“I’ve slashed the price.” Luke sniffs as if it broke him to do so. Probably did. Greed doesn’t like to back down. “I’ve reworked the number to fit something you’re able to afford.”
“I can’t afford it. Jinx and Merlin can’t afford it.” Truth. I’d bankrupt myself if I tried.
“But together they can,” he insists. “Their stock goes up, and you pay me in increments. I take a lump sum now, monthly installments, and a balloon payout in three years.”
Cash nods. “We ran the numbers, ten times at least. This is more than possible. But without the merger, it’s dead in the water.”
Macy swipes her hand over my back like a pendulum. “Think about it. No one expects you to make a decision today.”
“We did this for you.” Carter leans in, sincere. “To save your ass like you did mine.” A half-smile comes and goes.
Tears come to my eyes, and I fight them. I’m not used to this, certainly not used to people putting their necks out on the line for me—merging two companies will certainly do that. But they’re right. Jinx and Merlin would emerge as giants overnight. This is exactly what both companies need to wake them from the mediocrity they’ve landed in, thanks to Luke.
“You win big, don’t you?” I don’t take my eyes off his.
“You will own me.” The words surge from him. “And, yes, I like to get paid for my shit.”
This time his words disarm me. “Spoken like a true Lionheart.”
Ford ticks his head to the side and lifts his hands as if to ask the question.
I look around the room filled with the faces of the people who have given me the most grief for the last few years and the most love. And right now, it feels as if every single person in this room is family. They are.
I pull Macy in and take an affirming breath. “I’d like to both thank and welcome you all to Merlin-Jinx.”
The room breaks out in cheers and applause.
Ford comes up and offers a partial embrace. “And one day soon, we’ll talk about me buying out some of those shares.”
I laugh, and it feels good. For once, the Cannons feel more like brothers than enemies—same goes for Luke. They saved my ass from prison, which in turn, lets me spend precious time with Macy. We will not lose years apart with iron bars between us.
I offer a warm kiss over her lips, right here in the middle of the boardroom.
She saved me from a prison far more terrifying than anything the government could provide.
She saved me from myself.
* * *
Merlin-Jinx. The rumors swirl long before the legal department makes it official, and stocks soar in both companies. By week’s end, a stock split is had, and champagne fills the boardrooms at both of my companies. I know the Cannons want their fair share returned to them. Stevie and Aspen are already lobbying for their spouses. I’m not oblivious of the things they’re willing to do to make it happen, but, for now, things need to remain as they are. There seems to be a ceasefire, not one of us is rocking the boat until the merger is complete, and then I suspect I’ll have to sleep with one eye open. But until then, it’s Dom and caviar, just the way my father would have wanted it. It’s the finer things that separated us from the rest of the world, and he’s right. For me, the finest thing on this planet happens to be Macy O’Conner, and I plan on making her mine, officially. But first, the reading of my father’s will.
In a stone-covered building, deep in the bowels of downtown L.A., my mother, my sisters, Macy, Luke, Carter, Ford, and I all shuffle into a miniature-sized boardroom with the same dark paneled walls that are eerily reminiscent of the ones at Merlin. My father liked it old school, right down to his attorneys.
We attempt to sit stoically, my sisters pressing balls of tissue to their eyes, as the last will and testament of Hans Lionheart is read for all to hear. My father gets one more voice, this time from the great beyond to make amends, restitution, and to tell us exactly how he feels. I’m ready. I’m nervous as hell, but I’m ready to hear whatever he has in store for us.
“To my precious wife, Daphne, I want you to know I loved you first, I loved you last, and I loved you far more in between than my actions could ever prove. Forgive me, darling. I bequeath to you all of our shared assets that bear your name along with mine, the monies of which we hold in our joint bank accounts as well as shared assets owned in Merlin, the houses, the boats, automobiles, and the island in the Maldives.”
Stevie and Aspen exchange glances when the attorney says island. Yes, it’s true. A track house could never be enough for Hans Lionheart. And sometimes, that island wasn’t enough. People always think money will buy them happiness, but the thought couldn’t be further from the truth. It pays the bills. It’s a means to an end. But no amount of money in the world can buy how Macy makes me feel. I am a lucky bastard.
“To my children”—the stalky man with a wreath of hair looks up from over his lenses—“I bequeath to my five children, Stephanie Cannon, Aspen Cannon, Kinsley Lionheart, Luke Lionheart, and Lincoln Lionheart, an equal portion of my worth as distributed through a trust, staggered in increments until having access to the full value at the age of thirty-five. The value of each trust to be no more than one hundred million dollars to be distributed through hand-selected real estate holdings, stocks which may be sold at any time, and cash monies.”
Shit.
In just about every scenario, I didn’t think he’d leave an even split. My muscles tense. I forget how to breathe. I suppose all that bullshit about the core was true in my heart of all places, in that I suspected Kins and I would get the lion’s share of his estate. I had a clear vision of how it might play out—me comforting my sisters, promising to make it right—perhaps a little angry at my father. And, now, here I am, in the scenario they had hoped for, and I never dreamed. There is more than enough to go around. Our inheritance will outlive us by miles, but somewhere deep inside me is a little boy who’s wounded at the thought his father didn’t love him best.
