Be What Love Is

by Malouff, Ellie

  I’m tugged back by a bony hand with sharp claws. I swing around to face my captor, and she has cold, mean eyes.

  “Let me go,” I yell.

  “I have something I want to say to you,” she snarls and tightens her grip.

  “I will scream bloody murder if you do not let me go,” I reply and tug.

  “You may think that you know Reid, but you don’t know him at all.”

  I take a step closer to her. “I know him better than you ever will.”

  She laughs. “You’re delusional. If you’re in it for the money, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. He’ll never give it up. The company. The money. That’s all he cares about. He’ll be dipping into your new money before you know it.”

  “Fuck off.”

  “We lost the Collins Group deal, and I’m about to go tell him. I’d keep an eye on your accounts if I were you. It’s going to take a whole lot of our own money now to go forward with the expansion.”

  “What?” I ask. “You lost the deal?”

  “Yes, no thanks to you.”

  “I don’t have to listen to this,” I say and finally pull out of her grasp to flee. I storm back to where I left Reid, but he’s not there. I lean over the bar and close my eyes, trying to process everything that just happened. Fingertips once again slide up my bare back, accompanied by a wave of tingles.

  “Reid, I’m so glad you’re back,” I say and turn around in his embrace. I’m shocked when it isn’t Reid, but Alexander. I take a small step back, but there’s not far to go. He’s trapped me and he reeks of booze.

  “So, you and Reid Lewis?” he says and takes a step closer to me, erasing the distance I put between us.

  “Yes,” I say after a long pause. I turn back toward the bar to avoid contact with him.

  “Being with a Montgomery has its advantages, even I know that,” he says and grazes my arm with the back of his hand. “Livingston certainly thought so.”

  I swallow hard and spit out, “Excuse me?”

  “All that wealth,” he says with a mischievous grin as he eyes me up and down.

  “Wow,” I reply and look over my shoulder for Reid, but can’t spot him.

  “That’s quite the dress you have on. Did Lewis use your money to pay for it?”

  “No,” I say and shake my head.

  “Well, you’re stunning in it, no matter how you paid for it.”

  I give him a sharp look and ask, “Are you trying to press my buttons?”

  “Darling, I would love to press your buttons,” he whispers and runs his hand up my back once again.

  “I’m with Reid,” I state as clearly as I can.

  “You’ll see soon enough what a mistake that is. He’s not the man you deserve. He can’t even run his own company, that’s why he needs Vickie so much,” he says as his fingertips slip beneath the fabric of my dress, and his other hand holds on tightly to my arm.

  “Stop,” I say loud enough to startle him, and in an instant Reid is there, pulling Alexander away from me. Reid looks as if he doubled in size. He’s puffed up and fuming mad.

  “What the fuck?” he rages.

  Alexander throws his hands up as if he’s innocent, or perhaps in some sort of surrender pose. “Hey mate, it was nothing.”

  Reid grabs him by his jacket lapels, pulls him forward, and gets in his face. “It didn’t look like nothing. You had your hands on my girl, mate.”

  “Piss off.” Alexander shoves Reid off of him, but Reid lunges for him.

  “Stop!” I shout and try to reach Reid, in some feeble effort to break up the fight. Alexander swings out and hits me square in the chest, knocking me backward. My heels make it impossible to keep my balance. I teeter back, falling right onto my ass, my legs spread wildly wide, exposing way too much of me to the crowd.

  “Cara!” Reid shouts and forgets all about Alexander, who uses the opportunity to sloppily punch him in the jaw.

  My legs quickly close and I move onto my knees, ready to hop up and jump on Alexander. I can’t believe he punched him. They’re supposed to be civilized men.

  Thankfully, the bouncers pull them apart. The men scream obscenities at each other, while a few of the waitstaff help me get back on my feet. A bouncer drags Alexander out of the lounge, but they let Reid go, at least for the moment. He moves quickly to my side and wraps his arm around me.

  “Are you all right?” he asks, inspecting me with wild, panicked eyes.

