COWBOY ROMANCE: Justin (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 1) (148 page)

Chapter Four

Cool mist swirled outside of Lily’s bedroom window, veiling the redwoods and pine on the mountain with a soft, silvery glow.  After nearly a month in northern California she still couldn’t quite believe Gard had brought her to his own home to recuperate. 

She’d only sustained a shoulder graze from being shot by Dutch Zempa, but the concussion from her subsequent fall had been much more serious.  For the first week after arriving in the states she’d drifted in and out of consciousness, almost afraid to open her eyes and see Zempa or one of his guards sneering at her.

Instead Gard was always there, holding her hand, blotting her forehead, or murmuring words of encouragement to her. 

A knock on the door made Lily turn from the window to see her savior carrying in her breakfast tray.  “You don’t have to do that,” she told him.  “Last night the doctor said that I’m fully recovered now.”

Gard placed the tray on her bedside table.  “Was this before or after he changed your bandages?”

“You know what I mean.”  Lily sat down on the edge of her bed.  “I can’t go imposing on you.”

“Imposing.”  Gard stood over her, and lifted her chin until she met his gaze.  “You took a bullet for me, sweetheart, and nearly cracked open your skull.  This would be after you saved me from being drugged and held hostage.  Remember what Simon said?”

Lily wrinkled her nose.  “I did jolly good.”

“You did jolly great.”  Gard bent over and gave her a soft kiss on the brow.  “Eat your breakfast, get dressed, and we’ll go for a drive.”

Now she gave him a wary look.  “To where?”

“The bank.”  He stroked his thumb across her cheek.  “I’m setting up an account for you.”

Lily’s throat tightened.  “I don’t have any money.”

“You do now.  A whole pile of it.”  When Gard tried to walk away she caught his sleeve, and he sighed.  “All right, I know you said you don’t want anything from me.  But you have nothing, and you won’t tell me anything about you.  I still don’t know your last name.”

She stared down at her toes.  “You saved my life, too.  That’s enough, James.”

Gard knelt down in front of her.  “Then let me help you go back to your life.  We know from some of the other victims that Zempa abducted you over a year ago.  Your friends and family must be frantic, Lily.  Why don’t you want to contact them?”         

“Let’s talk about this later,” she told him, and turned away to curl up.  “I’m feeling very tired now.”

“You can’t dodge this forever, sweetheart,” he told her as he drew the covers up over her.  “I’ll run your fingerprints if I have to.  And if you keep lying to me, I’m going to give that lovely ass of yours a real spanking.”

Lily closed her eyes tightly, but as soon as she heard the door close she sat up and pushed herself off the bed.  She’d been a fool to think she could prevent Gard from discovering her identity.  He was a billionaire with virtually unlimited resources who felt he was indebted to her.  If she didn’t get away from him, the whole sordid mess of her past would be revealed.

Lily quickly dressed, and watched from the window.  When she saw Gard drive off in his Ferrari she picked up the house phone and made two calls.

A half-hour later a taxi arrived. When she got in the driver yawned and asked, “Where to, ma’am?”

Lily gave him the address.  When they arrived there a half-hour later a young Chinese man in an immaculate suit met them and paid the driver.  He then escorted her into the unmarked building, where he left her in an interview room.

Another, older Chinese man came in and bowed.  “Thank you for contacting us, Ms. Sylvan,” he said in Taiwanese Mandarin.  “I know you must have been through a terrible ordeal.  Would you care for some tea?”

“No, thank you.”  It had been so long since she had spoken in her cradle language that she had to think for a moment.  “Were you able to talk to my father?”

“Not directly,” the man admitted, and produced an unmarked envelope, which he placed on the table.  “This is a passport, and some funds to help you make a new start.  I am instructed to tell you that they are yours, if you will promise not return to Taiwan, or attempt to contact your father or his family again.”

