The Passion

Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

FLYNN

I have never felt such a mixture of feelings in such a short span of time.

Immense anger at everything she just told me, sadness of what she has been through for what sounds like most of her life, but then there is relief at her finally being here in my arms.

My brain is running like crazy for what we need to do and how I’m going to fix this for her, but with the biggest challenge of not making her feel like I am overstepping the line and taking control over her life.

I have a feeling by what she has said, that has happened enough previously. Although we all see her as a hotshot businesswoman who has been forging her way very successfully in the industry. The biggest fight to get to that point hasn’t been against other businesses but against her own father. Which makes what she has achieved even more impressive.

But the most pressing emotion that I’m feeling currently is frustration.

Just once, couldn’t my friends have been late to a requested meet-up?

Who am I kidding, I’m probably lucky they didn’t arrive before now. I know if it was me and this was happening to one of them, you wouldn’t have been able to hold me back either.

“Sure, come on in, gentlemen.” I smirk, knowing that they won’t give a shit about my sarcasm.

Felisha stops her giggling and tries to push herself off my lap, but I’m not having it, just holding onto to her tighter.

“Flynn.” She whispers my name but with attitude.

“Nope.” I don’t give a shit who is in the room, Felisha is not moving away from me.

“Let me go or you won’t ever see me naked again.” The tone in her whisper tells me she is not joking with what she wants.

Okay, that might be one reason I’ll let her move to the couch next to me, but that’s as far as she gets.

Her glare tells me all I need to know. It is okay to show some vulnerability with me, but with other people in the room that she doesn’t really know, her natural wall of defense is coming back up.

But before I explain she doesn’t have to worry about any of the men in this room, there is something I need to do first.

“I gave strict instructions that you weren’t to leave your wedding.” I stare straight at Nic who is just smiling like he doesn’t care what I said, that’s why he’s here.

“And yet here I am.” He stands in front of me, arms crossed, and his body language tells me he isn’t leaving either until he is satisfied everything is okay.

“I don’t want Tori in here ready to beat my ass because you aren’t there dancing with her,” I say, trying to play on his weakness for his wife.

“Yes, please, don’t leave the wedding because of me, Nic, I’m so sorry I’m here at all and disrupting such an important day,” Felisha says with more strength than she had ten minutes ago, and I know it’s because of this internal strength she has trained to pull from down deep somewhere when she needs to.

“Which is why I’m here, Felisha. I don’t know you that well, but I do know two things. The first being you have more integrity and courtesy than to just turn up here randomly for something trivial. And the second is the look in Flynn’s eyes like he is ready to kill someone to protect you, and that’s something he has tried to hide from everyone including himself the last few months. So, something big has happened, and no matter who you are or what you own, or how you do business, if you are important to Flynn, you are just as important to us. As annoying as he is, for some reason we are kind of fond of him.”

I don’t know what it is about Nic, but from the moment I met him, I knew that he would always be a big part of my life, and this is why.

He is the calm to my crazy storm in life.

“Well, some of us have the choice, but I unfortunately have been stuck with him since birth, and I just haven’t been able to shake him. And believe me, I’ve tried.” Forrest looks very pleased with himself. I don’t know what is going on with him lately, but his jokes are getting better, and I’m even proud of the timing of the delivery.

“Asshole.” I would have punched his arm if he was standing closer.

Rem raises his hand. “And I’m just here because I’m sick of being on the back foot with this one, so I want to know what is going on now to try to be on the front foot this time.” He is actually the most serious with his reasoning for why he is here.

I look toward Broderick to see if he can beat all of them with his answer.

“What?” He is looking at me. “I’m just here because you ordered me to. But yeah, what he said.” He points at Rem.

“Felisha, this is Broderick Jones, our security specialist for the four of us. He doesn’t work in the business as such but instead has the pleasure of working on more sensitive things outside the normal scope. Also now known as Nic’s mum Sally’s partner.”

He steps forward, extending his hand to Felisha’s and gives it a quick squeeze, rather than a business handshake. More like a fatherly reassurance that he will look after her just like he does with us.

“Okay, well now you have all said your piece, sit down and get settled. I’ll give you the outline, and tomorrow we can start to brainstorm, before Forrest, Felisha, and I get back on the jet to London. Because another night is not going to make a difference with this information. It’s going to be a process, I feel, to get to the bottom of this. But you, you have thirty minutes, and then I’m kicking you out of the room no matter what you say.” I point my finger at Nic, and he just smirks at me and gives me a nod.

