Defying the Billionaire's Command

by Michelle Conder

  ‘So that’s it? You’ll never see her again.’

  ‘I hope not. She’s a lovely young woman. I’ve grown fond of her.’

  Dare frowned. ‘How fond?’

  Benson’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What do you mean?’

  Dare shook his head. He no longer cared if his grandfather had tried to implement some Machiavellian plan to set him up with Carly. ‘Never mind,’ Dare said, irritated with himself. ‘You were about to say something.’

  ‘Only that I believe Carly already has a new job to go to. And speaking of work issues, I’ve been meaning to ask your advice about how to handle the whole Beckett situation.’

  ‘I’ve got my PR people working with yours,’ Dare said distractedly. ‘Did you know that Beckett gave Carly a necklace?’

  ‘What? Another one?’

  Dare turned back to find his grandfather frowning. ‘How many did he give her?’

  ‘I know he gave her one with a large ruby in it.’

  ‘That’s the one I’m talking about.’

  Benson shook his head. ‘That boy doesn’t know the value of money. What fool gives a woman a precious necklace to try and entice her to go out with him?’

  Dare swallowed. ‘So she never went out with him?’

  Benson laughed. ‘Of course not.’

  Heart beating too fast, Dare saw his life flash before his eyes. ‘Many women would consider it a sizable inducement.’ But even as the words left his mouth he knew that Carly wasn’t one of them.

  ‘Not a woman like Carly.’

  No, Dare thought, shoving his shaking hands into his pockets, not a woman like Carly.

  He’d been wrong. Again.

  And suddenly his smug message replayed in his head. He was a bigger fool than he’d given himself credit for. A stupid, hard-headed fool.

  He pinched the bridge of his nose. If she hadn’t hated him before, she no doubt would after listening to that.

  ‘Dare, are you quite all right?’

  Dare nearly choked on his own stupidity, and knew he had no one to blame for his mistrust but himself. Beckett might have infected him with his venomous words, but Dare had made it easy for him, hadn’t he? Because, as much as he’d tried to deny it, he hadn’t trusted her; she’d been right about that. What she didn’t know was that he didn’t trust anyone.

  ‘Dare, you’ve gone very pale.’

  Dare stared at his grandfather without really seeing him. Being pale was the least of his concerns. How he was going to win back the only woman he had ever loved was much more important.

  ‘I’m in love with Carly.’

  Benson beamed. ‘That’s fantastic.’

  ‘No, it’s not,’ Dare said tonelessly. ‘I stuffed up.’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘I basically accused her of sleeping with Beckett.’

  Silence fell between them.

  Benson cleared his throat. ‘That wouldn’t have gone down very well.’

  ‘It didn’t.’

  ‘What are you going to do about it?’

  Dare looked at him bleakly. ‘The hell if I know.’

  ‘Want my advice?’

  ‘Please.’

  ‘Tell her how you feel. We all make mistakes, Dare. You’re not perfect. And neither is she.’

  Dare stared at him. ‘You make it sound so simple.’

  ‘Simple it’s not,’ Benson said. ‘But it’s a lot harder living without love. Trust me, I tried.’

  Dare reached out and clasped his grandfather’s shoulder. ‘I’m glad you contacted my mother.’

  ‘Best thing I did. Now go get your girl.’

  Not knowing where to start, Dare did the only thing he could think of.

  He called her again and told her he loved her. He poured his heart out to her message bank and admitted that he’d been wrong and hoped she’d forgive him because she was the most important person in his life. Then he called again and told her he wanted to marry her.

  By the third day when he hadn’t heard from her Dare felt as if he were going mad. No one knew where she was. She hadn’t been back to Rothmeyer House to collect her things, and she’d quit her job with the agency.

  He’d even called her parents in Liverpool. Her polite mother had said that Carly wasn’t there. When he’d called again her polite father had confirmed her polite mother’s words. They hadn’t seen her. And then her father had graciously advised him to never call again.

