Chapter 17

He knew just the place to take her to. It was private and far from the others. He looked over at her as he drove.

It was tearing him apart inside to see her looking so sad. What her father did had broken her heart. When he placed his hand over her leg, she turned from looking out the window to him.

“Where are we going?”

“Back to my place,” he said, looking over at her. “Just so you know, I have never taken anyone there before. You’re the first one.”

“It’s funny. I never thought of you having your own place.”

He chuckled. “Well, where did you think I lived?”

“I don’t know. I never thought about it.”

When he pulled into a parking lot and got out of his vehicle, he went around and opened her door for her. She stepped out, and as she looked around, she shivered.

“Wow, this is one fancy building. Very high-end.”

Seeing her shiver, he took off his jacket and placed it over her shoulders. “It’s my sanctuary away from the world and all the evil in it. It has a beautiful view that I think you’ll like.”

With his arm around her, they went inside. Getting into the elevator, he pushed the button for the tenth floor.

They stepped out once the doors opened, and reaching his door, he punched in his code and stepped aside to let her enter first.

He removed his jacket and placing it over the sofa, while she looked around.

“You have a really nice place here but how can you afford it?”

“Being a bodyguard pays really well. Plus, I’ve made some wise investments.”

“Just how much is my father paying you?”

He wasn’t about to tell her that at the end of it he would be getting four hundred thousand dollars. “It doesn’t matter, since I have no intention of taking his money for this job.”

She turned to face him. Hearing him say this came as a shock. “Why not?”

He stood before her, looking into her beautiful eyes. “I can’t accept money for protecting the woman I love. It wouldn’t feel right.”

“But he’s paying you to do a job. You have to take it. I’d rather see you get it, instead of that bitch he married.”

Hearing him say what he did had her loving him even more, and she knew he was the perfect man for her.

“I’ve already made up my mind, and there’s no changing it.” Taking her hand, he led her over to the window. “Take a look at this view.”

With him behind her, his arms around her waist, she looked out. “Oh, Dexter, it’s breathtaking. I could look at this for the rest of my life.”

She was falling in love with his place. It was so different from where she was now living.

At her father’s place there were always people coming and going, not to mention she had to put up with Claudia.

He moved her hair over to the side and kissed her neck. “That’s a possibility, once everything is done with.”

Moving his mouth from her neck, he turned her around to face him. “What say you get out of that dress and slip into something more comfortable?”

“I don’t have anything with me.”

He took hold of her hand. “You can wear one of my shirts.”

She followed him into what she knew had to be his bedroom and stood there looking around while he went to his closet and took out one of his shirts.

“Wow, what a beautiful room,” she said, looking over at the bed.

She could picture the things they would be doing in that bed. What made it more special was knowing that he had never brought another woman there.

“Here, you can put this on,” he said. He turned her around and pulled down the zipper on her dress.

“Are you hungry? I can order some takeout.” He was hoping that she was. They hadn’t eaten in a long time, and he was hungry himself.

“Yes. I’m actually starving and could go for a pizza.”

“Pizza,” he answered, raising an eyebrow. “Wouldn’t you prefer something more, like Chinese or Italian?”

“Don’t you like pizza?” she asked, holding her dress up over the top of her breasts to keep it from falling down.

“No, I love it. I just didn’t picture you as the type to like it.”

“You have a lot to learn about me. I love pizza, and beer goes great with it. Do you have any beer?”

He had to smile. “I do. It’s just that I’ve never seen you drink anything but wine and whiskey. Go freshen up, and I’ll order the pizza.”

He gave her a quick peck on the lips and left her to change. He would have liked to have stayed and put her in his bed, but she was so upset that he knew it was better to wait.

She removed her dress when he left, and picking up the shirt, she went into the bathroom and took a shower.

As the water flowed over her body, she thought about what he had said, about her looking at the view forever being a possibility. Was he trying to tell her he wanted her in his life forever?

That thought had her smiling. She wanted that too, since she was madly in love with him.

So many men out there, when they found out how rich a woman’s father was, tended to want to be married to her in order to cash in on the wealth.

But she knew Dexter was not like that. He loved her for her, not for the wealth she came from.

She could have said yes to Joseph and lived a life of luxury, but she also knew her life with him would have been filled with abuse and with him cheating.

Not to mention she couldn’t stand the man. No, Dexter was the man she loved, and she knew he would treat her with love and respect.

It didn’t hurt that he was drop-dead gorgeous, and his body—oh God, that body with its hard muscles—had her wet just thinking about him.

He walked back into the living room, picked up his phone, and ordered a large pizza with the works. He had forgotten to ask her what she liked on it.

He figured that if there was something she didn’t like, they could always remove it.

He heard the shower running and wished he was in there with her. He opened a beer and started drinking it, trying to get the thought of her naked body out of his head, but it wasn’t working.

It felt like she was in there forever, until he heard the water being turned off.

He knew this because he was standing outside the bathroom door, but he left quickly when he knew she was getting ready to come out.

Just then the pizza was delivered. He paid the guy, giving him a huge tip, and locked the door, set the code, and carried the pizza into the kitchen.

