My heart soared that he’d put me first, put the control of such a key decision in my hands. I loved him even more for it, but I already knew the answer.
“I want you to still visit her, Devon. And I want to come, too. She’s kept the truth from you all these years, not because she’s a bad person, but because she’s vulnerable and scared. I don’t expect you to cut her off, financially or emotionally. You’re her friend, and she loves you.” I grazed my teeth over my bottom lip. “There is something I want you to do, though.”
“What’s that?”
“Refuse to give Caroline another red cent. She’s taken advantage of your penitence long enough.”
He grinned. “Tough call, but I’ll manage.”
I leaned back as our fondue arrived, the strong smell of Swiss cheese causing a rumble in my stomach.
“So, what now?” I asked.
Devon pointed his chin at the food. “First we eat. Then, we’re taking a vacation. Just you and me, and no distractions.”
“Ah, sounds like heaven.”
Devon
Two days later, we sat at Geneva airport, waiting for our flight to Heathrow, from where we’d catch a connecting flight to Barbados. Then, the day before Christmas Eve, we were going to New York, one of Reilley’s favorite haunts, especially during wintertime. After that, we were making the trip over to Melbourne so I could introduce the woman I loved to my family.
For the first time in years, the strain I’d lived with for so long had lifted, and stretching ahead were long lazy days and nights spent in Reilley’s arms.
I smiled as Reilley came toward me holding two steaming coffees.
“Flight still on time?” I asked, taking one of the paper cups from her.
“Yep. No delays, yet.”
I removed the plastic lid and blew across the top, taking a sip. My phone vibrated. I set the coffee on the floor and removed it from my pocket.
“Gray,” I said, answering without checking the caller ID.
“Devon.” Caroline’s choked voice sent a prickle of unease ricocheting down my spine. “It’s Charlotte. She’s in intensive care. Please come.”
“What? How? What’s happened?
Reilley’s attention turned to me as she caught the panic in my voice.
“They removed her ventilator as planned, but she had a heart attack while under the anesthetic.”
I launched to my feet, flinging my carry-on over my shoulder. “She wasn’t supposed to be having the surgery yet. What the fuck changed, Caroline?”
Reilley stood, too, her hand lightly touching my upper arm.
“After you visited, she told the doctors she felt ready. She’d been putting it off for a little while, even though they told her she was as prepared physically as she’d ever be. Her sudden change of heart surprised us all.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?” I bit out, an edge to my tone.
“Charlotte told me the truth about what happened, Devon,” Caroline said, her voice thick, raw, full of emotion. “I didn’t think you’d want to know anymore.”
“Jesus, Caroline.” I raked a hand through my hair. “You don’t know me at all, do you? Even after all these years, all you’ve ever seen when you look at me is your own bigotry played right back at you.”
She drew in a ragged breath, ending on a sob. “I’m sorry. Please come, Devon. They don’t think she’s going to last the night. I know you’re angry, but please think of Charlotte. She needs you.”
I refrained from hitting back that thinking about Charlotte was all I’d done for the past five years. I could take out my anger on Caroline, but it wouldn’t change a damn thing. “We’re on our way.”
“Charlotte?” Reilley questioned as I hung up.
“Yeah. She’s in intensive care. The doctors don’t think she’s going to make it.”
She clasped a hand to her throat. “Oh no. Oh God, Devon.” And then she went right into practical mode. “Okay, you go rent a car. I’ll speak to the airline and get our luggage back.”
I swiped a hand over my face. “God, Reilley, I’m so sorry. I know how much you needed this vacation.”
She shook her head. “There will be other vacations. Now go.”
I nodded, virtually sprinting to the nearest car rental place. It took ten minutes to fill in the paperwork, and a further twenty for Reilley to successfully retrieve our luggage.
We left Geneva airport behind and joined the highway. I squeezed the accelerator, driving faster than the speed limit allowed. Any blues who tried to stop me could go fuck themselves.
I glanced sideways at Reilley, her expression stoic. She caught me looking and squeezed my knee, the silent gesture of support exactly what I needed.
“Get us there in one piece, yeah?”
I instantly lifted my foot off the gas pedal, slowing to a more sedate, and definitely more legal speed.
“What if she can’t hang on until we get there?” I asked, concern and worry prevalent in the shaky tone to my voice.
“She will,” Reilley stated firmly, although neither of us could make such certain promises.
Heavy traffic meant it took us an hour to reach the hospital. I haphazardly parked the car, and we dashed inside. We spoke to three separate receptionists before finally being directed to the right department. I strode down the corridor clutching Reilley’s hand inside mine, her quiet serenity calming my racing heart.
I’d never fallen in love with Charlotte. We simply hadn’t known each other long enough, but I did love her, a familial kind of love. I didn’t want her to die. Dammit, she couldn’t die. Not after everything she’d been through.
I swallowed past an aching throat as we arrived outside the ICU. Yet another receptionist directed us to Charlotte’s private room.
“You’re shaking,” Reilley murmured, and I was, the tremble that had begun in my fingers spreading through my entire body.
