Rules of Her Sins (Their Sins #1) (12 page)

Chapter

Twenty-Four

Jesse

Holy hell, his house is as beautiful on the inside as it is on the outside. His house makes mine look like a shack. Who would’ve thought that a single guy would live in something this gorgeous. I take my time getting to the powder room, looking around as I go. I pick up my speed, as I want to look around for a few before I head back.

The powder room is as amazing as the other parts of the house I’ve seen. The room is tiled in gray slate tiles, floor to ceiling. The sink looks to be solid slate. The faucet is the design that makes the water look like a waterfall. The water cascades down the sink into the drain. Even though there aren’t any windows in this space, the lighting makes you feel like you’re not closed in.

I quickly wash my face and hands and proceed to dry them off on one of the fluffy towels laying on the towel rack. I place the towel in the laundry basket.

I walk out and stop. Aedan must have turned on the lights while I was in the restroom. The chandelier is stunning. Instead of being round, it’s rectangular, and it feels like it’s raining down light in every direction. The rotunda is open all the way to the second floor and the landing circles around the chandelier.

I’m in awe. I didn’t hear Aedan coming up behind me. He gently touches my shoulder.

“Ahhh! Oh my God, I’m sorry. I was lost in the beauty of this room. The lights make it feel like it’s raining in here.”

“The biggest splurge in the house. My sister, Leigh, is an interior designer. She said this was the newest of in chandeliers. It’s Swarovski Crystals. She said I had to have it. I told her whatever as long as I get to keep my man card. She decorated every room in the house except my man cave.”

“Aedan Hughes has a man cave? This I have to see.” I laugh because he doesn’t seem like the sports jock type of guy.

“I’ll give you a tour after we eat.” He smirks.

He walks me back in the kitchen, which is completely modern. The bar is stone with comfortable bar chairs. All of the appliances are stainless steel. He has a huge stove, which makes me scratch my head. He’s the only one that lives here, or at least I think it’s only him here.

He must have seen the look on my face.

“I have Sunday dinner here with my family. My sister has four boys that love spending time with their Uncle Denny.” He smiles at me.

His smile melts the remaining tension I was holding onto. I sit down and take a sip of my beer. I don’t want to chug it, even though I feel like doing that. I pick up the large sandwich Aedan made for me and take a bite.

“Mmm.” I moan with my mouth full.

“I take it you like it? I didn’t know what you wanted on it, so I kept it simple. I added a little brown mustard and mayo. I was hoping that you liked both,” he says before he takes a long sip of his beer.

“Yes, thank you. I’m not very picky. So…how are we going to handle this? My father knows that I have sexual relationships because I haven’t been the quietest about my sexual tendencies. I mean, I understand now why he had me sign the contract, but at the time, I was livid. I was out of options, though. I guess this is where the part of me fighting for what I want falls in, huh?” I half smile.

He smirks at me. “Honestly, I’m not worried about your father at the moment. I’m more worried about who is sending the emails and calling. That is what worries me. Whoever it is is good. My top IT guy hasn’t been able to trace them yet.”

Are you freaking kidding me? “Why are they targeting me? I’m not that important of a person. I mean, I know my father has money and is extremely successful, but I’m nobody at this point in the game.”

“Well, that is where you’re wrong. You’re the daughter of one of the most powerful men in the investments world. Even though you might not know it, ever since you left for Indiana University six years ago, you’ve had a surveillance detail. However, seems as though the team wasn’t as proactive when you met Chet, since the background check came back clean. We’ve been a lot more vigilant since you’ve came back, and you’ve been under surveillance twenty-four-seven for the past two years. That is why I’m thinking that the person who is emailing you and calling is actually part of my team. No one besides me and the team know that you are getting the company in a few weeks.”

“Why aren’t you worried about my father? I mean, he can decide not to give me the company.”

“If I have to, I’ll tell him I’m the one who couldn’t stop.”

“Oh, so you raped me?”

His eyes open wide at my accusation. “Shit, that’s not the way I wanted it to come out.”

I smile back at him to let him know I was being a smart ass. “So, why me? Out of all the women I’m sure you’ve been with, why do you want me?” I have to know this.

“Well, honestly, I’ve had a crush on you since I first saw you. You were getting ready to go to college and I was starting with your father. I took you to the airport when you left for Indiana. There was something about you that I couldn’t get out of my mind. I’m sure that sounds crazy, but you know how you get vibes about someone when you meet them? Well, that was how I felt about you. Actually, how I still feel about you.”

I look at him, trying to figure out if he is for real or if he is giving me a line of shit. He clears his throat and continues.

“I’ve dated around, nothing serious. My thoughts always came back to you. I guess it’s a little hard to think of anyone else when you have to watch someone twenty-four-seven, three-hundred-and-sixty-five. You consumed me even when I wasn’t watching you.”

Say fucking what? “Why did you start coming onto me a lot stronger the past couple weeks?”

“Because I wanted you to know I wanted you outside of work. I was over the game I had to play. I know everything you’ve been through. All. Of. It. And it doesn’t scare me. I want you. I wanted to take you in my arms in the office this morning. Right now, I want to take you upstairs in my bed and let you know exactly how I feel. I think we are past the awkward how-do-we-feel-about-each-other stage in a relationship. I want you, you want me; I can see in your eyes and emotions. I want you in more ways than one, and since I’ve had a taste of you, I want more of you, but not tonight. You need to get some rest because today has been a long day.”

“There’s no way you know it all. There is much more than just reports. I’m a person,” I reply.

“Jesse, I know more than you think I do because it’s my job to know everything. That is why this phone call is driving me insane. But when I think you’re ready for me to reveal all that I know about you and your past, we will sit down and talk about it. Right now, I am grabbing your bags and I will take you to the bedroom suite you can stay in. It has an en suite shower and a king size bed. You should be comfortable in there.”

