ARROGANT PLAYBOY (42 page)

JENSEN

Waverly’s car is still parked when I leave
to fill up my truck Monday morning, and when I return, Gideon’s back from
breakfast. He waits until Kath leaves the room before telling me Waverly wasn’t
there this morning. Even at six years old, the kid knows something’s up.

I have to find her, and if I
know Mark Miller, she’s long gone by now. But I don’t care.

I
will
find her.

And Mark-fucking-Miller will be
sorry he fucked with me.

***

“Where the fuck is she?” I storm into the
main house, damning Mark’s bullshit decree and demanding an answer from one of
his brainwashed wives. “Where’s Waverly?”

Jane and Summer exchange looks.
Neither making a sound.

“Jensen,” Jane walks up to me,
placing her hand out as if it had the power to stop me. “You know you’re not
supposed to be here.”

“Me being here is the last
thing you should be worrying about right now. Where is she? What’d he do with
her?” I push past them and charge up to her room. “Waverly!”

“You can’t be up there,” Summer
calls. “Jensen, you heard the rules. Mark doesn’t want you here.”

She’s up here. I know it. Every
ounce of me ignores their powerless commands.

Her room is empty. Her bed is
made. Her stack of books rest on her nightstand untouched. I yank open her
dresser drawers, most of them empty. Her closet is half-empty as well. When I
return to the kitchen to confront Mark’s three accomplices, they’re nowhere to
be found. Those fucking cowards are hiding from me. Mark undoubtedly gave them
strict orders, anticipating this would happen. He might be a step ahead of me
now, but I
will
find her.

***

“Liberty.” I storm up to the front desk at
the garage. “Do you have Bellamy’s cell phone number? Her work phone? I need to
reach her.”

Fuck. Right now would be a
great time to know where the hell Bellamy works.

“Okay, will somebody please
tell me what the hell is going on?” Liberty’s hand flanks her hip and she
laughs.

“I need the number, Lib. I know
you have it.”

“I don’t. She doesn’t give it
to anyone. It’s, like, some kind of private line between her and her boss. I
don’t get it.”

The phone rings and Liberty
answers, scheduling an appointment with a client and then proceeding to
casually shoot the shit. She twirls the cord around her finger, laughing, and
then reaches for a set of keys. She drops them in front of me without so much
as an explanation.

I flip them over to reveal a
BMW logo. No other identifying information or so much as a house key
accompanies this set. I arch a brow and mouth, “What is this for?”

She hangs up. “Bellamy came by
yesterday and dropped these off. You’re supposed to get in that white BMW
sitting out front, press the ‘home’ button on the GPS, and follow the
directions.”

WAVERLY

All the fancy blackout curtains and
six-hundred thread count sheets in the world can’t calm a loud mind in the
middle of the night.

I didn’t sleep a wink.

I can’t rest or relax until I
see Jensen again. Bellamy assures me I’ll see him today, but until it happens,
I can’t calm down.

Washing up in a bathroom fit
for a king is a temporary distraction, and when I trek downstairs for
breakfast, I find Bellamy seated on Dane’s right. He’s reading something on his
iPad and she’s steeping a tea bag into a white teacup.

They wear the collective
appearance of a couple more than comfortable together, one who have been
together quite a while. I don’t ask in front of Dane. I’m not about to ruin
this moment or prematurely outstay my welcome with a tactless question. I’ll get
my answers from Bellamy later.

“Did you sleep well, Waverly?”
Dane asks. He enunciates each syllable like a Harvard scholar, his voice rich
and velvety.

I nod, taking the same seat I
used at dinner last night. “Very well. Thank you.”

A uniformed woman brings out a
plate covered with a tin cloche and sets it before me.

“I told the kitchen what you
like to eat,” Bellamy says. “I hope that’s okay. I figured with everything
going on, it’s one less thing for you to worry about.”

When I remove the cloche, I’m presented
with a feast of French toast, sausage, and eggs over easy. A tiny cup of maple
syrup rests warm between it all. “Thank you. This is perfect.”

Bellamy smiles, lifting her
teacup to her lips, her pinky raised. When did she become so refined? Had she
been changing before us all along and no one noticed?

The butler glides across the
room with silent shoes, his hands clasped behind his back. He leans down,
speaking quietly into Dane’s ear.

“Yes, yes, let him in. We’ve
been expecting him.” Dane dabs his mouth with a napkin and stands up. “Waverly,
I believe your friend is here.”

My heart sprints. It’s not
quite been twenty-four hours, but it may as well have been a lifetime. I
abandon my breakfast and run to the foyer, swinging the doors wide and stopping
short at the porte-cochere where a white BMW comes to a smooth halt.

A second passes, then another,
and another, until the driver’s door opens.

