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He rights himself and smirks as if something is funny. "She's staying with an old friend. I think you've seen him a time or two."
I clench my fists as I feel my blood pressure rise. "She's staying with the biker fuck? Out of all the people in her life, you send her off with one that wants in her pants?"
"As much as you might not like it, August, there aren't that many people in her life that she can just disappear with. He's been around for years, and Gigi is not interested in him. If you love her, maybe you should try trusting her."
I shake my head and start heading toward the door. "I need to borrow your car, so I can get to my plane. She's coming home, and we're staying at my house with personal security placed on the perimeter. You said the company goes public by the end of the month, which gives us a week to unravel everything. I think I have an idea how to bring them down without killing anyone, but I need you to dig up the paper trail that incriminates them."
He shakes his head and leans back in the chair. "I'm not your personal hacker August."
I shrug. "Okay, you go get Gianna, and I'll hack the records." He knows damn well I can't hack shit. I would have to hire someone. It's sinking in that I'm leaving to get Gianna and not him, and I can tell it's eating him alive.
Standing up, he reaches into his pocket and throws me the keys. "I want to know the minute you have her."
I nod and walk out.
WhenIgottothe beach house, Gianna wasn't there, but the biker boy was. Apparently, he was on his way out to meet up with the girls and his roommate. I explained to him that I was there to take her home. Of course, he didn't trust my word and called Mason to verify, which he did. The guy doesn't like me, and that's fine. I'm not here to make friends.
Following Bryce in my rental car to the beach, all I can think about is whether she be happy to see me. When she walked out of the room at the hospital, we had been official for maybe an hour. What I don't know is if any of this changes things. Does she think I can't keep her safe? Does she know I've been fighting for her? Does she blame me? I'm torn out of my thoughts once we reach his store. Climbing out of the car, Bryce comes over.
"They should be down at the bonfire over there.” He flicks his head toward the raging fire down by the water's edge before adding, “I need to run into the shop, and then I'll head over."
He starts walking toward the shop before I have time to respond, which is perfectly fine with me. I have no desire to make small talk with the guy.
Every molecule in my body wants to rush over to the bonfire, find Gianna, scoop her up in my arms, and never let her go. Just being this close to her makes my heart race. I stop at the boardwalk and take a minute to calm my nerves. While I may have spent the last week tied up in a basement obsessing over her, it doesn't mean she has spent any time worrying about me. A big part of me can't help but wonder if I'm not the guy she wants to see tonight.
The sun just went down, it's dark, and there are tons of people down by the fire. Spotting her from back here on the boardwalk would be nearly impossible. I'm about to start heading down when movement from the perimeter of the fire catches my eye. Blonde hair, tan skin, and curves I would recognize anywhere stand up from a beach towel. My stomach is in knots as I watch her pull down her jean skirt that had ridden up, giving me a quick peek at that perfect ass. She's talking to her friend, who I now know is Vivian, and gesturing toward the food trucks. Before I can put one foot in front of the other, I see her throw her head back, laughing. The sight has me rooted where I stand.
Watching her, knowing she doesn’t know I’m here, is a special treat. Here she is with her friends, in her element, and as I look on, I get a glimpse of the man I want to be. I want to make her laugh, I want to put that smile on her face, I want to be her everything.
Making her way toward the food trucks, kicking up sand as she walks, I stay frozen to my spot. She's wearing a black bikini top and a jean skirt, her hair is perfectly unkempt from being blown around in the wind, and her skin is perfectly sun-kissed. There is no doubt that she has been down here all day. She looks amazing, relaxed, and better than I remember, if possible.
As she gets closer in her approach, a thought passes my mind. I wonder if she can feel my eyes on her, feel me watching her every move. The idea hasn't even left my mind when her big green eyes snap up to meet mine. Gianna stops dead in her tracks, and I swear my heart stops. One look from her is all it takes to break me. For a split second, the look that crosses her face looks like one of disappointment, but it's gone just as fast as it came because in the next breath, she is running toward me with a massive smile on her face. Stepping into the sand, I only take a few steps off the boardwalk before she is jumping into my arms, wrapping her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist.
God, I forgot how good she smells, how soft her body is against mine, how incredibly perfect she is. Since the moment I meant her, this woman has consumed me. I know it's madness and foolish to be so utterly devoted to someone I barely know, but life is inherently risky, and you can't win if you don't take the chance. She is a bet I'll make every time because betting on her is choosing me. With her, I'm the person I've always wanted to be.
I hold her tighter and breathe her in deeper before murmuring against her neck, "Say it's me."
Her entire body tightens around mine as if she's trying to forge a deeper connection while she mindlessly runs her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck.
"It's always been you." She whispers into my ear.
Those four simple words almost bring me to my knees and instantly become my new favorites.
I try to pull her back to look at her face, but she doesn't let me go, so I bury my face into her neck and place an open-mouthed kiss on the spot below her ear. Her skin instantly pebbles beneath my mouth, and I feel her smile against my neck.
"Gianna, please release me so that I can kiss you, baby. You have—" She cuts me off before I can finish my sentence, sealing her lips over mine in an all-consuming kiss. The minute her lips touched mine I was a goner, breathless, wrecked. All the hell I went through this past week was worth it for this moment. We’ve never been great with words, but right now she's kissing me with a passion that matches my own and I know without words, she is mine. When her tongue parts my lips seeking entrance, I let her take it. I'll give her anything. Everything I have is all hers if she wants it. Her legs are still wrapped tightly around me, and her sexy little whimpers mixed with her soft body molded against mine have me rock hard.
I pull back breathless from our kiss as she unhooks her legs and slides down my front until her feet are flat on the ground.
"August, I'm so sorry."
What the hell is she sorry for? Sorry for kissing me? I still have her tight against my body as I peer down at her with a questioning gaze. I'm about to question her when she starts talking.
"When I left Mason's room, I had no idea that I would be kidnapped and taken to Florida. They put sleeping pills in my drink, and the next thing I knew, I was here and told that I couldn't have any contact with anyone back home. I wouldn't have left you, August."
I'm pissed and relieved all at the same time. Mason didn't mention the part about drugging her, but the only part I can focus on is that she didn't leave me.
Many questions ran on a constant loop in my mind while I was tied up.Did she willingly leave me? Did she think I couldn't keep her safe?
