The women all glanced at Maura before one whispered, “What changed her mind?”
“She found out he was cheating on her.” A collective gasp moved around the table before I added, “With multiple… strippers.” I whispered the last word, my tongue firmly planted in cheek as I watched their reaction. Shock, dismay, disgust. Exactly what I’d been hoping for.
“You can’t be serious,” Red Hat said, looking around the table. “We’ve known Jeffery for years. His mother goes to our church. He would never do such a thing.”
“I’m afraid he did,” I said, sighing heavily. “You can imagine how devastated poor Maura was to learn the man she’d put her faith in had betrayed her that way.”
All eyes traveled to Maura as the eldest in the group clucked her tongue. “It’s a good thing she has a good family to help her through this.” She patted my hand. “And you. You came into her life just when she needed you most.”
“A gift from God, that’s what it was,” Red Hat said. “He never gives us more than we can bear. He brought you into her life to help her see there are still good men out there, men worthy of her.” She shook her head emphatically, causing her hat to slip forward. Adjusting it, she said, “Isn’t that right, girls?”
A murmur of assent moved through the group.
I stood. “It was a pleasure talking to you. Enjoy your lunch. It’s on me.” I returned to the table as they sang my praises.
Maura stifled her laughter. “You’re so bad. I can’t believe you did that.”
“You wouldn’t let me beat the hell out of him,” I said, shrugging. “That was the best I could come up with to stick it to him.”
“You know you weren’t completely honest about the circumstances surrounding our break up.”
“What do you mean?”
She raised her eyebrows as she tipped her head. “You made me sound so innocent, like an angel who could do no wrong.”
“You are an angel,” I said, grinning. “My angel.”
Her eyes softened. She reached across the table to cover my hand with hers. “Thank you for coming to my rescue. Who said chivalry was dead?”
“Obviously someone who’d never met me.”
She laughed. “You’re so full of yourself.”
“Yeah, but you’re still crazy about me. Admit it.”
“What’s this I hear about dinner at my parents’ house tomorrow night?” she asked, perusing the menu.
“Oh, were you invited too?”
She looked up, trying to keep a straight face. “You know I was. I have a feeling you and my father concocted the whole thing. Why is he so determined for us to spend time together?”
“I have no idea.” I tried to look innocent and failed miserably. Instead, I laughed. “I may have mentioned to him that I’m kind of… crazy about you.”
She gasped, covering her mouth when a waiter turned in our direction. “You did not say that to him.”
“Sure, why not?”
“Blaise, you can’t go around professing your lov-feelings for me. People will think—”
“That I can’t stop thinking about you? That you’re ruining me for other women? That you’ll break my heart if you reject me again? They’d be right.”
“You are too much,” she said, shaking her head. “I can never tell when you’re being serious.”
My eyes locked with hers as I reached for her hand. “I’m being serious, angel. Everything I just said is true.”
“How can I believe that?” Her free hand drifted through the air. “Look at you. You’re…”
“I’m what?”
“Too sexy for my peace of mind,” she said, pinching her lips together. “I had enough trouble trusting a man I thought no other woman would want. How the hell am I supposed to trust you?”
I laughed at her characterization of her ex. “Let me prove myself to you. Let me show you that you can trust me.” I was taking a huge risk. If—no, when—the truth came out, if our relationship wasn’t strong enough to withstand the fall-out, Maura would be devastated that she’d been lied to again and I would be crushed.
“I can’t make any promises. You and I are from two different worlds. I have a life here, and yours is in New York. Have you thought about how this might work from a logistical perspective?”
I reached for the red wine our waiter had delivered earlier. “The way I see it, I’m already putting down roots here. I have an apartment, an office, a car. I own a private plane, so I can fly in whenever I want. The flight is only an hour, the drive a little more than five. It’s not the other side of the world, you know.”
“You make it sound so easy,” she said, smirking.
“Honey, when you have as much money as I do, everything is easy.”
Except uncovering the truth and proving that I’m an innocent man.
