Page 250 of Enigma: The Complete Collection
“He wasn’t the person who drugged me.” Her tone is remarkably stable for how fast her chest is heaving.
“It doesn’t change the particulars of the case. He kidnapped you and held you against your will. I know he's your brother, but you're looking at him as if he's the little boy you left behind. He's not that boy anymore. He's a man who was raised by a monster. He’ll be lucky to even have a heart in his chest.”
I instantly regret my outburst when Isabelle loses her battle to hold in her tears. Hot, salty liquid spills from her eyes as her pain stabs me right in my heart. A crying Isabelle is more than I can handle. Multi-million-dollar takeovers, ruthless mobsters, and dodging bullets are a walk in the park compared to dealing with her when she's crying. Every tear cuts me raw.
I scoot down the bed, keeping my grip tight, before rolling onto my side. Isabelle mimics my position but on her opposite hip. Guilt seeps into my veins when I peer at her tear-soaked face. I’d do anything in my power to protect my little brother, but I expect Isabelle to react differently when it’s her blood she's fighting to protect.
I use the pad of my thumb to remove her tears while my eyes issue silent apologies for my cruel words. After a few hiccups and too many tears to count, her cries lessen, and the weight on my chest eases.
“I’ll make a few calls and see what I can find out about your brother.”
She drags the cuff of her long-sleeve shirt under her nose before nodding. “Thank you.”
“But I can’t guarantee anything, Isabelle. I have to tread carefully, or I’ll run the risk that people will learn your secret. If I’m not cautious, they may find out who your father is.” My tone relays my genuine concern. If her secret is exposed, it will make her a target, just like it did for Henry, Jr.
“I can handle that.” Her tone is surprisingly firm. “With you by my side, I can handle anything.”
My first thought is gratitude, thankful she's planning on having me at her side, but that relief is short-lived, soon overtaken by apprehension. Just Isabelle being with me already places a bull’s eye on her back, not to mention when my competitors find out who her father is, but I'm a selfish man, and even though it would have been safer for Isabelle to have never met me, I have no intentions of giving her up.
Isabelle is mine, and I protect what is mine. If anyone tries to seek their revenge on her father against her, they’ll have to get through me first, and that is one fight they’ll never win.
CHAPTER7
ISABELLE
Warmth blooms across my chest when my eyes flutter open. Isaac and I are still lying in the hospital bed in the position we were last night. My head is buried in his chest, relishing his delicious scent, and his broad arms are wrapped around my torso, cocooning me with protectiveness.
This is the first time I’ve woken before him. Our body clocks were wired so differently, Isaac had to adjust to sleeping while the moon was still in the sky for the month I lived with him. But no matter how late he came to bed, he was awake and working in his office by the time I rose.
I glance out the window. The sun is beaming through the cracks of the plush curtains covering the large window. At a guess, I'd say it’s after eight. My eyes drop to scan Isaac’s handsome face. Even with us sleeping for nearly ten hours, he still appears tired. Obviously, I wasn’t the only one who lacked sleep during our separation.
Not wanting to wake him, I snuggle back into his chest where the soothing rhythm of his heart soon has me drifting back to sleep.
When I wake the second time, Isaac is no longer in bed. The smell of coffee is lingering in the air along with his manly scent. My eyes flutter open to discover him standing in the corner of the room, talking on his cell phone. He's dressed in his regular attire—a well-tailored three-piece suit. His hair is wet, and the stubble on his jaw has been trimmed into a neat, well-kept beard. I’ve been meaning to ask him about his new facial hair. Ever since we left the cabin, his freshly-shaven look has become null and void.
When I notice a giant Styrofoam coffee cup in his spare hand, I’m torn on which appetizing product to sample first.
Who am I kidding? I’d choose Isaac over caffeine any day of the week.
When I sit up to rub the sleep from my eyes, Isaac pivots around to face me. My pussy clenches when his eyes rake my body. Once he finalizes his call, he places his phone into his pocket before strolling my way. The smell of luxurious body wash and shampoo overpowers coffee the closer he gets.
“Good morning, Isabelle.”
“M-morning,” I stammer as heat imposes my cheeks.
He said his greeting in the manner he did when we were on his yacht, and he woke me in the most glorious way. From the sparkle in his eyes and the curve of his scrumptious mouth, I'd say he's well aware of that fact.
“Do you have one of those for me?” I ask after regaining some of the shrewdness that always disappears whenever he’s in my vicinity.
He jingles the Styrofoam cup in his hand. “One of these?”
“Uh-huh.”
After locking my gaze on the epitome of an alpha male, I’ll need something strong to suppress my urge to feast on him for breakfast.
“This is yours,” he says, holding out the coffee.
Just as I'm about to reach for it, he pulls it out of my grasp. My bottom lip drops into a pout as my inner vixen stomps her feet.
