by Linzi Baxter
“That could be a good idea, but I think one of these companies is the main owner of Stark Night. Now we have to figure out why they are sending out bad equipment.”
“Money.” It was the factor ninety percent of the time.
John glanced up the clock. “It’s time to head over to Flemings for dinner.”
Movement caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. With a flip of a switch, Brock could turn the clear glass of the conference wall to frosted. Addie was walking down the hall with Annabella. They were talking and laughing until Annabella pulled her into the conference room.
Addie’s eyes widened as she looked around the room. I wasn’t sure of all her triggers, but being around a few people seemed to put her on edge. She’d changed from earlier. When I picked her up from the airport, she was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Now she had on a pink sundress. Her long legs were showing, and the light-pink fuck-me heels made me shift in my seat.
Annabella walked into the room. “I was wondering if you guys were going to be ready soon. If you need me to, I can call the restaurant and change our reservations.”
My eyes searched Addie’s and watched her for any sign of panic. She was still mad at me. Something inside of me twisted, and I felt the need to explain why I’d said it was a mistake. Instead of looking at me, she stared down at her hands.
Counting, most likely. I’d noticed a couple times earlier that when she was nervous, she would count. She’d done it when I first put her in the truck after the plane.
I couldn’t believe how well she was doing today, especially for someone who hadn’t left the house in years and had gotten on a plane that did almost crash.
John stood and pulled Annabella into his arms. “We’re finished.” John turned toward me. “Do you mind giving Addie a ride to the restaurant?”
I glanced over at Addie and she was staring daggers at me. “Not a problem.”
She cleared her throat. “I can take an Uber.”
John raised a brow. “Do you not like Abe’s driving.”
I knew it wasn’t my driving she was mad about. We needed to talk, and the drive to the restaurant would give us time to fight out our issue.
“No, I can ride with Abe,” she ground out between her teeth.
That woman would break down my walls. I loved how she couldn’t hide her emotion. No doubt her brother noticed, and would ask me later what I did. “Since we have that settled, are you ready to head out?”
She gave me a curt nod before heading toward the door. I turned to follow when I felt a hand on my shoulder.
“I’m not sure what you did to piss her off, but fix it,” John whispered.
Instead of replying to my friend, I turned and left the conference room to catch up with Addie. She was in the front lobby, tapping her toe on the ground when I came through the door. Her eyes were on the large door.
“There is another option, and that is not going. I can stay here with you, and we can order in food. Your brother won’t be mad at you,” I said as I pulled her into my arms.
She pressed her hands against my chest, trying to push me back.
“We need to discuss what happened at the beach.”
She stopped moving, and her eyes blazed a darker blue. “You said everything I needed to hear earlier, and I want to go before my brother asks questions. This weekend isn’t about me; it’s about John and Annabella.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to put yourself in a situation where you're uncomfortable. That is something John would never want you to do.”
Addie let out a sigh. “Let’s just go before someone sees us.”
I shot her a cocky grin. “Are you ashamed to be in my arms?”
“You know you’re sexy.” Addie turned a bright red. “Er… Can we go? I’m worried I will say something else I can’t take back.”
“For the record, I think you’re hot as hell in this dress. The second I saw you, I got hard.” I stepped back, giving Addie some room. “I’m pretty sure a steak is calling your name.”
Before she could get too far, I grabbed her hand. She sent me a questioning look. When I opened the door, she stopped and stared outside. “Take your time.” She took a big breath and walked out the door. The sun was setting on the horizon, and the temp had dipped a little outside, not enough for a jacket though. When we got to my truck, I opened the door and helped her climb in. My hand brushed over her ass on her way in, and I couldn’t help but groan. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. The vixen knew precisely what she was doing.
I climbed into the truck and turned toward her, “Addie…”
She held up her hand. “You said enough earlier, let’s go.”
“No, I didn’t. I should’ve explained the second you misunderstood, but then at first, I thought maybe it’s best, but I was wrong. I meant I shouldn’t have kissed you like that in public. I let my guard down. I was only thinking about how much I wanted to kiss you and not the fact that something might set you off.”
Addie crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not sure if that is worse. You can’t act like I’m a five-year-old you need to protect.”
She had a valid point. Addie had kissed me back. It wasn’t my job to make sure she didn’t have an attack, but I wanted to protect her. Every instinct in my body told me to take care of her. “I’m pretty sure you’re not a five-year-old, or what I did earlier would put me in jail, and I’m not interested in young people. My eyes are only on you, and I want to protect you.”
“Yes, I have issues with being outside. That doesn’t mean I need you to fight all my battles. We just met, and you don’t know me.”
“You’re right, but my instinct is to keep you safe.”
“None of this matters. I’m going home on Sunday,” she said, a slight frown on her face.
“Why can’t we enjoy each other until then?”
“I’m not good at one-night stands,” Addie explained.
“It might not have to be.” I grabbed her hand. “I want to get to know you. Let’s see where the next couple days take us.”
Addie let out a sigh next to me. “I know I’m going to regret this come Sunday, but I agree let’s see where this goes. For some reason, I have a hard time saying no to you.”
