The Darkest Danger (Shattered Series Book 2)

by Chloe D. Ashton

  “What is it? Look at me,” she demanded, stiffening, and sobered at once. Grasping his hand, she forced his attention to her. “Something’s wrong. What are you not saying?”

  Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door.

  “Olivia, dear, are you alright?” Mrs. Thompson called out, rattling the knob. Then, she pounded the door harder. “Why is the door locked? Olivia---can you hear me?”

  “You have to get out of here!” she whispered, frantic, and looked around the restroom wildly. The fear ran through her. “If Matt finds out that you’re here, he’ll hurt you.”

  “To hell with Addison,” he cursed, keeping his voice low, and the anger seized his handsome features. “I’m not afraid of him. As a matter of fact, I’m salivating at the thought of putting a bullet right between his eyes. But, I’ll be damned if you’re going to get caught in the crossfire.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! Everyone here---they’re his friends and associates. You can’t go against Matt alone. A one-man army only works in the movies!” she hissed, slapping his chest. “Your words are crazy.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart, I’m always one step ahead,” he winked devilishly. “I’m not alone---I do have backup. They’re damned good at what they do.”

  The surprise registered across her face. “Who?”

  “Olivia---what’s going on in there?” Mrs. Thompson demanded again. “Open this door at once!”

  “Hide!” she said quickly, shoving against his chest hard, but it was like barreling into a brick wall. She grasped his waist between her small hands. “Please…hide…If you love me, you’d do it.” The tears glistened in her eyes. “I can’t stand the thought of anyone hurting you. Please.”

  “No one is going to hurt me. And I do love you,” he replied, and the truth shone in his green eyes. “Whatever it takes to make you happy---”

  “Well, I’m asking you to do that now,” she said with a hint of desperation. “Keeping you safe is the only thing that’ll make me happy.”

  Mrs. Thompson pounded against the door again and concern played in her voice. “Olivia, let me help you. Open the door or I’m going to get Matt to break it down.”

  When she shoved him towards the closet this time, he didn’t resist. Within seconds, she’d forced the door closed on his lean frame.

  Rushing to the sink, she slapped more water across her face, making herself even that more haggard looking. To add an extra effect, she mussed her hair even more.

  “This is the show of your life,” she whispered to her reflection in the mirror, and then stepped away. Moaning deeply, holding onto her abdomen, she stumbled towards the door.

  “Olivia!” Mrs. Thompson shouted, giving another fierce pound against the door. “That’s it; I’m going to get Matt---”

  She wrenched the door open.

  “No,” she moaned, leaning against the door, and opened it wide. “Please, don’t get Matt. I fear that I’ve taken ill.”

  “Oh dear, you look horrible!” Mrs. Thompson exclaimed, moving into the restroom, and cradled her arm along her shoulder loosely. “While you do look a fright, there’s certainly no reason to lock yourself in.”

  “It’s our engagement party,” she hiccupped purposely, and then groaned again as if in pain. “I don’t want Matt or anyone else to see me like this.” Leaning against the woman, she gagged as if she were going to vomit. “I feel like I’m going to wretch all over the place. I think that I’ve caught a virus or something.”

  As if burned, Mrs. Thompson pulled free with an embarrassed flush. “Well, we, uh, certainly don’t want everyone here to become sick, especially if it’s catchy.”

  She looked at the woman, and she had to suppress a giggle at her expression. Groaning again, she doubled over, and her long dark dresses hid her amusement. But, still, a pang of guilt racked through her for the Mrs. Thompson had been nothing but kind.

  A knock pounded on the restroom door.

  “What in the hell is going on in there?” Matt demanded. “Olivia, you’ve been in there far too long, damn it. I’m looking like a fool out here with no bride- to-be.”

  At the sound of Matt’s voice, her humor fled, sending her thoughts to the closet where Jarrod was hidden.

  “Please, Mrs. Thompson, help me. I don’t want him to see me this way,” she pleaded, grasping the woman’s warm hand in hers. “Please.”

  Mrs. Thompson patted her hand. “Don’t worry, dear. I’ll take care of everything.” Wrapping an arm around her waist, she held her up. “I’m certain that I can fix this so the party can go on. Let me handle this.”

