Chapter 40
The mattress dippedand my hand immediately felt for him.
“Go back to sleep,” he whispered.
“What time is it?” I murmured.
“Late. Or early. Depending on who you ask.”
I was exhausted, my body limp and sated from all the orgasms. Not just from the limousine ride home, but from the one in the entrance hallway.
The moment we’d closed the door to my house, Bones had pulled a condom from his pocket, sheathed himself, and then he’d lifted me against the wall to fuck me into oblivion. I’d barely managed to take off my dress and heels before tumbling into bed; makeup and jewelry still on.
I sat up, the sheet falling off my naked body. I reached for the clasp around my neck and set the heavy thing aside. My earrings followed. No doubt my pillow was stained with makeup.
With a sigh, I threw my legs over the side of the bed.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Bathroom. I’ve got to wash my face.”
I padded naked to the bathroom and quietly closed the door before turning on the light. I immediately dimmed it.
My hair was a rat’s nest. Bones had plowed his fingers through it and removed the pins that held it up all night. After I cleaned my face, I brushed my hair out, wincing at the snarls.
When I was finished, I quietly trekked back to bed. As I climbed in, Bones reached his hand out and urged me toward him.
I snuggled into his embrace. His heart drummed heavily in my ear. I waited for his breathing to even out, but I waited in vain.
“You’re awake,” I stated.
“Yeah.”
“I thought you went to sleep when I went to sleep.”
“I did. Got a phone call that woke me up.”
“Everything okay?” I asked quietly.
He paused for a moment and then he said, “It was an interesting night.”
“I guess.”
“I heard a lot of things. Things that made my antenna go up.”
“Such as?”
“For starters? I had no idea your father was the founder of Spencer Pharmaceuticals.”
“Oh, back to that, are we? You already know I have money?—”
“Hayden, you’re a fucking heiress.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you’re not just rich, you’re fucking ultra-rich. Your father’s company is worth?—”
“One point two billion dollars. That’s public knowledge, and I thought you already knew that.”
“How would I know that? You didn’t tell me you were the Spencer, of Spencer Pharmaceuticals.”
“Okay, maybe I should’ve told you about my father’s company, but I didn’t because I have no interest in taking a seat on the board.”
“Even if you don’t take the seat on the board, you’re still worth over five hundred million dollars.”
“And why do you think I’ve kept you at arm’s length for as long as possible? Hm? You don’t know what it’s like having this much money. People will do anything to get it.”
“Hayden, I’m not that guy. I don’t care that you have money. Honestly it would be easier if you didn’t. But our worlds don’t have to be the same for me to love you.”
“I grew up how I grew up. There’s nothing wrong with that,” I said.
“I didn’t say there was. And I didn’t grow up poor. I grew up…normal.”
“Okay, normal.”
“And this isn’t even what I was getting at.” He sighed, his hand plowing through my loose waves.
“Then what are you getting at?”
“When you were in the bathroom and I was waiting for you, Tyler found me and we had a talk.”
“Tyler? He talked to you? About what?”
“Actually, it wasn’t so much a talk as it was a statement. He told me it looks like Arnold hasn’t sat me down yet and told me how it’s going to be. When I asked what the fuck that meant, he said Arnold spoke with him a few weeks after your father’s funeral. Arnold told Tyler there was no way in hell he’d let him marry you. That he might as well give up then because he wasn’t getting his hands on your money or your company. Hayden, your stepfather—before he was even married to your mother—all but threatened Tyler into dumping you. If he didn’t, he was going to destroy Tyler and everything he was working for.”
I blinked. “Wait, are you telling me?—”
“That Tyler didn’t dump you because he wanted to. He was made to dump you. Your stepfather was directly responsible for that.”
I shook my head. “But why would he do that? And why wouldn’t Tyler tell me?”
“To protect you, I’m sure. You said Tyler was only twenty-three when you broke up. He was young enough to be swayed then. But he’s never gotten over you. He’s still in love with you.”
“How do you know that?” I demanded.
“Because he told me that was why he was at the gala—to win you back.”
My head was reeling. “Win me back?”
“That’s what he said. He wasn’t expecting me to be there, though. He planned on leaving after he saw us together, but before he did, he sought me out to warn me about what I was getting into.”
