Seduction and Surrender (The Billionaire's Temptation Series) (20 page)

Jake gave her a big shrug and waved away her last concern. “You know I have plenty of room here. Move in with me. That’ll be one less thing you have to worry about and I’d love to have the company.”

It’s not as though she had a whole lot of options at this point. “If you’re sure…”

“I am. This place has far too many bedrooms, including the second master suite you’re currently staying in. It’s too big for it to just be me rattling around the place.” He cupped her face and wiped her cheeks dry. “I’m here for you, Em. I always will be—no matter what you need. You’ll get through this.”

She nodded, though with her heart still shredded into a million little pieces, she didn’t know how she’d get through it.

Her phone buzzed. The police department. With her heart racing, she took the call and listened as the police detective rattled through their findings. By the time she hung up, she felt even worse. “They found out who’d been sabotaging us at the restaurant. Fucking Tony. Not only was he missing his shifts, he was the one responsible for causing us all that grief.”

Jake shook his head, anger pouring off him in waves. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m going to murder that lazy bastard. So did they arrest him?”

“Not for the fire. They don’t think he was the one who set it.” And that left her thinking of Capaldi again. “He said they don’t have many other leads.”

“If it wasn’t Tony, then it has to be Capaldi.”

“They’re looking into it, but as of yet there’s no evidence pointing in his direction.”

***

“I don’t want to go anywhere, Jake.” Emma felt like an empty shell. Her restaurant, her entire purpose in life, was gone, and with Quinn’s betrayal only adding to her grief, she’d never felt such heartache. She could barely muster the energy to pull herself up off Jake’s sofa, Thor at her feet keeping vigil. Quinn came by every single day, though Jake never let him in, knowing it’d do nothing but upset her further.

Jake sat down on a nearby ottoman, and brushed the hair from her face, looking more worried than she could ever recall seeing him. “Come on, Em. It’s been two weeks since you guys split up and you’ve barely left the house—not to mention Quinn looks like absolute crap. It’s not that I like the guy, but I doubt the man’s slept a wink or eaten a single thing since this all went down, even if he looks ready to punch me in a fit of jealousy, each and every time he sees me.”

“Serves him right. Bastard.” Her eyes burned as she tried to swallow down the lump in her throat.

Jake grumbled out a groan of frustration and got to his feet. “That’s it. We’re going out—and you don’t get to say no. Not this time. We have to find a new location for the restaurant, and there’s a ton of planning that needs to get done.”

“The insurance company is dragging its feet while the arson investigation continues and until I get some money in, I have no funds for putting down deposits on anything.” She put up a hand to stop him, knowing exactly what he was going to say. “And I can’t take your money when I don’t know when the hell I’ll be able to pay you back.”

He pulled her up off the sofa and got her standing, tossing aside the throw that clung to her. “Then consider it an investment. Let me be your business partner, Em. I got a sizeable inheritance, and though it may not be the billions Quinn’s managed to rack up, I’ve made some nice investments, and the returns have been considerable.”

Taking a deep breath, she tried to snap through the fog in her head. She knew Jake would be the perfect business partner. And maybe this was just what she needed to get herself out of her funk. “Are you sure that’s what you want to do? Especially when they haven’t caught whoever set the fire? Someone doesn’t like me, Jake. And I doubt it’ll stop until we figure out who the hell it is.”

Anger darkened his brown eyes, until they’d nearly gone black. “I’m not letting anyone stop me, Em. And I sure as hell won’t let them fucking intimidate us. We’re going to do this, and whoever it is better get used to it.”

She hadn’t revisited the thought that Quinn was behind the fire. It would have been an easy way to force her to move the restaurant, and since they’d been planning a remodel anyway, it was no skin off Quinn’s back. And yet, she couldn’t think of him going to such extremes, especially when he knew what the Old Port meant to her, and the cops hadn’t mentioned him.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed aside her emotions, and thoughts of Quinn. And though she still felt like a ghost of her former self, she managed a whisper of a smile. “I guess we’re partners then.”

“I think this calls for a celebration. Let’s go grab some lunch and we can make plans. Find a new location that’ll be even better than the first.” He pulled her into his arms and gave her a big hug. “You’ll be all right, Em. I’m going to make sure you pull through this.”

