The Billionaire's Bodyguard Bride (21 page)

“Nothing yet. Philip is cooperating with us, though, and that should lead to a break in the case soon. In the meantime, Rafe and his sister are still potential targets. Mendacci stands to lose a lot of money as long as Philip isn’t towing the line.”

“How much money are we talking about?”

“Billions.”

“What was Philip was thinking? How could he let himself be dragged into something like this?”

“He claims he didn’t know Mendacci was connected to the Mafia. When Mendacci upped the ante and started demanding high-level designs, Philip got leery and tried to back out. That’s when he discovered Mendacci wasn’t about to let him renege on their deal. Philip is willing to testify, but we’ll need hard evidence for a conviction, and right now all we have is Philip’s word.”

“Rafe’s going to be devastated when he finds out about this. He holds his father in such high regard.”

“And you hold Rafe in high regard. I can hear it in your voice. You’ve fallen for him again, haven’t you?”

There was no way she could deny what she knew in her heart was true. With every fiber of her being, she desperately wanted her marriage to Rafe to be more than a farce. She wanted it to be lasting and real.

Her blood ran cold at the thought of the ticking time bomb she was hiding from him. It could detonate at any time, destroying any hope of a lasting relationship with him. The terrible truth would come out eventually. What would she do if he hated her for it?

“Don’t worry. I won’t let my personal feelings compromise my mission.”

“That’s not what I’m concerned about. I don’t want you to gamble with your happiness for the sake of this case. You have a second chance to have a relationship with Rafe. Go ahead and tell him the truth, Lauren. Sentinels can still protect him.”

“I appreciate that, and I promise I’ll give it some thought. I’ll let you know what I decide to do.”

A few weeks later, Rafe watched Lauren from his den window as she took Dakota for an early-morning ride in a nearby field. Delight was written all over her face and mirrored in her body language. She was happy when she was riding, and he was glad he could gift her that. It wasn’t enough, though, to make amends for the bastard he’d been. She deserved far more than fleeting moments of happiness. She deserved her freedom.

These past few weeks had been amazing. Though he had put in long days at the helm of his new publication to ensure the transition would be seamless, Lauren had been waiting for him eagerly each night. She was amazing in bed, meeting his every need. She was already such a part of his life.

But when she didn’t know he was watching her, he saw sadness in her eyes. He knew it was because he was forcing her to be here with him, and her unhappiness made his acquisition of
Gracious Living
a hollow victory. His dream had come at too high a price.

In all his time at the helm of Dimitriou Enterprises, he’d never used people as pawns. He despised his counterparts who employed the reprehensible method, yet he’d moved Lauren around like his own personal pawn in this twisted chess game. That made him no better than the men he abhorred. No better than Milton. He’d lowered himself to Milton’s level, and the knowledge made his gut roll in disgust and self-loathing.

It wasn’t too late to do the right thing. Lauren was unhappy, and he was the reason. He had to make things right no matter the cost. First, he needed to pay Chuck Fullerton a visit.

Returning from her ride, Lauren found the house empty. Rafe had said he’d be working from his home office today, but while she was out he’d left. Liz had an agent keeping watch outside the estate. He would have followed Rafe when he’d gone off the premises, but that didn’t reassure her. She was supposed to be on top of things, not off enjoying herself. Just because there had been no further attempts to harm Rafe over the past few weeks, that didn’t mean he wasn’t still in danger.

Alarmed, she hastily tapped Liz’s number. Lauren breathed a sigh of relief when her boss assured her Rafe was fine.

“Parker’s on it,” Liz soothed. “He checked in a short while ago. Rafe drove himself to the Fullertons’ estate, but he’s on his way back. He should be home any minute.”

“Rafe never mentioned he had a meeting with Chuck today.”

“Something must have come up unexpectedly. You’re worrying too much, Lauren. He’s safe. Parker won’t let anything happen to him.”

“I know that. It’s just that I’m supposed to be responsible for him, and I got sloppy. I shouldn’t have left the house.”

“And how suspicious would that look? You can’t be glued to his side every minute. You did exactly the right thing. You know, you could make this situation much easier on yourself by taking my advice and telling Rafe the truth.”

“I know. But I keep hoping we’ll catch a break and get the evidence we need to end this. It would be better if I didn’t have to tell Rafe until Mendacci is behind bars.”

“The way this is playing out, I don’t think it’s going to be that easy.”

“I just want this to be over,” Lauren bit out in frustration. “I can’t wait for my life to be normal again.”

The click of the den door closing intruded on her conversation. Her heart plummeted to her toes when she looked up to see Rafe standing there, thunderclouds swirling in his blue eyes.
He’d overheard her.

“I have to go,” she told Liz hurriedly before disconnecting the call.

Rafe’s cold stare bored into her. “We need to talk.”

“I can explain! It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Rafe exhaled raggedly, stricken by the anguish on Lauren’s face as she regarded him warily. Remorse twisted his gut into a knot at the sight of the dark circles under her eyes. He’d put those tired smudges there.

