One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

Mackenzie’s heart sunk in her chest. It was very obvious that he had retreated into his cold shell. His eyes no longer held any form of emotion, and the smile she had come to love so much had disappeared, vanished.

Could she really blame him? She had hurt him by lying, perhaps she deserved it.

She lowered her eyes to her flats, and shook her head.

“I’m sorry.” She raised her eyes to look at him. She stared at his cast without saying a word. Words could not describe the ache in her chest.

“When did this happen?”

“Doesn’t matter. What are you doing here, Mackenzie?” Chase asked, without looking at her.

He could not afford to stay angry at her if he looked at her.

Her dark curly waves bounced on her shoulders, the same way they had done when they first met.

He was mad at her, yet he wanted her so bad it took every iota of self control not to pull her to himself.

When Mackenzie didn’t speak, he turned in her direction and rose from the bed. The more he sat still, the faster he was losing his mind.

Mackenzie swallowed hard as he towered above her. She raised her head to look at him staring down at her.

Mackenzie tore her gaze away, feeling heat creep up to her cheeks. She allowed her eyes to dance around the room, fixing them on everything besides Chase’s face.

“Where is your father?”

“I asked you a question, Mackenzie. What are you doing here?”

Despite the fact that he was mad at her, hearing her name slip from his tongue sent the butterflies in her stomach on a dancing spree.

She quickly lowered her gaze to the suitcase in her hand. The way he stared at her set her senses ablaze, she was trying hard to stay sane.

“I brought your clothes. Nora asked me to bring you clothes to the office, because she…”

“I heard.” He cut in, the air of nonchalance around him was almost contagious. Mackenzie had to step away from him.

“The president is coming, but I am on my one week hiatus, Mackenzie. I am not coming to the office. Leave the bags here and tell Nora to see the president herself.”

Mackenzie blinked twice as she stared at him.

Nora had said he would be stubborn, but she did not expect him to be this rigid.

“Chase, I’m sorry I had to interrupt your hiatus, but this is really important for your image, and…”

When he chuckled dryly, Mackenzie stopped speaking and looked up at him, tongue-tied.

“Don’t preach to me, Mackenzie. Go back and do as I’ve said, it’s an order.”

It’s an order?!

Mackenzie’s concern dissolved into a frown as she watched him.

Did he not care about his image? She and Nora were only trying to help him, and here he was, acting like a total douche.

“If you don’t go, Jeffery would have to go see him!”

Chase turned sharply in her direction. He had started to walk away from her, but the mention of his half brother’s name from her lips caused him to come to an abrupt halt.

Knowing she had gotten his attention, Mackenzie folded her arms underneath her chest and tilted her hips to the right. A stubborn stance to show Chase how determined she was.

“We both know you do not want that to happen, because you know what would happen once he does.” Mackenzie continued.

It was Chase’s turn to frown, enough with the emotionless bullshit.

“Is that why you lied to me? Because you’re scared of Jeffery? Or because what we have…what we had, I mean nothing to you, Mackenzie?”

Mackenzie found her knees trembling at his question. Quietly gasping for air, she looked around the room, seemingly searching for a means of support.

She had really hoped he would not bring it up, at least not then.

When she finally managed to catch her breath, she turned to look at him and found his eyes peering at her. He had not taken his eyes off her, not even for a second.

“Chase, I’m sorry. I really didn’t mean to lie to you.”

“But you did.”

She did, and it still hurt.

She was shaking as he watched her, but he did not make a move to hold her, despite how much he wanted to.

“And it wasn’t that I didn’t find out, Mackenzie. I questioned you about it, I did. But you chose to look me in the eyes and lie.”

His tone was laced with hurt, deep abysmal hurt reverberated from his voice, yet his eyes were empty. His frown had disappeared, and Mackenzie knew she prefered his frown to the empty eyes she was staring into.

How could he contain so much hurt?

He took one step closer to her. She wanted to move away from him, but she felt glued to the ground. Her limbs wouldn’t obey.

“Couldn’t you trust me? Am I so unreliable that you couldn’t trust me? Haven’t I…haven’t I tried to show you that you can trust me?”Nôvel/Dr(a)ma.Org - Content owner.

Fiery eyes, yet his demeanor was as cold as ice.

“I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.” She pushed herself backwards, away from him and the domineering presence that threatened to suck her in.

“I was going to tell you the truth, okay? But a lot has been going on, and I…”

“A lot, huh?”

