SOAR (The Indigo Lounge Series Book 4) (25 page)

THIRTY

Noah
dialed his assistant director in charge of overseas ventures. “Gus, get me a
list of all the clothes manufacturing ventures we’re involved in, primarily in
Asia. Yeah, KL is good. Email me the name of the point person, would you?”
Waiting for the email to come through, he kept a close eye on Leia as she paced
the living room.

She
spun the other way and her earpiece glinted. “Did we confirm that there were no
casualties in the fire?” she asked.

Watching
her take the news of her destroyed collection like a champ, Noah had never felt
more proud of her. Or loved her more. Or been more furious on her behalf.

Whatever
gods were supposed to be watching over her
were
doing
a piss-poor job thus far. Which was why he intended to take over the job on a
full-time basis.

He
heard her audible sigh of relief. “Good. Make sure the compensation scheme La
Carezza
has in place is activated immediately.” She nodded
to whatever response she got and executed another tight turn.

Her
eyes caught his and she stopped.

He
crooked a forefinger. She came toward him. Bending forward, he kissed her,
quick and hard. She lifted her hand and traced his eyebrow with her fingers,
then mouthed
thank you
.

“Thank
you, Celia. I’m about to contact our
nano
-tech people
in Kyoto. Send me the list of other manufacturers as soon as you have it.” She
hung up and massaged the back of her neck.

Stepping
forward, Noah brushed her hand away and took over the massage. “I’ll go and
rustle up some lunch while you call Japan, then we’ll hit the list of
manufacturers, okay?”

She
nodded,
then
moaned when he kneaded a particularly
difficult knot. “Noah?” Her voice was hushed, small enough to make his insides
twist.

“Yeah,
baby?”

“You’re…you’re
the reason I haven’t fallen apart over this…” Her breath caught and she sniffed
loudly. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t here,” she finished.

He
curled his arm around her shoulders, pulled her back into his body and kissed
her temple. “You’re mine. I’ll go to hell and back for what’s mine. But you
haven’t fallen apart because
you’re strong
.
Much
stronger than you know.
It breaks my heart that you don’t recognize your
own strength. Until you do, lean on me all you want, baby. I’m not going
anywhere.”

***

Leia
watched him stroll to the door. Unable to hold it in anymore, she took a deep
breath. “Noah?”

He
stopped. Turned. “Yeah?”

“I
love you.”

Her
words visibly rocked him. He stumbled against the door, caught himself. Gaped
at her. In quick strides, he crossed the room to her and caught her nape. His
eyes sparkled with a thousand raw emotions. His hand trembled. Hell, his whole
body shook as his chest rose and fell in short pants.

“Only
you would throw such a beautiful, life-changing earthquake into my world when
we’re in the middle of a crisis,” he growled fiercely.

Her
phone rang. She ignored it. “Do you want me to take it back?” she asked
anxiously.

“Are
you fucking kidding me?” he asked hoarsely. He kissed her, plunged his tongue between
her lips and ravaged her mouth. All the while the phone rang.

“Dammit!”
He sucked in an unsteady breath. “Answer the phone. I’ll go order our lunch.
We’ll pick this up later.”

They
didn’t get a chance to pick it up for twenty-four hours. Noah flew in
manufacturers from Kuala Lumpur to meet with Leia, and then they flew to Japan
to consult with the
nano
-tech team on how quickly
they could produce the spec for a new collection. Luckily, with the template
already in place from the previous production, a new batch was promised for the
next week. Between Leia’s team and Noah’s connections, they managed to find two
manufacturers willing to combine their resources to reproduce the collection.

With
the agreement of the US retailers, Leia pushed back the launch by a week.

Because
they’d missed the return trip on the IL jet, Noah had his jet flown in. They
were scheduled to fly back to Miami tonight.

“The
world can hold on for one damn minute while I take you to dinner,” Noah had
snarled earlier in the evening after they’d fielded yet another phone call.

Now
she walked into the living room in a sleeveless burnt orange dress with
matching shoes and a black leather bolero, which she carried over her arm.
She’d worn her hair up and completed the look with gold chandelier earrings and
a long gold necklace.

