Vengeance: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (The Blackthorn Brothers Book 3)

by Cali MacKay

  So, I’d stay and make the most of our time together, before finally finding the strength to walk away and never look back.

  There was only one thing that could derail this week. Dane. Because if he managed to figure out who I really was, I had no doubt this would all come crashing down and I’d have no hope of salvaging any of it.

  “One week, Locke. How I feel about you doesn’t change the fact that I can only give you one week.”

  “Baby…all I can say is, we’ll see about that.”

  I knew Emie was dealing with a lot. But knowing she felt the same connection between us made me one hell of a happy man. Now I just needed to make her realize that one week was nowhere near long enough.

  “We agreed, Locke. Just one week. This is not some fairy tale where we get to ride off into the sunset. We can’t just get married and have some happily ever after with two-point-five children, puppies and kittens playing at our feet, and a goddamn white picket fence.” She shook her head and shrugged out of my arms, putting some distance between us as she shot me a frustrated glare.

  “Why the hell not, Em? What the fuck’s stopping us?” I wasn’t oblivious of the fact that we’d only been together mere days, but it didn’t matter when it felt like my heart had known her for a lifetime. “The answer is nothing.”

  She stalked back to the trail, heading for home when I grabbed her hand and forced her to stop running away from me. “I’m not having this conversation, Locke. It’s not up for discussion, because you don’t get a say in this. Unless…you don’t feel like dealing with me, and you’d rather I just leave now.”

  “For fuck’s sake, Em. You know that’s not what I want. But a week…it’s nowhere near enough.” I’d only suggested a week because she’d wanted to leave right then and there, and I couldn’t let that happen.

  “Then maybe we should be making the most of the time we have together, instead of standing here and arguing with each other.” She fisted her hands around the fabric of my jacket and pulled me to her for a kiss so intense, it felt like she’d bared her soul to me. And though I kissed her back with everything I had, it already felt like I was losing her.

  I had to find a way to convince her to stay…had to find a way to make her mine.

  And there was one surefire way…

  Breaking from our kiss, I turned her around and pressed her to the closest tree, yanking her jeans down past her hips and quickly freeing my cock, brushing it against her cunt, which was slick with need. “Tell me this is what you want, Em. Tell me you fucking want me.”

  “I want you, Locke… I want you so fucking bad.” Her words had me thrusting into her, burying myself in one deep stroke as I took her bare, knowing full well what I was doing. I wrapped her hair around my fist and pulled her head back so I could bite her neck, loving how she gasped and thrust her hips back against me, taking me deeper and quickening our pace.

  Emie had my head spinning, and with each moment she spent in my arms, she claimed yet another piece of my heart and left her mark on my soul. Losing her would be like losing a part of me…and I just couldn’t let her walk away. Not without one hell of a fight.

  Trailing bites up the length of her neck, I covered her mouth with mine, our tongues clashing as my free hand cupped her breast and pinched her nipples, before wandering down past the swell of her stomach to tease her clit. She bucked up against me, my fingers circling the swollen nub of flesh as I pounded into her, the energy of my orgasm building at the base of my spine like an electric storm.

  Our pace was fevered, my name already on her lips like a mantra, her cries filling the quiet woods as she came and I chased her orgasm with my own, my thrusts finally slowing to a stop as I filled her with my cum, my cock pulsing deep inside her.

  I knew we’d said we’d use condoms, and even though I’d asked before taking her bare, I still felt a twinge of guilt. And yet…at the same time, I knew damn well why I’d done it this time around. She was looking to run—and I was looking for a reason to make her stay.

  The thought of her carrying my child had me pressing a gentle kiss to her chilled cheek, my words but a whisper on her skin. “I’m never letting you go, Em. Even if I wanted to…I don’t think I could.”

