by Amity Cross
I smiled to cover my uneasiness. “Good. I know a man who operates a hot-air balloon company.”
“A hot-air balloon?” Her eyes lit up.
“I’d like to take you next weekend.” My nerves began to even out as her excitement began to grow. “I hear it’s quite the experience.”
“Where?”
“Buckinghamshire.”
She smiled again, a wicked gleam in her eyes. “Sounds delightful.”
“Eat your breakfast,” I scolded, smiling in return. “It’s getting cold.”
“So bossy,” she retorted and slid her pancake laden fork into her mouth.
Oh, she had no idea. Tied up, commanded, naked…that was my kind of bossy where beautiful women were concerned. That was something I’d very much like to do with her.
I smiled to myself, thinking devilish thoughts. Perhaps this could work after all.
The moment Lorelei left in the car with Hawkes, all the tension that she’d managed to bleed from my body came rushing back.
It was an odd sensation, having a woman be a balm for all the bullshit in my life. Fuck, it was odd just wanting to have her near me. I’d been telling her the truth about not having a woman sleep in my own bed, and maybe I should’ve told her that I’d never had breakfast with them either. Even the restaurant I’d taken her to last night was my personal favorite. One that I enjoyed on my own often and never with another.
She made me laugh, her spirit was refreshing, her answers surprising. She was intelligent and beautiful and hadn't missed a trick yet.
I was at a loss to explain to her how much she meant to me already.
Wandering upstairs, I sat at my desk like it was the throne to my kingdom and began calling all my underlings. My phone call with Sykes that morning had gone as well as I’d expected. Threats were slung about, mostly from his side, so I had to be careful going forward.
Trouble was brewing and we had to be ready for anything. First things first, I had to get my men out of the London partnership with the Necromancers. They had to pack up and withdraw, quickly and cleanly. No fuss, no mess and especially no dead bodies. The Necromancers had a nasty war on constant rotation with Royal Blood, last thing I needed was to be added to their repertoire.
My thoughts kept going back to Lorelei and our evening and morning together. She’d almost slipped through my fingers, then suddenly she was in my lap. I was inside her and she craved more. I craved more. More sex, more her…more everything.
If love is what it came down to, I’d eventually have to tell her the complete truth. No holding back.
I couldn’t allow her to love me without knowing who I really was.
After a long afternoon of phone calls and heated discussions, I paced back and forth in my office, wondering when the world would come tumbling down. My men trusted me enough not to ask questions and had taken my orders with surprise, but hadn’t challenged them. They knew I had their best interests at heart, no matter the kind of work we did.
Hawkes had arrived back at the house hours ago and had reported that Lorelei was home safe. I wondered if I should have her watched in case Sykes tried anything. I’d taken some unnecessary risks, turning up at the gallery opening and taking her out to dinner. We’d been seen together by more people than I would have liked. Her friends at the gallery, her business associates. Annalise, her parents, and most of all, Sykes had seen me dancing with her at the party last week. If he caught wind that this was more than just a casual affair, he’d use her to get to me.
This was the exact reason I didn’t allow myself to become close to anyone. If I cared, if I let someone in, then they would suffer for it. Lorelei was going to get hurt and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Best it be me that did it, than Sykes or one of my other enemies. That, I could control.
My phone began to ring, vibrating on the desktop. Picking it up, I saw the caller ID and rolled my eyes.
Sykes. Couldn’t that guy take a direct hint? I picked up the phone, my lip curling in distaste, and accepted the call.
“What do you want, Sykes? Didn’t I make myself clear this morning?” I didn’t do him the honor of saying hello.
“Oh, you made yourself clear,” he drawled. “But I’m not sure you heard me, Vaughn.”
He had to let it the fuck go. “It’s not doing anything for me, Sykes. I’m in this for profit, not best friends. This is a damned relationship, all one-sided.”
“Damned?” He began to laugh. “As in damned to hell?”
“I will not associate myself with the likes of you. You need to up your game if you want to be taken seriously in this business. You are seen as nothing more than a thug, Sykes. A crude amateur.” I could practically hear him seething down the line. “You gave that away when you turned up to my home unannounced looking like a pimp. Clean up your act.”
“There is no withdrawal,” Sykes snapped. “If I were you, I’d check your email.”
My skin began to crawl and I flipped open the laptop, keeping the phone to my ear. It came to life and emails began to ping into my inbox and the one at the top caught my attention immediately. Clicking on it, images began to load in the message body.
Photographs of me and her at the gallery opening, our stolen touches while we were talking, last night at the restaurant…and a perfect image of her gazing at me, love in her eyes. Love… FUCK.
Lorelei.
“I can tell by your silence, Vaughn, that you now understand the stakes. Do you think I am an amateur now? Reinstate your men, resume the merger and no harm will come to the girl.”
“Your threats will not get you anywhere, Sykes,” I snarled. “Threaten the girl again and I will have your head.”
He began to laugh and I wished to fucking god that he was here right now so I could put a bullet in him and watch him bleed.
“You know my terms. You have twenty-four hours.”
