Filthy Rich (21 page)

The admission was a crack in the dam that she hadn't realized was holding back her feelings. She felt them surging to be free and washing through her like a flash flood.

“Invite me.”

“Where?”

He nipped her shoulder. “To watch you referee.” He smoothed his hand over her shoulder, down her arm, and through the bubbling water until he cupped her breast. “To be part of something important to you.”

“You can't waste that kind of time.”

“Spending time with you is never a waste.” He cut through her argument. “If it's important to you, I'll make time.”

“I do it to support the sport maintaining its Olympic standing. There have to be a set number of tournaments yearly. But it's not necessary for you to come. I won't be able to spend any time with you.”

But she was touched.

Deeply.

She turned around and straddled him, lifting up and sheathing him in a soft motion that was more about connecting than satisfying lust. She just needed to be closer to him.

Completely intimate.

He closed his eyes, pleasure drawing his neck tight. She lifted and he guided her back down with a hand on each hip.

“Oceanside has a harbor…” His eyes opened, showing her the glitter of anticipation. “What time should I pick you up?”

***

A black sedan was waiting outside the gymnasium for her. Celeste paused for a moment but chided herself for hesitating.

Nartan wasn't being controlling.

Just demanding.

And there was a huge difference between the two.

Excitement was brewing inside her as the driver took her toward the marina. It was full of expensive yachts, but she was looking for the man waiting for her. He was standing on the pier, his dress shirtsleeves rolled up to his bare his forearms and his collar was open again.

Yeah…demanding.

And she had every intention of being his match when it came to demanding.

Her phone rang just before quitting time on the following Friday. Nartan's number flashed across the screen, making her smile. Friday was the one night she didn't go to the studio to train. She'd been giddy as the afternoon wore on and she anticipated having more than a few hours with Nartan. As she was picking up the phone, Sandy came through the door again with flowers in her hands.

“Just getting ready to leave,” Celeste told Nartan.

“I'll be late tonight.” He was agitated; she could hear the stress in his voice.

“What's wrong?”

“One of my horses is sick. We're loading her up to take her to the vet. I need to be with her,” he informed Celeste gruffly.

“I'm sorry, Nartan,” she answered quietly, hearing the raw emotion in his voice. “You didn't have to send flowers because of that.”

“I didn't.” His tone immediately changed to territorial.

“Oh, just an assumption.”

“Who's sending you flowers?” he demanded.

“Probably one of our clients who can't pay,” she said. “Marcus has an open door for ex-military, no matter their circumstances. Sandy just brought them in. I haven't looked at the card.”

“I'll be home when I can.”

“Call me if you want me to come to you.” She left the invitation hanging between them. The silence on the other end of the phone told her he was considering letting her into the private part of himself. “I'll keep my phone handy.”

“Thank you, Celeste.”

He killed the line, leaving her with that last sample of the pain in his voice. She was suddenly too far away from him, the work in front of her meaningless as the sound of his voice echoed in her head. All that mattered was being there for him.

She stood up, restless. She wandered over to the flowers, fingering their cool, fresh petals. But when she got in front of them, she saw the crystal butterflies woven into the arrangement. Her mouth went dry as she scanned it and realized it was a bouquet.

An exact replica of her wedding flowers.

She recoiled from them like they had suddenly revealed a tarantula. It took all her strength to reach for the little white envelope stuck into them. Nausea was twisting her insides.

You are not a Connor. Resume your place or this will be only the first cut.

She gasped, stepping back as horror gagged her.

Oh God, it had been Caspian outside the studio.

First cut?

Nartan's horse. It was one of the few living creatures he cared about. His grandfather had bred it. Celeste was reeling and staggered back, hitting her desk and sending a sorting tray crashing to the floor. She didn't even look down at it.

Her heart was racing, sweat trickling down her sides as she tried to get control of the rising tide of terror in her. It was all encompassing, threatening her like a tsunami.

“Celeste?”

She jumped and a tiny sound came out of her mouth before she realized Marcus was standing in the doorway. Her normally easygoing boss had a look on his face that she'd only seen a few times. It was raw, hard anger. The side of him you never wanted to mess with.

“What's wrong?” he demanded.

“I'm fine.” Her thoughts were frozen. She looked back at the flowers and shuddered, unable to control her reactions.

