Taking Chloe: The Vaughn Series, Book 3 Read online

  A little voice inside him mocked him for a liar. The business was already a success. He worked himself to death why? He studiously ignored the annoying question and started working on the current problem. He’d meet Chloe at noon and, no matter what, he’d bring his wife home.

  Merrick grabbed the phone and dialed information, then called the florist and ordered eighteen long stem roses. Once that was finished, he called his office.

  “Vaughn’s Business Solutions, Candice speaking, may I help you?”

  “Candice, it’s Merrick. I’m taking the day off. I need you to cancel all my appointments for the day.”

  He heard Candice giggle. “Chloe just called in sick, too. You two playing hooky?”

  Merrick felt a muscle in his jaw jump in frustration. “No, nothing like that. We just need a day off.”

  “You’ve been working around the clock. You deserve a break. I’ll take care of everything. Have fun.”

  Fun? When was the last time he’d had fun? “Thanks, sweetheart.” As they were about to hang up, he thought of something else. “Hey, have you talked to Blade today?”

  “Yeah, he’s at home. He’s working on a bid for that big strip mall.”

  “Thanks, talk to you later.”

  “Merrick, if you see Blade, tell him to call me. I need him to pick up some things from the store.”

  Merrick laughed. His brother Blade and Candice had started dating about the same time he’d married Chloe. Now they were happily married themselves and talking about kids. “My brother grocery shopping? That’s so messed up.”

  Candice’s laughter filled his ear. “I aim to domesticate that Neanderthal if it’s the last thing I do.”

  Merrick snorted. “Good luck with that.”

  “Are you saying he’s beyond help?”

  “I’m saying I know my brother. You’ll never housebreak him, but watching you try has been damned interesting.”

  Candice made a tsking sound. “You should have more faith in him. He’s done very well since we tied the knot. He even cooks dinner a few nights a week.”

  That shocked him. “Really?”

  “Well,” she hedged, “I admit it’s only macaroni and cheese and frozen dinners, but it’s a start.”

  “Candice, if anyone can bring that man a measure of civility it’s you.”

  “Thanks.”

  “No, on behalf of the Vaughn family, thank you for bringing Blade into the twenty-first century.”

  They said their goodbyes and ended the call. Merrick went to the bedroom and pulled a pair of jeans out of the dresser drawer, then grabbed the black t-shirt he’d flung over the back of a chair the day before. While he dressed, he started making a mental list. Get advice from Blade. Pick up flowers. Coax his wife into giving him a second chance. Jesus, he was pathetic. For a man with a master’s degree in business and a million-dollar company, he sure didn’t have much of an imagination. He needed to figure out why Chloe felt their relationship was beyond repair. He’d need to convince her that working things out would be the best route. The only problem with that plan? Chloe’s stubbornness. Once she made a decision, there’d be no changing her mind. He loved her decisiveness and goal-oriented attitude, but at times that trait could prove annoying as hell.

  As he slipped into his work boots and grabbed his keys, he glanced around the living room. His chest ached. There were signs of Chloe everywhere, in the mauve couches she’d picked out and the matching wall hangings. The fluffy rug in front of the fireplace had been her idea, too. She’d claimed it would prove romantic. As he stared at it, he realized he couldn’t remember the last time they’d spent time together on it. He’d been burning the candle at both ends; as a result, his marriage had suffered. What a joke. He’d worked to give them a better life, but he’d been too damn busy to enjoy the life he already had.

  Merrick closed the door and locked it, determination settling into every fiber of his being. The next time he looked at the damn fireplace, it’d be from the floor, with Chloe naked and riding his cock and taking them both to heaven.

  t

  “You and Chloe separated?”

  “Temporarily,” he reiterated for the third time. “It’s not a permanent situation.”

  “Yeah,” Blade said as he went to the fridge. “Want a beer?”

  Merrick frowned. “I thought Candice didn’t like alcohol in the house.”

  Blade shrugged and grabbed two light beers, then handed one to him. “Candy knows I’m not a big drinker, so she doesn’t mind.”

  Four years ago, a man she worked with had raped Candice. The bastard had slipped something into her drink. Since then she never touched alcohol. After she’d met Blade, everything changed, for the better. It thrilled Merrick to see her so happy. The difference in her attitude and appearance had been nothing short of miraculous.

  Merrick twisted off the cap and took a long swig, then sat at the kitchen table. “I don’t know what the hell happened. One minute I’m a happily married man, the next I’m waking up to an empty house. How is that even possible?”

  “You want the truth?”

  “Yes,” Merrick answered as he squared his shoulders for the assault that would surely come. Blade was all about confronting an issue head on.

  “She got tired of being a widow.”

  Merrick slammed his beer down on the table. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means you spend more time at that office than you do with her. You work nearly twenty-four hours a day and you never take weekends off. That wears on a woman, Merrick.”

  “I’ve been trying to make things better for her. I’d like to have kids someday and I think Chloe would like to be a stay-at-home mom. She’s talked about it more than once. But, that won’t happen if I can’t get the business where it needs to be.”

  “Bullshit.”

  Merrick rolled his eyes. “Why not tell me how you really feel, Blade?”

