by J. C. Reed
Page 35
“Your cell. ” Jett smiled softly. “Besides, you’re stubborn, so I figured you wouldn’t listen. It wasn’t a hard guess. ”
“But what made you come looking for me? You said you wouldn’t be back before evening. ”
“Kenny found out Clarence Holton had also transferred fifty million to Clarkson, so my next guess was that someone must’ve blackmailed them, and it wasn’t my father. ” His eyes met mine, and for a moment they took my breath away. “But then Brian called to tell me his girlfriend saw you leaving, and I drove over. ”
“I’m glad you did,” I whispered, refusing to think of what might have happened otherwise.
His shoulders slumped. “I never would have expected this from my brother. ”
“That’s what your father said, too. ” I leaned my head against his shoulder then recapped the events from the beginning. “What are you going to do with Nate?” I asked once I had finished.
“I’m going to find the videos and hand them over to the authorities, and let them decide. He deserves all that’s coming. ”
I sat up to regard him. “What about your father?” He couldn’t possibly reveal his father’s involvement in the club without risking Mayfield Realties’ collapse. I wouldn’t let so many people lose their jobs.
“I don’t know, Brooke,” Jett said, defeated, “but I’m sure we’ll figure something out. ”
Chapter 29
THE NEWS ABOUT ETNAD and the elite club was splashed all over the newspapers on a Monday, a little more than a week after Jett’s father was shot. Someone had tipped off the authorities and now investigations kept popping up all over the States and even Europe. New names were revealed every day, including Jett’s brother.
I was standing in Jett’s kitchen—our kitchen—brewing a large pot of coffee to see me through the busy night ahead. It was early evening, shortly after dusk, and the sun had just disappeared behind the thick curtain of rain clouds that had been hovering above New York City for the last few days. We had arrived back from the office and dinner in a nearby restaurant, and Jett was still in the shower so I was alone with my coffee and thoughts as I sat down on the couch, cross-legged, and spread the newspaper around me. I had gone through the articles countless times but for some reason I kept coming back, unable to grasp the fact that my nightmare had finally come to an end. That Nate had been involved for many years still shocked me. Jett refused to talk about him, as if his brother wasn’t worth mentioning.
Robert Mayfield was mentioned in the business section—the man, who had allegedly been involved in a freak explosion, only to come back from the dead. The hole in his chest had remained a well-kept secret. We had visited him in the hospital the day before. Even though the doctors kept him in an induced coma for days, I had wanted to see him. Knowing he’d tried to protect Jett and me—granted in a strange way, but still—the meeting had felt different. And while I knew we’d probably never meet for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, I planned on getting to know the real Robert Mayfield as soon as his health recovered, for both Jett’s and the baby’s sake.
With Kenny’s help the missing money would be returned into the corporate bank accounts, and Jett could finally focus on launching his own company—that’s where all the coffee and my undying support came in. I didn’t just love him; I was proud of him and his achievements, and I was going to see his dream come true, no matter what. Even if that involved working at the office during the day and helping him with the launch of his business at night.
“Do you want to call it a day, babe?” Jett said, appearing around the corner.
“There’s still so much to do. ” I pushed a cup of steaming coffee into his hands, marveling at the perfection of his broad chest and his electric eyes that reflected the light in a million facets of green.
“Maybe I want to focus on something else for a while. ” He placed the cup on the table and pulled me against his hard body, his mouth burying in my hair at the nape of my neck. To smell, to kiss, to bite—I had no idea, but work was waiting, and I could sense he was about to idle.
Ever so slowly Jett began to unbutton my dress. I pushed is hands away before he could rip off my bra.
“Sorry, Mayfield, but if you want to call it a day, I’ll have to insist you use the remaining twenty something hours of your win now, because I’m not giving you any more for free. ” I pointed at the front of my dress. “Unless of course—” I smiled “—you surrender your win and let me be in charge once and for all. ”
“There is no way in hell I’m surrendering, Miss Stewart. ” He fished a set of keys out of his pocket and dangled it in front of my face. “Brian has changed the license plate for our little trip. ”
Oh, God.
“We’re not racing anywhere,” I whispered, petrified at the thought of Jett behind a steering wheel.
Jett’s eyes twinkled. “Which is why I thought you might want to drive her. ”
I overlooked the part where he kept calling his car a she in favor of the fact he was letting me drive his beloved. I had never driven anything so expensive and shiny. I was almost drooling at the thought.
Grinning, I grabbed the keys before he changed his mind. “Now you’re talking. How could I possibly resist going for a ride in your baby. ”
“I hope it’s not going to be my only ride tonight. ” He winked in case I missed the sexual undertones.
Heat scorched my cheeks. Did he have to be so blunt?
“That depends. ” I inclined my head in mock confusion. “Where are we going?”
