Peyton’s Price: A Singular Obsession Novel

by Leroux, Lucy

  Her lips parted in consternation. She hadn’t been aware of that. You better stop before you get home. For years, she’d struggled to hide her true feelings from Liam. What if he looked at her now and saw the truth? What if Caroline did? Too many people knew and pitied her already. But Peyton couldn’t face it if Liam found out.

  Matthias rubbed her shoulder. “It’s almost imperceptible, I assure you. But I guess you could say I was searching for that sort of reaction when you came aboard.”

  “I’ll have to watch that. Do me a favor—don’t hide in your office tomorrow. I want to say goodbye properly. I’m—I’m going to miss you.”

  Impulsively, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. Matthias reached up to stroke her hair.

  “Peyton, if I’m wrong about everything—if Liam doesn’t come to his senses—you can always come back here.”

  “Wh—”

  He held up his hands, cutting her off. “It won’t come to that, but if it does, the Ormen Lange will be waiting.”

  He abruptly turned on his heel and walked away, disappearing around the corner before she could reply.

  Chapter 18

  Peyton half-expected Matthias to skip breakfast, but he was true to his word. He was waiting in the dining room for her bright and not so early at around ten AM.

  However, he didn’t touch any of last night’s revelations. Whenever she tried to bring them up, he would change the subject, determinedly distracting her with some other topic. The untouchable sophisticate from her first days on the Ormen Lange was back.

  Despite that, Peyton couldn’t help but enjoy herself with Matthias. His conversation may have been deliberately shallow, but it was witty and urbane. The stories were entertaining. She liked that he seemed to enjoy talking to her.

  Matthias was such a forceful personality, and it was easy to be carried along in his wake. Almost effortless. But as the meal ended, she was very aware their time was growing short.

  “When will we arrive?”

  “We docked ten minutes ago. Did you not feel it when the engines stopped?”

  Peyton looked around them in surprise. She hadn’t noticed at all—a fact which spoke to the power of Matthias’ aptitude for distraction.

  She must not have appeared entirely happy because Matthias put his hand over hers. “Everything will be fine. I’m not wrong about Liam. He just needed something to shake him out of his complacency. Your kidnapping has done it.”

  She wished she were as confident as he was, but his conviction was heady stuff. He’d almost convinced her. “What about you? What are you going to do?”

  He shrugged. “I’m going to do what I always do. Sail around the world, dividing my time between business and pleasure.”

  The way he said that last bit made a flash of heat course through her. It sounded as if he had definite plans for the future. “Does that mean you are going to be visiting the mainland to hit a few clubs or something? Are you going on shore-leave?”

  He laughed. “Well, I hadn’t thought of it that way, but your visit here has sparked a certain…hunger.”

  Peyton set down her glass. She was glad she’d finished her orange juice or else she would have choked on it.

  “I would go pack, but I don’t have anything but that awful white dress. I’d sooner burn it. Will you give it a proper burial at sea once I’m gone?”

  “Of course, but you’re welcome to take any of the gowns I bought you.”

  “No, thank you. I can’t take them. Besides, I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear them.”

  He seemed as if he wanted to argue. “Not even the sweatpants?”

  She laughed. “Just the pair I’m wearing. Why don’t you keep the gowns for the next damsel in distress?”

  His face clouded over, but she didn’t take it back. If anyone needed a purpose in life, it was Matthias Raske. “Just because you don’t break up sex-trafficking rings anymore doesn’t mean you can’t help people,” she said softly.

  He cleared his throat. “I went ahead and sent Liam and the others a message. Told them to expect us after lunch, so you can have some time—”

  Loud voices interrupted. Matthias straightened, his eyes fixed on the door behind her. “Or it could be sooner.”

  Peyton twisted in her seat. Liam and Patrick were rushing through the door, both were talking at full volume.

  “Where is she?” Liam said in a near shout, coming up short when Matthias stood to greet them.

  Peyton stood, heart in her throat as she watched Liam and Patrick Tyler cross the near-empty room to reach the booth.

