Johnson Family 2: Perfect (17 page)

****

“Who are all these things for?” Cyrus asked. They dropped all the bags on the plush settee in the sitting area of their bedroom.

“Friends, my employees, and remember the colorful glass bowls I picked up in the shop with all the ceramics? They would be nice on the shelves in the kitchen, don’t you think?” He watched as she took out her earrings and kicked off her shoes, and he couldn’t care less about bowls in the kitchen. If she wanted to put them in the bedroom, he’d be fine with that, too.

He stalked over to her and placed his hands on her hips. She tilted her head up to him and graced him with one of her cute smiles. “Did you hear me?” she asked.

“I was distracted by you getting undressed.”

“I said, I’m going to take a shower before dinner. Are you planning to join me?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?”

“Silly me.” She took a few steps back and pulled the sleeveless top over her head. The satin bra she wore underneath cupped her breasts, and soon he’d be replacing it with his hands. Her lashes lowered over her copper-colored eyes, but couldn’t hide the heat in them. “Are you coming?” She turned and added an extra sway to her hips as she headed toward the bedroom, her hand resting provocatively on the zipper at the back of her skirt.

“About to make you come,” Cyrus said. He was about to follow when his private cell phone rang. He swore angrily. Since not many people had that number, it had to be important.

“Don’t move,” he said.

Daniella stayed put at the door, and he looked at the phone. Trenton. Damn.

“Trenton, this better be damn important,” Cyrus said into the phone.

“I hate to bother you, but I thought you should know about the latest with Hardy Malcomb.”

“Hold on.” Cyrus hit the mute button. “I’ve got to take this,” he said to Daniella with regret.

“I’ll take my time. Maybe you can catch up and help me finish,” she said with a saucy smile. Then she went into the bathroom and closed the door.

She was so good about his work schedule, and he was grateful. Hopefully, he could wrap this up right away and get back to her. The past few days had exceeded his expectations, but they only had a few days left before they had to leave and go back to the States—which he didn’t look forward to. He would have preferred to stay longer.

Cyrus unmuted the call. “What’s the problem now?” If Hardy had missed the quota again he was going to fire him. Clearly it was time for some new blood because the man had lost his ability to problem solve.

“Seems the hops Hardy claims were bad were actually good enough for him to sell to someone else. He’s got his own side deals working.”

“
What
?” Cyrus hadn’t expected to receive this kind of information. “He’s stealing from us? Do you have proof?”

“No, but one of our production managers reported him, and she wants to talk to you directly. You have something to write with?”

Cyrus’s eyes swept the room until he spotted Daniella’s Chanel bag peeking out from under the plastic and paper sacks filled with souvenirs. She had to have a pen in there. The bag was the size of a small suitcase and he’d once seen her pull out a pair of scissors. “Hold on.”

He dug in the front pocket of the purse and didn’t find one, so he unzipped the main compartment and rummaged inside. He pulled out a pen, but in his haste knocked the purse to the floor, spilling the contents. Not wanting to keep Trenton holding any longer, he decided to clean up the mess after he’d gotten the details from his brother. Over at the desk he found a notepad and wrote down the name and phone number of the production manager.

“I told her you were on vacation, and she said she could wait until you returned to give you the details.”

“What do you think?” Cyrus trusted his brother’s judgment.

“I agree, it can wait. A few more days won’t make much difference, but I wanted to give you the option in case you thought it was worth pursuing right away. Since you’re already in Europe, you may want to even go up to London.”

Cyrus stood silently in deep thought. He’d made Daniella a promise and he intended to keep it, which meant he would not cut his trip short for business. He would simply monitor the situation from here. “You’re right, it’s not an emergency, but keep me up-to-date on what’s going on, and I’ll speak to…” He glanced down at the paper to get the name right. “Ms. Wozniak in person. Let her know I’ll call her in a couple of days to set up a meeting. I’ll fly up there before coming back to the States. Until then, let’s see if we can give Hardy even more rope to hang himself. Here’s what I want you to do.” He laid out a plan to work with Ms. Wozniak and how he wanted Trenton to monitor Hardy’s actions until he could dig more deeply into the situation. After a few more minutes of conversation, they hung up.

Cyrus felt good about the solution he’d come up with. Still in deep thought about the alleged thefts, he crossed the room, intent on picking up the spilled items from Daniella’s purse, when he pulled up short.

Nestled among the usual items of a pack of mints, a cell phone, makeup and a comb, was a small, pink, plastic container.

He hesitated, dread souring his stomach. He recognized the pack for what it was.

Daniella was taking birth control.

He tossed all the items back into her purse and took the pills over to a high-backed chair. Seated on the plush upholstery, he flicked open the container to see half the pills were gone. He fell back in the chair. The shaft of pain that hit his chest couldn’t have been more devastating if someone had kicked him in the sternum.

He thought they’d been trying to get pregnant, but she had been on The Pill all along. Lying to him. Deceiving him.

He heard the shower running, but he no longer had any desire to join her. Was she humming? Cold calm came over him and froze his heart. He stayed that way, clutching the contraceptive in his hand, in an almost catatonic state until she exited the bathroom.

She stepped out, wrapped in a large white towel and smelling sweet and fresh. She’d already removed the shower cap, but damp tendrils curled around her face where water had managed to get past the plastic barrier.

“I have an idea,” she said, walking over to him, hands on her hips. “I liked where we ate last night, but how about we stay here and order in tonight? What do you think?”

He assessed her smiling face. A fake smile. His chest burned, and his fingers tightened around the plastic container in his hand. He stood. She finally paid attention and noted he wasn’t in as good a mood as he had been earlier.

“What’s wrong?”

He opened his hand and thrust the container toward her. “What is this?” he asked.

