by LR Potter
“You know why,” she said quietly.
“Trinity, I did what I had to do in order to keep you safe,” he said reasonably.
“Did that include calling the men, and even boys I dated, and threatening them?” she asked angrily.
Arthur Grace sighed deeply. “Trinity, one day when you are a parent…”
She cut his words off. “If it were up to you I wouldn’t ever have the privilege of being a parent, or even dating beyond two dates. Do you know how much pain you’ve caused me over the years?”
“I don’t look at it that way. I see it as how much pain I’ve saved you from,” he said.
“Father, I didn’t want to have this discussion right now, but I guess now is as good a time as any. I want you to quit having me followed. I want to be able to live my life, and I want your promise you won’t interfere again,” she said firmly.
“Trinity, there are dangers you aren’t aware of. I have to be able to keep you safe the best way I know how,” he replied.
She gripped the back of the chair in front of her. “Let me be clear, Father. I’ve already told Alex, and I’ll tell you. I am an adult and don’t need protection. I will not be followed, I will not be watched. If I, so much as think, you are interfering in my life in any way, I will move out. I have a job and I have my mother’s inheritance. I don’t have to live here. I live here because I want to, not because I have to. Don’t force my hand, Father. I’m deadly serious,” she said firmly and adamantly.
“You don’t mean that, Trinity. Be reasonable. Someone shot through the windows of our home. Next time, we might not be so lucky.”
“I’m willing to chance it. I’m deadly serious. I’m tired and I have to be up early for work. I’ll see you tomorrow when I come home,” she replied.
“Trinity… I don’t know what’s gotten into you. How can you speak to me this way? I’m your father!” he exclaimed.
“Goodnight.”
Exhausted and emotionally raw, she climbed the stairs slowly and wished above all that Rush Drayton were there to help her get lost in the sexual abyss he’d exposed to her. More than anything, she didn’t want to think about how topsy-turvy her life had become.
***
The next morning she rose early and dressed with care in a teal pantsuit. Not wanting to run into her father, she decided to skip breakfast. She called a taxi to take her to work and stayed in her room until she saw it pull up in front of the house. She really needed her own car. Her father had always vetoed the idea. Now she could see it was just another element of control over her. Maybe now was a good time to start looking for one.
She was tired after her mostly sleepless night. Her body hummed with the new pleasures she been exposed to and she longed again for the touch of Rush’s hands running over her, taking her to the brink and then soothing her back down to the earth. Who was she kidding? She missed his touch, his kiss, his smile… she just missed him. Her chest tightened at the enormous emotion he raised in her. Was this love? She wasn’t sure. If it wasn’t, it was working its way towards it.
The taxi pulled up in front of the LaMont Fine Arts Gallery. She paid the driver and stepped out onto the sidewalk. When the taxi pulled away, she turned to survey the area. She didn’t see anyone she thought might be following her. It looked as if Alex and her father had taken her seriously the night before.
As it was too early for the gallery to be opened, she walked around to the back entrance and started to slide her key into the lock. She was surprised to see the door open a crack. She pushed it gently with her fingers and it swung open further. The hall was dark. Up ahead, under her office door, she could make out a small sliver of light. Cautiously, she moved forward. As with the back door, her door was opened a crack as well. Inhaling deeply, she pushed the door open.
The sliver of light she’d seen from under the door was an antique, green hooded desk lamp sitting on her desk. While it illuminated her desk space, that was all she could see. She moved her hand up to flip the wall switch, when out of nowhere, someone rushed her. Before she understood what was happening, the person slammed her solidly with their shoulder, which in turn knocked her up against the wall. Before she had a chance to blink, the masked person grabbed both sides of her head and slammed it hard against the wall again. The pain was excruciating. She swallowed hard at the bile rising in her throat and fell. A loud ringing began in her ears, before changing to a buzzing. Darkness swirled around until it grew in intensity, sucking her down into its murky depths.
In some far-off place, she felt arms surrounding her and move to pick her up. In that same far-off place, she heard someone shout. She wasn’t sure what was said, as it sounded like it was coming from underwater. The arms holding her were suddenly pulled away from underneath her and she was free-falling for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only seconds. She blacked out before she hit the floor with a sickening thud.
Gentle pats to her face had her struggling to open her eyes. She opened them gingerly, but the light made her head hurt, so she closed them again. Up above, she heard Gavin Lassiter say, “Come on, Trinity, open your eyes.”
So once again, she tried. Even though it hurt, she left them open. “What happened?” she murmured.
“It looks like you interrupted a burglar. I’ve called the police and an ambulance. Just lie still,” he said.
She struggled to rise, but Gavin pushed her back down. “I said to lie still,” he said.
She closed her eyes and raised a hand to touch her sore head. “Please cancel the ambulance. I’m sure I’m fine. Let’s not make a big deal out of this. Okay?” she said.
“Sorry. No can do. Besides, it is a big deal. You haven’t seen your office, yet.”
She heard the commotion of numerous sets of feet and voices as they made their way down the hall. She groaned at what this would mean to her father. He’d probably feel vindicated.
