Bound to Me (The Harbour Series Book 1)

by Christy Pastore

  He shook his head took a long drink from his glass. “Nude photos of you?”

  I stood and finished the rest of my wine. “Yes, David surprised me with a getaway to the South of France and while we were there, Charlie took photos of me. Once the photos were published, I filed a lawsuit, and eventually won. A few months later, more pictures surfaced. Again, I was tied up with another lawsuit with the same magazine. They had very deep pockets.”

  My heart began to pound in my chest as I paced around the room. “After the soccer season ended, David’s team had won the league championship and we went on holiday to relax and celebrate. A few days later, David was arrested and my life went into a tailspin.”

  “Why was he arrested?” He stood and walked towards me. Taking my hand in his, he gave it a light squeeze. Somehow that made it easier to say the words.

  “Child grooming, and sexual activity with a fifteen-year-old girl.”

  Alex’s mouth twisted and his eyes narrowed. “He cheated on you? He slept with a fifteen-year-old?” The look of disgust on his face mirrored the way I felt on the inside.

  I nodded and felt my skin prick with heat. “Apparently, after David’s team won, the girl bragged to all her friends that she had slept with him. Without her knowledge, so she says, someone took video of her recounting the story. Once it was uploaded to social media, the young woman flipped out and said that David ruined her life.”

  Alex rubbed my shoulders, in an effort to ease some of my tension. “I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I can’t imagine how painful it must have been for you.”

  “I wish that were all, but there’s more.” I managed to get the words out despite the fact that my throat was dry. My glass was empty, but I didn’t want Alex to think I needed the alcohol to get through the memories of the past. Back then, I did need it to numb the pain, but not anymore. These days I have my head on straight. “During the trial it was revealed that both David and his coach had covered up the fact that David’s phone had been hacked. Photos of the young girl, along with text messages between the two of them—it was all there. The worst part was in open court, that was how I found out that David arranged for Charlie to take the topless photos of me. He admitted that he used me.”

  Alex scrubbed his hands down his face, and blew out a harsh breath. “Do the topless photos of you exist anywhere? I assume David is in jail?”

  “Yes and he’s serving a six-year sentence. In regards to the pictures, my lawyers were very good and, along with Ronan’s help, it was all buried. That’s why Charlie cannot sell pictures to the tabloids any longer. He was blacklisted. Once in a while, fake nudes of me pop up on the internet, but those sites are immediately notified and the pictures are usually taken down within hours.”

  “Did Charlie serve any jail time?”

  “No, but I think the fact that he cannot sell his celebrity pictures to the tabloids was punishment enough. It’s a big business—extremely lucrative.”

  “I see. What did he say to you today?

  My eyes closed, and his name came out in a shaky whisper. “Alex, you don’t want to know.”

  “Yes, I do or I wouldn’t have asked.”

  A chill climbed up my legs and settled in my spine as I recalled the memory. “He said, he would have me one day and made crude references to shagging me. Not only that, but he said he still has photos of me and went into explicit detail about what he does whilst looking at them.”

  He touched my face, his fingertips swept down my cheek. “Everything will be okay, sweetheart, don’t you worry about Charlie. This will be handled. I’ll keep you safe.”

  “I believe that, Alex.”

  I’LL FUCKING KILL CHARLIE.

  I couldn’t believe I didn’t look into Ella’s background after I took this job. Furthermore, why the hell didn’t I investigate Charlie after that first encounter in the pub? A simple Google search could have brought me up to speed. Rookie mistake and Ella’s well-being wasn’t the time for me to phone in my responsibilities.

  She said it was nothing and I believed her. It’s not her fault I’d been breaking my own rules. I was the one who said we should be just Ella and Alex. I liked . . . loved being just us.

  Ella slept peacefully and I powered up the laptop in the jet’s office to see if there was anything I could find on my new enemy—Charlie McNeil. There wasn’t much in the way of personal information. I’d found a few articles about him being involved with the David Warner scandal and that was pretty much it.

