Melting Steel: An Alpha Billionaire Romance

by Seabrook,C. M.

  When she nods, I know I’ve won. She may not fully trust me, and that damn steel cage is back up around her heart, but at least she’s still here, in my arms, and as long as she is with me, I know there’s still hope for us.

  Chapter 17

  Keeley

  “Keeley, look at me.” His fingers graze my cheek, soft, yet so full of power and possession that it’s impossible to turn away.

  My entire body melts into his, seeking the warmth and protection he’s offering. I hate how defenseless I am around him.

  I try to resist the heat that pours through my veins, the desire that pools between my thighs, but it’s no use.

  “This is insane. Everything that’s happened…” I shake my head, feeling like my entire world has been flipped upside down. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “You’re going to let me take care of things. Take care of you.” Despite the gentleness of his tone, there’s a certainty in his voice that doesn’t leave room for argument.

  I’ve never been one to let other people take control, and no matter how easy it would be to let him, I just can’t.

  “I don’t need anyone–”

  He stops my words with a single look, brows raised, gaze steady.

  “Everyone needs someone, Keeley. Even you. It’s not weakness to let people help you.” He places his palm on my cheek and I can’t help but rest against it.

  Maybe he’s right. Or maybe I just want to believe him because I’m so freaking tired, physical and mentally.

  A small yawn escapes my lips.

  “Come on. Let’s get you back to bed.”

  His hand rests on the small of my back, and when he starts to lead me back to his bedroom, I don’t resist.

  So many questions flood my head. There’s still so much that we have to talk about, but I don’t know where to start. And right now, I too tired to even form a cohesive thought.

  “Get undressed,” he orders, pulling one of his large t-shirts from his dresser. “You’re not sleeping in your clothes.”

  I pull my shirt over my head and take the t-shirt he offers. Henry helps me with my jeans, then pulls the comforter down.

  Tears prick the back of my eyes and I don’t know why.

  “Hey,” he says, reaching out, wiping away the tear that falls over my cheek. I try to turn my head away, but he doesn’t let me. “Everything’s going to be all right, sweetheart.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “This is where you belong. With me. I swear to God I’m going to keep you safe.” He cups my chin and forces me to look at him. “Just promise you won’t run again.”

  It’s a big promise. One I’m not sure I can make.

  “Henry…”

  He smiles sadly, then kisses my forehead.

  I lean into his chest, resting my head just below his chin, and his arms wrap solidly around me. Warmth and strength.

  “I won’t run from you,” I whisper, looking up at him. “Just don’t keep things from me.”

  He presses a kiss to my hair and I can feel him nod. “Okay.”

  “Okay,” I repeat, knowing it goes both ways. If he’s really going to help me, I need to be honest as well. Tell him everything I know. I take a deep breath, then say wearily, “Drew owes money. A lot of it.”

  “I know.”

  I shake my head. “No, it’s worse than I thought. I don’t know how he did it, or why, but it isn’t just the money he stole from Jax.”

  “I said I know. And I’ll take care of it.”

  I pull back, frowning. “Take care of it how?”

  “I have money, Keeley. A lot of it.” His lips twist up, but there’s no humor in his eyes, only resolve. “We’ll pay off his debt, and once he’s safe, we’ll get your brother into a good rehab center. Make sure this shit never happens again.”

  It’s more than I expected. More than Drew deserves. And even though my initial urge is to fight him on it, I know this is my only hope.

  “Thank you,” I whisper.

  He kisses my forehead, then ushers me into bed, pulling the covers over me once I lay down.

  “You need to sleep, and I need to make a few phone calls.”

  I grab his hand. “Wait.”

  “Do you need me to get you something?”

  “Just you,” I croak, the words coming out more desperate than I intended. But God it’s the truth. I need him more than my next breath, more than the very air I breathe.

  His eyes go dark, and he gives a small knowing nod. “Okay.”

