A Billionaire's Mistake

76|Easy Fix

Lincoln

"So, Jett is a...crime lord." Sienna winces before she blows softly into her mug of hot cocoa and takes a tentative sip. "And your father never mentioned any of this to you? All of this was kept a secret just so you could take an oath as an officer?"

"I guess? I'm still trying to sort out all the details. Jett is being vague and withholding information to try and keep the promise he made with my father before he passed. They both want me to take the oath."

Sienna's brow furrows. "I don't understand. If that were the case, why was he so persistent on having you take over Nash Enterprises?"

"Tax purposes, from what Jett explained, but I'm still unsure if that's a vague truth, too. Regardless, he needs me to sell it to protect our family."

"Are you going to?"

Stretching out on the bed beside Sienna, my head is throbbing from all the events of today. The information about my father, Sienna's capture, Travis's death... It's all too much for me to think about my next move. I feel obligated to trust my brother with this because my father trusted him with his operation. Maybe my father knew all along it would eventually come down to selling the company, and when that time came, he wanted me to be able to take the oath.

"There's a lot to think about," I admit. She's been through hell and back. The last thing I want is to stress her out any more than she already is. Even now, with a hot cocoa mug in one hand and an icepack pressed against her jaw with the other, I know her mind is racing.

How could it not be? My brother hasn't called yet to inform us that Travis's death was taken care of. It's almost midnight, but my phone continues to remain silent. My problems are the least of her concerns.

"Talk to me," she says softly. "I'm pretty decent at running a business. I could offer some sound advice."

A sad smile settles across my mouth. "I never said you couldn't, but I don't want to bother you with trivial matters when there are countless fires you have to focus on putting out first. I don't want to become one of them."

Muggles jumps up onto the bed, nuzzling his head against the side of my hand. I scratch him underneath the chin in the spot he likes, which results in him curling up on my lap.

"You're not a fire for me to put out, Lincoln. You're my boyfriend. Plus, hearing someone else's problems will take me away from mine, and I need that right now."

"Alright." I settle back into the pillows, placing my hands behind my head. "Well, for starters, you know running the company was never something I wanted to do in the first place. I did it to appease my father because I felt guilty for turning him down. Now, knowing that I could potentially finish my schooling to become an officer is... Well, it's life-changing. But I can't help thinking of those who have worked under me for years. What happens when new management takes over? How many layoffs will they face? What about Margo? She's been there for me since the very beginning. If she's fired..."

"Easy fix. She'd be a major asset to my company. Plus, I'm pretty sure I require a new assistant now, so..."

Damn. Well, that's true. Plus, if Margo had to choose between working for me and the businesswoman she's idolized for years, I'm pretty positive she'd pick Sienna.

"As for the other employees, that's something you won't be able to determine until after it happens. You can, however, negotiate the contract of the sale. You can use my lawyer."

Her response makes me chuckle. "You seem to have an answer for everything."

"Or maybe what you need to do next doesn't need much thought. You've spent the majority of your twenties living for someone else and trying to appease them. Hell, we both have. This is the first and probably only time we get to change our paths and live for just us, you know? We get to choose what makes us happy, Linc, and being a cop has always been your dream. You need to go for it."

My eyes linger on hers for a beat too long. "And you."

"What?"

"Being a cop and being with you are what makes me happy." And I mean every single word. I no longer want to be her boyfriend. I want to marry this woman and have the life we've always dreamed of. I want to live for us, and by selling the company, we can do exactly that. "You're right, though. It's time I start doing the things that make me happy, and I want to be a cop. My mother may not understand at first since she knows nothing about my father's previous background, but we'll figure it out."

Leaning over to set her mug on the nightstand, she wraps her hand over mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We navigate it together."

"Together," I repeat as if the words will set our future in stone.

Raking my eyes over her appearance, I swallow a lump in my throat from the bags beneath her eyes. She showered as soon as we got home, but she said it still didn't take away the feeling of Travis's presence. It's evident in the way her hand still has a slight tremor and in the way her knuckles are white from her grip on the ice pack.

"Get some sleep, Sienna. You need to rest."

"How am I supposed to sleep when your brother is still..." She waves her hand, unable to speak about it. "Fixing things."

Reaching over to tuck a stray hair from her bun behind her ear, I say, "Because I'm going to be right beside you while you sleep with my phone on. When I hear something, I'll wake you. No good is going to come to your health by sitting up worrying."

She slumps back into the pillows. "It's easier said than done. My mind is racing, and it feels like a weight is suffocating my chest. I can't... I can't focus on sleeping."

"How can I help?"

Wrong answer.

Sienna lifts a brow, shifting to face me directly. I know firsthand how stressful situations can make you act on your emotions irrationally. After my father's death, I was bedding a new woman almost every night and drinking myself away with scotch. What Sienna is feeling may not be what she's actually feeling, and I don't want to take advantage.

"Distract me," she says.

This woman has the innate ability to drive all coherent thoughts from my mind. Just a second ago, my decision was clear, but when she licks her bottom lip and shifts closer? My brain is fogged, and all sense of rationality no longer exists.

"You've been through a lot," I start, but my sentence is cut off when she straddles me on the bed, sending Muggles scurrying out of the room.

"What do I have to do to get you to say yes?"

Not much apparently since I'm already hard.

She drags her hands down my chest, blinking at me in that innocent fucking way of hers. "I don't want to think about what happened tonight. I want to be lost in nobody but you, Linc. When you're inside of me, nothing else matters. My job, my friends, my family, and all the stressors fade away. I need you. Please."

I watch in adoration as she strips herself of one of my t-shirts, tossing it to the floor and leaving her naked aside from a pair of underwear. What makes my chest fill with joy isn't that she wants to have sex, but rather because she went from being scared to get close to another man again to finding peace with me, and that means more to me than sex ever will. To know I offer her that sanctuary and escape from her mind is something I'll never take for granted.

"In that case..." I gently flip her onto her back, grabbing the icepack from the comforter for her to reattach to her jaw. "Let me do all the work, baby."

Her hips buck to the ceiling as I kiss down her stomach, hitting all her most sensitive spots before I push her underwear to the side and bring her to a place far, far away from her mind. She's finally free of her demons, and I want to worship her because of it. For her strength today. For her unwavering courage. For just being her. The badass woman I always knew she was capable of becoming.

I have no idea what the future holds for my company, or what Jett will be able to accomplish tonight, but one thing I know with absolute certainty? My future with Sienna is bright as hell, and nothing on this earth will ever be able to take her away from me.