Trapped with the Tycoon (13 page)

Fourteen

Z
ara walked through the hallway of the O’Sheas’ home. Unlike the other night when she was working and in the ballroom, now she was on the second floor, following Braden to her room...which she had no doubt would actually be his room.

In one hand he pulled her suitcase, in the other he held the kitten. Everything about this seemed a bit domestic, a bit too personal. Yes, sex was personal, too, but what they’d shared last night had gone so far beyond sex, but she had no clue about the territory she’d entered and she couldn’t spend too much time thinking on it or she may run screaming.

And had Braden asked her to come to his home when he’d been dressed and not rubbing all over her body, she could’ve used some common sense and told him this wasn’t the smartest of ideas. She was safe staying in her house with the gas heater. She’d eaten just fine, thanks to the stash of Pop-Tarts, and she’d been warm. What more did she need?

Zara adjusted her laptop bag on her shoulder. Braden had stepped into the house and promptly handed the mystery tube to Mac. They’d exchanged a look, and Zara knew they’d just had some silent conversation that only worked when such a deep bond was formed. She had no idea what was so important about this find, but whatever it was, she trusted him to clue her in since the item was from her grandmother’s house.

“You can work in here.” Braden stepped aside, gesturing for her to enter the room first. “There’s a desk in the corner by the double doors. I need to speak with Mac, and I could be a while.”

He pulled her suitcase over to the closet and turned to face her. “Will you be all right?”

Zara glanced around the spacious bedroom. The king-size bed sat on a platform on the far wall. The dark, rich four posters were masculine, matching the deep blue bedding. Of course a man like Braden would have his bed be the dominant feature in his master suite. The sitting area with leather club chairs and a mahogany coffee table only added to the overall masculine theme of the room.

“This is your bedroom.” She didn’t ask as her eyes met his.

Still holding the kitten in one arm, he crossed to her. Each step he took seemed to be in tune with her heartbeat.

“I told you this is where I wanted you. Nobody will bother you in here. The staff knows to stay away from my quarters, and Mac keeps a guest room on the other side of the house. We have total privacy here.”

Zara shivered at the veiled promise, but at the same time, the prospect of being totally alone with him, on his turf where she may be able to learn even more about him, held so much appeal.

“Go on,” she told him with a smile. “I’ll be fine. I actually have several things to work on, and now that I don’t have to worry about my battery, I can focus for several hours. Do you need to leave the kitten with me?”

Braden shook his head. “Nah. He likes me. Not as much as he likes you, but I’ll let him run around for a bit.” Stopping at the doorway, Braden turned, offering her a lopsided grin. “I’ll have dinner brought up later. I plan on spending the entire evening with you and no interruptions, so make sure you get that work done because you’re mine.”

That man did have a way with delivering promises. The impact he could make on her body without even touching her was astounding. But she couldn’t stand in the doorway all day and daydream about how sexy and amazing Braden was.

For one thing, she wasn’t moving in. She was here temporarily, and she needed to remember that. For another, she was behind on work. She had to get her spreadsheets updated for the upcoming events, Braden’s included. In the next two months, she had seven events planned, some big, some small, but Zara prided herself on treating each event as if it was the only one she worked on. She wanted her clients to feel special, to feel as if she cared only for them and no one else.

Zara headed to the antique desk in the corner near the doors that led out on to a balcony. The thick snow blanketed the open space, but Zara’s imagination worked just fine. What she wouldn’t give to work on a terrace during the warmer months. How inspiring and refreshing to be outside on the days she worked from home.

Once she booted up her computer, she tried not to focus on the giant bed directly across from her line of sight. If she stared too long, she’d start fantasizing even more about what would take place there later, and since she already knew how talented the man was in bed, her fantasy just sprang into mind without her even trying.

Zara closed her eyes and sighed. She seriously had to get a grip on this situation and her feelings. Right now he was downstairs working with his brother, and Zara needed to remember she had a job to do, as well. The weekend was over. Even though the snow still covered a good portion of the area in Boston and the surrounding towns, Zara still had to think ahead. When these upcoming events rolled around, the snow would most likely be gone, and her clients were expecting a spectacular party.

