Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
J asmine sensed his presence a second before his hand slipped beneath the fall of her hair and clamped her nape.
“Is the evidence sufficient?” he asked.
If he provided any more evidence, a jury wouldn’t need to deliberate. She wasn’t surprised he’d returned once she’d finished. Based on his surveillance of her family, bugging her phone, and the cameras in his New York penthouse, she knew the great room was probably rigged as well. He’d excused himself to give her time to look through the files and come to her own conclusions before returning to hear the verdict.
It was tempting to believe Roth had doctored the evidence and her family hadn’t made such terrible choices, but his investigation was too thorough and meticulous to disregard. Also, there were details and contacts she could personally verify, which led her to believe the other data was certified and true.
“With this level of surveillance, they could charge you with stalking,” she said, her gaze on the view instead of the man pressed against her side.
“I’d be happy to show the court why I felt the need to look into their whereabouts.” He stroked the side of her neck with his thumb. “What are you going to do with what you’ve learned?”
“I have to talk to Ariana.”
“About?”
She looked up, realizing he hadn’t granted her permission to discuss what she’d learned with anyone. “I can’t let her addiction continue. She’s endangering herself, her family, and the company.”
When Roth nodded, she relaxed.
“I’ll talk to Ariana before I get Colette involved.”
Broaching a topic like this was sure to be uncomfortable and unpleasant, but she had no choice. There was a high probability Colette would fire Ariana out of hand if she knew about her addiction, and if that happened, Colette would be forced to return to her role of CEO less than a month after having Polara. Considering Colette’s difficult delivery and high stress levels, she wanted to keep her eldest sister in baby bliss for as long as possible. But if confronting Ariana about her addiction wasn’t enough to compel her to get clean, she’d have no choice but to tell Colette.
“What about Rami?” Roth asked.
Before she’d read his file, Jasmine wouldn’t have hesitated to confide in her brother-in-law. Rami had always been kind and a voice of reason, but with what she now knew, she found herself second-guessing the wisdom of involving him in Ariana’s intervention. She realized she was mimicking Colette by cutting out the husbands and trying to sort out their problems within the sisterhood, but after reading about Rami’s past, she couldn’t help but feel leery of him. Could there be a reason other than shame that had kept Ariana from confiding in her husband?
Jasmine wouldn’t hesitate to confront Ariana about her secret, but Rami’s association with a violent underworld—one he potentially owed a favor to because they’d carried out crimes on his behalf—was another matter entirely. She had no intention of touching Rami’s past with a ten-foot pole.
“Is it possible Rami paid off the organization and there isn’t a pending debt?” she asked.
“If that group is as smart as I think they are, they knew a favor at a later date when Rami had more power and influence was far more valuable than money.”
Her hands twisted together. “Do you think Ariana knows?”
“No.”
She looked up. “How can you be certain?”
“If Rami had told her, she would have gone to him about her addiction without fear of judgment.”
She had to concede he was probably correct about that. “What about Kye and Bailey?”
“Rami’s not a stupid man. He knew who he was dealing with—the risks and consequences that came with it. Hopefully, he’s prepared for every contingency.”
“And if he isn’t?”
He gave her nape a gentle squeeze. “I’m keeping an eye out.”
An hour ago, that would have sounded ominous. Now, all she felt was overwhelming relief. It was disturbing how quickly her perspective could change. She’d thought she was protecting her family from Roth. Now, the tables had turned.
She stared at the mountain of paperwork. “How many people are you investigating?”
“Enough.”
“Do you investigate everyone you do business with?”
He nodded.
“Your employees? Johan, Mo, Sarai?”
“Yes.”
“Do they know?”
“Johan and Mo, yes. I’ve never discussed it with Sarai, but I’m sure she’d understand.”
“Grayson?”
“Yes.”
“It must cost a fortune to survey all these people.”
“Knowing ahead of time what I’m getting into saves me more in the long run.”
She turned sideways on her chair to face him. “You must have hired a team to spy on my father. Did you uncover something you were able to use to your advantage when he blackmailed you?”
