Chapter 29
Thomas stood in the hotel corridor with a coffee to go in each hand.
“It’s quite late for breakfast…how about brunch?”
I took one of the cups and hooked my arm through his.
“Yeah, let’s do that. What time do you think Will is getting back today?”
“We’ll have to wait and see,” he said.
Kirsty waived when we entered the hotel restaurant, and as the host seated us, Ethan joined us as well. He kissed me on the cheek and tapped on the chair next to me.
“Good morning, darlin. Mind if I sit here?”
I was happy to see him. And I hoped it meant that Will wouldn’t be far behind.
“Of course not. You can help me choose something.”
“Don’t worry about the menu. I’ll get us hooked up.”
Ethan summoned the hotel manager, gave her orders for an early tea at our table, and insisted she come back and sit with us.
Within minutes, we had cups of steaming Earl Grey, fancy sandwiches, petite cakes, and scones with cream and jam spread out in front of us. I sampled everything while listening to Ethan ask for a lavish cocktail party with a well-stocked bar for the private fifth-floor lounge.
He planned for The Hastings Group to host a client gathering that evening.
“House wines, champagne, both?” the manager asked Ethan.
“No house wines.”
Then he turned to me.
“Shall we order some Dom Pérignon, Ellie?”
I smiled with a nod, then realized what he’d meant.
“That sounds nice…it’s okay for me to be there?”
He nodded at the manager to dismiss her.
“Yes, of course. Everyone is excited to meet Will’s girl.”
“What?”
“Yeah, well, everyone’s seen your photo with him. In any case, sharing our personal interests is important in this business. Investors and buyers want to know we have lives outside the firm. They’re more comfortable riding the market fluctuations knowing we’re a solid family business with staying power.”
“So which one of you did the sharing?”
“I couldn’t have stopped him from going on about you even if I’d tried.”
I smiled at the thought of Will thinking about me when he was gone.
Ethan stood abruptly, surprising me, and offered his hand.
“Come with me, darlin. We have an appointment with the commissioner.”
“The police commissioner? What? But where is Will?”
He shook his head and grabbed my hand, giving a little tug.
“Neither of you would benefit from his inability to control himself. He can’t restrain his drive to protect you, not even with the authorities.”
The back of my eyelids stung with unshed nervous tears.
I wasn’t sure how to get through the interview without him…Will was my rock.
“Listen, Ellie. I ordered my brother to stay away from this meeting and warned him not to discuss it with you in advance. I won’t have him investigated.”
Ethan was right. I needed to push back my fear and trust him, because we couldn’t let Will gamble with his freedom.
So, nodding, barely breathing, I squeezed Ethan’s hand, and he took us through the lobby to a private meeting room.
The interrogation started and ended in a gentle manner. Will’s lawyer attended in his place and supplied the commissioner with an acceptable list of procedural questions.
Commissioner Brown was kind…I liked him from the moment he entered the room.
He had compassionate blue eyes and gave comforting smiles as he laid out the questions. And I could tell he and Ethan shared some level of friendship and respect between them.
“Once again, for the record…you arrived at your home at approximately ten minutes before eleven p.m., and at that time, when you found your sister and your grandmother lying on the floor, there was no one else in the house?”
“Yes, other than my niece, Lissie, that’s true,” I said.
Ethan rose from his seat beside me.
“Come on, Commish. You’ve asked these questions, and Ellie willingly answered. We’re done here. But do me a favor…send my personal regards to Stonington’s captain.”
The commissioner nodded in solidarity before turning to me once more.
“Thank you, Ms. James. I’m deeply sorry for your losses. And I want you to know that I’m personally offended by the American police captain insisting we put you through this.”
“Thank you, Commissioner Brown,” I said.
Then he and his detective, who had quietly observed, left the hotel, and Ethan walked me to my suite. We stopped outside the door.
“You’re quite tense. Maybe have a hot soak, Ellie. Everything will be all right. Will should be here soon.”
Ethan kissed my hand before I closed the door.
I pushed out a long, slow breath, so grateful for the time alone.
I finished dressing in front of the full-length mirror while waiting for Will.
I couldn’t wait to see him.
Choosing to save my new red dress for a more intimate evening with Will, I put on one of my old black cocktail dresses and some strappy stilettos. As I straightened, my blonde tips swung over my shoulder, reminding me how dramatically I was changing. All the changes liberated me in some bizarre way.
A mischievous smile hit my face, and I nodded at my reflection.
Abrupt knocking at the door startled me, then Ben’s voice came through.
“Ellie, open up.”
I jerked open the door.
“Why are you here…where’s Will?”
