Chapter 15 The Contract #2
“I don’t have time,” I whisper loud enough for her to hear me over the ocean breeze and the waves hitting the dock below me.
“I need you to do something for me. Until we land in New York, I need you to track my phone and the plane. Text me endlessly. Get with the airwing manager at Stonebridge. Make sure you can track the plane and me until I can get to you.”
“What on earth is going—”
“Do it, please,” I beg. “Don’t ask questions.
If I have to explain myself, I won’t make it through the day without breaking down.
No task I’ve ever given you is as important as this.
Then manufacture some sort of emergency, meet me at the airfield, and make plans to get us the hell out of New York.
I’m not going back to SoHo today. We get straight on another plane.
I don’t care where we go but make it far. Got it?”
Her tone tenses, but I hear her tapping away at her keyboard. “Dammit, Harlow. You’re scaring me.”
“Good,” I quip. “Because I’ve never felt this way in my life. And I’m not being a drama queen.”
“You’re never a drama queen,” she defends me to myself. “Janie wears that crown, and she’s not letting it go anytime soon.”
I get to the main building of the resort and head straight to the counter to order, even though there’s no way I’ll be able to stomach anything. “You know what time we take off. Whatever emergency you manufacture, send it a few minutes prior.”
“I can do that,” she says. “I wish you would tell me what’s going on, but at least I feel better that you’re not alone. You’ll be okay—Albert is with you.”
I cringe at those words.
The long flight to New York might be the death of me.
Unless something tragic happens first.
I don’t let on what I just learned. “Text me constantly, Chrissie. Please.”
“I’ve got your back. I always do. You’ll be sick of me by the time we see each other.”
“Never. I’ve got to go. Thank you so much for doing this.” I exhale, wishing it would rid the tension from my body. I need to get my shit together for the trip home. “You’re saving my life.”
Chrissie has no idea just how literal I mean that, but she will soon.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m forever your heroine. Don’t worry, I’ll fake your emergency like a rockstar. Maybe you need a cocktail to get through the day.”
“Maybe,” I mutter as I move forward in line but don’t tell her I don’t dare dull my senses. I need to be ready for anything. And even though I don’t want to break my communication with her and go back to the room, I say, “Thank you.”
We disconnect, and I place my order.
I need to get through today.
Then put every barrier I can between me and my fiancé.
And make myself safe.
Then I’m going to figure out what the hell is going on. When I do, there will be hell to pay.
Ishiver from the memory, and the crisp night air.
Devon’s hold on me is tight, and I’m brought back to reality when I feel his growl rumble through every bone of my body. “You being here tells me everything I need to know other than the why. We’ll get to that eventually. Soon, in fact.”
I don’t have a chance to say more, though I’m not sure what else there is to say. The fact I’m standing here being the biggest headache his manor has ever seen is proof enough that I escaped Albert to live another day.
And I managed to live out the rest of my engagement to set my plan into place...
To make sure the world knew I was done with Albert Humphries, III for good and exact revenge in my own way.
What I did not plan on doing is become entangled with an older man who was a secret agent in his past life.
His hand that was pressed low on my back fusing us together shifts to the side of my face.
His touch on my skin is warm and rough and possessive. His deep voice is no less any of those things as he has me ensnared in his gaze. “He’ll never touch you, Harlow. As long as you’re with me, you’re safe.”
My chest clenches with emotion because I haven’t felt safe since the day I left the Maldives.
I nod against his hand and lean into his embrace. “My life turned from pure bliss to a dark nightmare in a matter of moments. I haven’t felt safe in weeks, but ever since I got to Winslet, that changed.”
“You’re fucking right, that changed. I’ll make sure of it.” We’re so close, every word he utters is warm on my skin.
But that warmth is nothing compared to what he does next. Everything happens simultaneously.
One hand slides into my hair, the other shifts south to my ass, and his lips crash to mine.
It’s a shock to my system.
My lips part, and I taste Devon as he takes full advantage, sliding his tongue in to dance with mine.
He tastes like a new life. So much so, I don’t care what happens tomorrow, and I really don’t care what the world thinks of me.
I’m done with the past and searching for whys. I’ll get my revenge eventually.
But right here, in the strong arms of the man who I hardly know but for some reason I put my full trust in, I want nothing more than to live my life.
It stirs my insides and resuscitates a part of me I didn’t realize was dead.
Dead.
I grip the lapels of his jacket, push up to my toes to get more of him. For the first time in a long time, I allow myself to do something I’ve never done in my adult life.
I force away every tendency I have to make others happy, be who they want me to be, and throw away the hours of soul searching to figure out where I went wrong.
For once, I allow myself to be selfish.
Devon
Iknew it was bad. Hell, I could tell when she handed me the note before I knew anything about her that it was more than cold feet.
But what she just told me was beyond bad. I may not know it all yet, but the rest will fall into place soon.
I will get every detail from her. What she doesn’t know, I’ll find out in my own way.
