He crossed to her and cupped her face in his hands. “I’d never do that to you. I’d never do it to anyone.”
She saw the pain in his eyes and behind it, a truth. That ugliness changed a man forever. It couldn’t be helped. But how the change happened was determined by the man’s character. Garth hadn’t given in to the darkness that could have claimed him. If anyone had reason, it was him. Even his revenge against Jed had been civilized and thought out. He didn’t need to hurt someone physically to feel like a man.
“There’s a part of me that wants to fly to Florida and have it out with your old man,” he admitted, still staring into her eyes. “I want him to feel what it was like.”
“Would you do that for me?”
He didn’t hesitate. “No. He’s old and it serves no purpose. It wouldn’t change the past. If he were still a threat to you, I’d take him on in a heartbeat, but he’s not. Empty violence teaches nothing.”
“You used violence on Jed.”
“I used fear. There’s a difference.” He dropped his hands to her shoulders. “How much have I screwed up things?”
She touched his chest, traced a scar. “Not as much as you’d think.”
“Yeah?”
She looked up at him and smiled, then raised herself up on tiptoe and kissed him.
She’d been avoiding physical contact with Garth as much as possible, telling herself that she’d imagined the passion between them.
But now she was unable to resist the feel of his mouth on hers. She needed to be close to him, to touch all of him and be touched by him. Their connection had been broken and she wanted it restored.
He didn’t disappoint. The second her lips met his, he kissed her with a hunger that burned. His arms tightened, then they were straining together, as if trying to climb inside each other.
She parted for him, then groaned as he plunged his tongue inside of her mouth. She met him stroke for stroke, wanting to excite him as much as he excited her. Wanting turned liquid and flooded her. Even as they kissed, she tugged at his shirt. His hands swept under her T-shirt and found her breasts.
His fingers were warm and knowing. He cupped her curves, then brushed across her already tight nipples. Even through the fabric of her bra, the gentle touches aroused her.
She touched his back, then rubbed her hands up and down his chest. It wasn’t enough. They had to touch more.
“Wait,” she gasped, pulling back.
She jerked her T-shirt over her head, then unfastened her bra. Before she’d even tossed it away, he’d already bent his head and took one of her nipples in his mouth. He sucked deeply, using his tongue to caress sensitive flesh. She clung to him, feeling the tugs all the way between her legs. Her blood pulsed, causing her to swell.
Without thinking, she pushed down her sweats. Her panties went with them. Even as he shifted to her other breast, he slipped a hand between her thighs and found her wet, swollen center. Two fingers pressed against that one spot, then began to circle it.
He straightened enough to kiss her mouth. Their tongues tangled, she held on to his shoulders, all the while his fingers created magic. She couldn’t think, couldn’t do anything but feel the pressure. He moved steadily, rubbing over and around. Her body tensed. She wanted to part her legs but her stupid sweatpants were in the way. If she could just open a little more and he kept doing that, she would come in a heartbeat.
She tried to kick them away. He broke the kiss then pushed her back a couple of steps.
“Table,” he said, his voice thick with passion.
She stepped out of her sweatpants and panties. He grabbed his shirt and put it on the wood table, then helped her jump up onto the cool surface. She parted her legs and went to grab his hand to show him exactly where she wanted him, but he was busy unfastening his belt and shoving down the zipper.
He pushed into her, filling every inch of her. She stared into his eyes, seeing the fire there, knowing it was matched by the need on her own face. He pulled out and thrust in again, but this time he used his fingers to rub her at the same time.
It only took a few seconds for her to lose herself in her release. Every muscle in her body convulsed as she cried out, clinging to him.
He waited until the shudders had stopped before grabbing her hips and hanging on as he pumped in and out of her. Soon he stiffened and groaned.
They held on to each other. The sound of their rapid breathing filled the quiet kitchen.
“Are you all right?” he asked, stroking her head and kissing her bare shoulder.
“Yes.”
And for that moment she was. She wouldn’t think about tomorrow right now. Or the day after. Or the niggling sense that she was afraid of the wrong thing. It wasn’t that Garth would hurt her physically that should have her on edge. It was that the more she knew him, the more she liked him. And that liking made her vulnerable.
For the first time she realized the true danger wasn’t to her body, but was instead to her heart.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
IZZY SHOWED UP the next morning with Danish, coffee and a copy of the paper. Dana had spent the night in Garth’s bed and there hadn’t been a lot of sleep on the agenda, so she was still groggy and not feeling like she wanted company.
“I should take the food and run,” she said, then yawned. “But that would require too much energy.”
Izzy followed her into the kitchen. “Someone got to bed late last night,” her friend teased. “Want to share details?”
Dana got out plates and napkins, then led the way to the dining room. The small table in the kitchen should probably be wiped down before anyone ate at it.
“He’s your brother,” she said as she took a seat and reached for one of the containers of coffee. “Are you sure you want details?”
“Never mind.” Izzy had already gone through the paper. She pushed a folded page toward Dana. “Brace yourself. You made the society page.”
The hot coffee seemed to get stuck halfway down Dana’s throat. For a second she couldn’t seem to swallow. She finally managed to get it down only to cough until she gagged.
