CHASED (A Standalone Billionaire Romance Novel) (20 page)

Liv’s smile is completely gone when I laugh and tell her that her acting skills aren’t as grand as she may think.

“And then there’s the fact Lena overheard all you bastards talking. She tipped me off and Chase got a wire on Brian. We know all about your back door dealings and believe you me, the authorities are just eating that up and ready to indict your asses. We needed your boss though. So thanks for the long convo and thanks so much for admitting that you all used me as a pawn. You got everything Dec?”

The window behind me slides down slowly to reveal not only Dec but Brick and a grinning Chase, his eyes focused on the gun I have pointed at my targets.

“We’ve got it babe. You thought about that executive position I offered you. I could use your scheming mind to close deals.” He croons.

“Nah. I kinda want to have a baby soon so I think I might already be booked. Sorry.”

We’re all laughing by the time the limo pulls up to the Police station and I have to say, I like this new, harder, more intense version of me. In the end I’ve not only been an integral part of unravelling the mystery that was the sixth player, but I’ve nailed Liv to the wall too.

While it’s a shock, I understand why I woke up in that room alone and why she was never drugged. They wanted me dead, I was no longer of use to them and they were trying to kill two birds with one stone because killing me would have destroyed Chase.

Even more I understand that my life has not been my own since the day my mother saw me slipping through her grasp and that only now am I truly free.

Chase gave me that and I will henceforth move on from this part of my life secure in the knowledge that I am protected yes, but I am fully capable and powerful enough to protect myself.

“I am so sorry.”

I kiss my father once and walk away from the courthouse, my husband standing tall beside me as he hurries me to the car and hands me in. The case, after four months of investigation and building evidence went relatively quickly.

Brian will serve at least twenty five years because while he was only doing this because they were blackmailing him, he was directly involved in my kidnapping and thus got a few more years even though he turned state’s evidence.

The rest of them will never see the light of day and while I feel sorry for my mother, I am finally feeling free of the pain she has brought me. Liv only got five years and will be out in three if she behaves her stupid ass but I’m not worried, Gabe is still on her ass and willing to stick there because as it turns out, she’s the one who made sure the two buffoons who took us were so high that the dosage of drugs they gave me wouldn’t kill me outright.

Turns out she was as much a victim of this whole mess as I was; no one who is being blackmailed will react well and she chose her aunt Soph’s safety over me.

Not great, but totally understandable.

It’s done now and I am free.

And I got my guy too so yeah, I won.

Doc says that my level of smug satisfaction and the way I usually gloat during our sessions does not bode well for my ego but hell, I need a big freaking one to survive Chase Marshall and his volatile moods.

“God have mercy, these vultures!”

The car pulls away quickly and I’m not really paying much attention to where we’re going until I see a large house come into view, about two blocks from ours.

“Where…?”

“It’s a surprise babe.”

“Another one? You already got me my job back. You let dad reconcile with me even though you sorta hate him and you even bought Lena an apartment. What more could you possibly think I need?”

He doesn’t answer, just grins slowly and opens the door once the car rolls to a stop. When he pulls me out and almost hustles me to the door I’m aware of his excitement and can hardly contain a grin of my own.

“Chase…”

“This is the house I bought for mum. She’s coming over in another week and I thought I could maybe get your help decorating the place before she gets here.” He says, his face serious and so open I feel like I’m looking into the sun for a split second.

“You’re introducing me to your mom?”

Chase stops and slides his hands in to cup my cheeks, his gaze skittering around, searching for words I think, before he looks at me fully and gives me a breath-taking smile.

“No. I’m letting you into…it’s time for Alex. I will never fully be that boy who laughed and took everything for granted and you can bet your arse I won’t be soft enough to let you go, but I think, if I try hard enough, that I can let a small part of him exist again.”

My heart almost explodes at the thought of this strong, often angry, very much loving man, dropping his guard enough to be that same boy I’d fallen in love with all those years ago.

