A Merger by Marriage (15 page)

The Stone Properties’ flagship hotel was a towering thirty-story structure that overlooked the bright blue waters of Biscayne Bay. Everything about the lush landscaping bordering the circular driveway and the glassed entrance to the lobby was staged to impress. But as Violet exited the town car and headed inside, she noted a dozen tiny flaws in the way the staff conducted themselves and spied the dust lingering in the decorative moldings. At a quick glance everything appeared to be functioning, but Violet’s trained eye recognized mismanagement.

Crossing the two-story foyer, Violet made her way to the conference room where the annual meeting was taking place. She picked up her pace when she saw the doors had already closed. If she’d hoped to slip in unobtrusively, she’d underestimated the number of stockholders who would be attending.

There were less than a dozen people scattered throughout the chairs that faced a raised dais with a podium in the middle. Seven pairs of eyes shifted in her direction, but she only cared about a particular pair of hard blue ones.

Simmering with ill-concealed annoyance, JT sat beside his cousin, Brent, half way up on the far side of the room. He didn’t look happy to see her, but she hoped that would change when he understood why she was here. She took a seat in the back of the room while Preston ran through the day’s agenda. As stockholder meetings went it was fairly routine. They would vote to accept the company’s financials as well as several amendments to the bylaws. The agenda had been sent out months ago so no one really needed the review, but clearly Preston Rhodes enjoyed hearing himself speak.

While Preston spoke about the success of the company under his leadership and the direction he was taking Stone Properties in the future, Violet watched JT. He sat like a statue, his expression tight and unreadable. If things had gone differently, she’d be sitting beside him, offering him silent support. Her heart ached at the distance between them.

At long last, the explanation of what they were voting on wound down and they were invited to mark their ballots and bring them up to the ballot box. An external auditor would then count the votes while the shareholders enjoyed a specially prepared lunch. Everyone in the room knew it was all being done to satisfy the bylaws. Preston had control over the majority of the shares. What he wanted was what he would get.

Violet lingered in the back while JT voted, hoping to catch him as he left. A muscle jumped in his jaw as he approached.

“I thought maybe you’d mail in your vote.” His gaze searched her face for a second before he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

The fleeting contact caused a hiccup in Violet’s pulse. She wanted so badly to wrap her arms around him and tell him everything would be all right, but he had his guard up.

“I wanted to be here for you.”

“That’s nice.” JT’s features softened for a moment, but then his father’s laugh reverberated around the rapidly emptying room and JT’s expression became like stone once more.

Violet watched her husband with a sinking heart. For a second she thought he might tell her he missed her. It was what she’d flown halfway across the country hoping to hear. What a fool she’d been to think their reunion would be joyful and romantic. “I’d better go vote.”

“Of course.”

JT’s gaze clung to Violet’s slender form as she walked away. He told himself to go after her. To beg her to love him. Wasn’t her appearance here today proof that she wasn’t ready to give up on him? But was it fair to take and take from her and give back nothing in return?

“JT, I was hoping I’d get to see you.” A stocky man of average height clapped JT on his shoulder. “Sorry about not being able to swing my vote your way, but your father has been running this company successfully for a lot of years.”

Clive Ringwald was the owner of a string of auto parts stores in the Midwest and married to JT’s mother’s cousin. An affable man, he was firmly in Preston’s camp, believing whatever half-truths or outright lies he was told.

“I understand,” he told Clive, but his attention was fixed on Violet.

She’d dropped her ballot in the box and handed some paperwork to the auditor. With a last glance his way, she slipped out the room’s second door.

Watching the door close behind her, JT felt his entire world shatter. What the hell was he doing standing here letting Clive prattle on? He loved Violet. He didn’t care if she’d read his file and knew every shameful thing about him. She’d known who he was and married him anyway. And here he was, acting like such a stubborn fool when he should be fighting for the woman who’d transformed his life.

Cutting off Clive with a brusque apology, JT moved to intercept Violet in the hallway, but she’d already vanished. Figuring she was heading to the restaurant where lunch was being served, JT raced down the hall to the escalator that led to the ground floor. As he rode it down, he caught a glimpse of her passing through the front doors. He was so intent on catching up to her that he didn’t notice Brent waiting for him at the bottom of the escalator until his cousin stepped in front of him.

“The FBI’s here.” Brent’s gaze was troubled. “They’re taking your father in. Do you know what the hell is going on?”

JT immediately thought of George Barnes and a reporter in L.A. who might have some information on a man by the name of Preston Rhodes. “I think I do. Where are they?”

