by Susan Stoker
This wasn’t the time or place to get mushy, but she’d make sure Midas knew it hadn’t even been a question. She’d felt something with him. Maybe it had been fast-tracked because of what they’d been through together, but being here truly felt like the right decision.
“You’re welcome,” she said softly. She deserved this. Deserved to be happy. And she most definitely was.
Midas kissed her temple, then sat back. She squeezed the arm he had around her waist and turned her attention back to the rainbows, which were now dissipating. She prayed that their connection would be more substantial than the fleeting beauty of the sun meeting the rain.
Magnus ignored the phone that was ringing on the desk in front of him. He knew he should answer it. It was probably his assistant, who would beg him to look at some spreadsheet or email. But how could he concentrate on work when all he felt was a huge gaping hole in his chest?
He physically felt the severed connection from Dagmar. Doctors would scoff at him. His friends wouldn’t understand. But Magnus knew what he felt. Part of himself was gone forever, had died in that hospital along with his brother.
He’d felt Dagmar die. Had felt his terror, his pain, his anger.
And it was the anger that was beginning to fester within Magnus now. He knew why his brother had been angry in those last moments. He was outraged that he was about to die when he should’ve been safely back home in Denmark.
It wasn’t a secret that Magnus had personally collected the money the kidnappers wanted. Dagmar would have known, would’ve expected it of him. But when they’d unexpectedly doubled it, demanding five million for each hostage, that had been Dagmar’s death sentence.
It should’ve been that bitch! The woman no one was willing to pay for.
She should’ve been the one to die, not his smart, talented, outgoing brother.
And as Magnus read the email in front of him, he was even more sure of that fact.
* * *
Magnus,
Your brother wasn’t happy when we learned that we wouldn’t be set free. We’d heard our kidnappers talking about the ransom. They said that since the five million had been raised so quickly, it wouldn’t be a big deal for five million more to be raised. Dagmar tried to tell them it would be a good-will gesture for them to release one of us, but they just laughed.
He knew you’d done all you could for him. He loved you so much. Talked about how the two of you could always feel each other. More than once, he said he was worried about you, that you weren’t doing well. But he also knew you were doing all you could to free him. Even when he had a stroke, he said you’d know and would do what you could to help him.
You were lucky to have him as a brother.
~Lexie
* * *
Yeah, he was lucky all right. And if it wasn’t for her, he’d still have his brother.
Magnus never understood his brother’s charitable streak. He was much happier staying at home in Denmark and enjoying life’s little pleasures. He wasn’t married, preferring to pay for a woman’s company when he wanted it, then kicking her ass out in the morning. He liked his expensive cigars, quality cognac, and silk sheets. Beggars annoyed him. As did those who tried to convince him they didn’t deserve their shitty situations. If they were smarter, had fewer fucking babies, and worked a little harder, they wouldn’t be homeless and needing a handout from him.
But Dagmar had been easier to sucker. He’d gone to a charity dinner one night, held by Food For All, and they’d convinced him to invest a shit ton of money in their organization.
Since Dagmar had never married either, Magnus was his only heir. And even though his net worth had doubled with his brother’s death, the only thing Magnus cared about was learning as much as he could about the organization that had contributed to his brother’s death.
He wanted to know how it operated, who was in charge, who decided where their employees worked and lived, and how much everyone was paid.
Magnus clicked on a folder on his computer labeled Elizabeth Lexie Greene. He needed to know everything about his enemy…and a good starting place was her employment file with Food For All.
He’d already contacted the organization and let them know he wanted to take over where his brother had left off. That he wanted to be an auditor like Dagmar had been. He knew they’d say yes; they wanted the money he’d dangled in front of them like a carrot too much to deny him.
He smiled for what seemed like the first time in a month.
Yes, Ms. Greene would pay for Dagmar’s death if it was the last thing she did. But first, he wanted to make her suffer. Wanted her to be stressed out. Worried. Scared. Just like his brother was before taking his last breath. She’d experience everything Dagmar had felt before she died. That would be his final gift to his brother.
Chapter Ten
Lexie was excited about today. Yes, she wanted to experience the famous Waikiki Beach, but she was also looking forward to spending more time with Midas. The longer she spent talking to him and hanging out, the harder she fell.
She knew she was already a goner, and it had only been a few days. But everything she learned about the man made her respect and like him all the more. Sure, he was a Navy SEAL, and that alone would garner her admiration, but he was so much more than that. He was generous, and polite, and obviously a great friend to his teammates. Elodie had told her that he was super protective of her—as was the rest of the team—simply because she was Mustang’s wife. He wasn’t afraid to make fun of himself, and he was obviously a hard worker.
He ran every morning, then worked on the Naval base, but still found time to chat and message her throughout the day. He seemed genuinely interested in her work and how her day was going. They always found something to talk about, and she never felt as if he was asking about her job just because he thought it was expected.
Yes, it was safe to say Pierce Cagle was a good man. And that scared the shit out of Lexie. She didn’t want to let him down. Wanted to be worthy of him, and that was one thing she’d had a hard time with all her life. Her dad certainly hadn’t made her feel as if she was worthy of his, or anyone’s, attention.