  “Olivia---you stupid cunt---” Matt began, wrenching the door open, and then flushed red upon seeing Mrs. Thompson. “I’m sorry, Lillian. I didn’t know that you were there.”

  “No wonder the poor girl is sick---dealing with your crude behavior and insufferable manners,” Mrs. Thompson scolded with a frown, holding her limp form up, and her face turned redder. “And certainly the language that you’re using is totally unacceptable, you stupid chap! You may have my husband fooled, but I’m not!”

  “Good thing that you know your place with him, then, isn’t it, Lillian. When money is exchanged from hand to hand, you’re not even an issue,” Matt sneered, giving the woman a dismissive look. Then, he looked at her. “As for you, my lovely fiancée---damn woman, what happened to you? You look like hell.”

  As she looked at him, it took everything to fight back her open hatred. But, she couldn’t fail Jarrod…

  “I think that I’m coming down with something. The caviar, shrimp cocktail, and all this liquor---it’s not setting well with my stomach,” she groaned, pretending to heave again, and looked at him innocently. “I need to lie down---I don’t think that I can hold up.”

  “For pity’s sake, Olivia, we can’t leave,” Matt muttered, aghast, turning in a full circle, and then moved to stand before the first stall, only a few feet away from the closet. “The engagement party will go on into the late hours. There are a lot of associates here tonight that are interested in dealing business. Father will be arriving soon, and he won’t be pleased with these developments.” He cursed again. “But, I can’t have you walking and prancing around down there looking haggard as all shit and puking all over the place. We do have a reputation to uphold.” Frowning, he sauntered towards a stall. “Hope you had the good sense to clean up after yourself.”

  As Matt moved inside the stall, her eyes darted towards the closet.

  Please…please…please…she fretted inwardly.

  “I have just the solution,” Mrs. Thompson interrupted, pursing her lips together, pulling her along with her as she faced Marc. “John and I rented a suite for our son and his wife. Unfortunately, we received news shortly ago, that they couldn’t make the trip to Atlanta. There’s no reason for the room to go to waste. Olivia can rest up, and you can handle business matters along with your father. Problem solved.” Still holding her up, the woman fished around in the small frilly purse hanging on her shoulder. She waved the key card in the air. “I already have the key to Suite 1134, so I’ll see that she makes it safely to the room.”

  “Suite 1134---an exclusive private suite,” Matt mulled thoughtfully, leaving the stall. “Good that means that she’ll be out of plain sight, and hopefully that means I’ll escape my father’s ire.”

  “Ohhh…my stomach hurts so badly,” she moaned again, leaning against Mrs. Thompson. “I really do need to lie down.”

  Matt gave a sound of disgust. “Can’t you do anything right? Leave it to you to mess up such an important moment,” he snapped, already moving for the door. “She’s contaminated the air-space enough as it is, and I sure in hell don’t plan on catching the runs. Get her out of here and away from me.”

  As Mrs. Thompson led her away, she cast a final look over her shoulder.

  With all hope, Jarrod would follow.

  Chapter 3

  “Your dress is laid out on the chaise lounge in the sitting area. It’s still wearable,”
the older woman smiled, pulling the covers over her. “But, I certainly wouldn’t bother wearing it until returning downstairs to the festivities, later. I suppose that Matt is good for something at least. He left word at the front desk that you’re not to be disturbed for the next few hours, and I wouldn’t worry about him either. Business is the only thing on his mind, right now, I’m afraid. With my husband and the rest of the lout down there, it’ll probably be dawn before this engagement party is over.” She smiled again. “So, take these moments to relax and get some rest.”

  “I can’t thank you enough,” she said truthfully, grabbing Mrs. Thompson’s hand while she finished tucking the covers around her. “You’ve been more than kind.”

  Mrs. Thompson smiled. “Hush, I’d do this for anyone. Well, not really. I don’t know, there’s something about you. There’s an innocence about you that reminds me of my granddaughter. It’s not my place to say this, but you can do much better than Matt Addison. Explore your other options, dear,” the woman said, straightening, and then placed the keycard on the nightstand by the bed. “Do it before it’s too late.”

