Expose (Billionaire Series) (11 page)

Jennifer reached
out again and placed her hand over Philip's. He didn't pull away this time.
“You won't know if that's true until you try. Believe me, I understand being
afraid of trying to resolve issues, though not to the same extent as you, but I
can imagine. Holding on to all of this, it's hurting you just as much as it's
hurting him. And you never know, maybe he wants to fix things with you but is
scared to make the first move. I know I would be.”

“And if he
doesn't?”

For the first time
since they'd met, all of the guards were down and Jennifer could read the hurt
in Philip's eyes, the pain of a young boy who didn't understand what he'd done
to deserve the way his father treated him. “What if he doesn't want to fix
things, only break them more?”

“Then you'll know
that you did whatever you could, and you can move on without any regrets,”
Jennifer said firmly, her heart aching at what she saw. “You'll have closure,
and you won't realize how freeing that feeling is until you feel it for yourself.”

“Dessert?” The
waiter appeared, interrupting before Philip could respond to Jennifer's advice.

“What do you say we
split a piece of their Devil's Delight Chocolate Cake?” Philip asked. When
Jennifer nodded, he ordered it. As the waiter walked away, Philip's gaze met
Jennifer's once more. “I'll give your suggestion some serious thought.”

Their conversation
turned back to lighter things and remained that way through their deliciously
decadent dessert and during the car ride to Jennifer's apartment.

“Amaury,” Philip
addressed the driver as the car came to a stop. “Wait here. I'm going to walk
Jennifer to the door.”

Jennifer had to
admit, as she and Philip walked up to the front door of her apartment building,
she was slightly disappointed that the evening wasn't going to end with them in
bed. It did, however, signify to her that Philip wasn't just using her for sex.
The flowers, taking her to dinner, sharing, all of that hadn't been done just
to get into her pants again. This was genuine.

“This was...”
Philip paused as they stopped in front of the door. He seemed to be searching
for a word. “I actually can’t think of how to describe it.” He smiled down at
Jennifer. “It was like nothing I expected.”

“I know what you
mean,” Jennifer agreed with a smile of her own.

Philip tucked
Jennifer’s hair behind her ear and let his fingers brush over her cheekbone
before he cupped her chin. He held her face in place – not that she considered
moving – as he bent his head. His mouth covered hers and she melted against
him, her hands sliding up his chest to clasp behind his neck. His own hands
moved, one burying itself in her hair while the other pressed against the small
of her back, holding her against him. His lips moved slowly, his tongue gently
teasing at the seam of her mouth, but never trying to force entry. When she
opened her mouth, darting her tongue out to touch his, he made a sound in the
back of his throat that sounded suspiciously like a growl. His grip on her
tightened as he explored her mouth as if he’d never kissed her before.

By the time he
released her, Jennifer’s head was spinning and she knew with one hundred
percent certainty that she could never marry Brad. For better or worse, her
heart belonged to Philip.

“Until next time.”
Philip smiled, his fingers ghosting over her lips. “And we’ll make sure the
night doesn’t end here.”

The wink he dropped
before turning away made familiar things tighten low in Jennifer’s belly and it
was all she could do not to ask him to come upstairs. She knew she couldn’t, no
matter how much she wanted to. Aside from the fact that she needed to be alone
to call Brad, tonight was about building something on more than sex.

In my usual state I probably wouldn’t have had the athletic
capability to swing my entire body over the waist-high barrier in one try, but
I was running on pure fear and adrenaline, not noticing the pain in my body
from when I had slammed into the ground or the ache in my legs from when they’d
smacked against the barrier.

I ran over the deserted race track to where Mathis had been
standing a minute before. I half expected him to be lying in a pool of blood,
or being swarmed with paramedics taking him away in an ambulance. I could hear
sirens in the distance as I approached, and my heart was in my throat. As I got
close, I was blocked by another barrier, unable to pass through or see past the
wall of people. In the spot where Mathis had been standing was a crowd of
security—big, burly men in black suits who were blocking my view and my way.

“Hey! Are they okay?” I yelled at one of them. “Mathis – is
he okay?”

The bodyguard ignored me, engaged in talking rapidly into a
phone, probably alerting more security to what had happened.

“Hey!” I yelled again, and a different bodyguard turned to
me.

“I’m sorry Ma’am. You can’t get through here,” he said. “If
you need medical attention, there are some ambulances on their way. Are you
okay? Are you hurt?”

“Is everyone okay? Who are the ambulances for?” I pried.

“Ma’am, you need to join the other guests over by the
entrance,” he said before turning his back on me, clearly deciding that I
certainly didn’t look very hurt and he wasn’t going to waste any more breath on
me.