Not
too
much because I’m pretty sure this new Remy would eat the poor guy for breakfast and use his bones as toothpicks, but I appreciate that he’s willing to give me that small part of him that I’ve cherished for so long.

“I loved Alex a long time ago.” I whisper, feeling myself smile through the tears that are threatening to spill over. “He woke me up and gave me a part of myself I never knew could exist, but I would be lying if I said I want him back.”

That surprises him and I stifle a chuckle at the awe that covers his features when I gently kiss him and keep our eyes locked.

“I like Chase more. He’s fierce and mean and cold and he could probably kick the tar out of anyone who so much as breathes on me. He’s not always great to be around cause he’s moody as shit, and the guy is most definitely not easy to handle when it comes to my freedom, but I love him, all of him and I don’t think I want to give him up for Alex.”

“Remy…”

“Plus, Chase is an animal in the sack and that’s not something I’m giving up anytime this century. Sorry Alex old buddy, I love ya, but you can take your ass right on back to the past. I’m keeping my Animal.”

“I love you Remington Marshall. It was a mission to get you and God, the effort was bloody well worth it.” He breathes, attacking my mouth with a deep, brutal kiss that leaves me gasping for air and jelly kneed by the time he pulls back.

“I love you too.”

And I do. He’s the best bad bet I ever made and I’m grateful I stayed all in for the hand that should never have won but took the pot.

Chase

I’ve fought through broken ribs and sprained ankles and even that one time when Dec challenged me and dislocated my shoulder, but I swear to God,
that
pain is nowhere near what I feel now as I watch Remy gasp and huff for breath.

“You get this kid out or I swear to God one of you bastards will lose an eye!”

I resist the urge to laugh and watch as the nurses roll their eyes, trying and failing to hide the humour they feel.

“Rem darlin’, you’ve been in labour less than two hours. You’ve got a long way to go.” Lena coos, leaning over to wipe a cool cloth over Remy’s brow.

Gabe just sits and winces silently from his place in the corner and I see Brick, Dec and Hensley shift uneasily from foot to foot. Technically they aren’t supposed to be in the delivery room but Remy insisted, saying they saved her life and deserve to be here for this miracle.

I personally think she wants them all to suffer as much as she is but I’m not saying a bleeding word since their presence means I don’t have to go through this ordeal alone.

“Chase?”

I snap out of my thoughts and hustle over to her, feeling my heart rate increase at the thought of my baby being in pain. I’ve spent over a decade watching over her and protecting her and yet this is something not even I, with all my power and money can take from her.

“Yes my darling.”

“Don’t leave me.”

“Never. You’re mine.” I whisper to her for the hundredth time, knowing that she’s not quite rational at the moment but that she needs the reassurance to combat the fear that this moment is bringing. “You will always be mine.”

***

“Tell me again.”

I chuckle and pull Alexander closer to my chest, my eyes lifting from his perfect little face to Remy’s tired, joy filled gaze. Thirteen hours of labour and a lot of cursing later my darling is exhausted but satisfied, her eyes drooping even as she fights her need for sleep.

I understand this well since I’m dead on my feet but unable to relinquish this moment of pure, perfect bliss.

“You win.”

She grins as her eyes slide shut, her mouth tilting in that smug way that I taught her but bloody hate.

“Tell me why.”

I feel a chuckle rumble up my chest and blow out a silent laugh so as not to wake the baby because I know I will be saying these words for a while to satisfy her competitive streak.

“You did something I can never do.”

Her smile widens and I roll my eyes, ignoring the deep raspy chuckles that come from every corner of the room where the guys and Gabe are propped up, their own gazes soft as they take in Alexander and then my wife.

“Go on.”

I close my eyes and hear a feminine giggle come from Lena where she’s half asleep in the recliner beside Gabe.

“You’re strong and invincible and you rock, even though the curse jar is going to be full thanks to your clever tongue and inventiveness in that delivery room.”

