Page 12

brIDGET

T he sun was getting too hot. I picked up my glass of iced tea and walked from the sundeck to the shaded patio area beneath the helm.

As I relaxed out on deck, I allowed myself the pleasure of reliving all the moments with Jaxon, right from the moment when I looked up at the buzzing sound of a jet ski and discovered him watching me.

I knew right then that I badly wanted him to watch me.

It was almost as if I sensed our chemistry right then, with just a stretch of choppy waves between us.

I'd left the house right after breakfast to my escape place, Dad's boat.

I'd walked into the house just as the sun was breaking through a cloudy dawn.

The smell of bacon and waffles had lured me into the dining room.

It had been early enough that I was sure I could eat and slip out without having to see Dad, but he was already waiting for me, sitting with his fingers crossed self-importantly at the head of the table.

We barely spoke a word as I choked down the waffle I no longer had an appetite for.

There wasn't anything to say really. He'd won …

again. I was powerless against his mighty tools of money, greed and utter lack of compassion or conscience.

He reminded me that my future was still inextricably tied to my relationship with Alex.

It was all part of his ruthless plan to control me.

On my eighteenth birthday, when I'd gotten arrested for underage drinking in public, he announced that he'd shut down my trust fund.

He claimed that trust funds were for lazy people and they made kids irresponsible.

Instead, he turned to the very barbaric, old-fashioned tradition of promising a dowry on my wedding day.

The money would of course go to my new husband, and that new husband was going to be Alex or everything was off the table.

My phone beeped, and for a second, my heart raced.

Then I reminded myself that Jaxon and I had been so caught up in being together, we'd never exchanged numbers.

Not that it mattered. Dad had made his intentions clear.

He'd bring down the whole Stone family if I kept seeing Jaxon.

I glanced at the screen. It was yet another text from a financial firm wanting to manage my finances.

It was the third of the morning, and I had no fucking clue why I was getting them.

I laughed to myself as I put my phone away.

Wouldn't they be surprised if I said "yes" and then showed them my mostly empty bank account.

Dad handed out bits of money only when he thought it necessary.

He reminded me that I had shelter and a car and clothes and food, and I didn't need anything else.

Another text came through. It was from Alex. "I'm coming aboard so we can talk." I dropped the phone aside.

Footsteps landed on the deck. I shrank down in my beach wrap, wishing I could disappear. I smelled his cologne before he even reached the sunning deck. Even his cologne made my stomach turn. There was no way I could marry a man I despised. Death would be easier.

"There you are, baby."

I tensed up every time he called me "baby." He stepped onto the sunning deck and sat down next to me in the shade. He was great at pretending there was no tension between us. "Should we take her out on the water?" he asked.

"Nope. Not interested. I just came here because I didn't want to be at home."

He reached over to place a hand on my thigh. I moved my leg away. "Are you still pissed about last night?" he asked, incredulously. He'd once again changed history, and the brutal fact that I left the club with Jaxon was no longer a part of that history.

I looked at him for a long time. "Why the hell do you persist? It's so obvious that I don't want to be with you. Doesn't that hurt that humongous ego of yours?"

"I think you're just a spoiled fucking brat, and when you realize you either marry me or you get cut off financially, you'll come crawling.

" He had the gall to lick his lip as if the idea of me crawling back excited him.

Now that I knew what true erotic bliss felt like, I'd never let the man near me again. He disgusted me in every way.

"I think you should take a moment to reflect on your own motives," I said coldly. "You don't want me. You want the enormous dowry that comes with me."

Alex sat back with a shrug. "The dads have had this planned since we were young, and I figure we'll get married, get the money, and well, we can lead very independent lives after that."

I sat forward with a laugh. "Aha, so there it is. The motive has nothing to do with love. It's all about money, and why the hell didn't I already know that about you? Of course it was about the money."

Alex reached for me, but I pulled my hand back.

His face reddened with anger. "I cared about you, but you've been a frigid bitch for a year.