“W-what?” she managed, then cleared her throat. “There’s a society page in the paper?”
“Uh-huh, and you’re the star. That’s what happens when you go out with one of the city’s most eligible bachelors. Being one of Garth’s women comes at a price. By the way, you look great.”
She turned the page so Dana could see the picture of herself standing next to Garth in front of Glory’s Gate.
Dana felt the beginnings of a headache right behind her eyes. “Seriously? I didn’t see anyone with a camera.” She’d been too freaked about the whole party to notice details. That didn’t bode well for her returning to a career in law enforcement. “I’m losing my edge.”
“You were probably trying not to trip in high heels.”
“True, but not an excuse.”
Dana studied the picture. She had to admit, she looked good. The dress fit perfectly and Lexi had worked magic with hair and makeup. But seeing herself with a caption under the picture was beyond surreal.
There were several other pictures, including one of Skye with Mitch, and an article about the fund-raiser. She scanned it.
“They print the menu?”
“The little people are curious,” Izzy teased. “Now that you’re no longer one of them, you’ll have to learn to be kind.”
“Bite me.”
“That would be Garth’s job.”
Dana drank more coffee. The society page. “How do I keep this from happening again?” she asked.
“Avoid society events.”
Dana didn’t think it would be too hard. Then she remembered something else her friend had said. “What do you mean ‘one of his women’? He has others?”
Izzy shifted in her seat. “Not that I know of. It was just an expression. I’m sure he’s not dating anyone else.”
Dana winced and reached for a Danish. “You’re the wrong person to be a
sking. That’s a conversation I need to have with him.”
She told herself not to worry. He was home early every night. All the time she’d been following him, he’d never gone out with anyone.
Izzy sipped her coffee. “Is it getting to the point where you need to know that kind of thing?” she asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sleeping with him. I’m a big fan of serial monogamy. But I didn’t bother asking about his preferences.”
“He’s a good guy,” Izzy reassured her. “I wouldn’t worry.”
“You don’t have to. It’s fine. We’ll have a rational, adult conversation.”
“Because you like him.”
Dana raised her eyebrows. “I don’t care how athletic you are, I could so take you.”
“You’d have to catch me first.”
Dana nodded. Izzy was skinny, but she was also fast. She sighed. “I guess I do like him. A little.”
Izzy grinned. “Casual like or serious like?”
“I’m not sure.”
“That means serious like, or you’d be willing to say.”
Dana glared at her. “Because it’s impossible to believe I’m actually not sure?”
“Oh, please. You’re very decisive. You wouldn’t be sleeping with Garth if you didn’t already like him.”
“Maybe.”
Izzy stared at her. “How serious?”
“I don’t know.” Dana took a bite of Danish. Maybe the sugar rush would help her think more clearly.
“He’s not like the guys you usually date.”
She swallowed. “Tell me about it. I don’t know. There are things I really admire about him, but sometimes…” she looked at Izzy “…he scares the crap out of me.”
“That’s how all good relationships start. You can’t be scared if you have nothing to lose.”
“Meaning?”
“You’re putting your heart on the line. That’s good.”
“Not for me or my heart.” Dana licked her fingers. “Want to go work out?”
“Ick. No. But I’ll go rock climbing with you.”
“Anything that works up a sweat and keeps me from thinking is fine.”
Izzy grinned. “Have you ever been rock climbing before?”
“No.”
“You are so going to love it.”
GARTH WALKED INTO ONE of the smaller conference rooms after lunch to find his three sisters waiting for him.
“Thanks for coming,” he said.
“We were summoned,” Izzy said. “I, for one, keep a very busy schedule, so this had better be important.”
“What she said,” Lexi told him.
“Ditto,” Skye said.
Garth winced. “I shouldn’t have my assistant call and ask you to stop by?”
“Probably not,” Izzy told him. “Although if you had snacks, that would help.”
“I’ll remember that.” He took a seat.
Women were complicated at the best of times. The Titan sisters were more complicated than most. But they were also smart and funny and he liked spending time with them. Guilt flashed through him. Guilt for what he’d done, how he’d upset their lives. But there was more. A sense of loss. How different his life would have been if he’d gotten to know them earlier. If he’d grown up with them as his family.
Enough with the emotion, he told himself. They had a bully to ruin.
“I want to talk about Jed,” he said.
“We figured that,” Izzy told him. “It’s not like you want to ask about our plans for the holidays.”
“Which are quickly approaching,” Lexi said. “I’m guessing we won’t be at Glory’s Gate this year. So where are we celebrating?”
“Your place,” Izzy told her.
“Why me?” Lexi sounded faintly panicked. “I’m seriously pregnant. I can’t be expected to cook.”
“Skye’s talking about a Christmas Eve wedding at Mitch’s house. Nick and I live too far away. That leaves you. But don’t worry. I’ll help with the cooking.”
Lexi winced. “You know less than me.”
“That’s true, but I have a secret weapon. Nick’s cook, Norma, has said she’ll help, too. So we’re fine.”