His double blink was gratifying. So was the warm approval in his eyes and the faint, wry smile.
“The rose-colored glasses are coming off,” he said.
She tamped down the flash of pride. “What did you find?”
“I have my suspicions but no concrete proof, since Maximus employed others to do his dirty work for him.”
“Just tell me what you think he’s done,” she said impatiently, unable to stand the suspense. She already knew of some of her dad’s illicit activities—blackmailing and destroying his son-in-law’s business, blackballing those he deemed unworthy of being in his vicinity, and strong-arming any who dared encroach on his territory.
Roth brushed back her hair as he said, “I don’t want to fill your head with theories. The sins you know about are enough.”
It was her turn to double blink. He was skirting the issue to save her from more emotional trauma. She shouldn’t let him get away with it, but she was still reeling over what she’d read in the reports. Just this one time, she would let it go.
“I doubt lack of evidence, stopped you from using your theories to your advantage,” she said.
His eyelids drooped over glittering, predatory eyes. “It rattled him. That was enough.”
Her father and Roth had been a match made in hell, always trying to gain the upper hand, even if it was for just a few seconds.
“What deal did you make with him?” When Roth raised an inquisitive brow, she copied him. “You’re too much of a businessman to let my dad get his way completely, even armed with blackmail.”
He braced his hand on the table and leaned in, so their faces were inches apart. She didn’t know how to interpret his flat, level stare. She couldn’t tell if he was upset, flattered, annoyed...
“Your father was a brilliant strategist known for his uncompromising nature. He managed to stamp his name on every major city in this country. What makes you think I was able to negotiate any terms when he had the upper hand?”
“Because you’re you. You don’t care about the odds. You don’t back down from a fight. He tried to make an example of you. Instead, you became his best protégé and beat him at his own game. You know how to turn anything to your advantage.”
His eyes brightened during her speech, though his expression stayed neutral.
“Tell me the terms you negotiated with him.”
“He threatened to show my blackmail to Grayson, William Davies, and other valuable contacts I’d acquired if I didn’t sign the divorce papers,” he said without inflection. “That wouldn’t have dissuaded everyone from doing business with me, but it would have made things more difficult and affected future deals.”
Her pulse tripped. He was sharing. She couldn’t fucking believe it. She tried to keep her expression bland while celebratory fireworks went off in her chest. “And what did you ask for in return?”
“That he’d stop interfering in my business outside the US.”
She cocked her head. “In Colorado, you said he kept at it until the day he died.”
“Yes. He continued to trip me up here and there, inconveniences he thought I wouldn’t notice. If he could finesse someone out from under me, he would. I saw that as him saving me time. I don’t want anyone around me who can be bought or influenced by outside parties, but he never stopped interfering completely. He couldn’t help himself. He hated seeing me advance in the business world.”
“And in the interim, you built a case against my family to blackmail them, in case...” She searched his eyes as her mind navigated a maze of motivations and possibilities. “In case Dad passed your blackmail onto them so you’d be at a stalemate?”
His eyes flared before they narrowed with sudden hunger. “I take it back,” he rumbled as he tugged her to the edge of the seat.
“What?” She braced her hands on his chest, but that didn’t stop him from taking her mouth in a deep kiss.
“If you wanted to, you could run circles around your sisters.”
Far from being angry, he seemed delighted she’d correctly deduced why he’d investigated her family.
“But...” She gave herself a shake and scooted back on the seat. “Why not use what you have against them?” She held up a hand. “Not that I want you to, but you have enough evidence to make Rami dance like a puppet on a string. He was worried about an article being published—what you have here is an open-and-shut case. And Ariana and Colette will do anything to protect their reputation.”
The fact Roth had been quietly collecting evidence over the years and had yet to cash in on his hard work demonstrated amazing restraint. He hadn’t needed to become the majority shareholder of Hennessy there was the thrill of adventure, the fear of the unknown, and the very real danger of being swept overboard. The only reason she’d been able to handle him in her youth was because he’d held back the force of his personality. Now, he wasn’t. The reality of him was terrifying.
