Chapter 19 Willow
WILLOW
Buoyed by my success at the board meeting, we spend the rest of the day continuing to work on the plan to take Olivia down. Sabotaging that contract she was counting on was a good start, but it wasn’t enough. If I want to truly neutralize her as a threat, we need to absolutely ruin her.
Her estate was already weakened, but we need to make that even worse. She still has a lot of resources, but now that I’m on an even playing field, our goal is to systematically destroy Olivia’s business holdings until she has nothing left.
She made the mistake of tying herself to me when she made that deal with Troy… and now that Troy is dead, I can use those ties to fuck with my grandmother in a big way.
I sit in Vic’s office, using one of the new computers he brought in as I pore over information about Olivia.
This is more research than I’ve done in a while, but it feels good to be able to do something to contribute to all this.
Of course, the guys all have their own grudges against Olivia, but I know that I’m at the center of this for them.
Plus I need to be as prepared as possible for what’s to come and what I need to do. But after several hours of staring at the screen, trying to absorb as much information as I can, my eyes are burning and begging for a break.
I sit back from the monitor and rub my eyes a bit, getting up out of the chair and deciding that it’s finally time to start using some of the amenities that came with this place.
Namely, that swanky-ass bathtub.
I head out of the office and down the hall. Ransom is in the living room playing something on the TV, and he hits pause when he sees me.
“What are you up to?” he asks, leaning over the couch to give me a smile.
“I need a break,” I tell him. “I don’t know how Vic manages to stare at screens all day without going a little insane. Or having his eyeballs melt out of their sockets.”
He laughs. “It’s his super power, I think. That, or he’s just immune to the normal burnout shit the rest of us have to deal with. Do you want me to make you a snack or something?”
I shake my head. “Nah, I’m going to break in that bathtub. It’s been tempting me ever since we moved in here.”
I hesitate for a moment, biting my lip—torn between the thing I want and still being held back by my fears and traumas.
I hate that I feel this way, because it makes me feel like the old version of myself, the one I thought I had left behind.
The one who was drawn to these brothers so deeply but wasn’t brave enough to let herself have them.
I’ve come so far since then, but it feels like I’ve lost so much progress because of what Troy did to me.
But maybe taking baby steps will help me get it back. Or at least not make things worse.
So I swallow hard and smile at Ransom. “Will you… join me?”
He blinks, his brows climbing up his forehead with surprise, making his piercing glint. “Really? You’re sure?”
“Yes.”
He gets up so fast that it’s like he’s been launched off the couch, all thoughts of his game clearly forgotten, and I laugh at how eager he seems.
I lead the way into the bathroom, pleased with how we redecorated it.
The tub and separate shower are the same, but we ruined Troy’s monochrome nightmare with colorful towels and candles to add some life to the place. It feels much better to be in here now, even if my heart is beating faster than usual.
I’m keenly aware of Ransom as I sit on the edge of the huge tub and start the water running, adding some of the bath oils I picked up on a whim and filling the bathroom with a light citrusy scent.
His eyes are on me, and even though this bathroom is so much bigger than any one we’ve been in before, it’s like his presence makes it feel smaller. And not in a bad way. I can just feel so much of him.
It also brings back memories of the last time we took a bath together—the morning after he and Malice fucked me.
It feels so long ago now, but standing there thinking about it makes it feel like I can feel their hands ghosting over my skin. I shiver agreeably as steam rises up, and then get up to start undressing.
Ransom doesn’t take his eyes off of me as I pull my shirt over my head.
I changed into more comfortable clothes when we got back from the board meeting, so it’s easy enough to take off the oversized shirt that probably belonged to Malice first, and then shimmy out of the soft cotton shorts and my underwear.
I can’t help but look as Ransom takes his clothes off too.
He’s so fucking handsome, his tattoos on display as he shucks off the shirt and starts going for his jeans.
Neither of us speak, but we don’t have to. We’re both too caught up in this moment and everything it’s loaded with. The tension cranks up another notch or two as Ransom drags his jeans down, revealing that he wasn’t wearing underwear at all.
