Seventy Nathan"Lily, you ready?" I called from the living room. Why were women so darn slow? I had told her to get ready by seven! I had a long day at work. I had hit the gym with Cameron. My muscles were fucking sore and I was damn tired but I had made a promise to myself the day before to do something with Lily that day. So I couldn't back out. I sat on the sofa, wearing a plain tee and cargo pants. There was no way I would wear a suit again. I was too tired to try. Lily finally stepped out of her room. She wore a short gown that flared from beneath her breasts. I had no idea what the dress was called but I was sure it had a name. Women liked to name dresses. "Ready?" I asked, rising to my feet. "How do I look?" She asked, turning around so I could see her. "Good," I replied and made my way to the door. She had said she wanted to go to the movies. I hadn't gone to the movies in a long fucking time, but since she wanted to, there was no problem. She could have anything she w
Seventy-OneChloe"Della, we've seen all the nannies right?" I asked, pausing the video on the screen. Because I had asked to be involved in choosing a nanny, David recorded a video of the interviews he conducted with all the candidates and sent it to me. Adele and I had just finished watching all of them a third time so that she could remember all their faces. We sat on a sofa in the living room while Addison splashed around in the pool pretending she was some sort of mermaid. "When you guys are done choosing a nanny? Can we get a cook too? I'm tired of eating out and you're never home to cook anymore." Addison whined. "Cook your meals, Addy," I said dryly and turned to Adele with a smile. "Which lady do you want as your nanny, baby?" Adele turned her big brown eyes to the TV screen, her eyes scrutinizing the pictures of the candidates. There were five of them in all and for a second, I thought she would reject them all. She stuck a finger in her mouth, wiggled off the sofa, a
Seventy-Two Nathan"That's it?" Cameron asked, I sighed, leaning in my chair, and rubbed my jaw. Was that all? I was trying to piece all the clues together. Eduardo and theafia supposedly killed my parents and Brother. My brother however had said something else. He had mentioned Chloe. I could hear Cameron sigh through the receiver, "What are the chances that this Chloe person, didn't try to kill your parents and brother?""Zero," I said without giving it a thought. Chloe would never kill anyone. She simply didn't have it in her. And there was no way she would have been in South Carolina all these years and I wouldn't have found her. "Why are you so sure? People change," Cameron muttered. "Not Chloe," I whispered, images of her flooding my head. "God I haven't thought about her in a while. A fucking long while." "She sounds like she got you good," Cameron taunted. "You rarely mention other women aside from Lily," My chest tightened uncomfortably and I sat upright. "It's not a p
Seventy-ThreeNathan"Chloe," She was here again. It was a dream, I knew that. A dream I had not dreamt in months. I missed her. I had shoved and pushed at the gnawing emptiness that only she could fill. I had hidden it for too long and now she was resurfacing as always. Teasing me, taunting me with things I ached for, but could never have. Her fingers caressed my skin in seductive whispers, I laid still on the bed, pulsing with desire. But I was afraid that if I tried to hold her, she would disappear. "Nate," she murmured. "Nath,"I used to love it when she couldn't make up her mind on what to call me. I wanted to tangle my fingers in her hair and draw her on for a kiss. That tart sweet mouth. Lips that spewed fury whenever she was mad but a brewed passion. I wanted to wrap my hands around her waist, gently guiding her as she slid down my cock. But Fuck, if I held her she would disappear. I didn't want her to. I wanted this dream, the haze of unreality to last. I needed her so ba
Seventy-Four Chloe"Five days end today," I groaned as soon as we stepped into the house. David and I had just arrived from meeting with the judge in charge of the case with Tristan.I was so damn tired. I could eat a whole freaking horse. Yes, it does David said as I lowered myself onto a sofa. Our trip seemed successful. Tristan would stand trial come Monday for stealing my parents' company. Soon, everything would all fall into place. Addison wasn't home. She had mentioned meeting up with certain people from college. I suppose she deserves to have some fun. She had been hard at work on my behalf ever since we moved back to South Carolina. "Adele and her nanny aren't home yet," I observed, whipping out my phone to call Melissa. "Hi Miss Montgomery," she muttered melissa was a shy timid woman who rarely spoke up. Sure she had pretty hair, but somehow I felt that Adele would give her a tough time. She was quite an impulsive child who could throw a tantrum Whenever things did bit
Seventy-FiveNathan My shrilling phone woke me out of my sleep. That rarely ever happened. My phone hadn't rung at the midnight in a long fucking time. With a grunt, I reached across the bed to the bedside table so I could pick up my phone. The screen flashed with the name Freckles on it. Cam. Why was he calling so fucking late? It had to be about the investigation we were making. I swiftly picked up the call. "Cam?" I mumbled sleepily. At first, he didn't speak. But I could hear his heavy breathing. He must have found something. Something he was hesitating to tell me. Was he in danger? "Cam!" I yelled sitting upright. Sleep fled as adrenaline pumped through my veins in large doses. "It's okay, I'm here," he urged. "I was just... Trying to get over the shock,""What shock?" I asked, feeling confused. "Have you seen Arabella Montgomery, Nate?" He asked and I frowned. "This again? Cameron, please tell me you didn't call me so you could gush over a woman!" "Will you call down?
Seventy-SixChloe"Hello,"I could hear his voice. It pierced through the walls erected around my heart, possessing every nook and cranny of my soul. He sounded the same. No, that was wrong. His voice had the same silvery feel to it. But he sounded different. Gruff and hoarse. The sound of a man who had carried more than he could bear. I glanced at the card in my trembling hand while the other held the phone to my ear. I had suspected that it would be him. When Melissa handed me a card with the initials NB on it, I suspected it was his. I just hadn't wanted to believe it. "Hello?" Nathan said again and the tears I thought were home forever, stung the corner of my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. He had met Adele the day before! He had seen her and talked to her. Dammit, had he seen the resemblance? Did he know she was his daughter? "Hello?" His voice increased in urgency and pitch showing he was getting impatient. I cut the call quickly and tossed the phone on my bed, feeling stup
Seventy-Seven Nathan Cameron was right. She was here. He had predicted that she would come to the Hamptons gala. And she did. "Chloe," I whispered, gripping the glass of whiskey in my hand tighter. She walked in dressed in the most lavish red gown I had ever seen. Her hair, golden in the bright glow in the hall, was tied up in a series of curls and knots that was most likely more complicated than phantom physics. They were the only thing about her that hadn't changed. She had grown older. It was clear from the way her face had lost the chubbiness that made her look innocent and naive. The woman before me was anything but innocent. Her eyes, blue as always had a sharp haunting look to them. She greeted everyone with a bright smile or lips but I could see the wariness deep in them. She was here. In-person. Chloe. God, how long has it been? I was transfixed, staring like a fucking dumb horse. She stopped before Hampton and his wife as they enveloped her in a hug. How did the