Breaking Bedrock (Book Two) (7 page)

William stood up. “I’m done here.”

“Hang on. Let me get you an ice pack to go.”

William eyed his swelling eye in the hallway mirror.
“Motherfucker! I thought I made it clear I have a meeting.”

Sondra tossed the icepack, and William caught it mid-air. “Let me
make something clear to you. Get your shit together, William. It’s time to man
up. While you’ve been busy licking your wounds, Scott Hammons has been
harassing your girl. He’s made contact with her, William. And if I had to guess,
I’d say she hasn’t told you a thing about it.”

“God damn it” was all William could manage before he rushed out
the door.

There wasn’t a doubt in Sondra’s mind where he was headed. This
may have been her best work yet. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

William caught Carl off guard as he grabbed him by the collar
just outside Sondra’s doorway. “Are our guys still detailing Mrs. Greyer?”

Carl swiftly grabbed William’s wrists and maneuvered himself
away. “Mr. Hartman, I kindly ask that you keep your hands off me, or this will
be the end of our working relationship?”

William backed away, gritting his teeth. “I’m sorry, Carl. But,
please, just answer the question.”

“Yes, sir, we have three guys on her.” Carl replied,
straightening his collar.

William started for the stairs. “Take me to her. Now!”

“Mr. Hartman, please, calm down.” Carl replied as he hurriedly
whispered orders into his earpiece.

“I’m not going to fucking calm down. Don’t
tell
me to calm
down. That bastard contacted her, and what I want to know is why in the hell I
haven’t heard about it.”

Carl opened the car door as he ushered orders to the driver and
the man seated in the passenger side.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Hartman. I’m going to get to the bottom of
this.”

William rubbed his swollen eye and winced. “Damn straight you
are. And from now on, you’re the point man on her security detail. I’m not
taking any more chances.”

Jessica had kindly offered to take the boys for the
night so that Addie could begin packing the stuff she didn’t want the movers to
touch. She wasn’t taking much, so as not to upset Patrick, and she’d already
picked out and purchased much of the furniture and belongings for the new house
with assistance from some of the employees at the agency. Thankfully, Sondra
had been extremely helpful, throwing assistance her way that Addie hadn’t even
known she’d need.

In the morning, Addie would pick the boys up and tell them about
the move. She was dreading it. They’d been so excited to sleep over at Aunt
Jessica’s, and Addie felt terrible, thinking about all of changes they would
all face over the next several months. Addie had placed the last of her
favorite coffee mugs into the box when her cell phone chimed. She read and then
reread the text message.

Mrs. Greyer, I’m coming in through the side entrance. We
need to talk.

It was from Richard, the man in charge of her security detail.
With everything going on, the message unsettled her even further. While she
didn’t really enjoy being followed or announcing her every whim, she had grown
fond of the men, baking them cookies that she’d allowed the boys to deliver,
along with the custom artwork they’d made for them.

Addie heard the key turn in the lock at the back door as she
poured herself a glass of wine. “In here,” she called over her shoulder as she brought
the glass to her lips. Addie blinked and attempted to swallow the lump that had
just lodged in her throat. She did a double take before her brain could process
what she was seeing.
Yes, it really was William standing in front of her.

William stood there staring for a moment before he finally spoke.
“Why didn’t you tell me about Hammons contacting you, Addison?”

Addie gulped the wine in her glass down and poured another.
“Would you like a drink?”

William lowered his gaze. “No. I’d
like
you to answer my
question.”

“William, what are you doing here?” Addie surveyed her kitchen
and continued. “You know we’re not supposed to have any contact with one
another. My attorneys tell me it’s the worst thing I could do for myself.”

“I don’t care what your attorneys think. I asked you a question,”
William replied, moving closer.

Addie backed away ever so slightly. “Oh, I don’t know, probably
because I expected you to do something like this.”

William moved in for the kill, their eyes never leaving one
another. He grabbed Addie by the waist and pushed her against the counter,
holding her in place with his body. They stood staring at each other, searching
one another’s eyes for answers that wouldn’t seem to come, before William
finally pulled her in tight. He inhaled the scent of her as he whispered in her
ear, “Damn it, Addison. I’m not sure whether to make love to you or kill you.
Do you know how fucking scared I was when I heard that asshole is bothering you
again? I was sure he’d hurt you again, and I had to see for myself. Why are you
here alone? And God damn it, Addison, why didn’t I know about this? Why didn’t
my security know about this?”

Addie shrugged. Feeling faint, she pushed away and put some
distance between them, for the first time seeing William’s face up close. “What
in the hell happened to your face?” Addie gasped.

William reached for his eye instinctively. “Nothing.”

“Hold on. I’m going to ask you again. What happened to your face,
William?” she scoffed.

“It’s nothing.”

