Fallen Angel (The List #3) (15 page)

“
You,
Bethany Taylor, are the first girl
I’ve ever brought back here, to my home.”

With her brow quickly furrowing, I can see her
brain ticking over in disbelief, playing around with the fact in her head.

“What? Ever?” I nod. “Wow. I mean… wow. That
is
interesting. I would never have guessed it. In the beginning, I imagined this
to be the ultimate bachelors pad. So I’m privileged then, huh? I feel it.”

“In fact, you’re the first person to stop here overnight
full stop. Shortly followed by Jack, of course.”

“Why?”

“I vowed to keep this place for my own. I don’t
see my family and don’t invite friends here, so the only reason I’d have
anybody visit is for maintenance, like electricians and so forth.”

“So why the extra bed?”

“It was mine. Do you remember when we were
coming back here after collecting your things from Willows and we stopped off
at the department store? Well, I was buying new bedding for you because it’s
never really been a guest room… Just a spare room.”

The details soak in and I stalk around the sofa,
closing in on her.

“So why me? That night, in the taxi, why make
an exception?”

“Believe me, I’ve asked myself the same thing.
Guess it was always meant to be.”

“Hold on.” She backs off. I see her mentally
pocket the information for further analysis later on. “Game on.”

She turns and runs for the stairs but I’m only
a few feet behind her. Clambering the steps with her hands and feet, she giggles
again. It doesn’t take much effort for me to grab hold of her ankle and flip
her over. With her laid out across the steps for me, I climb up and cover her.

The heat of our bodies intermingle. They’re
craving each other and I take a minute to let that wordless conversation take
place. Her face softens and the laughter quickly fades. I know her heart’s
beating faster for a whole different reason now.

Using the steps as support, I hover
deliberately close to her but not overpowering her. Our faces are just an inch
apart.

“So what makes you so confident that I can’t
switch this up on you? That I can’t have you begging for me… again? Less tee—”
I bite onto the material of her top, pull it taut and let go. “—more me… What
makes you think you can insulate yourself against this electricity between us?
Can you really compete with
this
?”

“Oh, I’m under no illusions that you could easily
take control now if you wanted it. I also know that there’s no way to insulate
myself against us. Even if there was I wouldn’t want to, ever. I want you
inside me at every possible opportunity Jax.” She grazes her teeth gently
across my bottom lip and kisses my chin. “But maybe my need to have you inside
me completely, mind, body and soul… is greater than the insatiable need between
my legs.”

Lifting her thighs around my waist, she locks
her feet behind me and lets me take the weight of her lower body. I rock her back
and forth gently, whilst reading the thoughts behind those inquisitive eyes.
There’s no doubt in my mind that she deserves to know anything she wants to
about my life and I’ve no idea why.

Part of me is still screaming that it’s none of
her fucking business and I’m only asking for trouble. But I already know that
one day she will know everything. I guess I’m just drip feeding her selfishly
for two reasons. Firstly, I’m drawing it out so that I get to be with her and
secondly, I’m hoping that when I tell her my truths, she’ll want to fight just
as much as I do to make everything work out between us.

“Are you ready for this next one? It’s nothing
sinister… Don’t look so worried.” Deep breath. “I’m wealthy, wealthier than you
know.”

“O-okay… So the gym is—”

“—a distraction for me. A hobby.”

“A hobby? How can being the manager of 24/7 be
a hobby? You need to elaborate.”

“I don’t need to work there Beth. I choose to
because I enjoy it.”

“But you started as a personal trainer.”

I rest my weight on my knees, sighing aloud at
the craziness of it all. I absently wonder if it’ll sound as fucked up coming
out of my mouth as it does in my own head.

“I’d not long started my new life here and I’d
shut myself away for a short while. I wanted to keep a low profile but didn’t
realise the constant solitude and lack of stimulation would present such a struggle.”
It sounds strange admitting these things to Beth, who still looks confused.
“I’m a millionaire, Beth.”

Her legs had been slowly losing their grip
around my waist but that bombshell causes them to involuntary fall back down to
the steps with a bump.

“
What?
How? Like, as in winnings,
inheritance, self-made… legally—illegally?”

She winces at the last word, as though it’d
offend me.

“My family is extremely wealthy but I’m also self-made…
legally
.” Beth mimes ‘Wow’. “Track Me Fit.”

Her eyes widen even more. Moving to sit upright,
I tell her all about how I’d created a digital tool for the mass market to use
for tracking their personal health and fitness targets. It launched in 2008 and
then by the time smartphones exploded into the market, I’d developed the
application to accommodate the needs of successful businesses within the
fitness industry.

This was predominantly gyms but also extended
to sporting clubs like boxing, dancing academies, swimming syndicates, athletics
associations… The possibilities went through the roof. The businesses that
signed up for the new facility were able to track and trace members’
progression for whatever purpose suited them. I even landed a huge deal with an
international private medical company who implemented it as standard patient
care before and after treatments to monitor progression and results.

