by Tia Siren
Frustration simmered inside me as I washed out my mug of coffee in the sink. I decided to brave the cold by slipping into a pair of thick boots and a heavy winter coat. I needed to talk to someone about what was going on, but I didn’t want Bastian walking by to overhear the conversation. The entire log mansion was quiet and still. I could hear Bastian cough a few times as he walked around in his office.
The wintery day greeted me with a stinging kiss as I stepped out onto the front porch. Earlier, Bastian had spent a few hours shoveling snow off the deck before hopping into a large truck with a snowplow on the front to clear the driveway. I had watched from inside as he’d continued up the road to help his neighbors clear their driveway, too. Gestures like that eased my anxiety over his intentions. He really did have a good heart beneath everything.
I walked across the icy driveway in the direction of the barn. Once inside, I slid the barn doors shut for privacy. I found a small heater plugged into one of the stalls, so I clicked it on to warm my fingers before dialing Sabrina’s cell number.
“Hello?”
“Sabrina, it’s me. It’s Joanna.”
“Oh, thank God!” Sabrina exclaimed into the phone. “I was so fucking worried about you! Where the hell are you? What is going on?”
I scrunched down a bit to let the warm heater air blast me in the face. “It’s just been a really fucked up couple of days. I broke up with Sid, so I needed some time to get away. To clear my head, you know?”
“Understandable, but there’s something you need to know. It deals with Sid.”
“What is it?” I asked, fearing the worst. He was already harassing my coworkers and parents. Now it seemed like he was going after Sabrina.
“He came by my place yesterday to drop something off. I didn’t answer the door, but he stuck it through the mail slot. It’s addressed to you.”
“It’s a box?” I questioned, straightening up with a frown. “I packed up the other day, so maybe he assumes you know where I am. He might’ve been dropping something off.”
“It’s an envelope,” Sabrina said. “It feels like something thick, like pictures or papers. I don’t know what it is. I didn’t want to open it until I talked to you.”
“Open it up,” I said. A coldness settled over me despite the blast of heat. “Tell me what it is. Don’t even sugarcoat it.”
“All right.”
I listened to the tear of paper before there was a sharp intake of breath on Sabrina’s end of the line. I clutched the phone tightly as my heart pounded. “What? What is it?”
“It’s pictures, Jo. Pictures of you.”
“Pictures of me?” I asked.
“Pictures of you naked,” she said shakily. “There are so many of them. I-I-I can’t even tell you what a lot of them are.”
My knees gave out beneath me. I slid down the barn stall to sit on the hard, cold floor. Hot tears filled my eyes.
“Are they bad?” I whispered, rubbing my face. “Please tell me it isn’t bad.”
“Nothing sexual from what I looked through. It’s like you sleeping, a few in the shower. What a sick fucking bastard. There’s a note in here, too.”
“Read it,” I said. “What does it say?”
“Joanna, there are two things that aggravate me the most—being ignored and being lied to. You’ve done both to me, so consider these photos your warning. I will send them to every single person you know, including your work. Even future job prospects. We need to talk.”
“Fuck,” I breathed out shakily. “What do I do, Sabrina?”
“I’m going to destroy these pictures,” Sabrina said promptly. “He can’t do this. He’s not above the law.”
“He thinks that he is, though. Everybody is going to defend him.”
“I don’t know what to tell you then,” she said solemnly. “I’m not going to ask where you are, but I hope you’re safe because shit is going to get nasty with him. You know that, right?”
Vomit bubbled in the back of my throat.
“Trust me,” I said, tears sliding down my cheeks. “I know it will.”
Chapter 15
Bastian
Two days. Two fucking days of a constant hard-on and shame mixed with guilt. I couldn’t get images of Joanna’s naked body out of mind, no matter how hard I tried. No matter how hard I jerked off, I still found my cock stiffening with desire whenever Joanna ventured around my private office.
I smoothed a hand through my hair in agitation. Shame and guilt flooded through my system while I paced in front of my desk. I didn’t know what to make of this recent turn of events between Joanna and me. Taking advantage of a highly emotional situation was the last thing I wanted to do. Joanna was escaping an abusive relationship, and yet I had given in to the temptation of wanting to see her naked. It had taken everything in my will power to pull back from her before something had happened. It had been a damn miracle considering I had consumed a fair amount of wine before the sexy striptease.
A shudder went up my spine. I didn’t know how much longer I could take trying to resist the temptation that Joanna presented—even when she wasn’t trying to.
I stopped to gaze out the window at the cold and snowy landscape. Given my past with women, getting involved with Joanna wouldn’t make me any better of a solution for her. All my previous encounters had ended in heartache. I didn’t want to inflict that sort of damage on Joanna after everything she had been through.
My phone buzzed on my desk, where it was charging. I crossed my office to unplug it from the docking station, frowning at the number on the screen. I had no idea why my property manager would be calling in the middle of the week when he knew I was in Park City—not my penthouse that I usually occupied during the week to cut down on the commute time.
“Evening, Marcus,” I said. “What’s going on?”
“We might have a problem, sir.”
I tensed in dread. “What sort of problem do we have?”
