Morgan felt happy as the limo made its way up the drive to the house. He’d forgotten all about Hunt Industries and his father’s crap during his most enjoyable sexy, erotic outing with His Ellie. Once he saw her upset in the car, it derailed all thoughts of what happened at Hunt. Then he just fell in with everything that was Ellie. Wanting her immediately. Nothing made him feel like she did. Over and over. He used to get a high from making a deal or besting a competitor. So when he’d exposed his father today, it should have made him feel like a winner.
It hadn’t, all these years he waited to show up his dad. To move past the way Edwin had made him feel since he’d been a child. Then when it finally happened? His father was proud of him all right. But Morgan couldn’t even get any satisfaction, instead he’d hurt his mom and the revelation left a bad taste in his mouth.
At least, there would be no more accusations of him being the father of Daphne’s baby. Suddenly, he sat up in the seat. His half brother or sister!
The limo had stopped moving as it parked and he just sat there.
“Morgan?” Ellie sat up and stared at him.
“My father slept with Daphne,” he blurted out. “Been sleeping with her and the baby is his.” He stared straight ahead.
Ellie put her hands over her mouth. Her face paling two shades.
“It didn’t sink in till now. That he’d slept with a woman half his age, a woman I slept…” He shook his head. “Then this child will be a Hunt.” He laughed.
Ellie gaped at him. “How is this funny in any way?”
His laughter grew.
“Morgan!”
He swiped at his tears. “My dad got another heir!” He fell over laughing in the limo seat.
Ellie looked dumbfounded.
His laughter took his breath away. “And—and when Daphne couldn’t get me to father a—Hunt?” He howled again with a long breathless laugh as he slapped his thigh. “S-she went to the previous generation and now carries a Hunt that guarantees her place f-forever!”
Ellie bit at her lip.
He sat up and tried to catch his breath. “S-she will have her nails into him for y-years! After him for part of the will, part of Hunt shares, part of the kingdom.” He tried to calm himself but it did no good, he was out of control as it all sunk in. “Well, they have my blessings!” He laughed loudly again. “Oh—oh. It is too good! They deserve each other sooo much!” He kept laughing.
Ellie smiled slightly then she started to laugh as if she just got it.
He sat and wiped his tears away. “It’s perfect.” His voice went low. “I will be free of it. The only child all these years… all of it on me. To be THE Hunt of my generation. Expected to take over.”
Ellie reached out and took his hand.
He looked over at her. “I feel like the weight of world was just removed from my shoulders.” He raised Ellie’s hand and kissed it. “I don’t want you exposed to that world, Ellie. I want you just as you are. So honest, so unaffected by greed and avarice.”
Ellie blinked at him. “B-but I’m not sophisticated, educated, not good enou—”
He grabbed her up and a sat her on his lap. “No, you’re not good enough.”
Her eyes rounded.
“You’re better than them. Above that grime, that dirt they call their lives. Don’t you get it? You are as clean as can be. Money doesn’t make you better. At least, not a better person. The drive to get it eats at your soul, no matter how you try to deny it. Power feels good when you have it but then you have to fight the pack to keep it. You have to do things that…” His voice faded away. “That a decent human being wouldn’t do. I’ve done those things. I’ve put people out of jobs, ruined families, just to turn a million.”
Ellie grabbed his face. “But you save people too.” She pressed her lips to his. “You saved me.”
He gazed into her eyes as he admitted something he’d known for a while, “The best day of my life was the day I first saw you. Something drove me to stop my car and save you. My motto before that had been, ‘Don’t Get Involved.’ I wasn’t alive inside before you. I was like walking around soulless. Walking all over people and making deals that hurt people or changed their lives and I didn’t even fucking care. Look at the way I thought about you. Just get you bedded, get you out of my system and then walk away. No Ellie. You saved me.”
Tears fell from her eyes.
He kissed her gently. Then he pulled back with a smile. “Let’s go in and have a huge bubble bath. Are you hungry?”
She nodded as she swiped at her tears.
He grabbed her hand and opened the door.
They walked up the steps and into the house.
Ellie felt on top of the world. She and Morgan had come so far in the few months they’d known each other. They were sharing more. He was sharing a lot. Yes, she knew he was a ruthless businessman. She figured as much. But you could see he regretted a lot of what he’d done. This showed that he had changed in many ways. Then the way he took the realization of his father and Daphne. He was actually glad about it. Not worried about his place or his inheritance.
Ellie shivered. Gross. That was all she could say about that news. Daphne had accused her of being just a billionaire’s sex toy, plaything, a whore. Well, look who was doing that very thing and with a married billionaire almost twice her age. And the father of her ex-boyfriend, no less. YICK.
Ellie trailed upstairs while Morgan was on the phone. She pushed all that stuff out of her mind. It was just her and Morgan. He was still downstairs ordering dinner. She wanted to put candles in the Garden tub area and get their bath ready. Her skin flushed. She knew there would be a lot more going on than just bathing. Especially with Morgan. The man sexed her several times a day. She only
A ringing sounded from the area where the bed was. She gazed around and spotted her phone on the side table. Wow, she hadn’t seen her phone since… It kept ringing. She picked it up and looked at the caller. Oh, Joanna. “Hello?”