My adaptable technology not only suited the
needs of Miss A, currently on maternity leave, looking to shift her baby weight
but unable to commit to time at the gym. But it also suited Miss B, the professional
athlete that wants her every move tracked, whether that’s at the gym, running
laps or even swimming lengths. She needs reliable, easily accessible data at
her fingertips. Of course, it’s gone from strength to strength, capitalising on
peoples’ growing desires to be the best version of themselves in a world that
knows no limits.

TMF, was my baby. I conceived it and nurtured
it into becoming a highly successful household brand in its own right within
the health and fitness sector. I paved the way for many competitors to hustle
through the ranks but none are as lean and strategic as TMF. Plus I’ve always
been ten steps ahead of the game.

Handing over the reins to my brother when I
left was a massive decision for me. I could’ve just took the crown with me but
then I wouldn’t be fully committing to my new life. I wasn’t mentally in the
right place to make sound business decisions either. Initially it was going to
be temporary but shit happens.

I’m still completely involved in TMF, along
with the rest of Carter Corp. That was the only stipulation made by my family
when I decided to walk out of their lives. I wasn’t in a good place. They
reluctantly agreed not to interfere provided I remained an active, albeit
silent, member of Carter Corp. It all made logical sense of course. It was
their way of keeping hold of me in some regard and it was my way of making sure
I fought to get my head straight to continue to support my family in the only
way I felt possible. I couldn’t leave them completely in the lurch, I was
already hurting them enough by going.

Beth and I ended up settling in, sitting on the
stairs talking until she said her ass was numb. She asked some questions but
held back on the most obvious burning question.

Overall, my most important observation was that
she didn’t look at me any differently.

Beth’s hunger for us to grow as a couple
outweighed the fact that I’d kept this from her. My money didn’t scare her off
or make her cling tighter. I could hear the excitement in her voice when she
asked about TMF and the collective business. She is an independent, innovative
woman with a small business of her own, so business talk wets her appetite so
much more than the idea of my wealth.

Now after all this talking, which is not my
forte, I have my very own substantial Beth-shaped appetite that needs feeding.

“You okay Beth? It’s a lot of new stuff, huh?”

I purposely haven’t reached out to her to touch
her the whole time we’ve been talking. I didn’t want to overwhelm her and
wanted to give her the space to process things. At some point she’d taken hold
of my hand and was still subconsciously stroking my fingers, caught up
somewhere in a daydream.

“It’s just amazing. I mean, I always knew you
were special and intelligent—but what you’ve accomplished is nothing short of
remarkable. I’m in awe of you. I can’t wait to hear all about it, eventually,
if you’ll let me.”

“Of course. But, I am sorry, Angel.”

“Sorry for what?”

“For the shit circumstances that I’ve put us
in. Your life is stable and on track and mine isn’t—wasn’t. I know you’ve
always respected my privacy, but I can see some sadness hiding away in your
eyes and I know I put it there.”

“You can?” Beth looks down towards the front
door and then back to me. “You’re right, I guess, I am sad. But not because
you’ve kept this from me. Jax, that’s always been your prerogative. You made it
clear that you came with boundaries. I knew that. That’s not why I feel sad.
It’s, it’s that—”

Out of the blue, her voice breaks and her big
brown eyes well up, glistening like crystals. She fans her face, shaking her
head, in a hopeless attempt to banish the tears. I instinctively scoop her up to
straddle my lap and wrap my arms around her perfect frame.

Between sobs she slips out words here and
there, trying to explain what’s upset her. It’s difficult to translate with her
face pressed into my chest, masking her voice. She finally gives up and
concentrates on curbing her emotions. I say nothing. I hold the back of her
head, stroking her back until she’s ready to talk.

“Sorry. I’m okay now.” Blowing out a breath,
she’s composed herself. “Jax, even though you’re still professionally involved,
for you to walk away from your family, your friends, your life, something awful
must’ve happened. And if something awful happened then I know you’ve been hurt,
terribly. I don’t know what your family life was like before, but it crushes me—it
makes me feel physically sick to think that something led you to believe that a
new life, was your only option. Starting from scratch with nobody… I’m sad for
what you must’ve been through.”

I cradle her head with my hand and cover her
face with slow, heartfelt kisses. She said she’s in awe of me, which is ironic
because the only person awesome here is fucking her. She is awesome. Nobody has
ever spoken about me the way she does.

“You’ve got such a big heart. I’ve always been
hesitant to follow my feelings with you. I can’t shake the fact that I don’t
deserve you. Remember in the beginning you said that we’re polar opposites? But
then you changed your mind…” I stroke my fingers down her face and leave my
palm pressed against the base of her neck. “What if you were right? That would
mean this relationship is a recipe for disaster? I don’t wanna hurt you, Beth.
That’s my only concern.”

“Or maybe we’re the perfect lover’s symbiosis
regardless... I love that you want me. I love it when you’re controlling and
possessive, and not just in the bedroom.” Beth has a wonderful ability of
effortlessly shining light into the darkness. “But, that doesn’t detract from
the fact that deep down, I am a strong woman. I know what I want and it’s
always been you. I accepted the possibility of getting hurt a long time ago…
and I’m still here, smiling. That’s my choice to make, not yours.”

Shifting to plant her knees either side of me,
she wraps her arms around my neck and dons that sultry badass expression,
telling me this conversation is over with just one look.