CRUEL (The Buck Boys Heroes Book 2), page 14
“Want to know,” I correct her. “You know I can’t give you any details on my current assignment.”
“That’s not a no.” She gestures to a clothing store. “I’ve been eyeing up a dress in there. I’d like a second opinion on whether or not I should buy it.”
Smiling, I link my arm around hers. “I’m in.”
She pats my hand. “One day I’ll find out who this mystery man is, right?”
I want her to.
I want what’s happening between Kavan and me to last beyond the day I hand in my final article.
I think I might want it to last forever.
“Mr. Bane will be with you shortly, Juliet.” Nigel eyes my outfit. “That dress is lovely. The color suits you.”
I glance down at the fitted pink dress that I picked up the day that Sinclair and I went shopping.
She opted for the exact same dress in blue. The color was a close match for her eyes.
When I tried it on in pink, she squealed. The smile on the face of the sales person told me that it was a solid investment.
We left the dress store and headed straight to a shoe store.
It was a day filled with shopping, girl talk, and then Italian food for dinner at a place called Calvetti’s.
It was the perfect day for us to build on our blossoming friendship.
“It’s new.” I spin in a circle. “It’s a bit bold for me, but I love it.”
“As do I.”
The rasp of that voice sends goose bumps scattering over my skin. It also turns me around in my heels.
Kavan is standing less than ten feet away from me.
“Hey, Bane.”
He smiles. “Hey, Bardin. You do look lovely.”
I rake him from head to toe. “You look different.”
He skims a hand over the front of the grey sweater he’s wearing. He’s paired that with black slacks and wingtip shoes.
It’s more casual than normal, but I like it.
“In a good way,” he says.
I smile because it’s not a question. The man knows he’s hot-as-hell.
“Head to your office, Juliet.” He gestures to the long corridor that leads to the offices, including mine. “I’ll be in shortly.”
I wait for him to move, but he doesn’t, so I take the hint that he has something to discuss with Nigel.
Turning toward the corridor, I start walking to my office glancing back just once to catch Kavan’s gaze pinned to me.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Juliet
I run my fingers over a card attached to a giftwrapped box on top of my desk.
My name is scrawled out in masculine handwriting.
I pick it up and study it.
That’s all that’s written on it but it already feels like a gift because I’m certain that Kavan wrote it by hand.
Unsure of whether I should open the beautifully wrapped gift without him, I take a seat behind my desk.
Something catches my eye near the doorway, so I turn to find Nara standing there with a cup of coffee in her hands.
“Good morning,” I greet her.
“Hi, Miss Bardin.” She places a linen napkin on my desk before she sets the coffee next to it. “Be careful. It’s hot.”
“Thank you and please call me Juliet.”
“Juliet,” she whispers. “You haven’t opened the gift yet.”
I glance at the pretty purple paper it’s wrapped in and the silver ribbon tied around it. “Do you know if it’s from Mr. Bane? I think I should wait to open it until he’s here.”
“It is from Mr. Bane and he told me if I arrived to find it unopened, I should encourage you to open it.”
That’s all I needed to hear.
As she exits my office, I bounce back to my feet, and untie the ribbon. With careful precision I open the giftwrap, wanting to preserve it.
It’s a silly thing to do, but the card, wrapping paper, and ribbon are all a part of something Kavan chose just for me.
I take a deep breath before I open the square, flat box.
White tissue paper stands in the way of my gift and me, so I fold it back.
My breath catches in my throat when I see what’s inside.
Before I can pick it up, I sense he’s near. I glance at the doorway to find him there.
“Kavan.” His name comes out wrapped in a tremor. “It’s my scarf.”
He stalks toward me to pull the black and white polka dot scarf from the box. “This one is a little different. It’s silk and there is a special label sewn on it.”
I snatch it from his hands. Turning it over and over I struggle to find the label.
When I do, I read the words stitched on it out loud. “If lost return to Juliet Bardin. Future Pulitzer Prize winner. Lover of PB and J.”
My head falls back in laughter. “This is officially my favorite scarf now. Thank you. This is incredibly thoughtful of you.”
He slides it from my hands to wrap it around my neck. “I know that your deepest secrets have nothing to do with scarves, Juliet.”
I look into his eyes. “You’re right.”
His hands tug on the ends of the scarf to bring me closer so he can kiss me softly.
I melt into it, resting my hands on his chest. I feel the strong beat of his heart.
“Trust me to guard your secrets,” he whispers.
Staring into his eyes, I reach up to cup his cheek in my hand. “Only if you trust me to guard yours.”
His lips part, but no words escape him.
He kisses me again with so much tenderness that I lose my breath when it breaks.
“I love my gift,” I confess softly, wanting to say more.
I want him to know how I feel.
I’m falling…hard, fast, and willingly in love with him.
“I’d give you the world if I could, Juliet.”
I don’t want that.
All I want is his heart and I don’t know if that’s something he’ll ever give me.
I type out the last word on my article detailing Kavan’s vision for the future of Bane Enterprises.
