Me, on the other hand… why am I so restless?
Part of me knows the answer. After our tense, action-packed night, I didn’t want to leave her. It was so hard not to take her to my own place and make her sleep near me where I could watch over her. But that isn’t possible. Not yet. I could see how tired she was, not in any state to be kidnapped by yet another strange man.
That’s the thing though. I don’t feel like a stranger. In fact, it feels just the opposite. I feel like I’ve known Violet all of my life, like my world snapped into place when I saw her. It’s not just that her body gives me plenty to dream about either. She’s just so… captivating. She’s hardworking in a way that makes me admire her. She’s both caring and unafraid to speak her mind. She’s unlike any woman I’ve ever met. Our connection stretches beyond lust.
I just need to convince her of that. Right now she’s too tired to say more than a simple goodbye, but I plant a kiss on her forehead and promise her more.
These thoughts follow me into sleep, and I wake early the next morning with a hard-on after dreaming about her all night. I’m tempted to call her already, but I realize I don’t know her schedule at all. I’ll wait a few hours. Doubtless she needs the sleep.
My phone lights up and a thrill runs through me at the thought that it might be her. I did program my number into her phone after all.
Unfortunately, the name displayed on my screen makes me lose my boner instantly.
Definitely not Violet. It’s Laura, the woman who dumped me for a fling years ago. An attractive woman, but she’d always been a bitch. It just took me too long to see it.
I read her message and groan. I’m stopping by to see you today. We need to talk.
Talking to Laura is the last thing I want, especially now that I’m so focused on Violet, but there’s no stopping her. I roll out of bed and work from home for a while. When ten o’clock rolls around she’s outside waiting for me to buzz her in.
She comes straight in for a kiss when she reaches my place. I dodge her easily, determined to keep my distance. “What do you think you’re doing?” I ask her. “What’s this about?”
I eye the bags she deposited near my door with disdain. “Oh, honey, I just thought I’d stop by to see you. I miss you.” Her voice is sickly sweet. It makes me want to roll my eyes. How had I ever liked that voice enough to listen to it every day?
“You left me,” I tell her flatly. “Or don’t you remember?”
“Ancient history!”
“Maybe, but that’s all the more reason to keep it that way.” I gesture toward her things. “Why are your bags here?”
Laura fidgets and bites her lip. “I never should have left you, baby. I want you back.” She moves forward and places her hands on my chest. I resist the urge to push her away.
“That’s not going to happen, Laura. What is it? Did lover boy get tired of you?” She flushes in anger and opens her mouth, but I cut her off. “You know what? I don’t even care. If getting back together is the reason you’re here, then tough luck. You need to leave now.”
I notice the telltale signs that she’s getting angry. Her cheeks redden—and not in an attractive way—and her lower lip juts out ever so slightly. Just the sight of it is giving me a headache already. “I’m not leaving,” she says. She places her hands on her hips in a show of defiance.
I move to grab her things. “I’m not doing this with you, Laura. You can’t stay.” I pick up a bag and open the door, prepared to throw it outside.
“Please, Jack! Give me a chance. I never should have—”
“The answer is no. I’ve found someone else.”
That stops her in her tracks. Her face flushes as it does when she enraged, but I keep piling her bags outside my door. “Jack, you can’t do this.”
“I most definitely can.”
Just as I’m about to place the last bag outside, she grabs hold of me from behind, hugging my waist and starts bawling loudly. I sigh, trying to extricate her arms from me. “This is ridiculous,” I say, my irritation rising to its peak. “Beyond—”
“Jack, I’m pregnant,” she cries, silencing me.
That does stop me for a second, but not a long one. “And? It’s not mine. We haven’t been together in years.”
“But… but…”
“Look, Laura. I get that you want me back. But you’re just going to have to give up on that. I’ll have my assistant direct you to some resources, but I’m not getting mixed up with you again.”
Without another word, I gently navigate her outside of my door while she puts on this teary-eyed act that I have no doubt is practiced. She’d be fine. I’m putting Laura out of mind. I close the door and breathe a sigh of relief. Back to thinking about Violet.
“This isn’t over, Jack!” I hear her yell from outside.
That’s what she says, but what can she do? I’m not worried. I’ve broken all ties with her and she has nothing she can tempt or hurt me with.
All I want now is to form new ties with Violet. I set my mind to just that task.
9
Violet
I can’t really afford to, but I call in late to my barista job to check in on Katie. Running on only a few hours of sleep, the previous night is a blur. I have to know that she’s all right.
I’m worried about Jack, too, but I don’t exactly know why. I guess I just want to see him again. Being away from him has me filled with this ridiculous nervous energy. Which is crazy since I just met the man. I shake my head at my own foolishness. At least there’s comfort in the knowledge that he might want to see me again, too. After all, he programmed his number in my phone. When I stared blearily at my screen this morning to shut off my alarm, I saw the simple text he’d sent me. Hello, was all it said. Not too promising. But he also programmed a heart next to his name.
Now that’s encouraging. And strangely adorable. Seeing Jack in my contacts brings a curve to my lips.
