CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
I woke up to an empty bed. The warmth of Shep’s body and the soft beating of his heart that had soothed me to sleep were gone. I sat up and listened for any signs of him downstairs, but there was only silence.
I jumped as my feet touched the cold floor of his bedroom, a chill moving through me, bringing gooseflesh onto my skin. I wrapped a sheet around me before venturing any farther than the bedroom. I wasn’t sure if Shep had housekeepers, cooks or any other staff that were normally around. If he did, they were sent away during my week of hiding there.
Stepping out of the bedroom, I peeked down the hallway. As I walked towards the stairs, I could see that the lower level was empty and silent. Where had he gone?
My head was light and my eyes heavy, so I decided to make some coffee before I dressed and continued to look for Shep. In the kitchen, a pot of freshly brewed coffee was already made with a note taped to the coffee maker.
Claire,
Enjoy a cup. I’ll be back soon with food.
Love, Shep
I stared at the words, Love, Shep. Was that his way of opening the floodgates for the flow of I love yous to follow? I couldn’t help but enjoy thinking that maybe Shep loved me, or that he possibly could one day. I was falling for him fast and hard, and love was certainly on my mind after last night.
I heard the front doors open, and I peeked out to see Shep entering the apartment. “Hey you,” he said cheerfully. I smiled and greeted him with a kiss on the cheek.
“I missed you this morning,” I said softly.
He kissed my nose. “I had to take care of something.” A box of bagels was in his hand along with a couple of bags, one from the gourmet café across from his apartment. “You slept so long, I wasn’t sure if you would want breakfast or lunch when you woke.”
I dug through the bag once he set everything on the table and found a croissant with ham and cheese to nibble on.
“Did you get coffee?” he asked.
“I was about to, thank you.”
“Sit, I’ll get you a cup,” he said as he walked into the kitchen. I followed his orders and took a seat. I continued nibbling on my sandwich while he clanked around in the kitchen. After a few moments, he emerged holding two mugs, both filled to the rim.
“Here you go, my love,” he said, placing one of the cups in front of me.
He used the word again — love. I wondered how hard he was fighting back saying those three little words.
“You take such good care of me,” I said, wrapping my hands around the warm cup and lifting it to my lips.
“That’s my job. That’s what I was doing this morning.”
I looked up into his eyes and could tell he was anxious to tell me something. “What do you mean?” I asked.
He pointed to a bag he’d earlier set on the table. I reached for it, wondering what could be inside. It contained a variety of smart cards from phones, cameras, and computer systems.
“What’s this?” I asked.
“It’s your peace of mind.” He winked at me. “I figured you’d want to dispose of them yourself.”
I poured everything out onto the table. “How do you know this is it?” I asked.
“Trust me, everything is erased.” He looked so confident, I began to relax. “I sat there while we went through every file on his and Elle’s laptop, phone, and camera.”
“So, you saw the video?” I covered my face with my hands, unable to bear the thought of Shep seeing me that way.
“No. All I saw was the beginning, nothing bad, just to make sure it was the actual video before he started erasing,” he assured me.
I peeked at him from between my fingers. “He could have already put it somewhere else. How do you know he doesn’t still have a copy somewhere, or Elle?”
Shep reached for a bagel. “Claire, you’ll have to trust me. He won’t be doing anything but jerking off to the video alone if he still has it,” he said as he slathered cream cheese on top. “I’ve worked really hard to get where I am in this industry, and one of the perks of all that hard work is that I have a lot of influence, a ton of influence. Aiden knows if he ever wants to work again, he won’t go through with his threats.”
“So you threatened him?” I asked, feeling a little more confident that Shep had this under control.
“Yes, and I let him know my sister had no problem outing him as a rapist if I give her the okay,” he said, his voice cold, deadly. “I wouldn’t let her actually do it, but he doesn’t know that. The only reason she hasn’t is because I didn’t want her name dragged through the mud with Aiden’s rich family lawyers.”
I flung my arms around Shep’s neck and pressed my lips against his cheek. The sheet fell from my body, and I shivered as the cool air of the apartment brushed against my bare skin.
Shep’s hands instantly warmed me, caressing my back and my sides. “I’m suddenly not very hungry,” he said playfully.
I nuzzled his neck. “Neither am I.”
He scooped me into his arms and carried me back up the steps and to his room. I laughed when he tossed me on the bed.
“I love it when you’re rough,” I told him and grinned when he ripped his shirt open, causing buttons to fly everywhere. His pants were next, and my stomach twisted when his cock popped free.