“Is there anyway to keep this from getting out?” she asked Gavin.
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Nothing… just nothing,” she muttered.
After spending all day in the emergency room and being checked out from stem to stern, she was released with a filled prescription of pain pills. While she’d not suffered a concussion, she did have a couple of bruised ribs from being dropped. The biggest source of her discomfort was her elbow which had slammed into the floor. Overall, she was pretty lucky.
She did not call her father, as she didn’t want to deal with his irk. She supposed eventually he’d find out, but she’d put it off for as long as she could. She called a taxi and had them take her back to the gallery. She nodded to Elena, one of the salespeople in the gallery, and headed back to the suite of offices. She knocked quietly on Gavin’s door.
“Come in,” he said. When he saw her, he rose immediately to his feet and exclaimed, “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be home?”
“I will, but I wanted to see my office,” she replied.
Gavin Lassiter sat back down in his chair. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he murmured.
She stood blinking at him for moment before turning and walking down the hall to her office. The door was still ajar and now in the light from the hall, she saw the door handle had been smashed. Pushing the door open slowly, her breath caught in her throat at the devastation. Papers were scattered everywhere, and every drawer had been removed and emptied onto the floor. She raised a hand to her trembling lips when she saw the canvas she’d been working on with the autumn leaves; it had been slashed to ribbons. Frantically, she looked around the room for Rush’s ‘little lady’, as he’d called his painting. She stepped further into the office. Crumbled amongst all the debris was the tattered remains of the reflective ballerina. She fell to her knees, and with tears in her eyes, she ran her fingertips over the destroyed masterpiece.
Suddenly, it was just all too much: the shooting; her father’s betrayal; her emotional roller coaster with Rush; her attack; and now the destruc
tion of something so beautiful. She bowed her head and sobbed. She wrapped her arms around her waist and rocked herself in comfort. Who’d do this? Was it a break-in or was it someone after her father? She didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to be back under her father’s protection… AKA control. If she agreed to it now, she’d never be free.
Footsteps in the hall notified her of Gavin’s presence. Without looking up, she murmured, “Just give me a minute, okay Gavin?”
Familiar strong arms lifted her from the floor. She inhaled sharply and his familiar scent filled her nostrils. She looked up into the concerned of eyes of Rush Drayton. His concern just made her sob harder. He enveloped her in his strong arms, held her close to his massive chest, and rocked her back and forth. He laid his head against hers and pressed his lips against her head over and over as he whispered words of comfort.
When she was finally able to speak, she said in a watery voice, “They destroyed your little lady.”
He pulled back and lifted a hand to brush the tears from her face. He smiled sadly down at her. “It’s only a painting. I’m more concerned about you.”
It finally dawned on her that he was here, in Savannah. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming back until the end of the week?”
“Lassiter called me this morning to let me know about the painting and what happened. I flew straight here. How are you? Shouldn’t you be in bed? Lassiter said you’d been hurt and taken to the hospital. I was surprised to find you’d already been released.”
“You went by the hospital?” she asked, surprised.
“Of course I did,” he murmured. “So, what did the doctors say?”
“No concussion, only a couple of bruised ribs from being dropped,” she replied as she wrapped her arms around him under his suit jacket.
“So tell me what happened this morning,” he said.
“I came in early and surprised a burglar. When I opened the door, he slammed me into the wall. I fell and he picked me up, but then dropped me when Gavin came in. He ran out the back entrance.”
She felt his body still and tense. “Why were you dropped?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, tilting her head to look at him.
He lifted his hands to cup her face. “I mean, if you surprised a burglar, and he knocked you out, why would he then pick you up?”
Her bruised ribs groaned in protest when she tensed at the question. She hadn’t thought about that. Were they actually after her? Alex Master’s words floated over her mind, You are his weak link. She dropped her arms from his waist and stepped away as she contemplated the situation.
“What is it?” Rush said, coming up behind her to place his hands on her shoulder.
“Remember I told you my father had been hurt?”
“Yes,” he murmured.
“Alex, my father’s bodyguard, told me they might get to him through me. I dismissed the notion, but now…” she trailed off.
Again, she felt him tense behind her.
“If they thought that, why are you not under protection?” he demanded.
She cringed. “I told them I didn’t want it,” she replied in a small voice.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he exploded as he grabbed her arm to spin her around.
She gasped at the grip of his hand on her swollen elbow. He stared down at her, startled. Almost roughly, he removed her teal suit jacket, leaving her standing in a thin cotton undershirt. He surveyed the already black and blue bruising surrounding her elbow and swore softly. He raised her shirt and examined the bruising on her side. He closed his eyes and drew her once more into his embrace.
“Oh, baby. I’m so sorry. So very, very sorry,” he murmured against her hair.
Her body slumped against his as thoughts chased themselves around in her mind. She didn’t know what to do. Feeling needy and raw, she lifted her face to his and whispered, “Rush, I don’t want to be here, take me away from here. Please just… take me away.”
He stared down into her face for a long moment before leaning to press his lips softly against hers. She sensed some internal battle within him. Maybe she’d been too presumptuous. She started to pull away when he pulled her back close to his body and whispered back, “Okay. Let’s go.” He grabbed her coat and helped her into it, buttoning it back up. “My driver’s right outside.”
