Secrets and Lace: A Dark Romance Thriller (Fatal Hearts Series Book 1) (15 page)

I didn’t get much sleep last night, wondering whether he would change his mind about eloping by morning. He didn't. He woke me up with a kiss and wished me a happy wedding day.

But at the back of my mind, I wondered whether his bad mood last night had something to do with Owen. They used to talk a lot on the phone, and he was constantly at our house. Miles hadn't even mentioned his name lately. And when I brought him up, Miles changed the subject.

What had Owen seen in Miles’s office that had caused him to storm out the way he had when he came over to see me?

No. All of that was forgotten for now. Today was our wedding day, and I refused to worry about anything.
Please don’t let the stalker follow me to our wedding.
It would terrify me to find cards at an undisclosed location. Since Miles offered to plan everything, I told him not to tell me, that I wanted to be surprised. In truth, I didn't want the stalker to catch on, in case he was listening to our conversations without our knowledge. After all, he had found out I was looking into Stacy's death and sent me that photo.

My hope was that by the time he figured out we had flown out of town, he would not be able to get hold of transportation to follow us, not fast enough. And he would not know where we were headed. It was easy for him to follow me by car, but he might not even have access to a private jet to chase us across the sky. Hopefully, for the next couple of days, I would be able to let go and enjoy myself, without the fear of being followed. Perhaps while I was away, I would hear from the detective and decide what my next course of action would be.

Before we left, I dressed in a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana black-and-white lace cocktail dress. The butterflies in my stomach, brought to life by the excitement of getting married to Miles, fluttered uncontrollably. But they fluttered around the knot in the pit of my stomach that I tried desperately to ignore. I knew it would not go away until I found out who was following me. I had to learn to live with it for now.

By 8a.m., Miles and I were ready to leave.

Miles called the housekeeper and chef and told them they didn't need to come to the house for the next two days, as we would be out of town. He did not specify where we were going, which was just perfect.

We took one of Miles’s less-used cars, a BMW convertible, and drove ahead with the bodyguard following us. He would accompany us until the airfield, and then he, too, would be dismissed until our return. I was so glad Miles had not mentioned the cards again since he’d hired the bodyguard, and I’d assured him I had not received any more. Not discussing it meant not lying to him yet again. But he did insist that the guard watch over me for a couple of weeks anyway. Once we got to wherever we were going, he said
he would be hiring another guard on location, just to be on the safe side. I didn't object. I felt safer with the guard around, as I could not rely on myself for protection. It only got complicated when I had to do things Miles knew nothing about, like meeting Lester.

On the way to the airfield, where the jet was parked, Miles confided in me that he would be the one flying us. My eyes widened. I had no idea he even knew how to fly a plane.

“I'm full of surprises, my darling.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and I leaned into him, inhaling his intoxicating cologne.

“I guess you are. When did you learn to fly?”

“Soon after I left college. Owen and I took some courses together. Flying was one of them.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“It was. Flying is so liberating. I like the power it gives me.”

“I'm sure it is, though I don’t think it’s something I would want to do. I'd be too frightened.”

Ten minutes later, we arrived at the airfield, and Miles helped me into the aircraft. Although I had flown in it a couple of times, mostly on those days when he decided he wanted us to have dinner or lunch in another state, it still took my breath away. It had all the luxuries imaginable: polished wood, soft leather, glass cabinets, and a fully equipped fridge.

When we rose into the air, I exhaled, the tension dissolving from my body. As I looked outside the window, watching the houses and buildings shrink below, a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through my chest. I was flying away from my troubles. Up here, next to my future husband, I was untouchable. I had no idea how long the feeling would last, but I would enjoy it as long as I could. No use worrying about the next hour when I could enjoy five minutes of freedom and safety.

Miles looked sexy in his flying gear. From time to time, he turned to glance at me, a curious expression on his face.

“I'm not going anywhere. You know that, right?” I smiled.

