It was the first time I had ever ridden in such a car and I felt completely out of place as he threw it into gear and skid out of the driveway toward the gate. The horsepower rattled my ribcage once we got to Santa Monica Boulevard, where the sporty Italian car revved in anticipation to gallop at every red light. I felt so out of place that I resisted the urge to scoot down in the seat every time we rolled to a stop next to other cars, where drivers peered with curiosity to see which VIP Angelino was in their midst.
“You certainly don’t mind making a statement,” I muttered as he peeled away to scream down the street to the very next stoplight.
“We weren’t created to live small,” he responded with a confident smirk.
He truly was the master of his universe. He was a man without limitations thanks to his money and his power.
And I was his date for the day.
How did that happen?
He drove us north of Santa Monica into the mountains and the Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park. We started our hike at Mandeville Canyon. San Vicente Mountain loomed above us like a sentry, which I later learned was an apt description. “San Vicente Mountain was used as a defense site during the beginning of the Cold War,” Drew explained as we walked toward Westridge to begin our clockwise circle of the mountain. “In the 1950s, the 1960-foot summit was employed to protect Los Angeles from soviet attacks by detecting missile and air strikes.”
“It’s beautiful,” I said as I appraised the lush, green surroundings as we ascended on the trail. I couldn’t believe such an undisturbed part of Mother Earth was a part of any kind of conflict whatsoever. We followed the dirt trail, treated to breathtaking views of the San Gabriel Mountains, until we reached the observation tower that provided panoramic views that left us both speechless as we stared at the majesty of nature before us. When he took my hand in his, I couldn’t even resist. It seemed right. My eyes met his and he offered a heart-stopping smile before we continued our journey.
Because it had been constructed for use, there were old buildings on the mountain we could stop for a lunch break. Drew covered one of the installation blocks with a thick blanket on which to sit. The weather was temperate despite the fact we had now entered November. Folks in Texas were already wearing jackets, and I was shrugging off my top shirt because I had worked up a bit of a sweat hiking up the mountain.
He withdrew a bottle of wine, a cheese plate with a selection of fruit included, along with two generous vegetarian sandwiches on earthy multi-grain filled with sprouts, avocado and Provolone cheese. Since we both had worked up quite an appetite ascending hundreds of feet in elevation, neither one of us spoke much as we tore into the bounty that Cleo had prepared for us.
He chuckled to himself as he wiped a bit of oil from the corner of my mouth. “I’ve never met any woman who enjoys food as much as you do.”
My eyes fell from his as I heard Jonathan whisper how his father didn’t like fat people. “We weren’t created to live small,” I countered.
“Hear, hear,” he toasted with his wine glass.
I set what remained of my sandwich back onto the plastic plate and glanced back out at the view. “This is incredible,” I said. “Thank you for bringing me.”
“Thank you for coming,” he replied. “I wasn’t sure if you would.”
I had to laugh. “Yes, you were.”
He smirked happily. “What can I say? I don’t play to lose.”
“Is that what I am?” I asked. “Some competition between you and your brother?”
He shrugged. “You tell me.”
“I have no idea,” I answered honestly. “I’m still pinching myself to see if all of this is real. Sometimes I think it’s all just a dream and I’ll wake up in my tiny twin bed back in my apartment in Grand Prairie.”
“Is that what you want?” he asked softly.
My eyes met his. “No.”
“What do you want?” he persisted.
“I can tell you what I don’t want,” I answered in the same soft voice. “I don’t want Alex.”
His eyes darkened as he leaned closer to where I sat. I didn’t move away, I didn’t even want to. “God, you’re beautiful,” he breathed as he crossed those few inches that separated us. When his lips met mine, it felt like another dream. I tentatively kissed him back, which made him groan deep in his throat. His large hand cupped my head as he drew me even closer, as if we couldn’t get close enough. He was breathless as he dragged his mouth away. “I’ve never wanted anyone as much as I want you,” he muttered against my ear. “You’re my angel, sent to save me from myself.”