  Relief floods through me. I don’t want to be alone right now.

  His deft fingers meticulously working their way down the buttons of his shirt. In the dim light, the shadows cut deep, defined edges in each of his muscles. He’s so damn gorgeous, I can’t help but stare.

  “You can always have me, Keeley.” His gaze is locked on mine, as he unbuckles his belt. “I’m yours.”

  Mine. The thought makes my insides turn to liquid heat. My knight. A small chill races up my spine remembering the promises he made me twenty years ago.

  He crawls into bed beside me, gloriously naked, and lays on his back, pulling me against his chest. I expect him to take me, but instead he just holds me, like the first night we met. Patient and gentle. Thinking more about my own needs than his own.

  I rest my head in the nook of his shoulder and listen to the steady sound of his breathing.

  “I’m lost in you,” I admit. So completely lost that I don’t know if I’ll ever find my way out.

  He shifts slightly, so that he can see my face. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “I’m not sure.” If he ever decided to walk away, it would break me. I trail my fingers over each one of his defined abs. “The past week has been a whirlwind. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not.”

  He tilts my chin with his thumb and presses a soft kiss on my forehead.

  “This–” He kisses my nose. “Is–” Then his lips are on mine, and he all but growls the last word against my mouth, “Real.”

  “Yes,” I moan, needing the confirmation of his words, the confirmation of his body. My hands run over the tense muscles of his back, fingers clawing at him, wanting him closer.

  “You need sleep,” he says huskily, his teeth raking against the curve of my jaw, down my neck.

  “I need you.”

  He tenses for a brief moment, then lets out a low guttural growl. “Good.”

  A second later, my t-shirt is off, his hands are buried in my hair, and his lips are possessing mine with a hunger so fierce I feel consumed by it.

  The kiss burns through my senses, and I’m desperate to hold onto the bond between us.

  This is real. His words undo me, and make me want to surrender completely. He said he’s mine, but I know the truth, I’m his.

  Each kiss, each touch, only confirms what I already know. He’s marked me. Mind, body and soul. With or without him, I’ll never be the same again.

  Henry nips at my lips, a harsh groan rumbling in his throat. Then his mouth slides from mine, rasping down my neck, to my breasts, focusing on the tight, sensitive peak of my nipples. His hands stroke up my thighs, my hips, my ass, each caress pulling me deeper into a vortex of pleasure.

  He’s between my legs, his hard cock wedged between my thighs, and I’m almost dripping with need to have him inside of me. I lift my hips, trying to get closer.

  “Not yet.” He pushes my thighs further apart, but instead of sinking deep inside me, he lowers himself. Pure, wicked lust gleaming in his eyes as he descends between my legs.

  “Henry,” I say his name as a desperate plea.

  A moan of tortured pleasure rushes from my lips when his tongue lashes out across my clit. I swear I’m so close to coming that the room seems almost alive with the energy pulsing between us.

  “What do you need, Keeley?” His fingers move up my thigh, stroking the sensitive flesh. “Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you.”

  “You,” I cry out. Kno
wing I’ve lost myself in the confession. That part of me that I’ve always kept aloof, caged, and protected is open and vulnerable – and his. “I need all of you.”

  He moves quickly, and with a single hard thrust, buries himself inside me.

  “You have me.” His hands grip my wrists, pulling them above my head, as he pulls out, then sinks in slowly, filling me completely, so that our bodies are molded together.

  We stay like that for a few moments, gaze locked together, nothing separating us. My heart beats faster as I stare into his eyes, overwhelmed by the dark, shadowed emotions I see there.

  “I love you, Keeley,” he says, resting his forehead against mine and closing his eyes. “You’ve been mine since the moment we first met.”

  I suck in a breath. I’ve never believed in the illusion of love. Lust, yes, but not love. My mouth opens, then shuts on the words I know he wants me to return. It’s too soon. There are still so many things I don’t know about him. Things that could change everything between us.