Pulling the phone away from my ear, I snarled as it disconnected. I threw it onto the desk, my gaze settling on the laptop and the photographs that were still displayed there. Motherfucking…
Lorelei had to come back and stay at the house. I was here with her, Hawkes and the security team could watch over her…but she’d only left this morning. This was going way too fast. I was falling much too hard and when I hit the ground, I feared that I might explode and Lorelei might end up hating me or worse…wind up dead. What the fuck was I doing?
There was no other choice. Her life was at stake. She’d come stay with me, I’d deal with Sykes once and for all, and then she’d be safe. I’d protect her, make her mine, give her everything she desired. I’d put her enemies in the ground if that’s what she asked of me.
I picked up the phone again and dialed her number. She’d coyly given it to me at breakfast a few hours prior and it had given me a great deal of satisfaction, but now it was more than that. It was somewhere closer to relief.
“Vaughn?”
“Lorelei,” I said with a sigh. She was okay, she hadn’t been touched…yet.
“What is it?” She sounded distracted, like she was in the middle of something.
“Tired of me so soon?” I asked.
“Not yet,” she said with a laugh. “What kind of person would that make me if I got bored after a day?”
I could’ve said a lot of things in reply to that little question. “Are you free? Can you come to the house?”
There was a pause.
“I know you only left this morning,” I went on, “but I need to see you again. It’s important.”
“Why?” she asked. “I’ve got things to do Vaughn.”
“I just…I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Is this a booty call?”
“Lorelei.”
“I thought we weren’t exclusive,” she complained. “You can’t order me around, that was the deal.”
“Lorelei,” I snapped. “Stop being difficult.”
“Me? Difficult?” Fuck, I could hear her pout over the phone. I wanted to fuc
k her until she couldn’t stand straight… Meeting bad Lorelei was thrilling, but now she was a pain in my ass.
“Lorelei, just…” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Can you come to the house?”
“Sure.”
I sighed. “I’ll send Hawkes to pick you up.”
“Vaughn?” Her voice was quiet, hesitant.
“Yeah?”
“Is everything okay?”
I glanced at the laptop and the photos of us and frowned. “It will be when you get here.”
I could hear her sigh over the line and hoped that she would understand when I finally told her the truth.
“Okay.”
Once she’d hung up, I straightened my shirt and collected myself. If it was war Sykes wanted, it was war he was getting. Once Lorelei was safe, then I’d deal with him myself. I’d choke the life out of him with my own bare hands if I had to.
“Hawkes,” I barked.
A moment later he strode into the study, attentive as always. “Sir?”
“I need you to go pick up Lorelei.”
“So soon?” he asked, frowning.
I turned the laptop around so he could see the photographs. “We have a problem.”
He glanced at me, his expression as calm as the eye of a storm. He nodded once. “Understood.”
“If you see anyone watching her residence, deal with them.” No second guesses as to what that meant.
Hawkes straightened his jacket. “I’ll do whatever is necessary.”
I nodded and shut the laptop, dismissing him from the room. I gave Sykes the power to destroy me and all because I was blinded by my feelings. It was my fault and Lorelei would unknowingly suffer for it.
I’d fucked up big time.
Fourteen
Lorelei
I watched as Vaughn’s call ended on my phone and the screen flashed back to the wallpaper.
He wanted me to come over again? Something sounded wrong. He was upset, almost desperate to have me back where he could touch…or keep an eye on me.
The bell rang on the front door and I jumped. That was quick. Wandering downstairs, I opened the door expecting Hawkes and gasped in surprise.
“Father?”
“Lorelei,” he said briskly and I knew something was wrong. Well, it seemed like the day for it.
I stepped aside to let him in. He was wearing his trademark suit and tie, his salt and pepper hair combed just so. “Where’s Mother?”
He turned as I closed the door and said, “She’s at home.”
“Is something wrong?”
He pulled out a copy of a newspaper and held it out to me. It was The Sun, a notorious gossip rag and I wondered what he was doing with that. The moment I unfolded it, I understood and my heart twisted in my chest. There was something wrong, it wasn’t a death or an illness in the family… What was wrong was me.
There was a large black and white photograph of a couple out the front of a restaurant and pictures of them dining together. Even one of them getting out of a limousine. It was me and Vaughn.
I glanced up at my father and his expression said it all. Disappointment.
“Dad…” I only ever called him dad when I wanted to pull on his heartstrings and he knew it.
Frowning he said, “You know that man’s reputation, Lorelei. Is he a client, or are you seeing him?”
My cheeks heated and I glanced down at the paper. Twenty-five years old and still under my father’s thumb. I’d expect it from my mother, but he’d always been lenient with my whims. I guess he was until I did something he didn’t approve of and Vaughn was it.
“Dad…” I didn’t know what to say. “We went out for dinner. That’s all.” It most definitely wasn’t all. How could I explain all the things I felt for Vaughn to my father of all people?
“That man is nothing but a boy with more money than he can handle. He’s got a dangerous reputation.”
“And you don’t want our name associated with that,” I snapped.
“Lorelei.”
