Rook and Ronin Box Set: The Complete Alpha Billionaire Series (Books 1-5) Read online

  "Oh, that sucks. Sorry, sis."

  "Take Rook instead."

  I shoot her a dirty look. "Now you want me to take her out, but yesterday you were threatening my manhood if I got anywhere near her? What's the deal?"

  "Spencer is here and he's got that look, Ronin. Don't let him swoop in because you know he'll try. Let her choose a dress from the closet and take her to the fundraiser. I have a feeling she'll enjoy herself. Oh, and write a check on your way out. A big one."

  And then she pats my cheek a few times and walks off.

  A night at the zoo. For a fundraiser. I'm not sure about this. It sounds like I have to wear a tux. I think about this for a second, then wander into the closet. It also means I could pick Rook out a nice sexy dress. I make my way over to the evening gowns and start looking for something red, long in length, and plunging at the neckline. I grab the dress and some shoes that look like her size, and then put it in a garment bag and hang it on the rack with Rook's name tag.

  I hope she likes it.

  Next on the list is the girly stuff, so I head over to the salon and talk Josie into making Rook up for the occasion. She agrees if I tip her generously, which I do because I figure if Rook has to worry about hair and make-up she'll probably say no.

  Walking across the terrace makes me nervous for some reason. This girl who has not even been in my life for one week completely dominates all my thoughts. I mean, she's on my mind every second of the day. Even when Clare and I were fighting this morning, the only thing on my mind was how Rook was going to perceive that manic display of insanity from Clare.

  I told Antoine I'm done with that girl. If Clare wants to jump off the ledge, fuck—there's nothing more I can do. I cut her loose and that's the end of it. Antoine was not happy, but whatever. He's never been able to control Clare and I've only ever had a tenuous hold on her at best. But all of that has left the building these days.

  I can only hope that Rook doesn't read too much into it.

  I stand at her door and knock, again feeling just a little bit off balance from all the recent changes. Rook answers in a pair of shorts and a halter top. My eyes take her in, from her perky nipples standing at attention, to her long legs, to her bare feet.

  Which have painted pink toenails and are fidgeting around like she's Gidget talking on the phone or something.

  I take a deep breath.

  "Hey," she says, seductively leaning against the door jamb, jutting her hip off to the side and twirling her long raven-black hair around a finger. All she needs is some gum and she'd be the Gidget of my dreams.

  "Hey," I say back, like an idiot. "Uh, I was wondering if you'd like to go to the zoo with me tonight?"

  That sounded lame.

  She coughs down a laugh. "The zoo?"

  "Yeah, it's a fundraiser. Antoine and Elise were gonna go, but they have to work tonight. So she gave me their tickets."

  "What are we raising funds for?"

  "I have no idea." Fuck, all I want to do is take you upstairs and throw you on my bed and hold you down while I make you scream my name. I hope to fucking God I did not just say that out loud.

  She doesn't laugh or squirm, so I guess I'm safe. "Is it fancy?"

  "Yes, very. But I have a dress for you and Josie said she'll do your hair and make-up. What do you say?"

  "You picked my dress?"

  Oh, shit. I probably fucked up with that move. "Uh, well, you can pick something else if you want, but it's sexy as hell." I waggle my eyebrows at her and grin like an idiot, hoping to defuse that blunder.

  "Does it make me look like Gidget?"

  "No," I say too quickly. "Not at all."

  "Well, in that case, I'll go. What do I have to do?"

  I take her hand and tug her out the door. "I'll take care of everything, just relax and I'll meet you outside the dressing room at seven."

  I drop her off with Josie and get the hell out of there before she can change her mind or ask me anything else about fruit baskets and vacant bedrooms on the lower floors of the building, then take the stairs up to my apartment three at time and go searching for my tux.

  Chapter Thirty-Two - Rook

  Josie does my hair in an up-do. It doesn't take long, all she has to do is brush it out and pin it up, swooping it over to one side, while the top and back are sufficiently poofed up to give it some height. When she shows me in the mirror I let out a small gasp. Even without the make-up and dress, I already look better than ever before. The hair is sleek, not messy and half falling out like most up-dos end up, but shiny and pulled tight.