My eyes fluttered closed as he nuzzled my neck. I didn’t care that we were in public. If he had laid me back against that blanket, I would have let him take me right then and there. I wanted this man… more than I ever thought was possible. The battle to keep it proper was lost from that first fiery kiss in his study. “Drew,” I whispered as my fingers trailed through his perfect hair.
He planted another hungry kiss on my parted lips, and it was my turn to groan. I was like a virgin at the tips of his fingers, but I was woman enough to know that ache in me would never be satisfied until he and I became one. He must have felt the last of my resolve slip away because he eased me back against the blanket, his other arm swiping all the remnants of our lunch off of the concrete block onto the ground.
I was beyond stopping him even as his hand slipped under my shirt and slid easily across the cool expanse of my torso, inching closer and closer to the hardened peak of my breast. I arched my back toward his hand, unable to vocalize what I wanted, needed, most.
Something inside me had awakened from that very first night I dreamed of being in his arms. It clamored louder and louder for satisfaction. I gasped as his palm spread across my breast.
“Tell me what you want,” he commanded urgently in my ear.
“You,” I finally said. “God help me, I want you.” I was rewarded by his full-body shudder. He pulled away.
“Then let’s go home,” he said as he held out a hand to pull me to my feet.
I was wired with anticipation the entire walk back to the car, and the drive back to the house. Drew said nothing, but kept my hand in his. He would absently brush the center of my palm with his thumb, which sent a delicious charge to my very core.
This was madness, but I was powerless to stop it. I was under his spell, and likely had been from that first night when he had pulled me close, to lure me into those bottomless blue eyes. I shuddered as I thought of each and every step that had led us to this inevitable moment. At every stoplight he would bring my hand to his lips for a lingering kiss. I was ready to split at the seams the minute we drove up the driveway. He didn’t even bother parking the car in the garage. He grabbed my hand and led me toward the door, where Harrison met us immediately.
“Master Fullerton,” he said, with enough urgency in his voice to stop both of us in our tracks. “We’ve been trying to contact you.”
“What is it, Harrison?”
“It’s Jonathan, sir. He has been hurt.”
I grasped my chest with the hand that Drew automatically released. “What? When? How?”
“His mother and Master Alex took Jonathan to Griffith Park to ride the horses. Apparently the horse startled on the trail and Master Jonathan fell.”
I felt frozen all the way to my very core. “Is he… is he OK?”
“He’s at the hospital,” Harrison supplied, handing Drew a piece of paper with all the information. “They won’t tell me any more than that.”
Drew offered a curt nod before he trotted back to his car. I didn’t even think twice before I hopped in the passenger side. All the way to the Burbank hospital, neither of us spoke. We didn’t even touch. We were both terrified, our minds racing with each and every possible scenario. Because the information was so limited, there was nothing left to do but speculate. Unfortunately, I had already experienced the worst possible scenario, so all I could do was pray that would not repeat h
ere and now, with yet another precious little boy I had come to love.
The paparazzi were already there at the entrance as we arrived. Drew nearly growled at them as they snapped away, asking questions in an incoherent jumble. He grabbed my hand and pulled me into the crook of his arm to shield me from their onslaught as he pushed his way through the throng. We were met by security and led to the private room where Jonathan had been admitted.
Elise was right outside the door, her new lover providing solace for the distraught woman. I had first met him the night before, when he was partially obscured by the mask he wore. Now, in jeans and a casual shirt, he looked much, much younger, with sandy blond hair and a California tan. I could feel Drew stiffen against me as we came to a halt in front of them. His voice was firm with controlled anger when he asked, “What happened?”
“He fell,” she managed through the tears. She could barely meet Drew’s gaze and she ignored me entirely. I got the distinct impression she found my presence offensive, as if I had no right at all to be there.
“I got that part,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Were you watching him?”