  “Henry–”

  “I don’t need you to say it back.” He nips at my bottom lip, and gives a small thrust, making me moan. “This is enough – for now.”

  His lips are on mine, tongue slipping past, and he lunges deeper inside of me. Each hard thrust reinforcing his words. I love you.

  I’ve never been loved before. Not really. Not by my parents, not by Jax, not even by Drew. I can’t even remember a time when someone said the words to me. Maybe when I was little, but whatever my mom felt for me, it was anything but love.

  I cling to Henry, wanting to believe in his promises, wanting to believe in us.

  His hips slam into mine, flesh pounding against flesh, and I can feel the rise of my orgasm building within me. Tremors race through my body, and a strangled cry erupts from my throat.

  A shattering explosion rips through my body, sending me blindly over the edge, and I clench around him until I feel him coming hard inside of me.

  It isn’t until I feel hot semen between my thighs that I realize we forgot to use a condom.

  Chapter 18

  Henry

  I rise quietly from the bed, careful not to wake Keeley. She fell asleep in my arms moments after we finished making love, and hasn’t stirred for the past few hours. I hate leaving the warmth of her body, but I still need to talk to Michael to see what else he’s learned.

  Running my fingers through my hair, I glance down at her, hoping to hell she’s not going to be pissed that we didn’t use protection. I’m never that fucking irresponsible, but if I’m honest with myself I didn’t want anything between us. I never want anything between us again.

  She’s on the pill, I’ve seen the little package in her make-up bag, and we’re both clean. But I know we still have to talk about it when she wakes up.

  I pull on a pair of cotton pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, then move into the kitchen, flicking on the lights. The sky is still dark, but I reach for my phone and dial Michael’s number.

  “It’s late,” Michael’s grizzly voice says on the other end.

  I glance at the clock and wince. “Or early, depending on how you look at it.”

  He huffs. “I sent you an email with the files and reports.”

  “And?”

  “That bastard, Jax Williams, was right. The kid racked up over a hundred grand in debt. Most of it under the table.”

  “I want it paid off.”

  “You sure you want to do that, boss? The minute these guys know the kid has a benefactor, there’s no saying what–”

  “This is just about the kid. I don’t want anything that could threaten Keeley.”

  “We can keep her safe.”

  I blow out a breath, knowing he’s right, but also knowing that Keeley would never forgive me, or herself, if anything happened to her brother.

  “Just pay it off.”

  “All right.” I hear the creak of the bed in the background, then a few seconds later the tapping of a keyboard. “It’ll be done today.”

  “Good.”

  “There’s something else I found that I didn’t add to the report, but I thought you should know. I checked into the medical reports.”

  “And?” I grit my teeth, hearing the concern in his voice.

  “And there’s multiple references to personality disorder, bipolar, possible schizophrenia.”

  “She killed her own kid, that’s not really surprising.”

  “I wasn’t talking about the mother. It seems that Drew was flagged early on, which is one of the reasons he was shipped between so many homes. Behavioral issues, social anxiety, aggression, mental instability…it goes on. I know you probably don’t want to hear this, but the file on the kid, it’s pretty similar to the one on Abby.”

  “Don’t.”

  “You need to hear this,” Michael says tersely. “Personality disorders are often genetic. If he is John Sullivan’s kid, then–”

  “I said don’t,” I growl into the phone, fingers tightening painfully around the receiver.

  “You read Abby’s report.” His voice is low, calm, as if to placate me, but all I can hear is a roaring in my ears as tension builds inside my head. “You know what her therapists said. She was suffering from delusions for months, maybe years before she took her own life.”

  “If there was something wrong with her, I would have known.” It was just another way for her parents to shift the blame onto someone or something else. Sure, she was a bit quirky, and she had some anxiety, but nothing like her parents tried to make it out to be.

  Michael sighs heavily on the other end. “I’ll send you the report. Take a look at it.”