  “Mr. Robertsen,” Joni said, from the doorway. “The pilot says we’ll be landing shortly.”

  “Very good. Thank you.” I turned off the laptop and then returned to my seat. Ella stirred from her short nap. “Hey, sleepy head.”

  “Hi,” she said through a yawn while stretching her legs. “Landing?”

  “Yep. Are you hungry?”

  “Starved.”

  “Restaurant or home?”

  “How about some takeaway—I mean takeout?”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “I’m going to need some ice cream, too.”

  “You got it, sweetheart.”

  I zipped my Range Rover through busy streets of Midtown Manhattan. It was just after one in the afternoon and I was on my way to meet with Dean Winters. After dinner, I went to bed and I tossed and turned all night. Ella said she wasn’t tired, so she stayed up to watch television. When I came back downstairs an hour later, she was on the couch fast asleep.

  When I told Dean Ella could have the guesthouse I meant it with all sincerity. Ella, however, had other plans. She went straight up to my room and unpacked her bags. I couldn’t help but smile at realization of having her in my bed every single night. Hopefully, there would be no surprise visits from her brother or Dean.

  I hated the fact that we had to hide our relationship, although there technically shouldn’t be any relations between us. I should have left Ella alone, but I couldn’t. Just like I couldn’t leave Amanda alone, and look how that turned out. Fuck. No, this was nothing like that. Being with Ella felt right, too right and it was worth the risk. She was worth everything.

  I pulled up to the valet at The Addison and handed over my keys. The concierge rang the Connolly residence and I was escorted to the private elevator to his penthouse. Dean greeted me as I stepped out of the elevator.

  “What do you have for me today, Alex?” he asked, as I followed him down the hallway to the office.

  “Well, as I said on the phone, Charlie McNeil has become a threat,” I began, and explained what had happened at the ballpark.

  “I see.” He held my gaze with steady authority. “To bring you up to speed, our original situation has been resolved, but given these new details I feel its best that you stay on as Ms. Connolly’s bodyguard. I know that Mr. Connolly will agree.”

  The original situation was resolved, that was good news to hear. At least that threat no longer loomed over Ms. Prescott. Perhaps this thing with McNeil will be resolved just as quickly.

  “Of course,” I answered, rubbing at the tension knot that had formed in the back of my neck. “Normally, in this kind of situation, I’d suggest a restraining order, but I feel that would be a pre-mature move.”

  “For now, we’ll monitor McNeil’s day to day activities. In addition, my men will find out where he lives, where he works and his favorite haunts.”

  “Sounds good,” I agreed and pushed to my feet. “You have my word, Ella will be safe.”

  He slapped my shoulder and smiled. “With you handling it personally, I have no doubt that she will be.”

  My eyes shut tight and the words took me by surprise just like she had that night. Ella. I swore I could taste her, feel her skin on mine—the scent of her. It was all crashing around me, and a split second decision meant saving my soul from being swallowed up into a pit of guilt.

  “You need something else, Robertsen?”

  “Yeah, yeah, actually I do.”

  I NEEDED SOME TIME to t
hink about life, work and my Charlie McNeil problem. He was screwing with me and now he’d forced my hand. Telling Alex about my past was easier than I ever imagined.

  Although, a cloud of worry washed over me last night at the thought of Alex going off the deep end and possibly tracking down Charlie himself. Who knows what he could have done.

  Well, I have a vague idea.

  Alex had left early this morning. He didn’t wake me, but the note on the coffee table had strict instructions for me to relax. He also suggested I take a dip in the pool. I rummaged through my suitcase and began hanging my things in the closet. My swimsuit still had the tags on it. I’d purchased it a week before I left. It was a sexy, red, triangle-cut bikini with gold hardware on the ties. I bought it with the intention of impressing no one at the hotel pool, but I was certain Alex would love it.

  I changed into my bikini, applied some sunblock, and grabbed a towel out of the linen closet. Once outside, I settled into a lounge chair with my favorite gossip magazines.