“Hey sweetie. I was just worried about you. You are all over the press again.”
Ellie chuckled. “Yes, seems my life will be a movie soon.”
Joann laughed. “Well, I’m holdin’ down the fort. Your job will always be here. But with that boyfriend of yours staffing the place, no worries on you having to be here.”
Ellie had forgotten that Morgan had replaced her basically with a staffing agency. God, it seems like years ago when that happened.
“So, I just wanted to know how you were,” Joanna broke into her thoughts.
“Umm, I’m good. I had a car accident—”
“WHAT? Oh, my god, are you okay?”
“Yes, yes. Calm down, mom.” Ellie laughed.
“Well, you are like my own kid, Ell.”
“That is wonderful to hear Jo.” Ellie got choked up. Joanna was basically that. She’d been at the diner working for her for more than two years now. Joanna was protective of her and had always been there for her. She only had one real relative and that was her God uncle, her father’s best friend. She’d only seen him because she had needed a place to stay that time when—she pushed that memory out of her head.
“Oh and I also had a visitor here yesterday at the coffee shop.”
“Yeah?” Ellie wondered what that had to do with her.
“Your old professor.”
Ellie held very still.
“You know from that Chemistry clas—”
“What did he say?” Ellie’s words were breathless.
Joann paused “…Oh, he was nice and all. He just wanted to see you. Said he was worried about you. That you just disappeared.”
Ellie sat on the bed as her body shook. “And?”
“And I told him I hadn’t heard from you in a while. Which is true, ya know? Hint, hint to call me more.”
“Oh…” Ellie stared off into space.
“Yeah, he is such a nice man. All intellectual and crap,” Joanna chuckled.
“Yes…” Ellie swallowed heavily. “He’s…” Her brain yelled, HE’S A PSYCHO but she bit her lip instead of yelling it out.
“Anyways. Please keep me in the loop? I also have my spot all picked out as the mother.”
Ellie blinked rapidly her heart racing. “W-what?”
“In your wedding party. I mean you do realize I’ll be there as your family, your mom, right?”
Ellie shook her head. “Wedding?”
Joanna laughed. “You keep acting like there won’t be one, but I know that man is gonna want to marry you. Keep you as his for good.”
Ellie couldn’t even think straight at the moment as she paused.
“Ellie?”
“Umm…yes Joanna?”
“Are you okay? I mean has he…I mean are you two happy?”
Ellie sat up straight and tried to get her breath as panic tried to waylay her into a full out anxiety attack. “Yes! Oh, yes Jo. He is so wonderful to me.”
“Good. Cause I don’t want to have to come where you are and kick his delicious ass.” Joanna laughed.
Ellie smiled but she didn’t feel anything good at the moment, just fear. “I Love you Jo.”
“I love you too kitten and I’m so happy for you. Call me more often. I worry.”
“I will. Okay bye.”
“Bye.”
All she could think about was that Hillborn was back. He was also stalking her again. This meant that was him in the garage. She stood up and looked around. What do I do? I can’t think straight.
“Ellie?” Morgan came in and halted when he saw her face. He rushed over. “What is it?” He pulled her close.
“W-we need to get Chance here and right now!” she cried.
“What? Why?”
She pulled back. “First, how did my phone get here?”
He blinked his eyes. “Chance brought it. I-I found it in your Cooper the day you wrecked.”
“Oh…” She looked away.
“Ellie. What’s going on?”
She swung her gaze up to him. “Hillborn was at the diner yesterday, asking Joanna about me.”
Morgan looked like he’d turned to stone. He didn’t say a word as he took his phone out and called Chance.
Morgan was livid, though he couldn’t show it to Ellie. He didn’t want to upset her any more than she already was. He didn’t get it. When Chance made a problem go away in the past…it stayed gone. So why was Hillborn running loose?
“Okay, I called him.” He went into the bathroom and looked around. “Ellie?”
She came from the other side of the closet, her face an alabaster white.
He rushed forward. “What is it?”
She bit at her lip. “I-in the dressing room.”
He crinkled his brows. What had upset her in there? He went around her. Walking into the half of the dressing room that was hers, with only a few of her clothes hanging— he stopped in his tracks.
In red lipstick on the large mirror was, You are my whore, not his.
Morgan sucked a breath in. How did the man get in here? Morgan had a state of the art alarm system. He clenched his fists. “What the fuck is going on here?” He shut the door and walked back out into the bedroom. “Ellie?” he called out.
She wasn’t here. He then walked back into the garden tub room.
Ellie sat on the edge of the tub.
“Sweetness?” he asked softly as he touched her shoulder.
Jumping up, she turned to face him with tears streaming down her face.
“Oh, babe.” He gathered her up and held her close. “He won’t ever be near you again.”
“H-how can you promise that? He was here. RIGHT HERE! In your house.” She stepped back.
He felt so bad about this. He’d believed keeping her with him would keep this kind of thing from ever touching her. She was doing so well. They were happy for once.
Ellie gasped, then moved forward. “I’m sorry Morgan. I d-didn’t mean that…” She jumped up on him wrapping her legs around his waist and cried. “This isn’t your fault. It’s mine!”
