Stolen: A Bad Boy Romance(49)

“I want you to marry me.”

“What?!”

“Just, just listen. You’re about to get into a marriage that you don’t want anyway. But me, I won’t make you leave graduate school. You might have to take a leave of absence for the rest of the year, but at least this way you won’t have to walk away. Just retake this semester’s classes. We’ll get you medical leave or whatever else you want. I don’t expect it to be an easy marriage, but it’ll save your reputation, and you’ll have the freedom to live your life. I’m not looking to use you, Joanna. I want to give you options. I want to build you up. And I want you to help me build my empire.”

“I don’t even know you.”

“Do you know Greyson?” he asked.

I stopped. Considered. This was all so fucking crazy. I was going to get married no matter what, but what he was suggesting, it was impossible.

“Your uncle has connections, my father could never give me the legitimacy I want. Not while Greyson is his heir. Together your family and mine could create something better. Something new. I know it isn’t ideal, I know you don’t know me. But you have options. You don’t just have to be a homemaker that has to cater to Greyson’s every whim. You don’t have to deal with all of his transgressions and his fuck-ups. I could protect you from all of that.”

“Why would you even want to? I mean, how do I know you wouldn’t treat me any differently?”

“Well, for starters, like I said, you could stay in school. And because I’m educated. I’ve been to graduate school. I know what the demands are. But ultimately, you’d have to take a chance on me. You’d have to trust me.”

Trust him? He was coming up into his brother’s penthouse and proposing marriage to his fiancée. A woman he didn’t even know! But he was offering me a chance at my own life.

Fuck, why did this have to be so hard?

“One moment, I’m getting a rather ironic call.” He stood and walked towards the large windowed wall, answering his phone. “Ah, brother, I was just talking about you.”

I couldn’t hear who was on the other end of the line, but I was pretty sure it was Greyson. I squirmed in the chair and bit my lip

“What? Oh, I’m here, at your place. Making an offer to your new fiancée.” That voice, the way he said it. I knew what I was dealing with. Another monster.

It was what they all were in this damn place. Monsters, liars, and cheaters. And I thought I could walk away from it.

The temptation of continuing my own life wore off, and I knew what I was seeing. A cleverly veiled trap. A man desperate for power. It should’ve been obvious.

“He wants to talk to you,” David said as he handed me the phone.

“Hello?”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” the voice from the other end of the line boomed back at me.

“What?” I asked.

“Why the hell is he in my apartment? Do you even know what you’ve done?”

“He said he’d been here before. He got clearance from security.” I tried to sound as innocent as possible. I didn’t want him to know what I’d even been contemplating.

“He’s dangerous. Get him out of there. Now.”

“Alright.” I agreed.

“I’ll be right there, Jo. Just, just get him out of there.” Greyson was practically growling as he said it, and I bit my lip. It was going to be hard to do. He had a point he wanted to sell me on, and I knew that he wouldn’t leave unless he got what he wanted. Or at least a hint of it.

“Okay, I’ll try.”

“Good girl.”

I handed back the phone to David and gripped the chair. I had to figure out how to ask him to leave without insulting him. He was dangerous. Greyson said it, and I took his word for it.

“Goodbye, brother dearest.”

“David,” I said slowly.

“He wants me to leave, doesn’t he?” He asked. I blow out a breath.

“Yes,” I said, honestly.

“What is your answer?” he prodded. There it was.

“I, I don’t know. It’s a lot to take in. First I was pushed into this marriage, and now you come along and offer as well? It’s only been a couple of weeks since I got involved with Greyson, less than a week since the engagement, and I haven’t had any time to think. To decide what I’m going to do.” I paused and thought about it. “I really need more time to decide.”

He nodded. I’d opted for honesty, or at least as much honesty as possible in the face of the situation.