  Josie smiles when I look over at her. "That's how fashion models do the up-do, Rook. Don't ever let them give you those wispy tendrils again!"

  As if I ever had wispy tendrils to bag on. "Thank you, it's perfect."

  "Now, for make-up, you don't need much. Some foundation and bronzer, then red lips. Ronin said the dress was red, so you must have lips to match. I'll put a sealer coat over it, so it will last."

  She does it just like she said and then sets me off to find my clothes in the dressing room. It's past six now, so the whole place is quiet. I find my bag and take it over to the upholstered benches in the middle of the outer dressing area where all the naked girls were earlier. This time I get shoes, and I'm relieved because my ripped-up Converse would never do for the absolutely stunning red creation I pull out of the bag.

  Maybe Ronin is a control freak, but he has good taste in dresses. I hold it up to my body and it falls to the floor like it was made specifically for me. I guess it was, really, since I'm a standard model size and all these clothes are made for people who have a shape and height like mine.

  It's strapless and has two slits that go all the way up to my mid-thigh on each side. The neckline is not low enough so my girls are hanging out if I move and the fabric is incredibly soft. I have no clue what it's made of, but it's soft. The bodice is trimmed in a few clear sparkles, just enough to make it twinkle in the lights, but not enough to make me look like a disco ball. After helping myself to some new panties from the underwear drawer, I wiggle into it and reach around to draw up the zipper. I only make it halfway, but I'm sure Ronin won't mind finishing that off for me.

  I chuckle when I think about him. Gah, this man! I'm not sure what to do with him. He made me feel incredible today. Seriously, I've never had an orgasm. Sex was not something I enjoyed in the past, but after experiencing what he can do to me, I'm hoping that is about to change.

  When I slip my feet in the shoes and realize they are not only my size, but comfortable to boot, I almost give in to his controlling ways. He really does know what he's doing. Is it so bad to trust someone to take care of you?

  "Rook?"

  "Come in," I yell back.

  He walks in and I about have a heart attack. He's wearing a tux. "Oh, my," we say at the same time. And then we both burst out laughing.

  "I feel like a grown-up," he says, looking down at himself.

  "Mr. Flynn, you definitely look like a grown up." His tux is the kind that rock stars wear to those award ceremonies—black on black with slim-fit trousers. He walks straight over to me without hesitation and wraps his hands around my hips. His touch releases a fire that travels all through my body.

  "Do you need a hand with the zipper, Gidge?" he asks, leaning down into my ear.

  I want to say yeah, but not the way you think. I want him unzipping me right now. I want him to lift me up, slam me against the dressing room wall, and take me right here. Fuck this dress, this fundraiser, and everything else!

  "Yes, please," is what really comes out.

  Darn stupid inhibitions.

  He turns me around, his hands trailing around my waist, and then his fingertips dance along my bare back for a moment before he gently lifts the zipper. I twist a bit at his touch and let out a gasp when he leans in to kiss the back of my neck.

  "Did I tickle you?" he asks, leaning in closer as I turn back to face him. His breath teases my throat and then his lips trave
l up and flutter against the soft skin under my ear.

  "No, you excite me, Larue. You make all my Gidget parts tingle." I giggle as his tongue continues to tease my throat and then I have to shake my whole head to dampen down the shudder of pleasure that runs through my body.

  "You're gonna make me want to forget all about this night out if you're not careful. And then I'll have Elise mad at me for wasting the tickets and Josie mad at me for wasting the beautiful job she did on your hair and makeup. Now, hold still."

  Something cold slides against my chest and Ronin's hands clasp together a piece of jewelry around my neck. I look down and bite my lip at the gemstones as they sparkle in the overhead lights of the dressing room.

  He turns me around and steps back, hands never leaving my body. "I have no words for you, Rook Walsh."

  "Try," I whisper back as I stare hungrily into his eyes.

