Authors: Jo Leigh
Intrigue Me (19 page)
“But I brought you here.”
His brows came down and a sigh escaped. “I hadn’t put that piece together.”
“What do you mean?”
“I didn’t understand what you meant about not talking about your client. I was dismissive, when I should have been respectful. I was also dismissive about something far more important.” He lifted a hand, as though he wanted to touch her, and then lowered it to his side. “You know Eve and I go way back. We don’t always agree on things. She’s obstinate, and frankly annoying when she thinks she knows best. But even when I think she’s off her rocker, I never, ever doubt she has my best interest at heart. She’s the one who practically forced me into volunteering at Moss Street. Not for as long as I was there, but it was her idea, and it was a good one. The point is if she ever betrayed me, I don’t know what I’d do. I’d be adrift and broken. For a long time now she’s been my compass. I can’t know how it was for you when Tess betrayed you, but I think I understand how deep the wound is.”
Lisa was shaking harder and for a completely different reason. When tears came she made no effort to stop them. “You’re the only person who has.”
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Then again, on her cheek where a tear had trailed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. Another kiss, as gentle as the first, on her neck, followed by “I’m sorry.” More kisses, more apologies, until his lips rested on her collarbone, just as she stopped crying.
“Tell me how you missed me,” she whispered. “Tell me—”
He straightened. “Every day I wrote you texts I didn’t send. Every day I fought to stop needing you, but I lost every battle. I missed how you helped me realize I had possibilities. For years, I believed I either had to follow in my father’s footsteps, or I wouldn’t belong at the Center. It was you, watching you be braver than anyone I’d ever seen, going from nothing to a new life. You went out with me, when you hadn’t dared in years. There aren’t enough apologies for how I treated you, not after you stripped your soul bare when I was being such a prick.”
She didn’t know what to say. She hadn’t even realized she was holding on to him so tightly there would be bruises on his shoulders. But he was holding her pretty damn tightly himself.
“You showed me how to ask for what I wanted, not what I thought I was allowed. You helped me realize I’m most definitely my own man, and I create the path I’m on. And...”
The way he looked at her, she thought he might kiss her again. Which would be wonderful. There was only one part of her dream that hadn’t come true, and that was fine. She could be very happy with that. “Go ahead. No matter what you tell me...” She couldn’t finish that sentence. Not yet.
Daniel smiled. “I also realized I love you.”
The world stopped. Just for a second. But the most important second of her life.
“I’m in love with you,” he whispered. “No matter what you feel right now, I needed to tell you that.”
She blinked back to life. Back to him. “My name is Lisa Elizabeth McCabe, and I’m in love with you, Daniel Everett Cassidy.”
The kiss that followed was pretty terrible, considering neither one of them could stop grinning. But they got into the spirit quickly. Especially after they’d migrated to her stupidly small bed.
Just after they sat, he said, “I don’t want to rush you in any way.”
“Too late.”
He grinned but also shook his head. “Fair enough. Anyway, I thought you should know what I’m thinking, so there are no surprises later.”
“Sounds reasonable. Aren’t you hot in that suit?” She pushed his jacket off both shoulders, and then he shook it away, undeterred.
“I see us moving at your pace, but toward living together. No rush. I have no agenda about it, even though I’m going to ask your opinions about redecorating my house.”
“No rush, though.”
He cupped her cheek. “None. I mean it. If we just continue to date, and text, I’ll be fine. If that works for you.”
“I don’t think you have to worry about that. I mean, I’m not sure how fast I can go, but I’ve known for a while that the only future I can imagine is one with you in it.”
He kissed her again. He just went for it, and she loved every second of his wild abandon. He had her blouse open before she took a very needed first breath, and unbuttoned his cuffs.
He grunted as he struggled to undo her bra while he kept kissing her.
“We should—” She forgot what she was going to say when he looked so amazingly perplexed. “One thing at a time,” she said, most definitely not laughing.
He closed his eyes, and in a remarkably short time, she was down to her panties. They weren’t even nice ones, but she didn’t care. He then got down to business on his own clothes. “Oh, I also need help with decorating my office at the Center. It’s hideous now.”
“I thought everything in there was a priceless antique.”
“Priceless doesn’t mean they can’t be ugly. Besides, they do have a price. From Sotheby’s. I asked Warren what he wanted to do with them, and when I suggested an auction to help the clinic, he was fine with it.”
He was on the bed now, straddling her hips. The fingers of his right hand were dipping underneath her panties. Not far enough—at least, not yet. “But I don’t want to talk about that. The only thing that really matters to me right now is that I love you. And I see our road, with nothing written in stone. So many possibilities.”
Lisa pulled him down for a kiss, happier than she’d ever been. “You
are
brilliant.”
* * * * *
Keep reading for an excerpt from THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN by Kimberly Van Meter.
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1
L
ACI
M
C
C
ALL
WASN
’
T
raised to cry—not even when it seemed the whole world was falling down...like this very moment.
“Get Laci some lemon water, now!” Trent Blackstone, her manager barked to a roadie when she wavered on her feet for just a blink of an eye. “You feeling good, honey? Sold-out crowd again. Memphis loves you, baby!”
