Jason was staring back at her. Toni could tell by the way he was fidgeting about that her words had made him uncomfortable—her Jason was not the fidgety type.
“Toni, I don’t know what to say to you… How can you love me? You hardly know me.”
That was where Jason was wrong, Toni did know enough about him, knew what kind of man he was. “I don’t know all there is to know about you, Jason, but I’m guessing it takes a lifetime together before you can say you really know someone. But I know a lot. I know you are thirty years old, you served for ten years in the Army, did three stints in Afghanistan where you saw and did things that give you nightmares. I know your usual modus operandi is to leave a woman’s bed after sex because you didn’t believe in love, as a result of spending your childhood listening to your parents quarrel and rip each other apart. How am I doing so far?” Toni asked before continuing, not really needing to hear Jason’s reply just yet.
“You never wanted a woman to get past the emotional wall you put up, that is, until you met me—we’ve spent the last three weeks curled up in each other’s arms and you haven’t broken a sweat about it. There’s been sweat, but for very different reasons altogether. I also know you are the type of man that could not let a woman suffer the trauma of getting shit on by a goose without coming to her rescue. You open doors for me, you talk to me, we laugh together, love exploring historic sites together and we have explosive, phenomenally satisfying sex—and you snore.” Toni paused to take a breath, gather up her resolve. She only hoped that she’d finally broken through that wall she’d just mentioned and that what she was about to say wouldn’t come back and kick her in the teeth—or heart.
“But if I’m wrong and I’ve just imagined all that about you, wrong in thinking that you do have strong feelings for me no matter how scared that makes you, then tell me now, Jason. I can take it. I sure as hell don’t want to make a fool out of myself any longer, in front of you or my parents.”
“You remembered everything I ever told you?”
Toni couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. After everything I just said, that is the best he can come up with? She nodded as indication of a yes to Jason’s question.
“I think I’m in love with you too.”
He’d said it so quietly Toni wasn’t sure she’d heard right, thinking maybe her imagination was playing games with her. She needed to know for sure. “What did you just say?”
“I said I’m in love with you too, Toni. And you’re right. I’ve never felt this way before. No woman has ever made me feel this crazy—this out of control. I hate being away from you for even a minute. Just looking at you turns me on. I’ve been walking around with a semi ever since I first laid eyes on you. More than that, I’ve never felt so comfortable talking about myself with anyone. You know more about me than Nate and I’ve known him for over ten years. I’ve fantasized about being with you when we’re both old and gray but I can’t give you any of this…” Jason lifted his arm and waved it about, obviously indicating through his action that he was talking about her room, her life.
“I hear you when you say you don’t need any of it, but what if you change your mind? What if your father disowns you? Are you really ready to live your life struggling to make ends meet on a teacher’s wage and my meager salary?” Jason added.
“You need to listen more carefully, Mr. Security Man. I’ve already told you this more than once. But I will repeat it again, this time real slow so you can keep up. I. Don’t. Care. About. Any of this. I. Love. You.” Toni mimicked Jason’s action by waving her arms around just as he had done. “And for the record, my teacher’s salary isn’t all that bad.”
He smiled. Toni smiled back.
“You really are hot when you get all testy, luv. Come give me a hug. I love you, baby.”
She didn’t hesitate—happily wrapping her arms around Jason’s waist, Toni buried her head into his chest. It was becoming her favorite way of standing. Her heart felt like it would burst. It was beating so hard and fast she feared her chest would rip clear open. It was better than any dream. This gorgeous, sexy hunk of a man—one she could never have imagined showing any kind of interest in her—had just declared he loved her. Nothing could spoil this moment for her.
* * * *
Hand in hand they walked into the breakfast room. Toni had laughed about the way her mother called it that, saying it was just her mother’s way of showing off in front of company and that they also ate other meals there.
Nate was the first to notice them. “Well, glad to see you finally deigned to join us, Beck. Hope we didn’t pull you away from anything important.”
Yep, Nathan was really pissed off—he always used ‘Beck’ when he had the shits with him.
Ignoring his sarcasm, Jason responded, “Sorry we took so long. Toni and I had a few things to discuss first. I think the traveling finally caught up with us last night. We crashed and burned, but we are both feeling wide awake now.”
“Why are you waiting for us anyway?” Toni chimed in. Her hand still firmly grasped in his. She began to pull Jason toward the table, and he could see the look of amusement on Frank Grimaldi’s face as they neared their destination. Toni’s mother was not looking quite as happy. He pulled out a chair for Toni to sit on and took his own place in the seat next to her.
“Well, while you two were…sleeping…” Nathan began to speak again, and Jason was sure that no one in the room missed the way he’d hesitated over the word ‘sleeping’. “You will be relieved to hear that the police have arrested a suspect they believe to be responsible for all the threats. Seems this guy took exception to a recent hostile takeover of his family company by the Grimaldi group. From what I’ve been told, he reached out to a few lowlifes on the best way to build a bomb. Seems the idiot also told anyone who cared to listen how he was paying Frank Grimaldi back for stealing his birthright. Luckily for the cops, one of the guys he spoke to was a police informant.”