Marcus stepped into the office and plucked the card from her stiff fingers. His expression tightened as he read it. Celeste took a deep breath to still her racing heart.

“Who's he threatening?” Marcus demanded with the card between his fingers.

“I think…Nartan said there was something wrong with one of his horses.” She covered her mouth with her hand, trying to scrape together her wits. “They're a replica of my wedding bouquet.”

“I knew that prick would come back after you.” Marcus looked at the flowers. His lips twitched up in a very menacing grin. “He's leaving an evidence trail this time.”

He disappeared and came back with a cell phone. He snapped pictures of the flowers before picking them up. “I'm going to see if I can find out who paid for these. Give Nartan a call and give him a heads-up.”

Celeste sat down at her desk, feeling like she was moving in slow motion.

She'd known.

Oh
God…she'd known!

Memories of the way Nartan went to greet those horses sent tears to her eyes. Caspian always knew who to hire to find out what was important to his enemies. He was absolutely ruthless in the way he went after what he wanted.

Her fingers were still shaking as she hit the redial button on her phone. She drew in a deep breath, trying to still her racing heart as the phone began to ring.

But the call went to voice mail. She hung up and typed a quick text message. Tucking her phone back in her purse, she turned off her computer system.

“Where are you going from here?”

Marcus was back in her office doorway.

“No class tonight. I was going up to Nartan's.”

Marcus took a moment to dwell on what she'd said. “Go straight there.”

“I will.”

She hesitated once she slid behind the wheel of the Lamborghini.

Her gut was starting to twist with a sick fear she recognized.

Like
fucking
hell!

She swallowed the bitter taste and watched her knuckles turning white on the steering wheel.

Like fucking hell she'd let Caspian punch her buttons.

She pulled out of the parking lot, merging into traffic as she searched her memory for the location of a spa she hadn't been to in a long time.

No one questioned her when she pulled into the private parking area in the Lamborghini. Once she was out of the car, her less-than-designer suit caught a few looks. Celeste hit the meandering entryway sidewalk with a pace that didn't give anyone time to question her. A pair of Asian receptionists smiled when she entered the spa.

“Caspian Devitt.”

There was only a flicker of recognition in one of the girls' eyes before they both shook their heads.

“Mr. Devitt does not wish to be disturbed.”

Celeste dug into her purse and pulled out a hundred-dollar bill. She folded it up and passed it to one of the women through a handshake. She muttered a few words in Korean. The woman's lips twitched before she answered in a single word of Korean.

Celeste took off down the gleaming cream-colored hallway, past the inside fountain that was filling the place with soothing water sounds to the private massage suite marked with a number six.

She pushed open the door, startling a young girl who was rubbing the shoulders of her client in nothing but a G-string. But it was Caspian Celeste was interested in. He hadn't really changed. Maybe he was a little leaner, but he still looked at her with an expression she recognized.

Like
she
was
a
possession.

She forced down the bitter taste in her mouth.

“I see you haven't changed.” But she had and that gave her enough confidence to stare him down.

Caspian lifted his head and sent the girl away with a flick of his fingers. His bodyguard had moved into view, watching Celeste through mirrored shades.

“Leave us,” Caspian ordered.

He sat up and surveyed Celeste from head to toe.

“Lupan doesn't know how to dress you.”

“I dress myself.” She stepped forward, making sure she looked at her ex-husband just as thoroughly as he'd studied her. “And I'm here to tell you one thing. Leave me alone.”

Caspian's eyes narrowed. He stood up, a towel staying around his waist. It was a damned good thing because she was fighting off nausea with just his chest on display.

He reached out and slapped her. She jerked and responded without thinking. His hand had barely connected with her cheek before she slid toward him and kicked out his knee with a low roundhouse kick. He folded with a hiss, grabbing the massage table to break his fall.

“I don't take your shit anymore, Caspian,” she hissed. “I know the little games you like to play, so I won't bother trying to get security footage from this place, but touch me again and I'll find a way to prosecute you.”

“Shut up,” he snapped as he regained his feet. “You belong to me and I will enjoy teaching you your place again.”

“Just try it,” she warned.

He started toward her but his bodyguard had reentered the room. Caspian gestured him away, but the man shook his head.

“Get out,” Caspian snarled.