Roth was playing a high stakes game of revenge, extortion, and blackmail that she wanted no part of. She should get out before it was too late, but where would she run to? Her sanctuary was Tuxedo Park, and it was too close to the city for her peace of mind. Roth wouldn’t hesitate to show up several times a week, somehow bypassing security and her locks to fuck her brains out. That wouldn’t do. She had to move out of state. Better yet, another country...
“I won’t let you go.”
She raised her gaze and locked eyes with the monster.
“You still think you can walk away—that you have a choice. You don’t,” he informed her with the same nonchalance he’d use to comment on the weather.
She lifted her chin. “You think you can keep me locked in your tower forever—that no one will notice?”
“The idea has merit.” He didn’t break eye contact as he covered her hand on the table and ignored the way it balled into a fist. “The princess attracted a dragon who guards her vigilantly, making sure no harm comes to her.”
“Yet, she’s in the most danger from the beast who calls himself her protector,” she quipped.
Something swam up from the depths and peered at her from the dark pools of his eyes before it retreated.
“The dragon is a lonely, jealous beast who’s experienced very little kindness, but he’s trying to change.”
She shifted restlessly on the damp towel. “The princess doesn’t like being locked up. She stares out the window, longing for freedom.”
He brushed his thumb over her white knuckles. “The dragon can grant her freedom she’s only dreamed of. Riches beyond her wildest imagination and access to whatever her heart desires.”
He leaned down so they were mere inches from one another.
“The dragon’s fought many battles and lost many things along the way, but he’s committed to making the princess happy. Whatever it takes.”
She swallowed to coat her suddenly dry throat. “And what will happen to the rest of his hoard if he spends his time locked in the tower with her?”
He ran his tongue along her lower lip. “She’s the most precious thing in his hoard. Everything else is inconsequential.”
She ignored the way her heart leapt at that. “What will the dragon do if a prince shows up to save her?”
He nipped her lip, making her jolt. “He’ll be incinerated.”
She was referring to Mo and Johan staging a rescue mission, but she should have used a different label. “And if she begs to leave?”
He picked up her hand and forced her fingers to unfurl, examining the crescent marks on her palm before raising her hand to his mouth. Her fingertips twitched as he lapped at the indentions in her skin.
“He’ll find inventive ways to persuade her to stay locked in his lair with him.”
She snatched her hand back and ran her itchy palm over her thigh. “Knowing what I know, how can I trust you?”
“You trust me when I say I’ll help your sisters? When I promise to look out for your niece and nephew?” He paused to give her time to contradict him. When she didn’t, he planted one hand on the back of her chair and the other on the table. “So, you trust me with your family, but not yourself?”
As always, he was cutting through her arguments and getting straight to the heart of the matter—a truth she hadn’t even admitted to herself. It wasn’t him she didn’t trust, it was herself. She’d once loved this man beyond all reason and was afraid he could bring her to that point again—ignoring the facts because love made her blind and stupid. The emotions he evoked, euphoric highs and soul-destroying lows, scared her. Their chemistry was more potent than ever. Even now, she could feel it buzzing in the air between them, urging them to be skin-to-skin and fall into that addictive madness so few ever experienced. She wanted normal, sedate, sensible. He was the furthest thing from that.
“You’re going to destroy me,” she whispered.
He cupped her cheek. “I can’t destroy you without destroying myself.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we start here.” When she shook her head, he growled, “Do you see nothing of the man I used to be? Nothing worth taking a chance on?”
Her breath hitched. “There’s so much I don’t know.”
“You know more than anyone else,” he countered.
“But I still don’t know what your secret is.”
His hand dropped like a stone, and his expression melted into the familiar impassivity she hated.
“You’re so careful and methodical. You say my father stumbled across your secret by chance. You’re not one to leave evidence behind, so what was on that disc?”
His body was rigid with tension. She didn’t let that stop her from reaching out to stroke the intimidating face that made her weak with desire and fear.
“Were there files of investigative reports on the disc?” Her eyes slid to the paperwork on the table before coming back to him. “Or was it a video?”