“Wait!” I yelled, trying to get his attention again.

He ignored me, turning back to whatever he was doing. I saw
through a gap in the black jackets that the politician, Walt Rossi, was still
crouched low on the ground. Half a dozen bodyguards were surrounding him,
shielding him from view, their eyes scanning all around in case another gunman
tried to strike. He looked unharmed, and his face had an expression of
concentrated calm, although I could see the tension in his limbs.

It struck me that they must be protecting him, and I realized
that he was probably the priority rather than Mathis. All these security men
were here to protect this prominent politician from harm. They were simply
making sure nothing else was going to happen, not dealing with a full-fledged
murder. At least, I hoped not, and it certainly didn’t seem like a dramatic
shooting and sudden death had occurred.

This realization gave me hope that no harm had come to Mathis
after all. Although all the men looked to be scouting for more potential
danger, there didn’t seem to be the same urgency in their faces as if someone
had been shot or killed.

Well, that’s what I convinced myself anyways.

I moved over a little to the left, where the security thinned
out, and I released a long, relieved breath as I caught sight of Mathis helping
Kathryn, who was shakily getting to her feet. I realized that Mathis must have
reacted when the bullet had gone off, getting low and making sure that Kathryn
was safe, too. He was okay – he was standing tall, and there was no trace of
pain on his face. He looked concerned, but as handsome and as controlled as
ever.

My relief went through me like a pulse of electricity, and I
caught hold of the barrier to steady myself. If I’d been religious, I would
have thanked god. As it was, I just sent out a silent ‘thanks’ into the air.

Once the immediate threat and fear had dissipated somewhat, I
realized how incredibly lucky we had both been. If I hadn’t noticed the gunman,
he would most likely have shot and killed Mathis. On top of that, I was lucky
that the gunman hadn’t turned on me or shot someone else in place of Mathis. It
could so easily have ended up with either one of us dead on the ground. We were
unharmed. It was beginning to sink in what a dangerous situation we had been
in. The adrenaline seemed to be wearing off.

Next to where Mathis and Kathryn were standing being checked
over by a bodyguard, I saw that the bodyguards were helping the politician to
his feet too. He was calmly brushing off his suit and looking over at his
daughter, clearly satisfied that she was safe, too. There must be no danger
anymore if the politician was no longer hiding low from people in the crowd. I
wondered briefly whether the gunman had been caught or not before clambering over
the barrier, trying to get to where Mathis was.

I was blocked again by the bodyguards, who obviously weren’t
about to let anyone near the politician or his daughter. The same bodyguard I’d
spoken to before approached me again, his expression one of sympathy.

“I’m sorry, but you can’t come through just yet,” he frowned.

“Do I look dangerous to you?” I huffed in frustration.

“I’m sorry – it’s just a security measure. I’ll let you know
when we get the all-clear,” he said.

“But I’m a friend,” I insisted. “Just ask – please.”

“I’m sorry, Miss. It’s standard procedure,” he said.

I sighed and leaned against the barrier, trying to catch
Mathis’ eye, but he was preoccupied with Kathryn, who looked pale and shaken,
her neat pencil skirt and crisp white blouse now rumpled and stained. I
strained to listen to what they were saying, wondering if I should call out to
get their attention. I was reluctant to break into their moment or disobey the
bodyguard. That burly guy might lose his sympathy for me if I got too much in
the way of his job.

“Are you okay?” I heard Mathis ask Kathryn.

“I don’t know,” she said, and her voice sounded high-pitched
and confused. “What happened?”

“Are you hurt?” he asked her again, his voice very gentle.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “Oh god, there was a gunshot!
Were they aiming at Daddy?” It hadn’t crossed her mind that somebody might be
aiming at Mathis.

“I don’t know – the only thing that matters is that everyone
is safe,” Mathis reassured her.

“You saved my life,” Kathryn gushed, looking up at Mathis’
face. “Thank you!”

I didn’t catch Mathis’ reply as a different bodyguard
addressed me, asking me if I was okay and telling me there were people out the
front who could take care of me. I replied on autopilot, saying I was fine.

I was trying hard not to feel jealous that Kathryn was the
one in Mathis’ arms right now. It was stupid and small-minded that it was this
which I was preoccupied with at the moment. Of course, there was nothing wrong
with Mathis being concerned about Kathryn. It would be much worse if he didn’t
care and was only concerned with himself. What sort of man would that make him?

I knew that Mathis had a chivalrous streak and always put
other people before himself. It was one of the things I admired most in him,
and I tried to be glad that he was supportive and caring to everyone, not just
to me. I tried to ignore the feeling of guilt at the fact that my only thought
had been to protect Mathis – if it had been someone else at the other end of
the gun, would I still have acted? I hoped so – I wanted to be a good person,
just like Mathis was, but I knew that when I had acted, my only thought had
been to save Mathis.