“WE DON’T HAVE to go in.” When I’d pulled into the parking lot ten minutes ago, Addie had closed her eyes and started to count. The restaurant parking lot was full, and we’d parked in the last row. At first, I’d planned to use the valet, but when I noticed she was getting agitated, I parked in the back, giving us time to figure things out.
Addie turned to me with tears in her eyes. “I’m the worst sister if I don’t go in.”
“Stop thinking about it like that. It will only add to the stress.” I pulled out my phone and sent John a quick text telling him we were running behind. John would worry something had happened if we didn’t show up at all and sent no text.
I reached across the truck, unbuckled her seat belt, and pulled her into my lap.
“Abe!” Her ass ground against my hard erection. When I groaned, she stopped wiggling and looked at me with her big blue eyes.
I couldn’t hold back the smile. “You don’t have to stop moving.”
She moved a little more, pushing her ass against me. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do that to you.”
“I’ve been hard since our kiss.”
“Oh,” she said. “Being in your arms helps me calm down. You’re almost more effective than Xanax. Nothing in the world mattered, and all my worries went away when you kissed me.” She flushed a little.
Thank god I hadn’t fucked up the spark we had earlier, because I really wanted to spend more time with her, even if it was only for a couple days. I wanted to make her scream and moan. I closed my eyes, trying to think of anything else. “Your brother told me you have your own PI firm. What is the funniest case you ever had?”
“I got a call from one of my clients. We helped prove her husband was cheating. The divo
rce was final, and he was moving out. She called because she was convinced he was taking more than he was allowed, but the boxes all were correct.”
“So was he taking stuff he wasn’t supposed to?”
She burst out laughing. “Yes, Cruz followed him after he left the house and stayed outside the guy's place. A couple hours later, he left the house and went to the ER. He had to have the nurse help remove the jewelry from his ass.”
“I guess that takes a new meaning to shitting out a diamond.”
Addie laughed even harder. She rested her head on my shoulder. My finger was on her pulse. I couldn’t stop myself from placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Do you want to try and go in? If not, we can leave.”
“Yes, let’s go in.”
We spent half an hour at the restaurant. Addie did good for the most part, but there were too many people there.
ADDIE
I sat in the chair in Annabella and John’s apartment. Their apartment was similar to Abe’s. Last night, when he’d walked me to the door of the apartment I was staying in, I was astonished to learn it was his place. Deep down, I knew John was trying to play matchmaker. And it was working. I couldn’t sleep a wink with Abe in the next room.
My mind wandered, wondering if he slept naked. Halfway through the night, I gave in to the fantasy and played the kiss over in my head while getting myself off. I screamed his name into the pillow, hoping he didn’t hear me.
“I think she’s daydreaming about a certain man again.” Daisy’s voice pulled me out of the fog. “If I didn’t already have two sexy men and two precious babies, I might give Abe a second glance. I’m not sure where Brock and Antonio find these men, but they’re all built strong and have such sexy alpha personalities.”
Daisy curled another strand of my blond hair before twisting it up into a barrette. Annabella sat on the couch in a white robe. Her hair was in a perfect updo with a crown. The diamonds sparkled in the sunlight coming in from the window.
“I have to agree that they all have alpha personalities.” And when Abe took control, it did things to my body. I only had one more night left before I had to figure out how to get home.
“That’s because they are all Doms,” Jessica said with a smile.
“Doms?” I had a feeling I knew what it was, but I wasn’t sure, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to think about my brother being a Dom.
“Oh my god, I thought you knew.”
Annabella rested a hand on Jessica’s arm. “Don’t worry. I thought Addie knew too. All the men who work for Blackwood Mercenary and a few who work for AA Security are Doms. The lower level of this building has a dungeon, and later tonight, we’re going to open the club.”
BDSM was something I researched to help with coping, but I had a hard time leaving the house and wasn’t comfortable having someone come to mine. From what I read it could help me get out of my mind. My own head was what kept me from leaving. In the blog I read, a woman talked about how she found someone she trusted. And once the trust was in place, she would do what her Dom wanted. When they played her mind would be free. I always wanted to see what it felt like to not worry for a few hours or even a few minutes. “Does that mean John is going to be naked?”
Annabella grinned. “I sure hope so.”
I couldn’t help but wrinkle my nose. “That all sounds fun, maybe… but I’m going to pass based on the fact I don’t ever want to see my brother's jiggly bits.”
“She has a good point,” Daisy said. “Maybe you can talk that hunk Abe into tying you down in his room.”
Jessica nodded. “All the beds in these apartments have rope holders built into them. When Sam had them built, he wanted to make sure his friends could also play in the apartments if they didn’t want to go down to the club.”
Annabella got up from the couch, walked over, and handed me another drink. “Abe is a good guy. Something in his past has stopped him from looking for a person to settle down with. When he guarded Lily before she moved to Houston, I thought he might have a thing for her, but he didn’t. Last night at dinner, he watched your every move. Abe is protective by nature, but he’s different around you.”
“You’re right,” Jessica said. “I noticed it too. He made sure to direct you to the least-crowded area of the room.”