“So you came over here to forbid me from seeing him? From allowing me to be happy? I thought—”
“I came over here to save you from yourself.” His expression was pure anger and I stepped back, hugging the newspaper against my chest. I’d never seen him like this before. Not even when I’d gotten into trouble at school for setting one of the mean girls’ English folder on fire.
“Lorelei, you must disassociate yourself from Sebastian Vaughn, immediately.”
“Why?” I almost put my hands on my hips like a child about to throw a tantrum.
“He’s a dangerous man,” he replied, his lips thin. “He’s in trouble, Lorelei. I don’t want you anywhere near him. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”
“Dad…” I began to soften. I loved him so much, but what I felt for Vaughn was undeniable. I was falling much too fast and dare I say it…it felt a lot like love.
He stared at me, his warm eyes appraising my expression, and shook his head. “Do you love him?”
I felt tears begin to prickle in my eyes and I shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable.
Father sighed, running a hand over his face. “Lorelei… I want the best for you, you know that, right? I want you to be happy, but not at the expense of your health and safety. I’ve always allowed you to follow your heart, but this time I have to implore you to see reason.”
“Do you know something that I don’t?” I asked, handing him back the paper.
“I know enough.”
Stepping forward, I hugged him tightly, laying my head against his strong shoulder. “Thanks, Dad, but I can take care of myself.”
“Do you love him, Lorrie?”
I smiled against his suit jacket at the sound of my nickname. “I think so.”
“If he hurts you…” He swallowed hard and I glanced up. “I will ruin him.”
I knew my father always made good on his promises, or in this case, threats. If Vaughn so much as hurt a single hair on my head, he would end up financially ruined, his reputation completely obliterated. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. I knew it wouldn’t, because this was different. What we were only beginning to explore was the start of something great.
“Thanks, Dad.”
He backed away, reaching for the front door. “Think about it, Lorrie. Don’t rush into anything you might later regret.”
I smiled as he opened the door and stepped across the threshold. “I won’t.”
“I love you.”
I stepped forward and leaned against the open door. “Love you, too.”
As I watched my father slide into the back of his car, I shook my head. Talk about a whirlwind weekend.
Closing the door, I leaned against the wall and drew in a deep breath. If my father believed the rumors then there had to be a grain of truth in them. What did he know that I didn't? I thought about Vaughn’s conversation on the phone that morning, the gun in his bedside drawer, and I thought about the rumors that were spread around about him. That he was a playboy womanizer, that he flung about money like it was going out of fashion, that he dealt under the table…that he dealt with criminals. Nothing had been proven, but he hadn’t denied any of it either.
Like he’d said, he was good with words. He could answer a question without really answering it at all and make you believe you had what you came for.
Was I really okay with his secrets? What if he was involved in some kind of crime syndicate? Was I okay not knowing that? This was all so very new between us.
The bell rang and I jumped, my heart skipping a beat. I opened the door and this time, I found Hawkes on the other side.
“Miss Lansford,” he said, inclining his head.
“Hawkes.”
“Are you ready to leave?”
“Let me just grab my purse.” I left him standing at the door and ran back up the stairs to retrieve my phone. Father wouldn’t be pleased, but I had to see Vaughn again. There were too many unknowns and I wasn’t sure that merely exploring ou
r feelings was enough for me to continue.
I had to get some answers before this thing went any further.
When we arrived, Hawkes walked me to the door.
I stood awkwardly as he opened it for me, knowing that this was weird. Vaughn wanting me back so soon? I wasn't that good in bed, was I? Something was wrong and after my father’s visit, it put me totally on edge.
Stepping inside, I found Vaughn waiting for me. He wore a tight, gray T-shirt and jeans, which was a total departure from what I'd seen him in up until now. If I wasn't so on edge, I might've stopped to appreciate the way the material clung to his hard chest. The same chest I'd lain against that very morning.
As I moved further into the house, he went to take me in his arms, his head inclining to kiss me, but I stepped around him.
“There were photos of us in the paper,” I said, casting my gaze around the foyer. There was a lovely landscape painting on one wall and I realized he really had been at the opening for me. He wasn’t interested in abstract art. He was a classic kind of man. “I had no idea the paparazzi moved so quickly.”
“Lorelei...”
“I never get photographed, so it must be you they’re interested in.” I turned to face him.
“I…” He trailed off, his eyes flickering like he was deciding in what order to tell me things, or what pieces he should omit.
“It’s been a day, Vaughn. I’ve heard of emotional whiplash, but this is a whole new level. I don’t even know what to call that.” He grimaced and my heart began to speed up, my thoughts returning to my father’s visit. “Are you in some kind of trouble?”
“There are a lot of things I need to explain to you,” he said. “Having you here, where I can touch you, puts me at ease.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He stepped forward and grasped my hand, leading me from the foyer and up the stairs. I had no idea what was happening and I was beginning to spin even faster. This man wasn’t the Vaughn I’d left that morning. What the hell had happened in the space of a few hours?
He led me down the hall and into his bedroom, his inner sanctum, and closed the door behind us.
