Seduction of My Rake (Linked Across Time Book 3)

  Seduction of My Rake

  Linked Across Time

  Book One

  Dawn Brower

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Seduction of My Rake Copyright © 2016 Dawn Brower

  Cover art and edits by Victoria Miller

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  EPILOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  CHAPTER ONE

  PROLOGUE

  “You’re seriously leaving?” Regina threw her hands up in exasperation. “I don’t understand what the urgency is.”

  Trenton Quinn, her husband of barely three months, was in the midst of packing his bags to travel to England. He was a man obsessed—with another woman. The sad thing was the woman Trenton obsessed over had disappeared over five years ago. Genevieve, a former girlfriend of his, he couldn’t forget about. At least not until her sister Alys vanished on Regina’s wedding day. Her sister had been missing the entire length of Regina and Trenton’s marriage. It put a serious damper on her wedded bliss. At first she believed Alys disappeared to gain attention and had been pissed at her older sister. Regina should’ve known better. Alys didn’t play games. That sort of thing was more Regina’s modus operandi.

  “I have to do this.” He stopped packing long enough to gaze up at her. “Please understand,” Trenton pleaded. “This is important to me.”

  Regina rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around her waist. It hurt to think Genevieve was more important than her. Why does he feel the need to run away from me? Was this a sign of their future? She would always be brushed aside as insignificant? The idea of being considered inconsequential and not worthy of his respect... She shook her doubts away and steeled herself for battle. The time had come for him to realize the grave mistake he was about to make. No one shoved her in a corner and forgot she existed. She mattered, damn it. “You do this and we’re done.” She glared at him. “I mean it.”

  Trenton sighed and folded a shirt. He set it inside his suitcase and then turned toward her. He lifted his hand and ran it through his dark blond hair. “I’m sorry, Gina.” His gaze met hers and he sighed. “I can’t let this go. I wish you would understand and be patient.”

  Fat chance in hell of that happening... Her temperature hit the boiling point. Heat flushed her cheeks and she clenched her fists at her sides. Be patient? As if. That was tantamount to saying calm down. Her husband had lost his mind. It was the only excuse for his rash actions.

  “You expect me to tolerate the fact you’re about to go thousands of miles away, across the ocean, and to another country—to search for a former lover?” She stared at him with bewilderment. “Did you hit your head? There isn’t a woman on this planet that understanding, and you’ve lost your mind if you think I’m all right with it.”

  “I thought I had let it go.” He shook his head. “But when Alys went missing, it all came rushing back. I have to know why Genevieve disappeared.” He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “Think of what figuring this out could mean for Alys. If we understand what happened to one of them, we could find the other. There’s a connection. I know it.”

  Regina wanted to find her sister. Truly she did. That didn’t mean she wanted her husband hunting down his former girlfriend. She was his wife. This Genevieve was his past and she should stay there. “I don’t mean to sound heartless, but I don’t care what happened to your ex-girlfriend. She probably ran away and didn’t bother to tell you where she was going. She doesn’t deserve you.”

  Trenton didn’t respond to her. He kept folding clothes and stuffing them inside his suitcase. Irritation set in. Regina picked up a vase and threw it. Her husband flinched when it hit the wall. It shattered into thousands of tiny shards and fell onto the beige carpet.

  “Hell, why did you do that?”

  “I needed something to catch your attention. You’re not listening to me.” Patience had never been one of Regina’s strong suits. His blatant disregard for her feelings had hit a boiling point and left her no choice. She did what she did best and reacted without thinking.

  “Trust me. I have heard every word out of your mouth.” He sighed and waved his hand dismissively. “I’m choosing to ignore most of it.”

  Her mouth fell open in shock. He was ignoring her. Regina suspected as much, but to have him openly admit it... “You’re an ass.”

  Trenton shrugged as he zipped his suitcase shut. “It is what it is. This is something I feel I need to do. I hope you understand in time how necessary this trip is. The professor at Oxford has valuable information, and I’m tired of playing phone tag with him. The only choice I have is to go there and track him down.”

  To think she chose him. She could have had another, but she believed Trenton loved her. That he would always put her first. How wrong she’d been. It hit her hard; a heavy weight filled her belly as she realized what this all meant. The truth stared her in the face. It had always been there, but she’d been too blind to see it. Trenton didn’t love her. He never had. If he did he would understand why this upset her. That she needed him to do what was best for their relationship.

  He wasn’t capable of giving it to her. She needed to accept that and move on. She’d thrown down the gauntlet and issued an ultimatum. Told him that if he left they were done, but at that moment she hadn’t meant it. Not really. She still had hope he’d see reason. It was her way of giving him a chance to back down and stay, to fight for their marriage. She hadn’t counted on their marriage not being enough for him. That he was willing to sacrifice it to locate his missing ex-girlfriend. There wasn’t anything left to say, and it was clear their marriage would crumble into a million pieces. Nothing she said or did would hold it together.

