by Cat Schield
Despite his dismay at her story, Harrison could see the logic in their approach. “So who sent me the audio clip of you?”
“Everly. She wanted to make you hate me.” London peered at him anxiously. “She saw how important you were becoming to me.”
His treacherous heart sang as some of his hurt and anger eased at her confession. The longing to take her in his arms grew more urgent, but he resisted. Although it was clear that no matter what she’d done or why, he couldn’t stop wanting her, he required a full explanation before deciding what to do next.
“So where do things stand now?”
“I don’t know. Obviously, I wasn’t up to fulfilling my part of the bargain and you can see how Everly reacted to that.” London made a face. “I feel terrible for Zoe. Among the three of us, what happened to her was the most damaging.”
“Didn’t you say Everly’s sister went to jail?”
“Yes, but from what I’ve been able to find out, she did something illegal. Maybe Ryan Dailey didn’t have to go so far as to press charges, but his company lost several million dollars because of her and he was well within his rights.”
London lapsed into silence, her gaze fixed on his chest, her downcast expression battering the walls he’d erected against her. Her genuine remorse left him grappling with her decision to take revenge on her ex-fiancé. What did that say about her?
Yet after suffering his own heartbreak, he was better able to sympathize with the pain she’d experienced. Dark emotions had taken him to irrational places unlike any he’d visited before she entered his life.
Harrison reached around to the sofa table behind him and picked up a manila envelope. The information it held put him square in the middle of London’s trouble.
“Here,” he said, handing her the envelope.
“What is this?” London’s gaze flickered from his face to the envelope and back again.
“Open it up and see.”
London unfastened the clasp and flipped up the flap to peer inside. “It looks like banking information.”
“My brother’s banking information,” Harrison clarified. “Turns out Tristan had secret offshore accounts and shell corporations that he used to move money to the States. I don’t know if the information will help Zoe, but it wasn’t fair that Tristan hid these accounts from her.”
While he spoke, she pulled several pages out and scanned them. “Why did you do this?”
“Zoe got a raw deal.”
It wasn’t his only motivation, but Harrison wasn’t ready to say more. He’d done a lot of soul-searching before he’d betrayed his brother by using the flash drive and stealing these files. Although he remained conflicted about his decision, seeing the questionable legality of what Tristan had been up to had eased his conscience somewhat.
“This is a lot of money,” London said. “I mean a lot of money. Way more than he should have been able to put away by regular means. Where do you suppose it came from?”
The question had been keeping Harrison up at night. He had yet to figure out what to do with the information he’d gathered, but knew a conversation with his father and uncle was in order.
“I think he’s been laundering money,” he said.
“Laundering money for whom?”
“Drug dealers. Russian mob.” The more he’d reviewed the information, the more extreme his speculation had become and the more concerned he’d grown about the potential repercussions for Crosby Automotive. “It’s hard to say.”
Her eyes went wide. “You don’t seriously believe your brother is doing something illegal, do you? How could that be happening?”
“Crosby Automotive buys almost all its parts from overseas manufacturers and my brother is responsible for deciding which companies we buy from. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to channel bribes into one of these offshore accounts.”
“But does he need more money than he has?”
“You’ve seen his homes and his spending habits. Tristan likes to live the life of a billionaire. ‘Act like you’re worth a fortune and people will be inclined to believe it,’” he quoted in his brother’s lofty tones. “Instead it looks like he just went deeper and deeper into debt.”
“Is Crosby Automotive in danger from what he’s been doing?”
“I don’t think so.” Harrison hoped not. It would be something he’d need to address in coming months.
London shoved the pages back into the envelope. “How can I thank you for this?”
“No need. What Tristan did to Zoe was wrong.”
She set her hand on his. The move sent a zing of excitement through his body. He set his teeth against the urge to pull her onto his lap and sink his fingers into her tousled hair. His gaze slid to her full lips. One kiss and he’d be beneath her spell once more. But...
“I’m so sorry for what I did,” she said, forcing Harrison to rein in his lust-filled thoughts.
“Look, I’ve started to understand your motives.”
“My motives in the beginning,” she corrected him, turning his hand over so her fingers could trace evocative patterns on his palm. “Things changed when I got to know you.”
Harrison’s blood heated as she inched closer. The entreaty in her eyes undermined his willpower. “I get it, but I can’t just go on as if none of this happened.”
“I don’t blame you.” She peered at him from beneath her lashes. “But I just want you to know that you changed me in ways I never imagined possible.”