But when she looked up at me through those tormented brown eyes, all I wanted to do was erase her hurt and pain.
And there was the fact I couldn’t wait another moment to taste her. The need for that has consumed me since I returned to her suite after I delivered her Dear Bertie note.
Fucking Albert Humphries, III.
I will get to the bottom of what he had planned for the woman I can no longer keep my hands or lips off of.
But I’ll do that tomorrow.
Harlow presses into me tighter when I squeeze a globe of her firm ass that fits in my hand like it was made just for me. There’s no controlling my dick any longer. He’s at full mast and knows what he wants.
I press my cock into her, and her lips go slack against mine on a gasp. I lean back far enough to look down and etch her expression on my brain so I’ll never forget this moment.
Lust and need.
It’s written all over her face.
Her name falls from my lips in a needy groan. “Harlow—”
“Please,” she begs as she slides her hands up my pecs to wrap her hands around my neck.
My hold on her is steadfast. Nothing will convince me to let this woman go anytime soon.
“Please what?” I demand.
“Please,” she echoes and licks her lips. “Just ... please don’t stop.”
It’s my turn to echo her. “Don’t stop?”
“Make me forget. For just one night, I want to erase the nightmare from my brain and forget it ever happened. Will you help me do that?”
I shake my head.
When she realizes I’m not going to give her what she wants, a pucker appears between her brows and her body tenses in my arms. “No? But I thought—”
I don’t allow her to finish. “If you think I’m going to agree to one fucking night with you, then the answer is no.
” I grind my dick into her stomach harder.
If he could punch me in the gut right now, he would, but I keep talking.
“There’s no way I can take you for just one night.
I haven’t even had you yet, and I know one night won’t be enough. ”
She licks her lips.
“Don’t put a limit on me or a fucking expiration date,” I warn.
“We might not be making declarations tonight, but one promise I’ll make you is that you’ll never be safer than when you’re with me.
I’ll take care of you like you’ve never experienced before.
If anyone glances at you wrong, they’ll regret it in the worst possible way. Test me—I dare you.”
Her gaze drags over every feature of my mean mug.
“Why would you do that?” she whispers.
My fingers instinctively tighten at her scalp causing her to pull in a quick breath when I tip her head back.
I lean down to take her mouth again with a force that surprises even me.
She tastes like fine French wine and a dream I never thought possible.
Her lips part immediately, yielding to me, begging me not to stop in a whole other way that has nothing to do with words and everything to do with her body.
Damn.
I wasn’t kidding. Only one night with her would be torture and saying no to that is pure self-preservation.
When I finally let up, I don’t let go of her fine ass or fist full of hair. She opens those big, beautiful dark eyes I’m quickly becoming obsessed with.
“More than one night,” I demand, but while I’m at it, I decide to up the ante.
“I feel it, and I know you do too. We explore this during your stay. While we explore, I’ll get to the bottom of your issues with the cocksucker.
You’ll have all the answers you want, and he’ll pay for what he tried to do to you. Understood?”
Her eyes flare. “Until I leave the manor?”
I lift my chin to confirm. “You’re free to leave any time. But until then, you’re mine.”
She hesitates, but I don’t give in. I can’t. I want her too much.
“Are you always this...” Her words flicker like stars in the night air between us. “Contractual?”
I lean down to press my lips to her forehead this time and lower my voice. “I’ve never made a contract with a woman before. But that guy fucked you up. I can see it. That’s going to take some time to undo.”
Her eyes flare. “So many promises. You’re going to keep me safe and unfuck me in the process? A tall order, even for a former secret agent.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my lips. I press my still-hard dick into her again. “Let me rephrase to be very specific, Harlow. I plan to learn everything there is to know about you, inside and out. While I do that, there will be no un about it. There will only be fucking. Do we have a deal?”
She pulls in a quick breath before taking twice as much time letting it out. “Will you make me two more promises?”
“I’ll move mountains for you.”
Her first stipulation isn’t a surprise. “Don’t try to control me.”
I shake my head. “I would never. You’ve proven to be uncontrollable in the best way.”
She relaxes in my hold a touch.
“What else?” I demand.
She pushes to her toes to kiss me this time. It’s not bruising or demanding or filled with lust.
It’s gentle.
Methodical.
Beautiful.
Just like her. In every way.
She gazes up at me through thick lashes. “Promise you’ll make me feel alive.”
I huff a breath and shake my head. “Baby, when I’m done with you, you won’t only feel alive—you’ll feel things you’ve never felt before.”
What I don’t tell her is I may never be done with her.
I feel her answer in a breath across my skin and in my cock. “Yes.”
My gaze searches her face. No wavering. Not an ounce of hesitation.
Hell, I’d say she wants it as much as I do, but there’s no way that could be possible.
“Yes,” I murmur against her lips.
I’m not sure how I got here, but this is happening. And I’ve never wanted anything more.