My adrenaline picks up and I bolt upright in my seat. “You found her?” I ask hopefully. “I think so” “What do you mean you fucking think so?” I snap. “You either did or you didn’t” “Calm down” “How the fuck can I calm down? Where is she? Is she okay?” I’m usually in control, but right now I’m a fucking mess. “It only dawned on me a few hours ago to do a track on her phone. I had a program installed when I was looking after her. Just in case something ever went wrong”Jesus, why didn’t I think of that? “And?” I ask “Anne’s address came up” I fucking knew it. “I’m coming over there” I say standing. “No” he says abruptly. “You can’t fucking stop me, Robert. If she’s there, I’ll tear the place apart until I find her” “Listen” he says, and I can hear he’s trying to remain calm, “her phone is there, but that doesn’t necessarily mean she is. Use your common sense. You can’t come over here like a charging bull. It won’t do her any good” “So
My heart will kill me before Anne does. That’s all I can think as it races in my chest. I’ve never felt fear like this.My hot breath makes me feel faint as I try to breathe steadily. My eyes open even though all I can see is darkness with the bag still wrapped around my head.The dry lump in my throat feels scratchy as I swallow, opening my eyes to see nothing but the scant light that seeps through the burlap. I can’t make out anything but I can hear everything. I try to swallow again, gently lifting my head because I feel like I’m going to suffocate if I don’t breathe. “Oh, I see you’re up” My breathing hitches at the gruff voice coming from somewhere in front of me.Anne. I tried and failed, not to let her on to the fact that I’m awake. Even when the cigar smoke woke me, and I thought I was on fire, I was still. A few minutes have passed at most; I haven’t learned shit that’s going to help me though, other than that I’m lying on a floor and helpless. “Just in time” h
My heart is heavy as I sit beside Emily’s hospital bed, her tiny hand clutched in mine. Hours have passed and she’s still out of it, sleeping now, rather than comatose. She’s stirred on a few occasions, but remains unmoving due to the narcotics that are still in her system. The doctor assures me she’ll be okay once they wear off, which is a huge relief.I got word that Robert survived the surgery to remove the bullet that was lodged in his shoulder. He remains in a critical but stable condition in ICU. He has some extensive physio ahead of him, but should make a full recovery. I’m yet to see him and thank him for all he has done, because I’m unable to leave Emily’s side. When she finally comes round and I know for sure she’s going to be all right, I’ll go to him. He put his life on the line for my girl, and I’ll be forever indebted to him for that.Phil called earlier when he realized I was no longer at the house. As far as I know, he and Gerald are still sitting in the waiting r
I regain consciousness again. “Be still” Damian whispers softly to me as I try to move. I feel his hands on me, gentle and steady.My tears are flowing for some reason and they really sting. I try to move my body but unable to. The pain is so much. It feels like I was thrown down from ten storey building. “Emily, you have to be still please” Damian begs. His voice is so soothing. My head is hurting and banging. “Damian?” I call out to him as I try to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. The light in the room is too bright. I can feel a sting at the corner of my eye and I wince. I try to sit up, but I feel his hand press me down on my shoulder softly.The bed is so soft. I can hear a beeping sound somewhere. I must be in the hospital. “You have to be still Emily” he says again but firmer. I open my eyes again and look up at the ceiling. I was right it’s a hospital. “I’m at the hospital” my mouth hurts when I speak, so I bring my hand to cover it. “You’re really h
I try to keep my shit together for the next few hours. With all Emily just told me, everything in me wants to hunt down my father and rip him apart, for ever trying to return her back to Anne. My need for Emily is stronger than the retribution I crave.My father and I haven’t been close for years, but deep down, I know I was foolish to believe he cared about me. I’m his son. I may not like or respect him, but I love him if for no other reason than he’s the man that gave me life. And as much as I’ve grown to hate the person he has become, I never thought he’d stoop this low. How could he do something so despicable to his own flesh and blood? He knows how much Emily means to me. Does he have such little regard for my feelings? He may not like me being with her, but that’s irrelevant. This is the ultimate betrayal. I’ll never forgive him.Pushing thoughts of my father out of my mind, I focus on comforting Emily and telling her everything she can’t remember about the incident. She’s
By the time I reach the office it’s safe to say I’m consumed with anger. God help my father when I get my hands on him. “Mr Stone, your father is in the middle of an important call. He asked not be disturbed” his secretary, Fiona, says as I approach.I walk straight past her without replying.Reaching for the handle, I ignore her comment, flinging the door open with so much force it crashes into the adjoining wall with a loud bang. My father’s head immediately snaps up and his eyes meet mine. When the colour drains from his face, I know he understands why I’m here. I close the door to his office, locking it behind me. There will be no escaping this conversation. “Look, I’ll have to call you back” he says in a shaky voice before ending his call. He has good reason to be worried.Stalking around the desk, I grab the lapels of his suit jacket before reefing him out of his seat. “You were behind Emily’s disappearance?” “For crying out loud, she’s a damn whore. I was on