I hadn’t even realized it until Jessica mentioned it. He’d chosen the back corner away from the open bar. There weren’t many people, and when he saw people walking around with hors d’oeuvres, he had them come to us so we didn’t have to walk near the group of people. When I wanted to leave after a half hour, Abe never complained. He sent my brother a text and took me out the back door so I wouldn’t have to walk through the crowd.
I sighed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m heading home tomorrow, and his job is in Fort Lauderdale.”
“John’s job was here, and he moved,” Annabella countered.
“That was different. You spent over a week together, and you’re normal. I come with a butt load of mental issues.” I took a deep breath. “Furthermore, today isn’t about me or my lack of a love life. It’s about you marrying my brother.”
Daisy sprayed a ton of hairspray on my hair. All I had left to do was get a dress. “All done. You are going to knock him on his ass.” She let out a sigh. “Just because you have panic attacks and don’t like to leave the house doesn’t mean you’re broken or don’t deserve love. I spoke in the third person for years and still slip up when my anxiety is bad, but we all deserve to be happy, and you smile when Abe is around.”
“I agree with Daisy,” Annabella said.
“You guys are setting me up to get my heart broken.” I held up my hand. “But you’re right—I only live once, and I’m staying in a very sexy man’s apartment. I still don’t understand who is staying in Mia’s extra bedroom. It almost feels like a setup.”
“Mia doesn’t like people in her space,” Jessica responded.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. When I glanced down, it was Lena’s name on the phone, and I hadn’t talked to her since the morning the day before. “I’m sorry, guys. I need to go take this.”
I swiped my finger across the phone and headed back toward Abe’s apartment. He wouldn’t be there. The guys were getting ready downstairs at Blackwood Mercenary. I had a feeling they were working and getting ready at the same time.
Lena’s voice came over the phone. “How are things going, boss? I thought you would’ve called us yesterday.”
Honesty was the best policy, most of the time. “I’m doing good. I have a very sexy babysitter who seems to be at my side every time I’m about to have an attack.”
“Good for you.”
“Have you made it back?” I asked. “If you haven’t, you can buy a ticket.”
I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get back on a plane the next day by myself. The thought made my hands start to sweat. I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When that didn’t work, I thought of Abe’s touch on my back. Thinking about the sexy man made the worry go away.
Using Abe to get over an attack wasn’t a healthy way to cope, but it worked. I was using him as a crutch versus trying to figure out exactly what my issue was each time. My therapist had told me to stop and analyze why each attack was happening.
“We’re fine. If Cruz goes over the speed limit, we should make it back tonight. The neighbor is taking care of my mom, and Cruz has Arthur helping find some more information on the art case.”
Arthur was a freelance investigator we used when we needed an extra hand. I’d offered to hire him over the years, but he liked to do freelance work. His prices were low, and he would make more money if he worked for me, but he always said money wasn’t everything.
“Did your contact in the DOJ find any more information on who is the company behind Stark Night?” I asked.
Lena let a sigh out. “We’re still at a dead end. I’m not sure if we will be able to find the main company.”
“That’s not an option. They could close Stark Ni
ght, open another one, and the government wouldn’t know.”
Cruz’s deep voice came over the line. “I’m going to make a call to a contact I have in the CIA and see if they have any information.”
“Make the call, but I really don’t trust the CIA,” I grumbled.
I hadn’t logged in to my own computer since arriving in Fort Lauderdale. My Surface powered up, and I entered in my password and second-factor authentication before my desktop appeared. “I’m going to check to see if any new cases came in, but we’re all in agreement—no more cheating cases unless someone is getting abused.”
“Yes,” Lena and Cruz said at the same time.
“Have you thought any more about moving the office to Florida?” Cruz inquired.
“No, I’m taking one day at a time and hoping I can get through this wedding without making a fool out of myself. I really thought you guys were joking the other day when you mentioned us moving to Fort Lauderdale. If we want to move the office, we can talk about it, but it doesn’t have to be in Florida.”
“Cruz and I talked about it a little on the trip. We wouldn’t mind Florida, and we could take more cases with Blackwood or AA Security. The only thing that held us to Boston was your mom, and we found her. Maybe it’s time for a change.”
I wasn’t sure I was ready to move, but I had also thought I would never be able to get on a plane, and I had. “Put a list together of the places you guys would like to move, and we will discuss it when I get back.”
“Sounds like a plan, boss. Now, are you going to tell us about the hunk of a man who carried you off the plane?”
While my emails downloaded, I shrugged out of the robe, and I was in my bra and panties. “What is there to say? He’s nice and he’s been taking care of me because I’m his friend’s sister.” When my computer dinged, I walked back over to scan the emails.
Cruz huffed. “I’m not sure that’s how you’re supposed to take care of a friend. That man has a thing for you.”
Now my own friends were digging into my personal business. I wasn’t sure what to say, because I wasn’t one hundred percent sure how I felt. He made me feel safe, but if I was using his protective instincts as a crutch, that wouldn’t be fair to Abe. “How about when I figure it out, I will let you know?”