Her arms came around my neck, holding tight, offering me a share of her immense strength. I took it and demanded more, Reilley’s solid presence the only certainty I had to lean on. Once I entered Charlotte’s room, I’d be on shaky ground.
“Do you want me to come in with you?”
“God, would you?”
“Of course. You’re not alone, Devon. I’m here. Whatever you need.”
I buried my face in her neck, breathing in the smell of her bodywash, a faint tinge of perfume, and beneath it all, Reilley.
“I love you,” I murmured.
She stood on tiptoes, touched her lips to mine. “Love you right back.”
I laced my fingers through hers. Breathing deeply, I pushed open the door.
Caroline glanced over her shoulder, a brief flash of relief belying her usual snarky, hateful expression. She gestured to me, then placed her finger over her lips.
“She’s sleeping,” she whispered, indicating a couple of chairs on the opposite side of the bed.
I sat before my legs gave way. They’d hooked Charlotte up to a separate ventilator, different from the one she usually had, but at least they hadn’t needed to intubate her. The rhythmic, familiar whoosh inflating and deflating her lungs gave false hope that she’d recover from her latest setback.
Reilley held my hand, and I held Charlotte’s. We sat in silence, the quiet interrupted only by the machines keeping her alive. For how long, no one knew, not even the medical staff.
Hours passed, and the light outside faded. I stood to stretch out my back when Charlotte’s eyelids flickered, then opened. A dart of hope shot into my bloodstream. The doctors could have called it wrong. Charlotte had a strong, fierce spirit. It had got her this far. She’d defied the odds of survival all those years ago. Maybe she would this time, too.
“Hey, you,” I said.
She blinked, her stare vacant, blinked again, then focused properly. “Devon?” she asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty, maybe even disbelief.
“Yep. Keep turning up like a bad penny.” I grinned. “Reilley’s her
e, too.”
Reilley moved into view. “Hi, Charlotte.”
Her eyes closed, as though keeping them open was a step too far. Heavy lidded, they opened a crack.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”
I clutched her hand, squeezing, even though she wouldn’t feel it. “Where else would we be, huh?”
“I want to talk to you,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Alone.”
I cut my gaze to Caroline, anticipating an argument I didn’t have the energy for. Instead, she surprised me by standing, and even shooting a half smile in my direction. “No problem.”
Reilley touched my shoulder. “We’ll be right outside if either of you need anything.”
The door clicked shut, leaving us alone, save for the ICU nurse who quietly sat in the corner making notes on a chart.
“How are you feeling?” I asked, cursing my inability to come up with a better platitude.
“I’m dying, Devon. And you know what? I’m glad. I’m tired of living like this.”
My insides twisted at the simplistic way she accepted her fate. “Don’t say that. You’re a fighter, Charlotte. You always have been. Look at what you’ve survived so far. You can’t give up now.”
She shook her head. “That’s just it. I don’t want to fight anymore. I want to go, to be with my parents, to be free of the confines of my own body. I should have died five years ago on that rock face. It’s my time.”
My vision blurred, the cruelty of fate stealing Charlotte’s life long before her time crushing my chest.
“Devon?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t hate me.”
My chest ached. Struggling to hold it together, I lifted her hand and pressed it to my cheek. “I could never hate you, Charlotte. You’re part of my family.”
A tear slipped from the corner of her eye. On autopilot, I brushed it away.
“Will you think about me sometimes?”
I swallowed past a lump in my throat, my own tears on the brink of falling. “You’ll never be far from my thoughts,” I rasped.
She nodded. “Thank you. It’s more than I deserve, but at least I can die in peace.” Her eyes closed. “You can let them back in now.”
I gently lowered her hand to the bed, my eyes stinging, my heart heavy. Opening the door, I gestured to Caroline and Reilley. Caroline gave me a questioning stare, her curiosity at our private conversation evident. I wouldn’t be enlightening her.
While Charlotte peacefully slept, Reilley took it upon herself to ensure we were fed and watered, but other than her comings and goings, and the bleep of the machines, silence filled the room. My eyelids grew heavy, tiredness catching up with me.
“Devon.”
Charlotte’s whisper jerked me back to the present. I rose from my chair, leaning over her.
“Yeah?”
“I’m going now.”
Caroline shot me a panicked look, then clutched Charlotte’s hand. “No! Don’t go. Please, Charlotte.”
“So tired,” Charlotte said.
“Don’t you dare leave me,” Caroline said, her tears in freefall. “Devon, tell her.”
“Devon?”
I could barely hear her now. I edged closer. “Yeah?”
“Thank you. For everything.”
Caroline’s gulping sobs were drowned out by beeping machines and a flurry of activity. All pointless as it turned out, because Charlotte had gone, her last words showing her gratitude and freeing me from something that had started out as a burden but ended with a blessing.
Epilogue
Six months later
Reilley
I stared out at the sea of faces, the one I searched for noticeably absent. Slipping my phone from my purse, I typed out a quick text.
No sex for a month if you’ve bailed, Gray.
Three dots appeared, followed by two messages in quick succession.
Five minutes.