  “That business of yours isn’t exactly paltry, and you know it. What’s really holding you back?”

  Merrick clenched his fist around the bottle. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Are you afraid?”

  “Damn it, Blade!”

  Blade held up a hand. “Just hear me out.” He paused, and Merrick nodded. “If you ask me, I think you’re afraid of not measuring up. Not being the husband Chloe needs, not being the father you imagine. I think it scares the shit out of you every time you think about the future.”

  Merrick didn’t know what to say. He’d never let himself think too hard about his insecurities. Men just weren’t wired that way. Having Blade throw it in his face made it real. He had been afraid. Terrified, actually. “Chloe is my whole world. I keep thinking she’s going to wake up and wonder why she married my dumb ass.”

  Blade smiled. “Yeah, we all think that way. But burying your head in the sand isn’t the answer.”

  “Gee, you think?”

  “Smartass,” Blade grumbled.

  “Dickhead,” Merrick shot right back.

  They both took a swig of their beers. Blade stood and tossed the bottle in the trash. He crossed his arms over his chest and said, “So, what are you going to do about it? Sit on your ass and bitch like a little girl, or get your woman back?”

  Merrick stood and pinned Blade with a hard glare. “Get my woman back.”

  “Good answer. Now, it seems to me you need to get her away. Take her some place where it’s just the two of you. No job, no interruptions.”

  Merrick thought of the last time he’d taken Chloe away. “Hawaii,” he uttered.

  “A second honeymoon? Yep, that should do the trick.”

  Blade was so sure, but he hadn’t heard the stubbornness in Chloe’s voice that morning. “What if it doesn’t? What if she still wants a divorce?”

  “Then you tie her cute ass to the bed and keep her there.”

  Merrick laughed and shook his head. “Oh, yeah, you’re all reformed.”

  Blade frowne
d. “Huh?”

  “Never mind,” he said as he made his way to the door. “Just tell Candice that I said she’s got a lot more work to do.”

  As Merrick left the house, got into his car and started the engine, a plan began to form. Hawaii. Yeah, he’d take her to Hawaii, but it wouldn’t be like their honeymoon. Back then he’d been content to let things flow. He’d been hopelessly in love, not a care in the world. This time around, he’d be fighting for his life, his future.

  Chapter Three

  Chloe sat at their usual table in the back of Sal’s restaurant. Sal, the owner, came over and took her hand in his. “You’re as beautiful as ever, darling.”

  She winked and said, “And you’re a shameless flirt, Sal, as always.”

  “Where’s that man of yours?”

  “He’s on his way. He should be here any minute.” A voice in the back of her mind taunted her with the notion that he may not show at all. That he’d gotten lost in his work. Again.

  “His loss is my gain, pretty Chloe,” Sal murmured, then kissed the back of her hand.

  Chloe laughed. “Do you treat all your lady customers this way?”

  He took a step backward and said, “Of course!”

  “I think maybe you shouldn’t be hitting on my woman.”

  The gruff male voice had Chloe sitting up straighter and clutching her purse in her lap. Merrick. And he wasn’t wearing a suit. Hadn’t he gone to work? She let her gaze travel over him, taking in the tight, faded jeans and black t-shirt. His dark tousled hair looked as if he hadn’t even bothered to run a comb through it. Still he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.

  “I’d never dream of it, boy. Just keeping her company until you got here.”

  Merrick’s eyebrow shot up. “You’re a bad liar, Sal.”

  Sal smacked Merrick on the back. “You’re just jealous because she likes me better.”

  Chloe wanted to laugh, but held back. Sal was in his mid-sixties. Not only had he been happily married for forty years, but he also had six kids and thirteen grandkids.

  “That flirting is going to get you in a world of trouble one of these days.”

  “So my wife keeps telling me,” he admitted. As Merrick came closer, Sal asked, “The usual?”

  Their usual was spaghetti and meatballs with a bottle of merlot, then chocolate cake for dessert. They always shared the cake and stuffed themselves. Today, Chloe didn’t feel like eating at all.

  “Sounds great. Thanks,” Merrick answered for them both.

  After Sal shuffled off, Merrick brought his right arm around from behind his back, revealing a long box. Flowers? He’d bought her flowers and taken the day off work?

  Merrick set the box on the table in front of her. She stared at it as if it were a snake. It’d been so long since Merrick had bought her flowers.

  “Open it, babe.”

  Chloe looked up at him. The hurt in his eyes was plain to see. Her heart broke. She reached out and tugged the box closer, then slowly opened it. A beautiful bouquet of long stem roses. “They’re lovely,” she whispered, her voice shaking. “Thank you.”

  Merrick reached his hand out to hers. Chloe let him twine their fingers together. “What’s going on, babe? Why’d you leave me?”

  Chloe heard the pain in her husband’s deep, low voice, and she ached to put them both out of their misery, but she couldn’t give in to her heart’s desire. If she caved now, he’d be right back to his old ways, and she’d be no better off than she was now. She shored up her nerve. If she made it through the next few hours without falling apart, it’d be a miracle.

  “A separation,” she answered without preamble. “I don’t know if there will be more to it than that, but I need some time to think.”

