Restless (Fractured Farrells: A Damaged Billionaire Series, #4) Page 3

  But Walter wasn’t here anymore. This was a different regime with different rules, and she was trying to get by without knowing all of them.

  Ashley didn’t know where Mr. Jones’s knowledge was coming from, but he was right about the bedroom. This had been her room that summer. Like the rest of the house, not much had changed. Because there had been so many boys in the house, this was the only bedroom that was distinctly feminine instead of masculine or gender-neutral.

  But Nadia had made sure that her daughter’s room had been special. The bed was a chrome-gold that wasn’t in style at the time, but Nadia had it specially picked out for Ashley. The furniture was white with gold handles, and the curtains were white with a delicate pink floral pattern. It didn’t look like the beachy theme of the rest of the house, but it was Nadia through and through. This was the only room in the house that actually reminded Ashley of her mother. The one place Walter allowed her to put her stamp and style, even though it was supposed to be Ashley’s.

  Ashley sat on the bed as a bolt of longing shot through her. Nadia and she had never had the best mother-daughter relationship, but it hadn’t all been bad times. And even in Nadia’s messed-up way, Ashley knew she’d always been loved. That was more than some kids had. Probably more than Alex had.

  Nadia would know how to get a man to marry her. Nadia was an expert. The pretty face and sizable implants went a long way, but Nadia could seal the deal. Skills she would’ve been more than willing to teach Ashley, but she’d never been willing to listen. This wasn’t a situation Ashley was ever going to be in. She was never going to marry a guy for money or power or prestige.

  But thanks to Nadia’s last act of “love,” this was exactly the position Ashley was in.

  The room had a big bay window that even had a padded seat so Ashley could sit up there and look out at the ocean. On really clear days, she could just see the outline of New York City, but she liked it when she could imagine it was open ocean that stretched for miles and miles. The other joy of being the only girl in a house full of guys was that she got her own bathroom. She took off the blouse and her jeans so she was just in her bra, black tank top, and panties.

  Once she was in the bathroom, she took stock of how tired she looked. The circles under her eyes had gotten so much worse in the past year. Good sleeping days were few and far between. Ashley ran the sink until the water was warm and soaked the pink washcloth. The bathroom was simple, but all the touches were expensive. There was a shower and tub combo with a window overlooking the water. There were curtains, but the house was secluded enough that she’d only drawn them closed if people were in the courtyards or pool below. On quiet days, she could sit in the tub and read to her content while the window was open to let in the salty air and sound of the waves hitting the breaker wall.

  She wasn’t expecting this. The happy memories. Somehow she’d convinced herself that there had been nothing but bad times during that summer. But there were a few moments of peace. And Alex, of course.

  Her time with him hadn’t been peaceful by any means, but it hadn’t been all bad either.

  He wanted her gone in the morning, but he hadn’t kicked her out on the spot. That would give her more time to reason with him. And tomorrow she’d have to tell him the real truth about why she was here. Maybe if she could get him to understand, she could get him to agree to help her.

  What was it they said? The truth would set you free? Well, it had better, because she was never going back to that prison.

  9 Years Ago

  Alex set his computer behind the big oak tree next to the breaker wall. The ocean waves were loud here, but once he had his headphones in, it was the only place he could focus on school.

  Ever since Nadia had moved in, she and Walter made finding a quiet place to study impossible. Nadia’s laughter was so loud it would even cut through the most secluded corners of the house.

  And if it wasn’t the sound of her laughter breaking through the quiet, it was the sound of her and Walter doing other things he never wanted to think about.

  Because they had no discretion at all, he’d already walked in on them twice. The worst part was that the last time, Nadia hadn’t even looked surprised or ashamed.

  She’d looked right at him and smiled. Alex didn’t think she ever told Walter about that little embarrassment, because he hadn’t given Alex an insincere apology like the first time.

  Alex had already given up on spending the summer at the family home and started to look for an apartment to move into. He thought the summer house would be private enough to let him work, and it had a full-time staff. He liked the idea of having his bed made and meals cooked and ready, especially while trying to fit twenty credit hours into one summer semester. Also, Walter liked having the brothers close by, ever since the mess with Logan. Alex still wasn’t a hundred percent sure what had gone down, but the more he learned about it, the more he didn’t like it.

  Another reason to remove himself from Walter as much as possible.

  He arranged his laptop, textbook, and his bottle of water so he could get to studying. He was alone out here. Walter was theoretically in the city, and Nadia and Ashley were out shopping somewhere. Even though he should have the house to himself, he wasn’t taking any chances.

  He dove into chapter twelve. The test next week would account for a third of his grade, and he needed to forget about his stepmother who was only ten years older than him and focus on learning everything he could about finance in the next hour.

  For fifteen minutes, he did a decent job of tuning out the rest of the world, but the wind picked up and he glanced around. A flash of movement caught his eye. On the second level of the house, right next to the bay window. That meant it was Ashley’s bathroom. The movement hit again. Was that...

  Alex sat up straighter. Ashley was there. She must not have gone with her mother.

  And now she was naked and in the shower and he could see everything.