“London...”
Before he knew it, Harrison found himself leaning in. Her feminine scent lured him closer still. He knew exactly where she applied her perfume. A dab on her neck, right over the madly throbbing pulse. Another behind her ear. The hollow of her elbow. Behind her knees.
“I know I have no right to ask, but could you ever...?” She bit her lip, unable to finish the question.
“Forgive you?” He was on the verge of forgetting everything except the driving need to delve into her heat as her palm coasted over his shoulder.
“I know it’s not fair for me to ask. But if there’s anything I can do.” Her other hand found his thigh and Harrison almost groaned at the tornado of lust swirling in him. “If there’s any way back to where we were,” she continued. “Or forward to something better. All you need to do is tell me what you need me to do.”
Harrison raked his fingers through his hair and blew out a giant breath while his craving for her warred with his shattered faith.
“My uncle told me a story about when he and Dixie were dating. He did something wrong and spent the following year trying to get back in her good graces.”
“If you think it’ll take a year for you to forgive me,” London said, so close now that it took no effort at all for her to slide her lips over his ear, “I’m for doing whatever it takes.”
Harrison shuddered as her husky voice vibrated through him. “You’d make that pledge without knowing if I could ever trust you again?”
“I trust that the man you are will play fair with me.” She tipped her head and let him see her conviction. “You are worth the risk.”
With his ability to resist her unraveling, Harrison said, “You know, when we first started seeing each other I got the impression you didn’t feel that way.”
“That you were worth the risk?” She shook her head. “Maybe at the very beginning I judged you for what you did for a living. But you were willing to give me a chance anyway.”
With a warm, willing woman sliding her hand farther up his thigh, Harrison couldn’t figure out why he was still talking. But while his body was revving past safety limits, his heart hadn’t yet recovered from crashing.
“You had great legs.”
She shook her head at that. “I wasn’t exactly your type, though, was I?”
“No. You were far too reserved.”
They shared a grin at how much that had changed and more of Harrison’s doubts began to fizzle and fade.
“If that was true, why did you approach me at the foundation event?” she asked, leaning more of her body against him.
“Truth?” He sighed as her soft breasts flattened against his arm. “Because you seemed interested in Tristan and I wanted to protect you from him.”
“Seriously?” She eased back a fraction and shook her head in wonder. “So, if not for my ill-conceived plot against your brother, we never would’ve gone out.”
“We might have.” But he didn’t really believe that.
“I don’t think so,” she said. “We were too different.”
While she’d caught his eye at the event, he’d initially dismissed her as not his type. Odd that they’d both nearly let their prejudices get in the way of something amazing.
“That means,” she continued, “in a fateful twist, the revenge plot brought us together.”
Harrison considered that for a long moment. “I guess it did.”
“I’m glad. I don’t regret a single second of the time I spent falling in love with you.”
“You what?” Her admission was unexpected.
She looked surprised that he didn’t know this already. “I’ve fallen in love with you.” Her voice gained confidence as she repeated herself. Drawing her feet under her, she got onto her knees and cupped his face. “I love you, Harrison Crosby. You are strong and thoughtful and sexy and just the best man I’ve ever known.”
Abruptly, she stopped gushing compliments and scanned his face, gauging his reaction. As their gazes locked, the last of Harrison’s doubts washed away. This was the woman he was meant to be with. The proof was in the thunderous pounding of his heart and the exquisite openness of her expression.
This time, the impulse to put his arms around her was too strong. Harrison hauled her against him.
“I adore you,” he murmured, burying his face in her hair. “You’ve shown me what’s been missing in my life and I know now that I’ll never be happy without you.”
As their mouths fused, he felt as well as heard a half sob escape her, and then she was pushing into the kiss, her tongue finding its way into his mouth. He let her take the lead, enjoying the way his brain short-circuited as her hunger set him on fire.
His fingers dived beneath her sweater, finding bare skin. They groaned in unison as his thumbs brushed her tight nipples. He shifted their positions until she was flat on her back, her thighs parted and legs tangled with his. For a moment he ignored the compelling ache in his groin and smoothed silky strands of her hair away from her flushed face.
“I want to marry you,” he said.
Her surprise lasted less than a heartbeat. “I’d like to marry you, too.”
“You don’t want to think about it?” He looked for some hint of doubt or hesitation in her manner, but only love and trust blazed in her eyes.
“I’m a better person when I’m with you,” she said. “Why would I ever want to give that up?” She smiled then and it was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “You’re stuck with me.”
