CAPTOR (The Alpha Brotherhood) (Standalone Dark Billionaire New Adult Romance) (29 page)

“Why would they both see the same hallucination?”

Shane’s eyes narrow, his top lip lifting into a disgusted sneer. “That’s the part that always bothered me. I think that fucker Marlowe just liked cutting you once she started.”

Marlowe? My heart stops beating and drops into the pit of my stomach. “Holy shit.”

“Your grandmother was only 29 when it happened. Her name was Raina.”

“Wait a second. So…”

“That’s right. They were both under fifteen when they had their only child. Raina started whoring her daughter out early.”

“So no reverse West Side Story boyfriend, huh?”

“No. I don’t know who your father was, Chloe didn’t either. The white half of you is Bulgarian, though. You’re clearly half Hispanic, but…”

“It’s probably better not to know. I doubt he was a nice guy, but the country of origin would have been convenient information. It was so frustrating when kids would start speaking Spanish to me and I had no idea what they were saying.” I let out a tiny laugh. It seems inappropriate, but doesn’t surprise Shane. Or lighten the mood. Taking a deep breath, I ask an important question even though I don’t really want the answer. “What happened to my mother?”

“What happens to a lot of good girls from bad places. Marlowe preyed on kids in group homes back in the day. Gave them their first little baggies full of escape and relief until they were all his. Chloe already knew him, but… Abuse is a strange cycle. I wouldn’t see that as a sign of her forgiveness for what he did to you. It was more likely fear.”

“Do you think he was fucking her? Before she got put into foster care.”

“Probably.”

“So could he be my…”

“No. Complexion aside, he moved into the neighborhood sometime after you were conceived. I did the math.”

I can’t stop picturing that photo of my mom. It must have been so overwhelming. “How do you even know all this, Shane?”

“Adam and I,” he breathes, the lines between his eyebrows deepening. “I suppose a part of us never left that house. We started researching what happened to all the children there as soon as we had the resources. In college.”

“Yeah, but… Kat said you knew things that weren’t on record. How?”

“Chloe,” he whispers. “She spoke a lot to our foster mother after they took you. Perhaps she just needed to talk about it, but I think she thought a confession might have led to getting you back. All it did was land your grandmother in prison.”

“Good. Is she still alive?” I ask. Shane draws in a quick breath, but hesitates. “Is she?”

“Yes.”

“How long was she in jail?”

“Not long enough. But that burdened your mother, Zoey. She was hysterical when they told her. Ran away until they dragged her back, but she refused to stay. Then she ended up in a group home for a while, but ran off from there too. They stopped looking. She was dead by twenty.”

“Overdose?”

“Drive by shooting. She was Molly’s friend, Adam’s sister. Not-so-innocent bystanders prostituting themselves on a street corner for their pimp.”

That was way too quick of an answer and he broke eye contact. “They just got shot? A rival gang didn’t…”

“No. It was quick and painless.”

It would be easier, but I’m not sure I want to stay in the dark anymore. “You’re lying about that part, aren’t you?”

“Yeah.” His eyes fill with tears that actually fall. “I am.”

“What—”

“Zoey, I am not telling you that part of the story,” he cuts me off. “I just can’t.” Shane shifts beneath me until I’m lying in the bed alone.

It’s always the same horrible story anyway, partly why I never wanted a boyfriend from where I came from, let alone fuck him. It’s ironic, really. I was always terrified of paying for someone’s mistakes with my body, like I knew it was my destiny or something. Then I ended up on that stage and it turned into the best thing that ever happened to me.

Shane’s standing at the window, staring at the tiny flakes of snow whipping around in the wind. I wrap my arms around his waist and he winds his fingers into mine on my good hand, barely grazing my fingertips with his on the broken arm. The gray cloud ceiling is right above us, wisps of fog concealing the view as it lowers until it engulfs us entirely. They call them skyscrapers for a reason.

“I love you,” I whisper, kissing his shoulder blade.

