Forever Loved (Forever Lost Book 2) Page 16

  Leo led them into the VIP area, where they were offered every drink imaginable and treated like royalty. Roger accepted a glass of lemonade, and Cassie joined him. She felt too full from dinner to drink much yet, and even a little nauseous.

  “I did wonder when I saw the name outside,” Cassie told Leo after they were settled in one of the private booths.

  “It wasn’t just the one in London, I bought the entire chain. There are ten in total all over the UK. What do you think?” he asked, and Cassie loved how excited he was to show her his most recent business venture.

  “It’s great. I love the vibe, and the music. And, judging by the line outside, I’d say it’s doing well.”

  “Seems so,” he replied with a wink. His coyness when it came to money was endearing. He seemed to like being loaded, and she could never imagine him struggling for cash, but he never appeared to want to flaunt his wealth either. She’d been the one who’d gone out buying the gifts for Will, while Leo had been uneasy. He liked expensive things, but she’d noticed he didn’t show them off all that often. Leonardo Solomon was unlike any millionaire she’d ever met before, but then again, she guessed she must be as well because she didn’t flash her own cash all that often either.

  Cassie thought back to the strange inheritance Victor had left for her, and how she’d put it to good use creating a new life for herself in London. Her accountant had been honest and told her he wondered if Victor had put the money in her name not as a safeguard for her future, but as a way to launder money into offshore accounts. He certainly didn’t seem the sort to care enough to leave money in trust, and she too believed it was only coincidental that she’d received that fund after killing him in cold blood.

  Strangely, no guilt tore at her gut at thinking of how she’d ended up with millions while he lay six feet under. He’d had to die. Regardless of those rare good moments he’d given her when they were together, he was still an unrepentant monster right until the end and had deserved what he’d got.

  Instead of dwelling on the past, Cassie immersed herself in the energy of the night, and she watched the crowd for a moment, mesmerized by the sea of clubbers and their vigor. She also basked in the happiness it gave her having those she loved so close by. Will and Lana were already dancing amidst the throb of people a few feet away, and Roger was liaising with the security staff over by the bar. She slid further into the booth with her man, and Leo immediately put his hand between her knees. He kissed her neck as he squeezed the soft flesh of her thigh gently, kneading her in circular motions while moving up towards the apex. Cassie’s heart pounded and her core reacted instantly to his touch. She was soaking and ready, panting in response to just the simple touch of his palm and fingers to her thighs.

  “Take off your knickers, I want them,” he whispered in her ear, and Cassie froze. She tensed up in shock so fast that Leo quickly pulled his hand away. He stared at her in surprise at her sudden recoil, and then cupped her cheek with his other palm. “What’s the matter, love?” he asked, and pulled her still tense body closer in an attempt to soothe her. Cassie tried to shake off the memory that’d forced itself back into her thoughts, seeming intent on disrupting their fun, but it took her a moment before she could even meet Leo’s gaze, let alone explain her reaction to him.

  “Did you ever meet Eduardo?” she eventually asked, staring at the collar on his shirt in an attempt to avoid his gaze. Leo nodded his head.

  “Yeah. He’s a massive douchebag. He was one of the guys that beat me up that night at my house. He also raped Tina…” His voice faltered, and Cassie gasped. She’d never liked Eduardo before learning those two horrific facts, but hated him even more now. She’d always had a strong feeling that he was one of the worst guys in Victor’s team of top henchmen, and it seemed her instincts had been right. “Did he hurt you?” Leo asked as he pulled back and stared down at her. Cassie shook her head.

  “No, but when Victor took us all out to make him his second in command, he dressed me up and showed me off like some fucking prize. He asked me to give Eduardo my knickers in the nightclub to say congratulations for being promoted. The sleaze didn’t take his eyes off me after that, and I was always scared he’d try something,” she told Leo honestly, and shuddered at the thought of what he was capable of. She had no doubt now what Eduardo would’ve done if he’d ever found her alone in that compound.

