by J. L. Berg
“It started from a good place,” I said, my fingers stroking his arm in comfort.
“It landed us in this mess,” he replied, the regret heavy in his tone. “But I was trying,” he said, with a long pause. “I was trying to get us out—to fix everything.”
My head lifted as my wide eyes met his.
“You were?” I asked.
He nodded. “I remembered the anxiety I felt that night, picking you up, driving to dinner. I was nervous—so incredibly nervous. But I couldn’t figure out why. All I knew was I was going to tell you everything, but then it all went blank.”
“When I knocked you to the ground,” I said quietly, my mind reliving those few seconds, seeing his surprised face as he’d crumpled to the pavement.
“Hey, it was an accident. And, you’ve said it before—everything happens for a reason. We’ve got to believe that now. We’re moving forward, remember?”
I nodded. “I remember your agitation that night. You seemed off—not your usual smooth demeanor I’d become so used to,” I recalled as I settled back into his grasp.
“I was trying to collect information on Trent—to turn him in. But, it was hard—he’s careful and tediously discreet. I could see our relationship crumbling. I knew it was only a matter of time before you left me for good, and that scared me more than anything. I’d been keeping you locked away while I sniffed out evidence and I’d become paranoid that Trent was on to me. Every single whisper had me on edge.”
My eyes closed as I remembered all the times we’d argued, fought over that damn lock in the bedroom. I’d never understood why he kept me around if he hated me so much.
If he’d only explained.
So many lost chances.
“My fear for your safety had me acting rash. I knew I was good at what I did—so good that Trent had based our entire operation on my skills alone. I knew that if it came down to it, I’d be able to prove my innocence. Every deal I’d done was legit. But I didn’t want to be part of his empire anymore. I hated living in fear and I was cognizant enough to recognize the deterioration in myself.
“I needed an out.”
“What did you do?” I asked, scared by what he might say.
“I took out the majority of the liquid assets in the company—the real money. Not the fake shit Trent was making up in the books. I was amazed when I figured out just how little cash we actually had. I took it and invested it in something I thought was sure to double overnight. I thought if I could make Trent a fortune, hold the money over his head, I’d be able to walk away.”
“You lost the money?” I guessed, suspecting this story didn’t end with a rainbow.
“Yes,” he nodded. “That night when I picked you up and tried to take you to that horrible restaurant, I’d planned on telling you everything I’d done and hoped you’d forgive me.”
“I would have,” I insisted.
His lips met mine, softly at first, almost as if he were begging permission. As my mouth opened, granting him the freedom he sought, his hands touched my face. Tracing tiny paths along my cheeks, down my jawline and across my chin, he seemed to be recording me with his fingertips as his mouth dominated mine.
All words, all memories of the past were forgotten as I clung to him, letting his body take mine completely. He owned me, body and soul. He always had.
Whether a monster or a prince, this man would always be the other half of my soul, and never again would I wander.
Chapter Twenty-Two
August
My lungs burned as I ran, trying to get to her, but every direction I turned she disappeared from my grasp.
Harder and harder, my run turned to an urgent sprint as the wind pounded against my face.
Where had she gone?
Gunfire went off and my heart suddenly froze.
“Everly, no!”
“August! August, wake up!” Everly called out to me as I suddenly bolted upright. I blinked, my eyes burning from the glare of the white-hot sun coming through the large skylights above. Raising my arm to block out the rays, I took stock of my surroundings as my heart’s gallop settled back down to a healthy trot.
We were still in the living room, blankets pulled up around us on the couch.
Looking down, I saw her worried expression meet mine.
She was safe.
I exhaled, feeling myself calm as her gentle smile greeted me.
“You were having a nightmare,” she said.
“It was nothing,” I replied, trying to shake off the fear I was still feeling.
“You called out my name.”
Running my hands through my hair, I sighed, knowing she’d see through my sorry attempt to fly under the radar. “Just anxiety,” I said. “Left over from last night.”
“About last night…” she mentioned. My brow rose in interest and I saw her immediately roll her eyes.
“Not that!” she laughed. “I’m trying to be serious.”
“Okay,” I said, holding up my hands in defeat. My smile was still wide, though, and I caught her trying to look away to maintain her focus.
“You said you were trying to gather evidence,” she started, immediately catching my attention.
“Yes,” I replied, wondering where she was going with this.
“Well, do you know what you did with it? If you were gathering evidence, you would have put it somewhere, right? A safe place?”
“I guess,” I agreed. “But I’ve looked all over this house, taking down boxes and boxes of things from the attic…clearing out papers from the desk. I haven’t seen anything out of the ordinary.”
Her features scrunched together in frustration. “Well, then we look harder. It’s got to be here somewhere. You must have been collecting things here and there for several years. You wouldn’t have put the evidence just anywhere.”
“Maybe you can look for me,” I suggested.
She smiled brightly and nodded. “Of course. But don’t think that you’re going to keep me in this house searching for papers for the next few weeks while you’re out doing God knows what.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I grinned, shaking my head.