  “I’m fine. Embarrassed that I exposed myself, but fine.” I reach out to touch his jaw. It’s already swelling.

  “I’m so sorry, Cara. I shouldn’t have left you alone.”

  “It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine. It makes me crazy that he touched you like that.”

  “I know, I know, but it’s all right. I promise it’s all right.” I pull him into an embrace. He holds onto me so tightly, unwilling to let me go.

  The bouncer is back and gives me a look that says time’s up.

  I pull back and whisper, “I think we should go.”

  His eyes are foggy, and his bottom lip is sagging. He nods and holds onto me tightly as we walk through the lounge. The crowd is eerily quiet as they watch us go. I’m surprised at how quickly they turned on him. I catch an eyeful of Victoria. She has a look of utter satisfaction on her face. I wouldn’t be surprised if she put Alexander up to it. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least. London and this whole scene are quickly falling out of my favor.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Promises

  Reid

  “That fucking prick.” The ice pack against my jaw has numbed the pain, making it easier to speak my mind. And boy do I ever. “I can’t believe he touched you like that.”

  “I’m fine,” Cara says for the umpteenth time. She’s sitting beside me at the breakfast bar and watching me closely.

  “Alexander is fucking dead to me. Forever.”

  She raises an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I’m a possessive dickhead, but I’ve found the one person on this planet that I have chosen to love, and I’m not taking it lightly. I couldn’t bear that he was making you so uncomfortable. It turned me into this primal animal that desperately wanted to protect you and protect us.”

  She picks up my free hand and holds it in hers. “You don’t have to protect us. I’m yours, Reid Lewis. You have my heart.”

  My God, this woman has a way of making me feel better. I set the ice pack down and rest my forehead against hers. “You have my heart too, Cara Montgomery.”

  “I’m sorry about all this,” she whispers.

  “Don’t apologize. In no way, whatsoever, is this your fault. I’m the one who should apologize. I’m too hotheaded when it comes to you.”

  “I know the feeling,” she says. “By the way, I’m sorry about the Collins Group.”

  “What?” I sit up straight. “What do you mean about the Collins Group?”

  “Victoria told me that the deal fell through.”

  “When was this?”

  Her eyebrow lifts. “Wait, you don’t know?”

  “No, when did she tell you?”

  “Tonight, in the ladies room. She basically ambushed me.”

  “Why are you only telling me this now?”

  “Because of everything that happened with that jerk.”

  “Tell me exactly what she said.”

  “She said that it was my fault that the Collins Group deal fell through.”

  “Are you sure she didn’t mean that it would be your fault if the Collins Group fell through.”

  She thinks on that for a moment. “I don’t think so.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I say and pull out my phone. “I’ve got to call her.”

  “Of course,” Cara says. “But, I’m going to head upstairs, I’ve had enough of her for one evening.”

  “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll be up there soon.”

  She saunters out of the kitchen, up the glass staircase, and I can’t take my eyes off her the whole time
. Without thinking, I reach into my pocket for the hundredth time tonight to rub her lacy panties between my fingers. God, I want her. I take three steps in her direction but come to my senses.

  Goddammit, this is the not the right time. Later.

  With a couple of taps on my phone, I ring Victoria.

  “Yes,” she answers right away.

  “Did the Collins Group deal fall through?”

  “Reid, how’s your jaw?” she asks, feigning some sweet concern. She’s fucking with me.

  “Answer me,” I demand. “I’m not fucking around.”

  Her mood quickly flip-flops. “Yes, Reid. I tried to tell you tonight, but between sticking your tongue down your girlfriend’s throat and getting in a fistfight with Alexander, I didn’t really get the chance. What kind of animal are you?”

  “Give me his number, I want to talk to him.”

  “It won’t do any good. They walked, Collins told me himself.”

  My hand pounds onto the countertop. “That’s fucking perfect.”

  “You have no one to blame but yourself and your girlfriend. I told you, so many times, that you needed to come back to London.”

