‘Maybe, one day soon, I can give your my name – if you want it,’ he smiled but his eyes were wary. Lila kissed him.
‘Nothing would make me happier.’ She pressed her lips against his neck. Noah buried his face in her hair.
‘Then, when you’re fully healed, we’ll go away together. Somewhere only we know and I’ll ask you properly.’
She looked up at him with shining eyes. ‘I can’t wait, my love. I can’t wait.’
The next morning, Lila drove out to Westchester in the hire car Noah had arranged for her. She had pooh-poohed his suggestion being driven by a bodyguard. ‘Who’s going to get me travelling at speed on the Interstate?’
He had no argument and she kissed him gratefully. ‘I’ll call you when I get there, I promise.’
It was Richard Sr. who greeted her at the door. Never an effusive man, Lila was shocked when he pulled her into a bear-hug. ‘We missed you around here, Lila Belle.’
His warm voice brought tears to her eyes and all she could think of then was how much she’d hurt all of them by disappearing.
Richard told her that Cora was waiting for her in her room and with a smile; he went back to his study.
Cora was sitting on her bed, her big eyes wide with nervousness and Lila couldn’t help but feel for the young woman. Cora was fragile, vulnerable…but, Lila reminded herself sternly, that was no excuse for what Cora had done. And it was hardly a little thing either…
‘Cora, darling, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about what you told me.’
Cora frowned. ‘What did I tell you?’
A small pang of dread hit Lila’s stomach and she sighed. ‘Cora, I think you know.’
‘No idea what you’re talking about.’
So this was how it was going to go, was it? Lila shook her head. ‘Yes, you do, Cora and pretending otherwise is not going to help it go away.’
Cora stuck her nose in the air. ‘You’re really going to have to enlighten me.’
Lila had heard enough. ‘Cora, what you did was despicable.’ Enough with treading softly, Lila thought, and she saw Cora’s face redden.
‘Lila…’
‘No, Cora, no. We are not doing this. You put me in the middle by telling me, and now you have to step up and face the consequences. I think you should talk to Tinsley, tell her what happened, why you did what you did.’
Cora laughed, a false high sound. ‘I hardly know the woman, why should I talk to her?’
Lily’s mood darkened. ‘Trying to have someone killed, Cora, just because they’re involved with a man you like – you don’t think that’s good reason?’
Cora looked away from Lila’s gaze. ‘I don’t understand why you’re saying this to me. It must be the hormones in your system; I know you must still be feeling strange after the baby and everything.’
Low blow. ‘Cora, do you really want me to tell Tinsley? Charlie? Your parents?’
Cora looked at them, her blue gaze icy. Her mouth hitched up in a cruel smile. ‘And who do you think they’ll believe, Lila?’
Lila’s temper flared and she clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palm. ‘Fine. Let’s see, shall we?’
She stalked out of the room and down the stairs. She slammed the front door on her way out and it was only when she was halfway up the drive that she let out a howl of frustration. Why couldn’t this be simple? She’d had visions of taking Cora to Tinsley, a tearful admission, an instant pardon from Tinsley. And everyone lives happily ever after, she shook her head. You bloody fool, Tierney.
She drove back into the city and to her hotel, greeting Noah’s security team. In the suite, she dumped her bag and slumped onto the couch. Jesus. What should she do? Who was her loyalty to?
She grabbed a pillow and stuck her face in it, screaming a loud ‘Fuck!’ deep into its softness.
No. If Cora was going to be a bitch about this, then there was only one thing to do. Tell Tinsley what she knew. Then it was up to Tinsley what action she took and Lila could take herself out of the equation.
She called Tinsley at the bar and asked her to meet her later then she went to shower, hoping the cool water would cool her hot temper. So much violence, she thought as she scrubbed at her body with the soap, so much damn violence. She looked down at the sill livid scars on her belly. Her body had quickly gone back to its pre-pregnancy shape, and now she could feel her ribs against the taut skin. Too skinny. She had hardly eaten since Matty had been stillborn, and she knew Noah was torn between insisting she eat and look after herself and not wanting to pressure her. God. She cranked the faucet off and leaned her forehead against the cool tile. She wanted to get away with him soon, go somewhere where it was the just the two of them, start rebuilding a life.