Noah
was waiting for her. He turned from the view and his breath visibly stalled.
“Shit. Maybe we should stay in…” His voice was severely strained.

She
gave a nervous laugh. “I look that bad?”

“You
look like heaven, wrapped in sin, wrapped in a thousand dreams come true.”

She
melted. “Oh, Noah.”

He
laughed huskily and slid a hand through his hair. “Fuck, you’ve got me all
sappy now. Let’s go before it gets worse.”

He
held her hand in the car, kissing the back of it every few minutes. The
restaurant he’d chosen sat at the top of a stunning skyscraper in Kowloon,
overlooking the harbor. They were led past the lushly decorated main dining
floor to a private room upstairs. Their exclusive chef served freshly prepared
Shanghai noodles with braised lamb for her and grouper fillet for Noah. They
fed each other bits of their food, his eyes burning hot each time he looked at
her. When their waiter delivered their coffee, Noah pulled out his wallet and
slid him several hundred dollars, murmuring something she didn’t understand.

The
waiter smiled widely, bowed and left.

“I
didn’t know you spoke Mandarin.”

“I
do a lot of business in China. Knowing the language cuts through a lot of
bullshit.” He stood and held out his hand to her. The heat in his eyes had
grown wilder, primal.

Heart pumping, she rose.
“What did you say to him?”

“That
we would look after ourselves and we’re not to be disturbed.”

The
lights dimmed and soft strains of music filled the air. She gasped as she recognized
Fused Realms’
slowest song. “Oh, Noah.”

He
pulled her into his arms and swayed with her across the room. “Those two words,
aside from
Yes, Noah
are
my top three favorite
phrases.”

“What’s
your other favorite?”

He
stopped at the door to their private room and locked it. “The ones you spoke
this afternoon. The ones I’m terrified were a figment of my imagination.” Blue
eyes blazed down at her, vulnerable, yet possessive. His eyes searched hers
with an intensity that stopped her breath.

Her
heart climbed into her throat as she put everything she had out there. “They
weren’t, Noah. I love you. More than I can find adequate words for. I think I
loved you from the moment I saw you. I knew I loved you when you kicked my ass
the first time I let the monsters win. I’m sorry I let you down then and I
can’t promise I won’t—”

“
Shhh
, don’t ruin the moment, baby. You love me. You love me
despite all
my
baggage.” He shook his head in wonder. “You know how
fucking honored I feel to know that? You didn’t flinch when you were slapped
around the face with what I did in New York—”

“Because
I know she drove you to it. We’ve both been victims of mind-fuck experts.”

He
nodded. “But I choose to believe it’s made us stronger. Strong enough to know
what a beautiful thing we have going here. I love you, Leia. You turn me inside
out every time I look at you. Every day I wake up with you in my arms, promises
to be the best day of my life. I never want that to stop. It tore me apart when
I thought I’d lost you. I’ll protect you and that precious love with everything
I’ve got, if you’ll let me. Please, sweetheart. Please say yes.”

She
blinked back gulping tears. “Yes, Noah.”

Their
kiss was long, deep and heart melding. When he lifted his head, she swayed to a
little more than the music. “Why did you lock the door?”

“I
booked an all-night dining experience that ends at midnight. We’re done eating,
our bags are packed and already at the airport, but we don’t need to be there
for another…” he glanced at his watch, “two hours. So I thought I’d let
you…enjoy the view.” He slanted her a crazy wicked grin.

“Enjoy
the view, huh? And what will you be doing?”

“I’ll
be enjoying the view too…of your naked body and how it feels with my cock in
it.” He winked.

Laughing,
she looked around the room. It was spacious and beautifully decorated. But it
severely lacked anything remotely resembling comfort.

She
also knew the man she loved was nothing if not inventive.

When
he picked up a dining chair and placed it in front of the wide floor-to-ceiling
window, she lifted her eyebrow. “That’s it?”

“That’s
it.”

