Freeing Him: A Hart Brothers Novel, Book 2 Read online

  “Kolson, you’re hurting my legs. You’re holding me too tight.”

  I let her loose. “Oh, I’m sorry. I was lost in the moment.”

  She sighs again. “So was I. That was …” She slides down and kisses me full on.

  “Kolson, why do I get the feeling that something’s wrong?”

  “Because we’re in this shithole right now.”

  “And that’s all? Promise me you’re not holding anything back?”

  “You know how I hate it here.” I hate not telling her the truth, but I can’t. Not ever. Not about what I did and my role in Danny’s death.

  “Okay.”

  “Let’s get some sleep. We’ll leave right after breakfast. I love you. You are, by far, the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  She wraps herself around me. I wish I could stay awake and cherish each moment I have left with her, and not waste a second on sleep.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kolson

  As the sun creeps over the horizon, I nudge Gabriella awake.

  “I’m going to take a quick shower. Didn’t know if you wanted to join me.”

  She stretches and says, “A shower only?”

  “Why don’t you come and find out?” Taking her hand, I gently pull her out of bed. She protests a little, but it won’t last. I’ll make it up to her. And I do. She loves our shower time. Especially when I get her all soapy—and slippery—everywhere.

  When we’re clean, I wrap her in a towel first, and then myself. Her skin is pink from the combination of our lovemaking and the heat of the water and I find that I haven’t had my fill of her. “Did I wash you clean? I think I missed a spot.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know. I think I forgot to wash your pussy.”

  Her mouth drops open. I yank off the towel, pick her up, and toss her on the bed. “It’s okay, though. I can bathe you with my tongue.”

  “Kolson, you are insatiable.”

  “Yes. I am. For you. Only you.” My head moves between her thighs and my tongue begins to bathe her softness. I am insatiable when it comes to her. Her taste is better than anything. And maybe it’s because I know I will miss this more than anything … our closeness, our bond … but I can’t seem to get enough right now.

  Her moans, every sound she emits, urges me on. I suck, I draw on her; I lick and drive as deep into her as I can until I feel her quiver around me. When she comes on my tongue, I’m not sure which of us derives the most pleasure. I give her a few more licks and then I kiss her. It’s like the final act for me. I have to kiss her mouth afterward.

  “Now, kea, I believe you have a pristine pussy.”

  “You are a very bad man, Kolson Hart.”

  “Hmm. And all this time, I thought I was very good.”

  “Tell me. Please. I know there’s something. You can trust me.”

  God, I want to. But I can’t. My pained expression must tell her all sorts of things. “I trust you with my life, kea. And I love you that much more. Shall we get dressed?”

  Now it’s her expression that’s pained. I’ve hurt her and I don’t want to. But this is something I cannot possibly share with her.

  “Can we wear jeans?” she asks.

  “Yes. That’s what I’m wearing.”

  We dress, pack, and head down for breakfast. My hopes are to beat everyone so we only have to say a quick goodbye before we leave. Unfortunately, the dragon is already down here. We pass by the dining room as we head to the car.

  “Not staying for breakfast?” he asks.

  “Yeah, we need to put this stuff in the car first.”

  He nods. I don’t see my mother. I hope we don’t have to wait long for her to show up.

  After we load the car, we join my dad for breakfast. Pancakes for Gabby, an omelet for me, coffee all around. Mother joins us a few minutes later. Conversation is inane, as usual, with her: the weather, summer ending in a couple of weeks, how she’ll have to start pulling out her winter clothes soon. Our food arrives and we eat. It’s all very uncomfortable for us. Mom fidgets and Gabby picks at her food as I inhale mine.

  When we’re finally finished, my father delivers his blow.

  “Kolson, I’d like to have a word. In private.”

  Gabriella glances at me. Mom is her usual bobble head. I rise and follow him into his office down the hall.

  “So, I’ve been thinking about your debt.”

  “I imagine you have. I was wondering when you would tell me.”

