Unwrapped Hearts

by Linzi Basset

  “The accident could’ve been prevented, Thomas, if only I hadn’t been on a business trip at the time.”

  “I disagree. You can’t continue to take responsibility for your nephew’s mistakes, Steele. The reality is, for as long as he knows you’ll be around to save his ass, nothing will ever change.”

  “You’re preaching to the reformed, Thomas.” Steele sighed heavily. “But I made a promise to my sister that I’d look after her son. I can’t renege on that.”

  “I know Leah’s death devastated you, Steele but she had cancer. There was nothing you could have done to save her. Caleb has been using her death to manipulate you. Leah would turn over in her grave if she knew that you’ve been easy on him because you feel sorry for him.”

  Steele’s mind drifted back to the final hours of his older sister’s life. As always, his heart contracted painfully as he heard her voice in his mind.

  “You’re all he has left now, Steele. Please take care of Caleb for me.” Lee brushed back his hair with a tired smile. “He’s become a rebel since the divorce but I thank the lord every day that Samuel disappeared and isn’t a part of his life.”

  “Caleb is a good boy, Leah. He’s got your nature.” Steele forced his mind to stay in the moment, with Leah and not move ahead to the inevitable. She’d been suffering with colon cancer for three years, of which the last six months had been hell. It had been difficult for Steele dealing with it at the age of twenty-seven, he could only imagine how the eighteen-year-old teenager felt.

  “Maybe so, but he needs a strong male figure in his life. I know it’s a lot to ask but you’re the only one ... don’t let him turn into the loser his father is. Please, Steele, make him strong, of character and of morals. Like you.”

  Steele sighed. He had made the promise and yet, looking back, he had failed. Because he’d felt sorry for Caleb who had been devastated when she’d died, he’d allowed him to run wild for the past eleven years. At almost thirty, Caleb had turned into a rogue, a good-for-nothing womanizer who lived on the allowance he received monthly out of his inheritance. If anything, Steele owed it to Leah to at least try to make something of her son. He just hoped it wasn't too late to lay down rules.

  “Yeah, I know and you’re right. The time has come to rein him in.” Steele frowned in thought. “Starting by cutting off his extravagant allowance. Leah never intended for him to live solely off that. It’s time he puts that college degree to work and learns that having money is a privilege people have to earn. His days of free riding are over.”

  “Now you’re talking.”

  “I believe the best lesson to be learned at this point, is using his allowance to settle Kim’s medical bills.” Steele smiled as he warmed up to the idea. “And her accommodation at the hotel.”

  “I’m liking this more by the minute.”

  The atmosphere in the car was more relaxed from there on and Steele was relieved that it removed Thomas’ mind from his proposal to Kayla— for the time being, at least.

  For now, he had to concentrate on Kim Butler. She had spent the past six months in recovery, after a car wreck caused by Caleb who had been totally inebriated at the time. Kim had suffered a broken pelvis, a crushed leg and a cut to the left side of her face. She had to undergo serious orthopedic surgery but Steele had been relieved that it had been successful. Apart from a couple of small scars in her hairline, her face was as beautiful as before. They had just removed the steel screws from her leg but it would take a couple of months of strenuous rehabilitation to ensure it healed properly. Steele had undertaken to ensure she completely recovered from the ordeal.

  The more he thought about Caleb taking responsibility for the final road of Kim’s recovery process, the more the idea took root.

  “Morning Kim,” he said cordially as they walked into the hospital room a little later. “Ready to go? I’ve arranged for a private nurse to assist you during your stay at the hotel.”

  “I’m ready, and once again, thank you for the offer. I have to admit, it’s been a daunting thought to go home alone.” She gestured to the bandages still covering her leg. “I’m still wary of walking with a cane but the doctor assured me I’ll be skiing down the mountain in no time.”

  Steele noticed the flimsy smile she offered. He winced as it once again drilled home how hard it must’ve been for an Olympic skiing medalist to lose the strength in her legs.

