The Tycoon's Captured Heart (7 page)

They were out the door and he was able to tuck her into his limousine before the man was even halfway to them.  Which was perfectly fine with him! 

They were driving across town, back to her place when he glanced over at her.  “What?” he demanded. 

She laughed slightly.  “My car is back at the restaurant,” she pointed out, not sure if she should be amused, but she was.  This was the man who never forgot any detail! 

With a muttered curse, he lifted his phone and gave instructions to one of his guards to retrieve her car and bring it back to her house in Queens. 

“He won’t have a key,” she told him.

He shook his head.  “He has a key.”

Scarlett wasn’t going to ask how the guard had a key.  All her life, the five men had been protecting her from the world.  This was just another example.  She used to get irritated with their manipulations but she’d learned over the years that they were only doing it because they cared and she’d also figured out how to get around their machinations. 

When they reached her house, she stepped out but held up a hand, stopping Grayson from following her.  “You don’t need to walk me to my door, Grayson.  Just…” she bowed her head, still confused by how she’d failed so miserably.  “I’m fine,” she told him and turned away.

Grayson noticed the droop in her shoulders and berated himself for hurting her.  “Scarlett wait!” he called out, walking over to where she was standing on the sidewalk.  “I have a…thing…tomorrow,” he started out.  “Could you help me?”

Scarlett’s smile brightened.  “Of course.  What’s the thing?” she asked.

“The usual ball stuff.  Want me to send over a dress?” he asked her, relieved that he’d get to see her again tomorrow night even though he knew it would be sheer torture.  Again. 

Scarlett laughed.  “Please don’t.  You’ve sent over so many dresses in the past few years that I don’t have a closet to hold all of them.”

Grayson looked at the house behind her.  “You need a new house then.  I’ll have my realtor start looking for something bigger.”

Scarlett shook her head, amusement gleaming in her eyes.  “Don’t you dare!  I know how much I paid for this house, Grayson.  And I know that you, or probably all five of you, paid a huge amount more for the house.  The house was probably over a million dollars when you bought it a few years ago and I know that you guys sold it to me for a fraction of that amount.”

Grayson didn’t say a word, just slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks.  He didn’t need to correct her on the amount he’d paid, nor did he mention that he was the one who had bought the house.  For her.  And he’d damn well do it all over again if he wanted to.  “You need bigger closets,” was all he said.

Scarlett squared off with him.  “Grayson, I love my house.  You’re not buying me a bigger house.  This one is perfect for me.”

He looked behind her, then back at her eyes.  He couldn’t see the color in just the light from the moon, but he knew she was trying to be firm.  He also knew how to get around her stubbornness.  “We’ll see,” he told her.  He lifted his hand and chucked her on the chin.  “Good night.” 

Scarlett glared at him for a long moment before she sighed.  He would try to do it anyway.  She knew he would.  The look in his eyes told her that he was going to contact his real estate agent tomorrow morning and tell her to find something bigger for her.  “Good night,” she whispered back to him.  Turning around, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse.  By the time she had her front door locked, she was already texting a message to his agent, telling the woman to ignore Grayson’s commands to find her something new. 

“You look beautiful,” Grayson said as Scarlett walked towards him.  The rose lace shimmered around her slender figure, making her legs look long and sexy as hell.  He even loved the rose-colored strappy sandals she was wearing even though he knew they were going to kill her feet by the end of the night. 

He took in the pretty design of the dress and, yep, his whole body reacted.  It was subtly sexy while still trying to appear demure.  Just like Scarlett herself.  She seemed to be able to pull off just about any style she wore.  Even that ridiculous blue dress she’d worn to dinner several nights ago had looked pretty hot.  Maybe because he was imagining taking it off of her. 

“You okay?” she asked.

Grayson looked away from her blue eyes.  “I’m fine.  Let me get you a drink,” he said and took her arm, leading her towards one of the waiters passing drinks around.  He grabbed two glasses of champagne, handing one to her. 

“You look very handsome,” she said, looking at his dark suit and silver tie. 

“Thank you,” he said.  He should tell her that she looked beautiful, but another couple arrived at that moment.  For the next two hours, they mingled, chatted with his acquaintances, he introduced her to several people and she introduced him to some of her clients.  He was always impressed with the way she worked potential clients.  She wasn’t one of those people who handed out business cards at social events.  Her design firm was simple and easy to remember, a priority in situations like this.  He suspected that her charm and beauty had won her several additional clients tonight.

