“Um, well, I thought we should talk about why you came to visit me earlier.”
Brad’s mouth twisted into some sort of sneer as he looked down on the floor. Then he ambled towards the kitchen. “Drink?” he asked.
“I’m sorry I left with Chase,” she said softly.
“It was my fault for not calling first,” he said, his tone hard. And when he glanced back at her, his eyes were hard too.
“It was just a friendly thing. I left him at the theatre to see you.”
A sigh swooshed out of Brad, his features softening. Well, he brightened up, really.
Brad walked towards her, his gaze intense yet tender. What was it about him that made every cell in her body come alive—and focus only on him?
Finally he was right in front of her.
“I love you, Erin,” he said.
Her eyes watered and tears started to fall. Oh, how long had she waited to hear him say that? “I love you too, Brad.”
His own eyes misting, he cupped her face and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. Then he leaned down and captured her lips.
She let out a sob as she flung her arms around his neck, holding him tight as she poured all her relief and elation into the passionate kiss they exchanged.
“I missed you so much,” Brad murmured against her lips.
She pulled away to look into his eyes. “I missed you too.”
“I’ve been in hell without you.”
That reminded her of why she’d decided to come here in the first place. “Lexie told me tonight about this article she’d just read. It was an interview with Anthony Delsant.”
“Really?”
“Apparently, Anthony said I’m still his number one suspect—”
“What?” Brad roared. “The bastard!” He strode towards his bedroom, his gait angry.
She ran after him. “Wait! I’m only joking!”
He stopped in his tracks. “What do you mean?”
“Actually,” she said, smiling at him goofily, “he said that I, and JMR, have his full confidence and that there’s no evidence to suggest I’ve been unethical.”
Brad exhaled a heavy breath, his relief evident.
“What did you do, Brad?”
He shrugged. “I spoke with him and appealed to his good nature.”
“And?” she asked pointedly. “If we’re to have a successful relationship, you better start opening up to me about these things. I won’t allow you to shut me out again.”
Brad was quiet for a long moment before smiling in resignation. “I offered to start working on his North Coast project for free in exchange for him making that public statement about you.”
Her mouth dropped open.
“He only has to pay up when the investigations are finished and we’re proven to be innocent of any wrongdoing,” Brad continued.
“What if the investigations take a long time?”
“Then he doesn’t pay for a long time.”
“What if there’s no definitive outcome? They won’t find any concrete evidence against us, but what if they also refuse to say that we’re innocent?”
“Then I guess there’s a chance he’ll never pay.”
“Brad...”
“I had to do it, babe,” he said, pulling her to him. “A gossip magazine was going to run a negative article on you that could hurt your career in a big way. They were hanging their story on the Delsant case.”
Her eyes pooled again. “You did it for me?”
“You’re the only one I’d do it for,” he whispered.
Her chest expanded so hard she could hardly breathe. “Thank you.”
“I love you,” he said, then proceeded to kiss her like a starving man.
Soon, they were ripping each other’s clothes off, the dam of desire broken with the coming down of their walls.
What would sex be like now that their feelings were out in the open?
She couldn’t wait to find out, so she slid her hand inside his boxer shorts.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Brad half-closed his eyes, moaning softly as Erin’s exploring hands found his burgeoning erection. God, he was dying for her, and the way he was feeling, they wouldn’t have any sleep tonight.
“So hard already,” Erin murmured, tiptoeing to kiss his lips while she stroked his hardness.
“It missed you a lot, you know.”
“Mm. Really?”
“Yeah. It’s sick of my hands. It wants you.”
Erin giggled and dropped to her knees, pulling his underwear down to his ankles.
His breath hitched, and a lustful groan came out of him as she put his cock in her mouth. He stared into her eyes, awed at what she could do to him. She might be the one on her knees right now, giving him incredible pleasure, but he was the one who’d give everything he owned just to be with her. Funny how love could creep up on you and turn your world upside down.
He watched a good part of his length disappear into her mouth, feeling her tongue swirl around it over and over. Then she let it go, letting her hand take over for a few seconds, before sucking him again.
He moaned, holding himself back from moving his hips. If he did, he’d come in no time.
He pulled her up and lifted her in his arms. “Bed,” he grunted as he carried her to his bedroom. “I want you sprawled on it so I can devour you with my eyes, mouth and cock.”
“Yes, please,” she said breathlessly.
“How much did you miss me?” he asked, nuzzling her neck before laying her on the mattress and settling on top of her.
“I missed you so much it hurt,” she said soberly.
His chest tightened. “I’m so sorry, baby. I wanted you safe from anything that could drag you down.”
Erin cupped his face. “I know. But look at what you did for me. You have to understand that I’m prepared to do as much for you. Stopping me from doing that is like telling me to stop loving you.”
“Yes, I know that now.” Frankly, with Erin by his side, he knew he could achieve his wildest dreams. She inspired him like nothing and no one had ever had, and pushed him to places he’d never before dared to go.
There was nothing to fear as long as he was with her—that was, apart from the fear of losing her. He realised now that they were a partnership. He needed her just as much as she needed him.
