Burned Deep

by Calista Fox

His jaw set and a hooded look clouded his eyes. “I’m not comfortable with you at the Lux right now. Not until I’m done.”

  I blinked. “Done?”

  Was I even sure I wanted to know what that meant?

  “I’ve got some calls to make. Final straw. I’m about to shove hard. I don’t want you caught in the cross fire.”

  “What about others at the Lux?”

  “Have you not noticed you’re the target?” I could see he fought to keep the razor edge from his tone. He wasn’t all that successful. “I’m willing to bet ours will be the only two offices bugged. Your badge was deactivated when you needed it most. Even you said it—rattlesnakes and scorpions terrify you. And you’ve gotten a healthy dose of both. Only you.”

  My nerves were shot to hell and I still felt the disturbing tingle of venom. I sank onto the mattress before my legs gave out. A tremor started in my toes and worked its way through my body.

  “I don’t want to be here alone, Dane. You and Amano will be at the hotel. That’s where you need to be.”

  “You’re safe here. That’s a fifteen-foot-tall fence surrounding the property and it’s fully monitored. I have access to the security cameras on my iPhone, my iPad, my computer. And I can give Amano access as well.”

  With a shake of my head, I said, “You’d rather have me close by and you know it.”

  He raked a hand through his hair and muttered under his breath. He paced before me.

  “I’ll give you my schedule for the week,” I offered. “You’ll know where I am at all times. They tried to scare me and they did. Okay? I am officially freaked out. And in a serious amount of pain. But I still have work to do and I will be extremely careful, Dane. I swear.”

  He pinned me with a tortured look that made my heart twist.

  “I can’t just sit here and worry,” I said. “Even if you send Amano over, I will go completely stir-crazy. And we’ll be behind the eight ball with the grand opening. I don’t want you to have to postpone again.”

  “Neither do I,” he said with conviction. He walked away, balled his fist, and put it through the drywall next to the door.

  I jumped. “Dane!”

  He didn’t turn back. As though he couldn’t look at me. He put another hole in the wall.

  I sucked in a breath.

  Then he stalked into the bathroom. When he returned, he handed over a pill. “Ibuprofen, eight hundred milligrams.” He offered me a glass of water to wash it down, then took a pill of his own. I noticed his bloodied knuckles.

  “Trying to feel my pain?” I asked.

  “I can’t feel your pain,” he said in a tight tone. “You won’t let me.”

  He set the glass on the nightstand.

  My eyes squeezed shut for a moment. Then I said, “Doesn’t that put us at an impasse?”

  “No impasse. You’re in danger. I’m going to end it.”

  “Dane—”

  “You know how I feel about you, Ari. You mean everything to me.”

  “So does the Lux,” I said. “It means so much to you. And it means something to me, too—because it’s yours.”

  I got to my feet, just to prove to him that I could. That I could reach past the scorpion sting to prove a point. “I will do whatever you and Amano ask. I won’t go anywhere without him, or you. You have my word. You know I would never do anything to make you worry about me or put myself in further jeopardy.”

  I tormented him. I saw it in his agonized gaze.

  “Dane,” I pleaded. “Trust me. Please.”

  “I do.” He swept his good hand through my hair. “This is killing me, baby. Thinking you might be harmed because of my involvement in something that was supposed to be legit. Goddamn it.”

  I felt his anger. His regret. “You had no idea this would all happen. You’ve been so careful about us at work and even in public. But someone has obviously been paying very close attention. Is it possible it’s not even the axed investors at all?”

  “I’m convinced it is. But you’re right. It’s almost as though they knew about you from the beginning.”

  He took me in his arms. I knew he contemplated who might know about us and how or why they’d use that knowledge to their advantage.

  “You can go with me to the hotel in the morning,” he eventually conceded. “But you’re with Amano or myself at all times. At the very least—” His tension mounted as he nearly squeezed the air out of me. “Kyle.”

  Whoa. Now we were getting serious. To resort to approving of Kyle sticking close to me?

