by Dakota Rebel
The driver climbed into the front seat before I could say anything else. “Everything’s in the back, sir.” He reached over the seat and handed me my purse. “I put your phone, wallet and tablet in there, ma’am.”
“Thank you,” I told him, surprised.
He nodded then shifted his gaze to Luke. “I called the service and they’ll be here for the car shortly.”
“Thank you,” Luke said. “We can go.”
This time, the man gave Luke a chin lift then turned to shift the SUV into gear.
“Where are we going?” I asked my brooding rescuer.
“Home.”
Chapter Two
~ Luke~
I’d thought she was dead. I’d been banging on the window for almost a full minute before she’d finally moved. The whole time, my heart had been in my throat, terror gripping me that she wouldn’t wake up.
When I’d seen her wipe the frost from the window, I’d almost collapsed to my knees in thanks. It was so fucking cold here, and without any heat in the car, I was sure she’d have frostbite at least. I refused to think about the worst.
She was safe, and she was in my arms. And I was never letting her go again. She obviously couldn’t take care of herself. She was impetuous, spoiled and so God damned beautiful.
“What the hell were you thinking?” I asked finally, unable to let the silence stretch between us anymore. The SUV was taking us straight to the airport, and I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of this cold.
“I wasn’t,” she admitted. “I mean, I was. But I didn’t expect the car to break down. And I didn’t think my dad would actually cancel my credit card. And I certainly never imagined Em would send you to rescue me.”
“You shouldn’t have needed rescuing,” I hissed. “I know you were pissed at me for what you thought was me trying to control you. But you could have been seriously hurt out here.”
“I know,” she snapped, pulling away from me. “But fuck, Luke, for a minute, try to imagine what I’m going through. Please.”
“Oh, yes, tell me all about the hardship of someone who cares about you trying to protect you.”
“My father has been trying to arrange a marriage for me since I was fifteen. The only reason it didn’t happen is because my mom protected me from it. But once I turned eighteen, the choice was taken away. The best I was offered was permission to finish college. I’ve spent my entire life being told what to do, who I could spend time with, where to go and how to act. I just wanted to escape all of it.” She shivered, and when I pulled her back against me, she didn’t fight it. “Luke, I just want to make my own decisions. I want to live my own life. Why can’t anyone understand that?”
My heart hammered in my chest. Fifteen? What in the actual fuck? How could this happen? I’d gathered she was from a culture that was stricter than I was accustomed to, but there were still laws in this country that prevented shit like that from happening. Weren’t there?
“I’m sorry,” I told her. “You warned me not to try to control you, and I didn’t listen. And you’re right. I don’t understand your situation. But when I told you to come to Las Vegas, it was only to keep you safe. I wasn’t planning to force you into a relationship with me.”
“I don’t want to depend on anyone,” she said softly. “It makes it easier for them to hold power over me.”
It was funny, but she held all the power between us. I wouldn’t move an inch without her permission. I didn’t know how to explain that to her, though, so I just let the silence take over again.
Letting her lead would be difficult. I was a take-charge kind of guy. I’d been running a multi-billion-dollar company since I was twenty-four. I had a staff of thousands. I was the oldest brother and had lorded it over my siblings their whole lives. I was bossy, controlling and demanding. And those skills would only serve to push away the one person I wanted most in the world.
“Will you come home with me?” I asked her.
“I don’t really know what you’re asking,” she admitted.
“Come to Las Vegas. I’ll get you an apartment.” She tensed, and I corrected immediately. “Or you can stay with my parents until you get on your feet. I can help you find a job. Emerson will be back soon, so you’ll have a familiar face.” I scrubbed a hand over my eyes before moving to wrap my arm around her again. “I’m not telling you to. I honestly just want to help you. My family can protect you.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “If you’re sure I won’t be an inconvenience.”
I snorted. She’d been nothing but inconvenient since the moment I’d met her. Taking off on me at the club. Running away from home and not coming to Vegas to let me protect her. Disappearing on the ship at Chase’s wedding. And now, breaking down in the middle of nowhere and calling Emerson instead of me.
“My family will love you.” How couldn’t they? I was pretty sure I already did.
We made it to the private airstrip taking care of the company jet. It had been hell to find one out here. Thankfully, my assistant, Roz, was the best in the world and had contacts I couldn’t even imagine.
The jet was fueled up and ready for us, so I helped Laura out of the car and let the driver bring the bags aboard for us. I tipped him several hundred dollars and asked him not to tell anyone he’d seen us. He agreed, promising Laura’s car would be taken care of and the shop would call my office directly to make arrangements.
As Laura boarded the plane, the driver pulled me aside.
“Sir,” he whispered. “When I was gathering the young lady’s things, I noticed a flashing light under the passenger side dash.” He hesitated. “I believe it was some sort of tracking device.”
I nodded. Why did that not surprise me.
“You left it there?” I confirmed.
“Yes, sir,” he assured me.
“Thank you for letting me know.” I peeled off another two hundred dollars and handed it to him.
“Have a safe flight, sir,” he said, tipping his cap to me before heading back to the warmth of his car.