And then I run to him, jumping
into his arms like he was a soldier who’d crossed land and sea to get back to me.
He holds me up, keeping me nose to nose with him.

“Did you miss me?” I ask.

“Like hell.” His mouth claims
mine with a single, unrelenting kiss, our bodies melded together with desperate
longing.

He sets me down, but doesn’t
release my hand from his. Our fingers lock. I dare anyone to try to separate us
again.

“I think you love me,” I say,
squeezing his hand and not trying to hide the smile in my voice.

“Shit, Waverly. I
know
I love you.”

Bellamy and Dane emerge from
the foyer, and it’s only then I realize she’s wearing a white, silk robe,
cinched tight around her waist. She glows, her cheeks rosy and her complexion
warm.

Jensen leaves my side,
approaching my sister, his lips turned up at the corners. “I knew it.”

Bellamy hangs her head, hiding
a knowing smile. Dane steps forward, extending his hand to Jensen. “Pleased to
meet you, Jensen. I’ve heard a lot about you. Shall we head inside?”

We follow Dane to a dark den
just off the foyer. The two story ceiling rules over mahogany-covered walls,
robust leather furnishings, and miles of filled bookcases. My eyes travel the
length of Jensen’s muscular backside in an attempt not to stare at the opulence
surrounding us.

My sister takes a seat on a
sofa next to Dane, clasping her hands in her lap. Dane slips his hand over
hers, his penetrating gaze observing us from across the room.

“You’re never going back
there,” Dane says. “Part of the agreement I made when I promised to help your
sister was that you could never set foot under your father’s roof ever again.”

His words are grave, bringing
silence and a finality I wasn’t expecting. The reality of never seeing my
family again catches in my throat, pinching my vocal cords and refusing to
allow me to speak. Not seeing my father again, or even my mothers, I could accept.
But my sisters and brother?

“This is the way it has to be.”
Bellamy tilts her head, meeting my gaze with squinted eyes. “We weren’t safe
with Dad. Our sisters aren’t safe, either. Someday we’ll go back for them, but
for now? You and I have to move on, start a life that doesn’t revolve around
the AUB.” She turns to Dane, nuzzling against his arm. “And Dane’s going to
help us.”

Jensen sits in silence, though
he hasn’t released my hand once. I turn to him, “What do you think?”

He nods to Dane. “I think your
lives are about to change for the better.”

I face my sister. “What’s going
to happen when they realize you didn’t drop me off in South Dakota?”

Dane smiles. “You won’t need to
live off the grid, Waverly, if that’s what you’re worried about. My goal is to
help you get on your feet, start your life. Your sister tells me you have a
scholarship for the University of Utah?”

“Yes.” I squeeze Jensen’s hand.
“A partial scholarship.”

“I’ve discussed this with your
sister, and I would be honored to sponsor your education. However, you’ll be
safest at a private college. I’m on the board of trustees at Greenley College.
I can pull some strings to get you in last minute.”.

“Dane…” My hand lifts to my
mouth. “Thank you so much.”

 
“Attend school, follow your heart. Live
your life as you planned. You won’t be untraceable, but you’ll be harder to
locate. Your contact information will be protected, at least while you’re at
Greenley. And I can’t guarantee your family won’t be able to find you, but
you’re an adult. They can’t force you to marry someone now. If they try to take
you, it’ll be kidnapping. We’ll ensure your electronics and personal effects
are outfitted with tracking devices. My gut feeling is that these won’t be
necessary, and it might sound a little extreme, but it’s a safety precaution
worth exercising, given the instability of your father’s mental state.”

“It’s not as scary as it
sounds,” Bellamy adds. “They’re tiny little microchips. You’ll hardly notice
them. We’ll put one in your purse, your car. And of course, you’ll get a
phone.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. I
feel like I’m in a James Bond movie. I don’t think any of that will be
necessary, but knowing someone genuinely cares about my well-being and my
safety is an unfamiliar sensation.

“What about the next few weeks?
Until school starts?” Jensen clears his throat, sitting up straight. “Where
will we live?”

Bellamy waves her hand. “Dane
is taking care of everything. You’ll spend your final weeks of summer here, at
Golden Oak. That will give us time to get you both on your feet.”

“What about you?” I stare at my
sister, who suddenly looks so strong and womanly. She’s not quiet or caged;
she’s radiant and confident, like she finally stepped into skin that fits.

“I’ll live here, with Dane,”
she says, turning to him. His hand lifts to her face, cupping the side of her
jaw. A million question stir inside me, and I count down the moments until I
can be alone with Bellamy again.

“Mathilde runs the household,”
Dane says. “If there’s anything you need, let her know. She’ll be in shortly to
give you a tour of the grounds. Please, make yourself at home.”

