“Don’t even say commercial airline.” Cody slid the chair out beside her and sat. “I won’t hear of it.”
“I can’t continue to put you out by having you fly back and forth.”
“You do no such thing. Now I’ll hear nothing more of it.” Cody took a long drink from his coffee mug. “So it’s settled. You’ll come back this weekend.”
“Cody, if you’ll be available, I could come back Thursday afternoon. I mean…if none of you care.”
“Look at her squirm.” Aiden smirked over his steaming coffee. “You’re welcome here anytime. I don’t know what the others have planned for Friday, but I’ll make damn sure I’m available for you, beautiful.”
“Well, it seems like everyone has gotten you alone except me.” Kain scooted his chair back and grabbed his cowboy hat. “Would you like to accompany me on a drive? I can show you around our area before Cody here has to fly you home.”
“Sure. Just let me check in back home and I’m all yours.” She grabbed her cell phone off the table and headed back to her bedroom for some privacy.
On her way out she heard Kain ask, “Has anyone been able to find out if it’s true? Is Amy Nelson sick again?”
“I approached the subject with her but she didn’t answer,” Aiden replied before she was out of hearing range.
She knew she’d have to tell them, probably should have already, but she didn’t want to see the sympathy in their eyes. More importantly, she didn’t want their pity. Trying to push it from her thoughts, she pressed London’s name, brought the phone to her ear, and continued to her room. She’d get an update on Mom’s condition before she returned to face their questions.
“My dearest sister, to what do I owe this?” London answered.
“I called to see how Mom is. How was the treatment yesterday?”
“Rough, just like every treatment so far. She wants to have Sunday dinner like we always do so the dads are forcing her to take it easy today.” The cluck of his boots hitting the corner of his desk as he reclined let her know he was in the office. “You want to tell me what’s going on with you? You rarely deal with clients face to face, and now twice in less than a week you’ve gone to meet someone.”
“I can’t right now.” She knew she was only putting off destiny but she wasn’t going to tell London who she was visiting until she knew where things were going. She knew what a fan London was of Aiden’s, and she really didn’t want to be pestered about things until she was certain they’d work out. An announcement like that needed to be made in person, not over the phone. “How about we grab lunch on Monday and talk?”
“I thought you were going with Mom for her treatment on Monday.”
“I am, but once we get home we can go out for a nice quiet lunch, just the two of us. We never do that anymore. We’re both always busy. What do you say?” The two of them had always been close because of their rough childhood but recently they weren’t making enough time to do the things they used to. It was always about the company and the work constantly surrounding them.
“Okay, let’s do it. There’s a new Italian place across town that I’ve heard good things about and I know how you love good Italian food.”
“Great. Now back to the second reason I called. Do you think Dottie could cover any office calls for me on Friday?”
“Taking off early to visit this mysterious friend again?”
“Yes. I’m leaving Thursday afternoon, but I’ll be home Sunday afternoon in time for our family dinner. So, what do you say, will you let me borrow her?”
“It’s time you get your own Dottie if you’re going to be out of the office so much but you know she’ll cover for you even if I said no. She’s sweet on you.”
“On both of us.” She chuckled. “Dottie’s been with us so long she’s like another member of the family. How she puts up with either of our crazy work schedules is beyond me. Thanks, London, I owe you.”
“We’ll call it even if you spill this secret at lunch. I’ve never seen you this tight-lipped about anything. At least not when it came to me, we’ve always shared everything.”
“I know, little brother, and all will be revealed on Monday.”
“Hold on.” London said something to someone in the background before turning back to her. “Mathew said for me to hang up. He needs to call you. Safe trip home, sis. Love you.”
She didn’t have time to return the sentiment before he hung up. She barely had enough time to pull her cell away from her ear before it was ringing again. She glanced at the caller ID and wasn’t the least bit surprised when Dad Mathew came across the screen.
“What’s going on, Dad? London said Mom was okay. Have things changed?”
“My spouses have just informed me who you’re with, and I want you home right now!”
“Dad, have you lost your mind?” She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Mathew had always been the most sensible of her two dads, and now he was having a fit. Why, because she was with Aiden Dalton?
“You don’t understand what kind of danger you’re in there. I can’t believe Paul let you go without your guards. Mom’s treatments must be getting to him. As soon as you’re on your way safely back home, I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. I was too upset and worried about you to do it before.”
“Dad, Aiden’s a former football player. He doesn’t court more danger than I have hanging over my head. I don’t understand what all this fuss is about. If you’re upset with me not having my guards, fine, I’ll bring them along next time. I have some things to finish before I come home.”
“This isn’t about Mr. Dalton,” he snapped. “If you don’t get Mr. Knight to bring you home now I’ll send Jake for you.”
She leaned against the corner of her bed. “Dad, tell me what this is about.”
“One of Kain Fitzgerald’s clients—”
“I thought he only did sports law?”
“He does. He defended a baseball player three years ago who was on trial for killing his mistress when he learned she was pregnant. He was convicted and he blamed Kain for his conviction.”