I blew out a sigh and climbed the stairs to the plane. This was one of those situations I wasn’t sure how to handle with Laura. I didn’t want her to be scared, but if she found out on her own later that I knew she was being tracked and I didn’t tell her, she’d just get pissed at me all over again.
Damn this girl was playing hell with my morals.
Our stewardess, Kathy, closed up and went to sit with the pilot, preparing for takeoff.
I sat across from Laura, watching her as she looked out the window, her brow furrowed and her fingers gripping the armrests as we taxied down the runway then lifted off.
“Are you afraid to fly?” I asked, terrified I’d pushed her into something she didn’t want again.
“No,” she said, looking at me and smiling brightly. “I think it’s just dawned on me that I’m free. Like, really free. I don’t have to get married to someone I don’t know. I don’t have to go home. I’m not beholden to anyone.”
Well, sort of. She was free of that family. But if I had anything to say about it, she’d belong to me for the rest of our lives.
“When we get back, I’ll get you some food,” I promised. “I might be able to scrounge up some peanuts or something if you’re hungry now.”
“I’m actually starving,” she admitted. “It’s been a while since I’ve eaten.”
I pushed the call bell, and a few minutes later, Kathy came out.
“Hey, Kathy, this is Laura Moretti.” They nodded to each other. “Do we have food anywhere on the plane?”
“I have peanuts, pretzels and crackers,” Kathy said. “I’m sorry, we don’t usually stock the pantry for flights less than six hours.”
“Could I get some crackers?” Laura asked. “And possibly a coffee?”
“Of course, sweetheart,” Kathy said, patting her on the shoulder. “Luke?”
I shook my head, and Kathy wandered off to take care of Laura’s request.
“Laura,” I s
aid, leaning forward and resting a hand on her thigh. She smiled softly at me and the confession about the tracking device died on my lips. I couldn’t ruin this tenuous moment. I’d tell her, but not yet. “Do you want me to have them land somewhere so you can eat? You were in that freezing-cold car for a long time. You should have some real food.”
“I’ll be okay,” she answered. “I promise. If it makes you feel better, you can take me to one of those crazy buffets when we get to Vegas. We went to the one at the Mirage when…um, last time I was there, and it was awesome. They had the biggest crab legs you’ve ever seen in your life!”
“Then we’ll do that,” I said, smiling at her excitement. “Whatever you want.”
I’d always give her whatever she wanted. And one day, very soon, she was going to want me.
Chapter Three
~ Laura ~
Luke confused me. No, that wasn’t right. My feelings for Luke confused me. My brain told me to be wary, that he was just another man who wanted me to bend to his will. The rest of me? Well, it was ready to bend however Luke wanted.
I could tell he was trying hard not to spook me, and the thing was, I didn’t want him to fake who he was for me. I needed him to be the real Luke. Yet, I needed him to not take over my life…if that made any sense at all. I needed the big, bad alpha CEO to be himself and give me autonomy.
Probably an impossibility, but no one ever claimed I was easy to please. I’m pretty sure my mom spoiled me since she was fearful of what my later life would be like. My father mostly ignored me, likely because I’m not a boy. The only time I mattered was when some guy—who doesn’t speak English!—decided he wanted to pay for the right to marry me.
Somehow, I was pretty sure I was protected from that happening now. Luke was not letting any other man near me, if he could help it—unless they were his family. Even then, I wasn’t too sure he’d let his single brothers near.
All I knew was, with Luke, I was safe. I glanced over at him as we left the airport. He’d spoken to his driver before we’d departed, but I wasn’t sure where we were headed. A buffet probably. He’d promised me food.
His hand clamped around mine as if he thought I’d leap from the moving car and bolt. His hold wasn’t too tight, but still a lot like steel. I waited for panic to rise, but it didn’t. Strange.
“Luke,” I said, breaking the silence between us.
“Yes, Laur?”
“I don’t want to stay with your family or get my own place right now. Can I just stay with you?”
His brows drew together. “You’re sure?”
“I mean…if you have space. If I won’t be cramping your style.”
His eyes narrowed. “Cramping my style how?”
“You’re a single guy. Rich. I’m sure there are women—”
“And I can assure you, you’re wrong,” he interrupted. “I’m not a playboy or some manwhore. Never have been.” His gaze burned into me. “I’m sure I’ll never get enough of my woman, but I don’t live to get my dick wet.”
My eyes widened at his crass words. Okay, then…
“So, I can assure you, if you’re comfortable with it, I’d welcome you at my place. Actually, I’d prefer you there. I just didn’t want to push you.”
And here it was. I took a deep breath. One hard thing done; now, the second. “That’s the other thing…” I trailed off. Should I even go there? Tell him to be himself? Maybe he was. Maybe this was really him.
“What?”
“I’m starving and if you don’t feed me soon, I may bite you.”
His rich laugh filled the space and goosebumps lifted down my spine, all my awareness going on alert. This man spiked something in me, and it wasn’t fear.
“Well, then, we better get you something to eat. Since it’s dinner on the weekend, maybe the buffet isn’t the best idea. Will you let me cook you something at my place—our place?”
“You can cook?”
“Some basic stuff. I hate eating out all the time and hiring a chef for just me seemed a waste.”