  “Would it have mattered? It doesn’t sound like we were able to accommodate them. We’re not getting into diamonds or anything like that.”

  “This is exactly the problem, Reid. You’re not thinking outside of the box. If you want to expand the business, you have to expand your outlook as well. You have to take risks.”

  I know this, even Trevor knew this, but I don’t always trust my gut the way Trevor trusted his. I want to do the right thing for our clients. Their livelihood is at stake and so is mine.

  “So now what?” I ask, trying to move us onto a more productive conversation.

  She sighs. “Now we need to put in our own capital. You know how much I planned to contribute, the question is, how much are you able to put in?”

  “I don’t have all the figures yet, but I’ll let you know when I do. It should be soon.”

  “I’ve heard that before,” she says and she’s still so annoyed at me.

  “All right. Let’s talk in the morning.”

  “Fine. But I’m still waiting for your apology.”

  “For what?”

  “For becoming so stupidly smitten with that nobody.”

  My teeth grit and something ferocious bubbles inside me. “I will never apologize for being with Cara.”

  “This is all her fault. If Trevor hadn’t brought her back here, we’d be in a totally different position.”

  “Do not try to pin this on her, Vicki. The Collins Group was never going to be ours. Isn’t it obvious?” My harsh voice echoes off all the steel and glass in my kitchen.

  “Keep telling yourself that, Reid. If you had made smarter choices, we’d be sitting pretty.”

  “Smarter choices? Like what, being with you? It was never going to happen.”

  “Well get ready to pay up, I hope it’s been worth it.”

  “Cara is worth everything.”

  “God, I’m going to vomit. Call me when you have the figures,” she says and hangs up on me.

  What a disaster. I’d be more upset, but it sounds like the Collins Group was never meant to be. What upsets me is that Victoria is trying to scapegoat Cara. If I didn’t need her at the firm, I’d push her out. Unfortunately, she is very good at this, and we need the best we can get, especially now that Trevor is gone.

  Cara

  With my black stiletto heels on, I stretch out across Reid’s bed, belly down, and with my calves in the air, crossed at the ankles. I’m waiting for him to finish his phone call with Victoria and I’m wearing a particularly sexy piece of lingerie that I bought earlier today.

  Never in my life have I felt as sexy as I do right now. And I love that the lingerie is the same shade of red as the gown I wore to the gala. I’m hoping he makes the connection.

  Tonight’s drama was so terrible that I considered calling it a night when I came upstairs, but I’m still charged up from giving him my panties, and I can’t get that delicious kiss at the bar out my head. So, I’ve decided to set aside all that trouble and do something that will help me remember all the good things about being in London with Reid.

  The distinct sound of Reid’s dress shoes on the glass stairway makes every hair on my body stand on end.

  He’s coming.

  I take a deep breath and plaster on my most seductive smile. When he enters the bedroom, he stops in his tracks as his mouth falls open.

  “What is this?” he asks.

  “Something for you.”

  “You’re giving yourself to me?” he asks and rubs his sore jaw as he takes a few steps closer to the bed.

  “Yes.” I start to press up, but he puts his hand out.

  “Stop. I don’t want you to move. I want to remember this forever.”

  My head drops down to my arms while I laugh.

  “You’re so god damned sexy. I have a feeling that’s not the last time I’m going to get into a fight over you.”

  I sit up on my knees, and he takes a sharp slice of breath.

  “You don’t have to fight over me. Like I said downstairs, I’m yours.”

  “Yes. Yes, you are.” He walks over to the bed and extends his hand. “Stand up.”

  With my hand in his, I do what he requests. Once I’m standing, he circles around me once, and then a second time, while outlining my curves with the tips of his fingers. Everywhere he goes, he leaves goosebumps behind. He finally stops, right in front of me and stares down at my heaving chest. His eyes go dark as night. With two fingers, he slowly traces the red lace edge along my breasts and gently grazes over my nipple with his palm.