  Dare stared out of his office window.

  Her father, the Viking, protecting his little girl. He would have smiled if he didn’t feel so, so— Dare’s eyes narrowed. Why would Carly’s father need to protect his daughter if he hadn’t seen her?

  Dare closed his eyes and when he opened them he searched the room for his helmet.

  * * *

  Carly glanced at her cell phone and saw another voice mail message from Dare. Without even thinking about it she deleted it. After that first message she’d had from him she’d deleted every single one since without listening to them.

  What woman in her right mind would do any differently after that first pompous message about panties?

  Panties?

  Carly hadn’t known whether to laugh or cry.

  ‘What was that, honey?’

  She glanced up from her cell phone to where her mother was making tea for them both in the family kitchen.

  As it was past ten o’clock her father had bid them good-night hours ago, but, since she had arrived home three days ago, Carly and her mother had taken to staying up late into the night talking.

  And it had been so cathartic to finally confront those things that had hurt her the most and face them head-on. She’d even told her parents how responsible she had felt over Liv’s death and a weight of guilt had finally lifted from her heavy shoulders. Then last night she and her mother had cried themselves dry over photo album after photo album; remembering Liv, crying for Liv and loving Liv all over again.

  And as for Daniel, well, she’d finally admitted that he’d dented her pride and not her heart and that if she ever saw him in the street again she wouldn’t hang her head in shame. She’d likely walk up and give him a piece of her mind.

  The one person she hadn’t mentioned was Dare. And it wasn’t because she was trying to avoid thinking about him. It was just that her mistake over him was still too new. Too raw. Because while Daniel had only dented her pride, Dare had torn it in half, making her feel like a fool for loving him so completely so quickly.

  Now she just longed for the day that she didn’t wake up thinking about him. When she didn’t go to bed seeing his face in her mind.

  ‘Carly?’ Her mother set tea down in front of her. ‘Did you say something?’

  ‘No,’ Carly laughed reassuringly at her mother. She hadn’t realised she’d spoken out loud. At the time she’d heard the message she’d replayed it twice over. She shook her head. If she had found a pair of women’s underwear anywhere near his sofa she wouldn’t have bothered telling him to find a high cliff, she’d have driven him to it and pushed him off it herself.

  ‘I thought you said panties,’ her mother said, setting the tea down.

  ‘No, I said... I said...tanties. As in tantrums.’

  Her mother made a face. ‘Why would you say that?’

  ‘I was just remembering a message I received the other day. It was nothing.’

  ‘Was it from that man? The one with the deep voice.’

  ‘No,’ she lied.

  Apparently Dare had called the house a couple of times looking for her. She’d told her parents to act nonchalant and tell him they hadn’t seen her. When they had given her that worried look she’d told them he was Benson’s grandson who had thought she was a gold-digger and been horrible
to her.

  That had been all it had taken for her father’s spine to stiffen.

  ‘Oh, well.’ Her mother sipped her tea. ‘He certainly has the looks to back up the voice, but what did you say he was?’

  ‘An obstinate, hard-headed—’ Carly stopped, eyeballed her mother. ‘How do you know what he looks like? Did you see his picture in the paper or something?’

  Her mother cupped her teacup in her hands and looked flustered. ‘Not exactly.’

  ‘On the Internet?’

  ‘He was here.’

  ‘In Liverpool?’ Carly’s heart jumped into her mouth.

  ‘He said he was in the neighbourhood.’

  ‘Liverpool is not his neighbourhood, Mum.’

  ‘I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t confirm you were here, if that’s what you’re worried about.’

  Carly relaxed. Slightly.

  ‘If he’s stalking you—if he hurt you—’

  Carly shook her head. ‘He’s not the stalking kind.’

  ‘Then why was he here?’

  ‘I’m sure I don’t want to know.’ She frowned. Checked her phone in case she’d missed a call from the Baron or Travelling Angels. She’d resigned from there as soon as she’d left London so she wasn’t expecting a call but if something had happened to Benson she knew they’d inform her.