  Nodding, she pulled the satin covers to her chin.

  But, she didn’t relax until the door closed behind Mrs. Thompson. After waiting a few scant seconds, she shoved the covers off, and the fuchsia-hued, lace teddy barely covered the bare minimum since she was so voluptuously shaped. Uncaring of her scantily clad figure, she raced to the hotel door. Her hands shook as she dimmed the lights low, and now, she was almost a shadow in the room.

  “Where are you?” she whispered desperately, peering through the peep hole. “Come on, Jarrod…”

  Several tense seconds later, a shadow played against the wall.

  She held her breath.

  Finally, Jarrod’s warped figure appeared in full view. She jerked the door open fast. “Jarrod, hurry!” she whispered frantically, watching as he strode along the hallway. When he reached the door, she yanked him inside.

  As the door closed behind them, she leaned against it, weakened, and nearly wept at the joy bursting inside of her. But, a shyness and awkwardness stole over her.

  Had he always been such a dangerous, smoldering, fascinating creature, she mulled, returning his deep stare. And had the air between them always been this primal, raw, uncontrollable, and electrifying? The deep need---his need for her---had it ever been as evident as it was now?

  But, obviously, he was fighting against his own inner desires, she realized, taking in his tense features. Something else played in his eyes, and whatever it was, it was dead serious.

  Her eyes slid up his hard body.

  Serious---she didn’t have the time for it.

  Right now, in these minutes, she wasn’t strong enough to breach past the sensual madness that breathed heavily in the semi-dark room; and as wild and crazy as the night had been, she wanted to seize hold of it, she thought, biting her trembling lips.

  Was she being selfish?

  Of course---

  In the face of the pending danger, were her lingering thoughts crazy?

  Yes---

  But, she needed to be close to him…

  “Your little theatrical performance has surely bought us some time, even though, it’s not much,” Jarrod murmured, releasing a deep breath. “At any minute, things can spiral out of control. But, I’ve got to get you out of here in one piece.” Pausing, he looked at her before removing the gun from his waistband. With care, he placed it on the small table near the door. “Baby, I don’t want you to be caught off-guard. You need to be aware of the danger---”

  “Stop talking,” she said softly.

  “Olivia---”

  “Please.”

  His eyes flickered with interest, and as they ran over her, she shivered. With his eyes, he undressed her, and suddenly she felt exposed in the flimsy teddy. But, that fact only heightened her arousal ten-fold.

  Every pinpoint of her flesh tingled with anticipation…the unbearable ache, her torpedoing heartbeat, and dear heavens, the wetness between her clenched thighs….Tensing against the door, she bit back a desperate moan.

  The silence deepened.

  They both sensed the rising storm.

  And silently, she prayed it’d pull them under.

  Finally, he found the strength to break the silence.

  “Olivia---”

  “Hold me,” she whispered, afraid to move, in fear that he’d vanish from her again. Her tear-filled eyes clung to his. “I need you to touch me.”

  The regret played on his face. “Baby, we can’t---”

  “You don’t want me anymore,” she whispered again, fighting back the hurt. “Was I wrong before in believing that you did? Have you stopped wanting to be with me? If you don’t love me anymore, just say it---”

  “What the fuck did you just say to me?” Jarrod rasped hoarsely, stepping forward, placing both hands on the door above her head. The raw, primal look in his eyes left her weak; and the searing heat radiated from his hard body straight to hers, even though their bodies didn’t touch. “Look at me…really look inside of me. Then, tell me what I feel for you.”

  Chemistry, yes, that’s what it was between them, she mulled, dazed, drowning in his eyes. It literally set the dark space afire.

  Breath-starved, she gripped his waist, too mesmerized to speak or move. His warm breath fanned her face as he leaned down, far enough so that their lips were a breath apart. In the semi-darkness, his dark green eyes glowed with the promise of pleasurable danger.

