The Darkest Danger (Shattered Series Book 2) (21 page)

     “I think that we can amend that particular factor in the agreement,” he muttered, fighting to hide a pleased grin. “There certainly won’t be a problem.”

     “Very well,” she smiled up at him. “The hour’s getting late, and it’s time that I go to bed. Meghan and I have a busy day ahead tomorrow.”

     “Make room for me on the agenda. I want you to join me for lunch.”

     “I’d love that,” she said shyly. “What time?”

     “11:30. I should be finished with the meeting by that time.” He traced her bottom lip with a finger. “I suppose this is goodnight, then. Come on, I’ll see you to your room.”

     Five minutes later, they were standing outside her bedroom door, and she felt like a giddy teenager on a first date. “Well, goodnight,” she whispered. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

     Leaning down, he brushed her lips with a gentle kiss. “Goodnight and sweet dreams.”

     And she would have sweet dreams, she mulled, minutes later, lying alone in her bed.

    
But, hadn’t her grandest one already come true?

Chapter 12

     “Julie, when Ms. Lange arrives, I want you to send her right in,” Jarrod muttered into the intercom, and glanced at the clock with growing impatience. “In the next minutes, I’ll be conducting a short phone conference. So, hold all calls for the rest of the day and reschedule the meeting with Barnes. I’ll be gone for the remainder of the day.”

     “Of course, Mr. Sabatino,” Julie said in her usual rote businesslike tone. “I’ll see to it that it’s done.”

     “Thank you, Julie.”

     On cue, at exactly 11:05, the cell phone rang on his desk.

     He snatched it up, already knowing the identity of the caller. “You’re really trying my fucking patience, Addison. It’s been weeks, and you still haven’t delivered the goods.”

     “I’m already having a difficult time fielding questions about Olivia and me,” Matt snapped from the other end. “And my father’s no fool. The moment that I begin asking questions about the bogus evidence that he has, he’s going to know something’s up.”

     “Cut it with the bullshit,” he said coldly. “Find it.”

     “You stupid son-of-a-bitch, I’m doing the best that I can---”

     “Well, obviously, your best isn’t good enough!” he thundered, gripping the phone in a vice grip. “Olivia is done paying for your sins. Like I told you before, it’s not my problem how you get the job done. Just do it.”

     “None of this would be happening if it weren’t for that stupid cunt! If she’d kept her nose out of it---”

     “Watch your mouth and what you say about her,” he snapped, and finally, his anger exploded. “I’ll make you eat every word and then shove them right back up your fucking ass. Don’t play with me.”

     “Still riding your chariot horse and playing the knight in shining armor, I see,” Matt spat, and then muttered a few unintelligible words. “Enough with that. I’ll get you what you want. But, you got to give me time to work with this.”

     “When you’re done bullshitting, Addison, and decide to come up with something, let me know. But, you have a short lease on getting my information,” he said, and his words were low and cold. “If you don’t have it soon, you’re going to understand the true meaning of a living hell.”

     With a single click, he ended the call.

     Leaning back in the chair, he forced himself to relax.

     The intercom buzzed.

     “Yes?” he answered, watching the pulsating light on the phone. “Is there something that you need, Julie?”

     “Ms. Lange is here. Should I send her in?” the receptionist asked politely.

     No doubt, Olivia could lighten any mood, he mulled with a half-crooked grin, and rose from the chair. Certainly, his entire outlook for the day had changed in an instance. As he moved from behind the desk, he was filled with renewed energy. “Yes, send her in.”

     By the time the door opened, he was standing before his desk, and like million times before, he was sucker-punched as soon as she walked through the door.

     She was simply divine.

     Her dark tresses were upswept in a carefully pinned bun. But along the edges of her face, the long tendrils curled teasingly along it. The deep rich red color suited her well, he thought, sliding an appreciative gaze over her. A scooped neckline and slim design made the knee-length dress even more flattering against her curvy figure.

     But, as he absorbed the sight of her, she took him in as well.

     “Hi,” she said shyly, still hovering in the doorway.

     He smiled at her. “Hi.”