That’s right, they were in Memphis. Two days ago, it was Charleston. Next week, it would be Atlanta. A brutal tour schedule was the mark of a successful artist, so she must be on top of the world, right? Yeah, sure. Top of the world.
“You all right, Laci?” Audrey, her makeup artist asked, pausing with her powder brush in midsweep. “You don’t look so good.”
“Last I checked, you’re not a doctor, Audrey,” Trent said, gesturing for Audrey to scoot. “She’s fine. It’s just prestage jitters, ain’t it, honey? The minute you hit that stage, you’re gonna shine, just like you always do. That’s why people come to a Laci McCall show...they all wanna hear that golden angel sing.” He looked sharply at the costume designer, who was fiddling with one of the million hand-sewn sequins on Laci’s costume and said, “Make sure it’s good and tight. The last time, she looked like she was dancing around in a burlap sack it was so loose.”
“It’s as tight as it’s gonna get,” Simone retorted, glaring at Trent. “If it were any tighter I’d have to pin it to her skin!”
Laci ignored the back-and-forth between Trent and Simone, secretly grateful that Simone wasn’t about to cinch her outfit another millimeter no matter how much Trent threatened to replace her with someone else.
“You sure you’re okay, Laci-girl?” Simone asked, worry lines creasing her expression. “I can let it out a hair if it’s too tight.”
“I’m good,” Laci assured her as she tried to take a deep breath but found it difficult. She forced a smile. “It’s fine. Beautiful, as always,” she assured Simone about the glittering costume that had left Simone’s fingers in tatters after hand sewing every single little twinkling piece of hardware onto the fine fabric. “Thank you.”
“See? She’s fine,” Trent said, and Simone, satisfied her masterpiece was going to withstand a full concert, sent a final glare Trent’s way and left. Trent didn’t like Simone and vice versa, but he recognized her talent, at the very least. Trent returned to Laci with an instant smile. “Honey, you’re a vision. There ain’t nobody out there in this world that can take the shine off you. That’s a fact. Now, get out there and give the people what they crave, darlin’!”
“Yes, sir,” Laci murmured with a brief smile as she mentally prepared for a grueling two-hour set. She was just tired. No, she was exhausted. She’d tried to ask Trent to slow the schedule, but every sold-out show seemed to propel him to a more ambitious schedule. Her head pounded with the jarring force of a hammer hitting an anvil, but she gritted her teeth and trained her gaze forward, gearing up for another show. Her people were out there. Her fans made her who she was and she couldn’t disappoint them. Without them, she was just a poor Southern girl with impossible dreams and a thirst for something bigger than anyone else in her world.
Buck up, little filly, you got this.
The memory of her daddy’s voice lifted her spirits and gave her the boost she needed to forget the pain in her head, the exhaustion weighing down her limbs and the fact that her costume did indeed feel pinned onto her skin. Everything was beautiful; everything was right. This was where she belonged and by damn, she would give Memphis the show they’d never forget.
“Helllllooooo, Memphis!” she cried into her microphone headset, her arms stretched wide in welcome. The minute she stepped onto the stage, the crowd swelled with adoration as the resounding chant of her name filled her with momentary joy and she launched into her current number one hit, "You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.” Her voice, the one thing about her that made her more than a pretty face, carried the sassy song and for a heartbeat, everything was fine. But then as she hit the high note, belting out her signature raspy growl, the edges of her vision clouded. The stage lights blazed like jet fuel on fire through her brain and the roar of the crowd overwhelmed her eardrums as the sensation that she was falling choked off her voice midset.
Noooooo!
The last thing she heard before she slipped into blissful unawareness was the faint din of complete and utter pandemonium.
* * *
K
ANE
D
ALTON
,
CO
-
OWNER
of Elite Protection Services, just finished hitting Send on a few important emails when his younger brother, Rian, blew into the office with a perplexed expression. “You’re going
where
?” he asked, gesturing to his phone. “Is this an April Fool’s thing, ’cause it ain’t funny. And if you
are
going where you say you’re going, who are you and where is my brother?”
“I see you got my text,” Kane said, sighing. “I’m catching a plane to Kentucky in about three hours. I’m just tying up loose ends. You good to hold down the fort for a few weeks?”
“No and hell no. You know I’m not the business guy in this operation—that’s your gig. Now, tell me why you’re heading to Kentucky, of all places?”
“Warren called. Cora needs some special medical treatment out of state and he doesn’t trust anyone else to watch the ranch while he’s gone. He said something about not liking the sheriff—calling him a no-good, rotten son of a bitch who’d probably put his own mama in the clink for jaywalking.” Rian arched his brow and Kane nodded as he continued, “Yeah, anyway, how could I refuse the guy? He’s like a grandfather to us. Besides, you’ve been telling me to take a vacation for months. Guess I’m cashing that chip in.”
“Aw, hell, Kane, I didn’t mean hightail it back to the worst place on the planet,” he grumbled. “If you look up Woodsville in the dictionary, it’s synonymous with hell—not exactly what I’d call a premier vacation spot for either one of us.”