  Leo pulled her into him roughly, and the move made the breath catch in her lungs.

  “I had no idea, or else I would’ve never asked for you to give them to me. I was just messing around. I’m so sorry, love,” he said, kissing her forehead lightly as he held her.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Will’s voice chimed, and Cassie looked up in time to catch the concerned look on his face as he took his seat beside her. She nodded a little too enthusiastically and he frowned. “Liar. What is it, Cassie?”

  “Honestly, it’s nothing.” She tried to be convincing, but his face said it all—she was failing miserably. Under his scrutinizing gaze Cassie suddenly felt lost. She’d never gone into the deeper, darker details about her ordeal with him. Will knew she’d had it bad and had nursed her through the aftermath, but he’d never pried, and she’d never wanted him to know the extent of her trauma. She still saw him as her innocent baby brother, someone to protect and care for, rather than the other way around.

  “Sometimes things trigger a memory from her past, and I inadvertently reminded Cassie of something. She’ll be fine. Come on, let’s go grab another drink,” Leo stepped in and took control, as always, and Cassie was grateful. She gave him a nod, silently telling him she was ready to reveal more of her tale.

  “You guys go to the bar will you. While I take a minute, Leo can fill you in on some of the things I haven’t been able to.”

  “Are you sure?” Will asked, and she nodded.

  “Come on, let’s give her a breather,” Leo said. He motioned for Roger to come and take his place, while he ushered Will and Lana to the bar with him. She knew he would tell her brother the quick version of what’d truly happened. The lawyer in Will was a pain in the ass at times, and she knew he’d want to know the whole truth. Cassie could tell by their body language they were discussing her past in some detail. Will went stiff as a board and peered over his shoulder at her, but Leo directed his attention back to him.

  “You look like you might puke, are you okay?” Roger asked, pulling her attention away from the bar. She’d almost forgotten he’d joined her. Cassie nodded, and then shook her head.

  “I keep thinking I’m okay, but then stupid things set me off.” A wave of nausea hit her again, and she slouched back into her seat. Roger ordered a ginger ale, and while they waited for the waitress to deliver it, he said nothing more. She was grateful for the lack of questions. She really didn’t need another set of eyes on her. Regardless of the fact her brother and lover were watching her like hawks out of consideration for her wellbeing, she still hated it, and wished for normalcy in her life she guessed might never happen.

  Roger wrapped an arm around Cassie and pulled her close, and she let him. She could see Leo watching them, but welcomed the silent, sexless affection and support only Roger could seem to give. Leo was too close sometimes, and she was grateful to have someone other than him that could bring her down whenever she wound herself up.

  “Do you want me to schedule an appointment with Dr. Gill on Monday?” Roger asked after the ginger ale was in front of her and Cassie was sipping on it slowly. The thought of having to go back to her shrink was enough of a kick up the ass, and she instantly shook off her unease. Psychoanalysis was the last thing she wanted, not after all her progress.

  “No, absolutely not,” she replied, sitting up in her seat and looking him in the eye. She knew he’d probably mentioned her psychiatrist for this very result, rather than actually meaning to book her in, and Cassie was glad he had. It’d worked. She pushed all thoughts of Eduardo aside, finished her drink, and peered over to where Leo and Will were still
talking intently. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Do you need to accompany me, or are we good?” she asked with a small laugh.

  “We’re good,” Roger replied, rolling his eyes, but he still watched her walk away, and she knew he’d hover outside the door in wait.

  ***

  “Trust me, she’s gone through a lot and she’s better, but there’s still some healing left to do,” Leo said, finishing up his quick tale of Cassie’s past. Will had seemed shocked to learn some of the truths Leo had told him, and he hadn’t even delved properly into her ordeal with Jonah or the depths of her forced submission with Victor.

  “She never told me any of this, just that she’d gotten mixed up with the wrong guy in Mexico and he’d killed Jonah. I knew you were involved, but had no idea how much she’d really gone through…” Will tailed off, and Leo placed a hand on his shoulder.