  She clung to him weakly. “Jarrod---”

  “When I was in that dingy hellhole back on the Canyon Islands, I’d lie awake and pretend that you were there with me. Even though we were millions of miles apart, I could see you, hear you, touch you, taste you... Every curve and line on your body, I had memorized in my mind, and all I could think about was being buried so deep inside of you, lost in nothing but you, ” he rasped again, and the scent of whiskey on his breath only heightened the allure of his words. “Those days and nights that we spent on the yacht together, where we made love to each other like there was no tomorrow, they were on constant replay in my head. I swear that I could hear your breathless pleas as you surrendered to me. And the memory of us is what kept me going and made me fight to reclaim my life back. Every part of me, I give it to you, and I can only pray that it’s enough.”

  “You are enough…you’re all that I want.”

  “Then, trust in what I feel for you,” he whispered, stroking the smooth column of her nape with both of his hands. “Know that I love you.”

  “Then, let me be with you…please,” she pleaded. “I just need to be close to you.”

  He edged closer.

  Yet, he didn’t move in for the kiss, and neither did she. They simply breathed each other in…

  She ran a drugged look along his face, and on their own volition, her hands inched upward, moving from his waist onto his chest.

  “Olivia,” he half-protested, but still did nothing as she pushed the suit jacket from his broad shoulders. “Baby---”

  “I love you,” she whispered, holding his gaze, and began loosening the tie and waistcoat. “I love you so much.”

  A second later, the articles of clothing hit the floor.

  Now, the stark white shirt was the only barrier left between her hands and his naked skin, she mulled, running an appreciate look along his front. Then, as she had with the waistcoat, she worked on freeing him from it. Her pursuit was purposefully slow as she flicked the first button free, and she relished in the sound of his uneven, harsh breathing as she worked her way down. After freeing the last one, she tugged the shirt from his waistband and spread it open. When her hands met his heated flesh, she nearly crumpled to the floor.

  She tracked her hands ascent as they journeyed up his chest, and when their eyes met again, she was suddenly shy. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “I swear you’re even more beautiful than before,” he murmured, sensing her shyness, and closed hi
s hands over hers. “When it comes to you, there is no such thing as mercy, is it? You’ve damned me to an eternal hell of wanting you and nothing else.”

  She inhaled a sharp breath. “Jarrod---”

  He cupped the back of her nape, and then ran his large hand upward before threading his fingers in her thick dark mane. “Do you realize the power that you have over me? All my good intentions---you have annihilated every single one of them,” he breathed hoarsely, teasing her lips with his breath. “You’re the only woman in the world that leaves me completely fucked up in the head.”

  To her disappointment, he stepped back, leaving several feet between them, and once more, she feared that he’d pull away from her entirely.

  “I don’t mean to ‘fuck you up’, as you’re saying,” she said, confused, still standing with her back pressed against the door. “It’s just that I love you so much, and I can’t control how I feel about you.”

  “Damn it, when it comes to you, I have no sense of control,” he thundered, shaking his head. “For pity’s sake, look at me now. Downstairs, there’s a room full of criminals and vultures, and our entire lives could be usurped at any moment. But, all I can think about is sheathing myself into your heat and losing myself in you. Doesn’t that prove that I’ve reached a new level of crazy?”

  “I’m sorry, is wanting me that much so wrong?” she whispered, blinking back tears. “You think that you’re the only one that feels that way? I’ve spent the last weeks of life in pure hell, and all that I could think about was being with you.” A tear slipped down her cheek. “Being with you now makes me realize how lost I’ve been without you. This is the only chance that we can ever be together again. Neither of us knows what tomorrow will bring, especially with Matt and his threats.

  “And the son-of-a-bitch is going to pay for every bit of pain that he’s caused you,” Jarrod muttered, and his wild anger flared again. “That’s why we have to take a step back right now and focus. As much as I want to make love to you right now, I can’t. This isn’t the time or the place.” He cupped the back of her nape again, and once more his eyes smoldering with dangerous, sensual intent. “When we’re long and far away from here, we’re going to have our time. All day---all fucking night, I’m going to touch you, taste you, and make love to you until neither of us can think straight.” He pressed a soft kiss along her forehead. “But, right now, I’m going to get you out of here. Then, Addison and I can end this game, once and for all. It’s been a long time coming. Only one of us will be left standing at the end. Get dressed.”