“He’s still behind bars though, right?”
“No, and that’s why you need to come home. He was released Friday after new evidence came to light a few months ago, and now he’s out for revenge.”
“A few months ago?” She scooted along the mattress to lean against the headboard and pulled her legs against her chest.
“It took time for the system to work and for him to be released. He never killed the mistress. It was his wife who did. When the police arrested her she confessed, she still had the clothes she wore that night covered in blood.”
“Fine, so he’s out, why would that put me in any more danger than usual?”
“Because he’s coming after Kain, the man he thinks sealed his fate and caused him to spend over three years in prison. I don’t want to see you get hurt because of this, now please come home.”
“Dad, I love you, and thank you for looking out for me. I can’t leave right now. There are some things I need to take care of first, but I’ll be home later today.” When Dad started to interrupt her, she added, “I need to hear Kain’s side of things before I’ll even consider coming home. If these are the men I’m supposed to spend my life with, then we need to be straight with each other. I can’t run off scared.”
“Paris, you are too hard headed like your mother. Do you at least have your weapon?”
“I never leave home without it, especially when I don’t take my guards. You and Dad taught me well, I can protect myself. Plus, I’ll be with Aiden, Cody, and Kain until we leave. Don’t worry.” She reached to the end of the bed where her laptop bag was and grabbed her pistol. She hadn’t planned to need it but if a situation arose it would do her no good in the bedroom.
“I always worry about my little girl. Text me when you leave and we’ll have guards waiting for you when you touch down. I love you, sweetie.”
“I will, and I love you too, Dad.�
� She didn’t bother to tell him that she wasn’t his little girl any longer because she’d always be that to him. No matter how old she got it would remain the same.
She ended the call and slid her phone into the pocket of her jeans before undoing her belt to add her gun. With it firmly in place, she took a deep breath and headed back to the kitchen where the men waited. She’d find out the full story before she made any decisions.
The moment she stepped into the kitchen Aiden rose from the table from where the three men were chatting and came to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. “Everything okay? Something wrong at home?”
“Home?” She looked up at him and his words finally registered. “No…no, they’re fine.”
“Then what is it?” His furrowed brow showed his concern.
“I spoke with my father, Mathew, and he mentioned something.” She leaned into Aiden’s embrace. “Kain, is there something you need to tell me?”
“What do you mean?” He set his coffee aside and turned toward her, the question clear in his gaze.
“The baseball player you defended when he was on trial for murder.”
“Kings? What about him? You’re angry I defended that guy? I was only second chair and that was because he demanded it, his career was on trial as much as he was.”
“I don’t care you defended him. I care that he’s out and after revenge….that you didn’t mention it.”
“Kain?” Aiden’s voice held a touch of anger.
“He’s out of prison? How?” Kain just stared at her as if he couldn’t believe it.
“Dad said there was new evidence that came to light. It was his wife who killed the mistress, not him. Damn it, when the police arrested her, she confessed and everything.”
“What about the other charges? He still should be doing time even if new evidence came to light.” Kain ran a hand over his face, now ghostly pale.
“Maybe you should start at the beginning.” She pressed closer to Aiden, needing to feel him against her.
He slid his hand down her waist, bumping into the butt of the gun. He leaned closer and lowered his voice just above a whisper. “We’d protect you.”
“What?” Cody took his gaze off Kain and glanced toward them.
She lifted the side of her shirt to show the gun and holster. “Dad asked me if I had my weapon in case things went bad. Having it in my laptop bag won’t help me or any of us.”
“We don’t carry them on us but there are weapons stashed around the house in case of emergencies,” Aiden reassured her. “Living this far out of town we have to rely on the county police and depending on where they are the response time can be lengthy.”
“You can’t count on anyone but yourself,” Cody chimed in. “Home defense is a must here. I’m not talking about crime, or the fact that Aiden’s business deals can sometimes bring trouble, or that Kain’s clients have the potential to bring even more problems. I’m also talking about wild animals.”
“I hate that you’re scared because of me.” Kain frowned at her.
She wanted to go to him, to ease the worry from his face, but Aiden held tight to her.
“Kain, I think it’s time for you to tell all of us what happened with that trial. Cody and I were in New York when it was going on, so we only know a little more than Paris.”
“You already know he was accused of murdering his mistress. When we went to trial, it seemed like an easy case to win. The evidence was flimsy. They had his fingerprints and DNA from the scene but he admitted being there that night. He went to talk to her about the baby and what they were going to do. He even mentioned to her about leaving his wife to be with her and the child. One thing lead to another and they ended up in bed. It was a little after two when he said he left her townhouse and returned home. Only he never arrived home.”
“Where was he?” Cody pressed.
“According to him, he went to their downtown condo. He said he needed time to think, to clear this head. The security guard didn’t remember him coming in but he could have taken the elevator from the owners’ garage, which is what he claimed. Anyway, the biggest fault to the case was Kings didn’t have an alibi. If he’d have gone home his security would have recorded him coming in.”
