An Opportunity Seized

by Donna Gallagher

  “Oh, honey,” he whispered. “You didn’t know about the threats? I’m so sorry for scaring you… You look so beautiful, by the way. That dress… If we didn’t need to…”

  She hadn’t even thought about their last night together, the fact that it was now defunct. I’m thinking about losing one night when so many families are dealing with so much pain and loss. Her emotions now in check, Toni broke away from Jason’s hold. She needed more details. “Tell me about the threat to my father, Jason. I need to know everything.”

  The way Jason was staring at her gave her the chills. Toni could sense that he was trying to decide what to say to her. His face was blank. Toni couldn’t read any emotion from it or his eyes. It made Toni think back to one of their first conversations when Jason had joked about being trained to withstand interrogation.

  “Please, Jason. I need the truth from you. I need to be able to trust that one person will tell me what’s going on. This is all so horrible, so many people hurt. There are still men trapped in the mine and I don’t even know what’s being done to rescue them. If my father is acting like a human being, for once, and putting the safety of the men and women who work for him before his own gain…”

  Jason’s tough, all action exterior thawed, his eyes softened as he gazed down on her. “Toni, honey, I won’t lie to you, luv. This situation is bad. Nate’s already heard rumors that the mine had safety issues and there’s been some talk of bribes. Your family is going to be under the spotlight for months to come. If not worse… I’m with you all the way. I won’t let anything happen to you. You have my promise. The death threat was not aimed at your father, luv. The danger is specifically toward you and your mother. But I’ve got you, Toni.”

  Jason had taken her hands in his own, as he’d spoken, moving his thumb over her skin in soothing motions as he’d explained the situation.

  Her mind was running a million miles an hour. Why would I be threatened? I’ve never had anything to do with the family business. Never have, never wanted to. How is Mum dealing with this? “My mother…is she being protected? Where is the threat coming from? Who? Why us? We don’t have anything to do with the running of the mine—or any of Dad’s business dealings.”

  Toni knew she was rambling. It was just so unbelievable, unexpected. Her father was always going on about her safety, her security or lack thereof. Even the ridiculousness of Jason following her on this holiday, Toni had put down to her father being such a control freak. And what did Jason mean by rumors? Why was the mine not safe? Her family was rich. Her father made so much money every day it was ridiculous. Why hadn’t he spent it on making sure people were safe? He must not have known about the issues? She quickly squashed and pushed that thought away, since she knew first-hand that her father made it his business to know everything about everything.

  Toni had never liked being a Grimaldi, had never felt like she fitted the mold of an heiress. Now she thoroughly despised her heritage. Just the idea that her family might have had anything, even slightly, to do with this disaster or in not preventing it, made her sick to her stomach.

  Jason was doing his best to keep his anxiety in check. He should have been all over this. His job was protection. It was what he was trained for. But the bottom line was, ever since the phone call with Nate, Jason had felt a heavy weight on his shoulders and—more unsettling—his heart. Just the notion that Toni could be under threat had his blood pressure soaring. Being able to wrap his arms around her as she bravely dealt with what was going on—probably better than he was—was the only thing keeping Jason from coming apart. He’d tried so very hard not to fall for her, to try to maintain some sort of emotional barrier between them. He had failed. That fact never more clear to Jason than when Nate had spoken of the letters sent to the Grimaldi home. The direct threats to Toni’s well-being received on Grimaldi’s private phone. His blood had turned to ice, imagining her hurt or worse. He could not let anything happen to her. Jason didn’t think he could live with himself if even a hair on her precious head was harmed.

  He’d already been struggling to come to terms with the inevitable—of living his life without Toni wrapped up in his arms, or having her in his bed again, before it had all gone to hell. But he’d understood that. That was his future—a future where Toni returned to her heiress lifestyle, and he returned to his one room apartment and back to his solitary life. That said, there was no way in hell Jason was going to let some nutcase get within a mile of her. Toni might not be his future but Jason was going to make damn sure she had a healthy one in her outlook—or die trying. “We need to get packed up and move. Just give me a few minutes to book another flight and we’ll get going. Give me your passport, luv, I’ll need it for the airline ticketing information.”

  “Charles booked my flight already,” she said as she thrust her phone in Jason’s face. “See? It’s all in this email. Charles even had the hide to book me a first-class seat, despite all that’s going on at home.”

  It sounded like the thought disgusted her, and while Jason couldn’t fault the fact that Grimaldi’s people got things done efficiently, it did leave him in an unacceptable predicament. How the hell was he going to pay the cost for a first-class seat? Yes, it could be recouped through expenses eventually, but he didn’t have that sort of credit available to him up front. Jason didn’t even know how much it would cost exactly but he figured over ten grand, easy—especially last minute. He’d already all but maxed out his credit card sharing the expenses with Toni over the last three weeks.

  Toni must have picked up on his discomfort because she reached out her hand and stroked her fingers down his check. “What’s wrong, Jason?” she asked, her voice full of concern. Jason could have punched himself in the face—a habit he was getting into around Toni. She was the one with all the drama ahead of her and yet here she was trying to comfort his arse. Stop trying to be someone you’re not, dickhead. Now is not the time to let your pride get in the way. Tell her you don’t have the money to pay first class. She does. She’s a fucking millionairess.