Zara pulled up her schedule and made mental notes as well as jotting down some handwritten ones. She did nearly everything online, but still reverted back to pen and paper at times. She might do some things old-school, but that was okay. She attributed those skills to her grandmother.

And thinking of her grandmother brought her mind back around to Braden and what he’d found, if anything, inside that tube.

* * *

“Damn it.” Braden slammed his fist on the desktop. “Where the hell did it disappear to?”

“You don’t even know one of the scrolls is what was in here.” Mac carefully put the cap back on. “There were no other tubes?”

Braden rested his palms on his desk and shook his head. “Nothing. There were still some boxes, though. Zara hadn’t even unpacked her own things, yet. Between all of that and her grandmother’s things, I could’ve spent days searching that house.”

Standing on the other side of the desk, Mac laid the tube down and crossed his arms. “You were there for two days, and from what I can tell you managed one empty tube and sleeping with the woman you’re using. You’re in quite a mess, brother. We’ll get the scrolls eventually, no need to seduce your way to them.”

Fury bubbled within Braden. He leaned forward, holding Mac’s gaze. “Don’t be an ass. What Zara and I do is none of your concern, and I’m more than capable of searching. I know my position here.”

Mac smiled, completely uncaring as to Braden’s building anger. “Sounds like your lady’s gotten to you. Why don’t you just tell her what you want? At this point she trusts you. You guys played house for two days, you brought back a damn cat and now she’s up in your room. If you tell her you need to search her house, I doubt she’d turn you away.”

Braden pushed off the desk. He couldn’t tell her. Not now. It was because she trusted him that he couldn’t come clean with what he needed. Once she discovered he’d lied from the beginning and only initially hired her so he could get close, she’d start to question everything between them, and he couldn’t have that.

“I’ll find another way,” Braden assured Mac. “When will Ryker be back?”

“He made it back to the States, but the airport is closed. He flew into Provincetown and rented a car. He should be here this afternoon.”

Turning to face the floor-to-ceiling window facing the snow-covered property, Braden racked his brain on a solution. He’d been so damn sure there was a scroll inside that tube. He had to focus, keep his head on straight or he’d find himself in an even bigger mess. He was the O’Shea in charge now, and he needed to damn well act like it.

“Ryker needs to get into Zara’s house while she’s here,” Mac stated simply.

“No.” Braden shook his head, tossing his brother a glance over his shoulder. “I won’t do that.”

Damn it. What had happened to him? Three days ago Braden would’ve jumped at the chance to have Zara here preoccupied in his bed while Ryker went through her house. But now...well, now he couldn’t go through with it.

“You’re falling for her.”

Braden jerked around. “I am not.”

“I can’t blame you,” Mac went on as if Braden’s denial meant nothing. “She’s beautiful, sexy, a businesswoman. Clearly everything you’d ever want in a woman.”

Yeah, she was. That was part of the problem, because he couldn’t take things to the next level with her. For one thing, he’d only just gotten to know her, and when he said he wanted a wife and a family, he meant it. He didn’t just want a woman to keep his bed warm. Braden wanted that bond his parents had. But the obvious reason Zara couldn’t be that woman was because he’d lied to her from the get-go. Braden wanted a wife, a family, yes. But he wanted it to be the real deal, and there was no way he could start a relationship with someone he’d lied to, was continuing to lie to.

And how the hell had his mind gone into wife mode when he thought of Zara? That was ridiculous. She didn’t do relationships, and he was using her. Definitely no happily-ever-after for them.

“Don’t get carried away.” Braden rounded the desk, pulling his phone from his pocket to check his messages. “Have you heard from Laney?”

“Yesterday I did. I guess Carter is staying with her during the storm.”

Braden grunted as he scrolled through his email. “I need to take a shower and change from these clothes. Once Ryker gets here we all need to have a meeting.”

Mac nodded. “And what about your houseguest?”

Braden gripped his phone and eyed his brother. “She’s not your concern.”