He took down a couple of plates and reached into the fridge and took out two cold beers. He wanted everything ready for when she came out.

When she entered the kitchen wearing his shirt, he stopped what he was doing to stare at her.

“Is there a reason why you’re looking at me like that?” she asked, moving over to him.

“It’s just that you look so sexy,” he said, loving how his shirt looked on her and the way her hair was still wet from the shower.

She shook her head, smiling. “How can I look sexy with my hair wet and wearing one of your dress shirts?”

“You just do,” he said, pulling out her chair for her. “What did Joseph say to you that had you slapping him?”

“That he only wanted to be Dad’s partner so that he could destroy him and his business. He plans on ruining him unless I change my mind about marrying him.

“He also said he has been sleeping with Claudia.” She put her pizza slice down and took a long swig of her beer. “I can’t let him hurt my father.”

“Well, there’s no way you’re going to give him what he wants.”

“I don’t want to, but what else can I do?”

“It’s like I told your father: give me time to dig up some dirt on him. I’ll find a way to protect your father from Joseph.”

He used his finger to lift her chin up so that he could look into her eyes. “If I ever hear you say anything about giving in to that fucker, I’ll spank your ass.”

“You make it sound sexy,” she said, licking her lips.

He smiled. He should have known that by saying that she would take it the wrong way and make it something sexual, but then again, it might be kind of arousing.

When they were done eating, they took their beer out onto the balcony and sat down. As she stared at the bright lights, she wanted to know more about the woman that broke his heart.

“That woman who hurt you, what was her name?”

He knew it was only a matter of time before she wanted to know, so he decided to tell her, not wanting to keep secrets from her.

“Jill Roper. We had been dating for a year when I joined the SEALs, and she promised to wait for me.

“I did go home as often as I could, and she never let on that she was seeing another man—my friend, my ex-friend, Stanley Woods.”

“I’m so sorry. That was so cruel of them.”

“I always wondered how it was that every time I went home to see her she was having her period. It was when I got home and found out she was married that I figured it out.

“Well, at least she wasn’t sleeping with both of us. I’ve never gone back after that.”

“But your parents still live there, don’t they?”

“Yeah. Why do you ask?”

“Have you not ever gone back to see them?”

“No, but I phone them all the time. Jill and Stanley still live in that town, and I don’t want to see them. They both betrayed me.”

“Do you still love her?”

“No. I don’t think I ever did.” He turned to face her. “There is something I’m sure about, and that is that I love you.”

“Then if you don’t love her, it’s time to let go of the resentment you feel towards them and go see your parents. I’m sure they are heartbroken that you haven’t been to see them.

“Don’t make them suffer for what Jill did to you.”

He pulled her onto his lap, putting his arm around her waist. “Maybe after I’ve dealt with what’s going on now, then I might. That is, if you go with me.”

“I’ll go anywhere with you,” she said, lowering her head to kiss him.

She moved so that she was straddling him, undoing the buttons on his shirt while he did the same to the one she was wearing. “Your bed looks so comfortable.”

“Maybe we should go inside and try it out,” he said, putting his face between her breasts.

She began moaning when she felt his lips moving over them, his tongue licking the nipples. “Yes, I think that would be a wonderful idea.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and when he stood up, her legs went around his waist as he carried her inside.

***

They were both fast asleep when he heard his phone. With her snuggled in his arms, he reached over with his free hand and picked up the phone.

Seeing it was Chad, he slipped out from under her and sat up. “Do you know how late it is?” he said as quietly as he could, so as not to wake her.

“Sorry, but this is important, and I thought you would want to know.”

“All right. Just hang on a moment.” He got out of bed and pulled on his pants and went into the other room. “Okay, what’s up?”

“It’s about Mr. Greene. The day his first wife died he was in bed with Claudia.”

“So? That’s no surprise.”

“Just listen to me. When he got the call, he left his mistress and headed to where the accident took place.

“He was driving like a madman and ran over a young woman who was crossing the street. She died instantly.

“Now, this is just a theory, but what if this woman’s father or boyfriend or whoever has come back for revenge?”

“Then just question her family and friends.”

“That’s just it though. There’s no record of her having any family. I talked to the people she worked with, and they all said she was quiet and never talked about having a family.

“But her funeral was paid for by someone who sent cash. They never left their name or anything.”

Dexter rubbed the back of his head. Now he had another suspect but had no idea who that was. It could be anyone.

“Listen, keep digging. It had to be someone who was close to her. So Mr. Greene was involved in a hit and run.”

“He did leave the scene, but turned himself in after seeing if his wife was alive or not. The whole thing was kept quiet, and how he got off scot-free is beyond me.

“But with his money, I’m sure he paid his way out of it.”

“Thanks for letting me know,” he said before hanging up. He was pretty sure that Roxie didn’t know what her father had done.

He was going to have a word with Thomas and find out if he could shed any light on the woman he ran over, or if he was the one who paid for her funeral.

He went over to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a stiff drink before going back to bed. He was anxious to get back to the mansion and talk with his employer.