  Liam was faster than Trick. She’d just opened her mouth to greet them both when he yanked her into his rock-hard arms, crushing the breath out of her.

  For a moment, the walls came down. Tears stung at her eyes in contradiction to her soaring heart, but she remembered he was spoken for all too soon.

  Fortunately, Trick saved her from herself. The younger Tyler brother tried, unsuccessfully, to get her out of Liam’s arms, but when he didn’t let go, Trick joined in, embracing her from behind in a Tyler brothers’ sandwich.

  While it would be most women’s dream come true, it was just uncomfortable under the circumstances. She could barely breathe. Sometimes, the guys just didn’t know their own strength.

  Outside of the muscular prison, Matthias snickered.

  Peyton tapped Liam on the arm like a wrestler asking for mercy. “Liam, my ribs,” she said in an exaggerated wheeze.

  When he released her, she stepped away from him, meeting his eyes for the briefest of moments before glancing to check Matthias’ reaction.

  Liam didn’t cooperate. He grabbed her firmly by the arms, turning her this way and that before asking if she were hurt.

  “No,” she replied, red-faced. “I wasn’t harmed.”

  “But—” Trick began.

  “No, I assure you I’m fine,” she insisted, cutting him off. “That would have been damaging the goods.”

  The relief in Patrick’s expression was gratifying. He’d always been a caring friend, but Liam didn’t appear satisfied. His face was still dark. He kept a hand on her arm, running his eyes up and down over her body as if checking for bruises or missing limbs.

  Matthias cleared his throat. “Gentleman,” he said, inclining his head formally.

  Their host’s aloof demeanor crumpled when Patrick threw himself at him. Peyton almost laughed aloud when Trick lifted him off his feet. It was quite a feat considering Matthias outweighed him by at least twenty pounds.

  “Oh my God. I can’t believe you’re here in the flesh. Thank you—thank you so much. Again.”

  “Again? I’m sorry, have we met?” Matthias asked as Trick let go. He smiled, taking the overly familiar greeting in stride.

  “I’m Patrick Tyler—I played you once.”

  “You played me?”

  Trick’s—a hand-waver when he talked—swept his arms up in a grand gesture, encompassing the room. “I pretended to be you when you lent us your other yacht. It was over a year ago.”

  Matthias nodded, enlightenment clearing his frown. “Oh, that’s right. When you rescued Eva Stone from her captor. A brilliant woman.”

  “Did Liam tell you about her?”

  “No. I met her recently. Common business interests.”

  “Did you?” Trick’s brow raised. He started to say something else when Liam cleared his throat.

  “Hello,” Liam interrupted, his hand still on her arm despite her best efforts to move farther away from him.

  His voice, normally a low growl, sounded hoarse to her ears.

  For a moment, the two men stared at each other. Despite the practice she’d had over the years, it was difficult to read Liam’s expression. Matthias was much easier. He was clearly amused.

  “Hello,” he replied, a hint of a smirk on his face. “I wasn’t expecting you so soon. I left a message saying we’d be docking later this afternoon.”

  A flicker of annoyance crossed Liam’s
face. “Yeah, I had a man watching the harbor,” he said, putting a hand on Peyton’s shoulder to haul her a little closer.

  Trick nudged him away, throwing both arms around Peyton’s neck and hugging her to his front. “I don’t know how we’ll ever repay you. My sister hasn’t slept since we found out what happened. She’d be here now, but Liam got the message the Ormen Lange had arrived and he peeled out—I had to chase him down the street or he would have driven off without me.”

  Trick turned to his brother. “Maggie’s going to kill you. You know that, right?”

  “She’ll get over it once she sees Peyton,” he said, reaching for her hand around his brother. “Everyone will be able to relax. And Ethan and Jason can finally back off.”

  “Is everyone waiting at the hotel?” Peyton was simultaneously relieved and a little nauseated.

  “We can hold them off if you’re not feeling up to it,” Trick told her, squeezing her shoulders.

  “No, it’s okay. I’m fine. It’s better to run the gauntlet tonight. Get it out of the way so everyone can see I’m all right.”

