His to Master and Enjoy [The Billionaires and Their Playgrounds 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) (20 page)

Such confirmation made her feel good about herself, although killing another human being, however unavoidable, would always leave its mark. Paige still found it hard to believe what she’d done. When she’d entered the kitchen, she’d been stunned to find Nolan with a gun pushed hard against the back of Leon’s head. Her first thought had been that she was part of some sort of surreal nightmare, because the police had only just informed them that her ex-boyfriend was dead, and yet here he was. She sensed he was just about to pull the trigger, too, because she distinctly remembered his chilling words.
The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away
. She’d never forget the sheer menace and malevolence evident in his voice.

A switch tripped in her brain then. She wouldn’t allow her man to die, because she loved him too much for that. Paige wouldn’t let Nolan wreck her life any more than he already had.

The confrontation was here and now, and she wouldn’t shrink from it. Without any concern for her own safety, she rushed back to the living area and took the .38 snub-nose revolver from the coffee table. Like a woman on a mission, she strode straight back to the kitchen, and with Leon’s words,
Use it, and you’d be doing the whole world a favor
, ringing in her ears, she blew a sizeable hole in the back of Nolan’s head without a second thought. She watched him drop like a sack of rags, no resistance whatsoever. He was dead before he hit the floor, and she was glad he was finally gone.

It was only when Leon turned to her on legs that could barely support his weight that the enormity of the situation hit home. He looked so ill, and with his face appearing bloodless, he collapsed almost immediately, his body falling on top of Nolan’s. She knew he wouldn’t like that, and surprised at her own strength, she pulled Leon clear, before dialing 9-1-1.

Goddamn it, for a moment or two she couldn’t even remember the fucking number. That was what stress overload did to the human brain.

Both the cops and the paramedics arrived within minutes. Such was the barely containable anxiety within her, she felt like grabbing hold of the first uniformed officer she saw and saying,
If you guys had done your fucking job right in the first place, I wouldn’t be going through all of this right now
.

When the paramedics knelt over Leon’s almost-lifeless body, she saw them shake their heads as if to say,
This guy’s not going to make it, whatever we do
. The thought of life without the man she loved freaked her out, and a couple of cops had to gently restrain her, because she was starting to panic, screaming at them, “Don’t let him die. Please. Don’t let him die.”

Christ, it was a scary time and one she never wanted to repeat.

She’d traveled with him in the ambulance, holding his hand all the way. By this time they’d got him on a ventilator to help him breathe, because he couldn’t do it for himself. The rest of his vital signs were also dangerously low, and she feared the worse. She’d loved Leon for what seemed an age now, but at that precise moment in time, with all the life support equipment beeping out its constant stream of information, she’d finally realized just how much.

When they reached hospital, they took him straight to intensive care. She could still recall the doctor in charge solemnly telling her that his brain had swollen, and his chance of survival was fifty-fifty at best, and even then there was a distinct chance of irreparable brain damage. She smiled now when she recalled telling the doctor, “If you knew Leon Caparelli as well as I do, you’d know it’s more like ninety-ten in his favor. He’ll never quit, Doctor. He doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”

Realizing that her hair was as good as it was ever going to be, she placed the brush on the dressing table. The constant stream of the running water from the bathroom next door made a wonderful sound, because she knew her man, now fully back to his magnificent best, stood naked beneath the cascading torrent.

That thought alone was enough to make her pussy wet with need. When he’d become well enough to realize that she’d saved his life, his gratitude had been boundless. He’d constantly praised her courage and told her how proud he was of her, and how much he loved her. Oh, yes, Leon always did know how to make a girl feel good about herself.

Her heart lifted when she remembered him being given the all clear to go home. The doctor had just left the room, and Leon had been lying on top of the hospital bed, when she’d excitedly remarked, “Oh, God, at last. You can go home, Leon. I love the sound of that, don’t you?”

He’d smiled and taken hold of her hand, and then brushed his lips to her knuckles. “I’d like the sound of Paige Caparelli even better. Marry me, baby.”

How could she possibly resist when he had that smoldering look to his dark eyes? They were married two weeks later, taking a well-earned honeymoon in Italy. Florence was even better the second time around, especially the long sensuous nights spent alone in a villa with the most gorgeous man alive.

Other good things had come from bad as well. The whole traumatic episode had made her reassess her relationship with her disfigurement. Because Leon, as the owner of Caparelli Motors, was such a well-known personality, the press and television had been all over the story, and she’d decided to take advantage of this. Now Mrs. Caparelli, she’d set up her own charity to help victims of mental and physical abuse like herself. She’d even felt confident enough to give interviews on television and radio with her scars clearly visible. In fact, she’d felt proud to do so, and hoped it empowered other women whose lives had been blighted like hers. To set the charity ball rolling, Leon had donated ten million dollars to pay for six brand-new safe homes to be built across the US, ranging from LA to New York.

Paige instinctively cocked her head to one side when she heard the shower water stop and the cubicle door click open, and she eagerly waited for Leon to walk through from the bathroom. There was one final demon to send packing, and after everything she’d survived, she now felt confident enough to do it. Gathering all her courage together, she took a deep breath, holding it captive for several seconds before slowly releasing it.

Yes, the time is now.

Just the look he gave her as he padded through from the bathroom made her feel special and loved. Totally naked and magnificent, water dripped from his jet-black hair and settled on his well-tanned flesh, before sliding seductively down his body, until the persistent rivulets were finally caught by the masculine hair on his legs. He held a towel in his hand and began dabbing the moisture from his skin.

Deep in thought, she rose from the dresser stool and walked over to him, and took hold of the towel. “Here, let me do that.”

Clearly surprised, he arched a brow, his dark eyes studying her intently. “If you wish.”