“There’s been a seedy cop coming around your penthouse,” Marcus said darkly. “He’s been trying every damn trick in the book to come up here and snoop around your place. He used the back stairs yesterday with his partner.”
“Motherfucker,” I growled, sitting down on the edge of my chair. “Did he get in?”
“No, sir. I made it clear that there are cameras throughout the building that could see him attempting to break in without any sort of warrant. He threatened to put a bullet between my eyes if I didn’t help, but I didn’t back down. Reminded him off the CCTV footage always recording.”
“I’m sure that didn’t go down very well with him,” I said.
“It didn’t, but he left. He’s been snooping around for the past couple days, and he keeps asking all sorts of questions of the building staff.”
“What sort of questions?” I asked.
“Questions about a female at your company,” Marcus said. “He doesn’t realize yet that we don’t keep tabs on your personal life. It’s none of our business, so he has come up emptyhanded several times. Just thought it best to let you know because I got the feeling he’s looking for something to get you with. Not sure what.”
“Thank you, Marcus,” I said, sighing. “Consider a generous bonus coming your direction for you and your family. If he keeps coming around and threatening you, let me know immediately. Send that footage over to my email to send to my lawyer.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
I shot off an email to my lawyer the second Marcus sent the footage to my email. Anger simmered in me when I sat back to watch the few hours of footage of Sid sneaking about the building. A few times, he came up to my door to jiggle the doorknob. He didn’t realize that after my nasty divorce, I had changed locks and kept all my doors locked to keep Sierra from walking right back into my life.
“Bastard,” I said, shaking my head in contempt. “What the fuck do you think you are going to find in my penthouse? The girlfriend you beat the shit out of?”
I didn’t know what els
e to do besides possibly file a complaint against Sid through the police department, but even with the CCTV footage, it was my word against his. Seedy cops had their connections, and cops always protected one another. Even though they were supposed to protect the general public, they always sided with their own, which made me sick. Even good cops were pressured into covering for their corrupt brethren, making them just as rotten as the worst of them.
I was sure Sid had his excuses ready for his coworkers to explain what he was doing, so nothing I said would be valid without Joanna’s testimony to back it up. She was terrified to speak out against him. Hiding seemed to be her best option.
I tried to concentrate on the documents I needed to sign off on for the next few hours, but then Ashton called me directly on the house line.
“We have problems,” Ashton said. “Well, you have problems.”
I groaned loudly in frustration. “What sort of problems? I’ve already dealt with one problem today.”
“I’m sure it’s attached to this problem. Better lawyer up, buddy. One of my ears in the police department is hearing rumors of a sexual harassment suit against you.”
“Sexual fucking harassment?” I repeated skeptically. “You’re shitting me, right? Someone is trying to file harassment charges against me in the workplace?”
“No. Someone is shopping around to file one against you. As in, someone is trying ruin your reputation and get revenge on you. What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing is going on,” I said crossly. “I’m dealing with one corrupt, fucked-up cop who seems to think that intimidating me is going to work.”
“A corrupt cop? Jesus, man. You’ve always been good about keeping your head, and even your dick, out of trouble. How’d you piss off a crooked cop in the process?”
“It’s a long story, Ashton. I don’t want to go into it. Thank you for telling me about this new development.” I pulled up my email account again with an irritated sigh. “I’ve gotta send off another email to my lawyer.”
“Just keep one eye open. This ‘cop’ of yours sounds like he’s out to get you.”
“No shit, man.”
Joanna. He wanted Joanna back.
Not that I blamed the dick for wanting Joanna to himself. There was a very selfish part of me that wanted to keep Joanna hidden from the rest of the world for my own reasons. I wanted her for myself, too.
I shoved those feelings away, though, because a relationship was the last thing I suspected was on Joanna’s mind. She was reeling still from everything that had happened since walking into my office Monday morning with bruises covering her neck. Even if I wasn’t a trained professional when it came to abusive relationships, I knew that sex shouldn’t even be on the table for Joanna at the moment. We were both tempted and playing a very dangerous game with our desires.
“Thanks for the warning,” I said. “If you hear anything else—”
“There is something else that I need to tell you,” Ashton interrupted. “There are some rumors going around the office that Joanna Lind is the reason behind all of this. She hasn’t been at work since Monday morning, after leaving with you.”
Fuck. I rubbed a hand over my eyes tiredly. I hadn’t thought about that when I’d called Roger to tell him that Joanna was taking a personal leave of absence. I had played it off as leaving for work reasons. My employees, while respectful, were most likely disturbed by what had transpired. I never took off work and neither did Joanna. Alarm bells were going off in their minds.
Still, I didn’t feel right telling Ashton the real reason why Sid was coming after me in every possible way.
“Joanna needed to take some time off work,” I said smoothly. “I needed to take some time away as well. That’s all that happened.”
“Roger said her ex has been calling the office excessively because he thinks Joanna is with you.”
“Her ex is a piece of shit, Ashton. That’s all I’m going to say about the matter.”
