Never Ever: Damaged Hero, page 11
I’ve not seen him angry. Is this the side that Bruno was warning me about? “I’m going to head back to the yacht to get cleaned up. When you calm down, we can discuss whatever’s eating you. I’m not your prisoner, and I won’t be treated like one.” I clutch the handle and drive past him, hitting the highest speed it will allow, only slowing down when I reach the yacht and stop alongside it for one of the crew to assist me onto the deck.
“Noa! Wait!” Ever yells my name pulling up to the landing. He hops off and runs the three steps to get to me. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Please forgive my outburst.”
His eyes rocking back and forth with mine are filled with sincerity, and my anger subsides. “You’re forgiven, but I’m still getting a shower.” I turn from him and march across the deck.
“Am I welcome to join you?” He keeps pace with me.
“I’d like to shower alone.” I swing the door open and stomp down the hall to the stairs and into his cabin and directly into the bathroom and turn on the hot water. Two showerheads steam up the shower and fog the glass door. Stripping from my wet clothes, I stand in the middle letting the water soak both sides of me.
“I thought I was forgiven?” Ever is standing outside the door with his arms crossed over his bare chest.
“Fine,” I mutter and slide the door open. “But I’m not in the mood to fool around.”
“I’ll keep my hands to myself if that’s what you want.”
“It’s not your hands I’m worried about.”
He chuckles. “May I wash your hair?” He steps in behind me.
“You know as soon as you put your hands on me, you’ll be hard.”’
“I’ll deal with it,” he says and picks up a bottle of shampoo.
“Why were you so upset?”
“My heart started racing thinking something happened to you. It’s my job to keep you safe.”
“We’re out here in the ocean by ourselves. What did you think could possibly happen to me?” When he doesn’t respond, I turn to face him. “Talk to me, Ever.”
“There are things from my past that you don’t know that could put your life in danger.” His jaw flexes.
“What things?”
“I’m not a saint, Noa.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means your friend was right to warn you to stay away from me.” He doesn’t blink.
“We’ve all done things we’re not proud of, and if it’s something concerning your father, honestly, I’d look the other way.” I touch one of the scars that dips over his shoulder.
“My whole life has been controlled by him, and I’m desperately trying to change that.” He tucks his hand on the back of my neck underneath my soaking wet hair. “You make me want so much more than I deserve.”
I take a step back. “None of this is real. You and I agreed to keep this casual.”
“That’s the thing. This is more real than I’ve ever experienced. I don’t want to let go of what’s growing between us.”
Do I admit I feel the same way out loud? “Our worlds are so different.”
“They don’t have to be.” He gently kisses my parted lips. “You feel the gravitational pull between us. I know you do. I can see it in the way your body reacts to my touch.”
“That’s just sex, Ever,” I rasp against his lips, wanting to deny my growing feelings for him.
He pulls back to look me in the eye. “Is that all this really is for you?”
“I…I…no.” I exhale. “But I’m not ready to go all in. I have some things I need to settle first.”
“I can respect that because I do too.”
“You want more from me, then you have to give me more of you. Your secrets will destroy any chance that we have to make this work.”
“I know, and I promise in due time, I’ll tell you everything. You knocked the wind out of me the moment I laid eyes on you. I knew damn good and well one night with you would never be enough. In all my thirty-eight years, I’ve never given my heart to another human being. I want to give mine to you.”
“This has all happened so fast. A couple of days ago, I was still mourning my husband, and now I’m in the middle of the ocean with a man I barely know and wanting more, but I can’t give you my heart in return until it’s not broken anymore.”
“I’ll heal it for you,” he whispers with his forehead pressed to mine.
“That’s a task I need to handle on my own, Ever.”
He gently places his hands on my shoulders and turns my back to his front, and squeezes shampoo in his hand. “I’ll wait as long as it takes.”
The depth of what he feels for me is overwhelming. I believe him when he says he’s never given his heart away, but I have, and I know the heartache all too well that comes with it.
He washes my hair, then my body, taking his dear sweet time, his cock straining for relief, but he doesn’t make a move to take care of it. When he’s done, he quickly washes himself, then turns off the water, pushes the door open, and grabs a towel. “Lean over,” he instructs, and I do as he says. He lays a warm towel over the back of my head and lightly massages my scalp, drying it. “Stand up,” he says, and I do. He wraps the towel snuggly around my head, and water drips down my chest. I grin when I see him lick his lips, staring at my firm nipples.
“You have such restraint,” I tease.
“Believe me, I’m dying on the inside wanting to touch you, but I’m doing what you asked of me.” He reaches and picks up another towel out of the warmer and softly dries down my neck, over my breasts, then my stomach, and he looks me in the eye when he’s at my most intimate part, but he doesn’t say a word. He travels further south, drying my thighs all the way down to my toes.
It’s the most sensual thing I’ve ever felt, and my body is totally alive. “Hold your arms out.” His voice is husky, and he’s fighting for control. He sweeps the towel around me and tucks it together above my breasts. I step out, and he snags a towel for himself.
“My turn,” I rasp.