  “I will,” I say, praying to God that he’s wrong. “Just find the kid, so we can get him whatever help he needs.”

  “And Sullivan? What do you want me to do about him?”

  “Nothing for now.” I rub my temples and close my eyes. As much as I want to expose the bastard, doing so will only bring unwanted attention to Keeley.

  “Becca’s wedding is next weekend,” Michael says evenly. “You saw the guest list?”

  “Shit.” I’d forgotten the Sullivan’s were invited. “I’ll deal with it.”

  I hang up and immediately send a text to Becca, demanding that she remove them from the list. Because there’s no way I’m going to let Keeley spend even a second in that man’s presence.

  Chapter 19

  Keeley

  Rolling over in bed, I frown at the empty spot beside me. Golden light streaks through the blinds and the smell of coffee, the soft hum of the television drift through the small crack in the door.

  A small smile tugs at my lips, as I remember his words. I love you.

  Three words that could change everything if I let them.

  But there’s so much I still don’t know, so much that needs to be resolved.

  There’s no question I’m falling for him – hard. That’s not the issue. The real question is whether I can trust him.

  Like love, trust isn’t something I give away easily. I’ve endured loss and survived. But surviving comes at a cost, and although my scars are hidden inside me, they’re still there.

  Every person I’ve ever loved, I’ve lost. Even Drew, if I’m honest with myself.

  Sadness swells inside me.

  You don’t have to be alone. The devastatingly gorgeous man in the next room, he can be mine. Mine.

  Warmth floods through me – until I try to stand. Every muscle in my body protests, and images of Jax’s hands around my throat assault me. His powerful presence crushing me against his weight. The look of pure hatred in his eyes. The beautiful, broken boy turned into a monster of a man.

  There was a time when I wanted to save him. But I finally realized that some wreckage isn’t salvageable. Sometimes you only have enough strength to save yourself.

  Jax never forgave me for leaving. Neither did Drew. Even after I’d distanced myself, Drew could never see Jax for what he is – a criminal.

  I blame mys
elf for staying as long as I did. Maybe if I’d made a clean break sooner, Drew wouldn’t have gotten caught up in the drug scene. Maybe he wouldn’t be in hiding now. Maybe Jax wouldn’t be after us both.

  Fear closes in like a dark shroud, the warmth I felt earlier, gone.

  I dress in an old gray hoodie and black stretch pants, and wince when I catch my reflection in the mirror. Dark circles under my eyes match the angry bruises around my neck. I swallow hard, and force a smile on my face.

  The minute I open the bedroom door, I hear a woman’s raised voice, and Henry’s frustrated, muffled response.

  I make my way down the long hall towards the living room where the shouting is coming from.

  “You’re trying to ruin my wedding,” Becca says, arms crossed her chest, large tears streaming down her cheeks, somehow not smudging her perfectly applied makeup.

  “You don’t even care if they’re there.” Dressed in a white t-shirt that stretches over his muscular chest, and a pair of ripped jeans that hang low on his waist, Henry runs his fingers through his dark hair and lets out a frustrated sigh. “All you want is to make that bastard happy.”

  “That bastard is going to be my husband.” Becca hiccups on a small sob, and covers her mouth with the back of her hand in an overdramatic gesture. “You’re being unreasonable. You won’t even tell me why you’ve changed your mind. If you really want me to take the Sullivan’s off the guest list, then give me one valid reason.”

  A small tremble of dread races down my spine.

  The Sullivan’s are going to be at Becca’s wedding?

  I swallow hard, feeling moisture well in my eyes, the sudden sense that I’m being set in another trap.

  “You invited me to the wedding, knowing my father was going to be there?” My voice is small, but they both turn, and I see Henry’s face go pale.

  “It’s not what you think, Keeley.” He moves quickly to my side, placing his hands on my shoulders.

  “Your father?” Becca blinks, eyes wide, mouth open. She shakes her head. “I don’t understand.”