Entrapped: A Billionaire Romance (The ROGUES Series Book 3)

by Tracie Delaney

  Right, that’s it. For the next few days I’d put Garen Gauthier out of my mind and focus on getting Aiden and my grandmother settled in Switzerland. I had a six-day break from the man, and I intended to make the most of it.

  Yet that night when I finally fell asleep after staring at the ceiling until the small hours, my dreams were full of him and his too-handsome face, stormy gray eyes, and icy stare. The way he kept me on edge by acting like he cared one minute, then doing something cruel and callous the next.

  I awoke the following morning with my eyes glued together and a head full of cotton wool. It took me a good thirty minutes and two strong cups of coffee to be able to think with any kind of clarity. Fortunately, there was too much to do to give much thought to Garen. We were due to head off to the airport mid-afternoon, and I hadn’t finished packing yet.

  When Darryl stopped outside my house and strode up the narrow pathway insisting he carry our suitcases to the car, Grams surprised me by holding her tongue, although she did give the car a full appraisal, then raise her eyebrow at me. Aiden, on the other hand, couldn’t contain his excitement at traveling in such a luxurious vehicle, and he chattered the entire way to the airport.

  I’d assumed we’d fly from Vancouver International, but when Darryl opened the back door to let us out, I realized we were at a private airfield.

  “What is this, girl?” Grams hissed in my ear, taking care not to allow Aiden to hear. “What exactly is going on here?”

  Given no choice but to explain, I sent her a beseeching look not to make a scene. “Mr. Gauthier offered to have his plane take us,” I said. “And he’s loaning his house to you and Aiden, too.”

  She squinted, and, running her gaze over me, moved closer. “What have you gotten yourself into?”

  “Nothing,” I insisted. “I told you, he wants me to work for him. That’s all.”

  “Pfft.” Grams sliced her hand through the air. “No man is that generous without expecting a payoff. You mark my words, he’ll come a-knocking, and when he does,” she jabbed her finger into my shoulder,“you tell him you’re not for sale.”

  I widened my eyes as her meaning became clear. “Grandmother!” I expelled, using a term I rarely did, and one intended to let her know how furious her comments had made me. “You are out of line.”

  She prodded me again. “I’m an old woman, and I know what I know. You be careful, girl. I am well aware of what that boy means to you,” she kicked back her head toward Aiden, “and to me. But you watch where you step.”

  “I can take care of myself, Grams,” I said, as much to reassure myself as her. “Mr. Gauthier isn’t a monster.”

  No, he’s far worse.

  “Guys, come on,” Aiden shouted, already halfway up the steps to the luxurious jet. “This is amazing!”

  He disappeared inside. I shot a glance at Darryl, who pointed his chin.

  “Go on, Miss Landry. I’ll make sure all the bags are loaded.”

  “Thank you, Darryl.”

  I took my grandmother’s arm and helped her climb the steps. The inside of the jet was like nothing I’d ever seen. Thick carpeted flooring, sumptuous leather seating, a large-screen TV.

  “Unbelievable,” I muttered.

  “Why thank you,” an all-too familiar voice murmured in my ear. “I concur.”

  I spun around, my mouth slackening as my gaze fell on the one person I hadn’t expected to see.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” I ground out, hands on my hips.

  Garen’s trademark smirk set off a fizzing in my stomach. Goddamn the man. Every time that annoying curve of his lips appeared, my palm twitched with the desire to slap him, and the most frustrating thing was that I couldn’t. A girl of eighteen might get away with such a juvenile reaction. A woman of twenty-five had to show more restraint—more’s the pity.

  “Why, making sure you don’t trash my aircraft, Miss Landry.” He bent his head, his mouth close enough to blow warm air against the shell of my ear. “Given the way we left things yesterday, and your level of hostility toward me, I wouldn’t put anything past you.”

  And with that, he swooped around me and bestowed his most generous smile on my family.

  “I’m so glad you made it. Please make yourselves comfortable.”