  Pulling free of my cock, she pulled up her jeans while I tucked myself away, and then she turned to face me, her eyes roaming my face before she slipped her arms around my waist and let me hold her tight. Time seemed to stand still, the bond between us only growing stronger. But as the weather shifted once more and snow started to fall, the spell was broken and we made our way home in silence, her hand in mine, with Bear running ahead.

  “Let me get a fire going.” Once inside, I shrugged out of my jacket and stole a kiss, but as I turned to go, she grabbed my hand, her eyes dark with worry.

  She could barely look me in the eyes, and it had me worried that I was running down the clock on her departure—and it’d be a hell of a lot sooner than I wanted. “I don’t want your brother wasting his time trying to find me. My memory’s back. There’s no point in him trying to track me down.”

  So she did have her memory back. She’d hinted at it before, but up until now, I didn’t have a definitive answer. And though I had a million questions for her, I let them go, knowing I’d only end up pushing her away. “No worries, love. I’ll text him and let him know.”

  “Locke…” There was such a hesitation in her voice and a tension in her body that I couldn’t help but think the worst was about to come. “There’s so much you need to know…but I don’t know if I can tell you any of it.”

  “I know, baby.” She’d been on the verge of panic since we left Seattle, and though I didn’t know what had her so worried, I doubted it’d make any difference to the way I felt about her. “We have a week before we have to give any of it a second thought, a week where it’s just the two of us, in the here and now. Nothing else matters, Em.”

  “You can’t know that…” When her tears spilled over, I kissed them away, my heart breaking for her. “I’m not who you think I am.”

  I cupped the back of her neck and bent my head to hers, needing her to know that I was on her side. “That’s where you’re mistaken. Because I know exactly who you are. You’re sweet, and smart, and caring—and you’re hurting. I don’t know what happened to you, but I see the pain in your eyes, and it’s killing me. So for fuck’s sake…don’t shut me out, babe.”

  “It’s not that I want to, but I’ve been on my own for a few years now, and I’m not sure I know how to let anyone in.”

  “All I’m asking is that you stop pushing me away and stop trying to run. Can you do that for me?”

  She nodded. “I can try.”

  One week. I could do this.

  But what I couldn’t do is tell him the truth, even if it felt like I should.

  He might be a sweet, caring, and understanding guy, but it was clear he and his family were close, and if I told him even a fraction of the truth, he’d have more questions for me, and before long, it’d be clear that I’d intended to harm him and his family. I had wanted vengeance, and there was no getting around that little fact, no matter what our feelings were for each other.

  If I was going to spend this week with him, then I’d have to ignore my reality and embrace the person I was pretending to be. It was that, or tell him the truth and walk away from the only happiness I’d had in years. Though I knew that was what I should do, I was too weak to follow through with what was right, even though it’d only make matters worse when he finally found out the truth.

  But there was one more thing. If I didn’t get to a pharmacy for the morning-after pill, there was a good chance I’d be taking a little part of Locke along with me when I finally did leave. Because it was clear that safe sex was nowhere on anyone’s radar once we started kissing each other, and eventually, nature was going to take over, and I was going to end up pregnant.

  Yet the thought of having a baby to love…of having a renewed sense of hope… Part of me wanted to
simply throw caution to the wind and put things in fate’s hands.

  I knew a baby would fill a huge void in my life, and it’d help to heal my wounds. Except that Locke still didn’t know the truth about me, and at the end of a week, I’d be walking away and never seeing him again—with or without his child.

  With the fire going, he crossed to my side and pulled me into his arms, making it impossible for me to pull away from the comfort only he seemed to be able to give me. “How are you doing, love?”

  I shrugged off my worries and told myself that I was going to take this one week to just be happy—something I hadn’t been in a very long time. And after that, I’d deal with whatever came my way, even if there was a good chance I might lose Locke once he knew the truth. For once, I was going to stop worrying about everything.

  I managed a smile and slipped my arms around his neck, leaning into his muscular body as I went up onto the tips of my toes to give him a kiss. “I’m doing better. So…what do you have planned for our week together?”