I’ll have to think about everything I learned about him last night. Later though. Right now, everything is scrambled in my mind.
I knock at Katie’s door softly, carrying a small bag of groceries I bought for her on the way over. “Katie? It’s me.”
The sun is just barely rising so I’m sure she’s still asleep. I hear her slow, plodding steps as she approaches the door.
“Vi?” she asks blearily, rubbing her eyes.
“Hey, sleepyhead.” I’m heartened to see she looks okay. Her face even has a bit more color than it did last night. She motions for me to come in and then plops back down on her bed.
“So what’s going on?” I ask her gently.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
I sit beside her on the bed, but she covers her face with the back of her hand. “We need to though. How did you end up there last night?”
She remains silent, and I wait patiently for her to speak, watching the gentle rise and fall of her chest. “I don’t even know,” she says at last. “I just want to forget the whole thing.”
“And you will, babe. We both will. But first we need to establish how it came about in the first place.” I see her eyes watering, but I tell myself to remain strong. I can’t simply let this slide. “Please, Katie.”
She relents. “I was studying. I swear. But then my friends wanted to go out and I went along.” She looks guilty at these words and I get why. It was going out that made her grades drop so low in the first place. It’s the whole reason I’m having to work so much.
“On a Tuesday?”
She shrugs. “It happens sometimes.”
“Okaaay, I hope it’s not happening too often,” I say uneasily. Part of me suspects it has definitely been happening often, but it’s not the time to get into that. “But why the Palace? How did you end up there?”
“Juliet heard a rumor.” Katie sits up and wraps her arms around her knees. She doesn’t meet my eyes. “There’s this drug that gives you insane focus, like crazy energy. And since we were already drunk, we thought it
would be a good idea to track some down.”
I frown; the idea of a drunken Katie stumbling around town makes me nervous. She’s so small… what would she have done if I hadn’t gone after her? And if Jack hadn’t helped us? “Katie…” I say slowly.
“I know,” she says. “I know. It was stupid. Juliet thought we could find some at the Palace. I don’t even remember getting there. All I remember is grabbing another drink at the bar and then feeling dizzy. I know I was dancing with some stranger. Then I woke up in a cage.”
“How did you manage to call me?”
“My phone was hidden in my bra. I pulled it out and tried to explain to you what was happening but I still couldn’t really speak at that point. I think I was drugged. When they saw my phone, they took it of course.”
I shake my head. “We’ll have to get you a new one.” I rub her back gently. At my touch, she breaks into tears. I wrap my arms around her and shush her. “It’s gonna be okay,” I say.
She continues to sob. “Why are you so good to me?”
My hand stops its movement. “You’re my baby sister. Why wouldn’t I be?”
Katie only shakes her head and continues to cry. Eventually she cries herself to sleep. I tuck her in, wrap her necklace in her palm, put her groceries away, and slip away to head to work.
I have a lot to think about with everything that’s happened. Something tells me I need to be monitoring Katie’s activities more. If she’s letting her grades drop again..I don’t want to think about that.
Then there’s Jack… I feel a surge of longing just thinking about him. But is that right? He helped me, but apparently the man is intimately acquainted with that shady club. With a place that very nearly kidnapped two young women—that’s disturbing. How many times a night does something like that happen?
All of this is making my head ache. I feel sore and tired with so little sleep. Part of me wants to just call in for the day and skip work. But I can’t really afford to do that.
When will I finally catch a break?
◆◆◆
Half an hour later and I’m hustling like usual, filling drink and pastry orders like it’s my life’s purpose. When the time arrives for my break at eleven, my feet hurt so much I need to sit down. I’m actually feeling kind of dizzy. Faces are becoming blurry, like my brain is refusing to function as it should. I down another cup of coffee and still almost doze off in my seat.
Just then my phone buzzes and I jerk back to consciousness. Jack’s name lights up my screen and I can’t help the smile that forms on my face. Okay, maybe I do like this guy if my instant reaction is happiness when I hear from him.
“Hey, Jack,” I answer the phone.
“Hey,” he says slowly. “What are you up to?”
“Trying not to fall asleep at work.”
“Is that so?” God, his voice sounds so good. Depending on what he’s saying, those warm, honeyed tones could bring me to a soft sleep or make me incredibly horny.
“Well, it was a wild night as you know.”
He chuckles. “I’d like to see you again.”
“Really?” I ask. “I’m kinda surprised with everything I put you through.”
“I was a willing participant.”
I laugh. “That’s true. I did tell you to stay behind.”
“I’m glad I didn’t listen.”
I stay silent for a few moments, considering his words. “Yeah, me too,” I finally say. “Seriously. I never really got to thank you for everything. I owe you my life.”
“Well, I’ll let you make it up to me.”
“Just tell me how.”
“For starters, I’ll pick you up right now.”
“Now? I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I’m at work.”
“Yeah, but should you really be at work? You had a traumatic night. You should be at home in the arms of your lover.”
“So you’re my lover now, are you?”
“I want to be.”
The boldness of his words leaves me breathless. This playful banter just got all too real. “Umm, Jack…” I say hesitantly.