“Liar.”
“Shit, what time is it?” I asked, suddenly remembering what day it was.
Monday—the day we began pulling off this crazy scheme.
“Early. I have to be at work in thirty minutes. You have an hour or more,” she said, stretching out next to me like a flexible kitten. Watching her made me never want to move from this spot on the couch again.
Her eyes met mine and I felt the heat between us stir. Rising from the couch, she held out her hand.
“Come on,” she said, her nakedness from the night before leaving me completely spellbound.
I did exactly as she said, reaching for her outstretched hand and following her as she walked gracefully across the living room toward the staircase. I took a moment to admire the new bird that stretched its wings wide across her shoulder, free of its cage.
I hoped she still felt that same freedom, now that she was here with me.
Silence fell around us as we went up the stairs, and she came to a stop in front of the master bedroom doorway. Until now, this place had been off-limits—a room she only entered with a specific purpose. She’d hadn’t slept here since I’d reawakened from the coma, and had stayed in here for only short periods of time, too burdened with memories of a time long since passed.
“It’s time we moved past the memories that have defined us for so long. You are August, and I am Everly…and for as long as I can remember, I have loved you. Even when things were bleak, and it seemed like our future was lost, that was the one thing that remained constant—my love for you.”
In one swift movement, I lifted her in my arms, feeling her long legs wrap around my torso as our eyes locked. Carrying her into the room she had once feared, I watched as our bodies tumbled to the bed that had so long ago carried our love and loss.
“You’re going to be late for
work,” I said, my voice rough with emotion as I let my gaze wander over her naked flesh.
“Good,” she replied, reaching up to tug on my shoulder. I came willingly, loving the feel of her skin as she pressed against me.
“You’ll let me know if—” I began, rising up to meet her gaze.
“Shh, just love me,” she whispered, arching her back.
Whatever demons had resided in this room, we exorcised them that morning. With the glistening magic of our bodies, we worked together seamlessly, reminding ourselves that memories were meant for the past. What we had now was worth living for.
“I love you,” she said as each thrust of my hips sent her spiraling. “I’ve always loved you. Even when I shouldn’t have, even when I hated you. I’ve never stopped loving you, August.”
Every word from her lips set me on fire, creating an inferno in my heart as I worshipped her body, her soul. No one would ever love her as much as I did. No one. And I would spend every moment of forever showing her just that. Never would she be taken for granted again. She would never have to wonder, or doubt my love again because I would fucking sing it to the heavens if she asked.
She owned me. She always had. I’d known it the moment she walked into that hospital room and I knew it now. Everly Adams was my mate, my true north, and my heart. Two years of lost memories couldn’t keep us apart, and I’d be damned if one shifty-eyed crook of a man would stand in my way now.
Rising up on my forearms, I moved deep and low, pushing her knees forward as she moaned beneath me. Her hands ghosted up my chest, teasing the muscles in my abdomen and torso.
“You feel so damn good,” I muttered, my voice barely above a hoarse growl as I took her again and again. Soon her muscles began to tighten around me as I struggled to hold on.
“Oh god!” she cried out, her nails digging into my chest as our eyes met. The waves crashed below and I felt my body give way as we both tumbled into oblivion.
Fucking stars. Every damn time.
Our breaths came together, racing in and out as I fell beside her.
“You’ll be careful?” she asked, the apprehension in her voice apparent as I turned to face her.
“Yes,” I answered.
“Don’t do anything risky.” Her hand rose to touch my face, as the reality of what we were attempting became very matter of fact.
“I won’t,” I answered. “I’m just doing a little looking around. Nothing big. He’ll never notice.”
“He notices everything,” Everly warned.
Nodding, I pulled her into my arms, giving us a few more minutes of peace before the real world invaded our little slice of heaven. Soon, we would both have to leave for work, going our separate ways, and I wouldn’t be able to protect her anymore.
Soon, I might not be able to protect myself.
* * *
I spent the entire morning going through old books, researching anything I could find that was related to my dealings in the company since I’d joined as a partner. If I was going to turn over evidence to the authorities regarding Trent’s illegal activities, I wanted to be sure I couldn’t be roped in as a co-conspirator. I would not go to jail for this asshole.
After hours of scanning through numbers and tables I’d just barely begun to understand, I finally felt sure enough that I really had been in the dark, that my dealings had been legit business as a front for the company.
I had a feeling everything beyond me, though, was absolute crap.
And that’s what I needed to discover.
Time to act.
Feeling the nerves all the way down to my shoes, I rose from my office chair and took a deep breath. This was for Everly. This was for our future.
The old me would have hidden. The old me would have lied to the woman he loved.
No more.
I tried to ignore the need to ball my fists tightly as I walked toward Trent’s office. For the first time I noticed how separated we were from each other.
Me on one side of the building. Him on the other.
Why had I never noticed that before?
Maybe I had. Perhaps it had been one of many things I’d noticed over the years, filing the fact away in a box of oddities that finally overflowed into a messy pile that couldn’t be ignored anymore.
