Free Stepbrother, Mine #3 by Opal Carew Page B

in the comfort of his arms.
    “You don’t have to worry about my father hurting you again,” he murmured. “He’s going to be up on kidnapping charges, and my private investigator discovered that quite a few of his business practices are questionable. And he hacked into my computer, and my phone. He’ll probably be put away for quite a while.”
    When they finally got home, he gave her a drink and drew her a nice, hot bath. The warmth of the liquor settled into her and calmed her. When she stripped away his coat and climbed into the warm, sudsy water, she insisted he join her. He sat behind her and just held her close.
    After the bath, they sat together on the couch in the living room.
    “So what now?” she asked.
    “As I said, my father will wind up in prison for a very long time. I’ve also bought up controlling interest in his company.” His jaw clenched. “I had promised my mother before she died that I’d do my best to help him stay on his feet, and I wouldn’t do anything to show that we had been anything but a happy family. Family had always been so important to her. But my father…” Mason scowled. “He always made that difficult. When he leaked our relationship to the press, however, and in the worst possible light, he made that promise I’d made to Mom impossible to keep.”
    “He did that? My God.”
    “I’ve put the shares in Maria’s name, so she’ll run his company now. She’s actually a very savvy businesswoman. She’ll ensure everything runs smoothly, and she’ll have an allowance allocated to him when he’s out of prison, so at least I can keep that part of my promise to my mother.”
    “You gave the company to Maria?”
    He shrugged. “I don’t want it.”
    Dana nodded her understanding, but she couldn’t help thinking that he must still have feelings for Maria to have done such a thing.
    And now that his father was out of the way … Maybe he wanted to be with Maria.
    “I really meant, what happens with us?”
    He gazed down at her. “That’s a good question. I know you’ll need a little time to recover from all this, but I really think you should go to Paris as soon as possible. I don’t want you exposed to the scandal that will continue with the arrest of my father. You don’t need to be in the public eye like that. I’ll make sure no one knows you’re in Paris so you won’t be disturbed by the media.”
    “So you’re sending me away?”
    He pursed his lips. “Dana, I really think this is for the best.”
    She nodded, her heart sinking. But she stroked his cheek, longing for the closeness she so desperately needed.
    “Please, make love to me, Mason.”
    “Oh, God, Dana.”
    He slid is arm under her legs and lifted her up, then carried her to the bedroom. That night he made tender, passionate love to her, making her heart break at the sweetness of it.
    *   *   *
    Dana sat on her balcony overlooking the Champs-Élysées. A warm breeze caressed her cheek and she took in the beautiful view, her heart aching.
    It had been two weeks since Mason had put her aboard his private jet and sent her away.
    It was incredibly beautiful here. It was everything she’d ever dreamed of.
    But she would give it up in a heartbeat to be with Mason.
    He had sent her away to protect her … but also because he didn’t want her. He’d tried to be kind. He’d let her know right from the beginning that it would never work between them. When she’d insisted they could make it work—that she could be what he needed—he had done his best to prove why that was impossible.
    She knew he cared about her, but he didn’t love her. If he did, then he would have found a way to make it work.
    She sighed and stood up, then went back into the apartment. It was luxurious, with an eclectic mix of furniture just as she loved. Mason had arranged the best for her new life here.
    If only he could be a part of it.
    Someone knocked on her door and she frowned. She hadn’t made any friends here