“More.” She breathes, on the very verge of sleep.

I lean over and plant a soft kiss on her brow before pulling back.

“You won because you caught me.” I whisper, groaning when Brick starts making kissy noises and Dec starts gagging.

“Nope.”

“No?”

“Nope. I win because you caught me.”

“So tell me,
intern,
” Thomas said, leaning forward and locking his piercing, blue eyes on Sasha’s notebook. “What does it say about me in there? That I’m an arse? Oh, sorry, how do you Americans say it? Ass?”

Sasha pulled the book to her chest. Her mind darted back to her briefing in the boardroom earlier. Kelly, the editor of Atomic Magazine, thought it would be hilarious to send Sasha to interview the notoriously prickly English actor, Thomas Lloyd, because, at only twenty-three years old, she had missed the actor’s heyday and could not, in fact, recall even one of his blockbuster films. “Just read the questions,” Kelly had said. “Everything you say will offend him. Hell, if you asked that man what his favorite ice cream flavor was he’d find a way to be insulted by it.”

With only a taxi journey in which to prepare, and desperate not to ruin her chance to impress, Sasha had tried to find out about the interviewee from her employer. However, Kelly’s response as she’d bustled her out the door was, “There’s only one thing you need to know about Thomas Lloyd. His ego’s as big as his dick.”

That was it. No more information.

Daunted, Sasha had arrived at the interview in the honeymoon suite of Chicago’s Hilton Hotel with little more than a sheet of questions with the word
dick
scrawled at the top.

She squirmed in her seat under Thomas Lloyd’s relentless glare. “Something like that.”

Thomas threw his head back and laughed, shaking his dark, Hollywood-glossy hair. “How refreshing to hear,” he chuckled. Then he regained his composure and fixed his gaze on her again. “Now tell me…”—he paused and read the name tag above her right breast—“…Sasha, where is Alicia? Whenever I’m interviewed by Atomic, she’s usually the one to do it. I’d been looking forward to...seeing her again.” He adjusted his pants as he spoke, revealing a large bulge and confirming, in one motion, the truth of Kelly’s statement.

“She’s not well,” Sasha said, grimacing as she remembered Alicia’s cascading pink vomit at lunch caused by a dodgy prawn cocktail sandwich.

“And they sent the
intern
?” Thomas scoffed. As he spoke, his eyes roved over the electric blue dress she was wearing.

Sasha felt suddenly very hot. “Yes…I hope that’s okay?”

He smirked. “Okay?” He muttered under his breath, “It’s a bloody miracle.”

Sasha’s heart galloped beneath the thin material. “I’m sorry?”

The man just smiled slyly and pursed his lips. They were plump, almost perfectly symmetrical. There was a thin layer of stubble surrounding them. Thomas Lloyd was impossibly handsome. Handsome in a way that made Sasha want things she’d never realized she wanted.

“Don’t you have a question to ask me?” Thomas said playfully, breaking her from her reverie.

Sasha straightened up in her chair and cleared her throat. “Yes…yes, of course.” She scanned the questions on the page, trying to focus, to clear her fuzzy head. “Your new movie—”

“Film,” he interrupted. “We call them
films
in England.”

Boy,
Sasha thought,
Kelly was right.

“Film then,” she said, trying to smile cordially. “It’s a bit of a departure from your usual roles.”

Thomas raised an eyebrow. “Do you think so, intern?” he said smoothly, folding his arms. “In what way?”

Heat crept into Sasha’s neck. “Well, I… um…”

“...haven’t even watched it.” Thomas finished for her.

Uh-oh.

Sasha dropped her gaze, too nervous to make eye contact with the English actor. “I was told to do the interview at very short notice and didn’t have as much time to prepare as I would have liked, and—”

“You don’t know who I am, do you?” Thomas interrupted.

Sasha picked up on a cruel accusation in his tone. Her gaze travelled up. When she finally made eye contact with Thomas, her breath stuck in her lungs. The look he was giving her was so intense it made bolts of electricity race through her.