“Fine,” Ashton said, sighing. “Keep your secrets as usual. Just keep in mind that if Joanna is in the situation that I think she’s in, you can’t do anything to help her. There are trained professionals to help women like Joanna. Keep that in mind, okay? Not for your knowledge but for hers.”
I set the phone down after bidding Ashton good-bye. You can’t do anything to help her. Those words settled coldly in my stomach because they were true. I could hide Joanna for the rest of her life, but there was no guarantee she wouldn’t go back to Sid if he promised to change. She was petrified of him because of his resources in Salt Lake City.
Sighing, I left my office to go find Joanna. We needed to talk about Ashton’s call to me. Maybe she needed some professional counseling while under my protection. I didn’t mind footing that bill because I cared for her in ways that I’d never felt before. Even with Sierra.
The guest room was empty when I pushed the door open after knocking for a minute. Her suitcases were still at the end of the bed, but I spotted a pile of clothes near the dresser. Maybe she was in the pool house.
I made my way through the house to walk across the chilly patio area that connected to the pool house. The balmy air touched my face the second I pushed the door open. The sound of water lapping against the pool echoed against the large windows that were steamed over. My eyes focused on the petite figure currently swimming laps in the warm water.
Lust spiraled through me when Joanna lifted her head to look up at me with a smile. Her blonde hair was slicked back from her fair face. The bruises on her neck were fading quickly, too, but it was the sight of her in Sierra’s old bathing suit that did me in. My mouth went dry as desire chased away the conversation I’d had with Ashton.
“Hey,” Joanna said, coming to the edge of the pool. “Care for a swim with me?”
I tore my gaze away from those perky breasts of hers. “No. We need to talk about something.”
Joanna’s eyebrows furrowed in concern as she started to lift herself from the water. I turned hurriedly to grab a towel because it was the sight of Joanna’s flawless skin that caused all the blood in my head to drain south. I held out the towel when I heard Joanna come up behind me.
“Here,” I said. “I don’t want you to catch a cold.”
“Thank you.”
My hand brushed against Joanna’s wet one as she took it from me. I turned to look at her then because I couldn’t resist another peek of that taut and toned body as she wrapped the towel around her petite shoulders.
I shook my head to clear away the lustful thoughts, and I motioned for Joanna to come forward so I could rub her back dry. We needed to talk. We needed to… Rational thought left me when Joanna turned away from me without question. I gathered the fabric of the towel to dry her off, but I found my fingertips grazing the soft skin of her collarbone. I couldn’t resist as goose bumps pimpled Joanna’s skin. I heard her sharp intake of breath.
The balmy air between us felt even steamier than what the temperature gauge above the door said. I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. My hands were venturing on their own while the rest of my body screamed to follow suit. Joanna didn’t pull away. She didn’t shrug away, either, and instead leaned back into my touch.
I knew right there and then that the line I didn’t want to cross was about to be crossed against my better judgement.
Chapter 16
Joanna
The feel of Bastian’s hands slowly dipping past my towel to touch my collarbone sent shockwaves through my entire system. I couldn’t stop shivering despite the heated pool and how warm it felt in the swimming lodge attached to Bastian’s log mansion with his calloused fingertips gently grazing my sensitive skin.
My heart thumped at an erratic pace. After two days of wondering when he would touch me, and wanting him to touch me, he finally was. His fingers left fiery trails down the front of my chest as he traced the hemline of the bikini I had found in the guest room. The towel between us slipped out of my fingers. It slid down my back to pool
at my feet.
I sucked in a shaky breath to calm my nerves. Desire bubbled in my veins. There had only been a handful of times I had ever felt drawn to a man before, but none of those times compared to how I felt when it came to Bastian. Everything about him screamed sinful release. It wasn’t just those irresistible looks, either. It was the real man beneath the cold exterior that attracted me—the man who had brought me into his home to protect me.
A tumult of emotions filled me as I slowly turned around to face Bastian. His eyes were dark with lust, but I could see the conflict waging war in his eyes. He didn’t want to take advantage of me. That much I knew from when he had kissed me on the forehead the other night because we were both drunk.
Don’t kiss him, Jo. Don’t do it. You know this won’t end well if you do.
I knew the women who trailed behind Bastian with broken hearts. A few of them arrived at his office in an effort to mend things between them, but Bastian never seemed interested in having a committed relationship. He kept his personal life and work life separated. We were merging both of our lives together, and I was helpless against it.
I wanted this man. Even if I never had him again, at least I would have this moment for the rest of my life—a wonderful spot in the darkness that lingered outside his Park City log mansion because of Sid.
Bastian’s hands had lifted when I’d turned to face him. They were clenched at his side while the silence stretched on between us thickly.
“Joanna,” he started, his voice husky.
The pit of my stomach trembled at the way he said my name—lusty and full of longing. I reached up to place my fingertips on his lips to shush whatever excuses were about to roll off that tongue.
“Don’t say a word,” I whispered and savored the feeling of Bastian’s lips against my fingertips. “I want you, Bastian. I just want you.”
The words slipped off my tongue before I could restrain them. Bastian’s eyes fluttered shut at the confession before opening again. He appeared visibly torn between his set of morals and desires.
