I braved another look at the alligator. It was merely soaking up the last rays of the sun, lying eerily still and camouflaged amongst all the foliage.
“I’ll make it up to you.” Ethan pulled me along eagerly.
Ethan used his ID again to gain us entry into a large building. After pushing through a few doors we ended up in a long corridor.
We peered through the wide glass window of what looked like a nursery. Several incubators were lined up side by side.
I laughed with utter joy. “This is her?”
“This is her.” He gave a wave to a small white monkey with a pink face. She was on the lap of an employee who was sitting in a rocking chair, bottle feeding her.
Ethan really did look like a proud father.
“How did you happen to adopt a monkey?” I said, my face aching from a ridiculous smile.
“Adoptions help fund the animals’ care. The zoo and botanical gardens are owned by the City, and even with thousands of visitors it’s an expensive place to run.” He pointed at the baby monkey. “Poppy was abandoned so we’re bottle feeding her. We’ll try and integrate her back with her mom as soon as possible.”
“So, no taking her home then?” I nudged his arm.
“I wish. She’s a colobus monkey. From Kenya.”
“You really are full of surprises, Ethan.”
He shrugged. “I enjoy hanging out here. All the staff are laidback and happy. And of course I know the argument about how it’s cruel to keep animals locked up, but they’re safe here and well looked after. No predators.”
I couldn’t keep my eyes off Poppy, the way she happily nursed her bottle, the way her gaze stayed on the employee who was feeding her.
“Let’s get you into a sterile gown,” he said.
“I can feed her?”
“That’s why we’re here.”
Oh, my god.
Within several minutes I’d washed my hands, pulled on non-latex gloves, and was wearing a white disposable gown.
Once I was settled in the rocking chair, Ethan placed Poppy on my lap and showed me how to hold her. With his expert guidance, I held the bottle of milk to Poppy’s lips and she latched on to the teat, taking it all the way into her mouth, her small hands gripping mine.
I’d never been this close to anything this cute before. Her soft fur tickled my hands, and her large brown eyes stared trustingly into mine.
“Ethan, you have a magical side.” I looked up at him.
He gave me a gentle smile.
“I can add your name to the adoption papers, if you like.” He kissed the top of my head. “Happiness suits you.”
Chapter 29
“ARE YOU SURE?” asked Shay.
He leaned back against my kitchen counter, his gaze fixed on mine.
This man had seen combat as a Navy SEAL. He’d kept his fitness up and his hard muscled physique hadn’t lost any of its gorgeousness.
I was proud to call him one of my closest friends.
“I’m fine.” I gave him a warm smile as proof. “Ethan’s gone to get a carton of cream.” I stirred the pot of bolognaise and then rested the wooden spoon on a small plate. “I’ve been a little ditzy lately and forgot it when we went shopping.”
“We?”
“Me and Ethan.”
“Sounds cozy.”
I smirked “You’re still my number one man, Shay.”
“Other than Cameron?”
“A love like no other.”
He arched a brow. “I think I’m feeling jealous.”
“Of Cameron?”
“Ethan.”
I folded my arms across my chest. “Very funny. You’re with Arianna.”
He looked away.
“How is she?”
“Fine.” His gaze met mine. “You and me, we could have been a thing.”
“Only I’d be on top, Shay. I like to be in control.”
“Ethan’s a dom.”
“He’s a switch.” I suppressed a smile knowing full well that Shay was also, only he’d never admitted it and had never played out his fantasy. His alpha pride went too deep. And so far, he’d never confessed his adorable crush on Cameron.
He walked over to my fridge and reached in for a beer. “Want one?”
I waved it off, happy he felt so at home here. “We’re having wine.”
Shay found the bottle opener and worked on leveraging the top. “Which brings me to the reason I’m here.”
“Oh?”
“It can’t go on, Scarlet.”
My back straightened and I went over and turned down the heat under the pot of bolognaise.
“Hear me out,” he said.
“Did Cameron send you?”
“I’m head of security. It’s my job to keep you safe. Keep everyone safe.”
“The man who tried to kill Ethan is dead.”
“When the cartel can’t find their hit man, they’ll connect the dots. Don’t be naive.” He came closer and tipped up my chin. “Ethan is still in danger.”
“Are you telling me we can’t be friends?”
Shay grabbed my shoulder. “That’s exactly what I’m staying.”
I tried to break free, but his grip was too strong.
“Scarlet?”
“We’ll be careful.”
He blinked, looking annoyed. “Do you want me to tell him to stay away?”
“No.” Again I tried to twist out of his grasp.
His strength overwhelmed mine.
“I love you, Scar.” He loosened his grip. “We all do. When the cartel comes for Ethan, and they will—”
“Don’t.” I broke away and turned my back on him.
A thousand scenarios flashed through my brain and they were all too painful to contemplate.
“I hate doing this to you. You know I do.”
“You can stay for dinner if you like. There’s more than enough. Go set the table.”
He took a sip of beer. “Ethan shot a man at point blank range. And he just got out of a weeklong session with our good doctor. Ethan’s not thinking straight.”
