Love Unbound: A Valentine's Day Romance Anthology

by Dee, Cassandra

  And I had to agree. Because for the past week, we’ve been grounded in Chicago, and Thorn and I have gotten to know each other when he’s not working. The dinners are amazing, and our time together out of this world. I couldn’t ask for more, floating in a dreamlike state of happiness mixed with ecstasy. Speaking of which, suddenly the elevator dinged.

  “Kat, I have to go,” were my rushed words, self-consciously pushing brown curls from my face. “We’ve been talking forever and I lost track of time. He’s back!”

  My buddy let out a tinkling laugh.

  “No worries,” she burbled. “But you have to show me the rest of the apartment later,” her voice sang, even as I pulled the laptop cover closed, cutting off contact. “You promised!”

  But it was too late because Thorn was already in the apartment, his expression quizzical.

  “Who was that?” came his low drawl. “A friend?”

  I nodded, cheeks flaming. The sight of the billionaire always makes me tingle in a good way, and now was no exception. The vision of that dark hair, his blue eyes and deep, commanding voice made a frisson run down my spine. Plus, the alpha moves fast. I’d forgotten how high-end buildings work. Because Mr. Evans has a full-floor apartment, the elevator opens right into our foyer because there’s no one else on the floor.

  Listen to me. Our foyer, like I belonged here. But I’ve been so comfortable and happy that the thought slipped unnoticed from my mind.

  “Hi,” was my welcoming smile. “It’s just my friend Kat from back home. I was showing her this place.”

  Those dark blue eyes gleamed.

  “And?” he growled. “How’d she like it?”

  “Well, you know we’re from a not-so-nice corner of Queens,” was my answering laugh. “So she loved it. This is way more fancy than any place we’ve ever seen, and when she saw the gold in your countertop, she wanted me to melt it down to make jewelry,” I added drolly.

  Thorn threw his head back and laughed.

  “Are you serious?” was his disbelieving guffaw. “Sweetheart, how are you going to tote that marble slab out?”

  “I know,” was my answering giggle. “Right? But it’s just Katrina, she’s crazy.”

  Thorn shook his head, amusement dancing on his face.

  “Plus a little materialistic,” he said wryly. “Don’t you think?”

  I made a face at him.

  “She is,” I acknowledged, “But Kat’s been my friend for so long, and it doesn’t bother me. Plus, it’s funny, in a way. She dates old rich dudes in the hope that one of them is going to die and leave her a fortune. Can you believe it?”

  Thorn’s brows swooped down.

  “Oh I believe it,” he said wryly. “Trust me, older men with younger women is common in NYC. Even here in Chicago, you see that May December dynamic all the time.”

  I laughed lightly again.

  “Well in this case, I don’t think it’s May December. It’s more like January December because Kat’s like me. We’re both eighteen. And guess how old her current guy is?”

  “How old?” grunted Thorn distractedly, loosening his tie while hanging up his coat. Even though they was nothing special about what he was doing, the actions warmed me to the bone because they were homey and normal. I felt like we were an old married couple hanging out together, teasing and making conversation after a long day.

  “He’s old,” I said pointedly. “Her boyfriend’s really, really old.”

  “Oh?” he asked, only semi-paying attention, wandering over to the kitchen now. “How old?”

  And I took a deep breath, following him into the space.

  “Seventy,” I said with finality. “There’s got to be a fifty year age gap between Katrina and her latest boyfriend. I met him myself, Thorn, and this guy looks like he’s someone’s grandpa. White hair, about this tall,” I said holding my hand up. “With tufts of gray hair sprouting from his nose and ears.” What had been that guy’s name again? I couldn’t remember, although his image was clear in my mind, small and wizened.

  But it all seemed so long ago, even though it’d only been a couple weeks. That night with Kat at the bar, meeting her new man. The flashing lights and pulsing music, how out of place I’d felt.

  But now, with Thorn it was different. I felt at home, safe and warm, with the future to look forwards to. True, I wasn’t exactly working, seeing that we hadn’t been on the plane in a week. But I was happy here, ensconced in luxury, looking forward to the billionaire’s return every day when things would heat up within nanoseconds.