Lines of confusion creased her forehead. “Where did you—”

“What is this?” he asked again. The anger was building. He moved toward her.

She stepped back, away from him and closer to the open bathroom door. “I can explain,” she said in a small voice.

“
What. Is. This?
” The words left his mouth as a vicious snarl, a sound coming from his voice box he’d never heard before. He didn’t know what she saw in his face, but panic flared in her eyes and she bolted for the bathroom. He followed, but she slammed the door and he heard the lock twist into place.

“Open the door and face me,” he said. He pounded twice with his fist, needing to hit something. Needing to break
something
.

“Cyrus, you need to calm down,” she said, her voice quivering. “You’re not thinking straight.”

“Open the door and get out here, Dani. Open this goddamn door now or so help me I’ll break it down!”

Her non-response only infuriated him more. Still clutching the pills, the smooth edge of the container cutting into his clenched fingers, he lifted his foot and slammed the heel of his shoe into the wood below the doorknob. The frame splintered and broke apart, and the door swung open and crashed against the inside wall.

Daniella stood in the middle of the opulent bathroom, staring at him with widened eyes. She backed up, hovering in the corner between the counter and shower stall. She thought he’d hurt her, and he wanted to. He’d never experienced this level of anger before. This level of disappointment. This level of
pain
.

“Get out here,” he said.

Chapter Eighteen

Daniella couldn’t say for sure Cyrus wouldn’t hurt her. Before tonight, if she’d been asked, she would have given a definitive “no.” But the look in his eyes made her confidence waver. She’d never seen such furor, and her heart beat fast in preparation to act quickly.

“No,” she said, refusing to leave the bathroom as he’d insisted.

He walked toward her, and she frantically searched for a weapon against him, but all she saw were lotions, a comb, and a brush. All ineffective. She was completely vulnerable against him. He was bigger, stronger, and with the violent emotions coursing through him, much more dangerous.

Cyrus thrust the pills in her face, and she flinched from the sudden movement.

“Tell me you’re not taking these,” he said.

“I…I had been, but not anymore.”

“You had been?” he seethed. He grabbed her by the arm, his fingers as tight as clamps. He brought his face closer to hers. “When exactly did you stop?”

She swallowed. “A few days ago. I swear.”

“Really?” He laughed, a mirthless, hollow sound of disbelief. “Isn’t that convenient.”

“It’s the truth. I stopped taking them because we’ve been getting along and we’re so much closer. I didn’t see the point anymore.”

“So you deceived me,” he growled. “You led me to believe you wanted to start a family, when all along you were on The Pill—giving me your body and lying to me with your lips.”

“I needed a little time to…to get used to the idea, that’s all. I didn’t want to bring a baby into this marriage if we weren’t going to stay together. You wouldn’t give me a choice, so I…I did something I shouldn’t have. I admit it, but I’ve changed, Cyrus, I swear. Please, you have to believe me.” Her entreaty fell from lips that trembled with the fear that all was lost.

His eyes glinted down at her, as cold and hard as marbles. “You made a fool out of me. You, the one person…I
trusted
you.”

He still hadn’t let her go, and she didn’t dare try to tug away. “You can trust me. I just made a mistake.”

“No, Dani. I was the one who made the mistake of thinking I could trust you to keep your word.” He let her go and tore the foil piece containing the pills from the packet. He ripped it into four pieces. He tossed the fragments into the toilet and flushed.

He looked at her, and she waited for him to speak, unable to read his expression because she’d never seen such a look on his face. Her heart was racing, and her arm had gone numb where he’d gripped her. She was numb.

“Cyrus…” she said, breaking the silence. She ached to reach for him, but the look of disgust on his face held her back.

“You win,” he said.

She shook her head vehemently. “I wasn’t trying to win anything. I don’t want to win.”

He walked out and she followed.

“Where are you going?” He kept walking, and she kept following. Out the door and down the staircase. “Answer me. Where are you going? What are you doing? Don’t leave. Let’s talk about this. Please.”

Her voice broke at the end, and a braid of fear knotted in her stomach.

“Cyrus,
please
. Don’t go.”

He ignored her and slammed the door on his way out. She hurried to the window in time to see the motion lights come on. He couldn’t get far on foot in the dark. Clearly he just needed to walk off his anger.

She pressed her palms and face to the cool glass. For the most part, he looked the same, but there was one notable difference. His shoulders, normally straight and square, were no longer so.

She closed her eyes and came to the sudden realization of what the unfamiliar expression on his face had been.

Pain.

And she was the cause of it.

****

Daniella waited for him into the late hours of the night, but Cyrus didn’t return, and when she called his phone, he didn’t answer. Restlessly, she channel-surfed, seeking distractions that failed to get her mind from the problem at hand. Every sound had her hitting mute on the remote and sitting upright in bed, ears cocked for the sound of his footsteps. But each time it was a false alarm.

Finally, in the wee hours of the morning, she was awakened suddenly by his presence in the room. He stood beside the bed, looking down at her. His silence unnerved her.

She sat up. “I know I shouldn’t have taken the pills,” she started in a rush to explain, “but I changed my mind. I swear to you, I’m not taking them anymore. I want a baby with you. I want a family, like you do.”

“Do you?” he asked. He sounded as if he didn’t believe her.

“Yes.”

“I don’t believe a word coming out of that beautiful mouth of yours.”

When he yanked the covers off her body, it was completely unexpected. Her underwear was disposed of quickly, dragged down her legs and tossed aside. He fell on top of her, his mouth fastening onto one covered nipple. The suction of his lips made her pulse between her legs. His teeth raked her cheek, neck, and jawline. He wasn’t gentle, but his rough touch didn’t keep her from getting aroused.