When she was dressed, she was gazing unenthusiastically in the fridge when the intercom buzzed. ‘Hey, sweetcheeks, it’s me.’
Charlie presented her with a bunch of flowers. ‘Cheesy, I know, but what the hell?’
She grinned and kissed him. ‘They’re gorgeous, thanks, Charlie. You not working?’
He shrugged. ‘Yeah, kinda, but I wanted to see you.
‘Because?’
His grin was crooked. ‘Do I need a reason?’
Lila relaxed and hugged him. ‘Of course not. Just seems every time lately, there’s been a reason. It’s good that you just want to hang out with your oldest buddy.’
‘Word, sister. Where’s the good doc?’
‘Meeting. He’s thinking of quitting the hospital and setting up somewhere else, his own practice so he’s meeting with some insiders, get some advice.’
Charlie made a face. ‘God, business meetings.’
Lila nodded, grinning. ‘Which is why you’re a cop and I’m an artist. Not that you would know, I’ve been ‘resting’ for way too long.’
‘Time to get back into it?’
‘God, yes, I’ve been drifting for a few years now. So much for my independent woman stance; first Richard, now Noah – they both supported me financially whether I like it or not.’ She sighed. ‘I have to do something, Charlie. Maybe I could go back and retrain as an art teacher.’ She suddenly looked excited. ‘God, why didn’t I think of that before?’
Charlie was watching her, a small smile on his face. ‘You just keep making plans over there. You staying in Seattle?’
She nodded. ‘I am. It’s where Noah is, where I want to be. Only one thing missing and that’s you.’
‘Yeah.’ Charlie’s smile faded. ‘Well, when things go bad here, I’ll come home.’
Lila studied him. He looked tired and drawn. ‘You okay?’
He nodded. ‘Just a lot on my mind. They’re going to partner me up with someone new next week and I don’t know how I feel about the guy. Or the job. Or New York.’
‘What about Tinsley?’
‘The one good thing.’
Lila smiled. ‘I’m glad.’ She chewed her lip then sighed. ‘Charlie, I have something to tell you and I don’t want you to blow up and get crazy. This is me asking you as a friend, not a cop.’
‘Go for it, shorty.’
‘It’s about the attack on Tinsley. I know who it was.’
Charlie sat up, his face hard. ‘What the fuck?’
‘It was Cora,’ Lila hurried on, seeing the anger in his eyes. ‘She admitted it to me a few days ago. I didn’t know what to do so I talked things over with Noah and went back to see Cora yesterday to get her to go to Tinsley herself.’
‘And?’
‘She’s denying she ever admitted it to me. You should have seen her, Charlie. She was stone-cold. I’ve never seen her like that before.’
Charlie dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling. ‘You should have come to me,’ he said in a low, angry voice and Lila flushed.
‘I know, I’m sorry. But I was caught between…’
‘Cora tried to have Tinsley killed. Stabbed to death, Lila. Does that sound familiar to you?’
The blood drained from Lila’s face. ‘No�
��no way, Charlie. Cora and I were so close before the wedding, she was excited about it.’
‘Was she? Or is she just a better actress than we give her credit for? She’s always been troubled, on a knife-edge – sorry, that was a bad metaphor. But, Lila, really…she was really close to Richard. Isn’t it possible she got jealous, worried she’d lose her brother? If she knew who to go to hire a killer – why not Cora? Maybe it was the same guy who stabbed you. Jesus, Lila…’
He got up, pulling his phone out of his pocket and Lila knew he would swing into action now.
‘What are you going to do?’
Charlie, phone to ear, looked down at her, his face set and grim. ‘I’m going to arrest Cora Carnegie on suspicion of attempted murder,’ he said, ‘two counts.’
Lila put her head in her hands and hoped she’d done the right thing.