“You know she’s going to find out what’s going on. You’ve brought her here, she’s going to hear talk or get suspicious as to why you want back in her house.”

Gritting his teeth, Braden was well aware of all the concerns in having Zara here, but he wasn’t ready to let her go.

“You let me worry about Zara,” Braden warned. “Once Ryker gets here, we’ll work on a plan. I’d be more comfortable if Laney was here, too, but she’s stubborn.”

“Carter wouldn’t let her come.”

Braden laughed. “The day that schmuck keeps my sister away from me is the day he disappears from her life for good.”

Mac nodded in agreement. “I’ll text her and tell her I’m having Ryker pick her up on his way here. She needs to be in on this meeting anyway.”

“Give me fifteen minutes. We’ll just meet in here. I’ll have the cook prepare a late lunch for us.”

Braden headed toward the doorway, then stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “Don’t argue if Laney acts like it’s a problem to come. Ryker will take care of any issues. Just text him.”

Mac laughed. “You know Laney and Ryker are like oil and water, right? Are you wanting a fight? It’s best if I try to run interference before he gets there.”

Braden shrugged. “I trust Ryker to take care of it, and Laney will know why we need her here. It’s none of Carter’s business, and I don’t give a damn if Ryker offends him.”

“Our little sister is going to arrive, and I’m pointing her in your direction when she unleashes her anger.”

Braden thought of the woman currently upstairs in his bedroom. “I can handle an emotional woman.” He hoped.

Fifteen

“I
didn’t need to be manhandled by the family bouncer.”

Braden sat behind his father’s old desk, now his, and looked across to his sister who refused to take a seat. With her arms folded, she shot death glares between Braden, Mac and Ryker. She may not be happy, but she was here.

“If you’d just said we needed to have a family meeting, I would’ve had Carter bring me,” she continued, zeroing in on Braden. “I don’t appreciate being told I was coming and my ride would be Ryker.”

The man in question leaned against the wall by the door. His thick arms crossed, he’d yet to take his coat off, and he’d not said a word. Braden knew the man was processing everything, but he also didn’t have a care in the world...least of all an angry Laney.

“Carter isn’t invited to my house.” Braden eased back in his chair and met his sister’s fiery gaze. “I know you like him, but I don’t, and you’re well aware of my feelings on that matter. Ryker was coming in from the airport, and it was easier for him to get you. Now, are you going to have a seat or stand there and pout because you don’t like your mode of transportation?”

Laney narrowed her eyes. “It’s the lack of respect I’m pissed about.”

“I respect you, Laney.” He smiled when she finally took a seat next to Mac on the leather sofa. “If I didn’t, you wouldn’t have been called to this meeting.”

Braden glanced up to Ryker. “Close that door.”

Once the door was closed, Ryker moved on into the room, sinking into the oversize leather chair next to the sofa. Braden eased forward, resting his forearms on the desk.

“We’ll discuss what happened with you in London later,” Braden promised, nodding to Ryker. “First, we need to discuss the scrolls. I’ve spent the last two days in Zara Perkins’s home, and so far all I’ve found is an empty tube that may or may not have held one or all of the scrolls. I’m sure they’re stored separately, because together they could be ruined.”

Laney shifted, leaning onto the arm of the sofa. “Did she know you were looking?”

“No. We were going through some of her grandmother’s boxed-up things, and that’s when I found this tube.”

He pulled the container from below his desk and sat it up for them to see. “I was unable to get it open, but when I brought it back, Mac managed to get into it. There was a miniscule section that looked as if it had been broken before, so he pried that part open.”

Ryker was first to reach for the tube. He examined it thoroughly before resting it on his leg. “Tell me where you looked in her house, and I’ll start my search in other areas.”

Because Ryker assumed he’d be the next plan of action. He never questioned his duties, his position. He’d been the muscles, the enforcer, the behind-the-scenes man for the O’Sheas for years. Braden knew Ryker felt an intense sense of loyalty because he’d been taken in when his home life was extremely lacking.