  “You’re all I want,” he says, his voice laced with lust. Desire flows through me as those words sink in and I pull my bottom lip between my teeth, only to let it go when he grips my chin. He takes great care to rub his thumb, along that lip and the tiny indentations my teeth made.

  “You know that?” he asks and lifts my face up so that I have to meet his eyes.

  “Yes,” I whisper.

  Our breathing grows heavy and our lips part.

  “Don’t ever leave me,” he requests.

  “Never,” I reply while my fingers graze down his belly and over his erection that strains against the fabric of his pants. He watches closely as my hand wraps around him and squeezes. There’s a fervid current of tension between us. A line has been crossed. He grabs me at the neck and pulls me to his mouth with hungry, desperate need.

  The lingerie has served its purpose and is removed promptly. God, it feels so good to be with him. With every kiss and every inch he gives me, the terrible night is forgotten. And with every delicious word he spills into my ear as he reigns over my body, my trepidation of moving to London fades, because I can’t imagine being parted from him. Ever.

  Our frenzy gives way and our night extends into the early hours. We finally pass out, spent and sweaty, and completely tangled up in each other.

  * * *

  Reid’s phone beeps from the nightstand, waking us. The morning hurts. Literally, my entire body is sore, from both the sex and falling on my ass last night. He unwraps himself from me and retrieves the phone. To my surprise, he takes in a sharp breath, then sits up in bed and lets the sheet pool around his bare waist.

  “What is it?” I ask and bury my face back into my pillow.

  “It’s from Evan. He says there’s an offer on Canterwood Manor.” I look over at Reid, and a smile spreads across his face.

  “Oh,” I say, as a horrible sense of apprehension fills me. It’s too soon to let go. I’m not ready. “And what if it’s a crappy offer?”

  “We’ll negotiate,” he answers and lifts my hand up to his lips for a swift kiss before he springs out of bed and slips on pajama bottoms.

  I try to be as cheery as Reid, because maybe if I fake it long enough, it will stick. I grab Reid’s dress shirt from the floor and put it on as my mind grips onto
anything at all positive about this. He comes back over to the bed and is beaming as he talks about the possible sale and my impending move to London. I listen as I force my lips to lift at the corners. It’s an effort, to say the least.

  Reid doesn’t see it. He misses that my breathing has shallowed and he misses that I’m holding my knees up to my chest. “We can travel back to the states if you like, to settle your affairs there. Or I suppose we can hire a service to take care of that.”

  I’m barely hearing him. Instead, I hear my heart thumping against my breastbone. It’s so worked up I’m afraid it might actually burst from my chest.

  “We can work on the details later,” he says happily. “I’m going to get in the shower.” He kisses me on the forehead and doesn’t notice the sheen of sweat.

  “Wait, maybe we should talk about this,” I say.

  But we don’t get the chance, his phone rings, and he’s distracted by it. “Hold that thought, sweetheart, it’s Damien.”

  “Reid Lewis,” he answers. “Yes, how are you? Great. What can I do for you?”

  While he listens carefully, something odd happens to his face, something like intense concentration.

  “Go ahead.”

  Reid rubs his hand over his face as the color drains from him.

  “A Degas?”

  A what now?

  Reid starts pacing around. “And you’re absolutely certain it’s authentic?” He nods as he gets his answer. “Christ, what are talking about here? Give me a number.”

  He swallows hard and looks over at me.

  “What’s going on?” I whisper.

  He shakes his head and asks Damien, “Where is it now? Have you secured it? Okay, good. Yes. Yes. No, I need to talk to Cara about it first. All right, I’ll be in touch.”

  Reid ends the call and presses the phone to his mouth.

  “What?” I ask and crawl across the bed to be closer.

  “You are never going to believe this.”

  “What? Just tell me already.”

  “Apparently, the painting your grandfather gave you, it’s an original Edgar Degas.”

  “Who?” I ask, but does it matter? Whenever you toss around words like original and authentic, it means, well I’m not sure what all this should mean to me.