“Yes, I’ll bet you are,” Vaughn sniped. Then he turned on his heel and strode out the door.
“Vaughn, wait, please....you’ve got it all wrong.” But he was already gone.
Minutes later, she heard the roar of his Ferrari as he sped off and away from the house, away from her.
Miranda stared at the doorway where Vaughn had exited, stunned by the ugliness of his words. How could he think such a thing? Let alone say it? He thought she’d been using him, pretending to fall in love with him? He couldn’t be further from the truth. She loved him, more than she’d thought she could.
Miranda was sickened that Vaughn thought she would ever treat him such a manner. She wanted to explain to him that the only reason she’d called her attorney was because she’d run scared just as he was of her feelings for him. She’d thought that by saying those three words aloud that suddenly everything would be magical and made right, but it hadn’t been. And so, she’d called her attorney in fear, but as soon as she’d had time to think it over, Miranda had realized what a mistake it was, but now it was too late.
The worst had happened.
It was over.
Vaughn had asked her to leave.
Miranda did the only thing she could. She called her best friend. Thankfully, Sasha answered within seconds of her call. “Hey, girl, how’s the married woman doing?”
“Oh, Sasha.” Miranda began crying uncontrollably. “I messed up. I really messed up,” she sniffed. “I need someplace to stay for a few days.”
“Have you and Vaughn had a fight?”
“Yes, no, oh I don’t know,” Miranda sobbed. “I just know that I can’t stay here. Can I please come over?”
“Of course, darling. Are you okay to drive? Do you need me to come pick you up?”
“I’ll take a taxi. Just give me a few minutes to throw some things in a suitcase and I’ll be there soon.”
“Alright. I’ll be here for you, girlfriend. Along with a bottle of wine.”
Miranda couldn’t laugh at Sasha’s attempt at a joke because her heart was broken in two. And she doubted it would ever be put back together again.
* * *
Vaughn drove to the beach. It was the one place that usually gave him comfort, but all he could do was stare out at the inky ocean and rail at the moon. So he hopped back in his Ferrari and sped up the coast. He hoped the drive and the speed might clear his head. Instead, he was pulled over by the highway patrol and given a warning to slow down. He was right. Vaughn had no business being on the road, not in his state of mind.
He returned home and found the house empty. Miranda had gone just as he demanded, but it was not what he really wanted. Surely she got that he just needed some space to think? Vaughn wandered through the house feeling like a caged lion with no place to go. He went from to room to room seeking solace, but instead all he found were memories of him and Miranda. The bedroom where they’d made love, the kitchen where they’d made countless meals together and finally out onto the terrace overlooking the pool. His thoughts wandered to the night of the pool party when swimming had turned into an incredible night of passionate lovemaking. Or to the dining room table where Miranda would tap away on her laptop with her hair hanging loose and free without a care in the world. She looked like innocence personified.
But innocent?
No, she was far from it and he felt like howling at the moon.
When he’d come home earlier, she’d looked as if she was happy to see him, but he knew it was all an act. His head was pounding and blood roared in his temples. God, he wanted to shake her. Why didn’t she want him as much as he wanted her?
She claimed he had it all wrong, but Vaughn doubted that.
He heard directly from her own attorney and instead of admitting it, she’d lied to him, thinking he’d be moved by her tears. And usually he was, he’d been raised in a house full of women. He and the Commander were outnumbered, so he hated to see a woman cry. Would do everything in his power to prevent it, but seeing the tears fall from those beautiful brown eyes of hers had hardened his heart.
Damn her.
He should be happy now that she was gone, but instead he felt miserable. Lonely. Incomplete.
Her words of love had almost made him think that he meant something to her other than being the lover that brought out her sensual side. Her sweet, innocent nature had been both maddening and an extremely arousing novelty to him. Miranda was nothing like any of the woman he’d slept with before and it had intrigued him, but more than that, she had made him feel things. Things he hadn’t wanted or even known he could feel. And he was angry, because now Vaughn wasn’t sure if he could ever go back inside his shell again. The shell he’d always had to protect himself. All because he’d begun to care for Miranda.
Maybe, just maybe, even love her.
Chapter 16
After a hot shower, Miranda felt somewhat normal and curled beside Sasha with a cup of tea instead of the wine Sasha had so generously offered when she walked in the door. Apparently, Sasha had said she’d looked so distraught she might need it. And she was. The man Miranda loved had just kicked her out of their home because he thought she had duped him.
“Go ahead, tell me, I told you so,” Miranda said, glancing over at Sasha. “I know you want to.” She was sure Sasha was going to read her the riot act about getting involved with Vaughn so quickly. And she’d be right. Miranda had fallen headlong, face-first into disaster. When she’d come to San Diego she’d thought she’d had it all figured out. Find a man who was in need of cash and convince him to enter into a marriage of convenience. She never imagined that she would meet a man like Vaughn.
“I’m not going to say any such thing,” Sasha responded.
Miranda stared back at her in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“I think you should try to talk to Vaughn, explain things. Help him understand your viewpoint and your fears about giving your heart to another man and getting stomped on again. Right now, Vaughn is angry and when we’re angry we’re subject to say anything in the heat of the moment.”