He
stepped behind her and drew down her zipper. Her dress fell to the floor,
revealing black panties. Removing his jacket, he sat down and patted his lap.
She climbed aboard and leaned in for another kiss. Lifting his hips, he freed
his cock and removed her panties.

“Place
your hand on the window, baby.”

She
obeyed,
then
groaned as he slid slowly inside her. “I
love you, Noah.”

The
fierce awe that washed over his face would be forever seared in her memory. “I
love you too, my beautiful Leia,” he replied gruffly. His hands framed her hips
and squeezed her ass. “I’m going to make love to you long and slow. And you’re
going to try and point out every landmark you see.”

Her
breath hitched. “What’s my prize for right guesses?”

“For
each one you get right, I’ll let you come.”

She
got four
right
and Noah threw in a bonus just for
laughs.

Which
was part of the reason she wore a broad smile as they were driven to the
airport. “Counting tonight, we’ve only had six highs, not seven.”

Noah
kissed their linked hands. “You told me you love me. That’s the high to end all
highs for me. But if you insist on being pedantic about it, I have a private
jet fuelled and waiting. And I’m not afraid to use it.”

THIRTY-ONE

“Noah?”

“Yes,
sweetheart?”

“Tell
me about this T-shirt.”

They’d
been back in Miami for less than a day, and it looked like Leia had found her
favorite item of clothing again. And fuck if Noah didn’t feel stupidly
light-headed with happiness from seeing her in it.

His
heart thumped hard at her beauty framed in the early morning light. He held out
his hand to her. When she reached where he sat on the terrace, he pulled her
into his lap.

Clearing
his throat, he played with the soft hair above her ear. “It’s my father’s. He
wore it the day he proposed to my mom. He wore it the days my brother and I
were born. He jokes that if it could withstand not being ripped apart by my mom
when she was in labor with me, it can survive anything.” Noah shrugged. “It’s
his lucky shirt.”

Her
fingers traced his brow. “Why do you have it?”

“He…he
gave it to me the day I left New York two years ago. I guess he could tell I
was in a dark place and needed something to hold on to. I didn’t want to take
it, but he insisted, said I needed it more than he did. And he was right. It
brought me luck. It brought me you.” He nuzzled her cheek and she melted into
him.

Noah
was sure in that moment there was nothing more beautiful in the world than the
woman in his arms.

She
took his face in her hands and kissed him. “I’m so glad.”

He
reluctantly pulled away when things started to get heated. “You need to get
dressed, baby.”

“Why?”

“Paddy’s
on his way over. Or he’s probably already inside, helping himself to my most
expensive booze again.”

She
yelped and jumped off his lap. Peering cautiously into the living room, she
looked back at him with relief before disappearing inside.

Paddy
walked out onto the terrace three minutes later.

Noah
sighed. “You do know that the day you see Leia anything less than fully dressed
is the day you die, right?”

His
PI grunted. “Relax, I have impeccable timing.” He sat down and patted his
pockets restlessly.

“You
lost something?” Noah asked.

“Yeah,
the Marlboros I quit smoking five years ago.”

“Any
reason you want to light up now?”

Paddy
shrugged. “According to my daughter, every time I take a drink before noon, a
fucking hamster dies.”

Noah’s
brow rose. “And you happen to love hamsters?”

“Yeah,
go figure.”

“We
have coffee,” Leia said, as she walked back onto the terrace. She’d taken his
T-shirt off and replaced it with jeans and a tank top. Her hair hung loose and
silky around her face. She sat next to him and put a hand on his thigh. His
heart swelled larger. “You have news for us?” she asked Paddy.

He
nodded. “We’re almost sure we’ve tracked Snyder down to a lake house in Maine.”

“Almost?”
Noah asked.

“He’s
also been spotted in Montreal, Canada, where he’s originally from. Snyder was
his mother’s maiden name. His real name is William Bouchard. He grew up on the
streets of Montreal and got caught up in a crime syndicate there. He
disappeared real quick after suspect funds went missing.”

