by Cathryn Fox
“Are you sure, you just—”
“I think that sounds like a reasonable plan,” Cason says, his voice thick and deep. My blood pulses as his gaze zeroes in on me. Being the sole focus of the man’s attention—his hunger—is like a powerful aphrodisiac. I blink, and when my eyes open again, Peyton is gone.
“Oh, okay, then,” I say and climb to my feet.
Cason holds his hand out to me. “We should probably get to bed, too.”
“Are you tired?”
“No.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cason
I STAND OUTSIDE the security check-in and drag my sister in for another hug. I can’t believe her time with us is already over and while she says she has paperwork, over the holidays, I don’t really think that’s entirely true. She just wants to give Londyn and me time alone. I still can’t believe Londyn arranged all this, or how full my heart is at this very moment.
I finally let her break from the circle of my arms, and say, “Call me when you get back to your place safely.”
She gives me that familiar eye roll. “I’m a big girl, Cason. I can take care of myself.” She pokes me. “Londyn is a big girl, too, but I think she likes it when you take care of her.”
“You like her, Peyton?” I ask, glancing over her face.
She looks at me like I’m dense, and she’s probably right. “What’s not to like?”
“We have a past,” I say.
“Londyn said the same thing to me, and I’ll give you the same answer I gave her. Everyone deserves a second chance.” She pokes me again, harder this time. “You two need to talk.”
“You’re right, we do,” I say, my heart wide-open and defenseless, as love swirls around inside me.
“I’m in love with her Soft Wear idea,” she says. “It’s brilliant.”
I put my finger over my lips. “Shh, it’s a secret until the big launch.”
“Well, I’ll be your first customer, you know that.”
“You’d better get going,” I say as the line thins.
She goes up on her toes and throws her arms around me. “Love you, bro.”
“Love you, too, kiddo.”
She arches a brow. “See that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
“What wasn’t?”
“Telling me you loved me.”
I frown at her. “I always tell you I love you.”
“Yeah, now you need to tell someone else.”
“Did I ever tell you that my life is not your business, and you’re too nosy for your own good?”
Her head rears back and she plants one hand on her hip. “Now, if that’s not calling the kettle black.”
“You’re my kid sister, and protecting you is what big brothers do, and do not roll your eyes at me.”
She laughs. “Okay, fine. But I still need you to set me up with someone from Penn Pals.” She scrunches her face. “I can’t believe I have to be married for this job. Just make sure he knows the deal. I’m not looking for anything more than pretend. You and Londyn work, but marriage isn’t in the cards for me.”
My mouth tightens, not sure whether that makes me happy or sad. While I hate the idea of a guy near her, or hurting her—yes, I get it I’m far too overprotective—I want her to find happiness. I’m just not sure any guy will be good enough for her though.
“I’ll set it up and make sure the rules are clear.”
“Thanks.” She glances over her shoulder, and picks up her carry-on bag. “Okay, I have to run. Talk soon.”
I stand outside of security until she clears and she gives me a wave before she disappears up the escalator. With a new lightness in my step, I head outside, jump in my car and drive back home.
Home.
I never really considered my villa in Cannes home. With Londyn there, leaving her mark on the place, and in my bed, it feels more like home and hearth than any other place I’ve ever lived. I can work anywhere, heck I can fly back to New York anytime I need to, and with my businesses being online, I can log in from anywhere in the world. Londyn said she’d love to live here...
Whoa.
Okay, I’m getting far too ahead of myself. Here I am making plans and we’ve yet to even have a conversation about our future. Sure, we’ve been having fun sexually and not once have I told her I wanted more. In fact, right from the start I told her I couldn’t give her more. I wouldn’t give her more. She agreed. Which means, I might be jumping to conclusions. Yeah, I realize her father would likely disown her if she goes against his wishes. I’m just hoping over the last couple weeks, her eyes were opened, and she can see that she doesn’t need him or his approval to succeed.
I drive through the downtown core, quiet now as everyone is home enjoying the holidays with their family. I meander through the port area, and do a double glance when I think I spot Londyn. I wanted her to come to the airport with us, but she insisted we go alone to spend our last few minutes together, and that she needed to go for a walk to work off all the food we’ve been eating. I drive a little closer, and see that she’s talking to some elderly gentleman. That’s just like her, always so open and friendly to everyone. I’m driving past them and I’m about to head home when I turn back. Maybe Londyn would like me to join her on the walk or perhaps offer a ride home, as it’s rather cold outside.
I cruise back to the port, and I’m about to pull into a parking spot, until I see who she’s with. My heart jumps into my throat, and my vision goes a bit fuzzy around the edges. Okay, I must be hallucinating, because no way would Randolph Harding be here in Cannes, on the street talking to Londyn. She told him she was in Florida. Why would he be here unless...
Randolph’s head lifts, and he makes eye contact with me. Londyn turns and when she sees me, her eyes go wide. She grabs her hood and pulls it up. Does she really think she can hide from me? I’d know her anywhere. But what I really should be asking myself is, why is she with her father, and why the hell is she trying to hide that fact from me?
