“Good news, Miss Lambert,” the emergency room physician announced when she’d entered the room. “You were given a mild sedative, Zolpidem Tartrate, a generic form of Ambien. It was a substantial dose, but not one of the stronger drugs your attending physician feared. The effects will wear off shortly.”
Sasha sighed with relief. Pierce squeezed her hand reassuringly. They’d been there over an hour, and the worrying was driving her crazy.
“Then she’s free to go?” Pierce asked.
“Yes, Mr. Deveraux. I’ll get the discharge papers drawn up. A nurse will be in to unhook Miss Lambert from the monitors shortly, and then she can get dressed.”
When the doctor left, Sasha turned to Pierce. “That’s good news.”
“The first we’ve had today.” He scowled.
“You’re still thinking about that woman, aren’t you?”
“Yes.” He let go of her hand, stood and paced the room. “I can’t believe she drugged you, then just vanished into thin air. That entire ship was searched from top to bottom, Sash, and we got nothing.”
“Pierce, it’s not your fault. Clearly, she wore a disguise and probably blended in with the crowd on her way out.”
The nurse came in with the wheelchair for Sasha to leave so their conversation was cut short. While Sasha signed her discharge papers, Pierce contacted his friend at the event and had them send a car back to pick them up.
“A driver is on the way,” he informed Sasha when he got off the phone.
“Great. I’m glad you won’t have to miss the whole event.”
Pierce slipped his arms around her waist and drew her in for a kiss.
“Sasha, I don’t care about the game, my only concern is you.”
“I know.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for being here.”
He touched her cheek. “Sweetheart, where else would I be?”
That warmed Sasha’s insides, and her smile spanned her entire face.
They escorted Sasha out of the Outer Banks Hospital in a wheelchair. Once the nurse had gotten Sasha to the awaiting limousine, Pierce helped her inside. When they’d settled in, he wrapped an arm around Sasha and drew her into his side. Sasha closed her eyes and promptly fell asleep.
The moment her breathing evened out, Pierce ran a hand over his face. The lighthearted expression he’d had in front of Sasha was instantly replaced with one of distress. All pretense of being calm left. He was scared to death of what could’ve happened. He leaned his head back again the cushioned seat and allowed himself to acknowledge the fact that he could have lost her today. Closing his eyes, Pierce struggled for composure. Sasha didn’t know it yet, but she was his world—his entire world. Losing her wasn’t an option, and it would never be as long as he drew breath.
Pierce’s eyes flew open, and he gazed down at Sasha as if to verify she was still there and not in danger. He watched her sleep. The fear and apprehension were no longer making her eyebrows crinkle or her body tense up. She was calm and relaxed. A fierce wave of protectiveness surged inside him, and he tightened the arm resting on her shoulder. He would protect her and keep her safe no matter what the cost. If anyone wanted to get to Sasha, they were going to have to get past him, he told himself. He wasn’t going anywhere.
A while later, they arrived at the football field. He gently squeezed Sasha’s arm.
“We’re here, beautiful,” he whispered into her ear.
Opening her eyes, Sasha blinked a few times. “Pierce,” she murmured sleepily before stretching. She sat up and tried to shake the grogginess off before reaching for her bag to get her makeup case. “I must look a fright.”
His eyes raked over her from head to toe before resting on her plump lips. His expression turned carnal in seconds.
“That’s absolutely not the word I’d use to describe you.”
He watched with avid fascination as her cheeks grew heated before her gaze zeroed in on his lips. Her expression answered his own lustful thoughts. In seconds, he’d lowered his head to claim her lips in a nowhere-near-chaste kiss.
Only seconds had ticked by, but it felt like long, deliciously heated minutes. By the time the sound of their driver opening and closing his door registered to Pierce, he was leaning over Sasha, his weight pinning her to the seat. With supreme effort, he tore his mouth away from hers and straightened himself, pulling Sasha with him.