All of them find seats in the room, and I can feel Felisha tensing next to me, anxious for what she is about to tell them.

Taking her hand in mine and placing the other on her cheek, I turn her face toward me. “Do you want me to tell them, or do you want to repeat what you told me?”

Her face rests in my hand, closing her eyes for a brief moment while she makes her decision.

“I can do it.” I think she is convincing herself more than me.

“I know you can.” Kissing her forehead, I then give her the space to pull her toughness out and start her story. Which truly is her story to tell, not mine.

Straightening her spine, sitting up taller, she pulls her shoulders back as she begins to share why she is here.

I didn’t have to explain that she could trust them. She knows that if they are in this room then I trust them, and that is enough for her.

There were a few times she blinked back tears, and she didn’t share everything she told me, and that’s okay, because she told them the important parts. And watching the look on all their faces when they heard that the person behind it all was her father was probably like looking at a mirror of how I reacted. Pure rage from every single one of them. Without a doubt they are on her team, and together we will help her. Emphasis on the helping and not trying to just take over and fix it for her, that would be disastrous.

After a small discussion, the guys left, and I knew that Broderick would be working behind the scenes tonight, and by the time we talk tomorrow, he will have some information to start off the discussion.

I hope the others are going back to the wedding reception to enjoy the rest of the night. But I know it will be in the back of their minds, because how can anyone hear that story and not be left with a sick feeling in their gut.

“Crawl into my bed, princess. I just need a quick shower.” The wedding had been on the beach, and I can still feel the sand in between my toes and that dry-salt feeling on my skin. I’m not a man that has some nightly routine, but I do want to feel clean when I take her naked body in my arms tonight.

“Okay,” she replies as she wanders toward the bed, and I don’t waste time closing the door into the bathroom and strip off the clothes from the wedding. Being Nic’s best man was the biggest honor, and the day was beautiful, but I know I will always remember his wedding day for totally different reasons than he will.

Not bothering to put any clothes on, I walk back out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped around my waist. The vision before me takes my breath away for a moment.

The clothes that Felisha had changed into after her shower are neatly folded on the chair in the corner of the room near the bed.

Her naked body is lying with her back to me, and her still slightly damp brown hair is now fanned out on the pillow and down her back. The white sheet is draped across the dip in her lower back, and as stunning as she looks and is almost making me salivate, there is something just not quite right with the vision.

Her body is tense.

The muscles in her back are switched on, and her shoulders are hunched up under her ears. This is not what a relaxed woman who is finally about to give in to her desires and spend the night with the man she has been pushing away should look like. Just standing and watching her for a few minutes, she isn’t moving, and seeing the speed her chest is rising, her breathing is too fast for someone in a peaceful state. As much as I tried to use the shower to shake my anger, it’s still there bubbling away furiously under the surface.

Not really being able to tell if she is crying silently or sleeping, I make my way around to the other side of the bed so I can see her face.

And just like the rest of her body, there are worry lines across her forehead and no smile in sight. But her eyes are shut, and although she might not be crying now, there are still wet streamlines down her cheeks, the evidence that she has been while I was in the shower. Every essence of my upbringing tells me how wrong it is that an almost forty-year-old woman is crying herself to sleep from something her father has done to her. I can’t imagine how hurt she feels deep in her soul.

Has she ever had a man in her life who truly wants to take the weight of her life for her for even a moment? To just let her breathe and not feel like she has to fight every single battle. Someone to protect her, support her, and walk beside when she needs them, ready to step in front of her when she asks. Because I’m damn sure her father has never been that man for her.

Well, that changes tonight.

She’ll never be alone again.

Dropping the towel to the floor, I gently pull the covers on my side of the bed back and slide in next to her. The movement makes her stir slightly, not enough for her to open her eyes but enough for me to take advantage and move her. I shift her onto my arm and pull her head onto my chest, wrapping both my arms so tight around her so she feels secure. As she resettles herself on me, she lets out a long sigh.

“Sorry…” Her mumble is so soft and sad.

“Nothing to be sorry for, princess.” I kiss the top of her head, just trying to reassure her that she doesn’t ever need to feel that with me.

I can hear her breath starting to even out a little more, and after about ten minutes, her body finally starts to relax and mold into mine.

Having her naked body sleeping on top of mine was not how I imagined this day ending. Her arriving at the wedding was so far out of left field, but part of me is pumping up my ego that I was the one person she chose to run to.

I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to sleep, and after looking down at her to check she is okay and then staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, I could finally feel my eyelids falling.