  But there were no messages.

  ‘Carly, honey, what happened with this Mr James?’

  Carly felt her throat close over. When she felt she could talk again she said the first thing that came into her head. ‘I was a fool.’ And then she burst into tears.

  ‘Oh, honey, I hate to see you cry.’

  ‘I know... I’m sorry. I just... I have terrible taste in men.’

  She swiped at her eyes and grabbed a tissue from the nearby box. Then she told her mother what had happened. How she had tried to resist him but he’d been...

  ‘The kind of man to make a woman swoon?’ her mother offered.

  Carly grimaced. ‘He took my breath away from the first moment I saw him, only he isn’t the kind of man who is interested in long-term relationships and...even worse, he was the same as Daniel.’

  ‘He cheated on you!’

  ‘No... I meant...’ Carly swallowed. ‘He didn’t love me either.’

  ‘Oh, Carly.’

  ‘It’s okay.’ Carly hiccupped. ‘He isn’t worth it.’

  And one day she hoped she’d believe that. She wadded the tissue into a ball and aimed it at the kitchen sink as she and Liv had done as kids.

  ‘Carly—’ Her mother’s familiar reprimand was cut short by a loud knock at the front door.

  Carly glanced at her mother. ‘Are you expecting anyone?’

  ‘No.’

  Her mother got up to go to the door before Carly thought to tell her to ignore it.

  Then she heard Dare’s voice and immediately swiped at her eyes and straightened her shoulders.

  When he walked in she caught her breath. Once again he was dressed in head-to-toe black leather so she knew he’d ridden his bike up from London, but gone was the cocky charmer who had nearly run her down and in his place was a man who looked as if he’d forgotten how to shave or sleep.

  A deep yearning careened around inside her chest and it took all Carly’s effort not to act like Benson’s ratty little dog and bound into his arms. Especially when she no doubt looked just like Gregory with her unkempt hair and her mother’s thirty-year-old dressing gown over her old pyjamas. Why was it that she had a cupboard full of nice clothes but this man never caught her wearing anything decent?

  He looked her up and down. ‘You’ve been crying,’ he said softly.

  ‘No, I haven’t. I have hay fever.’

  His brows rose. ‘At the end of summer?’

  ‘All year round.’ Her heart was kicking inside her chest like a racehorse trying to break out of its barrier but she’d be damned if she’d let him see her so vulnerable.

  ‘Would you like a cup of tea, Mr James?’

  ‘Dare doesn’t drink tea, Mother,’ she said stiffly.

  ‘I didn’t think you did either,’ he said gruffly.

  Carly wasn’t about to explain that this was her and her mother’s special thing. ‘What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to come near me again.’

  His nostrils flared at her frosty tone. ‘I needed to make sure you got my messages.’

  ‘I got the one about the panties,’ Carly scoffed. ‘That was enough.’

  ‘I think I might leave you two to talk,’ her mother said softly.

  Carly glanced up and saw her mother’s flushed face. ‘Thanks, Mum.’ She had been so intent on Dare she had forgotten her mother was even in the room. By the look on his face, Dare had too.

  ‘About that message.’ He tugged at the collar on his jacket. ‘I wasn’t exactly thinking straight when I left it.’

  ‘You don’t say.’

  He ignored her sarcasm and raked a hand through his hair. ‘But I was referring to my other messages.’

  ‘I don’t care about your other messages. I want you to leave.’

  Dare stared at her beautiful, defiant face. Was that it? Was that all she was going to say after he’d poured his heart out to her? After the things he’d told her?

  Yes, it seemed so.

  He sucked in a steadying breath. ‘There’s nothing you want to add?’

  ‘If I’d had something to add I would have called you, wouldn’t I?’

  ‘Of course.’ Dare zipped up his jacket, swallowed heavily. ‘I’m sorry I disturbed you.’

  ‘I’m sorry I ever met you.’

