The Billionaire's Secret Life (Rosesson Brothers Book 4)

by Lisa Ladew

  With a heavy sigh, Kate let herself out of the supply closet and headed back to the front of pub. She needed to check in on her customers.

  Marjorie was a regular, a retiree who’d been coming to the restaurant since Kate was in preschool. She waved Kate over, the parchment-thin skin of her arm covered in gold and enamel bangle bracelets. “Honey, there are no peas in the shepherd’s pie today. What’s going on back in that kitchen?”

  Before she could answer, Kate heard the door open and felt the whole restaurant crackle with barely-contained energy. She looked up and directly into the still-blackened eyes of the man who hadn’t left her mind in four days. A thrill ran up her spine, the hairs on her forearms coming to attention.

  Kate was dimly aware of a crowd of people spilling in behind him. Talon she knew, and the petite woman with dark hair sporting a stripe of pink whose hand he was holding must be his wife, Crystal. There were two other men whose faces looked hauntingly similar to Dax’s, as well as two other women; stunning blondes, one of whom had eyes of mismatched color. Bringing up the rear was Kate’s own brother Aiden, that loose-lipped little shit, with a huge grin on his face.

  “What are you doing here?” Kate’s stomach was fluttering and her muscles were tight with adrenaline. She wanted to bolt in the worst way. Was he going to dump her even more publicly than if she’d gone to the hospital? Could she make it out the door and onto a plane to Milwaukee before he did?

  “I came to see you.” The look of bemused confusion on Dax’s face tugged at Kate’s heart. “The first time I was in the hospital, I got card games and cookies. This time, I don’t even rate a visit?”

  Kate swallowed. “I’ve been really busy. You have your family now.”

  “I heard you got fired for coming to save me. I’m so sorry, Kate. I know how you loved that job. You must have hated to have to leave it.”

  All Kate could do was nod. A boulder had taken up residence in her throat and no words could get around it.

  “And I do have my family, thanks to you, but that’s not enough, Kate. I want more. I want everything. I want you.”

  Tears flooded Kate’s eyes. “How can you say that? You’re going back to San Francisco and your old life, and I’ve got to find a job. In another month, I might be halfway across the country.”

  One of the men she didn’t know cleared his throat. “I believe I can help with that.”

  Everyone quieted and turned to listen. Kate got the impression he was used to that being the case when he spoke. “Hi, Kate, I’m Knox Rosesson, Dax and Talon’s older brother. I heard from Talon how much of an asset you were in getting Dax to safety, and I think we can offer you a job at Alpha Security. If you’re interested, that is.”

  Kate’s jaw dropped. He was offering her a job? Sight almost unseen? Her eyes flicked to Talon’s and he gave her the nod, a proud grin on his face. “You impressed the hell out of me, Kate. Happy to have you as part of the team, if you want.”

  “Would it mean more stuff like we did the other night?”

  Talon laughed in reply. “Damn right it would. You in?”

  Her gaze brushed over all the faces standing in front of her, smiling and welcoming. What if they were right? What if she could have it all?

  Finally, her eyes came to rest on Dax. She still wasn’t sure. Oh, she was sure she loved him and wanted to give it a try, but what if this big of a step was doomed to failure? What if she put all her eggs in the Rosesson handbasket and ended up riding it straight to hell? What if at the end of it she was more alone than ever?

  As if he could read her mind, Dax started talking. “We don’t have to live together, if that’s too much. You could get your own apartment and kick me out whenever you want. I swear, Kate, I don’t want to smother you or hold you back. I just want to be with you, however we can make that happen. I love you.”

  “You… what?” Kate’s eyes felt as big as dinner plates. When Dax looked at her and she saw the naked yearning he felt, her smile grew to match.

  “I love you, Kate Bandon. Of all the women I’ve ever met - and I remember them all now, so you can’t argue with me - you are the only one I’ve ever wanted to spend the rest of my life getting to know. Do you even know how incredible you are, Kate? You’ve held your own in a family of men for twenty years. You’ve become a woman with nobody to show you how. And the way you loved me, you accepted who I was but still pushed me to grow. I’ve never known anyone so fearless.”

  Kate’s eyes filled with tears. A little hiccup escaped as she tried to hold her emotions in check. “Fearless? Oh, Dax, I’ve been scared for days that I was going to have to say goodbye to you. That’s why I didn’t come to the hospital. I was too frightened.”

  Dax reached out, taking both of Kate’s hands in his, rubbing his thumbs along her knuckles as he spoke. “That’s my fault, Kate. As shaken as I was after getting my life back, I still should have realized you would feel like an outsider. I should have told you how I felt, so you’d know you’re as far inside as a person can get with me.

