It’s weird, but that part hasn’t really sunk in yet. I mean, I must have told Harrison a hundred times on the way to the hospital how grateful I am to him for taking that bullet – but I don’t think I’ve fully processed the fact that I would be dead if he hadn’t. Caroline had put a bead right on my heart, and there’s no way I’d have survived it.

  Huh. It might be childish, but after everything that bitch has done, and all the people she’s hurt, I really hope they’ve put her in the grossest jail cell they have, with a clogged-up toilet and stains on the cot.

  Eventually they come through to tell us that Harrison’s doing well and has been put in a private room, and that we can go in to see him. He’s sleeping when we walk in, so we quietly make our way over to the two chairs in front of the window and sit down. I’m hoping that maybe Jase will finally talk to me now, but he just crosses his arms over his chest and leans his head against the back of the chair, closing his eyes again.

  ‘Jase, don’t ignore me,’ I murmur, running my gaze over every part of his tired, handsome face. ‘Please.’

  He sucks in another deep breath, then slowly lets it out, his voice little more than a graveled rasp as he says, ‘I’m not ignoring you, Emmy. I’m so aware of you, it’s like I’m plugged into you.’

  ‘Then why aren’t you looking at me?’

  ‘Because if I do, I’m going to grab you, pull you over my lap as I pull down your jeans, and turn your gorgeous arse red for not doing as you were told.’

  Even though he can’t see it, I arch an eyebrow at him. ‘Is that supposed to scare me? Because I gotta be honest, it’s just turning me on.’

  ‘I’m awake, you know,’ Harrison drawls groggily from the bed, and I gasp with embarrassment, while Jase just gives a husky laugh as he finally opens his eyes.

  Moving to his feet, he walks over to his grandfather’s bedside and asks, ‘How’re you feeling?’

  ‘Like I’ve been shot,’ Harrison says drily.

  ‘I don’t know if you heard me in the ambulance, but thank you,’ I tell him, giving his hand a soft squeeze. ‘You saved my life tonight.’

  The corner of his mouth twitches with a smile. ‘You can repay me by modeling for me sometime.’

  ‘Like hell,’ Jase mutters, and this time the laugh that’s slipping from his lips is a wry one. ‘You must be delusional from the morphine if you think that’s ever happening.’

  ‘I meant with clothes on,’ Harrison huffs, trying to look affronted.

  But Jase just snorts under his breath, not buying it for a minute. ‘Sure you did, old man.’

  The nurse comes in then, checking Harrison’s vitals, and by the time she’s done, he’s starting to doze back off. Jase and I want to stay with him a bit longer, before finding a local hotel for the night, so we settle back in the two chairs by the window. But my butt hasn’t been on the pleather cushion two seconds when Jase sprawls back in his chair and crooks his finger at me, then pats his lap, telling me exactly what he wants without ever uttering a single word.

  Since his lap is one of my favorite places in the world to be, I quickly move to my feet and curl up against his broad chest, the knot in my belly finally unclenching as he wraps his strong arms around me, holding me close. He presses a kiss to the top of my head, and then I tilt it back, gazing up at him as he settles back to get as comfortable as he can, and we murmur in quiet voices about everything that’s happened.

  He fills me in on the part with Alistair and Caroline that I’d missed, though I’d caught most of it. Then he tells me that we’ll have to go into the police station in the morning to make our statements. When I mention Hart’s suspicions that the local PD have been in Alistair’s pocket for years, he says that he’s already asked his friend from Scotland Yard to be there, and that Danny’s the one he’ll be handing the recording from the wire he was wearing over to. I tell him he’s a genius, which earns me a slow, sweet kiss that melts me down, my arms going around his neck as I kiss him back, trying to show him just how much I love him. How important he is to me. And how sorry I am for everything that’s happened.

  ‘By the way, babe,’ he says, pulling his head back and giving me a soft look of curiosity. ‘What were you going to tell me earlier tonight, before the old guy pretending to sleep in the bed over there interrupted us?’

