by Jeannie Moon
Oh, wow. He was here. In her office. Unannounced, and apparently with his brother the Royal Marine. She rose and looked out at the cubicles. There stood Tristan, perfectly gorgeous in an expensive suit with a wide smile. It had been ten days since his fall off the horse, and he’d been back at his apartment for the last week. She’d been there almost every night, hanging out, making sure he ate, and even changing a dressing here and there.
They’d settled into a wonderfully content routine, much like lovers who had been together for ages.
But other than sitting close on the couch, there was no physical contact. She wanted it, craved it if she was honest. The memory of Tristan’s hands on her skin, of his hot kisses, made her acutely aware of everything she was missing.
Next to him was a tall man, his brother Nick, who possessed the same dark hair and eyes as Tristan, but he was huge, and more rugged than handsome. He had the look of someone who could do real harm with one hand tied behind his back. He was dressed in a pair of tan slacks, a blue shirt, and a classic blue blazer. His clothes fit well over his broad shoulders and back, and spanned his body just enough to let the casual observer know that he was an impressive physical specimen.
The way the women in the office had gravitated to the area, it was obvious the Wade brothers were sending off some powerful pheromones. She expected ovaries were exploding all over the office.
Sarah breathed out. “Are you dating him?”
“No, we’re just friends.”
Whipping her head around, her assistant was stunned. “What? Are you ill? How could you not be dating him? No sane woman would relegate that man to the friend zone.”
“I don’t know. That’s just the way it is.” And it was crazy. Leah had to agree, but friends. They were friends. “I guess I’m going to lunch.”
“If you don’t jump the two of them I may never forgive you.”
“Both of them? Together? What made you say that?”
Biting her lip, Sarah grinned. “I’d do them both. Together, separately. They can decide.”
Leah had never heard her very proper assistant so much as mutter a mild oath, and here she was talking about threesomes. Yeah, those Wade boys were putting out some powerful sexual juju.
Leah waved her hand at Sarah. “That’s a visual I didn’t need.”
Sarah bit her lip and smiled when Nick caught her looking. “I’m going to replay that visual over and over,” she said.
“Stop it!” Leah snapped. “Just stop. I’m going to get my coat.”
“Have fun . . .”
“Sarah, there will be no more talk about jumping anyone. Okay? You can think it all you want, but talking . . . no.” She grabbed her purse. “I’m going to tell them they’re never to come here again. It’s not safe.”
“Pssht,” Sarah said, grinning. “You are no fun.”
Greeting Tristan with a kiss on the cheek, she smiled at his very large brother. “Nick, isn’t it? I’m Leah. Very nice to meet you.”
“And you, Leah. My brother’s description of you does not do your beauty justice.”
“I don’t believe I described her to you, Nick. So you can turn down the charm.” Was that jealousy she heard in Tristan’s voice? This could be fun.
“You are charming, Major. It is Major, isn’t it?” He offered his arm, and she slipped hers through.
“Just promoted.” He smiled. “Lieutenant-colonel.”
“I didn’t know you were promoted.” Tristan was trailing behind as they walked to the elevator. “When did that happen?”
“A month ago. Maybe you should stay in touch, brother. However, I could forgive you if you’re giving all your attention to this charming creature.”
“Hardly,” she said. “He and I are just friends. He’s married to his work.” She grinned at Tristan over her shoulder, only to be met with a rather healthy scowl. Oh, yes. He was angry.
“Well then, he is an idiot.” Nick smiled down at her and winked. “And this is my lucky day.”
* * *
Tristan followed Leah and his brother down the block toward their favorite lunch spot. The little bistro had great soups and sandwiches, and while he was recovering from his accident, he and Leah would meet for a meal one or two times a week. His favorite thing to do was to catch her early for breakfast, before she went to the office. Leah had a sweet tooth and it was actually fun watching her dive into a stack of stuffed French toast, or a plateful of cheese blintzes.