“No argument there, but I’m not heading into town. I’m just gonna hold down the ranch, take care of the cattle and make sure no one comes around to mess with things.”
“And what am I supposed to do about that job you took on with that senator on his little vote-gathering tour?”
“I guess you’ll have to cover for me.” He grinned, knowing his brother hated gigs involving pampered, fat politicians who were more often than not leering at young interns and playing into the stereotype rather than doing anything of value with their lives. “Listen, I know it’s not supermodels and celebrities, but it’s a fairly straightforward gig. Watch the senator’s back while he goes on a handshaking, baby-hugging tour and it’ll be over before you know it.”
“Sounds like a real party,” Rian said sourly, then exhaled because he knew there was no getting out of it for either of them. “How’s Cora doin’?” he asked with appropriate concern. The old gal was special to both their hearts and even if it had been a while since they’d managed a visit, if she needed something, there was nothing they wouldn’t do to make it happen.
Kane didn’t have too much in the way of details, but his gut was singing off tune. “Must be pretty bad if Warren’s leaving the ranch to take her to this special place. He’d do anything for the old girl.”
Rian nodded in grim agreement. “Yeah, true enough. I feel like shit that we didn’t see them at Christmas last year.”
“Or the year before that,” Kane said, suffering a pinch of conscience, but Warren and Cora both knew the business kept them running ragged, which is why Kane knew he had to say yes. Warren never would’ve asked if it hadn’t been the only option.
“Hey, guess who I saw in the news last night,” Rian said, switching tracks, his expression turning serious. He didn’t wait for Kane to guess. “Laci.”
An iron gate swung shut inside his heart and he gave his brother a hard look. “Yeah? And? That matters to me why?”
“Stop acting like a hard-ass. I know you’re still carrying a torch for her. Shut up for a minute and I’ll tell you what I heard.”
“Yeah? So tell me.”
“She collapsed onstage last night at a concert in Memphis.”
Immediate alarm spiked and his muscles tensed even as he kept very still. “Is she okay?” he asked quietly, not sure he wanted to know. Laci was his Achilles’ heel, a weakness he had always done his best to protect by staying far away from her and her world.
“I don’t know. TMZ reported she collapsed in the middle of her number one single, and her PR machine is saying she suffered from food poisoning, but I don’t buy it.”
“Yeah? Why not?”
“Certain circles travel together, you know how that goes. People are saying that she’s flat-out exhausted. Have you seen her tour schedule? It’s insane.”
“Is she okay, or not?” he growled, fighting the impulse to drive straight to Memphis to deliver a fist sandwich to whomever wasn’t doing their job and looking out for her.
“Yeah, I’m sure if she gets some rest she’ll be okay,” Rian answered, watching him with open speculation. Suddenly a knowing smirk curved his lips and Kane swore under his breath.
Here it comes
... “When you gonna admit that you still care for her?”
“When you gonna drop it? We were kids...a long time ago. Neither one of us are kids now. Got it?”
“Yeah, I get it—you’re in denial and have been since the day you cut her loose. But whatever. It’s your life, bro. I just thought you might like to know.”
Kane forced a chuckle, if only to get past the awful pinch in his chest, and said, “Aw, Ri, I never knew you were such a softie at your core.”
Rian scowled at Kane’s thinly veiled sarcasm and flipped him off. “I hope your plane goes down,” he shot over his shoulder as he headed out of the office, leaving Kane to deal with the burden of knowing that Laci was lying in some Memphis hospital bed.
Kane shook his head, hating that time hadn’t healed that particular wound or erased the bone-deep need to feel Laci shuddering in his arms, or hear her breathy sighs in his ear as he took total control of her body. Time was supposed to dull that edge, right? Yeah, so someone ought to let his brain in on that little fact. Maybe if his fantasies didn’t feature Laci, he’d get over her. Maybe. But it didn’t matter who he was with or even if he was alone, Laci was there.
Irritated at himself, Kane finished his to-do list, then closed up the office to pack for a trip he didn’t want to make. Woodsville, Kentucky—home of his miserable childhood and the keeper of his most private dreams. If it hadn’t been for summers at the Bradford ranch...he didn’t know where he and Rian might’ve ended up. Probably nowhere good.
Of all the things the Bradford ranch reminded him of—fresh corn bread and hot beans simmering in a cast-iron pot, corn on the cob and steaks big enough to satisfy the appetites of two growing young men—there was only one thing that ever jumped to mind when he thought of those blistering summer days and time hadn’t dulled those memories.
Sweet as seasonal rain and with curves for days, there were still times she invaded his dreams, leaving him rock hard, aching and reaching for a woman who was never meant to be his.
Kane physically shook himself from his reverie, appalled at his own mopey melancholy. When did he become such a sap? Apparently, Woodsville brought out the worst in him.
Well, one thing was for certain, no matter where Laci was...leaving her behind had been the best thing he could’ve ever done for her—and for himself.
So what if the scar remained tender to the touch. Everyone had scars. Some people just hid them better than others.
Copyright © 2015 by Kimberly Van Meter