  ‘Hey! This old guy could still kick your arse,’ Harrison huffs, and I can tell by the humor shining in Jase’s blue eyes that he’s enjoying giving his grandfather a hard time.

  I take a quick breath for courage, and then answer his question. ‘I was just going to say that I’ve decided to move to London, so that I can be with you.’

  His eyes widen with surprise, and then he gives another quiet, sexy rumble of laughter. ‘Sweetheart,’ he murmurs, brushing his thumb against the side of my face, ‘I’ve already decided to move to San Diego to be with you.’

  I smile, loving that he’d be willing to give up his entire life here to do that for me. For us. But I can’t let him. Not with everything that’s happened. ‘Jase,’ I say softly. ‘You’ve only just started to work things out with that old guy in the bed over there. And there’s going to be a lot of ugly legal things coming up that we’ll all have to be a part of. And on top of all that, it’ll be so much easier for me to write here, than it would be for you to move your entire company to the States. So my way just makes more sense.’

  He glances over at Harrison’s hospital bed, and I can tell that he gets what I’m saying. ‘You’re amazing, Emmy. I know how much you love it there, and I’m blown away that you would leave it all for me.’

  Pressing a hand over the heavy pounding of his heart, I say, ‘I’m sure we’ll get back and visit a ton. And I know Ty will love coming over here to see us. And, believe it or not, Mr Beckett, getting to wake up to your handsome face every day is so worth moving halfway around the world for.’

  ‘Damn it,’ he groans, fisting his hand in the back of my hair as he tugs my face closer to his. ‘You can’t say things like that when we’re in a hospital room and I can’t fuck you.’

  ‘Would it help if I pretend to be asleep again?’ Harrison drawls, and I have to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

  Jase glares over at the bed, then brings his molten gaze back to mine, and with one of those wicked little smiles that I love so much, he says, ‘And I know that moving here and being near that crotchety old bastard over there won’t be easy.’

  ‘Hey!’ Harrison grumbles. ‘I saved your arse tonight. Well, Emmy’s arse, which is a hell of lot prettier than yours. A little kindness wouldn’t hurt.’

  Jase shakes his head as he snorts, then gives me the most tender, possessive, beautiful look that I’ve ever seen as he says, ‘But I love you, Em. I love you so damn much that I’ll make dealing with all his crap worth it. I will worship you with every part of me, every single day of my life.’

  ‘You don’t have to do anything, Jase. Just be mine,’ I whisper, holding his beloved face in my hands. ‘Just be with me.’

  ‘Always,’ he whispers back, just as his lips find mine. ‘Until the fucking end of time.’

  Epilogue

  Saturday morning

  Two weeks later

  EMMY

  I walk into the flat at the Shard and call out for Jase, but he doesn’t hear me because he’s got The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Can’t Stop’ blasting from his gym. He may be my sexy, rich-as-fuck suit, but his taste in music is a perfect fit for the rugged, alpha-as-hell sex god who takes me to bed each night – a little edgy, sometimes dark, and always deliciously wild. I had a Pilates class this morning with Lola, and am completely beat, but scrounge up enough energy to smile as I picture my beautiful man pumping iron, all those mouthwatering muscles of his flexing under his sweat-slick skin. Yum.

  I look around for Harrison, but imagine he’s back in his studio, working and smoking a cigarette while he burns a candle to try to cover the smell. Jase had one of the flat’s five guest bedrooms emptied out, and brought up everything Harrison would need for his work from Elm Manor, so that his grandfather didn’t go stir crazy while recuperating with us. And to be honest, I’ll be surprised if Jase ever lets Harrison go back to living like a recluse down in Kent. Even Anna has come up to stay with us, and I’ve enjoyed getting to know her, and learning her secret ways of dealing with the old man himself. And, hey, I like having Harrison around, so I’m happy they’re here.

  I slip off my shoes and pull the band out of my hair, shaking it out, then head into the kitchen to grab a cold bottle of water, thinking over everything that’s happened since the night Jase confronted Caroline and Alistair, and Harrison ended up getting shot to save my life. It was a traumatic time, and I know Jase is still trying to process everything that we learned on that devastating day. We’ve had long discussions about Cameron and his mom, and he talks with Harrison too. He also called Douglas Hart and told him about what we’d learned, as well as Alistair and Caroline’s upcoming trial, and the ongoing investigation into the local police and medical examiner who Alistair had paid off.