  How quickly things change, the voice in my mind wondered. Before, you were a poverty-stricken girl living with your disabled mom in a one-bedroom apartment. And now look at you!

  That was true. Kathy has been on her own the last couple weeks, taking the bus by herself to her medical appointments. But she hadn’t wanted me to come home.

  “Go!” my mom wheezed, her expression encouraging on the laptop screen. “Go and enjoy your new job,” she urged. “You’re lucky to have it.”

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can Ma,” was my soft promise. “You okay in New York? Is Mrs. Langley helping?”

  “She is, she is,” assured my mom. “Rita Langley can be nosy but she’s a good cook and she’s been bringing me food every day. And with your new salary, honey, we can afford to pay her for her services. So go,” she urged again. “Enjoy yourself and live a little.”

  And with that, I smiled gratefully. Kathy had no idea exactly what I was doing with Thorn Evans. My mom figured I was a standard issue flight attendant with an apron and jaunty cap. She had no idea that I hadn’t worn the apron for ages, instead wearing nothing at all if that’s what Mr. Evans wanted.

  So with a sweet smile, I turned to my man.

  “Hungry?” was my purr as he opened the refrigerator door, staring at his contents. And with a grunt, the big man shut it.

  “Always,” he proclaimed, pulling me close for a kiss. “I’m always hungry for you, sweet thing. But right now, my stomach needs some sustenance.”

  Luxuriating in his embrace, I tipped my chin towards the dark man. It felt so good in his arms, warm and safe, that massive bulk protecting me from any threats.

  “What about the meal Chef prepared yesterday?” I murmured, nuzzling his lips with my own. “That steak was amazing, and the potatoes the creamiest and buttery. There’s still some left I think, in the back of the fridge.”

  Thorn claimed my lips, seizing them in a thrilling kiss. Oh god, this man is my everything, every cell in my being coming alive at his touch. But he broke the contact abruptly, grunting again.

  “It was good,” he acknowledged, “but I don’t feel like leftovers. Come on, let’s go out,” he commanded, grabbing my hips and swiveling them towards the door. “I’ll treat you to some fancy Japanese.”

  My soul thrilled. I’ve never had Japanese food except for some takeout sushi from the local bodega, and I doubt that counts as real Japanese. Not when you’re eating imitation shrimp and mayonnaise on your sushi. It doesn’t sound right.

  So my heart beat fast. Going out on the town with the billionaire? To see and be seen? It sounded amazing after a week together in the apartment. Of course, I wasn’t complaining, but still, it was a nice change.

  “Oh sure,” I giggled. “Just give me five. Wait, but ….” My voice trailed off.

  “Hmm?” Mr. Evans growled, already thinking of the meal ahead. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  And my face flushed then.

  “Well, the thing is,” my low murmur came, “Is the place you have in mind real fancy?” came my slow words. “Because I might not have the right clothes.”

  Slowly, the billionaire turned to look at me, fixing me with that blue gaze. Hot embarrassment tinted my cheeks, curves quivering. Oh god, oh god. He was used to supermodels who had designer wardrobes, and not someone who got around in jeans and t-shirts most times. In fact, right now I just had one skirt in my luggage, in addition to my flight attendant unifo
rms. Nothing appropriate for an upscale eatery.

  “You don’t have anything?” he growled, confusion in those blue eyes. “What do you mean?”

  I took a deep breath.

  “I didn’t pack right,” was my hurried excuse. “I just have some casual clothes in addition to my uniforms. We haven’t gone out, so it never came up,” was my lame excuse.

  But somehow, Thorn could tell that I wasn’t speaking the truth. The alpha cocked his head at me, just waiting. Oh god, this man knew me so well already and heat bloomed in my cheeks.

  “Okay, so that’s not exactly true,” I began slowly.

  He nodded silently.

