And I Love Her (15 page)

My eyes widened.
How did she know?

She smiled at my look of surprise.
“Yes, I know everything. It’s a perk of being filthy rich and famous.”

“At least you’re humble about it.”

She tapped her foot and waited.

I opened the
door wider and let her enter. “What?”

“Are you going to offer me a refreshment first?”

“No, you aren’t a guest.”

She moved to the couch and sat down. “I’ll take a glass of wine. You know what I like.”

I hated this bitch.
I did as she asked so I could get rid of her quicker.

“What?” I said when I sat beside her.

“Have you considered my proposition?”

Was she talking about the marriage? That wouldn’t make sense if she knew I was engaged. “What proposition?”

“Are you going to marry me or not?” she said bluntly.

“Fuck no. I’m marrying someone else.”

She rolled her eyes. “It’s common knowledge that’s a scam. I’m a better partner.”

“As I’ve learned from experience…”

“Cash, I’m sorry about all that. I really am. But let’s move on.”

“Let’s. Now get the hell out.”

Sharon didn’t move. “Don’t marry her, Cash. I’m a more logical choice. The two of us would have an unbreakable empire. We would be the biggest power couple in the country. No one could touch us.”

“I don’t care about that. And I’m not worried about my career. Besides, Prudence is going to be huge. She’s the more logical choice.”

“But you’ll divorce.”

How the fuck did she know that?
“No, we won’t. We’re in love.”

“Cash, it’s me.” She stared me down. “I know that’s not happening.”

“I love her with my whole heart. Even if I didn’t, I wouldn’t marry you, Sharon. This conversation is over.”

She leaned back on the couch, getting comfortable. “No. I don’t accept that.”

“That’s too bad.”

“It’s going to ruin your reputation if you get divorced twice.”

“I ruined my reputation when I married you.”

Sharon smiled then sipped her wine. “Your plan isn’t going to work. Everyone in the business knows what you’re doing. You’re just marrying her so she can stay in the country. What will you do when they realize it?”

“We’ll deal with that when it happens.”

“I’m glad you’re finally admitting it. It’s clear she doesn’t love you.”

What the hell was her problem?
“You don’t even know her.”

“I’ve seen you together. She doesn’t love you, Cash. Everyone is going to see right through that.”

There were times when I doubted that. “Maybe things will change when we’re married.”

She gave me a sympathetic look. “Cash…”

I didn’t look at her. If I did, I might hit her.

“What you are doing is really sweet. I can tell you really care about her.”

Well, that was a nice change. “She’s worked too hard to lose her music career. I know she’s going to be huge and I can’t let that be destroyed.”

She took out her phone and played with it for a moment. Then she returned it to her pocket. “Cash, end the arrangement now. I need you to marry me.”

“Why?”

“I already explained why.”

“Get someone else to do it. The idea of being with you makes me physically sick.”

She didn’t look offended. In fact, my words washed right over her. “End the relationship or I’ll end it for you.”

Excuse me? Was she threatening me now?
“What the fuck does that mean?”

She picked up her phone then pressed a button. Our conversation played on
loud speaker. When I realized the direction of this conversation, I snatched it away. “Break it. I don’t care. It’s a digital file and it’s been sent to many drives.”

I crushed the phone under my heel just because I was angry.

“End it with her, or I’ll release this to all the right people.”

“And what would that accomplish?” I asked. “I’ll be thrown in jail.”

“Which is why I’m giving you the opportunity first.”

“No. I won’t do it.” I didn’t think this psycho bitch was bluffing but I didn’t care. I wasn’t leaving Prudence for any reason.

“We’ll see about that.”

This girl was getting crazier and crazier. “Even if you leaked that to immigration, and I was throw in jail then released, I still wouldn’t marry you. This accomplishes nothing.”

“What if I told you I could make her problem go away?”

Now what was up her sleeve? “What are you saying?”

“I have friends in high places. And let’s be real, people are star stuck by me. One visit to my good friend would make all this go away. And Clark wouldn’t be a problem anymore.”

I knew there was a catch. There was always a catch.

“I’ll do that for her, give you my word, if you leave her and marry me. If you don’t, I’ll leak this to the press.”

Fucking bitch.

“What’s it going to be, Cash?”

My immediate answer was no. I didn’t want to be anywhere near this woman. But I thought of Prudence. It was best for her if I gave in to the blackmail. And she was always the first thing on my mind. I couldn’t care less what happened to me as long as she got what she wanted. But I couldn’t make this decision right now. “Can I think about it?”