Her father says something to her, and she turns back to him. He takes her arm, and a minute later, they’ve moved behind a building, out of my line of vision. With my heart in my throat and my stomach somersaulting, I pull back onto the road and drive straight to the villa. The first thing I do is check to see if her suitcase is there. Once I see that it is, I dash to my office and boot up my computer. With an uneasy feeling rolling through me, and a sense of déjà vu coursing through my veins, I do a few online searches, and within seconds, my world turns upside down.
“Holy shit.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Londyn
“ARE YOU READY to come back now?” my father asks, as Cason drives away. I stare after his vehicle, my mind spinning a million miles an hour.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask, swiping at the stupid tears welling up in my eyes.
“It’s for your own good.”
I shake my head, and try to wrap my brain around all this.
“Come on, Londyn. Do you think he bought you for any other reason?”
No, actually, I understood from the beginning that Cason was out for revenge. I told him so myself, and he never disputed it. But over the last two weeks, not only did I think we recaptured our feelings from our youth, but we built upon them. Apparently, I thought wrong, and the proof is in my father’s hand—or so he says. Were Cason and Luis really talking about me after the fashion show?
“Wait,” I say as I shake my rattled brain to clear it. “How did you know I was here, anyway?”
My father waves a dismissive hand. “None of that matters.”
“It kind of does. I told you I was in Florida, how on earth did you find me here, and figure out what I was up to?”
He turns from me. What is it he doesn’t want me to see?
“All that matters is you need to come home and take your rightful position
in the family.”
“Rightful position? Meaning, you want me to marry your colleague’s son to better your position in the markets.” I wave my hand. “Haven’t I done enough?”
“Yes, you have. Raising money in such a manner is a disgrace, Londyn, to you and the family.”
I glare at him. “I was trying to help, and short of marriage, you left me no choice.”
“Selling yourself to some lowlife was the answer?” He makes a tsking sound. “You’ll be lucky if Theodore’s son Sheppard will have you after this.”
I can’t stand Theodore’s arrogant, spoiled son, and the thought of any sort of relationship with him sickens me. As my father continues to look at me, disdain all over his face, fire burns through my veins, and my cheeks flare hot.
“Excuse me? Who I’m with is my choice, not yours, and Cason is anything but a lowlife. He’s a good man, a kind man, and he believes in me.”
My father presses a button on his phone, and Cason’s voice comes through. I listen for a second, and my insides twist. I swallow the bile punching into my throat as I hear the conversation between Cason and Luis, except this time I hear Cason use my name. I’m the one he’s calling pedestrian! My blood drains to my toes, and the world around me grows fuzzy. It can’t be true. It just can’t be.
“Where did you get that?”
“I have people everywhere, Londyn.”
I lift my chin, glare up at him. His blue eyes are narrowed in on me. “So that’s how you knew I was here? You have someone watching me?”
“Well...” he begins and stops.
“Well what?” I demand as wind blows down the street and chills my bones. But I won’t get into his car with him.
“Can we go to the airport already?”
“No, I want answers. Right here. Right now.”
“Fine.” He grabs my purse. “You have a device in your bag.”
I rip open my bag. “A device, what kind of device?” I root through it but find nothing. “There’s no device in here.”
“It’s in the lining.”
My jaw drops. This purse was a birthday gift, a one of a kind purse, made by one of my father’s trusted designers.
“Oh, my God. I can’t believe you did this.” I rip into the lining, and tear at it like a crazy person. “You’ve been listening to all my conversations? What is the matter with you?”
“You’re my daughter.” He scoffs and looks around. “You obviously need looking after.”
“I do not need anything from you.” Not anymore, anyway. I used to think I needed his approval but this is too much. He’s gone too far. My stomach coils, and I try to get my breathing under control. “Are your businesses even in trouble?”
He shoves his hands into his pockets and gives me a reprimanding look, treating me like I’m a child who’s dared to question their parent’s authority. “Business is fine isn’t it?” I give a humorless laugh. “I did all this for nothing, and you only told me that to finally get me married to the right man of your choice.”
“Londyn,” he begins, and I shake my head.
“No, you don’t get to say anything to me.”
He waves his phone at me. “What are you going to do now? Run back to lover boy who thinks you’re nothing but a joke.”
“No,” I say. “You’re wrong. He didn’t say those things back in college.” I point to the recorder. “And he’s not saying those things now. You’re manipulating this somehow.” He opens his mouth and I shake my head. “Don’t even try to deny it.” I refuse to believe anything he says to me. Not after what Cason and I have been through. Yes, many years ago, I was quick to believe my father, when he had a lot more influence on me, but he’s not a good man. A good man would never treat his daughter the way mine treats me. He’d care about what I wanted, not what made the family look better, or the fiscal bottom line.
He frowns. “Everything I’ve done has been for your own good.”
“So you admit it then?” I glare at him “You edited the recording?”
“I’m not admitting anything...”
