Mick sounded surprised when they walked out with the bandages still in place but he didn’t say much, just opened the door for them to climb in.
“Where to?” Brandan asked Sophie.
“Wherever they sell food,” she replied.
“My lady wishes to eat.” He called out to Mick in a comical voice as though they were in a horse and carriage and he really was her knight in shining armour. Sophie was just glad he couldn’t see her blush when he called her ‘his lady’. He would never know just how much of a champion he really was. It was good to see he wasn’t too worried about the extra night with his eyes bandaged.
“Can you be a little more specific?” Mick asked, watching her in the rear-view mirror.
“I don’t know this area, can you pick somewhere nice for bacon and eggs?” She gave him her most dazzling smile, genuinely happy for the first time in years.
“I sure can,” he replied, putting his indicator on and moving out of the hospital car park.
A little while later he pulled the car over and pointed to the left side. Sophie looked out the window and saw a beautiful little beachside cafe. They’d be able to have something to eat and then take a walk. He couldn’t have picked a better spot. It was quiet and the sounds of the ocean once they were seated were so calming.
Sophie looked over the menu and then after finding out that he liked his eggs sunny side up she ordered for the both of them. Strange that after their few short days together she knew he liked his coffee black with three sugars and that if his toast was overdone he would wince a little as he took a bite but he wouldn’t utter a word of complaint. He would eat it and then compliment the chef when the waitress took their dishes away. One minute he was the rich spoilt businessman from Monday and the next he was polite and charming, and then the next he was just a typical everyday guy. She still didn’t quite know where he fit? Was he a cool businessman just out for some fun? She doubted he was always so polite and charming, and she’d witnessed his temper on a few occasions now. Did he know or was that the reason he changed so much? She wished now, not for the first time, that she’d read some of those gossip mags so she would know just a little bit more about him. Mentally Sophie kicked herself for not asking Michaela more about her brother when she’d had the chance.
Brandan swallowed the last mouthful of his coffee and then asked her what she was thinking about.
“You,” she told him, closing the newspaper she was trying to read and failing dismally.
“What about me?”
“Are you happy?” It wasn’t a question that Sophie had any right to ask him but it kind of just popped out.
“Yes ma’am, that was a wonderful brunch,” he replied in his best overly done accent.
“I mean are you happy, with your job, with your life?”
“I’m comfortable,” he said after a long pause.
“That’s not the same and you know it.”
“Are you happy?”
“You already know the answer to that,” Sophie told him matter-of-factly.
“Actually, I can only assume and we all know where that can lead.”
“If you were being stalked by your ex would you be happy?” She didn’t want to talk about herself anymore. She wanted to know more about him.
Brandan hadn’t meant to upset her, she knew that. He lay his palm on the table and she put her hand face down on it. When she did he gripped it and stroked his thumb across her fingers.
“What would make you happy?” he asked her quietly, his voice low and melodic but filled with a gravity breakfast didn’t normally hold.
“Nothing,” she said sadly but adamantly.
“There has to be something that can erase the past and make the future seem brighter?”
“I don’t deserve to be happy,” she whispered.
“Everyone deserves to be happy,” he assured her. “You have to forgive and start to forget otherwise this thing will eat you from the inside, a small piece at a time until it consumes you.”
“It already does,” Sophie admitted.
“Does what?” Brandan asked. Was she saying she was already consumed? She was certainly confused and still grieving but she could still laugh, still enjoy herself to a degree.
“I think about her every day, I could never forget. I wouldn’t want too.”
“You don’t have to forget. You lost something precious and you wouldn’t be human if you could forget her but you do have to forget about the notion that it was your fault. You need to make peace with where you are now and then find a way to move on.”
“I know, but I don’t think I can, not yet.” She sniffed. If he wasn’t careful she was about to embarrass him by crying in the middle of a cafe filled with customers.
“I want you promise me something?” Brandan said, leaning forward in his chair.
“What?”
“I want you to think about what you need. What would make it easier for you to heal? Do you need a holiday? A shrink?”
“I am on holidays,” she reminded him with a wry chuckle, her tears stemmed for the moment.
“I mean a real holiday, far away from grim reminders, from psychotic men, somewhere you can truly relax.”
“I don’t have the time, the money or the resources for any of that.”
“I do,” he said.
“Why would you do that for me?” Sophie didn’t want him to pity her. She’d made her choices and she was the one who had to live with her bad decisions not him.
“Because I like you,” he grinned.
Sophie exhaled the breath she unconsciously held; there was no pity in his tone. She only wished she could see his eyes, read his emotions. It was so hard to fully trust anyone after everything she’d been through.
“I don’t know...” She hesitated. It would be so easy to accept what he offered if only she knew exactly what that was.
“Just think about it,” Brandan said. “You don’t have to say anything right now and you probably can’t leave the country anyway with Max on the loose but think on it and let me know later.”
“Ok. I’ll think about it.”