  He brings his palms to my face and tilts my chin. "I could describe what you look like, but that's not what I see. You are so much more than a body inside a dress, Rook. You fit me. When I saw you crouching in that stairwell last week I felt like I knew you. You stopped me dead in my tracks, you wiped my mind. And I reached out to touch you that day because I couldn't resist. I needed to do it and I plan on touching you all night, on the way there in the car, through dinner, as we walk around the zoo and do whatever the hell it is they do at a nighttime fundraiser, and all the way home."

  "And then?" I prod.

  He lets out a soft laugh. "Oh, Miss Walsh, I plan on doing many more things to you tonight, but most of all, when I finally get you back to my apartment and into my bed, I plan on making you whimper into my neck, begging me to make you come."

  Whoa! I think I need a new pair of panties. I breathe in deeply and wait for him to laugh or do something to break the mood.

  But he doesn't.

  He stares at me and then dips down to my neck again to whisper in my ear. "I'd crush your mouth with kisses right now if I thought I could get away with smearing your lipstick."

  And then we do laugh. I take another deep breath and he offers me his arm. I grab hold of that arm like I never want to let go. We take the elevator down instead of the stairs and when we exit the garage, there's a town-car waiting to take us to the zoo.

  A long breath escapes as the driver holds the door open for us. I get in and scoot across the butter-soft leather seat, then Ronin joins me and the door closes with a soft whoosh.

  "What?" he asks.

  "Just wow." I look over at him and laugh a little. "I mean, I've never…" The sentence just drops off because I seriously have no words for how I feel right now. "I've never been on a date like this." I look over at him and he's got a crooked grin on his face.

  "Then you're long overdue, Gidget."

  The car pulls out of the parking garage and I watch the street outside as Ronin puts his arm around my shoulders and pulls me a little closer to him. "How far away is the zoo?"

  "Not far, just over in City Park."

  "So have you lived here in Denver your whole life?"

  "Yeah, Five Points, born and bred." He shrugs, like he's apologizing.

  "Is that a good thing? Or not? You seem to be leaving something unsaid."

  "It's not Park Hill, let's just leave it at that. Elise and I grew up in a house just down the street from our building. It was a total shit hole."

  "Oh. Does it bother you to be in the same neighborhood?"

  "No. I can't explain it, but even though there's a lot of nasty shit that happens on our side of town, it's home for me. And where we are, things are more quiet than in some places. I can see the draw of moving over to Cherry Creek or Park Hill or Highland's Ranch, but I'm not ashamed of where I started. You can't choose your parents." He shrugs.

  I internalize this for a few moments. "You could be talking about me."

  His eyes come back to me and he waits a few seconds before speaking. "I wasn't though. I have no idea how you grew up."

  I swallow down the bad memories. "Pretty much the same as you, except for the French knight in shining armor thing. I never got one of those."

  "Vous avez tort, mon amour. Je suis juste ici."

  "What's that mean?"

  He leans in and nuzzles my ear. "It means the bad stuff is over now, Gidget, and the good is just about to start." My whole body flushes and he laughs in my neck as the car stops. "We're here. When's the last time you were at a zoo?"

  "Never," I admit.

  He pulls back as the driver gets out to open our door. "That's criminal! How can a child grow up in America and never go to the zoo?"

  I shrug. "My childhood was a long string of foster homes and crack houses." I watch his eyes as the door opens from the outside. "Sometimes," I continue, "I had both at the same time. The Chicago foster care system is not ideal."

  He's crushed as the words sink in. His hand reaches over and grabs mine off my lap and he shakes his head. "I had no idea, Rook. Maybe we shouldn't go in?"

  "Why?" I ask, startled, my heart racing in my chest.

  "Because this fundraiser is for foster care kids. I didn't know, I swear. If it's not something you want to think about I'll take you somewhere else. Anywhere you want."

