Ruthless Bastard: Rich Ruthless Bastards Book Two

by Tonya Brooks

  His tenuous control snapped. Only his sunshine girl could drive him wild, and he fucking loved it. It had always been like this between them. Like a match to dry wood, their passion ignited fast and white-hot, roaring into a conflagration that burned like a wildfire out of control. Scorching them from the inside out until only the glowing embers remained.

  She sank her teeth into his shoulder to stifle a scream and it took everything he had not to give a victory cry as their mutual release consumed them. Shifting them onto their sides, they lay wrapped in a fierce embrace as their hearts returned to a normal rate, and the sweat dried on their bodies.

  He couldn’t stop kissing her. His lips paid homage to hers for endless minutes, and he reveled in the feel of her in his arms again. Eyes slumberous with sated passion, Jolie lifted a hand to the beard stubble covering his cheek, and the beautiful smile that never failed to warm his soul lit her face when she said, “I love you.”

  Hearing those three precious words from her was more than he could take. His heart was so full of emotion that he simply could not contain it. Tears filled his eyes and overflowed and his voice shook with reverence when he vowed, “I will always love you.”

  When she snuggled deeper into his embrace and drifted contentedly off to sleep, Reece continued to lay there holding her. Reveling in the precious gift that he had been given. Jolie loved him. And she trusted him. He’d move heaven and earth to ensure that never changed because there was no way in hell he could live without her and their son again.

  He wouldn’t even try.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Reece

  Reece Lassiter was a happy man. His heart was filled with joy because Jolie loved him. Every time she looked at him, the evidence of it shone in her beautiful eyes just like it had when they were married. The knowledge gave him a deep sense of peace and contentment he hadn’t felt in too damn long.

  He had always known what a rare and precious gift her love was, but like a fool, he had thrown it away and destroyed them both in the process. That would never happen again. He swore by all that he held dear to show her exactly how much she meant to him every day for the rest of their lives.

  In order to do that, he needed to make his wife and child the center of his universe which meant turning his focus completely away from his business empire and onto them. The decision had not been difficult since he resented interrupting family time to take a call. And he hated seeing the disappointment in Bryce’s eyes on the few occasions it had happened.

  After a multitude of discussions with Dane during the trip to Disney, Reece had decided to retire from his position as CEO and appoint his brother as his successor. Dane was more than capable of running the company and was the only person that he trusted enough to hand the reins over to, even though it had required considerable persuasion to get his brother to agree.

  And a sworn oath not to interfere.

  He had no intention of interfering. Once the transition was complete his family would be his sole focus and nothing could have pleased him more. His attorney had not been of the same opinion. George had been on the verge of cardiac arrest when he instructed him to set the wheels in motion for the change in leadership.

  The attorney had cited every conceivable protest and since he had already considered the possible ramifications, Reece shot them all down. His business was sound enough to survive any repercussions that might occur. Not that he expected they would, but if it did happen, he had complete confidence that his brother could handle them.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t say the same about the private investigator he’d hired to find Jolie’s tormentor. He had reported that Doctor Gavin Corbyn was an upstanding medical professional well respected by his peers and adored by his patients. The bastard was as clean as a whistle and had no skeletons in his closet, damn him.

  Bartles had not found anything suspicious in his old surveillance notes and records either. He also explained that a judge would not issue a court order to obtain phone records for the companies Jolie had worked for without cause and added that if the suspect had used a burner phone, tracking him would be next to impossible.

  Incensed and frustrated at running into dead ends, Reece contacted a friend who had been known to operate outside the legal system allegedly when the need arose. If Malachi Black didn’t know someone who could help him resolve the issue, he was certain that the attorney could put him in contact with someone who could.

  Malachi did not conduct business over the phone, so he had suggested they meet at their usual watering hole. Envy was not a typical members-only club and neither were its members. It was a by invitation only club that catered exclusively to the financial one-percent who met a specific criterion.

  Members had to be bastards by birth or nature, hence the club’s nickname, the Bastard Club. The host, Bastion Baines owned luxury resorts and casinos around the globe, and every location contained an uber private Club Envy. The one they were meeting at was located in his Manhattan resort, Opulent.

  The other man was already seated in one of the private booths, a bottle of whiskey, and two glasses sitting atop the table. “Thanks for meeting me, Malachi,” he said as he slid onto the plush banquette bench across from him.

  “Not a problem,” the other man replied. “Give me a dollar.”

  Without questioning the strange request, Reece pulled out his wallet and slid a hundred across the table. “I don’t have anything smaller.”

  “It’ll do,” Malachi said as he picked it up and slid it into his breast pocket. “Consider that a retainer. Now that attorney-client privilege has been enacted, how can I help?”

  That was one of the many reasons he liked Malachi. He was a man of few words and never failed to cut to the heart of a matter with precision skill. And he was a devious bastard which was always a plus. “Someone has been stalking my wife,” Reece admitted as he poured himself a glass of the finely aged amber liquor.

  Midnight-blue eyes widened in surprise before he said, “I wasn’t aware that you had remarried.”