  It took all the strength he could muster to make the admission. Jason tried hard not to let the bitterness flow through in his voice with the embarrassment he felt having to ask the woman he had fucked every which way for the last few weeks to lend him money, but it had to be done. Her safety was more important than his male ego.

  “I don’t have the funds available to pay for a ticket like yours and there is no way I’m letting you get on that plane without me. Either you can buy me a seat close to yours or we wait until Nate can organize it from his end.” Even though he felt like a fucking loser, Jason did not break eye contact with Toni as he made his humiliating confession.

  “That’s no problem. We can use my American Express card. It’s empty. It’s the one my father insists I carry ‘for emergencies’,” Toni replied as she raised her hands in the air and made quotation mark signs with her fingers. “I figure this rates as an emergency and after all, it is Grimaldi money and at the moment, you are working for a Grimaldi.”

  It was the first time Toni had not referred to Jason as working for her father, she had just said ‘a Grimaldi’. Was she now seeing him as her employee? He really didn’t have time to dwell on the ramifications or meanings of her words. Toni had already pressed the numbers on her phone that would connect her to the airline. “I’ll go get my passport,” he muttered, trying as best he could to sound natural. While deep inside his soul, in places Jason hadn’t known existed in him, he ached for the life he wished he could have shared with her.

  Chapter Nine

  Jason wished he could have enjoyed his first, and probably only, time traveling as a first-class passenger. The cabin was full of luxuries and the stewardesses more than attentive—in fact Jason had not missed the hints and flirtatious comments directed his way. What he hadn’t taken into consideration, as he’d stood silently beside Toni as she’d paid for his ticket, was that their seats would be so far away from one another. He couldn’t even see her
at all now that she had reclined hers into the sleeping position.

  Here he was cooped up in his own personal pod-like capsule, being afforded the best the airline had to give, and all Jason wanted was to be seated where he belonged, in the economy section of the plane—where the seats were so cramped that Toni would be snuggled in beside him, whether she wanted it that way or not. He couldn’t even take advantage of the deluxe sleeping conditions. There was no way he was falling asleep and leaving Toni unprotected. Not that Jason could foresee anything happening to her in this secluded and secured section of the plane. There was no chance the cabin crew would be letting any of the riff-raff traveling in the back of the plane get anywhere near the privacy of first class.

  “Is there anything I can do for you, sir…? Anything at all?” the stewardess once again enquired, her smile wide on her Botox-filled lips and her eyes twinkling with the unstated, but obvious, proposition of a sexual tryst with Jason.

  Bet she wouldn’t be so keen on me if she knew my bank balance. “No. I’m good. ’Thanks,” Jason replied for the umpteenth time.”

  “Well, you let me know if you change your mind. We are here to meet your every need and make your travel more enjoyable for you any way we can,” she offered before wandering away.

  “Sheesh,” Jason exclaimed loudly once the woman had moved out of earshot. She was laying it on thick with the suggestive comments and winks. He wondered if this was normal behavior or purposely aimed at him. He was so out of his league.

  More disturbing was that a few weeks ago he would have happily joined the ranks of the mile-high club with the blonde, but now her forthright behavior was grating on his nerves. All he could think about was touching Toni. His hands itched to make contact with her. Fuck, his whole body did. Should I go see if she’s awake? Maybe we can just talk for a while? Take advantage of the bloody bar they have up here and have a drink together? Oh, man, you are really losing it. Jason rubbed a hand over his face, trying to stop the relentless conversation going on in his head. It was not helping. Relax, dude, watch a movie, get some shut-eye You’ll need it for when we land. You’ll need to be awake and alert if you plan to be of any use to her. Jason wasn’t even sure what plans Nate had put into place for Toni’s security detail. I’m probably persona non grata in Nate’s eyes anyway. Wouldn’t surprise me if my name’s been purposely omitted from any future work that involves the Grimaldi family. Doesn’t matter. I’m not trusting anyone else. Nate will just have to deal with it.

  Things had definitely become a little strained between Jason and his boss of late. Whether Nate had guessed that things had become intimate between him and Toni was not clear. Nate had never asked and Jason had never said. He’d just filed his report about what Toni was up to each day, where she was staying, without making any reference to their shared accommodations. When Jason finally did his expense account, there was probably going to be a heated discussion but he didn’t care. What was the worst that could happen? Nate fire him? Unlikely. He would think twice before sending Jason on another bodyguard gig, though, Jason suspected, which was just fine by him. As long as it didn’t interfere with him keeping Toni safe, Nate could do as he saw fit.

  * * * *

  “Jason, are you awake? Jason…”

  Jason woke to the sound of his name being called, felt someone tapping on his shoulder. It took him a few seconds to come fully awake.