  The worry that had lined his face with tension finally disappeared, his eyes alight with mischief as he smiled against my lips. “I’m tempted to drag you to bed and spend the week making you come repeatedly, but I suppose we’ll have to get out of the house at some point. And it probably wouldn’t hurt to get to know each other a little better—though I promise I won’t press you for anything that you don’t feel comfortable telling me.”

  Well, that was going to be an awful lot considering that everything I’d told him so far was more or less a lie. “There’s something else we need to do. I need a pharmacy… If I don’t get the morning-after pill in the next day or two, there’s a good chance I’m going to end up pregnant.”

  He shrugged, not looking at the least bit worried. “Em…I know we don’t know each other all that well, but…I like the idea of having a kid with you. I’m not saying this is how I’d have planned it all out. But I’m happy to take my chances and let fate decide.”

  Even though I’d just had that very thought, I still couldn’t help but worry that it’d all go to hell once he knew the truth. “Locke…this is crazy. You don’t even know me, and yet you’d be fine with us having a child?”

  He gave me another one of his easygoing shrugs. “I don’t know… I guess it doesn’t bother me much because I love what I already know about you. I come from a huge family, Em…and children were always a good thing and something to be celebrated. Blame it on my Irish upbringing, I suppose.”

  How could I have been so wrong about him? And how could I have thought myself capable of revenge? That wasn’t me, though my hurt and anger, my loss, made me so bitter and furious that I couldn’t keep from lashing out at the people who had wronged me.

  He interrupted my thoughts, pulling me into his embrace. “You’re overthinking things, baby… And I’m not an idiot. I know things are complicated. But sometimes you just have to let the cards fall where they will. We can’t control everything that happens to us.”

  Didn’t I know it? My life was currently so far off the track I had thought I’d be on that I didn’t even recognize my life as my own.

  I pulled away just enough to look up at him, though I still held onto him tightly, not wanting to let go. And fuck, but the man stole my very breath. “Is everything always so easy with you?”

  “Things are seldom easy, and believe me when I tell you, they’re never simple or straightforward. But I find that if you look at the heart of the matter, you can usually find an answer there, pointing you to the right path. And right now, the only answer I have is that I’m falling for you.” His blue eyes were fierce as he spoke his words, as if trying to convince me of their truth—and I believed him. I believed him because I felt exactly the same way about him.

  “This thing between us doesn’t feel real, Locke… It feels too easy.” But only because he still didn’t know the truth—and once he did find out, it would all come crashing to an end.

  “Does it need to be difficult in order to be real?” Cupping my face in his hand, he brushed his thumb over my lips, and then lowered his mouth to mine in a heated but all too brief kiss that had me moaning for more. “Because this feels real to me, baby…and I swear, I’ve never felt this way before.”

  “Neither have I—but that’s what scares me.” It meant there was so much more at stake…so much more to lose. And after everything I’d been through, I didn’t know if I’d survive another blow.

  “You never have to be scared with me around, Em. I’ve got you.” His eyes locked on mine, and it was as if he could see my very soul—as if he could see me. “You have my word—I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

  “You could still break my heart, Locke.” Which was exactly how this would play out once he knew the truth.

  “And you could easily break mine—but isn’t love worth the risk?”

  It felt like with each moment that passed in Emie’s company, the more I cared for her. And though I was on one hell of a slippery slope, there was no going back for me. I was falling for her hard. There was no point in lying to myself.

  “You know…we don’t have to stay here, all cooped up with the cold and snowy weather. We can go wherever you’d like. Head someplace warm, where you can lay out in the sun.” Maybe getting away from here would help her feel less trapped, and it’d show her that we were good together, and things weren’t so dire.

  “You’re sweet, Locke. But my problems will still be the same whether I’m here or on a beach. And if we stay here…” She nipped at my neck, making my cock go hard, even though I’d just had her an hour ago. “At this point, I just want to make the most of our time together.”

