by Lexi Blake
“I’ll get the keys,” Hutch said as he opened the back door.
“I’ll go with him.” Ezra hopped out beside him.
Michael snored from the third row. Hutch had arranged for a private doctor to meet them. He’d come on the plane and asked absolutely no questions as he’d given Michael a shot of antibiotics and a painkiller. He’d told Case that the wound had been properly stitched and to keep Michael on antibiotics for a few days and he would be fine. He’d taken his money, given them a bottle of pills, and walked away.
At least her money was good for something.
“I’m sorry about the Four Seasons, but this will be better security wise,” Case said. He sat in the driver’s seat, aviators covering his eyes.
“I know.” She wasn’t going to argue with him. She’d planned a romantic getaway and he was trying to find his brother. Now she’d brought the added element of some group trying to kidnap her and potentially fucking up all their plans to find Theo. “I’m sorry about the kidnapping thing.”
He didn’t look her way. His face was toward the ocean. In the distance there was a whole line of cars and partygoers under colorful tents. She could hear music blasting and see girls in bikinis playing volleyball.
“We’re going to have a long talk about that.”
“I didn’t take this seriously enough, Case. I’m sorry. You have every right to be angry with me. If it weren’t for Tony’s instructions, I would go home.”
He turned, frowning. “Why would you go home?”
“Because I was using this as an excuse. Don’t get me wrong. I want to find Theo. But I’ve been fooling myself about why.”
“You wanted to find Theo so I would be grateful to you.”
Put like that she sounded so pathetic. “I guess I did it so you would talk to me. So in the end I’m exactly what you thought I was. I’m an entitled little princess who would do anything to get her way.”
His lips curved up, but there was a softness to them. “Or you’re a crazy bitch who wants a man so much she would move heaven and earth to get him.”
Stupid. God, she felt stupid. Maybe it was six hours of flying on no sleep or all the terror of the near kidnapping, but she felt dumb and vulnerable. “Yeah, crazy bitch will suffice.”
His hand slid over hers. “Mia, I’m sorry for being an ass for seven months. I think it was a lot of things and some of them had nothing to do with you. Mostly I’m at a loss without my brother. If Theo had been here, he would have kicked my ass and told me to go after what I wanted. He wasn’t and I was hurting and it was so easy to shove that hurt your way.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “I happen to adore crazy bitches. It’s the only type of woman men in my family are attracted to.”
“I want to believe you.” She wanted it so much it was an actual ache inside her body.
He kissed her palm. “Then believe me.”
The trouble was he’d so thoroughly dumped her the first time. He’d withdrawn affection and then when his cover had been blown, he’d refused to see her entirely. The only way she’d talked to him was to press the issue. “When did you find out that I was lying to you?”
He kissed her again and sighed, holding her hand to his chest. “It doesn’t matter now. I’ve seen the error of my ways. You know I never stopped thinking about you. I haven’t seen another woman. No dates. No hookups. I’ve spent months taking dungeon monitor duties at Sanctum because I couldn’t play with anyone but you.”
He said all the right things, but he’d been so cold for so long. It was hard to believe he’d turned around. “It was after that first night, wasn’t it? After you kissed me? You weren’t the same man after that. You were charming when you needed to be, but I still felt the chill.”
Not that it had made her turn away. She’d just kept trying. Kept saying yes when he’d asked her out even though she could feel the distance between them.
“Yes, and that was the same night I found out you had a fiancé.”
“I broke it off with him the next day.” She’d met Case Taggart and wondered what the hell she’d been thinking. “I’d been with Jeff for a while, but we weren’t even living together. He asked me in front of his friends and family and I didn’t have the heart to tell him no. And then I wondered hell, why not.”
“Because you were bored?”
How could she make him understand? “Because I hadn’t found anyone who moved me. Because I thought maybe having someone to see movies with and who my brothers didn’t hate wasn’t the end of the world. Because I thought it was time to start my life. And then I met you.”
“You should know your brother hates me.”
Why on earth would he think that? She was pretty sure Drew and the others were completely fascinated with the Taggarts. “Drew doesn’t hate you. Bran thinks you’re a manwhore and he doesn’t get the D/s stuff, but Drew and Riley like you.”
Case’s face went hard, a memory obviously tapping into his seemingly never-ending supply of masculine fury. “Your brother offered me money to walk away from you.”
Asshole. Manipulative jerk. She was having such a talk with her brother when she got home. It wasn’t the first time Drew decided to screw around with her love life. “Yeah, my brother thinks he understands psychology. Trust me. He didn’t mean what you thought he meant. You were being difficult. You were obviously stubborn and very proud. He thought you would sweep me off my feet just to spite him. Believe me—that’s Drew move 101. When you want someone to move, give them something to fight against. In this case it was Drew himself.”
Case’s lips were a flat line. “Or he thinks I’m not good enough for his sister. I’ve found wealthy men tend to like to keep their family lines clean.”
“Case, how much have you read about my family?” She had the sudden fear that he didn’t know how scandalous her family line was.
He let go of her hand, his lips turning down. “I read some of the reports about your brother. I know you lost your parents at a young age.”