  He’d been dreaming of Toni, of the night they’d spent together in Durham. Reliving the feel of her lips wrapped around his cock as she’d taken him into her mouth, sucking the length of him until the tip of his dick had touched the back of her throat. The sight of her on her knees in front of him, naked, his dick going in and out of her mouth had had him so fucking enthralled that he’d lost his mind. Up until that night, he’d been gentle with Toni, always committed to making it good for her, bringing her pleasure before he even contemplated reaching his own. But that night he’d lost control. He’d started bucking his hips against her face, pushing his cock farther and farther into the moist heaven that was her mouth. Holding her head in place with his hands as he’d fucked her mouth. It was the most intense moment of his life. Jason had never experienced pleasure like it. And it wasn’t that Toni had used any special tricks—in fact it had been clear to Jason that she was not all that experienced giving head, the way she’d hesitated before she’d let her tongue explore the slit in his cock and the way she’d looked up at him. She’d actually asked him if she was doing it right. Fuck, if she’d done it any better, Jason might have died. As it was, he’d forgotten to warn her when he’d shot his load. It had gone down her throat, her eager lips and tongue licking every last drop of seed from his dick.

  So at first he didn’t register the sound of Toni calling his name. When it did become clear, Jason sat bolt upright.

  “What’s wrong…? Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled Toni down into his pod, so he could see past her, giving himself a clear line of vision to ascertain the possibility of any imminent threat. When Jason was satisfied all was as it should be, that there was no danger present in the empty aisle of the aircraft, his fight instinct subsided and another impulse took its place. His body began to react in response to Toni sitting in his lap.

  “Umm, sorry to wake you, Jason, but I thought you’d want to know that Charles just called me. Who knew you could receive calls when you were flying? The buzzing scared the crap out of me.” Toni made a little noise that sounded like a stifled giggle.

  Jason was surprised she hadn’t known about the technology.

  “Anyway, he said that Haven Security will have a car waiting at the airport ready to pick me up. I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to mention you or not. Didn’t know if you told them I knew about you, if that would get you into trouble, but they will be picking you up too, right?”

  He was having a hard time concentrating on what Toni was saying, her shapely, soft arse cheeks sitting so snug in his lap a distraction. His engorged cock in particular delighted in the new seating arrangements. “Of course I am, luv. I told you I’m going to be by your side until we get this situation under control.” If I can get my body parts back under control so I can think clearly, it would help. “As to your concern for me—I think Nate has picked up on our…” Jason was struggling to find the words to describe what he and Toni shared. What will I call it? A relationship…? Is it? A close friendship, maybe?

  “I’m hoping the next word out of your mouth will be relationship, Jason. ‘Cause that’s how I see what we’ve just shared and I hope it will continue and even grow into something more when all this madness ends.

  “I know this is probably not the right time for this sort of conversation, Jason. I’ve spent the last sixteen hours of the flight arguing with myself over whether I should, or should not have this conversation when so much is going wrong and so many are hurting, but I need to know. It’s more unsettling than the knowledge someone out there wants to hurt me, not being sure whether I’m ever going to spend time with you again, kiss you again. Make love… It was always more than just sex to me, much more than that.”

  Toni’s bluntness took Jason by surprise—they were words he’d wanted to say, had been thinking. She was braver than him.

  He could see how much his answer meant to her, there were tears rolling down her cheeks and falling from her chin. “I’m sorry. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry, no matter what your answer. I think I’m just tired. I just need to know if this is over between us now.”

  He needed to answer her, but he didn’t know what to say. If I tell her the truth—that there’s nothing I want more than to see where this is headed—will that just cause more heartache later? She deserves so much more than I can offer her but am I selling her short? If she wants to give us a try, why shouldn’t we? I’m not ready to let this go, let her go.

  “I want the same thing you do, luv. More than you’ll ever know. But I think us having a relationship, or trying to, might end up being a little more complicated tha
n we imagine. Even though it’s what we think we want right now.” It was a total cop-out and Jason knew it. Why the hell can’t I just say ‘I love you, Toni’ and be done with it? Jason was stunned by his own admission, albeit a silent one. He waited for a feeling of panic to set in or that prickle he got between his shoulders when something was not right.

  Nothing happened.

  He felt calm. Well most of him did anyway—his dick was still rock-hard, enjoying the feel of Toni’s butt cheeks against it. I love her. Well, whaddya know? I’ve fallen for her and it’s not freaking me out at all. Who knew I had it in me?

  They spent the remaining few hours of travel sharing Jason’s pod. The stewardess that had been all over Jason, giving him the ‘come on’ for most of the flight, could not hide her disappointment when she was forced to wake them from their cozy slumber as the plane began its descent.

  Chapter Ten

  Jason was holding her hand as they made their way through immigration but as they headed to the carousel to retrieve the bags, he suddenly let go, taking a few steps away from her.

  “Nate, how the hell did you get in here?” Jason growled.

  Toni noticed the large bearded man standing in front of them and Jason’s actions became very clear to her.

  “I have my ways, Beck,” the bearded man Toni recognized as Nathan Haven growled back, before turning his attention to her.

  “Miss Grimaldi, nice to see you again. I hope the flight was bearable. I have a car waiting to take you to your father’s office. He would like a word with you before we take you home. I just want you to know that we will make sure you are taken care of and that Haven Security and the police are working on catching the ones responsible for all this.”