Chapter 128
[ 520 words ]
Chapter 128:
“As long as you stand with me, any baseless suspicions cannot hurt you,” Jarrod murmured, his tone steady and protective. “As for the details of our relationship, I will handle the narrative. You just need to exist beside me.”
Caroline’s heart skipped a beat. Her lungs constricted. The absolute confidence in his voice was both a comfort and a cage. Was he just being arrogant, or did he know there was something to hide?
She decided to test the waters.
“If they dig too deep,” Caroline said carefully, “they might misinterpret certain… connections.”
Jarrod shook his head. He reached across the center console. His massive, calloused hand closed firmly over her freezing fingers resting on her lap. The sudden, burning heat of his skin sent a jolt of electricity straight up her arm.
“As long as we present a united front,” Jarrod said, his thumb slowly stroking the back of her hand, “any anomalies can be buried under the excuse of my influence. I will handle the fallout.”
He squeezed her hand. His grip was an anchor.
𝘚𝘵𝗈𝗋𝗶e𝗌 𝗒𝘰𝘂 𝘸о𝘯’𝘁 р𝘂t 𝖽o𝘸𝘯 о𝘯 𝗴𝗮𝘭ո𝘰𝘷е𝘭𝘴.c𝗼𝘮
“Tonight was a total victory,” Jarrod declared, his voice vibrating with absolute authority. “You forced them to swallow your title. You are Mrs. Romero now. You are no longer a target they can quietly eliminate. You are a permanent fixture in my life.”
Caroline stared at their joined hands. She tried to pull her fingers away, but his grip was like iron.
“So what is the next step?” Caroline asked, her voice trembling slightly.
“Consolidation,” Jarrod replied instantly. “We force them to look at you until they accept it. We integrate our lives.”
He tilted his head. The hard, military edge in his eyes melted into something entirely different. A dark, teasing light flickered in his gaze.
“Earlier tonight,” Jarrod said, his voice turning incredibly husky, “you told me to ‘stand down’ because you had the situation under control. Does that mean you’re planning to take charge of everything now?”
Caroline blinked, completely caught off guard by the sudden shift in tone. The heat rushed to her cheeks as she remembered her bold command in the hall.
“If ‘taking charge’ means I have to keep you from walking into political traps,” Caroline shot back, her chin lifting defensively, “then yes, maybe I am.”
A deep, magnetic laugh rumbled in Jarrod’s chest.
“I’ll hold you to that,” Jarrod murmured, leaning slightly closer. “You can start by taking charge of my actual life. You can organize my schedule. You can dictate what I eat. You can pick out my suits.”
His eyes dropped to the plunging neckline of her velvet dress.
“You can take charge of my wardrobe,” Jarrod whispered, the raw sexual tension suddenly spiking in the confined space.
The mechanical hum of the privacy partition stopped with a heavy, definitive click.
The rear cabin of the SUV was instantly transformed into a sealed, soundproof vault. The air inside grew incredibly thick, charged with a heavy, suffocating tension.
Caroline was sprawled awkwardly across Jarrod’s lap. Her cheek was pressed flat against the lapel of his suit jacket. She could smell the sharp, intoxicating scent of cedarwood mixed with the faint, metallic tang of adrenaline radiating from his skin.
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