The rest of dinner went along the same lines as I kept my answers brief. Occasionally I’d turn the conversation back on her in an attempt to see if she’d reveal anything incriminating. She was far better at eluding answers than I was though. Michael was understandably confused, both by Ian’s obvious loathing of Audra and my own dislike. Ian had managed to hide behind a pretense of manners the last time they’d met, but whatever had happened between them at the gala had shattered it.
Buster’s presence was a relief as he joked and told unbelievable tales of his childhood in Scotland. It was the only thing keeping Ian from jumping up from the table, and the fact that I’d hooked my foot around his. When I’d done it he’d managed a small smile. It wasn’t enough to stop him if he truly wanted to get up, but it would make it awkward.
I was afraid of what would happen if he left. I’d caught him eyeing the bar a few times, and he’d drank mine and his glasses of wine with dinner. There was nowhere to escape to and as the dinner wore on, the boat seemed to shrink. Buster tugged at the collar of his shirt and I knew how he felt. Any excitement I’d had about the fireworks was long gone as my desire to escape increased. Ian’s jaw was so tight I didn’t know how he hadn’t broken a tooth yet. He hadn’t touched his food, keeping to a liquid diet.
“Do you have any children, Jane?” Her seemingly innocuous question had me slipping my foot away from Ian and not a second too soon. His entire body went rigid and at her next words he shoved himself roughly from the table. “I had a bit of a scare in college, but some girls try and hook a man early. You aren’t one of those, are you?”
If there had been the slightest question in my mind who she was, it was gone now.
Before I could blister her with my answer, Michael replied. “The absolute temerity of your question astounds me. Do not for a second think I will allow you to cast aspirations on Jane’s character. She is our guest and you would do well to know your place.”
The cutting edge of his words caught Audra by surprise and as she glanced at him, I stood up. Ian had been hanging on by a thread and her last remark had pushed him over the edge. I was worried what might happen if I didn’t find him quickly.
Buster stood with me and I pointed him toward the left as I went to the right. One of us would find him. The steamboat had several decks but the bar was on this one. If Ian kept to his usual behavior he’d find a bottle first.
Fifteen minutes later I let out a sigh as I spotted his silhouette tucked into a dark corner.
“I thought you might have swam to shore,” I said, attempting a joke, but relief made my voice shaky and caused the joke to fall flat.
“The thought crossed my mind, but I found I’m not entirely suicidal. That current is deceptive.” He flashed me his familiar cocky smile. “Plus, I pictured your disappointed face and resigned myself to the corner instead.” He held up a bottle of brown liquid. “A fine gent at the bar was more than willing to allow me to procure a bottle for a reasonable price. Care to join me?”
“Best offer I’ve had tonight.” I answered as he scooted over to give me room. We were wedged on a seat meant for one, but the tight press of his body kept me warm. There was a breeze off the river, and even though the days were sweltering, the temperature dropped considerably on the water at night. He handed me the bottle with a grin that dared me to drink. I took a deep breath, already anticipating the burn, and tipped the bottle up.
I coughed.
It was inescapable.
My eyes watered as warmth trickled down to my stomach.
“I’m impressed.” He laughed, taking a swig from the bottle.
“It was Audra, wasn’t it?” The question slipped out. I knew it was, but I needed to hear him say it.
“You are a determined little warrior.” He sighed, setting the bottle on his knee as he rolled his head toward me. His eyes gleamed in the low light as I waited for his answer. “Yes, Audra was the girl I loved. The one who murdered my child for the sum of half a million pounds.” His laugh was bitter as he took another drink and passed me the bottle. I took a small sip, already feeling the effects from the first. “She dared to tell me that she made the same choice anyone would under the same circumstances. She said, “Who wouldn’t erase a mistake for half a million pounds?” I heard his hard swallow and felt him reach for the bottle I held. “A mistake. She considered our child a mistake. One she could profit from.”
“Is that what happened at the gala? She told you that?”
“Yes.” The word was quiet, almost soundless. “I confronted her. She’d disappeared after telling me she miscarried and then finally admitting she aborted it. Of course, I found out later my parents had paid her, but I always thought maybe there was more. Maybe they threatened her in some way. But no, it was nothing but a reasonable business transaction in her mind.”
I swiped at the tears trickling down my cheek.
“She is a horrible person. No child’s life should be measured by it’s worth in dollars or pounds.” I wouldn’t condemn a woman for her choice in having an abortion, but this was wrong. She’d done it without Ian’s knowledge after leading him to believe she was happy about it. Then to accept money to abort their child…. I couldn’t process that depth of betrayal. Both from a woman he believed he loved and the parents who should have loved him.
“Then for her to say that to you.” He sighed and drank from the bottle. “I was afraid of what I would do. So, I walked out. And left you there with her.”
I patted his arm.
“It’s okay. I was about to ream her when Michael did it for me.” I smiled as he gave me a startled look. “He didn’t understand the underlying meaning, but he’s Michael. He told her she couldn’t cast aspirations on my character or some such thing. It was very Michaelish.”
His laugh was a little rough, but more real that time.