  Reece gave him a hard look and said, “I will only ever have one wife. Jolie and I are reconciling.”

  “Congratulations,” Malachi responded with a genuine smile and didn’t bother asking questions that he knew would not be answered. “Why do you believe she’s being stalked?”

  He explained the mysterious phone calls and explained how Bartles had come up with nothing before biting out, “The bastard has intentionally made her life a living hell. I want him found and dealt with.”

  “Getting the phone records is not a problem,” the attorney opined through a cloud of smoke. “And burner phones can be tracked. However, my investigator’s methods won’t hold up in court, so if you want him prosecuted, that will be a problem.”

  Prosecution wasn’t even an option. Reece wanted the pleasure of beating the hell out of the sick fuck that had dared to torment the woman he loved. The smile on his face was feral enough to make a lesser man piss himself. The fact that Malachi didn’t even blink was another reason why they were friends. Birds of a feather and all that.

  “Just get me a name,” he insisted and slid a list containing his wife's former places of employment and the dates across the table. “I’ll handle it from there.”

  “Consider it done.”

  “Jolie doesn’t need to know about this,” he thought to point out.

  The attorney tapped his breast pocket where the hundred was tucked away and replied with a truly wicked smile, “Privilege includes spouses as well.” Yet another reason why Malachi was so successful. The man knew when to keep his mouth shut.

  ***

  An hour later, Reece entered the penthouse and asked, “Sunshine, where's Bry?” Their son always met him at the elevator on the few occasions that he went out without them.

  “I asked Dane to keep him tonight,” Jolie admitted as she rose from the couch and turned to face him. A sense of foreboding shot down his spine at her tone and expression. “We need to talk, R
eece.”

  “What's going on?” He demanded as he walked toward her because something was wrong. She looked nervous as hell, and he didn't like it.

  “I'm pregnant.”

  Just like the last time, those two little words rocked him to the soles of his feet. But this time, happiness such as he had never known flooded his soul. Lifting hands that held a noticeable tremble, he gently cupped her face before his lips covered hers in a kiss of pure reverence. “You're having my baby?” He asked in awe.

  She admitted bluntly, “This time it may not be yours.”

  If Jolie had been trying to draw blood, she'd succeeded. Reece recoiled as if from a physical blow. In truth, her words hurt worse than any punch he'd ever taken and stabbed deeper than a knife. Then his brain started functioning, and he wondered if she was taunting him because he hadn't believed her the last time or just testing how he reacted to the possibility.

  Either way, he couldn't blame her, so he admitted, “I deserved that.”

  “It wasn't a dig, Reece,” she said seriously. “It could be Gavin's baby.”

  He shook his head and tried to decipher her words, but his brain and his heart were both in complete denial. “No,” he negated harshly and refused to believe her. “It's mine. My baby.” When she merely stared back at him sadly, he grasped her hands and pleaded, “Dammit, Jolie, tell me it's mine.”

  “I can't,” she whispered brokenly.

  It was like reliving the past all over again.

  Every neuron and synapse in his brain went dormant. His rational mind abdicated the throne. The civilized veneer was stripped away. Reece became a creature of raw emotion driven by pain and rage. He was one hundred percent primal male locked into self-preservation mode. His fight or flight reflexes came online at full bore.

  One look at her ashen face and he knew flight was his only option.

  Without a word, he stalked inside the elevator and slammed his fist into the down button. He could hear Jolie calling his name but didn't dare look at her. Not now. Reece was far too volatile. His fury too perilous to be near her. He had to get away. Had to find someone else to vent his wrath on, a place to lick his wounds in private.

  The doors opened, and he stepped into the garage, bypassing his car and heading straight for the exit on foot. Once on the street, instinct led him into Central Park where he broke into a run. Ignoring the path, he traversed the wooded terrain at a ground eating lope, jumping over obstacles, barreling around trees at breakneck speed.

  The sound of his footfalls settled into the rhythm of the words stuck on repeat in his head. Not mine, not mine, not mine. He pushed his body to the absolute limit before he collapsed on the ground, a sweating, seething mass of furor. His heart was hammering in his chest, lungs pumping like bellows, blood roaring in his ears.

  Not mine, not mine, not mine.

  Needing to release the rage inside, Reece threw his head back and roared his fury to the canopy of trees overhead. Knowing instinctively that physical pain would override the emotional turmoil swirling through him, he fisted both hands in his hair and tugged hard. He needed to think, and that wasn't possible with emotion clouding his mind.

  “Not mine,” he choked out rawly as his brain began to slowly reboot. “Not fucking mine.” It was the same nightmare all over again, only this time it was worse. Because there was a chance that the baby could be his. And that chance gave him absolutely no choice in the matter. Reece would be damned if he'd turn his back on his child again.

  But if it wasn't his…

  The possibility was too painful to even think about, but he forced himself to do it anyway. Because the alternative was to lose Jolie for good this time. Returning to the bleak hell of an existence without her was not an option. No matter what it cost him, no matter how goddamn bad it hurt, he would not fail her a second time.