“You don’t know how much I wish I didn’t have to do this,” he grumbled.
“Pierce, we have to.” She straightened her hair and makeup as best she could. “Nothing is more important than your reputation…at least that’s what I’ve heard.”
He grinned. “That used to be true, but now I have more important things occupying my time.”
Sasha arched an eyebrow at that. “What could possibly be more important than your reputation?”
“Your life,” he said without hesitation.
Sasha was in his arms in a second. She hugged him tightly. “You’re my knight in shining armor, Pierce. Never forget that.”
He couldn’t help but recall thinking about that the first night they’d shared his London hotel. It felt like they’d been together forever, yet not long enough. They had indeed made progress. With a gleam in his eyes, Pierce embraced Sasha before kissing her possessively.
“Believe me, it’s a job I take seriously.”
“I know. I couldn’t get through all this without you, Pierce. I hope you know that.”
“Of course, I do,” he said lightly before they broke apart.
Stepping out of the car, Pierce reached back to help Sasha alight. Hand in hand, they walked into the event.
They missed the pre-game festivities, but Pierce easily slipped into work mode and took his place with other commentators. Sasha got settled in the VIP area and watched the game. She cheered for the players she’d met on their boat cruise while trying not to focus entirely on Pierce. It was hard not fixating on him, but she made a conscious effort. At halftime, Sasha went to stretch her legs and find the bathroom. It was one of those high-end, air conditioned trailers. She sniffed the lightly scented air when she stepped in, picking up hints of verbena and lime. It was light and fresh and made her want to mix up a few scents of her own when she returned home. It had been too long since she’d done something for herself purely for pleasure.
Sasha had just washed her hands and was about to leave when her cell phone rang. Reaching into her purse, she grabbed it. The number read, “unavailable,” but she answered it anyway.
“Hello?”
“Have you reconsidered my offer?”
The good mood Sasha was enjoying went up in a poof of smoke. She could’ve kicked herself for not allowing voicemail to pick up.
“Why are you calling me?”
“You’ve had time to consider my proposal,” Andromeda replied coolly. “I’d hope you’d have a chance to see that what I’m offering is a win-win for everyone.”
“Listen to me carefully,” Sasha ground out. “I’m not interested in anything you have to offer. I want no part in the sordid game you and Milo are playing. Forget me and my phone number, Andromeda. I’m not for hire.”
“Well, well, the little mistress has finally decided to grow a backbone,” Andromeda sneered. “Kind of late to try and take the moral high ground and develop a conscience now, isn’t it? They say our past always comes back to haunt us. Tell me, how’s that going for you?”
“I won’t be bullied into doing your bidding, Andromeda, no matter how many times you try to scare me into going along with your plans.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t you?” Sasha snapped. “When I can prove that you’re the one behind these little incidents, I won’t hesitate to press charges.”
Andromeda laughed. “If I were the one tormenting you, which you deserve, I certainly wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave a trail that leads back to me or my family nor would I be sitting here insisting you agree to my proposal. Counterproductive, don’t you think?”
“You’d like me to think that, wouldn’t you? That you’d hardly be stupid enough to harass me while asking me for a favor. Pretty good way to throw people off your scent, don’t you think?”
“Interesting accusation, but way off base. I’m not the one you’re looking for, Sasha, but remind me to thank whomever it is,” she said sweetly.
Sasha hung up, then turned off her phone. Shaking with anger, she stuffed the phone back into her beach bag. If there had been a doubt before, she didn’t have one now. There was no way she was falling for Andromeda’s declarations of innocence. She was behind the harassment attempts. The questions now were how to prove it and what to do about it.
Pierce had been scanning the crowd for any sign of Sasha. He’d noticed she’d left her seat, but that was almost twenty minutes ago. In the middle of his show, Pierce had been unable to go check on her. Glancing at his watch again, he grimaced. He was about to get one of the volunteers to go find her when he spotted Sasha walking over to her seat. Pierce expelled a sigh of relief—until he saw her expression. Something was wrong. Seriously wrong.
