by Flora Dain
He swallows, and takes another deep breath. ‘But this is the worst part, Ella, and it’s my fault. Shortly after I hired him Mitchell found an encrypted copy of Kraik’s strip of film on an old hard disc. He thought the pictures were of Freda but when she saw them she got suspicious and told me. I knew instantly who they were. When I wanted them back Mitchell guessed they were important and refused to hand them over.
‘I tried to reason with him. I gave him a chunk of the business and even let him get away with that patent scam, hoping to pay him off, but he’s not content with that. He’s still got them. When we met in that Dallas hotel I was about to wipe him off the map. Then I found out you were still involved with him, so I backed off. I told Freda to get him under control but he’s outsmarted her. He’s even found out something about us from her. Maybe she talks in her sleep, who knows? Anyway, he knows something. And that rogue picture? It’s of Lydia. It’s from that strip of film. And it was a coded message from Mitchell to tell me he still means to use it. That’s what scared me, Ella.’
He wipes some strands of hair away from my face as the breeze ruffles me too.
‘And how did I know what Lydia would say? One, they worked out a story years ago. But I bet she left out the porn-star part, right? She usually does.’
He pauses a moment and looks away. ‘The day after Kraik’s death, I told my parents everything. I told them what he was like, what he did and that I’d killed him. I said I was going to turn myself in.’
I hold my breath, not daring to speak. When he goes on his voice is low.
‘They sat me down and told me I could never do that … It would bring shame on the family. There’d be an investigation. They said Eldon would freak. We argued for over two hours. Finally I gave in. Back then I’d no idea that Aaron was just shielding Lydia. Their point about Eldon won me over. After that I took up an interest in security.’
His tone lowers and when he speaks he sounds bitter. ‘So you see my problem? What Lydia says changes nothing. I’m still a killer. But I can never do the right thing.’ He turns to me with real pain in his eyes. ‘Too many people would suffer.’ He takes a deep breath. ‘So I flew straight here.’
‘Here? Why?’
He smiles, shaking his head slowly like I’m some kind of idiot. ‘Why do you think?’ His look clouds. ‘Seriously, I wanted to meet your parents. I wanted to find out what they’re like.’ He scans my face, his eyes troubled. ‘I want to ask you something and I had to find out how hard it will be for you to say yes.’
Time goes into freeze-frame. ‘What kind of thing?’
He looks away and takes a deep breath, like he needs to prepare for this.
Now I’m nervous.
‘Having met them, I’m not sure I should ask. It’s about the bracelets.’
There’s a pause and I see him swallow before he goes on. Now he’s nervous.
‘Have you decided? Are you going to accept them – along with the conditions?’
He’s unnaturally still as he waits for my answer.
I gaze at him. There’s so much I want to ask him. I make a start with the last piece in the puzzle. ‘Darnley, did you know back then that Fletcher Kraik was her lover?’
He frowns. ‘I saw them together once. I guessed he was important to her. And I guessed it was a secret.’
‘So you’ve been protecting both her and Eldon?’ My eyes fill with tears at how much he’s had to bear all these years.
He looks away for a moment. ‘And now I’m protecting you. Gets to be a habit, I guess, when you love someone.’ His eyes gleam briefly as he brushes his lips over my knuckles and folds his hand over mine.
‘But what about Ryan? Am I safe yet?’
He grins briefly.’My lawyers are on it. He won’t know what’s hit him. And yes, you should be OK. We’ve kept it off the front pages and the story’s dying down now. I’ll sweat it out a bit longer. I console myself with blow-ups of the best views on my bedroom wall.’
He ducks as I aim a swipe at him and then takes control of me with his mouth. Once more I’m lost, overwhelmed by his lazy power, helpless in my need for him. When he finally lets me breathe his eyes burn into mine. ‘So, the bracelets?’
I swallow. Miss Normal emigrated long ago. I’m on my own here. But I want to help him. And when I think of all he’s been through, it seems such a small thing – maybe it’s the only thing – I have to offer that will help him recover. ‘They’re symbolic, right?’
His face grows solemn as he helps me to my feet. ‘Sure. But they stand for something real. You do understand that? We could set up some simple ritual with them and take it from there.’ The heat in his eyes sends a thrill through me that settles deep in my groin. The very thought of what he might do makes me throb. He’s already given me a taste, and it was headier than wine, sweeter than honey.
I touch his face. ‘Will it help?’
Instantly his eyes blaze. ‘Help? Dammit, Ella, I don’t want help. Do you want help? Would you take it even if I offered you the best therapy on the East Coast?’
His sudden rage jolts me back to reality. I glare at him. ‘Never. I’ll deal with it.’
His eyes narrow. ‘Me too.’ His lips twitch as he looks away. ‘So next time you dry and require a spectacular airborne rescue I just leave it to Superman, right?’
I gasp, shaky now. ‘That’s unfair. I didn’t ask you to come. I thought you were … I thought I’d never see you again. I thought –’ I choke on the rest as I remember the full horror of what I thought that morning. All at once my head’s buried in his chest and he’s holding me tight, leaning his cheek on my hair.
