Because I Can (Necklace Trilogy 2)
When we collapse on the floor, we both laugh at the fact that we are literally naked and sitting against the front door. “You want to try the bedroom next?”
“You think we should talk first?”
“I know all I need to know. He lost you. You’re mine now.”
“Dash, really? He’s a problem.”
He stands and pulls me to my feet. “And I haven’t fucked you well enough or you would not be naked and talking about another man. Challenge accepted.” He scoops me up and carries me toward the bedroom.
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
The next day, Dash dresses casually for a day working in the hotel. I dress in a black skirt and teal blouse with the intention of working at Riptide for a few hours.
“The driver will be here to get you in twenty minutes,” Dash says as I join him at the dining table for room service coffee and pastries.
I accept the coffee he pours me and decide that passion and midnight go together. So do daylight and reality. That reality is punching me in the face. “Brandon is going to come for you to hurt me, Dash.”
“I’ll have Bella dig around and find out why he was at the party,” he promises. “We’re working in the same circles. It’s possible he just happened to be there.”
“You’re underestimating him, Dash.”
“Don’t underestimate me, baby. I got this. And I told you, I got you.”
He offers me the creamer and I accept, wishing there was some way to get Dash to really take Brandon seriously.
“Hey,” he says, drawing my gaze to his.
“I heard you loud and clear. I’m not a man without resources, Allie. I will handle him. I need you to trust me enough to know that when I say that, I mean it.”
Because he’s ex-FBI, I remind myself.
His cellphone buzzes and he glances at the message. “That’s the driver. He’s here early but he can wait.”
“I’ll just go on down. The sooner I get to work, the sooner I get back.” I push to my feet.
Dash follows and folds me close, cupping my face. “Considering what that asshole did to you, you trusting me, is a big order, I know. But I’m not him, baby.”
“I do trust you, Dash. The problem is, the only thing I trust about Brandon is his ability to do bad things to serve his own greater good.”
“And he’s not the first Brandon I’ve dealt with. He’s nothing next to Ghost, I promise you.”
“I try not to think about Ghost hanging around and watching us. Is he? Watching us?”
“Try not to think about it.” He teases. “Then again, maybe you should think of Ghost, not Brandon. On another subject, I want to set a service to move your apartment before we leave. You okay with that?”
“You’re not letting me back out, are you?”
“Not a chance. Do you want to back out?”
“Not a chance,” I say, and just that easily, Dash has me smiling when he kisses me goodbye and seals me in the hired SUV. But as the driver pulls us onto the road, I swear a bad feeling is clawing at me, and the past Allie, is suffocating me.
***
For most of the day, I expect to hear from Brandon, expect an explosion that doesn’t come. As for my job, well, I don’t resign. Mark is at the hospital with his mother all day so it’s not exactly the right time to drop that bomb. I decide I wouldn’t resign even if he was present today anyway. There’s an idea brewing in my mind about how Hawk Legal and Riptide might become partners with me in a key role to win for both sides. But I need time to put those thoughts on paper and make sure everyone is as sold on the idea as I am.
I arrive back at the hotel to find Dash still at his computer. “How did writing go?”
“Damn good,” he says. “I’m finally in a zone with this book.” He stands and motions to the wine bottle on the coffee table.
We come together in the living room, and soon our glasses are filled, and when I would start asking questions about Brandon, he’s already offering answers.
“No one at the publisher is calling Bella back about Brandon. I even tried to call, no one called me back.”
My brows furrow. “They didn’t call you? That feels weird, Dash.”
“They’re getting ready for the signing. I wouldn’t read into it. How was your day at Riptide?”
“Good,” I say. “And no, I didn’t resign.” I proceed to tell him my idea, that perhaps Hawk Legal could outsource their auctions to Riptide. “I could work on-site at Hawk Legal.”
“You think they’ll go for it?” he asks.
“I’m going to sell the hell out of it.”
His cellphone rings and he glances at the caller ID. “That would be Bella.” He answers the line on speaker. “You’re on speaker, Bella. I’m with Allie.”