“Okay.”
“Wait.” She reaches into her purse, pulls out one of our latest wands, the Bug-Off-3000, and waves it around the inside of the vehicle. “It’s clean.”
Slate smiles and says, “Damned right. No bugs in here.”
“Shit. The tip of the rod turned red for a second.” I grab the rod, wave it around, and it lights up anywhere near her shoulder.
I put my nose to a small needle mark. “I think he implanted a micro-GPS under your skin.”
“Get it out, dammit.” Isabella raises her hands, as if to scratch it out but we both know it’ll take more than that to remove it.
She calms after a moment, closes her eyes, and sighs. “I remember the prick of a needle right after he gave me the necklace. I thought he drugged me and when I had no symptoms, forgot all about it.”
“I don’t suppose you have a Disrupter?”
With a triumphant smile, she digs back into her purse, and dangles a small device on a chain in front of my face, “Voila.”
Slate sighs, “Okay, you two lost me. What’s a disrupter?”
I hold up the device, built to resemble a USB drive. “It re-transmits GPS. You can pre-program it with any destination.”
“Shouldn’t we do it?”
She shakes her head. “Maybe it’s time I tell you a little bit about my family.”
We’re at Teterboro Airport by the time she finishes describing her fifteen shotgun-carrying uncles, one who just happens to be the local sheriff.
When Slate files a flight plan, Isabella’s eyes go wide, “Wait. You’re a pilot, too?”
He grins. “I’m a man of many talents.” He finishes the paperwork, grabs his bag and asks, “What about the district attorney? He didn’t want her to leave town.”
“We’ll be back before he even knows she went missing.”
Chapter 10
Xavier
Just who the fuck does Patten think he’s fucking with?
He may have had that old buzzard, Mrs. Guzman, eating out of his hand but I was the one with the open checkbook, not him. What is it with these people?
Obviously, they all need to be taught a lesson. Grayson needs to learn that Isabella belongs to me, now. I fixed her up, bought her a dress that suits her beautiful body and how does she repay my kindness?
By making me look like a fool, that’s how.
Not fucking likely I’ll put up with that. We had a deal. It didn’t have to go down like this but she’s forced my hand. This is the law of the jungle. The lion takes down the weakest of the herd.
I check out Facebook and peruse those happy postings made by Isabella’s family. I study one of her brother, his wife and little girl.
Social media is such a boon to people like me.
I can’t help but chuckle.
But wait. I’ll need to make it look like an accident. I pick up the phone to call my associates in Chicago but have a better thought. I’ll deal with the little girl myself and watch Grayson’s face while Isabella blames him.
After I torture them, no one will dare cross Xavier Cross ever again.
I pick up my phone and wait for my personal assistant to answer. “Tanya. I need you to book me on the next flight to International Falls, Minnesota, first class.”
“Yes, sir. Will you need a car and a motel?”
What a stupid woman.
“Yes. Try to find decent accommodations in the center of the city, understand?”
“Yes, sir. Anything else?”
“Next time answer on the first ring or find yourself a new job.” I hang up in the middle of her apology.
Savoring how Isabella will plead with me makes my cock hard but I decide to hold back on jacking off so that when I fuck her, I can give her every drop. Maybe I’ll hire a few guys to grab Grayson and make him watch. He’ll hold onto that guilt forever. It will break him.
This time, I’ll take you down because it’s not luck that wins, not charm. It’s brains, baby, and I got way more than you.
Chapter 11
Isabella
I’ve never been on Gray’s private jet and if I didn’t know better, I’d say it was his man cave. Two swivel lounge chairs face a table that folds out of the wall. Several others are arranged around a wide screen TV. There’s two couches, two thick pillows, and lots of brown leather.
I take a seat near a window while Grayson heads to a kitchenette and opens a fully stocked refrigerator. “When was the last time you ate?”
“I’m not sure, exactly.” My head is swimming. One minute, I think we’re over with and the next he’s taking me home on his private jet, making me breakfast.
“Sandwich? Salad? Eggs?” He lifts up some Tupperware lids and sniffs.
“Anything is fine, really.”
He places a couple containers into a microwave, sits across from me, and captures my heart with his gaze. “We got some time before we take off. Tell me everything that happened, sweetheart.”
My heart is so taken by his endearment, it may just burst. “From the start?”
Nodding, he leans over and clasps my hands in his. “Yeah. I want to hear it all. I need to figure out why Xavier is so fixated on you.”
When our eyes meet, the heat between us grows, so I jump across the table and kiss him. Both heated and sweaty, we’re ready to do the deed right there in the open cabin but he laughs, and sits down with the table back between us. “Talk first, then sex.”
Wow. That’s new.
“Okay, two nights ago or did I miss a day? Not sure. But it was Sunday night when he broke into my apartment. He said if I didn’t leave you, I’d be sorry and showed me a picture of my niece, Stacey.”
Gray’s slate eyes grow dark, mouth grim and he stands with his fists clenched. “Dammit Izzy. Did he touch you?”
“No, sit, sit. He said I wasn’t his type but I really think he got nervous when I fought back. It made noise and someone was bound to call the police.”