  17

  Garen

  If only I could have recorded Catriona’s furious expression and played it back whenever I chose. She hadn’t faked her shock and rage at finding me here, and until this morning, I hadn’t intended to gatecrash their trip. But then I’d woken up and realized that going six days without the ability to needle her for my own enjoyment just wouldn’t do.

  But more than that, I felt as if I needed to make some sort of a concession after what I did to her at the building site. I’d not yet figured out why punishing her brought such contrasting feelings of pleasure and pain. Occasionally, a memory deep in the recesses of my mind started to surface, but before I could grab on to it, it vanished, leaving me more confused than ever.

  I tried to nail the precise moment when I’d found myself thinking of Catriona before I went to sleep at night and having the thought of her enter my mind the moment I awoke the next morning. I hadn’t unearthed the answer yet, and, like that damned elusive memory, this, too, may permanently evade me, but one thing was certain: my life was richer with her in it.

  Normally, the only thing about women that interested me was what they had between their legs, and even then, they didn’t hold my attention for long. While Catriona’s hand had been agonizingly close to my dick when I’d played that cruel trick on her at the ballet studio, any form of sexual contact was a long way off.

  Yet still I craved to be with her. To smell the delicate, floral perfume she favored. To watch a storm brew in her emerald eyes when I pushed a particular button. To imagine stroking her lithe, dancer’s body while she writhed beneath me.

  A warmth spread through my groin, one I wanted to explore with the angry kitten standing in front of me. Instead, I dragged my thoughts away from Catriona while I went to say hello to her brother and introduce myself properly to her grandmother. Greeting the matriarch of the family with a visible bulge in my pants wasn’t a good idea, especially as I’d already gotten the measure of her. A wily old woman with a wealth of experience in life, and one who, if the firm set to her jaw and the thin line of her lips was anything to go by, wouldn’t be easy to charm.

  “Aiden, great to meet you. Would you like to see the cockpit?”

  Aiden beamed at me and launched to his feet from where he’d taken up residence on the couch that lined one wall of the aircraft.

  “That would be awesome,” he exclaimed.

  I beckoned to Julie, my flight attendant. “Would you take him to meet the captain and show him around?”

  “Of course, Mr. Gauthier,” she said. “Come on, Aiden. Let’s give you the grand tour.”

  With Aiden suitably occupied, I turned my attention to Catriona’s grandmother.

  “Mrs. Kelly.” I held out my hand. “It’s lovely to meet you.”

  Richard’s investigations had delved into Catriona’s background. Mrs. Kelly was Catriona’s maternal grandmother, hence the different family name.

  Green eyes, a replica of Catriona’s, stared back at me, scrutinizing, and trying to read my intentions. I worked hard to keep my expression open. It wouldn’t do for her to figure out my true plans for her granddaughter—namely to bed her as fast as possible and get her out of my system.

  “I wish I could say the same, Mr. Gauthier, but I admit I’m very suspicious as to why a man such as yourself would find it within him to proffer such generosity for a family he doesn’t know, and only crossed paths with so he could whip the family business from under their noses.”

  Wow. I was right about Mrs. Kelly. Astute, direct, a lioness protecting her precious cubs. I caught sight of Catriona out of the corner of my eye, a glimmer of a smile touching her lips, a keenness to see how I handled this revealed in the way she
leaned slightly forward.

  I decided to plump for a semi-truth. Something told me Mrs. Kelly would smell a lie at twenty paces, and I’d pay the price for any duplicity.

  I took a seat across from her, and Catriona sat on the couch Aiden had vacated.

  “You’re right to be suspicious, Mrs. Kelly. As you so eloquently pointed out, I was both strident and single-minded in securing the purchase of your property. I’m afraid when it comes to the success of my company, I suffer from tunnel vision. I won’t apologize for that. However, since meeting your granddaughter, I admit I’ve become rather…” I paused, searching for the right word that a grandmother wouldn’t read as horny. “Smitten.”

  Catriona choked out a laugh. “Smitten? Come on.”