A guy can only take so much of your princess attitude.

Shit, you're even worse now that you've met that Trayton piece of garbage.

" A sneer crossed his face. How had I ever considered Alex handsome?

"Your dad's going to take care of him anyway. "

I sat up straighter. "I know all about his threats. Why the hell do you think I came back? Cuz I missed you guys? I'm back so he's going to leave them alone," I said, mostly to assure myself that it was true.

"That asshole is going to regret ever meeting you, sweetheart." Alex got up and walked to the rolling cart to pour himself a scotch.

I stood up. "He better not go near them!"

Alex turned around. He was wearing what I liked to call his snotty-cruel face.

His mood changed quicker than the wind out on the Pacific.

"Some of the family members have been out on Croft Beach causing problems, so I think your dad is ready to put an end to that too.

And don't even think about seeing that tatted-up asshole again.

Your dad has his buddy on speed dial. One word and their leases are gone.

Pretty clever plan, actually." He took a long sip of scotch and sighed.

"Guess that's why I've always admired your dad. "

"Why? Because he's a ruthless sonavabitch who would sell his own daughter off to a man she despises?"

It was barely perceptible, but he flinched at my words.

"You don't get anywhere in this world without a good dose of ruthlessness.

And like it or not, baby, we're going to be married.

Then I'll give you a decent allowance, and you can fuck every tattooed criminal from here to fucking Canada for all I care.

As far as I'm concerned, the faster we get that situation in place, the better. "

"It won't happen, so you can stop counting your coins, Ebeneezer. I'll find a way out of this, and then you and I will part ways for good."

I swept up my towel and slid my feet into my flip-flops.

"We'll see about that." Alex's creepy chuckle followed me as I left the boat.

I blinked back tears. I'd been doing that a lot lately.

I'd spoken confidently, only I had no idea how to get out of this horrid situation.

But that didn't matter right now. I needed to get home and make sure that Dad was going to keep his part of the deal.

I'd stay away from Jaxon, and he'd leave the Stone family alone.

I slammed the front door as I walked inside. I placed my beach things on the bottom step and marched down the hallway to Dad's office. His door was slightly ajar. I could hear him talking angrily on the phone.

"I don't understand, Keller. I thought it was taken care of.

" Keller was one of his accountants. He was a guy who always looked as if he'd been up all night drinking, and he always seemed pretty fucking shady compared to some of Dad's other advisors.

Whatever had happened, Dad sounded mad as hell.

I glanced through the crack into his office. He was pacing in front of the desk.

"Just make sure it's done cleanly. If this comes back to me—" Dad looked up and spotted me. He paused the conversation. "Why the fuck are you lurking around out there, Bridget?"

"I need to talk to you," I said. Now seemed like a terrible time to do that, but I needed to make sure he left the Stones alone.

"Call you later, Keller." He hung up. "What do you want, Bridget? I'm busy."

His tone made me shrink back, and I considered dropping the idea of confronting him, only it was too important. I took a deep breath and pushed open the door. "I'm not going to see Jaxon, but you will keep your end of the promise, right?"

He was always so caught up in his own life and spent so little time thinking about mine, except when he was looking to control it, it took him a moment to decipher what I was talking about. "Just stay away from him," he said curtly with an imperial wave of his hand.

I stepped farther inside. "You will keep your end of the bargain. Leave the Stones alone."

He wasn't used to having orders tossed his way. His mouth twisted as if he'd just sucked on a bitter lemon. He leaned against the front of his desk and crossed his arms. "Can we set the wedding date?"

"No more fucking blackmail. You told me not to see him. That was my side of the bargain. Yours was to keep your greedy fucking paws off the Stones. This has nothing to do with Alex and me."

"I think it does because once I pass you off to him, you become his burden. Not mine."

I stared at the man and wondered how there could be any family connection at all. I knew one thing for certain, I couldn't hate him any more than I did right at that moment.

"Marry Alex yourself. You're perfect for each other," I muttered and walked out.