“This isn’t her fault,” the tennis pro named Derek interjected. But even he shrunk back as Drew turned his attention to him.
“Is it yours?” he asked.
“It was an accident, Drew,” Elise managed, putting herself in between her ex and her new lover.
I didn’t care whose fault it was. “Is he OK?” I asked.
She nodded, barely sparing me a glance. “His leg is broken. He’ll be in a cast for six weeks.”
Drew brushed past them into the private room. Jonathan looked so small against the bright white sheets. I immediately had to gulp back a sob as we rounded the bed, where his broken leg in a full cast was elevated to help ease pain and reduce swelling.
Jonathan’s eyes fluttered open as Drew touched his head, brushing his dark hair from his pale forehead. “Dad,” he greeted with a dopey smile I knew came from heavy pain medication.
“Hey, buddy. Get the number of that bus?”
Jonathan shook his head. Then he glanced around the room to find me. His eyes lit up when he found me on the other side of the bed. “Rachel!” he said as he reached for my hand.
“How do you feel?”
“Stoned,” he said with a playful grimace that made me laugh. I took his hand in mine. “Is the horse OK?” he asked.
I had no idea, so I lied. “Totally fine.”
He nodded. He liked the sound of that. “Good.” He turned back to his father. “Don’t be mad at Mom, OK? It was an accident, I swear.”
My heart cracked. Even as hurt as he was, he was trying to protect the adults in his life. How I loved this amazing little boy.
I suspected Drew lied a little too when he said, “I’m not mad, Jonathan. Scout’s honor.”
Again Jonathan nodded, but as soon as the doctor entered the room to confer privately with Drew, Jonathan pulled me close and said quietly, “Don’t let him yell at my mom, Rachel. It really wasn’t her fault. I fell behind to see this lizard and the horse just freaked out.”
“I know, honey,” I said as I squeezed his hand. “He’s just scared.”
“I’m sorry I scared you,” he said, and I knew he was thinking of Jason as much as I was.
“I tell you what,” I said as I mimicked his father’s actions and brushed his hair back from his face. “Never do it again and we’re square.” He nodded before suppressing a yawn. I kissed him on his forehead. “I love you, Jonathan,” I whispered.
“I love you, too, Mommy,” he murmured as he drifted back to sleep. My heart swelled so much I thought it would burst.
I was so glad he couldn’t see me cry.
Because of the swelling in his leg, the doctor wanted to keep him overnight to keep an eye on it. But the prognosis was good. The break hadn’t required any additional surgery to set the bone, so he could go home the following day if the swelling subsided satisfactorily from keeping it elevated in traction overnight. After that, he would be on crutches and do physical therapy, and if all went well he’d be back on both feet by Christmas. That was the only gift any of us wanted.
Elise and Derek left shortly after we arrived, but we planned to stay the entire night so he wouldn’t be there alone. Any romantic plans were forgotten as we catered to the little boy who faded in and out of consciousness.
He was awake by the time Alex came for a visit, which was good news for Alex. As long as his son was in earshot, Drew wouldn’t light into his brother, especially in Jonathan’s current state. Instead Drew excused himself to go to the gift shop downstairs. I stayed behind simply because I didn’t want him to misinterpret my chasing after my boss, giving him more ammunition to fire.
But, like Drew, Alex was on his best behavior with Jonathan present, and said nothing to me personally.
“Think of what your new bionic leg is going to mean for your Kung Fu,” he grinned at his favorite nephew.
“Uncle Alex,” Jonathan chided. “They didn’t put anything into my leg.”
“How do you know? They have you hopped up on drugs. They might have slipped a titanium rod in your leg. Or maybe some adamantium,” he added with a teasing smirk, referring to one of Jonathan’s favorite comic book characters.
I smiled as I watched them interact. Alex was so good with Jonathan. It was hard to reconcile he was the same man who had proven to be a major thorn in my side since the day we met. But it was clear he loved that little boy every bit as much as his parents did… every bit as much as I did. I searched my mind for anything I could do to make peace with this man who was obviously so important to my favorite little boy.