“Well?” he snapped. “You’ve never seen a single film of mine, have you?”

Sasha’s stomach plummeted. She’d blown it. All those years of hard work to get to this position and it was all going up in smoke. She couldn’t help the tears from creeping up.

“Well… I…I...”

Thomas suddenly tipped his head back and moaned. He grasped his knees, making the fabric bunch up. It was such a bizarre thing to do; Sasha snapped her notebook shut immediately and stood so fast her chair almost tipped backwards.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve clearly offended you. I’ll go.”

She bolted for the hotel door. But before she had a chance to haul it open, Thomas had leaped up and was right there beside her.

“Offended me?” he cried, grasping her arm and swirling her to face him. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve met someone who didn’t already know every detail about me? Who hasn’t already Googled my entire life?”

His face was contorted with emotion, and his fingers were squeezing her wrist, causing a sensation to pulse through her veins, travelling down the length of her body and settling deep within her. Her heartbeat was racing, and not just because of Thomas’s fit of passion.

Her gaze fell to her thin, pale wrist wrapped in his thick, strong fingers. He followed her gaze and let go quickly, then turned and paced away.

Sasha let out the breath she’d been holding. As the space lengthened between them, she became suddenly overly aware of their hotel room setting, of the plush, cream-colored silk sheets on the four-poster bed. An image flashed into her mind of a naked Thomas flinging her onto the bed, pressing his mouth against her breasts, and running the length of his enormous erection along her thigh.

“You don’t want me to leave?” she said, trying not to sound too desperate.

Thomas turned back to face her quickly. “No. I want to give you an opportunity.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

Thomas consulted his watch. “You have almost an hour before the next journalist arrives. One hour to get the material to write the article that will make your career.”

Sasha’s hand hovered over the door handle. “You want to help me?”

“Don’t question it,” Thomas said abruptly. “I’m giving you the opportunity of your career. Use it, intern.” He sat back in his chair and motioned for her to do the same. “Come on. Sit. Let’s start from the top.”

Sasha shifted uncomfortably, as Thomas stared at her intently. Without even knowing why, she paced back to the chair. Something was compelling her to sit, something more than the promise of a career boost. There was a magnetism about Thomas Lloyd, a pull that made her want to be in his company for as long as possible. It was more than just attraction; it was something primal.

He’s an actor,
she reminded herself as she took her chair again.
He’s meant to make you feel like that.

As she cleared her throat, Sasha glanced down at the list of questions provided by Kelly. “So, in this
film,
you’re playing a recovering alcoholic…”

But before she had a chance to fully ask the question, Thomas ripped the paper from her hands.

“None of this rubbish!” he cried, throwing it to the floor. “After you, I have three more interviews. They’re all going to ask the same thing. What are
you
going to ask me? What do
you
want to know? How are you going to impress your boss back in the office? Huh? Tell me.”

Sasha shrunk back, alarmed by Thomas’s passionate outburst. However, something about it exhilarated her at the same time.

“Don’t shy away from me!” he cried, grasping her shoulders.

Sasha felt the bite of his fingernails in her flesh and bit her lip. The sensation of his touch against her was even more powerful the second time. It was as if a switch had been flicked inside her. She didn’t just
want
Thomas to touch her, she
needed
him to.

“You’re sitting in front of one of Hollywood’s finest actors!” he shouted at her, his voice oozing with arrogance. “You, a nobody, an unknown, unpaid intern!”

Sasha wrenched herself away. “How dare you?”

“How dare I what?” Thomas spat.

“Call me a nobody. I’m more than just an intern!”

“Are you? Prove it!” He jabbed a finger aggressively against the notepad resting in her lap. “Be a journalist. Do it. Be more than just a lackey!”

“Fine!” Sasha snapped. “Tell me how a man with an ego as large as yours is ever truly satisfied?” She panted, feeling the anger thrumming in her chest.

