by Lucy Leroux
Something in silk, he thought, warming to the idea of doing some shopping now.
They packed quickly. His fairy didn’t have much, a thought that made him uncomfortable. On a hunch, he peeked into her fridge and became unreasonably angry when he saw how empty it was. Putting a lid on his temper, he checked the shelves. The cupboards were a little more full. Non-perishable food, including a few cans of clam chowder. Pleased he’d guessed right about her preferences the day before, he hurried the packing along.
Jay carried Maia’s things downstairs in two trips, while Calen carried Maia to the car a little after. After Jay opened the door, he carefully placed her in the backseat before doubling back to give the super on the first floor Maia’s notice.
At first, the little prick threatened to withhold her deposit. Once he gave the man his name, he became more cooperative. Sometimes it helped being a McLachlan—saved time at least. After finding out who he was, the super even offered to return the previous month’s rent. But Maia wouldn’t need it anymore, not while she had him, so Calen told the super to use the rent to get the window and heat fixed for the next poor student. He would send more men to pack up everything else later.
“And make sure the heat and window are fixed before my men come for the rest of Maia’s belongings,” he ordered coldly as he was leaving. “If you don’t, I’ll have to come back here. Do yourself a favor and make sure that isn’t necessary.”
Chapter 7
As soon as they returned to the penthouse, he and Jay carried all of Maia’s belongings to her room. A new desk had already been delivered for her, but since walking was still difficult, she asked Calen to put the laptop and books on the bed, which was piled high with pillows so she could prop herself up. Then they left her alone to unpack and rest.
When Calen had checked on her that afternoon, he’d found her asleep, surrounded by her books.
A few of them had shifted too close to her. He moved the volumes to the bedside table so they wouldn’t dig into her little body while she slept, then went back to his office to look over his latest accounting figures. Things were going pretty well at the clubs, but it was the situation at home that occupied his mind.
Maia was a distraction, but one he didn’t mind. He refocused on his work, surprised to find himself whistling a little later.
That night, he and Maia were alone for the first time.
“Do you cook the food?” she asked when he carried her to the dining room again.
She was blushing and avoiding eye contact as he set her down. With a little time and effort, she could have made it on her crutches, he acknowledged. But he liked holding her too much.
“Only breakfast. My housekeeper slash cook comes in every few days and leaves meals for me to heat up for dinner, and I usually have lunch meetings. I can cook, I’m just usually too busy.”
“The eggs were good,” she said generously.
“Thanks,” he said. “Dinner tonight is lasagna. Do you like Italian?”
“Doesn’t everyone?” she said, before shifting in her seat. “Um, has my car been delivered?
“Yes,” he said. “I’m sorry, but one of your windows was broken,” he added with a scowl.
“Oh, no. The passenger side window was already broken. I had to park it far from my place because of street sweeping and someone smashed it,” she said. “They didn’t take anything. There was nothing valuable inside. It’s kind of a piece of junk, so it was probably only for the thrill,” she added.
Calen smiled in acknowledgement, but it was a little grim as he served the lasagna. Her car was a piece of junk. It was currently sitting in one of his car elevators downstairs, a bald contrast to the choice luxury vehicles he had stored there.
“I need to figure out how to get the specimens I collected yesterday to my boss tomorrow,” Maia said, toying with her fork.
“I’ll take care of it,” Calen assured her.
Jay had found several specimen jars and plastic boxes in the backseat of her car. Maia had put leaves and insect food inside them, so the critters were still alive. His driver was keeping them downstairs in the building's security office. One of the security men had already asked if he could keep one of the walking sticks.
He should probably buy her another car, but he didn’t like the idea of her driving herself anymore. He should get a driver for her instead. They could use one of his spare cars. He’d already spoken to Maia’s new bodyguards, the guys Mike recommended. One of the ex-marines would get here tomorrow before his first meeting. The other man would start by checking out the security situation at Maia’s workplace and making changes if needed.
Calen decided to take advantage of the opportunity to get to know his fairy a bit better.
“How old are you?” he asked her between bites.
“Almost twenty-three,” she said, sipping a grape juice since she was still on painkillers and couldn’t have wine.
He tried not to visibly wince at her answer. Maia was a whole ten years younger than him.
“And where did you grow up?” he asked.
“Outside of Portland. I grew up there, but I haven’t been back since my mom died,” she said. “There’s not much out there for me now and it’s expensive to fly,” she added in a lower voice.
He nodded understandingly. “Where did the interest in butterflies come from?” he asked as she took another bite of her dish with obvious enjoyment.
Calen suppressed a frown as he watched her. Maia’s enthusiasm for the food was still pleasing, but he was starting to wonder. There hadn’t been much to eat at her place. The idea that she might have had to prioritize books over food made him edgy, but he kept his face impassive as he waited for her answer.
“Also from my mother,” she said eventually. “We hiked a lot in the woods. A class in college solidified my interest, but I actually focus on moths right now.”
How adorable. “Sounds interesting,” he said.