The sunlight hit his eyes, making them shimmer like obsidian coins. She still thought he had the most captivating eyes she had ever seen. No matter how many times she had him look into the light, there was no trace of brown. They were fathomless pools that showed any who looked into them only a reflection of themselves, and rarely anything of their owner’s thoughts.
“You make sure you know everything about everyone around you. You’re privy to their darkest secrets. Does anyone know the real you?” She ran her hand down his neck before landing over his heart. “Will you ever tell me what you did?”
“Is that what it’ll take?”
She froze. His hand covered hers, pressing down so she could feel his heart thundering away while his face remained stoic and composed.
“When I can trust you won’t use it against me, I’ll tell you.”
“You…?” she choked before she grasped handfuls of his shirt. “I promise?—”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he said, throwing her line from the night before back at her. “You wouldn’t hesitate to use it to get out of this. I don’t blame you, but after all I’ve done to bring us here, I’m not going to hand over the weapon that’s kept me in prison for four years.”
Would she use his secret against him to gain her freedom? Possibly. His concession to tell her in the future was nothing short of miraculous... unless he was saying this to placate her and give her false hope.
“I’ve been as open and honest as I can be,” he said in a driven undertone. “There are things I can’t tell you. Things you’re better off not knowing.” He gave her a severe look when she stiffened in offense. “Your father didn’t tell you everything. Lyle and your sisters can’t either. But what I can, I’ll share. And I want you to do the same.” When she frowned, he said, “We’re a unit. If something happens with your sisters, Lyle, or anyone else, I want you to come to me. I’ll deal with it.”
She couldn’t imagine running to him to tattle on her family, but she wasn’t going to argue.
“Tell me you’re staying.”
Her heart leapt into her throat. Automatically, she averted her gaze and began to draw back. “I don’t think...”
He gripped her hips to keep her in place.
“I know you have every reason to leave, to not give me another chance, but I’ll tell you this. The moment I saw you in Colorado, my plans for revenge went out the window. I looked into your eyes and smelled that scent on your skin that always drove me crazy, and suddenly nothing else mattered but finding out if you still tasted the same.”
His eyes bored into hers while her stomach did somersaults.
“You offered me one night, but before I blew my first load, I knew it wouldn’t be enough and it wasn’t. The same insanity that caused me to pursue you and destroy any chance of doing business with your father came back full force. I did whatever was necessary to give me the time I needed to have you here so I could work you out of my system, princess.”
“And you think once the year is up, your obsession will have run its course and you’ll be back to normal,” she stated in a flat tone.
“Do you want more?” He ran his knuckles down her swollen throat. “Could you be happy with a man like me controlling every aspect of your life? The things I’d demand of you, the things I’d make you sacrifice because of who I am…” He shook his head. “The time limit is for both our sakes. We’ll appreciate our time together more, knowing it’s temporary and it stops us from getting too attached.”
His fingers dug into her hips. He dragged her an inch closer as if he needed the extra contact.
“I have a year to wean myself off you so I’m able to let you live that quiet life I can never lead. Do we have a deal?”
She hesitated.
“Jasmine.”
“A-and after the year is up, you won’t blackmail or threaten my family,” she said nervously.
“I already made that promise.”
“Promise me again,” she demanded.
His expression shifted. The monster leaned in and hissed, “I give my word, you give me everything. You can’t have one foot out the door or threaten to leave if I piss you off. Give me a year to live out my dream, and I’ll do everything in my power to grant yours.”
“Your dream?” she said faintly.
“I married you in good faith the first time. I thought we’d have forever, but I should have known it wouldn’t last. I’ll settle for a year instead. We both benefit from the arrangement and then we go our separate ways. Deal?”
The enormity of that promise made her blood run cold. He was asking for a recommitment now that she knew all. She could burn the fruits of his labor and make all his methodical planning moot if she walked. That wouldn’t stop him from going after his enemies, but the rumors of their short-lived second marriage would be a stain on his triumphant comeback. If she backed out of their arrangement, would Roth destroy Hennessy & Co.? Blackmail Rami and Lyle? Would Rami call on the underworld again to get rid of Roth? She blocked that train of thought before it could take root.
