She caught sight of me watching her and held up a finger, indicating she wanted me to wait.
With a nod, I moved farther into the room and got a bottle of water from the fridge.
After I’d gotten off the phone with Bella, I’d gone to my personal gym I had set up on the third floor of the house and run a hard five miles, finishing in just over thirty-five minutes. Then I’d spent the next fifteen minutes on the heavy bag.
Muscles aching and weary, I’d showered then headed down here to see how much progress she’d made.
Just as I twisted off the cap, she spoke again. “Okay, that works. Thank you, Michael. We appreciate it.” She lowered the phone and ended the call, focusing her big, doe-like eyes on me. “I feel like I just rearranged the stars and planets, but I cleared the rest of the week. You have two interviews you have to get done in the morning, then a car will pick you up and take you to the airport so you can catch your flight to Louisville. There’s already a car reserved for you there. You’ve still got a few things at the end of next week before the promo tour starts but if you need to clear them, just call me and I’ll get to work on it. The sooner you know something the better. You’ll have six days in Ulysses, at least. I’ve tentatively got you hooked up with a private plane that will fly you out of the county airstrip in Cocker County to get to NYC. I’ll meet you there—”
I held up a hand. “I want you with me.”
“Luke.” She reached up and pulled off her glasses, rubbing at her temple with her other hand. A fine line of pain formed between her brows. “You don’t need me with you to visit your mom, Luke.”
I snorted. “Yes, I do. I’m likely to flip out and start harassing the doctors if I don’t have somebody to keep my head on straight. You’re coming with me, Ina. I need you there.”
She frowned at me, that line between her brows deepening further.
“You’ve got a headache,” I said softly.
“You are my headache.”
I grinned at her as I circled around the table. Reaching up, I covered the back of her neck with my hand. The muscles were tight and bunched. “I think you’re more tense than I am.”
I pressed my thumb to the base of her skull. A slight shudder went through her. When I eased up on the pressure, some of the tension drained away. I did it again, this time smoothing the pad of my thumb down along the muscle there, strung so tight.
After about thirty seconds, her head fell forward, giving me better access. Her skin was warm under my hands and incredibly soft. It hit me then, how delicate she could be. Delicate wasn’t a word that I normally would have ascribed to Sabrina—fierce, acerbic and mouthy...at least with me. Firm and no-nonsense when she was dealing with the responsibilities of the job she did for me. And...shy, at times. She hid it well, but there were occasions when she ended up in a more public arena than she liked and she wasn’t entirely comfortable with it. Words like delicate and vulnerable weren’t what I’d ever really thought would apply to this woman who was basically my right arm...and leg.
But then I recalled the way she’d collapsed into my arms and cried after her mother died.
All of us have our vulnerabilities, I guess.
If you ever want to talk, I’ll listen.
I shoved those words out of my head and focused on the task at hand, feeling her muscles slowly relax.
After several long minutes, she finally spoke and her voice was smoky...sexy, actually.
It hit me low in the stomach to realize it.
Stop it. This is Sabrina.
“Why do you need me with you, Luke? You don’t need me as a fence between you and your family. At least, you shouldn’t.”
I was so distracted by the odd reaction I was having that it took me a few seconds to figure out what she was talking about, but when I did, I wasn’t surprised. Of course, Sabrina knew why I wanted her there. She seemed to see clear through me.
I wasn’t about to tell her, though.
Keeping my voice deliberately light, I said, “Did it ever occur to you that I just like the pleasure of your company?” I gave one more stroke down her neck and moved away.
She snorted and lifted her head to give me a sideways look. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but her eyes were just as cool as ever. “You like having me around to take care of things and keep people away from you when you’re not in the mood to be social.”
“Hey...” I stopped and braced my hands on the table, bending forward slightly. “That’s not...entirely true. I always like having you around. You’re one of the few people who don’t get under my skin, even when I’m feeling my absolute meanest.”
She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. Then, instead of letting it go, she leaned forward, still holding my eyes. “Come on, Luke. What gives? I thought things were finally getting better with you and your family?”
I had to bite back the instinctive urge to snap at her. It was a protective instinct, but I owed Sabrina better than that. “Just let it go, okay?”
“All right,” she said after a long, quiet study.
“So you’ll go with me?”
“Why not?” She shrugged and turned her attention back to the work in front of her. “I can do my job almost anywhere. But I’m flying first class with you, and you are paying for the ticket. Naturally.”
“Naturally.”
Chapter Three
Sabrina
I HAD MY SUITCASES and garment bag packed and ready almost an hour before the driver was scheduled to arrive.
If it was just me, I could travel for almost three weeks out of my carry-on—I’d become a pro when it came to traveling light. But it wasn’t just me and I wasn’t on a pleasure trip, either. Knowing Luke, he’d drag me out to eat someplace where a single entrée cost as much as the black Manolo Blahnik open-toe shoes I’d indulged in last year after finally losing almost twenty pounds.