Before Brent could answer, his father appeared, flanked by two men in suits. In dazed silence JT watched the trio approach. They’d handcuffed Preston, but there was no question that JT’s father was not cowed by the treatment.

“Do you know who I am?” Preston snarled.

The man to the left smirked. “Actually, that’s what we’d like to chat with you about.”

Preston caught sight of JT and his lips curled in disdain. “I suppose this is your doing.”

JT shook his head. “I wish it was.” And to his surprise he meant it. “Seems as if all your bad choices have finally caught up with you.”

“Tell my assistant to call my lawyer,” he snapped before he was out of range.

“You’re not really going to do that, are you?” Brent inquired.

“Nope.” JT glanced at his cousin. “Can I get a rain check on that drink? I need to catch my wife before she leaves.”

“No problem. Give me a call later.”

But before taking more than a step, once again, JT was prevented from going after Violet. This time it was the auditor who stopped him.

“Excuse me, but was that Mr. Rhodes I just saw leave?”

“It was.”

“But I have the results of the election.”

“The stockholders are having lunch in the dining room. Perhaps you’d like to tell them what happened.” JT turned to go.

“Before you leave, Mr. Stone, you should know that your father was voted off the board.”

JT spun around and stared at the auditor, wondering if he’d heard correctly. Then, JT realized he was grinning like an idiot. “Explain it to him.” He indicated Brent. “I have more important things to take care of.”

Twelve

V
iolet was unpacking the last of her
personal items from her suite at Fontaine Chic when her husband strode through
the bedroom door. She glanced up as his presence filled the master suite and
made the very air crackle with energy.

“Hello, husband,” she said, her tone matter of fact. “Was your
trip successful?”

“You know damned well it was.” He tugged his tie loose and
shrugged out of his suit jacket. When he looked as if he planned to drop both
articles on a nearby chair, Violet moved to take them from him. A gentle
tug-of-war ensued between them. “I don’t need rescuing,” he murmured a second
before giving her the win.

“Not anymore,” she responded, her voice equally soft.

It was going to be all right, she realized as she hung up his
jacket and tie. He hadn’t demanded to know what she was doing in his house. He’d
simply accepted her presence. Her anxiety quieted.

She came out of the closet and found her husband had stripped
off his shirt and was working on his shoes. Her mouth went dry as she took in
all his chiseled perfection. Had it only been a week since they’d last made
love? The severe ache in her loins made it seem like a whole lot longer.

His socks landed in a pile next to his shirt as he commented,
“The FBI hauled my father in for questioning.” JT slipped off his pants. Clad
only in his boxer briefs, he carried his discarded clothes into the closet. “Any
idea what that was about?”

“You didn’t stick around to find out?”

“I was too busy chasing after my wife to care.” He reappeared
in fully naked glory and stood with his arms crossed, staring at her. “Perhaps
you can enlighten me.”

It was difficult for her to concentrate with her husband’s
flawless physique artlessly displayed for her perusal. Did he really intend to
stand there like that and have a serious discussion? Her blood heated as she
took in the rise and dip of his muscular arms and the flawless definition of his
rock hard abs.

“Perhaps you’d like to shower first and then we can talk?”
Violet suggested, hoping he’d take the hint that it was a conversation better
conducted without distractions.

“Actually, I’d like to hear what you have to say first.”

Damn him. Well, two could play at this game. She reached behind
her and took ahold of her dress’s zipper. His expression didn’t change as she
unfastened her dress, but when it pooled at her feet, she caught a minute
widening of his eyes.

“Charity Rimes finally returned our call a few days ago,” she
said, unfastening her bra and letting it fall to the ground. She shimmied out of
her underwear before continuing. “After Tiberius had contacted her, she’d been
intrigued about his theory that George Barnes had taken Preston Rhodes’s
identity and tracked down George’s high school yearbook.”

The entire time she was speaking, JT kept his gaze fixed on
hers, and off her naked form. He appeared utterly intent on what she was saying,
but there was one part of his anatomy with a mind of its own. To provoke it
further, Violet reached up and freed the pins holding her hair in a loose
topknot. It cascaded around her shoulders, the strands tickling her sensitive
nipples and turning them into hard buds. JT’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

“When she emailed me a copy of the photo from his graduation,
it was obvious that your father is not Preston Rhodes.”

“So you called the FBI?”

“No, Scarlett suggested we bring the issue to Logan. He had a
buddy in the FBI.”