Addie reached for the wine bottle and poured herself another
glass. “So you’re seeing Sondra again? She did this to you, huh?”

William chuckled and took the glass from her hand. “Maybe it was
Hammons. Why do you care anyway?”

Addie reached for the glass, but William was much too strong to
wrestle it from. “Oh, I don’t know, probably for the same reason you’re here.
Wait.
Why
are you here, again, William?”

So she’s pissed. That’s a good sign.
William grabbed her
by her wrist and flipped her around so that her back was to his stomach
. Her
mouth might be telling him she was pissed, but her body certainly wasn’t.
“Because
I need you, Addison. Because I’m a mess without you. But most of all because I
love you, and I’m tired of hiding it.”

Addie couldn’t speak. It was just too much. She could feel every
inch of his body on her. She could feel the heat of his breath on her neck, and
she was quickly losing the will to fight. “William, please.”

William traced her ear with his tongue. “I’ve always liked when
you beg. Just stop fighting it, Addison. Stop fighting us. Can’t you see you
aren’t going to win? Let me make love to you, and we’ll sort the rest out
later.”

Addie used one of the self-defense moves she’d learned to
untangle herself and swiftly jabbed William in the ribs.

“You seriously think I’m that easy, do you, Mr. Hartman?”

William groaned and tried to pull himself upright. “It worked the
first time, didn’t it?”

Addie deadpanned. “Fuck you, William. That was a low blow.”

“Tell me about it.” William grinned.

Addie downed the last of her wine as she surveyed the mess. “You
wanna get out of here?”

William reached for her hand and interlaced his fingers with
hers. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”

Seven

Addie climbed in the dark SUV with William close
behind. She whispered the directions to Carl who simply nodded.

William looked at Addie in disbelief. “So where are we headed?”

Addie scooted over in the seat, putting some distance between the
two of them. “You’ll see.”

“Whatever you say.” William replied, closing the distance. “I’ve
missed you. God! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”

Addie again scooted over, trying to get as far away as she could.
What was it about this man that made her lose all rationality? “There’s a lot
we need to talk about, William.”

William pressed the button to pull up the privacy divider between
them and the men upfront. “So talk.”

“We will. There’s a time and place for everything.”

Addie and William pulled up to the unassuming building
they’d both come to know as the Dungeon. William cocked an eyebrow. “Really?
You want to talk here?”

“We’re here, aren’t we?” Addie smirked.

Addie ordered William to go into room number two and sit in the
chair in the center of the room so that she could get changed. He knew the
routine.
Hell, they both knew the routine.

She entered the room, dressed in the leather catsuit she’d worn
before, only this time without the mask. William eyed her from head to toe,
seemingly amused. She walked to William, bent down, and pecked him on the cheek
before she asked him to press play on her phone. He seemed surprised when
Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” belted out instead of his usual.

Addie picked up one of the riding crops from the table and placed
William’s hands behind his back, carefully tying them as she’d learned. It was
like riding a bicycle, all of this.

He smiled as Addie stood there, admiring her work. “You like this
one, huh?”

William shrugged.

“I need to know you, William. I mean really know you.” Addie said
as she slapped his thigh gently.

William glared at her with an intensity she hadn’t seen before.
“You do know me, Addison.”

Addie ran her fingers underneath his collar and then slowly
unbuttoned his shirt. She got to the last button before she spoke. “Do I,
though?” She asked, as she gently traced his jawline with her tongue. When she
noticed the chills she gave him, she slapped the crop against his pants without
much effort behind it. “Why are you seeing Sondra again? Why do you need this?”

“I don’t know,” William whispered.

Addie stepped back and paused. “I think you do know.”

William sighed. “Sometimes I just need it. It’s like a release.
It keeps me in control when things get out of hand.”

She stepped forward and touched his swollen face. “Do you think
you deserve this, William? Do you think I deserve seeing you like this?”

“No. I don’t know,” William replied as he stared at the floor.

Addie tilted his chin so that his eyes met hers. “If we’re going
to do this, I need to know that I’m enough.”

William looked her up and down and grinned. “Baby, you’re more
than enough.”

“Ouch.” William called out after Addie slapped the crop across
his chest.

“I’m serious. Damn it.” Addie slapped him, again.

“Okay. Okay. What is it you’re asking for?” William laughed.

“I’m asking you to trust me to give you what you need.”

William chuckled. “I do.”

Addie slapped him again, hard this time. She bent over and
whispered in his ear, “Is this a joke to you, Mr. Hartman? Because I’ll leave
and come back when you’re able to take shit seriously. Don’t worry. I’ve got
all night.”

William inhaled her scent. This was the worst kind of torture. He
couldn’t take anymore. He wanted her so bad. “I trust you, Addison. Damn it. I
trust you.”