  “All right.”

  His eyes appeared to light up. “You mean it. You’re okay with me going?”

  “I didn’t say that.” Regina held up her hand to interrupt him. “I’ll never be fine with you going on this hunt for your former girlfriend.” Her brows drew together as she thought of how to explain her stance. “This is not something I can ever put my stamp of approval on. It goes against everything I believe in.” When she married him, she’d believed they had a shot of making it. Otherwise why bother with commitment? At the same time, she thought love was something worth fighting for. She cared about Trenton, but he wasn’t by any means her one true love. Apparently he felt the same way about her. They were in the same boat and it wasn’t the stuff of legends by far. They fell short in that department. How could she stand in his way of finding the one he did love with his whole heart? “What I’m saying is I understand why you feel you have to do this.”

  He remained silent for several moments and studied her. “If you understand, then why are you saying you don’t approve?”

  How did she
explain it to him? He was so damned clueless. She wanted to be someone’s true love. The one they would go running to, not away from—his Genevieve was that woman for him. She would never be the one he truly wanted. Regina had been a fool to believe otherwise. This was a losing battle, and she knew when to let it go. It was time to accept her marriage was over. They both deserved better, and it was time to let go and find the ones they were both meant to love.

  “You don’t love me,” she said softly.

  “Of course I do,” he protested.

  She shook her head. Maybe he believed he did love her, and he might in his own way. “Not the way you should. She means more to you than I ever will. This is too important to you for me to believe otherwise.”

  He opened his mouth to disagree, but then snapped it shut. Trenton’s gaze went unfocused as he stared at the wall behind her. After what seemed like forever he looked back at her and said, “I do care about you.”

  That was the thing. They cared about each other. There was no love involved. Trenton had bought this large diamond ring and went all out on the proposal. He’d taken her to the place they first met and went on one knee. She’d been taken aback and said yes on reflex. It had been romantic and lovely, but her heart had never been in it. It was funny how things were always much clearer in retrospect. She’d done them both a disservice by saying yes.

  “I don’t doubt that, but it’s not enough. You shouldn’t have married me. It would have made our lives so much easier if you hadn’t asked. I had so many hopes for us, and now all I can see is how we were doomed from the start.”

  Trenton paced. His nervous energy was palpable and saturated the room. It overflowed and Regina could almost feel the waves rush over her. “I wanted to move on, needed to. When we met, I thought I had. I promise I never meant to hurt you. When Alys disappeared...” He turned toward her meeting her gaze with his own. “It all came flooding back. The need to know what happened. I can’t let it go. You’re right. I love her. I’ve always loved her, and I can’t accept she left me willingly.”

  Her heart skipped a beat at his words. She’d known—seen what he’d been struggling with. Trenton hadn’t wanted to admit how much Genevieve meant to him. Hell, she’d had doubts on her wedding day. Why hadn’t she listened to them? Alys had said to close her eyes and picture the man she thought she could see herself with for the rest of her life. What she hadn’t admitted was she hadn’t seen Trenton. She’d forced his image over the one she’d truly seen.

  Regina hadn’t wanted to admit what was in her heart. Her parents would have been so disappointed in her if she’d called off her wedding. Her flighty nature led her down some unsavory paths. They’d been so happy she was settling down with someone. Trenton was the stabilizing force they prayed would come into her life. What was she going to tell them? Her marriage was falling apart after such a short interval. It was the disaster she feared, and could have been prevented.

  “Then you need to go figure out what happened to her,” she said softly. She was resigned her marriage was over. There was no reason to fight anymore. There was nothing there to hold on to. The best thing she could do for them both was to let him go. “I won’t stand in your way.”

  He took a few steps and pulled her into his arms. “I’m sorry. Words can’t express how much I mean it. I honestly didn’t want to hurt you. I want the best for you.” Regina leaned her head against his broad chest and sighed. He’d always been solid and dependable. It was rather depressing to realize he wasn’t the one she’d been meant to spend her life with.

  The sad thing was Regina believed him. He probably did care about her. The problem was he didn’t love her. Nothing they could do to change it either. They’d tried. Both of them to forget about the one they actually wanted. They were both fools. Maybe it was time to quit running from the truth and face it head on. It might be the only way she ever found happiness. There were a few things she needed to do before she took control of her life again.

  “I hope you find the answers you’re looking for.” She stepped out of his arms. “While you’re gone I will take care of dissolving our marriage.”

  He nodded. “I’ll let you know where the paperwork can be sent. I won’t contest anything.”

