Lost for You (18 page)

I find Elle on the phone when I get back.

“Mmm hmm,” she murmurs, looking up and smiling when I walk in. “I see.”

Dammit! I hate one sided conversations.

“I see……. Cool……..Yup, I’ll tell him………Miss you too, smartass. Drive safe,” she adds before ending the call and looking over at me with a sly grin. “Where did you get to? And where’s my dinner?”

“Just had a few errands to run, and dinner is part of your surprise,” I answer, walking over to her and lightly kissing her forehead while I circle my arms around her waist.

“Well, that was Shay. They’re finished in LA, so they are heading back. Should be here in a few days.”

“Good news,” I murmur, nuzzling my nose into her soft hair, my senses being filled with her apple scented shampoo. “Did he say what happened?”

“Not really. You think they had something to do with Uncle Harry being arrested?”

Shit, why didn’t I think of that?

“I’d say they had everything to do with it. Victor has been waiting for an opportunity like this to bring Harry Brimstone down.” It all makes sense now. I need to talk to Shay.

“And before you think of ringing him, Shay said that he’d give you a full debrief when they get back, but to keep alert because it’s not all squared away yet,” she says with a frown, retelling the conversation to me.

“All good, sweetheart. Now, are you still hungry?” I smirk at her, knowing full well what I’m starting.

She raises herself up on her toes, gently brushing my lips and scraping her teeth against my bottom lip as she moves away from me. I growl as she releases my lip.

I watch as her sexy smile grows slowly across her face. She knows what she does to me. Her lips curl up seductively and all rational thought quickly leaves my head.

“I’m hungry.”

“How did we go from hot ass kisses that have me thinking of other edible delicacies you can offer me, to food?” I say with a smirk as a blush creeps over her face.

“Brax!” she admonishes me with a giggle.

“Actually, we’ll start with food. You can be my dessert,” I grab her around the waist, hooking my other arm around the back of her knees as I lift her up and carry her in my arms through our front door which she skillfully closes behind us. I make my way to the rooftop door, locking it behind us with Elle’s master key I swiped earlier. I don’t want any interruptions. There I no way I’m going to let anyone, or anything, ruin it for us.

Not tonight. Not ever.

When we reach the top of the stairs leading to the rooftop, I look up at Brax, and the longing in his eyes does me in. There is nothing I would not do for this man.

“Are you ready for your surprise, darlin’?” he says quietly, placing a soft kiss on my temple.

“Always,” I reply.

He swings the roof door open and carries me through the threshold, turning me around so that I can see what he has done. My mouth drops open and my heart rate increases.

I’m totally speechless.

He may have spent the past week proving to me how much our relationship meant to him, but what I see spread out in front of me overshadows all of that ten-fold.

The three platform benches
have been moved away, their cushions set up to make a soft padded blanket the size of a king size bed on the floor. It was the view that sold the building to me. Simply breathtaking. On a clear spring night like tonight, it is indescribable.

Brax walks over and places me on the cushions. He leans over and stares into my eyes before slowly lowering his body to mine and placing his lips on me. I open to him straight away, and as he strokes my tongue with his, my body instantly warms. I return his kiss with zeal, eagerly matching every movement, every nip of my bottom lip, every exploration of my mouth he makes.

He breaks away just as our kiss turns from hungry to ravenous, and gives me a tell-tale smirk, showing me he knows exactly what he’s done to me. “You are a tease, Mr. James.”

“And you, Miss Halliwell, are a minx,” he replies, leaning down to give me a quick hard kiss before pushing himself back to his knees. “Now we eat.”

I pull myself up, unable to suppress my grin as I look at him. “Yes. Food. Good idea.” I’m trying to catch my breath and ignore the overwhelming urge to tackle him, making him submit to my womanly charms. “Then we’ll get back to our discussion that you so cruelly ended prematurely.”

“Nothing I do with you will ever end prematurely,” he retorts.

“Good to hear. I believe it can become a problem the older a man gets,” I say with a wink.

“Cheeky thing tonight, aren’t ya? Now enough of that disturbing talk. You’ll emasculate me if you keep that up. I got us a hamper from the campus café. Let’s eat.”

