Chapter 16

Allie's heart beat faster in anticipation as she caught her first fleeting glimpse of the city she'd known and loved as a child. There were things about it that weren't good and memories that she hated, but it defined her as much as the man that sat patiently beside her watching every emotion cross her expressive features. As they cleared the mountains and drove closer toward the ocean, she turned excitedly toward Jay and asked if she could open the window.

"Of course," he said indulgently, leaning his head against the leather seat and watching her with a look that could only be described as satisfaction.

Allie turned her back on him, not wanting to understand what that look meant. She opened the window partway and breathed, taking the scent of the ocean deep into her lungs and savouring it. She hadn't been to the coast since her mother moved to Kelowna seven years ago. Though she longed for the ocean, like a tiny missing piece of her soul, it made more sense to visit her mother in the mountains and for her mother to visit Allie in the prairies. She had no reason to come to Vancouver, in fact, secretly feared coming back to the city a little. She hadn't wanted to come near Jay's city. Not with the invisible clock she felt ticking away over her head.

Despite that, her heart belonged to this city. Only someone born and raised here could truly understand. The smell of the ocean, the rush of the SkyTrain, the ferries, the bridges, the unique pulse of the city itself. It all called to her, like a child that had been lost but now found her way back.

"You missed it," Jay said quietly, picking her hand up and kissing her knuckles before placing her hand on her thigh with his on top.

Allie nodded, not taking her eyes off of the scenery. So much had changed. Things she didn't recognize any more. But the tangy ocean smell was still the same. She closed her eyes and breathed in and out with a smile. Jay described the construction of a new suspension bridge that they drove over to get to his home in North Vancouver, an area she'd never had the privilege of being in before. Allie's eyes widened as they turned onto Sunshine Falls Lane and began passing some of the most beautiful houses she'd ever seen. They drove until the houses became fewer and fewer. She glanced at Jay with a frown.

"I value my privacy," he explained meaningfully.

They drove for about twenty minutes before Jay's driver finally turned along a driveway that was so thick with trees it could be easily missed it you didn't know it was there. The drive curved down toward the ocean again and Allie smiled in anticipation as the sparkling azure water opened up once more to her greedy eyes through the trees. She realized right away that Jay's home must be right on the water, which meant it was incredibly expensive, because so few homes in Vancouver had actual water access. She shifted excitedly, trying to take everything in at once.

The drive curved around the house and stopped directly by the front doors. The house was subtle but beautiful, built to complement the sweeping landscape. It was a two-story sprawling open concept estate with an abundance of windows facing the ocean. Allie flung her door open excitedly, ignoring Jay's chuckled demand that she wait for him. She jumped from the Lexus, stretched her arms over her head and went immediately around the side of the house to check out the back, which she caught a glimpse of as they drove up.

"Wow!" she breathed, taking in the sweeping view of the forested cove below them. Winding stairs created a pathway down to a boat dock that peeked through the trees. Then the pool caught her attention. It was about ten steps away from a set of double patio doors and it was huge, stretching out toward the ocean. It started out shallow and went deep, ending in an infinity ledge as it neared the forest. There was a jacuzzi tub as well and modern furniture that looked like it came straight out of a luxury magazine.

"Holy shit!" she said, staring around in awe.

Jay came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back into the heat of his body. "You like it?" he asked, kissing the skin behind her ear.

"How could I not? You have a beautiful home, Jay," she said evenly. "I had no idea you were doing so well."

"We have a beautiful home," he corrected her. "Everything I have belongs to you now too, Allie."

She shook her head and stiffened in his arms, but didn't try to break free. She had learned a painful lesson at his hands that she didn't wish to repeat too soon. "I don't want your things."

He didn't say anything, but his arms tightened around her, reminding her of how few choices she had. He released her and, taking her by the hand, led her inside through the back door. She looked around the spacious house with subdued appreciation. It was tasteful and lovely without being ostentatious. She knew that Jay would have hired someone to decorate, not having the patience to do it himself. Yet somehow it still captured his stark tastes. Jay did not like being surrounded by clutter.

"You can make any changes you want," he said quietly from beside her, watching the expressions flit across her face.

Allie shook her head and looked away, swinging her hair forward so he couldn't look too closely at her. How could she explain the myriad emotions she was feeling? She didn't plan on staying so there was no need to change anything. His implacable personality made it impossible for her to stay. Yet the thought of leaving him pierced her heart in a way it shouldn't. Even if somehow she did find herself staying there with him, she still wouldn't change anything about the place. The home was too much a part of him. And even though the new Jay was frightening, unyielding and possessive, she still couldn't bear to change anything. He was still the man she remembered and loved.

Tears filled her eyes and she turned toward the stairs. "Where are the bedrooms? Can we look upstairs?" she asked huskily.

"Of course," Jay said taking her arm and leading her toward the open staircase. His sharp eyes watched her, trying to discern her shifting moods, but he made no comment.

He conducted her on a tour of each room on the second floor. Allie blushed and backed away when he showed her an empty room explaining that it had been built by the original owners as a nursery. Finally, he escorted her into the magnificent master bedroom. The windows stretched across half of the back of the house and wrapped around the side showing views of the mountains to one side and the ocean cove below them on the other.

Allie stood next to the window with her back to Jay, staring with wonder at the opulent view. She lifted her hand to touch the glass. "I had no idea, Jay… no idea you were doing so well. It's all so… stunning… I guess is the word."

He didn't say anything for a moment. He stood leaning against the door behind her. She could feel his eyes on her as she tried to take everything in. After a moment he said, "I had powerful motivation."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, her dark eyes filled with pain despite the way he was treating her. "You had nothing for so long. It must have been tempting to take what you could when you were finally able. You weren't one to take no for an answer, even back then."

He lifted a shoulder. "That wasn't my only motivation. I wouldn't've gotten this successful without something else driving me."

She shivered and turned back to the window refusing to be baited.

"You won't ask me what it is that motivated me?" he demanded, his voice low.

When she still refused to speak he continued. "I'm going to tell you anyway," he said, stalking a few steps closer. "I wanted something I couldn't have, Allison. Something that I knew was within reach, but still untouchable. So I focused all of that aggression into other pursuits with the singleminded goal that one day, when I could, I would finally reach out and take what I wanted. I knew if I became one of the most powerful players on the west coast that I would be in a position to keep the most precious possession in my world safe."

Allie stared sightlessly out of the window barely daring to breath.

"You understand me, Allison?" he asked, his voice hard.