  And the words came then. “I don’t have any nice clothes,” was my low admission. “Not anything that would be suitable for what you’re thinking of. I can’t afford it, you know that,” were my quiet words. “Before this job, there was no way we could buy anything nice, and shopping a the local discount stores was our MO. That, or thrift shops, and I don’t mean that kind that’s hip and trendy with fringed leather jackets and high-end designer ware. I was buying used goods that no one else wanted.”

  By now, my voice had died almost into inaudibility because the admission was humiliating. How different this must be from what Thorn was used to. The women he usually dated probably had mink coats and floor-length evening gowns that cost four figures. By contrast, I just had my threadbare things, well-worn and shabby.

  But I wasn’t going to hide my beginnings. I wasn’t going to pretend to be someone I wasn’t because it was sliding down a slippery slope of more and more lies until you drowned. And so I took a deep breath, looking the billionaire in the eye.

  “I’m sorry,” came my voice, more confident this time. “I’m from humble beginnings and going to eat fancy food at a fancy restaurant? Well, I haven’t had the opportunity but I’d love to sometime. Just not tonight,” was my apology, only a slight quaver tinging my words. “I’m sorry.”

  But the billionaire wasn’t angry. In fact, his reaction took me surprise. Those big fingers took hold of my chin, forcing me to look into the deep blue.

  “Sweetheart, don’t worry about it,” he growled. “I come from nothing, so I get it. It took decades of climbing the ladder to arrive at the top,” he said, gesturing to our lavish surroundings. “And who says we can’t have Japanese? We’ll order in from Ito Kana, it’s no big deal. Hand me my phone,” he commanded.

  With trembling hands, I did as he asked, passing him the small gadget. And as the billionaire ordered, my heart flipped over, doing somersaults before melting into a puddle. Because Thorn could have been disgusted. He could have been horrified that I wasn’t a Barbie doll with all the right clothes, the right attitude, prepared for any type of social outing.

  But instead, the billionaire knew and understood. And he wasn’t turned off. If anything, the man was only more determined to show me the world, introducing me to luxuries I’d never experienced.

  And I can say without a doubt that if I’d been falling in love with Thorn Evans before, then it happened fully then. I appreciated this man. I adored him, and his generous ways. How he didn’t look down on me although the man had every right, as my employer and a man worth many times the sum in my bank account.

  But these things didn’t matter to him. Thorn is a real human being with solid values, and money or the lack of made no difference. The fact that he was my superior at work made no difference either. Because as people, we were a match, and the alpha male knew his woman when he saw her.

  So hanging up, the big man turned only to see me gazing at him, my heart in my eyes.

  “What is it?” he growled. “What’s got you in tears, honey?”

  And I flew into his arms, burying my face in his shoulder.

  “Thank you,” was my murmur, wetness seeping into his shirt. “Thank you for everything.”

  The alpha pressed a kiss to my forehead, holding me tight.

  “It’s nothing sweetheart. Like I said, I worked my way up from the bottom. It wasn’t easy, and I certainly don’t look down on anyone struggling as she finds her path in the world.”

  I inhaled deeply, our breaths mingling as we stood locked in one another’s arms in the gigantic kitchen.

  “I guess I just didn’t expect you to understand,” came my small voice. “You, Thorn Evans, billionaire CEO of a huge empire. I didn’t expect you to empathize with where I was coming from, or the hurdles in the path. Lame as they might be about stuff like clothes.”

  The big man threw his head back and chuckled then, revealing even white teeth.

  “No, I get it sweetheart. Clothes are important, that’s why I always have mine tailored,” he said with a gleam. “We’ll get you the best of the best too, sweetheart, there’s a lot of ladies’ couture to be had.”

  I gasped, eyes wide. Was he serious? But Thorn nodded again, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

  “Nothing’s too good for my baby,” he growled, voice sincere. “Come on sweetheart, let’s go to the living room to wait before the food comes. Or do you want to keep standing here?”

  And my cheeks flared as the billionaire led me out, taking a seat on the low divan next to one another. Suddenly, I jumped up.

  “Oh wait, let me clear some of this off,” were my hasty words, reaching for the old Chinese food. “Ick, look how goopy this sauce is now,” was my comment, peering into one of the slightly drooping boxes.