He places forks and napkins on the table. “You should’ve told me straight away, the next morning.”
“I know that, now. I just thought if I broke up with you for a couple days, it would be enough and he’d go away. I had no idea that he–”
The microwave dings and two plates with egg sandwiches are placed on the table. I take a tentative bite, taste the familiar combination, and dig in. “Egg McMuffins?”
“Ha. I hope it’s better than that or my five-star chef will be looking for another job. Go on.” He places two hot coffees down and sits close.
His very male smell along with the scent of heavenly coffee fills my nostrils. For the first time in a week, I begin to relax, take a gulp, and continue.
“So, by the time I saw you in the gym, he had that necklace on me and apparently, shot me with a GPS tracker. But what he didn’t know, is that I’ve been working on some code that can render all that useless. I just needed to modify it a little.”
“So that’s why you worked all night? I thought you were avoiding me.”
“Actually, it was a little of each. Anyhow, after that, I was going to take a shower and go home.”
I take another bite, chew slowly, and Grayson smiles, no doubt remembering the awesome sex, same as I’m doing.
Then, I recall the rest and my lower lip goes out. “But suddenly, I’m under arrest and you break up with me. After that, I figure I’m on my own.”
He reaches across the table, pushes in my lip and his heated gaze burns a hole right into my stupid heart. “I will never, ever leave you, no matter what.”
“But you yelled at me and it sounded pretty damn real to me.”
“Sorry, I thought for sure you’d catch on to my playacting. Sorry about that.” He kisses me, tasting of breakfast sausage and coffee, his desperate passion just below the surface.
When we come up for air, I ask, my voice raspy. “Why won’t he just leave me alone?”
Gray comes around the table, picks me up, and sits me in his lap with his arms around my wais
t. “I’ve been thinking about it. Xav and I were roommates in college. He was always jealous but I never knew how deep it went. He competed with me for better grades, tried to best me at hoops, steal my girlfriends… At the time, I figured it was normal and when we graduated, I was the one who suggested my dad hire him. I had no idea…”
The caffeine running through my veins fires up a thought. “You know what? He got weird when your dad took sick. That’s when everyone at work noticed he was really off.”
“Well embezzling a couple million dollars might make you paranoid, that’s for sure.” He shakes his head. “I still want that money back. That was my dad’s and if I ever get it back, I’m giving it all to charity.”
“That’s just what I thought.”
“One more thing, what’s your brother’s email?”
“Why?”
“I’m sending him on a vacation to Disney World. He needs to get Stacey out of harm’s way. She looks way too much like you.”
Holy cow, I never thought of that.
After that’s all settled, it’s as if a huge boulder is lifted off my shoulders.
That’s when Slate calls back from the cockpit. “Batten down the hatches. We’re taking off.”
I finish the last of my coffee, Gray tosses away our dishes, and sits as the engines roar to life. Holding my hand, the plane banks and skyscrapers give way to the forests of Pennsylvania.
My ears pop and I ask, “Don’t you have a wait staff?”
“I wanted some privacy.” He stands, unbuckles, and smiles wickedly making me all tingly at the thought of what he has in mind. However, I’m taken aback when he pulls out his computer. A slide show appears on the flat screen monitor and an orchestra version of Sinatra’s I Did it My Way plays in the background.
Like a teenager asking for a first date, he smiles shyly, takes my hand, and sits me on the couch. “In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t like talking about my childhood.”
He grabs a laser pointer and a small green dot appears on a Power Point presentation. “You click and I’ll speak.”
The first slide is the title page. There’s a younger, bearded version of him on the cover of Forbes magazine. “When I made twenty-million my first year out of college, important people took note and Forbes interviewed me.”
He puts a manila folder in front of me, the magazine on top. “You can find out a lot about my business background there. Click please.”
I laugh at the next slide. It’s a picture of my crotchety, first boss. “That’s your dad. I’m sorry I didn’t get to know him better.”
“Don’t be. The guy was a complete asshole.” Grayson frowns and rubs a palm across the stubble on his jaw. “My mom divorced him when I was five or six. They had joint custody but he mostly bailed out when it was his weekend. I hadn’t heard from him for years. You can imagine how shocked I was when he called. Even more so, that he was dying and wanted me to take over his company.”
“That sucks.”
The next slide is of a lovely, gray-haired woman. She has Gray’s regal nose and intense stare.
Grayson smiles and shakes his head. “That’s my mom. She still lives in Connecticut, as does my sister, brother, and their families.
After that, he takes me through some slides of him as a naked baby in a tub. “I thought you might like these.”
“You were soooo cute.”
He talks about his kindergarten teacher, his first market shares, and high school graduation. There’s a slide of a proud young Eagle Scout and a valedictorian in cap and gown.
He finishes with other pictures of his siblings and finally, one of us.
I applaud, jump up and hug him as tight as I can. “Thank you for doing this for me.”
His mouth finds mine and the embers of our passion burst into flames. His tongue explores my mouth while I suck.
Suddenly, he stops, breathing hard with his gaze burning me with raw desire. “Your turn.”
“Huh? I don’t have a slide show.”
He shuts down the monitor, and sits next to me on the leather couch, our thighs touching.
