Acquisition (Takeover Duet Book 1)

by Chelle Bliss

  Her eyes are glassy, but she hasn’t stopped staring toward the sky. “He finished training and was assigned to a specific mission, but…” Her voice trails off.

  Oh God. I’m flooded with guilt.

  She doesn’t have to say another word. I know I’ve opened up an old wound that she’s kept hidden and locked away from the world. We’re no longer in business mode or even Lou and Elizabeth world. This is Lauren and her feelings for the taking, and she’s spilling them to me, or at least trying.

  I roll over and prop myself up on one arm, peering down at her. “You don’t have to tell me.”

  She glances at me with a pained smile. “No, I want to tell you. You need to understand why Interstellar is so important to me.”

  I nod and remain silent.

  Her eyes slowly slide across the sky, not focusing on one particular area. “A few weeks after he finished his training, there was a terrible accident.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say, interrupting her.

  “Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.” She smiles softly at me, and the ball that had formed in my stomach starts to loosen. “It was my parents’ date night. Every Friday, they’d hire a babysitter to look after me, and my dad would take my mom out to dinner and dancing. I never minded because I thought of Mindy, my babysitter, like an older sister. We’d play dress-up, and she’d put makeup on me. I loved Friday just as much as my parents did.”

  I can imagine her as a child, with her long hair, prancing around in her mother’s shoes, covered in too much red lipstick and blue eyeshadow, much like my nieces do when my sister allows them.

  “But then a car crossed the center line and struck them head on. My family shattered that day, along with my father’s dream.”

  I’ve never dealt with the loss of a parent. Mine are still at home in Italy, probably arguing over what to have for dinner or some other mundane thing. They drive me crazy at times, but I can’t imagine not having them in my life, especially as a child.

  “The police said my mother died instantly, but my father survived.”

  I don’t know what to say in this moment, so I don’t speak. I can’t say that I’m thankful her father survived because there’s still the sadness at the loss of her mother. I can’t imagine being in love with someone and having them die by my side in the blink of an eye. The man had to be broken, not physically, but emotionally, with no way to ever repair the hole that had been left in his family.

  “He broke his back, and the healing process took a long time. He was eventually cleared to reenter the space program, but he declined.”

  “He did?”

  “Yes. He didn’t want to leave me behind, Antonio. He always worried about me, never himself. He could’ve touched the stars like he always dreamed and left me with my grandparents, but he chose to stay and be there for me. It took me years after his death to get over the guilt that he gave up his dream for me.”

  “Sometimes dreams are just that…dreams. Just because he never stepped foot in space doesn’t mean he gave up his life, Lauren. Men are simple creatures. At times, we can be self-absorbed, but when push comes to shove, we’re loyal and protective.”

  She giggles softly and turns, propping herself up and staring me straight in the eyes. “It took me a lot of years to figure that out. I meant more to my dad than his fanciful dream to touch the heavens. I was the last bit of my mother he had left, and he couldn’t stand to part with me, even for a few weeks up there.”

  “I would’ve made the same choice as him. I think most men would in his shoes.”

  She glances down to where our hands are almost touching in the open space between us. “He and I would lie under the stars like this and talk. That became his new Friday night ritual as soon as he could walk again. He’d tell me that my future was up there and pushed me toward where I am now. I became the head of Interstellar because, even though I was too afraid to go into space myself, I wanted to make the dream come true for so many people like my father. I want to allow people to go further, deeper than we’ve ever been able to go before. Every day when I go to work, I picture my father cheering me on, propelling me toward my destiny.”

  And I’m the asshole who’s trying to take it all away from her. Not only is Cozza attempting to take her company, but she knows that she’ll no longer be at the helm, and in a sense, I’d be killing her dream as well as her father’s.

  “You’ve achieved it.”

  “Not yet, Antonio. The engine’s done, but it hasn’t carried a human beyond the moon yet. Once it’s done that, I’ll feel like I’ve fulfilled my father’s dream. Not a moment sooner.”

  “You’ve achieved more than I ever thought possible, Lauren. More than I’ve ever dared to dream.”

  She smiles and shakes her head. “Oh, please. You have a giant team of researchers that have been working on a similar engine, I’m sure.”

  “Yes, but I’ve never found the right combination of people to make it a reality. Never in a million years would my team have thought up something so simple, yet so perfect. They’re too busy studying dark matter as a means of propulsion and trying to solve the riddle of how to stop it from destroying the craft with the chain reaction.”

  She smiles brightly, knowing exactly the type of stupidity I’m talking about when it comes to dark matter. “My team is pretty impressive.”

  “It takes a great leader with enough knowledge to push their people to achieve such greatness.”

  “Why, Antonio, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think you’re impressed and maybe a little jealous.”

  The lightness in the air between us makes me hopeful. I scoot my body closer, placing my hand on top of hers. When she doesn’t recoil or pull away, I know I have her.

  “I’m very impressed by you,” I say, reaching out and tucking a flyaway strand of her hair that’s been blowing in the breeze. “I wouldn’t have brought you here if I weren’t.”

  “Come on. I’m sure you bring plenty of women here and show them your private island. It’s pretty impressive.”

  It’s my turn to laugh. She doesn’t understand how far from the truth her words really are. “Besides the caretakers of this island, you’re the first person to step foot on this sand besides me since I purchased this little slice of heaven.”

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “Completely. This is my escape from the world. I come here to be alone and think. It’s not my sex palace or used to impress anyone. It’s mine and mine alone.”

  “Why did you bring me here?” she asks with a sigh. “I just don’t understand why me.”

  I push her hair off her shoulder, letting it fall down her back, and rest my hand against her cool, wind-kissed skin. “I felt something with you that night at the W. Do you believe in destiny, Lauren?”

  “I don’t believe that things happen for a reason. I think we’re all just particles, scattered across the universe, and if we bump into each other, we cause a reaction. There’s nothing fated about what happens. It’s all happenstance and chance.”

  I slide my hand down her arm, warming her skin with my touch and relishing the feel of her against my palm. “I don’t believe a word of that. Out of all the bars in Chicago, you ended up in mine.”

  “It was mine first, Lou.” She smiles.

  “Either way. Our paths crossed for a reason.”

  Her smile fades. “For you to steal my company.”

  “Maybe you were placed in my life at that moment to push me onto another course. Ever think of that?”

  She contemplates my words, blinking at me while chewing on her lip before she raises an eyebrow. “The universe is conspiring against you?”

  “Possibly.” I move closer and slide my hand up her arm. “Or maybe reminding me of what’s really important in life.” My fingers trace her hairline on the back of her neck before tangling in her hair.

  I lean forward, waiting for her to pull away, but she closes her eyes and gives in to me.

  Chapter Fourteen