“Like telling me to get out?”
“I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”
Miranda’s eyes grew large. “Oh, you didn’t see him. There was a storm cloud around him and smoke was billowing from his ears.”
“I admit it wasn’t Vaughn’s finest hour, but cut him some slack. Sounds to me like he’s one-hundred percent invested in your relationship and was probably just taken aback that you were still looking for a get-out-of-jail-free card.”
“But I wasn’t.” Miranda shook her head vehemently. “I hadn’t so much as thought about Granddaddy’s will in weeks. But yesterday, I guess I got scared and made a rash decision that could have cost me my marriage.”
Sasha sighed. “Then let’s not be rash now. Let the dust settle. And when it does, have an open and honest discussion with the man. I’m sure if you give Vaughn another chance you might be pleasantly surprised what you’ll find.”
“I don’t understand, Sasha. You’ve been against my marriage since day one. What’s changed? Why the change of heart?”
Sasha sighed. “I don’t know. I guess I’m as much a romantic as I ever was. And deep down, I think Vaughn might be in love with you too. He just hasn’t admitted it to himself. Just like you he could be running scared. You could have the real deal Holyfield.”
Miranda couldn’t resist a small smile at Sasha’s joke. “You really think so? But Vaughn has never said anything. Given me any indication...”
“C’mon, Miranda. Get real,” Sasha replied, throwing her hands up in the air. “The man has given you every sign that he’s into you. Why else would he have married you?” Before Miranda could get another word in edgewise, Sasha continued, “Listen, you remember how dead set I was against this union?”
“Yes, of course I do. How could I forget?”<
br />
“Well, then you don’t know this, but I had a serious talk with Vaughn before the ceremony.”
Miranda recalled seeing Sasha and Vaughn huddled up. She’d thought Sasha was trying to talk Vaughn out of marrying her.
“Vaughn promised me that he liked you and would do right by you. He promised me that he would never hurt you like those other jokers did. And I told him if he did, I was going to punch him in the nose.”
“That sounds about right.” Miranda snorted and sipped her tea.
“And after our talk, I came to realize that Vaughn just might have fallen in love with you before the wedding. Of course, I don’t think he recognized his feelings then, but I was hopeful. If I wasn’t, I’m not sure I could have ever let my best friend in the whole wide world go through with marrying a man she hardly knew.”
“Alright, so...supposing you’re right. What am I supposed to do now?”
“I am right,” Sasha stated. “Your challenge will be getting Vaughn to admit he loves you, but if anyone is up for the challenge, it’s you, Miranda.”
“Have you seen my track record?” She was oh-for-three in the love department.
“I have and because I have, I know that you will fight tooth and nail to get your man back. Trust me, the man’s got it bad. Why else would he be so mad? This is a positive sign.”
“I hope you’re right.”
* * *
“I’m sorry about yesterday,” Vaughn apologized to Kindra late the next morning. He was in no better mood than he was the day before because he’d stayed up half the night thinking about Miranda, but one thing he was sure of was he had no right to take it out on his assistant. She always came through for him no matter the time of day or night and she deserved to be treated much better.
“I appreciate that.” Kindra offered him a smile. “I don’t know what’s going on, but if there’s anything I can do to help, you have only to ask.”
Vaughn gave her a halfhearted smile. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“In the meantime, can I tell you that you have a call,” Kindra replied. “The private investigator you hired to look into the break-in at Prescott George is on the line.”
“Thanks. I’ll take the call.”
Kindra closed the door behind her because she knew he wanted privacy. He picked up the line.
“Mr. Ellicott, I’ve uncovered some evidence.”
“You have? Is this about the chemical that was found?”
“I think this could have been an inside job.”
“I told you that before.” Vaughn rubbed his head in exasperation. “So what makes you think so? And who is it, for Christ’s sake? Just spit it out.”
“Jordan Jace.”
“Jordan? That’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” the investigator replied. “But the police found residue of a chemical normally used for metalworking which Mr. Jace is known to use in his art.”
“That’s highly circumstantial,” Vaughn replied. “I mean, what possible motive could Jordan have for ransacking the office?” It made no sense. Jordan may not love being a member of Prescott George and usually didn’t have time to make every meeting or outing, but Jordan wouldn’t sabotage the organization. Or at least Vaughn sure hoped that wasn’t the case. “I still need more evidence. I can’t go to the members with something this flimsy. I need more. I need you to continue digging.”
“As you wish. I just knew you were eager to hear my findings as soon as I had something to report.”
“And I am,” Vaughn replied. “I just need something more concrete.”
“I’m on it.”
Vaughn ended the call and stared at the phone incredulously. Jordan vandalizing property? The entire idea was silly. Why the heck was he paying such high fees when the investigator was going to give him far-fetched scenarios? He needed to find something more definitive on who the culprit was before they struck again.