Emma took a deep breath and let it out in a weary sigh as she rested her head on Jake’s chest, hoping he was right, even as her tears threatened once more.

Chapter Twenty

Quinn never should have let his brothers drag him out to a club. He was in no mood for the lights, the noise, or the crowds, and the sort of drinking he wanted to do was the kind best done at home.

Morgan bumped his shoulder. “Looks like you’ve got an admirer. She’ll help you forget whatever’s made you such a grumpy fuck as of late.”

Quinn glanced over at the leggy blonde. Pretty, tall, curvy, and looking all too willing. She would have been a perfect distraction before Emma. But now? What the hell was the point? He had no interest in her, none whatsoever.

Ignoring Morgan’s comment—and the blonde—he turned back to business. “The police called to let me know that they don’t believe the fire is related to the other incidents at Emma’s restaurant, and they’re starting to wonder if it’s not related to Emma, but rather Ryker Investments.”

“Fuck…I can’t imagine why anyone would have it in for us.” Morgan usually had his head buried in finding them new ventures to invest in, but he seldom dealt with any of the day-to-day stuff, preferring to do his own thing. He wasn’t exactly a loner, but he certainly didn’t go out of his way to deal with people.

“Unfortunately, there are always people we’ve pissed off. It’s part of doing business, and we’ve certainly made our share of enemies along the way. Problem is, they’re not coming up with many leads based on just the evidence from the fire, so they’ve got some sort of consultant or special investigator coming up from Boston.” Quinn wanted this figured out.

The thought of someone threatening his family, threatening Emma, left him furious. She could have easily been at the restaurant when the fire was set, not to mention all her customers. It could have been a tragic disaster.

“At least they’re staying on it.” Gabe’s eyes narrowed in anger as he shook his head. “A fire isn’t exactly a small-scale threat, yeah? They need to find whoever’s fucking with us before this escalates.”

“Exactly. They’re going to want to sit down with us and go over all our investments and properties, any issues we may have had with competitors.” Shit, that was a long list. “Gabe, if you could meet with the investigator they’re sending, I’d appreciate it, since you usually deal with all our documents and contracts, and are most familiar with those details. And since they don’t know what the motivation behind the fire was or if that was the end of it, we’re going to have to be diligent.”

“Whatever you need, I’m here. I’ll also let our foremen and property managers know. Make sure security is beefed up.” Gabe took a long sip from his pint, before tilting his head back towards the blonde. “She’s got a couple of friends now. One for each of us.”

Quinn still had absolutely no interest in a hookup, especially with his thoughts still lingering on Emma. The thought of her in danger, that he couldn’t be by her side to protect her was killing him—and he’d had enough. “I’m afraid you’re going to have to manage without me. I’ve got a busy day ahead of me tomorrow.”

Shaking his head, Gabe glared at him as Quinn got to his feet. “For fuck’s sake, Quinn… Busy doing what? Working on Emma’s restaurant? I get that you’re in love with her—and I get that you’re probably worried about her, too—but that woman has totally fucked you up. You either need to forget about her, or you need to figure out a way to win her back—one that’ll be quicker than building her a goddamned restaurant.”

“Don’t you think I’ve tried, Gabe? What the fuck?” Ready to punch someone, he grabbed his jacket and got ready to go. “Just mind your own damn business if you don’t have anything constructive to say.”

“Quinn…for fuck’s sake.
Stay
.”

But he was already on his way out, his mind determined. He might be pissed at his brother, but Gabe had a point. It was time he got Emma back. He wasn’t taking no for an answer—and he sure as hell wasn’t going to let Jake keep him from seeing her. Not this time. He was done with trying to be patient in the hopes she’d come around. And he was done waking up in an empty bed.

He needed her back in his life. He craved her, yearned for her touch, her body, and he missed her as if a piece of his soul, his heart had died. He couldn’t think of anyone or anything but her, and he’d had enough. He had to fix this, had to get his life back. And the only way to do that was to get her to take him back.

