Page 157 of Beyond the Temptation: Vol 2

“No. I messaged Ilan way before then. I’d already stopped messaging him until the last time after Gideon was born.”

“How did he find Ilan’s email?”

I think about it. “Right after everyone left, the cabin was broken into. I hadn’t set the alarm because I didn’t think I needed to. It was freaking Talkeetna. Nothing happens there, really. Nothing was taken, but I knew someone had been there. I called the troopers, and they took a report. They didn’t believe me at first until my car was vandalized and broken into.”

“You’ve been dealing with this for over a year?” Ilan advances on me. All I can do is nod.

“I thought it was just some guy I’d tried to go on a date with, but it didn’t work out. Then I thought it was Gretchen, the woman who embezzled money from Renee, out for revenge.” I give him the excuses I’ve used on myself to justify it all.

During our conversation, Ilan sends Timothy the passcode information for my online cloud service. Everything is backed up to there, even the emails I sent Ilan and Renee.

“I’ve got it,” Timothy says before Ilan’s phone vibrates with an incoming message.

Ilan opens it and cusses in a foreign language. I’m scared at first, not of him but of his reaction. He pulls me toward him and holds me as I look down at the picture of the bouquet I’ve received over and over.

“It’s yellow carnations and orange lilies,” Maya says. “They mean hatred and disdain.”

I pause and look at Ilan and then at the phone.

“What does that mean?” My voice quivers.

Ilan

I hear the fear in her voice and hold her tighter. Sir has been watching her for a long time. The report about Hugo Bastian coming to Alaska was the bait to get me to come to her. He wants to kill me and then the rest of Securities International. What scares me more is the fact that someone has been tricking my woman into thinking they were helping her when they were actually gathering information to hurt her. I could have lost her and my son.

When she yawns, I know we need to get some rest so that we can figure out where we are going next. I’m not leaving her side. She’s with me from now on. I won’t risk either of them again. I can’t lose them now that I have them. I hate that I missed her whole pregnancy and the birth of my son. But I’ll never take for granted the time I will have with them from now on. I just need to convince Leisel to give me another chance.

“Head to bed, little one. I’ll finish up here and be up shortly.”

“Okay. I picked the room next to Gideon so I can hear him. You can have the primary.” She moves away from me, and I turn back to the phone. I’m going to be sleeping with her. If we are in the same house, we are in the same bed.

“So who do you think this is?” I ask the million-dollar question. I have my suspicions, but proving it is going to be hard.

“I’ll keep looking, but after speaking to her, I know who my vote is for.” Timothy clicks away on his keyboard, and I imagine he’s looking for the proof.

“Me too,” Maya says. “We’ll be in touch in a few hours. Get some rest. Sorry this was taken from you, Ilan.” I hear the hurt in her voice, but I know this isn’t her fault. This is mine.

“No, Maya. I did this. I shouldn’t have cut ties. I shouldn’t have walked away. I should have manned up in the beginning and faced the fact I love her. I won’t ever let her out of my sight again. I was scared. I’d lost my abba and my mom. Renee was distant. I only had Savta and Saba.” My grandmother and grandfather.

“I know. We’ll talk soon. I love you, Ilan.”

“Love you too.” I hang up and realize that I have always had family. I just didn’t know it. Renee, Maya, Jen, Anthony, and now Dani. They are my family of choice, along with all the other members of the team.

I send a message to my office and ask Elias to run some searches. He’s not as good as Timothy or Bekah, but he’s a researcher. He’ll tear through the name I gave him until he finds something. It’s why I hired him.

I take a moment for a quick shot of whiskey to calm my nerves after everything before I make my way upstairs. I enter the bedroom Leisel is staying in and start pulling off my clothes. When I get to my boxers, I climb in next to her. She’s in a bra and panties only. I pull her into my body, and she sighs and continues to sleep. She’s exhausted and the adrenaline dump from the attack is working through her. I hold her in my arms, knowing this is where she belongs. Always right here.

CHAPTER FIVE

LEISEL

I come awake to intense heat surrounding me. When I go to move, I’m held tighter and pulled closer to the source of the heat. I pop my eyes open and look over my shoulder. Ilan is lying there with his face buried in my long hair. He has one arm around my waist and the other under my pillow, cradling my head and pulling me to him. His morning wood is pressing into my ass. I look toward the window. The sun hasn’t risen yet, but I know my son will be up soon. My breasts are full. It won’t be long until they start leaking.

I try to pull away again, but this time his fingers splay across my belly and pull me back.

“I wish I could have felt him move inside you.” Ilan’s gruff, sleepy voice tickles my ear.

I sigh as my heart melts, and my panties dampen. I want him. When he talks all sweet and nice like this, I want him more.

---