  “I want you back in the family business,” he says.

  “That’s not possible.” I’m fuming inside. I walked away from him and his unscrupulous methods years ago to start HTS.

  “Oh, it is. You agreed to pay back the debt, Kolson. And that’s part of the payback.”

  “Part?”

  “Uh-huh. The other part is I want HTS.”

  “That’s not possible. And not only is it not possible, it’s nonnegotiable.”

  “Kolson, you’re not listening. You agreed to pay a debt. That’s the payment I require. When you agreed, it was my choice as to what the payment would be. You have no say in this matter. And son, everything is negotiable. You should know that. I taught you as much.”

  My jaw clenches so tightly, I fear for the integrity of my teeth. The fucking bastard wants to take me apart, piece by piece. I expected this, but hearing it is worse than imagining it.

  “I’ll give you a month to get your affairs in order, including turning HTS over to me. And then you can report back here as an employee of Hart and Sons Entertainment Incorporated. We’ll be glad to have you back. I want you in Vegas running that arm of the business. You’ll love it out there.”

  I can’t speak because I’m seething and if I say anything, it will bring me to physical violence. That cannot happen. I have to get out of here. Fast. There are things I have to do. Plans I’ve made in case this happened. I need to put them into action. NOW.

  Nodding, I say, “As you wish,” through gritted teeth.

  “Well, that was easy. Kestrel will be so happy to have his big brother back in the fold.”

  Fuck Kestrel and fuck you. I want to spit in his face. Instead, I walk away from the man I hate now more than ever. When I get to the dining room, I kiss my mother on the cheek, tell her goodbye, and Gabby and I leave. My foot hits the gas so hard on the way out of the drive, I’m sure I’ve left several hundred miles worth of rubber behind.

  “Whoa, babe. Slow it down.”

  My brain is on overload. I have to get away from here. Gabby is freaking out at the car’s speed. Ten miles away from that piece of shit hellhole, I pull off. My nerves are shot. Fury radiates through me, but I can’t let it control me.

  “Kolson. What the hell happened back there? You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

  Her voice penetrates my anger. Shaking my head, I look at her and say, “Give me a minute.”

  I pick up my phone and send a text to my team of attorneys: Commence Operation Dragon Slayer. STAT.

  My phone falls in my lap and I inhale as I let my head fall back. Then I laugh. Not a funny ha-ha laugh, either. And it overtakes me until I cry. I fucking cry. Jesus, what is happening to me?

  Arms pull me in, wrapping around me. “I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”

  Oh God, help me! I can’t talk to her. I can’t tell her about the deal I made with the devil. How he put the contract out on Gabriella’s cousin Danny’s life. And how I sold myself to him. And now I’m paying the price. Fuck. I swallow the fear that grips me and straighten up.

  “I’m sorry. I lost it. He has a way of doing that to me.”

  “God, I wish you would talk to me.”

  “I will. Soon. I promise.”

  “I love you. I’ll help you, babe. I will. But I can’t if I’m blind to everything.”

  I only nod because there isn’t anything to say. She’s right.

  “Let’s get the fuck out of here.” I steer the car back on the road a
nd we head back toward Manhattan.

  A couple hours later, we pull into the parking garage and I sigh. It won’t be long before I won’t be coming here anymore.

  “Was that a sigh of relief?”

  “Yeah. Just glad to be home,” I say.

  “A very stressful twenty-four hours.”

  I don’t answer. It’s not necessary. We grab our things and head up to the penthouse. On the way I get a text from my attorneys: Done.

  Smiling, I breathe easier.

  “That must’ve been good news.”

  “You have no idea.”

  “Care to share?”

  “Oh, it’s only a business deal.”

  “Okay. But you know I’m interested in your business.”