It’s not as thorough as I had wanted, but it’s informative, and I know it will convey the message that Kavan wants it to.
People will see that under Kavan’s guidance, Bane Enterprises has acquired several small companies that have become strong contenders within their relevant markets.
I accentuated that with quotes from the former owners of the video game and print-on-demand greeting card company. When I interviewed them on the phone a few days ago, both had nothing but kind words about Kavan’s commitment to following their visions when it came to the growth of the enterprises they had launched years before.
I stare at the screen of my laptop.
This is the article that I should hand in to Mr. Marks for his approval.
If I do that, it closes the door on the piece that I’ve been working on that is more personal and reaches beyond the scope of Kavan’s business. I may never show that to anyone because it feels so intimate.
Sighing, I save the document and snap the cover of my laptop shut.
My favorite professor always told me to take a day to sit on your words before you show them to anyone, so that’s what I’m going to do.
I hear footsteps on the approach down the corridor, so I glance toward the doorway.
Nigel pops his head in. “How are you doing, Juliet?”
“I think I’m going to call it a day.”
He nods before he steals a glance over his shoulder. “If you could stay in your office for the next fifteen minutes, you’d have my eternal gratitude.”
You can’t say something like that to an investigative journalist and expect them to stay put.
“Why?” I ask with a sweet smile that I hope will lure the truth from Nigel.
“I can’t say,” he answers softly.
“You can say,” I correct him. “You just don’t want to.”
He pops a finger in the air. “Touché.”
“I could pretend I didn’t hear you and wander out into the main living room,” I suggest with a tilt of my chin. “It’s not like I’m going to come across Mr. Bane doing something he shouldn’t, right? Is he out there eating a frozen pizza or a candy bar?”
His hearty laughter fills the air. “Those are sights I’d long to see.”
“Me too,” I whisper.
He steps into my office far enough that he can close the door behind him. “May I speak frankly, Juliet?”
I cross my legs and turn toward him so he knows he has my full attention. “Please do.”
He heads for the vacant chair and sits down. His fingers migrate to the pin on his lapel. Today it’s a bluebird. The color of the rhinestones is vibrant against the dark material of his suit jacket.
“I’ve known Kavan for his entire life.” His voice has a tremor in it. “I’ve watched him grow from a playful boy into a troubled teen, and now, into a man.”
I nod.
“He has frozen his life in time.” His gaze drops to his lap. “Before you came along, there was no joy in his eyes.”
My eyes start to well with unshed tears. “He deserves to feel joy.”
“He does.” He nods curtly. “He truly does, Juliet.”
I rest my hands on my desk. “I want to help him, Nigel.”
“As do I.” His eyes find mine. “I learned a very long time ago that pushing him will only cause him to retreat, but with you…with you, I see him opening up.”
I smile. “You do?”
“He laughs with you.” He lets out a chuckle. “Do you know how many years I waited to hear that again?”
“Too many.”
He nods. “Yes. Too many.”
“How do I help him open up to me?” I ask. “How can I make him see that he can trust me?”
Resting his forearms on his thighs, he scrubs one hand over his knee. “Dare I say love him, Juliet? I may be seeing something that isn’t there, but I believe you’re falling in love with Mr. Bane, and if you are, please love him with the understanding that beneath that gruff exterior, and hardened attitude, there is a broken man carrying a burden that is much too heavy for one person.”
“I’m falling in love with him,” I confess, for the first time. “I’ll help him carry that burden.”
He pushes off the chair to reach for my hand. “You are a gift, Juliet. Not only to Kavan, but to everyone who loves him.”
I look into his face hoping that he sees the uncertainty I feel. “Nigel, do you think it’s possible he’s falling in love with me too?”
“He’s fallen, Juliet.” He pats the top of my hand. “He hasn’t said a word to me, but it’s those unspoken cues that tell me Mr. Bane is in love with you too.”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Kavan
“I thought you were planning a surprise party for me, Mr. Bane.”
I turn to find Juliet standing behind me with a sly smile on her face.
“A surprise party?” I question. “Does anyone actually like those things?”
She jerks a thumb toward the center of her chest. “This anyone does.”
“Noted.”
She approaches me with slow steps. “Nigel held me hostage in my office.”
“He did, did he?”
“One he did is enough, or a did he.” She laughs. “Sometimes you speak like a cookie-cutter…”
“Billionaire,” I finish her sentence. “Do I fuck like one?”
That sends her gaze over my frame. “You’re my first billionaire. None of the other men I fucked were worth more than a hundred dollars.”
I smile. “Good to know, but don’t mention them again.”
Her tongue trails a slow path over her bottom lip. “Because hearing about them makes you jealous?”
“Damn right,” I admit.
“None of them had anything on you, Bane.” Her eyes narrow. “You’re hot, great in bed, and you’re open to trying new things.”
“I’m open to trying new things in bed?”
That lures a soft laugh from her. “Something tells me you’ve tried everything there is to try in the bedroom, and you may have even thought up a few new things.”