His body relaxes in my arms immediately and I catch a glimpse of the relief on his face in his reflection on the glass before he spins around. “I love you, too,” he breathes, falling down to his knees. His arms wrap around the backs of my thighs as Shane rests his forehead on my stomach. “I need you, Z.”

I run my hand through his hair before sinking to the floor with him. “We’re okay, Shane.”

“Are you sure?”

I give him a timid smile before pressing my lips to his. “Yeah. But the total lockdown thing has to stop.”

The corner of his mouth lifts into a crooked smile and my heart beats faster. “Give me a day or two,” he laughs.

“You have major attachment issues.”

“Not until I met you.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

“Then take me out today,” I ask, batting my eyes. “I never got to go to that movie because somebody kidnapped me.”

“Good compromise.” Shane scoops me into his arms as I squeal. “But you have to make me breakfast first.”

What a… There’s no point trying to put a label on his type of crazy anymore. And I do make incredible scrambled eggs. “Deal.”

Zoey

“Zoey, we’re going to be late.”

“No, we just won’t be early.”

“Early is on time.” Shane smacks my ass as I lean forward into the mirror to check my lipstick. “You’re gorgeous. Let’s go.”

“A little too…” I am so not calling myself too gorgeous, that sounds conceited. “Are you sure about this dress?”

“I picked it out.”

“Yeah, and I can’t even wear a real bra because it doesn’t have a back.” And it’s red, well, cranberry or whatever they called it. I’m pretty sure the shade he wanted was a more eloquent way of saying Jezebel’s fire crotch.

Shane eyes me up and down, his eyebrows raising along with the corner of his mouth. “You want to formally meet everybody. I want to show you off. Your tits are fantastic.”

“Thanks, but this is a business thing.”

“No, this is a company Christmas party where we reserve a block of hotel rooms so our extremely hardworking staff can unwind with an endless flow of liquor. It’s a bit like Vegas. Nobody speaks of what happened here throughout the rest of the year, aside from hushed whispers. I want my stunning girlfriend to be one of them.”

I let out a frustrated huff, but I’m sort of faking it. “But your brothers will be there.”

“Do you think I chose that scandalous dress to impress the IT nerds?”

I guess that’s a better answer than making the secretaries jealous. Shane walks up behind me until his groin presses into my rear, kissing the back of my neck as his fingers glide down my bare arm. They circle my newly healed wrist and he lets out a stifled groan, his breath heating my skin.

I totally got him a pair of handcuffs for Christmas. For me to wear, of course. Shane actually enjoys regular sex now, especially with me bouncing on top of him, but it’s been a while since he got what he’s really needed. Restraints.

I’ll always wonder why. He couldn’t give me an answer when I asked him and got a little offended when I pointed out the parallel between locking me away in his house and tying me up in bed. He honestly doesn’t think he’s that controlling because he doesn’t really get off on punishment and got rid of all that scary shit when I asked. Everything is relative, I guess.

He can’t keep his hands off me in the elevator ride down. My cheeks are flushed when the doors open to the ballroom, but there aren’t many people there. Maddox’s eyes widen for a moment when he sees me, inspiring a satisfied laugh to rumble through Shane’s chest. Adam is farther inside, ordering people around because that’s his favorite thing to do. I was hoping to meet his girlfriend, but apparently they are “off again” as Shane puts it.

“Where is Trent?” he asks Maddox.

“He got a lead on Kat. Flew out this morning.”

“Where?”

“All he said was Europe.”

“How specific,” Shane grumbles. “And inconsiderate.”

The party starts out innocent and professional enough. Shane and his brother present Employee of the Year awards for the various departments and subsidiary companies. There are hundreds of people here and so many of them keep glancing at me, either with envy or desire.

I am not used to being arm candy. It’s an ego boost for sure, but I’m not so sure that I like it. I’m not a businesswoman in any sense of the word, though Shane would argue with that because I do in fact sell my work, but I still find myself with nothing to talk about with these people. Then my boyfriend pulls out his phone to show off pictures of my latest collection to some of the executives. It’s the first one I’ve designed since I got my hand back.