The moment their eyes connected, Sasha smiled and waved, but it did nothing to allay his suspicion that something had occurred. The light, relaxed demeanor she’d had all day was gone. Now, she looked tense and like she was putting considerable effort into trying to look like she didn’t have a care in the world. Pierce knew her better than that. Now, he could tell whenever she was faking.
He practically counted down the clock until the game was over. After unhooking his mic, he allowed himself to be escorted to the side to take pictures, sign more autographs and chat with a few people. After that, he was done. Pierce waved goodbye, then set an intercept course for Sasha. He saw her with Anne Levy and a few other women. Striding to her side, Pierce politely asked Sasha if she was ready to go. When she agreed, they said their farewells, then he placed his hand at the small of her back and ushered her to an awaiting car.
Once they were on their way, Pierce slipped Sasha’s hand in his. He squeezed her cold fingers.
“Did you have a good time?”
“Yes,” she replied automatically. “It was a lot of fun. I had a great time, Pierce.”
“Then what’s the matter, Sash?”
He felt her hand tremble before she removed it and folded her hands in her lap.
“Nothing. It’s been a long day. I guess I’m just tired, that’s all.”
Pierce let it go. He wasn’t about to get into anything until they were in the privacy of their villa. Instead, he gazed out of the window and tried to quell his disappointment that Sasha was not being completely honest with him.
When they arrived at the beach house, Sasha hopped out of the car before he had a chance to walk around and open her door. Pierce thanked their driver and tipped him before striding up the walk and into the house. He found her standing at the entrance to the deck gazing out at the water. He sidled up next to her. They shared a few moments of companionable silence before Pierce voiced what was on his mind.
“Well?”
Sasha turned her head. “Well what?”
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong because I know something’s up.”
“There’s no—”
“Sasha, you’re a terrible liar,” Pierce interrupted, “and even if you were remotely convincing that nothing is wrong, which you aren’t, I know you now, Sasha. I know when you’re upset. Aside from seeing it, I can feel it.”
Sasha was silent for long, painful seconds before she turned to face him. When she did, her face pulled taut with worry. All pretense gone.
“She called.”
He didn’t need to ask who she was. “What did she say?”
“She won’t let it go, Pierce. She thinks I’m going to just give in and do whatever she wants. I told her I’m done being in the middle of their sick game. I want no part of either of them ever again. I even accused her of being at the bottom of all these threats.”
“And what did she say?”
“She denied it, of course—said she wouldn’t be stupid enough to bring suspicion onto herself or her family, but I’m not buying it. I swear if I didn’t think Andromeda was the one behind all these incidents, I do now.”
Pierce grasped her arm, turning her to face him fully. “Did she threaten you?”
Sasha shook her head. “She basically told me that what goes around comes around. I hung up on her before she could get in another dig.”
Pierce rubbed her shoulders. “Sasha, you’ve got to report this,” he said with concern. “You may not have solid evidence, but the police should at least know what’s going on and that Milo’s wife is harassing you.”
She nodded. “I’ll call.”
“And after that, we’re going to find that private investigator we talked about earlier—either that or someone your father knows.”
“No, Pierce,” Sasha said with growing alarm. “I can’t bring Dad into this. I told you before that I don’t want him coming to my rescue. I caused this mess, and I’m going to fix it.”
“You aren’t the only one in this now, Sasha,” Pierce pointed out. “Why are you acting like you’re to blame for everything that’s happened? Milo set this whole thing in motion.”
“He didn’t make me fall for him,” she countered.
“True, but he’s the one who duped you into thinking he was getting divorced.”
Exasperated, Sasha pulled away from him. “I know. Why are we rehashing all this?”