  He should tell her. Or leave. Or something. But he didn’t move. From this distance, he couldn’t see her body in great detail, but he could see the curve of her waist. The dark circles of her nipples on pert breasts that lifted up every time she ran her fingers through her hair. Then she started to run her hands and, presumably soap, over her stomach and then lower.

  God, he wasn’t supposed to be seeing this. But, without thinking, he reached down and adjusted himself. All the women, all the porn—nothing had anything on the woman he was seeing.

  Her head twisted and he knew the exact moment she saw him. Her body went stiff and her eyes locked with his. He couldn’t see it, but he could feel her gaze like a tractor beam. He was too far to judge her expression. Horror? Anger?

  In a flash she was gone, and Alex ducked back behind his tree. Shit. Was she going to tell her mother he was no better than a peeping tom? Knowing Walter, he’d give Alex a pat on the back. Should he preemptively tell Walter?

  No. He’d have to face the consequences as they came. But for now all he could think about was Ashley’s hot, wet body. He wasn’t going to get any studying done in the near future.

  Present Day

  Alex couldn’t sleep. He had a thousand problems he needed to worry about, but all he could think about was the blonde somewhere in his home right now. Was she still there? He’d told her she could stay until morning, but she could’ve left already.

  Stormed out in anger that he hadn’t given her an answer. Except she hadn’t seemed angry. In the split second before he’d turned away, she’d seemed...scared.

  He wanted to know what was going on. Something had driven her to him in the middle of the night to throw a ludicrous proposal at him. But he couldn’t ask her. Hell, he couldn’t think straight around her. He’d expected her to go running, but she’d kissed him as if no time had passed. As if she were still an innocent fifteen-year-old and he was the bastard taking advantage of her. She’d kissed him like she wanted him, and that was the worst part.

  He couldn’t let h
imself forget that she was there to get something from him. She said it wasn’t money, but she was desperate enough that it had to be something. Alex rolled over in bed, the blankets collecting around his waist, and set an arm under his head as he stared up at the ceiling.

  If she was still there, Mr. Jones would’ve made sure she got a room. Preferably one with an attached bathroom, because she was probably freezing and wanting a shower. Would Jones have found some clean clothes for her? Maybe he should’ve offered an extra t-shirt. The thought of Ashley sleeping naked somewhere in this old house was too much for him. On second thought, the idea of her wearing nothing more than one of his shirts wasn’t much better.

  Damn it. She did know his weak points. And her proposal was more tempting than he wanted to admit. Having Ashley waiting and willing whenever he wanted. She was no fifteen-year-old anymore. Their parents had long since separated. There was nothing stopping them.

  Unless he counted whatever it was that drove Ashley to him.

  Once again he wondered where Jones had put Ashley. In her old room? It used to be right next to his, a constant temptation. Ever since he moved into the master suite, he was now on the other side of the house. He wanted to storm into the room and demand she tell him everything now, but he knew it wasn’t a good idea. He’d been so close to losing control already. If she hadn’t stopped him, Alex knew he would’ve gone a lot further than just a kiss last night. On the island in the kitchen, in the pool, in a car: he wanted Ashley any way he could get her. He thought he’d gotten over his youthful obsession, but apparently it was still as strong as ever.

  The second he’d seen her soaking wet in the sitting room, everything rushed back. Which made her offer so much harder to understand. Because on some level, he wanted to say yes. Now that Robert had settled down, the idea didn’t seem so foreign. And Ashley was the one person in the world who truly knew what it meant to be a Farrell.

  But the sex was a deal breaker. She might know that his obsession had never died off, but she didn’t know what he truly wanted. If she gave herself to him, truly gave herself to him one hundred percent, she wouldn’t be able to handle it. Hell, he didn’t know if he’d be able to handle it.

  His cock twitched at the thought, and he reached down to adjust himself. He could take care of his now aching balls easy, but he didn’t move. He wasn’t going to let Ashley have this control over him. Tomorrow morning she’d probably be gone. Because truth or not, he wasn’t going to marry her. He wasn’t going to curse her to a life as a Farrell, no matter how much of a hold she had on him.

  Alex took the stairs carefully as he listened for any sign of movement downstairs. The house was run so lean these days that he wasn’t used to anyone being around. Mr. Jones specialized in running things without being seen. The days of having the live-in maid, chef, and butler were long gone. The steady stream of gourmet meals was passed on in favor of the independence and the solitude of living alone.

  He felt as though he could never get a moment to himself on the days he was in the office. There was a special joy in coming home and getting some blissful quiet. So when he’d moved out to the house a month after Walter had been killed and realized there was only Mr. Jones, he never bothered to find anyone else. Jones took care of making sure the house was kept up to perfection, landscaped on a regular basis, and could get rooms ready for late-night guests who showed up in the pouring rain and asking him to make a lifetime commitment.

  But he wouldn’t have any solitude this morning. The silence was deceptive. Ashley sat at the dining room table next to the large windows that overlooked the ocean. She had a cup of coffee in her hands and looked over at him with a much too cheerful smile in place. “Good morning.”