Suddenly, I’m a person again, not just a piece of meat in a beautiful dress decorating a powerful man. Shane kisses my temple as he boasts about my accomplishments and I realize that he never looked at me that way to begin with, well, not completely anyway.

“The employees have more fun once the bosses leave. It won’t be a late night,” he whispers into my ear as I sip a glass of champagne.

“We are not leaving until we invite Maddox and Adam over for Christmas dinner,” I reply boldly.

Shane groans and curses under his breath. “Can’t we send them a formal invitation?”

“Like a card?” I ask. Shane nods and shrugs. “Absolutely not.”

“Candy gram?” he suggests with a laugh.

“Shane… Come on. They don’t have anywhere else to go.”

“Which will make it exactly like every Christmas before it.”

These guys and their damn egos. No one ever reaches out until all hell breaks loose. They act like they aren’t family, like they don’t care about each other when they so obviously do. It’s a little insulting to someone who’s never actually had anyone. “Do we have to go over this again?” 

“No,” he says, kissing my forehead. “We’ll invite them before we leave.”

They both say yes. Shane’s truly surprised. Trent shows up unshaven and defeated, staying silent for most of the time. Adam arrives completely obliterated and reeking of rum, making vague references to a huge fight with the woman he swears he doesn’t give a shit about yet keeps running back to. And Maddox gets fed up after dessert, calls his brothers a bunch of dickless, whining idiots, and storms off.

Shane reminds me that he said it would be a disaster after the other two leave. I shoot back by asking him, “What’s more normal than a family fight over the holidays?”

“Good point,” he concedes. “I’m ready to see you wearing nothing except those handcuffs now.”

“I bet you are,” I tease him. 

I start running up the stairs as he chases after me. There’s nothing like the rush of getting caught in his grasp. The heat of his groan fills my mouth as his tongue dances with mine. My hands fumble with his tie until he jerks them away, giving me a look that tells me I should know better. I bite my bottom lip and shrug innocently.

He tries to keep the stern look on his face for a few seconds, but it falls away with a laugh as he pulls my shirt over my head. My bra soon follows and his mouth is clamped on one of my nipples a heartbeat later. He gives it a gentle bite and I gasp as he lowers me on the bed.

We don’t usually frost the windows when we fuck anymore. Our home is so high up I doubt anyone can see us anyway, and I love the view. Especially now. Snow falls in big heavy flakes, blanketing the quiet city in white as the neatly arranged rows of street lights stretch on for miles.

Shane undoes the top button of his shirt and removes his tie in one swift motion. That devious grin I’ve come to love crosses his face as he pulls the tie between his hands. Looks like I’m getting tied up with that again. I knew he’d be too worried about my recovering wrist to use his Christmas present handcuffs this soon after I got my cast off.

He falls down on top of me with a kiss, gently wrapping the silk tie around my good hand even though I have two of those now. I spread my legs apart, lifting my arms over my head, waiting for the familiar sensation of having them tethered together. I feel his fingers wind into my own instead and his smile drops as he rests his forehead against mine.

“Are you alright?” I ask him after listening to the pace of his breathing quicken.

“I’m not sure,” he answers softly.

“Shane?” I squeeze his hands as he tries to pull away.

“I want to ask you something, Z,” he says. “But I can’t figure out how.”

“Just say it.”

He kisses the tip of my nose before letting my hands go so he can reach into the drawer of the nightstand. There’s something small and gleaming between his fingers when he lays back down on top of me.

“Marry me,” he whispers.

“What?”

Shane wraps his hand around my waist as he props himself up on one elbow, placing the ring in front of my face. My eyes widen as I start to realize that he is completely serious and I try to sit up, but he pulls the small of my back toward his groin and pushes himself inside me with a groan.

“I said marry me.”

That’s more of a demand than a question. I wouldn’t have him any other way. “Yes,” I reply.

“Really?” he says, the apprehension on his face evaporating into a smile.

“Yeah. Thanks for not tying me to a post while you asked.”