Chapter Five
Dinner at Maura’s parents’ home the following evening was surprisingly effortless. We talked about our travels, laughed about Maura’s relatives’ escapades, and compared notes about the charitable organizations we were involved with. They weren’t nearly as pretentious as I’d expected. Dinner was a casual affair, with grilled fish, seafood, and vegetables, and the home that had once seemed huge and intimidating now felt warm and comfortable. I realized that my own insecurity may have made dealing with Maura’s parents so challenging before. They could give their daughter everything I thought I’d never be able to, and I’d resented them for it.
“Well, I think we’ll leave you two down here to enjoy the pool,” Eric said, reaching for his wife’s hand. “The water’s warm, and there are extra swimsuits in the pool house. Help yourself.”
“Thank you for a lovely evening,” I said, standing.
Eric shook my hand, pumping it enthusiastically as he winked and clapped my shoulder. Maura’s mother, Gayle, surprised me with a kiss on the cheek and a hug.
“It was so lovely to meet you, and I have to thank you for convincing my husband to part with some of his holdings.” Squeezing my arm, she said, “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in—”
“That’s enough, dear,” Eric said, reaching for his wife’s hand. “Let’s go and give these two some privacy.”
I watched Maura hug both of her parents before they left. When they were out of earshot, I said, “You and your parents are very close.”
“Yes.” She picked up her wine glass. “Unlike my older brother, I’ve always tried to please them.”
I chuckled as I swirled the wine in the bottom of my glass before taking a sip. “Ah yes, Eric mentioned his son, the surfer dude.” My eyes twinkled with amusement. “He’s so proud.”
“At least my brother’s living his dream.” She reached for the wine bottle and topped up both of our glasses before she said, “In a lot of ways, I envy him. He doesn’t live under their constant scrutiny, having them and everyone else weigh in on every decision he makes.”
“Does that mean you’re a little too close for comfort?” I wondered if she’d ever consider relocating, maybe to New York.
“I’ve considered it.” She sighed. “I don’t know, Blaise. I’ve worked hard to build a business and a reputation here. Bigger cities are so competitive. I can’t imagine being able to make a name for myself there.”
“With the right connections, you could build a successful business anywhere,” I said, smiling as I brought the glass to my lips. “Including New York.”
“Subtle, real subtle.”
I laughed as I reached for her hand to kiss it. “Admit it, you love that I say what’s on my mind.”
“Maybe I do.” She glanced at the lights illuminating the paths to the Olympic-sized swimming pool. “What do you think? Should we take my father up on his offer?”
I looked back, noting the loungers gathered around the pool. I could walk a few feet and be in the very same spot I’d first laid eyes on her. I felt as though my life had started that day. Before that, I’d just been going through the motions. Seeing her gave me reason to want to get out of bed in the morning.
“Of course, if you’re tired or you need to get some work done before you turn in—”
“No, I’d love to go for a swim.” I held her hand as we carried our wine glasses to the patio. I stopped at the end of the walkway, took her glass, and set it on a small table between two chairs. Brushing her hair off her face, I stared into her eyes, thinking how grateful I was that life had brought us full circle.
“What are you thinking?” she whispered, her eyes trained on my mouth.
“I’m thinking about how beautiful you are.” I kissed her lips. “I don’t want to leave you. I’m not looking forward to going back to New York.”
I was still waiting for the private investigator’s report. Apparently he was having trouble tracking down one of the guys I’d worked with, and I couldn’t prolong the trip home forever. I’d come back, maybe in a week or two, to talk to the old crew and see Maura again, but that would seem like a lifetime. I wanted her with me. All the time.
“When do you have to go?” She wrapped her arms around my waist as she laid her head on my chest.
“I have, uh, a commitment the day after tomorrow.” I wasn’t looking forward to telling her about it, but I would have to. Later. Much later.
“I’ll miss you,” she admitted. “I’m sorry about the things I said to you the other night, and yesterday. I was just hurt and upset—”
I pressed my lips to hers to silence her. “I’m glad I was there to help you through it.” I grinned. “Anytime you want to use my body, feel free. That was seriously hot.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “You’re such a guy.” Tipping her head toward the pool house I’d helped build, she said, “Shall we get changed?”
“We could always go skinny dipping instead.”
She giggled. “I haven’t done that since I was a teenager.”
I know, I was there.