“Describe you as a baby.” His fingers interlace with mine on my lap.
“Okay. I was chunky, cute as hell, and, according to my mom, brilliant. I knew my colors at six months and could read by the time I was three.”
“Brothers and sisters?”
“I’m an only. However, my mom was one of fifteen. I got so many cousins, I can’t keep up…”
At the thought of my cousin Mike, I shudder, and my stomach hurts.
His brows crease and he lets go of my hands to tap my forehead with his index finger. “What’s going on up there?”
“It’d rather not say.” Avoiding his gaze, I stare at the blue industrial carpeting while he cups my cheeks to kiss me.
He waits for my eyes to lift, then says, “Listen, I had a long talk with CJ. He said if we’re going to make it as a couple, you need to share. Do you want to? Make it?”
Wow. That he would do that for me blows my mind.
Lost in the gray pool of his unblinking stare, I take a deep breath. “I never knew my dad. My mom called him the sperm donor. I’m still not sure if she was kidding or if she went to a clinic because she refuses to say. She worked nights a lot and often needed a sitter. Usually, she called Cousin Sarah but if Sarah had a date, she’d ask her brother to fill in.”
Grayson frowns but his eyes don’t show pity or disdain. That would’ve shut me up big time. Instead his jaw ticks and his palms shake, still holding my face.
“Are you mad?”
“Not at you babe, never at you. Keep talking, let it out, I need this and you need this, too.” He puts his forehead to mine and closes his eyes, making it easier for me to go on.
“He didn’t well, you know, ah, do the deed but just about everything else.”
His mouth grows more tight and grim. “How old were you?”
“I guess fifth grade or so… I think he was like sixteen or seventeen.”
“Why in God’s name didn’t you tell anyone.?”
I start to get angry because that’s the first thing everyone asks, like it’s my fault. However, after being in Melanie’s group, all the women say the same so I try to clarify instead of shutting down.
“It’s hard to explain. When you’re ten or eleven and someone says don’t tell anyone, you don’t, especially in a family like mine. Elders were to be obeyed, no questions asked, even baby-sitters. Honestly, I was so young and naïve, I didn’t even know it was sex. I thought he was just being nice.”
“And you’ve never confronted him since?” He kisses me, wraps his arms around me, and I feel safe and warm.
“Well, he moved away for the longest time and just came back. I guess that’s why I’ve been avoiding home. I have no idea what to say or do. In group, the stories about confrontation vary. Mel got completely kicked out of her family. Others are treated as mentally ill. Very few get what they need, unconditional support and love. What will I do if my whole family disowns me?”
“Is this cousin married?”
“No.”
“Kids?”
“No.”
“Still, don’t you think the rest of your family deserves to know? What if they leave their kids with him?”
I squirm in his lap. “Maybe he never abused anybody else and it was just a onetime thing and saying something will ruin his life.”
“You really think so?” He looks at me so intently that I have to smile.
“Have you been reading?”
“Yeah. CJ lent me some of his books.”
“What if no one believes me? What if he turns it around and makes it sound like I was some kind of little slut?”
“Honey, I love you. If they turn on you, fuck them. They’re not worth your time. If it’s just you and me, so be it. We’ll make our own family.”
My heart is filled with so much love for this man that tears well up. I can’t believe I just shared all my deepest, dar
kest secrets and he still wants me to be the mother of his children.
He stands up and holds out his hand. “How about we try for a boy?”
“On the plane?”
He smiles, walks me to the back door, and opens it. I gasp at the king-sized bed that dwarfs the rest of the space. A thick navy comforter is turned out, exposing white silk sheets and fluffy pillows.
At the sight, liquid pools between my legs. It seems like weeks, not hours since we last made love. I just need to be one with him, to show him how much he means to me because words aren’t nearly enough.
“I need you, Gray, I need you inside me.” Standing on tiptoes, I reach behind his head, and pull his lips to mine.
While we kiss, our bridled passion finally breaks free. His large hands hold my waist, sliding up and down. Our tongues tangle, his lower half presses hard against my abs, and his chest squishes mine as he holds me tight.
Damn, I love this man so much it scares me but I let that thought fly away. He said he will never let me go and for the first time, I really believe that. I push him hard and we fall onto the bed, laughing and touching.
Is this what a lifetime with him will be like? Why have I been so reluctant to tie the knot? I can’t even recall. His kisses get demanding and he straddles me so he can unbutton my borrowed white blouse.
A growl comes from deep within him as suddenly, he stops and stares.
Oh my, I forgot all about the lacy, black bra.
His thumbs caress me over the fabric. “Fuck it, Izzy. These lovelies are mine, understand? Not for public viewing.”
In answer, I moan, and lift my chest wanting more of what he’s doing. He slips the straps down my arms, making me captive, and pulls a nipple free. He teases it with his tongue until it grows hard. Pinching one, his clever mouth latches onto the other.
With each touch, zings shoot to my core and my desire spikes.
I try to wriggle out from my shirt and bra making him chuckle into my chest. Stopping what he’s doing, he reaches behind my back and unclasps my bra. It stays between us as we kiss again, heat still rising.
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