  I nod, but in reality I’m glad she’s interested. She’d better be because she has no clue what just went down. She will, though, in a few weeks. Oh, will she ever.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Gabriella

  Kolson worries me. His behavior has been completely off the charts. From loving to erratic, I can’t get him to settle down. Ever since that damn visit to his parents’ house, he’s been all over the board. And he won’t discuss it with me, which agitates me even further. I’m at my wits’ end. Why he won’t discuss this with me, I don’t know. He trusts me. I do know this. He loves me more than anything. But there’s something else he’s not telling me. He’s frightened. I see it in his eyes. And it’s more than his fear of the past. He covers it up and he’s good at it. Very good. But I’m a fucking psychiatrist. I can tell when people are hiding things. I’ve studied and analyzed behaviors. Every now and then, I see that wall, that veil slip. I refuse to confront him, though. That’s a sure-fire way to get him to shut down.

  He’s not sleeping well and he mumbles a lot. I can’t make out what he says, but he trembles and that freaks me out too. And then there’s that little tidbit of information he sort of shared about dear old Daddy. Organized crime. That sheds a whole new light on his dad’s business dealings. No wonder Kolson left and started his own company.

  It makes me wonder what kind of hell that man put Kolson through. I was fully prepared for him to tell me he was sexually abused. Everything seemed to point in that direction—his initial need for control in the bedroom, how he wanted to dominate me, and how he pulled my own story from me through the use of sex. But when he told me he’d never been molested, I was shocked. And he knew it.

  So, his dad has clearly done some other heinous thing that makes my skin crawl. It breaks my heart for Kolson. Whatever it was, it must’ve been awful.

  Sky and Cara, my closest friends, don’t have any advice to offer either. I’m not sure what to do about this.

  I’m sitting at work, puzzling over all this when my phone rings. It’s the attorney representing me in my civil case against my parents. Honestly, since Danny died, I really couldn’t care less about this now.

  “Martinelli.”

  “Dr. Martinelli, Stan Harrison here.”

  “Stan, how are you?”

  “I’m fine and I hope you are as well.”

  “Yes. What can I do for you?” I ask.

  “Your parents want to talk with both sets of attorneys present.”

  “Okay. I’m good with that. I wouldn’t mind getting past all this, now that Danny is out of the picture.”

  “You’re sure about this?”

  “Yes. You’ll be there?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Then set a date.”

  “I’ll call and let you know when and where.”

  I text Kolson and he calls me back to make sure I’m fine with such a meeting. I assure him I am and that we can discuss it more at dinner.

  “How about I bring you lunch?” he asks.

  “You’re free?”

  “Yep.”

  “Sure.”

  He shows up with his usual array of food—enough for an army. I shake my head. One of these days, he’ll figure out we can’t eat this much.

  “So I’ve been thinking,” I begin.

  “About?”

  “Danny. And the way he died.”

  Something weird passes across Kolson’s face. Like he just saw a ghost. But then it’s gone as quickly as it appeared.

  “What do you mean?” he asks.

  “Danny doesn’t fit the suicide patient. He was such an egomaniac. Everything was always about him. And even that day in the tunnels, he was so self-assured. He was not giving up. He was emphatic about that. And then he got away. Why would someone like that kill himself? Out of the blue?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe he got tired of living on the run? He was used to the finer things in life and being the center of attention. He lost all that having to hide out the way he had been.”

  “Yeah, I’ve thought of that too. But that was much better than being dead. And to him, hiding would only be temporary.”

  “Hey, what brought all this on?”

  “I guess the meeting with my parents.”

  “Put those thoughts of Danny aside. He’s gone and you’re safe now. That’s what’s important.”

  “Yeah, but there’s something that bugs me about it.”

  “When’s the appointment with your parents?”

  “Oh, Stan’s supposed to call me.”

  “Let me know so I can go with you.”

  “You don’t have to.”

  “Gabriella. It’s not about having to go. It’s about wanting to be there to support you. I love you, you know.”

  “I want to support you too, but sometimes you won’t let me in, Kolson.”

  He cups my cheek and kisses me. “I know. And I’m sorry. I swear I am. It hurts me too.”