  There was nothing to contest. They had a solid prenuptial agreement in place. He kept what was his and she did the same. There were no concessions. The New York penthouse they resided in belonged to her family’s corporation. They had no joint assets. Depressing when she thought about it—they hadn’t bothered to co-mingle their lives. It was probably best their marriage ended before they had.

  She nodded absentmindedly. “We might even be able to get an annulment. We haven’t been married long. It would look better, you know, as if we were never married at all.”

  Regina would like to forget this marriage existed. It would be like wiping the slate clean and starting over. She would do things right and choose the one man she loved. Explore the possibility he could be the person meant for her. Time would tell if they were supposed to love one another. She hadn’t had time to figure it all out before she was set to marry Trenton. Now a new opportunity presented itself. After she took care of erasing the existence of her marriage she would seek him out and give true love a chance.

  “Do what you think is best.” He strolled to her side and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. “I wish things could have been different.”

  Regina wasn’t so sure she did. Sometimes things happened for a reason. It might not always be clear what it was, but usually it worked out how it was supposed to. Maybe they had to travel this path to arrive at the exact place they were always meant to be. Trenton sought the woman he’d always loved. Maybe if he went to England he’d finally find the answers he’d been searching for. She wasn’t about to stand in his way when everything suddenly seemed so clear to her. She knew what her next move was.

  “I wish you well,” she said, and then smiled up at him. “Go find Genevieve, and if you manage to figure out what happened to my sister, don’t hesitate to call.”

  Maybe she should consider flying to England and investigating herself. She really did want to know what happened to her sister. Regina could be selfish, more often than not, but her sister was important to her. They’d been close their entire lives and even when they fought they were the best of friends. It was hard to imagine living her life without her sister’s solid presence there whenever she needed it. She didn’t want to think of her as anything but alive and well. The reason for her staying away—she couldn’t imagine what it was, but Alys was the dependable sort. There had to be a solid explanation for it all. When she settled things regarding her marriage with Trenton she’d start to look into the matter. They needed answers as much as Trenton did about Genevieve.

  “I won’t,” he agreed. He spun on his heels, grabbed his suitcase, and headed out of their bedroom.

  Relief flooded her as he disappeared from sight. She sent a silent goodbye to the future she thought she wanted. Regina couldn’t wait to see where life took her next. She wouldn’t be too far behind Trenton. First things first—she had a marriage to dissolve. She picked up her phone and dialed the one person who would always know what to do. He picked up after one ring.

  “Hello, princess,” he said.

  “Daddy,” Regina replied. “I need your help.”

  “Anything.”

  Regina smiled. Her father, Paul Dewitt, was a savvy business man, but a marshmallow when it came to his family. She didn’t know what she’d do if anything ever happened to him. Something she refused to consider. Her dad was her rock.

  “Trenton left to visit that professor at Oxford,” she explained and proceeded to fill him in on all the details. “Can we get our marriage annulled?”

  “Are you sure this is what you want? This seems rather sudden.” After a brief pause he said, “But if you’re certain, I don’t see why not. I can handle it for you.”

  “Yes. We talked about it, and it’s the only solution th
at works for us. If you can help me, I’d appreciate it. It’s not what we expected....” An edge of sadness filled her voice. She really hadn’t wanted things to go this way with Trenton. “Thank you for always being there for me.”

  She said goodbye and ended the call. Now that everything was in motion she could make plans for seeking out the man she wanted. While she was there, she could investigate Alys’s disappearance. It would give her the perfect excuse to visit him too. “Bradford Kendall, you’re not going to know what hit you.” Her lips tilted into a wicked smile.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Regina stared out the airplane window. She’d taken her seat and was getting ready to fly to England. At last. The past year had been one of upheaval, loss, and rebirth. She ended her marriage and worked on improving her life in small ways. When Trenton left it had been a huge wake up call for her. Changes needed to be made, and more importantly it was time for her to finally grow up and accept responsibility for her actions. After much soul searching she decided she didn’t like herself very much.

  The problem of dissolving her marriage was easy enough to handle thanks to her father. A few short months after they filed for the annulment it had been granted. Most of the past nine months had been spent finishing her college degree. She’d absentmindedly been going to school for a few years, but with little to no direction. While she weighed her options, she maintained a small office at her family’s company. Her father offered her a permanent position, but her heart wasn’t fully in it. Her current task was partly an errand for her father, but mostly a deep desire to return to England.

  Regina tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She steeled herself for the upcoming interaction with Bradford. He wasn’t going to be happy to see her. Trenton may or may not have told his stepbrother about the end of their marriage. Her former husband was hard to get a hold of these days. He was firmly entrenched in his search for Genevieve, and he didn’t bother to check in with anyone any more.