“As long as necessary. We’ll do whatever we have to in order to keep you safe. We need to figure out who the mystery man is and ensure that he and your father leave you alone. For good.”
“How?” she whispered. “Without the information on that flash drive, how can we take my father down?”
He frowned. “We’ll find a way. Micah had one of his guys look into William’s death, but it seems it really was a heart attack.”
He felt some of the tension leave her. “Okay, that’s good to know.”
“We’re going to watch the funeral. You want to do that?”
“I think so. At least some of it. It’s not like I feel I owe him anything. William wasn’t a good husband. He was manipulative and could be mean, even if at the end he was trying to make things better. However, I feel like I should watch to see how my father is acting and what he’s saying about me not being there.”
Caleb nodded. “Then we’ll do that. Together. As a family. Wolfe is going to deal with the Marilyn stuff for the moment and pull me in if needed.”
“I don’t think it’s that big of a deal—”
He placed his hand over her mouth. “It is for us. I’m not going to bend on this one. And even if we did, there is no way that Kassim would allow it. This can’t be allowed to go unanswered. It sets a precedent. Understand?”
She nodded.
Leaning in, he kissed her forehead. “You really should take a nap, the funeral isn’t until late our time.”
“I don’t think I can.” She tapped her head. “Too much going on.”
“Oh yeah? Hmm, I might have an idea on how to distract you,” he murmured. “I thought that maybe we should have our first date.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“How about a swim?” he suggested.
She froze. Swim? Was he insane? Swimming was the last thing she wanted to do.
“Couldn’t we just watch a movie or something?”
He stared at her, his gaze narrowed. “You still don’t swim?”
“No, I don’t think I even know how anymore. I haven’t really swum since my mom drowned.”
“Shit.”
“I was still learning to swim when she drowned,” she whispered. “I mean, I guess I might remember how once I get back in the water. But it’s been a long time. But afterward . . . after I found her . . . the water terrified me. For years I wouldn’t even take a bath. My father, he didn’t care. I had a nanny who tried to force me into swimming lessons, but I screamed and fought her. After I saw a therapist, I was able to start taking baths. The therapist helped me a lot with my mom’s death. But there wasn’t anyone who I trusted to teach me to swim.”
“Jelly bean, you need to learn to swim. It’s not safe for you otherwise.”
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“You can. I’m going to help you.”
She shook her head. “I don’t think I can do it.”
Grasping hold of her chin, he gave her a firm look. “You can do this, jelly bean. Because you’re not alone. I’ll be with you. If you need them to, Aleki and Wolfe will come in the pool too. We’ll all get you through this. We’ll all support you. If you want to talk to someone again, we can do that too. But, baby, what I can’t do is stand by knowing that you’re living with this fear. Okay?”
“Okay,” she whispered. She was silent for a long moment. “I think maybe I could try.”
He kissed her gently. “That’s my brave girl. Even if you just get part of the way in. Even if it’s just your toes, that’s enough. All right?”
“All right,” she whispered.
“Good girl. Put your swimming suit on and meet me out by the pool.”
She could do this. It wasn’t like she hadn’t been around swimming pools and the ocean all her life. It was just that she never got into the water.
Nerves battered her insides, making her feel black and blue. She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly.
All she had to do was put her toes in. If she couldn’t go any further then that was fine.
She took a last look at herself in the mirror. She was kind of shocked that Wolfe had bought her something as revealing as this bikini. It was red and simple. For the top, there were just two pieces of red string securing the cups to each other at the front. The bottom part covered her, but only just. Two bows at the sides secured the front and back pieces together.
Honestly, it was more like sexy lingerie than swimwear.
She looked in the closet and found a sarong which she pulled around her, tying it in the middle of her chest. Then grabbing Piggles, she made her way out to the swimming pool.
“Piggles, Daddy’s taking us for a swim. Piggles, we might need to hide from him.”
Caleb was waiting for her by the pool, dressed in a pair of blue swimming trunks. Damn, that was a gorgeous sight. How was he so beautiful with his pale skin, blond hair and those blue eyes?
“You going to come closer?” he asked with a smirk on his face, as though he knew she’d been checking him out.
She slowly moved towards him, her gaze going to the pool in trepidation.
“I have a few ideas of things that might help. But today, we’re just taking it easy, want to lose the sarong?”
“I’m not going that far in!” she protested.
“No, it’s kind of long, though. It might get wet.”
Oh. Fine. She undid the top and slid it off, throwing it away.
“Holy. Shit. What are you wearing?” he demanded.
She looked down at herself then up to him.
“It’s what was in my closet.”
“Wolfe bought you that?” he asked.
“You don’t like it?” It was far more risqué than anything she’d ever worn before, but she didn’t think it looked bad.
“It . . . what . . . fuck!”
She reached for her sarong, prepared to put it back on.
“No, no, don’t do that. Just . . . shit, baby, don’t ever wear that anywhere but here, with the three of us okay? You’ll start a fucking riot otherwise.”
“I . . . you mean . . . you like it?”
“Like it?” He drew her close to him and she felt him growing hard against her tummy. “I love it. I want to lay you down on the side of the pool and take you until neither of us can remember our own names.”
Damn. Well, she wouldn’t object.
“If that shiver is anything to go by, I think you like that idea.”
“I do,” she whispered.
Reaching out, he took hold of her hand and tugged her forward. She shook her head, wanting to stay where she was.
He looked from her face to the stuffed pig she was clutching like a lifeline. “Piggles, you want to go for a swim?”
“Piggles is scared. Piggles doesn’t think he wants to swim,” she replied in a small voice. “Piggles knows I can’t swim. He’s worried.”
“Will Piggles trust me to take care of him?” He tilted up her chin. “Does Piggles know I won’t let anything hurt him?”
“Piggles knows. Piggles is just a scaredy-pig.”