Taken by the Pirate Billionaire (13 page)

She lifted her head just as Devon pulled a yellowed piece of paper out of the frame. While he read through the old, creased page she waited in silence, glancing down at the brooch in her hand every now and then.

It was real. They’d found the brooch. Any minute now she’d wake up and it would have all been a dream.

“I’ll be damned.”

“What does it say?” She took a slow step towards him to glance over his shoulder.

“Darren wrote the letter. It says he was in love with Anne and that he had every intention of marrying her.” Devon paused. “When he came to get her on the day they were to elope, Anne’s father answered the door. He’d learned of their plans and intervened. He gave the brooch to Darren and told him never to return. His daughter, Anne, would never be allowed to marry a pirate.”

“What?” Renee’s glanced at the brooch in her hand. “But Darren ignored him, right?”

Devon shook his head, his mouth slashing. “Anne’s father said that if Darren ever came back, Anne would be sent to a convent. It appears Darren loved Anne so much that he’d rather she found happiness elsewhere than be sent to a convent. He stayed away.”

“No.” Renee’s eyes misted over.

“For a while at least.” Devon set the letter on the table and looked over at her. “But he loved her—more than anything or anyone. He was willing to give up all the pirating and settle down, so he did go back for her.”

“And she was already married.” Renee finished as she wiped away a tear that was trailing down her cheek.

Devon nodded his head. “She was already married.”

Darren had never been the villain; it was her own family who had. Anne’s father. She’d been so wrong about everything.

“I can’t keep this.” Guilt had her trying to hand the brooch back to him. “It’s more yours than mine.”

“Keep it.” He folded her fingers closed around the brooch. “And I’ll have the portrait reframed for you.”

Blinking in shock, she shook her head. “No. Devon—”

“Renee.” He wiped another tear off her cheek. “I care about you. I want you to be a part of my life, sweetheart.”

Renee blinked, stunned and a little thrilled at his sudden confession.

“You don’t have to answer me now. I want you to think about it.”
 

“I will.” She managed a husky reply.

“Good.” He grabbed his keys back off the desk. “I’ll take you home now.”

“It looks bad. Really bad.”
 

Renee held the phone away from her ear as Lucy scolded into the phone.
 

“Did you see the picture in the paper? He was biting your neck like some kind of vampire. Damn. Wouldn’t that just be perfect?”

Renee rolled her eyes. “He’s not a vampire. And most people won’t even recognize me.”

“I did.”

“You’re my best friend and you knew I was there that night. I’d expect
you
to.” Renee was sitting on her bed, the brooch resting on a pillow in front of her.

God, it was so beautiful. Selling it was going to be the hardest thing she’d ever had to do.

“You’re in denial at how bad this is gonna get,” Lucy warned. “You’re not getting serious with him are you? It was just sex, right?”

No
. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to admit that to her best friend yet.

“I haven’t decided on anything, but he wants to keep seeing me, and in a serious kind of way.”
 

“That’s nuts. You need to think about this.”

It was all she’d been able to think about for the last two days. Two days and it was embarrassing how much she missed him already. There was a noticeable emptiness gnawing at her insides.
 

“You’re on the verge of getting
Puppy Bliss
into a full fledged success. You’re going to be all over the tabloids, and if you’re name is linked with someone as controversial as Devon Murray permanently, you’d better be prepared to lose some clients.” Lucy paused. “Because you know all your uppity customers are going to worry about their precious Fido coming home with a ball gag instead of a tennis ball.”

Renee sighed. “People aren’t that judgmental.”

“Wanna bet? Remember when Carla married that ex-con? Her bakery went belly up within a month.”

“That’s because her food sucked,” Renee protested, but there was a niggling of doubt that told her Lucy might be right.
 

“Are you going to gamble on it? You worked so hard to get your business on its feet. There are tons of men out there, Renee,” Lucy pleaded. “Don’t get hung up on a rich bad boy who’ll probably dump you in a few years for an upgrade girlfriend. I don’t care how cute he is. How good the sex is...”

Renee frowned as he friend drifted off. Her tone had changed slightly.
 

“Wait, are we talking about me still, Luce? Is something going on with you and Eric?”

“What?” Lucy paused. “No, of course not. We’re not talking about me.”

Renee wasn’t convinced, but knew better than to pry right now. “Look, I’ll call you later. I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“You do. You really do, Renee.”

A little frustrated with her friend’s negativity, she ended the call and stared at the brooch. Was it worth it? Risking everything she’d worked for to take a chance on a man she hadn’t known for very long? Who, just like Lucy suggested, would probably kick her to the curb not far down the line?

Renee closed her eyes, the uncomfortable decision falling into place.
 

Oh God...selling the brooch wouldn’t be the hardest thing she’d ever done. Walking away from Devon would be.

She called him the next morning to tell him how she felt—somewhat relieved and feeling guilty about it when she got his voice mail.

“It’s Renee. I’m calling about what you said the other morning...about how you wanted me in your life.” God, she sounded like an idiot. “Now that I’ve thought it over, I just don’t think it’s a very good idea. The sex was great, and we had a fun little diary adventure, but that was probably the gist of it. I mean, we’re probably confusing it for something it wasn’t. Right?”

She broke off as she felt tears pricking behind her eyes. God, why was she doing this on the phone? Why was she doing this at all?
 