It didn’t take long to find himself impatiently pounding on Jake’s door once more. It was late—but not so late that he’d be waking anyone. Eventually Jake answered the door, stepping out onto the porch and pulling the door shut behind him. “I need to speak to Emma—and I’m not leaving until I do. It’s been three weeks, and I’m fucking tired of it.”

Quinn expected Jake’s usual rant about leaving her alone, about her not being interested, before it proceeded to Jake threatening to call the cops for trespassing, harassment, and stalking.

“She still doesn’t want to see you, Ryker. And after what you put her through, you don’t deserve her. Not one fucking iota. But…” Jake shook his head, and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his worn jeans. “But she’s been miserable since you guys split. Even the prospect of rebuilding Old Port hasn’t been enough to bring her around this past week. As much as I love her—and I do, make no mistake about it—I can’t stand to see her like this.”

It was one thing to suspect how Jake felt about Emma and another to hear it straight up. And though Quinn’s jealous streak had him tightening a fist, he pushed it back, knowing damn well that Jake was the one thing standing between himself and Emma. “Then let me talk to her. For fuck’s sake, I haven’t spoken to her since this all happened.”

“Just don’t make me regret this, Ryker.” Jake tilted his head towards the door and took a seat on the porch steps.

The tight ball of tension that’d been wound up in Quinn’s chest finally started to slip free as hope washed over him. He let himself into the large home and immediately spotted Emma pacing in front of the fireplace. Fuck, it was so good to see her. And yet, he couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under her eyes and the fact that she’d lost weight, her features more gaunt than he remembered them.

He’d done that to her. And he hated himself for it.

Desperate to hold her and make things right between them, he crossed to her side, only to have her take a step away from him. “What the hell are you doing here, Quinn?”

“Emma, please…I’m sorry. I’m sorry for hurting you, lying to you, and I’d find a million different ways to say it if it’d convince you that I truly meant it.” He knew this was all his fault, but he needed her to forgive him. “Look, I know I fucked up, but it was never my intention to hurt you. It was just a situation that slipped out of my control. But I can’t do this anymore. We need to find a way to get past this so you can come back home with me.”

She shook her head and started to turn away when he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping her in his arms and ignoring her struggles until they lessened and she leaned against him, her voice tight with emotion. “I can’t do this, Quinn.”

“Well, I’m not leaving, darling—and I’m not taking no for an answer. I need you, Emma—just like you need me.” They were both miserable apart. That much was clear. “I meant it when I said that I love you. I can’t bear not having you in my life, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get you back.”

Emma looked straight into Quinn’s eyes. “I don’t know how to get past this when I don’t feel like I can trust you anymore. You lied to me, damn it. And all while preaching honesty. Not to mention, you knew how hard it was for me to trust you, given my past. To have you betray me? How the hell am I supposed to get past that?” Yet she hadn’t pulled out of his arms, giving him the slightest glimmer of hope that she might give him another chance.

“I made a mistake, Emma.” He cupped her cheek, and then, when she didn’t pull away, he brushed her lips with a whisper of a kiss. “You know we’re meant to be together. And damn it, Emma—I’ve never felt this way about anyone else. I’m not going to let you just give up on us.”

He kissed her again and again, each kiss more demanding than the one before it. Tangling his fingers in her hair, his tongue found hers as she yielded to him, softening in his arms. It’d been weeks since he’d last touched her, held her, fucked her, and with her finally in his arms once more, he could think of nothing but getting her back home, where she belonged.

He nuzzled her, still trailing kisses over her skin as he spoke, unable to pull away. “Come home, darling… Let me make things right.”

“Things can’t just go back to the way they were, Quinn. That reality no longer exists—especially when I no longer have a restaurant or an income.” There was so much emotion in her voice, he knew she was barely holding it together.

He’d wanted her new restaurant space to be perfect before he showed it to her, but that just wasn’t an option at this point. He couldn’t wait any longer. Not when she was so upset. “Come on then. There’s something I need to show you.”

“Quinn…”

He grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards the door. “I’m not taking no for an answer, darling. And you can either come along under your own steam, or I can haul your pretty little ass out of here with you tossed over my shoulder. Up to you, darling.”