Vaughn leaned back in his chair. He wished he could talk to Miranda about all of this. He’d had overnight to cool off and realized he’d completely overreacted to the news that Miranda had been in contact with her lawyer. He wanted to apologize, to tell her he hadn’t meant the awful things he’d said—including that he wanted her out of their home. He just hoped it wasn’t too late. He was hoping against hope that after they’d had a chance to sleep on it that she would come home today and they could talk it out. He could convince her that their life together was worth salvaging.
On his way home later that afternoon, Vaughn stopped off at the florist. Because of their falling-out, Vaughn knew that he had to make amends. So he’d called ahead of time to ensure the shop would put together the best flower arrangement Miranda had ever seen because she deserved that much. Lavender roses, Stargazer lilies and dianthus had been artfully arranged and Vaughn couldn’t wait to shower her with flowers. Maybe it would smooth things over and get things to return to the way they were. He also wanted to know Miranda’s thoughts on the entire break-in situation. She’d met Jordan. What would she think about the investigator’s comments?
The house however was empty when he arrived. Maybe she was upstairs? Flowers in hand, he ran up the stairs to her room. He hadn’t had the heart to walk past her room last night because he hadn’t wanted to see there, but he did now. It would be where Miranda would go if she needed distance from him. He stopped at the doorway of her room and his heart tightened in his chest at the sight that greeted him. Her bed was untouched. The doors to the walk-in closet were wide open. Slowly he walked toward it, already knowing what he’d find.
It was empty. All of Miranda’s things were gone.
She’d left him.
Crushed, Vaughn sank to the floor and tossed the flowers aside. Why had he been so hard on her? Why had he told her to leave? If he’d just asked her calmly why she was contacting her attorney instead of flying off the rails, he wouldn’t be in this position now. Alone. Without his woman. Vaughn fingered his ring.
Was it really over between them?
That was when Vaughn saw the note lying on her bed. Grabbing it, Vaughn scanned the contents. Miranda apologized for getting him into the marriage. She expressed that she should have never come to San Diego, but she wasn’t sorry she had. She said she loved him and wished him the best in life, even if it wasn’t with her.
Did she honestly think he’d have a life without her in it?
He pulled his phone out of his jacket and dialed her number. It went straight to voice mail. He dialed it again and got the same result. She was probably declining his calls on the other end.
That was when it struck him what he’d been trying so hard not to face. The new emotion surged in him like adrenaline. Somehow the core of ice that had existed within him, a place he hadn’t known existed, had thawed when Miranda had come into his life.
He loved her.
Maybe he always had, but because he’d never seen what love looked like, because his parents had a cold marriage, he hadn’t known what it was. He’d spent much of the last decade on a ship protecting his country because all he’d ever known was duty, honor and sacrifice. Values that had been ingrained in him by the Commander. The only time he’d spent with women was when his anatomy required it.
And since then, he’d been running, spending much of his life traveling and burying himself in his work or in the waves and shutting himself off, not letting anyone close. But then Miranda came along and suddenly things were different. The more he’d tried to relegate his feelings for her as lust, the more she’d quietly come in and stolen his heart. As the weeks had gone by, he’d grown to love having her in his life. She was in him, a part of him and what he felt for her was more powerful than anything he’d ever experienced in his life.
And it terrified him. Maybe that was why he’d felt possessive over her, like when he’d seen her getting chummy with Jordan. He’d know
n Miranda would never cheat on him, but the fear nonetheless had been irrational. Miranda was his. And only his.
But he’d treated her abominably. The pain and hurt on her face yesterday when he’d railed at her had grabbed at his chest. He didn’t deserve her and probably never did, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t try to salvage what they had. Miranda was everything he could ever hope for. Beautiful. Smart. Sexy. Perfect in every way and Vaughn hated to think he’d damaged her, made her doubt herself again. Not when he’d spent much of the last few weeks building up her self-confidence. She’d emerged as a self-confident lady who maybe didn’t love him anymore.
He shook his head. No. He wouldn’t let it happen. He couldn’t lose her. He needed her. Loved her.
And he knew what he had to do.
Ring. Ring. The buzz of the phone interrupted his self-analysis. “Hello.” Anxious to get to Miranda, he answered gruffly. It was one of his salesmen, pleading with him to take a look at a prospectus that was due that evening. Reluctantly, Vaughn rushed out of the room to his office to pitch open one of his many laptops. He was scrolling through his emails when a name popped out at him.
Sasha Charles. He quickly scanned the message. She was ready to have his head if he hurt Miranda, but he had one shot at getting it right.
He would have to get with his salesman tomorrow. He had more important things to do. And that was getting Miranda back.
* * *
“When are you going to talk to Vaughn?” Sasha inquired as she and Miranda took a stroll along the La Jolla Shores beach. Since she’d married Vaughn, this beach was one of Miranda’s favorite places. She could see why Vaughn came here when he needed to clear his mind.
“Soon.”
“Why are you avoiding seeing him?”
Miranda kept walking and didn’t answer. She knew why. She was afraid to confront him. Was afraid he would hurt her again and she couldn’t bear it if he did. If she went to him a second time and laid her heart bare and he turned his back on her, Miranda didn’t know what she would do.
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