The Billionaire's Christmas Baby(33)

“I don’t answer to you, sir,” Jean said stiffly.

“Well, you can be damn sure I’ll find out who you do answer to. That baby is going home with me.”

Hannah felt her anger dissipate. Jackson knew how to get what he wanted. The brown eyes that could be so warm now glittered with a hostility that was palpable and his hard jaw was set. Oh yeah, Jackson was royally pissed. He looked very out of place in the poorly furnished grey and metal office. Somehow, even dressed in jeans, the man exuded power and wealth.

“You go ahead, but when her permanent placement gets approved you’ll be in for a rude awakening. Your sister’s letter won’t hold up in court and a single male is not exactly the best candidate for a family,” Jean said smugly.

“You mean you haven’t told her, Hannah?” Jackson asked smoothly, glancing down at her, a smile on his face that wasn’t quite reflected in his eyes.

Hannah could have sworn she saw everyone lean forward in their chairs. The excitement radiating from her best friend as they made eye contact could have powered the entire office.

“I, uh.” What was Jackson talking about? Hannah felt his hands wrap around her shoulders, pulling him to her side. What was he doing?

“Why don’t you tell her about our marriage?” Jackson said, kissing the side of her neck. Hannah felt her knees jiggle and Jackson’s grip on her tightened, as though he knew she was about to fall on her face.

“Marriage?” Jean said.

Jackson nodded.

Allison squealed, jumping up, her chair crashing into the wall.

Hannah surreptitiously dug her heel into Jackson’s foot.





Chapter Nine



“So much for gratitude,” Jackson grumbled, and limped outside.

“I knew you were mentally unbalanced!” Hannah hissed. The cold winter air felt good on her flaming cheeks as they stood facing each other on the sidewalk. Shoppers passed by them, the sound of Santa’s ringing bell could be heard, but the only thing Hannah could focus on was the memory of Jackson telling Jean they were getting married tomorrow. He was totally nuts.

“Earth to Jackson Pierce!” She focused on him, trying to figure out his expression. He looked like he was ready to kill someone. Maybe the reality of what he proposed had sunk in, or maybe he really was upset about her letting Louise down.


“What the hell was that woman talking about?” The trademark jaw clenching was back so Hannah knew he was royally peeved about something.

“What? How about explaining what you were talking about?” Hannah glanced over each shoulder. In small towns there was always someone ready to eavesdrop on a conversation. He must have sensed her trepidation since he grabbed her hand and started walking towards his car. He walked so quickly that she had to run to keep up. Hannah jerked to a stop, yanking him to a halt with her. Jackson turned to glare at her.

He closed his eyes briefly before speaking. “Come on. Get in the car and let’s go.”

Hannah crossed her arms in front of her. “I’m not going anywhere until you answer my question.” She raised her eyebrows expectantly while he took a few deep breaths.

“Hannah.”

“Yes,” she answered serenely, linking her hands together in front of her.

He sighed. “Get in the car because everyone from that stupid office is not-so-subtly staring at us through the window, and my foot feels like it needs to be amputated. So either plant a massive kiss on my lips right now or get in the car, okay?”

Hannah debated the kiss for a half a second. “Fine, let’s go to your car,” she said haughtily.

“I thought you’d see it my way,” he said, grabbing her hand again and starting for his car. “Well, I didn’t really have a choice, now did I?” Hannah huffed as they reached his Range Rover. Jackson braced his arm on the SUV, sheltering her from the view of the office. She could see from his eyes that he was still irate. He stood close enough that the wind was laced with his cologne, and she felt the heat of his breath on her as he spoke. She ignored the twinge of excitement that teased her at his nearness. Her body was a traitor to her mind.

“Oh, I gave you a choice, but you took the chicken’s way out,” Jackson whispered.

Hannah was about to open her mouth to make a smart reply when Santa jingled his way over to them. Santa, Hannah noticed with a frown, had a slight limp, a very disheveled appearance, and a tummy that looked like it had one too many beers in it. Jackson shoved a twenty-dollar bill at the man without taking his eyes off her. Santa rewarded him by jingling the bell in his ear. Hannah burst out laughing. Jackson cursed under his breath and opened the door for her. He grumbled something about small towns as he closed her door.

Five minutes later they were pulling up outside her home. It was the only place they could have complete privacy, but it was also a little unsettling to know that Jackson was now entering her territory. Her house was her own private sanctuary, the only home that had ever truly been hers.

Neither of them said anything on the way. Hannah knew that if she spoke she was only going to end up yelling at him, and considering that his hands were white as he gripped the steering wheel she figured he’d had about all he could handle at the moment. Which was fine, because now she was out of a job and she had Jean launching an all-out war against her and the adoption. She truly hoped Jackson was still as confident as he said he was about adopting Emily.