by Tami Lund
She cleared her throat. “I just…you took me by surprise, that’s all. I haven’t thought at all about work, about leaving here since I met you. And now you’ve reminded me of all that reality that will be waiting when this vacation is over.”
He chuckled. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Let’s just have fun for now. I don’t want to think about what’s waiting for me, either.”
They both had their feet propped on the banister. Leo inched his closer to hers and tapped her foot with his own. “Wanna go inside and curl up in bed and watch a sexy movie?”
She smiled. “That sounds marvelous.”
Crisis averted. For now.
***
Monday morning arrived with the sun chasing the clouds and rain and humidity away.
They’d returned to Shannon’s room to sleep for the night, which was on the east side of the B&B, so they were up early, courtesy of the bright light shining into the windows they hadn’t covered.
“Let’s go to the lake,” Leo suggested.
The man was full of excellent suggestions.
They rented a pontoon boat, Maureen packed them another picnic basket, and they headed out to start their day.
Once they were out on the water, Shannon pulled off her coverup, revealing a stringy red bikini that barely covered all the essential parts.
“Good God,” Leo said, pulling her into his arms. “You are the most amazingly gorgeous woman I have ever met.”
This suit wasn’t at all her new style, her preferred style. She’d bought it for a client who wanted part of their arranged date to involve swimming in the hotel’s pool. The choice had been deliberate, since the purpose of that swim was a prelude to sex for money.
Tossing it into her bag for this trip had been an afterthought. Given Leo’s reaction, she was glad she had. Although…
“True confession, this isn’t what I’d choose to wear to the beach.”
He’d brought a Bluetooth speaker, and it pumped out background music, a hip-hop song from the ’90s at the moment. Leo, who clearly had moves, was gyrating his hips and dancing along to the song, holding her tightly so that she swayed along with him.
“No? Then why are you wearing it? Besides the obvious, that we’d get in trouble for public indecency if you weren’t.”
“If you keep dancing like this we’re going to get into trouble anyway.”
He grinned wickedly. “We can always jump into the water. I bet we can do all sorts of naughty things without anyone being the wiser.”
She laughed. “That’s some awfully clear water.”
He didn’t stop dancing. “Fine, then we’ll get ourselves all nice and hot and bothered and we’ll have some seriously explosive sex when we get back to the B&B.”
Hey, changing her life did not mean she couldn’t still be somewhat naughty. Shannon reached between them and stroked his erection. His eyes widened, and then he cupped the back of her head and made love to her mouth, while she slipped her hands into his shorts and steadily pumped until he bucked against her leg and mumbled against her lips, “If you don’t stop…I’m going to… Fuck, don’t stop…So good. Oh God, Shannon…”
She kept it up until he climaxed and then wrapped his arms around her and squeezed while burying his face in her hair. After a long moment, he pulled away and said, “Okay, I clearly need to jump into the water. Coming?”
“Not yet,” she said demurely.
He laughed. “Let’s go. I’ll make sure you come.”
And he did. Spectacularly.
With the sun beating down on them, their bellies full from another of Maureen’s delicious meals, they spent the day tooling around the lake, dropping anchor whenever they needed a dip, and having the time of their lives.
It was the perfect way to spend her last full day of vacation.
Tomorrow she was checking out. Back to work. Back to reality. Her next appointment was Wednesday at seven. Another businessman, another fake date, another evening spent having sex for money.
After this time with Leo, after experiencing pleasure for the sake of pleasure, after discovering sex was so much better when it was with someone she actually liked, Shannon didn’t want to think about how she was going to endure sleeping with other men and pretending to like it at that.
God, she wished she were brave enough to start her life over now instead of waiting until she had enough money saved to pay cash for her dreams.
Because if she could walk away from her current source of income, she would not hesitate to carry on this affair with Leo. See where it led. Explore these interesting feelings that seemed to grow with each moment she spent in his company.
The problem was, she was afraid to finance a loan, afraid Davit would stumble across her name, her information. She’d created an LLC for her escort business, and Star wasn’t something that would pop for him. But Shannon Williams? Davit had probably already checked out every single Shannon Williams out there, looking for her.
She knew he’d searched for her in the beginning, because she’d stalked social media and had spotted comments here and there that made it clear if only to her. Eventually, he’d quit posting about her, but she knew him well enough to know that didn’t mean he’d given up on finding her.
Davit was the definition of an obsessive personality, and she was his greatest fixation. It all stemmed from his own father’s obsession with her. Davit had admired his father like the man was a god, even though the elder Grigoryan spent the bulk of his time grooming Davit’s older brother to take over the family business.
When his father died, Davit didn’t get to take over as don, of course, so he decided to take over the next best thing: his father’s own obsession.
Shannon.
Any man who could move into his own father’s bedroom the day after his death, who could sleep with his father’s fiancée when the man’s body hadn’t even been cold for twenty-four hours, would definitely not give up his search for that obsession after only a single year.