Violet bent down and picked up her dress. As she straightened
she thought she heard a strange noise emanating from JT’s throat, but when she
glanced his way, nothing revealed itself on his face, although his erection had
surged higher.

“He called me a few days ago.” JT’s voice was tight and husky.
“I didn’t want to hear what he had to say.”

“I thought you should know what we intended to do and would
take it better from him.”

“I was so damned mad at you.”

Violet flinched at the intensity of his tone. “I know.”

Needing a moment to regroup, she turned and walked to a nearby
chair, putting her clothes on it. She felt more than heard JT come up behind
her, and when he spoke next, he was mere feet away.

“You had a file on me. I felt betrayed.”

“I know,” she repeated without turning around. Rehashing their
fight would not move them past her poor judgment or his interpretation of what
she’d done. “I was a little surprised the FBI moved as fast as they did. I
thought for certain they would investigate longer.” When his hands gripped her
shoulders, there was tension in his fingers. Alarmed, Violet hurried to explain
her motivation. “I know he’s your father, but he certainly had no right to be in
charge of your family’s business.”

“I don’t need rescuing.” JT repeated his earlier declaration
and turned her to face him. “Not by you. Not by anyone.”

Her temper flared. “That’s your whole problem,” she said,
hitting him with all her pent-up frustration. “You think you’re doing fine on
your own, that this isolated little world you’ve built for yourself can keep
your heart safe.” She put both hands on his chest and shoved hard. He stumbled
back a step, his expression reflecting surprise at her fierceness, and she
stalked after him. “Well, you’re wrong.” She wagged her finger a scant inch from
his nose and he retreated a few more steps. “You need me.” She prowled after
him, all her heartache and worry rising to a boiling point. “Admit it. Damn you.
Admit it.”

JT stopped retreating and stood staring down at her face. His
fingertips brushed her cheek and came away damp. Violet didn’t even realize she
was crying.

“I don’t just need you,” JT said, bending down and lifting her
onto his shoulder in a fireman’s carry.

He dumped her on the bed and pounced on her. Violet gasped; his
rough handling had disrupted the efficient working of her lungs. Or maybe she
couldn’t breathe because of the way he was staring at her: as if she was the
most amazing sight he’d ever seen.

“I don’t just need you,” JT repeated, his tone tender. “I can’t
live without you. And I swear I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure I never
have to.”

And then he was kissing her passionately, reverently, without
holding back any emotion. Violet’s joy knew no bounds as she realized that he’d
stopped running from her. He might not have let go of the pain that kept him
isolated, but he was ready to let her help him heal.

Her tongue met every greedy thrust of his, devouring just as
fervently as she was devoured. With her fingers fisted in his hair, she threw
back her head and moaned as his teeth nipped at her throat and he investigated
the level of her arousal. Her hips bucked as he slid one finger inside her, then
two.

Heat built beneath her skin as his mouth latched onto one of
her nipples. The firm tug sent a spear of longing straight down to her core. She
twisted beneath him, pinned to the mattress by his weight, but managing to
communicate her hunger.

“Now,” she commanded breathlessly. “Don’t make me wait any
longer.”

He used his knees to spread her thighs wide, opening her for
his possession. “It’s been hell for me as well.”

And then he was thrusting inside her in one long, measured
surge that nearly made her black out, such was her pleasure.

“Yes,” she murmured, smiling as his lips claimed hers once
more.

He retreated at a deliberate pace, letting her savor the
friction of their joining before plunging fully inside her once more. Their
union couldn’t be measured by the pleasure he brought her body, but by the way
her heart swelled to almost bursting.

“I love you,” she told him, meeting his gaze as they danced
together, hips moving in ancient rhythm.

JT laced his fingers with hers and set their hands on the
pillow beside her head. Without breaking his steady stroke into her body, he
kissed her gently on the lips before murmuring, “You’re my everything.”

His confession caused her body to spasm. Her orgasm rolled over
her in slow waves of ever-increasing pleasure that slowly faded. When she opened
her eyes, she found JT watching her. Her lips curved at the wonder in his
expression. He began to move against her powerfully, chasing his own finish. In
seconds his body shuddered as his climax claimed him. He let her watch every
emotion play across his face.

Breathing harshly, JT collapsed on his stomach beside her on
the bed. He peered at her from beneath his long lashes, a wryness in his
expression making him look younger than his thirty years. Or, Violet corrected,
he looked exactly the age he was and she’d grown accustomed to how stress and
unhappiness had made him seem older.

She rolled over on her side and cupped her hands beneath her
cheek. “I’m here to stay.”

