The Billionaire's Muse Complete Series Box Set

by M. S. Parker

  "I don't know," Abel snapped. "Not my place to ask, is it? She just called yesterday morning, said she needed two weeks sick leave, it was important, and she'd have all the paperwork in by the end of the week."

  I wanted to grab him and shake him. How could he not have asked her if she was okay? If she needed anything? Was he an idiot or just fucking irresponsible?

  But I didn't do any of that, didn't yell any of my questions at him, because I knew they were directed more at me than they were at him. I should have been the one to know where she was and what was wrong. She should have called me to tell me what was going on. I should have been taking care of her.

  But I was the asshole who'd been too caught up in my own shit that I wasn't able to see the best thing that ever happened to me had been right in front of my face.

  "I need to talk to her – not about the article – but I can't get ahold of her."

  Abel's eyes narrowed. "Mr. Randell, I don't know what you're playing at, but if Miss Birch isn't answering your calls, then maybe you should take a hint."

  I ignored his sage advice and asked another question, "What about her friends? Where can I find them? Her roommate, Everett."

  "I would assume you could find him at her home address." Abel walked around me to the door.

  "And if he wasn't at home but rather at work..."

  Abel scowled, but seemed to figure that the best way to get rid of me was to just give me the information I wanted. "He works in the NYU physics department."

  "Thank you," I said as I left. I gave the receptionist a smile and nod, but my mind was already a million miles away, running through all of the possible things that could be wrong with Savannah, all the things I should have protected her from.

  By the time I reached NYU and managed to find the right department, my nerves and my patience were both frayed. Fortunately, I spotted the familiar blond before I snapped at anyone.

  "Everett!"

  He raised his head, his pleasant face immediately twisting with fury as soon as he saw me. His hands curled into fists and wondered if I was about to get a black eye for my troubles. It'd be worth it though, if I found out if Savannah was okay.

  "What the fuck do you want?" he snapped.

  "Where's Savannah?" I blurted out the question. "She's not answering my calls or texts, and her boss said she took sick leave. I went to your apartment and she wasn't there."

  Everett stepped right into my space. "Stay away from her."

  I was taller than average, but he still had several inches on me. I didn't back down though. "Where is she?"

  "She's in the fucking hospital, okay? No thanks to you."

  Twenty-Eight

  Savannah

  I wasn't regretting my decision to donate to Iggy, but as my drug-assisted slumber began to fade, I was definitely ready to get out of the hospital.

  My part of the procedure had been finished by early afternoon yesterday, but after a negative reaction to the anesthesia, the doctors wanted to keep me in overnight, which meant I hadn't been home in days. As I became more aware of myself, I realized that I felt better than when I woke up yesterday, but still, all I wanted was to go home and curl up in my own bed.

  I'd had some weird form of post-operative hypothermia, one that hadn't just given me chills but a fever as well. I'd been groggy through everything, but Everett had been here, and I'd focused on his voice as he talked to the doctors. As he calmly discussed my reaction, I was glad I hadn't called my parents to tell them about the surgery. Mom would've been freaking out, and I probably would've been lectured about taking unnecessary risks. I loved her, but when it came to us kids, she always overreacted. Then again, I supposed having watched her brother go through losing a child didn't really make it overreacting.

  "Her temperature's back where it should be."

  A woman's voice I recognized as belonging to the doctor cut through the haze. My eyelids still felt too heavy to open, so I focused on listening.

  "Once she wakes up, I'll have a better idea of when she can be discharged. I want to monitor her temperature for at least a couple hours when she's awake, and make sure she can hold down water and solid food."

  Food.

  I hadn't eaten anything yesterday, I remembered now. My teeth had been chattering and my stomach queasy, so they'd put some stuff in my IV to make sure I didn't get dehydrated.

  Food sounded good. I wasn't so sure about hospital food, but I'd take anything I could get right now. When I got home, I'd have Everett get me all of my favorites. For once, I wouldn't argue with him taking care of me.

