by Alla Kar
Aggravation set in. “What in the hell is this about? I thought I was going to die. Couldn’t you have just asked me to get in the car?”
He squared his shoulders. “Would you have gone?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Exactly.” He grabbed me, tossed me over his shoulder and hauled me into the back of the limo.
My face hit the leather seat, and I grabbed for the handle, but it was locked. Damn childproof locks.
I climbed toward the front of the limo. Joey scooted inside the driver’s seat. He ignored me as he pulled out into the road.
“Oh no, the silent treatment is not working this time.” He didn’t answer, so I reached over and grabbed his ear, pulling his head to the right.
“Shit!” he screamed. “You lunatic, let go!” He yanked his head the other way and rolled up the limo window.
“Asshole!” I yelled, pulling my arm back through quickly.
“Now, I suggest you sit your little ass down. It’s not that long of a drive, but I don’t want to hear your mouth.”
I was beyond frustrated. It’s one thing to grab someone in the dark, making them think they’re being kidnapped—but to refuse to tell them where they’re going?
I knew it had something to do with Cash. It always did. But what? I hadn’t talked to him since the gallery. Still hadn’t cashed that check either. I watched as we traveled away from downtown, and my body sank as I realized where Joey was driving.
Back to where the art gallery showing had been. I searched my brain as to why—but then I realized. The Jenkins Brothers had planned an event to go public. Though I had heard it was canceled, I guessed they reconsidered. There was no way I planned to go inside of that building and watch them use the money they’d gotten from their agreement with my mother to further their business.
No way in hell.
“You can go ahead and save your time. I’m not going to that damn event!” I yelled, but with no response.
The minutes ticked by. Sure enough, Joey pulled into the huge circular drive that led to the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center. The parking lot was packed, several cars waited for the valet.
Joey pulled up to the front, got out, and walked around toward the back door. I scooted up toward the front and sat still when he swung the door opened. I felt like a huge child. When I was twelve, I had hidden in the backseat of my mother’s SUV because Ryder wanted to me to go trick-or-treating with him. I hated it because he would make us go to Old Man Donald’s house, who would hide in his yard and scare the little kids.
I wasn’t trick-or-treating, but I did feel scared.
More than scared—sick to my stomach.
“Get out,” he said. “Don’t make me come in and get you, Sydney.”
No, no way in hell.
Joey said something underneath his breath and leaned down to crawl inside. He was beyond pissed, and he was about to be even more pissed. He went to grab me and I rolled to the left, scrambling by him to get to the door.
My fingers caught the door handle, but Joey grabbed my waist and hauled me toward him, trapping me against his wall of muscle. “Oh no, ma’am. I’m not chasing after you. You’re gonna walk right in the front door with me.”
“I’ll scream,” I said.
He groaned, tucked me underneath his arm, and carried me out. Several people stared as he dragged me toward the door. I didn’t want to stoop so low as to scream, but I opened my mouth when I saw the conference hall. It was packed full of people—not an empty seat.
Jesus …
“No, no, no,” I whispered to Joey.
He looked down at me. “Let him do this, Sydney.”
Let him do what? Humiliate me? Not that anyone would know how he’d gotten the extra funds or sponsorship to do it, but I did. And that’s who he’d hurt. Me.
Joey bypassed the crowd and took me backstage. My heartbeat hammered in my chest. He sat me down in a foldout chair in the middle of the back area. He stood behind me, diminishing any chance of my escape.
“What is goin’ on?”
No answer.
The audience’s conversation stopped, and I heard footsteps on the stage in front of me, which I couldn’t see because of the huge red, velvet curtain.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight. It’s an honor to have so many friends and business partners,” Cash said. Regardless of the anger and shame I felt, goose bumps traveled up my arm to my neck. “I hope everyone is enjoying the meal we had prepared for you.”
A long pause set my skin on fire. “Now, to what we’re really here for. I know your invitations said The Jenkins Brothers would be going public tonight, and this would be our launch. Well, that’s not true.”
What? I gripped the edge of my seat, sitting forward, eager to hear what he had to say. “Truth is, I’m here to apologize to someone. To set some things straight.”
Oh God …
“A couple of months ago, Mrs. Rosemary Henry from Henry’s Hunting World came to me with a proposition that I couldn’t refuse. She wanted me to date her daughter, have her show up to events with someone of my status. In return, she said they would sponsor us.”