  I had to do something to break the strain between us. “That’ll make stops in the ladies’ restroom awkward.”

  “Damn it, Ari.”

  “Dane. You’re just scaring me more. You realize that, right?”

  Releasing me, he stared into my eyes. “I love you.”

  I smiled, despite it all. “Lucky me.”

  With a sharp shake of his head, he said, “Maybe not.”

  “Dane.” I gripped his shoulder with my good hand, my fingertips curling into his hard muscles and heat. “Don’t say that. Don’t ever say that. My whole life has changed since the moment I met you. Even the not-so-pleasant stuff has made me open my eyes and see that I was just going through the motions until you came along.”

  His brow furrowed.

  I rushed on. “I lived vicariously through happy couples, convinced I’d turn out like my parents and grandparents if I dared to try to have a relationship. Beyond that, I never experienced any sort of impossible to resist attraction the way I did the instant I saw you. It was like—I suddenly woke up.”

  Sleeping Beauty coming to life even before that first kiss. The fucked-up part was that she, too, had to contend with an evil force.

  I had to believe Dane could defeat his nemesis. Whomever it might be.

  Exhausted from the turmoil of the evening, I sat back down on the bed. Dane slipped off my shoes and helped me out of my dress.

  “Do you want something to wear?” he asked.

  “Your shirt.”

  He gave me a shadow of a grin. At least he tried not to be so sinister looking. “I’ll go get you one.”

  “I want the one you’re wearing. Smells like you.”

  Loosening his tie, he whipped it off, then worked the cuff links as best as he could with what had to be a throbbing hand. He set them on the table next to the water, slipped out of the shirt, and assisted me with getting it on and buttoned.

  I crawled under the covers. Dane joined me.

  “How do you feel?” he asked.

  “Like I stuck my hand on a hot stovetop burner. At least my brain’s not scrambled the way it’d been the last time.”

  “Jesus, Ari.” His muscles tensed all around me.

  “I’ll be all right.”

  He possessively kept me pressed to his body until I fell asleep. When I woke in the middle of the night, it was because I knew he’d slipped out of bed. I’d sensed it even in slumber.

  I scanned the room, finding him on the sofa in front of the large fireplace, working on his laptop, his fingers softly skating over the keys. He was also speaking in a quiet tone into the phone wedged between his ear and the crook of his neck.

  “That’s not enough,” he said insistently. “Dig deeper. We’re close but we need more. Yes, I know they’re already panicking. I’ve been watching their market shares and portfolios. I’m seeing the results of our efforts. It’s not enough. If they think they can fuck with us—with me—they’ve got to be seeing right now that it’s not a good idea.”

  Dread slithered through me. Dane was poking the snake. This alarmed me. But what else was he to do? Roll over and play dead? Give in to them? Let them steal the Lux from underneath his nose?

  I would concede that it was property and money. Difficult to part with—painful, even. But, all in all, potentially replaceable.

  Yet that just seemed too simple a solution and too easy. I had to respect the fact that he fought for all that he’d built, all that matter
ed to him. He’d had a dream, he’d worked hard to achieve it. Now it was up to him to save it.

  I really was torn between right and wrong with this scenario but definitely leaning toward the full understanding that if I had wrapped my entire future around such an enormous endeavor I’d want to protect it as well.

  What would I do to safeguard the things that meant the most to me? I didn’t know. I’d never been in that position before. When it came to my parents’ fallout, I’d had no clout to help one side over the other. Obviously, I’d sided with my father. But I couldn’t bargain with my mother to leave Dad the hell alone, because she didn’t care enough about me to worry what she might lose if he threw his hands in the air and walked away, instead of fighting for me. In other words, giving her everything she wanted so he could have me.

  I’d been a stand-on-the-fringes kind of person for the majority of my life. Now that I had a better understanding of what could be gained, built, fought for, I could appreciate the fact that Dane would do anything and everything in his power to protect what was his.