“If you touch me, I’m done,” he growls.
“You’re a man of steel. I’m sure you can handle it.” I smile. “Turn around.” I use the same commanding voice he used with me.
His jaw twitches along with another body part, but he faces the other way. Slowly, like he did with me, I dry his shoulders, his upper back, and then the curve of his back where it meets his ass. My mouth is drooling over his muscular body, and he has one fine ass. He presses his palms flat on the tile. “You’re killing me,” he moans, clearing his throat.
“I love that I have such an effect on you.” I pop him on the backside with the towel, and he spins around. My mouth waters at the sight of his cock. “Now the front.” I smirk.
“I think I’ll handle it from here.” He reaches for the towel, but I jerk it away.
“Nope. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
“My gander is throbbing for your goose.” His eyes narrow.
I pat the front of him dry and feel his stare all over my body. Precum is pooled on his tip, and he widens his stance when I lick my lips. “I’d be very careful not to stand too close if I were you unless you want to get dirty again.”
“You don’t scare me.” I leer at him. Unable to control the need bounding between my thighs, I dip my head down and suck him into my mouth. He hisses and bolts his hips forward.
“Shit!” he yells and explodes on my tongue, and I drink him in. His head falls back, and he fists his hands in my hair. “Noa.” He utters my name as if it’s heaven to him.
I wipe my mouth with the towel and then his now-limp body part. “So much for the man of steel,” I tease.
His gaze sharpens on mine. “My turn.”
I squeal and run into the bedroom, where over the next hour, he gloriously devours me, and I let him.
“We have to get out of bed. I’m starving, and I want to get some sun,” I mutter, crawling out of his arms. Wanting to let the daylight in, I meander to the window and open the blinds. “We’re out to sea. I didn’t feel the boat moving.”
“That’s because you were trembling in ecstasy.” He laughs and slithers out of bed, putting on a pair of shorts. “I have a special treat for you today.”
“You mean you planned something other than being in bed?” I tease.
“If you want to eat, you’re going to have to catch your meal.”
“We’re going fishing.”
“Even better. We’re going to get our own lobster, and my staff will be on standby to throw it in a pot.”
My smile grows wide. “You’re right. That is way better. I’ve never caught my own lobster.”
He ambles over to the dresser, where I threw in a few of my clothes and rummages through it. “Do you have anything you can wear that’s not going to have my dick hard all day?”
“Not if I plan on getting any sun,” I snort. “We might need to buy you a pair of blinders.”
“Mmmm…” he hums and looks mischievous. “A blindfold.”
“That’s not what I said, mister.” I wag a finger at him and can’t help but laugh. This man, I really like as opposed to the angry one from this morning.
“Get dressed. I’m going to see how much longer it is to our destination.”
“I’ll meet you on the main deck.” I playfully swat his ass before he walks out the door.
He glances over his shoulder. “I like this thing between us.”
“Me too,” I admit.
14
Ever
“I loved being lost in your arms this weekend.” I nuzzle my nose in the crook of her neck. “But remind me never to compete with you again on catching lobsters. I’ve eaten so many I don’t think I’ll ever want another one.”
“I won’t ever be able to see one without thinking about you. Thank you so much for sweeping me away. It was exactly what I needed.”
I take her hand and lead her down the dock to dry ground, where Luca is waiting for her.
“Aren’t you riding with me?”
“I’m afraid not. I like helping the crew get the yacht settled.” I don’t want to tell her that I’m not going back to my penthouse. Her curiosity will bring questions I’m not ready to answer.
“Just as well. You’d just distract me from what I need to do.”
“You’re going to see the boy, aren’t you?”
“Yes. The sooner I do, the sooner I can move on with my life.”
“I’d offer to tag along, but I’m sure you’re going to tell me it’s something you want to handle on your own.”
“I do, but thanks for the offer.” She ducks her head to crawl into the front seat, and I snag her hand.
“When can I see you again?”
“It might be several days. Besides, you need to get back to work.”
“I’ll miss you in my bed.”
She wraps her arms around my waist and looks me in the eye. “How did we get here?”
“I don’t know, but I’m glad we are. I’ll call you.” After I’ve thoroughly kissed her one more time, I shut the door and watch Luca drive off.
Padding back to the yacht, my mind flashes to waking up next to her this morning in my bed. I woke up in the wee hours of the morning, drifting in and out of sleep and in between, making sure I was touching her. I had no desire to leave or even ever move again. She was right where I wanted her to be. For the longest time, I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, comforted in knowing she was safe in my arms. When I finally returned to the deck where I left her sleeping, my heart started racing with all sorts of ideas that somehow my family had gotten to her. I was frantic and lost my shit. When I found her, I was so relieved yet pissed. She didn’t deserve my wrath, and I’m glad she stood her ground with me. She has guts and handles herself very well, not tolerating my crap.
When she rolled into my arms this morning, still asleep, I inexplicably wanted to kiss her. To trail my lips from the nape of her neck to her shoulders and not stop there. She’d given herself freely to me this weekend, completely trusting I was going to take care of her deep-seated desires, and I find her utterly intoxicating. My fingers idly traced her jawline, and she opened her eyes.