Morgan held her close. “How the hell could it be your fault?”
“The clothes…” She sobbed.
He set her down so he could see her face. “The clothes?” He felt more confused than ever.
“Y-yes…” She swiped at her tears. “I kept wearing those sexy clothes and just like you predicted…” She started to cry hard.
Morgan sighed and gathered her up. “No sweetness. That did not give him free license to do what he did.”
Ellie kept crying.
“Please babe. I can’t take you crying. I-It tears me up.” He picked her up and carried her to the huge bed. Sitting down on it, he rocked her and rubbed her back. “God, I love you so much. I wanted to make you happy. Just be with you. You and I. I already know what it—what I would be like without you. We will get down to the bottom of this. I promise. In the meantime, I have a fleet of security and bodyguards. There’s cameras…” He stilled.
Ellie raised her head. “What is it?”
“I have cameras all over the property.” He rose up still holding her. Then he headed out of the room.
“Morgan, you can put me down now.”
He ignored her carrying her down the hall, then heading downstairs. He walked across the monstrously huge living space and then past two more doors. He went down yet another hallway.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He opened a door.
A man sat at one of the monitors. Chance turned his head to see them. “I already thought of it.” He indicated to the monitor.
Morgan finally set Ellie down and moved closer. “Who was it?”
Chance shrugged. “Don’t know.” He clicked a key on the keyboard.
The video showed a man in a ski mask, disabling the security panel by punching in a code.
“Whoever he was, he knew his tech. Or he had the code? I can’t tell,” Chance muttered.
Ellie stepped closer and watched. “It looks like his build?”
“Yeah, well it isn’t Hillborn.”
“How do you know, Chance?” Ellie asked.
He swiveled around and raised up his laptop, tapping a key.
The screen opened up.
There was the man or fiend in question, pacing a room.
Morgan gritted his teeth and glared at the screen.
“It looks like a jail cell,” Ellie whispered.
“It is. In Puerto Rico and this is live feed,” Chance explained.
On the screen, Hillborn looked up at the camera and smiled. He had missing teeth and looked insane.
Ellie gasped and stepped back.
Morgan forgot his rage and grabbed her up, holding her. Then he looked over at Chance. “Then what the hell?”
Chance shook his head but didn’t comment.
“Chance! You promised me that this was taken care of.” Morgan glared at him.
Chance stood up. “It was. It is, but…”
“BUT?”
Chance sighed.
Morgan let go of Ellie. “What did you find?” He knew this man, he knew when he had news that he didn’t want to share.
“I found out something and man…you are NOT going to react well. I don’t want to tell you actually. Cause you will go off, halfcocked.”
“What, Chance?”
“NO!” He spun around. “Let me handle it. If you knew—”
Morgan grabbed him up and raised him off the floor.
“Morgan!” Ellie shouted.
“Put me down, buddy. I won’t talk like this.”
“But you are going to talk, aren’t you buddy?” Morgan asked as he raised him higher.
“Nope. You’d better put me down, Morgan. I’m tired of you Morgan-handling me.”
Morgan stared up at him and grinned as he lowered him back to the ground. “Morgan handling? I like that one.”
“HA-freakin HA!” Chance snapped. “You already owe me dry cleaning bills and repairs on three damn suits!” He straightened his dress coat. “At least you didn’t leave bloodstains this time.
Behind them, Ellie gasped. “B-blood?”
The two men looked over at her stunned expression.
“Babe, remember that I told you about the hotel suite?” Morgan explained.
Chance now took his turn to gasp. “You actually told her about that?” He grinned. “Well, I’ll be damned. He is sharing with his woman.” He looked shocked still but laughed. “Damn, Ellie. When I got there and he opened the door, I almost had a god damn stroke. What a sight he was, blood all over his knuckles dripping all over the floor. Bloodshot over bloodshot eyes had a whole new meaning. The room was trashed in ten different ways. Glass everywhere. And you know how Hunt has those triple thick solid windows? He cracked that, there were fissures running through the entire fucking wall of a window! I mean it cost 25k to fix it all…” He stole a glance at Morgan and his words fell away.
He was livid. He certainly didn’t mean for Ellie to know the actual details.
“I thought you said you told her?” Chance looked nervous suddenly.
Ellie grabbed Morgan’s hand. “He did, just not the gory details.” She looked up at him. “It made me realize what he’d been through when bad stuff happened to our relationship. It wasn’t just me and about me. I refuse to let him be hurt anymore.” She sucked in a deep breath and raised her chin. “No more crying and no more running. I have to take care of him, you know?”
Chance stared at her and then Morgan. He looked thrilled and a bit flabbergasted. “See? I told you about her, Morgan. How the hell you ever got this lucky, I will never fucking know!” He laughed and then halted. “Well, if you’ll be taking care of him what the hell will I do with my life?”
Morgan and Ellie stared at him.
After a silent moment, they all three laughed.
“So…” Chance raised his laptop up. “I have more video feed to show you and believe me, this makes the scarecrow man in the cell look like a kid’s cartoon.”
Morgan and Ellie stepped close as the feed came on.