by Ellen March
“Jeez, you really know how to make a girl feel safe.”
He turned to her. “Baby, while I’m here I’ll always keep you that way.” Micah didn’t notice her wince at his words. He hadn’t meant it the way she was taking it. As far as he was concerned, once he’d found out what was going on, they could both leave. She was going with him.
Savannah tried to stop the shiver of pain. He’d made it clear again he wasn’t hanging around. She dropped the visor and checked her hair. It was a mess, as usual. Why would he want a dishevelled, overweight woman for a partner, anyway?
All he wanted was a bed bitch.
And she was it.
While he happened to be around. Besides, he’d want to get back to his sister at some point.
They managed the journey without an argument.
Almost.
Charu rang her mobile, taking great delight in telling her that the burlesque dancer had rung in sick again.
“It’s okay. I’ll do it.” Hanging up, she glanced at Micah, who was watching her.
“You’ll do what?”
“Dance tonight. The fans will be out, sweetheart.” She tried not to grin at his face, at the absolute horror that was roaring over it.
“Like hell they will. I mean, you’re not going on that stage again.” He shot her a glare. “No way, Anna, even if it means me closing the doors and stopping anyone coming in. I swear I’ll do it. And then you can dance. Just for me.” The thought suddenly appealing, he gave her a dirty wink.
“Micah, do you want to get sacked again?”
“Savannah, you can threaten and do all you like. But you’re not going on that stage, baring your ass. Got it, woman?”
“I do what I want. You don’t own me. In fact, as you said, this is only for a short while. And when you’ve gone, then I do whatever, okay?”
“Then maybe I’ll have to stay,” he yelled.
“Oh, don’t put yourself out,” she yelled back. “If it makes it easier, then I won’t dance, and that means you can leave.” Belatedly, she realized she didn’t know what part of the world he came from or where he’d go to.
***
Micah shook his head as he followed her swaying ass into the house. She was a short-tempered witch. But hell, he decided, despite their arguments, the making up was the best thing. He wondered if they’d ever get through a single day without a disagreement. Then shook his head, already knowing the answer.
He pushed open the door to the tiny room and stood at the entrance. The kitchen was too small to house him, along with Cato and Savannah. She turned a cold shoulder to him and carried on talking to her brother. Undaunted, Micah leaned against the door jamb and watched her. He was fascinated by her spill of verbal diarrhoea as she chatted away, her hands illustrating each sentence, every word. Until her rapid-fire stream of words made him giddy.
Suddenly Savannah spun and pushed past him. She didn’t bother looking up, and instead stomped up the stairs.
“Another row?” asked Cato with a knowing smirk.
Micah nodded, hearing her pound around in the room above. “What’s she doing?”
“Collecting a few more things. Don’t ask me what, though. She hasn’t got much.”
Another pain slammed into him, and he vowed again to give her everything she’d missed out on. He touched the ring he’d filched in his pocket. Once he’d spotted it in the bathroom, he’d homed in. She hadn’t missed it, and today was too good an opportunity to pass up. He could put it back in the same spot as soon as they returned to the Orangery.
He needed her ring size, and then he intended calling through his requirements to his favourite jeweller’s. It would be special, created just for her.
He noticed Cato watching him, head tilted in contemplation. “What?”
“Who are you really, Micah?” he finally asked.
Chapter Seventeen
Cato might be young, but he was savvy.
Micah fenced with him. “What do you mean?”
Cato nodded at his watch. “That’s not fake.” Then did the same to his clothes. “And they come with a hefty price tag. There’s a lot I don’t know, but when it comes to fashion, I’m your man.” He leaned back against the worktop. “So how come you’re working as a bouncer, pretending to have no money?”
Micah sucked in a sigh. He could hear Savannah still flouncing around upstairs. “Promise not to tell your sister?”
Cato hesitated. “It won’t hurt her?”
Micah shook his head. “You’ve got my word I’ll never do that. I’m in love with her.”