  I slid my gaze to hers, then returned my attention to her grandmother. “I’m afraid your granddaughter isn’t quite in the same place as I am but I’m hopeful that, given time, I can persuade her otherwise.”

  A snort came from my left. “Not a chance,” she muttered.

  For the first time, I saw a spark of mirth in Mrs. Kelly’s eyes. “You appear to have a sizeable challenge on your hands, Mr. Gauthier.”

  “Indeed. However, I thrive on challenge, and I am resolute and persistent when the need arises.”

  She arched a brow. “Is that so?” A twist of her head brought her attention to Catriona. “And what do you have to say about this, girl?”

  Catriona sat up straight. “I say that I would rather gouge out my eyes with a rusty razor blade than spend any more time than is absolutely necessary in this man’s company.”

  I chuckled. “See, I’m winning her over.”

  Mrs. Kelly cackled, while Catriona’s expression articulated that it was my eyes she’d like to use that rusty blade on, rather than her own.

  “As much as I’m enjoying this exchange, we’ll be taking off soon. So buckle up and enjoy the ride.”

  I emphasized ride while locking my gaze on Catriona’s captivating green irises. In return, she cast a withering look in my direction, fastened her seat belt, and stared out of the window.

  When I turned away with a smile, I found Mrs. Kelly with her eyes on me, a curious tilt to her head. I winked at her, drawing another bark of laughter from the old woman, which Catriona studiously ignored.

  Aiden joined us, and his animated chatter filled the silence. Once we were at cruising altitude and could move around the cabin, I instructed Julie to take care of my guests and excused myself, disappearing to the rear of the plane where my office was, as well as a bedroom. I glanced inside at the king-sized bed, imagining a time when I’d introduce Catriona to the mile-high club. It would happen, I was certain of it. Or to put it another way, I wouldn’t give up the chase until I’d conquered my prey. She’d relent in the end. They all did. This one might just take a little more persuading.

  Engrossed in work, I lost track of time when a knock at the door brought my head up. “Come in.”

  The door opened to show Catriona standing on the other side, her shoulder propped against the frame.

  “Sorry to disturb you,” she said, not sounding in the least bit sorry. “Julie said this plane had a bedroom.”

  I leaned back in my chair, splayed my legs wide, and slid my tongue along the underside of my top teeth. “You’ve come around far quicker than I anticipated, but I’m not arguing.”

  She rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated huff. “Aiden is tired. He gets like that. It’s his body fighting the cancer. I was hoping you wouldn’t mind if he took a nap.”

  I grinned, enjoying this banter far more than I ever imagined. By now, I’d expected my boredom threshold might have kicked in, especially as I hadn’t even gotten to first base yet, but no, I was as invested now as I’d ever been. Maybe to an even greater extent. It hadn’t occurred to me that I’d find this kind of drawn-out foreplay—and I had no doubt that’s exactly what it was—so fucking exciting. There was something to be said for delayed gratification, at least when it came to Catriona.

  “He’s more than welcome,” I said.

  “Thank you,” she replied stiffly.

  She spun on her heel, and a few seconds later returned with Aiden in tow. They disappeared into the bedroom. She was gone for a couple of minutes, then reappeared, closing the door with a quiet click. As she passed by my office, I called out to her.

  “Catriona.”

  She paused mid-step, then backtracked. “Yes?”

  “The couch converts to a bed, too. Not as comfortable, but hopefully somewhere you and your grandmother can get some sleep. Julie can fetch you pillows and a comforter.”

  She studied my face while tapping her fingertips against her thighs. “Where will you sleep?” she eventually asked.

  I rose from my chair and walked toward her. She held her ground, even when I tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, grazing the tips of my fingers over the silky soft skin of her neck. A rush of pleasure surged through me. She hadn’t pushed me away. God, I wanted to kiss her.

  “Are you worried about me?”

  She swallowed, then dampened her lips. “No.”