  She tried to infuse her words with more enthusiasm than she felt. As much as she wanted to see Maggie, her friends, and the rest of the Caislean staff—many of whom had been like family since she was a child—she was still feeling drained.

  Matthias reached out, his fingers touching her chin. “I did try to buy you a bit more time.”

  “I don’t need it.”

  They stayed like that for a moment, looking into each other’s eyes, when Liam appeared at their side. He gave Trick a hard nudge, jostling her into breaking the contact. “We’ll be going then,” he said.

  Peyton frowned, and Matthias chuckled noiselessly.

  Trick threw his brother an exasperated glance. “It’s going to be a mess tonight,” he told Matthias, “but it’ll be a mess with lots of great food and alcohol. The chef has been prepping to cook Peyton’s favorites all week. Once the part where my wife and Maggie stop crying about this is over, it might actually be fun.”

  “Is that an invitation?” Matthias asked.

  “Yes,” Liam abruptly barked. He cleared his throat. “Yes, it is. Will you come?”

  Another hint of a smile played on Matthias’ lips. “I would love to. Unfortunately, I have plans that can’t be changed.”

  “Are you sure?” Trick looked at him hopefully.

  Matthias shrugged with just the right touch of apologetic regret. “I would reschedule if I could, but it’s business.”

  “Well, if you change your mind or can make it tomorrow or the day after, we’d love to have you. Maybe we can gather the guys to come in so they can meet you. We can have a quiet dinner at the hotel. Just say the word and I can have our chef whip up a spread to rival the Feasts of Beasts.”

  Matthias’ smile curdled a little as if the idea of meeting a room full of people who didn’t work for him was the last thing he wanted to do. “I’m not sure I can shuffle my commitments, but I can try.”

  Even Peyton knew that for the lie it was. “I guess we should go. I don’t want to keep Maggie and Thalia waiting. In fact, if we take any longer, they’ll show up here.”

  “She’s right,” Liam said, moving to extricate her from his brother’s grasp. He paused right in front of Matthias. “We should get going, but if you can get away, it would be good to catch up.”

  Peyton watched, wide-eyed, wondering if Matthias would agree to come, but all he did was incline his head in acknowledgment.

  Liam started ushering her to the door, Trick at his heels.

  “Three days, Peyton,” Matthias called after her.

  She tripped. Liam caught her easily, keeping her from literally hitting the deck. Getting to her feet, she blushed and tried to pull away, but he didn’t let go.

  “Not that you will need it,” Matthias added with an almost imperceptible nod at the other man, who gently tugged until she started moving again.

  Peyton paused at the threshold. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him not to wait. Instead, she only thanked him. Then she let Liam guide her out the door.

  * * *

  Peyton pulled the covers over her head, but it didn’t shut out the bright sunlight pouring through the windows. The light filtered through the ultra-white down comforter.

  Shit, I should have closed the blinds. She squinted at the bedside clock, wrung out despite more than twelve hours of sleep. Over the last few days, she’d been alternately hugged, kissed, and coddled in every way platonically imaginable, and she was exhausted.

  Matthias was gone.

  He hadn’t called to say goodbye…not that she had expected him to. But the three days had come and gone and she was still here at the Caislean, sleeping in the empty suite next to Trick and Tahlia’s.

  Five days ago, Peyton had left the Ormen Lange and had been ushered to the inner sanctum, the top floor of the hotel where the offices and family suites were located. Trick and Liam had fussed over her, insisting she needed time to process her ordeal before she saw everyone. Not that anyone had listened to them. Her friends and surrogate family descended en masse—a little at a time, but then the trickle became a stream. Soon, it was a flood…in more ways than one.

  First, Maggie had cried all over her. When she was done, Thalia had a turn, then Maia MacLachlan. Then Maggie had another go.

  The staff was slightly more circumspect with their welcome. Only Constanza shed tears in front of Peyton, but several of the other housekeepers had gotten misty-eyed. Then the food had arrived. In spite of the circumstances, it had become a party. A surreal one for her, but a celebration, nonetheless. Their love washed over her. Everyone was so happy and relieved she couldn’t help but be, too.

