Page 59 of Boss with Benefits

Forty minutes later, Jessica opened the front door of Brady’s home to another surprise. There was a bottle of champagne chilling on the coffee table with a box of chocolates and a bowl of strawberries nearby. Soft music played in the background. When Brady walked into the room wearing one of his expensive suits, she ran to him and jumped into his arms.

“Guess Jill told you the news, huh?” He spun around with her twice before setting her back on her feet. “I sent Axl home with Bridget. Hope that’s okay.”

“It is more than okay.” She kissed him full on the mouth. “What did Ms. Crawford mean when she said I should be thanking you and not her for Randy backing down?”

He shrugged. “Not important.”

“It’s important to me.”

“Look around you, woman.” He grinned, deepening the dimples in his cheeks. “I went to a lot of effort to make this a night of celebration.”

“I can see that.” She pointed at the champagne. “Do you think champagne is a wise move after what happened last time?”

“You only get half a glass tonight. Just enough for a toast or two.”

She nodded and laughed. “Good idea.”

Brady steered her to the dining room where food from her favorite Chinese restaurant was waiting. He held her chair for her. Then he sat next to her instead of on the opposite side of the table. She thought it was sweet, and she realized Brady had done so many sweet things for her she couldn’t keep track. She should do something nice for him. No. Forget nice. She should do something spectacular to knock his socks off.

“I feel like such an incredible weight has been lifted off my shoulders.” She passed on the chopsticks and used a spoon on her fried rice. “And I really appreciate all you’ve done for me and my little man.”

“You don’t have to keep thanking me.” He looked slightly irritated. “I did it because I wanted to. You are such a good mom, and no one has the right to take your son.”

She nodded in full agreement. “I wish I knew why Randy changed his mind. You didn’t threaten him, did you?”

Brady shook his head, but he didn’t give her a verbal answer.

They ate their dinner in relative silence, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. She didn’t know how he was feeling; she was totally relaxed and at peace. Until they finished their meal...

Brady walked her back to the living room and sat with her on his sectional sofa. He stroked her cheek. Then he said the last thing she expected to hear at a moment like this. “I wanted tonight to be special, because it’s going to be our last night together.”

Her smile froze, and her heart dropped to her stomach. “What? Why?”

“You know why.” He grimaced. “This marriage was for the sole purpose of winning custody of Axl. We did that. So it’s time for us to go our separate ways.”

She blinked rapidly to keep tears from filling her eyes. “What if I don’t want a divorce? What if I don’t want this to be our last night?”

“Jessica, don’t—”

She bolted to her feet. Standing over him while he was still sitting made her feel more in control, more powerful. “Don’t you feel anything for me?” she asked. “Maybe it’s not love yet, but the way you look at me, the way you touch me, you have to feelsomething.”

He refused to look at her now.

Words weren’t necessary.

A surge of anger eased the pain and kept the tears at bay. “You used me,” she said in a voice robbed of breath. “I thought you were different from the other men, the other photographers. Guess the joke is on me.”

He stood with an apologetic expression. “Jess—”

“No. Don’t bother. I thought you gave me a home and a wedding band to save me from losing my son. But you did it so I would keep sleeping with you. This has all been about you getting your way. You wanted the upper-hand. You wanted to be the one to end things.”

He stared at her, lips compressed, and she wanted to physically hit him. She wanted to hurt him like he’d hurt her. What stopped her was the outcome of his long-con. She had her son, and he was all that mattered.

“I’ll be out of here tomorrow,” she said. “It’s your house. If anyone is leaving, it needs to be me.”

He shook his head. “Stay. I’m leaving the country, so I won’t be using the house.”

“Wow.” She scoffed. “You must really want to get away from me if you have to leave the whole damn country.”

---