  When he says those words, I know he means them. Pushing my chair back, I move over to him and climb on his lap. “Oh, Kolson. I’m so worried about you.”

  “Don’t be, kea. I can take care of myself. I have since I was seven years old.”

  “But I want to help. My heart hurts for you.”

  He leans back and his eyes tear into my soul. “Listen to me. The best thing you can do for me right now is to be my beautiful Gabriella and not worry about me. I want you here and happy. I’m fine. Understand?”

  He’s only telling me that so I won’t worry, but I know it’s not true.

  I nod to make him happy, but he sees my eyes sparkle with tears.

  “Jesus, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.”

  His mouth is on mine and I can’t help it, but I cry like a baby while he kisses me.

  “I’m sorry. But I can help. I know I can help. It’s what I do, what I’m trained to do. I won’t judge you. Ever. And I’ll love you until there isn’t any air for me to breathe. Just tell me how I can help you because I can see the pain you try to hide. And not only that, I see the fear too. Please, Kolson.” By the time I finish, I’m sobbing.

  “Oh, Gabriella.” His arms hold me and he whispers soothing words, but there’ll be no comfort until he tells me. And I know he won’t and I don’t understand why. He blows out a long breath and wipes my face. I know I look a mess; my mascara must be running all over the place. His thumbs dab beneath my lower lids and he presses his lips to mine, our foreheads meeting.

  “We’re a mess, aren’t we?”

  Only because of you, I want to say. But I stay quiet.

  “Let’s run away. From this. From everything. Move to some island and forget about our lives here.”

  He gives me the oddest look. “Are you serious?”

  “Of course not.”

  “For a minute there, you had me fooled.”

  “You want to do that?”

  “I would with you.”

  “I can’t. My practice. My patients. I …”

  “I know, kea.” His fingers thread through my hair and disappointment etches his face. His crestfallen look surprises me.

  “Kolson, you really would leave everything?”

  “I would. If it meant having you by my side every day. Without excepti
on.”

  He’s trying to tell me something here and I’m not getting it. His phone beeps and he says, “That’s my cue. I have a meeting this afternoon. I’ll see you tonight.”

  I stand and he kisses me briefly. “Check your eyes. They may need a little touch-up.”

  “Yeah, I figured as much. A little raccoony, huh?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Sorry about the meltdown.”

  His arms wraparound me and he lifts me up. “Don’t be sorry about that. I love you. Every bit of you. The happy and sad.”

  “Yeah, well, it seems we’ve had too much sad lately. I want to get our happy back.”

  “Me too, kea.”

  And he’s gone, leaving me to my worried thoughts again. Good thing I have a busy afternoon.

  ***

  When I get home, Lydia has already gone for the evening. Kolson isn’t home and I’m beat. It’s more than usual and I attribute it to my constant worry. I check the refrigerator to see what’s in store for dinner and find a note from Kolson.

  Surprise. We’re going to dinner tonight. I thought a visit to

  Giuseppe’s was in order. See you soon.

  Love, K

  Oh, I love Giuseppe’s. My mouth immediately waters as I remember the last time we ate there. I can’t wait for the tiramisu. Since it’s not a dressy restaurant, I want to change into jeans, so I go to the bedroom. I’m in bra and panties when Kolson walks in.

  Mr. Insatiable sees me and says, “This is a nice get-home-from-work greeting.”

  “It would be better if you had fewer clothes on.”

  He laughs. “I’m sweaty.” He just finished working out.

  “I like sweaty. Remember?”

  And that’s the truth. Seeing him all glistening—how can I not like him sweaty?

  “Now who’s insatiable?”

  When he pulls off his shirt and tosses it in the hamper, I could drool. His six-pack gleams. My hand can’t help but reach out for him. I trace his V-line to where it meets the waistband of his shorts.

  “You make me that way. You are so tantalizing. Do you even know how much you arouse me?”