No, he didn’t, and he was a little confused as to why she thought he would. “If there had been a need, Rena, security would have handled it. The only thing I understand is what I assumed you understood, as well. We were lovers for a while and nothing more.”
She lifted her chin at an angle that more than told him she was pretty pissed. “Were lovers?”
“Yes. Were lovers.” He was letting her know that their affair was officially over, a thing of the past. “I told you in the beginning where I stood when it came to serious involvements or women who were looking for a commitment. You accepted my position.” Or so she’d claimed.
He rubbed his hand down his face, not believing he was having this conversation with her. It wasn’t as if he considered himself a playboy or anything; he just didn’t need or want a steady woman in his life for this very reason. It would take a special woman to put up with the long hours of practice, weeks of touring and groupies that came with those things. And then there was the fact that he didn’t want to share himself with anyone...other than in the bedroom.
She broke eye contact with him to snap closed her guitar case. “So now I know where you stand.”
“You should have known all along, Rena. So things end here and now. We go back to the way things were in the beginning. You stay in your bed, and I stay in mine.”
He paused a second and then added, “And what I do in mine and with whom is none of your business.”
He saw a flash of anger in her eyes, and when she started walking away, he fought back the feeling that he was behaving like an asshole. But he immediately convinced himself there was no reason for him to feel that way, since he’d told her up front how things were between them.
As soon as the door closed shut behind her, a little more forcibly than necessary, his cell phone went off. It was his private number. Few people had it.
Caden quickly pulled the phone from his back pocket and furrowed his brow when he saw it was Jace. It was unusual for his brother to call at this hour. Jace knew the best time to catch him was early in the mornings, before he headed out for the gym.
“Jace?” he said, after clicking on the call. “What’s up?”
“Hannah just called. It’s Granddad. He’s had a heart attack.”
Chapter Three
Dalton Granger sat by the bed, leaned back, stretched his legs out in front of him and sipped his wine while gazing at the naked woman. Lady Victoria Bowman had her curvy English ass reclining in bed, waiting for him to get a second wind.
If he didn’t know better, he’d wonder just what meds she’d taken, since it had been one orgasm after another since he got here. But he did know better. Victoria cared too much for her body to ever use anything that would eventually harm it.
Dalton couldn’t help but smile. He was twenty-seven to her forty-seven, and if she thought she’d gotten the best of him, she had another thought coming. Next time around, she would be the one getting her next wind and not him. He would guarantee it.
He took another sip of wine and continued to look at her. She was an extraordinary beauty with a figure that drew envious looks from much younger women. It was the norm for them to get together whenever he was in London, and it seemed over the past year that his business interests had brought him here a lot.
He glanced around the bedroom, staring at all the elegance around him. He bet that bedspread alone had cost a few thousand. The daughter of a wealthy businessman, Victoria was used to the best life had to offer and had grown up not expecting any less.
So had he.
The tragedies of life had spared her but not him...or the entire Granger family, for that matter. His brothers were doing okay. Jace was an attorney out in L.A., and Caden was a musician, performing somewhere in the States. They got together at least once a year, but the last time, around September of last year, hadn’t been pretty.
Caden and his group had been in Paris performing, and it was decided that Dalton and Jace would join him there. Things had been going great until that last night when Jace had suggested they surprise their grandfather and go home for the holidays.
Home?
Now that was a damn joke. He hadn’t thought of Sutton Hills, the Granger estates in Virginia, as home since the day he’d left for college. He was eighteen at the time and had no reason to return. He and his grandfather had never gotten along, and there was no need to pretend they had.
And then there was the fact that the old man had made sure Dalton hadn’t been able to touch his trust fund when he’d turned twenty-five like his brothers, claiming Dalton was too much of a playboy and would lose every cent within a year. If Richard Granger expected that to keep him down, he’d been wrong. Instead, Dalton had pushed himself, determined never to have to go to the old man for anything. He’d excelled in sports and had gone to the NFL straight from college. The signing fee alone had been nice, and the two-year stint had led to lucrative endorsement contracts.
Okay, he would admit he’d almost proven his grandfather right by nearly losing it all through a few shady investments and living in the fast lane. But in the end, he’d managed to pull his shit together and become the self-made billionaire that he was.
“Are you going to sit over there for the rest of the night, Dalton?”
He chuckled and slowly rose to his feet. Like Victoria, he was as naked as the day he was born. “And just what has you in such a horny state, Victoria?” he asked, sliding his naked body back in bed beside hers.
Instead of answering, she glanced away. But not before he saw the sheen of tears in her eyes. “Victoria?” he asked softly, pulling her into his arms. They went back a long way. Sometimes he thought too long. Three years ago, almost down on his luck, he had met her father at a party while in London. Stuart Hunter, Earl of Falmouth, was nothing short of a financial genius.
For some reason, the old man took a liking to Dalton and invited him to one of his seminars. A year later, Dalton became the owner of more than twenty million in investment properties, including a number of apartment complexes in Paris and several shopping malls in Switzerland and the United States.
Victoria looked back at him and he saw even more tears. “It’s Derek. Father told me today he heard Derek is remarrying,” she said in a broken voice.