“You’re beautiful,” I said breathily.
She grinned and crawled on top of me, straddling my waist, and we made love on her terms, not mine.
“You have a phone call, sir,” the deckhand hollers when he sees me. “It’s important. It’s the manager of the Ritz-Carlton."
I bound up the stairs, take the phone from his grip, and pace the deck. “Yes,” I answer.
“I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Christianson, but I wanted to inform you that there was a break-in of your penthouse.”
“There are cameras everywhere. Did you see who it was?”
“Whoever did it disabled all the camera’s from the fifth floor up. According to the police, whoever it was, was searching for something.”
“Were there any damages to the penthouse?”
“Only minor, sir.”
“Charge it to my bill. I’ll be there later today to clear out the rest of my things.”
“The police have requested your presence at the station, sir.”
“I’ll make contact with them. Thanks for calling me.” I hang up. “Damn it!” I switch to Luca’s number. “As soon as you drop off Noa, I’ll be needing a ride to take care of some business. I know she’s in the vehicle with you, but did you set up security to follow her?”
“Yes, sir. It’s already begun.”
“I’ll need you to move out of the Ritz-Carlton. You can stay on the yacht until I can figure out something else.”
“Will do, sir.”
“Thanks for being discreet.”
“All in a day’s work, sir.”
The next phone call is to my father. “What were you looking for in my apartment,” I growl.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I hear a low chuckle on the other end of the line.
“Like hell you don’t.”
“You might as well come crawling back to your family on your knees. I told you I’d make your life miserable if you didn’t. Where were you all weekend?”
“You really think I’d tell you,” I scoff.
“I require your assistance on a job.”
“Go to hell!”
“Check your bank account. It’s empty, and until you do as your told, it will stay that way.”
“I don’t give a shit about the money!”
I hear his chair squeak. “I’ll find what you do care about and destroy it.”
“I quit giving a shit about anything years ago.” Noa.
“Everyone has an Achilles’ heel.”
“Even you,” I snarl.
“I took care of my soft spot a long time ago.”
Bastard. He’s referring to my mother. Don’t lose your cool. Get the upper hand.
“Meet me in my office by five today, or you’ll force me to have you physically brought to me,” he seethes.
I hang up, wanting to crush my phone in the palm of my hand. “I have to be smarter than him.” I log onto my bank accounts, and sure enough, he drained the one I left open, but the other accounts that he has no knowledge of are all intact. If he’d agree to let me walk away, I’d give him every dime of it and start over somewhere else. Essex comes to mind with a beautiful, long-haired raven.
My phone lights up with a text from Luca letting me know he’s pulling into the marina. Closing my laptop, I lock it in my safe and jog up the stairs, off the deck, and onto the dock. I rush to the vehicle and climb in the front seat, and Luca stares at me.
“What?”
“You never ride in the front seat.”
“That changes today,” I say, fastening my seat belt. “It was something my father insisted on and a habit I’ll be breaking.”
“It’s about damn time.” He smiles and puts the car in drive. “Why are you having me move out of the hotel?”
“The penthouse was broken into over the weekend. It appears nothing was taken, but they were searching for something.”
“By they, you mean your family.”
“Our family has lots of enemies, but I’d lay my life on the fact that it was a family member or one of their employees.”
“Do you have any idea what they would have been looking for?”
“I keep copies of all the transactions I’ve made. Me walking out on them, I’m sure they are worried that I’ll show them to either one of their enemies or the authorities.”
“Is that where you keep the copies?”
“No, and for your protection, I’d rather not tell you the location.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you dropped Noa off at her sister’s?”
“No, and I waited until your security team parked outside of her building.”
“Thanks for handling it and driving her around. I’ll make sure to compensate you in your next paycheck.”
“No need, sir. I rather enjoy her company.”
“So do I,” I whisper, and make a few phone calls to clients on the way to the Ritz.
Luca parks, and I run inside to find the manager, who is in his office speaking with a police officer. “Perfect timing,” the manager says, getting to his feet. “It will save you a trip to the police station. This is the officer going over the details of the break-in.”
I shake the officer’s hand. “I don’t know how much help I can be. I was gone the entire weekend.”
“Do you have any enemies, Mr. Christianson?”
“I’m a businessman. I’m sure I’ve pissed off a few people.”
“You were targeted specifically.”
“I understand, but nothing was taken, and I’ve already agreed to pay for any damages to the penthouse. If you’ll excuse me, as I’ve said, I was gone, and I’ve got work to do. The penthouse will be empty by the end of the day,” I tell the manager.
“If I have any further questions for you, where can you be reached?”
“The manager has my number,” I say, hustling out of his office. The elevator is empty when I duck inside and ride it to the penthouse. Tables and chairs have been toppled over, and my couch is cut to shreds. “He actually thinks I’d be stupid enough to hide something in my couch?” I scoff. Bottles of bourbon lie broken on the floor, and pictures hang crooked on the wall. The clothes I left behind are in a pile on the floor, and my mattress is also sliced to shreds, lying on its side.