“What are you insinuating? That I’m taking advantage?”
“You owe him nothing.”
“Only my life.”
“You feel you need to repay him?”
“You think that’s why we’re together?”
“You’re still fucking him?” He frowned. “That was treatment-based therapy. You’re off the reservation.”
“He needs me. He hasn’t loved anyone since his wife died.”
“Love?”
“Fuck off, Shay. Go do what it is you do. Go protect Chrysalis from the real threats that are out there.”
He set his beer on the countertop and sauntered over to me. He nudged me back against the wall and pressed his body against mine, towering over me.
“Excuse me?” He looked pissed off.
“Let me have this,” I whispered. “Ethan’s all I want. Just him.”
“This is your last date with him. It’s over.”
“No.”
“This is my nice side. Don’t make me show you my dark side.”
“You actually think you can boss me around?” I shoved at him but it was useless, he was too damn strong.
“I call the shots, Scarlet. Cameron’s given me full authority. You know that. So do as you’re told. Stop making my job fucking harder.”
Ethan meant so much to me, the kind of connection I’d not experienced since…
No, don’t think of Danton now, not when Shay needs to see my iron will.
“Every day threats are coming in. You don’t see them because that’s how Cameron wants it. You’re protected from all the annoying details.”
“Like?”
“Death threats against Cameron. Against others at the club.”
My breath stuttered. “Have there been any against me?”
He lowered his gaze, giving me my answer.
“What happened?” I muttered. “Who—”
&n
bsp; “That’s where I come in. So you don’t have to know.”
Shay was Cameron’s corporate bad boy and he had always been able to protect us. And in truth none of us had really wanted to know the intimate details of what it took to ensure Chrysalis and Enthrall remained safe and its employees unscathed.
“Baby,” Shay said softly, his mouth brushing mine. “Don’t fight me. Let me protect you.”
“I’m going to keep him.”
He smiled. “No, you’re not.”
I grazed my teeth over my bottom lip.
“God, you’re so damn fuckable, Scarlet.”
“Well, this is awkward.” It was Ethan.
He stood in the doorway, blinking at us in confusion.
Shay stepped back.
“Ethan—” I stepped toward him. “It’s not what it looks like, please.”
He held up the carton of cream. “I think this is what you wanted me to get for you. Conveniently.” He glared at Shay. “God, I’m slow to catch on.”
“We’re not together,” I used the last air in my lungs in a panic. “Shay was checking on me. That’s all.”
Ethan looked so hurt; a dreadful pain reflected in his eyes.
“You being here places her in danger.” Shay narrowed his gaze on him. “You know this.”
Ethan shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants.”
I sucked in a breath. “Oh, Ethan.”
“Get police protection,” said Shay. “So no one else gets hurt.”
Ethan closed his eyes for a second. “Let me take a wild guess. This was the master plan all along. Seduce me into the club so that I’m so far down the rabbit hole there’s no way back for me. Chrysalis is safe and you are all free to go on with your lives.”
“No.” I stepped closer. “That’s not it at all.”
His gaze snapped to mine. “I thought we had something special, Scarlet?”
“We do. We are.”
He bowed his head and turned on his heel, heading for the door.
“Wait!” I went after him.
Shay grabbed my arm. “Let him go.”
“No, not like this.”
Shay maneuvered behind me and captured my arms by my side, holding me still. “This is for the best.”
“He loves me. I’m the only thing he has to live for!”
“Scarlet, he has a cartel crosshair on his forehead.”
I yanked free. “You may have Arianna, but you don’t know true love.”
He gave a shrug. “I’m still alive.”
“Do you have any idea how much you just hurt him?”
“Let this go, Scarlet. Disobedience won’t be tolerated by us. We set the rules.”
“Don’t talk to me like that,” I snapped. “Remember who I am.”
“That’s why I do what I do,” he said gently. “To protect you at any cost. Because you’re Scarlet Winters, and no one else comes close to how incredible you are.”
“Did Cameron send you?”
“Take a wild guess.” He headed for the door.
“Tell him he’s overstepped his mark this time.”
“Cole’s given you the week off. Take the time to decompress. Analyze what’s really going on here. You’ve got a crush on a client. That’s all this is.”
The door slammed behind him.
In a daze, I strolled into the living room and walked right over to my beloved cello. Kneeling before it, I rested my forehead against the curve of the wood.
I tried to remember how to breathe.
Chapter 30
THERE WAS NO other way I was going to survive this separation from Ethan.
I was too far gone - blinded by desire so deeply that I refused to consider the risks of being with him. Yes, I’d been naive but I’d been so happy in my hours of denial. This week of no contact with him had felt like an eternity.
What hurt most was Ethan refusing to take my calls. I needed to explain to him that Shay and I had never been intimate, but more importantly, I wanted to tell him his treatment had been executed with nothing but respect.
I did the only thing I knew how to do to start getting over him. I gave the finger to all those alpha males with too much time on their hands.
I went mother-fucking shopping.
That’s right, bitches. I brought the corporate Chrysalis credit card with me and laid down some serious cash on the sucker.