When he asked to speak to me privately as he was leaving, I didn’t hesitate. But the minute we crossed the threshold out into the hallway, asshole Alex was back in full force. Before I could thank him for visiting Jonathan, he turned on me with a sneer. “You know, I really thought you were different. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the whole, wholesome southern teacher act, I don’t know. But you definitely snowed me, and I don’t get snowed that often.”
“What are you talking about?”
He chortled in disgust. “Too late to play innocent now.” He dug out his phone, opened up the web and showed me a headline I had somehow missed in the hullabaloo.
FULLERTON AND ‘TEACHER’ CAUGHT CANOODLING IN SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS!!
To prove their claim was a photo snapped by who knows who, with Drew and I in a passionate embrace, complete with his hand up my shirt.
I stumbled backward. Alex pocketed his phone. “Don’t look so surprised, Tex. Playing tonsil hockey with the world’s most eligible bachelor in public places is bound to be front page news.”
“We were alone on that mountain,” I insisted.
“You’re never alone, sweets,” he said. “Everyone is interested in the commoner who landed the larger than life Andrew Fullerton. Pictures of you sell papers. That’s what it means to be a Fullerton.”
“I’m not a Fullerton,” I argued.
He pulled his phone out and looked at the salacious photo again. “Not yet,” he amended. “I’m just curious. If he’s paying you a salary while he’s nailing you, does that make you a prostitute?”
My hand met his cheek in a resounding crack that echoed throughout the hallway. “You’re despicable,” I hissed.
He shrugged. “I’m just honest. I realize you wouldn’t recognize that anymore after living with Drew for months, but you really shouldn’t shoot the messenger. I’m just trying to help you.”
“By insulting me every time you get the chance?”
“It’s only an insult if it’s true,” he pointed out. “Believe it or not, I’d love to be wrong about you. I really want you to be everything you appear to be. But the dots just don’t connect. Why would one of the most powerful men on the planet move some sweet, girl-next-door teacher into his house – one who just happened to be single with no obvious family ties – when there ar
e thousands of qualified teachers right here in the city that could go back to their homes and their lives at the end of the day? Why you? Haven’t you ever asked yourself that question?”
I bristled. “Maybe because I’m good at my job.”
“No question,” he agreed. “The change in Jonathan, even with how he interacts with his mother, has been astounding. But see, that only confuses me further. I know my brother. He didn’t give two shits if you could do the job. You were brought in to fit a very specific agenda. He got lucky that you could, in fact, work miracles with Jonathan.”
“Maybe that ‘agenda’ was Jonathan,” Drew said as he came up behind me, startling both of us. His hands landed possessively on my shoulders as he stood behind me. “And yes, I did get very lucky to find Rachel.”
“The world knows,” Alex informed him as he handed him his phone. Drew’s jaw clenched as he realized what had happened.
“That’s unfortunate,” he admitted. “But if you’re expecting some display of shame or regret, you’re in for a long wait.”
“Shame? Regret? From you?” Alex mocked. “Heaven forbid. I just gotta know. Is this new development covered in her benefits package?”
I opened my mouth but Drew walked around me to come nose to nose with Alex, who was more amused than intimidated by his older brother. “You leave her alone,” he warned in an ominous voice.
Alex grinned. “How is that going to work when it’s common knowledge now that she’s part of the family?”
“Haven’t you wrecked enough marriages? When are you going to stop trying to resurrect Nina?”
The smile on Alex’s face disappeared. “Fuck you, man.”
“You’re so interested in the truth,” Drew persisted. “You’re the good boy, right? The one Fullerton with too much integrity to take your rightful place as a corporate raider. The one so much better than everybody else. How about you tell the truth for once? Why don’t you tell Rachel how you warmed your bed with Elise before your own wife turned cold in the grave?”
Enticed Page 19