Chapter Eleven
The ringing of his phone interrupted the music. Someone was trying to FaceTime him.
Shannon was in his lap, and he was teaching her how to drive the boat. There was more laughter than learning occurring, but that was okay.
That was what was supposed to be happening.
Grabbing his phone, he saw that it was Max. He considered ignoring him, but if yesterday was any indication, Max would keep calling until Leo answered.
His brother wasn’t a patient man. Hopefully, he’d learn to improve that skill, otherwise he wouldn’t be nearly as good as their father at managing the family business.
Leo wasn’t even sorry that he was no longer the heir apparent to the family fortune, the business. He had plenty of money of his own, and he would still have a roll in the business if he wanted it.
He wasn’t sure he did anymore.
The only thing he was sure of at the moment was figuring out a way to continue seeing Shannon when this vacation was over. Beyond that, well, he’d figure his life out, eventually.
He held the phone at an angle, so that Shannon wasn’t in the picture. It was hard to do since she was on his lap, but he didn’t ask her to move.
He liked her this close.
But he didn’t want his brother to see her in that bikini. Not that he was one of those possessive alpha-holes like Davit, but his brother would say all the wrong things that would get under Leo’s skin and then they’d start arguing, and it just wasn’t worth it.
“Hey, Max,” he said when the call connected.
Shannon glanced over her shoulder, her eyebrow raised. Leo shrugged. He had no idea why his brother was calling again so soon.
“What’s up?”
Leo watched him peer at the screen, taking in the background.
“Are you on the water? On a boat?”
Leo turned the phone around and waved it so Max could have a better look. “Yep. Jealous?”
“Wait, pan back to that hot chick. Is that
the famous Shannon?”
Leo rolled his eyes. Shannon smirked. “She’s hardly famous, but, yes, that’s Shannon.”
“Let me see her again. All I saw was bronze skin and a red string I’m guessing is a bikini.”
“No.”
“You’re no fun. Seriously, I want to see what sort of woman you date without our parents’ influence.”
“No. What do you need?”
Shannon chuckled and rattled the ice cubes in her empty glass. They’d packed a cooler with cherry vodka and sparkling lemon-flavored water and fresh raspberries, and she had introduced him to his new favorite drink. Which they were sharing from one cup because why not?
“Want more?” she mouthed, and he nodded, releasing his hold around her waist so she could get up off his lap.
He immediately missed her presence. Damn, he had it bad.
“Bridgette wants to know if you want her to go ahead with plans for your birthday party. And I want you to call Dad so she can start planning her wedding, part two.”
Leo shook his head. How the hell was his brother okay with the way this was going down? Did he honestly think she wanted to be with him? That she’d stay faithful?
And to be honest, Bridgette wasn’t that great of a catch. She was attractive and she came from money, but she was vain and shallow and she had spending habits that would cripple the family business if Max weren’t careful.
Maybe he didn’t care about any of that. Maybe he was exactly the way their parents had hoped Leo would be: doing what was necessary to grow their empire.
“Tell her to cancel the party; I’m not interested. I’m not even sure I’ll be home for my birthday.” Hopefully, he’d be with Shannon.
He watched as she crouched next to the cooler and added more ice and mixed their drink.
“Okay, one down. Now you need to call Dad so she can put her focus into wedding planning instead. Otherwise, she’s going to be all pouty, and I’ll be honest here, that’s my least favorite of all her attitudes.”
Shannon stood and for a split second came into view on Leo’s phone before she stepped around to snuggle back onto his lap.
“Whoa,” Max said, his eyes going wide. “That was a smokin’ hot lady I just saw. She looks kind of familiar too. Do I know her?”
“Nope. And it’s probably going to stay that way.”
“Yeah, right. I’ll let Bridgette know you’re bringing a plus one to the wedding.”
Shit, if he could get away with not attending the wedding, he would.
Would Max ensure kids were written into their contract? Leo had because he’d wanted them, not to mention, there was an expectation that he’d create heirs to carry on the Beneventi name and take over the family business someday.
He should probably warn his brother that Bridgette hadn’t been pleased with that particular clause. She told him she wasn’t mother material.
Leo hadn’t argued, but he figured he could be a decent enough father to make up for it.
Damn, had he really had those sorts of conversations, those thoughts, about his own marriage, his own future?
What the hell kind of world did he live in?
“I’ll call Dad,” he finally said, because he wanted to end this call and get back to the little fantasy world he’d created with Shannon.
“Thanks, man, I appreciate it. Later.”
The call disconnected, and the music started up again. A song called “Sucker” by the Jonas Brothers.
Appropriate.
“I don’t really want to know, but I actually do,” Shannon said, sipping her drink and then handing it to him.
He took a grateful swallow. “You mean about my brother and how fucked up it is that he seems so excited to marry my ex-fiancée?”
She chuckled. “Exactly.”
He shook his head. “I don’t get it either. He’s never expressed any remote interest in getting involved with the family business, and now he’s so all-in that he’s willing to marry a woman he really doesn’t even know just to please our father. Man, I’m so glad I woke up when I did.”