Being with Midas made her happy, sure, but it also made her yearn for a long-term relationship. She wasn’t quite sure if he felt the same.
Consciously putting her worries aside, Lexie vowed to enjoy the day. It was Sunday and she had the day off, and she was going to get to see more of the island.
Her phone rang and, seeing it was Midas, Lexie answered it on the second ring. “Hi,” she said cheerfully
“Hi back,” Midas said. “You sound happy.”
“I am,” she gushed. “I have the day off, it’s a beautiful day, and I get to spend it with you.” She spoke without thinking, and for a second, when Midas didn’t immediately respond, she wondered if she’d been too enthusiastic.
But then he said, “Couldn’t have said it better myself. You ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Good. I’ll be pulling in front of your building in about three minutes.”
“I’ll be there,” Lexie assured him.
“Lex?”
“Yeah?”
“I’m looking forward to today. To spending time with you.”
Lexie swallowed hard. She hadn’t expected Midas to get so serious this early in the morning. “Me too,” she said.
“Good. See you soon.”
“Soon,” she echoed and clicked off the phone. She spun and grabbed her purse, putting the strap over her head and arm and headed for the door.
Three minutes later, she walked outside and saw Midas’s convertible waiting for her at the curb. He climbed out and came around to her side of the car.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hey,” he replied, leaning down.
It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to go up on her tiptoes and put a hand on his chest to balance herself. The kiss was short and sweet. Midas smelled like soap and coffee. She licked her lips, tasti
ng him there.
He groaned.
Lexie couldn’t help but smile. She’d never felt particularly sexy in her life. She was just who she was. But around Midas, her feminine side preened and she couldn’t help but lick her lips again.
This time, Midas smiled and lifted his hand to smooth her hair behind her ear. “Hair tie?” he asked.
Lexie had purposely left her hair down, simply because she knew Midas wouldn’t be able to keep his hands to himself. Whenever he was around her, his hands seemed to gravitate to her curls. She’d never liked anyone playing with her hair in the past, but she craved Midas’s touch. She reached into her purse and pulled out a scrunchie with a small grin.
“May I?” he asked, nodding to the material in her hand.
“You want to put my hair up?” she asked.
“Oh, yeah.”
His answer seemed odd, but it made Lexie’s belly clench. She nodded, handed him the hair tie, then turned her back to him.
Goose bumps broke out on her arms as she felt Midas’s fingers lightly combing through her curly strands as he gathered them into a ponytail. He was taking his time, and Lexie knew she’d stand there in the middle of the sidewalk for as long as it took him to finish. Why having his hands in her hair felt so intimate, she didn’t know. No one had ever done this for her before. Not her mom that she could remember, and certainly not her father.
Lexie closed her eyes and felt her nipples tighten as Midas continued to stroke her hair. He expertly wrapped the scrunchie around the locks several times, and gave her one last stroke before putting his hands on her shoulders and leaning down.
“Thank you,” he said huskily into her ear.
His warm breath brushed her skin, making Lexie long to grab his hand, tow him up to her room, throw him down on her bed and have her wicked way with him. Never in her life had she been this turned on, and he hadn’t done anything but touch her hair.
She was a goner.
Lexie opened her eyes and started to turn around to… She wasn’t sure what she planned to do. But right that second, a homeless man walked by and nearly sideswiped her with the oversized bag he was carrying on his shoulder.
Luckily, Midas already had his hands on her, easily pulling her back against him and out of the way, preventing her from being smacked in the face by the man’s belongings.
“What the fuck?” Midas said under his breath, but Lexie recognized the man and had already taken a step toward him.
“Good morning, Theo,” she said gently. He was one of the regulars at the Food For All building. He was fairly tall at six feet or so, and lanky, with longish brown hair. Most of the time it was unkempt and greasy, making him seem a little scarier somehow; it looked as if it had been quite a while since he’d had a shower. She guessed him to be in his mid-forties. He was also…intense. Had a habit of staring at people, not seeming to know, or care, that he was making them uncomfortable.
Some of that was probably because Theo wasn’t in his right mind. He mumbled under his breath a lot, and Lexie didn’t know the details of his mental illness, but the few times she’d seen him, he didn’t seem to even know where he was.
She couldn’t help but worry about him. She was concerned about all the people she met. It made her job stressful, but she had a driving need to do everything in her power to help those who visited Food For All.
Theo mumbled something under his breath, then turned to meet her gaze. It was one of the first times he’d looked directly at her, and for some reason it startled Lexie, making her take a step back reflexively.
“You shouldn’t be here,” he said quite clearly.
“Oh,” Lexie said, not sure how to respond.
“She’s allowed to stand on the sidewalk,” Midas said, shifting her so he was mostly in front of her.
“Food building, not this one,” Theo replied, then lowered his head to stare at the crack in the sidewalk at his feet.
Putting her hand on Midas’s back, she leaned around him and said, “I’m not working today, but Jack and Natalie should be there. They’ll get you some breakfast,” she told him.