“Because it doesn’t do any good trying to beat yourself up about this or trying to keep things from me. When you’re upset or something’s wrong, I want to know about it.” Pierce gathered her into his arms. “I care about you, Sasha—a lot. You should know that I’m here to help you.”
She hugged him tight. “I know.”
He tilted her face up so he could look into her eyes. “Then why did you tell me nothing was wrong?”
Sasha sighed. “I just didn’t want to worry you,” she whispered.
“Sasha, anything that concerns you concerns me.” He touched her cheek. “Okay?”
With a nod, she leaned up and kissed him lightly. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I promise you we’ll figure this out—together.”
Sasha closed her eyes and allowed herself to envelope the strength that Pierce was offering. She didn’t know why her first reaction was to hide how upset Andromeda’s phone call had made her. Part of her wanted to tell Pierce immediately, but the other half wanted to keep it secret and not involve him. She wanted to keep denying the truth, that day by day, her world was becoming more entwined around Pierce’s. What he thought, what he felt, how she felt when she was with him…it all mattered. And though Sasha tried to heed Sienna’s warning, the longer they were together, the more she opened to him like a flower reaching for sunlight. Pierce warmed her heart and made her feel renewed.
Unable to stop herself, Sasha wound her arms around Pierce’s neck and kissed him. Everything churning around inside of her came rushing out with that kiss. Sasha held nothing back. There was nowhere else to hide. Her insides fluttered with the pent-up desire she’d kept at bay for too long. It made her restless—and emboldened. Sasha’s body was pulled as tight as a violin string. Any second now, she felt she would snap under the pressure of her need. She wanted Pierce, and no warning flare signals or anything short of a natural disaster was going to prevent her from having her heart’s desire. The moment she drew away to gaze into his eyes, her mind was made up. God help her, the expression on his face said it all. He knew. Darn that man for his perception, she mused. Pierce knew exactly what she was feeling…what she wanted. He knew she’d decided, and they were now at the point of no return. For Sasha, it was liberating and scary as hell.
Raising his hand up to her face, Pierce slid his thumb across her bottom lip at a slow, deliberate pace—a move that caused heat to resonate through her body and pool in her very core. It instantly reminded her of cupcake batter.
“What do you want, Sasha?” he asked softly, waiting. He held her gaze with deliberate intensity.
She ran a hand unhurriedly down his chest and back up again before she answered. “I want you to dazzle me.”
When Sasha woke up the next morning, she was greeted with two of her favorite things. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore and Pierce Deveraux sound asleep next to her.
This time, she wasn’t hung over, and she was in full control of her faculties. A huge smile was plastered across her face. Sasha allowed herself the luxury of observing him unabashedly. He was amazing. Memories from last night were fresh in her mind and incredibly vivid. There was not one square inch of her body Pierce had not explored between the time she’d asked him to dazzle her and the moment she’d simply passed out from sheer exhaustion.
He’d dazzled her alright. He’d loved her with a painstakingly slow deliberation that had eventually built up to a passion that was unlike any she’d ever known before. Together, they hurled toward a blinding crescendo that left Sasha hoarse and craving more. The next time was fast, frenzied and left no doubt in her mind—or body—that her pleasure was Pierce’s single-minded focus. The third and final time was all about Sasha being in the driver’s seat. She had given as good as she got and refused to stop until she had Pierce mindless with pleasure and calling out her name. She didn’t remember much after that.
“Morning, beautiful.”
Her daydream cleared to find Pierce awake with his arms behind his head and gazing at her with a knowing look.
“What were you thinking about?”
She raised herself up on her side, her hand supporting her head. “You know exactly what I was thinking about,” she countered.
“I could tell,” he teased before giving her a lingering kiss. “You looked very pleased with yourself.”
“I am,” she quipped. “And you weren’t bad, either.”
Pierce chuckled. “I’m glad my lady is pleased.”
The declaration of being his lady made Sasha’s breath catch in her throat. A warmth spread over her. In this moment, she was the happiest she’d ever been.