As I comforted myself in knowing that I had been able to
protect Mathis, I watched his eyes roam around the area, possibly checking for
himself that everything was safe, until our eyes met.

“Amanda!” he called out in surprise. Kathryn looked up too,
and her face registered her recognition of me. Mathis came up and spoke to the
bodyguard briefly, allowing me to come through into the circle. I was too
preoccupied to give the bodyguard an I-told-you-so look. I was just happy to be
near Mathis. He gave me a warm hug, holding me close to his body for a swift
but perfect moment. In that moment, all my worries and fears disappeared.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he pulled away. “I didn’t know
you were here. I suppose I should have known you would be. Danger seems to
follow you around like a lost puppy.” He smiled.

“Sure,” I said sarcastically. The situation seemed almost
funny now. Why was it that dangerous things always did seem to happen when I
was around? Maybe I was like a magnet for danger, and Mathis wouldn’t even have
been in danger if I hadn’t been around. I nearly laughed, but I held it back.

“You’re not hurt, are you? You weren’t anywhere near the
gunshot?”

“Not the gunshot, no,” I said. I wondered if I should tell
Mathis or the police or someone that I had shoved the gunman out of the way,
but the words shriveled at the end of my tongue. I was reluctant to tell Mathis
that I had probably saved his life. It would sound stupid, like I was looking
for his approval. I wavered, unsure what to say or do.

I didn’t really have much of a chance to talk to Mathis or
indulge my emotions, however, because I noticed at that moment that Kathryn was
shaking violently. I wasn’t surprised – it had to be more traumatizing to be
almost on the receiving end of a bullet than to be the person who saw the gun.

Mathis followed the direction of my eyes and noticed that Kathryn
was trembling, too. He immediately pulled her into a comforting hug, and she
sobbed hard against him. I stood awkwardly for a moment, wishing that he was
hugging me again. Then I realized angrily how selfish I was being.

I made myself really look at her, trembling and in a state,
and felt guilty for being so wrapped up in Mathis that I didn't think about
anyone else. I noticed that she was a little bit beaten up. Although Mathis had
been protecting her, she must have fallen hard on the ground; her hands were
scuffed and one of her knees was bleeding. I felt a stab of pity for her. It
wasn’t her fault that she’d been mixed up on all of this.

Mathis pulled away as she seemed to calm down a little, and I
stepped up, talking to her gently, forgetting about Mathis for the moment.

 “It’s okay,” I told her gently, “it’s all over. Here, you’re
all muddy, let’s get you cleaned up a little.” I put my arm around her and
walked her over to a bench, where I sat her down, holding a comforting arm
around her back. Mathis walked with us, and I saw an expression in his eyes
which looked almost fierce, but tender as well. Then it was gone. Maybe I just
imagined it.

“It looks like you’ve got the situation under control,”
Mathis told me over Kathryn’s head. “I’m going to go and check on Mr. Rossi to
see if I can get an update on what’s happening. I’ll leave Kathryn in your
hands.”

I felt oddly proud of the fact that he was treating me like a
capable person for once instead of getting on my case about being there and putting
myself in danger like he usually did. The selfish part of me was a little hurt
that he was leaving me, but the larger part of me understood that it was more
important to find out what was going on. Besides, he couldn’t display any
strong concern or affection for me in front of Kathryn or her father – not when
he was supposed to be dating Kathryn. It wasn’t appropriate, and it wasn’t even
what I had come over here for.

I concentrated on getting Kathryn to calm down a little. Her
crying had died down. I took off the light scarf I had been wearing loosely
around my neck and allowed her to wipe away her tears. After she seemed more
comfortable and was breathing normally, I used the scarf to gently clean up her
hands and knees.

She gave me a weak watery smile. She was still enviably
beautiful even with her makeup running down her cheeks. “I remember you. You’re
Amanda Taylor…is that right?”

“I am.” I was surprised that she remembered me. Next to her,
I didn’t really seem like the type of woman who would stick in anyone’s memory.
“I’m sorry, I never really introduced myself properly. I just came over because
Mathis is a friend of the family…” I trailed off, my excuse seeming a little
weak even to me.

Kathryn didn’t seem to mind, though. She gave me another
smile, a little warmer and stronger this time, and not accompanied by a hiccup.
“You’re just as nice as Mathis said you were,” she said. “Thanks so much for
the scarf. I know I’m just being silly, but, well, nothing like this has ever
happened to me before.”