Page 90 of An Eye For Illusion

Her back is to me now as I approach. She’s been standing and looking out the floor-to-ceiling windows while Donovan and I talked on speaker to hatch our escape plan and figure out how to take down Elliott as well as Vinny and his crew.

Jade interjected every so often, offering ways she thought she could help. I know this is her battle and one she wants to fight herself, but every cell in my body is screaming for me to protect her, for me to fight that battle for her. I had to stop myself from shutting down any part of her being directly involved the entire phone conversation.

No matter how much I want to protect her, I won’t take this from her. She deserves to take the proverbial knife and stab Moore right in the heart with it for what he’s done to her. Even though I don’t want her in harm’s way, I know she needs this, so I’ll do everything in my power to keep her safe while she kicks some ass.

“What are you thinking about?” I ask as I wrap my arms around her from behind.

My palms find the perfect place on her hips. I can’t describe how damn good it feels to have her in my arms. I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since the night of the charity event, and I’ve thought of a million different scenarios that would allow me to touch her again.

This isn’t one I thought about. I may still be livid at Moore for daring to touch her, but I won’t waste this moment, and I won’t taint it by letting him have any part of our time together.

“I want this to be over. I want to go back to before I made the stupid decision to hitch myself to Elliott. Ugh, why? Why did I do this to myself?”

She turns in my arms, exasperation etching her face. I reach up and lift her chin so I can see her eyes better. “Don’t do that to yourself. You never could’ve known it would turn out this way.”

She laughs, but it isn’t at all amused. It’s self-deprecating. “Really? Really? I couldn’t have predicted that marrying a man in a business deal wouldn’t end in fucking roses, sunshine, and happily ever after?”

The fire I’m so used to reignites in her eyes.

I shrug one shoulder. “You thought he was a good guy. Your dad loved him, and I think you must have thought that one day you could love him, too.”

Her eyebrows pull together in concentration. “I should’ve known better. I should’ve known I don’t get to have that.”

“Why would you say that? You deserve to be happy just like anyone else.” I don’t understand what she’s saying. It makes no sense. Jade deserves to be happy and to be loved as much as anyone I know. She does so much for people without them knowing. She doesn’t want the praise or some stupid plaque to hang in her office for her charitable donations.

What she does for other people comes from the purest of places. Her heart.

After the charity event, I did some research of my own. It bugged the shit out of me that I didn’t know why she was there, and frankly, I was surprised that she was. What I found shouldn’t have shocked me, but it did.

Jade Foster is one of the most influential women on the west coast for sponsoring and bringing awareness to domestic violence, homelessness, mental illness, and child warfare. It wasn’t easy to find this information because she’s done a damn good job remaining anonymous.

She doesn’t do it for fame or recognition. She uses her power and status to pull the puppet strings of some of the biggest players in the US to help the people who need it the most. It’s so awe inspiring and so damn admirable that I feel like a mere mortal standing in her presence, and she doesn’t even know I know her secret.

She shrugs one shoulder, mirroring mine just moments before. “I don’t want that. I don’t want to be devasted the same way my father was when my mom died. I won’t allow myself to fall apart like that. I have too much to do to let that happen.”

One of the many missing puzzle pieces in figuring out Jade Foster falls into place, and it makes me like her even more.

“What if it doesn’t end in heartbreak and tragedy? What if it ends with a love so pure and all-encompassing that you don’t know where it ends and you begin?”

Her eyes widen as they search my face. “There are no guarantees in life.”

“Exactly, so why not risk it all?” I ask as I lean down and capture her lips with mine.

She instantly melts into me, her hands come up to fist my shirt. She pulls me against her chest, and I go with no hesitation. Not anymore, not with her.

She moans as I deepen the kiss. Our tongues dance together, each tangling for dominance. My right hand runs up the back of her loose t-shirt and skates across her spine at a tantalizingly slow pace. I want to take my time with her tonight. Our first time was rushed and frantic, each of us chasing a fix that only the other could give.

She breaks our kiss and tilts her head back, effectively pushing her breasts into my line of sight. I quickly lean down and suck her left nipple into my mouth through the thin t-shirt. She doesn’t have a bra on, so my contact instantly pebbles her tight bud. She reaches up to run her fingers along the back of my neck.

“Just like that. Make me forget about all of it, Colin, just for one night.”

I pinch and pull on one nipple as I suck on the other one before releasing it with an audible pop.

“You can forget for tonight, but come tomorrow, we’re getting rid of your fucking fiancé for good,” I growl, and I mean every damn word.

“You better mean that because I can’t stand the thought of marrying a man so vile.” Her tone is solemn, almost as though she’s picturing the whole sordid event in her head as we speak.

“I promise I won’t let it come to that. You’ll marry Elliott Moore over my dead body.”

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