And the dreams that I have been having for months are gone, because the reality of my dream is now wrapped up here in my arms.

“But if it shows that I traveled back to London on the Darby private jet, then my father will know my alias is actually me.” Felisha has a concerned look on her face.

“I think you are overthinking this. He is not some super spy or computer wizard.” I’m worried that she is going to slip into that anxious state again.

Instead, she throws her hands in the air and rolls her eyes at me. “Well, he managed to fool us, didn’t he.” She looks so frustrated. I can tell it bugs her as much as it does me that we didn’t work out it was him.

“Don’t even go there.” I answer a little more aggressively than I should have, but just thinking about it sends reams of anger through me.

“Too late, I already did.” She places one hand on her hip while poking a finger into my chest with the other.

“If you don’t believe me that it’s not a problem, then by all means, take the alternative and fly back in economy the same way you got here.”

“God, no!” Her high-pitched squeal tells me how much fun she thought that trip was. I bet that’s the first time she has ever flown on a commercial airline, let alone in economy. “There are too many people, and they touch you. Do you know how small those seats are and how close to each other! They smell, kids are screaming, the food is shit, and you have to share a bathroom with two hundred people. Germ central! God knows how many people have shagged in that toilet.”

I can’t help it, I just start laughing.

“What? What’s so funny?” she snaps, glaring at me.

“So, a normal long-haul international flight.” I remember my first flight to Australia and how cramped my long legs were and how drunk I was when I finally landed in Sydney. I figured if I couldn’t sleep then I might as well try drinking until I passed out. Unfortunately, that didn’t work, and I just got off the plane feeling seedy and so freaking tired. “You can now tick off your bucket list spending a day in the life of an average person.”

“Ughhh.” She pushes me in the chest hard enough that I take a slight step backward but just as quickly step back close to her. “You’re one of them, aren’t you.”

“One of what?”

“A mile-high man, who is proud of screwing a woman in the filthy toilets. I mean, how the hell do you even fit two people in there?”

“It’s doable.” That’s all I’m answering, because I don’t want to have this discussion with her.

“Knew it.” She shakes her head as she slowly drops her head onto my chest. “What am I getting myself into?”

“Oh, you have no idea. Pity it’s too late to back out now.” I lift her head and kiss her softly on the lips. “It’s time to go, and although your body is going to hate you for this, since you only landed twenty-four hours ago, but we need to get to the plane for takeoff. Luckily this time you can sleep, and if you are lucky, maybe you too can join the mile high club.” Winking at her and taking her hand, I lead her to the door of our bungalow and out to our waiting car.

“I’m actually okay with that. The heat and humidity here are killing me, and look at my hair. It’s becoming frizz central without all my products.”

And there she is, my high-society girl.

We are flying home with Forrest, while Rem is staying for a few days to holiday with his family, and Nic is on his honeymoon, while Nic’s mum Sally and Broderick are visiting Sydney. My brother and I will be holding down the fort until the others return. It was already about to be a busy time, but now we have just added a whole other layer of chaos.

“Flynn, Felisha.” Forrest greets us as we enter the jet. He is already seated in his normal single seat at the window on the left-hand side of the plane. I don’t know how it happens, but even though my brother and I were raised exactly the same way, we have grown up to be very different people. I am spontaneous, in no need for routine, fly by the seat of my pants kind of guy. Forrest, however, is the complete opposite. Needs to sit in the same seat every time, can only wear certain fabrics, loses his mind if he doesn’t have a plan or a routine. His day is usually planned out perfectly, and not that I want to think about it, but he probably schedules in his sex partners too. I shudder thinking about my big brother having sex. There are some things you just don’t need to have visuals of, and that’s one of them.

“Forrest, hard at it already,” I say, looking at him with his laptop open and typing away. I usually would have led with some smart comment about him being in my seat or anything to annoy him, but strangely enough, I kept it to myself this morning.

“Just checking on everything from yesterday. Plus, I told Nic I would look at a few things he wanted me to keep an eye on and send him a message before we take off.”

“Tori will kill you, you know. He is supposed to be on his honeymoon.” I start laughing at imagining Nic sneaking his phone out at the first opportunity he can, making sure everything is as it should be.

“Well, she doesn’t know the man she married very well then. There is no way that man can turn his brain off.” Forrest smirks as he hits the last key and looks up at us both as I’m guiding Felisha to the double seat across from him. I give her the window seat although it’s where I would usually sit. I love watching the takeoff and landing, and there is something special about looking out at the skyline in the different time zones’ light across the sky.

