Wrapping his arms around her, Alexander let her lay her head on his shoulder. “You need more rest.” He helped her to the upstairs sitting room and settled her on a love seat next to thewindow.
River padded in, her inquisitive green eyes investigating the space, and meowed. “You’ll forgive me for all this turmoil once I ply you with tuna,” Alexander said after he retrieved a blanket from a cedar chest in the corner. The cat met his stare. He wouldn’t look away. He was the master in this house, not her. Eventually, the cat looked down at her paws and started to purr. “Good girl,” he said, scratching her behind theears.
Chef Donatella’s quick entrance saved him from embarrassing himself with declarations of love orcontrol-freakbehavior like carrying Elizabeth right back to bed and making her staythere.
“Lunch will be ready in a few minutes, sir,” Donatella said. “I thought you and Miss Elizabeth could use some coffee.” She set a silver tray with a press pot of coffee and two china cups on the table in front ofthem.
“Elizabeth, this is Donatella. If you’re ever hungry, she can fix you anything you want. I’ll warn you now, though, she doesn’t like it when I raid thepantry.”
The chef smiled. “I only chide Mr. Fairhaven because he has an annoying habit of putting empty cracker boxes and chip bags back where he found them. Avoid that, and you and I will get along fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be back in a few minutes with yourmeal.”
Alexander poured Elizabeth a cup of coffee, then draped his arm around her shoulders, urging her against his body. He tipped the cup to her lips, and she made a feeble attempt to bat him away. “Elizabeth,” he warned, “you are trembling too severely to hold a cup. Let me helpyou.”
She looked up at him with so much uncertainty that his heart threatened to break, but took a sip of the coffee. When he set the cup down, she reached for his hand. “I’mscared.”
“I protect those I care about; I told you that last night. There’s a six-man security team guarding the house, and you’re not going anywhere alone. Once the prosecutor gets here, we’ll figure out our nextsteps.”
Elizabeth shook her head, winced, and slumped back against him. “I know the next steps. I’ll testify, but the case could last six months to a year. And they’ll keep coming after me until it’s over. There’s only one solution.” She tried and failed to stifle a sob. “Witness protection. Alone.” Tears lined her eyes as she peered up at Alexander. “Why did I have to meet younow?”
Alexander ached to crush something—or someone. Namely, whoever sent a hitman after the woman he loved. But as she shuddered and tried not to cry, he smoothed a hand over her hair. “Witness protection might be the easiest option, but not one I’m prepared to live with. Do youwanttoleave?”
“No,” she said with so much fervor that he smiled. Gently, with as much care as one would give an orchid, he tipped her head back and kissed her. Quick nips to the side of her mouth, a dart of his tongue, his teeth tugging on her lower lip. If she weren’t so fragile, he’d have her underneath him in a heartbeat. But right now, he satisfied himself plundering that deliciousmouth.
After a simple lunch of grilled cheese and tomato soup and more coffee, Elizabeth’s hands had stopped shaking, and her color hadimproved.
“Will you rest for a bit before Nicholas gets here?” Alexanderasked.
“Not yet. You said you had mycomputer?”
“I do. Wait here.” As he jogged down the stairs to his study, he realized he still didn’t know what had happened in the ten minutes Elizabeth had been trapped in her apartment with thehitman.
You’re too knackered to think straight,he berated himself. Then again, as tired as he was, hearing the details of her injuries might have him doing something he’d regret—like going after Carteralone.
Alexander took his time ascending the stairs, debating how much to press Elizabeth for details. As he set the laptop in front of her, she smiled up at him. “Thanks.”
He dropped down next to her, watching her search for recently modified files. Dozens filled the screen, at least half of them opened when Elizabeth had been firmly bound in his silks. Once she took several screenshots, she tried to open one of thefiles.
“FHE—Fairhaven Exports.” A password prompt appeared. “That’s not mine,” she said. Four more files produced the same prompt. “These are all CPH clients. The guy…” Her voice broke, but she clenched her fists in her lap and continued. “He had pills. He was going to make my death look like asuicide.”
Alexander saw red, then purple as he met Elizabeth’s gaze. With a firm hand, he shut the lid on thelaptop.
“Alexander, didn’t you hearme?”
“I did.” Gathering her close, he took a deep breath. “There is something I haven’t told you yet about last night. There was a loose floorboard in your bedroom. Underneath it, Nicholas found a stack of papers. Copies of Fairhaven Exports’ tax returns for the past three years. The doctored versions and the originals. All with Carter’s signature on them. And notes with your name on them confirming thefraud.”
Tears gathered in Elizabeth’s eyes. “I didn’t. Alexander, you have to believe me. I never worked on your returns. I didn’t have anything to do with the fraud. Oh God. I wouldn’t lie to you. I’venever…”
Catching her around the waist as she tried to push to her feet, Alexander urged her into his lap, cradling her against him. “I know, Elizabeth. I know,” he said as he rubbed her uninjured arm. “As does Nicholas. Someone breaks into your home, tries to kill you, andthenwe find evidence that links you to the fraud? I have no doubt that you are smart enough to pull this off if you so desired. If there was a dishonest bone in your body.” He cupped the back of her neck. “Which is why I know you wouldn’t be so daft as to leave an open floorboard easily seen in your bedroom. I retrieved your wrap before we left. The floorboard wasn’t loose then. I never suspected you for a moment. Neither did mybrother.”
She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head against his sweater. “Thank God. I…you saved my life.” Wriggling, she tried to burrow closer. “I didn’t want this relationship. But you wouldn’t leave me alone, and now I don’t want to let yougo.”
“Then I’m a fortunateman.”