Without warning, Pierce rolled Sasha onto her back. “You up for round…four?”
“Not a chance,” Sasha said seriously. “I’m about ready to plunge into a vat of ice water as it is. To say it’s been a while since I’ve had a night like that would be an understatement.” If I’ve ever, she mused before kissing him. “I’d love a raincheck, though.”
He gave her a wicked grin as his hand roamed over her body. “I’ll give you until noon.”
“Pierce, it’s ten now,” Sasha pointed out.
He bolted off the bed and scooped her up.
“What are you…where are you taking me?” she shrieked.
“We don’t have a vat of ice water, but there’s a huge secluded beach that might perk you right up.”
When she protested about possibly being seen, Pierce took a detour and headed for the privacy of their shower instead.
By the time Pierce dropped Sasha at her parents’ house that Sunday night, she was dog-tired and ridiculously in love. Her parents weren’t home when she arrived, which truthfully, she was thankful for. It allowed her to escape upstairs to her room and just revel in the newfound happiness she felt. Pierce had rocked her world, inside and out. There wasn’t a space on her body or an inch of her heart that hadn’t been claimed by the cocky, unbelievably exasperating, and dizzyingly handsome man. She smiled at that. He’d started out annoying when she’d first met him, but there was no way she felt the same way now. He was her knight, her rock, and she loved him with a fierceness that she’d never possessed. Not even with Milo.
That was a sobering moment for Sasha. Just months ago, she felt like Milo’s betrayal would leave her permanently ruined and emotionally bereft. She thought she’d never find a man who could reach her mind, body and soul like Milo had. She was wrong.
Sasha dropped down on her bed and stared up at the ceiling. She was dead, dead wrong.
The spell had been broken. She held no malice, no longing, no regret, no nothing for Milo anymore. All of it simply faded. He held no power over her life or her heart. Now there was only Pierce.
Turning his car into Vaughn’s driveway, Pierce turned off the ignition and sat there for a minute. He leaned his head back against the headrest and pondered his options. He loved Sasha. There was no doubt about it. She was simply the air that he breathed. He wanted nothing but to make her feel loved and happy, but he was about to take a step off a precipice, and there might be no coming back from that. If he went inside and did what he was about to do, he was running the risk of damaging his relationship with Sasha irrevocably.
It’s a chance you’ll have to take, his conscience reasoned. If you love her, you protect her. Even if it’s from herself. And you do love her.
He couldn’t argue with that. Slipping his keys out of the ignition, Pierce took a deep breath and headed inside.
When he walked through the garage door into the kitchen, it was empty, so he headed downstairs to Vaughn’s man cave.
“Hey,” Vaughn called when he saw his brother walk through the door. “I was wondering if you’d decided to stand me up.”
Pierce grabbed his favorite pool stick and pulled up a stool to wait his turn. He watched while his brother racked the balls. “No, just got delayed.”
“What’s her name?”
The first emotion that surfaced was annoyance, but he stamped it down. He hadn’t had the best track record when it came to stable, long-term relationships, so there was no use being mad at the truth. “I guess I deserved that.”
Vaughn grinned. “You always had a way with the ladies, baby brother, even before your pro career.”
He couldn’t argue with that, either. Pierce anchored the pool stick on the carpeted floor and used it to lean on. Thoughts of Sasha drifted into his head. He was so worried about her that he couldn’t sleep at night. Every moment they were reactive instead of proactive was a potential for harm.
“Hey?”
Pierce snapped his head up.
“Have you heard a word I’ve said?”
“Sorry, man,” Pierce muttered.
Vaughn laid his stick across the table and observed his brother. He frowned. “What’s going on, Pierce?”
When his gaze connected with Vaughn’s, it was serious. Taking a deep breath, Pierce jumped off the precipice.
“Sasha and I are dating.”
Surprise crossed his brother’s face, followed by an arched eyebrow. “You and Sasha Lambert?”
