I don’t even ask where Mr. Marks is taking me. Tears continue to leak down my face as we leave campus behind and speed along the highway. His hand is on my knee as he drives, a comfort in this time of crisis. Immediately, the tension in my heart begins to dissipate. With this man, I’m safe. All we need to do is get to wherever we’re going, and Jordan will make sure everything works out.
Before I know it, I’m standing back in the glass box in the sky, looking out at the city and beyond. The last time I was here, I felt immense happiness, quickly followed by a whole lot of confusion. I can’t believe that was only yesterday – it already feels like a lifetime ago.
“Jimmy isn’t here,” comes Jordan’s deep, gentle voice from behind me, his arms folding around my waist. “It’s just us.” Jordan sits down on the arm of the couch behind him, swiveling me to face him. He looks lovingly into my face, smoothing the tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. He’s so incredibly handsome, even more so when he wears this expression of endless love and patience as he looks at me. I know these emotions are especially for me. After all, Jordan’s the one who told me he’s normally a brute and only I have the power to civilize him.
“Now tell me what happened today,” he commands, those piercing blue eyes boring into me. I start sobbing then, finally allowing the events of the last twelve hours to flood over my frame. I’d been so numb before and his words unleash it all.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask him through my tears. “Not twelve hours ago you told me we couldn’t see each other. You walked away. I thought I’d lost you. And now you sweep me into your arms like some rescuing prince?”
Jordan clenches his eyes shut.
“I know. I’m sorry. I just wanted to bring you somewhere safe where we could be alone,” he explains. “I met with the Board this morning, and it was a fucking joke. They have their panties in a twist for no reason,” he rasps.
But tears stream down my face in another torrent.
“What’s the matter?” he asks, not understanding. “I worked it all out with the board, Katie. I offered them another donation, and they took it. We can be together, don’t you see? That’s all it took. More money.”
But I’m still crying. “It’s not fair, Jordan,” I sob.
“Why not? Baby, what’s wrong?” he asks, frowning at me and caressing my wet cheeks.
“Because you basically get to walk away unscathed. By contrast, I got my scholarship revoked,” I sob. His eyes go wide with surprise.
“What? How?” he asks incredulously.
“The video, Jordan,” I blurt, “I can’t afford Hudson without financial aid.” And as tears stream down my face, I explain everything to the billionaire. Jordan’s silent, but his rage is palpable. I watch his eyes flash dangerously, that firm jaw clenching, and sense the adrenaline coursing through his body. He’s holding himself back from total destruction. He’s forcing himself to sit still and listen until I’m finished.
“This is fucked up,” he growls after I’m done. “It’s totally fucking fucked up sweetheart, and I’m putting a stop to it.” I look up at him, blinking, my vision blurry from the tears.
My lover surprises me suddenly by grinning. “Baby, don’t you get it?” he continues. “I give millions to Hudson University, and a good chunk of it goes to scholarships and financial aid. Let them revoke your scholarship,” he snorts. “Who the fuck cares? I was already paying for it indirectly. Let me pay for it directly, now.” He’s grinning at me like a little boy who’s had a stroke of genius. “Well? What do you say?”
But I’m speechless. Can I allow this? And if I did, how dependent would I be on him for the next three years? What if he decides to leave me? What if he tires of me? It was one thing to see Jordan turn his back and walk away yesterday, when I knew he was trying to do the right thing. But to see him walk away from me like that for real would kill me. As if he can guess my thoughts, the billionaire cups my face in his hands and leans his forehead against mine.
“Katie, I love you. Please,” he rasps. “Let me take care of this. Let me take care of you. Let me fix this.” I slide my hands up his torso in response, feeling those washboard abs through his shirt. “Do you love me?” he rasps.
“Yes, Jordan,” I murmur while tears bring in my eyes. “I love you.”
“Then let me look after you, Katie,” he rasps. “Please.” Relief courses through my body. It’s relief at knowing I was right, that I could trust this man, and that I should love him. That even though everything almost went over a cliff, I had still been right to give myself to this male wholly.