Felisha stops, though, and sits in the seat on the aisle, not looking at me but already strapping herself in. If that’s what she wants, then I’m not going to argue with her.

“Like you boys would be any different. We are all workaholics. You have no idea what it’s been like the last two days having no access to my computer and relying on Harper to keep pretending to be me. I’m so anxious I feel like I want to jump out of my own skin.” Her fingers are fidgeting on her legs.

“Hang on to this one, Flynn, she gets it.” Forrest points his finger at Felisha. “But for you, my one piece of advice is run now, fast! This guy will drive you crazy. So don’t complain later that I didn’t warn you.” His attempt at being funny is actually what we needed for Felisha to be a bit distracted and stop thinking about feeling so isolated.

“Hey, I’m the perfect catch,” I sass, taking my seat and pulling my seatbelt on while I pretend to be offended.

“Maybe I need to do a bit more due diligence before I commit to this arrangement.” Winking at me, Felisha then turns to Forrest. “We have a long flight, plenty of time to tell me every embarrassing story about your brother that you can think of.”

“Don’t you dare.” I glare at my brother who has plenty of ammunition against me, at the same time as he replies, “A twenty-two-hour flight won’t be long enough for all the stories I have.” With the biggest smile on Forrest’s face, I’m starting to regret getting on the same flight as him. This could be dangerous.

The more Forrest brings up stupid things we did as kids, that of course I’m refuting, the more I see Felisha relax, and that’s all I care about at the moment. That and of course seeing her get to know my brother, because that is important for me. As much as I have felt like I was in his shadow all my life, his opinion is what I crave. It won’t change what I do in life, but nevertheless, I want his approval, as crazy as that sounds.

After a few hours of talking and being served some food and drink, Forrest excused himself because he had work he needed to do. Putting his headphones on, we are now on our own, and as much as I wasn’t joking about Felisha joining the mile high club with me, now is not the time. Not with my brother on the flight too and Felisha still so edgy that I don’t want to upset her with even suggesting it.

I can tell, though, the moment we stopped talking, that her eyelids were looking heavy, and the exhaustion of the last few days is about to hit hard.

“Come on, I’ll show you the bedroom and you can lie down and sleep.”

Sitting up straighter in her seat, she snaps back at me, “I’m fine, I’m not tired.”

Man, this woman’s stubbornness is going to test me because I’m not known for my patience either.

“Mm-hmm. Well, I disagree. We are going to the bedroom anyway.” Standing and taking her hand, I pull her up off the seat and turn her, walking her to the back of the plane. The whole time she is mumbling under her breath, and I’m trying not to laugh.

As soon as the door is closed, she spins around, and with her determined face, whispers in a harsh tone, “We are not having sex with your brother right outside.” She steps back a few feet from me like it would help protect her from me.

I could string her along and get her worked up, but that defeats the purpose of getting her to rest and catch up on some sleep.

“True, we aren’t. You are sleeping, and I am resting too. Neither of us got much sleep last night.” Memories flood into my head of the early hours of this morning when she woke from her sleep crying and begged me to take away the pain in her heart. There is only so much a man’s restraint can take. What started as slow and sensual lovemaking quickly turned into hot, hard, and heavy sex that only had us thinking about our bodies and the connection they had. Everything else just slipped into the darkness.

“Don’t look at me like that was my fault.” She is still whispering, but there is a little bit of underlying sexiness to her words, and I tell myself to ignore what that voice does to me.

“I’m not, but I’m telling you the moment you start begging, I’ll always give you what you want.”

It’s like she is tucking that piece of information away for later as she smiles, steps forward, and goes up on her toes to kiss me on the cheek. “Noted.”

With that, she then crawls onto the bed next to her and snuggles under the blanket. Taking one look at her, I know it won’t take long before she won’t be able to fight it any longer.

“I just need to talk to Forrest about something, I won’t be long.” Leaning down, I kiss her on her forehead. “Just relax, and I’ll be back.”

Turning and walking out of the room, I close the door, and I know the hum of the plane’s engine will have her snoring in minutes. I might not have gotten much sleep either, but I’m used to surviving on very little from all my years of chef work.

Walking past Forrest and taking the seat opposite him, he takes off his headphones and looks at me like he is confused.

“Thought you were heading to bed, hence the noise-cancelling headphones. Should I be worried it was over that quickly?”

“Very funny. I’m a gentleman, I wouldn’t embarrass her like that.”

“Bullshit. She turned you down, didn’t she.” Asshole thinks he’s funny, although he’s close to the truth.