Erin ran her hands along his ass, making him press himself against her. She gasped, arching for more.
“Horny much?” he teased, tweaking her nipple.
“It’s been so long,” she whined.
“Well, far be it from me to make my love wait any longer.” He kissed her neck, inhaling the delicate floral scent of her perfume.
Erin’s hand found his erection again, tugging him in that way that drove him crazy with lust.
Argh. He’d planned to take this slow, but he couldn’t hold on to his restraint.
He cupped both her breasts and licked her nipples like he was enjoying his favourite ice cream. Come to think of it, Erin’s body was his favourite thing to feast on. And he needed to drive her as wild as she was driving him.
He got up and dragged her to the edge of the bed by her legs.
“What are you doing?” she asked with a laugh.
“I thought you might want to watch what I do to you through those mirrors,” he said, gesturing to the wall behind him.
“Oh,” Erin said, staring straight ahead. “You really do have a great ass.”
He laughed out loud and kneeled in front of her. When he parted her legs wide, the seductive smell of her arousal wafted to his nose, making him harder than he’d been in a long, long time. “Babe,” he groaned before burying his face in her delicious pussy.
He probed her wet entrance with the tip of his tongue, teasing her, before licking up to her clit.
Erin gasped.
“Did you miss this, baby?” he asked, flicking his tongue faster on her nub.
“Oh, yes,” she cried, pulling her legs up and wide to give him more
access.
“You want more?” he murmured.
Her moan was her answer.
He put two fingers in her and stroked her inner walls. “This?” he grunted, the clear lust on her face arousing him further.
“Yes,” she panted.
“And this?” he asked, his tongue attending to her clit again while his fingers continued their in-and-out movement.
“Brad,” Erin whispered urgently, her fingers raking through his hair to keep him in place. He pleasured her tirelessly, and soon her legs were tensing. “Inside me please, honey. I want you to make me come with your cock.”
Groaning, he reared up. How could he say no to that?
He inserted his erection in her welcoming wetness and sheathed himself to the hilt. “Fuck, baby. You feel so damn good.”
“Did you miss my pussy?” Erin asked shyly.
He grinned. “More than you know, sweetheart.” And he meant it, too.
He started moving, forcing himself to go slow. But Erin bucked, meeting his hips with hers. Before he knew it, he was thrusting into her, fast and relentless, unstoppable.
“Yes, fuck me, Brad,” Erin whispered, her head thrown back.
A fresh rush of arousal went to his groin with her words. Over and over he drove into her, telling her exactly how good moving inside her was, sharing with her how her warm tightness was taking him closer and closer to the crest.
“Ahh!” Erin cried, trembling as she came hard around his cock.
With a yell, he followed her, gasping as he shot hot jets of come inside her.
They crawled back to the middle of the bed and were quiet for a long minute, catching their breath as they came down from the clouds.
“I love you, baby,” he whispered in her ear.
Erin kissed his cheek. “I love you, too, honey.”
“Can I move back into your apartment? Then when my house is finished, will you move in there with me?”
“Yes,” Erin said, sighing contentedly.
He grinned with happiness. “Does Lexie know you were coming here tonight?”
“Yes. That reminds me, there’s another thing I wanted to ask you about.” Erin looked serious again.
“What?”
“The Carmichaels’ Pyrmont contract. Did you really lose out to Warren, or did you pull out?”
He frowned.
“You did pull out, didn’t you?” Erin said in a low voice.
“Yes, but who told you?”
“Brad, why? That contract was so important to you.”
“I did it in exchange for Warren confessing to the rumours he’d started. We’ve resolved our differences, and he’s also helped me convince Anthony to make that public statement about you. But who told you, Erin? I had the Carmichaels’ word that they’d keep this confidential.”
“And they have. I asked Rick to call them, and all three made excuses for not answering the question. They told Rick to talk to you instead. Anyway, I bumped into Paula at the theatre. She was asking me about you, and she was the one who told me.”
“Paula? Kevin’s wife.”
“Yes. She must have heard it at the Delsant office when she worked there as a temp.”
“She worked at Delsant?”
“Yes, for two weeks. Roger told me.”
“There are only six other people who knew that I pulled out of the Carmichael contract, Erin. The Carmichaels, Warren and Gavin knew why I did it. None of us would have told Anthony Delsant.”
“Who’s the sixth?”
“Harry. My employee,” he answered, dread settling on his gut like a lump of concrete.
He retrieved his phone from the bedside table and called Gavin. “Gav, I’m sorry for calling so late. But I think we have to investigate if there’s a connection between Harry and Paula.”
*****
“Brad? Did you want to see me?”
“Yes. Come on in, Harry. And please close the door,” Brad said, keeping his head in his hands.
“Is everything okay?”
Brad sat back on his chair. “No. I have a big problem.”
“What is it? Can I help?”
“I need to hire a very good designer at short notice.”
“Why? Do we have a new contract?”
He didn’t answer that question. “I believe you know the estranged wife of Erin’s ex,” he said instead.