“It was hardly a hostile takeover,” Frank Grimaldi added in quickly. “The company in question was so far in the red that I did the family a favor taking it off their hands. I took over all the debt as well.”
“Well, it seems the son didn’t see it that way and decided to do something about it. He even used his own car to try to run Mrs. Grimaldi off the road. Said car is already at the police impound. Forensics is having a ball writing up all the evidence.” Nathan gave a little chuckle before continuing. “The good news is I don’t have to figure out how much sedation I’d be needing to bring you down, Jason, after I told you I’d decided to take you off this detail. Guess I don’t need to point it out now that you screwed up, mate. I’ve never known you to sleep through a door being opened, let alone someone walking into a room while you slept. I think you’ve lost your edge.”
Jason didn’t know how to reply. Nathan was right—no one had ever managed to get past him like that before. Probably also spot on in his decision to take Jason out of the game but it would have taken enough sedative to fell an elephant before he’d have ever let it happen.
“So that means this is all over then?” Toni asked him.
“The security detail, honey. That’s all. I’m not going anywhere.” The words had slipped from his mouth so instinctively, so easily, that Jason had forgotten Toni’s parents were sitting right there next to them. Well, within hearing distance, anyway. It wasn’t until Frank Grimaldi made a throat clearing type noise that Jason even thought of what they might think about the situation.
“Guess I’m not needed here anymore,” Nathan chimed in. “Good luck, buddy. Check in when you can… Or if you need some protection.” He was laughing as he left the room.
Jason made a mental note to kick Nathan’s arse first chance he got.
“Antoinette, I must apologize for entering your room last night. I did knock. I was worried when I didn’t hear a reply from either of you. Jason— I can call you Jason, can’t I?”
Jason nodded his consent, surprised that Toni’s fa
ther wasn’t kicking his butt by now as the man continued, “I was a bit shocked at first. I haven’t seen that much of my little girl since the day of her birth.”
Then much to Jason’s disbelief, Frank Grimaldi started to laugh. It was a deep bellow of a sound and yet it made Jason’s cheeks heat with embarrassment. He was thirty years old and what Frank was not mentioning was making Jason blush like a schoolgirl. If the roles had been reversed and Jason had walked in on his own daughter naked and lying in the arms of a man he hardly knew, Jason would have torn his head from his shoulders. The image of a young girl, with Toni’s beautiful curls but with eyes that reminded Jason of his own, filled his mind. He looked over at his gorgeous woman. She’d make such a great mother.
“Oh my God, Dad, did you really have to tell me that…? I feel a bit sick.” Toni started to laugh as well.
Jason just looked on in amazement.
“Well, I have to admit, I’m a bit jealous I missed out on all the fun,” Eva Grimaldi added. Her voice was prim and reserved, not sounding the least bit like she ever had fun, as far as Jason was concerned. “Wouldn’t have objected to catching a glimpse of Jason naked. I have wondered what all those muscles might look like.”
“Mother!” Toni squealed
Frank Grimaldi guffawed even louder.
Jason squirmed.
Chapter Fourteen
“I can’t believe I found a few pieces of furniture that you liked. But I do have to say on my own behalf, they are quite exquisite.” Toni’s mother was beaming with happiness as she sat across the table from Toni in the upmarket restaurant. “Thank you for meeting me for lunch and accepting mine and your father’s house-warming gift.”
“Mum, I’m not sure a few pieces is really how I would describe furnishing nearly our whole apartment, but I thank you for your generosity. I just hope Jason agrees because I really love them. That bedroom suite is perfect for us and the leather of the lounge feels so luxurious. But they are a bit extravagant.”
“Hush now. You’re my only child. Nothing is too extravagant when it comes to you. Why, I spent nearly as much on Judith Renway’s fiftieth birthday present and I can hardly tolerate the woman.”
Toni giggled. “That’s a terrible thing to say, Mum. Mrs. Renway can’t help her pompous ways.”
“So, Toni, how are things with you and that sexy man? It fills my heart to see you happy. It’s all your father and I ever wanted for you—to enjoy life and find someone to love.”
Every part of Toni’s life was just so perfect. She and Jason had moved in together. They had rented a new apartment in both their names. The rent was a bit steep but they were determined to get by on the wages they brought in. She’d taken an extra leave of absence from her teaching position so she could help set up the Grimaldi Foundation, a charitable organization that helped families cope both mentally and financially with workplace accidents. Toni was finding her new role so fulfilling—she loved being able to help, using the family resources and notoriety to convince others to pitch in as well. It was as if she was seeing her parents for the first time. Toni had insisted that her father pay her the appropriate wage for the work she was doing, promising they would re-evaluate the situation when the Foundation was fully operational.
“I get that now, Mum. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize it. I thought I was a disappointment to you and Dad—that I couldn’t be what I believed you wanted me to be, and I blamed you both for having too high an expectation of me. When really, it was my own insecurities feeding those beliefs. It’s all seems so silly now.”
“You were never a disappointment, Antoinette. We love you but were concerned about you. I admit that. You were always fighting with us, rebelling against any of our suggestions. But then again, my mother would probably have said the same thing about me. God rest her soul.”
