The Billionaire Falls (Billionaire Bachelors - Book Three) (10 page)

“Are you keeping them?” she asked hopefully, trying to come off nonchalant but he wasn’t fooled.

“Do you want to keep them?” he asked her.

“It’s up to you,” she stalled, trying to sound as if it didn’t matter.

“You’re so stubborn. Just admit you want to keep the kittens.” He exhaled as his hand combed through his untamed hair.

“Fine, I want them to stay,” she mumbled and folded her arms across her chest, pouting a bit. She knew it was irrational to be so against asking for even the smallest thing but the more Mark did for her and Trevor, the more she was afraid of losing it all. She was already impossibly attached. The kittens were just one more piece of a puzzle, linking her to the ranch.

“Now was that so hard?” he asked.

She realized she was being silly but she didn’t know how else to protect herself. They’d been making love nightly for almost a month and he treated Trevor like a son. She was afraid everything was to perfect.

“We like to have a lot of cats around. They keep the mice and rats away,” he told her.

“Rats are so much bigger than them,” she exclaimed, looking around as if a huge rat was going to come pounce on the innocent things at any moment.

“I think the other cats will take care of the rodents until these guys grow up a bit more,” he said with a chuckle.

Mark left her with the kittens, while he finished his chores. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed, when suddenly Trevor was racing into the barn.

“Mom, Mark said you have a surprise to show me,” her son said, trying to gain his breath, as he laid his head between his legs.

“Come over here and don’t be loud,” she whispered.

Trevor’s eyes got big as he walked over to his mom and then he squealed when he saw the babies. “Are they all ours?” he asked with excitement.

“Yep, Mark said we get to keep them all,” she told him.

“Yeah, can I hold one?”

“Sure you can. But you have to be really gentle and pet their mamma for a few minutes first.”

Trevor obediently gave attention to the adult cat and then gently held the tiger stripped one. They stayed there for a while longer and then Emily had to head up to the house to get dinner ready.

“Can I stay out here with Mark, please?” Trevor pleaded. Emily looked down to where Mark was and he shook his head yes.

“Okay but be good and when Mark tells you it’s time to come in, no fussing,” she told him.

“Of course, Mom,” he said like she was the one who was a child.

Strange things kept happening to Emily. It was several different occurrences, not one single thing that was too alarming but when all the things added up it was starting to creep her out. She’d received a dozen red roses, with a note in them that said they were from a secret admirer.

She’d thought Mark was trying to be cute and hadn’t thought much about it, until he asked her where they had come from. When she showed him the note, he laughed it off and told her it was probably John, the young ranch hand who had a slight crush on her. She thought he may be right and didn’t want to embarrass the kid, so she displayed the roses on the kitchen table and thought nothing else of them.

Then over the next few weeks she found little notes in the mailbox at the end of the road saying she was beautiful and smart. None of them were harmful in the least and she still wasn’t concerned but then she also had the feeling someone was secretly watching her. When everything was put together, it was enough to really give her the creeps.

She thought the flowers could’ve come from John but not the notes. She knew he had a slight crush but he wasn’t the stalker type. Plus the eerie feeling of being watched would happen to her when she knew for a fact John was nowhere near the house. She thought some of it could be the creepy ranch hand but again things were happening when she knew he was nowhere near the house.

She figured she was just overwhelmed and kept all the little incidents to herself. She didn’t want to concern Mark with any of it. Feeling a little freaked out wasn’t a reason to call in the National Guard. She attributed it to her overactive imagination and decided to take a few more safety precautions.

The next day though, when Emily went to check the mail and found an envelope in the box addressed to her, everything changed. There was no return address on it but it had been mailed locally. She opened it, not thinking much about it until she read the words.

I have been watching you. I love how your hair blows in the breeze when you step out onto the balcony late at night. You are truly a vision. I know you’ve noticed me as well but have to keep up appearances. I just wanted to let you know I’m here for you and will always be here. We were meant to be together. Nothing will keep us apart. I know you’ll enjoy what I have planned for us. It will be magical. Until we’re together, know I’m keeping an eye on you. I hope you’ve appreciated my poetry and the gifts I have left for you. Just know if I can’t have you, then no one else can either. We will be a true family soon.

With my love always,

Your Secret Admirer.

Emily dropped the letter and started shaking uncontrollably. She looked around the place, fearful there was someone watching her at that moment. A shiver of fear ran down her spine and tears filled her eyes. She was terrified to know her fears had been real.

She fell to the floor and sobbed. She knew things were too good to be true. How could she stay now when there was someone out there trying to get to her? What if he harmed her son while trying to harm her?

Mark walked in the front door, his heart almost stopping, when he saw Emily huddled on the floor, with sobs racking her entire body. He dropped to his knees and gathered her into his arms.

“Emily what’s happened? Is Trevor okay?” He asked in a panic. He gently shook her shoulders so she would look at him. He needed to know what was wrong.

She stared up at him with haunted eyes. She looked terrified and he knew he would go to the ends of the world to fight whatever demons were after her. He gathered her close, while the sobs kept racking her body. His eyes were searching frantically for Trevor. He could deal with anything else that was happening, if he knew Trevor was okay.

Edward walked into the room and immediately walked over. “What has happened?” he asked.

“I don’t know,” Mark answered. “Is Trevor okay?”

“Yes, Trevor is fine,” Edward answered. Mark visibly relaxed.