“I'm the one leaving,” Celeste declared. “Before I have to kick his ass for having poor taste in clients. I'd really rather not have to explain myself to Master Lee.”

“You will come back to me, Celeste,” Caspian crowed. “You crave my strength in your life. You're really quite lost without my presence.” He chuckled, turning her stomach. “That's the reason you're here. Deep down inside you need me.”

“Stay away from me.” She looked past him to the bodyguard. “Next time he touches me, I'll put him down hard.”

She turned around and grasped the door.

“Don't you dare turn your back on me!”

Caspian lunged after her. His fingers made the briefest contact with her shoulder, curling and just starting to dig in before she turned and grabbed his hand. She twisted it and flipped him over. He landed in a heap and ended up facedown on the marble floor with her knee lodged between his shoulder blades and his arm bent up behind his back at just the right angle to send pain shooting through his shoulder.

“Don't…ever…touch…me…again.”

She jumped away from him as the bodyguard closed in on her. She locked eyes with the guy before opening the door and leaving. There was a scuffle and the slam of the door behind her.

“Let go of me…” Caspian's muffled words came through the door, but it never opened.

Celeste made it back to the Lamborghini and pulled out of the parking lot.

She was shaking.

A new sensation was flooding her, and this time it was from victory.

***

“How dare you stop me?” Caspian growled at his bodyguard.

“The security cameras are still on in the hallway.”

He kept his hand flat on the door, infuriating Caspian.

“You'll end up back in jail.”

Caspian snarled. “Shut up. You don't tell me what to do. I pay you.”

He stomped back into the dressing room and grabbed his phone. Control was something he knew how to get.

Celeste obviously needed a lesson in just how good he was at getting what he wanted.

***

Traffic was moving slowly. She kept her cell phone on the passenger seat, but it never rang. The drive up to Malibu was the longest, most tedious one she'd ever endured. She drove past Angelino's and on to the house. A large construction vehicle with a huge earth-drilling attachment was sitting near the road. New holes had been dug along the perimeter of Nartan's property for the fence. The crew had left for the day.

There was a touch of chill in the air as September brought the change of season. She pulled into the garage and smiled as she heard the chirp from the new house security system. It continued to chirp, warning her to enter a code within two minutes or it would go off. She climbed out of the seat of the Lamborghini and pulled the door down.

Something shifted in her peripheral vision. A blur of motion that sent her whirling around, her purse dropping to the ground. She jerked back as she came face to face with someone a lot bigger than herself. He was already swinging at her. She shifted to the side, hours of training kicking in without hesitation.

Time slowed down. The guy stumbled past her with the momentum of his punch but recovered quickly. She brought her hands up, turned, and used a back kick against him. He grunted as her foot connected with his belly.

But turning around gave her a glimpse of a second man. He reached out and clamped his arms around her, trapping her arms against her sides.

“You going to stop whining?” the man holding her asked his partner.

Celeste took the moment to lower her body into a wide horse stance and use her elbows and a good twist from her waist to disable the man holding her. He yelped and cussed when she turned and sent a tiger-claw hand at his throat.

“She's a real pushover…ain't she?” The man behind her mocked his companion as he gasped.

The second man lunged toward her. With the car beside her, she didn't have enough room to get out of his way. He tackled her into his partner.

“Enough of this Bruce Lee crap,” he choked out. “Hold her.”

She was sandwiched between them, and this time, the man behind her yanked her arms back.

“This would have been a lot easier without all the rules,” the man in front of her complained before smacking her across her face. Her head twisted with the blow, pain exploding in her eye from the force he used.

“Yeah…well, it's got to look right. Right in the face, but don't break her nose.”

She tried to duck her head but her assailant followed her, delivering a string of blows that made her vision darken. Consciousness began to drift away from her. She heard the connection of the last couple of blows but didn't feel them. There was no way to fend off the darkness. It just dragged her down.

***

His phone was ringing again.

Nartan cursed and yanked it out of his pocket. His fucking restaurant had better be on fire or his manager could find a new job.

But the message flashing across the screen came from his new home security system. He jabbed his finger onto the button to stop the alarm, which left the text message from Celeste on the screen. He read it twice before he cursed again.

The vet looked up. “I'll be back,” Nartan said.

He only caught a fraction of the vet's surprise before he was pushing through the doors of the office. He hit the hallway at a run and yanked open the door of his truck.