  He raises his hand to brush against my cheek and for a moment I lose control. A little wave of hurt and sadness sweeps over me and I feel the pool of tears that threaten my perfect night. But I swallow it down. "No," I say, shaking my head. "No way. I'm not responsible for where I came from. I didn't choose that life, I chose this one. This night isn't about me, it's about them," I say, pointing to the zoo entrance. "I want to go in." He hesitates, but I nod and say it again. "I swear, I want to go in. Come on, let's go."

  We get out of the car and walk towards the entrance where Ronin hands our tickets to the ushers. They point us down a pathway that veers off to the right and then hand us a program.

  "Want to walk around a little?" Ronin asks. "We have about twenty minutes."

  "Yes, please. What's close by?"

  Ronin studies the map on the back of the program and leads us past the event center. "Elephants!" he says with a laugh. "Once, Antoine took Elise and me to India for some big fashion thing. We'd just met the guy, we'd known him for like three months I guess. And he sprang this trip on us and even though I thought Antoine was a total dick because he refused to speak English to me, that trip to India was awesome because I got to ride an elephant. Of course," he says, looking sideways at me, "I tried to pretend I was unimpressed with the whole thing. Kids, right? They never appreciate anything."

  "Wow. India. I can't even imagine how cool that would be."

  "Well, you know, they’ve got their problems, the shit's the same the world over. Some places are nicer than others. But Antoine was photographing some important people so we got special treatment. It was cool."

  We stop in front of the elephant enclosure and stare at nothing. There are no elephants in sight. "Oh, look, you have to go inside," he says.

  I'm not sure I want to go in the pachyderm house in this dress, but Ronin pulls me so I'm forced to follow. Inside there is a table set up and two zoo workers are chatting with the event visitors about sponsoring an elephant. The elephants just munch on hay and give us all dirty looks.

  Ronin grabs some literature as we shuffle though with the other guests, then find ourselves outside where the hint of rain becomes a light drizzle. We get caught up in the wave that brings us back to the event center, get escorted to our table, and take our seats as the presentations start.

  I've never been to a charity anything, let alone some big production put on to squeeze money out of the pockets of Denver's rich and famous. There are quite a few presenters and Ronin actually knows a few people who appear on stage.

  Which is weird. Because I just don't see him as the rich and snooty type, but I guess Chaput Studios is a major player in this town. There are a few kids who give their touching stories and a few older kids, the same age as me probably, who talk about the great fami
lies they had in foster care.

  After the presentations and plea for money, dinner is served. Ronin chats easily with the other couples at our table between bites of prime rib. They are all friends of Elise and Antoine's and they don't seem at all disappointed that Ronin and I had to step in and take their place for the evening. They ask us a ton of questions about pretty much everything. It's funny how once you get older, questions that normally seem rude become standard. Like, So when's the wedding?

  I almost snort some ice out of my nose at this one.

  Ronin doesn't even flinch, he just promises to send the couple an invitation once we nail it down.

  I smile into my water glass at that.

  The night just flies by and before I know it Ronin is writing a check and then we're huddling underneath a large black umbrella as we make our way back to the parking lot in the pouring rain.

  We both scoot into the back into the car and breathe a sigh of relief.

  "Was it fun, Gidge?" Ronin asks me as he brings my legs up over his lap, then slips my shoes off my aching feet and starts to rub them.

  "Yes, it was fun… oh, God, that feels good!"

  "I told you I was gonna touch you all the way home."

  And all during the night, which he did. I can barely recall a second when his hand was not on me in some way. If it wasn't draped over the back of my chair, gently teasing the back of my neck, it was on my knee, squeezing lightly as the other couples did their best to embarrass us with questions about babies.

  But the really interesting thing about all this touching is how I feel about it. A few days ago I might have seen it as possessive, but tonight it felt like affection. Maybe that means I'm getting over some of the bad things that happened to me in Chicago?

  I hope so. Because I like Ronin Flynn for sure now.

  "What're you thinking about?" Ronin asks me as the town car makes its way through the traffic in the parking lot.

  "Just kinda reevaluating my thoughts on certain things." I shoot him a sideways glance. "About you mostly."

  "Yeah? Is that good or bad?'