“I see.” And he did, more than he cared to. He knew that although five years ago she had divorced the bastard for screwing around on her, Victoria was still in love with the man.
“I gave him twelve years of my life, Dalton, and I thought they were good ones. I assumed our marriage was solid. He showed me in the worst possible way that it was not. And then to make matters worse, the woman is young enough to be his daughter,” she added snippily.
He decided now might not be a good time to remind her that she was old enough to be his mother. His mother. He pushed the painful memories of his mother and father away...and tightened his hold on Victoria. “Forget him, Victoria. He’s caused you nothing but pain. You deserve better.”
He’d told her that a number of times before. So had Stuart. But she refused to let go of a love that evidently controlled her heart. He couldn’t imagine loving anyone that much and that deeply.
“I tried forgetting him, Dalton.”
“But not hard enough,” he said with irritation in his voice. He thought of everything she had going for her and figured she didn’t need this drama. Hell, when it came to her, he couldn’t help but feel protective. They weren’t just occasional lovers; they were friends.
In a smooth move, he shifted their bodies to ease her on her back and glide between her legs. “I promise not to dwell on that million I lost last week if you promise not to think about that prick of an ex-husband of yours.”
She looked up at him, eyes widened. “You lost a million dollars? Does Father know?”
“No, and I don’t plan to tell him. I had it to lose, Victoria. Besides, I don’t want to hear one of his damn lectures.”
She nodded. “All right. Mum’s the word.”
/>
He lowered his mouth, ready to take hers, when his cell phone went off. He wanted to ignore it but recognized Jace’s ring. His brother never called him at this hour just to shoot the bull. Something had to be wrong.
Victoria had seen the concerned look on his face and had reached over to grab the phone. She handed it to him. “I think you should take this.”
He thought so, too. He clicked on, putting the phone on speaker. “What’s up, Jace?”
“It’s Granddad. He had a heart attack, and we’re needed at home.”
Dalton shifted off Victoria to ease back against the pillow. “And who the hell are we?”
“Damn it, Dalton. This isn’t the time to act like an ass. Hannah called. It’s serious.”
“And I should care...why?”
Jace didn’t say anything for a minute and then in an angry tone, he said, “Because he’s your grandfather.”
Dalton hadn’t meant for those words to affect him, but they did. “The old man never cared about me and wouldn’t care one way or the other if I were there or not. Everyone knows you were his favorite, like Caden was Dad’s. I only had...” A lump formed deep in his throat when he finished by saying, “Mom.”
He forced a smile through all the painful memories that suddenly emerged. Yes, he had been his mother’s favorite. He’d known it, and so had his brothers. But he had been the youngest, so it stood to reason he’d found a special place in Sylvia Granger’s heart.
“You won’t let things die, will you? You like holding on to crap,” Jace accused.
Yes, he did, mainly because years ago he’d decided to never allow anything or anyone get close enough to hurt him again, and clinging to crap made sure there was distance. As far as Dalton was concerned, he’d already lost both parents, so losing the old man wouldn’t destroy him.
“Look, Dalton, my plane is boarding now. I’m on my way to Virginia. I got word to Dad through the warden and I talked to Caden a few moments ago. He’s meeting me at the hospital, St. Francis Memorial.”
“Just keep me posted.”
“Is that all you got to say?” Jace asked angrily.
“Yes. Goodbye, Jace.” And then he clicked off the phone.
Victoria took it out of his hand and placed it back on the nightstand. “You should go, Dalton.”
He frowned at her. “Why?”
“Because he is your grandfather.”
His frown deepened. He had confided in her years ago, so she knew his family history. The good, the bad and the ugly. “And?”
“And if you think what he did to you all those years ago, denying you access to your trust fund until your thirtieth birthday, was so wrong, then go and let him see that in spite of what he did, you became a huge success.”
She paused a moment and then asked softly, “He doesn’t know, does he?”
Dalton shook his head. “No.” In fact, he doubted even his brothers knew of the vast amount of his wealth. His family assumed he was an American gigolo in England living off women.
“Then maybe it’s time he did, before it’s too late.”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter.”
“I think it does.”
He bit back a retort, one that would have burned the hell out of her ears. “You’re wrong.” He lay there a moment wondering who he was shitting. It did matter, and it bothered him that it did.
Wanting to force Jace’s call from his mind, he reached for Victoria, captured her mouth and hungrily began mating with it. And when he felt her passion beginning to stir, he lost himself in her incredible heat.
Chapter Four
The moment he entered the hospital room, Jace wrenched his gaze from the doctor standing by his grandfather’s hospital bed. And for a minute it was hard to believe the man lying there was actually Richard Granger. The once-tall, robust man looked as if he’d shrunk into an unconscious body that was now connected to various machines.
Jace had last seen the old man during the holidays. Although he’d tried talking Caden and Dalton into spending Christmas and New Year’s at Sutton Hills, both had declined. At least Caden had had an excuse with his holiday concerts being sold out. Dalton hadn’t needed an excuse. He’d simply said, “When hell freezes over.” Or words to that effect.