***

Jensen showers in the palatial bathroom
attached to my royal suite. I’m stretched out across the bed, letting the day’s
events sink into my skin with an intoxicating drowsiness. My eyelids flutter
before heaviness weighs them down.

Knock,
knock.

“Come in,” I call out with
every ounce of energy I have left. My lids peel apart just enough to see my
sister ambling toward me. A tight black dress squeezes her feminine curves, and
her hair is swept back into a polished chignon. Diamonds circle her neck and
drip from her ears. I swear I’m dreaming.

“Hey.” She slips a dainty hand
on her hip before doing a twirl. Her lips dance into a reluctant smile. “How do
I look?”

I sit up, rubbing my eyes. “Who
are
you?”

“Oh, stop.” She waves her hand,
flicking her wrist where more diamonds rest in the form of a tennis bracelet.

“Who is Dane?” I realize I’ve
been staying here almost two days now, and perhaps my question is a wee bit
late, but it’s better late than never.

She fights a smile, as if the
mere mention of his name sends her reeling. “He’s my boss.”

I arch my brows. “Just your
boss?”

“It’s complicated.”

“He loves you.” I scoot back on
the bed, folding my legs and resting my elbows on my knees. “That part is
obvious.”

“It’s not that kind of
relationship.” Her smile fades, evaporating the second she heard the L-word. “I
don’t expect you to understand. It’s a… consensual, adult relationship.”

All this time I believed my
older sister was chaste and true, perfect in every way. And it was all a lie.
For that reason, I don’t believe her when she implies there is no love between
her and Dane.

“Sometimes we do what we have
to do in order to survive, and sometimes we surprise ourselves when we realize
how far we’re willing to go to set ourselves free.” There’s a wistful drop in
her voice, though a crystalline glint colors her irises. “Because of Dane, we
get to live our lives exactly the way we want. No polygamy. No AUB. No sneaking
around, hiding from the public. Our lives finally belong to us. This is
freedom, Waverly. We’re finally free.”

The shower shuts off in the
bathroom. Jensen will be out any minute.

“How’d you know about Jensen
and me?” All those months, all that sneaking around—I thought we’d been
careful.

Bellamy’s red lips part. She
tilts her head. “Because you look at him like he’s the greatest thing in the
whole world. Amongst other things…”

My cheeks flush, and I bury my
face in my palms. It’s as if my diary has been left open for the whole world to
read.

“It’s okay,” she says. “You
don’t need to be ashamed anymore. We only get one life. If being with Jensen
makes you happy, then that’s what you should do.”

A voice buzzes through speakers
built into the walls. Of course this place would have an intercom, and of
course it would be so well hidden in the décor, I wouldn’t notice it.

“Mademoiselle
Miller?”
Mathilde’s French accent cuts through the room. “The car is
ready.”

“Where are you headed tonight?”
I take in another look at my sister, a perfect vision of glamour and
refinement. She has transformed into a stranger, though one I’ll ultimately
adore and respect.

She picks up the train of her
midnight dress, revealing rhinestones covering the four-inch heels on her feet.
“I’m accompanying Dane to a private dinner at an associate’s house.”

Bellamy oozes serenity and
elegance, and I can see why Dane would want her on his arm. She steps toward
me, slipping her arms around my shoulders and leaning in for a hug. I can count
on one hand the number of times I’ve hugged my sister in the last ten years.
We’ve never been touchy-feely, and we’ve certainly rarely shared deep emotions
or private moments like this. My eyes close as I breathe her in, her luxurious
perfume every bit of what I expected.

“Have fun, Bell.” I hug her
back, squeezing harder than I’ve ever squeezed anyone before.

She pulls away, gathering the
silk fabric of her dress into her hands and saunters out, shutting the door
behind her.

The bathroom door clicks open.
“Can I come out yet?”

“Yes.” I whip around only to
find Jensen standing in the doorway, a white towel wrapped around his waist.
His body glistens, his hair sopping wet from the shower. Humid, soap-scented
air escapes behind him and travels my way. I point toward a stack of clothes
Dane had delivered, all of them in Jensen’s size. He has enough to last him the
next few days as well as an envelope of cash, so he can buy more next time
we’re in town.

Watching Jensen slip on a pair
of boxer briefs, a white t-shirt, and a pair of blue satin pajama pants, a slow
smile drags across my lips. He snaps the waistband of his pants and throws me a
teasing wink. “It’s like we’re an old married couple now. Getting ready for bed
together. Going to bed together.”

“It’s going to be weird
sleeping together all night.” More importantly, though, I can’t wait to wake up
next to him in the morning. “And the other night doesn’t count.”

“Of course not,” he says,
strutting across the room toward me. He stops just before the bed, glancing
down into my eyes and taking my face in his steady palms. “This is only the
beginning. I plan to wake up next to you for the foreseeable future. Maybe even
longer.”