Thomas fell silent. The passionate expression on his face melted away. He slumped back into his chair. After a long pause, he turned a mischievous gaze to meet hers.

“Do you have any idea how sexy you are when you break the rules?” he said finally.

Sasha’s gaze snapped up with surprise. “What?”

Thomas leaned forward. “Didn’t it make you feel good? Just for a second?” His voice had changed to a whisper, hot against her skin. “To not be a suck up? To say what you wanted to? To
demand
what you felt you deserved?”

Sasha’s throat went suddenly dry as Thomas’s eyes bore into her. This was not how she’d expected the interview to go at all. Yet, she knew she didn’t want it to stop. She never wanted his intense gaze to leave her. She never wanted to stop squirming under his scrutiny. She was caught somewhere between discomfort and excitement...and she loved it.

Then, all at once, Thomas leaned back, lengthening the space between them in a way that made Sasha gasp.

“‘How is a man with an ego as large as mine ever truly satisfied?’” he repeated, as if she’d only just asked the question, as if he hadn’t just told her she was sexy. Then he flapped a dismissive hand. “The answer is rarely. People never live up to my expectations. They bore me. They’re predictable. Always trying to please.” His eyes flashed with mischief.

Sasha coughed. Did he really just say that? If this man’s ego could get any bigger he’d explode. But then, what was it that made him so compelling to her? So fascinating? Maybe it was his candor. There was something uncomplicated about a man who just told it as he saw it. No mind games. Just take it or leave it.

And she realized then that she wanted to take it.

“Well,” she said, straightening up confidently. “You said people bore you. What about women?”

If Thomas Lloyd didn’t want sugarcoated questions or a giggling interviewer fawning over him, she sure as hell wasn’t going to be one. He wanted her to challenge him, and she wanted to challenge him in turn.

Thomas let out one of his bark-laughs. “Women. Women. Do they bore me? The women I end up in bed with do.”

Sasha narrowed her eyes. “You do realize I’m going to write an article about what a misogynist you are?”

“Why don’t you spend the night with me so I can prove you wrong?”

The question caught her off guard. “What?”

“You heard me,
intern
. Let me show you how I really feel about women.”

Sasha felt her body grow hot. Had Kelly planned this? Did she know that Thomas Lloyd would come on to her? Was she sent as bait, a way to get an interesting article for the magazine?

“I…,” she began, but her voice disappeared.

“I want you to fuck me,” Thomas said.

Sasha was so shocked she couldn’t speak.

She’d only ever had sex with one man, her boyfriend before college, Chris. They’d had a soppy sort of love, a cutesy romance. Something told her that sex with Thomas would be anything but. The idea scared and thrilled her in equal measure.

But Sasha wasn’t that kind of girl, was she? She was the sort of girl who’d break up with a boyfriend who adored her to focus on her studies, the sort of girl who’d move away from all her family and friends to make sure she got in the best journalism program in America. She was the girl who never went to parties, never missed a class, and never had a one-night stand. There was no way she could act dirty or play a sexy dominatrix! Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t go from three years of chastity to sex with a Hollywood heartthrob!

And even if she could, how would she satisfy a well-experienced man like Thomas Lloyd? He’d probably bedded a thousand women, beautiful women, accomplished women. Sleeping with him would put her job in jeopardy, leave her embarrassed...and leave him disappointed.

“I’m leaving now,” she said, standing.

“Why?” Thomas challenged her, the passion she’d glimpsed before returning to his voice. “I’m offering myself to you. I want to give you a career-defining interview! A life-changing orgasm!”

She laughed and slung her notepad into her satchel. “How very generous of you. But I don’t need to sleep with you to progress in my career.”

She strode to the door, but Thomas was suddenly on his feet. He wedged his hand against the door to stop her from opening it. “You don’t think you deserve it. You don’t think you’re good enough.”

Sasha sighed with irritation. “Deserve what?”