“I also love it when you’re gentle,” I said as he crawled across the bed toward me, his eyes burning into mine.
He stopped when our noses were only an inch apart. “You seem to love a lot of things,” he said, and I cupped his cheek with my hand.
“Yes.” My heart picked up speed, the roar of my blood pounding in my ears. “And I’m falling in love with you.”
His smile was beautiful. “I’m falling in love with you too.”
He leaned forward to kiss me, but I held him back, moving my fingers to cover his lips. “Thank you, Shep. For believing in me and supporting me, even when I didn’t deserve it. For not judging my actions or thinking me foolish as I explored a world that was so unknown and new.”
He kissed the pad of my thumb.
“Remember my story of how fucked up I was a few years ago?” he asked, and I nodded. “Do you hate me because of my past?”
Of course not. “No.”
“Did you lose respect for me because of it?”
“No.” Then I grinned. “Maybe a little.”
He grinned too. “And you forgave me because you know I learned from my mistakes and strove to do better. You’re falling in love with the man I am now because I lived through those lessons.”
“Are you saying everything happens for a reason?”
He sat back on his heels and pulled me up until I was straddling his thighs, his erection the only barrier between us.
“I’m saying that everything happens. Good or bad. Right or wrong. It happens, and it’s our job as humans to do the best we can in response.”
“How’d you get so smart?”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “Because I learned a shit load of lessons.”
We both laughed. And we were still laughing as he rolled on a condom and when he lifted me onto him, connecting us. Laughter melted into passion as our lips met, our fingers gripping each other tightly, digging in, not letting go.
Hours later, we were eating the bagels in his bed, ravenous and sated at the same time.
“So, what are you going to do now that you’ve won?” he asked.
“I have no idea,” I admitted as I wiped a dot of cream cheese from his chin.
“How about you take a world food tour with me?”
I stared at him, my mouth full of bagel. I chewed quickly, swallowing it in a huge lump. “Are you serious?”
“Completely.”
“Serious, serious?”
“Completely, completely.”
He was. His eyes were serious and intense. I couldn’t believe he was asking me to go away with him. “Yes, I would love that!” I yelled, launching myself into his arms. “When? Where? How?”
He stopped my questions with a kiss. I was breathless when he let me back up for air.
“The show’s due to air next week, so let’s go now,” he suggested. “Be out of the spotlight while all the tabloids go nuts.”
I thought about my life. I had nowhere to live. Everything I owned was packed and in storage or in my suitcases. Nothing was stopping me from going. It was as if some divine timing had set me up for this moment.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
His eyes sparkled, and that beautiful smile lit up his face.
“I have to call Lauren and Kennedy,” I said, jumping up from the bed and grabbing my phone.
He winked and picked up our trash. “I’ll give you some privacy.” He closed the door softly behind him.
“Claire, I was hoping you would call soon,” Lauren’s voice sounded frantic the moment she answered the phone.
“I’m sorry, so much has happened,” I gushed.
“You had me so worried last night.”
I didn’t want to tell her about the video or the threats, but I knew I needed to. She was my best friend, and she always knew when something was wrong. I took a deep breath and told her everything.
“That sick little fuck,” she shouted. “Kennedy will handle him, Claire, don’t you worry.”
“Well, she couldn’t do anything until after it was released. But that won’t happen. Shep handled it, and there’s nothing to worry about now.”
“Shep?” Lauren asked. “How?”
I explained everything the way Shep had explained it to me, and I heard Lauren let out a long relieved sigh. “Tell him thank you for me, please,” she said.
“You can tell him yourself. We want to have dinner with you guys before you head back home. And…” I drew the word out, “before we leave for our world food tour.”
Lauren didn’t let me slip that one by her. “World food tour?” she asked. “You and Shep?”
“Yes, just us.”
Her voice turned motherly. “Is it a good idea to prance across the globe with a man you barely know?”
I laughed. “I know him better than you think.”
“Sooo… are you a couple now?”
I couldn’t hide anything from Lauren, not now, not ever. “He told me he loved me,” I said. “Well, that he was falling in love with me.”
“Oh my God, that’s so soon,” Lauren scoffed.
“I told him first,” I admitted. She laughed, then was sniffling as I told her the conversation we had.
“That’s so sweet,” she sighed. “Maybe what the two of you have is real. I know from experience that things like that can happened quickly. Besides, on tour, you’ll get the chance to really get to know each other. If things don’t work out, you can come right home.”