  After ten minutes of flipping through the pages, I came across an article with a picture of Finn Carter out for a stroll in London holding hands with an unidentified female. But I knew that female—Nabila! That little minx. Immediately, I unlocked my phone and sent her a text.

  Me: You are so busted. Are you dating Finn Carter?

  Nabila: Let’s just say, we’re having a good time. Are you dating anyone?

  I smiled at her question for two reasons. One, I knew what “we’re having a good time” was code for and two, it made my heart beat a little faster thinking about Alex. My feelings for him were multiplying exponentially. I loved being with him.

  My phone pinged with another text from Bila: No worries, doll, Gavin told me all about your hot bodyguard. Your secret is safe with me. ☺

  I laughed, yeah, safe—safe with Bila, but apparently not with Gavin. Who knew he couldn’t keep his mouth shut?

  It was quiet here, peaceful even, only the sounds of birds and the waves of the ocean in the distance. Suddenly, it all made sense to me why Alex chose to be here. The water, the isolation of sorts and the near silence, it really was therapeutic.

  The afternoon heat was far more intense here than back home. The sparkling water beckoned me. On a playful scream, my feet lifted off the ground and I dove into the water. I swam a few laps and then floated weightlessly on the surface as the warm rays of sunshine danced across my skin. Once more I bobbed under the water, doing a quick somersault.

  When I came up to the surface and opened my eyes, I found Alex sitting on the chaise lounge smiling. “How’s the water?”

  “Amazing,” I replied, swimming towards the edge. “You should join me.”

  “Maybe I will, but I’m enjoying the view from right here.” He leaned back in the chair, and I heard the sound of papers scrunching.

  “Alex, you’re sitting on my magazines.”

  He pulled them from underneath his fabulous ass and then looked at them and eyed me warily. “I don’t understand why you read these. I would think that you’d want nothing to do with them.”

  I pushed up and rested my knees on the built in ledge. “Tabloids are my sick obsession, but it’s cathartic.”

  He looked at me as if I’d spoken the words in a foreign language.

  He’s adorable.

  “What?” I shook my head. “You don’t have a dirty little secret. Something odd you love that might surprise people?’

  He sat up, tugging his t-shirt over his head and then tossing it onto the chair. “Here’s one for you, I watch The Bachelorette.”

  I cocked an eyebrow.

  “I enjoy the epic douchery. Some of the shit that comes out of the guys’ mouths is truly stupid. I can’t believe women fall for it.” He kicked off his shoes and next went his watch.

  Laughing, I fell back into the water, watching as my own private Alex strip show continued. “I think watching reality television is more of a guilty pleasure.”

  “There’s nothing pleasurable in watching a bunch of over-the-top ‘alpha idiots’ spout off cheesy lines claiming they want to find love, but, nonetheless, it’s entertaining as hell.”

  “Well, what do you find pleasurable?” Yes, I know exactly what I’m doing in this moment.

  In the blink of an eye, his shorts were gone and I stood in the water admiring a gorgeous and very naked Alex. I could stare at him forever. My gaze darted around to all corners of the grounds. “Get in this pool before someone sees you.”

  Water pelleted my skin and rippled around my body. Opening my eyes, I used my hands as a shield from the sun, taking in his silhouette as he waded towards me. Cupping water in his hands, he poured it over his dark hair, slicking it back. His hazel eyes burned bright, and droplets of water slid down his neck and broad chest. Savoring this moment, my fingers glided along the thick cords of the muscles in his arms memorizing every rigid ripple. I know men aren’t supposed to be seen as beautiful, but my God, to me, Alex was.

  His arms banded around me, holding me possessively as his mouth crushed down onto mine consuming me in a deep, lush kiss.

  “For the record, kissing you is extremely pleasurable.”

  “Well then, let me welcome you home properly,” I said.

  He smirked. “Yes, please, but keep the proper out of it.”

  He kissed me hard, slipping his tongue deep inside my mouth. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he ground his cock against me. Gliding his hands up my back, he tugged at the strings of my top. Lost in a haze of lust, my needy hands pulled his hair. The sharp bite of the concrete against my back added a delicious shiver to his assault upon my senses. A moan spilled from my lips as his fingers dug into my ass.

