Chapter 60: Chapter 60

Third POV

Just like he stood watching her walk away, so he stood and waited for Bethany who comes a few minutes later to see her younger brother gazing afar off.

"Hey." She touches his head and he regains himself and looks at her. She looks worried and he's the cause of it. "Come, I'll take you home." She says taking his hand and bringing him to the car. She makes him enter first then goes through the other door.

"I'm sorry." She hears Keenan mumble as she's about to get in.

Not wanting to stir him up, she doesn't ask any question, not until she brings him home and into his bedroom.

"What's wrong, Keenan? What happened," she asks in genuine concern as she helps him pull off his shoes after helping him on the sofa.

She hands him a glass of water to help reduce the headache and help him get sober up faster.

"I lost her." He says, covering his face as a loud sob breaks out from his mouth.

Bethany who has never seen her brother cry in her presence before does not know how to respond or console him.

"Taylor?"

"Yes." He murmurs, hissing and his head pound harder.

"What happened?!" Bethany asks too carefully as she stares at her brother. She always knew her brother as someone that conceal his emotions so seeing him like this is something new to her.

"I couldn't help it... I tried to stop myself from doing anything stupid... I've been stopping myself for days now."

Fearing for what her brother might have done, she asks. "Did you force yourself on her?" She questions even though deep down she doesn't want to believe her brother is capable of doing such a thing.

"No," he shakes his head, "but I think I tried to."

"What were you thinking?!!" She gasps, covering her mouth. "why would you want to do that?"

"I don't know, I was wrong, I tried to take what wasn't mine." His lips quiver as guilt eat him up even more. "She was never mine, to begin with, and never will she be, but I love her so much and I want to tell her that, but I can't and it is frustrating."

Her forehead folds in confusion, "What are you saying? Taylor is your girlfriend right?"

"No. She's not. She's Rory's woman and they are in love with each other"

"For how long?"

"Before we met."

"Why?" she asks, seeing the repeat of her mistake in his life.

He looks at her with an equal need for an answer. "Why did you fall in love with John even when you knew he was not going to love you back?"

She draws a quick breath and moves back. Cleay everyone knew about her pain, weakness and how she has fallen for John hoping he'd love her back someday and how every day she regrets that decision.

Tears burn in her vision as she stares pitifully at her brother, "Don't make the same mistake I made with John, Keenan."

He pauses his lips briefly as though trying to contemplate what she just said. "It's too late, I can't stop now." He admits bitterly. "I am already in love with her." he lowers his head and stares at the floor because his tears still threaten to spill at how pathetically vulnerable he now is.

"Oh, Keenan." She sits down and takes his hand into hers, squeezing it as a form of comfort.

"I made a terrible mistake tonight, one that's going to hunt me for the rest of my life, I know my sins and I'm sorry. But what can I do? She told me to stay away."

"Then stay away," Bethany tells him honestly.

.

"Where should I meet you?" Taylor asks as she gets down from the taxi.

They had agreed to meet today because he wanted her to meet someone close and because he missed her. Initially, Taylor thought they would have to meet outside his company to keep gossip and rumours down, but he told her to meet him at the Pearl company that he was tired of hiding.

Taylor isn't new to the place, she came here many weeks ago and she remembers how Rory had defended her and threatened to sack security that disrespected her. She still can't help gawking conspicuously at the building before her and almost doesn't hear Rory's reply.

"Come inside." she snaps out from her analysis of the building to quickly grab onto the inside part.

"What?! No way! You might be the CEO of Pearl, but it still belongs to your Dad who doesn't like your other woman and I do not like him either and so that officially puts you under his authority and I'm not coming under that authority, not while we are who we are." she takes a quick deep breath because that had taken a lot of energy to let out.

He chuckles helplessly at her childish attitude and shakes his head.

"You think I'm funny?!" She demands, raising a brow.

He shakes his head even though she couldn't see him. "No, you're not funny, you're hilarious!"

She makes an angry grunt, "Wait till I lay my hands on you."

"I can't wait to have your hands on me again," he says with a moan as if already visualizing it in his mind. "When are you going to lay them, I miss them."

Her cheeks heat up from something close to embarrassment. He is always doing this, turning her words around and using them against her. "You're crazy!" she yells with a red face into the phone.

"Crazily in love with you honey. Come in and I'll show you how crazy I can be."

"I'm not coming in." She says partly because of her word earlier and partly because she doesn't want to see how crazy he can be.

"Why not?"

"You've got amnesia or something? I gave my reasons earlier, but I bet you didn't hear it because you were thinking me hilarious."