The reading adjourns, and we hold one another one last time in the memory of our father. Luke offers me a firm embrace, and it feels genuine, familiar.
“I think we should start over.” He pulls back, glassy-eyed. “I’m kind of starting to like you.”
“Sounds good. You’re growing on me, too.” Like a wart, but you have to start somewhere.
Luke takes off, and Kinsley offers to drive my mother home as the room begins to clear.
Mr. Stalwart, my father’s attorney, comes to me with an envelope in his hand. “To be read in private.” He gives a knowing wink. “Those are the only instructions I have for you.”
“Thank you.” I touch the soft envelope carefully as if it were my father’s skin.
Macy and I drive back to the Riviera. She opens a bottle of white wine and gives us both a generous pour as the sun dives headfirst into the Pacific.
I pull out the envelope and wave it at her.
“Are you ready for this?” Macy circles her arms around me like a life raft.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Slowly, I shred the top, pulling out a letter in my father’s own handwriting as distinct as his accent, as his ruggedly handsome face. The sight of it gives me a sense of comfort as if he’s with me right here in the moment.
Son,
I wanted to reach out to you individually, to tell you things I’m sure I would have if given the chance to say goodbye. I charge you with caring for this family, maintaining the ties that bind through any means possible. Love your sisters—your brother, protect them, don’t forget the things I’ve done for you, and remember to love them that much deeper.
Concerning international holdings—in the event I’m unable to make certain provisions prior to my death, I’ve left instructions with my attorney and his officers of what to do and how to make the necessary transfers as well as draft you as the primary on all accounts. I’ve already included you in each of these holdings. Since these funds are not to be transferred to a
US banking institution, the funds available are yours to do as you wish. Because the sum totals are significant, I would appreciate a consideration toward your siblings should they need it. You alone have access and have knowledge of these holdings. Please do not involve your mother. I have provided for her sufficiently, and the words “tax shelter” distress her to no end.
A silent laugh flushes through me. My mother’s biggest fear was to end up in prison over an errant tax consequence that my father dragged her into.
You will have a wonderful life, at least from a financial perspective. The rest is up to you.
I have always considered you an extension of myself. You have always been special to me. I cherished you even if it seemed I didn’t.
I love you, my boy.
I love you with all of my heart.
Stay strong,
Hans Lionheart
His name is written at the bottom, large and full of scrollwork as if he were giving his autograph. He was. He was amazing, that man, my father.
I wipe the tears away with the back of my hand, quickly folding the letter to preserve his precious penmanship.
I was his boy.
And he loved me.
Macy falls onto my lap and peppers my face with tempered kisses, soft as butterfly wings.
Almost everything is complete in my life.
Almost.
* * *
“We needed something special.” Macy pulls me in close as if trying to convince me that our first purchase as a couple was indeed a good one. “How much do you love it?”
We stand in our living room, admiring the painting we purchased from Aspen’s latest gallery showing—Glass Moon Over Tropical Shores, an acrylic of a fragile velum moon hanging over dark turquoise waters, the deep velvet of night so real you can almost reach in and touch the stars.
“It’s a perfect addition to our home. Best purchase we could have made,” I muse, staring at it cockeyed. “It’s meaningful. Reminds me of the first time I said I love you.”
Macy knots her wrists behind my neck. Her sweet, perfect tits press firmly against my chest, making my dick pulsate in my boxers.
“And I said I loved you for the very first time.” She blushes. “That’s actually not entirely true.” Her lashes lower, and my stomach rides down right along with them. I can’t take another ounce of heartache. I hope to God that’s not what’s on her mind, especially not with what I’m about to do. “That first night we were together, really together, and you took what I so desperately wanted to give you?”
I twist my lips, not knowing whether to laugh or start kicking shit.
“I said it then, too.” She blinks back tears. “I loved you then more than you could know.”
“Sin.” It expresses from me with relief. I couldn’t handle her stepping out of my life. Not now. Not ever. I press in with a tender kiss, her lips soft as air, slicked with strawberry gloss that tastes as sweet as the rest of her. “I have something to show you.”
I scoop her up and head outside where the bite of a cold California winter razors its way through our clothes. I head down to the sand and land her on her feet.
“Macy”—that familiar fist jams its way up my throat, making it agonizing to speak, but I push through—“when you walked into my office that day, I knew nothing would ever be the same. You were a game changer in the most beautiful way.” My finger glides over her silky cheek. The moon illuminates over her like a spotlight, blesses her with its beams, and her hair glows neon red against the dismal night. “You taught me more about myself and about love than a thousand years of introspect, a thousand romance novels could ever hope to do. And when I thought I lost you”—my voice breaks—“I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning. There was no sense in anything. My world collapsed. I had never felt so alone, never felt such stinging rejection, such visceral hurt that made me ache right down to the marrow.” Tears roll down my face, matching the rivers streaming from her eyes. Her lips quiver as she shakes her head with a silent apology. “I knew in that moment that not only did I need to do whatever necessary to get you back, but I also needed to make you mine forever.”