  He grunted a response as he walked past and into the kitchen. Fuck. The kitchen. How was he going to ever eat in here again? He chose to hold off on eating and grabbed one of the premade green shakes from the refrigerator paneled to look like the white cabinets. He could go to the office and let Ashley leave on her own, but he wasn’t the kind to run from a confrontation.

  And he was choosing to believe that last night wasn’t running, but regrouping.

  He went back to the dining room. The table was the same light maple as the hardwood floors and molding that ran through the house. The table had been handmade for Walter and had intricate carvings along the borders of the table and the legs. In addition, there were twelve chairs, also handcrafted, with the same wood bordering the table. Ashley sat in the seat closest to the entrance to the kitchen and Alex decided to sit next to her. “I don’t remember you drinking coffee,” he said to break the ice.

  “I don’t remember you drinking grass.” She motioned to his green drink.

  “It’s an acquired taste. Good for you though.”

  She held up her glass of coffee. “It’s an acquired taste.” He didn’t say anything and she continued, “I don’t sleep well. I need the extra boost most mornings.”

  That was new too. He remembered her sleeping thoroughly and uninterrupted. But he didn’t have time to play around, and he wasn’t going to beat around the bush. “So are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  Ashley took a sip of coffee and looked out the windows. “I forgot how peaceful it could be. I suppose we don’t have a lot of peaceful memories here.”

  “We have a few good ones.”

  She set the mug down and gave him a soft smile. “We do.”

  He wanted to ask her again, but he could see she was trying to build up the courage to tell him herself. “I’m in trouble, Alex.”

  He kept his expression neutral as he waited for what she was about to say. “What kind of trouble?”

  She took a deep swallow. “All the trouble. I’m trapped.”

  “Trapped where?”

  “Did you know what happened to Nadia after Walter left her?”

  He knew exactly where she, and Ashley by default, had been these past nine years. “I’ve heard things here and there.”

  “She had two more husbands. The one who passed away and then Geoff Cameron.”

  “I’ve heard of him.” Geoff Cameron was the head of a brokerage firm that catered to people in Alex’s circle. Alex never used the company, but he paid attention to where people put their money. Always a good thing to know.

  “Robin and Nadia were a good couple. I think it was the first time I’ve ever seen Nadia happy. She liked him, really liked him.” Her eyes widened when she remembered who she was talking to. “No offense.”

  It wasn’t as though Alex ever really thought Nadia and Walter had been a love match. “It’s fine,” he said, wanting her to go on.

  “For the first time, Nadia could see her entire future. Robin helped her invest her finances and they got their wills drawn up. She made sure he’d take care of me if anything happened to her, and she was going to get everything if anything happened to him. And then—” Ashley broke off. There weren’t tears in her eyes or a break in her voice, but he could tell the memories were hard.

  “Then there was the plane crash,” said Alex. Robin Adams had a collection of small planes and enjoyed taking them out on nice weekends. Except this nice weekend was windier than the weather had called for, and after one wrong move, the plane had gone down. He’d assumed it was just one more husband down, but apparently he was more to Ashley than one more guy her mother used.

  “She didn’t need to remarry. She had enough money from Robin that she could’ve lived very nice. Both of us could’ve lived a great life together. But she didn’t know how to be single. Didn’t believe in being single. So she mourned and then met Geoff. Everything went so fast that I don’t think she ever changed her will.”

  “Everything went to Geoff after she died?”

  “Worse. It’s still mine. But I can’t get to any of it until I get married. It’s what Nadia thought I needed. Thought every woman needed. Except if it was Robin in charge of my finances, I’d be fine. I loved him, and, most importantly, I trusted him.”
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br />   “You think Geoff wants your money for himself?”

  Ashley scoffed. “He has plenty of money. This is worse.”

  Alex stiffened. “He wants you,” he said softly.

  “I guess I look a lot like her,” said Ashley softly.

  “You can’t leave?”

  “I did leave. I came here.”

  “Go be single. Get away from Geoff and assholes like me for a while.”

  “With what money? Better yet, what job? To get a job, you need skills. To get skills, you need some type of schooling, but anytime I get close to going anywhere, Geoff sabotages it. I had an appointment with a community college and he got it cancelled somehow. I don’t know if he is listening to my calls or reading my emails, but he’s one step ahead of me everywhere I go. But if I get married, control of all my assets will transfer to me. So don’t you see why this would work great? I wouldn’t need your money because I’d have my own, and then I could take care of you.”

  He didn’t know whether she meant the words sexually, but his cock definitely took note. “Marriage doesn’t make anything simple, Ashley.” He would know. He’d seen Walter go through enough failed ones to know they brought nothing but trouble.

  “Yes, Nadia and Walter sucked at marriage, but we won’t. We’ll be better. Nadia was looking for someone to take care of her unconditionally and Walter was looking for someone to love him as much as he loved himself, which was never going to happen. But we don’t have to make that mistake. We don’t need to expect love, but we can respect each other. And we can be attracted to each other. So I don’t understand why you won’t say yes.”

  Alex ran a hand over his jaw. This woman was going to be the death of him. “You don’t understand, Ashley. I can’t marry you and not—”