“Do you know how I lost them?”
“I stayed away from the reports, Mia. I didn’t want to know you. Not any more than I did. I was kind of crazy about the woman I did know. I didn’t want to see just how false she was.”
Mia felt herself flush. He didn’t know. He didn’t know how bad it was. How bad it would get. Somehow she’d counted on him knowing everything. There was zero chance that Ian Taggart hadn’t unearthed all the Lawless family secrets, all the dirty truths under their money and shiny surfaces.
His family was made up of heroes. Every single one of his brothers had served in the military and gone on to the elite teams. The older brothers had both been Green Berets. Case and Theo had been SEALs.
She’d been shoved into foster care because according to the world, her father had murdered her mother and then killed himself. According to the reports, her father had tried to kill all of them.
She’d been too young to remember the night her parents had died, but she remembered how it felt when someone at her junior high had heard the story from a parent. She could see how the teachers had pitied her and still hear her classmates saying she was trash and that she would be as bad as her father some day.
She’d thought he’d known and didn’t care.
“Hey, what’s that look for?” Case asked.
She was saved from having to answer him by Hutch knocking on the door and holding up their keys. She hopped out of the SUV as fast as she could.
Case was on her ass in a second. She had the key from Hutch in her hand, but before she could grab her bag, Case lifted it up and stepped in front of her.
“Let’s talk about protocol.” It was obvious he was back in his commander mode. “You don’t walk outside without an escort.”
She frowned up at him. Did he have to be so freaking big? “I’ve told you that Tony won’t meet with me if I’m not alone.”
“I’m not talking about Tony. We could be here for a few days waiting for him to make c
ontact. You’re not allowed outside the motel room without an escort. Hell, you’re not allowed inside the motel room alone. If I need to be somewhere, Fain or Hutch will take a turn babysitting you.”
Babysitting her. Yeah, that was what every man wanted in his woman. But she’d gotten them all into this so she wasn’t about to make things harder. “All right. Could I have Ezra please take me to my room? I think I’d like to take a nap. I’ve already sent a text to the phone number I was supposed to. Now we have to wait for the meet time. Hopefully it will be sometime tomorrow.”
And then they would have their answer and Case would have a choice to make.
It was obvious he’d changed his mind about sleeping with her. Had he changed his mind about them? Or was he simply going to screw her six ways from Sunday and get her out of his system. Maybe he would fuck her senseless and then leave her the minute he had what he wanted. He would stride off into the distance and find his pretty, perfect submissive. He would find a girl who wouldn’t ever make him angry or place herself in danger. Case’s perfect woman wouldn’t have a crazy, scandalous background. She wouldn’t come with a whole group of brothers bent on vengeance.
Could she truly risk going to bed with him? Could she open herself up when he wasn’t promising her anything past a quick lay? He’d said he changed his mind, but that could mean anything.
She’d already seen how easily Case could deny her.
Case looked back at Hutch and Ezra. “Can you two handle Michael? I want to get Mia secured and rested. We’ll meet up tonight for dinner at 18:00.”
Hutch nodded. “We can get him on his feet and into the room. I’ll have a report on the kidnappers by dinner. I’ve already found names through facial recognition but I want to make a complete report on who these bastards are.”
Case nodded. “Good, but get some sleep, too. Fain, you okay with the arrangements? I’m putting you on the other side of Mia’s room so no one can take it. At least I’ll know who our neighbors are. And you should be able to hear us if we shout.”
“I’ll keep watch for a few hours and then I’ll get some sleep,” Ezra said. “I’ll help Hutch get Malone to their room and I’ll keep my cell on. I’ve got decent reception here. If you need anything, holler.”
Case’s hand found hers. “Will do.”
He started to lead her toward the left. Toward their room.
She was here. She was about to be alone with the man of her dreams and she was scared. Not by him. But by the power he had to utterly destroy her.
She stopped in the middle of the walkway. “I don’t know about this.”
He simply picked her up, his big arm going under her legs. “You should have thought about that before you took us to Colombia and allowed kidnappers access to your sweet self, baby. This is going to end one way and one way only.”
She went still in his arms. “And if I say no?”
He didn’t look down at her. He simply strode toward the door. “You don’t get to say no about this. If you say no about this, we’ll be on a plane to Austin and I won’t let you out of my sight until I’ve had a very long talk with your brothers. Don’t think I can’t write a report that will ensure your brothers never allow you out of the house on your own again.”
He didn’t understand. “I wasn’t talking about the security protocols. I’ll follow those. I’m not an idiot. I was talking about the rest of it.”
His jaw went hard and he managed to get their door open without ever setting her down. He kicked the door closed behind them. She found herself on her feet, staring up at him.
“Why?”
It would have been so much easier to answer him if he hadn’t asked the question in a tortured whisper. She couldn’t quite meet his eyes. “You can rip me up, Taggart. For the last seven months I’ve done nothing but think about you, and now that I’m here I realize how devastating you can be. You dumped me. You wouldn’t even talk to me. You didn’t want an explanation. You didn’t want to try. You walked away and if I hadn’t found this lead, you would never have spoken to me again.”