Drinking down the last of her coffee, she nearly spat it all over herself as she opened the paper to the gossip section and saw her photo larger than life taking up a third of the page.
“No, no, no...” she cried.
“What? What happened?”
“We have to go. Now.” She took his hand in her clammy grip, trying to get him to stand up.
“What the hell is going on?” Brandan pulled on her hand, tugging her to stand in front of him.
“I’ll tell you in the car. We have to go.” She pulled on his hands again.
“Is he here?” He stood up so quick his chair fell over.
“No.” Sophie started to panic in earnest. They were rapidly drawing the startled stares of the other patrons.
“Okay, okay.”
Once they were back in the car Sophie told Mick to take them to the hotel not even waiting to see what Brandan had to say.
“Sophie,” Brandan warned. “I want to know what the hell is going on.”
“He found me,” she said, silent tears rolling down her pale cheeks.
“He was there?” Brandan thundered. “You said he wasn’t.”
“No. He wasn’t there.” Brandan’s features told her that he was glowering in her direction waiting for her to tell him what had got her so scared.
“The paper, I was reading the paper and there was an article about us.”
“I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. What did it say? Read it to me.”
Sophie opened the newspaper she’d almost crushed to death in her hand and flipped to page 47 wincing as she took in the details of the picture and read the article to him.
Plastic Surgery for Billionaire?
From this reporter’s view the man is already as handsome as sin but has he had plastic surgery or some kind of accident? Brandan McAllister was snapped passionately kissing a stunning bl
onde after they stepped out of a brand new XKR Jaguar on the Sunshine Coast. From all reports he is staying in the penthouse suite with the mystery lady and has been spotted kissing her in the hotel pool as well as other places. Do the bandages around his head spell an end to his bottomless green eyes? Perhaps Botox gone bad? We’ll have to watch over the coming days and hope he hasn’t gone and done something stupid.
And don’t worry ladies, there are no wedding announcements just yet and no ring on her left hand. This reporter will be holding her breath hoping that this will be one gorgeous hunk who will stay on the most eligible bachelor list for a little bit longer.
Brandan didn’t understand why she was so upset. There was no mention of the hotel or her name. With that small piece of information it would take a lot of time and some cash to find them. Both of which Max had to be running low on. He was more interested about the ‘stunning blonde’ part.
“It’s not so bad, Soph. Journalist’s print that stuff all the time about everyone, not just me.”
“There is a picture next to the article. A big one.”
The hair on his nape stood on end. “Tell me what you see in the photo.”
“What does it matter?” Sophie sighed. In her mind, she may as well have waved a big white flag over her head signalling her defeat to her ex.
“Just humour me,” he said softly, in his most charming voice. He didn’t want to spook her anymore than she already was but he needed to know just how much information could be gleamed from the photo in case the bastard was close. Brandan didn’t like surprises, unless they were naked and wrapped in his arms.
“Alright, in the middle of the photo is you kissing me,” she answered irritably.
“That’s okay, we’re both adults, we weren’t doing anything wrong. What else?”
“What do you mean what else? What else matters? When Max sees this he is going to kill you right after he kills me.”
“Sophie, that is not going to happen,” he told her firmly. Not if he could help it.
“You don’t know what he’s capable of,” she said dejectedly. To Brandan it almost sounded as if she was ready to give up the fight.
“What else is in the picture, Sophie, you know the background, behind us?” He heard the crinkle of the paper and could almost hear her concentrating while the car gently rocked around corners.
“There are people staring at us kissing.”
“That’s bound to happen,” he said with a smile. “What else?”
“The concierge, also looking at us, and the hotel behind us.”
“Can you see any signage or anything to indicate which hotel it is?” Brandan held his breath waiting for her answer. If there was they wouldn’t be returning to the hotel, he would have to find somewhere else for them to stay. He doubted Max was as close as he’d intimated on the phone but there was no doubt the man was smarter than the police gave him credit for. He would not put Sophie in danger by underestimating a deranged psychopath.
“No, just the bottom of the sign.”
“So there is no way a person who isn’t local could determine which hotel we’re staying at?” He waited for her clever mind to fit the pieces together.
Through the panicky haze enveloping her, Sophie listened to his words and then checked the picture again. She looked from the couple standing off to the right, to the man off to the left and the concierge next to him and she realised Brandan was right. Nowhere was the insignia of the hotel or the name or even a logo and there was so much happening in the photo that a reverse image search would be difficult, maybe even impossible.
She breathed a sigh of relief. “It would take him a while to figure it out, wouldn’t it?”
“Is it a national or local paper?”
“Local.”
“Well then, assuming he even got this paper would he read the gossip pages, or would he be too consumed with finding you to bother?” Brandan was trying to make her see she was safe with him. They were in a good hotel on a secluded floor with private access. Even if Max did find her the police would be there before he could make it up to their suite.
“He never reads more than the first few pages of headlines and then heads for sports.”
“See,” he said pulling her into his arms letting the newspaper fall to the floor of the limo with a muted rustle. “Nothing to worry about.”
