Conviction (A Stand-alone Novel): A Bad Boy Romance (24 page)

A fiercely blue-eyed devil leapt into the kitchen. "Where? Are you okay? What happened?"

I collapsed against the counter as Ayden dodged to look out each of the doors for a mysterious attacker. "Oh my god, you scared the life out of me," I panted.

"Me?" Ayden asked. He straightened up and unclenched his fists.

The front door kicked open with such force that I screamed again. Alan charged down the hallway like a bull, and I had just enough time to yank Ayden back before the two men collided.

"Alan?"

"Mr. King?"

"My heart! Are you two trying to kill me?" I shrieked with sudden laughter.

The two perceptive men quickly put together what happened and started to laugh themselves. I only stopped when I considered what would have happened if Ayden had tried to defend me from Alan and vice versa. They were rock hard combatants, and the only outcome I could predict, was serious damage to both.

After a few more rounds of giggles and some deep cleansing breaths, I managed to settle down. "Are we late for our flight to New York?" I guessed.

"Nice try, but wrong. And, no, we have plenty of time if we leave right now," Ayden said. "Did she tell you we are going out of town? I'm sorry I didn't give you more notice."

"Not a problem, Mr. King," Alan said. "I'll drive you to the airport myself, if that's alright."

This time I let Alan pick up my suitcase and haul it out to his sedan. Ayden chuckled again and gave me a smiling kiss before he ran upstairs to pack. I leaned against the counter and finished my soda as my heart finally slowed to a normal pace.

Ayden was back quickly with a neatly packed carry-on. "Shall we?" he asked with a smile.

I smiled back even as I noticed a few items in the kitchen had moved since I left it to conduct my search. The eerie feeling returned, and I was glad we were going out of town, no matter what the destination.

Chapter Seventeen

Ayden

I laughed when Autumn missed the first pilot's announcement. She had fallen for my 'listen to this great song' ploy. When she yanked the headphones off and realized she'd missed yet another clue about our destination, she gave me a stormy smile.

"You already kept our boarding passes, stalled me in the concourse, and made me promise to close my eyes while we boarded," she whined. "I should just go up and ask the pilot."

"He wouldn't tell you. I asked the whole flight crew to help me with the surprise." I leaned back in the cream-colored leather seat and chuckled.

Autumn shifted all around in her seat as if she could not get comfortable. That was the last thing possible on the Learjet. As soon as the flight attendants brought us drinks and a tray of snacks, Autumn relaxed. Even so, I could see her peering out the window and deducing the direction we were flying in.

"Not good at getting surprised, are you?" It was an obvious observation.

"No, probably not. Surprises just seem like little mysteries I should have figured out sooner," Autumn said. She smoothed back her golden blonde hair and glanced out the window.

The water below us took on a distinctive shape, and I grinned as recognition sparkled in her eyes.

"The San Francisco Bay," she sighed. Autumn leaned back in her seat and enjoyed our descent. "I've never been."

I had a limousine waiting for us. With every step I thought Autumn could sense my ulterior motives, but she was content now that the destination had been revealed. Even the snarl of traffic between the airport and downtown San Francisco did not bother her. I forced my hands to stay still and tried not to reveal what had me so excited.

The limousine slid into the traffic heading off the highway and through the Financial District until the skyscrapers took a step back.

Autumn sat forward to look out the window with a delighted smile. "Union Square. Beautiful!"

Her smile slipped into a shocked oval when the limousine pulled up in front of the Palace Hotel. Autumn had seen the very best that Las Vegas had to offer, but here was true old world luxury. We stepped through the tallest of the three arched awnings and into the lobby. Golden tones and cream-colored marble cast a honeyed glow on Autumn's hair as she took in the domed roof of the elegant lobby. The concierge met us at the front doors and swept us into a reserved elevator.

Our top floor room was a chic combination of antiques and amenities, but Autumn stepped past all of it and took in the view. Over the eclectic and vibrant cityscape, the Bay sparkled.

"Now I hear we might not see the Bay in the morning because of the fog, but the view is still stellar," I told Autumn.