When I wake, I find Gerald asleep in the chair in the corner. There’s no sign of Phil, or more importantly, Damian. The moment Phil opens his eyes, I know something terrible has happened. I ask him where the boys are, and I’m in no way prepared for what he tells me.My first instincts are to go to Damian, but Gerald won’t take me. Although Shawn Stone was far from my favorite person, I can imagine how his death will be affecting his sons. “Damian hasn’t taken the news well” Gerald says. “I’ve promised him I’ll look after you. Don’t worry, when he’s ready, he’ll come”His words both shock and confuse me. Maybe given the history between his father and me, they shouldn’t, but they do. I’m afraid to ask Gerald if Damian has specifically said he doesn’t want to see me, because I have a feeling in my gut that he’d say yes. My instincts are usually pretty spot on.I try to push that thought out of my mind. I still can’t believe that Shawn Stone is actually dead. Apparently he’d coll
“You’ve reached Damian Stone. Please leave your details and I’ll get back to you” Hearing his sexy, confident voice in the recorded message sends my heart into a flutter, despite my disappointment. It’s only been a day, but I miss him. “Hi Damian, it’s Emily. I just wanted to say again, I’m sorry about your father. I’ve been discharged from the hospital and I’m heading to Gerald’s house. I just thought you may want to know. I’m here if you need anything. Take care of yourself” I clutch my phone to my chest and fight back the tears when I end the call.Please let us be okay.A week has passed and there’s still no word from Damian. Nothing. With every day that goes by, my concern not only for him, but for us, escalates. I’ve spoken with Phil, he came to Gerald’s to touch base and make sure I was doing okay. When I asked him how Damian was, his reply was ‘not good’. To my disappointment, he didn’t elaborate. I had a thousand questions I wanted to ask, but for some reason wor
“That’s it baby. I’m taking you to the doctor. No flu is going to have you throwing up for two weeks straight” Damian says, holding my hair for what seems like the hundredth time.I rest my head on my arm that’s lying on the toilet and take deep breaths. I am so sick of being sick. For the past two weeks all it seems I do is eat, throw it back up, and sleep. I’m exhausted and I’ve gained a lot of weight. I know Damian is right and I need to find out what’s wrong.I lift my head and see Jaxon holding a glass of water out for me. I stand on shaky legs and gratefully take the glass from him. My first sip gets swirled in my mouth and then spat out into the sink. I chug the rest of it like I haven’t had anything to drink in days. I next brush my teeth, because not to would be gross.I turn to face Damian and lean against the counter. He steps up to me and places his hands on the counter on either side of my waist. His expression is worried. He’s noticed the weight that I’ve g
Six months laterI leave the kitchen carrying a batch of freshly baked Snickers cookies. It’s my own recipe and one of my bestsellers. Buying that chocolate at the airport turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made. That insignificant moment changed my life. Damian still says that, to this day, he can’t walk past a Snickers bar without thinking of me.The bell above the door chimes just as I place the hot tray on the counter. Taking off my oven gloves, I turn to greet my first customer for the day. It’s been almost three months since I opened my patisserie. It’s everything I dreamed it would be, and more. I decided to name it ‘Life’s Sweet’, because that’s exactly what life has become—sweet. I’ve come a long way from where I once was. Thanks to my husband and new found family, the horrors of my past seem like a distant memory.As hard as it was for him, Damian didn’t interfere, and let me pay for everything with the money I’d earnt from working for Anne. He likes to spoi
Anne’s trial finally rolled around. Both Robert and I were subpoenaed as witnesses. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, but on the other hand, I was eager to see this through to the end—to finally be able to put Anne, my past, and everything I went through behind me. I have a wonderful life now and a family who loves me, so there’s no point dwelling on something I can’t change. I know Robert is keen to see justice served, and the monsters responsible for his daughter’s death finally held accountable.To my dismay, I’m the first to be called to the stand. I’ve been dreading this day. Under the circumstances, the court offered to let me give my evidence by video link, but that would be the coward’s way out. I refuse to let her take one more piece of my dignity. I’d forever be disappointed in myself if I didn’t face her. I firmly believed standing up to Anne is exactly what I need to finally be free. It’s something I’ve yearned for. She bullied and intimidated me for far too