“Can you go stay with Trevor and make sure he doesn’t come in? I’m going to take Emily up to our room and find out what is going on,” Mark asked.

“Of course, sir,” Edward answered. His eyes followed Mark as he gently carried Emily up the stairs. He was as concerned about her as Mark was. Emily had already become a loved member of the household.

Mark laid her on the bed and then stretched out next to her, holding her until the sobs finally started to quiet down. When she was down to just a few hiccups, he pled with her to please tell him what was going on.

“W…we are g…going to have to m…move,” she finally managed to get out between hiccup sobs.

Mark felt as if his whole world had been flipped upside down. “Why would you even think that?” he asked her.

“Trevor isn’t safe,” she managed to gasp out and then handed him the letter that was crushed in her hand.

Mark read through the letter and then read it again to make sure he was really seeing what was there. He still held her close and made sure to gently rub her back but if she would’ve been able to see his eyes, her terror would have tripled.

He was simmering with so much fury it took all the well trained will-power he’d ever developed, not to smash up the entire room. He knew he had to stay calm and strong for her but how dare someone try and threaten his woman?

He’d always heard people talk about seeing red when they lost their temper and had thought it was nothing more than an expression. He now understood the reality of it. His fury was so intense he could actually see a red hue around the corners of his vision.

“It’s okay baby, I promise you this person will never come near you or Trevor,” he said with so much menace in his tone, she actually stopped long enough to look up at him in surprise.

He didn’t want her to see his eyes so he gently tucked her head back down to his shoulder, while he continued stroking her.

“You don’t understand Mark, he knows where I live. He could hurt Trevor trying to get to me,” she said. The tears were finally starting to dry.

“Emily I will repeat to you that I will never let anything happen to you or Trevor. I guarantee this guy won’t touch you,” he stated. He lifted her chin up, looking deeply into her eyes. He’d finally managed to somewhat control his turbulent emotions.

“How can you promise me that?” she asked.

“I was raised to always protect those I love,” he simply stated.

Emily inhaled as she realized what he’d said. She didn’t think he even realized he’d said he loved her. Her heart filled with so much warmth and light, after the total devastation, she felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest.

She snuggled even deeper into Mark’s strong arms and fell asleep, feeling comforted by his embrace and the warmth of his words.

Once Mark knew Emily was sleeping he got up and made a few phone calls. The first one was to an old high school friend, who was a classified military man. If anyone could get some answers into who was stalking Emily, it was Chad.

Chad reassured him he would be there within a couple of days. He would find out what was going on and the guy would never harm either Emily or Trevor. Mark smiled at the tone in his friend’s voice. He knew he’d made the right choice in calling him.

The next call was to his father. Joseph listened as Mark read the letter. “I’ll be right over. I’ll call your brothers,” was all he said, before hanging up the phone.

Mark went back to the bedroom so he could lie next to Emily again. He didn’t want her to wake up alone and panic. He needed to be there for her, to reassure her everything was going to be okay.

Emily woke in Mark’s arms and for a moment forgot all about the letter and the devastation. He was pressed up against her back and his desire for her was obvious. She rubbed against him, automatically stretching and pressing her backside closer to his hardness.

“Seriously woman you’re trying to kill me,” Mark mumbled into her hair, as he kissed her neck and ran his hand gently up her side, to cup her ample breasts. The peaks hardened instantly at his touch and she wiggled, trying to get as close to him as possible.

“That’s the plan,” she purred.

He flipped her over and they made love with a sweetness that was beyond anything she’d ever felt before. She was really starting to feel loved by the wonderful man, who she still couldn’t believe was a part of her life.

“I would much prefer to stay here in bed with you all day but we have guests,” he said to her, as he nibbled on her neck some more.

Suddenly the hours before she’d passed out came flooding back and Emily’s whole body stiffened. She was saddened to be brought back so suddenly to reality.

“It’s okay baby, I called my family and they are here, so we can all come up with a game plan. We are a family and we protect each other.”

“You shouldn’t have bothered them with this. You are safe,” she said perplexed.

Mark stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Do you really think either you or Trevor are any less important than me?” he asked her incredulously.

“I just meant your family didn’t have to drop everything because I got some creepy letter,” she tried to explain.

“That letter should be taken seriously and we are going to make sure you are safe,” he told her with finality. He was far too aware letters like that could lead to grave danger. When you grew up as wealthy as he had, things were always taken seriously and he didn’t want her to know how scared he really was.

Emily shrugged, caving in to his demands. “I’m going to shower really fast before heading down.”

“Do you need someone to scrub your back?” he asked with a wink.

“Then neither of us would ever get down there,” she said. She gave him a quick kiss and then firmly shut the bathroom door behind her.

Mark laid on the bed thinking of each moment he spent with her. He loved her strong will and he loved her kindness. He was falling in love with her. It scared the hell out of him but at the same time it felt right.

He finally made his way down the stairs and was surprised to see his entire family. Not only had his dad come with his brothers but their spouses and children too.

“Uncle Mark,” Jasmine yelled and threw her arms around his legs. “You took forever to come down. Daddy said you were comforting Aunt Emily,” she said and put quotation marks around comforting, like her daddy had done. She had no idea what she was saying but Mark glared at his brother anyway.

“Isn’t my niece a little bit young for you to be teaching bad habits?” Mark asked Lucas.

“Hey I was just telling her what a good comforter you are,” Lucas goaded him.

“Quit your fighting, we have things to discuss and people to beat the crap out of,” Alex said.