“I’ll take it. Better than an outright no. I really wouldn’t have liked that.” I saw a flash in his eyes. That predator drive, just like Greyson, except this was darker. This was worse. I really didn’t want to know what would’ve happened if I denied David. I could only imagine he was capable of the same kind of violence as Greyson or worse.

David stood and headed towards the door. “I better get out of here before Greyson gets back. He isn’t likely to be too happy with me. Think about what I proposed?”

I nodded and opened the door to let him out. I was almost afraid he wasn’t going to go, but he stepped outside of the door, and I held in an audible sigh of relief.

“Thank you, for hearing me out Ms. O’Brien. It was lovely getting to see you again.”

“Thank you,” I said as I started to close the door.

“I will hear from you?” He asked, expectant. I just nodded and shut it, making sure to lock the chain and deadbolt behind me.

Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, what had I done?





Chapter Twelve



Greyson



“Are you okay?” It was the first thing I asked when I got into the penthouse, looking at her I could see that she had no bruises, no scrapes. He hadn’t beaten her or chained her or stolen her away.

Yes, I thought he was capable of that kind of evil. That kind of pain. He was capable of anything, raised in my father’s image always trying to please him. He would do anything to get exactly what he wanted.

“I’m fine,” she said as she waved me away. She looked slightly annoyed, and that only made me angrier.

“What in the high holy hell were you thinking?” I asked unable to hold back my rage. What if he’d done something to her? What if he’d hurt her? I could’ve lost her.

It was the last thing I wanted. This crazy beautiful, stubborn woman was worming her way into my heart even if she had no idea it was happening.

“That he was your brother, and he wanted to talk about the marriage?” She said, a little flabbergasted.

I pulled her into me and wrapped my arms around her checking her for any pain under her shirt. She seemed fine. Finally, I sat down on the couch and pulled her onto my lap.

Jo squirmed a little, but she didn’t leave.

“He tried to convince me not to marry you,” She said, matter-of-factly. There was no attack in her statement, nothing to make me feel like it was something she was even considering.

“Did he? Convince you?” I asked, slowly. I wanted to make sure that he hadn’t. I wanted to beat the life out of him. It was one thing to cross boundaries when it came to our respective work relations. When it came to our father. But to approach my woman… he would have to be punished.

She crinkled her nose. “I’m not convinced of anything after last night’s dinner. The prospect of leaving my life behind, even if only temporarily, is not something I’m excited about.”

I couldn’t help but feel like she was holding something back. That she wasn’t telling me everything. The look in her eyes, the way she bit her cheek. Those were her tells.

But I’d let her have them. She was right, she’d been through so much already.

“Joanna,” I started, but those big eyes looked down at me, and they made me impossibly angry. How dare she jeopardize herself like that? “Don’t you fucking do anything so risky ever again.”

I grabbed a fist full of her hair and pulled her down into a kiss that I knew was going to hurt. I didn’t give a shit. I wanted to make her hurt, make her feel the pain and torment she caused when I heard her voice on that phone. She had no idea how my heart leapt up into my throat, how my pulse raced. She didn’t know that I was so close to racing over here and breaking my brother’s neck right in front of her. No matter the cost I would make sure she was safe.

I may have been a monster, but he was a demon, and I wouldn’t let him taint her. I kissed her like I could kiss the memory out of her, like I could banish anything he brought into this house. Any doubt she had.

The way she kissed me back, her hands running through my hair, her body arching into mine, it told me that she wanted the same thing. Fuck, this girl knew exactly the right way to ruin me.

And I wanted it. I wanted it all.

I breathed her in, my whole world in my lap. That was what she was becoming. That was what was happening. I didn’t want to admit it. It was too much, too fast. It made sense, though. If I fell, it was going to be fast. And to a woman like her.

God dammit, I didn’t want to fall.

Looking into those bright blue eyes I knew I didn’t have a choice.

“Fuck, Jo.” I kissed her again, my teeth scraping against her lip. I’d kiss her again and again just to satiate this hunger. Just to feel her. Feel it all.