  “What did Matthias mean by three days?” Liam had asked her somewhere in between Maia’s crying jag and Maggie’s round two. His dark eyes bored into hers as he demanded an answer.

  Once upon a time, she might have told him what he wanted to know. She used to tell him everything. Maggie used to get so upset that Peyton could never keep a secret from him.

  Things were different now.

  “Nothing,” she’d insisted, turning away to talk to his sister. She’d had to repeat that several times over the next few days—long days where she hadn’t been able to go anywhere without him knowing. He’d kept her close. Even though she knew she should, Peyton hadn’t complained.

  Liam stopped asking after the fourth day. This was the morning of day five. And it was Sunday.

  Brunch was a tradition for the Tylers. Peyton showered and pulled on her clothes, still not feeling quite herself. But there was solace in familiar routines.

  For a minute, she eyed the charm bracelet on top of the dresser. Liam had surprised her with it in the car on the way back from the docks.

  “You forgot this,” he’d said in his deep rumble, fastening it on her wrist without another word.

  Trick had watched him do it, his shoulders high and tight, but Peyton hadn’t fought Liam over it. But she had taken the bracelet off to shower that night, and she’d never put it back on.

  Impulsively, she reached for it, about to strap it on, when she noticed a new charm. It was a small computer—a vintage desktop model, just like the one she learned to code on at the old B&B.

  Her heart gave a little squeeze, and she put the bracelet on with a smile. Swinging her arm to hear the charms jangle, she went down to Divine, the hotel’s restaurant, to join the family for the meal.

  Maggie was just sitting down when she arrived, but Trick and Tahlia had plates in front of them. They were scarfing down pancakes like they were going to run out. “Sorry,” Trick’s wife apologized after she swallowed. “I told Trick we shouldn’t start without you, but I was starving.”

  “Don’t apologize.” Peyton grinned, waving at her friend’s extended belly. “You’re eating for two.”

  “Yeah.” Maggie poked her brother in the ribs. “What’s your excuse?”

  Trick guffawed. “It’s called tran
sference or something,” he said, waving his fork.

  Jason, Maggie’s husband, and his partner Ethan had made a quick appearance at dinner the first night, but the two were on assignment. They’d only been able to steal away from the round-the-clock surveillance they had on a Russian mobster for a few hours.

  Liam breezed in soon afterward. Peyton perked up under his warm appraisal. His attentiveness over the last few days had been gratifying, if a little suffocating.

  Everyone stopped when Caroline Wentworth entered the room. “Darling,” she called. She glided to the table on gold-colored heels. They matched her cream suit, setting off her blonde perfection perfectly.

  Liam glanced at Peyton quickly before getting to his feet to pull out a chair for his fiancée. Forcing air into her lungs, Peyton picked up her fork. But then a cloud of expensive perfume washed over Peyton, making her waffle taste of jasmine. She set her fork down again, unable to eat another bite.

  “Peyton, dear,” Caroline gushed. “I’m so happy to see you again. Everyone was so worried when you went missing. I swear Liam didn’t sleep for weeks.”

  Peyton studied her, registering genuine concern on the woman’s face.

  “Sorry for worrying you all,” Peyton murmured, reaching for her juice.

  “Hey, Caroline,” Maggie said with a tight smile. More lackluster greetings from the others came around.

  Liam hadn’t mentioned Caroline Wentworth for days. For some reason, Peyton hadn’t expected to see the woman again. Which was ridiculous. No one had mentioned Liam ending his engagement. No one had mentioned her at all. But Caroline hadn’t fallen through a manhole or off the end of the world. Matthias had been wrong.

  “Peyton.”

  “I’m sorry, what?” Peyton started, glancing around. Everyone was watching her with an array of stricken expressions. Liam’s face was pinched, his lips tight, and Trick was visibly wincing. Thalia’s eyes were on her plate, and Maggie clutched her fork mutinously.

  “I said I can call Pietro for a fitting—if you’re willing, that is.” Caroline smiled, showing off her blindingly white teeth.