  "And you really can't tell me why she had surgery?"

  That wasn't Everett's voice, but I knew it. Why did I know it?

  "You're lucky I gave you that much. Mr. Blount may have said you were going to take care of things today, but Miss Birch is my patient, and until she says it's okay, I won't give you any additional private information. No matter who your father was."

  That should have been a clue, but my brain was still trying to muddle through the last of the drugs I'd been given. So much so that it took me a minute to realize that if I opened my eyes, I'd be able to see who it was rather than trying to puzzle it out.

  I heard the steady beeping of my heart increase as I gathered my strength and forced my eyes open. As the room slowly came into focus, so did the man standing near the doorway. Pale hair. Broad shoulders. Athletic build.

  "Jace?"

  My voice was raspy, his name little more than a whisper, but he turned as soon as I said it. His eyes widened, and then he crossed the distance between us in just a few long strides.

  "Savannah." He went to his knees next to the bed, wrapping his hands around mine. "I'm so glad you're okay."

  I stared at him, wondering for a moment if I was seeing things because he surely couldn't be here. Not after the horrible things he said. But I could feel the heat from his hands around mine. Could see the dark smudges under blood-shot eyes. So he was real.

  "You look like shit." As soon as the words came out, I winced. Not because of what I said but because they made my throat hurt. Before I could ask for something to drink though, Jace was on his feet and getting me a glass of water.

  I drank it slowly, hoping the cool liquid would help my mind clear. When I finished, Jace took the cup and put it back on the tray, then took a seat in the chair next to the bed. He leaned close but didn't take my hand again.

  "Why are you here?" It came out harsher than I intended. I coughed to clear the emotion from overtaking my throat. "I mean, you and not Everett. And how did you know I was here?"

  "Ah." Color rose in his cheeks. "I may have gone to your work and your boss told me you'd taken sick leave. I was worried, so I asked him where I could find Everett."

  "Maybe my mind's still fuzzy from the drugs and everything," I worked to keep my voice even, "but that still doesn't explain why you're here."

  "I came to apologize."

  If I'd heard the slightest bit of arrogance in his voice, or even a hint that he was expecting an apology from me, I would've told him to get out, then had a few choice words for Everett for ratting me out.

  But he not only sounded sincere, he sounded like he was...in pain.

  "I don't even know where to start to tell you how sorry I am for what I said to you." His hands were curled into fists so tightly that his knuckles were white. "I won't make excuses, because I know that's all they'd be. Absolutely nothing is a good reason for how I behaved. It was childish, immature..."

  He paused, and I raised an eyebrow.

  "Go on."

  One corner of his mouth twitched up, but the sincerity in his eyes stayed the same. "Juvenile, asinine, loathsome, despicable..." He put his hands on the edge of my bed. "I'll go through a whole thesaurus of words describing how horrible my behavior was, and I'll mean every word of it."

  "Miss Birch."

  The cheerful voice of the doctor interrupted, and the next few minutes were all about being poked and prodded and
answering questions while Jace hung around in the hallway, pacing in front of the door. After I promised the doctor I'd eat whatever breakfast they brought me, she said she'd return in a bit to see if I was ready to be discharged.

  While that should have been foremost in my mind, all I could think about was Jace coming back in and continuing our conversation. My head kept telling me to kick him out and call Everett, but if my best friend had already talked to Jace and hadn't kicked his ass, then maybe Jace had something worth saying.

  "Is everything okay?" he asked as he came back to his seat.

  I nodded. "Just the usual precautions."

  He blew out a long breath. "I'd like to know why you're here, what happened, but I'm not going to push. What I did was unforgivable, and I know I've lost your trust. I have to earn it back, if I can."