     “The bodyguard from last night---Mr. Rogers---he dropped me off,” Olivia said, sounding out of breath, an obvious clue to her nervousness, and her innocent gaze met his. “I hope that I’m not too early.”

     “Come here,” he commanded softly. “Lock the door behind you.”

     It was apparent that his demand had startled her, for her blush had deepened.

     As she turned to close the door, he couldn’t help but admire her backside.

    
She was definitely fine as hell.

     Taking a careful perch against the front of the desk, he pressed the intercom. “Julie, I’m not to be disturbed for any reason at all. As a matter of fact, why don’t you go ahead and leave for lunch?”

     “Of course, Mr. Sabatino,” Julie remarked. “I’d like that.”

     But, he was hardly attuned to the receptionist’s words as Olivia crossed the room.

     She was his calm and his tempest.

     His savior and his destroyer…

     For she was everything----

     When she reached him, he snagged her waist before pulling her between his spread thighs. “I’m glad that you’re here,” he said huskily, staring into her brown eyes. “I’ve missed you.”

     “It’s only been a few hours since we’ve seen one another,” she blushed, falling into her usual habit of staring at his chest. “We had breakfast together with Meghan.”

     “Any fucking minute that I’m not with you is too much time apart,” he murmured, tilting her chin, and forced her to look at him. “Besides, we have a lot of making up to do. How about we start now?”

     Her eyes fluttered close as he moved in to kiss her.

     Once again, he was the predator about to capture his innocent prey.

     Seizing control, he brushed his lips against hers, once, twice…

     With a breathless sigh, she gave into his sweet demand.

     He traced along her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, seeking an invitation, and received it. Releasing a guttural groan, he slipped his tongue inside, thrusting and stroking it against hers with deep caresses. The mere contact ignited the fires that they struggled to contain, and of no volition of their own, they lost complete control.

     She didn’t protest as he crushed her against him, but instead leaned into him weakly.

     He held her close, savoring the very feel of her against his hard body.
     The raging hunger, it seethed at the edges of their encounter, yet they wrestled it back in, holding it at bay. Still, though, their trembling bodies belied their very efforts. Just when they’d moved, he didn’t hold the answer, and a conscious thought only broke through the sensual haze when he maneuvered his body between her thighs. Now, it was she, who sat upon the highly polished desk, thighs spread wide apart, subconsciously seeking a private invasion. Her hands fell to his waist as she sought the intimate contact, and with an eagerness that nearly did him in, he moved closer.

     He had no need for further thought except for the movement of his own hands. The soft fabric of the dress whispered against her silken skin as he pushed it upward. With an expert smoothness, he cupped her hips before pulling her against his hardness. On a wild gasp, she twined her arms around his nape before wrapping her legs around his waist.

     He shuddered against violently, feeling his naked need’s desire to forge past the fringes, and someway, somehow, he found coherent thought.

     Things were moving too far and too fast, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her away. Taking a shuddering breath, he pulled away from the kiss, and as he did, he sensed her immediate confusion.

     “How’s that for a welcoming?” he breathed hoarsely, closing his hands about her face. “It’s the kind that I’d definitely look forward to everyday.”

     “I don’t understand,” she whispered, still caught up in the throes of their passion. “Why did you stop?”

     “I thought about the things that you said last night, and I don’t want it to seem that I’m trying to rush you into an intimate relationship. When you want to be with me in that way again, I want you to come to me on your own accord with no doubts plaguing your mind.” He brushed a gentle kiss across her lips before assisting her off the desk. “Come on. We have a reservation at Talinni’s.”

     “Talinni’s?” she probed, tugging on the dress’s hemline. “Isn’t that the restaurant that you mentioned before?”

     “Yes, the same exact one.”

     For the first time since arriving, she showed some reservation. “So, we really and truly did dine there?”

     “That’s one truth that was told,” he admitted, feeling twinges of familiar guilt. “If you’d rather that we didn’t go---”

     “No, I want to go.”

     He raised a brow in question. “You sure?”

     “I just said that I was sure, didn’t I?” she sighed, closing both hands at his waist. “And can we stop doing this?”