“I’d say we’re stuck with each other.”
“And I don’t want a long engagement.”
“Lots of planes go to Las Vegas every day from the Charleston airport.”
His suggestion briefly caught her off guard but then the most mischievous smile formed. “I’m feeling like the luckiest woman alive at the moment, so that sounds like a great idea.”
He’d only been partially serious, but seeing that she was game, he nodded. In truth, he’d expected her to want to spend months planning an elaborate wedding to rival her friend’s. “Just you and me?”
“Would you be upset if I invited Maribelle and Beau? I think she’d kill me if I got married without her.”
“Let’s give her a call.”
“Later.” London’s lips moved to his neck even as she gave his butt a suggestive squeeze, pulling him hard against her. “Right now I want to make love with you.”
Harrison nodded as his lips swept over hers, tasting her deliciously sweet mouth. As he wedged his erection against her, he could feel her smile and grinned in return as she rocked against him, inflaming both their desires.
Eventually he knew they would take things to the bedroom, but for now he was content to fool around on his couch like they were a couple of teenagers.
* * * * *
Cat Schield’s
Sweet Tea and Scandal
series continues
with Zoe Crosby’s story.
Don’t miss it!
Available February 2019
from Harlequin Desire.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Love in Catalina Cove by Brenda Jackson.
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In her brand-new series, New York Times
bestselling author Brenda Jackson welcomes you to Catalina Cove, where even the biggest
heartbreaks can be healed...
Keep reading for a sneak peek at
Love in Catalina Cove
Love in Catalina Cove
by Brenda Jackson
CHAPTER ONE
New York City
VASHTI ALCINDOR SHOULD be celebrating. After all, the official letter she’d just read declared her divorce final, which meant her three-year marriage to Scott Zimmons was over. Definitely done with. As far as she was concerned the marriage had lasted two years too long. She wouldn’t count that first year since she’d been too in love to dwell on Scott’s imperfections. Truth be told there were many that she’d deliberately overlooked. She’d been so determined to have that happily-ever-after that she honestly believed she could put up with anything.
But reality soon crept into the world of make-believe, and she discovered she truly couldn’t. Her husband was a compulsive liar who could look you right in the eyes and lie with a straight face. She didn’t want to count the number of times she’d caught him in the act. When she couldn’t take the deceptions any longer she had packed her things and left. When her aunt Shelby died five months later, Scott felt entitled to half of the inheritance Vashti received in the will.
It was then that Vashti had hired one of the best divorce attorneys in New York, and within six weeks his private investigator had uncovered Scott’s scandalous activities. Namely, his past and present affair with his boss’s wife. Vashti hadn’t wasted any t
ime making Scott aware that she was not only privy to this information, but had photographs and videos to prove it.
Knowing she wouldn’t hesitate to expose him as the lowlife that he was, Scott had agreed to an uncontested divorce and walked away with nothing. The letter she’d just read was documented proof that he would do just about anything to hold on to his cushy Wall Street job.
Her cell phone ringing snagged her attention, the ringtone belonging to her childhood friend and present Realtor, Bryce Witherspoon. Vashti clicked on her phone as she sat down at her kitchen table with her evening cup of tea. “Hey, girl, I hope you’re calling with good news.”
Bryce chuckled. “I am. Someone from the Barnes Group from California was here today and—”
“California?”
“Yes. They’re a group of developers that’s been trying to acquire land in the cove for years. They made you an unbelievably fantastic offer for Shelby by the Sea.”
Vashti let out a loud shout of joy. She couldn’t believe she’d been lucky enough to get rid of both her ex-husband and her aunt’s property in the same day.
“Don’t get excited yet. We might have problems,” Bryce said.
Vashti frowned. “What kind of problems?”
“The developers want to tear down your aunt’s bed-and-breakfast and—”
“Tear it down?” Vashti felt a soft kick in her stomach. Selling her aunt’s bed-and-breakfast was one thing, having it demolished was another. “Why would they want to tear it down?”
“They aren’t interested in the building, Vash. They want the eighty-five acres it sits on. Who wouldn’t with the Gulf of Mexico in its backyard? I told you it would be a quick sale.”
Vashti had known someone would find Shelby by the Sea a lucrative investment but she’d hoped somehow the inn would survive. With repairs it could be good as new. “What do they want to build there instead?”
“A luxury tennis resort.”
Vashti nodded. “How much are they offering?” she asked, taking a sip of her tea.