It’s very him, but my cheeks still flare with heat at the sight of it, and I have to swallow hard when I realize he’s already hard.
The metal studs in his cock catch the light from the window over the tub, and it makes my pulse race just that much faster to see it.
Ransom catches me looking and quirks a grin at me. “Sorry. I can’t really help it. My dick just likes you a lot.”
That makes me laugh, and my cheeks are flushed as the compliment settles over me. We haven’t even done anything, but the sight of me naked is still enough to get Ransom hard.
Finally, I tear my eyes away from his naked body and move to get into the tub. Ransom helps me, steadying me as I step in, and then he gets in as well, sitting down with his back against the edge of the tub, leaving room for me to settle against him if I want to.
The tub is large enough that I wouldn’t have to, if I wanted my space. I could lean against the opposite edge, and only our legs would be tangled together.
But instead of doing that, I move to lean against his chest, settling between his legs.
The minute my bare back touches his bare chest, something in me seizes up. There’s a moment of a tension as the world narrows down to just the feeling of his skin on mine and awful memories of Troy try to break through to the forefront of my mind.
But I remind myself that I’m safe.
I’m not with Troy. I’m with Ransom, and he would never hurt me.
That thought goes a long way toward calming me down, and I take a few deep breaths, relaxing every muscle in turn as I sink into the warm water.
Ransom doesn’t rush me. He doesn’t move away or move to touch me more, just letting me find my comfort zone. Once I’m no longer stiff and tense, he wraps his arms around me, holding me loosely enough that I don’t feel held down, but tight enough that I feel the comfort in it.
I inhale the lemony air around us and then let out that breath, closing my eyes and drifting a bit.
“You were starting to remind me of Vic,” Ransom murmurs. “With all that research you were doing in his office.”
“There’s so much to sift through,” I reply, my eyes still closed. “Olivia has her fingers in so many pies, and I need to know about all of it. I understand why rich people have to hire people to handle all their affairs and stuff. There’s just so much.”
He nods, humming thoughtfully. “It does make a lot of sense. I know Vic would probably volunteer to go through everything and just tell you what you need to know. He likes this kind of stuff.”
“I know he does. And I know he would. But it feels like something I need to know myself. She made this so personal when she dragged me into it and tried to take away my life. When she came for you guys. I want it to be personal right back when we ruin her.”
He laughs at that, and the sound is low and deep. It sends a shiver down my spine, and this close, I can feel the vibrations in his chest.
“I love how savage you’re being about this,” he tells me. “She deserves every fucking bit of it. And then some.”
“She does.” I open my eyes, biting my lip. “And I want her to suffer for everything she did to us. But at the same time…”
“Yeah?” Ransom asks, nudging me a little when I trail off.
“At the same time, I’m just ready for all of this to be over.
I’m on her level now, I can play in her world, and I have the resources to take this fight to her, which is great.
But I’m so ready to just be done with it.
To be free of her, you know? It’s nice to not be on the run anymore, but she’s still a threat. ”
Ransom runs a wet hand down my arm, and I can feel him nodding behind me. “Yeah, I get what you mean. We have more leverage, a firmer place to stand than we did before, but it’s not the same as not having to deal with her at all.”
“Exactly. I guess at least we have a home now.”
“There is that. I wasn’t gonna complain, but living out of that hotel was so fucking shitty. It was too small, Malice snores like a fucking freight train, and Vic is so particular about where you put your shoes.”
I giggle at that, relaxing against him even further. “I hate to break it to you, but the massive bed we got means that you’re still going to have to listen to Malice snoring.”
He sighs dramatically, but there’s such an edge of humor to it that it makes me laugh. “Clearly, I was born just to suffer. Ah, well. Getting to curl up with you makes it worth it.”
“Remember you said that.”
“I definitely will.”
We fall silent for a while, just soaking in the moment. The water is the perfect temperature, and the scent of lemon around us is fresh and soothing. The light streaming in through the window makes patterns on the tiled floor, and I let myself fully relax.
“Do you have ideas for what you want to do once this is all over?” Ransom asks after a bit. “We’re not on the run anymore, and we have a place where we can put down roots. At least, for as long as we want to.”