Chasing Fire (Part 1): The Innocent

  Mara Stone

  Text Copyright 2013 Mara Stone

  All Rights Reserved

  Smashwords Edition, License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Chapter One

  There he was.

  Isabella Lupton looked across the crowded ballroom as if she could sense the very moment Nicholas Pacelli entered the room. Gulping down the champagne in her glass, she gratefully switched it for a full one as a waiter passed by. If she was going to go through with her plan tonight, she would need the liquid courage.

  As the daughter of a multi-millionaire, Isabella had been born to privilege. From the outside world, she had the perfect life, living in a beautiful mansion, with anything she desired at her fingertips. But the simple truth was; she was a prisoner of sorts. Collateral damage of her father's success and the enemies that he had made.

  She had lived a sheltered life, well aware of the dangers her father’s success might bring to their doorstep. It had been drummed into her every day of her life. She had endured the private schools, the strict curfews and even the hulking bodyguards that seemed to follow her every move each time she stepped out the front door. When she’d graduated from college she had looked forward to starting her life, only to have that light inside her extinguished when her father had informed her she would be taking her mother’s place as the representative for all the charity work her father’s company was involved in.

  Isabella’s mother had died of cancer when she was in high school, and her father’s hold on her had tightened with the fear of losing her as well. It wasn’t that she hated her life, but a part of her felt as if it didn’t belong to her. Like it never had.

  But that was all going to change…

  Isabella’s heart began to pound as she watched Nick and his date move further into the room. She looked down, silently cursing herself for choosing a gown that matched the vibrant blue of Nick’s eyes. She was wearing a strapless, sheath dress that was simple, but with a dangerously low neckline that now had her feeling self-conscious rather than sexy. Her breath quickened as she thought about what it would feel like for him to take it off her.

  She shouldn’t want him like this; crave him so much that just the sight of him had her fantasizing about his touch. He was just a man after all. No. Saying that Nick Pacelli was just a man to Isabella was a gross understatement. His hair was black as midnight, and he wore it with a careless elegance only a man of his stature could pull off. He had strong, chiseled features and the face of a fallen angel, dangerous and brooding.

  The low, sultry lighting in the ballroom highlighted his golden skin, casting an aura around him as if he were some mythical god come to life. Suddenly, as if he could feel her gaze on him, Nick looked over and his electric blue eyes seared into her. Isabella forgot to breathe for a moment as their eyes locked; the connection between them was so potent it was as if nothing else existed.

  Looking at him standing there reminded her of the first time she ever laid eyes on him. Her father had dinner guests over that evening and she had been playing alone outside on the back terrace on the far side of the house. She had made herself scarce, as was required of her when her father was entertaining business colleagues at their house.

  One of her bodyguards had snuck in an old, used bicycle for her after she told him that she had never ridden one before. Her father never let her try anything that could be potentially harmful, even something as ordinary as riding a bike, despite her protestations. What kind of fifteen year old has never ridden a bike?

  She had just gotten onto it and pushed off when the side door opened and a man stepped out onto the hidden patio. Startled, Isabella had fallen off, watching helplessly as the bike crashed against the stone wall and the handlebar fell off. Isabella’s scared gaze had traveled up, over the expensive suit then widened as her eyes met piercing blue.

  He had been breathtaking. In the low light from the patio sconces he had been partially cast in shadows, and the darkness seemed to love him just as much as the light. At twenty-four, Nick had become one of the youngest CEO's in the country when he had taken over his family’s corporate empire on the death of his father.

  Shy and awkward; it had been difficult to look the dark god in front of her in the eye. “Please, don’t tell anyone,” Isabella had whispered. “I—I’m not supposed to have a bike.”

  Nick had crouched down in front of her and gentle smoothed a stray lock of hair off her face. “I won’t. Are you hurt?”

  “No. I—I’m fine,” Isabella had stuttered out. She had never been around many men before, and certainly never around anyone as handsome as Nick.

  He had helped her to her feet, leading her over to one of the stone benches. “My name is Nicolas Pacelli.”

  “Isabella Lupton.”

  He had smiled at her, and it was in that moment she had fallen in love.

  Over the years, Isabella had loved Nick from afar. Her father did a lot of business with him, and every time she would see him her heart would flutter with teenage longing. She hadn’t seen him as much as she’d liked growing up, but when she did, he always made her feel special in some way.

  Nick had been a constant in her life, even when he wasn’t around. The day after she’d first met him, a package had arrived for her. It had been pads for her elbows and knees and a bright pink helmet. Her father had studied the gift in confusion until the delivery man pulled a shiny, brand-new bicycle out of the back of the cargo van. Her father had demanded to know where the bike had come from, but there had been no card.

  The following year, Isabella had seen Nick at a party her father had thrown at their estate. She had been forced to attend, and had been pleading with her father to sign her up for driving lessons before he left for an extended business trip the following day.