“I can see that. If you want, we can go home instead of out. I’m kind of tired anyway. It was…a long day.” To my surprise, being in the cold for so long had really taken it out of me. “How did you find me so fast? I assume Emerson called you?”
“Chase actually. He called me the second you phoned Em.”
“Why?”
“Because he knows.”
“Knows…what?”
Luke’s hand tightened, the only sign he might be worried as his dark eyes held me captive. “I’m not going to bullshit you, Laura.”
“Okay.” My voice seemed to have raised an octave with my nerves.
“I want you. He knows it—hell, my whole family knows it. The same thing happened when he first saw Em. I’m not going to pounce on you. You’re safe. But I want to get to know you. I want to pursue this.”
“Whatever this is,” I added.
“I know you feel it, too.”
My tongue shot across my lip then I took a deep breath. “Yeah. I feel something. And whatever it is, it worries me.”
He turned and cupped my face with his free hand. His thumb brushed over my cheek. “Love, you never, ever have to be afraid with me. Ever.”
With a nod, as if to underline his promise, he let go then leaned toward the driver. “Change of plan. Back home instead.”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied.
Luke leaned back and took my hand again.
“Just promise me one thing,” I implored, looking out the window.
“Anything.”
“Don’t trap me.”
I felt him lean in, then his chin rested on my shoulder. His breath warmed my neck. “I want you to be mine. But trapping you? No, babe. Never.”
“Okay,” I whispered. I wasn’t sure if I was acknowledging him or telling myself things would be all right. My life was still a mess, but maybe with Luke helping me, I could unmuddle it.
* * * *
“Best omelet ever,” I said after a couple bites of my admittedly more farmer scrambled than farmer omelet-shaped eggs. It tasted awesome and my ravenous belly agreed.
Luke grinned and raised a brow while he chewed a bite of toast.
Once we’d gotten to the building, he’d ushered me up to his top-floor penthouse then shown me around. There were four bedrooms, including the master, and he’d put me in the one closest to his. I was grateful he hadn’t tried something dumb like dropping my bags in his room, but no, Luke was a gentleman. The spacious, mostly open floorplan was beautifully appointed in steel and glass, with plush chairs and couches in the living room. Overall, though, everything but his bedroom, which I’d only seen on a glance, seemed utterly unlived in. It even smelled brand new.
“Have you been here long?” I asked before I took another bite.
“I bought it a little over four months ago.”
I didn’t say anything, but he probably saw the wheels going in my head.
“I got it the day after we met at Diamond,” he continued. “It might have been a few minutes in a club, but it was enough to spur me into making changes.”
I looked around. The dining set was one of those counter-height groupings, so it gave me height to take in the open area around us. “It seems…almost like you don’t live here.”
“I haven’t been here a lot. I plan to be much more though. It was still under construction when I purchased it, then when I could move in, I hired a decorator to do everything. I’ve only been in residence since December.” He followed my gaze and grimaced. “It is a little bland—”
“It’s nice,” I said quickly. No need to hurt his feelings.
“Laura, it’s boring. I get that. You can do whatever you want with it. Consider it your canvas.”
“You know I studied design in college, right?”
“You did not.”
“I did.”
“Do you know what my family’s business is?”
I shook my head slowly, tryi
ng to recall if Emerson had ever told me. “Something, something…casinos?”
The warm, rich laugh spilled over me again. “We’re the leading construction firm in Las Vegas and surrounding areas. We cover all aspects from architecture to building to final interior design, landscaping and security systems.”
“I… Really?” Suddenly, I was pretty sure I’d heard of them.
“Really. So, anything you want to do to make this space homier… Have at it.”
I looked around again, this time, letting ideas bombard me. Since Luke was letting me stay here with him, I could definitely do something less generic here and make this penthouse into a home.
If it became a home I wanted to stay in forever… Well, I’d deal with that later. In my opinion, it wasn’t the space that made a home anyway; it was the people. And the current resident was already a problem deep down in my soul.
Chapter Four
~ Luke ~
I lay awake listening to Laura tossing and turning in the room next door. I’d never realized how thin the walls were in this place. I didn’t have neighbors on either side, and I’d never had company here, so this was the first time I’d noticed I could hear everything that happened in the room beside mine.
After a few minutes, the rustling stopped, but my heart clenched when I heard a sniff, followed by a muted sob.
“That’s it,” I muttered, getting out of bed and walking into the hallway. I stood in front of her door for a full minute, before finally reaching out and knocking. “Laura, can I come in?”
“Yes,” she answered softly.
I opened the door to see her sitting up in bed, the blankets piled around her, her back against the headboard and her arms around her knees. I strode into the room and sat next to her on the bed.
“Baby, are you okay?”
She nodded, sniffing again. But the light coming through the window illuminated the tear tracks on her cheeks.
“Talk to me,” I said. “Please.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she said, laughing softly as she ran the back of her hand across her nose. “I’m so happy. Really. I’m so glad to be here. And you’ve been so great. My knight in shining Hugo Boss. But I don’t know. I was lying here in this big bed, staring right out at the Strip, and I just couldn’t stop crying.”