He took her hand and led her out of the office. She turned for one last glance and shuddered at what might have happened if Gavin hadn’t arrived when he had. Rush helped her into the backseat of the town car. Leaning forward, he instructed Radcliff, “Home, please.” He sat back, hit a button on the console, and a privacy screen began to rise between them and the driver. Rush carefully pulled her onto his lap and held her close to his body. She nuzzled her face into his neck, feeling safe and less vulnerable for the first time all day. Her lack of sleep the night before, the warmth of his body, and the steady vibration of the car soon had her drifting off. Somewhere far off, she heard him murmur against her head, “Everything will be all right. I promise you that.”
The setting sun was casting dark shadows throughout the unfamiliar bedroom she found herself in. She sat up slowly and looked around. She didn’t even remember getting out of the car. Not seeing Rush, she rose and padded barefoot out of the room. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. He must have removed her suit jacket as she was once again only in her thin cotton undershirt. When she stepped into the hall, she stopped to listen for any sounds which would direct her to him. From the other side of the house, she heard his voice. She glanced at the rooms as she passed through them. As with the condo in Vail, his home was decorated in soft taupe and rich dark woods.
On the far wall of the living room were a set of wonderfully carved double wooden doors. One door was cracked a little and she could make out Rush talking to someone.
“Dammit! That wasn’t what we agreed upon… I am fully aware of that… I said I would take care of it, and I will… I have not forgotten… We will do this my way, do you understand? Good. I promise heads will roll if anything like this happens again. Am I clear? Good.” From inside the room, a phone was slammed down.
With tentative fingers, she reached out and pushed the door open. Rush was standing at his desk rubbing his hands over his face. He looked up at sound of the door opening. A sudden look of panic flitted across his features before he slipped on a neutral expression. He moved to her and gathered her carefully into his arms.
“Hi. How are you feeling? Better?” he asked.
“A little stiff, but better. Thanks for bringing me here. I didn’t know where to go.”
“You’re welcome. Would you like something to eat or drink?” he asked.
She shook her head before tilting it to look up into his beautiful face. “I’d really like a hot bath to soak my aching body. Would that be okay?”
“How about a hot tub? Would that be better?”
Running her hands down his lapels, she murmured as she straightened his tie, “That depends on whether you’ll be joining me or not.”
His body stilled underneath her hands and she began to feel awkward for being so forward. Her fingers began to fidget nervously with the tie. He laid a hand over hers. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said softly.
She heaved a sigh and looked back down at their hands. She struggled with what to say. “I need to be free for just a little while. I don’t want to think, I only want to be lost with you. Okay?” She lifted hesitant eyes back to his. He blinked down at her for a moment before stepping around her to lead her out of the room. The hot tub was set in a corner of his home gym. He dropped her hands long enough set the dials how he wanted them. Soon steam and bubbles appeared above the surface of the hot tub.
He turned to her and helped ease her undershirt and bra from her body, then eased her suit pants and panties off. He helped her into the hot tub before swiftly removing his clothes. While he looked amazing in his high-dollar suits, nothing compared to Rush Dra
yton naked. His muscles bunched as he lowered himself into the steaming water. He sat across from her and contemplated her steadily. He was treating her like she was made of spun sugar and it wasn’t what she wanted. Not liking the distance, she waded through the water and climbed up onto his lap. She sat facing him and the slick, wet slide of skin against skin was the most sinful thing she’d ever felt.
He wrapped his big arms around her and drew her even closer to his body. He slid his hands up and down her back, being mindful of her sore ribs. She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his. He held himself back for an instant, then almost as if he couldn’t contain himself, he captured her face within his hands and deepened the kiss. She groaned when his tongue met hers. She laced her fingers into his short-cropped hair and kissed him back with everything she had. Raw desire flared instantly at the contact and she rubbed herself shamelessly against him. He caught her hair in one hand and tugged so that she was forced to tilt her head back. He ran a trail of scorching kisses down her throat. He slid his hands underneath her arms and lifted her high enough so he could kiss her breasts. The sensation of his tongue against the tips of her breasts made her gasp and shiver in need. Desire mixed with desperation exploded in her belly and she needed him now as she’d never needed him before.
Without further thought, she placed her hand on his rock-hard erection and guided it into her molten-lava core. Slowly, she slid down inch by agonizing inch, until she had all of him. The sensation of the hot water and his slick, hot flesh was almost more than she could bear. He groaned as she encircled him. She sat still for a moment absorbing the decadent feel of him buried deep within. Staring down into his desire-filled eyes, she leaned forward, placed his face within her palms and pressed her lips against his. The sensitive tips of her breasts scraping against the sleek wall of his chest made her groan and grind her hips against him. His hands slid to her hips, and thrusting his tongue deep into her mouth, he began to lift and move her on top of him. The rhythm he set was slow and easy, but she wanted mindless, all encompassing, life-affirming passion. She pressed herself against him and struggled to quicken the pace. Need clawed at her insides, and she whimpered.