“Why try new things when you’re about to fuck the best thing that’s ever happened to you?”
My words surprise me as much as they do Juliet.
Her hand jumps the middle of her chest, so I add to the moment and point toward the dining room table. “I arranged something for you. It’s a not a surprise party, but it’s a little something.”
She spins around to take a look and all I hear is a squeal before she sets off in that direction.
“Oh my god, Kavan. This is breathtaking.”
It’s beautiful, I suppose, but the only thing I’ve ever seen in my life that I consider breathtaking is her.
I scan the bouquets of purple flowers that were delivered a few minutes ago. All are exquisitely arranged in glass vases of varying heights.
“These are all for me?” She laughs as she turns to look at me. “There must be ten bouquets here.”
“I didn’t know what your favorite flowers are, so I chose the ones I thought you’d like.”
“I love them.” She moves to kiss me softly. “I love them so much. Thank you.”
“I sent everyone home,” I tell her.
She glances over her shoulder. “I thought Nara and Alcott lived here.”
“I have an apartment one floor down that Nara lives in. Alcott lives a floor below that.”
She shakes her head. “You own two other apartments in this building?”
I hold up a hand. “Wait. Are you going to tell me that’s a cookie-cutter billionaire thing?”
“I’m going to tell you that it’s a pretty sweet thing.”
“I don’t do sweet, Juliet.” I chuckle. “Explain how it’s sweet, though, because I don’t see it.”
“You do sweet, Bane. All the flowers are very sweet.” She steps closer to me. “You don’t see what’s happening between Nara and Alcott?”
Lost in not only the conversation, but her eyes, I reach for her hand. “See what?”
“Nara and Alcott are in love, Kavan. I think you can sell one of those apartments.”
I shake my head, convinced that I didn’t hear that. “What?”
“They are in love,” she says slowly.
I laugh. “Who the fuck told you that?”
Resting both of her hands on my shoulders, she looks into my eyes. “No one at first. I saw the way he looked at her. I watched how she’d stand close to him. Their hands would brush against each other.”
Stunned, I hold back a smile. “You saw all of that?”
She nods. “There is this magic in the eyes of a man in love. When he looks at the woman who owns his heart, it’s there. I saw it, and knew.”
I want to ask her if she sees that same magic in my eyes when I’m looking at her. I feel it.
Jesus, do I feel it.
“I’ll tell you a secret, Kavan.”
“Tell me.” The words leave me with hope that she’ll bare herself to me.
I want to see into her soul.
She bounces up to her tiptoes to kiss me softly. “When he has saved up enough for a ring, Alcott is going to ask Nara to marry him.”
I’d be pissed that the secret has nothing to do with her, but this is bringing her joy. She’s radiant, happy, and excited for these two people that she only met recently. Granted she likely knows them better than I do, even though they’ve both been working for me for years.
“My bleeding heart is bursting with joy for them.” She lets out a slight laugh. “Call me a romantic, but I think we should order something special for them for dinner tonight.”
“You’re a romantic,” I call her. “I’ll call Sérénité and have them deliver dinner for two to Nara’s apartment. It’s the nicer of the two.”
“Maybe for four?” Her brows perk.
“We’re not eating dinner with them, Juliet.” I grab her waist with both hands. “I want you all to myself tonight.”
“Order dinner for two for Nara and Alcott in their love pad.” She smiles. “And another dinner for two in bed for us.”
“Dinner in bed?” I ask, amused with the conversation, and frankly hard as fuck at the notion of doing anything in bed with her.
She spins around and fists her hair, pulling it up. “Unzip me and I’ll show you exactly how that works.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Juliet
“That was heavenly.” I fall back onto the bed. “I’ve never had food from Sérénité before.”
Kavan adjusts the waistband of the sweatpants he’s wearing. “Never?”
Shaking my head, I drop my gaze to my legs.
I’m dressed in one of his shirts again. This one is white, and smells of him. I may just try and smuggle it out of here at the end of the night in my purse.
I want a memory of our time together because even though Nigel says he believes that Kavan is falling in love with me, I won’t really know how he feels until I hear those words from the man himself.
“You’ve been teasing me for hours, Juliet.”
I laugh. “Teasing you, how? I was the one who suggested dinner in bed. You were the one who ran into his office to take an important call that lasted over an hour.”
There’s no apology written in his expression when I glance at him.
“It was important.”
“I know,” I acquiesce.
I could hear that in the tone of his voice when he answered the call. It wasn’t the same tone that he’d used when Harry called or when Nigel calls from him.
He answered curtly with only his surname, before he bolted down the corridor, and slammed his office door behind him.
Dinner arrived thirty minutes later, so I kept it warm in the oven, while I sat at the dining room table staring at the flowers he bought for me.
When he finally emerged, he insisted on a taste of me before we ate.
I offered a compromise in the form of a slow strip tease in his bedroom. He followed that with his own, and before he could get his hands on me, I wrapped his shirt around my body and tore out of the bedroom to plate our dinner.