  “Alex . . .” I whispered harshly.

  The world around us seemed to disappear, all my problems and fears washed away. I felt like I’d waited my entire life to find this man and, by some wonderful happenstance, we’d found each other accidentally on a sidewalk in New York City. I’d snuck out of his room in the early morning hours, not knowing he’d been assigned to my life in a bigger way—to protect me.

  Cupping my face, he pulled me into another kiss, brushing his lips over mine. Releasing a growl, Alex pulled the strings on the sides of my bikini bottoms.

  Away they go.

  His tongue trailing across my collarbone sent shockwaves of pleasure zipping through me. In the distance, rumbles of thunder could be heard, but nothing compared to the frenzied storm brewing inside me.

  I wanted this man, right here and right now.

  His hands gently massaged my thighs and I shamelessly ground my hips against him. As I reached along his muscled back, clawing and pulling him closer, his mouth wrapped around my breast licking and sucking leaving me panting and wanting more.

  “Please, I need you,” I begged, as his fingers teasingly moved along my inner thighs. “God yes, touch me, Alex.”

  I heard myself moan as his lips glided up my throat and along my chin. Leaning back to look at me his beautiful eyes were filled with fire. A shiver racked through my body as I felt the magnetic pull of emotions all at once.

  “I’ll give you what you need,” he teased, with a wickedly sexy smile.

  Despite being in the invigorating water, every nerve ending in my body was burning. Unable to look away, once more, his perfect hazel eyes penetrated my soul.

  “You’re beautiful,” he whispered. “Wars have been started over women far less stunning than you.” Sliding his hands into my hair, he grabbed the back of my neck with carnal force pulling me into a sensual kiss.

  He spun around, bringing us both to the ledge where he pulled me onto his lap. His cock bobbed against my stomach. Frantic in my need for him, I gripped his cock. He groaned as I continued massaging the length of him.

  Reaching up, his hands caressed my breasts, palming and then pinching my nipples in a tantalizing rhythm. His fingers created an electric trail as they worked their way down to my throbbing pussy. The feel of his touch on my clit was
too much. A long moan crawled up my throat. Whimpering, I leaned back giving him better access as he slipped two fingers inside me. He pumped his fingers in and out, teasing me with every stroke. My need for him to fill me was unbearable.

  “Alex,” I said breathlessly. “You’re torturing me.”

  “I suppose this has gone on long enough,” he whispered in that husky tone that drove me out of my mind. His fingers left my body, leaving me with a physical ache.

  “Fuck me, please, now.”

  His tongue dipped inside my mouth, licking me slowly. “Ride me, Ella.” His fingers dug into my hips and I gripped his cock, holding him steady as I sank onto his erection. Working my pelvis, I gasped as I took him inch by inch. My breathing coming quick and short as I relished the feel of him stretching and filling me. Giving me exactly what I needed.

  “Alex,” left my lips in a shaky whisper.

  His hazel eyes landed on me and a wicked grin spread across his face. The sounds of water sloshing against the tiles of the pool and rumbling thunder weaved together in some kind of erotic symphony.

  I only hoped I didn’t look like Elizabeth Berkley’s character in Showgirls. However, it should be noted, that it’s an awesome movie. Why am I thinking about this whilst having amazing pool sex with Alex?

  “Ella,” he moaned. “Fuck, you feel so good.”

  That amped me up and I gripped his shoulders, my nails dug into his skin. Burying his face into my neck, he lifted his pelvis matching me thrust for thrust, then surpassing my own speed.

  “Yes . . . oh Alex . . .” I cried out his name, just as the waves of an orgasm began to take hold. He guided my hips up and down, thrusting upwards hitting my g-spot with precision, sending me soaring into oblivion. My eyes screwed shut as my pussy rippled around his cock.

  “Fuck, what you do to me,” he growled, rocking through the spasms of my orgasm. With the final buck of his hips, his name came out in a scream and I felt his thick cock filling me with his cum.