Lily checked the contents of the envelope before she stood and bowed.  “You may tell my father that he has my word, and my thanks.  I appreciate your assistance, sir.”

Once she left the building Lily walked until she found a café, where she sat and let the coffee she ordered grow cold as she watched the passing traffic.  Her father had been generous, and if she was careful, the money in the envelope would keep her until she could find work as a translator.  Or she could return to her birthplace of Paris, and try to make a home for herself there.

She could do anything now, except go home.

She paid for the coffee she hadn’t touched, and got directions to the nearest economy motel, where she rented a room for the night.  She needed to think, and plan, and gather the strength she would need for her new beginning. But once she’d showered and rinsed out her lingerie, all she could do was lay on the creaky bed and stare at the cracks in the ceiling.

She missed Gard, she could admit that.  She missed seeing his handsome face, listening to his deep voice, and breathing in his scent.  She’d been right to leave him, however.  Her pride would not have allowed her to stay, not when she’d kept so much from him.

Lily’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten since last night. She picked up the phone and ordered a meal from a nearby Italian restaurant that delivered.  When the knock sounded on her door, she quickly pulled on her dress before she opened it.

Gard stood there holding the food she ordered, and fury glittering in his eyes.  “Room service, ma’am.”

* * *

              Lily tried to close the door, but Gard forced his way in and kicked it shut behind him.

He looked around the squalid little room before fixing his gaze on her shocked face.  “You left me so you could stay at a roach motel?”

“I’m not a billionaire.”  Lily wrapped her arms around her waist.  “But I would like you to leave.  Now, please.”

“Oh, I will.”  Gard tossed the food he’d taken from the delivery boy onto the rickety table by the window.  “Once you explain why you ran away from me, and how you got the money for this, and what the hell is going on.”

“I’ve recovered, and I have to get on with my life.”  Lily turned her back on him.  “You don’t owe me anything, Gard.  I can take care of myself.  Now please, go.”

He heard the strain in her voice, and saw how she was shivering.  “You still don’t get it.”  He went to her, and turned her to face him.  “This isn’t about what happened on the island.  It’s about us.  Why did you run from me?”

Her lower lip trembled.  “It doesn’t matter.”

“I told you what I’d do if you kept lying.”  Before she could react Gard dragged her over to the bed, pulling her down onto his lap and jerking up the skirt of her dress.  The sight of her naked buttocks made him go instantly hard, and he caressed the quivering curves as he said, “You belong to me, Lily.  Say it.”

She remained mute and struggled until he gave her ass a stinging slap.  “Please, Gard, I can’t.”

He spanked her again.  “You weren’t playing when you gave yourself to me.  You weren’t pretending when you got on your knees and sucked my cock.”  He rubbed his palm over the sore spots before he slapped her a third time.  “You needed to submit to me.  You loved surrendering to me.”  He cupped her sex, and felt the wet heat of her on his palm.  “Your body admits it.  Now you will.”

Gard spanked her over and over as Lily writhed on his lap and gasped, until finally she gasped out, “Yes.  I’m yours.  James, please.”

He rolled with her, tucking her beneath him as he reached for his zipper.  Freeing his aching cock was almost as much a relief as pushing her thighs apart, and sinking it into her slick softness. 

“Look at me, sweetheart.  Yes, there it is.”  He shoved deeper, filling and stretching her with his heavy girth.  “I’ve waited three weeks to plow this sweet pussy.”  He drew back and pressed in, pumping in and out of her as he watched her face.  “It’s so good, the way you cling to my rod.  Ah, yeah, like that, squeeze me like that.  You feel it now, too, don’t you?”  

She whimpered as he jerked open the top of her dress, baring her swollen breasts and puckered nipples to his gaze. 

Gard drove deep inside her, and held himself there as he lowered his head to lick one nipple as he gently pinched the other.  When she moaned he lifted his head.  “I might just play with your tits for the rest of the night.”