  “Isabella, this is neither the time nor the place for this discussion. Behave yourself.”

  Isabella had pasted a fake smile on her face as her father had walked away to join a group of his colleagues. She’d retreated to a corner to nurse her wounds in what privacy she could find, when Nick strolled over. She had been excited to see him again, but she knew his penetrating gaze picked up more than she wanted him to see. For a few minutes he had been courteous, but abrupt with her before he left to join the rest of the party. It had only been a year, but so much had changed. Gone was the smiling young man she had remembered, replaced with a man who wore his suit like armor and used his eyes as a weapon.

  After her father had left for his trip, Isabella had woken when their housekeeper had knocked on her bedroom door. Downstairs there had been a studious looking man who quickly explained he was a driving instructor and he’d been retained to teach her. Knowing in her heart it had been Nick who had arranged it, she had tracked down his phone number and called him to say thank you, but ended up leaving a message with secretary instead.

  As she had gotten older, she’d watched Nick with his bevy of beauties on his arm with envy and a little hurt. She knew there was more than just the ten year age difference separating them, but even when she came of age he had still seen her as that same little girl he’d met all those years ago. He had sent her a gift when she had graduated high school, and again when she graduated from college. He was always kind and patient with her, when the rest of the world saw him as a ruthless businessman with very little tolerance for anything less than perfection.

  Their paths had crossed more frequently as she began working for her father, and each time she had seen him, her heart broke a little more. Nick’s tastes seemed to run to the tall, blonde, model type. Isabella might not be considered a model, but she was pretty in her own right with a wealth of rich, chestnut-colored hair and large brown eyes the color of good aged whiskey. She had never grown as tall as she’d liked, but with heels could easily stand at five foot six. Still, none of that mattered because he never saw her, not like she wanted.

  She’d had a few brief relationships in the past, the last of which had ended badly. She had started dating Damien Carter after her father continued to push them together. But what her father hadn’t known was the cruel streak Damien hid from the world. It had started with little condescending remarks, but had quickly escalated. The night he had grabbed her hard enough to leave bruises had been enough for her. She had ended things, expecting her father’s disapproval, but was surprised when he apologized to her. One of her bodyguards had seen the bruises on her arms and had reported it to her father. After that, her father had stopped interfering with her love life, thank god.

  None of the men in her past had captured her heart. How could they when it already belonged to Nick? But she was done waiting for him. It was time to say goodbye to the dream she’d harbored that he would finally notice her as a woman and not just a friend.

  Isabella turned her head, breaking eye contact with Nick as she tried to tune back into the conversation going on around her. Damn him for coming tonight. He wasn’t supposed to be there, not when she had decided to find someone

to help her stave off the loneliness in her life, at least for a night.

  She excused herself from the group she was with and downed the champagne in her glass with a few quick gulps. Heading for the ladies room, Isabella apologized to a gentleman after she bumped into him. His welcoming smile told her he didn’t mind, but she passed on his silent invitation and walked away.

  Once in the ladies room she closed her eyes, welcoming the quiet. Perhaps it hadn’t been a good idea to drink so much. Her head swimming with the effervescent liquid, she ducked into one of the stalls as the door opened and the voices of several women filled the room.

  “I’m telling you, I think it’s going to happen soon.”

  “You’re dreaming,” a feminine voice scoffed. “Honey, a man like Nick Pacelli isn’t ever going to get married.”

  Isabella froze at the sound of his name. The stall she was in was its own individual room, but even though she couldn’t see who was speaking, she knew who they were. It was obviously the icy blonde Nick had come to the event with and the two friends she was never without. Victoria had been seen around town with Nick for the past two months, but she obviously thought what she had with him was more than just his usual short-term arrangement. Silently, Isabella moved closer to the locked door to listen.

  “He will. I have him right where I want him.”

  One of the other women laughed. “Sure you do. Just make sure you read over the hundred page pre-nup that is sure to come with it.”

  Victoria hummed before saying, “Even with a pre-nup I would still walk away with millions. Besides, he is a god in bed. I don’t think I would ever want to divorce him. Why would I leave him when I already have the best?”

  “I thought you said he hadn’t been calling you lately,” one of the women said, not even trying to hide the malicious glee in her voice.

  “Well, if he were done with me he wouldn’t have asked me to come with him tonight, would he?” Victoria snapped. “Come on, I don’t want to keep him waiting.”

  Isabella listened as the other women left the room. Her chest hurt hearing that Victoria thought Nick would be proposing soon. She opened the door of the stall and walked over to take a good look at herself in the mirror. She would never be what Nick wanted, and it was time to face the truth. She was tired of wishing for something that would never come true.

  Stiffening her spine, Isabella turned and left the ladies room, determined to find someone to go home with tonight.

