Stern Desire Love Redeemed by Leah Shay Page A

ventures have given me my fair share of enemies. I've had my share of death threats and attempted kidnappings." He stared at me waiting for a
    reaction.
    "Are you trying to scare me off?" I finally said, trying to hide my fear, and failing miserably at it.
    "Is it working?"
    My heart pounded in my chest. I felt light-headed, and my lungs ached for air; that's when I realized I was holding my breath. I loved my life, my freedom. I did not want to live surrounded by guards; and what about my son? I had to think about him, also.
    "No ... no," I shook my head. "This is too much."
    He pulled me toward him and placed my head on his hard chest. I closed my eyes, listened to his heartbeat and breath. He cradled my
    head against his chest; the rich aroma of warm cedar and lavender soothed me. I wished I could spend the day right there on his chest, breathing his heavenly scent. My eyes slowly closed. I fought the sleep back.
    "So, that means my life as I know it is about to change
    - no privacy, plus the added risk for being with you," I said against his chest.
    "Kyra, please do not worry about that. I will not let anything happen to you, and we'll take great precautions in keeping our
    relationship a secret."
    "Jared, I have a son to think about, and I'm the only parent he has left."
    "Kyra, I understand; believe me, I won't let anything
    happen to you both."
    Jared was a man of his word and when he said that he would do something, I had no doubt that he'd do whatever it took to make it happen.
    "By the way, the staff is beginning to think you might
    have a thing for me because of how you reacted when I did not show up for work."
    "I'm sorry, Kyra."
    "Please don't give them anything else to talk about." I took a deep breath of his intoxicating scent. "What cologne
    are you wearing?"
    He told me what it was. I needed to get myself a bottle .
    "What will you be doing on your days off?" Jared asked, as he gently stroked my hair.
    "Probably sleeping for the next two days."
    I forced myself off his chest. I wanted to stay there, but I could not. I did not want to give anyone anything to talk about. He held my
    face in his hands and brought my lips to his. He kissed me hard and deep, like today was our last day together, and there was no tomorrow.
    I pulled away, "I have to go, and Malini is waiting on you."
    "She can wait. She's making me work to keep me
    occupied, so I won't go crazy."
    He kissed me tenderly. "I'm going to miss you."
    "Me, too."
    He held onto my hand as I stood up to leave.
    "Jared, I've got to go." I gave him one last kiss and left.
    As I exited the hospital, I had the usual joyous feeling to be getting the hell out of there, but also felt like I was leaving a piece of
    me behind. At the entrance of the hospital, there were a couple of news vans. I heard that the hospital had issued a statement to the media, but they were unyielding, like scent hounds on a scent trail. They were unrelenting and would
    not stop until they got their story.
     

Chapter Six
    Nate, Aunt Maggie, and Mom were leaving for a trip to Jamaica in the morning. I was designated to make the airport run in the morning, but my older sister, Rachel, offered to take them if I spent the day
    with her. Rach lived the charmed life. She was married to Tony Owens, a very successful songwriter, record executive, and owner of the Owens record label. Their love to travel meant she was gone for weeks at a time, so this was her way to catch up.
    I sprayed my pillow with Jared's cologne. I had stopped by the mall on my way home to purchase a bottle, which had cost far more than I had expected. At first, the fragrance did not smell like Jared's. The scent was a bit confusing to my olfactory sense, which became overwhelmed. Then after a
    minute, the warm cedar, lavender, lemon and patchouli came out, but it was still missing something - Jared's own scent. I snuggled into my pillow, breathing him in, imagining I was being held against his muscular chest,
    listening to