Chapter 14 #2
“Both times?” he persisted. “Is that all the institution means to you? A way to get back at your parents?”
“No!” she cried. “I made mistakes. I was chafing at the restrictions and wanted to pay them back for plucking me away from home.” She started to turn away, but he would not let her. “Let go of me.”
“No.” His fingers bit into her shoulders. “Because if we're going to do this, I want to- no-” He shook his head. “I need to know you can make a commitment.”
“You don't think I can.”
“No, I don't.”
“Go to hell.” Her jade-green eyes sparkled with tears she refused to let fall.
“Believe me, I'm already there,” he told her grimly.
He drew her in. “I have feelings for you and it's damn complicated because very soon, your brother will be taking my sister as his wife.
I don't have your kind of money. You're spoiled-” He tightened his grip when she started to move away.
“You're used to having men trail behind you.
I'm not that kind of guy. I won't put up with you thinking you can use me and discard me at will. So, I need to know if you'll stick.”
“You don't trust me.”
“Trust is earned.”
“Damn you to hell! I'm in love with you. There, I've said it. And before you ask, I've never been in love before. Now, please let me go. The guards are waiting.”
“You're not going anywhere.” His face was a mask of fury. “You think you can just drop the L-bomb on me and waltz out of here?”
“I can do anything I damn well please.” Her eyes glittered with a combination of fury and tears.
He had not said it back to her. She had declared her love for the first time in her life, and the bastard was standing there looking at her as if she had told him she had given him herpes.
Well, to hell with him. “I'm Kathy Joanie Crenshaw and can do whatever I bloody well please.”
“Not anymore.” His fingers were biting into her flesh. “And if you think you can walk out on me, if you get bored or happen to fancy another guy- Hey!” The punch connected and had him almost doubling over in pain. “What the hell!”
“You bastard!” Now tears were running down her cheeks. “I've never said that to another man before. Serves me right for falling in love with an egotistical jerk. Let go of me before I aim my knee somewhere you consider to be an asset.”
Cautious, lest she carried out her threat, he lifted one hand to touch her wet cheek.
“I've hurt you, and for that I'm sorry,” he told her quietly.
“No, listen to me. Christ!” He closed his eyes briefly.
“I'm in love with you. And I've never said that to another woman before. I tried to fight it. God, we just met and the circumstances are weird and dangerous. But I love you. It scares the living daylights out of me and I have no idea-”
“Shut up and kiss me.”
“Not to mention that you're bossy and-” The rest was swallowed up when she went on her toes and crushed her lips to his.
Lifting her in his arms, he headed for the stairs. “If you break my heart, I'm going to have to kill you.”
“Same goes,” she whispered huskily. “Tell me again.”
“If you break my heart-” he grinned at the look she gave him. “I love you, and tell those guards to take a hike. You're spending the night.”
“All right,” she murmured, and brought his head back down to hers.
***
“She's been divorced twice. Not to mention the fact that she's an heiress. And my fiancé's sister. How long has this been going on?”
He rounded on her, his eyes fierce. “Do I tell you how to live your life?”
“Let me think, yes.”
Sighing, he walked back over and sat on the edge of her desk. He had noticed the guards stationed out in the parking lot, and it bothered him a hell of a lot.
“I'm in love with her.”
“Is she in love with you?”
“She was the one who said it first.” He rubbed the back of his neck.
“I thought it was just an attraction. I was amused by it and decided that I could handle it and her, but then it quickly became something more. The idea of anything happening to her is driving me out of my mind.” His eyes met hers.
“Now I have the two of you to worry about.”
Shoving the chair back, Kady came to sit next to him. “Landry calls me every five minutes. He's getting on my nerves.”
“He loves you and he feels guilty.” He kissed the top of her head absently. “What the hell am I going to do about this? And how do we tell the parents?”
“Why not wait until after my wedding? I'm sure they won't appreciate a bomb like this dropping on them.” She rubbed his back. “You really love her?”
“I really do. She's spoiled and willful and a bloody diva, but I get her. I really get her.” He shook his head. “She's not someone I would have chosen, and there's the thing about the enormous amount of money. I'm not too keen on that.”