  “You’re the center, Kate. I want to build my life around you. Around us.” In Dax’s eyes, Kate could see at once the confidence he felt about his feelings and the insecurity he held onto regarding hers. But if he could be fearless and say all those things, then she could too. Above all, Kate never wanted Dax to have cause to feel unsure of her love.

  A grin split her face as she spoke. “Then let’s do it. I love you too much to be frightened anymore.”

  Not one second later she found herself crushed in Dax’s embrace, her arms wrapped carefully around his waist and her head tilted back to receive his kiss. A chorus of whoops and hollers went up around them, then Kate heard Knox’s good-natured voice rumble through the noise.

  “Does this mean you’ll take the job?”

  Kate pulled away, laughing, and met her new employer’s eyes. “Yes.”

  Her gaze returned to Dax. “And to the apartment. I think I should try living on my own for a bit. What do you think, Da?”

  Kate had been aware of her father lurking around the edge of the dining room for the last few minutes, watching her encounter with Dax. Now she turned her head and met Angus’s eyes, not sure what she’d find there.

  Her father’s eyes were misty and bright with unshed tears, the smile on his face nothing short of wistful. It was the same look he’d had days ago when he’d told Kate about meeting the love of his life, her mother.

  “Katydid, my wee lass, I think you should do whatever y’damn well please with your life. But first, will you seat this lot? They’re jamming up the whole damn place.”

  Kate laughed as her father winked at her, the action belying his gruff words. He was happy for her, because she was happy. Finally, Kate could believe that it was all he’d ever really wanted.

  Her eyes filled with tears as her mouth broke into a grin. How in the world did she get so lucky?

  Chapter 22

  It had been a month. That was long enough, right? Dax looked over at Kate riding in his passenger seat, where she’d been at the end of nearly every workday for weeks. He didn’t ever want to not have that view.

  “So, how’d your thirty-day review go? Knox come down hard on your ass?” Dax smiled, knowing the opposite was true. Kate had fit right into her new position, using her medical training as well as her cool head under pressure to impress everyone she’d worked with at Alpha Security.

  “After I sewed up his hand so pretty? He wouldn’t dare.” Kate laughed at her own joke. Dax joined in, knowing that, as funny as the story was, it truly had gone a long way towards impressing his older brother.

  Two weeks ago, they’d arrived at Knox’s house for dinner to find he’d somehow managed to cut himself on some sewing scissors of Mica’s just before their arrival. Mica had been flustered and blushing, insisting Knox go to the hospital, but Kate had taken one look at the cut and declared it no big deal. Fifteen minutes later, she’d had the wound closed with a suture kit their brother Bronx had lef
t behind, and they’d gone on with dinner.

  “I guess it’s only fair to tell you that, as your superior, I got a preview of your report. Knox said you learned the ropes as fast as anyone he’s ever seen. Are you enjoying yourself?”

  Knox had come to Dax earlier in the week and told him he was ready to offer her a permanent position. He just wanted to be sure that Dax and Kate were solid enough to make that a good business decision in every way. After tonight, Dax would be able to answer that question with a great deal more confidence.

  “Are you kidding? I love it. The variety of tasks from day to day, the adrenaline rush when we’re out in the field, even if it’s just recon. It’s all the same stuff I liked about being a paramedic, but with a little less life-or-death importance and a lot less body odor.”

  Dax laughed and reached for Kate’s hand, running his thumb along the side of her forefinger. He was glad she was enjoying herself. It was abundantly clear to him that she would go far in the investigative field, if she wanted to. He only hoped she was as enthusiastic about their relationship.

  “So what do you want to do tonight? Cook some dinner? Order take-out? I don’t feel like going out.” Dax had an agenda, but he wanted to play it light and see what happened.

  “I agree. I’ve got some chicken thawed at my place, some veggies and pasta, why don’t we go there and cook up something quick? You can stay over.” Kate walked her fingers up his shoulder, teasing him. They hadn’t spent a night apart since she moved to San Francisco, one of them always ending up at the other’s place.

  Dax desperately wanted to ask her to move in with him, but Kate had said over and over again how grateful she was to be free of her father and brothers’ hovering presence in her life. He couldn’t bear to steal that independence from her just when she was beginning to blossom. So he’d found another way.

  He pulled his truck into a parking place in front of Kate’s building, jumping out to open her door for her. Kate stepped on tiptoe to kiss him as she passed, and Dax barely resisted pulling her to him, deepening the embrace. There’d be time for that later.

  On the third floor, ten feet from Kate’s door, he made his move. Backing away slowly, he clucked his tongue and cursed. “Ah, shit. I left something at home. I gotta run and get it.”

  Kate’s forehead furrowed in confusion. “What is it? I’ll come with you.”

  “Nah, don’t do that.” Dax continued backing down the hall, flipping through his keys with one hand. “Why you don’t you get dinner started? I’ll be back in five minutes.”

