Breaching the Billionaire: Alethea's Redemption (Book 6) (Legacy Collection) (22 page)

He looked across at Alethea and fought back the immediate impulse to close the distance between them. Instead he asked, “Are you finding anything?”

Alethea looked up with an ironic smile. “That you don’t cross Dominic. He was brutal when it came to business. I see how he made his money. He was relentless.”

“Daddy issues,” Marc said. “He needed to prove he was better. That kind of obsession blurs a man’s morality.”

“That’s the first negative thing I’ve ever heard you say about Dominic. I thought he was your idol.”

Turning his seat toward her, Marc said, “I owe him. He gave me a chance when I didn’t deserve one. I don’t know where I’d be today if I’d never met him. But that doesn’t mean I’m blind to his faults. It also doesn’t mean I don’t regret some of what he’s asked me to do over the years.”

Alethea’s eyes widened. “Such as?”

Marc smiled at her. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.” He stood up and stretched. “And I’m starting to like you.”

He loved the way her eyebrows rose, causing one light line of irritation to crease her beautiful forehead. “Starting?”

Giddiness filled him and he plopped beside her on the couch, resting his arm along the back of it behind her. “It’s a process.” He pulled one of her curls playfully.

She swatted at him. “What, are we back in school now?”

He twirled a long red curl around one of his fingers. “Did the boys pull your hair?”

“When I was little, frequently. It drove me crazy.”

“I bet you kicked their asses.”

“I didn’t, actually. I used to cry. But that doesn’t work, does it?” She reached back and grabbed his hand, stilling it. “You have to make them stop.”

He turned his hand in hers and linked their fingers. “I heard a rumor there is something adults use to resolve conflicts. I believe it’s called communication.”

Alethea shook her head. “Ha ha. You’re hilarious.”

“I’m also right. I know you don’t want to go to the tea later today with Abby, but look at it as an opportunity.”

“To give them all a chance to tell me what they think is wrong with me?”

“No, to let them see you. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re fiercely loyal. Brilliant. Fearless.” He ran a finger down one side of her exposed neck. “And funny. Lil is lucky to have a friend like you. Abby may be jealous of you. She may feel threatened by how close you are to her sister. When people are afraid, they lash out.” He tapped her nose lightly in reprimand. “You, more than most.”

“Why do you care if I get along with them or not?”

He tucked a finger under her chin and turned her face to his. “Because I care about you. If you want those women to accept you, you’re going to have to play by their rules.” He picked up one of her hands and kissed it. “Keep the claws sheathed. And don’t tell them anything.”

“I’m surprised you’re not coming with me to make sure I don’t.”

He said, “You know how important it is to keep what we know to ourselves. If it gets out, we could lose our chance to catch this guy.”

Alethea tightened her fingers around his hand and held it to her stomach. “I won’t say anything.”

He leaned down and kissed her neck. “I know. I trust you. Put all of this out of your head while you’re there and try to find a common ground with these women.”

“That’s easy to say.” Alethea looked at the ceiling and blinked away the tears that threatened to spill over. “I’ve been friends with Lil for more than ten years and I’ve never been welcome for holidays or family events. It never bothered me much, because Lil didn’t have much of a family, but lately it hurts.”

“And yet you’ve remained friends.”

Alethea closed her eyes for a moment and when she opened them, Marc knew she was temporarily far away. “I can’t imagine my life without her. We’ve been through so much together, and we’ve always been there for each other. She and Abby were fighting constantly, and my mother and I weren’t close. We became each other’s family, I guess. I love her.”

Marc pulled her into his arms and hugged her to him. The feelings she’d expressed for her friend touched him deeply.
It made him want more than to have her in his bed again. He wanted to hear her speak about him with that level of emotion—and more.

He wanted to be her family.

He stood up and took her by the hand. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”

She looked down at the paper on her lap and said, “I’m not finished with my section.”

He tossed the paper on the coffee table. “I’m not either. I’ll do it in the morning. Right now I want to hold you.”

She stood and looked up at him, and he’d never seen anything more beautiful than the almost shy smile she gave him. “Okay.”

He swept her up into his arms and carried her to his bed. He laid her down and pulled the shirt over her head, then shed his own clothing. This time wasn’t about rushing or slaking a thirst. This was about holding her to him, bare skin to bare skin. Sex could wait. The list could wait. Nothing mattered except having her there with him.

He drifted off to sleep with her in his arms.

But awoke alone.

Alethea hesitated before ringing the doorbell at Abby’s house. She adjusted the front of her carefully chosen silk blouse. Her hair was tied back conservatively. The style of her pants was classic and nondescript. Even her makeup was toned down.
Yes, I chose my most expensive pair of Manolo Blahniks, but a girl needs a bit of a confidence boost sometimes.

Fearless?

Ha.

Give me a firefight any day over a room of women who want to talk.

She’d found respite in an hour of sleep within the haven of Marc’s arms, but her churning stomach had woken her. She’d stared at the dark ceiling until she acknowledged that sleep would not return. She’d shifted and replaced herself with a pillow, pausing to appreciate the outline of Marc’s muscular shoulders and back in the dimly lit room.

If she were looking for a relationship, which she wasn’t, a man like Marc would hit almost every criteria on her perfect match list. He was intelligent without being socially insecure. Strong without being threatened by her own strength. And flawed. Thank God for his flaws. She certainly had a good share of her own.

A man like Marc could accept her as she was while still pushing her to be better—no different from the way he pushed himself. Unlike any man she’d been with in the past, the more time she spent with Marc, the more she respected him. He was honest, blunt, and he genuinely seemed to want her to be happy.