  “Then it’s a challenge. As soon as he gives you the all clear, you and I are going skiing,” he vowed with a gentle smile.

  Kim glanced at him in surprise. “Where do you find the time to ski?”

  Steele’s eyebrows drifted upward. “You make it sound like all I do is work.”

  “According to Caleb, it is.”

  He stared at her, startled. “Caleb has been visiting you?”

  “A couple of times.” She snorted. “Biggest asshole I’ve ever met, and to be honest, I had to clench on my teeth every time not to chase him out. Such a display of chauvinism and … ugh! The sugary flirting with all the nurses. It was enough to make me wanna puke.” She stood up, concentrating to center her weight with the assistance of the cane. “If you ask me, that’s the only reason he kept coming back. To boost his ego. They were all over him every time he arrived.”

  Steele shook his head, more in regret that he’d allowed Caleb to become as bad as he was. But no more.

  “I’m sure you’re tired of these four walls by now, correct?” Steele offered her a gentle, brotherly smile. Strangely, it was how he felt about Kim and had been treating her as a younger sister.

  “God, yes. If I never see the inside of a hospital again, it’ll be too soon.”

  He grabbed her bags and offered her his arm.

  “Then, let’s get out of here.” He heaved in a breath. He hadn’t bargained on Kim not liking Caleb but the sooner she accepted he was going to play a role in her rehabilitation process, the better. It was one decision he had no intention of reneging on.

  “Caleb is going to ensure you’re comfortable and will be assisting you with your rehab program,” he dolefully planted the seed to gauge her reaction.

  “Caleb? Your nephew, Caleb? The same one I just told you is a … a womanizer extraordinaire. That Caleb?” Kim didn’t bother to hide her discontent.

  “What better way for him to make amends? Besides, he needs more responsibility and I can’t think of a better place to teach him how to be humbled.” He quirked an eyebrow at her conspiratorially. “Know what I mean?”

  “You want me to give him a hard time? Pack guilt on him for what he did to me? Hm … I’d rather cut down his chauvinistic alpha male attitude. Yes, I think I’m heating up to the idea.”

  Steele smiled at the excited glimmer in Kim’s eyes. Watching her, he realized there might be more to her reaction than she was letting on. There was a definite spark in her eyes and it had nothing to do with revenge. He believed Kim might be the perfect little snip to bring Caleb’s wild ways to an end.

  Steele kept the conversation light and on general topics all the way to the hotel. By the time he handed her over to the private nurse, she was relaxed and smiling.

  “There’s a young lady waiting for you in your office,” Patsy, his PA, informed him with an annoyed pout to her lips as he walked into his office on the top floor of the hotel a short while later. She was a bulldog when it came to protecting him. “I tried to keep her out but she has a mind of her own.”

  “Does she have a name?” he asked dryly.

  “Kayla Silver.”

  “Well, well … that’s rather unexpected,” he muttered as he pushed through the door. Not that he should be surprised. Kayla Silver wasn't the kind of woman who could be easily manipulated.

  Kayla pivoted at the sound of the door closing where she stood in front of the window.

  “This is a surprise.”

  “Is it? I rather think it’s exactly what you expected. Why else would you have dropped the bomb and then leave before it even exploded?”
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  He leaned against the desk and lazily crossed his legs. Her flashing eyes and pursed lips were a clear indication that she was highly annoyed.

  “To be honest, I didn’t expect you to have made up your mind this quickly.”

  “Gmphf, fat chance of that, Steele Blake. I’m here to inform you that if you’re so eager to get married, the one person who you should drag down the aisle, is Jade, not me.”

  “Hm … there is a slight problem with that theory.”

  “I don’t happen to agree. She’s the one who owes you, not me.”

  “Maybe so but you’re the one refusing to sign over the company, so it’s up to you to settle her debt.”

  Kayla’s eyes narrowed. “This is totally farfetched, Steele, and you know it.”