“Glad you made it, Jace.”
Jace moved his gaze from his grandfather and back to the doctor, who knew him by name. Jace didn’t recognize him, so he zeroed in on the name tag pinned on his medical coat. Sedrick Timmons. He remembered Sedrick and remembered when he’d always wanted to become a doctor. Over the years, his looks had changed. Gone was the tall, gangly male. This Sedrick, though still somewhat tall, was a little pudgy around the waist, wore thick-rimmed glasses and had a receding hairline.
The Timmonses had been a family of four and the Grangers’ closest neighbors, although their estate was a good five miles away. In addition to the parents, Sedrick had a younger sister named Shiloh. Jace and Sedrick had played together as kids and had pretty much remained friends until their teen years.
Then Jace’s mother’s death and his father’s trial had happened. After that, the Granger name had become a bad word to some, and the Timmonses had forbidden their children from ever associating with the Grangers again. The Timmonses had led the pack by distancing themselves, and even now, Jace could remember how being ostracized that way had felt.
Deciding there was no need for any “how have you been” dialogue, especially since their friendship had ended so long ago, Jace closed the door behind him and went right to the heart of the matter by asking, “How is he, Dr. Timmons?”
“Resting comfortably.” The doctor then motioned for them to step outside the room. He and Jace moved into the corridor, closing the door behind him.
Jace saw the grim look on Sedrick’s face and steeled his body for whatever news he was about to hear. “Well, how is he really?” Jace asked, needing to get it over with.
“Not good, Jace. The reason I wanted to step out into the hallway was that, although your grandfather hasn’t responded since he was brought in yesterday, there’s a possibility his hearing is still intact.”
Jace nodded. “I understand.”
Sedrick then rubbed the back of his head, a gesture Jace remembered from years past when Sedrick was about to do something that he really didn’t want to do. Sedrick then dropped his hand, looked Jace straight in the eyes and said, “He’s in pretty bad shape, Jace. Test results show severe damage was done to his heart. I’m surprised he’s still here. It’s like he’s hanging on for a reason. And because I figured you’d want one, I got a second opinion from Dr. Paul Hammonds. He’s the best in the field here at St. Francis.”
Sedrick paused a moment and then added in a solemn tone, “I suggest you call your brothers...and get word to your father.”
Because of the way Sedrick had said it, Jace could only assume Sedrick thought he hadn’t done either. “Everyone has been notified.”
That was all Jace intended to say on the matter. “Now, I want to spend time with my grandfather.”
Sedrick nodded. “Sure, and welcome home, Jace. It’s been a while.”
With a bland expression that showed none of the irritation he was feeling, Jace drew in a deep breath. How would Sedrick know how long it had been? And anyway, he had assumed incorrectly. “No, it hasn’t been a while, Sedrick. I was home for the holidays. In fact, I usually come home at least twice a year.”
Surprise showed in Sedrick’s eyes. “Sorry, I wasn’t aware you ever returned to Sutton Hills.”
Jace shrugged. “There’s no reason you would have known.”
Instead of saying anything, Sedrick shrugged and began rubbing the back of his head again. There was nothing he could say, really. Growing up, he and Jace had shared a close friendship. But that had changed, and Sedrick could tell their conversation—other than the important matter at hand—was rather awkward.
“Will you need to do any more tests?” Jace asked, thinking that getting
the conversation back on his grandfather’s condition would be safer ground for Sedrick. Jace didn’t want him to nervously rub away the little bit of hair he still had left.
“No, not unless we detect an improvement of some sort. There’s a possibility he might regain consciousness, but it won’t be for long, and unfortunately, doing so might cause more damage to his heart.”
Jace frowned. “Why?”
“Because if he’s awake, he’ll run the risk of getting excited, which could overtax the heart muscles.”
At that moment, a nurse approached and offered an apology for the interruption before informing Dr. Timmons of an emergency in another patient’s room.
“If you have any more questions, Jace, just have someone page me,” Sedrick said, rushing off.
Jace nodded and moved to return to his grandfather’s room. He hated hospitals. Always had and always would. Pulling up a chair close to the bed, he sat there and stared at his grandfather, remembering better times. He had always understood the old man when Caden and Dalton had not. That was one of the reasons everyone claimed he’d been Richard’s favorite. People thought that, but Jace was fully convinced his grandfather loved all three of his grandsons the same.
Jace heard his phone tweet, letting him know he’d gotten a text. Pulling his phone from his back pocket, he saw the message had come from Caden.
Plane just landed. Should arrive at hospital in ½ hour.
After putting his phone away, Jace drew in a deep breath, leaned back in his chair and drew his gaze back to his grandfather. At that moment, he felt an enormous pain grip his gut. His grandfather had always been there for Jace, and now Jace wanted to be here for him. But he wasn’t sure how much he could take of seeing Richard lie there with tubes connected to his body and machines beeping out the only sounds in the room...except for that of his grandfather’s labored breathing.
Richard Granger had celebrated his seventy-fifth birthday last year, and both Jace and Caden had come home for the occasion. Dalton hadn’t, which had been no surprise to anyone.
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