Why, thank you for all my goodies I’ve just purchased, Dr. Cameron Cole.
Interfering bastard.
Just because you don’t want me to end up in some cartel scandal and wind up dead doesn’t mean you can interfere in my life.
It was time for chocolate.
Sitting in the corner of Beranger’s Café in Pacific Palisades, I ordered up a double chocolate milkshake with vanilla ice cream - with a ton of whipped cream on top, too.
Sweet revenge, fuckers.
I peeked inside my Louis Vuitton shopping bag and admired my new bright pink Alma BB’s, and then reached for the bag containing my brand new Christian Louboutin Ombre crystal pumps. Lifting the lid to the box, I swooned at the twinkling Swarovski crystals that made these shoes ironically a man trap. Anyone with a foot fetish would come in his pants if he saw these.
Chocolate and a splash of color would put a bounce back in my step.
Right.
I was miserable. I tried rubbing my chest to soothe my aching heart.
My iPhone buzzed and I pressed it to my ear.
“Mistress Scarlet?” said Cameron.
“Yes, Master Cole?” I laid on the sarcasm.
“So what did you buy?”
“Actually, I’m at a movie.”
“What are you seeing?”
“Um…”
I leaned forward and sucked on my straw. The shake tasted amazing, titillating my taste buds with milky, chocolaty goodness.
“That latest blockbuster…New Shoes?” he asked.
“Are you following me?”
“I’ve known you a long time.”
“FYI, I’m over this romance shit.”
“Really?”
“The pursuit of happily ever after.” I peeked at my treasures again.
“Well, well, and cream, too?”
I narrowed my gaze when it landed on the dashing Cameron Cole. He was standing on the other side of the shop’s front window with his phone pressed to his ear. He threw me a wave and headed on in through the door.
He made his way over to my corner table.
Cameron beamed when he saw my shopping bags. “Last time you went on a bender with my American Express card you racked up a one hundred thousand dollar bill. Looks like you’ve lost your edge.”
“Thank you for my new shoes.”
He smirked and rounded the table to sit beside me.
The waitress came over.
Cameron glanced at the menu. “I would have what she’s having only I seem to have forgotten my insulin,” he joked. “Earl Grey, please.”
The waitress hurried off, blushing wildly. This stunning alpha male always had the girls swooning.
“So, how are you?” He dragged my milkshake over to him and took a sip. “Okay, wow. This being a ‘broken woman’ thing has its privileges.”
“Fuck you.”
“Love you.”
“Do you want to see the shoes you bought me?”
“Sure.” He peeked in and cringed. “Those are going back.”
“I like them.”
“They’re a bit shiny.”
“You’re not the one who’ll be wearing them.”
“Good point. They look like happy shoes.”
“They are happy shoes. They’re ‘the world can go fuck itself’ shoes.”
“You really love him?”
“Who?”
“He’s complicated.”
“So am I.”
“Yes, but you don’t have any evil men hunting you down.”
“I haven’t felt this way since…”
�
��Danton was special.”
“Too special. He ruined me for all other men.”
“You’ve never told me you hate me for what I had you do for him.”
“You mean being with Danton during his final months?” I sighed deeply. “Those were the happiest days of my life. You made that happen, Cameron. Danton changed my life. Good God, he saved it.”
And Cameron had saved it, too, by sending me to him.
He gave me a kind smile. “Danton told me it was the happiest time of his life too. Considering what he was going through that was quite an admission. You know how much he adored you.”
“His love will last a lifetime.” Tears stung my eyes, but I forced them back. “Do you think…?”
“Go on.”
“When Ethan heard the cello playing, do you think it really was Danton getting a message to me?”
Cameron stared down at his hands. “Why not, Scarlet? He promised he’d come to you if you ever needed him.”
Yes, he had…those were the last words he’d spoken, his promise to always watch over me.
“The thing is,” I continued softly, “I felt him.”
He nodded. “There you are then.”
The waitress delivered his Earl Grey and Cameron grinned when he noticed the “Cole” logo on the tea tag.
It made me smile, too. Our waitress had no idea that Cameron came from the billion dollar empire that was Cole Tea. It was best if things stayed that way. If him being one of the most beautiful men in the world didn’t overwhelm you, finding out he was also a billionaire was a shock like no other.
He deserved to be happy. To find “the one.”
Maybe if Cameron fell for someone he’d leave the rest of us alone and we could all get on with fucking up our own lives again.
I turned to face him. “Ethan is brilliant and sexy and feisty and so handsome.”
Cameron arched a brow. “I was just thinking that.”
“I love him.”
“He’s cracked your ice-dragon demeanor. That’s quite an accomplishment.”
“He’s kind and patient and he gets me.”
“Well, that’s good.”
“And he has a monkey baby.” It came out in a rush.
“Do I even want to know what that means?”
I rubbed my tired eyes. “He adopted a baby monkey at the L.A. Zoo and I got to meet her. Her name’s Poppy. He has visiting rights and everything.”
Cameron smirked. “Even worse than I thought.”
Enthrall Secrets (ENTHRALL SESSIONS 7) Page 16