Cato grinned. “I kinda guessed that when you were here the last time.”
Micah’s eyes widened with surprise. “The problem is I’m here on a bet with a friend of mine. To work for a month with no money.”
“So?”
“So have you heard of North Holdings?”
Cato laughed. “Who hasn’t? The son of a bitch who owns that is a rich, calculating, cold bastard, according to what I’ve read.”
Micah nodded. “All true. It’s my company.”
Cato paled. “What? So why doesn’t anyone know who you are?”
“I’m shy of publicity, a bit of a recluse. You won’t ever see a photo of me in the papers.”
“And is it true? You’re a billionaire?”
Again Micah nodded. “But Anna thinks I’m broke and saving money for my pregnant sister.”
“Oh shit.” Cato slapped a hand over his eyes. “Please don’t tell me there isn’t one.”
“Nope,” he shrugged. “Which is why I want to get everything sorted with the club—who’s trying to kill her, rip her off—before I tell her the truth.”
Cato shook his head. He knew his sister well. “Micah, you don’t have a chance in hell if you’ve pulled the sympathy card and she’s fallen for it then discovers the truth. Well let’s just say she’s not going to react kindly.”
Micah’s stomach sank. He’d guessed as much, but her brother confirming it made his nerves twist even more. Now he was even more scared of revealing the truth, dreading her reaction.
Cato read the worry in his face and didn’t envy him. He might be a hard bastard in business, carving them up, cold and unfeeling. But when it came to slighting or lying to Savannah, she’d tear him up and spit him out. And there’d be nothing he could do about it.
“I need to find a jeweller. Any close around here?”
Cato looked at him speculatively. “If you’re thinking of bribery, you won’t win her over with any trinket.”
Micah didn’t reply but waited until Cato had given him directions.
“Don’t mention where I’ve gone, just tell her ‘business.’ ” He started to leave then paused. “And don’t forget—no saying a word to her. In time I’ll explain.”
Cato sighed and watched as the big man left. “Think you’ve already left it too late,” he muttered, knowing damn well how his sister would react.
***
Micah was back. Within half an hour, he’d discovered the shop and checked her size. Once it was ready, all he needed to do was invent an excuse, take his private jet to the States, and get her the ring.
Savannah looked up from her coffee; she’d stirred it continuously, wondering just what “business” Micah could have. He didn’t know the town. Of course she suspected the worst.
He bounced in and ground to a halt at the sight of her sulky face. “What’s up?”
“Nothing at all.” She smiled, but it wasn’t a happy face, more suited to an escaped mental patient. “So just what is this ‘business’ you had?”
“The bank. I needed to sort some details out.”
“Like what? You’ve got no money.”
He nodded. “That’s what I needed to sort out—up my overdraft.”
“Why?”
He wished she hadn’t asked that. “To help my sister out, of course. She needs some money, and until I get paid, well ….” He shrugged, holding his hands out in a helpless gesture. Inwar
dly he cringed at having to resort to more lies. Shit, he was digging a hole for himself.
Instantly Savannah felt guilty. She was bitching, and all he was doing was thinking about his sister. “Why didn’t you say something? We could have sorted an advance.”
“Never thought of it, but never mind, it’s done now.” He threw a secretive smirk at Cato, who shook his head in despair.
Cato knew Micah thought he’d won, but no one put one over on Savannah. Not even Mister High Flyer who razed buildings and livelihoods stood a chance against her when she went off on a bitch.
And it was coming. It was just a matter of when the proverbial shit would hit the fan. There were no ifs or buts about it.
***
Micah hauled the bag out of the car. “What the hell is in here?” His muscles strained.
“Just a few odds and bobs,” she said and walked ahead of him, dreading the coming argument about the dance. But Savannah was determined to go on stage now and only because he’d said he’d stay if she agreed to his terms.