     “What?”

     “Walking on eggshells anytime my past is mentioned. If we’re going to work on our relationship, we have to move away from the anger and the guilt, and that includes both me and you.” She smiled up at him. “We better go before I embarrass myself with my rumbling tummy.”    

     A half hour later, they were dining in an intimate corner at Talinni’s. When they’d arrived, they’d been treated like royalty by the owners and staff. If any of them had been thrown off by her confusion, they hadn’t shown it, and instead had treated her with the utmost kindness and respect. Of course, having Jarrod there had made things easier, she mulled, staring at the food on the table.

     All of the delicacies were supposedly her usual favorites at the fancy Italian dining spot.

     A Shirley Temple with an extra shot of grenadine…

     Lasagna al Forno, garlic bread, and fruit salad…

     She blinked at the tears.

     There was familiarity here, and yet there wasn’t.

     “You alright?” Jarrod asked, concerned, staring at her across the table. “Talk to me.”

     “I’m sorry. I suppose that I’m just a little overwhelmed,” she admitted, trying to smile, but failed. “Everything looks and smells delicious.”
     He grabbed her hand from across the table. “Olivia, you don’t have to pretend with me. I want to know how you feel.”

     “I feel like I should remember something---anything. But, everything is a blank slate.”

     He hesitated. “I know that you didn’t approve of my offhand manner of consulting with Dr. Roma. But, again, if you’re serious about remembering your past, you should think about talking with a professional.”

     “But, if I seek a professional and go through whatever it is you’re supposed to go through to regain your memory, what if I don’t?” she asked, holding a painful breath. “What if I never remember?”

     “I know it’s a horrible thought to consider, but what if you don’t? Can you live with that?”

     “What about you? Could you live with that?”

     “I’d love you no matter what and in every way,” he muttered, laying a hand over hers on the table. “Regardless of the outcome, I will still be standing here.”

     Her eyes filled with tears. “You really mean it?”

     “Of course, I mean it,” he said, raising her hand to his lips, and kissed it. “I’m not going anywhere.”

     His words were enough to appease her.

     “I can’t eat another thing,” she moaned, later, tossing the napkin on the table. “I swear that I’ve just packed on one hundred pounds. Couple that with Rosa’s good cooking and I am officially doomed.”

     “No disagreement there. Now,” he said, leaning closer to the table. “What do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon?”

     Her heart skipped a beat. “You’re not going back in to work?”

     “No, I took the rest of the afternoon off. I want to spend a little time with you, and then later Poppet and I have plans. ”

     “I’d like to pick up a few things from the studio if you don’t mind,” she said in a rush. “And a movie at the theater would be great.”

     “It’s not some mushy romantic comedy, is it?” he teased.

     She blushed. “Actually, it is. But, if you’d rather that we didn’t---”

     “Now, did I say that I didn’t want to?”

      “Well, no,” she stammered. “But, then, you seem like the kind of guy that’d be all into the action movies or suspense thrillers.”

     “Those types of movies are more along my forte. How about this? We’ll do a double header. We’ll watch your sappy tale, and then, we’ll take in a testosterone-filled feature.”

    “It sounds like a fair trade off to me,” she smiled, and couldn’t tamper her joy while staring at him across the table.

     Finally, things were beginning to resemble normal between them again.

     After leaving a tip, they went about their way.

     But, neither one of them recognized the stranger that trailed them.

     Later, that evening, around 7:30 pm, she found herself in the grand mansion alone, especially since Rosa, Jarrod, and Meghan were gone out for the evening. They’d insisted that she tag along, but she’d refused, knowing that they needed and deserved the time alone.

     And now, she was alone, she sighed.

     Well, except for the guards that were stationed everywhere, she mulled, letting the curtain fall against the dark night before stepping away from the window. While the men were only doing their duties and lent her privacy, she couldn’t shake off the suffocating feeling of being closed in. Of course, that could be blamed on her confinement with Matt’s watchdog for all those weeks. But, that certainly didn’t give her the right to begrudge the men that were protecting her now, she decided.