“He couldn’t reach you. Why didn’t you answer your phone? Everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I left it in Thomas’s car. He said he’d bring it up to the lounge. Where is Thomas anyway?”
“Ethan wanted to see him.”
“Will should be here by now,” I complained.
“He’s still in a contract negotiation. He’ll meet us upstairs.”
“Did he mention anything about today’s papers?”
“Briefly. He’s better than the rest of us with managing the press, so I’m quite sure he’ll deal with it in some way. Anyway, let’s get up to the reception. Christ, I need a drink.”
“So he knows about everything that happened?”
Ben nodded.
“Yeah, he knew yesterday. Grab your bag.”
I grabbed my purse and my sketch portfolio.
When we arrived at the lounge, I said hello to Ethan and then ducked out onto the rooftop terrace to take in the amazing view.
The sun was only just setting over Manchester Square.
I began sketching the northern skyline, where a historic church’s graceful steeple reached for the clouds. The Gothic style made it look like the towers of Westminster Abbey.
Goose bumps raised on my arms at the very second Will arrived…his intense stare heated the bare skin on my arms and my back. I stole a sideway glance at him and smiled.
He stood in the doorway, leaning against the frame, watching, grinning…so handsome, stunning the world in his elegant gray suit.
I desperately wanted to run to him, but I managed to wait and let him come to me.
When he stepped onto the terrace pavers, my protection detail moved inside.
Will’s warm scent closed in on me from behind, and then he wrapped his arms around me. He inhaled against my hair and twirled one of the blonde tips around his finger before pushing strands out of his way to kiss the butterfly on my neck.
I let my head fall back against his shoulder.
“I’ve missed you, Will.”
“Turn round and kiss me, baby.”
My heart flipped.
I turned and searched his eyes. I was stuck there…lost in him.
Unwilling to wait any longer, Will covered my mouth with his and kissed the breath from my lungs. He took everything from me with that savage kiss. One kiss, and he owned me.
He pulled back and moved his gaze up and down my body.
“You’re much more than beautiful to me, Elle. You’re my angel.”
Then he drew me against his body again, pressing his erection against me, and pushed his tongue into my mouth for more. He gripped the nape of my neck, so I couldn’t escape his kiss, and his other hand slid up my thigh beneath the hem of my dress.
His throat vibrated as he brushed the back of his fingers over my lace panties.
“I need you…need to be inside you.”
The terrace spun. I was flying high.
“Me too,” I breathed.
Someone at the doorway cleared his throat…Ethan, no doubt.
Will ignored it and pushed another kiss deeper, drove it beyond a kiss with his fingers caressing me beneath the lace, flesh on flesh.
I broke the kiss, panting against his mouth, and pulled his hand away.
He smirked.
I punched his shoulder. God, he’d almost made me come.
Will kissed the tip of my nose.
“Ethan said the interview went well.”
I nodded, still catching my breath.
“I’m taking you home tonight.”
“What? But?—”
“—I’ll bring you again, Elle. I’ll shut down Hertford for an entire evening for you when it’s safe. But right now, I want you back at Eastridge.”
Hertford, the mansion in Manchester Square that housed the Wallace Collection.
I peeked around his shoulder and smiled at my view of the gardens and the silhouetted mansion against the glowing amber backdrop.
“I know you will.”
And I did know. Because he’d stop time for me if he could.
He pressed his smiling lips against my forehead.
“Tell me what’s going on, Will.”
“The paparazzi shouldn’t have known your name. I was quite careful about that. Someone else fed that information to them.”
“You mean it was the men coming after us?”
“It was a warning. We’ll leave right after this cocktail party.”
A cold rush of anxiety slithered through my body.
“They’re getting closer,” I whispered.
He tightened his embrace.
“Make no mistake, Elle, they’re coming after us. You’ll be safe at Eastridge, I promise.”
“But what about you? Are you coming back to London?”
“James is maturing into his position quite nicely. He can manage most business on my behalf, but clients do expect to see me. Investors expect to deal directly with me. And I need to look into questionable transactions Ethan made while I was away. The stakes are high in this business, baby. Our success depends on aggressive leadership.”
“Okay, yes, I get it. Who is James?”
“I’ll introduce you inside. He and others want to meet you.”
“Could I see your office sometime, Will?”
He grinned.
“Yeah, I don’t think the boss will mind.”
His smug little smile, his wink…it made me ache for more, and he knew it.
He slid his hands down to my ass.
“I won’t come back until I’ve had you a full night in my bed.”
Then he led me inside, where more people had gathered.
The room became pin-drop quiet, and everyone just stared.