“I don’t have a firm time right now, but the bug crashed the system around eleven a.m.
yesterday.”
Right around the time the corporate jet took off with Hannah, himself, and his brothers, on their way to Alaska. Lyle had seen Dex carry Hannah out the door. Since the guy was still hovering protectively around his former boss, Slade could guess that Lyle was Preston’s bitch.
He would have told Mr. Harvard that Hannah had been whisked away. Ironic how perfectly timed that virus was. Preston was definitely smart enough to write the code to crash a system.
Hell, depending on Lyle’s loyalties, the little asswipe might have helped his former boss.
Slade marched into the IT cubicles, pinning a hard stare on Lyle. “Thanks. Get back to work.
Fix that bug.”
“Yes, sir,” he said, then watched Slade drag a sputtering Preston away.
Building security joined him to walk the former CIO out. Slade vowed to sic Burke and Cole on him the second Preston’s feet touched Dallas ground again.
* * * *
After finishing her lunch and finding some halfway decent clothes, Hannah explored the house. She was never again letting Dex pack for her. He hadn’t brought along a single pair of underwear and refused to tell her where to buy some. She was commando under her cotton skirt.
Bras, it seemed, didn’t make Dex’s list of necessary items, either. Her silk blouse brushed against her hard ni**les making her so aware of her body and all the ways it ached. Now that she’d had sex, she couldn’t seem to get it off her mind.
She peered into each room. Last night, Slade had recounted a few stories about this place and his time with Gavin here as kids. Now she was fascinated by this grand log home and its remote majesty, which skirted a placid little lake framed by snow-capped mountains in the distance. The sky was such a bright blue that it almost hurt her eyes. She’d never seen anything like this.
As she wandered into the office, Hannah peeked out the window at the grounds. Everything from every view seemed vibrant and alive. There were a couple of golf carts at the back of the house that she’d been informed by the staff she could use to get to the stables. She definitely wanted to see those before she left. She was a West Texas girl, so horseback riding had been part of her upbringing. Dex and Slade had promised to take her on a ride sometime this week. She was far too sore today since she’d spent her whole night riding hungry men.
Hannah felt her face flush at the thought. The night before had been perfect—with one exception: The terrible incident between her and Gavin.
Dex and Slade had sworn that Gavin hadn’t meant a word of his ugly speech and that he was wrestling some inner demons. Perhaps. Gavin might be very corporate, but deep down, the man had a heart. She knew about his mistresses. And she knew that he had too much to give to be happy with such a cold arrangement forever. But right now, he didn’t seem inclined to change the status quo, and his inner demons were winning. That made her reconsider her decision to be with Dex and Slade. She couldn’t be the reason their family broke apart. Those brothers needed each other, and unless Gavin figured out how to conquer whatever ate at him, Hannah seriously feared she’d only stand like a wall between the younger two brothers and the eldest, squarely dividing them.
When Gavin had claimed she wasn’t good enough, the barbs struck too close to home.
Hannah had cried while Slade held and rocked her, assuring her she was everything they all needed. He’d teased her that he’d be a mess without her organizational skills. Dex would be a constant bull in a china shop without her calming influence. Even if Gavin wasn’t admitting it, he needed her for her heart. Slade had insisted that if Gavin truly found fault with the way she represented him or Black Oak, he would have fired her long ago. Hannah knew Gavin never let any situation go unaddressed if he thought changes were due. But even if he was lying to her—
and himself—she’d still be between him and his brothers.
Next, Dex had drawn a bath for her, complete with bubbles. They had led her back to the huge bathroom with a whirlpool—then made her forget everything. She’d felt like a princess as they worshipped her, passing her back and forth, washing her body and her hair, assuring her that she was perfect for them. That given time and patience, Gavin would come around.
Then Slade held her while Dex shaved her pu**y. Afterward, both men had taken turns lavishing her newly bare flesh with affectionate tongues. For a few blissful moments, she had forgotten all about the ache Gavin’s words had caused.
This morning had been the same. They’d cuddled her and loved her before they’d begun her training. She’d knelt before them, Dex patiently explaining the slave position while Slade had been preparing her for something else.
Her bottom clenched around the plug he’d lodged deep in her backside. It was a continual reminder of everything they wanted from her. Everything she ached to give them.
But now, Hannah found herself alone. Gavin crept back into her mind.
She wandered into the hallway and heard the haunting sound of a piano being played with deft hands. Gran had loved music, and Hannah had studied well. This piece, a sad etude by Chopin, was one of her favorites.
As she sought the source of the sound, she peeked into a parlor they’d passed on the brief tour Slade had given her the night before. Now, Gavin sat at a huge black grand piano, his fingers working the keys like a master. Of all the things she’d gleaned about her former boss, Hannah hadn’t known that he played the piano, much less so beautifully. Music filled the space, the poignant melody battering her heart. Dumbstruck, she stopped, stared.
A bottle of vodka sat on the piano, and it looked like Gavin had made his way through most of it. She glanced at the clock on the wall. One o’clock in the afternoon. She’d never seen him drink more than a few sips of a vodka and tonic, and never in the middle of the day. What had him imbibing now? The fight with his brothers? His usually perfect, dark hair was unkempt, his charcoal gray pajama pants wrinkled. He hadn’t bothered with a shirt at all.
As he played each note, every muscle of his shoulders, biceps, and chest rippled, bunched.
Hannah had never seen Gavin James’s bare chest. She clasped her hands to keep them to herself.
Like his face and persona, even the way he handled the keys, everything about him was strong, commanding. His wide shoulders were capable of making a multi-billion-dollar company thrive for a decade. They also looked equally capable of dragging her under him, then holding her down and taking…