Leia’s
hand trembled and Noah covered it with his own. “You’ve informed the
detective?”

Paddy
nodded. “From the information Willoughby gave us, he thinks there’s enough to
arrest Snyder, but it would be better all round if he’s arrested on US soil. We
have people watching both residences.”

“Be
careful. He’s…clever,” Leia cautioned. Noah knew she was blaming herself from
being fooled for so long by the man she’d called her savior.

The
PI rose. “He may think he’s clever, but I’m badass.” He stared down at Leia for
a moment. “Sorry to hear about your production issues. Do you want me to look
into it?”

Her
eyes widened. “You think it’s suspicious?”

“Everything’s
suspicious. Until it isn’t.” He left as silently as he’d arrived.

Noah
saw the anxiety on Leia’s face and silently cursed his PI. It was clear Paddy
had a soft spot for Leia. Which made his veiled implication grate on Noah’s
nerves.

“You
think he’s right?” she asked.

“Paddy’s
suspicious about his own shadow. He’ll look into it whether we want him to or
not. If he finds something, he’ll report it.”

She
nodded. “I have to go into the office for a while, make sure everyone knows
what’s going on.”

Noah
rose with her. “I’ll drive you. I’m headed into the office too.”

They
left after a quick breakfast. He spent an inadequate ten minutes double parked
outside her building, kissing her goodbye. She was blushing profusely by the
time she slid out of his Maserati.

“I’ll
pick you up at five. Dinner at Pietro’s?”

She
gave him another of those spectacular smiles. “Yes. I love you, Noah.”

“I
love you.”
Three simple words that filled him with awe,
trepidation and endless happiness.

He
strode into his office with a huge grin and ploughed through the mountain of
work that had piled up in his absence, starting with drawing up a contract for
Tim and Harry. The boys’ effusive chatter when they received his email made his
grin widen until Noah thought his face would crack.

***

His
desk was clear by four. On a whim, he grabbed his keys and headed down to the
private garage. His phone beeped as he gunned the engine. Ignoring it, he
floored the car all the way to Leia’s office. As he alighted, his phone beeped
again.

Deciding
to wait for Leia outside, he leaned against his hood and pulled his phone out
of his pocket.

Missed
call from Dr. Franklin, Ashley’s OBGYN.

A
shiver raced over his skull.

He
dialed.

“Mr.
King, thanks for calling me back—”

“What’s
wrong?” he cut across her.

“It
may be something, it may be nothing, but I had a call from a colleague at a
private clinic in West Palm Beach. It seems Ashley checked herself in this
morning for a procedure. I only know because she listed me as her physician.”

His
blood ran cold. “What sort of procedure?”

Silence.

“
What
sort of procedure
?”

“Mr.
King…Noah, I suggest you get over there as soon as possible.” She rattled off
the name of the clinic and hung up.

God
no.
His
vision swam and he closed his eyes.

“Noah?”
Leia stood in front of him, her face creased in worry. “What’s wrong?”

He
shook his head. “I think…” he stopped and swallowed. “I think Ashley checked
herself into a clinic this morning to get rid of my child.”

Noah
had little memory of driving to the clinic and virtually no memory of calling
his attorney. But Sam Ferranti was waiting for him outside the exclusive clinic
when he arrived with Leia.

“Sam?”
He frantically searched the other man’s face.

His
lawyer’s expression confirmed his worst fears. “I’m sorry, Noah.”

First
he went numb. Then a well of hatred and fury cannonballed through his chest.
“Is she here?” he rasped.

Sam
nodded.

“What
room?”

“I
don’t think they’ll let you—”

“The
bitch just aborted my child. She’ll damn well see me!”

“She’s
upstairs. Room 21. We’ll go together just in case…”

Noah’s
feet pounded up the stairs. He had a vague notion that Leia trailed him with
Sam, but his mind was refusing to work properly. And the ache taking root in
his heart grew by the second.

He
located the private suite and yanked the door open.

Ashley
lay in bed with her face turned toward the window, her expression as serene as
a mountain lake. At his entry, she turned her head and her eyes bulged in
alarm.