“I assumed that when I saw all the packing boxes in the
hall.”

“And by here I mean wherever you are.” Her lips firmed. “I
fully intend to fight dirty if that’s what it takes to save our marriage.”

“There’s nothing to save.” He lifted one hand to forestall her
heated rebuttal. “Let me finish. I simply mean that I was wrong to push you away
and that I’m fully committed to spending the rest of my life with you.”

Violet let him see her delight. “Good. I think you made a wise
choice.”

“So do I.” JT rolled onto his side until their noses were an
inch apart. His heart rate had returned to its regular resting pace, but every
third beat or so it skipped a little as he realized just how happy he was.

“Feel like telling me how the shareholder vote worked out?”

Why did he get the sense that she already knew?

“Strangely enough, it came out in our favor.”

“Really?” She did a lousy job of sounding surprised. “How is
that possible?”

“From what Brent was able to gather after I left, Casey didn’t
vote his shares.”

“That’s odd. Any idea what happened?”

JT decided Violet’s poker face was improving, but he knew her
well enough to pick up on the trace of amusement in her eyes.

“I don’t know if you remember but he was in the midst of a
nasty divorce.”

“I seem to recall something about that.”

Now JT knew she’d been up to something because she’d been the
one to point that out to him in the first place. “He let his wife have his four
percent of Stone Properties stock in the settlement.”

“You don’t say.” Violet looked suitably fascinated. “But if his
ex-wife had the shares, she wouldn’t be able to vote them because she was no
longer family.”

“True.” JT let the rest of his explanation hang in the air, but
Violet didn’t press him to continue. And why would she? JT suspected she already
knew how it ended. “Without Casey’s four percent, my father and I controlled an
equal number of shares.”

“So how did we win?”

“That’s an excellent question. Perhaps you’d like to explain to
me.”

“Me?” She sounded innocent, but a smug smile tugged at her
lips. “Why would you think I had anything to do with it?”

“Because I’ve met the ex-Mrs. Casey Stone and she’s greedy and
beautiful, but not particularly bright. I don’t understand why she wanted the
shares at all.”

“Well...” Violet drew out the word, reveling in the telling of
her tale. “It seems that a year ago Casey had bought a big, beautiful love nest
for his new amore and hadn’t declared it as part of the divorce settlement. So,
I let Brittany know and suggested that she might want to ask for the Stone
Property shares and let Casey have the house.”

“And he went for that? The shares had to be worth more or that
was one hell of a house.”

“He was in a hurry to remarry, and he stood to lose big because
he hadn’t disclosed the house.” Violet shook her head. “Brittany was thrilled to
sell me the stock. After all, I’d done her a good turn. And in the end, I think
she received more than Casey intended for her to have.”

“You own the four percent?”

“I do.”

“This wasn’t something you managed overnight, was it?” JT
didn’t wait for her to answer. “After I told you it wasn’t worth pursuing, you
went behind my back, didn’t you?”

“You refused to let me help.”

“And now I see I was wrong.” As much as he hated admitting
that, Violet’s delight took the sting away.

“Good. Maybe now you’ll start listening to my advice.”

“Yes, oh wise one.”

JT put his arms around her and softly nuzzled the side of her
neck. She smelled like fresh-cut grass and summer sunshine, both favorite scents
from his time on the farm in Kentucky. Lulled by the steady beat of her heart
against his, JT felt the door to his most guarded secrets crack open.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” he told her, strangely at
peace now that he was on the verge of telling her about the worst moment of his
life.

“You don’t have to thank me. I’m your wife. I’ll always have
your back.”

“Then you should know what you’re letting yourself in for.”

“You don’t think I do?” Violet’s breath fell against his skin
in a soothing cadence. “I didn’t read your file, but I know that you’re more
troubled than the average person by mistakes you’ve made and that you carry
childhood hurts that may never heal.”

“I’m more troubled because the mistakes I’ve made aren’t
forgivable.”

“That’s impossible for me to believe.”

He never stopped being astonished by her faith in him, but she
needed to know everything. “The day my mother died...”

“JT.” She cupped his cheek, offering comfort, and drew her
thumb across his lips, silencing him. “You don’t have to tell me.”

“But I do. You were right about my needing to let go of the
past. I can’t do that if I continue to let fear hold me captive. I need you to
know what happened with my mother.” He pressed a kiss into her palm and closed
his eyes. “I was the reason she died.”

Violet’s body jerked in reaction to his words, but instead of
pushing him away, she moved even closer as if she wanted to slide under his skin
and share the burden with him.