All Mine Read online

  I carry her to the couch and take us both down, side by side, facing each other, kissing, my hand cupping her backside, pulling her tighter against my cock, even as I pump into her one final time. It’s raw and real like nothing has ever been with anyone else before her, like nothing ever can be with anyone else, ever. When we both relax into the cushion and each other, we suddenly have a cat on the cushion above us, meowing in our faces and it’s as if all that tension from downstairs, vanishes. Carrie and I are laughing, and we’re both stroking Kesha’s head.

  “Just think about when we have a dog too,” Carrie teases after we make a few necessary adjustments and I pull a blanket over us where we now sit on the couch.

  “Maybe they’ll occupy each other when you’re occupying me,” I suggest, stroking her hair from her eyes and laughing. “You and that mouth of yours.”

  “Are we talking sex or what happened downstairs?” she asks, and there’s a lightness to her voice that quickly hardens. “Because Tabitha’s lying, but seeing her waiting on you, I can’t quite figure out why and I wanted everything we could get recorded, recorded.”

  “Her agenda is herself. It’s always about her. She proved that when she pitted me against Elijah.”

  She turns to face me. “Talk to me. What’s happening here? Because we recorded her, if we really got the audio—”

  “We did,” I insert.

  “Okay, then we got the audio. We got proof this wasn’t your doing. Why aren’t we celebrating right now? Elijah should be happy or not happy but appeased, and redirected elsewhere.”

  “Something doesn’t feel right and maybe that’s just my keen sense of Elijah’s bad side that Blake is picking up on as well.”

  “Blake doesn’t even know him.”

  “He’s studied people,” I say. “He’s studied him. He’s expressed the same concerns I have.” My hand comes down on her knee. “I get that I have a history that makes me protective. I get that I’m over the top about that need to protect you, but I also have a strong instinct in battle. If I tell you to back off, I need you to listen to me.”

  “Says the man who grabbed her? What was that, Reid? What did you think you were going to do?”

  “Let her know I’m not fucking around with her,” I say. “She needs to know that crossing me has consequences.”

  “I’m not sure I want to know what consequences grabbing her indicates.”

  “Whatever it has to mean,” I assure her.

  She studies me for several beats. “What’s next? Do we send the audio to Elijah? That at least keeps him from being able to smear you. He’ll know if he slanders you, you not only have proof he’s lying, you can sue him and win.”

  “We’ll do that, yes, but Blake and I need to sit down tomorrow and dissect everything he’s gathered together because, a) the more I think about it the more that Tabitha thing felt like bait, and b) I don’t know if Elijah has it in him to back off. He hates me. I still fucked his wife. There’s no way around that.”

  “Even if Tabitha was baiting you, we have the recording.”

  “I know. I do, but something is off, baby. I need to think. I need to analyze.”

  “What if—” she considers a minute. “What if Mick and Tabitha are using you to ruin Elijah? That has to be it. They’re using you. They’re using us.”

  I consider that a moment. “I think that’s a real possibility. Blake’s already looking into Mick’s location, but let me give him a nudge.” I stand up, walk to the front door and pull my pants on before I dial Blake. He answers on the first ring. “That meeting with Tabitha felt like a set-up.”

  “Agreed,” he says. “And Mick isn’t in Europe. He’s in Brooklyn.”

  “Isn’t that something,” I say, as Carrie stands up, wrapping the blanket around her.

  “What?” she asks.

  I hold up a finger. “Call me if you find out anything else, Blake.”

  “I’ll be there in the morning,” he says, “but yes. I’ll call you if there’s more.” We disconnect and I cross to stand in front of Carrie.

  “Mick is in Brooklyn, not Europe,” I say.

  “They are plotting against you,” she says. “Tabitha got busted. They’re afraid of Elijah and don’t know how to take him down themselves. Can you turn him into a friend?”