“I just want to see your face for now, Vi. That’s all I ask.” His voice is so calm, so gentle it’s almost startling. There’s no trace of deception in that tone.
“Okay,” I say. “I am pretty beat. Come pick me up.”
“Already on my way.” I can practically hear the smile in his voice. “Once you send me the address anyway.”
I laugh and text it to him right away. “Okay, I’m gonna go tell them I’m sick now. My boss owes me anyway for picking up so many shifts. I’ll be waiting.”
The sound of his voice stays in my head as I wait for his arrival. Part of me feels so irresponsible for leaving work. The other part feels no shame whatsoever. When was the last time I took a few hours for myself? Plus, I feel like shit. I actually feeling like downing some pain meds and sleeping for a week straight.
As I sit and wait, anticipating Jack’s gorgeous silhouette and stern expression, I feel better by the second about my decision to skip work.
This is exactly what I need. Jack is what I need. Right now he seems just the medication my body requires.
10
Jack
When I arrive at Violet’s workplace, I spy her sitting daintily at an outdoor table as she scrolls through her phone. The look on her face—broad smile showcasing her beautiful lips and cheekbones—makes my day instantly better. The stain made by my ex’s sudden appearance is wiped clean.
“Hey, beautiful,” I say, moving over slightly when I reach her to block the sun from her face.
She bites her lip. “Hey, stud.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Like crap,” she says, and I can tell that it’s true. I mean, she’s still gorgeous, but the bags under eyes reveal too little sleep and I really don’t like how pale she is.
My eyes roam over her face. She only smiles tiredly. I smile in return finally and offer her a hand. When she takes it, I feel that characteristic jolt of electricity that her presence evokes.
I also feel how she’s burning up. All at once my romantic plans to take her for a nice lunch and then a stroll evaporate. She’s in no shape for that.
Sure enough, Violet stumbles a bit when she rises, losing her balance and falling against me. I catch her easily, my arms circling her waist.
She chuckles, but her voice is off. “Sorry,” she says. “I’m a bit dizzy.”
I stand back and feel her forehead. “I don’t like this, Vi. I think I should take you to—”
“I’m fine, Jack. Whatever happens, I am not going to the doctors. Especially not the emergency room. My insurance is shit.”
“But—” I try to fight her on it, but she squeezes my hands with a surprisingly strong grip.
“Please, Jack, promise me. No hospitals.”
I look her over again, but what can I say? “Fine. No hospitals, but you’re in no state to be anywhere except a bed.” She giggles and I’m starting to think she’s delirious with fever. “Vi, I don’t mean it like that. I mean I do want you like that to be honest, but not when you’re—” She pushes into me then so that I’m forced to hold her up. At first I think she’s hugging me. Then I realize she’s not even conscious.
Shit! She’s in bad shape. I’m glad I was here to catch her. A fall to the floor could have done some serious damage.
My instinct is to take her to the emergency room, but I promised her I wouldn’t. And I’m not a man to break my promises. That only leaves one option in my mind, and I can’t say the idea doesn’t appeal to me. In fact, it’s just the opposite.
I’m taking Violet home. If anyone is going to be her caretaker, it’s going to be me.
Just like that, I lift her up, princess-style, and carry her to my car. Soon she’ll be in my bed. Just not in the way I expected. But as long as it’s Violet, I don’t care.
◆◆◆
Violet drifts in and out of consciousness for three days. At first I o
nly tuck her in my bed and administer to her as best I can. I wipe her forehead with a cooling cloth and change her clothes, trying to control the urge to rake her body with my eyes. Now isn't the time to be checking her out. I only change her into a light nightgown.
When she doesn’t seem to get better after that first night, I call in my personal physician, Dr. Logan. He’s quick to diagnose and treat her, administering antibiotics and fluid through an IV for a day or so. Within a few hours the color comes back into her skin and I see her eyelids flicker.
I’m glad no one else is around when I see that because I let out a whoop of joy. Part of me had been worried that she wouldn’t pull through—that I would lose her as soon as I’d found her. So to see the life seeping back into her fills me with joy. The times she’s conscious I get some food into her, mostly broth, and then she’s back asleep. After working so hard for so long, the doctor tells me she needs this time to recuperate. And so I put work aside and give my every second to Violet.
On the third day, her eyes fly open. They’re bright and alert for the first time. She looks around herself in confusion and then her eyes snap onto me.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” I say.
“Jack?” she asks. “Where are we?” Her eyes scan the room, and I have to admit it must be a surprise to wake up here. My bedroom is not exactly modest. My enormous, four poster bed is the least ostentatious of my things.
I rise and open the curtains to let in some light. It pours into the room, illuminating her face and I have to stop myself from pulling her into a kiss. “We’re at my place,” I say. “My apartment.”
“This is an apartment?” she asks skeptically, eyeing the open door of the bathroom where my giant bathtub is in view.
“I’ve had a few customizations,” I admit. I sit beside her, take her hand in mine. It’s cold but slowly warms in my grip.
“What time is it?”
“About ten in the morning,” I tell her.
Breathless for the Billionaire Page 3
