying for.
Not to mention, the hotel was decorated for Valentine’s day.
I couldn’t handle looking at red hearts while knowing I was married to someone I couldn’t stand.
The bittersweet feeling of leaving my apartment behind did nothing for my sour mood.
I wasn’t quite sure what was irking me so badly, or if it was just everything all at once.
Hooking up with my enemy. Marrying her on a drunken whim.
And now forced to live with her for three months.
Being surrounded by her smell all day. Seeing her day and night.
Squeezing my eyes shut, I forced myself to stay focused as I drove. I had to keep a clear head from now on. No falling prey to her pheromones.
My phone rang through the car’s speakers, and I pressed a button on my steering wheel to accept the call. “Hello?”
My mother’s voice came through the car speakers. “Daphne. I’ve been trying to reach you. I heard about your marriage to the Rost heir.”
Why’d she say it like that? The Rost heir.
I grimaced as I pulled to a stop at a red light, anxiously drumming my fingers against the steering wheel.
“It was a mistake. She basically dared me to do it. You know how she can be.” It wasn’t not true, per se.
I just didn’t remember how we got from ‘heat sex’ to ‘marry me’ last night.
“I signed a post-nup, so she can’t take my money when I get a divorce.
Our lawyer blabbed about Damon’s latest financial blunders.
I’m assuming you need me to help fix things? ”
She went quiet for a moment, no doubt choosing her next words wisely.
“I have it handled, Daphne.” Of course she did.
“Anyway, it’s not a bad idea for you to stay married.
If we go under, it’s better if you’re taken care of.
Ms. Rost has always had a soft spot for you.
I doubt she would let you or your bakery fall to ruin. ”
Things had to be super desperate for her to suggest I stay married to her rival’s child.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to know how bad it was, and I used the convenient excuse of arriving in Jade’s neighborhood to hang up on her.
Still rolling my eyes, I parked and picked up the first box, carrying it to the front door.
Jade’s condo was nicer than my apartment, with clean lines and modern fixtures on everything.
It screamed wealth and privilege. No surprise there.
It’s easy to get rich off of other people’s ideas.
Balancing the box on my hip, I punched in the door code she’d sent me and reached out to turn the handle, only to almost topple over myself when the door suddenly opened. Jade stood there, a shocked expression on her face that quickly soured when she saw the box in my hands.
“What are you doing?”
I pushed past her, forcing her to let me inside. My arm brushed her chest, and a rush of heat burst over my skin. “I’m moving in,” I said, as if it was obvious. Because it kind of was.
“I told you I would hire someone to do that for you.”
The large living room made me pause for a moment, unsure of where I was going.
I’d never been inside her home before. “I am not paying someone to move a few boxes, Jade. This is exactly why I told you to stay in Vegas and go to the damn convention, but you just had to insist on coming home with me.” I grit my teeth together, trying to determine which doorway would lead me to the spare bedroom.
“Where’s…” My throat actually hurt as I tried to get the words out.
I hated asking her for help. “Where’s my room? ”
“I’ll show you.”
Trailing behind her, it was all I could do to not stare at her ass and that tight skirt she was wearing.
The sway of her hips was like a siren song.
My pheromones strained to escape, echoing the call of her body, but I’d locked them up tight with an extra inhibitor this morning.
I would not let Jade get the better of me before these three months were over.
Right off the living room was a short hallway with black walls and white plush carpet.
There were three doors: a bathroom, and two bedrooms. Jade’s door was open, revealing a bright, clean room covered in sunlight from the patio doors and a line of windows.
My room had a similar style. While smaller than hers, there was enough room for a bed, desk, and a plush chair in the corner. It would work for a few months.
I placed my box onto the desk and turned so I could go grab the next from my car, colliding with Jade as I did. I fell back against the desk, and she reached out, sliding her arm around my waist to keep me from falling.
“Th-there’s more boxes in the car.” What the fuck? I could barely speak with her eyes on me, with the feel of her hand on my back. The warmth of her touch sent shudders all over my body. I’d resisted her for years, and now after one day she had me under her spell again.
“Mmm,” she responded, her eyes flicking to my lips.
So fucking slutty, staring at my lips while we’re having a fight.
“Do you want me to help?” The words were innocent enough, but the inflections in her smooth voice, the slight purr in her voice, and the way her eyes slid back up to mine left an entirely different meaning.
“Stop trying to seduce me,” I grumped under my breath.
Her head tilted to the side, like a fox when it finds something interesting. The snarky curve of her lips made my cheeks blush. “Is that what you think I’m doing?”
What else do you call that???
Slipping out of her embrace, I almost ran into the doorway before righting myself and trotting back to the living room as fast as I could.
If I doubled up on boxes, it wouldn’t take very long to get everything in my new room, and then I could shut the door and be alone without my slutty wife bothering me.
Wife. Oh god. Was I already thinking of her as mine? She clearly felt that way about me, but that was no surprise. Her flirting wouldn’t change my mind. Leaving her was still the plan. It had to be, no matter what my mother wanted.
Just before I got to the door, the doorbell rang and Jade zipped past me to answer it. Four people came inside, a mix of betas and Alphas, with one omega coming up behind them.
The tallest one, an Alpha, reached out to shake my hand.
“Ms. Hayes. I am part of the Rost family legal team.” Ahh, the lawyers had shown up.
He gestured to another lawyer standing beside him who also shook my hand.
“This is Mr. Hardrow. He is part of your family’s legal team.
We will be coming by on a weekly basis to administer monitored pregnancy tests.
Once a month, we will do a blood test just in case the others are inaccurate. ”
“Is this necessary?” Jade asked, folding her arms across her chest with a frown. Why was she mad? Maybe she just didn’t like them barging in when she was trying to get into my pants.
“Yes, Ms. Rost, it is. We know not enough time has passed since the last time you and your wife had intercourse for any test to be accurate. This is just to establish a routine and get everyone used to it before it actually matters. We have three months to go before this is over.” Intercourse?
Was he ninety?? Who calls it that??? Intercourse made it sound like a sweaty, grunting husband on top of you while you lie back and think of England.
“Before we begin, I do have to caution both of you.” He fixed us with a sour expression, an echo of his counterpart in Vegas.
“If any intercourse occurs between the two of you, the ninety days starts over. Even if we are on day eighty-nine, the waiting period will be reset.”
As if I had any intention of doing that. I didn’t want to be here any longer than necessary.
The omega followed me to the bathroom, and she stood there watching me pee into a cup.
Utterly humiliating. As if I would fake a urine sample just to steal Jade’s baby from her.
After the test was finished, we took it back out to the living room, and I stood there with my face bright red as everyone stared at the pee stick.
Not pregnant.
What a shocker!
With their results in hand, Jade escorted everyone out, firmly slamming the door behind them. Her fists clenched as she turned, her face a mask of seething rage.
“Why are you mad?” I asked her. “I just peed in front of a stranger, and stood there with five people watching my pee soak into a pregnancy test. I think I have a better reason to be pissy.”
“I’m not mad.” Of course, you’re not. She delicately gathered her long hair up and twisted it into a bun. God, how many times had I seen the back of her neck like that? She always had her hair down, always. The sight of those dark baby hairs on the nape of her neck were downright swoonworthy.
Swoonworthy?? Was I seriously swooning over her fucking neck?
“I’ll leave you to the rest of your things, since you probably would just kick up a fuss if I offered to help.” She wasn’t wrong. “I’ll make dinner.”
Jade put on a plain black apron over her white button up shirt, and reached behind to tie it around her waist. The way it cinched like that, accentuating her sturdy curves… No, no, stop staring at her. Ignore her.