      It was too late to change her mind. To back out. She had to be strong. Think of her future. Devon swam in waters she couldn’t even float in.

She drew in a shaky breath. “Anyway, I really need to focus on my business, but I wanted to thank you for everything. I had fun.”

Fun? She was reducing their time together as fun? Before she could make it any worse, she ended the call.

Renee set her cell down, feeling sick to her stomach. That was harsh. Ridiculously so. She’d known it even as she did it. But it was for the best. It had to be.
 

Lucy was right, what good could come from continuing to see Devon? He was a bad boy billionaire. Sure, he had good days, but he threw sex parties and was into all things kinky.

Though that wasn’t such a bad thing. The memory of the night he’d tied her up hit her so sharply that her sex clenched just thinking about it.
 

Damn. Damn.
Damn.

Don’t dwell, move on.
There would be other good lovers out there. And that’s all it amounted to, right?

Her mind decided it was a good idea. Unfortunately, her heart was a little slower to agree.

It took a couple of days, drifting in and out of a serious funk, before she could admit she’d made the wrong choice.
 

She stood under the shower, eyes closed, and the heaviness of regret cloaked her.
 

So stupid. She’d been so utterly stupid to let her own insecurities and fears of what other people would think make her shut Devon out of her life.

When she was out of the shower, dressed and staring in the mirror, another wave of shame rolled over her. Regret. So hard. Poignant.
 

The picture of them had caused a stir for a day or so, but shockingly she’d never been identified. Devon said he would take care of it and it started to look like he had the power and money to do so.

She was an idiot. A complete idiot. She had to try and make things right, how wrong she’d been, but was it too late?
 

Her phone rang, and for a moment her heart soared with hope that it was him. But a quick glance at the caller ID showed it was her grandparents.

A lump rose in her throat, even as she acknowledged she could give them the good news about being able to pay of their mortgage. She’d done some online research, even talked to a jeweler, and once she finally sold it the brooch would easily pay off their house.

She answered the phone, forcing herself to be upbeat and focus on the positive.

“I was just about to call you later,” she said brightly. “I have some great news.”

“Oh, darling, we already figured it out.” Her grandma’s voice shook with emotion. “I don’t know how you did it, but you really shouldn’t have.”

“Shouldn’t have what?” She sank down on the edge of her bed, confusion sliding through her.
 

“Paid off our house!” Her grandma gave what sounded like a laughing sob. “I didn’t realize your pet business was doing that well. Or did you come into money? How on earth did you do it, Renee?”

Chapter Eighteen

Their house was paid off. How? Renee’s head spun. She glanced to make sure the brooch was still lying on the bed next to her laptop. Because unless she’d had an emotional blackout, sold it, then paid off the house, then it just didn’t makes sense.
 

But the brooch was still sitting on a pillow next to her laptop where she’d been doing her research.

“Renee? Are you there?”

Devon.
 

Realization hit with the subtly of a punch to the stomach. He was the only one who could’ve done this.

“I’m here,” she whispered numbly. “When, umm, when exactly was it paid off?”

“The letter is dated a couple days ago.”

Oh God, and these things took time, which means he’d done it before she’d ended things with him. Before they’d even found the brooch.

“You knew about this, right?” The first note of uncertainty crept into her grandma’s voice.

She hated lying, but how the hell did she explain what she couldn’t understand herself. She couldn’t. Not yet.
 

“Yes,” she managed. “Yes I knew.”

“I don’t know how you did it, sweet girl, but you’ve saved our home. All our memories.”

Her grandma was crying now and the lump in Renee’s throat grew.

“Will we see you for dinner tomorrow?”

“I’ll be there.” She nodded, closing her eyes. “I need to go, gran. Let me call you later, all right?”

“All right. We love you, Renee.”

“Love you guys too.”

The click a moment later signaled her grandma had hung up.

Was this really happening? Had Devon truly paid of her grandparents’ mortgage? He couldn’t have.

But he did.

The sick feeling in her stomach turned downright acidic. She put a hand over her mouth. She had to thank Devon. Call him and explain she’d sell the brooch and give him all the money. And maybe hope there was a chance in hell he’d take her back.

After that message...she couldn’t blame him if he never spoke to her again.

But she still had to try. Renee scrambled over to her desk and grabbed her keys.

As she climbed into her car and drove to his house, she thought again about everything that had happened in the short time she’d known Devon.

She’d almost let society make up her mind for her. Ignoring everything in her heart. All because Devon didn’t walk the society line, and maybe had a bit of a kinky and was deemed unacceptable.

She’d been right when she’d thought history was repeating itself. Two centuries ago Anne and Darren’s love had been controlled by other people. And the same damn thing was happening again.

And she’d come so close to allowing it.

Damn!
She pressed down harder on the accelerator.
 

Devon glanced again at the message icon on his phone. It was the days old message from Renee, and he still had yet to delete it.
 

It was a good reminder when there seemed to be a strange emptiness inside him. Where parts of his life just felt off and lacking. When his heart felt a bit shaken after being gently stirred.

He looked at the message any time he was ready to summon his driver to take him to Renee’s apartment. It kicked him back to reality in a moment of weakness.

Renee had made it clear she wanted no part of his infamy. That his money and intrigue did little to attract her—funny, because that was the draw for other women. He might as well have
been
a pirate as his ancestor had been for all his notoriety.