RISK(50)

"That mouth," he growls under his breath as I walk past him and smile at Mr. Miller on my way to the elevator.





Chapter 33


Nolan




"Mr. Black, I need a moment," Kristof Hellaman says as I step off the elevator after my meeting with Miller.

I spared the Marketing Manager my wrath today. It wasn't because Ellie had insisted that I'm a good guy. It was because I believe that second chances can yield tremendous results. He has one last opportunity to impress me with his vision of the campaign for our new skin care line. If he fails to knock it out of the park the next go-round, he'll be leaving the building with only his pride and a box of his belongings.

"My office." I walk quickly. He follows me in silence, waiting when I tell Eda to hold my calls.

"What's this about?" I ask as soon as the door is shut. I trust Eda, implicitly. She's one of the few people in my life I confided in when May arrived. She's never questioned anything she's overheard. She wears her loyalty on her sleeve, yet there are still conversations that aren't her concern. Typically, that's any discussion that Kristof and I have.

"Tad Darling, sir."

Anger crawls through me at the mention of his name. He's the man Ellie loved. She promised to marry him and he tossed her trust aside like a piece of dirty trash. I'm grateful in a twisted way that he's an *. It set her free so that when she fell in my lap, she wasn't bound to him in any way.

"What about him?" I perch a brow.

He clears his throat. "You wanted an eye kept on him, sir. I've done as you asked."

"And?" I shrug off my jacket, hanging it on the coatrack by the door.

"He's coming to New York."

"When?" I shoot back, irritated by the idea of the man being in the same city as Ellie.

He looks at the view of Manhattan on display through the window behind my desk. "He'll be here at the end of the month. He's arriving at LaGuardia on a private jet. I've sent the details of his itinerary to you."

I tug my phone free of my pocket. I skim the email, noting the hotel Tad's staying at and his departure. "Is there an official purpose for this trip? Does he have business here?"

"My contact in his office assured me they'd forward any details of any meetings he has planned." He crosses his arms across his chest. "Right now, it's classified as a personal trip."

That f*cker is coming here because of Ellie. He must have realized she's no longer breaking her back for minimum wage at a casino in Vegas. I haven't overstepped the boundary that would grant me access to the notes from a meeting attended by both Tad and Ellie in a Vegas law office months ago. It's information I can buy with a healthy check and a signature from the person willing to trade their moral code for a price.

The curiosity may be killing me, but it's Ellie's business. I don't want our relationship to veer off course because of my thirst to know the finer details about something that happened before we met. I've already crossed too many lines, but it's for a good reason. Tad Darling mistreated her. He disrespected her in a way that compromised her safety. It's unforgivable.

Ellie is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I can be available for support if need be.

"I want you to track his movements while he's here. If he approaches Matiz or Ellie's apartment, you're to get in touch with me, immediately."

I don't have a plan for what I'll do if that happens. I won't interfere. I'm not going to wait on the sidelines while they discuss their former relationship and its death by Tad's hand. I just want to be aware and informed. Control comes with knowledge and the more information I have on Tad Darling, CEO of Darlux Media, the better.

***

"The pictures that were on the piano are gone."

Ellie stands in place in the middle of the living room. Her eyes are locked on the spot on top of the piano where a handful of scattered photographs were the last time she was here. They were brought here by Crew a few days after May was born. I was already packing my things so I could move. The pictures were taken at the hospital hours after May was left in the lobby. I'd forgotten them here in the mad rush to get to my new apartment and get everything in order for my baby girl.

"I came here earlier and picked them up." I hand her a bottle of chilled water. "I took them to my place."

She draws a quick breath. "The place where you live with your daughter?"

"Yes," I answer simply.

She nods. "What time do you need to be back there tonight? Is dad curfew a thing?"

I chuckle just as I bring the water bottle I'm still holding to my lips. "Dad curfew is indeed a thing. I'd like to be back before midnight. She's been waking up every night since Barney died."

She opens the bottle of water in her hand and takes a large sip. Her throat moves with the motion, her head tilting back slightly.

I want her like that on the bed. Naked and on her back, her head hung over the side with my cock in that mouth and her throat working to swallow every last drop I give to her.

"You're staring at my neck, Nolan. I don't have to ask what that's about."

She hands me the bottle of water. Her hands make quick work of the sash that holds her green wrap dress in place. It drops to the floor at her feet, revealing the creamy pale skin of her body, almost all of her body. She's wearing nothing but a black lace bra, matching panties and a pair of heeled sandals.