Page 10 of A Man of Prestige

“Yep. And the brother of Admiral Vance Blake.”

“Not much, why? I mean, I know they are brothers.”

“Are they…part of your fraternity?” she asks, swallowing more wine. A little bit drips on her chin and I reach out to wipe it away, bringing my finger to my lips and sucking the wine away. She watches my movement.

“Yes.”

She nods and then launches into what she’s found. All the research about sedatives by Adam and the contract that he has with the military to work on Vance’s project. She’s wondering if he was somehow involved with the drugs being brought in and if there’s more of a connection between Jared and him than we think.

When she finishes, she pauses and looks at me. “Do you think I’m crazy? Am I overthinking this?”

I pause to consider my options. I could tell her yes and it’s nothing and offer to take her home. I could tell her a watered-down version of the truth. Or I could tell her everything.

I go for the middle ground, unsure of whether I want to bring her into a dangerous situation even if she’s asking me to.

“I don’t think you’re crazy. I’m surprised it was allowed; the contract, I mean. But nepotism is rampant in these parts.”

“What about the drug? What about Tina? I think…” She trails off.

“You think what?” I frown.

She finishes her wine in a single gulp and sets it down on a side table. Staring at me, I watch her chest rise with a deep breath. Her face is void of makeup. She looks as beautiful as the first day I met her. Maybe even more beautiful.

“I think Tina was drugged with an earlier version of whatever was in that vial. I think someone is bringing it in illegally. I think that someone has government connections. I think Halfagher and maybe even Confervo are part of whatever is going on, and I think there’s a lot more to your brotherhood than frat parties and paddles.” Her words come out quickly and she doesn’t take a breath until she finishes.

“Well, damn, my star, you see a lot more than most.”

Her eyes bore into mine. Fuck, I’ve missed those eyes. I could get lost in those eyes. I have to stop staring at her. How am I going to maintain this close proximity without wanting to rip her clothes off and find out if she tastes just as good as I remember?

Chapter6

Ella

The wayhe’s staring at me has me squirming with need. He looks back down at his drink as he raises the cup to his lips, and I watch. I can’t look away. Those lips, God, I remember how those lips felt against my skin. I remember the things those lips could do to me.

Adjusting my legs, I look around his modern and sparsely decorated room. There’s a painting of an antique car driving down a road in the countryside. The painting looks like it was done with spray paints. I stand and walk over to it.

Aiden always had a thing for old cars.

“You still like old cars?” I ask, trying to distract myself. My nerves are shot. Did he just tell me that everything that I was thinking is correct? I’ve had so many ideas in my head, and I thought I was crazy to think them, yet, maybe I wasn’t. That scares me.

He stands and walks over to me. We stand side by side, looking up at the painting. “I do. Would you like to see them?”

I turn my head to look up at him. “Them?”

He turns his head and looks down at me. “Them.”

I try not to grin, but he grins, and I can’t help it. His smile is infectious.

Nodding, he motions with his head for me to follow him. I comply. He leads me out a back door to another garage. He turns on the lights and I stand, completely overwhelmed by what I see. There are a dozen cars in here. Perfectly restored antique cars.

I look around slowly, taking in each one. “There are so many,” I whisper as I cautiously walk up to the closest one and run a finger over the cherry-red paint of the hood.

“That’s a 1968 Austin-Healey Sprite,” he says proudly. “Took me six months to restore it.”

I meander to the next car. “1962 Ford Thunderbird.”

I walk past a few. One looks to be in the process of being restored, and I walk over to it. “What about this one?” I ask, pointing at it.

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