Securing His Destiny (Power Security #2)

Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

T he flash of fear in Tabitha’s blue eyes cut Steve to the core. He hated seeing it. Had she come to the same suspicion as he had?

That somehow her attack, Elton Quinn, and Linex Corporation were all connected.

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d seen or heard of companies using not quite ethical methods to get what they wanted.

No way was Steve going to let anything happen to Tabitha or her business.

He strode to where she sat and squatted down in front of her, resting his hands on her knees, waiting for her to meet his gaze.

When she did, he reached up and brushed his fingers down her cheek. “I’ve got you, honey. Always. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“Pretty words, but kind of impossible. You can’t be near me every single hour of every single day. You have your own life, Steve. Your own company to run. I wouldn’t expect that of you.”

“If you think, after what I witnessed today and what you’ve just told me, that I’m going to leave you alone and let you fend for yourself, you’re very much mistaken. It’s no longer just you in this, Tabby. We’re in this together. I’m not going anywhere. Did you forget that in the hospital I told you I wanted you and I’m not going to walk away? Did you forget what we were doing before Elton came by?”

A faint hue of pink dusted her cheeks. “I don’t want to be an obligation to you. I don’t want the only reason for you to be around me is because of a sense of duty to protect me.”

Steve stood, pulling her up from where she’d been sitting. He grabbed her hands and placed them on his chest, right over his heart. He rested his on her waist. “Trust me when I say what I feel for you has nothing to do with obligation. Or a sense of duty. I’m here because I want to be. I’m here because from the first moment I saw you, I wanted to get close to you. I’m here because you own this.” He tapped her hand. “I’m yours, Tabitha Newton.”

Had he gone too hard, too fast?

Possibly, but doing what he did for a living. Seeing what he’d seen while he’d been in the Army, he knew how short life could be.

Heck, he’d almost lost his chance with her. Her attack could’ve been much worse. He could’ve lost her because he’d been too caught up in his head and hadn’t seen what was right in front of him until it was almost taken away from him.

“You can’t mean that. We hardly know each other,” Tabitha said softly.

She wasn’t pulling away from him, which was a good thing. “You’re right. We don’t know each other, but I know what I feel. The regrets I had when I drove past and thought you were dead. I don’t want to feel that again. Yes, we still have a lot to learn about each other, but I want this. I want you.”

Steve’s words were so foreign to him. Over the years, he’d had many relationships, even fancied himself in love, but his job had always been a gulf too wide for either of them to cross, and he hadn’t even tried to see if it was possible to bridge that gap.

With Tabitha, he’d build a bridge of sticks over the gaping hole to be with her.

“This is crazy. It’s way too soon,” she murmured. Again, not putting any distance between them, which could only mean she was feeling the opposite of what she spoke.

“Is it though?” Steve leaned down and stroked his lips across hers once. Then again. “We’ve known each other for months.”

Tabitha sighed. “We have.”

He took possession of her mouth and poured everything he was feeling into the kiss. All his life every decision, action, thought he had or made had been precise and thought out, but with her, everything was thrown out the window because everything about holding her. Kissing her. Being with her was right.

Her hands trailed down from his chest, and his cock jolted when her fingers brushed against him. He wanted to bury himself in her. Show her how much she meant to him. He wanted to worship her.

Breaking the kiss, Steve rested his cheek against hers so his lips were close to her ear. “I want you, Tabitha Newton. So much. I think it’s time we left.”

“I agree.”

He tightened his arms around her for a fraction of a second before dropping them and taking a step away from the temptation she represented.

Steve used the few minutes he had while Tabitha bustled around, ensuring everything in the café was up to her standards and ready for the next day’s business. If he had his way, especially after the visit from Elton Quinn, he’d keep her away for another couple of days, but he wouldn’t do that. This was her business. Her livelihood, and he respected her too much to jeopardize it. Besides, it wasn’t his place to tell her what she could and couldn’t do when it came to her café.

What he would do was bring her to work. Wilt had arranged for cameras to be installed out the front and back of her premises, as well as a couple set up inside, so Steve would make sure the feed was up on his computer while he was working.

He’d also get him and Damon to investigate Linex Corporation and find out who they were. What they did. Not to mention why they seemed convinced they could drive Tabitha away from her business.

Steve texted them both with his request. When he got into the office tomorrow, he’d have the information he needed.

The rest of the afternoon and night were going to be spent with the woman who captivated him.

“All done.” She smiled.