  “Cassie didn’t want you to know, and she hid it from you because the last thing she wanted was to burden you with her woes. She doesn’t want to be pitied or get asked to talk about the things she’s buried away, so how about we ditch the seriousness and get back to having fun? That’s the whole reason we’re here, and I know she’ll hate thinking she’s ruined the night by causing a fuss.” Will nodded in agreement and grabbed a shot from the bar. He seemed truly grateful for the drink Leo had lined up awaiting him, and took another.

  “You’re a good man, Leo. Thank you for taking such great care of her,” he said in toast to the man beside him before knocking another back. Leo smiled, but felt uneasy. He still couldn’t deal with it when people said things like that to him. Part of him wanted to tell Will all the ways in which he wasn’t a good man, but instead he bit his tongue and downed a shot of his own.

  When Cassie returned from the bathroom, Leo took her hand and led her to the dance floor, where he pulled her close and cradled her protectively. She seemed to melt into him, as though thankful for the support, and the turmoil within him silenced instantly. She wanted him, needed him. There could be one hundred friendly faces in the room, and she would still seek him out. He knew it without her ever saying so, and knowing how much she loved and trusted him gave Leo hope.

  Despite his own progress, he’d still convinced himself he wasn’t good enough for her. That he was a sociopath who cared about no one but himself. But when their bodies were against each other’s and she calmed the chaos within, Leo trusted her judgment. If Cassie said he was good, he couldn’t believe it. But when her body wordlessly told him through her willing submission and love, Leo couldn’t deny she made him feel like a good man. Maybe one day he might finally believe it to be true.

  They moved together slowly despite the upbeat song blasting through the speakers, and before long she climbed up onto her tiptoes to reach his lips with hers. Leo gave himself to her, not caring who might see. He needed the connection just as much as she evidently did, and neither one broke it until they absolutely had to.

  Chapter Fourteen

  On their way back to their booth, a loud squealing screech pierced the air, and all of them turned to check out where and from whom the calls had come from.

  “Cassie? Cassie Taylor!” She froze. Roger stepped in immediately to assess the situation before whoever it was reached her, but Cassie already recognized the voice’s owner. Part of her wanted to keep walking, but the other part was actually kind of interested to see one of her high school friends again after such a long time.

  “It’s okay, Rog,” she said, stepping around him, and lo and behold, there she was—Holly Madison. The school’s Queen Bee. Cassie plastered a huge smile on her face and took in the sight of Holly and her small group of friends-slash-minions. They were the same bunch she’d hung around with at school, just ten years older. “How have you been, Holly?”

  “Great, obviously,” she replied, but then elaborated when Cassie’s face must’ve said it all. Clearly everybody around their small village knew how amazing her life had apparently turned out, well, apart from Cassie, much to Holly’s distaste. “I’m a teacher now. I’ve just been promoted to Deputy Head.” Her lips curled into a smile that reeked of self-obsession, and Cassie could tell Holly was still used to being adored and followed everywhere by her gang of cronies.

  “Congratulations,” she managed, and found herself disinterested in catching up with the old crowd already. She looked around and saw faces she’d known years before, but who weren’t her friends, and whose lives were very different to her own. She didn’t care who they were or who they thought they were, and she didn’t give a damn what they thought of her. In fact, Cassie didn’t even feel the need to outdo Holly by informing her of her own achievements. She simply smiled sweetly and made to walk away. “Well, it was nice seeing you, but we’d best be going back to our table. Enjoy the rest of your night.”

  “Whoa, are you going to the VIP area?” Holly asked, her eyes alight. Cassie nodded. “How’d you manage that?” she spat, and her words had a bitter edge Cassie couldn’t help but revel in. After that reaction, she kind of did want to flaunt her status and relationship with Leo, but then again, what did it matter if someone like Holly was jealous of her? There was nothing in it for Cassie, so she simply shrugged.