Despite his claim that she meant more to him than anyone ever had, there were still too many ulterior motives when it came to their relationship. She wasn’t sure how much of his fixation was her or the perks that came through her. Recommitting herself, knowing what he was capable of was idiotic. This was her chance to fold and walk away.
She didn’t pay attention to him fiddling with her fingers, but when she felt an unfamiliar band hit the base of her right ring finger, she looked down. Everything in her ground to a halt.
A one-carat princess-cut diamond on a simple gold band sparkled, as shiny today as it had been when she spotted it on display. She felt an echo of the elation she’d experienced the day he slipped it onto her finger, and the despair she’d felt as she placed it in the envelope with the divorce papers.
“You kept it?” She couldn’t believe it.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“As a reminder.”
She looked up. “Of what?”
He stared at her, not saying a thing.
Something unfurled between them. Something fragile, delicate, and excruciatingly painful. A tear slipped down her cheek. She shook her head, but he stopped that motion and rested his forehead against hers.
“Say yes.”
She had two options: dig her heels in and try to hold back the tide, or she could give in, attempt to ride the tsunami, and come out on top. She had no illusions there wouldn’t be hardships or challenges or that she’d be pushed to the breaking point. Why did a little voice in the back of her mind whisper that the pain and the pleasure would be worth it? Roth wanted to make up for the past. He meant that—she could see it in his eyes. He’d dropped his shield, allowing her to glimpse a different side of him. It wasn’t the man she’d known but the new him—the one behind the mask. Trusting him went against all rational thought, but it was worth the risk, right?
He was making allowances. He’d let her see what he had on her family, which had opened her eyes to dangers she hadn’t even known existed. He’d vowed to help and protect them. Was Roth her downfall, or would he save them all? It was safer to be his ally than his enemy, but at what cost? Her sanity, most certainly. Possibly her heart, but that had been lost long ago.
“I stay, you stop being an asshole,” she declared.
“I’ll fuck up,” he said prosaically, “but I’ll make it up to you.”
“Promise me, Roth.”
“Your family is safe from me.” His eyes dropped to her mouth. “And your promise?”
“I’ll stay.” She said it fast, before she could take it back. And what did it matter? She wasn’t going anywhere without his permission. Not yet at least.
She gasped when he hauled her against him and ravaged her. She let go of her fear and uncertainty and let him sweep her away, reveling in the strength that could demolish and protect with equal ferocity. When he straightened, her legs were wrapped around him.
Panting, they stared at one another.
“You won’t regret this.” His low tone reverberated with emotion. He gave her another kiss before unwrapping her legs from his waist and stepping back.
“What are you doing?” she asked, nonplussed.
“You need another soak.”
“Why?”
“You’re so tired you’re trembling, and you’ve been shifting on the seat. You’re sore, aren’t you? After another bath, you’re going to bed.”
To her chagrin, Jasmine found herself over his shoulder for the third time in twenty-four hours. “Since when do you care if I’m sore and tired?”
“It matters since I got a second chance.” He lightly patted her ass. “And I promised to take care of the jewel in my hoard.”
His long strides made the trip to the master bath seem to take seconds instead of the minute it would have taken her. He set her on her feet beside the bathtub, kissed her forehead, and turned on the taps. He pulled the hoodie over her head, which rendered her naked aside from her socks. She stared at him through her hair, bemused and unsure of how to react to this version of him.
He caught her watching him and raised one brow. “What?”
“Nothing.”
He cocked his head to the side as he examined her before he grinned. “I’ll eat you out in bed after you’ve soaked. I don’t want you to be so relaxed that you drown.” He pressed himself against her so she could feel his erection before he stepped back. “I have a call to make. I’ll be back before you’re done with your bath.”
She gaped at his back. He just put her through the emotional wringer, teased her, and was walking away? What the fuck kind of relationship was this? She wasn’t sure she wanted it.
“I don’t need you to give me an orgasm! I can do that my damn self!”
“Be careful,” he called over his shoulder.
“Depp!”
He must have remembered what her German curse meant, because his laughter echoed back to her.