  It’s killing Hart that for all these years he’d thought Sarah wouldn’t leave Alistair because of the money, when really she’d only been trying to protect Jase. But I think Hart has taken the news about the baby girl she was carrying the hardest, and Jase and I are both worried about how he’s going to cope.

  Alistair and Caroline caused so many people so much pain, and I’ll personally be happy if they spend the rest of their miserable lives rotting in a cell. It’s better than what they deserve, because nothing will ever bring Sarah back, or right all the wrongs that were done to Cameron. But at least there will be justice.

  Hart has made it clear that he wants to come over for the trial, and Jase has asked him to stay with us. It will be a brutal time for both men, as well as for Harrison, but I’m hoping it will be a good bonding opportunity for them as well. And Jase has done everything he can to keep Cameron’s name out of the media, determined to protect his cousin, after the horrific sacrifice Cam was forced to make as a little boy to protect Jase and Oliver.

  And Oliver . . . God, that’s another shocking story that we’re still trying to wrap our heads around. None of us are quite able to believe what happened to him while he and Lottie were in Italy a few weeks ago, just after Harrison was shot. And Jase has investigators searching for Lottie, who hasn’t been seen since boarding a flight to the States.

  But as with all things, there’ve been lows, as well as highs, and one of the peaks has been my Luxe editor’s decision to buy all five of the article proposals I finally sent to them last week, which we celebrated with a fancy dinner and a far too expensive bottle of champagne that I shared with Harrison and Anna. And then, later that night, Jase and I had our own private celebration, and let’s just say that there’s a certain provocative number that’s now my favorite. Honestly, I came so hard, so many times, I had to soak in the tub the next morning before I could walk. But it was so totally worth it. Especially when my sexy beast of a boyfriend joined me, washing my hair and rubbing my back for me, as well as the sore muscles in my legs, the way he cares for me making it clear that I’m the single most important thing in his world, just like he is in mine.

  Seriously, life is surreal. And with Jase Beckett by my side, so sublime.

  And, yes, he’s decided to keep the Beckett name. I think some of the reasons are emotional ones, since it was Sarah’s name when she died. But I also think it’s because he was Mr Beckett when I met him, and he says he can’t imagine me calling him anything else. So Beckett it is.

  I’ve settled in well in London, and while I miss Tyler, he’s already planning to spend a few weeks with us at the end of the summer. I’m looking forward to introducing him to Harrison and Anna, as well as to the friends that I have here in the city, and I know he’s going to get along great with everyone, because that’s just the kind of guy Tyler is.

  And last night, Jase finally met my friends Lola and Ben. We all went to dinner together at this awesome restaurant that Jase had picked out, and though there were a few awkward moments, like when Lola felt the crazy need to apologize for all the awful things she’d called Jase behind his back, the night turned out to be a blast. Plus, Jase and I finally got the chance to slow dance to a song from beginning to end, without a single interruption. It was to Coldplay’s ‘Yellow’, and Lola snapped a few photos of us which turned out great. There’s this one, though, where Jase is giving me one of his sin-drenched smiles as I gaze up into his gorgeous face, that I’m definitely getting framed for my desk. He looked so freaking handsome in his sharp black suit, and I wore the new dress that he’d bought for me. It’s a sexy, backless lacy one that clings to my curves, leaving little to the imagination, and I’d thought he was going to throw me over his shoulder and carry me to bed the instant he saw me in it.

  He’d managed to hold off on the ravishment until we got home, and by then we were both so desperate that the dress barely survived the way he tore it from my body. But I wasn’t much kinder to his designer suit, so I couldn’t complain. Not that I would, when what came after was the kind of bone-melting, breathtaking night that most women only get to read about in the kind of deliciously steamy romances that are packed on to my e-reader.