She sipped her wine. “Take all the time you need.”

Chapter Seventeen

♬

Prudence Clearwater

When Dean and I had lunch, I told him about the entire trip and how I was falling further in love with my fiancé. I detailed all the sex we had,
how he was always there for me, and how me meant everything to me.

Dean listened to the entire story but didn’t comment. He ate his fries then sipped his shake. I realized how pathetic I was just from hearing myself talk. “This is just getting ridiculous.”

“I know…” I covered my face with my hands. “What’s wrong with me?”

“No. What’s wrong with both of you?”

Huh?

“He’s totally in love with you, Pru. And what makes it worse is you’re in love with him.”

“He’s not in love with me…”

“Are you blind?” he snapped. “How have you two been doing this for so long and haven’t discussed it? What about always being honest?”

“We are honest. We never lie to each other.”

“Marrying him without telling him you love him sounds like lying.”

“It’s not that simple…”

Dean glared at me. “Pru, go home right now and tell how you feel.”

“But he—”

“Shut up.”

Wow. He never spoke to me like that.

“You need to tell him how you feel. I’ve never heard of a relationship like this. If you hadn’t told me you weren’t together, I would have assumed you were soul mates. Love like this doesn’t happen. I didn’t even have that with my wife. Your concern and love for one another is blatantly obvious. How neit
her one of you noticed is beyound my comprehension. But you need to clear the air.”

“And if he doesn’t feel the same way…?”

“That’s unfortunate, but I sincerely doubt it.” He locked his gaze with mine. “But you’re going to lose a lot more if you don’t say anything at all. Prudence, think about it.”

When I replayed our relationship in my mind, I did notice the odd connection we had. There were times when he looked at me and I swore he loved me. Every kiss, every night we made love, everything was perfect. Was that normal? Could he really not feel something more for me?

Dean kept pushing. “Prudence, do it.”

“I’m scared…”

“Stop being a pussy and do it.”

I laughed. “Thanks.”

“I’m being serious. And if Cash loves you, he’s a pussy too.” He opened his wallet and put the cash on the table. “I’m taking you home now. You’re going to put yourself out there and tell him how you feel.”

“Wait.” What if I wasn’t ready for that? After everything I’d been through, I wasn’t sure if I could love someone else without being scared. If Cash betrayed me, I’d never recover. Not in addition to everything else.

Dean read my mind. “Prudence, don’t be scared.”

Easier said than done.

“You’re ready.”

If I was going to be with anyone in the world, it was Cash. He understood me better than anyone else. From the moment we met, the chemistry was there. And the longer we got to know one another, the more I trusted him. Now he was the man I ran to for everything. “Okay.”

Dean smiled. “Let’s go.”

♫

When we stopped in front of the house, I saw a car I didn’t recognize. But I doubt Cash was having anyone over.

Dean waited for me to get out. “Go.”

I stared at the house then took a deep breath. “Okay.”

“I know it’s going to go well.”

“I sincerely hope you’re right.”

I left the door then slowly walked to the front door. I’ve never been so scared in my life. He could reject me and tell me the wedding was off. Or I could get everything I’ve always wanted.

I put the keys in the door then accidently dropped them. My hands were so shaky. When they landed on my foot, I cursed. I shouldn’t have worn sandals today. When I finally put myself back together, I reinserted the keys then got the door open.

When I stepped into the living room, a woman was lying on Cash and kissing him. Shock flooded through my veins at the sight. Adrenaline made my heart work in overtime and the blood pounded in my ears. And my eyes automatically coated with tears.

Cash pushed her off then threw her on the ground. But it was too late. I already caught him. This couldn’t be happening. He betrayed me. He lied to me. My worst fear was happening…

“Fuck off, Sh
aron!” Cash jumped over the Couch then rushed to me. “Baby, it’s not how it looks.”

Automatically, I stepped back.

His eyes widened when he watched me. “No. Let me explain.”

I couldn’t stop myself fro
m crying. “Cash…how could you do this to me?”

“No.” He grabbed my shoulders and pinned me to the wall. “It’s not how it looks. That fucking bitch is a psycho and she’s trying to blackmail me.”

Sharon knocked over a glass of wine as she stood up. “So much for being alone for a few hours.”

Cash didn’t look at her. “Don’t listen to her.”

Sharon grabbed her purse then walked to the front door. “Call me next time she’s not around.” She opened the door then peered at him one more time. “Let me know what you decide.” She finally shut the door and left.