  “Is it? I see it as a win-win for all parties if you marry me.” He held up his hand when she dragged in a breath. “You’re the one who instigated the bank to file a charge against her, and from what your attorney told me, you’re going to as well, which means your friend is going to end up in jail.” His eyes caught hers in a lock. “No matter what you say, Kayla, I don’t believe you wish to see her behind bars. I’m prepared to make it all go away; refund the money she stole from the bank… as easy as that.”

  “And all it takes is for me to say yes?”

  He shrugged, seemingly unperturbed by the shards of ice her eyes shot at him. “It’s for you to decide. Give me what I want and she walks free … or as much as you wish her to. Don’t … and I’ll make sure she sits behind bars for a very long time, notwithstanding the fact that I hold onto the shares I now own of Decadence Galore.” He straightened lazily. “And believe me, love, you don’t want me as your business partner.”

  “Let me make this abundantly clear, Steele Blake. I don’t want you as a partner. Period.”

  “Your call.” He took out his cell phone and dialed a number. “Captain Moore, it’s Steele Blake. Is your team still on Ms. Palmer? Good. I’ve made up my mind. Take her into custody and file the charges.”

  Kayla glared at him as he dropped the phone back into his pocket as he ended the call.

  “What exactly are the charges, Mr. Blake? She didn’t steal from you. She stole from me. Do you really think I’m that naive or stupid?”

  “Unfortunately for you, as your new partner, it’s in my best interest to protect my assets. Seeing as you seem to be in two minds about it, I’m filing a charge of theft and extortion against her on behalf of Decadence Galore.”

  “You … you’re not a partner yet! The share transfer and ownership documentation hasn’t been filed yet.”

  “I’m afraid you don’t know me very well. I made sure all of that was taken care of at the time of accepting Jade’s offer. Let’s not forget that I believed at the time I was getting one hundred percent of the company, not only forty. Which makes my loss bigger.”

  “She won't survive jail,” Kayla muttered softly to herself. Kayla was confused by the constant ebb and flow in her feelings toward Jade. She shouldn’t be feeling sympathy or even remotely responsible for Jade, and yet she constantly found herself looking for ways to ease her from falling into a dark rut

  “What are your intentions with Decadence Galore?”

  “You’re forcing my hand, sweetheart, therefore, for starters, all liquid assets will be split in accordance with my percentage of shares and paid out to me to recoup some of my losses. The property and equipment will be put up for sale and—”

  “You’re planning on liquidating the company?” Kayla said in defeat.

  “I already told you, Ms. Silver, I have no interest in wasting my time, effort, or money on a small enterprise such as yours.”

  “What about the employees? Their families? It’s Christmas for goodness sake! You can’t just … not now!”

  “You’ve got it wrong, Kayla. I’m not the one taking anything away from them. Your ex-partner is the one who yanked the carpet, their security, from under them. I’m just closing the portal she created.”

  Kayla stared at him. “It seems I misjudged you … everyone did. You’re not the businessman the media raves about, driven by integrity and high morals. Behind that façade is the real man standing in front of me now. Money hungry, uncaring and a complete fucking bastard!”

  Steele didn’t lose the smile around his lips. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He could handle her insults—for now. Once they were married, she’d soon get to know him for the man he was. Until then, he’d play as dirty as he needed to get her to agree to his proposal.

  “If it makes it easier to insult me, go ahead, sweetheart, but it won’t change anything.”

  “Except if I marry you.”

  He didn’t miss the calculating look in her eyes. His smile widened. He’d been around the block a couple of times and one thing he’d learned over time was to read people, women especially. Kayla Silver couldn’t fool him.

  “Yes.” He hesitated briefly. “And in case you’ve got other ideas, I’m only interested in a normal marriage. In other words, honey, you sleep in my bed, you have sex with me, whenever and however I want, as much as I want.”

  “For how long,” she snapped.

  His eyebrows shot upward. “I’m afraid I’m lost.”