“It might be fun.” I wrapped my arms around her waist, my hand splayed over her perfect ass as I nuzzled her neck.
“I’m sure it would be.” She sounded breathless, excited. “But not here. I’d be mortified if they came down and found us like that.”
I chuckled. “Somehow I don’t think your father would mind all that much if we hooked up. Granted, I don’t think he’d want to witness it, but…”
“My father definitely seems to be in favor of this… relationship, or whatever you want to call it.”
“Relationship works for me.” I’d never been one to label affairs, but this was different. She was different.
“You know I can’t rush into anything,” she said hesitantly, pressing her palms into my chest. “I’m still reeling from what happened with Jeff, and I don’t want you to be…”
I couldn’t help but laugh. She was trying so hard not to offend me. It was sweet. “Your rebound guy?”
Rolling her eyes, she said, “I can’t imagine you being anyone’s rebound guy.”
“Then what are you worrying about?”
She dipped her head, ensuring I couldn’t see her face. “Maybe I don’t wanna screw this up.” She sighed. “I know I said I suck at relationships, and I clearly do. I trust the wrong men and wind up getting hurt, but I guess a part of me still wants to believe I can get my happily ever after.” She looked up, pink staining her cheeks. “Not that I’m thinking that far into the future. I mean, we just met. But I like you.”
I grinned as I kissed her forehead. “I like you too, angel.”
She heaved a heavy sigh. “I guess that’s all I wanted to say. So you’re okay with taking things slow, not defining this… thing?”
“Sure.” Maura wasn’t the type to sleep with more than one man at a time and I had no desire to be with anyone else, so whether she wanted to label it or not, I knew we would be exclusive. “Whatever makes you happy.”
“You make me happy,” she said, stroking my jaw. “If not for you, this thing with Jeff would have destroyed me, but you were there, and that made it bearable. Thank you for that.”
I kissed her tenderly. I knew how hard it was for her to open up after the way she’d been hurt, and I admired her determination to move past this latest setback. “I’ll be there for you as long as you need me, angel.”
“I’m afraid of becoming too dependent on anyone,” she admitted. “Especially someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
She shook her head. “I can tell what kind of man you are. You like to be in control. You like to fix things, and I get the feeling that when you care about someone, you want to take care of them and make things easy for them.”
That was true, though I’d never been very protective of the women I’d dated. She was the exception. “Is that a bad thing?”
“You see the way my parents are. You and my father aren’t all that different. He always wanted to shelter me and protect me, and for the most part, I let him. It was easier than fighting him all the time. But I’m a grown woman now, with a successful business. I don’t need a man to take care of me.”
I considered my options. I could give her more than she’d ever dreamed possible, but things wouldn’t impress her. I needed to be willing to listen, compromise, and support her. “I won’t deny the thought of taking care of you appeals to me.” I smirked when she slapped my chest. “But I was attracted to you because of your independence. I don’t want to quash that. I just want to”—these words had never left my lips before, and I wasn’t even sure I was giving her the reassurance she needed, but it was too late to turn back—“be the one you talk to at the end of a bad day, the man who holds you when you need to cry or threatens someone who’s giving you a hard time.”
Her face softened. She looked as though she was fighting back tears. “That may be the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Standing on tiptoe, she pressed a kiss to my lips. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I loved the way her eyes glistened when she was happy. I wanted to make them sparkle like that every day.
“For listening. For understanding. For not pushing me.” She smiled. “For being exactly what I need right now.”
I hadn’t come there expecting miracles, but that was exactly what this felt like. A miracle. A second chance at happiness. “You’re welcome. Now about that swim…”
“Come on,” she said, tugging on my hand. “Let’s go find those swimsuits.”
Being back in the pool house felt strange. It was one of the first places we’d been intimate. Her parents had been out of town, and the crew had left for the day…
“What are you thinking about?” she asked, tapping the light switch.
How could I tell her I was remembering the way she’d once consumed me? “I was just remembering a time when I was young and in love.” The words spilled from my lips of their own volition. I couldn’t stop them. “This girl…” My eyes locked with hers. “She was my whole world. The first thing I thought about when I woke up and the last thing I thought about before I went to bed.”