DARK HEARTS - BILLIONAIRE MARRIAGE CONTRACT ROMANCE

CUSTODY

"What I want is your naked body gracing my silk sheets."

Evelyn turns beat red and completely ignores my comment. She looks down at her fidgeting fingers, unable to entertain my words because Jackson has her backed into a corner.

"Yeah, well... that's the last time that's ever going to happen."

"Fuck you." I regurgitate the words she said to me the first night we slept together. Because I'll be damned if I allow her ex-husband to ruin this for me.

"Excuse me?" Her brow scrunches together in both confusion and offense.

Closing the distance between us, I'm determined to shatter this wall she's put up between us.

"I said Fuck. You."

"I'm leaving." She turns to leave. But I grab her by the wrist to stop her. Determined to make her sit here and listen to me until she gets her head on straight.

"You're not leaving. You're going to stand here and listen to what I have to say until I'm done speaking my peace." I instruct.

Her mouth opens like she's going to protest, but when I quirk my brow at her, as if to say, 'try me', she snaps her mouth shut again. Folding her arms across her chest.

"First off, you pushing me away has fuck all to do with you not wanting this," I motion between the two of us, "and everything to do with that wanker of an ex-husband of yours coming between us." I call her on the lie. "Let's really get to the heart of the matter. Shall we?"

"Elijah is the heart of the matter." She argues.

"Bullocks."

Frowning, she sasses me, "I'm not British. What the hell does that mean?"

"It means bullshit, as you Americans so bluntly put it. You and I both know the reason you're keeping your distance is because that wanker of an ex-husband of yours is using your son like a chess piece." I rip the Band-Aid off the gaping wound I know her relationship with Jackson has inflicted upon her. "You're out of his league, and you always have been. Now that he sees you've moved on to bigger and better things, he's intimidated by the potential of your happiness without him."

Evelyn turns away from me, shaking her head. But I won't back down from this. She needs to hear this.

"You know I'm right."

"It doesn't matter." She replies.

"Of course, it matters." I sigh. "It matters to me. I feel alive for the first time since Stephanie died and I'll be damned if I let you go that easily."

Nor will I listen to another minute of her singing his praises when he doesn't deserve them.

"Will you please just... fix this. Sell his family back their company." She clenches her eyes shut and sighs.

It pains me that he's laying this at her feet instead of facing me like a man.

"I told you... I'm in the business of hostile takeovers. G Technologies included. It's nothing personal... it's just business. But if Jackson or his family ever threatens you again, I will make it personal. And you can tell them I said that."

Evelyn's pleading eyes meet mine. Her stress on display for the world to see, and I hate that her ex-husband and her family has her wound up like this.

"This is my son we're talking about."

"And I would never do anything to hurt that relationship. You have my word."