Trent practically lived over here, a world away from me. He had his own guys, his own team, apart from me. I had no earthly idea what they did, or even who they were. When I’d returned after my coma, I just hadn’t cared to know, but maybe I wasn’t supposed to know?
The memory of Trent exchanging money with the suit came to mind as I moved across the building, smiling at Trent’s secretary as I arrived.
“Is he in?” I asked, acting casual and carefree.
“Yes, let me tell him you’re here,” she said, holding a finger up as she pressed a few buttons on her phone. I didn’t pay attention to what was said as I looked around, noticing the expensive artwork that hung on the walls. How much had that cost our clients?
“You can go on in, Mr. Kincaid,” Alice said, smiling up at me. Her eyes lingered on my blackened one for a moment but she turned away, blushing.
“Thanks,” I answered, strolling past her with my hands in my pockets, as if I had all the time in the world. Alice loved Trent. He’d made sure of that, with flirty comments and extra bonuses at Christmastime. She was his faithful servant now, and I couldn’t risk one tiny slip up around her. She might not understand what kind of beast she was working for, and she’d protect him if she felt I was in the wrong.
As far as I was concerned, every person in this office was the enemy until I could do something to save them.
Crossing the threshold, my gaze immediately locked on Trent, sitting at his desk like a king residing over his fucking kingdom. He looked pompous and heavy-handed, with his feet resting high on the polished wood. He exuded confidence and class, reminding me of everything I’d once loved but now hated.
Wealth, power…the pursuit of it all.
None of it mattered. It could all be gone in the blink of an eye.
“Nice face,” Trent sneered, his expression menacing as he smiled up at me, only giving me partial attention as he glanced at his phone screen.
“Ditto,” I replied, nodding in his direction. He might have gotten several swings in, but I’d done my fair share in leveling the playing field. His face was cut and bruised, too, a mangled version of what it had been before we’d fought.
I’d gladly do it again.
“Alice thinks we had a crazy weekend in Mexico,” he said, chuckling under his breath.
“Whatever,” I answered, not bothering to take his bait. I had bigger issues at hand. Like a multi-million dollar deal to put in play.
“So, what’s up? Come to threaten me some more? Want a rematch? Or are you coming to grovel at my feet? Because I could use some groveling right about now.”
“I got the Yorke account,” I said through clenched teeth. It took every ounce of control I had not to step forward and show him exactly what kind of groveling he deserved, but I needed to be smart.
He was baiting me as usual and I would not fall for it.
I watched as his feet hit the floor, and his cell phone dropped to the desk.
“You’re shitting me. How much?”
His full attention was mine as I took a seat across from him. Grabbing a pen from his organized desk, I wrote a number down on a Post-it and passed it to him, watching his eyes go wide with wonder. I could practically see dollar signs already in his black irises.
The money-grubbing asshole. I had him exactly where I wanted him.
For exactly two seconds.
As quickly as he’d exploded over the news, he seemed to re-evaluate, drawing himself back in. His excitement became contained as he suddenly looked me up and down, scrutinizing every aspect of my demeanor.
This was the Trent everyone feared.
“How?” he asked, shifting back into his seat as he studied me.
So
metimes the best lies are the ones closest to the truth. Working with someone like Trent, I knew I couldn’t risk him seeing through me.
Letting out a long sigh, I shook my head in mock defeat. “I just don’t want any more trouble,” I said, raising my hands up like a white flag.
He eyed me suspiciously, still not convinced, so I rambled on. “Look, I get it. I’m not going anywhere. I just don’t want what we do here to keep affecting my personal life. I’m done fighting. I just want peace and quiet.”
“What is it about this girl?” he asked, a menacing smile spread across his face.
“Everly stays out of it. All of it,” I said, the venom in my voice unmistakable.
“Damn. Okay. You got it,” he practically laughed, the dollar signs returning to his eyes before they went dead cold. “But August, remember—one step out of line, and she’s fair game. Got it?”
Feeling my heart kick up a notch at his threat, I nodded, acting the compliant servant I was pretending to be. “I told you. I’m done fighting.”
“Good. Let’s go make some fucking money.” He grinned from ear to ear.
It sent chills racing up my spine.
Had I just made a deal with the devil?
* * *
With each passing day, I felt my panic rising.
As we dove further and further into this convoluted plot, the fear I felt grew like a cancer. Soon it might be terminal, and I would be plagued with tumors of doubt as they fed on my anxiety over losing the ones I loved.
The man I had once been suddenly felt very real—very raw.
It was so easy to judge him when I was on the outside looking in, given only glimpses and pieces of memories to rely on. But now that I faced his reality, knew his fears, I understood the man he’d become back then.
I understood the paranoia he’d felt. Because I felt it, too.
Meetings were no longer held at the Cliffs, for fear that we were being watched. Instead, we met at Brick and Tabitha’s for dinners, hoping that even if Trent was suspicious of my newly compliant behavior, he wouldn’t suspect anything of an innocent dinner party with friends.