“You'll find a way to make it work.” She rolled her eyes as her phone went off. “If that's my darling fiancé, I'm going to scream.”
Her brother grinned, kissing her on the nose. “Say hello for me. I'll talk to you later.”
Blowing him a kiss, she picked up the phone and snarled.
“This has got to stop.”
“I just called to say I love you.”
Her heart melted, just like he knew it would.
“Damn you, Landry. I love you, too. Now please stop calling me.”
“Not going to happen. I was without you for fifteen years. Please allow me to be suffocating.”
“All right. If it gets too much, I'm turning my phone off,” she warned.
“No!” His voice was sharp. “That's not an option. Promise me you won't.”
“I was just teasing,” she told him softly.
“Never joke about something like that. I have to be able to get in touch with you.”
“I understand. Darling, you know I won't do any such thing.”
He heaved out a breath. “I overreacted.”
“Under the circumstances, who can blame you?”
“All right, I'm going to allow you to get some work done. I love you, see you later.”
Putting the phone down, she sat there for a moment before resuming her work.
***
“Bitch, I've been gone for six weeks, only to come back to all these dramas.” Lori, an almost six-foot, statuesque, ebony-skinned model, whirled around the room in her inimitable manner.
Her hair was ruthlessly cut to the scalp and somehow managed to give her pointed face an exotic look.
It was a face that graced several billboards and popular magazines.
“You're getting married in two days. And don't think I've forgiven you for not telling me what the hell was going on.”
“You were out of contact in the bloody desert.”
She sniffed. “Don't remind me.” Striding over to the counter, she picked up her glass and sipped.
“I can still feel the damn sand on my skin.
I swear I'll never get clean again.” She eyed her best friend over the rim of her glass.
“I don't want a hideous bridesmaid dress. It has to be something fabulous.” She grinned wickedly. “Hopefully to outshine the bride.”
Putting the glass down, she rushed over to hug her. “Darling, I'm so happy for you. I knew you were holding out for your childhood sweetheart.”
“I never thought I would see him again.” Kady clung to her. “Oh, I'm so happy you're here.”
“And this place is fabulous.” Lori spun away to examine the silk fabric wallpaper and what she recognized as Monet, Picasso, and a Jackson Colby original on the wall. “And Kyle is seeing the sister? How weird is that?”
“They're not telling anyone yet,” Kady warned. She had come home early to make the final preparations for the wedding.
“How do you feel about it?”
Picking up the bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse, she poured some in her glass.
The chandeliers dripping from the arched ceiling picked up the flash of diamonds in her engagement ring and sent the lights across the room.
“I don't know. I really like Kathy, but she's been divorced twice and she's spoiled and very rich. I warned her about hurting my brother.”
Amused, Lori joined her at the counter. “What did she have to say to that?”
“Something very strange.” Kady sipped thoughtfully. “She said he was the one who was more likely to hurt her. I think she really loves him.”
“Well then. I'm so pissed at him.”
“Why?” Kady glanced at her in surprise.
“I had this huge crush on him, and he treated me like a sister. Bastard.”
Kady laughed. “He knew you were never serious.”
“Still…” Lori grinned. “And this, this person. Any word on him yet?”
“No.” Kady's smile faded. “It's like we're living in limbo, waiting for the next shoe to drop.”
“He's bound to surface very soon.”
***
It should be now, Joel mused as he enjoyed his glass of malted scotch.
He knew of the wedding, of course; he had seen the various movements going on at his son's place.
A wedding! Such a joyous occasion. He still did not fully approve of the young lady, but Landry seemed so happy.
Wasn't that what mattered? He nodded in agreement. He wanted his children to be happy.
A frown touched his brow at that. Now there was the matter of Kathy, going in and out of the brother's apartment.
That was something he was sure he didn't approve of.
But she had been down the aisle twice. Poor girl was confused and needed some direction.
He was just going to sort that out when they came to live with him.
Yes, it had to be soon. He would wait for the wedding and then make his move. It was time.