‘Hush. Don’t cry, Ella, please. It’s OK. I’m safe. And I didn’t come here to pick a fight. Forgive me. I guess I’m still angry. I never get the chance to … I never meant to … Christ, Ella, all I’m asking is you accept the bracelets and the conditions that go with them.’
I swallow. After what he’s just told me, how can I deny him? He suffers daily. And it’s not even his fault. I take a deep breath. ‘Darnley, there’s one more thing I have to know.’
His arms stiffen around me. ‘Go on.’
‘You and Freda. Lydia said you were close.’
He pulls away, his face solemn. ‘She’s right, we were. But not like that. When I took up an interest in power play I found she did too. We talk about it sometimes.’
I sense he’s still keeping something back but I stick to basics. ‘She was in our rooms the morning I left. She said I wasn’t your type.’ I swallow, scanning his face, terrified of what he’ll say.
‘While we were all out on the runway I asked her to go back and check I’d stowed the handcuffs in case the staff saw them.’
I stare at him as joy and relief pool in my heart. I hold them in check. ‘Go on.’
He’s grinning now. ‘She thinks you’re too feisty for a submissive.’
I swallow. ‘And you? What do you think?’
His eyes dance as he pulls me close. ‘Me? I like a challenge. What counts is what you think.’
Joy threatens to spill over now but I still have a question. My voice lowers to a whisper because, feisty or not, I’m scared to ask it. ‘The thing is, I can’t promise I’ll like it.’
If handcuffs are the deal-breaker I might still lose him. The thought is unbearable.
He touches his lips to my forehead. ‘Ella, I’m not asking you to make any promises and I’m not asking you to like it. I’m just asking you to try it.’
‘But what if it doesn’t work?’
He pulls away to scan my face, exasperated. ‘Then we’ll try something else.’
My heart stands still. ‘We will? What?’
His face contracts in utter frustration as he runs his hand through his hair. Sunlight sprinkles little highlights all over his head, like he’s an infuriated Apollo. ‘What? Dammit, how should I know? White-water rafting? Stamp collecting? I don’t give a shit. Anything. We’ll work something out. Other couples do it. So can we.’<
br />
He’s still frowning, unaware that he’s just answered my biggest question. ‘It may take a while.’ He scans my face, his troubled, poised for my response.
At last. So it’s me he wants, not just the handcuff thing …
I bury my face in his neck. He wants a relationship and he’s prepared to spend time and effort to get it right. Like most men, he just forgot to say so until this minute.
It’s all I need. ‘OK. I accept. I’m –’ I break off and search for the right thing to say. I think how much I owe him and how deeply I feel about him and I sense I’ve seemed ungracious. ‘I’m honoured. Thank you.’
* * *
Back at the house my parents greet us heartily. Darnley explains briefly about the fuss in the press – leaving out the more lurid details – and that I’m still under his protection until they can be drawn off. He hints, none too subtly, that it would be unwise for me to stay here long in case they too are hounded for information. He also suggests smoothly that he’ll take me back to his family’s summer retreat for a day or two and then see me safely to Boston in time to start work.
It all makes perfect sense to Mom and Dad, who are wary of any publicity. So after cups of orange pekoe tea and slices of homemade pumpkin pie all round we hug each other and say goodbye.
Very New England, very down home. I do Miss Normal proud.
* * *
Now we’re in his jet, high over the rugged Maine woods. We’re on our way back to Camp Akela to finish off the summer with a few glorious days together before we get back to our regular, busy lives, him jet-setting all over the place being a hotshot company CEO, me back to the classroom. It’ll be late when we get there and the thought of how we’ll fill the hours until dawn is sending my heartbeat into hyperspace. And after that we’ll work something out.
Right this minute Darnley’s looking out of the window. I gaze at his perfect profile as he holds me tight with one arm while he calls his brother to tell him we’re on our way. As he ends the call he slips the phone into his pocket, leans his face into my hair and kisses me and says he hopes I don’t mind but he really, really has to see his brother.
I know he does. I can feel his glow of excitement even as he says it. He’s hoping they’ll start over and at last he’ll get back the kid brother that he loves so much.
I want to see Eldon too. I want to thank him. Partly because he wants to do some filming in my drama class. He thinks it’ll make an edgy slice-of-life piece. While he was telling me I could hear Billy giggling in the background and muttering that he wouldn’t know a slice of life if it were served up on a plate. But it’ll be a big thrill for my students and we have to fix dates and times for the shoots. Plus if it weren’t for Eldon I probably wouldn’t be here, so in a way I owe him too.
Now Darnley is leaning his elbow on the arm of his seat, watching me. His look is steady and disturbing.
I hold his gaze and bite my lip. ‘Stamp collecting?’ I repress a smile but it flickers around my mouth.
His eyelids lower, veiling a sudden glimmer of heat. I sense some dark, wicked thought as he runs a finger slowly over his lip.
‘Involves a lot of licking, I understand. Come here.’
* * *
And the Mile High Club? All I can say is when you’re this much in love it feels a whole lot higher than that.
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Copyright
Mischief
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An eBook Original 2014
Copyright © Flora Dain 2014
Flora Dain asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
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Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780007579587
Version 2014-04-02
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