“You.
Fucking. Bitch.”

“Do
you blame me? When you can’t do anything right?” she snarled.

He
struggled to speak through the tentacles of pain and anger. “Excuse me?”

She
shook her head. “I told you there was something wrong. While you were gallivanting
all over the world with your little whore, I had the baby checked out. Turns
out there
was
a five percent chance it would’ve been
born with birth defects.”

“What
the hell are you talking about? Dr. Franklin never mentioned anything—”

“She
wanted me to
wait and see
,” Ashley sneered. “As if I wanted to be
saddled with a defective kid. I really don’t know why I chose to overlook the
fact that you’re not normal. I think I fooled myself into thinking you were
worth considering for a relationship. I supposed after Taylor died, I panicked.
I was the last of my family. It made me forget that there’s something broken in
you. Hell, your genes aren’t even up to creating anything but a deformed baby!”

He
sucked in a shocked breath. “My God,
are you for real
?”

“I
don’t know what my brother saw in you, but before he died, he convinced me to
give you a second chance. God, how I wish I hadn’t. I’ve wasted far too much
time on you. I’m going back to New York. You can carry on hiding away here
where everyone around you is just as depraved as you are. Was that the
attraction to moving into this godforsaken city in the first place?” she
mocked.

“For
the love of Christ, do you hear yourself? Are you even sorry for anything
you’ve done?”

Her
smile held razor-sharp calculation. “I have nothing to be sorry for. You didn’t
want me here. I’ll get out of your hair as soon as we reach a financial
understanding.”

Noah
waited for the punch line. None came. “You really are serious, aren’t you?”

“As
a heart attack. You’ve ruined my life for long enough. I’m not going to go
quietly into the night.” She folded her hands calmly over the satin sheet.

“Oh
no?” He smiled. And it must have been one worthy of a horror flick because she
recoiled just a tiny bit and lost a little of her bravado. Keeping his eyes on
her, he withdrew his phone from his pocket. His call was answered immediately.
“Sam, can you come in please?”

Sam
walked in with Leia. Ashley’s face turned more vicious. “Ah, there’s your
little trollop.” She tilted her head to get a better view of Leia. “I hear your
warehouse burned to the ground, taking all your ghastly collection with it.
What a shame.”

Noah
froze.

Leia
stepped beside him. “How the hell did you know about that?” she asked.

Ashley
flicked her hand. “Word gets around…”

“No,
it doesn’t. Only a handful of people know what happened at the manufacturer’s
in Singapore,” Leia said.

“
Singapore
? But the guy Warren had me
bribe was in Hong—?” She froze, her eyes widening in consternation before
she clamped her mouth shut.

“
Gotcha
,”
Leia murmured with a smile.

Noah
kept his eyes on the vile creature perched on the bed. “Sam, did you catch
that?”

“I
did.”

“Do
you also remember how we decided to go easy on Ashley because she was carrying
my child?”

“I
do.”

“Consider
that request unquestionably revoked. Throw the book at her. Everything you
have. Oh and ideally, I want her arrested and charged within the hour.”

Ashley
gasped, her eyes rounding as she lost all color. “You can’t!”

“Watch
me. And Sam, I think Leia will have charges of her own to add. I’ll have my PI
dig up some details for you within the next twenty-four hours.”

“Understood,”
Sam replied. “I’ll go tell the administrator that she’s not allowed to leave.
I’ll make sure he organizes enough security so she doesn’t accidentally find
her way out of this charming facility.”

“Noah!
Let’s talk about this—”

He
took Leia’s hand and headed toward the door.

“You
can’t do this!” Her voice trembled.

Against
his better judgment, he turned around. Despite the fake tears streaming down
her face, her eyes shot pure venom at him. He opened his mouth to speak, but
Leia beat him to it.

“I
told you that you were stupid to try and come after something that never
belonged to you in the first place. You should’ve listened to me and scurried
back to New York when you had the chance. Now you get to accessorize orange
jumpsuits for the next decade. Enjoy prison, bitch.”

***