I drop to one knee and pull out my grandmother’s vintage ruby ring. “Macy O’Conner, I beg of you to do me the privilege of becoming my partner in crime for the rest of this crazy life. Would you do me the honor and be my wife?”
Macy falls to her knees, collapsing over me with the grip of a lioness.
“Yes!” she shouts into my ear through tears, her body vibrating over mine with a ferocious intensity.
“Yes,” I whisper with relief. I needed to hear it, feel her wanting me.
This is where we need to be, together, laughing and crying, rolling in the sand as we celebrate the most magnificent gift of all, our love.
I slip the enormous ruby onto her finger, and she holds it up to the moon. It sparkles and shines the color of my affection for her, red hot and passionate, fierce, loyal, and protective beyond measure.
“Thank you,” I whisper directly into her ear as her mouth drags over the line of my jaw and lands a kiss to my lips.
“For what?” She pecks over me with unstoppable affection.
“For making me complete.”
She tilts in thoughtfully, that devilish grin brewing on her lips. “How about we go upstairs and you make me complete? Rumor has it, you’re hung like a horse. That’s something I need to verify at least once every twenty-four hours.”
A rumbling laugh tremors through me. “Rumor has it, you’re addicted to riding this stud.”
“You’ve got some ego, Lionheart.”
“That’s because you keep feeding it…” I pause, that lopsided grin of mine growing all too serious. “Mrs. Lionheart.”
Her features melt with affection. “I love the sound of that.”
“Me, too.” My lips crash over hers as we christen her soon-to-be moniker with a thirsty kiss that can never be quenched. Macy’s kisses are something I will never get enough of.
Macy and I are building our own family, building a legacy, and building a bond that will last forever. I plan to be the best husband—the best father to our future children that she deserves me to be.
My own father taught me one thing—to love fiercely.
There is no other way.
A Note from the Author
Thank you for reading Fire in an Amber Sky (Burning Through Gravity 3) . If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review at your point of purchase. It is much appreciated. Look for Echo of a Glass Moon (Burning Through Gravity 4), Cash and Kinsley’s story coming soon!
Books by Addison Moore
Romance
Burning Through Gravity (Burning Through Gravity 1)
A Thousand Starry Nights (Burning Through Gravity 2)
Fire in an Amber Sky (Burning Through Gravity 3)
3:AM Kisses (3:AM Kisses 1)
Winter Kisses (3:AM Kisses 2)
Sugar Kisses (3:AM Kisses 3)
Whiskey Kisses (3:AM Kisses 4)
Rock Candy Kisses (3:AM Kisses 5)
Velvet Kisses (3:AM Kisses 6)
Wild Kisses (3:AM Kisses 7)
Beautiful Oblivion (Beautiful Oblivion 1)
Beautiful Illusions (Beautiful Oblivion 2)
Beautiful Elixir (Beautiful Oblivion 3)
The Solitude of Passion
Someone to Love (Someone to Love 1)
Someone Like You (Someone to Love 2)
Someone For Me (Someone to Love 3)
Celestra Forever After (Celestra Forever After 1)
The Dragon and the Rose (Celestra Forever After 2)
The Serpentine Butterfly (Celestra Forever After 3) Soon!
Perfect Love (A Celestra Novella)
Young Adult Romance
Ethereal (Celestra Series Book 1)
Tremble (Celestra Series Book 2)
Burn (Celestra Series Book 3)
Wicked (Celestra Series Book 4)
Vex (Celestra Series Book
5)
Expel (Celestra Series Book 6)
Toxic Part One (Celestra Series Book 7)
Toxic Part Two (Celestra Series Book 7.5)
Elysian (Celestra Series Book 8)
Ephemeral (The Countenance Trilogy 1)
Evanescent (The Countenance Trilogy 2)
Entropy (The Countenance Trilogy 3)
Ethereal Knights (Celestra Knights)
Season of the Witch (A Celestra Companion)
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my fabulous readers! You are the kindest and most loyal people I know, and I’m so thrilled that you let me share my crazy imagination with you. I’m forever indebted to all of you!
Thank you to my Street Team, Addison’s Angels, and to my Reader Corner Angels as well for all of your continued and enthusiastic support! I’m so glad to have you on my side. Your devotion to my books is incredible and humbling to me.
To Kathy Jacoby, thank you for being a rock at all times! I’m so glad you are always willing to lend me your beautiful eyes! I couldn’t do anything without you!
To the lovely Lisa Markson, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate all of your feedback. You always make my spirit soar! Thank you to the moon and back for that!
To the awesome Tabby Coots! Your feedback and continued friendship is greatly valued and appreciated! I can’t thank you enough for combing through the book for me. Hugs to you for that!
To the awesome Paige Maroney Smith, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for working with me and putting up with my insanity! I hope I haven’t scared you too bad! You are a ninja with edits, and I’m so thankful to have you on my team!
And last, but never least, thank you to Him who sits on the throne. Worthy is the Lamb! Glory and honor and power are yours. I owe you everything.
Fire in an Amber Sky Page 26