I haven’t stopped smiling since the moment I got out of bed this morning. Even though Damian already feels like family to me, today it becomes official.In under an hour I’ll be Mrs Emily Stone and I can’t put into words how happy that makes me. I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. I’ll finally belong to someone. “You look beautiful” Robert says as he straightens my veil. “I’m honored to be giving you away today” “There’s no one else I’d rather” I reply. And that’s the truth. “You’re the closest thing I have to a father” “I’m so proud of you, Emily” I have to fight back the tears when I hear his voice crack. “From the moment I met you, I hoped that one day you’d find happiness. I’m so glad I get to witness it” “I love you, Robert” I say as I wrap my arms around him. I’ve never told him that before, but I do. “Emily” he replies, choking up. “I love you too. Although I lost a daughter, I’ve gained another in you. I’m extremely grateful t
find Emily in the kitchen when I arrive home a week after our return from Paris. She gives me a beautiful smile as I place an envelope on the table and go to her. It hurts my heart to know I’m about to wipe that smile off her pretty face. I’m having serious misgivings about pushing her into this now. But I’ve found information on Emily’s family, and everything she needs to know is now sitting in that large white envelope. Her father’s lawyer was very helpful, but the news is going to gut her.At least she won’t be left wondering for the rest of her life.I plant a soft kiss on her lips. “Hi, beautiful” “Hi, handsome”Stepping back, I pull her with me until I’m seated at the table and she’s on my lap. “Is everything okay?” she asks. “You look grim” “I have some good news, and some bad news” I watch as her eyes move to the envelope sitting in front of us. “It’s about your father” “You found him” she whispers as her hands cover her mouth. Her eyes fill with tear
After pulling me in for a scorching hot kiss, he releases me and walks toward the bed. I quickly grab what I need before ducking into the bathroom.Emerging a short time later, I find Damian sitting at the foot of the bed. His arms are positioned behind him, taking his body weight. His long legs are extended out in front of him and are crossed at the ankle. He’s unbuttoned his shirt, and I can see a hint of his toned and tanned chest. There’s a sexy smile on his lips and a glint of what’s yet to come in his eyes. It makes my pulse quicken.His gaze leaves mine and slowly travels down my body. He was wrong about the red shoes being his memory, because they’re about to become our memory. He told me once that he’d like to see me wearing nothing but these shoes.Wish granted.A smile explodes onto his face when he gets to my feet. “Fuck me” he gasps. “My favorite shoes”He goes to stand. I immediately hold my hand out to stop him. I’m nervous, but I want to do something I used
“Monsieur et madame, de cette manière s’il vous plaît” a man says, smiling pleasantly. “Why does he want us to follow him?” I ask as my hand latches around Damian’s elbow. “He’s taking us to the lift that will take us up to the top of the tower”For a minute I thought—I don’t know what I thought, but whatever it was, it wasn’t good. I guess Damian weirding out on the way up has put me on edge. But I hope bungee jumping off the Eiffel Tower is illegal, that’s all I’m saying.The moment we step into the other lift, Damian goes all weird again, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. It makes my stomach churn. He’s never acted this way with me before. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to” I whisper. I’m grasping at straws, trying to find out what’s going on inside his head, all the while hoping to God it has something to do with heights or confined spaces, and nothing to do with us or our relationship. “Do what?” he asks as he stops pacing and tu
I have nothing to be nervous about; I have a natural talent for cooking, so I’m sure impress, but I’m really nervous. Placing his finger under my chin, Damian raises my face to meet his. “Impossible. You’ve got this in the bag, sweetheart. You may even show him a thing or two” “That’s very sweet of you to say, but I highly doubt it” I say, laughing. “Don’t underestimate your talents. I’ve eaten at some of the finest Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. Your cooking rivals the best, and I’m not just saying that to get in your pants” “You have a permanent invitation to my pants, Mr Stone” I say, placing a soft kiss over his heart. “I’m glad to hear that” he moves his hands down to squeeze my arse. “Now let me get dressed before I do something that’s going to make you late”Damian’s confidence in my ability gave me the pick-me-up I needed. Though I’ll admit I’m a little starstruck when we meet Pierre, I’m completely taken aback when Damian drap
Emily is up and ready to take shower. I can tell she is filled with a mix of excitement and nerves about meeting Pierre.It was a long flight with a five-hour layover in Dubai, and we had no plans for the rest of the day, so we spent it in bed.That sexual energy she exudes, her beauty, her desire, her cunt, her orgasms. I want them to be mine. All mine.I never planned to let her go, but now I know I can’t.I have to have her, and just having her isn’t enough. It’s easy to keep her body captive, but I want her mind and maybe even her heart. Extending my hand to her, I help her down off the bed. “You want to shower” I ask alluringly. “Don’t I look like I’m about to?” She asks ra “Yeah. But before you get clean” I say, pulling my cock out, “you can clean me off. With your mouth of course” “Of course” she says with a smile speeding on her lips. “On your knees, mouth on my cock,” I order.Is that a blush I see on her obstinate cheeks as she parts her li