  “Elijah?” I give a laugh. “No. Never. He won’t align with me. The sad part about this is I might actually have to ruin him and save them to save us.”

  “What if I talk to him?”

  “No.”

  “Reid.”

  I pick her up and throw her over my shoulder, and start walking toward the bedroom, my hand settling on her naked ass that clearly needs my hand. Of course, in pleasure, but this stubborn woman is going to be the death of me. “Reid, damn it,” she says. “Blood is running to my head.”

  “And to your ass,” I assure her, plopping her down on the bed and leaning over her. “I’ll handle Elijah. We’ll assess how in the morning, you, me, and Blake, but I’ll handle him. You find us a dog and a place to get married.”

  “But—”

  I kiss her and make sure she’s too occupied with my tongue to argue the rest of the night.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

  Carrie

  I wake with Kesha curled in front of me and Reid wrapped around my back, deciding I like this new normal. I can’t even remember the last time I thought of my old apartment, but then life has been a complete whirlwind since that day. Reid nuzzles my neck and as if someone is watching, the minute his hand cups my breast, my cellphone rings. He groans and I laugh, grabbing it to frown at the caller ID.

  “My father.” I set the kitty aside and sit up, hoping he might have something to offer on the Elijah situation that is helpful. “Hey, dad,” I say, answering the line while Reid shifts behind me and I glance over my shoulder to find him pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms.

  “Hello, daughter,” he says. “Elijah. The buzz is that he’s posturing up to go at Reid but that he can’t seem to get any real leverage. Reid’s too damn good at protecting himself, which I know and know well.”

  “You found a way around that.”

  “I got at his father, not him. He didn’t fuck up. He better not fuck up now. He has you to think about. Put him on the phone.”

  “Put him on the phone?” I ask. “No. I don’t need you starting a fight with Reid today. I have enough to contend with. He has enough to contend with.”

  Reid sits down next to me. “Put him on speaker, baby. It’s fine. I’m not going to fight with your father. I made you that promise.”

  My heart softens and my father breathes out. “I heard that.”

  “You promised, too,” I say. “Remember, dad?”

  “I remember. Put him on.”

  I inhale and hit the speaker button, praying for the best. “You’re on speaker and don’t blow this, either of you.”

  “If I could leverage you,” my father says, “he can leverage you, Reid. If you lose your company, that’s my daughter’s life. She fought to keep what I let go. I don’t want her to lose it now. What are you doing to ensure he doesn’t take you down?”

  “The same thing I did to make sure you didn’t. Step wide and wisely which means without rash, emotional behavior.”

  Our doorbell rings. My eyes go wide. “Is that Blake already?” I ask, standing up, still completely naked at this point.

  “It must be,” Reid says catching my hip and kissing my stomach. “Get dressed, baby. Your father and I will play nice.”

  I give him a stern look and then hand him my phone. “I’ll be back, dad.”

  “I’m hanging up,” he says. “Reid, I got damning information on you. Wisely can’t mean slow or you’ll end up fucked.” On that note, he hangs up.

  The doorbell rings again and I head for the bathroom. Reid catches my hand. “Don’t let his drama get to you. He’s being a father, protecting you, and I’m damn glad to see him get back to that place.”

  “He’
s worried like you, which is why you need to get the door and find out what’s happening.”

  He kisses me. “I got this, baby.” And with that promise, he heads out of the room. I rush around, pulling on sweats and a tee, brushing my teeth and hair, and then I’m heading downstairs, all in about five minutes. I reach the living area to find Reid and Blake at the kitchen island.

  “Any news?” I ask even as I cross to stand with them.

  “Mick and Tabitha aren’t as smart as they think,” Blake says, and I step to Reid’s side and he hands me his coffee.

  My eyes meet his and there is this warm intimacy between us in this act that I need right now and always. “What does that mean?” I ask, sipping the coffee before Reid accepts the cup and does the same.

