Act Like You Love Me (Jessica) novel Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Jessica’s POV

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I stood there frozen for a beat, my pulse thundering, before hurrying after him, my bare feet silent on the carpet.

When we reached his car, he did something shocking-he opened the door for me.

“Thank you,” I whispered, sliding into the leather interior.

I watched him round the hood of the car, my eyes glued to him through the glass. He moved with that same effortless, broad-shouldered confidence that used to pull me in like a magnet.

The second he climbed into the driver’s seat, the air in the car got swallowed by his presence.

Being trapped in that small space with him amplified everything: the faint, expensive scent of his skin, the heat coming off him, and the low, steady vibration of the engine as he brought it to life.

I tried to look away, but watching him drive was like a sensory assault. The way his hands controlled the steering wheel, the sharp focus in his profile… it set my skin on fire.

Jess, get it together, I hissed at myself. He is not a good man. But my heart wasn’t listening.

“Your address?” he asked, his eyes fixed on the road.

Without thinking, I blurted out the name of the street over from mine. It was a knee-jerk lie, a desperate attempt to keep a buffer between his world and the one I’d built.

If he knew where I actually lived, he was one step closer to stumbling upon Adrian, and that was a risk I couldn’t take.

To my surprise, he chuckled. It was a low, knowing sound that sent a flutter through my chest.

I turned to meet his eyes, and they held amusement-or so I thought.

“Jessica, I’m not a stranger,” he pointed out, raising a brow. “I won’t swing by your house to kidnap you or cause you harm.”

His tone was light, but probing, like he saw right through me.

My cheeks turned a deep shade of scarlet. How did he know I was lying?

“It’s not that…”

“Then what?” he asked quietly.

If I told him the truth-that the real reason was a six-year-old boy with his exact eyes-the world would end right here in this car.

I swallowed hard and forced out the correct address, praying that he wouldn’t decide to show up on my doorstep on a whim.

He deserved to meet his son, but not yet. I needed to figure things out first. I needed to know if Fiona was still in the picture, or if there was some other woman occupying the space I have always wished to hold in his life.

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As much as it killed me to think about, if there was someone else, I’d have to vet her myself.

I wouldn’t let just anyone into my son’s life; I had to ensure she was safe before I ever let him near our world.

The rest of the drive was a heavy, suffocating silence. The rain had tapered off, leaving the pavement glistening like oil under the passing streetlights, but the tension inside the car was thicker than the fog outside.

14:17 Mon, Jan 12 RS

Chapter 75

I kept stealing glances at him, and wondered why he wasn’t addressing the elephant crammed between us.

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Why wasn’t he demanding answers? I wanted him to yell, to interrogate me, to do anything other than sit there in that suffocating, terrifying calm.

My subconscious urged me to break the ice, to ask about Fiona, but I was terrified that if I started asking questions, I wouldn’t be able to handle the answers.

Finally, we pulled up to my building. The engine idled with a low, rhythmic hum that vibrated in my chest.

I unbuckled my seatbelt in slow motion, the clicking sound feeling unnervingly loud in the cramped space.

When I finally worked up the nerve to turn toward him, he was already watching me.

The world outside the glass vanished. It was just us, trapped in the shadows of the car.

A sliver of moonlight filtered through the windshield, catching his eyes and turning his brown irises into something like polished amber.

I could see the tiny flecks of gold I used to obsess over, glowing in the dark.

For a heartbeat, the Iron hold was gone. I saw the depths I’d once drowned in; a flash of that old warmth, a flicker of the passion that used to be mine.

It was a look that made me feel completely, terrifyingly seen.

My heart ached with a sudden, sharp realization: God, I’d missed him. I’d missed this magnetic pull, this silent language we spoke that six years and a thousand secrets hadn’t managed to erase.

“Thank you… sir,” I whispered into the silence. My voice sounded thin, fragile, like it might break if I spoke any louder.

He didn’t answer. He just kept staring, his gaze dropping to my lips for a heartbeat-a look so heavy I could almost feel it. I swallowed hard, my throat dry as the Sahara.

“Good night, Miss Reid.” He leaned back, breaking the spell.

I cleared my throat, trying to find my professional footing. “Good night.”

I reached for the door, but just as I pulled the handle, his voice stopped me cold. “Jessica.”

I froze, my hand still gripped around the lever. I slowly turned back to look at him.

“Don’t be late again,” he said. He wasn’t looking at me anymore; he was staring straight through the windshield, his profile back to being made of stone.

“I don’t tolerate tardiness.”

A fresh wave of heat climbed up my neck.

“I understand,” I muttered, then stepped out into the cool night air.

He didn’t leave immediately. I could feel the rumble of the engine through the pavement, a steady vibration under my feet as he waited for me to reach the safety of the lobby.

The moment I cleared the glass doors, I heard the aggressive roar of the engine and the car piercing screech of tires as he tore away into the night.

The elevator doors hissed shut, and I finally let out the breath I’d been holding since the office.

14:17 Mon, Jan 12

Chapter 75

Heaned my head against the cool metal wall, my legs finally giving out and turning to jelly.

What the hell was I doing?

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