I breathe in and out, and as my breath turns to fog, my father continues to talk, but I’m not listening. No, I’m remembering all the times I asked Cason if he thought I was silly. It confused him. Not because he forgot, but because he never said those cruel words in the first place. My father will stop at nothing to get what he wants, even breaking Cason and me up all those years ago so he could get a jump on the app idea.
Oh, no!
Had he overheard our conversation about Soft Wear? He doesn’t have access to my designs, but it’s possible he heard me talking about the styles and details that would appeal to Soft Wear clientele.
My throat tightens, a gurgling sound caught in the depths. “I have to go.”
“Don’t you dare—”
I turn and walk away, my footsteps fast on the pavement. I can’t let my father come between us again. I won’t.
I pinch my eyes shut and pray it’s not too late.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Cason
I TAKE ONE DEEP BREATH after another, trying to wrap my brain around Londyn’s deception. What the hell is wrong with me? Am I the stupidest man on Earth? A garbled sound crawls out of my throat, because as I stare at the new domain name, owned by Randolph Harding, there can only be one answer to that. I am the world’s biggest idiot.
The front door opens, and closes, and I shove my hands into my pockets and work to get my temper under control, but that’s like putting toothpaste back in the tube. Impossible.
“Cason,” she calls out, her voice shaky and a bit hesitant.
Does she really think I didn’t recognize her on the street?
I step from my office and her eyes go wide when she sees me. There’s no hiding my anger. We stand there for a long time, like we’re in a goddamn standoff, and my mind races with all the unanswered questions.
“Why?” I ask, not knowing where to start. “I don’t understand. Did you know I was going to be at the gentleman’s club that night?” That doesn’t even seem possible to me, which makes all this that much harder to understand.
“Cason,” she begins, her voice tired and weary. She shakes her head and her hood falls to her shoulders. Her hair is in a ponytail, her face makeup-free. The innocent look works on her, apparently. “It’s not like that.”
I laugh. “What is it like then, Londyn? What am I supposed to believe?”
Her face falls. “You think I gave my father insider information about your business.” Her shoulders sag.
“He already bought the domain name. Soon he’ll be selling women’s apparel that caters to professional businesswomen who are either too busy to shop, or have limited funds but need to look professional. That sure sounds a lot like what we talked about.”
“Yeah, I know but—”
“What I don’t understand is why you didn’t just go to him with your Soft Wear idea? Why bring it to me first?” I wave toward the laptop on my desk. A thought hits, and an almost manic laugh crawls out of my throat. “Oh, wait, I get it now. Your daddy’s businesses are failing and you asked me so we could discuss designers and distributors.” I look down the hall, and through the glass door, see her father’s car drive by slowly.
“So that’s what you think, Cason?” Her coat sags on her shoulders as she exhales. “That’s what you really think?”
“Yeah,” I say, my heart splintering into a million tiny pieces. “That’s what I think,” I bark back, pain and anger mingling and fogging my ability to think with any sort of clarity. I’m being a total prick here, and I know it, but I’m so goddamn mad, I’m seeing red.
“You want me to leave?” she asks, her voice hitching.
I nod my head. “Unless there is something else you need from me. Any more advice, any other designers I could introduce you to?” She opens
her mouth to speak, but I cut her off. “Although I can’t imagine what else you could possibly take from me.”
Her mouth closes, and tears fill her eyes. Her father’s car drives by again. “You should go. Daddy’s waiting.” I take a step back, putting a measure of distance between us, physical and emotional. “I’ll have your things sent to you.”
She glances over her shoulder. “Cason, I—”
“Goodbye, Londyn.”
She hugs her jacket to herself, and backs up toward the door, her footsteps wobbly and unsteady. She turns and opens the door. Her body vibrates as she takes a big breath.
“For what it’s worth,” she says quietly, talking to me over her shoulder. “It’s not what you think. None of that matters though, because I made a mistake in the past, one I’m completely sorry for, but I was also going on misinformation, and that destroyed your trust in me. It’s not something I’ll ever get back, that’s perfectly clear to me now.”
“What are you talking about, Londyn?”
“My father told me you thought I was a silly girl, a joke. He actually had a recording of you saying that. I have no idea how he got it. I guess he must have had you followed.” A cry lodges in her throat. “That would be just like him.”
I grab a fistful of my hair. Will that man never stop screwing with me? What the hell did I ever do to him, anyway? “I never said that.”
“I know. He wanted you out of my life because you were from the wrong side of the tracks. He didn’t think you were good enough, didn’t have the right pedigree. He manipulated me, and in the end, it destroyed us both.”
I back up, grip the doorframe to my office, my pulse jumping in my throat, incredulous. “That’s why you kept asking me if I thought you were silly?”
“Yes.”
I shake my head, as I wrap my brain around all this. “You were pretty quick to believe the worst of me then.”
“Sadly yes, and that was on me and not you. It came from a place of fear and insecurity.” She swallows. “You said yourself I needed to believe in myself.” She turns, and watery blue eyes meet mine. “But I’ll leave. I’ll let you throw me out of your life.”
