Chapter 15 Ticking Time Bomb
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
TICKING TIME BOMB
Lennon
It’s happening.
The whole reeling-him-in plan.
Me – I’m ready for this to be done for good. I will agree to meet you about the jewels, but it has to be on my terms.
Andrei – Fuck your terms. Tell me where they are and I might not kill you.
Me – If you want them, you can meet me for dinner at The Manor at Winslet in The Greenhouse dining room. I have reserved a private area so we can speak freely.
Andrei – I’ll be there. You’d better have the jewels, pet. I’m not waiting another fucking day.
Me – You’ll have to wait a day because dinner is tomorrow night at eight. Ask for me at the ma?tre d’s station. Oh, and come alone. If you’re not alone, I won’t meet with you.
Andrei – I’ll come with who I want. You can’t dictate this.
Me – Since I have the jewels, I am dictating this. Be there at eight by yourself. I’m ready to get this done.
Andrei – You’d better not try to fuck me over. You’ll regret it for the rest of your miserable life.
Me – My only regret is trusting my father all those years ago.
I’m so nervous, I could throw up again, but I haven’t, and it has everything to do with Jett Cross.
They weren’t kidding when they talked about an operational plan. I thought I’d have to meet Andrei, hand over the treasures, and everyone would be waiting in the wings to make sure I didn’t die, or worse, get kidnapped to resume the hell I was living on his boat.
This is not like that.
And now that everyone knows everything—down to the fact I took the bus to Alabama, but I didn’t know where I was going, so I stole a dilapidated sedan at a truck stop.
I planned on returning it. I even have the owner’s name and address saved in my phone. I switched it with another license plate farther along in the state and have been driving it ever since. Everything was going smooth as silk until Jett stole the car to fix it up for me.
And I have to say, Devon and Jett seem way too at ease about this.
At ease and a bit excited. I think they both miss the days when their jobs were much more dramatic than running a manor and working remotely as a project manager on government contracts.
Jett said this was his last hurrah before he was forced back to his remote position on Monday morning.
Tomorrow night, the DEA, CIA, and Devon’s sister, Bella, and the Winslet Police Department will covertly converge on the manor.
I wish we could’ve gotten this done today, but Jett explained that he needed time to prepare for the meeting.
And he needed to do that after hours when The Greenhouse isn’t open.
I’m impressed and not as scared as I was earlier. I have no idea what I’d do without them.
After the plans were set, Jett took me by the hand and led me through the atrium and straight to the elevators. The only problem with the plan is it messes up Sunday night dinner with Felicity and Harold.
I press go on Felicity’s number so I can let her down easily. I’ll be forced to lie, since there’s no way I can tell her Jett and I are canceling on them so we can help put a Russian criminal behind bars.
Oh, and that same guy held me captive for six years.
She greets me with a full conversation like she always does. “Happy Saturday, Lennon. I hope you got out of that library basement and are doing something fun today.”
“Hey, Felicity. I’m calling about dinner tomorrow night. Jett and I had something come up. I’m so sorry. We’ll have to take a raincheck.”
“You and Jett have plans? That is splendid! I like him. What’re you doing tomorrow night that you can’t eat here first? You know we eat early.”
I hate to lie to her. She’s taken me under her wing since I got here. “It’s sort of a work thing I’m doing with the kitchen. Jett’s going with me.”
“I understand. We’ll just have to do dinner tonight then. I can be flexible. Not often, but I can. I made my weekly trip to the market this morning. We’re eating healthy.”
Jett and I enter the elevator. “It’s really okay. I don’t want to mess up your Saturday plans.”
“I have the same plans every Saturday unless there’s a big event at the manor. Be here at five. We’ll eat at five-thirty sharp.”
I glance up at Jett as he reaches for the elevator button. “If you’re sure.”
“And miss out on my weekly dinner with my Lennon and her new beau? I wouldn’t miss it. See you tonight, dear.”
She hangs up before I have the chance to say goodbye. “I tried to cancel. I really did, but Felicity insisted we come for dinner tonight. I hope that’s okay. They really are sweet.”
The elevator dings and we get off at Jett’s floor. “As long as I’m with you, I’m good with whatever you want to do.”
He lets us into his room and dumps all the contents of his pockets on the dresser. I go to the edge of the bed and sit. “Jett?”
He turns and looks down at me. “Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
He closes the small distance between us and claims my chin between his thumb and index finger.
“You already thanked me. I told you I’m happy to do this.
Hell, I’m ecstatic to step in to protect you.
It’s not all selfless. In fact, it’s completely selfish.