  I wanted to tell him that what he did hadn't been unforgivable. He hadn't cheated, or hit me, or anything like that. He didn't want to give me excuses, but I knew that between his mother and his ex, his being guarded and assumptive wasn't entirely without cause. Still, it didn't mean I was going to jump back into whatever our relationship was with him without giving it some hard thought.

  He reached out and put his hand on my cheek, his thumb brushing the corner of my mouth. "Even if you can never forgive me, I plan to do whatever is necessary to make things right between us."

  "I want to believe you," I whispered as he dropped his hand.

  "From the first moment I saw you, I wanted you." He raked all ten fingers through his hair. "But it was more than just physical, even then. We connected."

  "We did."

  "It wasn't until I lost you – until I chased you away – that I let myself admit what I'd never imagined was possible."

  My heart began to race, and color flooded my cheeks as the heart monitor made sure Jace knew about it.

  He didn't comment on increased pulse, didn't even look at it, but I had no doubt he could hear it. "Somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you. I don't know if it was when you laughed at the misunderstanding the first time we met. Or when I realize how amazing we were together, how well we complemented each other. Or maybe not until I began sculpting again and everything my hands made was you."

  He fell in love with me?

  He took my hand in his again and raised them, kissing my knuckles. "I love you, Savannah, and I will do whatever you want me to do to prove it to you."

  Part of me wished this conversation could have come without us having gone through all the shit of the past few days, but another part of me wondered if Jace would have ever admitted any of these feelings if I hadn't walked away from him.

  I could feel the tension radiating off of him as he waited for me to respond, but I didn't rush it. This was serious, and even though I was still in the hospital, I didn't want to postpone my answer. I'd rather take a little bit of extra time and be able to tell him the truth.

  When it finally came, I knew it wasn't completely what he wanted to hear. "I love you too, but I don't trust you." His grip on my hand tightened. "I forgive you, and I want to work past all of this. It's just going to take some time."

  He nodded. "I'll give you all the time you need." His eyes met mine, burning with the truth of everything he'd said. "Just don't give up on me."

  Before I could reassure him, someone knocked at the door.

  I looked up just as Veronica Randell walked into the room. She'd taken only a couple steps when her breath caught in her throat, eyes fixed on her son.

  "Mom?" Jace stood so slowly I wasn't sure his legs would support his weight. He looked down at me, confusion in his gaze.

  "You wanted to know why I'm here," I said quietly. "To do that, you need to meet your sister."

  Twenty-Nine

  Jace

  Two weeks ago, I'd been completely floored to hear one of my best friends announce that he was going to be a father...and a husband. I'd watched him pine for a woman he'd barely known and hadn't understood it until I'd broken my own heart by being just as pig-headed as he'd been. Now, it was the fact that I was standing in the courthouse watching Alix and Sine signing their marriage certificate that gave me hope.

  That, and the fact that Savannah was here with me.

  Everett had come back to the hospital when she was discharged, but I followed them back to the apartment. I'd checked in with her every day, talked to her, texted her. I'd brought dinner for her and Everett both when she said it was okay. I never pushed for her to spend time with me, but made sure she knew that I wanted to be with her whenever possible.

  And I kept my hands to myself as much as I could.

  It was hell to do, almost painful for me to be close to her and not touch her. I'd considered myself a master of self-control, but now that I was the one being forced to deny myself with no control over when the end would come...it was a lot harder than I ever imagined it could be.

  Sometimes, I hadn't been able to stop myself from putting my hand on the small of her back as we walked, or tuck a stray curl behind her ear, but I always watched her closely, ready to immediately step back if I saw the least hesitation. Just like I'd done the few times I was unable to keep myself from tasting her lips. I felt like a man dying from thirst who'd been granted a few sips of water to help him cling to life.

  I'd spent my whole life never needing anyone, always able to take or leave relationships with little personal impact. My friends had been the first to break through those walls, and they'd stuck with me after Bianca destroyed them, but I vowed to never let myself be that vulnerable with another person again.

