Taken by the Pirate Billionaire(17)

Devon tried to grab it again, but was too late. The picture slipped from  both their hands and crashed to the ground. The frame cracked and the  canvas pulled free from its backing.

"Oh my God." Renee lifted her hand to her mouth in horror at what she'd just done. "I'm so sorry. I lost my grip. Oh my God."         

     



 

How could she be so damn clumsy? Her eyes filled with tears.

Devon leaned over and scooped up the painting, then carried it to the table in the foyer.

What was he doing? She watched in dismay as he pried the frame away from the canvas.

"Devon, stop! You'll ruin it further. Maybe we can get it fixed somewhere."

"Hold on a second... Well, I'll be damned," Devon said and a moment later lifted a small round object from inside the frame.

Renee blinked and the air locked in her chest. She couldn't breathe. She  had to be seeing things. It couldn't be... She grew dizzy as he turned  the object a bit and the light twinkled off the rubies.

He looked at Renee and then set the antique brooch in the palm of her  hand, closing her fingers around it. "This, I believe, belongs to you."





Chapter Seventeen



Her heart thudded and she drew in a small breath. She looked from his  sincere eyes and then admired the complexity of the brooch.

It was heavier than it looked and even though it was in her hand, she struggled to believe that this was happening.

"Look, there's a letter, too."

She lifted her head just as Devon pulled a yellowed piece of paper out  of the frame. While he read through the old, creased page she waited in  silence, glancing down at the brooch in her hand every now and then.

It was real. They'd found the brooch. Any minute now she'd wake up and it would have all been a dream.

"I'll be damned."

"What does it say?" She took a slow step towards him to glance over his shoulder.

"Darren wrote the letter. It says he was in love with Anne and that he  had every intention of marrying her." Devon paused. "When he came to get  her on the day they were to elope, Anne's father answered the door.  He'd learned of their plans and intervened. He gave the brooch to Darren  and told him never to return. His daughter, Anne, would never be  allowed to marry a pirate."

"What?" Renee's glanced at the brooch in her hand. "But Darren ignored him, right?"

Devon shook his head, his mouth slashing. "Anne's father said that if  Darren ever came back, Anne would be sent to a convent. It appears  Darren loved Anne so much that he'd rather she found happiness elsewhere  than be sent to a convent. He stayed away."

"No." Renee's eyes misted over.

"For a while at least." Devon set the letter on the table and looked  over at her. "But he loved her-more than anything or anyone. He was  willing to give up all the pirating and settle down, so he did go back  for her."

"And she was already married." Renee finished as she wiped away a tear that was trailing down her cheek.

Devon nodded his head. "She was already married."

Darren had never been the villain; it was her own family who had. Anne's father. She'd been so wrong about everything.

"I can't keep this." Guilt had her trying to hand the brooch back to him. "It's more yours than mine."

"Keep it." He folded her fingers closed around the brooch. "And I'll have the portrait reframed for you."

Blinking in shock, she shook her head. "No. Devon-"

"Renee." He wiped another tear off her cheek. "I care about you. I want you to be a part of my life, sweetheart."

Renee blinked, stunned and a little thrilled at his sudden confession.

"You don't have to answer me now. I want you to think about it."

"I will." She managed a husky reply.

"Good." He grabbed his keys back off the desk. "I'll take you home now."



"It looks bad. Really bad."

Renee held the phone away from her ear as Lucy scolded into the phone.

"Did you see the picture in the paper? He was biting your neck like some kind of vampire. Damn. Wouldn't that just be perfect?"

Renee rolled her eyes. "He's not a vampire. And most people won't even recognize me."

"I did."

"You're my best friend and you knew I was there that night. I'd expect  you to." Renee was sitting on her bed, the brooch resting on a pillow in  front of her.         

     



 

God, it was so beautiful. Selling it was going to be the hardest thing she'd ever had to do.

"You're in denial at how bad this is gonna get," Lucy warned. "You're  not getting serious with him are you? It was just sex, right?"

No. Yet she couldn't bring herself to admit that to her best friend yet.

"I haven't decided on anything, but he wants to keep seeing me, and in a serious kind of way."

"That's nuts. You need to think about this."

It was all she'd been able to think about for the last two days. Two  days and it was embarrassing how much she missed him already. There was a  noticeable emptiness gnawing at her insides.

"You're on the verge of getting Puppy Bliss into a full fledged success.  You're going to be all over the tabloids, and if you're name is linked  with someone as controversial as Devon Murray permanently, you'd better  be prepared to lose some clients." Lucy paused. "Because you know all  your uppity customers are going to worry about their precious Fido  coming home with a ball gag instead of a tennis ball."

Renee sighed. "People aren't that judgmental."

"Wanna bet? Remember when Carla married that ex-con? Her bakery went belly up within a month."

"That's because her food sucked," Renee protested, but there was a niggling of doubt that told her Lucy might be right.

"Are you going to gamble on it? You worked so hard to get your business  on its feet. There are tons of men out there, Renee," Lucy pleaded.  "Don't get hung up on a rich bad boy who'll probably dump you in a few  years for an upgrade girlfriend. I don't care how cute he is. How good  the sex is..."

Renee frowned as he friend drifted off. Her tone had changed slightly.

"Wait, are we talking about me still, Luce? Is something going on with you and Eric?"

"What?" Lucy paused. "No, of course not. We're not talking about me."

Renee wasn't convinced, but knew better than to pry right now. "Look, I'll call you later. I've got a lot to think about."

"You do. You really do, Renee."

A little frustrated with her friend's negativity, she ended the call and  stared at the brooch. Was it worth it? Risking everything she'd worked  for to take a chance on a man she hadn't known for very long? Who, just  like Lucy suggested, would probably kick her to the curb not far down  the line?

Renee closed her eyes, the uncomfortable decision falling into place.

Oh God...selling the brooch wouldn't be the hardest thing she'd ever done. Walking away from Devon would be.



She called him the next morning to tell him how she felt-somewhat  relieved and feeling guilty about it when she got his voice mail.

"It's Renee. I'm calling about what you said the other morning...about  how you wanted me in your life." God, she sounded like an idiot. "Now  that I've thought it over, I just don't think it's a very good idea. The  sex was great, and we had a fun little diary adventure, but that was  probably the gist of it. I mean, we're probably confusing it for  something it wasn't. Right?"

She broke off as she felt tears pricking behind her eyes. God, why was  she doing this on the phone? Why was she doing this at all?

It was too late to change her mind. To back out. She had to be strong.  Think of her future. Devon swam in waters she couldn't even float in.

She drew in a shaky breath. "Anyway, I really need to focus on my  business, but I wanted to thank you for everything. I had fun."

Fun? She was reducing their time together as fun? Before she could make it any worse, she ended the call.

Renee set her cell down, feeling sick to her stomach. That was harsh.  Ridiculously so. She'd known it even as she did it. But it was for the  best. It had to be.

Lucy was right, what good could come from continuing to see Devon? He  was a bad boy billionaire. Sure, he had good days, but he threw sex  parties and was into all things kinky.

Though that wasn't such a bad thing. The memory of the night he'd tied  her up hit her so sharply that her sex clenched just thinking about it.         

     



 

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Don't dwell, move on. There would be other good lovers out there. And that's all it amounted to, right?

Her mind decided it was a good idea. Unfortunately, her heart was a little slower to agree.



It took a couple of days, drifting in and out of a serious funk, before she could admit she'd made the wrong choice.

She stood under the shower, eyes closed, and the heaviness of regret cloaked her.

So stupid. She'd been so utterly stupid to let her own insecurities and  fears of what other people would think make her shut Devon out of her  life.