It was feminine logic. She wanted him, craved him to stay, but not if she was forced to submit to his blackmail. He’d stay if she didn’t dance? Well, he could go to hell. And still her period hadn’t arrived.
They’d had unprotected sex a few days before she was due. Surely she wouldn’t have caught straight away? From what she’d read, that was her most infertile time. Nah, it was simply stress. Someone trying to kill her would have that affect, she reasoned.
Once in his room, Micah rang the jewellers. At first they’d given a date of two weeks. After a bit of not-so-friendly persuasion, he’d narrowed it down to a few days. He was paying over the top for exclusivity. They would work on nothing else—only the ring—with hardly a break. Next he rang his pilot to arrange the flight.
Micah had breathed a sigh of relief when the burlesque dancer had called back and come in after all.
It saved him an argument and also kept him from having to manhandle her off the stage if she chose to go on. Instinctively he knew she would have. He could browbeat most people, but not her. They really were going to have an interesting life together, he decided with a soppy grin.
***
Micah was seated aboard his private plane on the way back from the States. He was jetlagged but had arranged a landing collection of ring and return to the UK. He might be a ten-year-old kid, he thought, he was so excited to see her face when he gave it to her. Again he flicked the box open to stare down at the huge diamond solitaire. He could have arranged to have it collected, but he wanted to see it for himself. To treasure it and what the ring truly meant, a lifetime commitment. Micah had wanted to be the only one to touch it, the one to give it to her.
The ring was simple, unadorned, and worth a king’s ransom. And she deserved it, he decided, smiling at the many facets that gleamed in the light. But he still needed to get the timing right, and his stomach roiled with nerves.
***
Savannah was missing him. Each hour dragged by too slowly. She was moping and pining for Micah. When he’d said he had to visit his sister, she’d wanted to go with him. But as the offer didn’t come, she’d shut up.
And sulked.
Until he’d made the sweetest love to her. She’d melted beneath each touch of his fingers, and oh God, she thought, his tongue and mouth had been eager torture devices. She smiled as he’d issued her with a to-do list. Or in her case, not-to-do. Don’t go out, don’t be alone, don’t do this, don’t do that. Until in the end she scrapped his written orders and binned it. And then the phone had kept ringing. Over and over, he’d called to check on where she was.
She smiled, remembering the last call, when she’d been lying in bed.
“Anna, where are you?” His soft voice had trickled over her.
“Lying here, thinking of you.”
“In bed?” his voice hitched and he leaned back in his seat. Alone in the lounge of the jet, he pulled out and began fisting himself. Imagining her on her back, waiting for him, he stifled a groan.
“Uh-huh, and I’m masturbating, sweetheart. My fingers are where you should be, you naughty boy.”
“You’re a cruel witch, teasing me,” he muttered, running his hand over his huge erection.
“I’m thinking of you. Of how my tongue could lick down your shaft, all the way to the base. I’d suck over you, kiss your balls, and then take each one into my mouth.”
“Oh, Christ,” groaned Micah, his hand sliding over his prick.
“Micah, oh Christ, I can almost feel you. My hand is polishing my clit, and I want to come, but not alone.”
“I’m with you, baby,” he cried, furiously pumping his shaft.
“God, Micah, I want to suck you, to taste every drop of come that you give me. I want you, sweetheart. So much.”
“Anna, I can’t stop.” He groaned loudly as he came over his stomach. Pearl droplets dripped out of the tip of his shaft, her words sending him over the edge. “Come for me, baby.”
“Oh shit, oh God,” she muttered. Reaching her own orgasm, she curled into her hand. Every nerve exploded and shuddered. “Micah?” she asked weakly.
“What, baby?” His breath came out in gasps.
“Come back to me soon?”
I will, Anna. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“And Micah …?” she’d been about to add how much she loved him and stopped. How would she cope when he left? It would tear her heart out. Surely he cared for her, but not enough. If she declared her love, he’d run for the hills.
“Yeah?”