Lexi didn’t look convinced. “Are you coming?” she asked Skye. “Or will you be off on your honeymoon?”
“We’ll be there. We’re not leaving Erin on Christmas. We’ll head out a few days later. So expect a crowd.”
“You were in on this!” Lexi sounded annoyed. “Ganging up on me. That is just so typical.” She rubbed her belly. “You have very mean aunts. You’ll have to watch them carefully.”
Garth held up his hands in the shape of a T. “If we could get back to the subject at hand.”
“Which is?” Izzy frowned, then relaxed. “Right. Jed. How did we get on Christmas?”
“That would be your doing,” Lexi told her.
He ignored that and reached for the stack of folders in the center of the table, then passed one to each of the women. “I need you to look these papers over and sign them. I’ll be buying shares in Titan World in each of your names. The amounts of the shares will require disclosure. Jed will see your names. He already knows we’re working together but he may consider this a different level of betrayal.”
They all stared at him with identical expressions of outrage.
“Excuse me?” Lexi asked.
Garth felt trapped. Had he misunderstood? Didn’t they want to take down Jed?
“We, ah, talked about this,” he reminded her, then glanced at Izzy and Skye. Neither of them looked especially friendly, either. “Working together. Letting Jed know we’re a united front.”
“You’re giving us money,” Skye said mildly. “That’s why we’re upset. No one is upset about taking on Jed.”
“Okay.” Relief swept through him. They were on the same page. “Then what’s the problem?”
“You’re giving us money,” Izzy repeated. “We don’t want your money.”
Once again the female mind baffled him. “Why not? I have more than all of you.”
“That warm, delicate nature,” Lexi said, shaking her head. “He gets it from Jed.” She leaned toward him. “We can buy our own shares.”
“No, you can’t. I’m talking hundreds of thousands of dollars here. Several million in total. None of you have it. You’ll be filing forms with the SEC showing ownership.”
“Isn’t that technically illegal?” Skye asked. “You giving us money to buy shares?”
“I have a very expensive lawyer making sure we’re doing everything the right way.”
“Which isn’t the point,” Lexi told him. “We don’t want your money. This isn’t about getting anything from you.”
Izzy shook her head at Lexi, then turned to him. “We love that you’re including us, but we can’t do this. It feels funny.”
“I don’t care how it feels,” he told her. “It’s about getting Jed.”
“It’s too much,” Skye told him. “Garth, you mean well, but there has to be another way.”
They were hung up on the amount? “If it was twenty bucks you wouldn’t care. Is that it?”
“Sort of,” Izzy said, giving him a sympathetic smile.
“This is part of the plan.” He did his best not to give in to frustration. The last thing he needed was them digging in their heels. “We talked about this.”
“You didn’t say anything about giving us nearly a million dollars’ worth of shares.”
“I’m not doing it to give you anything,” he said, trying not to clench his teeth. “I’m doing it to get Jed.”
“No,” Skye said, pushing the folder toward him. The other two did the same.
Women, he thought, leaning back in his chair.
He could tell them that they could sell the shares when all this was over and give the money to charity, but he wasn’t sure that would actually help. Which left him with a pounding sensation over his left eye.
Buying the shares was important. But how to convin
ce them?
He straightened. There was one card left to play.
“Jed went after Dana.”
Three pairs of eyes locked on him. Lexi and Skye both went pale while Izzy looked ready to take on her father and beat him into submission.
“How?” Lexi asked.
“First he had someone run her off the road, then he had a guy shoot at her. That’s when she moved in with me.”
Skye’s green eyes filled with tears. “She’s all right, isn’t she? We just saw her and she’s fine.”
Lexi nodded. “She didn’t say anything. She didn’t want us to know. She didn’t want us to worry.”
Garth held in a groan. He just remembered he’d promised Dana he wouldn’t say anything to her friends. “Look, you can’t tell her I told you.”
Lexi and Skye glanced at each other. Izzy gave him a pitying look. “You poor, poor man.”
“Seriously, she doesn’t want you to worry.”
“Too late,” Skye whispered.
She was so going to kill him, he thought grimly. But before that happened, he might as well get it all out. “I spoke with Jed at the fund-raiser. Told him to lay off.” He’d done more than talk, but he was in enough trouble already.
“You think that’s going to work?” Lexi asked.
“I don’t know. But the quicker we get Jed in jail, the safer everyone will be. We all want to take him down.” He pointed at the folders. “It’s the best way.”
His sisters looked at each other, exchanging information in that silent way women did.
“We’ll sign,” Skye said. “But we’re not keeping the money.”
“I don’t have a problem with that.” They could cash out and light it in a bonfire for all he cared. “Just don’t…” He stopped. Maybe he should have asked the other guys to come to the meeting, as well. They would have understood the next step.
Izzy looked at him, her eyebrows raised. “Don’t what?”
“Stay safe,” he said instead. “Once Jed finds out, he’s going to be pissed.”
The three of them exchanged another look. “We will,” Lexi told him. “Don’t worry—we’re not interested in annoying Jed for sport. We want to get him out of our lives as quickly as possible.” But she sounded sad as she spoke.
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