It turned out that Toni’s mother and father were quite fun people to be around. The family business had kept her father busy but Toni had never bothered to notice the strain it put on him. Yes, the couple acted more formal when they were in public but that was more because the press were always looking to share some juicy gossip about them. Once her parents had explained that to her, Toni had understood their public persona so much more. She and her mother had even started putting pressure on her father to wind back his interests—to start enjoying the benefits made from all his long hours and stress.
“I love you too, Mum. Let’s hope Jason still loves me when he sees all the gifts.”
“Of course he will. I can tell by the way he looks at you—those dark, brooding eyes of his, the way they are always so focused on you, as if you’re the only person in the room. That hint of a smile he wears when you are around, it says it all. He is madly in love with you. Ah youth…” Her mother let out a wistful sigh that made Toni laugh again.
“Who knew you were such a romantic, Mum?”
“Did Jason mention your father offered him a job? One he refused. I told Frank he didn’t have a hope of getting Jason into the firm… Just yet, anyway.”
“Yes, he did. Actually Jason admitted he thought about the offer for a moment or two. Luckily his rational side took back over. I would have been devastated if he’d taken it. Jason loves what he does. It would’ve been about the money, the reason he’d even contemplate the idea for more than a second. It worries him that he can’t support me in the same way you and Dad have. Like I’d even care, Mum. Seriously, I’ve spent most of my life rebelling, as you put it, against our money. I just want to be with Jason. Materialistic things just aren’t important.”
Jason was still working for Haven Security but he had taken on more of the training and contractual side of the business. Toni had never really asked too many questions about what Jason was doing now but she did get the impression there was more to Haven Security than she had originally believed. There were certainly a lot more tough, hard and fit looking men employed there than were needed to fit alarms and keep rich young women safe. She was relieved that Jason didn’t have to spend many nights away from their bed but did sometimes wonder if he missed being out on a job—doing the kind of stuff he used to do, whatever that might have been—before she’d come along.
Many times as they’d lain in bed recovering from their latest sexual tryst, a tangle of sweaty, languid body parts, Toni had questioned Jason on her fears but he always smiled and told her that he didn’t want to be out somewhere in the dark anymore, when he could be with her instead.
“It’s a man thing, honey. You just have to find ways of convincing him he makes you happy. And with a body like that, I’m sure that won’t be a hardship for you.”
“Mother!” Toni exclaimed. “You really need to stop looking at my boyfriend in that way. It’s a bit creepy. I’ll tell Mrs. Renway what you said.”
“My goodness, girl, resorting to blackmail. Good for you.” Toni’s mother laughed and patted her on the hand. “Finish up your coffee, dear, so I can settle up the bill. I need to get home and cook your father some dinner. He promised to come home from the office early tonight.”
Toni wanted to get away early too. Each night she raced home from her office at Grimaldi Tower and cooked dinner for Jason. Sometimes they even ate it before the urge to tear at each other’s clothes and bodies got too hard to resist. They had christened each square inch of their new home—in some places more than once. She looked forward to christening all their new furniture as well. Jason had an insatiable sexual appetite and Toni enjoyed every aspect of his hunger, particularly when Jason was feeling all alpha male and dominant. Jason taking control of her sexual needs was always very rewarding.
“That must have been some thought. Your cheeks have just turned a lovely shade of crimson, but it’s not really working with your pink blouse, darling. Bit of a clash of color.”
“Jealous, Mother?” Toni replied and winked. But she could feel the heat in her face.
“Absolutely, my dear daughter. Absolutely.” Her mother grinned at her.
“We have had a few bumps lately, though, Mum. Jason really doesn’t want me to go to the Cardona Mine site.”
It was the only thing they had disagreed on. Toni needed to see for herself that the families were managing. She understood that the wives and children left behind would never recover from losing their husband, father, or son completely. She just wanted them to know that she was there if they needed anything—that Grimaldi Foundation was there for them.
“Your father was not all that happy with the idea either. I could never see any problem with it, myself,” her mother said before taking a sip of water. “Frank has wanted you to get involved with the business for so long. I told him to stop being such a fool now that you’d shown some interest. That you were a big girl and could make your own choices.”
“So was that before or after he and Jason colluded to protect me?”
She and Jason had finally come to an agreement—one Toni’s dad approved of whole-heartedly. Jason would accompany her around the site, keep her out of harm’s way. Toni found it amusing that her boyfriend and father were under the impression she might fall into a hole if they didn’t watch her every step. But it was still sweet that they cared about her. Toni was beginning to understand her parents’ side of things. She’d been dreaming of babies lately, gorgeous little bundles that resembled smaller versions of Jason.
Toni knew that if she was ever lucky enough to share a child with Jason, she would protect it with her life. She often giggled about how crazy it would make Jason. He was such a control freak, always expecting the worst but with a foolproof plan to avert any such event if it happened. Toni loved him so much.
“That’s what you have to deal with when you fall in love with a dominant male,” Toni’s mother replied sagely.
An Opportunity Seized Page 10