  Thorn made himself at home, lounging on the sofa as I cleaned up. And it felt right, to be honest, to have the big man relaxing at home as I bustled about, straightening up.

  “You want this here? Or here?” I asked, holding a sheaf of papers in my hand.

  He looked at the pile and let out a gusty sigh.

  “Fuck, more shit on that China deal,” he said sourly. “Put it with that stuff,” he said, gesturing to another stack of papers on the sideboard. “Just more shit to read.”

  I raised my eyebrows.

  “You have to read it yourself?” I asked curiously. “Don’t you have an assistant or a lawyer to help you? Just saying,” were my rushed words. “There’s so much, and the print’s so small. How are you going to get through it?”

  One black eyebrow went up.

  “Good point, sweetheart. But trust me, I’ve learned the hard way,” he said, one big arm propped up against the back of the couch. “You know I started out as a guy with nothing. Literally nothing, selling knives from a suitcase door to door. Not exactly the most glamorous job.”

  I stopped while tidying, turning to look at him.

  “Like a traveling salesman?” I asked, eyes wide. Wow, the powerful Thorn Evans had once gone door to door?

  “Exactly like a traveling salesman,” the billionaire confirmed wryly. “Even worse because now traveling salesmen take flights to exotic locations, selling all sorts of fancy stuff. But back when I started, it wasn’t like that. I walked door to door, peddling my humble wares like a gypsy.”

  I stared at him, hands still.

  “How did you get to where you are today?” was my whispered question, an expression of awe on my face. “Because you have so much now,” I breathed, unable to believe that Thorn had once knocked on doors on his quest to hawk knives.

  The billionaire smiled wryly.

  “The hard way,” he quipped. “I learned that you have to do everything yourself until you find good people. You have to take control of every little detail until you find folks you’d trust with your life. Thus, these papers,” he said, gesturing to the piles of stuff. “It’s an old habit because you’re right sweetheart. There are people to read these for me, I shouldn’t be obsessing over every detail myself. But old habits die hard and sometimes, I still feel the need to look over everything myself to make sure it gets done right.”

  I nodded.

  “I wouldn’t know,” was my slow reply. “But I’ve heard that building a good team is the hardest part of running a business. Is that true? And if you want or need, maybe I could help in
some small way?”

  The words died on my lips as my cheeks flushed again. Because what was I thinking? There was no way the billionaire was interested in my skills. I was a flight attendant, someone who’d never gone to college, with just a humble high school degree. The people he was used to dealing with were probably PhDs who had years of experience, erudite and knowledgeable. I was way out of my league. Oh god, what had possessed me? Why had those words come from my lips?

  But to my surprise, the billionaire didn’t dismiss my offer out of hand.

  “Thanks sweetheart,” he rumbled, eyes seizing mine. “You’re smart, honey, and I’ve noticed that. I’m sure I could use your skills somewhere in my business.”

  My mouth gaped open then.

  “Really?” came my shocked whisper. “I mean, not as a stewardess? As something else? Something white collar even?”

  Because that’s my mom’s dream for me. Kathy wants me to ascend the social and economic ladder, getting my college degree and maybe even landing a desk job someday. I’m from a long line of hard-working, salt of the earth people, and there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to a desk job. So the thought of having a shot at something different thrilled me to my soul.

  And evidently, Thorn had already contemplated the possibility.

  “Yes, sweetheart,” he said seriously. “You’re organized, you’re efficient, and you’re good with numbers. There’s definitely a place in Gravity Holdings for someone like you.”

  I gasped. This man was really, truly amazing, and if I hadn’t tiptoed off the cliff before, then I plunged down now, my heart doing somersaults as elation filled my soul.

  “Yes Mr. Evans,” was my soft reply. “I’d be happy to work for you in any capacity. It’d be my honor.”

  Those blue eyes gleamed, about to say something naughty for sure, but we were interrupted by the ping of the elevator.

  “Ito Kana,” called a voice as the doors slid open. “Your Japanese food?”