The concierge took a step forward. "The fog is actually quite romantic and from here you'll see it swirling around the tops of buildings."

Autumn turned and smiled at both of us. "I love it. I love all of it."

She was still facing me with a warm smile after I had tipped the concierge and shut the door behind him. "Giving up on the view already?" I asked.

"No. I'm thoroughly enjoying it."

Her steps were light as she closed the distance between us and leapt into my arms. I always forgot how slender and light she was until I had my arms around here. Autumn had an air of independence, an armor of business acumen and intelligence that added weight to her during the working day. But, now, free and easy in San Francisco, she really was light as a feather.

I swept her up and held her, but the power was entirely in her hands. One soft touch of her palm on my cheek, and I was rooted to the floor. She caressed my jaw, wiping away my rueful smile, but also releasing all the tension I held there. Then she curled her hand in the hair at the base of my neck and pulled me forward. When Autumn's lips met mine, every nerve in my body surged forth to meet her.

She deepened the kiss, her arms wrapping around my shoulders, turning to press her breasts to my chest. I fought the haze of desire and forced my feet to move.

"You haven't even seen the bedroom." My voice was a hoarse whisper.

"Take me," she whispered.

I carried her to the bedroom and could not even reach out to turn on a light. We dropped to the wide, soft bed, and the lights of the city were enough. I unbuttoned her blouse to reveal her silken, flawless skin. With her hands tangled in my hair, I traced my lips down her throat, down the valley of her breasts, and across the taut smoothness of her belly.

She gasped as my stubble caressed her sides and down to her hip. As I paused to sweep small circles and drop warm kisses around her belly button, my hands reached up and behind her to unhook her black lace bra. Autumn slipped it off, and then guided my hands to her ripe breasts and her tightly drawn nipples. I brushed my thumbs over them, rubbing light circles until she moaned and arched her back.

Then I slipped my hands down the curve of her tight waist and did not stop there. She helped me unbutton her pants and slip them off over her legs. Autumn's impossibly long, toned legs were too beautiful to ignore. I used both hands to rub around her calves, tracing the tight curves of her muscles. When I parted her legs to kiss the creases behind her knees, she cried out my name.

I looked up and a surge of desire broke through me like a tsunami. Autumn lay stretched out on top of the covers, completely naked and open to me. I was still dressed down to my shoes, but I had to have her. I pushed her legs apart farther, her hands guiding me as her fingers flexed against my scalp, and kiss the honeyed center of her. Her taste was intoxicating, and I lapped deeper.

Autumn bucked with pleasure beneath me, her hips rising off the mattress to meet my eager tasting. While my tongue swirled over the tender, throbbing point of her pleasure, I undid my pants and released my heavy, hard response.

Her hands pulled at me, tugging my hair. "Ayden, please. Please, I need you."

I pushed myself up and plunged inside her as our lips crashed together and our tongues tangled in a moaning conversation of lust. She had my body, my breath, and every thought in my head, and Autumn took all of me. Her hips lifted off the bed, setting a wild rhythm that pushed me off the edge of consciousness. I tried to hold back but she wanted all of me and I gave in to her with deep shudders of pure pleasure.

What seemed like hours later, my mind swirled back to reality. Autumn's hands had finally untucked my shirt and her fingernails lightly ran up and down my back. I eased back and we both groaned at the bittersweet sensation of our bodies parting. I came back for a long, deep kiss.

"How are you?" I asked.

Autumn gave a lusty chuckle. "Fine a few times over. Maybe a little hungry."

"You taste so good." I dropped my head to nuzzle the heavenly place between her neck and her shoulder. Then I remembered. "Oh, god, I hope we haven't missed it."

"Missed what?"

I sat up and was relieved we still had time. "We have a dinner reservation at La Folie." Autumn gave a small shriek of despair and I smiled. "Don't worry, I ordered a dress especially for you. It’s hanging on the wardrobe."

Autumn sat up and laughed. "I didn't see the wardrobe much less the dress. Oh, Ayden, it’s beautiful."

She was more than beautiful. She was radiant as we entered the restaurant a short while later. Heads turned as she walked by, the golden hues and embroidered pearls and crystals of the dress catching the light.