“I wouldn’t have run off this time.” He admitted in a rush, and I felt my heart kick a little harder.
“You don’t have to explain to me, Ian. I understand now.”
“No, you don’t.” He gave me a bittersweet smile. “You really don’t and I think that’s what I love best about you, Jane.” The word love made my heart skip a beat. “You can’t comprehend hurting someone so terribly and you would never do what she’s done.” He threaded his fingers with mine. “You also wouldn’t react as I have. You’re a much better person than I am, Jane love, and I want to be better. For you.” His simple declaration had my heart soaring. “So, when I say I wouldn’t have run off. I meant it. I needed a few minutes to get myself under control, but I intended to find you. I’m not perfect.” He held up the bottle as proof. “But I want to be good enough for you. And that means facing my demons instead of running from them.”
“Ian, you have your flaws, but those flaws make you the man you are, and I wouldn’t trade one single aspect of you for anything.” I traced my finger around his eye, down his cheek, and to his jaw, settling my palm against his face. “You think you aren’t good enough for me, but I never dreamed I would the love of a man as kind as you.”
His eyes glistened a second before his lips met mine. The chaste press of his mouth surprised me and I held still as I felt his warm lips move. He placed tiny kisses along the seam of my lips and as they parted I tasted the liquor on his breath or perhaps it was mine, I thought vaguely.
The thought was lost as our lips met more firmly, and I felt the velvet soft brush of his tongue against my lower lip. He pulled back slightly and I drifted forward, the heated scent of his skin a drug that called to me. He didn’t resist me, instead placing gentle kisses against my upper lip and along my cheekbone. The skin along his jaw was silky smooth, letting me know he’d shaved right before we left, otherwise the golden stubble he normally had would have chafed my skin.
“You taste better than I ever imagined.” His low voice was rough as he dipped his head and brushed his lips against mine once more. The kisses were barely there, brushes and strokes that hinted at a deeper desir
e. “I want to consume you, but like my favorite bourbon, you must be savored.” He pressed a kiss right between my eyebrows, the heat from his lips branding my skin even as the stroke of his thumbs along my neck sent a shiver through me.
“Ian,” I sighed, my own voice unrecognizable to me as desire threaded through it.
“Love,” he replied with a peck against my nose before he pushed me back. “You would lead a man straight in to hell with voice like that and he wouldn’t think twice about the burn.” His words penetrated the haze of longing and I smiled at the idea that I could tempt a man such as Ian. He groaned the next words. “That smile. I’m a doomed man.”
“Would you have it any other way?” I replied, wondering where this flirty vixen had come from. It was so unlike me, but his utter sincerity gave me a confidence I hadn’t expected.
“No, love. I wouldn’t.”
He tilted his head back down, sealing our lips together, and as I wrapped my arms around his neck there was a thunderous boom. We broke apart, startled, as the first fireworks lit the sky.
“I do believe you’ve made me see stars, Ian Wright.” I told him with a laugh as the booms continued, sending a spectacular show into the night sky above us.
Chapter Ten
“Would anyone care to tell me what the bloody HELL is going on?” Michael demanded as he stormed into the hotel suite. Anger vibrated off of him as Buster stood behind him with a sympathetic expression.
I’d known Ian couldn’t handle another go around with Audra that evening, not without him potentially losing it in a rage. I’d texted Buster telling him we were going to get off the riverboat as soon as it docked and find our way back to the hotel. I’d asked him to stay with Michael because I didn’t trust Audra at all. There was still no reason she needed to be here except to keep an eye on Michael and his business dealings, and while I had no doubt Michael could take care of himself I wanted Buster with him.
Buster had admitted he overheard part of my conversation with Ian on the boat and knew the gist of what had happened years ago. He swore to keep it to himself, but as I stared at Michael’s angry face, the one that hid a hurt disappointment, I knew it was time for Ian to tell his brother the truth.
“Ian,” I started and he nodded to me.
“I know, love.”
“I’m going to go.” Buster said, headed for the door. “This is a family matter.”
“Buster,” Ian’s voice stopped him in his tracks. “You are family. If you wish to stay, please do.”
Buster shook his head firmly. “This is a matter between the two of you. I’ll be back in the morning to help you do whatever it is you decide to.” His smile was tight, but genuine and Ian nodded. Michael’s tension didn’t lessen with the exchange, instead growing as he realized he was the only one who didn’t know what was going on. Ian held up a hand to him.
“Brother, be easy. I’ll tell you everything.” He gave a deep sigh and looked toward me.
“I’m going to bed. It’s been a long night.” I met Ian’s eyes to make sure he agreed with this. I didn’t want him to think I was abandoning him in his hour of need, but I had the feeling he needed to tell Michael on his own. This was one demon I couldn’t face with him. He gave me a grateful smile as he nodded and I turned to the bedroom door. At the last second I turned around and told them, “Just so we’re clear…that bitch will pay.” I spun back around, not missing the slow blink of Michael’s eyes as I entered my room, shutting the door behind me.
***
“Dear God, I don’t know if there’s enough bourbon in this city for what you’re about to tell me.” Michael mentioned, walking toward the bar in our room in a slow daze. “Did she really just say bitch?”