“Nothing … give my love to your sister,” she finished lamely and heard the suck of breath on the other side. Savannah clicked the phone off.
Restless and unable to sleep—her thoughts wrapped on Micah—she decided to resume her hunt for anything personal to Kitty. Hauling a stool to the large wardrobe, she balanced on it and flapped an arm, hoping to find something. When her hand hit a box, her fingers scrambled over it, gradually drawing it closer.
Savannah held the small wooden box, then returned to bed. Sitting cross-legged, she held her breath as she opened it.
***
Charu sat in the small office, the mobile jammed to her ear. “Yeah, well, what are you going to do? She’s already rung you up about the accounts.”
“And I knew she would. I’ve stalled for time. Stop panicking.”
“I’m not. I just want that bitch out of here.”
“Well, she is the owner.”
“I don’t care who the hell she is. Get rid of her.”
“Ooh, temper, temper. Is it that you want to get into her man’s pants?”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “And if it is?”
“Nothing to do with me, Niece.” His chuckle sounded down the line. “Where are they now?”
“She’s around here, lurking. He’s been away for a day or two, apparently visiting his sister.”
“What? Why didn’t you say?”
“Because he only did it on the spur of the moment.” Too late she realized they’d missed their chance.
“You have got to have a major problem. I could have arranged an accident for the bitch by now if you weren’t thinking with your fanny.”
“Well, he’s not here now, so come on, as you’re so confident. Or did you happen to forget where you were supposed to be at—the bank?” She looked up to see the returning car. “Hold on, he’s back, but give me a chance, and I’ll get rid of him this afternoon. And then she’s all yours.”
He shook his head. He’d had the ease of doing it and she hadn’t rung him? God, he thought, bloody women and their hormones. But he had to admit, he’d had a meeting he couldn’t cancel.
He’d needed to sort out the funding—how much money he could borrow to keep them floating until they’d pulled this off. But if she’d rung, he could have managed to fit an accident in.
“Stupid bitch!” he cursed.
***
Savannah glanced out of the window and saw Micah’s
car parking. A gust of excitement ignited. It started deep inside and burned upwards until a huge flare of lust devoured her.
She couldn’t wait to tell him what she’d found. Finally she could lay Kitty’s ghost to rest.
When his big body emerged, she noticed how he rubbed his neck as if he’d been travelling a long way. A dismal thought ran through her. Had he been to visit his sister or was it someone else? Then she recalled their blistering session, along with his words, and knew he hadn’t.
She was lying back on the bed, pretending to sleep, when the door flung open then thudded closed. Savannah wasn’t showing him how much she missed him—that she was gagging for it, for him. She was determined to try and remain calm and detached. She heard the rasp of a zip, a snuffle of clothes, and the bed dipped. His warm body covered her, and his lips slid down her throat.
“Don’t pretend, baby. I saw you at the window, watching me.” His hand moved up and rubbed across her nipple, kneading her tit. It flowed into his palm.
At once her eyes shot open. He was close, too close. She couldn’t deny her need. His vivid blue eyes probed hers. He didn’t wait for an answer, instead began systematically stripping her until she lay naked. “I can’t wait, baby. I need you badly. It’s hurting,” he muttered. His hands grazed over her with feverish intensity.
Savannah held him close. Her lips covered his with a slow, delicious, teasing sweep. Her tongue licked slowly, twirling with his, tasting him. She roped her arms around his neck. “Oh, Micah,” she breathed, welcoming him to her body.
Over an hour later, they collapsed back, sated and gasping.
Micah lay on his back. His eyes burned with exhaustion, but it had been worth it to hurry back to his woman.
All the while he’d been away from her, he’d fretted. Although scared something could happen, he’d felt driven with an all-consuming urge to give her his ring. Make his proposal. The ring had to be ready. Now he’d decided he was marrying her, nothing was going to stand in his way.
When the time was right, he wanted it to be perfect, leaving nothing to chance.