Chapter Six
I had only stayed at Cameron’s one night but was already feeling more peaceful. Cameron’s spare room was a sanctuary, with a bed so comfortable that sleep came effortlessly.
But now it was time to head out—I’d grab a coffee on the way.
In the foyer, I peered up at that grand crystal chandelier wondering if my mind was playing tricks. It sure did look phallic.
Or maybe I was just in a crazy head space.
In the full-length mirror, my reflection looked well rested, and I appeared confident in my pale blue Chanel suit and heels. The silk blouse fit perfectly, and the delicate clutch in my hand was big enough to hold my phone, a pair of car keys and a lipstick, completing the look. I was ready.
“Heading out?”
I jolted from the surprise.
Cameron strolled toward me in that elegant way of his, hands in pockets, an intrigued look on his face. My brother’s genius was a gift to our family, but that same brilliance turned daunting when he came for me.
Cue a million questions.
He walked up to me. “You look great, Willa!”
I straightened my skirt. “Thank you.”
“Who’s the interview with?”
“We’ll talk when I get back.”
“This is not New York. We have a greater presence here. You need to wait for your escort.”
“Security detail,” I corrected him. “An escort is a high end—”
“Yes, thank you, I’m aware.”
We both grinned.
He’d arranged for one of Shay’s people to lurk everywhere I went. I was trying to sneak out without them.
I pointed past him. “They can’t go into my interview.”
“They’ll wait outside.”
“Do you have a security detail?”
“When necessary.”
“Tell them to hurry up or I’ll be late.”
He opened the front door and escorted me around the front of the house toward his garage.
“Can I borrow the BMW?”
“Already borrowed.”
“Oh, okay. Who by?”
“A friend.” He smiled. “You can borrow the Rolls.”
Within a minute, he’d driven the Ghost out of the garage. He climbed out and held the door open for me. “Here you go.”
The car was huge.
I peered into his vast garage looking for something else to drive. I saw a Jeep, a Mercedes, and something sporty parked in the back, along with a motorbike in the corner.
“Do you ride that?” I asked.
“Sometimes.”
I was vaguely aware that the front gate was swinging open. A man’s silhouette walked through, which was strange because most people drove everywhere in this town.
I turned back to the Rolls. “I can’t drive this. What if someone sees me behind the wheel and assumes I don’t need the job.”
“The Ghost is bulletproof.”
“Stop!” I punched his arm. “And stop telling me what to do. I’m twenty-seven.”
Cameron frowned as he peered over my shoulder. He leaned into the car and killed the engine, as though sensing a delay was necessary.
A man strolled toward us, his tuxedo disheveled and dark hair ruffled; but that scruffy look was super sexy on him.
Oh, God. It was the guy from last night—the one from the foyer. And this was his dramatic return. He was strolling toward us seemingly without a care in the world. In the daylight, he was even more gorgeous, his eyes dreamy and his smile dreamier.
“Someone was out all night,” I mumbled.
Cameron looked pissed off with him. “Where’s my car?”
Why was I always attracted to the ones who oozed charisma. As though sensing my reaction, his lips curved slowly into a smile, a tantalizing mixture of mischief and mystery, as if he were silently daring me to unravel a secret no one else had dared to do.
My pulse thundered, an electric current coursing through my veins as this enigmatic man grew closer. A radiant heat burned my cheeks, and my fingertips tingled, awakening something vulnerable inside me. Opening my handbag, I pretended to rummage around in there as though not interested in the mystery man. “I’m going to be late.”
I glanced up and saw his intense gaze land on my brother.
“Is this Greyson?” I whispered.
“Willa.” Cameron gestured for me to get in the car.
I couldn’t move, and I didn’t want to hide inside the Rolls and miss the fun.
I wasn’t sure who to blame, the guy who’d lost the BMW or Cameron for lending it out.
The tall figure had a magnetic pull that forced people to notice him. It was his silent intensity, an allure that tugged at my curiosity, igniting a forbidden desire that felt intoxicating. I couldn’t take my eyes off him.
Unlike most other people, he didn’t appear intimidated by Cameron.
Greyson gave me a polite nod and then faced Cameron. “I ran into a snag.”
Cameron gave him a knowing look. “You left it there?”
“I’ll go back for it.”
Cameron cringed. “How did it go?”
The man faltered, a brief hesitation flashing in his wide-eyed expression, a silent admission.
Cameron exhaled. “Greyson, I’ll meet you inside.”
His friend glanced at me with a curious expression.
“My sister has an appointment,” said Cameron. “I need to say goodbye.”
Awkwardness loomed between us. Greyson was assessing Cameron’s reaction to me just as closely. The tension felt uncomfortable and was wholly unnecessary.
Cameron rarely seemed guarded around people he knew, but right now he was conflicted, and I sensed it was because of me.
But then he relented. “Willa, this is my friend Greyson. Greyson, meet my sister Willa.”
“Hi,” I said, huskily, extending my hand to him.
His grip was firm, his intense gaze locked on mine, piercing through my soul into my very essence. My breath caught in my throat as he seemed to drink in every part of me.
“Willa,” I repeated, vaguely aware of my brother watching me. “I flew in from New York.”
His eyes lit up. “New York’s skyline is a blend of classicism and innovation. Redefines what’s possible.”
“I love it, too,” I said. Sadness tightened my throat. Thinking of my city now made me feel like an exile.
“Love Baker’s Field,” added Greyson. “And no one can forget Serendipity.”
“I love Serendipity.” Joy sprang up, then that familiar ache made my happiness take a nosedive.
Hugo had tainted the place. Now, I couldn’t return to my favorite corner, where I sipped hot cappuccinos while reading. My favorite thing to do in the entire world.