“Don’t like waffles,” Theo said robotically.
“There’s lots of other things you can have,” Lexie soothed.
Theo then muttered something else and shuffled down the sidewalk toward the Food For All building without another word.
Lexie felt more than heard Midas sigh in relief.
“He’s harmless,” she said.
“You’ve known him, what, three days?” Midas asked. “You have no idea what he’s capable of.”
“I don’t know what you’re capable of either,” Lexie retorted a little more forcefully than she’d intended. “But you don’t see me being an asshole to you or crossing the street when you’re approaching, do you?”
Midas ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry,” he apologized immediately.
Lexie sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I have a tendency to be protective of the people I serve at work.”
“I’m protective too,” Midas replied. “It’s who I am. I doubt I’ll ever be one hundred percent comfortable with you interacting with people like him.”
“What? People who are hungry and just want something to eat?” she fired back.
Midas didn’t rise to the bait. “No. Mentally ill. They’re unpredictable, and no matter how well you know someone, he could turn on you in a heartbeat.”
Lexie knew he was right. She’d seen it firsthand a time or two throughout the years. But that didn’t mean she had to like it. And you didn’t have to be mentally ill to turn on someone. So-called “normal” people did it every day.
“I would never hurt you. Ever,” Midas said softly, as if he could read her mind. His blue eyes were piercing in their intensity as he stared at her.
Lexie sighed. “I know. I just…there’s no good solution for people like Theo. He needs assistance, obviously, but there’s no one to facilitate getting him that help. He has no money, so it’s not like he can pay for meds or a doctor, anyway. Bringing back the insane asylums of old isn’t the solution. They were horribly abusive and did more harm than good. But letting Theo and those like him simply wander the streets to fend for themselves isn’t the answer either. Neither is arresting him. The prison system is no place for someone with a mental illness. Sometimes I’m the only friendly face they see all day. People are cruel, Midas, and I do what I can to mitigate that.”
He turned abruptly, pulling her against his chest. It startled Lexie, but she melted into him as she rested her forehead on his shoulder.
“You’re right, of course you are. But the thought of someone hurting you literally makes me ill. If I could, I’d put you in a bubble so nothing and no one could ever lay a finger on you.”
Lexie couldn’t help but giggle.
“What?” he asked, pulling back a bit so he could see her face.
“I’m just picturing me walking down the street in a giant hamster ball.”
Midas grinned.
“I know you think I’m naïve,” she told him seriously. “But I’m not. I’m always cautious when I’m at work. When our clients are obviously having a bad day, I keep my distance. Believe it or not, today is a very good day for Theo. I mean, I don’t know him all that well yet, but I’ve seen him several times and he actually had a conversation with me just now. He hasn’t done that with many people.”
“That was a conversation?” Midas asked.
Lexie didn’t read any sarcasm in his tone, so she nodded. “Yeah.”
“Okay, Lex. But please, promise me you’ll be careful. I just found you, I don’t want to lose you.”
Lexie felt that all the way down to her toes. “Okay,” she said softly.
“Your hair all right? Is the tie tight enough?”
“It’s perfect,” Lexie told him. “Should I be jealous about how you learned to do that?”
He chuckled. “I watched my sister do it all the time growing up. And I was a swimmer who was around lot
s of chicks who were constantly putting their hair up. I’ve never actually done it before, so I wasn’t sure if I did it right.”
“You did,” Lexie reassured him, and just like that, she was turned on once again.
Midas’s eyes flicked down to her chest, and Lexie refused to squirm. She was a grown-ass woman, and if she found her…boyfriend—she supposed she could call Midas that, even though she’d just gotten to town—hot, it was perfectly fine. She wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t felt a connection with him, and from how much they’d talked since she’d arrived, she felt confident in calling him that…at least in her mind.
Midas snaked one hand up her spine and palmed the back of her head, and the other tipped her chin up. “You look beautiful today,” he said softly.
An asteroid could’ve landed right next to them and Lexie didn’t think she would’ve noticed. She only had eyes for the man in front of her. “Thanks. You look nice yourself.”
He grinned. “I can’t wait to take you out for real. I’ll have to beat men away with a stick. You in a dress, high heels, that amazing hair done up? Shit, I’ll be lucky to make it through the night without embarrassing myself.” He inched forward, and Lexie could feel his erection against her belly.
She couldn’t help but feel thrilled by Midas’s words and actions.
“Please,” she scoffed. “You’re hot as hell in your uniform, I can’t imagine what you’ll be like all dressed up. It’ll be me trying to keep women from throwing themselves at you and slipping you their phone numbers.”
Midas grinned. “Not happening,” he said. “Your number is the only one I want. And women can throw themselves at me, but my hands will already be full with you.”
His words were cheesy as hell, but Lexie felt all fluttery inside anyway.
Midas lowered his head once more, but before he could kiss her, a loud honk scared the hell out of her. Lexie jerked in his arms, and Midas tightened his hold. “Easy, Lex.”
