Trusting You (Second Chances #2)(29)
“Mason, I think he paid someone off to change the will, or better yet he could just be bluffing about it. When I told him I know he shouldn’t have that land that’s when he got all weird on me and threatened me to keep my mouth shut. I don’t think he anticipated me getting involved with his architect.”
“That wouldn’t surprise me if he paid someone off,” Mason added. “Now back to the threatening part. What did he threaten to do to you? If you say he threatened to kill you I’ll take that f*cker out right now.”
I snickered, even though it wasn’t funny. “No, he didn’t threaten to kill me per se, but more like my career and my relationship with Brett. He told me that if I tell Brett about my suspicions of the land and of who he is then he’ll tell the school board that I had an affair with one of my students.” Pausing, I huffed out angrily, “That could ruin me, Mase. I’ll go to jail if they believe those lies.”
“I’m not going to let that happen, Mel. I’m not going to let him do this to you and ruin your life.”
“There’s more,” I added reluctantly.
“Seriously? What could be more than this clusterf*ck?” he spat.
Sighing, I sat down on my couch and rubbed my throbbing temples. I was probably going to have an aneurysm once this was all over. “He said if I get back together with him he’ll forget the whole thing. Needless to say we’d have to keep it a secret since he doesn’t want anything interfering with his project. He went on and on about how he can give me everything that Brett can’t.” Mason was quiet on the other end of the line, and I knew it was because he was fuming. Hastily, I said, “I’m not going to do it, Mason. I’ll forfeit my career before I let him back into my life.”
Mason blew out his held breath. “Thank heavens for that, but this is serious, Mel. Play your cards right and stay out of his way for now. Just don’t fuel the fire with your hotheadedness. Okay, so I’m assuming you want Claire’s number to ask her about the will, right?”
“Yes,” I replied, rolling my eyes at his comment about my hotheadedness. “I just want to gauge her reaction when I call for a friendly catch up talk and to also tell her how sorry I am about her mother. I can trust her, I know it. Daniel must’ve just been the bad apple of the family.”
“All right, I’ll get you her number, but I want you to be careful. I’ll see what I can find out about Daniel, but in the meantime don’t do anything stupid or reckless. I’ll text you the number when I get it.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, I murmured, “Thank you, Mase. I appreciate you doing this for me.”
“Anytime, Mel. You know I got your back.”
We both hung up the phone and now all I had to do was wait. Patience was something I didn’t possess.
Sixteen
I was hoping Mason would’ve called or texted me Claire’s number before Brett got back but he didn’t. When Brett showed up, he was covered in sweat and dirt and carrying a picnic basket in his hand. I gazed down at it curiously. “Um … are you trying to say you want to go on a picnic?” I teased.
Brett laughed and placed the basket on the table. “Not exactly, but my grandmother couldn’t pack all of the food on just a couple of plates, so she got this instead and jammed it full of food. By the looks of it, I think we’ll have enough for dinner this week without us having to cook.”
“Wow,” I breathed in awe. “Remind me to call and thank her.”
Brett beamed. “I will, but first and foremost I need to take a shower. I thought I was only going to have to move furniture, but she ended up needing me in the garden again. I guess the food was payment.” He laughed, but then his gaze turned serious … heated. “So, since I’m going to take a shower to wash the dirt off of me, you’re more than welcome to join,” he insisted with a quirk of his brow.
Raking my eyes down his dirt encrusted skin, I figured I’d pass, but I was definitely going to make sure I was ready for him when he got out. Playfully, I scrunched up my nose at him. “I tell you what, babe. Why don’t you go take a shower, get clean, and I’ll be waiting for you when you get out. How does that sound?”
He bit his lip and instantly his pants began to bulge. “That sounds like a plan, firecracker. It won’t take me long in the shower so be ready.”
Brett raced up the stairs and disappeared from sight. When I got to my room, the air was already humid with the steam emanating from the bathroom, and it smelled like the citrusy scent of Brett’s Neroli soap. I quickly lit some candles and shut the blinds so it would be dark in the room, but with the faint glow of the candles giving us just the right amount of illumination. After I took off all of my clothes, I ran my hands through my hair and grabbed the one thing out of my jewelry box that I thought he’d love.
Wrapping the long strand of pearls around my neck so they dangled between my bare breasts, I also put a pair of black stiletto heels on that I found under my bed. I wanted to put on my corset, but I knew I wouldn’t have enough time for that, so I climbed up on the mattress with just my heels and pearls. He’s going to love this.
The moment Brett stepped out of the shower and into the bedroom, he froze. A wolfish smile gleamed on his face and he immediately stalked over to me, dropping the towel around his waist in the process. He climbed up on the bed and towered over me, droplets of hot water splashing over my bare body from his.