Business Pleasures (Pleasures of the Heart) (4 page)

“Tonight is all about you and letting go.”

She let out another moan as he took one nipple into his mouth and sucked. Millions of tiny pinpricks of heightened awareness skittered over her body.

He rose up and reached for the drawer of the nightstand with his free hand. With a quick kiss to her lips, he whispered, “Behave,” as he let go of her hands and sat up on his knees.

She bit her bottom lip and refrained from testing to see what he’d do if she reached for him. Defiance and the giddiness of what that might bring made the wait to have him buried deep inside her more unbearable.

Once the condom was in place, he bent over to cage her between his large, strong arms and kissed her. His tongue pushed inside and she met him with her own, tangling them together. Lowering his body to hers, he slowly entered her, stretching her impossibly wide.

He hissed through his teeth and stilled while he nuzzled her cheek, then bit gently on her earlobe. Hot desire rolled through her and she gripped his forearms, digging her nails into his arms as she cried out in pleasure.

“Look at me.”

She complied and held his dark gaze as he thrust inside her over and over until their world exploded into bliss, sending them both over the edge in an orgasmic wave.

Chapter Five

“Are you sure you don’t want me to walk you in?”

Smiling at the way Kenton looked at her while he waggled his brows, she said, “No. I have a few things to do before the workweek starts tomorrow.” Aimee leaned over and kissed him. “Thanks for everything. I’ll see you at the office tomorrow.”

“It should be me thanking you. Have dinner with me tonight. I’ll come over and cook for you.”

She let out a laugh and got out of the car. “Sounds wonderful. I’ll see you tonight, then?”

His sexy one-sided smile almost changed her mind, but he put the car in gear. Heart dancing, she watched him pull out of the drive. She was in so much trouble.

She had fallen, hopelessly and carelessly, head over heels for Kenton. He was everything she wanted and needed in a partner. And he desired her like no other, not even Roger in the first few months of dating, before he slowly stripped her away from her friends and family and before he became the monster of her nightmares.

She knew the signs now and trusted her heart and gut to not make the same mistake twice. Kenton wasn’t like Roger. She’d watched him the last five years with Julie—he approached everything with compassion and gave her anything she wanted, no questions, no arguments.

And the multiple times he brought her to orgasm the night before only added to his appeal.

She sighed as she unlocked her front door and stepped inside. For the first time in her life, she felt content, alive.

“Well, I see that my wife has been playing while the master was away.”

Icy dread sliced up her spine and fear burned from her belly to her heart. Her hands shook as she turned to face her nightmare. Roger sat, relaxed, in the armed chair facing the door. His dark brown eyes narrowed and his lips set in a thin angry line.

Swallowing, she inched toward the small accent table next to the entryway. “I’m not your wife any longer. How did you get out?”

An emotionless smile lifted his lips. “Good behavior.”

Good behavior, my ass
. She knew him well enough to know he lied. When he stood, she whirled around and jerked the drawer on the table open. The gun she kept there was gone. Her heart slammed into her ribs and fear crippled her. Roger closed a hand around her neck and smashed her face down on the table, causing her to fall to her knees.

He leaned over her and spoke close to her ear. “You are mine. Until death do us part, sweetheart.”

Fear transformed into the rage that had grown inside her from the day she signed the court papers and put the bastard behind bars. She’d never lose control over her life like she did during their six year marriage.

She jerked her head back, whacking him in the nose. He yelled out, but backed off enough that she could crawl away from him. She didn’t get far before he grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her to her feet.

“I see you have grown some balls.”

He pressed his hips into her and she closed her eyes. The sick bastard was turned on. God, she was going to be sick. She lifted her leg and stomped down with the heel of her shoe, slamming it to the top of his foot through his runners.

“Bitch!” He jerked her around and punched her in the side of the face, knocking her to the floor.

Pain exploded in her head and face. Tears ran down her cheeks as defeat washed through her. The only way to be rid of Roger would be to kill him before he killed her.

