I blew out a deep breath, trying to absorb all this information. Marcus being hurt and in hospital weighed heavily on my mind. He just had to be okay. Gathering my hair in my hands, I twisted the strands tossing them over one shoulder.
My teeth grazed over my bottom lip. “How did you know where to find me?”
His hands locked behind his head. “Well, that’s an interesting story. Honestly, I felt helpless sitting around at The Addison. I needed to go back to where he took you.” He swallowed down his emotion and continued, “I had to do more.”
I smiled, taking his hand in mine. “You felt something calling you there didn’t you?”
He nodded and went on to tell me about the command center Ronan and Molly had set up and all the people that stopped by to help and aid in finding me. My heart was bursting, overflowing with gratitude.
“After the parking garage was a bust, I went to Lorenzo’s. Across the street, I noticed a man with a camera around his neck. When he saw me, he bolted and I ran after him. Turns out he was one of the guys that was with Charlie at the polo match and he gave me all the information I needed to find you.” He swallowed hard, scrubbed his hands down his face. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you Ella.”
I brought my hand to his cheek. “You knew how to find me. I am here because of you.”
Grasping my hand, he peppered my knuckles with kisses. Oh, how I loved this man.
“Speaking of cameras, here’s a bizarre story for you. Nabila and I went to an end of summer party at Castle Hill and some guy asked if he could take our picture, thinking we were fashion models. Clearly it was a very bad pickup line.”
Alex cocked a brow. “Did you get a look at him?”
“No, I didn’t.”
Alex stood up, and crossed the room giving me a fine view of his beautiful ass. He grabbed his phone, and his fingers swiped across the screen. “I’m texting you a picture of a guy named John Kemp. Can you send it to Nabila?”
I picked up my phone and glanced at the screen. Despite the fact that I had two very lengthy conversations with both of my siblings before leaving hospital, they had each texted several messages over the course of the afternoon. I quickly constructed a group message, letting them know that I was still doing well and that I would check in with them both soon.
When I pulled up the photo Alex sent, I recognized the man’s face. I sent the message to Nabila. It was one o’clock in the morning in London. It was a toss-up between Nabila sleeping or out clubbing with Finn.
“Okay, now that we have those crucial matters out of the way. How about we get back to more intimate matters?” He waggled his brows and grasped my calves avoiding my injured ankle, pulling me to the middle of the bed. The mattress dipped when Alex climbed on and settled between my thighs.
“We still need to talk about why you were gone for so long.”
His chin dropped to his chest. “I’m sorry, Ella. I shouldn’t have left you alone.” He lifted his head, his hazel eyes fixated on mine. “I should have stayed and worked it out. Actually, I should have worked through my guilt and grief years ago.”
My chest tightened hearing the regret in his voice.
“My sister says that I run away from emotion. She made a very good argument that it’s my first instinct. Apparently, it’s a pattern.”
Given what Alex had told me about how he’d come to here to The Harbour after his affair with Amanda and then leaving after the mishap with the van that put me in hospital, I could see that being the issue.
“I’m inclined to agree with your sister.”
He smirked, trailing his fingers down my thighs and over my knees. “You know what else Amy told me, and I hope that you’ll agree.”
“Tell me.”
“She told me that you and I were destined to meet. I never really thought much of destiny and fate before. I think her psychic told her that, but who knows.”
My brows arched, at this information. “Your sister has a psychic?”
“Yeah, she also practices Buddhism, but don’t tell my Catholic mother.” His fingers stroked higher, eventually skimming across my abs.
I nodded. “I won’t tell a soul, but I think that I’d really like to meet your family.”
“I think that’s fair, considering I’ve met half of yours. You should know that I had to come clean to your brother about the two of us.”
I rolled up on to my elbows. “So, everyone knows about us?”
“Yep and I’m officially retiring as your bodyguard.”
I frowned and shifted up on my hands. “Really? But what will you do now?”