Hawaiian Islands
A month later…
Lila stretched luxuriously on the sun lounger on the terrace of their villa. In the distance, she could see the red gleam of the erupting volcanoes on the other islands. They had been here for a day, a villa borrowed from one of Noah’s friends, and they’d walked along the beach, swam in the clear water and gorged themselves on the amazing food they’d bought in town; fresh fruit, cheese, bread and wine.
Lila looked up as Noah came out onto the terrace, a new bottle of champagne in his hand. He was wearing grey marl shorts and nothing else and she delighted in his firm body, broad shoulders, firm stomach and thick, muscled arms. Damn, it had been too long…
Noah, seeing her blatant lust, grinned…and dropped an ice cube on her bare belly. She shrieked with laughter. ‘You ruined the moment, doofus,’ she grumbled. Noah plucked the ice cube up with his mouth, and then ran it around the soft mound of her belly. Lila sighed happily. Noah, grinning, undid the halter neck of her bikini top, freeing her breasts, already faintly tanned – her olive skin soaked up the sun. She watched, smiling, as he took her nipple into his mouth and she gasped as the remnants of the ice cube touched her sensitive bud.
‘Noah…’
His hand slipped up the inside of her thigh, stroking and kneading the soft flesh there, until his fingers crept under the cotton of her shorts and began to stroke her sex. Lila moaned softly, her own fingers knotting in his short dark curls. Noah moved to tease her other nipple as his long forefinger slipped inside her and began to seek the spot that made her groan and cry out.
His head came up and he grinned, kissing her mouth, his intentions clear. He slid her shorts down her long legs then stood to push his own shorts down. His cock, so big and thick, stood proudly against his belly and he fisted the root of it as he came to her again. She held out her arms to him and he went into them, both of them sighing at the feel of skin against skin.
‘I love you, Noah Applebaum,’ she whispered as she wrapped her legs around his waist and he smiled as he slid into her, groaning softly at the feel of her soft, wet cunt enveloping him as he filled her.
‘God, Lila…’
They moved together, completely focused on each other, enjoying every sensation as they fucked for the first time in weeks. They loved and laughed, made each other come over and over long into the night then finally, exhausted and sated, lay together, limbs entwined, watching the distant light show of the volcanoes.
‘This place is unreal,’ Lila said, her head resting against his chest. ‘Your friend’s very generous to lend this place out to you.’
‘He is,’ Noah agreed, his hands gently stroking her bare skin. ‘When we get back to Seattle, we should double date with Jakob and Quilla – you and she have a lot in common. A lot.’
‘Do they have kids?’
‘Twins, adopted. Girls, Maika and Nell, I think their names are.’
They lay in silence for a long time the Lila sighed. ‘Do you think we’ll have a lot of kids?’
‘We already have one. Just because she’s no longer here…I still feel like a father.’
She smiled up at him. ‘I know, I feel like a mom. You think we’ll have more?’
He pressed his lips to her forehead. ‘I think so, I hope so. We have time though, baby. Let’s just enjoy us, for now.’
‘Agreed.’ She snuggled closer, tracing a line down his chest with her finger. ‘Noah?’
‘’Sup?’
‘I’m thinking about going back to school, retraining as a teacher.’
Noah looked down at her in surprise. ‘Really?’
‘Yup. I haven’t painted anything new for years now and I can’t live off your goodwill forever.’
Noah hissed in frustration. ‘Baby…I wish you’d stop worrying about that. It’s just money. What’s mine is yours; I thought you would have realized that by now.’
‘Easy for you to say; you’re not the one being called a gold-digger. Besides, I am realistic – even teaching, I’ll never match your wealth but I can at least contribute. I need that.’
Noah sighed, clearly not satisfied. ‘Fine.’
She nuzzled his chin. ‘Don’t be mad, Applebum.’
He chuckled, kissing her softly. ‘I’m not mad, just…I want to look after you.’
‘And you do. All the time. But money isn’t a part of that, you care for me in far more important ways.’
‘Mushy.’
She laughed. ‘If you like.’
They held each other in silence for a while before Lila untangled herself from him. ‘Where are you going?’ Noah grumbled as she got up. She grinned.