****

Kenton picked up his car keys from the coffee table when his cell rang. Glancing at the screen, he smiled. “Hello, beautiful.” Silence meet his greeting, making his pulse sputter. “Aimee?”

“Hi. Sorry,” she whispered, then coughed. “I’m not going to be good company for dinner. I’m not feeling well. It might have been something I ate or maybe a stomach bug.”

His little inner voice told him something wasn’t right, but he pushed it aside. Maybe she needed some space. Maybe her timid nature made her shy away. He could be moving too fast for her. “Do you need me to bring you anything?”

“No. Thank you though. I just need to sleep it off. I’m sure I’ll feel better in the morning.” She had a smile in her tone and it made him relax a little, easing some of his paranoia.

“Okay, I’ll call you in the morning.”

“Sounds great. Night, Kenton.”

“Night.” He hung up the phone, placed it on the coffee table, and then grabbed his laptop and turned it on.

She’d told him that her ex had abused her and was in jail, but beyond that, he didn’t know a whole lot about her. Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something terrible happened. The fact that they ate from each other’s plates proved she wasn’t sick due to food poisoning.

He knew Monroe was Aimee’s maiden name, so he searched public records and found that she married a Roger Cummings eleven years ago. Further digging brought up multiple charges filed by the state for domestic violence, confirming her nightmarish, as she called it, marriage. The last charge was for attempted murder against Aimee, which landed Roger in prison for twenty years. That was five years ago. A few months before Aimee started working for Kenton.

He found no mention of his release. Possibly, the system hadn’t been updated, possibly Roger had escaped. An uneasy, nauseous feeling settled in the pit of Kenton’s stomach. Thinking back to Aimee’s call, he remembered how she seemed to have trouble catching her breath. At the time he dismissed it as her not feeling well. Now, he wondered if it was something else entirely.

Like her bastard ex-husband. Kenton brought up the search engine and typed in recent jail breaks. After sifting through a few movie titles and TV show ads, he found a link for the local news channel. The story broke over night with a large mug shot of the prisoner.

Kenton fisted his hands and grounded his molars as he stared at the screen. A moment later, he closed his laptop and snatched up his keys before leaving his condo. Aimee wasn’t sick. The possibility that she could be injured because of her asshole ex-husband made his blood run hot.

Ten minutes later, he pulled up to Aimee’s house. Dread rode him hard as he got out of the car and stalked toward the door. He knocked lightly and when she didn’t answer, panic pushed him to try the door knob, which turned easily under his touch.

Stepping inside, his blood boiled as he looked around the living room. A broken vase laid on floor, shattered to tiny pieces. The accent table in the entryway laid on its side on the hardwood floor. The lamps from the living room among other small furniture littered the room as if thrown about.

His pulse raced. “Aimee?”

A sob from down the hall was his answer and he rushed toward it. He entered the bathroom and found her curled up on the floor. When he lifted her in his arms, she sucked in a breath.

Fuck
. “Aimee, we’re going to the hospital.”

Shaking her head, she tried to lower her legs, but closed her eyes and sucked in another breath as if every movement caused her pain. The bastard would pay for this. “Sweetheart, don’t move and don’t argue with me. Please?”

A sigh slipped from her and she relaxed against him. Coming from a family of lawyers, his father as well as one of his uncles were trial lawyers. The stories they told about domestic cases did nothing to prepare him for seeing Aimee beaten and in pain.

Roger had touched her for the last time. Kenton would make sure of it.

Chapter Six

“How did you know?” Aimee studied the ceiling in Kenton’s bedroom as she held an ice pack to the left side of her face.

Every inch of her body ached. The left side of her face left like another head had started to grow. After Roger had punched her, he kicked her ribs and stomach with such force she was surprised she hadn’t cough up blood. The little details pissed Kenton off more than she’d ever seen him. She really didn’t want to go to the hospital. They were so clinical and smelled. Besides, the staff always asked questions she didn’t want to answer. It was the same drill from the number of times she’d been there before. Except back then, Roger had taken her to different hospitals or urgent care clinics.