“Not really,” she said with a little shrug. “Not like owning and running a string of nightclubs. That sounds very exotic, going out every night as part of earning your living.”
Relaxing in his chair, he shrugged. “That part gets old. I’d much rather stay in these days.”
He pushed seconds of lasagna on her and was a little surprised when she thanked him and accepted. Other women never ate around him, preferring to maintain the facade that they didn’t eat, fart, or go the bathroom.
More gentle interrogation revealed that Maia was a little bit of a prodigy. She had finished high school early and had attended a small college in Oregon. Her Ph.D. project at Harvard involved studying the diseases that affected moths and butterflies.
“What about your personal life?” he asked, trying not to look too interested.
Maia’s brow furrowed. “I don’t have much of one right now,” she said with a shrug. “I have a few friends, also students. Other than that, I read a lot. And I listen to podcasts when I can’t.”
“Me, too. I find it easier to keep up with different subjects that way since I don’t get much time to read anymore. I subscribe mostly to history and technology podcasts,” he replied.
She brightened. “I do, too. And news and humor ones. I listen to way too many. I’m always getting behind.”
“That’s too easy to do, but I limit mine to a few regularly,” he said.
“I should do that too,” she said before hesitating. “You mentioned your dad already. What does your mother do?”
“She died when I was little.”
Maia turned red. “Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. I don’t really remember her. You mentioned yours passed too. How long ago?”
“A few years ago, from cancer. Just before I started school here, actually.”
Eager to learn everything he could about her, he asked a few more questions. Her mother had been a clerk in a bank. When she had fallen ill with cancer, the medical bills had eaten all of her savings and then some. Maia was still paying some
of the bills off, which explained the state of her apartment and car.
Despite the sometimes sobering details she related, Maia had a way of speaking that intrigued him. She was an engaging conversationalist. A few of the woman he’d dated in the past had been intelligent enough, but they had mainly talked about clothes and television. Maia’s interests were a lot more varied, and when she continued to describe her work and life, she made him laugh a few times. It was nice. He hadn’t laughed at all in a good long while. Liam had started calling him a dour bastard months ago, but he didn’t feel his usual sense of dissatisfaction right now.
Shit. How was he going to explain Maia to Liam? Calen had sworn to his best friend that he would never have anything to do with the McLachlan family business when they were both still in grade school. After a few family-related incidents in high school, Liam had started warning him that it was a slippery slope to go down, and he had never stopped.
And it was true. If his father saw a way into his life, he would exploit it.
Colman had never truly accepted that Calen didn’t want to follow in his footsteps, but Calen had drawn a line in the sand. They had argued about it for years, but when he had struck out on his own and built a successful business, Colman hadn’t interfered. Not right away anyway. And then Calen had discovered a few of his employees were plants, placed in his clubs by his father. He fired them all immediately. He was never sure what they had been up to, but when he’d threatened to cut off all communication, his father had backed down to avoid losing him altogether.
But if he showed any weakness now, Colman wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage. One favor would lead to another and then another if Calen let himself be manipulated. And his father was a master manipulator.
Liam didn’t even like the fact that Calen still saw Colman for family gatherings. But taking the meeting had saved Maia, so he couldn’t bring himself to regret it.
After ice cream, Maia was nodding off at the table, so he carried her back to bed. This time she was too tired to complain that he shouldn’t. She was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
Calen spent a long time watching her lying in bed, sleeping the way only the innocent could.
He hoped he could keep her safe, but if he was completely honest with himself, he was selfishly glad that he had a reason to keep her.
****
On Monday, Maia woke to breakfast in bed again. This time Calen had made her an omelet and toast, along with juice and tea. She’d mentioned liking Ceylon in the mornings yesterday, and now it was on her tray.
“I have a meeting at noon with some investors,” Calen said. “I’ve hired a few of Mike’s former special forces buddies who do security work to keep an eye on you while I’m gone. I don’t want you to leave the penthouse today, but from now on when you do leave, you don’t go anywhere alone. You should get to know Stephens and Davis before you get mobile again. Davis will be here soon,” he added, adjusting his tie.
He was dressed for his meeting, intimidatingly handsome in a dark blue suit.
“Okay,” Maia whispered, but she looked away as she said it.
“What’s wrong?” Calen asked with a frown, sitting on the bed next to her.
She looked at him nervously, her face tight with anxiety. “It’s expensive. Bodyguards. The doctor and god knows what else. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to pay you back, at least not for years,” she confessed.
“I don’t want you to pay me back. I like having you here,” Calen told her, taking her uninjured hand in his.
Maia’s eyebrows rose in disbelief.
“I do,” he said. “You’re good company. Besides, I happen to like having my own personal butterfly biologist.” He rose and stood over her. “I don’t want you to worry about anything except getting better. “
He dropped a careless kiss on her forehead as his phone buzzed. “Davis is here,” he said, “I’ll come get you once you’re done so you can meet him.”
Hmm. There it was again, Maia mused. The suggestion that she belonged to him.