  I leaned in, testing the waters. “I think you are,” I murmured with my lips a mere inch or two from hers. “I think you’re coming around to the idea of us, Catriona.”

  “There is no us,” she said, her breathing becoming erratic.

  I swept my thumb over her plump bottom lip, my stomach clenching with need. “Not yet. But there will be.”

  She parted her lips, a silent invitation for me to kiss her, even if she wasn’t aware of it. “Dream on,” she rasped. “Whenever I think of you, all I see is the cruelty, the pleasure you take in my unhappiness, the way you reveled in my despair yesterday. You’ll always be the man who stole my life, and I’ll always hate you for it.”

  An uncomfortable feeling settled on my chest. Dammit. So close, and then she’d slammed the door on her feelings, and me. I forced a smile. “Hate is a very strong emotion, Catriona. I’d be much more concerned if you were indifferent toward me.”

  She stood there, a pink tinge gracing her cheeks while she tried to come up with a cutting remark. When none was forthcoming, she uttered an angry sound and stomped off.

  I closed the door to my office, my balls aching for release. Yet there was something more there than a quick fuck. A longing. I yearned to spend time with her. Each interaction with Catriona increased the strength of my desire and offered up a new and exciting experience to get close to someone in a way I hadn’t before.

  I shook my head to clear the unwelcome and unfamiliar thoughts. Maybe I should hook up with Valentina when we landed in Geneva. Prove to myself that the debacle with Scarlett was a one-off, brought on by tiredness rather than anything to do with Catriona.

  Grabbing my phone, I found her number saved in contacts. My thumb hovered over the call button, but for some unfathomable reason, I couldn’t dial. I groaned. Valentina didn’t interest me. Scarlett didn’t interest me. Only one woman interested me, and she was on the other side of this very thin wall, in all likelihood, deliberating on ways to punish me.

  I shivered. Yes fucking please.

  After more than eleven hours in the air, we made a brief stop in Dublin to refuel and, four hours later, we arrived at a private airfield outside Geneva. Even though Catriona assured me they were well rested, all three of them looked tired and drawn.

  “It’s the altitude as well as the time difference,” I explained as we descended the steps to the waiting car. “A good night’s sleep in a comfortable bed is all you’ll need.”

  She gave me a wan smile. “How long is it to your house?” she asked, shooting a worried glance in Aiden’s direction.

  “Forty minutes or so,” I said.

  She waited for her grandmother and brother to get in the car, then went to climb in after them. And then she paused, one hand on the top of the door. She glanced over her shoulder at me.

  “Thank you for helping him. I don’t think I’ve said that, and I s
hould have.”

  Surprised at her sudden appreciation, especially given her timely reminder on the flight of all my transgressions, I gave her a genuine smile, one not steeped in hidden agendas or innuendos.

  “It’s my pleasure.”

  18

  Catriona

  I gazed out of the window as the car wound its way through the Swiss mountains. I had assumed that traveling in luxury rather than on a commercial jet would mean I wasn’t so tired, but that didn’t seem to be the case. Given how exhausted Aiden and Grams appeared, I felt a surge of gratitude toward the man sitting to my right for his hospitality. If we’d had to make this trip cramped in an economy seat on a commercial flight, it would have been a lot worse.

  But at the same time, an inner voice warned me to watch my step. Garen Gauthier was a man who only did things that benefitted himself, including those actions which, on the surface, appeared altruistic. I didn’t buy his reasoning of needing a companion to attend dinners and the like, nor did I think his generosity was steeped in a way to get me into bed either. He was a rich, very good-looking guy who filled a suit so well, my mouth watered—not that I’d ever admit that to him—and could have any woman he wanted, and probably at no greater cost than a fancy dinner cooked by a world-renowned chef. To pay the exorbitant sums for Aiden’s treatment, not to mention the cost of flying us over here by private jet, and loaning his house for the duration, his motive had to be more than sex and wanting a companion on his arm on occasion. And besides, each time the ice around my heart thawed a little, he’d do something appalling and hurtful, and once again, it’d freeze over.