A smile spread to his lips as she circled his body with the towel, paying respectful attention to the man she loved.

She guessed she looked pensive, because he asked, “Penny for your thoughts?”

“That obvious, huh?”

“You’re in a world of your own. Want to tell me what’s on your mind?”

She raised his hand, and toweled the water from beneath his armpit. “Everything is perfect now, Leon. I have no more secrets. Nolan is dead, and to top that, I’m proud to say my new name is Paige Caparelli.”

“Sounds good to me, baby.”

“And me.”

He stilled her hand on the towel as she dried his chest. “When you say everything is perfect, I can’t stop myself from thinking, there’s a
but
in the equation somewhere.”

She started attending him again, vigorously drying his powerful thighs with the towel.

“Hmm, you know me so well, Leon.”

“I do, and I think I know what you want.”

Paige let the damp towel fall to the floor, then standing on tiptoe reached up and kissed his lips. Just looking into his wonderful black eyes, she knew she loved him without question. She smoothed her hand along his jaw, hearing the stubble rasp beneath her fingertips. “I think you do, too. I want to replace bad memories with good memories.” She shook her head. “No, that’s underplaying it. I want to replace the worst possible memory imaginable with the best possible memory. Does that make sense to you, Leon?”

When he smiled and nodded, she guessed it did.

“I want you to make love to me while I’m handcuffed to the bed. I want the experience to be so caring and loving that when I think about handcuffs from this moment on, the mere thought will make me overflow with joy every time I recall it. Nolan took the gift of joy away from me, and it’s time I claimed it back, and with your help I will.”

“Oh, baby.” He cradled her in his arms and rested his chin on top of her head before taking a deep breath. “I’ve been waiting for you to come to me with this, and now you have.”

Paige wrapped her arms around him, breathing in his unique masculine scent as she pressed her cheek against his bare chest. The hairs on his warm skin tickled the sensitive flesh of her face, but she didn’t care, and she hugged him even closer, loving him so much it hurt. “You’re Leon Caparelli, not Nolan Wells. Why should either of us be denied something we enjoy, just because of the actions of a deranged lunatic.”

Still naked from her shower, Paige looked up into Leon’s beautiful dark eyes, knowing that she’d pleased him, and a wonderful feeling of letting go surged inside her.

I can do this. With Leon’s help I know I can.

He tenderly cupped her cheek, smoothing his thumb over the corner of her mouth. “I will be gentle with you, baby, but I will give you what you need, what we both need.”

“Yes.”

“Lie on the bed.” His velvety words soothed and calmed her, and she immediately did as he asked.

“Okay,” she murmured before lying naked and vulnerable on the expensive silk.

Sensing her apprehension, Leon squeezed her hand. “Relax, baby.” He then opened the bedside cabinet, and took a bottle from it. “Because I have a special treat in store for you.”

“Oh?”

She watched him drizzle some baby oil into the palm of his hand. “Trust me, this will make you feel good.” After rubbing his hands briskly together, Leon lifted up her left leg, and proceeded to massage the balls of her foot, before paying particular attention to her anklebones.

Naked as the day he was born, her man looked simply gorgeous. His powerful frame, belying the more tender side to his nature.

Feeling far more relaxed with each circular movement he made with his fingertips, she curled her toes in pleasure, and dreamily murmured, “Mmm, that feels so good.”

“I thought you’d like it.” He then proceeded to focus on her right foot. “It’s a well-known fact that massaging the feet arouses the mind
and
the body.” A sensuous smile lifted the corners of his mouth as he looked at her.

“Really?” Paige nodded, enjoying the intimacy they now shared. She stretched her foot, savoring the sensation. “A girl could certainly get used to being pampered like this everyday. I hope I’m worth it.”

Smiling, Leon leaned in and kissed her lips. “You’re worth it, baby, and then some.”

His selfless actions made her feel good, but when she watched him walk across the room, open a chest of drawers, and pull out a set of standard issue steel handcuffs, she swallowed hard.

Acutely aware of her trepidation, he comforted her by saying, “You don’t need to use your safeword, Paige, because I won’t push you that far. I’ll know if you become too distressed.” He held up the cuffs so she could see them more clearly. “Are you sure you’re okay with this?”

She swallowed again. “Yes,” she whispered. “Banish the bad memories, Leon. Please.”

When Leon gently took hold of her hands and held them up to the headboard, a shot of panic seized her, and she felt an irresistible urge to pull away. That was until logic triumphed over fear, and she realized that the guy beside her was Leon, her best friend, her husband, her lover, and not the sick animal Nolan Wells. Breathing easier now, she relaxed, leaving him in total control of her destiny.

She closed her eyes as she heard the metal cuffs click shut, securing her to the headboard. Realizing the point of no return had now been passed, her emotions bubbled to the surface.

“Okay, baby?”

Her lips quivered as she spoke. “Yes, fine.”

“I’ll get that, beautiful,” he whispered as he lovingly wiped away a tear that threatened to run down her cheek.

As she lay naked on the bed with her arms secured above her head, a cold clammy realization dawned. The last time she’d been in this position with a man, Nolan had punched her in the face and broken her nose, leaving blood everywhere. He’d then gone on to…no. That was the past, Leon was with her now, and his loving actions would erase those unpalatable memories from her mind.

On the verge of hyperventilating, she felt his gentle fingers weave through her hair as he leaned in and brushed his lips to hers. “Easy now. Deep breath, baby, I know you can do this.” Kneeling beside her on the bed, his palm rested on her stomach as he waited for her to regain her composure.

Grateful for the small interlude, she took in a sharp intake of breath, and recovering her determination, nodded. “Thank you, and I know you’ll look after me.”

“Shhh, baby,” he murmured in her ear. “Everything will okay.”