After a thoroughly impressive meal, Brax packs away the food back into the hamper before lying back on the cushions and pulling me into his side. “Was that good Ms. CEO?”

Gently punching him in his side, I giggle, “It was delicious, Brax. You want to be my new assistant? I promise you that the perks are great.”

“Is that right? Well, I might need a job if Brimstone’s arrest means you’re no longer a target,” he says solemnly.

I turn around, lifting myself over his body until I’m straddling his stomach, placing my hands on either side of his head. “Now, listen here. We’re not talking about that tonight. Right now I feel as a safe as I ever could be, but we’re not going to talk about anything else except you.” I lean down to kiss him. “And.” I kiss him again. “Me.” I lean down again, but this time towards his ear. “And there are some things we left unfinished earlier,” I whisper.

She’s all over the news today.

Seeing her flawless face all over the TV makes me feel happy.

It’s been a few months since I’ve seen her face, but after that slimy bastard, Harry Brimstone, was arrested last night she’s been thrust back into the spotlight again, and I’m not complaining one bit.

I’ve been watching her for four years. Keeping tabs on her and anyone related to her.

Harry Brimstone is an asshole. After the murders, he was telling anyone who’d listen, “We will not stop until the Halliwell’s murderer is caught.” Then a couple of months later, he had the balls to leave Elise home alone in his giant mansion of his to go on a three week jaunt overseas. I tracked his tickets; he went to Southern France. I wanted to go to her then, but it was too soon. I needed to wait.

Soon I’ll have my turn with Elle.

I can tell my opportunity is getting closer and closer. I thought my time had come when her boyfriend left in the middle of the night with his partner, the one who is always sitting outside the building in the red car, but it wasn’t meant to be.

I’ve kept my distance, been biding my time. I even stole my neighbor’s car last week just so I wouldn’t be noticed.

I fucked up when I followed them to Richmond. That boyfriend of hers spotted me, so I had to take off, but I can’t stay away from her. She’s become my life, my obsession, so I left the note on his cocky ass car to scare him off.

But it didn’t work.

Since then, she has hardly been alone. Even when she was in hospital, I managed to get into the ICU, parading as an orderly. I got close to her, managed to look into her room while she was out cold, but all I could do was watch her. She was fucking gorgeous when she was sleeping, but I never got my chance again. She was never alone after that because the boyfriend came back.

Today I’ve been sitting at a park bench down the street; far enough away to get by unnoticed but close enough to see the comings and goings. There have been media everywhere, waiting to see her, but she hasn’t shown. Come to think of it, she hasn’t left the building in the last two days that I’ve been watching her. The boyfriend left for about an hour or so but came back and hasn’t been seen or heard from since.

I’m not sure how or when I’ll get my time with Elise Halliwell, but it’s been a long time coming. I have all the time in the world if it means being with her, finishing with her.

Ending it all with her.

After another two days on the road, Devon and I are more than happy to be home, well back on the East Coast at least. Devon and I are tight, but spending almost thirty hours in a car with a person can make you get sick of the sight of them.

On the outskirts of town, I grab my phone and send Brax a text.

Shay: Almost back in town. Gonna go home and crash. I’ll pop around in the morning. Everything good?

Brax: Long time no see, brother. Yeah, we’re good. Met Sylvia. That was not fun. You know anything about Harry Brimstone being arrested?

Shay: Wait, Sylvia? Brimstone?

Brax: Yeah. Turns out she’s my birth mom.

Shay: You’re fucking kidding me? Holy shit. Boss settled his grudge, finally. Will explain all tomorrow.

Brax: Wondered when that would happen. All good. Text when you’re heading over.

Shay: Roger that.

“You wanna stop for a beer before we get home?” Devon asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“Sounds like the best idea you’ve had all day, brother,” I say as he turns into a great little bar just a few blocks from my apartment. “Nice and close to home too,” I add with a wink, making Devon crack up laughing. He knows exactly what I’m thinking.

We’re on the prowl, and we won’t be going home until we’ve found a bed buddy for the night.

Perfect welcome home present.