“I guess I have no other choice?”

“At this exact moment, no.”

“Lead the way then, sir,” I huff. I stand up and he swats my ass.

“I’ll show you
sir
.” Aedan grins.

***

Aedan

I leave her standing in the kitchen and yell for her when I reach the rotunda. I am going to put her in the bedroom across the walkway from me in case she needs anything. I need to call McCoy to let him know she’s with me in case someone else says something to him about her being with me.

She finally catches up with me and we walk up the open staircase. When we make it to the top, she looks at me in amazement.

“This is gorgeous.”

I know she is used to being in multimillion-dollar homes. I wonder why she thinks mine is so much better.

“Thank you. The second door on the right is the bedroom you can stay in. My room is across the hallway. You will find access to the bathroom in the back right of the room.”

I turn on the lights, take her in the room, and show her where the bathroom is.

“Don’t forget to call Laney; I am sure she is worried about you. I have some calls I need to make myself. You can get to my office through the bathroom if you need anything.”

“Thank you. I think I am going to call Laney and shower, and then go to bed. I appreciate you helping me get this figured out. I’m letting you know now, I probably will still freak out at some point, but right now I’m okay.” She gives me a small smile.

“I can live with that. I know I gave you a lot of information tonight, and I was hoping I wouldn’t have to, but it happened. I will help you get everything figured out. All I ask is that you don’t push me away. I want to help you. I want you.”

With that, I turn around and leave the room. I don’t give her time to respond to my statement.

I go to my own room and quickly shower. Afterward, I throw on my clothes and head to my office. I normally don’t use this office, but I want to be able to keep an eye on Jesse. I have a top-of-the-line security system in the house, and I can watch the CSTV feeds up here. No, I don’t have cameras pointing toward the beds, but at the windows. I want to make sure my house stays safe. Plus, I have some wild nephews who will probably try to sneak out in a few years.

I pick up my phone and press the button that calls Mr. McCoy. He picks up on the third ring.

“McCoy,” he says in his normal gruff tone.

“It’s Hughes. I wanted to let you know that Jesse is with me at my home. Someone sent another email, stepped up the game, and called her at work today. She didn’t want a visible security detail, so I made her come to my house. I think it’s an inside job, but I don’t know all the details yet.”

I hear him sigh, followed by silence.

“Do I want to know what was in the email?”

“Sir, you don’t. It was sent through her school email and it was addressed to Mrs. Boston, so whoever sent it to her knows about her relationship with Chet.”

“I see. Well, you’re there and I’m not. Sounds like you made a good decision to keep her with you. Don’t let her sink her claws in you. I know how she can be. She can be very persuasive, Hughes.”

“Sir, I believe I have her under control. She is upset and I’m certain she is mad at me for bringing her here, but this is how I can make sure she is safe until this person is caught. Is it okay that we take off of work tomorrow so she can get some things from her house and get situated here? I’m not taking my eyes off of her.”

“That’s fine. I’ll call the forty-eighth floor to let them know they need to send someone up to cover the phones. Let’s get on this and catch the son of a bitch who is tormenting my girl.”

“Yes, sir. I will call you tomorrow with an update. Are you still coming home on Sunday, sir?”

“That is the plan as of right now. I’ll have Wade send you the details once I make sure Chantelle is happy. I know I’ll be home by next Saturday. I want to watch my Jesse graduate. I think handing her the company will be a hell of a graduation present, don’t you?”

“Yes, sir.”

And the line goes dead.

Chapter

Twenty-five

Aedan

I feel someone watching me. I look up and Jesse is standing outside of the office door.

“How much of that conversation did you hear?”

“Probably more than I should have. Do I really have to stay here? If I’m not safe, what about Laney?” She looks defeated.

“Laney is okay, for now. I have your house under surveillance.”

She huffs. “Then why can’t I go home?”

“Because I told your father you were staying here with me so I can make sure you’re okay. I promised your father that no one would hurt you again.”

“How do I know that you aren’t going to hurt me?” She turns, walks back to her room, and shuts the door.

Shit. I am really going to have to work on getting her to trust me. I thought, with everything we have been through, she would be more trusting. I swear that if I ever get my hands on Chet, I will kill him. I will make him pay for breaking my beautiful girl. She might not be mine now, but she will be.

I turn off all the screens in my office and head to my bedroom. I normally don’t sleep with any clothes on, but tonight, I leave my lounge pants on.

I get into bed and my thoughts drift to the woman who has captured my mind and heart. I wish she were in bed with me so I could protect her from everything she fears. One day…I hope one day very soon.

With that thought, I drift to sleep.

***

Jesse

I can’t sleep. I keep tossing and turning. All the information I learned in the past five hours keeps replaying in my mind. I’m still a little freaked out that Aedan turned out to be Levi. I really don’t want to be alone in this strange house.

I get up, go to Aedan’s room, and knock on the door. I don’t hear anything. I knock again and open the doors.

“Aedan?” I say, but he still doesn’t reply. “Aedan? Please wake up.”

“Jesse, is everything okay?”

He turns on the light next to his bed. I can finally see where I’m going.

“I can’t sleep and I really don’t want to be alone. Can you please hold me?” I don’t want to sound needy, but I need someone I trust to protect me.

“Yes, of course. Come here.”

He gets out of bed and hugs me. I release the breath I’d been holding in case he said no.

He releases me and I crawl into his bed. His bed smells like him and that makes me smile. He gets into bed and turns off the light. He pulls me into him, and the last thing I can remember is him kissing my hair and telling me to sleep well, beautiful.