In my life, I had made a lot of decisions, some of them wrong. Miles was the best decision I’d ever made. We complemented each other in ways I could never have imagined. And even though we had a strong bond, we were still individuals. In the next few hours, I would be Mrs. Durant, one more step away from the girl I used to be.

I was well aware I would not be able to keep my secrets from Miles for much longer. He would be my husband, and if the stalker persisted, he would eventually find out. The worst thing would be for him to find out before I had the chance to explain, to defend myself. Maybe he would understand, and maybe he would find a way to protect me without going to the cops. Doing it all alone was just plain exhausting, and so was trying to keep a secret from the man I loved. I hoped I would still be allowed to call him my husband after he found out the truth.

After about twenty minutes of watching the clouds drift by, the exhaustion of the past few days, of the sleepless nights and constant looking over my shoulder, overtook me. This time, I was able to relax enough to fall asleep. Miles reached for my hand and kissed it.

“Get some rest. You’ll not be getting much of it later.” He gave me a mischievous smile.

I kissed him on the cheek and left the cockpit, heading for the comfortable bed in the back.

Miles woke me after about an hour so I could get something to eat. I was still drowsy. I ate half a sandwich and went back to bed.

This time, before falling asleep, I downed a sleeping pill, ensuring my sleep would be undisturbed. Miles had mentioned we had a long way to go, although he still didn’t tell me where our destination would be.

I didn’t care where we were headed, as long as I ended up with him.

Chapter Twenty-Five

“Wake up, my sunshine.” Miles woke me with a kiss.

I opened my eyes, stretching and looking out the window at the same time, feeling as though I had been sleeping for four days.

“You were really out. Did you sleep well?” He lifted the blanket from me and folded it carefully, placing it at my feet. “You looked so comfortable, I didn't want to wake you.”

“I think you did the right thing. If you had tried to wake me, I think I would've snapped at you. Not a great way to start our marriage. How long have I been sleeping?”

“About three hours.” I gazed out the small window, trying to make out our surroundings. “Are we here?” My eyes cleared and I noticed the ocean stretching to the horizon. “Where exactly is
here
?”

“Once we step off this jet,
here
will be the
Vendetta
, my private yacht. Isn't it liberating not knowing where you are? Just forget about everything, forget about time, forget about cities and countries. Let's have some fun. Can you do that?”

“Oh yes, I can do that. I had no idea you owned a yacht, though. Since when?” It wasn't as if he couldn't afford one, but he had never mentioned it to me before. In a few hours, I had found out he could fly a plane, and now he had a yacht he’d never told me about. At first, my instinct was to be annoyed at him for keeping secrets, but then I remembered I was keeping the biggest one of them all.

“I thought you wanted to be surprised. I figured we’ve spent enough days in hotels. I wanted to do something different for our wedding.”

“You’re right.” I kissed him. “You're so romantic.” I didn't mention that a private yacht was also the best place for me to hide.

As we got off the jet, fresh, salty air wrapped itself around me, welcoming me to an unknown place. The sky was dimming, and the colors painted across it were vibrant and breathtaking. I could have stood there for hours, in the middle of the patch of airfield, allowing the beauty of nature to captivate me.

I had taken off my shoes, because as soon as we left the jet, we walked onto a long, sandy beach. The sand was warm and soft beneath my feet. Apart from palm trees and seagulls, the beach was deserted, and I almost wondered if it also belonged to Miles.

He carried our luggage while I held my purse. I walked behind him. It felt great not having to look over my shoulder.

I looked up, and my gaze landed on a magnificent, sparkling white yacht. It was the most beautiful boat I had ever seen, and on the side the name
Vendetta
was printed in gold and black letters. I was taken aback by just how big it was.

At the dock, Miles placed the bags at his feet. He wrapped an arm around my waist, his fingers grazing the side of my stomach. “This is it. Isn't it beautiful?”

“I don't know if beautiful is the right word. It's gorgeous, Miles.” I couldn't take my eyes off the yacht. “Why did you call it the
Vendetta
?”

He seemed to stiffen a little, and I heard a tiny intake of breath.