After the shocked passed, anger emerged. I pushed him as hard as I could. “Fuck you, Cash. I should have known you were a fucking asshole.”

He stumbled back but got his footing.

I sprinted upstairs and headed for the bedroom. Now I felt so stupid for thinking about tell
ing him the truth. That would have been so humiliating. Dean was a poor judge of character. I was too clouded in my obsession for Cash to see the real man underneath.

Cash came behind me then followed me inside. When I grabbed my suitcase, he pulled it away then pushed me on the bed. He used all his weight to hold me down. I kicked and I screamed for him to get off me.

“No. You ran out on me last time. I’m not letting you get away without hearing the truth.”

“Cash, let me go,” I snapped.

“I will when I’m done.” He pinned my wrists down. “Sharon came to see me a while ago. She returned all the money she took in the divorce then asked me to marry her. She said she wants a powerful husband that can protect her. Obviously, I told her to fuck herself.

“Then
she came over here and asked me again. When I told her I was marrying you, she recorded everything I said about the fake marriage and threatened to give it to the immigration department if I refused. She said if I agreed, she knows someone that can get you citizenship without getting married.” He stared down at me as he caught his breath. “She kissed me just to break us up and get her way.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?”

His eyes glowed with annoyance. “Because I wouldn’t lie to you.”

I couldn’t get the image of them kissing out of my head.

Cash read my mind. “It lasted for a second. And why would I kiss the woman who destroyed me? That’s like you kissing Isaac. It makes no sense.”

That calmed me down a little bit.

Cash loosened his hold. “Are you going to run?”

“No. But I’m still upset.”

He released my hands but stayed on top of me. His hand moved into my hair. “Baby, I’m not lying.”

“I believe you…I think.”

He kissed me gently but the kiss wasn’t the same. I kept thinking about Sharon. I turned my face away.

Cash looked wounded.
“What are we going to do?”

What did he mean? He actually considered going back to Sharon? Even after I refused to give in to Gavin?
That hurt…He didn’t even want to get married anymore. God, I was so stupid for thinking there was ever a possibility that he loved me. “What do you want to do?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

We were just going in circles. “I guess you can just go back to your ex and try the marriage a second time. And I’d be a citizen.”

Cash said nothing for a long time. “Is that what you want?”

“I don’t know. What else are we going to do?”
It’s not like you give a damn anyway.
I moved from underneath him then sat at the edge of the bed. I couldn’t look at him.

“We could take our chances and hope that tape doesn’t have any weight. I could use all the evidence in my divorce to prove she’s trying to ruin my life.”

I shrugged. “Whatever.”

“Whatever?” His voice became angry. “I’m trying to do what’s best for you so why don’t you decide?”

“No! You’re the one making out with your ex, so you decide!”

His eyes widened. “I wasn’t making out with her. She jumped on me.”

“And you weigh two hundred pounds. You couldn’t just push her off?” I rolled my eyes.

“It happened so quickly, I couldn’t process it.” He glared at me. “I would never cheat on you, Prudence. That isn’t my style. After being the recipient of a cheating partner, I’d never do that to you.”

I stood up and paced to the other side of the room. I wasn’t sure why I was so mad. I guess I was just humiliated.

“Prudence, we need to make a decision. This is serious.”

“Sounds like you already made it.”

Cash left the bed then pushed me against the wall. “What do you want to
do? Do you want her to get you off the hook, or do you want to go through with the marriage and hope for the best?” He waited for me to answer.

I didn’t know what to do. Now we had Gavin
and his ex to worry about. All the odds were against us. I could have just given into Gavin but I didn’t. I couldn’t stand the idea of being with anyone besides Cash. He didn’t feel the same way? He could easily marry her? Then his marriage to me didn’t mean anything. And if he did end up with Sharon, I got my citizenship. I don’t know. I don’t know.

“Prudence?” He still held me down. “What do you want?”

I want you to love me.

My entire world had fallen apart. I was losing Cash a year before I expected to. “It’s up to you.”

“No.” He squeezed my wrists. “You have to decide. I’ll do whatever you ask of me. It’s your career on the line.”

“You’re okay with marrying her?” I couldn’t keep the emotion out of my voice.

“I’d do anything for you, baby. Even that.”

“Is that a yes?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

I felt my heart explode. That was the last thing I wanted. My world suddenly ended. “Okay…”

“So…that’s what you want?”

“If that’s what you want.”

He lowered his hands. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”