“Back to the Hamptons,” Jett said, amused. “I forgot my bag. ”
***
It was a little past eight p. m. when we arrived at Kim Dessen’s place. With the moonlight casting an eerie glow, magnifying its large windows and the narrow path lined with rosebushes leading straight to the private beach, the building looked more beautiful than I remembered it. Jett unlocked the door and turned off the alarm, but didn’t switch on the lights.
We climbed down the stairs past several doors and entered a dark room. Jett pressed a switch and the entire pool was lit up in soft blue and green colors, the underwater light bouncing off the dark walls like it was the only source of light. I gasped at the magnificence and the size of the place. On the west side were lounges and a bar. The pool had a huge elongate side, and a smaller circular one. Opposite from it was a large plasma television set fitted on the wall.
“Wow. ” I spun in a slow circle. “This place is heavenly. ”
And tranquil. Much more amazing than any public indoor swimming pool or spa I had ever seen. I watched the color-changing water, immersed in the sparkling underwater lights.
“I love it. Completely love it,” I said, unable to hold back my enthusiasm.
“Care for a swim in the pool? Or should we try out the theater?” In the darkness, my gaze searched for Jett and found him standing at the stairs of the pool. He had kicked off his shoes and his feet were in the water, his eyes beckoning me to inch closer.
“You’re giving me a choice?” I asked, faking surprise.
“More like a question what you want to do first, because we’ll be doing both. ” He grinned, revealing the two most gorgeous dimples in the world. “We have a long night ahead, during which I intend to push your boundaries and see what makes you tick. Or squeal. I’m going to discover all your secret spots. ”
“My secret spots aren’t so secret any more,” I said.
“I’m sure you’ve kept one or two hidden. ” He flashed me a grin that made my heart sink in my chest. “I know a thing or two you don’t yet know about yourself. ”
Slowly he began to remove his clothes. His jeans. His shirt. His underwear. The pool lights bathed his skin in a soft glow; the shadows did nothing to hide his perfection.
I found myself smiling when he strolled into the water naked. I could’ve stayed transfixed to the spot, watching him for hours.
“Come in, Brooke,�
�� Jett said, slowly.
“Shouldn’t we be taking a shower first?”
“You’re right. ” He stepped out of the water and came toward me. I thought he’d show me the way to the bathroom but instead he lifted me in his arms and walked with me back into the swimming pool.
Hovering in his arms above the surface of the water, I squealed and fought his iron grip when a cold wet sensation seeped through the material of my dress and reached my butt. It was cold. Scratch that. It was so freezing I thought I might see ice cubes floating around me. An instant later, Jett’s arms were gone, and I plunged into the water, the coldness spreading around my limbs.
“Seriously? I hate it when people do that,” I said the moment I broke the surface of the water and wiped my eyes, probably smearing my make-up all over my face. My dress was soaking wet—floating like a halo because the thin fabric was so light it didn’t stay underwater. Jett laughed. No. Make that he laughed hysterically.
“Stop laughing like a hyena. ” I splashed him.
“I’m sorry. ” He grinned sheepishly.
“No, you’re not. ”
I tried to swim to the edge when he grabbed my waist and pulled me against his naked body. “You’re cute when you’re angry, Brooke. ”
“I’m not,” I said, unable to stop my teeth from chattering. “It’s frickin’ cold. ”
“You’ll be warmer once you get out of this dress. ” He didn’t wait for my reply. Within seconds his expert hands had undone the zipper and pulled the dress down my shivering body, then tossed it on the edge of the pool.
“Better?” he asked. There was a spark of mischief in his eyes. And he was still grinning. I frowned when he disappeared beneath the surface. Was he going to retrieve my high-heels?
“No, it’s still cold. ” I doubted he heard me. Looking down, I saw him diving. His naked body shimmered underwater, heading straight for me. Like a fish. Or was he supposed to be shark?
Oh, God.
He wouldn’t dare, would he?
He did.
He grabbed my left foot and pulled me underwater until my face was at the same level as his. My eyes were open as he drew me to him and kissed me, his lips pressing against mine. For a moment, I almost forgot we were underwater. It was the feeling of freedom. It was perfect, so perfect that words failed me.
He let go of me and together we broke the surface.
“I’ve always wanted to do something like this,” Jett said, laughing. His hair looked like a sexy mess.
“You’ve got balls, Jett. Pulling me under like that. ” I had loved it, but I wasn’t ready to admit it because I was still shivering.
“It’s not that cold. ”
He was right. It wasn’t that cold.
It was damn icy—so cold I couldn’t even feel my limbs.
“You know it’s freezing,” I said, “and kissing was your solution to keep us warm?”
He shrugged. “You always manage to heat me up. Do you want to try again?”