‘Just to pee, be right back.’
She padded barefoot and naked through the dark villa to the bathroom. God, she could happily live here forever, just the two of them. She had a slight headache and she leaned her hot forehead against the cool tile as she used the toilet.
Here, she could forget about the mess in New York. Cora had been arrested and bailed and the DA was considering the charges against her. She had confessed to hiring someone to kill Tinsley - during a psychotic break, Cora claimed, driven made by jealousy. Tinsley had been shocked to the core that Cora was behind the attack and hadn’t taken the news that Lila had known and not told her well. Not well at all and for the past couple of weeks, before they had come to the island, Lila and Tinsley’s relationship had cooled.
Cora, however, vehemently denied that she was behind Lila’s attempted murder. Lila somehow believed her but Charlie was so convinced they had at last found the answers they were looking for that she kept her beliefs to herself. Charlie wasn’t an irrational man, she figured, if he was so convinced, there must be a reason.
Lila, on Charlie’s recommendation, hadn’t contacted the Carnegies and it was killing her not to know how Delphine and Richard Sr. were doing. For so long, they had been her family and now…she couldn’t ever imagine a way back for their relationship. That part of her life was over and if Cora really was responsible for the horrific stabbing Lila had endured and somehow survived, then the silver lining was that she could truly move on.
With Noah. She washed her hands and smiled to herself. God, she loved that man. Every time she saw him it was like the first time; her heart would race, her breath would catch in her throat. When he put his hands on her – god, his hands – her skin would vibrate with pleasure, the pulse between her legs would start to pound.
Thinking about that, she went back to the terrace to find him asleep. She grinned and straddled him, her hands slipping between his legs to cup his balls, stroke his cock into tumescence.
She chuckled as he pretended to be asleep then as a wide smile spread across his face and his eyes opened as she spread her labia and guided him into her slick cunt.
‘Well, hello again to you,’ he murmured, his hands splaying out over her bare back as she rode him gently. His lips found hers, his tongue teasing hers. ‘God, you taste so good, Miss Lila.’
She smiled, her lips curving up against his. ‘Glad you think so.’ She slammed her hips hard against him, taking him in deep and he groaned. His fingers clamped onto the soft
flesh of her waist, keeping her impaled on his cock. He looked up at her, his clear green eyes amused, loving, and intense.
‘I love you, Miss Lila Tierney, more than anything else in this godforsaken world.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
He grinned widely. ‘Then, seeing as my cock is deep inside your beautiful cunt, I think this is the exact right time to say, Lila Tierney, would you do me the honor of marrying me?’
Lila thrust hard onto his cock as he reached down to rub her clit and she moaned with pleasure. ‘Yes…yes, god, yes Noah…I will marry you….as long as you promise to keep doing…that…yes…yes…’
Manhattan
Tinsley rolled over in bed and sighed. Sleep was eluding her yet again and next to her, the bed was empty. Charlie was working a case that took him into Brooklyn most nights – at least that was the official story. Tinsley knew he was searching out any and every place that Riley might be. Now that Cora was on the hook for the attempted murders, Charlie had grown quiet and restless, wanting to find his partner and friend. Tinsley knew it was because he felt guilty about being convinced of Riley’s guilt and not listening to any other theory than ‘Riley tried to kill Lila’.
God, what a mess. When Lila had told her that Cora had confessed to Tinsley’s attack, the shock had made her lash out at her friend, accuse of her of putting Cora first. Lila had taken her tongue-lashing stoically.
‘I know it seems that way,’ she had softly, ‘after Tinsley had ranted at her, ‘but it’s not the truth. I love you so much and I wanted to be sure. I want Cora to come to you herself but she turned on me too.’
That last line haunted Tinsley. She turned on me too…jesus, if Tinsley thought she’d had it bad over the last few months, it was nothing to what Lila had endured. Tinsley remembered the pain of the knife slicing into her body and her cuts weren’t even serious. Imagine having a knife plunged deep in your belly, repeatedly…Tinsley shuddered. She couldn’t fathom it.
His Sweet Torment: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 98