A smile that could be interpreted as shy, but the sexy glint in her azure eyes suggested otherwise.

“Let’s get out of here then.” He took her hand and led her to the front door. Before he opened it, Steve peered through the glass, needing to be satisfied Elton wasn’t hanging around.

He waited for Tabitha to set the alarm and lock up before he laced their fingers together, needing that connection between them.

“Your place or mine?” he asked as he started the car. It didn’t matter where they ended up, as long as they were together.

“Umm, mine?” Tabitha said.

“Are you sure?” Steve smirked.

“Yeah, it’s just…”

“What?”

She shifted and looked at him. “My car’s still at your office.”

Now her hesitation made sense. “And you’d like to get it so you have it?”

“Yes, is that going to be a problem?”

“Not at all.” Steve pulled out of the space and headed to the office. “But all we’re doing is picking up your car, nothing else.”

“You don’t need to go in and finish up for the day?”

There were probably a couple of things he should do, but they weren’t urgent. Besides, he didn’t want to waste a moment with Tabitha. “Nothing that can’t wait until tomorrow. And then we’ll head to your place.”

“You’re okay with that?”

He patted her leg. “I’m happy with whatever you want. There’s no power imbalance here with us. We’re both equals.”

Tabitha grasped his hand before he could grab the steering wheel it.

Warmth flooded him, along with a healthy dose of need. He was glad they weren’t going to get out of the car, hiding his hard-on from his work colleagues wouldn’t have been fun.

T he aromas coming from the plate as it was placed in front of Steve were a mix of honey, soy, and garlic. The chicken stir-fry Tabitha had whipped up looked as if it belonged in a restaurant.

“This looks and smells amazing. You could definitely offer more than cake, sandwiches, and drinks in your café. If you served this, you’d have a line of people waiting to get in.

Tabitha sat down, wearing a pleased smile. “Thanks, but I worked in a restaurant during and after my apprenticeship to become a chef. While I love to cook, I didn’t like the high-pressure atmosphere of a restaurant kitchen. I’m more than happy with my café and our menu.”

Steve forked a large portion into his mouth and as he chewed, worked through the information she’d shared with him. “How long did you work there?”

“A few years. After that, I went over to Paris to take some classes with a renowned pastry cook and found that my passion was for baked goods and not fancy dishes.”

“How long were you in Paris?”

“Two years and then I came back here. I was a little burned out, so I took a couple of office jobs, but realized that I loved cooking too much to give it up. As much as I knew I didn’t like the atmosphere, I got a job in a restaurant but as a dessert chef. It’s still a pressure-cooker atmosphere but not as bad as being a sous chef or the head chef. I was there a couple of years before I found a job with Bess. I lived as frugally as possible and saved everything I earned. With my nest egg, and a small loan, I was able to make Tabby’s Café a reality when it was presented to me. And now here we are.” She threw her hands open, still smiling.

If he’d admired her before because of her grit and determination, but after hearing all she’d done, his admiration grew tenfold. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”

Tabitha blushed at his compliment, and he loved seeing it. “Thanks, but I did have a good mentor who helped me through the process. I couldn’t have done it without Bess.”

“I’m glad you had her.” Tabitha collected his plate, but Steve placed his hand over it. “Nope, sit. You cooked, I’ll clean up. I’m assuming you have a dishwasher and all?”

“I do, but you don’t ha?—”

“Tabby, I do.”

“Okay.”

He gathered up the plates and took them to the kitchen. As he suspected, her kitchen counters were clear of any indication that she’d cooked dinner, all that was left was a wok on the cooktop. Steve gave the plates a rinse and then popped them into the machine. He opened the cupboard next to it and found the detergent for it.

“Don’t put it on.”

He looked up at Tabitha standing in the doorway.

“I thought I told you to sit down.”

She shrugged and came over to him, taking the box of dishwasher pods out of his hand and putting them back. “I have solar panels, so I set it when I get up to come on while I’m at the café.”

“Ahh, okay.” Steve slid his arms around her and pulled her close.

Instantly, peace settled over him.

Tabitha nestled closer, and he closed his eyes, relishing that he could do this with her freely now.

“Do you want a coffee? Or some dessert?” she asked, her fingers trailed a blazing path down his spine and the only dessert he wanted wasn’t of the cake, or chocolate, variety.

“I only want dessert if it’s you.” Steve scooped her up and kept her close to his chest, enjoying her little yelp of surprise.

He planned on keeping the surprises coming.