He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the hollow of her throat.
“Because waking up when I did led me to you.”
She stiffened under his touch. He frowned and grasped her biceps, pushing her upper body to arms’ length. “Does it make you uncomfortable when I talk like that?”
He didn’t even need to ask. It was as obvious as the sunburn on her nose.
She cleared her throat and did not meet his gaze. “A little.”
She knew all about his past; well, enough that she probably should have run the other way when he’d offered her that first glass of sparkling wine. But she hadn’t, and the closer they grew over the last few days, the more convinced he had become that she was willing to look past all that and accept him for the man he was.
“I have never had a healthy relationship with a man before.”
It took a few seconds for his mind to process what she’d said. So it wasn’t him…it was her.
“You’re scared.”
She slid off his lap and plucked the drink from his hand. He let her go, even though he wanted to pull her closer, hold her tight until all that sadness that was suddenly radiating off her once again disappeared.
“That’s part of it, yes. But mostly, I’m afraid I’m going to disappoint you.”
She lifted her hand before he could even open his mouth.
“I know you’re about to say I could never disappoint you, but I need you to trust me here. If you knew about my past, you would not be considering anything at all with me beyond what we’re doing right now.”
“I don’t care about your past,” he argued.
“My past could still catch up with me.”
“What do you mean?”
She stood on the hull, staring out over the waves they created as they sliced through the water. “I ran away. A year ago. Just up and left. Changed my name. Started over.”
Oh shit, had she run from an abusive ex? “Were you married to him?”
“You’re assuming I ran from a man.”
“Yes.”
“Good assumption. And no, I didn’t marry him. Also, he wasn’t the first one. There was one before him, and I almost did marry him. But he died, unexpectedly, and I ended up trapped with this other guy. Something happened almost exactly a year ago, and I saw an opportunity and escaped. But I do not think for one moment that he would not force me to go back to him if he knew where I was.”
“I can protect you.” It was an automatic response. He’d been the protector in the family for so long, he knew no differently.
And yet, it was different this time. He wasn’t offering because he was obligated; he wanted to help her. He wanted her to feel safe.
She shook her head. “No, you can’t, but thank you for offering.”
He wondered, vaguely, if she’d been connected to the mob. He knew the mob existed; his brother’s best friend was part of a mob family, and a buddy from high school had family ties to the Italian mafia. And if it existed in Detroit, it likely existed in Chicago.
Except, if she ran away, would she have stayed in the same city?
“Where is he? The guy you’re hiding from?”
She darted a glance at him, and he saw the fear in her eyes before she turned back to the water. “Detroit.”
Leo winced. Shit. That was a hell of a complication, wasn’t it?
“I’d be willing to move. With you. We could go west, start over somewhere. Or hell, let’s go to Europe. There are lots of bed and breakfasts there. Didn’t the concept start there?”
She laughed hollowly and then shook her head. “In England, actually. But, Leo, you hardly know me. You shouldn’t make offers like that.”
“I know enough.”
“No, you don’t.” She sighed and strode back to him, offering the nearly empty drink. He swallowed the contents, his gaze on her face.
“Let’s do what we’ve been doing since
we met and just have a good time. For the rest of today. Tomorrow, I’ll tell you about my past. And then you can decide if you still feel the same.”
“I will.”
“Tomorrow.”
He blew out a frustrated breath. “Fine. Come sit in my lap, please. If we’re continuing to live in our bubble, I want to touch you.”
She did as he asked, curling up like a cat, wrapping her arms around his back and pressing her cheek against his chest.
He rested his chin on her hair. What in the hell could be so bad about her past that he’d be scared away?
Especially given what she knew about his own life.
Chapter Twelve
A few hours later, they returned the boat to the marina and headed to a nearby restaurant that came highly recommended from their innkeeper, whose own meals were to die for.
Leo wore his swim trunks and a T-shirt, and Shannon’s coverup could pass for a sundress, which meant they didn’t need to go back to the B&B and change into street clothes.
The hostess informed them that it would be about twenty minutes before they could be seated, so they headed to the bar to wait.
They were getting along fine, although the weight of her vague confession still pressed in on them, threatening to intrude, despite them both trying to keep it at bay.
She wanted to hold onto these last few hours, cling to this perfect little fantasy they’d created. Besides, she still wasn’t certain how much detail she’d give Leo, so she needed this extra time to sort it out in her head.
“Leo? Leo Beneventi? Holy shit, is that you, man?”
Shannon turned slightly on her stool to see who had called out Leo’s name. A man had just exited the restroom and was heading toward them, grinning ear to ear, his arms outstretched, like he was preparing to go in for a hug. He was Italian, good-looking…and she recognized him.
Shit.
The guy strode straight to Leo and slapped him on the back, that grin widening if that were possible. “It is you. How you doing, man? Damn, how long’s it been?”
“Marco Romano, holy shit, how the hell are you?” Leo stood and embraced the other man.