Mastered By My Guardian(12)

“I didn’t take your company away from you. I worked against your son-of-a-bitch partner.”

A hand squeezed around her heart, accelerating her breathing. Could it be true?

She turned slowly.

His somber blue gaze locked on hers. He was telling the truth. She knew he was.

He’d never lied to her. He always told her the truth, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

But it wasn’t like him to take the losing side of a battle.

“So you came here to vote even though you knew we couldn’t win?”

Her twenty percent and his fifteen wouldn’t beat the combined twenty plus twenty shares of Bill and the angel investor.

“Why do you think we didn’t win?”

Hope fluttered inside her but… she didn’t understand.

“I…” She shook her head. He knew the math as well as her. “Bill said he had the support of the angel investor.” She wanted to grab onto the hope Zane offered and cling to it, but she knew better. “An angel investor wants to prosper from his investment and from the offer Bill received. No sane investor would say no.” Only someone like her, who was passionate about the company… who had pride in having built it from her own ideas and vision… would keep it in the face of an offer like that. “He’d have to be an idiot to turn it down.”

His lips quirked up. “I don’t think of myself as an idiot.”

She shook her head. “What?”

He stepped closer, then took her hand in his. It was so warm, his fingers enveloping her cold ones.

“I said I’m not an idiot. I’m the one who invested in your company when you were starting out. Through a separate corporation so you wouldn’t know.”

Her eyes widened.

“And before you go there, it wasn’t to keep any kind of control over you. I knew how much you wanted this. I wanted to make sure that no one could ever take it away from you.” He squeezed her hand. “Ever.”

“You…” Her throat was so tight the word sounded strangled. She tried again. “You’re the investor? You…voted against Bill?”

He smiled and drew her toward him. “You didn’t really think I’d ever let anyone hurt you like that, did you?”

He pulled her into his arms and held her tight. Her head rested against the smooth wool of his suit, her tears dampening the fabric.

He had saved her company.

“Sweetheart, I love you. I have always done whatever I can to protect you. You may have felt it was controlling, but…” His lips brushed against her temple. “I could just never stand to see you hurt.”

She eased back and stared up at him as she blinked back the tears.

“So Sandy was wrong? The company is not being sold?”

He tipped his head. “No, she’s not wrong. The company is being sold. To me.”

Her gut reaction was to push him away, assuming he was taking control. That his attitude was that she’d had her chance to run a company… and failed. Now he’d take over and do what she couldn’t.

But he deserved better than that. This weekend had changed everything she thought she’d known about him.

He smiled. “When I heard via my sources that Bill had received an offer for the company, I had one of my subordinate companies make a better offer. He was chomping at the bit to get his hands on all that money. It was clear that he doesn’t have the same love of this company as you do. He knew you’d never go for it, so he decided to get your angel investor on-board, not knowing it was me. I instructed my representative to let him believe I was on board. He also reached out to other big investors, intent on getting a majority vote. I already had an extra chunk of stock I’d bought and when I saw what he was doing, I bought more.”

“Why did you have extra stock?” She didn’t want to believe it was because he wanted control.

He laughed and stroked her cheek. “Because, sweetheart, I believe in you. I knew your company was a good investment.”

Hearing him say those words made her heart swell. He believes in me. Tears started to flow again.

“But, you know, I don’t see why you need a partner. Especially one who doesn’t share your passion. So I did buy the company. Bill will get his money, and so will the other investors. Your company will be privately owned again.”

“By you.”

He shook his head. “No. By you. The company will flourish with you at the helm. I’ve already signed the papers transferring ownership to you.”

“You’re giving me the company?”Joyful relief surged through her.

He nodded.

“You can’t just give it to me. You invested the majority of the money.”

“And you invested your heart.” He tipped her chin up and kissed her. “It’s yours.”

Her heart soared. He did believe in her.

And he did love her. He’d just proven that.

He knew she was strong and capable and he was willing to put a huge amount of money behind that belief.

She shook her head. “No. I think it should be fifty-fifty.”

“Yeah? Why is that?”

She rested her hand on his cheek. “Because I think that’s how it should be between a husband and wife.”

She nearly laughed out loud at the shock in his eyes.

“Are you saying…?”

She took his hand as she sank to her knees. “Zane, I love you with all my heart. I know you will always care for me and protect me. I know I can trust you with my life.” She smiled. “And I’ve learned a lot about how to give up control after this past weekend. So I want to spend my life obeying you.” She stared straight into his steady blue gaze. “Will you marry me?”

He chuckled and pulled her to her feet and straight into his arms. His tongue delved deep, claiming her with a passion that took her breath away. When he released her mouth, she could barely breathe.

“Yes.”

It was her turn to laugh, then she threw her arms around him and hugged him tight, her heart pounding in her chest.

His hand stroked down her back and over her ass, then he pulled her tight to him. The hard bulge against her belly told her he’d missed her as much as she’d missed him. She knelt down again, stroking her hand from his chest to his growing cock. The feel of his hard shaft beneath the fine wool of his suit pants sent her heart racing. She unzipped him and pulled out his big, pulsing cock, already steel-hard with wanting her. She smiled as she admired his length, her hand stroking slowly from base to tip.

She gazed up at him. “What would you like me to do, Master Zane?”

“You’ve just become head of your own company.” He smiled. “I’d like you to take control.”

She stood up. “Really?”

She stepped back, unbuttoning her blouse as her gaze glided up and down his body. His swollen cock twitched under her scrutiny. She dropped her blouse to the floor and ran her fingertips over the swell of her breasts, watching his eyes darken.

“I want you naked,” she said.

“Yes, Mistress,” he said as he took off his suit jacket.

She watched hungrily as he unfastened the buttons of his shirt, one-by-one, slowly revealing his broad chest. The first peek at his sculpted abs sent her heart pumping faster. He shed his shirt, then unfastened the button of his pants—she’d already undone the zipper. He pushed them down, along with his underwear, and stepped out of them. Then he stood up. Fully and gloriously naked.

Heat hummed through her at the sight of him. So incredibly masculine. So strong and dominant. Yet willing to give control to her.

She reached around behind her and unfastened her skirt, then pushed it to the floor.

“What would you like to do to me?” she asked coyly.

“Whatever will make you happy, Mistress.”

“Then come here and take off my bra.”

As he stepped closer, her heart-rate increased. His arms went around her and his fingers played along her back, then the bra released. He eased the straps from her shoulders, the feel of his fingertips brushing her skin sending tingles dancing along her flesh. Then he drew the bra from her breasts, revealing them.

Her nipples puckered at his heated gaze.

“You are beautiful, Mistress. What would you like me to do now?”

“I want you to caress my breasts.”

He enveloped her breasts in his hands, then stroked her nipples with his thumbs, until they were hard and needy.

“Take one in your mouth,” she murmured.

His head dipped down then she felt moistness encompass her hard nub as he wrapped his lips around it. He nudged it with his tongue, then sucked softly. She groaned at the exquisite sensations. He moved to her other breast, suckling it until she could barely stand.

“Take off my panties.” Her hoarse voice reflected her need.

He drew them down, his hot gaze lingering on her pussy.

“I want you to touch me… lick me…” she ran her fingers down her stomach then over her slick folds. “Here.”

She moved to the couch and sat down, opening her legs wide to him.

He smiled as he knelt in front of her. “Of course, Mistress.”

The first touch of his fingers sent a jolt of pleasure through her. Heat blossomed inside her as his fingers glided over her intimate flesh. Then he leaned forward and when his tongue touched her, she moaned. He lapped over her sensitive flesh, then nuzzled in deep. Her fingers curled around his head, gliding through the thick waves of his hair.