  But I'd never seen Savannah coming.

  "Sine looks beautiful."

  I looked down at the woman standing next to me and my stomach flipped. "So do you."

  Alix and Sine hadn't wanted anything fancy, so we were all in nice, but not flashy, clothes. Savannah, however, in her simple dove gray maxi dress, outshone everyone. It highlighted her gentle curves and made her legs look impossibly long for her height, both of which spoke to the artist in me as much as the man. My hands itched to run over her, to memorize this new image of her so I could translate it to clay.

  "Not so bad yourself," she whispered as she smiled and held my arm a little tighter.

  I didn't get the chance to reply because everyone else was clapping and moving to give the newlyweds hugs. Savannah and I followed and offered our congratulations.

  "Good for you," Alix said in my ear as we hugged. "It's worth it."

  I nodded. He was right. No matter how long it took for Savannah and me to work through this, being with her was worth it.

  As she and I went to the limo Erik rented for the five of us, my phone buzzed. I glanced at it, a smile curving my lips as I read the text message.

  Those are awesome! They're Savannah, right? Mom said not to ask you because it wasn't my business, but I told her that if you didn't want me to know, you'd tell me. Besides, I think it's awesome that she's your muse. Do you think you could make something for me when I get out of here? Nothing fancy or sexy like those ones of Savannah, but maybe something like an animal? A butterfly? It'll be a few weeks before I'm able to go home, so you don't have to answer now. Love, Ig

  My mother and I were still working things out between us, but I loved Iggy from the moment I met her. The part of me that was hurt by knowing that my mom had stuck around to raise her daughter when she left me didn't touch my sister at all. All of that negative shit was between me and Veronica. Iggy and I weren't carrying all that baggage.

  "Iggy?" Savannah asked, a knowing smile on her lips.

  I nodded and pulled her closer to my side. "Thank you again. For stepping up and saving her when I was being an ass."

  She stretched up and kissed my cheek before sliding into the back seat next to Tanya. While I hated myself for having treated Savannah badly, it was nothing compared to the guilt I would have felt if Savannah hadn't gone to meet my mom and subsequently saved Iggy.

  I was going in next week to do all the
paperwork to be on the donor list, and then I would plan a fundraiser where I wouldn't only be asking for money, but for blood. I'd given to numerous charities through the years, and had even donated blood a time or two in college, but I was going to put my money where my mouth was this time. Maybe I could do for someone else what Savannah had done for my sister.

  This afternoon, though, I was going to celebrate with my friends and use dancing as an excuse to hold the woman I loved.

  I didn't want to go home alone. My arms had been around Savannah more tonight than they had been since the day I fucked up, and instead of making it easier to let her go, it made it near impossible to even think about walking to her front door and then walking away.

  "You know," she said as she leaned closer to me, "the doctors cleared me for whatever physical activity I want."

  I swallowed hard, reminding myself that I shouldn't read into anything.

  "And I know exactly what I want."

  I closed my eyes. "Fuck," I muttered, my dick already growing hard.

  She kissed my chin. "Yes, please."

  I opened my eyes and kissed her forehead. "I'm not going to have sex with you."

  She stared at me, disbelief in her eyes. She wasn't the only one who couldn't believe what I just said. My cock was threatening open rebellion. I'd gone longer than two weeks without sex before, but I knew that when it came to Savannah, nothing I'd experienced before counted.

  "Why not?" She seemed more confused than hurt or angry, more like the woman who'd responded to an accidental insult with a laugh.

  "Because I love you, and you mean more to me than getting laid." I slid my hands down to the swell of her hips, fingers flexing at the thought of being inside her again.

  "So, it's not because you're worried about hurting me?"

  I gave her a half-smile. "Maybe that's a little bit of it." I lowered my head and brushed my lips across hers. "But it's more about trust, and you don't trust me. Not yet anyway. And I don't want to fuck that up by pushing you too fast."