Vesper’s POV
Kissing Jaxon Laurent was a catastrophic mistake; he went all in hungrily holding my face, and I wanted to tell him not to stop.
Because the second it ended, I forgot my own name for approximately three business seconds.
Meanwhile, Jaxon looked completely unaffected.
He stood in front of me with one hand still resting against my waist, his expression lazy and smug.
“That,” he murmured softly, licked his lips, “….didn’t feel fake.”
Heat rushed violently into my face.
I stepped back immediately.
“It was a rehearsal,” I said too quickly.
Jaxon’s mouth twitched.
“Sure thing, Chaos.”
Chaos?
What’s that name again?
I grabbed my laptop and forced myself to focus on work before I completely lost control.
“We need to move fast,” I muttered, opening media tabs at once.
“The longer the silence lasts, the worse the narrative becomes.”
Jaxon remained where he was, watching me intensely.
Sports blogs had already started spinning theories:
JAXON LAURENT’S SECRET AFFAIR EXPOSED?
WHO IS THE WOMAN LEAVING HIS HOTEL ROOM?
HOCKEY BAD BOY CAUGHT CHEATING?
Perfect.
Exactly what I needed while fighting for custody of a grieving child.
“We need a counter-narrative immediately.
Relationship confirmation.
Public appearances.
Controlled media exposure.” I looked up at him.
“I’m arranging candid photos.”
Jaxon finally moved, slow and unhurried, like the room naturally belonged to him.
“Candid?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
”You realize candid photos are usually accidental.”
”Nothing involving celebrity scandals is accidental.”
A low laugh escaped him.
“You’re terrifying.”
”I’m efficient, and you’re careless!”
”No, sweetheart.
You orchestrate emotional warfare for a living.”
I pointed toward the couch.
“Sit.”
Instead, he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms.
“Are we being bossy again?”
”And you’re stalling, Jaxon.
Can you please stop being talkative for once?”
”I’m enjoying the view, and of course, I can be your good boy if I’m treated well.”
My pulse betrayed me instantly.
I swallowed at the way he said that.
I focused back on my screen before he noticed.
Unfortunately, Jaxon noticed everything.
Before I could think too hard about it, my assistant Sofia called.
I answered immediately. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Tell me something useful before I develop a stress ulcer.”
”Too late, Vesper,” she said quickly.
“The internet is losing its mind.
Somebody got footage of you and Jaxon outside the hotel, and now fans are making breakup timelines.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
“Wow, that’s great news.”
”It gets worse.”
”Of course it does.”
”One sports account posted side-by-side photos comparing all the women Jaxon’s been linked to.”
I looked up slowly at the man currently stealing strawberries from room service like he wasn’t the center of my psychological collapse.
“How many women exactly?”
Jaxon grinned immediately.
“You sound jealous.”
”I sound employed.”
Sofia snorted loudly through the phone.
“Focus,” I warned.
“The point is,” she continued quickly, “…if you two don’t control this soon, people are going to assume he cheated.”
My stomach tightened instantly because the court would assume it too.
I ended the call and looked directly at Jaxon.
“We go public tonight.”
He looked entirely too pleased by that.
“Already?
Damn.
Most women at least wait until the third date before publicly claiming me, you really like me that much, don’t you?”
”You are not a reward; I’m saving myself from your mess.”
”That’s not what Twitter thinks.”
I walked toward him and shoved my phone into his chest hard enough to wipe the smirk off his face.
“Read the comments.”
Jaxon glanced lazily at the screen before his expression darkened slightly.
Because now the comments weren’t only attacking him.
They were attacking me, too.
“Gold digger.”
”Homewrecker.”
”Attention seeker.”
One comment had already connected my name to the custody hearing.
My throat tightened painfully, and I reached for the phone immediately, but Jaxon caught my wrist before I could take it back.
His grip wasn’t rough.
Just firm enough to stop me.
“You shouldn’t read things like this,” he said quietly.
I laughed once under my breath.
“That’s adorable considering this is literally my profession.”
His eyes stayed on mine for a second too long.
“You shouldn’t have to survive this alone either…I wasn’t expecting that to happen, especially to you.”
The words hit me unexpectedly hard.
Before I could respond, he released my wrist and leaned back again like he hadn’t just destabilized my emotional balance.
Infuriating man.
An hour later, we were seated in a private corner of one of the city’s most expensive restaurants while photographers conveniently pretended not to watch us through the windows.
Meaning my setup worked perfectly.
Unfortunately, Jaxon was ruining the professionalism of the operation.
“Stop touching me,” I hissed under my breath when his hand settled possessively against my thigh beneath the table.
“You told me to look convincing.”
”You’re overacting.”
“You are enjoying this way too much.”
”You blush every time I touch you.
Obviously, I’m enjoying this.”
I nearly choked on my water.
Across from me, Jaxon looked entirely too satisfied with himself.
The worst part?
He wasn’t wrong.
Every time he touched me, my body reacted before my brain could catch up.
A hand on my waist.
Fingers brushing mine.
His thumb was tracing absent circles against my skin while talking.
None of it felt fake, and that was the dangerous part.
I reached for my wine mostly to avoid looking at him, but that’s a mistake.
Jaxon’s eyes followed the movement slowly before dropping briefly to my mouth.
Heat crawled instantly up my neck.
“Jesus Christ, Jaxon,” I muttered.
“What?”
”You look at me like you’re planning crimes.”
His mouth curved slightly.
“Depends what kind.”
I should’ve rolled my eyes, but instead, my pulse sped up stupidly again.
Outside the restaurant, camera flashes exploded suddenly.
More paparazzi had arrived.
“Great,” I muttered.
“The vultures multiplied.”
I straightened automatically, preparing to perform again, but before I could move, Jaxon reached across the table and caught my hand.
The touch stilled me instantly.
When I looked up, his teasing expression was gone completely.
“Breathe,” he said softly.
The concern in his voice caught me off guard.
“I am breathing.”
”No,” he murmured, thumb brushing lightly across my knuckles, “….you’re spiraling.”
Something in my chest twisted painfully because he was right.
I was spiraling, and that’s because Chloe was dead.
Sunny needed me, and the court was already questioning my stability.
And somehow, in the middle of all of it, this dangerously attractive hockey player kept looking at me like he already knew every broken part of me.
It terrified me, but the worst thing was that part of me liked it.
LA camera flash burst brightly outside the window again.
Jaxon’s jaw tightened slightly before he stood.
Then he walked around the table, leaned down close to my ear, and said quietly enough that only I could hear:
”Smile for them, wife.”
My breath caught instantly, not because of the word but because of the way he said it.
Like it already belonged to me.