“There’s no need to explain. Just sit down so I can get this off my chest,” he directed, his tone broaching no argument. “Would you like a drink?”

She shook her head. Grabbing a crystal decanter from the bar, he poured himself a glass of scotch and took a steadying gulp of the amber liquid before continuing.

“I owe you an apology. My behavior these past few weeks has been less than stellar. Imposing this arrangement on you was selfish and wrong. I forced my way into your bed, and took advantage of you. My behavior was totally reprehensible.”

Reaching into his suit jacket, he withdrew a document from his breast pocket. Flicking a lighter, he held the paper to the flame until it ignited.

“What are you doing?” she exclaimed.

“Burning our contract. I’m absolving you from our deal.”

“But . . .”

Rafe held up a hand, halting her before she could utter another word. “Your brother will still get
Intrepid Explorations
as I promised. I’ll transfer ownership over to him first thing tomorrow morning.”

Lauren threw up her hands, shaking her head in disbelief. “I don’t understand,” she blurted. “Why are you doing this?”

“I can’t stand by and watch you lead half an existence day after day any longer. I know you’re not happy here. I’ve realized that by strong-arming you into this arrangement, I’m no better than Milton. I had a long talk with Chuck today. I told him everything, and I apologized for misleading him. I offered to turn
Gracious Living
back over to him, but he refused. I let him down by lying to him, of course. But despite the fact that I disappointed him, he says he still believes I’m the best man for the job. It was more than I had the right to hope for. Regardless, you’re free now. I’m releasing you from our agreement.”

“But I’m not unhappy!” Lauren insisted vehemently. She didn’t want to pile another lie on top of the fallacies she’d already spun, but she couldn’t let him cast her aside, and she couldn’t tell him the truth. “When you overheard me on the phone, I wasn’t talking about our arrangement. I was discussing a freelance project I took on that has me stressed beyond measure. It’s taken over my life as of late, but I didn’t want to burden you with it. You’re far busier than I am. I don’t want what we have here together to end, Rafe. I want to be with you.”

Rafe shook his head in disbelief and turned to leave. “I don’t know how you can say that when I’ve forced you to stay here against your will.”

Lauren made a desperate grab for Rafe and clung to his arm. She didn’t want her freedom. She wanted—
needed
—to be here with him. There was more than just his safety at stake now. Her heart was at stake as well. “You haven’t forced me. I’ve chosen to be with you. It’s what I want.” She paused, poised on the edge of a precipice, her heart beating a frantic tattoo in her chest. She needed to take the leap. Had to make him see that he was her world. “You’re what I want, Rafe. You’re my one bright light amidst all the insanity. I couldn’t bear it if you shut me out of your life again. I love you.”

He shrugged away from her. “You don’t mean that.”

“I do! I’ve loved you from the moment we met. When you ousted me from your life after the incident in Greece, I tried to convince myself I didn’t love you, but the truth is, I never stopped.”

“You love me,” he repeated, his voice shaky. “I’ve been driving myself crazy these past few days not wanting to let you go but knowing I had to. It was the toughest decision I’ve ever faced because I love you, too.”

Lauren fell into his arms, sobbing out her joy and relief.
He loved her!

“I want a fresh start with you. I’ll do things right, this time,” he whispered, hugging her to his chest. “I was worried you’d come to despise me for forcing you into this marriage. If I’d known it was work that was bothering you, I could have found a way to help. Don’t ever be afraid to tell me what’s going on in your life from now on. No more secrets, okay?”

“No more secrets,” she repeated, forcing the affirmation past a throat tight with shame. But the words sounded hollow to her ears.
No more secrets.

Liz had encouraged her to tell Rafe the truth at any time, and this was that moment. She would make him see how vital it was that he accept protection. She would explain why his father had enlisted Sentinels’ services, and why she’d kept her part in it from him. He’d understand. He loved her.

He told you he loved you in Greece and look what happened then
, her doubting little inner voice taunted. She ignored it, knowing she had to come clean. “I have something I need to tell you.”

“And I want to hear it,” he assured her, closing the distance between them in one long stride. “Later.”

The bedroom was too far away. His desk was closer. With a swoop of his arm, he cleared it. Lifting her up, he settled her on the bare surface. And then there were no more words, just a firestorm of need.

Undoing her blouse and unclasping the lacy wisp of a bra she wore, he rained kisses down her neck and across her breasts while his hands caressed her nipples until she was certain she’d implode from the incredible sensations he was engendering.

He unzipped her skirt, letting it pool to the floor. Slipping her panties off, he settled his clever mouth at the very heart of her womanhood. Her tiny pants of pleasure blossomed into moans as he tantalized the sensitive folds there until she climaxed in an overwhelming maelstrom of sensation.

“Your turn,” she breathed. Quickly divesting him of his clothing, she teased him with her lips and her fingers until he reached the breaking point.