Pierce nodded.
“Really? Since when?”
With a sigh, Pierce ran a hand across the stubble on his face. “Since the Outer Banks trip, but…it’s been heading that way for a while. We finally made it official when we…” He stopped. Realizing how it would sound, Pierce didn’t want to elaborate. By the way Vaughn’s expression darkened, he could tell his brother already knew where he’d been heading.
“When you what?”
“Vaughn—”
“Don’t Vaughn me,” his brother thundered. “How could you take advantage of Sienna’s sister, Pierce? Like she doesn’t have enough going on her ex-boyfriend, and now this stuff at the book signing? What in the world are you thinking? Oh, wait…you weren’t thinking—at least not where it counts.”
“Knock it off,” Pierce snapped. “First, stop assuming the worse. I’m not taking advantage of Sasha. I’d never do that.”
Vaughn’s skeptical expression got under Pierce’s skin. “There’s more to all this than you know, so wipe that look off your face.”
“Fine.” Vaughn strode around the table. He grabbed a stool and plopped it down right next to his brother. “Enlighten me.”
By the time Pierce had filled his brother in on everything that had occurred since he’d touched down in London, Vaughn was visibly shaken.
“We knew about the incident here, but we had no clue about all the rest.”
“Nobody knew. Sasha didn’t want anyone knowing, least of all her parents.”
“Well she can’t let this continue.” Vaughn stood and began pacing. “Everyone has to be brought up to speed on what’s happening.”
“Welcome to my world,” Pierce said dryly. “I’ve been trying to get Sasha to open up about this, but she’s convinced it’ll be better if she handles it on her own.”
“Did you recommend a bodyguard or something? I mean—”
The look on Pierce’s face made Vaughn stop. “Of course you have.” He clapped his brother on the back. “Sorry, man. It was wrong of me to accuse you. You’ve been nothing but a gentleman to Sasha. I was out of line.”
“Yes, you were,” Pierce agreed, “but I can see how you’d immediately think the worse.”
“Pierce…” Vaughn began.
He couldn’t help but think about Diane and how he’d failed her. It still needled him. “It’s true I haven’t always been there for people when it counted—”
Vaughn leaned closer. “Don’t do that, man. What happened to Diane wasn’t your fault. This isn’t either. I know you’ve been nothing but supportive since all this stuff began. None of us had a clue to what was really happening, and you protected Sasha.” He grimaced. “I’m sorry for thinking the worst, little brother.”
Pierce shifted in his seat. “Forget it. It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not okay. Especially considering—”
“We’re good,” Pierce interrupted, changing the subject. “But you should know this isn’t some fling I’m having. Sasha matters, Vaughn. I care about her, and though she’s going to be pissed at me, I’m done sitting around waiting for the next thing to happen while someone out there continues terrorizing her.” Pierce got up and started pacing. “I’m going to speak with Colonel Lambert about getting some help.”
Vaughn nodded. He let out a sigh of relief. “Good idea.”
“Besides, her father isn’t killing me. I don’t need him thinking I haven’t moved heaven and earth to protect his baby girl.”
Vaughn crossed his arms across his chest. “True, but he may kill you when he finds out you’re dating his daughter.”
Pierce stopped pacing and looked at Vaughn. “I love his daughter.”
Startled, Vaughn searched his brother’s face for a few moments. Chuckling, he shook his head remorsefully. “He’s positively going to kill you.”
That thought didn’t sit well with Pierce. “Look, one crisis at a time. He and I will have a man-to-man about Sasha later. For now, we’ve got to get ahead of this thing, Vaughn. We need a plan.”
Unexpectedly, a smile creeped across Vaughn’s face, followed by an all-out hearty laugh.
Startled, Pierce stared at him with surprise. “This is funny to you?”
“You being in love? Heck yeah, baby brother,” Vaughn said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “It’s funny as hell!”