“Okay, so he was falsely convicted. Why does he want revenge on you?” She ran her hand over Aiden’s as he held her tight against his chest.
“He wanted to take the stand, to tell the jury where he was and how he couldn’t have killed her because he loved her. They were going to get married once he left his wife.” Kain grabbed his coffee cup and just stared into it. “The other lawyer and I discussed it. We felt his credibility was shot because he was cheating on his wife. To get up on the stand and announce he was going to leave his wife for her would have made things worse. It would have also brought in other evidence that we worked hard to keep out. Including one domestic abuse charge his wife filed and then later dropped with the explanation that she made it up to get back at him. Whether he abused her or not, I don’t know, but I know bringing it in would have cost us the case.”
“You lost anyway.” She didn’t mean for it to be rude but she had to point out the obvious.
He nodded. “When we had to decide if he was going to take the stand we didn’t think we’d lose. We thought it was in the bag.”
“He’s pissed because you wouldn’t let him take the stand?” Cody raised an eyebrow.
“He could have gone against the advice of his lawyers but he chose to agree with us and we wrapped up the case. He’s pissed at me because he needs someone to blame. One thing about Kings is he never took responsibility for anything his whole life.” Kain stood from the table. “I’ll tell you one thing, he won’t harm you…any of you. I’ll damn well see to that.”
Chapter Ten
The next few weeks went by without any sign of Kings or any problems for that matter. It had become routine for Cody to arrive on Thursday to fetch her and she had spent every weekend with them. They had used the time in the plane to get to know each other better, and he was even teaching her how to fly. She was on the right track if she wanted to get her private pilot’s license and he promised to help her with the rest of the requirements.
The only thing that hadn’t happened over the last couple of weeks concerned London. She still hadn’t found the right moment to tell him who she was spending all her time with. First their lunch was canceled by unexpected work on his end, and then she was busy with Mom or her own clients. She had even interviewed two possible assistants but neither of them were the perfect fit.
Instead of worrying about business or her brother, she moved away from the window and glanced back to where Aiden was wrapping up a business call. He tapped his lap and she went to him. She curled into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, careful not to jar his headset.
“Very well.” Aiden wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her tight against his body. “Yes, I’ll have my lawyer draw up the contract and send it to you. It should be in your email by tomorrow, end of the business day.” He paused as the person he was talking to said something. “Yes. I look forward to doing business with you.”
He pulled the headset off and nuzzled her neck. “My beautiful…” He kissed his way down the curve of her neck to her collarbone. “So sweet.”
She arched into his touches, wanting things to go further. Affection and sweet caresses was as far as things had gone, and she was growing impatient. She wanted each of them. Her body ached for their touch.
“Aiden…” Her voice cracked as he dragged his teeth over the fleshy part of her shoulder. “I want you.”
“You have me. All of me.” His words were muffled as he worked his way back up her shoulder and neck.
“I want you in a way a woman wants a man.” Suddenly uneasy, she wasn’t sure how to tell him she wanted sex with him. “I want you naked.”
He stopped mid-kiss and pulled back to look at her. “My beautiful woman, I’ve wanted you every moment since you w
alked into my life.”
“Then why—”
“Have I waited so long?” He ran his hand up her back. “You deserved to be courted like a woman of your stature. The fancy dinners, parties, and everything else we can give you. Sadly, with this crap with Kings, we’ve been unable to do all the things I’ve wanted to do with you. I kept hoping it would go away so we could take you out on the town and show you a good time.”
“I don’t need that. Actually, I’m not sure that’s my style. I don’t mind occasionally, but all my life I’ve been a little sheltered, ditching the media and everything like that, so I’ve come to enjoy the quietness life has to offer. I couldn’t be happier here with you and the others.”
“You deserve so much more.” He leaned forward until their foreheads were touching. “If you promise not to hold it against me when I drag you along to functions in the future, I’ll let you in on a secret.”
“What’s that?” She smirked.
“I prefer to be home instead of Mr. Social. I don’t mind family and friend events, but the functions where I have to be there for other reasons is a whole different ball game. Trust me, these will come up, but now I have a beautiful woman for my arm.”
“These events…they’ll be business related or because of your career? How are you planning to handle that with our relationship?” She leaned back so she could get a better look at him. “With my family business and my position within the company, there’s no way we’ll be able to keep the relationship between the four of us quiet, even if you wanted to. Not to mention, I don’t want to live a life of secrets, not with all my parents have gone through for our lifestyle.”
“Wow, beautiful. I never had any intention to do any such thing. The media will get hold of this soon enough, actually I’m surprised they haven’t already. When they do, we’ll face it like we should.”
“How’s that?” She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Head on with a news conference. It will give us a chance to clear things up from the start and then the media won’t be able to run wild with their stories. As you said, with your family being so public about it, plus Kain and my business dealings, we’re in the public eye, so we can’t hide this.”
Theirs to Treasure (Beyond Monogamy Book 1) Page 9