Our laughter mingles as he pulls me upright with him. I’m sitting in his lap, my heart beating faster and faster as my mind fully processes what just happened. Shane is still inside me, lingering motionless as I squeeze my arms around his neck.

“I love you,” he murmurs, burying his face into my shoulder.

“I love you, too.” I force myself to pull back so I can cover his face in kisses until he catches me by the hair, his mouth latching onto mine. “Well, let me see it,” I say breathlessly when we finally break apart.

Shane’s confidence drops a little as he lifts the ring between us. “I could have put ten million dollars on your finger. I still can, if that’s what you want.”

“You’re a total show off. There has to be a reason why you didn’t.”

“There is.” He pulls out of me and we lay on our sides, facing each other. “You long for traditions. For a family, for a history. This is my grandmother’s engagement ring. A little sapphire that my real grandfather inherited from his own mother and saved for months to have it set into gold.”

My stomach flutters as he slides it onto my finger. “That’s worth more than ten million dollars.”

“To me it is.”

I hesitate, but I just have to know. “How did you manage to hold onto this, Shane?”

“I didn’t. Remember that day I took you back to her house?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s what I was looking for. She kept it hidden from her husband. It was a symbol of the man she truly loved and he surely would have destroyed it. I found it in one of her hiding spots upstairs, carefully walking on the studs as you so prudently suggested,” he laughs. “I never would have went back to that house if I wasn’t compelled to put this on your finger.”

“That was before you even… fucked me.”

“I fell in love with you, Zoey.” His gaze grows more intense as he rolls on top of me. “Your body is simply my most prized possession.”

I gasp when he drives inside me and claims it, quickly retrieving the soft silk tie to gently wrap around my wrists. Shane covers every inch of my face and neck in gentle kisses as he ruthlessly enjoys the rest of my body. And I surrender it completely, because I know I own his heart and always will.

He frees my arms quickly after we’ve both had our fill so I can cling to his shoulders. He holds onto me just as hard. But I don’t feel pathetic and desperate anymore, there’s no longer a need to hide my face against his chest. Instead my lips search for his until our all-consuming need for each other sweeps us away yet again.

A few months later, the sapphire is sparkling on my finger as I nervously stare at the thick envelope from the admissions office at SAIC. I can’t open it.

“Rejection letters come in tiny envelopes, Z,” Shane tells me.

He’s right, but I still don’t want to get my hopes up. “They could just be sending back my portfolio. Are you sure you didn’t—”

“How many times do I need to say no?” He exhales in exasperation. “Would you believe me if I told you I decided to start pulling my strings on your third attempt so you’d genuinely have your chance to get in?”

“Third? Really? I thought the best I could hope for was the second.”

“Open it or I will,” he laughs, plucking the envelope from the coffee table and crawling next to me on the couch. “Come on.”

“Okay,” I whisper shakily, tearing through the thick paper with a silver plated letter opener. My heart leaps into my throat. “Oh my God! I got in!” I squeal.

“I told you,” Shane says. I jump out of my seat, throwing my arms into the air victoriously. A smile breaks across his face as he looks through the rest of the admissions packet. All I had to see was the word ‘accepted’. “I want the real ring around your finger by your first day of class.”

“And I want at least a semester to make friends that will become wedding guests first,” I retort. He grumbles, crossing his arms and leaning back into his seat. “A real wedding, Shane. With a fancy dress. Flowers. Cake. You basically wear a tux everyday anyhow. What’s the big deal?”

He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?” I reply with a laugh. “That’s a big step closer to yes.” I’ll wear him down and get my way eventually. I typically do.

His lips twist into a devious grin before pressing against mine. “Let’s concentrate on celebrating this moment,” he says. “Congratulations, Zoey.”

“Why, thank you,” I giggle as he scoops me into his arms.

If he didn’t abhor formal gatherings so much, he’d already have that other ring around my finger. Turns out you can’t force someone down to the courthouse to tie the knot. He’s definitely not used to a standoff lasting this long and he’s about to give in. But Shane will always be there. Tonight I’m focused on my next adventure, a far more challenging journey. Art school.

The End

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