“The wife of Erin’s ex? Which ex? Which wife?” Harry asked, looking confused, although the instant reddening of his face betrayed him.
Busted! The guy might be a great actor, but there was nothing like a total surprise to bring out tell-tale body language.
“I’m talking about Paula, of course. Kevin’s wife,” he said, narrowing his eyes at the traitor.
Harry frowned in thought.
“Come on, Harry,” he goaded. “No point denying it. My detective friends and I have already spoken to Paula. What I want to know is, why?”
Harry stared at him, and they eyeballed each other for what seemed like minutes, until he saw the shift in Harry’s gaze. Uncertainty and fear appeared in the eyes of the man he used to trust completely.
He waited, continuing to wordlessly challenge Harry with his stare.
Finally, Harry cast his eyes downward. “You don’t deserve all the success you’ve got, Brad,” Harry said, his voice bitter.
He had braced himself for Harry’s admission, but it was still like a punch in the gut. “What did I ever do to you, Harry?”
“You ruined my business,” Harry spat out. “You doomed me to being your employee.”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t ruin your business.”
“Oh, no, pretty boy? I could have won several of the contracts we both went after while my company was still around. Design-wise, there wasn’t much between us. In fact, I know I was better than you in some cases. But you used your pretty face and your silver tongue to sway the decisions towards you. You’re so greedy, going for job after job, not even thinking that your competitors have to put food on the table too.”
His mouth hung open. “You tried to destroy my professional reputation because you couldn’t win contracts over me? Harry, running the kind of business we’re in is not just about the technical designs. It’s about marketing, communication and interpersonal skills, even luck. You know how cut-throat it is. Besides, I thought you were happy working here.”
“Stop patronising me, Brad. The longer I stay in this company, the more people in the industry see me as just your minion, always standing in your shadow. I don’t get the accolades someone with my skills deserve.”
“So because you think I ruined your business, you decided to ruin mine? Because I’m getting the recognition you want to get for yourself, you wanted to drag me down?”
Harry’s lips twisted into an ugly smirk. “You deserve to be cut down a peg or two, Brad, and Warren Oliver wasn’t doing a good enough job of it. He didn’t have the guts to go far enough.”
Brad chuckled with bitterness. “And did you think you went far enough, Harry?” he asked sarcastically. “Why sabotage me with the Delsant project? There were higher-profile jobs you could have used that would have knocked me to the ground if you played your cards right.”
Harry sneered. “Delsant was the easiest. Imagine my glee when I found out that Paula—who I know absolutely hates Erin’s guts just as much as I hate yours—was working there as a temp. That woman was as gutsy as me. Did she confess that she was the one who got me photocopies of the documents that contained Anthony’s top-secret ideas he’d hashed out with JMR? Whatever she said to you, she was my fifty-fifty partner in this. We made the decisions together. In fact, it was her idea to send that letter to Warren’s client just to put more pressure on you.”
“But you were the one who forged my signature.”
Harry shrugged, shutting his mouth.
Brad filled his lungs with a relieved breath as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. Truth was, no one had spoken to Paula yet. He, Gav
in and Erin had stayed up all night, discussing various scenarios and checking up all the facts in a different light, and reluctantly agreeing that Harry was the most likely culprit, with Paula his able assistant. But they didn’t have enough details to fully connect the dots, so they’d come up with a plan to smoke out Harry. Thank God making Harry talk was easier than he’d thought. Paula had nowhere to run now, either.
Despite this victory, it was still a sad day for him. The man he’d considered a friend had been betraying him all along. But it was time to move on now, and hand this case over to the proper authorities.
There was a short knock on his door, and in came Gavin and another friend, Carter Garrett. They’d been listening in from another room.
“Harry,” he said. “Meet Gavin Redford, a private investigator, and Detective Carter Garrett of the New South Wales Police Force. I believe Detective Garrett wants to have a further word with you.”
With an expressionless face, Harry rose to his feet, stood up straight, and went with Carter.
Brad slumped in his chair, covering his face with both hands. Finally, the end to the madness was in sight.
“Good job, Brad,” Gavin said softly.
“Thanks for your help, Gav. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Lucky for us Paula slipped up and told Erin about you pulling out of the Carmichael contract. We’d still be in the dark otherwise.”
He nodded.
“Maybe you should give yourself an early mark,” Gavin suggested. “It’s been a big few days for you.”
“Good idea. I think I’ll call Erin and see if she could leave work early. I just wanna make love to her and de-stress.”
Gavin laughed out loud. “I’m glad it worked out for the two of you. I’m never a believer in going back to your ex, especially when said ex is a very good friend. I think it’s a recipe for disaster. But I suppose the break-up period between you and Erin was pretty short, so it’s not as if you were revisiting an old flame.”
His raised an eyebrow. “Do I detect a hint of envy there, Gav? Who’s this girl that you think you can’t go out with again? I say never close the door on that possibility, no matter how long it’s been since you broke up.”
The Unintended Fiancé (Captured by Love Book 4) Page 17