A month? You can’t even manage a day.
I chuckled.
“Ready, Miss Bennett?”
Won’t be Miss Bennett for much longer.
I stared down at the ruby-and-diamond engagement ring, its weight unfamiliar. I’d only been wearing it for a week. Devon’s proposal had come completely out of the blue. He’d surprised me after the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend by getting down on bended knee in front of the entire Nash Racing team and declaring he stupidly wanted to be tied to me for the rest of his life.
Silly man.
No escape now.
I rolled back my shoulders and sat up straight. “Yes, I’m ready.”
He nodded, then tapped the microphone, the noise receding to a slight hum.
“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here this evening. I’d like to introduce Reilley Bennett, New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post bestselling author of some of the most enlightening, absorbing, and exciting biographies of modern times. Her latest wild ride, The Piranha Club is a no-holds-barred, behind-the-scenes unmasking of a sport watched by tens of millions of avid fans around the world, and she’s here tonight to do a special reading.” He smiled and gave me a fatherly pat on the shoulder. “Reilley, over to you.”
“Thank you, Bill.” I cleared my throat, glancing down at the sheets of paper in front of me, then up into the keen faces of the audience. A movement at the back of the room caught my eye, and I smiled.
There’s my man.
I took a sip of water. “Before I begin the reading, I’d like to tell you a little about why I chose this particular project. There are an enormous number of books on the market set in this world, but the vast majority of those focus on the racing drivers. I wanted to do something different, show the fans another angle. A glimpse into the world of Formula One that only the privileged few witness. And in choosing my subject, there was only one man who interested me. One who resisted me at every turn, who lived his life privately and wanted to keep it that way. A man whose walls I dismantled piece by piece because I knew, I just knew he was ‘the one’, both professionally and personally.”
My eyes latched on to Devon’s. His burning hot gaze and scorching good looks sent a shiver of delight through my body.
I rose from the chair and pointed to the back of the room. Several audience members twisted in their seats.
“Ladies and gentleman, I give you the enigma, Devon Gray.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t put you over my knee and spank you for that stunt earlier tonight.”
I shifted onto my side, playfully biting his shoulder. “Promise promises. Besides, if I’d told you my plans, you’d have refused to come. I make no apologies for manipulating you. The fans loved getting our autographs, and Bill told me afterward that they’d sold their entire stock of copies and already have a huge waiting list for more. End justifies the means, baby.”
“Is that so?”
He flipped me over, pushing my legs apart, settling between them, his erection half-mast but definitely on the rise. I tilted my hips, rubbing against him.
“You told me you needed ten minutes to recover.” I narrowed my eyes. “You been holding out on me, Gray?”
His gaze dripped sex—hot, sweaty, dirty sex, and I loved it.
He pushed inside me, agonizingly slow, eliciting a groan of pleasure, stroking the deep ache that was only ever tempered, never assuaged. Would I ever grow tired of fucking Devon? I doubted it.
Neither of us lasted long, our mutual desire culminating in a simultaneous orgasm that sent shudders racking through my body, my loud cries of pleasure in direct contrast to Devon’s quiet climax.
He rolled off me, his chest heaving, his breath coming in gasps, eventually slowing to a more moderate pace. “Jesus, fuck. Sorry, shit performance. I blame your magical pussy.”
I laughed, rising on my elbow to look at him. “No complaints here, from either my magical pussy or from me.”
He turned onto his side, bringing us nose to nose. He threaded my hair through his fingers, a r
egular habit and one I adored.
“I love you, Reilley. You’ve changed my life, and I’ll never be able to thank you enough.”
I went to speak, but Devon silenced me.
“After what happened to Charlotte, I cut myself off from everything, burying myself in work, barely functioning outside that safe world. I never thought I’d find happiness again, and nor did I think I deserved it. Then you came along, undaunted by my vehement refusals to have anything to do with you or your work, determined I’d bend to your will. You tore down every brick in the wall I’d built, forced me to face, and then slay, my demons.
“When you found out about Charlotte in the way you did, most women wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me. Yet you, wonderful, amazing you, offered even more. And, self-centered arsehole that I am, I took it without apology.”
He leaned in and kissed me.
“Oh, and when the royalties start coming in, remind me to write you a check for three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
I blinked slowly, denial dying on my lips. “How long have you known?”
“Since the very beginning.”
I frowned. “How did you find out?”
“Simon.”
I growled. “Big-mouthed asshole.”
Devon laughed. “He didn’t really have a choice but to tell me. After we signed the contract, I sent him an email, thanking him for his generosity. He could have lied, I suppose, but he’s far too honest for that. So, he fessed up.”
“I’d have done anything to get you to agree to this project. I wanted you, both in my book and in my bed. I think on some level I knew, even back then, that we could have something special.”
“I fought my feelings for a long time. I tried to convince myself that what we had was nothing more than great sex, my fear of exposing Charlotte keeping me from letting anyone in. But when you set your mind on something, there’s no stopping you.”
I flashed him a teasing grin. “And that, my wonderful fiancé, is the key to a happy marriage.”
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