“Sleep is what she needs. Plus, gives me a chance to talk to you alone.” I lean back in the seat, raising my hands and running them through my hair, then let out a long breath that I feel like I have been holding since Felisha walked into the wedding.

“You okay?” Forrest puts aside his laptop and sits forward, giving me his direct attention.

“No.” My mind is still spinning, trying to pigeonhole all the emotions that are running loose inside. The anger, frustration, and confusion are mixed in with the elation that the woman I couldn’t get out of my head—and that had me questioning my life choices—is now here, with me. And finally admitting to herself how she feels about me. It’s what I was silently praying for, but I wish that it hadn’t come at such a high cost to her.

“What do you need from me?” And that is why I love my brother. No matter what is happening in our lives, he is always there for me.

“I know Rem and Broderick are doing all the background work and investigating they can, but I need to do more.” Sitting up straight, I’m determined to get my own plan in action as soon as I can. “And I need your help.”

“Go check she’s asleep, and then let’s get started.” Forrest grabs his laptop and moves to the table we use as a workstation when we are collaborating while flying together.

Slowly opening the door to the bedroom, just as I suspected Felisha hasn’t moved from where she was when I left the room. Her mouth is slightly open, eyes closed, and her long eyelashes are fanned on her skin. The sleep looks more peaceful than last night, and I don’t know if that’s because we are on our way home and she is feeling more in control, or if it’s just that she feels safe with me. I hope it’s both.

Harper has planned for the Kentwall jet to land at the airport just before us so Felisha can meet up with her and leave together in the car so all looks normal. Of course, if someone on the plane mentions that Harper was the only passenger, then we have a problem. Her father hopefully doesn’t suspect something is wrong, so he would have no reason to be looking at flight records.

Taking one last look at the woman who is quickly becoming the reason I breathe, I know I’ll do anything to protect her. She won’t like it, but I’ve come up with a backup plan that hopefully we will never need, but if I’ve learned one thing, it’s that you can never have enough options in these situations.

I grab my laptop on the way to the table where Forrest is set up and waiting.

“What’s your plan?” Forrest looks up from his typing.

“You’re not going to like it.”

“No doubt, but tell me anyway.” He is looking at me, waiting for the bombshell he suspects I’m about to drop on him.

“I need you to help me gain control of Kentwall Estates.”

His face tilts sideways slightly. “Don’t you mean for Felisha?” He picks up straight away that I said for me.

“No. I want control so I can bury that bastard and make him pay. Then I will step down and sign everything over to Felisha.” I start to type notes in a blank document I just opened.

“You’re right. I don’t like it. In fact, I hate it. It’s the stupidest fucking idea I have ever heard.” He slumps back into the leather chair and sighs.

“But you’ll do it anyway. Now tell me how.”

“Does Felisha know about this fucked-up plan?” Forrest already knows the answer but is asking anyway.

“No, and you aren’t to say a word. She’d never agree to it. But even if she did, I don’t want to get her hopes up about anything and then fail. She’s already had one man she thought she could trust let her down, I don’t want to do that to her too. It would crush her.” My head is down, and I’m not looking up at him to see his disapproval.

“What makes you think I will agree to this either?” Forrest grumbles at me.

Looking up finally, I know my determination is written all over my face. I’m not backing down on this.

“Because I’ve never asked you for anything before, but I’m asking now. I need you, and Felisha needs this back-up plan.”

Glaring at me, he throws his hands in the air. “Fuck. Alright, I’m in on one condition.”

I was feeling a moment of relief until he said that, and my heart races a little waiting for his next sentence.

“You tell Nic and Rem. We promised no more secrets.” There’s fire in his eyes, and I know he won’t back down on this, but I totally understand.

“Agreed.” Standing, I step out from behind the table.

Forrest does the same, and I wrap him in a hug. “Thank you, love you.” I probably don’t say it enough to my brother, but I mean it.

“Yeah, yeah, love you too,” Forrest says as he pulls back, and we both move to sit again.

“Let’s do this before I change my mind,” Forrest says, looking at me, and then as he drops his head to look at his computer, he starts mumbling. “I’m going to regret this, aren’t I, little brother. You are a such a fucking pain in the ass.”

He’s right. I am a pain in the ass! Regret will be the least of my problems if Felisha finds out, but I don’t care.

Ewan Kentwall, I’m coming for you!

You picked the wrong man to take on as an easy target.

Because if your daughter doesn’t burn you to the ground, then I certainly will.