  That did not mean it all sat right with me. I was a bit scared of what that all entailed. But he’d done his best to keep the poli-econ society on course—on the up-and-up. He and Ethan both. They’d failed. So now Dane was taking another stand. And I had to give him credit for it, even if I wasn’t wholly sure what that meant in the long run.

  I pulled on the robe Dane had bought for me in Paris and curled up next to him on the leather couch. I didn’t bother stealing a peek at his work—I didn’t want to know his new course of action. Perhaps it was wiser to not pry for information I couldn’t quite decipher anyway.

  He draped the throw over me and I closed my eyes, my head on his shoulder. I was content just being near him.

  “I love you,” I whispered. And drifted off.

  chapter 21

  Two days passed without incident. I did exactly as Dane and Amano instructed. When something mysterious cropped up that they both had to contend with they waited until lunchtime, when I could meet with Kyle in the courtyard. It didn’t take him long to catch on that all was not right in my world.

  “Why is he not scowling at me this week?” Kyle asked over his prime rib sliders.

  I shrugged nonchalantly. “He knows we’ve become friends. He’s okay with it.”

  Kyle nearly spewed food. “Yeah, I totally believe that.”

  “Look,” I said, conspiratorially, because I trusted him. He didn’t seem to have any ulterior motives or inclinations, other than to steal me away from Dane, because he still asked me on dates. “We’ve tried to keep this private, but we’re very seriously involved.”

  I gave Kyle a moment to digest that and his slider.

  Then I added, “The thing is … well … we’re in love.”

  He blanched. It was actually a bit comical, given his athletic build and all-around macho-jock attitude.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he all but hissed. “I mean, yeah, I can see you’re close to drooling when he’s around. And he’s all hands off, dude when he sees us together, but still … Shit. Ari. Really?”

  “Yes,” I confirmed. “Really. I am literally the hopelessly devoted to you Sandra Dee.” Since I wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Grease, I amended, “Or Princess Buttercup. Take your pick.”

  He set aside his slider and glared at me. “Buttercup was always in jeopardy.”

  “Not because of Westley,” I reminded him.

  “Need I reference the snake and scorpions?”

  “Kyle!” Bit of a low blow.

  Dane and the PR people had thought it best to share the news with all the employees, wanting them to be aware of the unfortunate events for their own safety. And because he didn’t want to hide anything. “The grounds crew are sweeping this property all day long to make sure there aren’t any more problems like that. They’ve found absolutely nothing.”

  Crossing his arms over his massive chest, he said, “You’re making my point for me.”

  “I’m not in danger because of Dane.” Wee little lie. But I had confidence in Dane and I knew he’d solve this problem once and for all.

  “I’d be a hypocrite to criticize him when he gave me a job,” Kyle begrudgingly admitted. “I really like the people I work with and the projects. But damn it, Ari.” His arms dropped and he leaned toward me. “Cut the bullshit and talk to me about what’s going on. I see Amano following you around. Shouldn’t he be holed up in a security booth somewhere, monitoring the cameras? No, he’s like a … a—”

  “Bodyguard,” I said. “Yes. Dane trusts him. But, Kyle, he also trusts you. When they can’t be around, he’s okay that I’m with you. Doesn’t that say something?”

  “That he has no choice but to be okay with it?” Kyle scowled. “Whatever. Semantics, right?”

  I picked at my salad.

  Kyle glowered. “So he thinks I can lasso a rattlesnake with my bare hands?”

  “Well, I suspect you could,” I lightly teased, hoping to keep this conversation from getting too intense. “The point I’m trying to make is that he has some faith in you.”

  “Because or in spite of the fact that I want to date you?” he asked with a jerked brow and a perplexed look.

  I smiled softly. “You know that’s not possible, right? I mean, I’ve deflected all along. I’ve never led you on. We’re friends.”

  My smile faded as a new thought occurred to me.

  “What?” Kyle promptly asked.

  “I’m really not thinking clearly. Christ, I’m so sorry.”