Nothing has given me this much purpose in a long time.
” He drags a thumb over my bottom lip. “But even more, I’m doing this because I don’t want anything in the way so I can explore this with you. ”
I pull in a quick breath, but he keeps torturing me with his words that are hard to digest.
Jett frowns. “I was under the impression that you wanted to explore this. If I’m wrong, say the word.”
“I do. But I haven’t had anyone interested in me like this in a long time.
The last six years I’ve been leered at, objectified, threatened, and diminished as a woman and human.
I might not have physical scars but there are plenty of others.
It’s hard for me to believe anyone would want me because of me, and not the idea of me. ”
He takes my hand and pulls me to my feet and straight into his arms. “I’m only interested in you because of you. It’s time you get used to that. It’s not going to change.”
“This is new for me,” I whisper. “I’ve spent the last six years surviving. I don’t know what I’m doing. But that doesn’t mean I don’t want it. I do.”
He dips his fingers into my hair and studies my features. “The things I want to ask you ... the list is endless.”
“It hasn’t stopped you before.”
His other hand drops to the small of my back and presses in, holding us as one. His cock is firm against my tummy. My nipples harden against his chest. It reminds me of waking up next to him this morning. For a moment, I felt normal, like what most women my age do all the time, I’m sure.
But not me.
I’ve never.
And I liked it.
I liked how normal it felt, but I really liked it because it was him.
When he pulls in a breath and his wide chest expands, I feel it everywhere. Especially between my legs. He leans down and puts his lips to mine again. When he slips his tongue between my lips, it feels familiar.
I’ve never had familiar.
He feels as good as he tastes.
Just as the kiss is building, he pulls away from me. I blink my eyes open. “What’s wrong?”
His chest rises and falls as he stares intently down at me. “Those questions I have for you ... I need to know things. But you’ve had a horrible few days. I don’t want to add to your stress.”
“What do you want to know?”
He lets go of me long enough to sit on the edge of the bed and pulls me between his legs. My hands land on his shoulders. “Not today. We’ll get to that soon.”
It’s my turn to press him. “I may have lost six years of my life, but I’m not timid. If there’s something you want to know, ask.”
His hands rub up and down my sides rhythmically. A teasing smirk takes over his handsome face. “Don’t tempt me, baby. My questions are intrusive and private. But that’s because I want everything with you.”
I hike a brow. “You don’t have to be careful with me. I may be inexperienced, but I’m not breakable.”
He loses the smirk in a snap. “I’m well aware you aren’t breakable. I didn’t know about the inexperienced part. If we’re getting down to brass tacks, I need to know if anyone attacked you during your time in hell.”
“Not really. There were men who got handsy with me at times. But nothing more than that.” My gaze drops to the side. “Experience on the other hand...”
His fingers tense on me. “You got on that boat when you were only nineteen. If no one touched you since then...”
My gaze is slow to meet his. “I was a virgin when I got on that boat. Is that what you want to know?”
His heated stare burns into me. His hand slides from my side to my abs and goes straight north where it stops between my breasts directly over my beating heart.
And my heart is strumming so hard I can hear my pulse thrum in my ears.
His tone lowers. “That’s exactly what I wanted to know.”
I pull my lip between my teeth because there’s not much more for me to say.
His big hand splays over my heart and presses in harder. “Because I need to know how careful to be with you. Can I say I fucking hate what you went through, but the fact you came through the way you did is a miracle. And now you’re standing right here in front of me untouched.”
I bite my lip. “Six years. Sometimes it feels like I lived in a time capsule. The world moved on, but not me. I was left behind.”
He shakes his head. “No. You’re here now.
And you’re fucking perfect.” He still hasn’t taken his hand off my heart and presses in harder.
His touch flirts with my breasts. I force myself to stand still.
“Not to be presumptuous, but if this goes where I want it to, I’ll take care of you in that way too. ”
“Jett,” I murmur. “Did you forget the part that I’m not breakable? I did take you down the first time we met.”
His gaze narrows, and he slides his hand over my heart to wrap around the back of my neck. “Way to kick a man when he’s down. I was fresh out of surgery.”
“Well, now you know everything. Are you happy?”
“I’ll be happier when we get Andrei behind bars. By this time tomorrow, he’ll be walking right into our hands. You’ll be a free woman in every sense of the word.”
“I hope.”
“There’s no hope about it. Petrov’s freedom is a ticking time bomb. When he blows, we explore this.”
I lean into him. “I want that.”
His dark eyes heat and his words are like a warm embrace. “Good.”
Yes, I want that.
I have six years to make up for.