  Merrick tightened his hold on her hand and gritted out, “Yeah, I got that much from the note, but that doesn’t give me a why. Please make me understand why my wife saw fit to leave me while I was asleep. Explain how that’s any kind of solution to whatever’s wrong with our marriage, Chloe.”

  She wiggled her fingers and he loosened his hold, but didn’t pull away. She hadn’t really expected him to. This was Merrick at his most dominating. He would never give up without a fight. She’d known that, but she also knew that once he realized he’d have to choose between his back-to-back work schedule and her, he’d choose his work.

  “It’s not as if I woke up yesterday and decided to walk out on everything I’ve worked so hard to build. This has been building for a long time. I’ve tried to talk to you, to make you slow down. You work fourteen-hour days, Merrick. Your entire world revolves around the business. At first I admired your drive. Now I realize it’s not drive, it’s an obsession. You spend all your waking hours at that office. Since I work there, too, I do get to see you, but it’s not the same as spending time together as husband and wife, and you know it. I spend every weekend alone. Do you know how that makes me feel? Have you any idea how sick I am of being second to that damned business?”

  Merrick frowned. “You were never second, sweetheart.”

  Chloe saw red. “You can sit there and say that to me? You’re a liar, Merrick Vaughn.”

  He made a shushing sound. “Keep your voice down unless you want everyone to know our personal problems.”

  She took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. A waiter brought their wine and poured a small amount in each of their glasses, then shuffled off to another table. Chloe took a sip, then sat back and waited for him to continue.

  Merrick’s gaze never left her face. He didn’t acknowledge the waiter or the wine. His anger and hurt were evident in the set of his shoulders and the jumping muscle in his jaw. Chloe desperately wanted to soothe him. Tell him it was all a mistake. But that path wasn’t going to bring her happiness, only more grief.

  “You never said anything,” he said finally. “I had no idea you were this unhappy. Why, Chloe?”

  She slumped in her seat. “I tried talking to you, several times. You would either promise to be home more, which never happened, or you’d wave my concerns away as if I were suffering from a particularly vicious bout of PMS or something. After awhile, I stopped trying.”

  Merrick was quiet for a long time. Chloe couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Sal brought their food and chatted with them a moment then left them to eat in privacy. She wanted to shove her plate away. Just the thought of eating the rich sauce and savory meatballs made her stomach queasy, but it was better than sitting in total silence.

  Merrick released her hand and they both ate several bites before giving up. She peeked at Merrick and watched as he swiped a napkin over his mouth. That small gesture was sexier than a room full of exotic male dancers to Chloe. How could she possibly get over the man when she melted every time they were in the same room together?

  When he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest, Chloe shivered. She recognized the determination in his dark blue eyes. Merrick was gearing up for a battle. He’d gotten the same look in meetings over the years. That look said, I’m going to win and there’s nothing you can do about it.

  “I have a proposition for you,” Merrick said, his voice a low rumble that skated over her nerve endings like a hot caress.

  “Okay, I’m listening.” She couldn’t even begin to guess at what Merrick had in mind.

  “I want to take you on vacation. An entire week, just the two of us.”

  “That won’t solve our problems. I wish that was all it would take, but the instant we come back, you’ll be back to working around the clock and I’ll be right back to waiting for you to remember that you’re married.”

  Merrick’s gaze never changed, but she could see that her words affected him. His entire body tensed. “I didn’t forget we were married, but I see I’ve neglected you. I know I’ve been a lousy husband lately, but I think I deserve a chance to make it up to you. To make you see that I can change. That I will change.”

  She badly wanted to believe him. She needed to believe him, and
that scared her more than anything. He was her life, her only love. Divorce wouldn’t change how her heart felt. She would always belong to Merrick. Still, she needed to protect her heart from more pain.

  “I don’t know, Merrick. I’ve tried so many times to get you to hear me, but nothing ever worked.”

  “I was a blind fool. I know that now. When I read your note and realized you’d left me, I felt like my entire life had come to a screeching halt. I’m asking you to give me a chance to save our marriage. Let me have a week alone with you. If you’re still determined that a separation is the only answer, then I’ll let you go, no questions.”

  “One week?” she asked, hesitant but for the first time hopeful.

  Merrick nodded. “One week alone. No work, not even via the computer. It’ll be all about you and me, baby.”

  She liked the sound of that, and he knew it. Damn it. “Where?”

  “Hawaii.”

  Oh, God, a second honeymoon. Merrick was much better at playing emotional warfare than she’d ever imagined. But as she well knew, words were one thing, actually putting plan to action was all together different.

  “You can’t just take off. I’m your administrative assistant, remember? Your calendar is full. Leaving the business for a full week is out of the question.”

  “I took today off and the place didn’t burn down. I reckon a week won’t hurt either. Besides, Jackson is more than capable of stepping in. We both know it. Stop making excuses.”

  He was right. Jackson, his Vice President of Operations, was fully capable of handling things. It might very well prove to be the biggest mistake of her life if she went away with Merrick now. She might end up hurting even more. Could she possibly turn down this last ditch effort to save their marriage, though? She loved him too much not to try one more time.