Alethea swallowed hard. She didn’t want to fail here today. For Lil. For herself. And, remarkably enough, for Marc. She wanted more than anything to tell him she had navigated what was sure to be a minefield of temptation, held her tongue, and left this meeting with a workable truce. They may never be friends, but they could find a civil middle ground. One that allowed her to be close to Lil without the friction it presently caused.

Taking a deep breath, Alethea rang the bell and braced herself.

The door swung open and Lil pulled her through and into a tight hug. “You came, Al, I knew you would.”

Tears welled and were successfully contained. Alethea hugged her friend back, then said, “I will always come when you call, Lil. Always.”

Lil met her eyes and gushed, “When you weren’t answering your phone I thought you were angry with me about springing Marie and Nicole on you. I honestly thought it would make it better, not worse. I feel awful about how that went down.”

Calm. Peace. Control. Truce. “I was just as much at fault as anyone else. You know how I get when I lose my temper. But I wasn’t ignoring your calls. I lost my phone for a bit and things got a bit crazy. Know that no matter how bad you feel, I am just as sorry.”

Lil held her friend’s hand and said, “And here I am again, asking you to give them another shot. I wouldn’t blame you if you turned tail and ran, but Abby promised she’d be in your corner. She wants to work things out between the two of you.”

Alethea nodded. “I want the same thing. I want to be standing next to Abby at your wedding. I know how much that means to you and I’ll do anything to make sure you have that moment.”

Lil bit her lip with worry before she said, “Just one thing. Don’t bring up Stephan or your theories. Keep to safe topics. If they ask you, tell them that you were wrong and thought you’d found something but you haven’t.”

Oh, Lil.
“I’m not a good liar.”

“For me. Just this once. Let Dominic and Jake deal with their business issues—issues you wouldn’t even know about if you weren’t so paranoid. I know what you said you found, but you could be wrong, couldn’t you? People make mistakes. Things look one way, but they turn out to be totally different when you look closer. Let this one go. Don’t cloud today with possible
apocalyptic scenarios. Let them see the side of you I love. Just be you today.”

Lil sounded so much like Marc that Alethea fought back emotional tears again and hated herself for the weakness.
Just be me. I don’t know who I am when you remove what I do.
Like Marc, Lil was asking for what felt like the impossible.

Don’t expect things to get better if you do what you’ve always done.

I can do this.

I can be the friend Lil needs.

I can smile and keep my mouth shut.

“I won’t let you down, Lil. Don’t worry. I’ll play nice.”

Lil linked arms with Alethea and walked through the foyer with her.

Abby met them halfway. Her smile looked a bit forced, but she gave Alethea a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome. Everyone is already in the atrium.”

“Everyone?” Alethea asked, her mouth suddenly dry.

Abby stopped and turned. Her expression changed, becoming more sympathetic and open. “Only Marie and Nicole.
The house is empty. Dominic’s mother is watching Judy and Colby.” She paused, then said, “I’m glad you came today, Alethea. Sincerely. I know we’ve had our issues, but I’m hoping we can find a way to start fresh today.” She looked away and then back. “You’ve been a good friend to my sister and that is what I want to focus on. You love Lil and so do I. It’s time for us to find a way to get along.”

Say as little as possible.

With a tight throat, Alethea nodded. “I’d like that.”

She followed Abby into the atrium. Marie and Nicole stood when she entered. A tense silence filled the room for a moment.

Marie crossed the room and gave Alethea a kiss on the cheek. “Alethea.”

Alethea almost laughed as a clip from an old mafia movie flashed through her mind. Kiss of welcome or of death?

No jokes.

No sarcasm.

Be good.

I should hug the old bitty just to see what she’d do.

No, behave.

Maintaining what she hoped was a friendly smile, Alethea said, “Nice to see you again, Marie.”

Nicole walked up to her, hands clasped tightly before her. “What you said about Stephan really hurt me.”

Alethea took a calming breath. This was about a truce, not the truth. “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention to hurt you.” That much was true anyway.

White-faced, Nicole asked, “Do you still believe that Stephan is trying to sabotage my brother’s company?”

I never said
. . .

Doesn’t matter.

“No, I don’t.”

Not letting up, Nicole pushed, “So, you were wrong.”

Alethea glanced at Lil, who was practically wringing her own hands as she waited.
Lie. It doesn’t matter what she thinks of me. Not being able to get along with her hurts Lil. Put aside your damn pride and just fucking lie.
Face tight, Alethea said, “Yes, I was.”

With an audible breath, Nicole relaxed a bit and covered her mouth with one hand as she said, “Oh, my God, I knew you were, but I needed to hear it.”

Abby stood beside Alethea and said, “Why don’t we all sit down?”

They sat in a circle around an antique table while Abby served tea and passed a plate of scones.

Alethea took her cup obediently and placed it before her. Unlike the other women, she didn’t reach for sweetener or lemon.

Marie asked, “Not a tea drinker?”

Instantly defensive, Alethea sat straighter, but bit back the first five responses that came to her. Finally she said, “Not really, but this is a nice treat.”

Lifting the teapot from the tray, Marie said, “This particular blend is from Ceylon. They say it teases the palate with a hint of ginger and is best with a slice of orange. Milk does not complement it.”

“Thank you,” Alethea said, and reached for an orange slice. “I appreciate the tip.”

Abby said, “I hope you’re here long enough to see Judy when Rosella returns with her. She’s getting so big so fast. Colby will be happy to see you, too.”

Don’t ask.

Don’t get involved.

“So Rosella took them out?”

Abby nodded. “Yes, they needed the fresh air. She took the double stroller and is walking them both at Central Park.”