  “How long is this farce of a marriage supposed to last?”

  “I guess I didn’t explain it properly. It’ll be the real deal, Kayla. To have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” He walked up to her, standing a hairbreadth apart. He caught her chin between his fingers and tilted back her head. The flash in his eyes caught her unaware. “If you agree to marry me, it’ll be a marriage in every way. There’ll be no divorce and I’ll expect you to give me children.”

  He leaned closer. “Lots of children.”

  Before Kayla could finish the thought to step away from him, his arms wrapped around her, hard and confident as he pulled her tight against his chest.

  “And there’s no time like the present to start,” he whispered against her lips and looked up. “Right here under the mistletoe.” His PA had decorated his office and always added one as a joke.

  “Mistletoe? Really?” Kayla became distracted by the endearing warmth of his breath on her cheek along with his fingers caressing the side of her throat that edged away at her resistance. His lips brushed against her skin leaving a delicious shiver to trail down her spine.

  “You are so beautiful, Kayla. Do you have any idea what effect you have on me?”

  “Steele …” Kayla tried to protest but caught her breath as his tongue tickled a sensual play of persuasion against her neck. With a sigh, she relaxed against his hard chest as she became a willing puppet to the master of seduction. For this brief moment, she was his willing prey.

  “Don’t for one moment believe this is going to sway my decision one way or the other.” The soft lilt of her voice didn’t carry much conviction but Steele reacted to the submission of her warm body yielding to his expert molding of her desires.

  “Oh,” she moaned as his large hand fisted around a tuft of her luxurious mane to turn her head and direct her mouth to his.

  Just like that, Kayla became lost in the moment.

  Her breath puffed from her chest following the whispered touch of his lips over her pouty mouth. She gave in with a sigh, unable to fight the radiant heat that began to glow inside her. The fervor with which he pervaded her lips, crumbled every inhibition she’d been clinging to since he’d walked into the office. Her senses became overwhelmed, filled with his touch, his taste and his heat, his glorious heat that threatened to singe the last of her protest.

  “You fit my arms perfectly, love.” He kissed his way across her cheek, ending in a seductive suck on her earlobe. “Such luxurious skin. I could become addicted to the taste of your skin, so easily.”

  Kayla moaned as his hand traced the curve of her breast to circle and tease the hardening tips of her nipples. Her hips canted forward, searching for something, which in that
moment, she couldn’t begin to understand, but she was helpless as she pressed against him, exulting in the hard arousal that poked against her stomach.

  Steele watched her surreptitiously, aware of her rising desire. His intent to torment and then step away fell short as her throaty whimper enticed him to take another taste. He released the hold he had on her hair to spear his fingers through it and settled on her nape.

  “Steele,” she moaned as lips captured hers in a kiss that was in contradiction to how gentle his touch had been. He took intimate possession, invaded her mouth with his hot and clever tongue that demanded her participation. He stole her breath, suffusing her with all-consuming passion that left her clinging to his jacket in an attempt not to completely lose herself to the sudden lustful possession of her mouth.

  His lips sent wild tremors racing along her nerves. He evoked sensations she had never known she was capable of feeling. She was overcome by a rush of helplessness, a sinking yielding, as a surging tide left her feeling warm and limp in his arms.

  “There’s only one decision to make, Kayla. You know it as much as I do.” He stepped away from her, watching her through lowered eyelids. “Don’t make me wait too long.”

  Kayla stared at him, breathing hard as she tried to bring her rapidly beating heart under control. She found it unnerving that she’d given in to him so easily, so willingly and even more annoying, how her body zinged and sizzled with arousal in the wake of his hands and lips. All this while he stood there, completely relaxed like he hadn’t just rocked her all the way to her toes.

  “If you think a kiss is going to get you what you want, you’re delusional,” she said.

  His smile was feral as he took a step closer. Kayla all but jumped out of the way and circled him cautiously, heading for the door. Her eyes flashed as he chuckled.