“Bones, I don’t love him. I love you.”
“I know.”
“All this time,” I murmured. “I thought Tyler didn’t have a spine. I had no idea… And what the hell was Arnold thinking? Ruining my relationship on the heels of me losing my father? What the hell?”
“I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but Tyler actually seems like a decent guy. He saw me with you and didn’t try to break us up just so he might have another chance with you.”
“I don’t want Tyler,” I insisted. “Even knowing what I know. I want you.”
Bones cracked a smile. “I know that too. Are you gonna be okay?”
“I will be, but when we see Arnold tomorrow night, I’m ripping him a new one.”
I wasn’t sure what had startled me awake, but my heart jumped into my throat and my eyes opened.
Something’s wrong.
Bones curled his hand around my hip, as if he was silently telling me not to move.
A noise in the room had the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, and just as I was about to ask Bones what was going on, the sound of his pistol going off rang in my ears. A flash of light from the gunshot illuminated a man in all black wearing a ski mask.
He scuffled in the darkness and ran off down the hallway into the night.
“Stay here,” Bones commanded as he jumped from the bed with his pistol still in hand and sprinted from the room.
I flipped the bedside light on and curled my legs up to my chest as my eyes scanned the room. Drops of blood were on the wooden floor at the threshold of the door. Bones had wounded the intruder.
I lived in a high-end, safe neighborhood, and I had a professional security system. How had this happened?
I was still naked, and I felt exposed. I got out of bed and quickly threw on a pair of sweats and a sweatshirt while I waited for Bones to return.
He came back to the bedroom, a scowl marring his handsome face. Bones marched over to the nightstand and grabbed his phone. He quickly unlocked his cell and pressed a button. He put the phone to his ear and waited. “I’m at Hayden’s. Someone just broke into the house…yeah, we’re okay.” He paused for a moment while someone on the other end of the line spoke. “No signs of forced entry so far as I can see. Security system didn’t even go off.” He paused again. “Wounded, but he’s gone. I didn’t want to leave Hayden so I’m back in the room with her. We’re safe. Right. See ya.”
He hung up. “Pack a bag.” When I didn’t move, he barked, “Hayden, pack a bag. We’re not staying here anymore.”
I jumped off the side of the bed and grabbed my jewelry. I went to the walk-in closet and unlocked the hidden jeweler’s safe behind one of the drawers in my custom-built closet.
“Bones,” I called out, my voice hoarse.
“Yeah?”
“Bones, I—we set the alarm.”
He appeared in the doorway of the walk-in closet as I put the jewelry inside and locked the safe.
“We set the alarm before we went to bed,” I repeated. “That means?—”
“I know, Duchess.”
I swallowed. “Then you think—this wasn’t?—”
He stalked toward me and grasped my cheeks in his hands. “Pack your bag, Duchess. We’ll talk at the clubhouse.”
“The clubhouse? We need to call the police first and tell?—”
“No. No police. We’re going to the clubhouse and staying where I can protect you.”
I closed the drawer over the safe, hiding it from sight and then ran my hands up and down my arms which were covered by my old, faded sweatshirt. “I don’t need to pack a bag. I have a bag of clothes already in your room.”
“Right. Then let me get dressed and let’s get out of here.”
“Who did you call?”
“Colt. He’s sending a few guys to come clean up.”
I swallowed. “There’s not much to clean up. I mean there’s a little…blood. But no broken glass or anything.”
He didn’t reply as he came further into the closet to the drawer with his clothes. He pulled out a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved black shirt. “I didn’t think to bring a pair of spare motorcycle boots. I’m gonna have to wear my dress shoes.”
I grabbed my fluffy, comfortable boots and took them to the bed. My hands shook as I put them on.
“Hey…” Bones crouched in front of me and grasped my cold hands, holding them in his. “You’re okay.”
“I’m okay.” I nodded. “Because of you.”
He pulled me to him and wrapped me in his strong embrace. I buried my head against his neck and whispered, “I’m glad you sleep with a pistol on the nightstand.”
Bones paused for a moment and then said, “I never thought I’d actually have to use it.”
“What’s happening, Bones?” I asked, rearing back to meet his eyes. “First the gunman outside Leather and Ink, and now this? Is it just a coincidence?”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t believe in coincidence.”