About giving her everything.
Chapter 9
JAZZ TREMBLEDbeneath him, her fingers skimming over his back, and he felt her pause for just a second—like she wanted to speak. Like she wanted to break the silence betweenthem.
Her breath hitched, her fingers tightening against his skin, hesitation flickering in the way she held herself, in the way her body froze beneath him. He could almost hear the words forming in her mind, the questions, the doubts, the fragmented pieces of trust that hadn’t yet settled back into place.
He knew if she spoke now, it would be a plea or a demand, something he couldn’t answer, not with words. And he couldn’t let that happen. Not now, notwhen he was already losing her, not when everything between them felt like it was balanced on the edge of a blade.
So he kissed her before she could speak, before the heaviness of what was unspoken crushed them both. Because he knew what she was about to ask, could see it in the way her lips parted, in the tremble in her breath.
Do I even matter to you? Was this all alie?
The words hovered between them, achasm he couldn’t let her cross. Not yet. Not when she wouldn’t believe the answer. So he silenced her with his mouth, with his hands, with the only truth he could give her right now—this, them, the way she melted against him even when she didn’t trust him anymore.
He poured everything into that kiss—every silent apology, every unspoken promise, every raw, desperate need to keep her close. And when she melted against him, when she let go of whatever she’d been about to say and kissed him back just as fiercely, he knew this was all they hadtonight.
And she let itgo.
She let go of all the questions, all the doubt, all the hurt, and simplyfelt.
They moved together, slow and desperate, every touch a silent plea, ademand, an unspoken question neither of them dared voice aloud. Each brush of his hands against her skin, each answering press of her body against his, was a battle waged between fury and longing, between betrayal and need. The air around them was thick with heat, with tension, with something deeper than lust—something neither of them could name, yet both felt like a force threatening to consume them whole.
He traced his lips over the curve of her throat, drinking in the sharp inhale she couldn’t contain, the way her fingers dug into his back, holding him there, indulging herself in him even when everything else felt unsteady. She met him with equal force, her touch both demanding and hesitant, as if searching for an answer she wasn’t ready tohear.
But this wasn’t about answers.Not tonight.
It was the quiet surrender in the way their mouths met, the pleading in every unspoken touch, the fire in every lingering press of their bodies. They weren’t just seeking pleasure; they were clinging to each other, trying to rewrite the fractures in their foundation with every gasp, every whispered name, every shuddering breath. And maybe, just maybe, it was enough to keep them from breaking. To hold them together for one more night, before reality came crashingdown.
When she shattered, she took him withher.
And for the first time all night, the silence between them wasn’t empty.
It waseverything.
THE BEDfelt cold when Jazz wokeup.
Titus was gone.
She stretched beneath the sheets, breathing deeply, catching the faintest trace of his scent lingering on the pillows. Normally, she would savor the warmth, the residual comfort of his presence, but this morning, her mind was too full. Last night’s conversation with Vex echoed in her thoughts, twisting around her like acrid smoke, refusing to dissipate.
She pressed a hand to her stomach, her palm resting over the tiny life growing inside her, the secret she hadn’t yet found the courage to share. The weight of it was different today—heavier, somehow. Not because she doubted the baby’s place in her life, but because she now understood the forces pressing in aroundthem.
Vex was pulling Titus into something illegal. She had known he wasn’t innocent, that he’d built his empire with cunning and pure ambition, but last night made it real. And now, she wasn’t just his wife—she was carrying his child. Achild that would be born into his world whether sheliked it ornot.
Her fingers slid across her abdomen, as if she could shield the baby from everything outside this room. As if she could keep them both safe by sheer will alone. But the world didn’t work thatway.
Power moved in shadows, shaping futures before anyone had a say in them. Hadn’t Titus confirmed that love didn’t protect people in his world, power did? And now, she carried a future she hadn’t yet told Titus about, afuture that others—like Vex, like the Feds—would see as leverage rather thanlife.
That thought made her throat tighten. No, she couldn’t shield this baby from the world. But she could fight forit.
Exhaling slowly, she sat up, running a hand through her hair as she tried to shake off the heaviness pressing against her chest. She had barely slept, her mind tangled in the conflicting emotions of what she knew, what she feared, and what she had to face. Dwelling on it wouldn’t change anything, but ignoring it wouldn’t either. She neededto focus, to take one step forward at a time, even if she wasn’t sure where it wouldlead.
She had a doctor’s appointment. And she didn’t want anyone to know where she was going.
Entering the bathroom, Jazz stepped into the shower, letting the warm water wash away the tension clinging to her skin. She took her time, massaging shampoo through her hair, breathing in the clean scent of lavender and citrus. The heat helped loosen the tightness in her chest, but it couldn’t clear the thoughts swirling in herhead.
By the time she stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, she felt a little steadier. Not much, but enough to remind herself that she could take charge of something, even if it was just the rhythm of her breathing, the warmth of the steam clinging to herskin.