Cash paused, and a low hum of whispers settled over the crowd. Holy shit, he just called my mom out. “And I took the deal, only thinking of myself. It was the worst thing I have ever done.”
My mouth went dry. He’d told me this before, but hearing him tell everyone—it was overwhelming. “And I fell in love with her. I’ve never been in love with a woman before, not until I met Sydney Henry. But she found out about our deal and, understandably, she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me. And it’s breaking my heart.”
He cleared his throat. Suddenly the red curtain pulled back. The stunned crowd gawked at me. Cash stood in a suit and tie, hands shoved into his pockets, his piercing eyes locked with mine.
This is insane. I swallowed the lump in my throat and gripped the foldout chair tighter. “Sydney,” Cash said, taking a step closer. “I don’t know what else I can do to show you how sorry I am. I’ve given up what I always thought I wanted the most in life—taking my business to the next level. But it doesn’t compare to the way I feel for you.” He took a step closer. “I love you, Sydney. And I need you to forgive me. I need it. If you don’t do it now, I won’t stop. We both know that when I want something, I won’t stop until I get it. Please.”
Cash stopped in front of me, dropped slowly to his knees, and took my face in his hands. Tears tore from my eyes and dripped down my face. I clung to my paint-smeared cut-offs, my bottom lip trembling. “Cash, I … ” I looked out at the audience. “Can we talk in private?”
He nodded, and before I knew it Asher took the stage. I couldn’t focus on anything he said, it all ran together. I followed Cash off the stage to the exit. The night was warm and heated my already burning skin.
“Why did you do this?” I whispered.
The moon shone on his face, illuminating his strong features and piercing eyes. “I didn’t know what else to do,” he said, his voice low. “This was the only thing I could think to do that I hadn’t already tried. I’ve publicly shown everyone what an ass I’ve been, apologized, and hopefully showed you that you mean more to me than my job. You mean more to me than anything else, Sydney. I just need your forgiveness.”
My dry mouth dampened as I stared at him. I’d built a wall around my heart years ago. The feeling of being wanted had consumed me before. I’d needed that wall to survive, so I thought.
But this feeling of acceptance, this feeling of want, felt different. It felt warm and true. This man wanted me knowing all I’ve done. He accepted my ugly past, and the humiliation that came along with it.
“Cash, you hurt me,” I whispered. “So bad … because I truly love you. I’ve never felt like this, and when I saw that e-mail, I felt my heart sink.”
He didn’t interrupt me, but I could see the eagerness to apologize again on his face. “I don’t know how long it’ll tak
e me to fully trust you—but, I’m willing to give it a try. You did just make an ass out of yourself in front of half of Savannah’s elite.”
That full-blown smile he only graced me with periodically crept across his face. He pulled his hands from his pockets and cradled my face. “Peach, I swear to you, I’ll spend forever showing you how much I love you.”
I closed my eyes, loving the way my chest tightened when he said it. “Forever is a long time,” I whispered, looking up at him.
He nodded. “And it doesn’t seem long enough.”
Cash ran his thumb across my bottom lip, pulling down slightly before dipping his head toward mine. “You’re safe with me, Peach,” he whispered.
I breathed in his scent and memorized those beautiful green eyes that stared into me. Of all the hands that had ever touched me, and all the kind words that had been spoken, I knew he meant it.
I knew he was the prince who had changed for me. All those blank spaces I’d filled in with forgettable names, and boys who didn’t care two cents about me, vanished. It left me with one space that I knew would be filled and never erased. Cash Jenkins.
I felt the guard around my heart weaken, and the feeling of being loved slowly seep into my heart.
I lifted up an inch, grasping his thick neck in my hands. “I know,” I whispered as he diminished the space between our waiting lips.
THE END
ALLA KARR
Alla Kar is the author of The Forever Series, and The Together Series. She loves all things romance, and has an obsession with southern drawls. When she isn't writing, she works as a literary agent at The Booker Albert Literary Agency. Her love for reading and writing started her freshman year in college where she figured out that nursing wasn't her thing. Alla currently resides in Arkansas with her husband, and the cutest one-year-old little boy around.
Website: http://allakarbooks.blogspot.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorAllaKar
OTHER SWOON ROMANCE TITLES YOU MIGHT LIKE
TOGETHER SERIES:
WHERE YOU ARE
HERE WITH ME
THERE WE’LL BE
FOREVER SERIES:
MAKE ME YOURS
YOU ARE MINE
FOREVER YOURS
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Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
About the Author
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