  “It’s Will’s birthday so we came for a visit,” she replied, and Holly followed her gaze over to where Cassie’s brother was chatting to one of the guys he seemed to know from their group. She nodded and fumbled with her hands, not seeming to know what to say next, and Cassie got the impression she was hoping for an invitation to join them in the VIP section—an invitation she most certainly wasn’t going to get. The conversation seemed to have come to a quick and natural halt, and Cassie was eager to get on her way. She knew Roger and Leo were standing motionless behind her, watching and waiting patiently for her to wrap it up, and she was glad to have their support so close by. “Well, bye,” she told Holly, and turned to go.

  “What do we have here?” A voice Cassie knew very well boomed from her right, and she turned toward the man who’d just joined them. Her first ever boyfriend and childhood sweetheart, Tate Reynolds, headed through the group and stood staring at her from Holly’s side. He eyed Cassie up and down with a satisfied smile, and then rolled his eyes when Holly caught him and gave him a nudge. “Long time no see, Cass. You’re looking good.”

  “Thanks, Tate. You too,” Cassie replied with a forced smile. She didn’t mean it. In actual fact, he looked scruffy and old.

  “Word was you ran off and joined the theater.” He laughed as if he’d just told the funniest joke in the world and Cassie scowled.

  “Yeah, something like that,” she told him, and stepped back into Leo’s towering shadow in readiness to leave. She didn’t feel like explaining herself or her lifestyle choices to the likes of Tate.

  “Got yourself in all sorts of trouble from what I heard. Drug dealers and murderers…”

  “If you want to stay in my club one more minute, I suggest you shut the fuck up right now,” Leo’s voice rumbled from just above her ear, and Cassie realized he’d stepped in even closer behind her. He wrapped his arm protectively around her waist, and she watched as Tate’s face dropped in shock.

  The pair of them had dated all their way through high school, and at the time she’d been absolutely besotted with him. Now, however, there was absolutely no comparing him to Leo. Yes, she had run away when it’d come to going off to college. In fact, she’d chosen to attend a university in London not only for their arts program, but for the distance from their small life in that village. Even away from it, the same people and their same judgments had found her life’s ups and downs a worthy point for discussion, and Cassie was suddenly ready to go home.

  She watched as Holly also did a double take, then scowled. She clearly hadn’t expected such a turn of events, and Cassie couldn’t deny it felt good having the upper hand after all the years she and the other girls had spent living in Holly’s shadow.

  “Sorry, I was just messing around. I didn’t think…” Tate replied
with a stutter. He peered up at Leo and cringed, but her powerful man gave no further threats. He didn’t need to. “I was only messing, you know that, right?”

  “It wasn’t funny, Tate. And no, you obviously didn’t think before you opened your stupid mouth.” Leo’s voice was full of venom, and even Roger seemed to notice the impending outburst if Tate didn’t shut the hell up and stop digging himself into more of a hole. Roger closed the gap, stepping right in front of Cassie so she was sandwiched between him and Leo, and laid a hand on Tate’s shoulder.

  “No, mate. That’s the problem, you didn’t think. And now we have a problem, ‘cos you’ve not only upset Ms. Taylor, but pissed off the club’s owner too. I suggest you keep your thoughtless opinions to yourself, and get back to hanging with your buddies here. Enjoy your night.” Tate had been dismissed, and when he opened his mouth to say something, presumably an apology but Cassie couldn’t be sure, Roger shook his head.

  Cassie took the opportunity to escape, turning on her heel without so much as a goodbye to Tate, Holly, or the others. They weren’t important to her or her life now, so she left them behind just like she had years before. She took Leo’s hand in hers and led him away. He bristled, and even hesitated as though hankering after a fight, but she kept pulling and eventually won their silent battle of wills. Their night had hit a rough patch already, and she certainly didn’t want another one happening simply because her ex had no filter.

  After depositing Leo back in their booth along with her brother, Cassie headed to the bathroom again. Lana joined her, but evidently decided against bringing up her turmoil or her past, and Cassie was glad. Instead, after they’d finished their business she simply smiled sweetly and thanked Cassie for their lovely evening.