Her insides warmed at how great Kenton took care of her during the whole process while at the same time guilt crept in. He answered all their questions and dealt with the police report. However, she was grateful for the pain meds and to find out that nothing was broken. Despite how badly Roger beat her, she didn’t suffer too many internal injuries. She’d be bruised, swollen, and sore for the next week or so.

Averting his gaze, he said, “If I told you, you’d be angry with me.”

One shoulder lifted. “Maybe, but I don’t think I’ll be surprised by it.”

His laugh soothed her tension like a balm. Kenton had always made her feel safe. There was just something about him that made her feel completely at ease. “I pulled some public records about you and your divorce.”

No, she wasn’t surprised. She’d expected it, really, although she’d never wanted him to see her like this. She needed a hot bath and a safe place to hide until she figured this mess out. “Kenton?”

“Yeah?”

Her heart pounded and her hands clammed up. Could she really ask him to help her commit murder? “I…nothing. Never mind.”

His hand lifted her chin so she met his gaze. “Roger has to be stopped. I put a call in to one of my uncles and asked him your legal rights.”

Blinking, she lowered the ice pack and stared at him. “What do you mean?”

One side of his mouth lifted. “Well, since he went to jail for trying to kill you, escaped, and came back to finish the job, I wanted to know if you would be charged if you killed him first?”

Her mouth fell open. “Are you serious? Did you use those exact words?”

“Sure did. His immediate answer was yes, it’d be self-defense. Since there is a long trail of domestic reports and you placed charges against him and divorced him, you have every right to protect yourself.”

Kenton lifted her hand and moved it so the icepack recovered her face. “I want you to take all the time you need to heal. Don’t worry about work or anything else.”

Her heart warmed and a tear rolled from the corner of her eye. “Thank you.”

Leaning down, he kissed her forehead, then her nose. “There will also be an officer or two watching the building and security has been given Roger’s picture. Get some rest.”

Her lids drifted shut and she nodded. A moment later she felt the ice pack lift off her face and Kenton rose from the bed.

If only she’d met Kenton first. She’d probably have a couple kids by now. With a smile, she drifted off to sleep.

****

Kenton closed the bedroom door behind him and took out his cell phone as he entered the living room. Anger still brewed within him. He’d never understand the acts of violence against another. It didn’t makes sense.

Pulling out his cell and punching in Grace’s number, he held the phone to his ear and waited.

“Hello.”

“Hi, Grace.”

A heavy, relieved sigh sounded over the connection. “Oh thank God. How is she?”

“She’s resting. The doctor said nothing is broken, but she’ll be sore for a while.”

“I should have killed that bastard when I had a chance. Some fucked up justice system we have, to let a monster like him out.”

Yep, he pretty much felt the same. “I’m going to have her stay here until this is worked out. Do you have somewhere to stay? I don’t think you should bring the kids home right yet.”

“Yeah, Sam said I could stay with him. Plus, it gives him more time with the kids.”

Relief filled him. Grace and her ex-husband had gotten along better since they’d divorced. It was odd, but they were better friends than lovers. “I’ll have Aimee call when she gets up.”

“Okay. Thank you for being there for her.”

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. Talk to you later.”

He hung up before she could ask any questions he didn’t have answers for. Aimee wiggled her way into his heart and he wouldn’t let anyone take her from him.

Chapter Seven

Aimee slowly sat up on the edge of the bed while holding her breath. Her ribs still hurt with certain movements and sharp intakes of breath. She didn’t care. The white ceiling bled into the walls, making it feel like she was trapped inside a fish bowl painted white. With no way to see the outside world. If she had to lie in this bed one more day she’d scream just to have something new to do.

Once up right she release the breath she held and braced for the pain to shout across her ribs. To her relief, the pain was an ache, but she knew too well that as long as she didn’t move too sudden or breathe too heavy she’d be okay. For now.

The door to Kenton’s bedroom opened and she winced at the scowl on his face. A reaction she couldn’t stop. The last three days the man waited on her hand and foot. He worked from home as much as possible so she’d have someone to get whatever she needed.