“Exactly. With new lessons under my belt.”
We spoke for a few more minutes, mostly about making arrangements for dinner that night, then I hung up and called Kennedy.
“I’m so glad to hear your voice,” she squealed.
“Trust me, not nearly as glad as I am to hear yours.”
I launched into the entire story, starting with the bad before moving to the good.
“I knew I liked this Shep guy,” Kennedy said firmly once I’d finished.
“Yes, you were pushing for him early on,” I said with a laugh.
“And, if anything else happens with Aiden, you call me pronto. I’ll slap him down so hard he’ll be shitting whisks for months.”
God, I loved my friends.
I promised to plan my tour so that I would be close when she was ready to deliver. I wasn’t going to miss that day for anything, not even Shep.
A little later, Shep came back into the room and snuggled into the bed beside me. I told him about dinner plans and Kennedy’s reaction to our new relationship. He smiled and said he couldn’t wait to meet her. I knew he would love her just as I did.
Dinner was nice, but too quick. Asher and Lauren were heading out later that night, and Jackson had to leave before dessert arrived to catch his plane. He had been away from Kennedy too long, so I understood.
Lauren and Asher were rolling out a new software program that was supposed to change the world, or so they said. Lauren warmed up to Shep nicely once she saw how he looked at me. There was no denying the man loved me. Even if he hadn’t said as much, I could see it in his eyes.
I hugged them all goodbye while Shep extended his hand to Jackson and to Asher, but Lauren pulled him in for a hug. I heard her whisper, “Take care of our girl,” as she squeezed him.
“Of course,” he said and squeezed her back.
After they were gone, we were back in Shep’s apartment planning our trip. “I want to make a stop in New Orleans,” I told him.
“Sure, but what’s the reason?” he asked. “Is there someone there?”
I smiled and remembered Big Jake and his dream of getting back home. “No, but there’s someone who should be.”
Shep looked confused but agreed to make that our first stop without asking further questions. A few days later, we were on a plane, and I was sharing in detail my experience with Big Jake and how much my short time with him had helped me.
On the ground, we scoured the area until we found the little restaurant that had a worn out sign that still read “Big Jakes.” It was sad to see the man who helped me with my dream have his sit empty. Most of the places had rebuilt, and the city was thriving again, but Jake’s insurance company had gone bankrupt, leaving him empty handed and needing to deal with it one dollar at a time.
We spoke to some of the locals about Big Jakes, and they all had great things to say. It was one of the best barbecue joints on the strip they told us, and Big Jake was the most generous kind hearted man they all knew. I teared up when I heard he used to feed them when they were hungry. He didn’t care if you had money, he just wanted you to smile.
“This is what I want to do with my winnings,” I told Shep. He agreed it was a good cause but urged me to find investors and not do it all alone. He offered to join my efforts, and when he disappeared around the corner, I could see him on the phone. Within minutes, he returned with a grin. “We have investors,” he said. “I called the show and found Big Jake too. Gretchen is working it out for him to fly here to meet us.”
I knew I loved this man. Officially and wildly.
Big Jake was confused as the private car dropped him off in front of his old restaurant. Tears filled his eyes as some of the locals greeted him, and then he made his way to me. Asher and Jackson were standing on the corner talking to Shep about the plans, while I opened my arms and hugged the man that had helped me through a very tough day.
“Why are you doing this for me?” he asked.
“Because you played fair, and now, it’s time for you to win fair,” I said.
It took about a week to get the place back up and ready. It was better than it had ever been Big Jake boasted as he ran his fingers across the stainless steel grill and the granite counter tops. We bought land behind and beside him and expanded so he could have several smoke pits running at once without disturbing the patrons with the heavy smoke. He gushed over us and cried like a baby when we handed him the key.
“The building is paid for; it’s all yours,” Shep said proudly.
Big Jake fired up the smoker and started working on creating some of the most delicious aromas I’d ever smelled. We stayed for dinner and the grand re-opening and then we all went our separate ways.
Shep and I had agreed that we would work our trip around Kennedy’s delivery date, ensuring we were no more than a few hours away for at least two weeks before the due date. I also wanted to see my parents. I’d missed them so much.
“Thank you,” I told him for probably the millionth time, and I owed him at least a million more.
He kissed the top of my head and held me tight. “We make a good team, sweetheart.”
I snuggled closer. “The perfect recipe?”
He laughed. “Yeah, a little bit of you and a little bit of me. The perfect recipe indeed.”