"Yes I did hear you, but I want you to come in." He answers, pulling down his window to stare down at her. He couldn't stay one more minute without seeing her, he couldn't.

"Not doing that. You might have the power in the bed..."

Why did I just say that? She thought

"Power in bed?" he blurts out more in amusement than questioning.

"Yes, but too bad there's no bed here so that's not happening."

"You think I'm only powerful in bed?" hints of curiosity are audible in his tone.

"No.....," what am I saying? She thought. She bit the inside of her lips, and furiously rub her temple. "Well yes."

"Do you want me to come out and prove otherwise?"

She jumps reflexively as though he's already standing outside. Maybe he has a little power outside the bedroom too.

"Come inside." He says in a tender but compelling voice and she instantly realizes she has no choice but to obey.

She walks into the magnificent building, ushered in by the security who for some strange reason knows who she is.

They are barely past the main entrance when Rory walks to them. Even though she had seen him yesterday, her heart leaps for joy on seeing him she is about to run to him when she realises that they are workers and consequences for the action if she's is ever to make it. Her hands ball into a fist in an attempt of control, but she loses it when he takes her lips into his in a deep kiss. She forgets to close her eyes as the unimaginable shock wash over her.

She wants to scream aloud that they are in public and the eyes of the world, but she can't bring herself to say it because just like he claims her lips so he lets his arms possessively wrap around her waist and claim her to himself so her body presses intimately against his. He moulds and softly caresses her softly to himself and slowly forces her to acknowledge and learn of him being able to shield, protect and defend her and slowly she block all the negative voices and murmuring workers she lets her eyes fall short and respond by snaking her arms around his neck.

Rory pulls away to give her a big warm smile, but she can't smile back, because her mouth is hanging open from breathlessness.

"Good to finally see you after so long."

"So long." she echoes to herself because she knows it's not so long.

"Come," he says, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together like perfect pair and pull her body back from its numbness to life and away from the threatening eyes of the staff and workers around.

They both enter the elevator and Rory pressed the 4th floor and just then notices Taylor fidgeting with her fingers her eyes nervous and uncertain.

"You okay, hun?"

She nods, but he knew better so instead he asks, "What's wrong?"

"Why did you have to do that?" she asks barely finding the courage to look at him. "Now everyone knows," she says the last part to herself.

"You kiss back because you liked it though." He points out logically a teasing smirk appearing on his red lips.

She grumbles with a roll of her eyes even though she knows he is right. "You're not helping matters you know."

"Never intended to."

"What do you think your dad's gonna say when he hears this?"

He pauses and he stays silent, probably thinking what his dad's gonna say. And then he presses his lips together and his eyes sparkle with laughter. "I don't owe him any explanation because Pearl belongs to me, not him."

Closing her hanging mouth with a deep seducing kiss, he guild her out of the elevator. She breaks away to catch her breath, she tries to protest but knowing she's stuck with him she stops herself.

"Rory..." he licks the next words back into her throat and captures her mouth again. "Rory stop, I don't feel safe outside."

"Why not? The world already knows about us, there's nothing to be afraid of." He cups her face in his palm when he sees that her fear didn't subside. "Taylor. I don't wanna hide anymore, I love you and I want the whole world to know and you're my woman."

"This is not the right way to change your parents' mind about me is it?"

"No." He shakes his heading agreement. "They would not like you even if we are to go the right way."

"I'm scared."

He rubs her cheeks with his thumb before trailing it over her already red lips. "Don't be, I'll always stand with you."

Taylor glances at the few workers glancing at them with disgust and dissatisfaction. "They don't like me." she points out.

His eyes darken as he turns to the workers who are throwing mean glares at Taylor's way and anger flares in his eyes. "You, you, you, you, you and you are fired."

Taylor's mouth opens in shock as he makes this known to his staff who are now with shock, sad and regretful looks. She wants to tell him he doesn't have to, but he shakes his head in disapproval, his eyes as cold as ever and takes Taylor's hand possessively before walking away.

As they approach his office he begins to speak, breaking the awkward silence that has weighed between them "Remember I told you I wanted you to meet someone real close to me today right?"

He opens the door to his office. "Yea, what about it?" She asks as he shuts the door.

He lets go of her hand and she walks out from behind him to see a gingered haired guy with the familiar figure she puts together as Keenan and panic grip her to the core.

Keenan turns around to meet Taylor and the smile on his face vanishes almost instantly.

He wraps his hands around her waist and pulls her to himself claiming her, "Hun. I want you to meet Keenan, my best friend. Keenan meet Taylor, the lady I've been talking to you about and the centre of my world."

What the hell?!