He gripped the back of my neck pulling me closer. “I had a lot of time to think while I was in Michigan, and so much more over the past forty some odd hours. Remember I told you that I was thinking about expanding Robertsen Security to Manhattan?”
“Mhmmm.”
“For the first time in my life, instead of running away from something, I’m running towards something—someone. I had a reason for coming here, it might not have been clear back then but it is now, it was you, Ella. It’s always been you.” He lips brushed over mine, and my hands tangled around his neck.
The kiss was long and slow and wonderfully warm. His beautiful words rippled around me and unraveled an avalanche of emotions slamming into every part of me.
Alex snaked his arm around my waist, guiding me back onto the mattress. His mouth dipped to the hollow of my throat, his body vibrating with tension.
Alex and I were two strangers who met on a sidewalk in Manhattan unaware that we were bound to one another in a surprising, yet, significant capacity. We walked away, not knowing each other’s name, in fact I still didn’t know Alex’s middle name.
“Hey, what’s your middle name?”
A smirk pulled at the corner of Alex’s mouth, his hazel eyes sparkled with amusement. “William.”
Eyes wide, I stared in disbelief. “No way.”
“Yes way, now can I get back to the matter of seducing you?” he asked, before wrapping his mouth around my nipple.
“Oh, yes, please do continue.”
WALKING INTO THE POLICE station, a cool chill settled in my spine. It had been three weeks since Ella had returned home and every day those memories drifted farther from our lives. Dean had called me an hour ago to let me know the authorities finally captured Charlie McNeil. Apparently, he’d seduced a female college student and she took him to her parent’s lake house near Ithaca where he’d been hiding out.
Since the kidnapping, Ella had woken up a few times in the middle of the night sweating and panicked from nightmares. Tonight, however, I was sure that she’d sleep peacefully knowing that Charlie had been arrested and was going away for a long time. Her nightmares varied from being kidnapped and beaten to having Charlie dumping her over the side of a boat into the ocean. I hated that for her, because the water was my calm, and I didn’t want it to be a source of fear for her. But I’d put the house on the market in a second if she asked me too.
With Dean’s help, Ronan and I were going to do everything we could to make sure Ella didn’t have to face the bastard in court.
Turns out that John Kemp was, in fact, the guy Nabila had talked to at Castle Hill that night. Charlie had him stalking Ella, apparently that was the night they planned to take her, but things obviously went awry.
More good news, Marcus was doing great. Since he was healing quickly and begging me to come back to work, our docs cleared him to return to light duty. I told him to take another week and then we’d talk. He agreed, although I could sense there was much reluctance.
“Alex, good to see you.” Agent Jake Rhodes approached extending his hand to mine. “He’s been asking for you.”
“I shouldn’t give him the satisfaction.” My fists balled at my side.
“Totally your call,” he replied. “Five minutes seems like a fair amount of time to give him some friendly advice.”
I ran a hand over the stubble of my jaw.
Yeah, the beard had to go. Ella complained that it hid my face. I had other theories that involved rashes and scratch marks on her breasts and thighs. Truth be told, I was glad she asked me to shave if off.
I blew out a harsh breath. “Yeah, okay, I’ll see him.”
The metal door clanked shut, and my eyes met Charlie’s. He sat in a plastic chair with his hands bound to the table in chains. My jaw ticked as I took as seat across from him.
“Glad to see you could make it, mate.” A single brow rose, and he leaned back in the chair.
“I can’t say the same, mate.”
“How’s Ella? Did those nasty bruises heal?”
He was taunting me and I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing he’d pissed me off.
“I should have fucked her sweet little cunt when she was in my bed.”
When he spoke those words all I saw was red. I stood and my hands flew across the table, grabbing him by the collar of his orange jumpsuit bringing him inches from my face. “You listen to me, motherfucker,” I snarled. “It’s over. You deserve everything that’s fucking coming to you.” I heaved him back onto the chair. As I walked backwards, the smug smile remained imprinted on his face.