I’d since gained ten of those pounds back, but I still loved and adored those heels. That was why they were packed carefully in my larger suitcase. The garment bag had several day-to-night dresses as well as a couple of dress shirts for Luke. I had three pairs of his jeans in my suitcase, too. He didn’t always remember to pack appropriately for his business trips. His housekeeper had volunteered more than once to handle it, but he’d brushed her off. In private, Luke told me that the idea of her packing his underwear made him uncomfortable. The thought of Luke in his underwear made me uncomfortable. I’d pointed out to him that his housekeeper washed his underwear and he’d squirmed uncomfortably, mumbling that it wasn’t the same.
I couldn’t understand the difference, but he continued to insist on packing his own clothes, and although I always gave him a list of what to bring, he didn’t always follow through. More than once, I’d had to run out to Neiman Marcus or Bergdorf so he could have something to wear other than one of his goofy gaming T-shirts.
For the past year, I’d just started bringing extra clothes along with me and it had made my life so much easier. I still had to make the occasional clothing run, but it was nowhere near like it used to be.
My phone rang and I tapped my Bluetooth earpiece to accept the call while I continued checking my purse to make sure I’d cleared out all the banned items. At any given time, I could find a brush, a can of hairspray, some face powder, tubes of lotion and other assorted sundries. Most of them were Luke’s use, not mine. I’d packed the necessities into the larger suitcase, zipping them carefully up in a plastic tote in case they started to leak.
“Hello?”
Luke’s voice came out, smooth and sensual as good dark chocolate. “Heya, Ina. It’s me.”
Ina. Luke was the only one who called me that—shortening my name down to the last three letters. From just about anybody else, it would have annoyed me. But hearing Luke’s voice say it just gave me the feel-good shivers. More than once, I’d woken up, gasping from an erotic dream, the echo of his voice in my ear. “Ina...I love you...”
Clearing my throat, I dragged my
attention away from my purse and pulled my phone from my pocket. “Hi, Luke. What do you need?”
“Now, come on...” he teased. “You make it sound like I can’t ever call you without needing something.”
“Well...” I drew the word out, as if I had to think about it. “Generally, that is why you call. Can’t remember the last time you called me just to chit-chat.”
“That’s not true,” he said.
“Okay. You tell me the last time you called me just to talk.”
“Oh, that’s easy...” But he trailed off, going quiet.
Just as I was about to toss him a line, he said, “Okay, fine. I usually call you when I’m needing something. What can I say? I’m lost without you.”
Under certain circumstances, hearing those words from him would make my heart swell. But these weren’t those circumstances. Rubbing the heel of my hand over my heart, I pushed the wistful thoughts aside. “So what do you need?”
Before he could respond, there was a faint click on the line and I smothered a sigh. I’d already had seven calls in the past hour. I was actually looking forward to getting on the plane so I could put the damn thing on airplane mode.
I checked the screen of my Apple Watch and saw who it was.
“You’ve got another call,” Luke said.
“It’s just Brian. I’ve already talked to him.”
“Brian,” Luke said. “I didn’t know you two were still seeing each other.”
I wasn’t about to get into that discussion with Luke at the moment. The fact was Brian and I weren’t seeing each other any longer. Brian just couldn’t seem to get that through his head. We hadn’t gone out in almost two months, but he kept calling almost every week, like clockwork.
“You never did tell me what you needed, Luke. You better make it quick, because we’re on a timetable.”
I half-expected him to call me out for dodging the question, but he didn’t. “Actually, I’m calling to see if you want coffee. I’m in the drive-thru right now.”
“Luke...” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Tell me you didn’t have your driver take the limo through the drive-thru.”
“It’s not a limo,” he replied. “It’s a big-ass Mercedes-Benz GLS. I’m thinking about getting one for Mom and wanted to give it a spin, so I called the car company and had them switch out the limo.”
I was faintly surprised he even knew which car company we used. “Well, I guess that’s better than a limo.”
“Come on, it’s my turn to order. What do you want?”
“Ah...café au lait,” I said, trying to think through how much sugar and fat was in some of the concoctions. At least café au lait was just milk and coffee.
“That’s it?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“No problem, see you soon.” He was already shouting the order out in typical Luke fashion when I disconnected the call.
Sliding the phone into my pocket, I refocused on the task at hand and tried not to think about how sweet it had been of him to call and ask if I wanted coffee.
A message from Brian popped up and I read it, then deleted it with a grimace.
That man had become a serious pain in the ass.
LUKE WAS AT MY DOOR less than twenty minutes later.
I had already grabbed my purse and slung the extra-long, cross-body strap over my chest, and the two suitcases were waiting by the door. As I thought through everything I’d had on my packing list, double-checking my own mental inventory of what I’d packed, I opened the door, expecting to see the driver.
Luke grinned at me and held out the white cup—it must have been one the store sold to customers. I didn’t see him walking around with a white bedazzled cup. I accepted the cup and turned it around, reading the words formed by the shiny little crystals. Amaze Me. I cocked a brow at him. “Am I supposed to be amazed?”
“I know how you are about the environment. You also like pretty things.” He shrugged. “I asked them to put the coffee in something pretty. Is that pretty enough?”