When he scoffed, Mackenzie’s fists clenched by her side.

“A lot has been going on, and we’ve been together for most of it, Mackenzie. Fuck it. You had a lot of chances to tell me, but you didn’t. Did you think I was going to rat you out to my brother?”

Mackenzie’s eyes widened.

“What? No!”

“Then what was it? Huh? Did you not believe I could protect the kid? She’s not mine, and I know it, but it doesn’t matter. I don’t even care about having kids, but I would have shielded her with everything I have.”

She clutched her suit pants with both hands. His last sentence continued to echo in her ears.

He didn’t want kids. He had just confessed to never wanting kids. Even if he ever met Calista and Cameron, he wouldn’t want them.

Immediately, Mackenzie straightened her stance, stood with her chin raised, absolutely unapologetic. It was a good thing she did not tell him the truth.

“Oh… You never wanted kids.” She muttered underneath her breath, before turning her eyes to him.

“I did not want to bother you, Mr. Chase.”

Mr. Chase?

Chase arched his right brow at her. He was quick to notice the shift in her demeanor, but said nothing about it.

“There was no need to bother you with my issues. They are my problem, not yours.”

Chase parted his lips to speak, but the sound of Mackenzie’s ringtone seized his attention.

Mackenzie ignored him and answered the call.

“Hey, Nora.”

Chase did not give Mackenzie a chance to speak. He snatched the phone from her hand, and she flashed him a glare, but he ignored her.

“Nora, this is the CEO” He started.

“Mr. Axford! I’m really sorry we had to cut into your break, but we need you sir. The president is coming soon, and it is really important that…”

Chase rolled his eyes.

“Have I not told you that nothing can make me leave?”

“I know you did, sir. But his daughter, whom you helped in Slovenia, is coming! And she is on a wheelchair. She already posted on her IG page, saying she is coming to Greenville to see her Slovenian hero, Chase Axford. And you were tagged, sir. Please, this is really important.”

Chase heaved a sigh. He raised his left hand to his forehead and caressed it gently.

“I didn’t do what I did for all this. I don’t want anything from them.”

“I know you don’t, sir. But they are already here, this would help a lot to clear the scandals on ground.”

He heaved another long sigh before cutting her off. His eyes moved to Mackenzie and found her palms pressed together as she pouted and batted her lashes at him with her beautiful doe eyes.

Chase’s heart did a somersault in his chest.

How could he ever say no to that?

He rolled his eyes and looked away from her.

“When will they arrive?”

From the corner of his right eye, Chase saw Mackenzie do a small victory dance.

“8pm. On the presidential chopper.”

Chase told her he will be there and ended the call. He was told he did not need to go home, because Mackenzie had brought his clothes.

Chase stared down at the suitcase in Mackenzie’s hand. He was well aware.

After he ended the call, he stretched the phone to Mackenzie when his eyes caught a picture. She was a hazel-eyed beauty, about four years old, cuddling a small dog.

Something in his heart skipped a beat. He stared harder, something about the little girl’s smile felt strangely familiar, but Mackenzie snatched it from his hand before he could make anything out of it.

He had been staring at the picture for too long. She didn’t want him to find any similarities, Mackenzie thought in alarm, sliding the phone back into her handbag.

“You have to start getting ready now, Mr. Axford.”

Yes, he was aware, but… At this point, it was obvious Mackenzie was hiding her child from everyone, and even him. Chase could understand why she was scared, but why would she hide her child from him? He wasn’t Jeffery.

The way she snatched the phone from him was too much on reflex, or was he overthinking it? He stared at her expectant face and decided to let it go, for now.

Chase looked down at his cast.

“I can’t get ready by myself.” He muttered, and Mackenzie’s eyes swept over him.

Of course.

“Should I get a nurse for you?”

Chase raised his right brow at her. He moved closer to her, closing the distance between them, until she could breathe in the air he let out.

“Would you really want some other random woman seeing me bare, Mackenzie?”

Her eyes looked over him once more. His dark hair tousled all over his head, sea blue eyes, and pale red lips that struggled to fight back their smirk.

She swallowed…hard.

“I guess not.”

It came out as a whimper.

Chase smiled to himself and settled into the bed. When he spread his free hand out, and his legs apart, looking at her, Mackenzie knew it was an invitation.

Slowly, she allowed her feet to control her, until she was standing between his legs.