  Amazingly, given how many times we went at it last night, I’m already desperate for him again, and I shake my head a bit as I smile, knowing damn well that I’m a lucky girl. Not only because he loves me, but because his desire for me is something that I never have to question, and knowing it feels so freaking good it’s insane.

  As I head down the hallway that leads back to the master bedroom, I pass by the home office on my left that we both share, and am excited about setting up my bookshelves when they arrive next week. Jase paid a company to pack up everything in my apartment that I wanted to bring over now (under Tyler’s supervision) and it’s already on its way, most of the furniture going into storage until I decide what I want to do with it.

  When I step into the gym a moment later, I expect to find Jase working out, and it’s clear from the sweat glistening on his tanned skin that that’s exactly what he was doing. But something has obviously grabbed his attention, because he’s got his laptop propped up on top of a cabinet that holds different belts and other lifting equipment, and as I come up beside him, I see that he’s got his email open and is looking at photos of a beautiful beach house.

  ‘Ooh, whose is that?’ I ask, thinking it probably belongs to a friend of his, and that they’ve sent the photos over to show off their fabulous new home.

  But Jase floors me when he looks over at me with a sexy grin, and says, ‘Ours.’

  I blink up at him, certain that I’ve just heard him wrong. ‘What the what?’

  He picks me up, setting me down on the cabinet beside his computer, then steps between my legs and places his big hands on my waist. They stroke up my sides, his thumbs brushing the heavy undersides of my breasts as he says, ‘I love that you want to live here so we can be close to Harrison, Em. But we need to be close to Tyler too. And I fell in love with San Diego just as deeply as you love it. So I bought us this beach house. It’s in La Jolla, and there’s a cottage for Harrison round the back that has plenty of space for a studio. If he wants, he can spend the summers and holidays with us there, because that’s where we’re going to be.’

  ‘You bought us a San Diego house?’ I say in a breathless rush, unable to believe what I’m hearing.

  He cups the side of my face in his hand, and gives me a gentle, loving look. ‘I did. But if you don’t like it, we can get something else. We can buy whatever you want.’

  ‘No, I . . . I love it.’ I curl my hands around his strong forearm, the intricate design of his tattoo pressed against my skin as I say, ‘I’m just shocked. But I love it, Jase. I completely love it.’

  He laughs as he cocks his head, his blue eyes shining and warm. ‘You haven’t even seen it yet, sweetheart.’

  ‘It doesn’t matter, because you picked it out for us. So I know it’ll be awesome.’

  His expression instantly tightens with emotion, and his gaze turns molten, telling me exactly how much he likes what I’ve just said. ‘Jesus, baby. Your faith in me is a little scary sometimes.’

  ‘Scary?’ I ask with a laugh, and he smiles at me in a way that makes me want to kiss him so badly I can taste it.

  ‘Maybe that’s not the right word,’ he murmurs, rubbing the corner of my mouth with his thumb. ‘I just . . . I don’t want to ever disappoint you, Emmy. I want to give you whatever you want, and every single thing that you need.’

  ‘Jase, you are everything I want and need. You’re what I love. So stop worrying and just relax. Just enjoy.’

  ‘You are my joy,’ he says with a soft growl, pushing his hand into my curls as he presses a kiss to the center of my forehead. ‘You’re the thing that I hold close, because you feel so damn good. You’re the best fucking feeling in the world.’

  I sniff a little as I smile, my chest melting as I remember saying almost those exact same words to him in San Diego, when he’d asked me about my sketches.

  ‘I have another confession to make,’ he husks, only this time the rough words are spoken against my lips as he brushes a kiss across them.

  ‘What’s that?’

  Instead of answering the question, he just gives me a wicked smile, and I have a feeling my gorgeous alpha is about to show me, rather than tell.

  And as he lifts me in his powerful arms, holding me against his broad chest, I’m smiling too. With my lips, my eyes, and my deliriously happy heart.

  When I left San Diego to come after Jase Beckett, I’d had no idea we were about to be hit with more confessions than we could have ever possibly been prepared for. Beautiful ones. Horrific ones. Ones that can change the future, and ones that have simply changed the way we view the past.