  I groaned, my cock straining against the fabric of my jeans as I slipped my fingers into her hair and pulled her to me for a fierce kiss, my tongue sweeping over hers as I hauled her up off her feet, her legs wrapping around my waist. Yet before I could take things any further, my cell started to ring, and from the ringtone, I knew it was Dane.

  “Babe…I should get this. It’s my brother.” I let her slip down to her feet, hoping that whatever Dane had to say would be worth the interruption. “Hey…I’ve been meaning to call.”

  “Locke…I wasn’t able to find her in the police or FBI databases, which doesn’t mean a whole lot other than she doesn’t have a police record. But…I’ll hack into the DMV…”

  “Actually, Em’s memory has more or less come back. I was going to tell you that you can stop looking.” Not that I knew anything more about her life now than I did when she first turned up at my door. I’d love it if she’d open up to me, though I supposed that, for now, I was just happy enough to have her in my arms.

  “That’s great that she’s gotten her memory back. And…she’s told you who she is?”

  There was a hesitation in his voice that I didn’t quite understand. “We’re working on it. Why?”

  “I’m not sure. Let me look into things a bit more. Just…stay safe. Okay? And don’t go doing anything stupid.”

  The way I already felt for Emie, I wasn’t sure I’d fully escaped doing anything stupid, but I couldn’t help it. Still…Dane, as serious as he was, wasn’t usually the sort of guy who worried needlessly. “I wouldn’t dream of it. Talk to you later.”

  Emie caught her bottom lip between her teeth, looking on edge. “What did he say?”

  “Not a whole lot.” I leaned back against the sofa and pulled her to me, nestling her between my legs, her body pressing against my hard length. “But…we need to talk, Em.”

  She shook her head no, distracting herself by playing with the buttons on my flannel shirt as it hung open over my T-shirt. “What do you want me to say, Locke? I’ve made it clear that I don’t want to discuss my past.”

  I let out a frustrated sigh, tired of being patient. “I know that. But for fuck’s sake, there’s got to be more that you can tell me. Hell…I don’t even know your full name.”

  “And this is why I wanted you to let me go back to Seattle.”
Her eyes welled up with tears as she tried to shrug out of my grasp. Not that I was letting her go. “I can’t do this, Locke.”

  “I’m not going to let you just run away from me, Emie.” Ignoring her struggles, I held her tightly to me, and before long she gave up fighting me and settled against my chest with a sob, wrenching my heart out of my chest. “Hush, love…”

  I wanted to tell her that we didn’t need to discuss any of it, but it was becoming clear that whatever she was keeping from me was big. And I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do with that.

  I didn’t have a fucking clue as to what the issue was. Or who she was, even.

  I hated to do it, but the moment I could, I’d have to send Dane a text to let him know that I’d need him to keep looking into who Emie was. I might not ever tell her I had the information, but for my own sanity—and so that I could finally stop bugging her about it—I needed to know what she was keeping from me. Especially when I might not be able to keep her safe otherwise.

  Yet the truth was, I just wanted to understand her better.

  Kissing the top of her head, I ran my hands up and down her back, relieved when she relaxed a little, the tension in her body finally easing. But my relief was short-lived.

  She pulled away from me, shaking her head and swiping at her tears. “Please, Locke…just let me go. Trust me when I tell you, it’s for the best. You don’t want anything to do with me.”

  I let out a heavy sigh, wishing things could be less complicated. “I shouldn’t have pushed you for more information, Em. But you’re wrong to think that walking away from me is, in any way, shape, or form for the best. I’d be nothing but miserable if you walked out the door—and I have a feeling you’d be just as fucking miserable.”

  “I’m used to being miserable. But this…” She waved her hand between the two of us. “This is what I’m not used to. I can’t deal with the emotions you stir up in me, and my life is a big enough mess that I shouldn’t be letting anyone get close to me, let alone getting in this deep.”