Scarlett was surprised when he pulled her away from an approaching group of people.  “What’s going on?” she asked when she felt his strong hand around her waist. 

“We’re dancing,” he told her and moved into the throng of other couples who were moving to the beat of the live band playing some sort of soft, jazzy song. 

She blinked up at him.  “Yes, I’d love to dance, Grayson.  Thank you for asking,” she teased.

Grayson looked down into her laughing eyes and pinched her lightly.  “Behave,” he warned her.

Scarlett only laughed.  “And if I don’t?”

“Then I’ll spank your adorable butt,” he told her without hesitation.

Scarlett missed a beat with that threat, falling into his arms.  She felt her breasts press against his chest and her heart rate picked up.  “Sorry,” she gasped.

Grayson didn’t let her pull back.  Her softness felt too wonderful against his body that was starved for any touch from her.  Even an accidental touch!  Not to mention, the way she was looking at him right at this moment, it was almost as if…

“We’re getting out of here,” he grumbled, taking her hand and leading her through the crowds.  He didn’t wait to say polite goodbyes to the organizers of the event, nor did he allow others to slow down his progress towards the doors.  He had her hand in his and, as far as he could tell, she was racing towards the exit just as quickly as he was. 

When he stepped outside, he’d already sent the message to his chauffer and the limousine was pulling up outside of the doors.  He yanked open the door himself and pulled her into the dark interiors.  “Get us back to my place,” he ordered to the chauffer.

A moment later, he pulled Scarlett into his arms, kissing her before she could object.  He tried to slow down, to savor the kiss, but she was just as ravenous as he was. 

Scarlett couldn’t believe that he was finally kissing her.  She wouldn’t stop touching him, afraid that if she stopped, he would come to his senses and not follow through on the promises his lips were giving her. 

When the limousine pulled up into the underground parking lot of his building, she practically leapt out of his vehicle, too eager for him to continue kissing her. 

“Scarlett?” a voice from the other side of the parking garage called out.  “Is that you?”

Scarlett swung around, her eyes widening as her eyes focused on Harrison who looked like he was about to get into his own vehicle. 

Grayson stepped out a moment later and her eyes slashed between the two men, horrified to be caught in the act in such a manner.  She looked up to Grayson, who said a few choice curse words even as his arm slid around Scarlett’s waist. 

“What the hell are you doing in town, Harrison?” he demanded.

Harrison looked at the two that would normally be snapping at each other.  Grayson had finally made a move?  So his trip here was pointless?  Perfect! 

“Nothing!” Harrison replied with a chuckle.  He waved to the couple and stepped into his limousine.  “I’m heading off.  Sorry to interrupt.”

Grayson and Scarlett watched, stunned that their friend would hurry off in such a manner.  But even as the black limousine drove away, Scarlett felt the change in Grayson.  Their fabulous night together was at end.  She just knew it! 

Damn Harrison!  She sighed and pressed the button to call the elevator. 

“Sorry about that,” Grayson gritted out.  “I wasn’t expecting him.  I have no idea what he was doing here.”

Scarlett smiled.  “It’s fine,” she told him.  But it wasn’t fine!  She’d finally gotten Grayson to kiss her again and the stupid interruption had cost her a night in this man’s arms!  She was going to yell at Harrison something awful tomorrow! 

Sierra squeezed her husband’s hand.  “Harrison, don’t you have that place up in Scotland that needs renovation?  Maybe a special decorator that could make the space more livable?” she asked, pulling her husband’s eyes back to her as she sat at the breakfast table.  He had been grumbling about interrupting Scarlett and Harrison ever since his return last night and now he was staring grimly at his newspaper, not reading anything in his frustration.  All of them knew that Grayson and Scarlett were meant to be together.  And they all knew that he was making a muck of things. 

Harrison’s eyes moved over to his very pregnant wife, not sure what she was talking about.  “You can’t go there, love.  I promise I’ll get it fixed up for you but we can’t visit, not quite yet.”

Sierra loved her husband but he was a bit obtuse at times.  Thankfully, she wasn’t going to relent.  Not this time.  He’d told her what he’d seen yesterday evening and she was thrilled that Scarlett and Grayson were making progress.  All of the ladies in their group had been trying to figure out how to get Scarlett and Grayson together.  “Oh, I saw that place!  It’s gorgeous but you’re right, it is a mess!  It just needs a gentle hand to fix it up slightly, don’t you think?”

Harrison shook his head.  “No.  We’re not going there for vacation, love,” he told her firmly.  “We have plans already.”