He ran a hand over his close-cropped hair. “You don’t know that. I don’t know that.”
“Did you have plans to see me?”
“No,” he shot back. “Mia, what’s going on? You’ve admitted you did all of this to get my attention. You have my attention. I get it. I was stupid to ignore you. I was upset about my brother and you lied to me. I lied to you, too. Let’s forget it all and go back to that first night. That was when I was real with you. That night we connected. Fuck all. We always connected. Even when we were lying, I could feel it. We made a real breakthrough and you’re telling me you’ve changed your mind.”
Yep, she was seriously alone in a room with him. “You don’t know me. You might not like me when you know me and you’re good at walking away.”
He stared down at her. “I explained that. Are you going to hold it against me? Are you going to cost us time? Because I’ve learned that time isn’t infinite and we’re not guaranteed a specific amount.” One of those callused hands came up, caressing her cheek. “I’d rather not waste more of whatever time we have.”
She didn’t want to waste a second, but she also finally admitted that she didn’t want one night with him. She didn’t want to screw him out of her system or prove that she could walk away this time. She wanted everything from him. “Case, I’m crazy about you. I don’t think I can handle it if you turn away from me again, so I need you to know what you’re getting into.”
“Mia, tell me what’s going on. What has you so scared?”
Maybe she should take this time. He was certainly right about there being no guarantee. She should know that better than anyone. The flight crew had been working for 4L for months. They’d lain in wait.
What if they hadn’t merely been there to take her in? What if this had to do with the Taggarts? She remembered the first time she’d met the pilot. He’d flown her and her brothers to New York a few months back. Why not take them all? If they’d only been out for money, why not force Drew to access his accounts in exchange for his life and his sibling’s? What if this wasn’t about money and was all about the fact that they had the first real lead on Theo?
This was dangerous. Really dangerous. Not only for her. This would be dangerous for Case. They were already one man down.
Did she want to waste the time they might have telling him her sad story? Hadn’t she learned at a young age to live in the moment?
It had been a horrible few hours. She’d taken charge because she’d needed to. She’d been strong because they’d needed her strength, but she’d discovered that there were times that she could give up all that wearying control and find another part of herself.
She looked up at him. “I’m afraid of so many things, Sir. I think I’d like to forget about all of them for a while.”
That ridiculously cut jawline of his tightened. “Fuck, Mia. I swear you’re going to kill me one day. We don’t have a written contract but that verbal one is in play here and now. Is that how Wade taught you to greet your Dom? Because I’ll have a real talk with him about that when we get home.”
She dropped to her knees, thankful the carpet was plush. Actually the room itself wasn’t half bad. It wasn’t the Four Seasons, but it was clean and neat. The bed looked far too small for Case, but she suspected he wasn’t going to complain.
Mia breathed in and released, letting the tension flow from her body. It had been months since she’d even tried to find this place. She’d enjoyed working with her training Dom. Javier had been a friend, but even when she’d trained with him, she’d closed her eyes and dreamed it was Case who held the flogger. It had been Case who spanked her. Case who tied her up.
She’d never allowed even intimate touching in her contract with Javier for one reason only. He hadn’t been Case.
“Is this better?” She lowered her head, letting her hands rest palms up on her thighs. They were splayed, and if she hadn’t been wearing clothes, her p
ussy would have been on display, ready and waiting for her Dom’s pleasure.
Her only Dom. She would have one and if it didn’t work with Case, she would lock that piece of herself away forever because he was it for her.
She might be able to get over him, might be able to move on and find another man she could click with. But she would never find another she would submit to.
“This would be perfect if you weren’t wearing any clothes. But I have a few questions while I’ve got you in this mood. I expect you’ll be less likely to hedge the truth with me while you’re kneeling at my feet.”
The tops of his feet came into view, old worn cowboy boots. She stared at the scuff marks. They were perfect for him, strong and battle-tested.
He was right about that. The simple act of settling into her position made her more willing to talk. “I’ll try, Sir.”
“Who was that nightgown for?”
She was glad she wasn’t looking up at him or he would have seen her wince. “I put it in there when I flew from Austin to Dallas. I knew it would be an overnight flight to Colombia. I needed something to sleep in.”
His hand found the top of her head and he gently forced her to tilt up. One brow was arched over his blue eyes. “You expect me to buy that? You sleep in ridiculously sexy lingerie?”
She tended to sleep in a tank top and panties, but he didn’t need to know that. If he was anything like her friends’ Doms he wouldn’t let her sleep in anything at all. “No, Sir.”
“Then what was the plan? I know there was a plan in there somewhere.”
“I thought I might accidently need something from the main cabin after I’d gone to bed and then you would see me in my sexy nightie and very likely ravish me.” She’d read too many romance novels.
“Put it on.” He stepped back and offered her a hand up.
“Case, I know it was a silly thing to do.” So why had she still snuck it into her bag? She’d casually made her way back to the bedroom after she’d landed the plane and carefully slid the gown into her oversized Louis Vuitton overnight bag.