Chapter 41
[ 475 words ]
Chapter 41:
Mrs. Thompson stood up, placing her hands on her hips, shooting Caroline a look that clearly said stop ruining this.
“Don’t be ridiculous, Caroline,” her mother scolded, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. “You are legally married. Jarrod is your husband. He will obviously sleep in your room.”
Caroline felt the blood drain from her face. Her heart slammed against her ribs like a trapped bird. “My bed is a twin-size! It’s tiny! And his arm is injured. He won’t fit, he’ll be miserable.”
Jarrod, still sitting on the floor, looked up at her. His gray eyes were dark and gleaming with a predatory amusement. He didn’t look miserable at all.
He planted his left hand on the carpet and fluidly pushed himself up to his full, towering height. He looked down at Caroline, his lips curving into a faint, dangerous smirk.
“I am a soldier, Caroline,” Jarrod said smoothly, his deep voice filling the room. “I’ve slept in trenches and Blackhawk helicopters. I assure you, I don’t mind a small bed. As long as I’m out of the rain.”
𝖱𝖾𝘢d 𝗼ո 𝖺n𝗒 d𝗲vі𝖼e 𝗼𝗻 𝗴𝘢𝗅ո𝗈𝗏𝗲𝗅𝗌.𝘤o𝗆
Caroline’s jaw clenched so hard her teeth ached. He was doing this on purpose. He was using her mother’s greed to corner her.
She spun around and marched toward the hallway closet. She yanked the door open, grabbed a thick, heavy winter quilt and a spare pillow, and marched back into the living room.
She threw the bedding onto the sofa with a loud, aggressive thud.
She pointed a shaking finger at the cushions. “Fine. You’re staying. But you are sleeping right here. On the sofa. This is your designated perimeter.”
Mrs. Thompson gasped, scandalized. “Caroline Thompson! You will not treat your husband like a stray dog—”
“It’s perfectly fine, Mrs. Thompson,” Jarrod interrupted. His voice was the picture of polite, aristocratic grace. He offered his mother-in-law a charming smile. “I respect Caroline’s boundaries. The sofa is more than adequate. Thank you for your hospitality.”
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson exchanged a look. It was a look filled with the smug, knowing amusement of older people watching young lovers play hard to get.
“Well,” Mr. Thompson chuckled, patting Jarrod on the shoulder. “If you’re sure. We’ll leave you two to… settle in. Goodnight, Jarrod.”
“Goodnight, sir,” Jarrod replied.
Her parents disappeared down the hallway, the door to their master bedroom clicking shut.
The living room was suddenly dead silent, save for the violent drumming of the rain against the windows.
Caroline let out a long, shaky breath. She glared at Jarrod, her chest heaving. “Don’t move from that spot,” she warned him, her voice a harsh whisper.
She turned on her heel and walked rapidly down the short hallway toward her bedroom at the back of the house.
She reached her door, stepped inside, and grabbed the handle to pull it shut.
A large, calloused hand suddenly clamped onto the edge of the door, stopping it dead.
Caroline gasped, stumbling backward.
.
.
.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.