  Chapter Two

  Heading back into the ballroom, Isabella grabbed another flute of champagne from a passing waiter. She took her first sip then froze as she saw Nick move in front of her with a fierce frown on his face. Without a word he reached out and took the glass from her, setting it on a table before she could react.

  “Hey—”

  “I think you’ve had enough to drink tonight.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. “Despite what you think, you aren’t my father or my brother, Nick.”

  “Thank god for that.” Nick’s deep voice lowered. “I want to talk to you.”

  He took hold of her arm in a gentle, but firm grip, leading her further away from where her personal bodyguard stood a few feet from them. The look he gave the guard was enough warning to have the other man staying exactly where he was.

  “I hear congratulations are in order,” she said as soon as they were alone. At Nick’s questioning glance she delicately snorted out a laugh. “Your date. She said you were getting married soon.”

  “She is mistaken. Belle, how much have you had to drink tonight?”

  She waved a careless hand through the air. “It doesn’t matter. I think I may be drunk. I’m not sure. I never have been, you know. Then again, I haven’t done a lot of things, but all that is going to change now.”

  “What do you mean by that?” Nick all but growled out.

  Ignoring his question, she pulled her arm away from him. “Why are you here, Nick?”

  “I was invited.”

  Not amused, she glared at him. “I mean here, with me. Shouldn’t you be dancing with your fiancée or something?”

  He let out an exasperated sigh. “I told you, I’m not marrying her, Belle.”

  She could see the surprise in his eyes. She’d never talked back to him like this. Then again she had always been terrified of losing him, which was stupid because he was never hers to begin with. That thought just depressed her and had her shoulders slumping. She couldn’t seem to gain control of her emotions.

  Why had she had so much to drink tonight?

  “It’s none of my business anyways,” Belle whispered. “You know, I always thought you and I… It was stupid, I know. I’m not like your other women. A man like you would never be interested in someone like me. But I’m done waiting now.”

  “Belle…”

  “I’ve loved you for so long… I hoped that someday you could see me, the real me instead of that teenager you first met. But you…well; now I know I have to let that go. I’m going to start living my life without you now.”

  “The hell you will!”

  Horrified at what she had just said, she quickly moved away from Nick as he reached for her. Desperate to leave now that she had made a fool of herself, she fled the party. It wasn’t until she was outside that she realized she had left her bodyguard inside the posh Manhattan hotel.

  Turning back to head back into the building, it was too late to react as hands grabbed her from behind. She screamed as she flew through the air. The rest of her breath was forced from her lungs as she slammed into the floor. Before she knew what was going on, she heard the side door to the van slam shut, followed by the squeal of tires as the van took off.

  Terror filled her as something was shoved over her head, blocking her vision. She thought she heard Nick’s shout as the van sped away. Fear unlike anything she’d ever known spiked through her, sobering her instantly. She tried to fight back, to no avail, and the pain that flooded her as a fist struck her head. Rough hands grabbed at her hands and feet, and she felt the coarse rope abrade her skin as she struggled to get away.

  Her body was flung against the side of the van as they sped through the streets. Hope filled her as she heard the faint sounds of sirens in the distance.

  Then it was like the world had ended.

  Careening out of control, the van flipped over, tossing everyone inside around as they slid to a stop with a loud screech of metal. Isabella heard a male grunt as she landed on one of her captors, and pain exploded behind her eyes as her head slammed against the side of the van. She thought she heard Nick’s voice shouting out to her, but she couldn’t be sure.

  “Nick,” she whispered, like a talisman against the pain. Unable to fight it, she closed her eyes, welcoming the blackness that consumed her.

  “No!” Nicholas Pacelli shouted as he watched the van flip over, powerless to stop it.

  Early tonight, Nick had felt his heart stop as he looked across the crowded ballroom and saw Isabella. She had been a vision in a vibrant blue gown, her dark hair haloed by the soft light shining from the chandeliers. He had all but forgotten Victoria, the cool, tall blonde he had been seeing for a few weeks until she had yanked on his arm. He had known his interest in her was waning, and had just decided to end things with her that night.

  But none of that mattered as his eyes met Isabella’s across the room. It had been impossible to look away from her then she had disappeared from sight. Tracking her, he saw duck into the ladies room. He’d seen the way she had downed a couple glasses of champagne and concern had him positioning himself so he catch her as she left.

  When she walked out, he could immediately tell that something was wrong. It had been as if the light had died in her eyes. Anger had surged through him just thinking that someone had done something to hurt her, but she had shocked him when she had stumbled over and clumsily made a drunken declaration of love. Was that what it was?

  He had been stunned by her admission, even more so knowing that she had planned on giving up on him before things had even begun. Shock was swept away by the rage that seared through him at the thought of another man touching her. Of anyone else taking what should be his.

 

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