“I have to go.” I moved away from them, snatching the key fob from Cameron’s hand as I went. It looked dreadfully rude. I thew him an apologetic smile.
“I’ll meet you inside,” Cameron told him.
“It was nice meeting you, Willa,” Greyson called over his shoulder, before disappearing inside the house.
This was how a man should act, kind and patient and interested in your opinions. Not like the man I’d left at my place, who didn’t deserve to live there.
Cameron looked concerned. “Let me drive you. Then you can prepare for your interview. It’s been a while since you’ve driven anywhere.”
Yeah. He wanted to see where I was going.
“I’ll be fine.”
“Is this a journalism position?”
“Why?” I asked suspiciously.
His mouth twitched with disapproval, but he said, “Your natural curiosity is an asset.”
I blinked at him, surprised by the compliment.
“Willa,” his said, his tone gruff. “While you were talking about New York, I saw you flinch.”
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Did Hugo…hurt you?”
Swallowing hard, I felt too embarrassed to admit I’d clearly not been enough for someone.
“Do I need to book a flight?” he said.
I gave him a thin smile. “What are you going to do, beat him up?”
“Nothing as banal. But I will psychologically obliterate him.”
I tried not to laugh at his ridiculousness comment.
Even though Hugo had torn my heart apart, unleashing my brother felt like an unfair advantage. Hugo was an economics major and was in no way in the same intellectual league.
Cameron shook his head, annoyed. “Hugo forced you out of your favorite city.”
I stepped closer. “I’m trusting the universe. Maybe it was meant to happen.”
“Any synchronicities?”
“How do you mean?”
“Any signs you’re meant to be here and not there?”
I broke his gaze and looked toward the house. The mysterious man was in there now, and I hoped he might still be there when I got back. “Maybe.”
Cameron frowned at me. “Greyson moves in different circles.”
I shrugged, not wanting to reveal my fascination.
“Dangerous circles,” he added.
“How dangerous?”
He shook his head, dismissing the subject. “Good luck with your interview. They’ll be lucky to have you. Gonna tell me who it’s with?”
“Don’t want to jinx it.”
He tapped the car’s roof. “Bring it back in one piece.”
“Which pedal is the brake?”
He smiled, ignoring my question. “You know you’re close to perfect, right?” he said. “You’re one of the kindest women I know. I’m proud you’re my sister. If you hurt, I hurt.”
“I don’t want to be a burden.”
“I’m your knight in shining armor. Let me do my job.”
“I don’t need protecting.”
Cameron merely nodded, but I caught it, that swift glance toward the front gate, which Greyson had walked through minutes before. It seemed he would like to turn back time and un-introduce us.
I got Cameron’s attention. “Don’t call Hugo.”
“You’re the one who decided to be born into the Cole family,” he quipped.
Like a person had a say.
“Don’t unleash the Coles,” I said. “He’d never survive.”
“That’s the point, Willa.”
“I’ll be careful with the Rolls,” I said, grinning. “After all, you’ve already lost one car in the last twenty-four hours.”
“True.”
“You’re the perfect one, Cam. You’re a lighthouse for us all.”
He looked puzzled.
I pointed to the house. “That man needs you more than me. You should go.”
“He’s fine.”
“He dared to lose your car.”
Cameron appeared lost in thought for a few moments. “Greyson’s a brilliant mind who shapes the world in ways others cannot see. But his talent leaves him distracted.”
“In what way?”
“Sometimes, the greatest battle we face is not against the world but against ourselves.” Cameron shook his head. “Erase that.”
“Who is he?” I whispered. “How do you know him?”
He motioned for me to get in the car. “All right, stop acting like a journalist for now.”
I climbed into the car and sank into the plush seat. “I’m excited.”
This was a brand-new start—and it felt so right.
Cameron smiled at me. “I’m going to find out eventually.”
“They want me to sign an NDA.” I laid the keys aside.
“For the interview?” He frowned as though that was unusual. “Let our lawyers see it.”
“Be gentle to Greyson. It’s just a car, remember.”
“Drive carefully.”
I reached out and pressed the button to start the ignition.
“GPS.” He pointed through the glass. “Use it.”
I gave him a thumbs-up.
Cameron sauntered backwards with his arms crossed over his chest as he waited for me to drive off.
Then I saw it, the Rover at the end of the driveway.
Cameron glanced at his phone to confirm. “That’s them.”
I cringed at the thought of being tailed by security. The driver would resent such a boring job.
“Watch the speed limit, Willa!”
I gave the engine an obnoxious rev, grinning as he winced. “Relax,” I called out.
“You’ve got this!”
I drove away, glancing in the rearview mirror, wondering what he and Greyson were going to talk about—hoping that maybe, just maybe, I’d come up in conversation.
I’d never been introduced to any of my brother’s male friends before. Maybe because they, too, had a kinky side. Cameron, according to Aunt Rose, had some unusual tastes when it came to passion. My reaction to learning had been open-minded amusement.
And honestly, that wasn’t for me to know.
After I turned the corner onto the main road, I checked my rearview and saw the Rover was staying close.
With a grin, I revved the engine and gunned it. Losing my tail was going to be fun.
With a press of a button music blared from the speakers. Sabrina Carpenter’s voice warned her boyfriend not to be an asshole.
“Some men can’t help themselves,” I said, feeling a stab of regret for going to that bar a year ago, where I’d met Hugo. “You are not ruining my vibe.”
You don’t get to be inside my head anymore.
I changed the music to something that reminded me of Greyson—the man with the captivating eyes, a charming enigma just waiting to be unraveled.