  He loved Jolie enough that he could accept her baby as his own, regardless of who its father was. Reece would adopt the child and raise it as his, just as the judge had done with him and Dane. The boundless love that Bryce Lassiter had given them had saved Reece from an early death on the streets. It was time to pay it forward.

  His mind made up, a sense of peace washed over him, the last vestiges of anger drained away at the rightness of his decision. Rising to his feet, he made his way back through the park, more than a little shocked at how far he'd run. Anxious to get back to Jolie, he broke into a jog that his overworked muscles protested.

  She had obviously expected him to behave like he had the last time since she'd sent Bryce away for the night. In light of how he had reacted, it had been a wise decision. Although his walking out without saying a word had been stupid as hell. He wouldn't be a bit surprised if Jolie had packed up and left. That thought spurred him on, and he couldn't get back to the penthouse fast enough.

  Jolie

  Since he re-entered her life, Reece had proved his devotion time and time again. He was completely dedicated to making their lives the absolute best that they could be. The same single-minded focus and determination that built his financial empire were now transfixed on restoring her faith in him and rebuilding their family.

  Jolie knew that she wanted to be Reece’s wife again, in every sense of the word. Because even after the hell that he had put her through, she still loved him and knew that she always would. It was ironic that she came to that conclusion just a few days before her newfound happiness was threatened.

  She was a jittery ball of nerves inside and a trembling mess outside. She had paced the floor incessantly since Reece walked out. Jolie had known the truth would hurt him, but my God, she'd had no idea how much. The pain she had seen in his eyes and on his handsome face would haunt her until her dying breath.

  He'd been devastated.

  So had she.

  Jolie hadn't known how Reece would react to her pregnancy, so she had prepared herself for the worst. But the absolute joy he had displayed had come as a complete surprise. It had also pissed her off because that was how he should have reacted the first time. At that point, she had lashed out at him with the truth.

  Big mistake.

  Because hurting him had only served to hurt herself. She had felt his pain as if it were her own. The same pain that he had felt when he hadn't believed that Bryce was his. And then he'd just shut down. His eyes had gone completely blank as if someone had flipped a switch and turned him off like a toy.

  A split-second later they had practically glowed with an unholy light and his expression had been frightening to say the least. When he'd stormed out of the penthouse she had called out to him to no avail. Reece had just left her there alone, and she was afraid he wasn't coming back. This time he'd walked out on her.

  Of course, this would happen after he had managed to regain her trust and restore her faith in him. And now it looked like he was going to break her heart again. Although this time his actions had been justified. She could be carrying another man's child so Jolie couldn't blame him for walking away.

  The elevator chimed, and she whirled around, dizzy with relief and sick with fear as the doors slid open. This was make or break time. Their entire relationship hinged on Reece's reaction, and she had never been more nervous in her life. Would he be the man that she hoped he was or were they destined to remain apart for good?

  Reece stepped out looking like he'd been through hell. His hair was disheveled, his clothes were torn and dirty, and he looked exhausted. But it was the fierce determination in his expression that had her trembling like a leaf. Jolie knew that look well. He had made a decision and nothing she said or did would change his mind now.

  With her heart in her throat, she said, “Jesus, Reece, you've been gone for hours. Are you alright?”

  You could have knocked her over with a feather when he pulled her into his arms and replied, “I am now.”

  “Why are you wet?”

  He pulled away and said, “I need a shower. Then we'll talk, okay?”

  She nodded her agreement and watche
d him walk down the hallway to the bedrooms. When he disappeared from sight, she sank wearily onto the couch and hugged a pillow to her chest. Reece had been remarkably calm and hadn't appeared to be upset in the slightest, which confused the hell out of her and left her wondering why he wasn't.

  Jolie still hadn't figured it out when he returned a few minutes later. Pajama bottoms riding low on his hips, hair still damp from the shower, and that glorious muscular chest on display was enough to make her forget her own name. No doubt about it. Reece was still a really hot guy and she was not even close to being immune.

  He sat down on the couch beside her and took her hand in his. Those turquoise eyes held hers with an intensity that she felt deep in her core. This was either going to be very good or really, really bad. When he seemed content to just sit there staring at her, she prompted anxiously, “You said you wanted to talk.”

  His other hand lifted and brushed a hair from her cheek as he admitted, “What I want to do is make love to you, but I suppose we need to talk first.”

  Heat bloomed in her nether regions and her nipples became hard peaks. God, what this man could do to her with a look and a few words ought to be illegal. Forcing her mind back to the matter at hand, Jolie said, “I'm sorry, Reece. I should have found a better way to tell you.”

  A bittersweet smile touched his lips as he shook his head. “Trust me, Sunshine. There was no good way,” Reece assured her. “I'm the one who owes you an apology for storming off like that. I should have told you that I needed to clear my head and think this through.”

  “I was afraid you weren't coming back,” she admitted.

  His hand tightened around hers in a gentle squeeze. “I swear I will always come back to you, Jolie. Always.”

  Her heart flipped over in her chest at that announcement because she now knew that he never broke a sworn oath. “Even if the baby isn't yours?” She just had to ask.