“I don’t want you going in again,” Braden countered, earning him raised brows from Ryker. “Zara trusts me, and I don’t want you going into her house while she’s here.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Laney stated, eyes wide. “We need to find these and get them back where they belong. Either tell her what’s going on or let Ryker look. And what the hell is she doing here?”

Braden ignored Mac’s smirk. “She’s staying here until her power comes back on, and that’s all you need to know.”

“So you’re sleeping with her, and you’ve earned her trust, you say, yet you can’t ask her to have a look around?”

That pretty much summed up his predicament, but he wasn’t going to get into this with his baby sister. Whatever was going on with Zara was private.

Besides, the guilt that slid through him was getting quite uncomfortable. He was using Zara, no way to sugarcoat that. If any man treated Laney like this, Braden would destroy him.

“She doesn’t have to know,” Ryker chimed in. “I’m quick and thorough.”

Mac eased forward to face Ryker. “Braden has suddenly developed a conscience where his woman is concerned.”

Angry that his credibility was coming into question, Braden fired back at his younger brother. “Would you betray Jenna?”

Mac’s eyes narrowed. “Jenna is my best friend, nothing more. I’ve known her for years. And, no, I’d never betray her for any reason.”

“Then shut the hell up, and let me handle this.”

Raking a hand over his face, Braden truly had no idea how to deal with the situation. “The scrolls may not even be in the house at this point. They could’ve been moved or accidentally tossed out. But, I have to believe had they been sold, we would’ve heard about it. Documents with Shakespeare’s earliest works would’ve hit the media worldwide. Even if sold on the black market, we would’ve heard whispers. Our reach is far enough in the underground world.”

“So how are you going to search the house?” Ryker asked.

“When I take Zara back home, I’m going to find a reason to stay.” That wouldn’t be too hard, considering their current state. “I’ll search where I haven’t. I won’t leave anything untouched. I don’t want to lie to her any more than necessary, so we’re not breaking in.”

“And what are you going to do if Zara finds out you’ve lied to her?” Mac asked.

“She won’t find out,” Braden assured him. She couldn’t find out, because if she did, all this work would be for nothing. Not only would she permanently block him from searching, she’d never trust again. He’d made so much progress in only two days, he refused to believe anything bad would happen. And it was a risk he was willing to take to get all he wanted.

Zara had become too important too fast. He wasn’t ready to sever their personal tie. Scrolls aside, he wanted her. And, if he told her even a portion of the truth, she was so distrusting that he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t cut him out of her life. She had every right.

“The cook has prepared a late lunch,” Braden stated, coming to his feet. “I need to speak with Ryker privately.”

Mac and Ryker stood, but Laney remained seated, stubborn as ever. “And when can I go home?” she asked.

“Whenever Ryker wants to take you.”

Ryker glanced to Laney. “Might be a while. I still need to eat and crash. I had a bit of a run-in with the London police, and I’m jet-lagged.”

“I’ll call a cab,” she said through gritted teeth.

“No, you won’t,” Ryker commanded.

Braden bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Mac turned his head to hide his smile, as well. Ryker could go without sleep for days. He was a force to be reckoned with, and if he wanted to do something, he’d do it. Apparently he didn’t want Laney to leave yet, which was fine with Braden. The more she was away from Carter, the better.

Before Laney could protest, because she no doubt would, her cell rang. Pulling her phone from the pocket of her jeans, she glanced at the screen, then up to Braden. Without a word, she came to her feet and moved to the opposite side of the room where she answered with her back to them.

“You know he’s calling to check up on her,” Mac whispered.

Braden nodded in agreement. “I don’t see what the hell she puts up with him for.”

“She’s defiant.” Ryker’s eyes remained on Laney. “She may see something in him, but she’s staying with him out of spite because you two make a big deal about it.”

Braden eased a hip on his desk and crossed his arms. “And you don’t? I’m sure you didn’t get out of her house without a verbal sparring match with Carter.”

Ryker sneered. “I can handle that prick.”

“I don’t know when I’ll be home.” Laney’s slightly raised voice carried across the room. “Of course I’m at my brother’s house. Where else would I be?”