“I know, but-”
“No. No buts. I won’t let him hurt you again,” Brandan reassured her, placing a light kiss on her forehead.
Sophie couldn’t help thinking he wouldn’t be around forever to protect her. She mentally shuddered when she thought about what would happen after he left. She still had no money and nowhere to go. The only people she knew in this state were Mick, and now Brandan’s sister and brother-in-law.
Mick had already told her what his wife would think about her crashing on their couch and she could hardly impose on Michaela, a pregnant woman she only just met who happened to be expecting multiple babies. No. She would have to come up with something. Maybe she could ask Brandan for enough money to stay in a backpacker’s hostel or something, maybe a caravan park?
“Stop thinking about it,” he chided. “Worrying yourself to death is not going to change anything.”
“I know.” He was right. She had to live in the here and now, who knew what tomorrow would bring. She could be dead for all anyone knew.
“Let’s go do something,” she said, lifting her head from his shoulder. “I want to do something fun.”
“Like what?”
“I want to ride a roller coaster,” she told him excitedly.
“Ah, anything else you want to do?” Obviously roller coasters weren’t his thing.
“Surfing?” she asked hopefully.
“Roller coaster it is,” he laughed.
Sophie told Mick what she wanted to do and he suggested Dreamworld telling her about one of the biggest roller coasters in the southern hemisphere.
“Fantastic.”
Sophie had a feeling Brandan would have rolled his eyes if he could.
Chapter Eighteen
For Brandan, the rest of the day was like heaven and hell, a sweet torture that nearly drove him insane. It was the best sound in the world to hear her laughing in delight and squealing as the roller coaster dipped and turned and spun. He still had no idea how he managed to keep his brunch down. If it wasn’t scary enough to be strapped into a death-trap it was a whole hell of a lot worse to not be able to see when the next corner was coming or how far you had to fall before the next bend or incline caught you up. Every muscle in his body ached from gripping the hand holds and trying to brace himself so he wouldn’t snap his neck. His face hurt too but he didn’t want to spoil her fun.
Sophie tried to get him to wait for her, telling him he really didn’t need to come with her, she would be perfectly fine on her own but he found he didn’t want to be apart from her, not even for a second. It wasn’t his protective instincts that kept him glued to her side though, it was the simple joy of being with her. It was the breathy way she laughed when she had fun or the way she didn’t lead him anymore but held his hand because she wanted to. He found that despite being wound up tighter than a spring he was having fun because she was having fun.
He loved the way she would hold his arm tightly and squeal a little when she saw something she wanted to get a closer look at and when she would lean in close to whisper in his ear. His pulse sped up and his cock stirred every time he caught her unique scent or her hair tickled his nose or her warm breath heated his cheek. She obviously had absolutely no idea how erotic such a simple gesture could be. He longed for her to flick her tongue over his earlobe.
Brandan groaned and wondered how many people would be horrified if he threw her down on the grass and had his way with her.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“No,” he shook his head.
“Are you hurt? Is there anything I can do?” she asked, her arms encircling his stomach as she so
ught to offer him her support.
“If you keep touching me like that, we’ll both be in a lot of trouble,” he informed her quietly.
“Did I hurt you?” she asked innocently, pulling away.
His mind must have been the only one on one track and one track only. He hugged her to him whispering in her ear. “Don’t move.”
“Why not?” she whispered back, her body stiffening with fear.
“I’m afraid that in my current state I will scare the children.”
“What are you talking about?” she asked.
He hugged her a little more tightly and shifted his hips ever so slightly. There was no mistaking the evidence of his desire.
“Oh,” she giggled. Now she understood.
“Not yet.” He held her tightly when she shifted. He was trying to think of something unfavourable. His work, being involved in an explosion that could possibly cost him one of his five senses. That did it, he thought wryly to himself as he let her step away.
“What were you thinking about?” she asked curiously.
“To bring it on or to make it go away?” he growled. If she kept this up they may have to find somewhere to park on the way back to the hotel.
“Both.”
“I’ll tell you later. Are you ready to leave?”
“I thought we could get something to eat before we left?”
“Do you ever think of anything but food?” he asked her with a chuckle. Every time he was thinking about something less than innocent, she had her mind on food today.
“Only when I’m not hungry,” she replied.
God the minx was so naively innocent. All of the women he’d been with would have used that question as on intro to sex, a form of verbal foreplay, but not Sophie. She was as honest and refreshing as clean spring rain. There was no guile or deceit about her. She was no cunning gold-digger. She was just a young woman who had been hurt in the worst way by the man she’d loved.
She was clever, charming and witty, a woman he’d be happy to spend the rest of his life with.
That thought pulled him up short. He’d been thinking a lot since the birth of his ex-wife’s child that he would love to settle down and have a family, pass the reigns of his company over to an overseer so he could spend time with his wife and children but he hadn’t been aware he was actively looking for that special someone just yet. Maybe fate had handed him exactly what he was unconsciously searching for?
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