  “I listened in on their calls,” Blake says. “They’re doing exactly what Reid and I thought. Trying to get Elijah to go after Reid, so they can get clear. Mick is lying low until he’s certain Tabitha is safe and then he plans to go to Europe to work for a few months.”

  “Where does that leave us?” I ask. “I mean, obviously, we can prove all of this to Elijah, but neither of you believes that stops him in his tracks. We need this over.” Kesha jumps on the counter and I hug her. “We need a dog for our cat and a wedding date, not crazy millionaires jumping out at me in the street.”

  There’s a knock on the door and Reid glances in my direction. “My father is here. I have no idea why, but security called to tell me.”

  I set Kesha down. “This won’t be good. Nothing with him is.”

  “He wants us to win this war,” Reid says. “He’s a brutal warrior. That’s the only reason I let him up.” He heads toward the door and Blake’s phone rings.

  I turn to watch what’s happening at the door when Blake curses. “Oh, fuck me. Yeah. Got it.”

  “Carrie.”

  I turn to face him, my heart at my feet, fear in my heart. “Cat’s okay, right? And Gabe?”

  “Yes,” he says and slides his phone in front of me to show me a headline that reads, Reid Maxwell, accused of using his now-dead college girlfriend as a shield in a convenience store shooting. Truth or fiction and what does this say about the compass of his company?

  I want to throw up.

  “Your father did this,” Maxwell Senior growls at me from the door. “He has to be behind this.”

  “What the hell are you talking about?” Reid demands.

  I know my man and this is going to destroy him. This is going to be a hell I climb inside with him and I have to be there for him starting right now. “He didn’t do it,” I say rushing forward with Blake’s phone in my hand.

  “Do what?” Reid demands.

  “Tell the world about your scandal,” his father says, the veins at his temples bulging. “And paint it in a way to ruin you.” He points at me. “You’re his daughter.”

  Reid holds up a hand. “Back off of my woman, father, and either offer a solution or get the fuck out.” Reid doesn’t even ask to see the phone in my hand or for details. I’m sure his mind is conjuring all kinds of possibilities.

  “End him,” his father replies, “or maybe you just need your father to do your dirty work. He needs to be gone. I’ll handle it.”

  Reid actually grabs his father’s arm and turns him to face him. “Let me be clear with you. You will not do anything. You will leave this alone. I don’t need another one of your bad messes to connect to me and fuck up my life or Carrie’s. Stay out of it.”

  “Then handle it,” he says. “And get your damn hands off me.”

  Reid doesn’t immediately let him go. He stares him down, tension radiating from him, and only when I touch his arm does he let his hand fall away. His father leaves the apartment and Reid shuts the door. “Let me see it,” he says, and I hand him the phone.

  He reads more than the headline, a full minute that feels like a lifetime passing before he rotates to face Blake. “What do I need to know?”

  “Gabe knows,” Blake says. “He’s on his way over here. He didn’t want to call you if you didn’t know. And I recommend a press conference. Head this off there.”

  “Set-up a press conference for noon. I’m going to shower. I’ll be downstairs in half an hour.” He steps around me and starts walking up the stairs. He doesn’t wait on me, but I start to follow.

  “Carrie,” Blake says quietly. I turn to face him and he adds, “If you need to get out of town—”

  “No,” I say. “I’m not leaving him.”

  I turn and follow Reid up the stairs and he’s already disappearing into the bedroom. I rush ahead and by the time I’m in the bedroom, he’s in the bathroom. I find him stepping into the shower and I don’t even hesitate. I join him. The minute I’m inside, I step to him and wrap my arms around him. He doesn’t touch me, waves of dark energy rushing off of him and onto me.

  “Do you want to leave?” he asks. “Because if you do—”

  “Never,” I say. “I’m here to fight with you. Always.”