“She did.” I admitted with no small amount of pride. “My little warrior has claws.”
Michael held up a bottle and I nodded. I hadn’t finished the other bottle, Jane’s kisses had proved a more pleasant diversion for my mind than alcohol, and wound up handing it off to some inebriated couple at the dock. However, this revelation promised to be a bit more painful and I knew we’d both need the fortification.
“I assume she’s referring to Audra?”
I nodded again, my chest tightening at the thought of telling him everything. I’d held it in for so long, it seemed impossible to explain to him now what had happened all those years ago.
AS Michael took in my expression his changed. The anger was gone and in its place, a reluctant understanding. He gripped my shoulder with his free hand and met my eyes.
“You don’t have to tell me, brother. I can see how much it pains you, and understand this…. I will support you. If you never speak a word of what pains you, I will still be your brother. I will love you no matter what.” He gave me a pained smile. “Jane’s anger is proof enough for me. Point me in the direction of your demons, brother, and I will gladly vanquish them without ever knowing the reason why. My loyalty belongs with you.”
I reached up, gripping his shoulder as he had mine, our arms tight against one another, grateful for his unwavering acceptance. He didn’t demand an answer, and as loathe as I was to admit the past, I knew I had to. He deserved as much after years of dealing with my exploits, and the niggling fear that I had, the one where he rejected me as our parents had, it was the one demon I had left to fight and the only way to do so was to tell him.
“It is only your rejection I fear now, brother,” I admitted with a deep sigh. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tilted his head, and he pressed his thumb against the soft flesh of my neck, drawing my attention.
“Then you need fear nothing.”
He pulled me toward him, the hug bone crushing before releasing me with a shove toward the sofa.
“Now, tell me so we can lay this to rest.”
And so, I told him.
The bottle rested empty between us as I finished. Michael’s eyes were shut and as the silence lengthened and I became restless, awaiting his condemnation, when they opened. The red where there should be white hinted at unshed tears. His deep sigh and the pinch of his nostrils reflected the rage he held at bay.
I waited and finally he spoke.
“They are on the verge of bankruptcy.”
I swayed at the unexpected words. Or maybe it was the capacious amounts of alcohol I’d consumed. No, it was the words, so improbable I had difficulty comprehending them.
“Bankruptcy?” I echoed stupidly. “How?”
Michael’s laugh was an echo of my own disbelief.
“How do they do anything? They paid half a million pounds to abort their own grandchild. I imagine they’ve been on a slippery slope of poor decisions for quite some time.” The anger that throbbed in his voice as he mentioned my child reflected my own, comforting me even as my confusion increased.
“But bankruptcy? The company…its worth a fortune. You’ve made it so, Michael.”
“I have. But their spending both inside and outside the company has been disastrous. They are on the edge of financial ruin. This buyout is the only thing that could save them now. The board of directors finally stepped in at the last meeting. We use this buyout to stabilize the company, get an influx of funds, and they will appoint someone else as CEO.”
“You.” I stated, knowing it was the most logical choice.
“Yes, me.”
I didn’t understand why he was telling me this. It explained why he kept resisting my idea of buying the company together and managing it instead of selling it for parts. “Does this mean you could save the company that’s being bought?” Michael was shaking his head before I even finished.
“No. The money from dismantling it would be necessary. They couldn’t afford the wait for it to become profitable again.”
I nodded, understanding.
“But in the future, you could do what you always wished. Restructure companies instead of breaking them down.”
“I could.” Michael’s eyes were hooded as they met my mine. “Or I could step aside and watch as ever
ything they have burns to the ground.”
A slow smile crossed my face as I contemplated the ramifications of his decision. Michael had no sympathy for anyone that would do harm to those he loved. My fear of his rejection had been foolish, and now he was intent on proving it to me.
“You don’t have to.” My words were hollow. I knew he would do it.
“Trust me, nothing would give me greater pleasure.” From the light in his eyes, he spoke the truth and if that were the case….
“Are we buying the company then?”
“Yes. With one stipulation.”
I arched an eyebrow, curious what it would be.
“You will finish university.”
I eyed him dubiously, but he was content to wait me out. With a wretched sigh, I finally consented. Michael would win one way or another and it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Jane was starting school in the fall and we could go together. Which brought me to another matter.
My eyes slid to the door Jane slept behind and I lost my smile for a moment. When I looked back at my brother he seemed to understand where my thoughts had been.
“I can’t lose her, Michael.”
“I know, brother.” He took a deep breath. “I know.” He leaned forward, his hands cradling a now empty glass. “Let us deal with the matters at hand. We will sort out our arrangement with Jane once we’ve dealt with our parents and Audra.”
He tilted his glass toward mine, and as they clinked together he said, “To our independence.”
The next morning I woke to find Jane staring at me. She was still in her pajamas, her feet curled under her as she sat on the coffee table next to the sofa. Her hair was in a loose braid and her fingers played with the end of it nervously.
“What has you in a tizzy, love?”
She rocked back, almost tumbling off the table, and I captured her arm to keep her from falling.
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