  Now Kate was downright flummoxed. “Five minutes? How are you going to get across town and back in five minutes?”

  It was Dax’s turn to wear a confused look. He stopped next to a door twenty feet from Kate’s and slipped a key in the lock. “Are you daft, lass? Who needs to go across town? I said I was going home. Be right back.”

  Dax left the front door open and stepped inside, grinning from ear to ear. He walked to the living room, picked up the item he sought from the coffee table, and turned back to the front door just as Kate arrived at it. She pushed it open wide with her fingertips, an inquisitive smile on her face.

  “Oh damn, you found me. Well, I guess I couldn’t keep it a secret for long. I bought the apartment next to you, Kate.” Dax fixed a serious, contrite look on his face as he continued. “I’m not trying to take away your independence, I promise. It was just getting damn old having to drive across town every time I needed new underwear. This made more sense.”

  She grinned at him, bemused. “How long ago did you do this?”

  “This morning.” Kate laughed at him then, a joyful sound that lightened his heart until it seemed it could take flight like a child’s treasured helium balloon. Good thing he’d anchored it to Kate for the foreseeable future; there was nobody he’d trust more to keep it safe.

  “A whole ten hours you kept this from me? What am I going to do with you?” She came closer, wrapping her arms around Dax’s shoulders and smiling up at him in unguarded affection.

  Dax lifted the decorative bag he held in his hand. “I think you should open your gift.”

  Kate’s eyebrows flew up and her jaw dropped. “For me?”

  She pulled back, taking the bag from his hands and sitting on the closest sofa. Dax sat on the cushion next to her. Multicolored tissue paper went flying as Kate dug through the bag. She retrieved a bundle of four hilarious t-shirts he’d bought for her, laughing as she flipped through the stack.

  “I noticed you keep stealing mine. Now you have your own.”

  “Thank you, Dax.” Kate was still giggling as she looked through them a second time. She held up a white t-shirt that appeared to be riddled with bullet holes, blood leaking from each one. Large, angry black letters on the front asserted: “I am FINE”.

  “This one has got to be my favorite. I’ll always think of you when I wear it.”

  “As soon as I saw it I knew you had to have it.” He replied. “There’s something else in the bag, too.”

  “Oh!” Kate rummaged inside the gift bag and came out with a small envelope. She ripped it open and poured a key into her hand. Her eyes met his, wide and questioning.

  “Your own key to this place, so you can get in whenever you want. Even if I’m not here, even if you don’t let me know in advance. My home is your home, Kate. I want you to treat it that way.”

  Kate sat quietly for several long seconds, looking at the key she held in her hand. Dax started to feel nervous. Maybe he had misjudged. Maybe she wasn’t as far along in her feelings as he was, or maybe he had simply misjudged how this looked from her perspective.

  “You don’t have to give me a key to your place or anything. I know you just got out of your dad’s house, Kate. I’m not trying to infringe on your privacy. But if you come home late from a job, I like knowing you can come in here and get in bed with me without having to make a big deal of it. I don’t want to keep you at a distance. I want to be home to you.”

  Kate turned her head to the side, looking at the wall that adjoined her apartment. Dax thought about the floorplan, about her living room just on the other side of his. Would she rather be there?

  But she looked at him and smirked, mischief in her emerald eyes. “You’re rich. Why don’t we just rip a hole in the wall and have twice the space?”

  Daxton stared at Kate, a smile widening on his face. “Are you crazy, Kate? Do you understand that if we did that, I’d be able to get at you whenever I wanted to?”

  She glanced down, then back up through her lashes, an innocent look that drove him mad with lust. “That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

  He groaned and reached for the curve of Kate’s knee to pull her closer. She caught his gaze in hers and then his hand, the other one reaching to gently caress his cheek. “You are home to me, Daxton Rosesson. I don’t ever want to be without you.”

  It was all the invitation Dax needed. He waggled his eyebrows at the love of his life as he leaned in for a kiss. “Let’s go to your place and get those ingredients. We’ll give my kitchen a proper christening. Then we’ll make dinner.”

  Kate was up and running within two seconds. “First one who gets naked wins!”

  Daxton followed at a sprint, not caring one bit if he won or lost. All he wanted was to make memories with this woman for the rest of his life.

  <<<<< The End >>>>>

  Notes from Lisa XOXOXO

  Sorry this series took so long to wrap up! The idea and some of the content was there, but I’ve been so distracted with the work involved with OTM and with what’s been going on with other series that I neglected this one. Bad author!

  I also have to apologize to everyone who wanted Jazzy and Dax to get together. Dax was planned for Kate before Jazzy ever was even thought of by me. I had a contest where a reader got to name a character, and her character name was so compelling, Jazzy was born. But don’t worry, Jazzy is perfectly happy <3 <3

  Phoenix’s book is coming very soon! It
’s done and I am getting it to the editor now.