He could be so damn sweet...when he wasn’t being infuriating.
“It’s perfectly pretty enough.” I eyed my carry-on, then glanced at my purse speculatively. I’d have to make room for the cup somewhere, because I was not tossing something Luke had bought for me.
I took a sip, then lowered it, studying the cup before shooting Luke a look. “Did they add sugar?”
“Yeah. You always get those with sugar. Is it too much?” He frowned at the cup as if it had done something to offend him.
“No. It’s...it’s perfect.” I wasn’t about to point out to him that I was trying to cut the sugar out of my diet. Stupid ten pounds. Although, if I was honest, I could stand to lose the thirty recommended by my doctor. I’d almost come to grips with the fact that I was destined to be a size fourteen or sixteen and often wondered why I even worried about losing those ten pounds, or that thirty pounds.
Then I’d see one of the svelte, lanky actresses on Luke’s arm and that part of me that couldn’t let go of the dream would rear her ugly head and I’d be back on the treadmill, running even though I hated to run.
“Good.” A smile wreathed his face. “Let’s go.”
He started toward the door and I adjusted my bag once more, trying to figure out how I was going to juggle my bags and the coffee. But Luke had one suitcase in each hand before I had moved three feet. “You don’t have to do that,” I told him.
“I do if we don’t want you spilling that coffee.” He winked at me, then nodded at the door. “Do you mind?”
Sighing, I cut around him, weighed down by nothing more than my purse, work bag and the cute, reusable coffee cup. I opened the door and, when he passed by, I caught a heady whiff of his scent—a mix of soap, shampoo and aftershave. My heart thumped a little harder than necessary as I turned to pull the door shut, pausing long enough to arm the system. Once I heard the chimes through the door, I turned to follow Luke.
He was already at the curb where the driver waited with the SUV’s back door open.
The driver took the bags from Luke and he came around just as I stepped onto the sidewalk. He moved to open the door, standing there and waiting. I brushed past him and reached up to steady myself as I hauled myself upward. If I’d known we were going to be in a big-ass SUV, as Luke had termed it, I wouldn’t have worn a dress.
I fumbled with my bag, wobbling a little, and suddenly Luke’s hands were at my waist, steadying me. My internal thermometer threatened to explode and I could swear my knees went a little weak, just from that simple touch. A sensory memory of the massage he’d given me the other day leaped to the forefront of my mind and I had to smash it down before it overtook me. I’d almost melted under his touch. I couldn’t afford to let him see how he got to me. I’d hidden it this long. I could keep on doing it.
“I’ve got it,” I said, firming my voice. I ducked my head and slid inside. All the while, my heart raced like I’d just finished a hard hour on the treadmill.
The door closed, affording me a few scant moments of privacy and I took advantage of every last one, squeezing my eyes closed and breathing in, then out—controlled steady breaths that belied the rapid beat of my heart.
When I heard the other passenger door open, I blew out one final breath and pasted a calm smile on my face before looking over as Luke climbed in. He settled in next to me, clad in a faded Bugs Bunny T-shirt and jeans that lovingly outlined long, powerful thighs.
“I called Mom last night,” he said as the driver pulled away from the curb. “I told her we were coming in for a few days before we headed to New York.”
“Did you tell her why?” I asked pointedly.
“There is no why.” He scowled at me before looking back out at the city as we wove through the traffic. “I just want to see my family.”
“And hearing that she’s had some heart problems has nothing to do with it,” I said dryly. “I mean, it’s not like the family get-together isn’t coming up in just over a mon
th. This impromptu trip won’t make her suspicious at all.”
His shoulders tensed a fraction, then relaxed. “Okay, yeah. I’m...shit. I’m scared, okay, Sabrina?”
“Who wouldn’t be?” I reached out and rubbed his arm, careful to keep that contact casual. What I really wanted to do was hug him, but I was afraid to do that—ever. My deepest fear was that he’d see the things I didn’t want him seeing.
He glanced my way after a few moments of quiet. “I guess you can understand worrying about your parents better than anybody.”
“I definitely understand worrying,” I said softly. My mother had been diagnosed as bi-polar when I was only seven years old. As long as Dad was around to help take of her, she’d done fine. But cancer had taken him when I was nine. No sooner had they buried him than Mom started on a slow, downhill slide that eventually ended with her suicide. I’d spent years worrying about her, trying to help her, only to realize I couldn’t.
Her rampages grew more and more violent as she stopped taking her medications and turned to booze instead. The night that violence turned on me, I knew I couldn’t keep it up. If she wouldn’t get help, I’d have to leave.
She’d stayed on her medication after that for exactly ten days. The next day, she’d gotten drunk again and trashed the house. I’d waited until she passed out, then packed my things and left. That had been the day of my eighteenth birthday.
For the longest time, after I left Toronto, I’d felt guilty.
I’d wanted to escape the abuse, both mental and physical, she could heap on me when she was in one of her manic phases. But the depressive phases could be just as bad—nights when she’d called me at one in the morning and cried into the phone for hours, begging me not to hate her.
Cocksure (The Cochrans of Cocker County) Page 3