She was pretty sure Calen wasn’t going to hurt her. He hadn’t done anything to suggest he was anything but what he seemed—a good man. But he was a formidable and forceful one. And he did genuinely seem to enjoy her company, weird as that seemed.
She could still feel his lips on her skin. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to start having feelings for her savior.
Maybe she was a sort of novelty for him. A man like him, with the lifestyle she imagined he had, might have gotten jaded. He owned and operated a bunch of nightclubs, and his dad ran an organized crime syndicate. Something told her there weren’t a lot of clueless students in his world. Which might be why he was treating her like a shiny new toy.
The question was, what would happen to her once the novelty wore off?
Chapter 8
Davis was another huge specimen of a man. If Calen hadn’t grilled him about his past military history in front of her before he left, Maia would have been afraid of him. But Davis was a complete professional, and before he was done detailing his past work history she was confident in his ability to watch over her. He was as large as the big Russian had been, and probably just as deadly. Maybe more so. And he seemed sympathetic when Calen told him what had happened to her.
Calen had decided to be honest with her guards so they would know exactly what they were up against. Like Mike, Davis didn’t like the idea of any man beating on a woman. He frowned ferociously when he saw her bruises and assortment of wrapped appendages. But instead of being frightening, his frown made her feel better about being around him.
After Calen left, she called her supervisor to let him know she was going to be out for a while. He’d been concerned when she’d told him about her ‘car accident’ but Maia assured him that she was all right.
“Do you need anything?” her boss, Martin Schroeder, asked. “You have all those stairs at your place. Do you need someone to bring you groceries? I’m sure Chang would be happy to drop by.”
Chang was her closest friend in the lab.
“No, I don’t need anything. I’m staying...with my boyfriend.”
Maia felt slightly faint saying the words aloud.
Calen had been clear about everyone in her life thinking they were a couple. He had told her to tell everyone she knew that they were an item. But actually lying to her boss was unnerving. Maia couldn’t remember the last time she’d lied to anyone.
“Oh, it must be a new relationship,” Dr. Schroeder said, surprised.
“It is. But don’t worry. He’s taking good care of me,” Maia assured him, giving Davis a sidelong glance. “In the meantime, I have everything to work from home for a while. I can crunch the numbers from the last dataset on my laptop, and with access to the digital library, I can catch up on the relevant reading.”
“Okay, but let me know if there’s anything we can do for you. I know you don’t have any family around, so consider us your extended family,” he said warmly.
“Thanks, boss,” she said gratefully.
Not all supervisors were as nice as hers. After she hung up, she tried to call her friend, Tahlia, but she wasn’t able to reach her. After texting a message checking in, she spent the rest of the day organizing her research. Once she plugged in her laptop, she decided to run an internet search on Calen. What she found was more upsetting than she had ever imagined.
Women. Lots and lots of beautiful women. There were brunettes and redheads. A legion of blondes. All of them were voluptuous and most were scantily clad in these online photos. In certain circles, Calen was a celebrity bachelor. His successful string of nightclubs, combined with his family’s reputation, gave him the ultimate bad boy cachet.
There were entire websites devoted to Calen’s love life. He and his friend Liam and another man that looked like Liam were photographed in numerous hotspots, always with a gorgeous woman on their arm. Sometimes two. There were more pictures of Calen on French or German websites with
another man called Sergei whom she thought he’d mentioned at dinner last night.
What he should have mentioned were the women. Though it didn’t look like Calen had been linked to any of them for long, those images of so many barely-dressed women were now burned into her brain. No one was ever going to believe that Calen had given up all of that for someone like her.
Feeling slightly sick to her stomach, Maia proceeded to bury herself in work. She tried to distract herself with statistics, but couldn’t shake the feeling of impending doom that was starting to become familiar.
****
Calen was eager to come home to Maia. Getting home to an empty apartment had become distinctly unsatisfying since Alex’s wedding, but now he knew someone was waiting for him, and it felt good. It felt even better knowing the person waiting for him was his fairy.
He had expected to like Maia based on her appearance, but her natural sweetness and modest demeanor were even more endearing than her looks. Eager to spend another evening getting to know her, he set down his packages on the couch. He’d bought a few things for her, including a new laptop and cashmere coat, and he couldn’t wait to watch her open her gifts.
Calen already had two different personal shoppers picking out a new wardrobe for Maia. And in addition to today’s gifts, he also had all of the personal belongings left in her car. There hadn’t been much aside from her empty specimen jars, which he had stored downstairs. As for the car itself, it was being hauled away for scrap tomorrow. Maia could take his town car from now on if she needed to go out. He would drive his Tesla for a while until his New York town car arrived for his personal use.
Calen waited for Davis’ report before he dismissed the man to go to Maia’s room to say hello. She looked pale and her smile was a little weak.
“Are you okay, doll? Are you feeling worse? Should I call the doctor?”
“Oh, no. I’m fine. A little tired,” she said, a touch wanly.
Scowling slightly, he examined her cheek and the traces of her black eye. “The swelling has gone down,” he said, running a fingertip gently down her cheek. “Maybe you should take a nap before dinner. Did you call your supervisor?”