Sierra looked at her husband, eyes wide but the return glare caused her cheeks to turn a becoming shade of pink.  “Yes, but maybe…”

“No,” he replied quickly, not even letting her finish the question.

Sierra laughed, picking her husband’s hand up and kissed his knuckles softly.  “Oh, I think it would be a wonderful place to stay for a long weekend.  It’s so remote and quiet with no one around for miles and miles.  Uninterrupted scenery and lots of rooms that need a lot of love and care.”

Harrison shook his head, not sure why his wife wasn’t listening.  “It isn’t safe.  There were some home invasions recently in the area, not to mention a few loose rocks….” His voice tapered off as he caught his wife’s meaningful glare. 

And then it hit him!  His glance moved to the window, not really seeing anything outside.  The roses Sierra’s mother had put into the garden years ago were in full bloom, but he was actually seeing in his mind the castle up in Scotland, the cozy rooms, the wide, open expanses of scenery from the castle’s walkways where one could see for miles on a clear day…

Sierra knew the exact moment that her husband caught on and shifted her head to try and get him to make the phone call. 

He leaned forward, chuckling at his wife’s brilliance.  “Actually, now that I think about it, that’s not a bad idea.  I could ask Scarlett if she has the time to fix up the Scotland property.  She’d love it there even though it is pretty remote.”  He lifted his phone, dialing the number.  “I should probably call Grayson first, just to make sure that he can take a bit of time off from work as well.”

Sierra laughed, her eyes twinkling with excitement. 

After a long conversation about some business interests both of them shared, Harrison put out the idea of his house in Scotland, just tossing out the possibility of Scarlett doing the decorating and all of the security that might be needed. 

Grayson heard the words and started shaking his head.  “No way.  You just said it isn’t safe.”  There was no way that Scarlett was heading off to some lonely castle where someone might hurt her.  Not happening! 

Harrison already knew that would be Grayson’s argument.  “I’ll send a security team to the area.  They will watch the perimeter so she will be safe.”  He was rewarded when Sierra moved closer to him, grabbing onto his muscular arm and kissing his shoulder, the only part of him she could reach.  She laughed when he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and scooted her chair closer. 

Grayson’s teeth clenched as he listened to his friend, soon to be former friend, offer weak security guards to protect Scarlett.  Was he insane?  Definitely not adequate protection if there really were some problems in the remote neighborhood.  “No.  Not good enough.”  He glared at the wall of his office, wishing that Harrison were here so that he could punch the guy in the face for offering such a bad idea.  “You’ll just have to fix the problem some other way.”

Harrison smothered his amusement at his friend’s adamant refusal to put his woman in danger.  He caught Sierra dialing another number and her muttered conversations.  He instantly knew that she was calling Sasha, who would then call Livia and Jina.  Reinforcements were on the way! 

Harrison sent a silent thanks to his wife by squeezing her thigh.  “Grayson, you haven’t taken a vacation in years.  Why don’t you go up there with your security team and check it out.  If you don’t think it is safe enough for her, then I’ll find another decorator.”

“Designer,” Grayson corrected.  “She isn’t a decorator.  She’s an interior designer.”

“Right,” Harrison replied.  “Actually, I could probably get in there and see what’s going on.  Grayson, you have too much to do.  I’ll take care of Scarlett.  If the area is too dangerous, then I’ll…”

“I’ll do it,” Grayson snapped and wanted to shut off the phone.  He glared at the wall, wishing his friend to purgatory.  Exactly where he was now that Scarlett wasn’t in his arms.  Which she would be if it weren’t for this “friend’s” interruption.  “Stay out of this.”

With that, he ended the call and walked across his office with furious strides, unaware that his friend was already relaying the conversation with Damon in Greece, the two men furthering the plot to get the couple together finally. 

“Think it will work?” Harrison asked when Sierra ended her final call to Jina, shaking his head as he laughed at how obvious things were between Grayson and Scarlett.

Sierra groaned.  “I’ve never seen two people who were more blind.”

Harrison leaned forward in his chair, his agile mind working through details and coming up with solutions to keep the two of them in that castle until they’d worked out their relationship.  Finally.  “I think we should get things ready.  This is bound to work out!”

Harrison dialed another number and, a few moments later, all eight of them were on a conference call, going over the details. 

The men continued on the conference call while the women signed off, only to call back with just the women on the line.  All of them were in battle mode while they worked out the details.  While the men argued about which city would be the most romantic, the ladies already had the flowers picked out and a list of music started as well as trying to figure out which designer was Scarlett’s favorite so her wedding dress could be started.