"You look like champagne," I told her as we sat down and raised the waiting glasses.

"I feel like it. All bubbly," Autumn said with a charming blush.

We lingered over the first course of foie gras torchon, the bites melting in our mouths. It was surprising how easy it was not to discuss work. The new city, the champagne, the sinfully mouth-watering food, and the afterglow of our lovemaking wove a spell around us I never wanted to break.

"Apparently I've never had risotto before because the thing I make in no way resembles this creamy heaven in a bowl," Autumn said.

I took a bite of our second course, the lobster and mushroom risotto, and all I could do was nod. The warm, luscious bite was comfort and satisfaction all rolled into one.

We moved on to the duck breast as we talked about walking along the Embarcadero and taking in the sights. "I hope it’s alright if we skip the Alcatraz tour," I joked.

The four-course meal ended with peach melba baked Alaska. As much as we wanted to linger over the amazing, delectable food, we were both ready to go. I wanted to walk with Autumn through a city where no one knew us, and we could be ourselves.

Outside, though, Autumn confessed she did not feel well. "Probably just the lingering effects of all the stress we left behind," she said.

"Let's head back to Palace," I offered as I opened the limousine door for her myself. My plans were unraveling, but Autumn looked pale and a little shaky.

Back in our top floor room she did her best to smile at me, "I'll just go freshen up and we can take that stroll."

She disappeared into our master suite, and I poured myself a glass of Glenlivet from the silver tray on the polished bar. As I sipped it almost to the bottom, it became clear that Autumn really felt ill.

"I'm so sorry. I'm almost ready, I swear. Could you find my cosmetics bag? It’s in the pocket of my suitcase," she called.

"Inside or outside?" I asked, but she did not hear me.

I reached into the outside pocket and found a manila envelope. "Did you really bring work with you?" I asked, though I heard water running and knew she could not hear me.

I turned the heavy envelope over and froze. I recognized it. My father had tried to hand it to me during our confrontation at Jace's mansion. I had tossed it aside and could not bring myself to touch it until now. Why had Autumn packed it? Had she read the contents?

I put down my drink and flipped the manila envelope over. The seal had not been broken so I tore it open myself. A stack of letters were bound by a white ribbon that I untied with one sharp tug. I picked up the first letter, and my heart wobbled as I recognized the handwriting.

* * * * *

It was a letter from Jace and the date was fifteen and half years ago. He wrote to my father apologizing for ever letting me get involved with him. My hands tightened on the paper in anger. What was there to apologize for? Jace had been more my family than my own father at the time.

I snatched up the next letter and my chest burned with anger. The date put it at four and half years ago, shortly after Jace had signed his NFL contract. He told my father that he was sorry for everything that had been taken from him. Jace knew it would never replace what was missing, but he needed to help. Attached was a check stub for $500,000. It had been cashed the day the letter arrived.

More letters and more check stubs. I dropped them back on the bar and crushed my fists down on the stack. All those years I had been alone in prison, and Jace took care of my father. Bittersweet tears blurred my vision. I marveled at the pain of seeing Jace's generosity and missed my best friend with a bottomless pain. On the other hand, I despised my father for cashing the checks and never once revealing to Jace that he had abandoned me to my prison sentence.

I tore through the stack and read each letter. At one point, I thought Autumn had called out to me, but I was not sure. I picked up the last letter and my ears buzzed.

My friend wrote that if Joseph was receiving that letter it meant something had happened to Jace. He explained to my father that he was truly the guilty party. All those years ago, he had asked me to carry the package, begged me to take the fall, because he did not want to lose his opportunity to play for the NFL. Jace outlined for my father how I had been coerced into carrying the drugs.

I crumpled the edges of the letter in my hand. Jace had never coerced me, and I had never needed convincing. The last lines of the letter conveyed that to my father:

Your son knew all that was at stake and took it on without a single word from me. He carried that package without hesitation and never once involved anyone else in his downfall. That kind of selfless friendship can never be repaid, only admired. All I can truly say is I was grateful for Ayden King every day of my life
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