  She said it under her breath but Dare rounded on her. ‘You know, when a man pours his heart out to you, you might want to think about being a little nicer about it.’

  ‘Pours his heart out?’ Carly gave a harsh laugh. ‘That’s rich,’ she said thickly. ‘You talk about women’s underwear and demand that I call you—as if I’m the one at fault—and you call that pouring your heart out?’

  ‘I never said you were at fault. If anyone is at fault I am.’

  ‘Well, finally we agree on something,’ she fumed. ‘Now you can go.’

  That last word came out as a sob, and Carly dashed the back of her hand against her mouth to try and contain it. Dammit, she didn’t want to cry in front of him.

  ‘Carly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.’

  He took her face between his hands and kissed her. It was meant to be a goodbye kiss. Short and sweet. But her lips clung to his and he groaned her name and gathered her closer.

  ‘I want you to know that I meant everything I said,’ he told her gruffly. ‘And if you change your mind I’ll...’ He took a deep breath. ‘My feelings won’t ever change.’

  ‘What are you talking about?’ Carly looked up at him. ‘What feelings?’

  Dare stared at her to the point where she became uncomfortable. Then his eyes narrowed. ‘Did you even listen to my other messages?’

  Carly sniffed and wiped her nose. ‘One was enough.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I deleted the others. I didn’t want to—why are you laughing?’ She frowned. ‘This is hardly funny.’

  She tried to pull away but Dare clasped her shoulders, preventing her.

  ‘Carly?’ Dare began softly. ‘Those messages you deleted.’ He cleared his throat. ‘They said that I love you.’

  ‘They said...’ She shrugged out of his hold and wrapped her arms around her waist. ‘They said what?’

  ‘That I love you.’

  Carly shook her head. ‘You can’t love me—you don’t trust me.’

  ‘You’re right, I didn’t trust you, but I need to explain that.’

  And he did. He told her about his father
and how his actions had made Dare grow jaded and cynical. How he’d grown up prepared to take risks with everything other than his heart. ‘With you, I couldn’t seem to stop myself. Every time I tried to back off you were there, inside my head. Inside my heart.’

  Carly stared at him. She wanted to believe him. She was desperate to believe him but something still held her back. ‘What happens when another Beckett comes along? When—?’

  Dare reached for her again. ‘There won’t be another Beckett because this time I’m giving all of myself to you just as you gave all of yourself to me the other night. Tell me it’s not too late. Tell me you’ll give me another chance.’

  Carly looked up at him. ‘But I didn’t give all of myself to you,’ she murmured, looking up at him. Because even though she’d thought she had, she hadn’t taken the ultimate step. She hadn’t told him she loved him.

  ‘The truth is that I thought I was in love with Daniel and he used to accuse me of sleeping with other men and it was horrible.’

  Dare frowned. ‘You told me he had been the one to cheat.’

  ‘He was. He did, but then he’d belittle me and I felt stupid and—’

  ‘And I came along and did the same thing.’ His arms tightened around her waist. ‘I’m sorry, Carly, please forgive me. I’ve been a bigger fool than I first thought. That was what was on some of my other messages.’ He looked down at her imploringly. ‘A fool who was so afraid of getting hurt it was easier to let you walk away. It won’t happen again.’

  ‘I was afraid too,’ she admitted. ‘Afraid of making another mistake but I could have stayed. I could have made you listen.’

  Dare shook his head. ‘That wouldn’t have worked because all I wanted was the facts.’

  ‘And now?’

  ‘And now I know that facts are well and good but they don’t tell the whole story.’ He leaned down and kissed her softly. ‘Now I know I should have listened to what was inside my heart, not my head.’

  ‘Oh Dare, I’m guilty of the same thing. After Liv died I felt so frozen inside by my sense of guilt and loss, at the fact that I was alive when she wasn’t...even now I wish she could experience what I have right now. With you.’

  ‘She’ll always be in your heart, Red. And if you want we’ll open a hospital wing in her name.’