  “Hey, it’s okay that you just want to be friends at the moment. We’re getting to know each other. Won’t be long before you realize I’m a much easier-going, less-intense guy to hang out with than the one who stews over everything.”

  Kyle’s grin was a dazzling one, all straight pearly whites, with a hint of a dimple in his left cheek. His blue eyes sparkled, and I really did like how he calmed me on so many levels.

  Yet there was still a critical issue at hand. I said, “I hadn’t quite considered that my hanging out with you might be bad for your health.”

  He seemed to instantly catch on, because he winked. “No worries. I really can lasso a rattlesnake with my bare hands,” he joked. “Don’t tell anyone, though. I don’t want to become some sideshow freak, ya know?”

  He went back to his lunch.

  I watched him a few minutes, all confident in himself that he truly was bodyguard material. I couldn’t dispute it, though in the back of my mind I wondered how dangerous that might be for Kyle. And whether I should have Dane fire him for his own protection.

  When we were finished, we walked back to the lobby. He asked, “Why so quiet?”

  I sighed. How had this all gotten so complicated?

  “I like that we’re friends,” I told him. “I like that we get to hang out at work and that everyone’s raving about what a great job you’re doing. Dane really likes the invitations you’re producing—and that has nothing to do with me. I’m not even commenting on them, just letting him choose the ones he wants. And I can tell it’s been a difficult decision for him, because they’re all good.”

  “But…?”

  “But,” I said with a grimace. “There are some sketchy things going on around here. Between you and me, they might have to do with some of Dane’s former investors. I don’t want you finding yourself in trouble because of me, any more than Dane wants me caught in the cross fire because of him.”

  We reached the elevators and Kyle leaned against the wall and grinned again. “Because you like me.”

  I smirked. “Your arrogance knows no bounds.”

  “Come on, toss me a bone. You like me a little, don’t you?”

  Leaning in, I said, “As friends.”

  “That’s a start, remember?”

  He’d told me that at the Delfinos’ house. God, that seemed a million years ago. So much had happened since then. And along the way, I’d fallen madly, addictively in love. With Dane. />
  In answer to Kyle’s comment, I told him, “On your way to being a BFF.”

  “Ah, the best friend curse. Though,” he added optimistically, “the more you’re exposed to my rapier wit and these muscles”—he flexed his biceps—“the better chance you’ll have of ditching the brooding, intimidating guy for someone much more fun.”

  “You do have a way about you. Just … don’t forget what I said earlier, okay? All of it.”

  The elevator arrived. Though I missed my daily stair-stepper routine, I moved inside with Kyle.

  “Is it his money?” he asked.

  I shot him a look. “Oh, please.”

  “So … what? Is it that whole I’m as tall as the Empire State Building thing he’s got going on?”

  “I can’t tell you exactly what it is,” I said. “Because it’s everything—but mostly the way he makes me feel. And do you really want to hear about this?”

  He frowned. “No, I guess not.”

  With an empathetic smile, I said, “I’m sorry. It is what it is, whether I can explain it or not. I can’t do anything about it. I can’t help how I feel.”

  “Yeah, well, I feel very strongly that you’ll get over him soon and come knocking on my door.” He gave me a smug look that I could see was feigned.

  “You’re probably right,” I played along. “I mean who wants to be in love with the Empire State Building?”

  The elevator chimed and the doors slid open on the third floor to let Kyle off.

  “If you change your mind,” he said, “you know where to find me.”

  “Duly noted—and thanks. For everything.”

  He stepped out and I returned to my office.

  I’d pulled together an entire theme for the launch and was in the process of creating a collage I could show Dane, to give him the full impact of my concept. It was hugely helpful to have something so massive to concentrate on. I didn’t even notice the time whizzing by until Molly announced over the speakerphone, “Kathryn DeMille on line two for you.”

  I froze. Christ, I’d put her out of my mind—but that clearly didn’t mean she went away completely. And why the hell was she calling me at work after hours, rather than on my cell? What game was she playing?