When my back hit the door, I tapped twice. “Have a nice life locked away, rotting behind these bars, asshole.”
The door opened and I walked out into the hallway. Agent Rhodes gave me a nod as I walked past the front desk. As I turned the corner, I came face to face with Ronan.
“Hey, man, what are you doing here?”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Did you think you were the only one having a one-on-one with McNeil?”
A harsh laugh rumbled from my chest, and I ran a hand through my hair. “I guess I did, yeah.”
He squared up to me and I steeled my spine. This guy wouldn’t deck me in a police station would he? Ronan didn’t strike me as a hot head. In fact, he reminded me of someone with a calm demeanor. However, the man was a protector. I’d been privy to the details of the Derek Saunders situation. He’d gone to great lengths to make sure Holliday was safe and I supposed he would do the same for his sisters and his daughters.
But, this is a guy who knows I’ve had my hands all over his baby sister, and I’m sure he can see it all over my face that I’ve fucked her six ways to Sunday. If he needed to clock me for that, I understood. It’s probably fair to say that I would do the same where Amy was concerned.
He slapped a hand to my shoulder. “In times of crisis, I’ve always believed a man shows his true character. You’re a class act, Alex. Thank you for helping bring Ella home safely.”
My brows rose. Relief washed over me. Not only do I get to keep my balls, but I didn’t have to move to Yemen.
“I’d do anything for Ella. You have my word; I’ll always keep her safe.”
The grip he had on my shoulder tightened and he held my gaze with steady authority. “Good. Don’t give me a reason to think otherwise.”
Standing a bit taller, I nodded. “I assure you that I won’t.”
A small smile tugged the corners of his mouth as he walked away. I didn’t think Ronan and I would be calling each other bros anytime soon, but it was clear we had come to an understanding.
Outside, the smell of wet leaves stewed with exhaust fumes hung heavy in the air. Across the parking lot young kids exited a school bus. They formed two lines, as instructed by their teacher. I smiled and then jumped into my newly restored Range Rover. As I exited the parking lot, I thought about the day when my own kids may take a field trip to the police station to talk to real every day heroes.
Slow down, Alex. Take it all in stride.
The sound of bells rang out. From my seated position at the counter, I saw a sexy blonde appear. My sexy blonde sashaying towards me as her ponytail flipped from side to side.
“Hey, babe,” she said, taking a seat beside me.
In the fifteen seconds it took her to walk from the door to the bar, I’d thought of half a dozen ways I’d convince her to skip this afternoon’s coffee date in favor of going home and getting naked.
“Well, hello to you.” I leaned in, and pressed a kiss to her cherry red lips.
“What have you been up to today?”
She shrugged out of her coat and then set her purse on the empty barstool beside her. “Well, this morning I stopped by La Vienne Rose and checked in the shipment. Called the London store and talked to Bianca about the winter trunk show. I am positively beaming that sales are up six percent over last year. I am thinking about giving her a raise.”
A small plate with a gluten-free cranberry orange muffin appeared before us along with a large tea and black coffee.
“I took the liberty of ordering for you.”
“Yum, my favorite,” she said, her blue eyes sparkled. “Oh, I need you to mark next Saturday on your calendar. We’re going to Charlotte’s boutique opening.”
I eyed her over the lip of my mug. “Yes, dear.”
She focused on the muffin in front of her, first peeling back the paper and then pinching off a tiny piece. “What have you been up to today?”
“Well, I drove into the city and stopped by the police station.”
Her head snapped to look at me. “Tell me more.”
This is how it was with us now, straightforward and to the point. We agreed not to sugar coat anything. Ella admitted she loved the way I expressed myself when I had talked to her about my affair with Amanda. Real. Raw. Honest. Apparently, we were going for nonchalant on all important matters. I had a feeling that would change in time.
My thumb stoked over her knee. “They arrested Charlie and I had a little chat with him.”
She swallowed hard, and bobbed her head. “Thank God they caught him. I’m sure that went over well.”