  He studies me a moment and then wraps his arms around me. “Then I need you to take care of both of the offices. Get Connie and pair up with her. I’ll meet you at the press conference.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I need you to trust me and let me keep this all in my head right now. It’s part of how I process when I’m under fire. I’ll explain later. But I’m done with this, and yes, we need a dog for our cat and a wedding date. This ends today.”

  His words are hard. His jaw harder. The Reid I know is not the Reid going to battle. There’s a shift in him, a dark side of him present right now. This is the Reid that shut out emotions for a decade and can operate with precise, cold actions. Elijah made a mistake by awakening this side of Reid, by awakening the beast I’d tamed that is always a part of Reid.

  I couldn’t stop the beast right now if I wanted to, but I don’t.

  I want this over.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

  Reid

  I dress in one of my most expensive blue and gray pinstriped suits with a silver tie. A suit that says I’m powerful, I have money, I will fuck you over if I have to and today—I have to. I shave close to the skin. Speed is important today and yet I take every stroke slowly, calculation in my movement and thoughts. Carrie doesn’t push me to explain myself. That she understands my need for quiet and concentration is just another reason to love her. It also speaks of trust, as does her cool, calm reaction to what we now face.

  At my request, Savage arrives at the apartment to shadow Carrie. I greet him at the door, and when Carrie, dressed in a conservative pink dress, joins me at the front door, he smartly gives us space. My hands come down on her shoulders and I pull her close. “Take care of West Enterprises. The Maxwell team knows me. They know I’m not going down. The merger is still under wraps, but this will cause it to leak. It’s public record. Elijah will leak it just to create panic.”

  “I’m sure he chose today to do this to ensure panic.”

  “Agreed,” I say. “If it feels right at the time, we can announce the merger at the press conference. We’ll decide together beforehand. Just be ready in case it ends up on the internet. Tell the staff if you have to tell them or don’t tell them. Do what you feel is right at both offices.”

  “I get it. I have to go with the moment. I appreciate that you trust me enough to handle that.”

  “I sought you out because I could see what you were capable of. I know what you can do and it’s damn comforting right now. Your team needs reassurance. Focus on them. Our partners are all fat cats right now after this Bennett deal. They’ll run cover for us.”

  “I can handle the staff,” she assures me. “If you need Gabe, I can handle both offices.”

  And she can. I know she can. I cup her face. “I know you can and I’ll handle Elijah and any accompanying problems. There won’t be backlash.”

  Her hands cover mine. “I know you will do what is necessary, and the very fact that you are as thoughtful and calcula
ting as you are right now, tells me it will be just that, necessary. Not rash. Not angry. Not vicious. Necessary.”

  “Vicious can necessary, baby.”

  “I know that and if it is, it is. Just go make sure everyone is safe and clear the path for another furry baby and our wedding.”

  “I intend to.” I kiss her, hard and fast, and then I set her free. “Savage,” I call out to where he’s standing at the kitchen island. “Take care of my woman or else.”

  “Never lost a woman yet,” he assures me. “Just a few men.”

  I scowl. “Not a good day for a joke.”

  “I’ll kill anyone who comes near her,” he says. “And I’ll enjoy it. How’s that?”

  “Better,” I say, and refocus on Carrie again. “Call me if you need me.”

  “I won’t call you unless it’s critical.”

  I grab her because I just can’t fucking help it, and I kiss her again. “I’ll see you soon,” I promise, and this time when I release her, I exit the apartment. My phone buzzes with a text from Blake that reads: Stairwell. I cut right and enter the stairwell to find Blake and Gabe waiting on me.

  “Your sister is on her way through the lobby,” Blake says. “I didn’t think you’d want to deal with all that love right now, no matter how much you might appreciate it.”

  “No,” I say, thinking of my focus, that would have broken. “Not now. Later.” Gabe and I exchange a look and Gabe’s stare is as hard and focused as mine. He knows where my head is. I know where his is. Wherever the fuck I need it to be and probably one shade darker. People don’t know how dark my brother is. I do.