Braden’s blood boiled, and a little of what Ryker said started to ring true. Maybe in Mac and Braden’s attempt to protect her, they’d driven her deeper into the arms of a controlling asshole. Damn it. He needed to talk to her one-on-one.

Mac headed for the door. “I’m getting something to eat. I’ll be around if you need me.”

Braden pulled his gaze from his sister and stepped closer to Ryker. “Do I need to know anything about London?”

Ryker’s dark eyes met his. “I handled it.”

“With no trace back to us?”

Nodding, Ryker’s jaw clenched. “I even managed to gain the trust and cooperation of two of the boys in blue. Next time I go back, we’ll have no worries.”

Relief slid through Braden. He knew whatever Ryker had done, he’d done his job well. “And the item is secured?”

“It’s in the Paris office, ready to go back to its rightful owner.”

Braden slapped Ryker on the back. “Go eat. I’ll clean things up with Laney and take her back home.”

Ryker’s brows lifted. “You’re taking her back willingly?”

“She makes her own decisions. I’m just hoping she sees Carter for who he is before it’s too late, because if he crosses the line more than he has, he’ll have bigger problems on his hands than just checking up on her.”

Ryker’s thin lips pulled into an eerie grin. “I’ll take her back after I eat. I’d like to have a talk with him.”

Braden shook his head. “I’ll take care of it. You go relax.”

Ryker looked as if he wanted to argue, but finally he nodded. After throwing Laney one more glance, he left the room.

While waiting for her to finish her call, Braden put the tube in the lock cabinet by the door. He didn’t want that container going anywhere for now.

Finally Laney turned, slid the phone in her pocket and started toward the door. Braden stepped in her path and hated that look of sadness that stared back at him. While he wanted to unleash his anger and tell her to drop that jerk, he knew she wouldn’t listen to words.

In a move that surprised both of them, Braden glided his arms around her shoulders and pulled her against him. He kissed her on the head and whispered, “I’m sorry I was a jerk to you.”

Laney squeezed him back, resting her head on his shoulder. “You’re always a jerk, but you never apologize.”

Laughing, Braden eased back and smoothed her dark hair away from her face. “I just want you happy and to be with someone who deserves you. I just don’t like how Carter treats you.”

“He treats me great when we’re together,” she said with a slight smile. “His ex cheated on him, and he’s leery. I can’t blame him after hearing the stories.”

Braden would save his opinion on that topic. From the rumors he’d heard, it wasn’t Carter’s ex doing the cheating at all. But Braden still had a tail on Carter, so time would tell.

“You can stay and eat, or I’ll take you home. Whatever you want.”

Laney tipped her head and narrowed one eye at him. “Who are you and what have you done with my big brother?”

He shrugged. “I told you, I just want you happy.”

Her features softened as she ran a finger between his brows. “Your worry lines aren’t as prominent as they normally are. If I had to guess, I’d say Zara is to thank for the new Braden.”

“Zara is...” Hell, he didn’t even know what to say.

Laney patted his cheek. “It’s okay. I can tell your feelings for her are strong, and I won’t say a word. Just promise me you won’t hurt her. I don’t know her personally, but if you’re having these emotions, then I’d say she is, too. Be careful where your hearts are concerned.”

Braden swallowed and feared that when all was said and done, someone’s heart would be hurt.

Ignoring that lump in his throat, he looped his arm through Laney’s. “Why don’t you stay and eat? Then I’ll take you back.”

Laney looked up at him with bright eyes. “I love you, Braden. Dad would be proud of you.”

Another point that worried him. He hoped like hell he did the O’Shea name proud, because his father, grandfather and great-grandfather had done an impeccable job of building up a reputation. Some may be skeptical, but the name was respected and sometimes feared. No one messed with the O’Sheas. And once Braden guided the family into an even more reputable area, he could hold his head high, knowing he’d done the right thing.

Braden led Laney toward the kitchen. Once he got her back home, he could focus on Zara. Their time alone couldn’t come soon enough.