“I couldn't decide on a name…
Vendetta
sounds powerful. I always liked that word.”

“Well, name aside, the
Vendetta
is out of this world.”

“Wait until you see the inside.” He took my hand and led me up the stairs of the dock. “Let's go.”

I was too excited to walk slowly to the yacht. Giggling like a child, I let go of his hand and raced to it, arriving there before he did, huge grins on both of our faces.

He led us inside, and I was transfixed. I had seen beauty, but this was something else. The luxury was palpable.

The interior design was similar to that of his private jet. As he showed me around, I was tongue-tied. I had been dating a billionaire for a year, so it was surprising that luxuries like these still took me by surprise. He showed me the pool, and a state-of-the-art kitchen, which had a fridge stocked with enough food to last us several days—caviar and champagne, various kinds of bread, and everything else I could imagine wanting. He must have sent someone ahead to prepare everything for us.

“I know you want to stand here with your mouth open, but we have more important business to take care of.” He took my arm and led me into a luxury bedroom that rivaled any five-star hotel, complete with a queen-size bed covered in white silk sheets embroidered in gold, sheer curtains that danced in the breeze when the windows were thrown open, and a thick cream carpet that felt like heaven on the soles of my feet. I threw my purse onto the bed and looked at him in amusement.

“You went all out, didn't you?”

“Anything for you, my love. Now get dressed. Let's go get married.”

“How are we going to get married without a minister?” I had been so entranced by the beauty around me, I had forgotten the most important part of our trip. “We need someone to officiate. I don’t see a soul here but the two of us.”

“Don’t worry, I have everything under control. There will be someone to pronounce us man and wife. You’ll meet him later. Nothing will stop me from becoming your husband today.” He reached for me, and I sank into his arms. It felt good to be here, just the two of us. I’d missed it. I already felt an ache thinking about returning home, back to my fears.

We kissed for a while, our fingers tracing each other’s bodies, but as he hardened against me, he pulled his lips from mine and pushed me away gently.

“Don't do this to me. Not now. We have the wedding to prepare for.”

“Miles, do I even need to ask who’s going to sail this yacht?” I asked before he walked out of the room.

“He’s standing in front of you.” He gave me a wink. “I'm a man of many talents.”

“Are you serious? I don't think I know you anymore.”

“Well, I guess it's time you met the other side of me.” He laughed. “I’m joking. Even though I know how to handle a boat, I’ve hired someone for this trip. Nothing is going to keep me from spending time with you.”

***

When I left the bedroom and entered the living room, Miles was waiting for me. He was dressed in a black tux, his hair shiny and swept back, all handsome and debonair. And he was all mine.

“You’re beautiful.” He ran his gaze down my body. “But I can't wait to rip that dress off you later.”

I beamed up at him. “Why not now? You’re sexy as hell. I'm so turned on right now.”

“Later, babe.” He smiled. “Let's do this first.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Come in,” Miles called out.

The door opened. A man in his forties with mahogany skin entered. He had a scar on his cheek, dark brown eyes, and a salt-and-pepper fade. He wore a black and gold ship captain’s uniform.

For a moment my heart jumped to my throat. What if he was my stalker, and he’d found his way onto the yacht to get to me? Anything was possible. No, it couldn’t be him. I had to believe that. But the scar on his right cheek was a little creepy.

Breathe, Chloe. It’s fine. You’re safe here.
Miles will protect you.

“Chloe, this is James Cantor, our ordained minister and captain. He’ll marry us and issue all the documents we need.”

“My pleasure.” James didn’t smile, but he extended his hand, which I shook. “You can call me Jim.”

I nodded. “Nice to meet you, Jim.”

“Let’s get married.” Miles grinned.

“Wait.” I turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t you forget something?”

He narrowed his eyes. “What would that be, my love?”

“Don’t we need witnesses?”

His palm hit his forehead. “Damn, you’re right. I forgot about that.” He glanced at Jim. “Can you take care of it for me?”