Her eyes filled with desire and shame.  “Why are you doing this to me?”

“So you know who I am.”  He hoisted her legs up over his shoulders, and began shafting her hard enough to make her breasts bounce.  “I’m your lover, and your master.  You’re mine now, Lily.  All mine.  Say it.”

“I’m yours.”  She took in a sobbing breath before she said, “James, I’m sorry.  I’m so sorry.”

Gard pistoned in and out of her until she cried out and shook beneath him.  With a groan he jerked his cock out of her pussy and pumped it in his fist until his seed pulsed out in long ribbons over her belly and breasts.  When he finished and stretched out beside her, he took her hand and used it to rub his cream into her skin.

“You can’t run from me or the truth,” he said quietly, and kissed her temple.  “So you might as well tell me.”

Chapter Five

Lily rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.  She still didn’t want to tell him about her past, but to go on concealing it would only make him more determined to find out.  “You had it turned around on the island.  My father is Chinese, and my mother was French.  They became lovers in college, and I was the result.”

“That’s why you’re so beautiful.”  He traced the outline of her lips with his finger tip.  “You’re a love child.”

She didn’t bother to correct him.  “My mother died of influenza when I was still an infant, and her family didn’t want me, so my father took me back to Taiwan to live with him.  He cared for me as much as he could, but most Asian people don’t approve of children with mixed blood.  Father’s very wealthy and important family took one look at my blonde hair and blue eyes, and then pretended that I didn’t exist.”

Gard uttered a low growl.  “Morons.”

Lily smiled.  “It’s just the way it is.  They weren’t cruel to me.  Neither was my father, although I seldom saw him.  When the time came for my father to marry, they sent me away to school, and then arranged for me to work as a translator at one of the family businesses in Taiwan.”

Gard brushed the hair back from her brow.  “How did you end up on the island?”

“Zempa had me abducted.”  Remembering the day she’d been dragged off the street on her way to work made her feel sick.  “When the drugs wore off, I was so terrified.  Zempa threatened to expose the affair unless my father did what he wanted.  But he overestimated my value.  My father contacted the media first, and admitted to his youthful indiscretion, and formally apologized to his wife and family.  He then legally disowned me.”

              “Oh, sweetheart.”  Gard pulled her closer.

              “Zempa was so angry at first I thought he would kill me.”  Lily blinked against the hot sting in her eyes.  “But instead he kept me, and told me one day he’d give me to someone important.  Someone he wanted to impress.  Which was you.”  She gave Gard a sideways glance.  “And here we are.”

              “Does your father know you’re free now?”  When she nodded he frowned.  “When will he be here?”

              “He arranged a new passport and some money for me, in return for my promise never to contact him again.”  She tried to smile, but her heavy heart pulled at the corners of her lips.  “So I am on my own now.”  

              “Not for long.”  He gave her a tender, lingering kiss.  “You’re coming back home with me.”

              Lily stared at him.  “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?  I have nothing.  No home, no family, no job.  Zempa was right, James.  I am worthless.”

              “Maybe to him, and your idiot father, but not to me,” Gard said, pulling her on top of him.  “You’re beautiful, and sexy, and more courageous than any woman I’ve ever known.  You risked your life to save mine, so now it’s my turn.”

“You don’t have to do anything for me,” she whispered.

“You should remember that I’m a demanding ass who is going to boss you around, and dominate you, and keep dragging you off to bed,” he warned her.  “But I can give you a good life, Lily.  I can give you almost anything you want, but the one thing I’ll never do is give up on you.”

              “Why?”  She cradled his face between her hands.  “You don’t even know me.”

              “I’m working on that.”  He smiled slowly.  “And I love you, sweetheart.”       

              Lily kissed him, and tasted her own tears on his lips before she said, “All right.  Take me home, James.” 

THE END

Bound to the Alpha Billionaire

Book 2

(Can be read as a standalone book)

By: Lucy Wynand