“Let’s just say he’s remorseful of his actions,” I lied. It was a tiny fib, but I couldn’t stomach telling Ella what he actually said about her.
“Right,” she drawled out, pinching off a piece of bread. “I’m sure he made some snide comment about my tits or my ass or my lady bits and you told him to fuck right off. Did I get the gist?”
I laughed. “Damn, you’re good.”
Sometimes I forgot just how thick-skinned Ella could be, on top of being intelligent and sweet. She was impossibly beautiful, funny, my favorite running buddy, and I was in love with her. All of her.
“I also ran into your brother.”
Her face scrunched up. “Ooooh, and how’d that go?”
“My cock and balls are still attached, and he didn’t threaten to kill me for defiling you all these months.”
She leaned closer whispering in my ear, “That is good news for me because I am quite fond of your cock and balls.”
God, I loved her dirty mind. There was no way in hell I was letting her go. We’d been lucky enough to find each other. There was no mistaking that what we had was a real love.
“Oh, Tinley Atkinson stopped by the store today looking for me.”
“Who is Tinley Atkinson?” I shrugged, before taking drink of my coffee.
She rolled her eyes. “Oh, sweet Alex, she lives like ten houses down from you. She’s dating Matthew Barber, the guy who plays the super hero dude in all those comic book movies.”
I shook my head. I honestly had no clue.
“Not important.” She waved her hands in front of me. “She asked me to dress her for this upcoming television interview she has and I am so excited. And I’m having cocktails with her and Holliday next month. Apparently, there’s this fashion event called a Sip n’ Shop the first Saturday in December.”
I slapped a fifty down on the counter, and stood. “Ella, let’s go.”
Her eyes narrowed. “But I haven’t finished my sweets or tea.”
The server placed a giant pink box in front of us. “I got an order of muffins to go. Now, grab your tea. We’re outta here.”
She scowled at me, and scooped up her things. “You’re so bossy.”
I
leaned in, and whispered in her hair. “Home. Bed. Fucking you, now.”
She grasped my hand and led the way towards the exit. That’s my girl.
“SO WHERE DID YOU two meet, anyway?” my brother asked, unfolding his napkin.
“Outside O’Brien’s. It’s an Irish Pub not far from The York Hotel, actually,” I answered, pointing at my brother and Holliday.
They exchanged glances and laughed.
My brother slapped his palm against the table. “Holy hell, now, I have to fucking buy the place.”
My brows knitted together. “What?”
“Ronan and I had one of our first dates there,” Holliday replied, smiling and then kissed my brother’s cheek. “He’s been thinking of buying it ever since.”
“It’s true,” he admitted, lifting a shoulder. “Now, what should we order?”
Despite my best efforts to say peace out from Charlotte’s boutique opening, we’d been roped into a late lunch. Truth be told, it was long overdue.
“I hear the Thai curried duck is excellent,” I said over my menu.
Ronan and Alex looked at each other. “Burgers and fries.”
On the way to the restaurant, Alex and I tried to come up with varied excuses to bail, but we knew none of them would work. It seemed we’d found a mutual love of cancelling plans at the last minute. Was it so wrong that we just wanted to go home and binge-watch Chicago Fire? We started watching Chicago PD and then we realized the characters crossed over from time to time, so we then became obsessed with catching up on Chicago Fire.
Although secretly, I thought it was entirely possible that we were still living in fear. When I started to notice this pattern, I remembered Alex’s words “live fearlessly.” I decided we would no longer be homebodies. One evening by the fire, we’d spent time making up a travel bucket list. In addition to Michigan, Alex wanted to take me to Napa Valley. Apparently, his friend Ethan’s family had a winery there. I wanted to take him to a yoga retreat in the Dalmatian Islands. It didn’t take much convincing, all I had to do was show him the boat that would sail us around the various ports in Croatia. I also think the opportunity for paddle boarding was rather appealing.
Bound to Me (The Harbour Series Book 1) Page 25