She loved to eat, and after witnessing too many women pick at grilled chicken and salad, it was great to see a woman who liked food and didn’t apologize. Granted, Leah was athletic, so she allowed herself the indulgence of comfort food. She would try to ride a couple of times a week, and if she couldn’t get out to her parents’ house to visit with the horses, she’d go to class at a yoga studio near her apartment. The last time they had dinner she was telling him that yoga made her body feel good, but she thought she might be too high-strung for the spiritual aspect of the practice.
“I’m crazy as a loon, and I’m not changing. These people are all so centered and calm. I really want to spike the instructor’s water with vodka and see what happens.”
He chuckled at the memory, and found that aside from the sexual chemistry that he and Leah had, he really liked her. She was smart as a whip, so he could talk to her about anything. Throw in loyal, funny, and sexy as hell, and Tristan could see she was everything he wanted in a woman. But there would be no romance because they were friends. Friends.
Of course, at that moment, the woman was driving him mad because she was totally taken with his lug of a brother.
Nick was a brave marine, but there was no way he could keep up with brainy Leah. Unless, of course, Leah wasn’t looking for conversation. It was possible she was simply looking for a warm body.
Feeling jealous and threatened was completely new for Tris.
He now knew he fucking hated it.
His brother was a good man, and they’d never been competitive, except in a good football match. In any other situation, he’d be telling Nick to enjoy Leah’s company. But now, watching them walk arm in arm down the block, Tris wanted to kill Nick.
Dead.
Leah laughed and the sound caught in his head and drifted around, reminding him of the first night they’d spent together. Her laughter was like a drug; he loved hearing it because he’d discovered that making Leah happy was very important to him.
Tristan felt like a drowning man. Thoughts of this woman consumed him. Filled him and threatened to cut off his air.
Never had he felt like this. His only other serious relationship had been cold and passionless. Leah was anything but.
Thoughts of her swam around his head. Every giggle, every snarky comment made him smile. She was dynamic and Tristan was honestly concerned he might lose her. If not to Nick, to someone else, if he didn’t do something.
* * *
Nick Wade was a very attractive man. He sat across from Leah at a wonderful Italian restaurant in Chelsea telling war stories. She should have been horrified, but his stories didn’t detail the horrors of battle, instead he painted wonderfully detailed portraits of his men and the locals where he’d been deployed.
No doubt, she could listen to him all night long. He was charming.
“So, love, what’s going on with you and my brother? I’m going to have to sleep with my knife close by, because when I was getting ready for our dinner, Tris looked like he wanted to do me violence.”
“We’re just friends,” Leah responded. “Good friends, but that’s all.”
“Friends? I think there’s more than that going on. I’ve watched my brother wine, dine, and bed his share of women. He was a gentleman to the end, but the way he looks at you, Leah, is different.” He paused. “I’m a simple man, a military officer. I’m not a learned man, but I am an excelle
nt judge of character. I can tell this much—my brother has fallen for you.”
Leah didn’t say anything right away. It seemed odd to her to be out to dinner with one man, while talking about another. But she was out with Tristan’s brother, so it didn’t get much stranger than that. “I like Tristan, but he sees us as friends only.”
“Leah, I know my brother, and there’s no way he sees you only as a friend. You’re important to him. I always knew when it happened to Tris, he’d go down fast and furious.”
“It’s very hard to read him.” She sipped her wine and examined Nick’s face. He was really handsome, not in the refined Tristan way, but in a simpler, more down-to-earth way. He was several inches taller than Tristan and had at least twenty pounds on him, making the contrast even more obvious.
“My brother is easily readable, if you take the time to look. He wants you, and I’m going to make sure he knows that I’m interested. That should get him moving.”
“You’re really quite a scoundrel, Nick. What if I said I’m good with the way things are? Friendship might suit me fine.”
“I’d tell you you were deluded. You two are so combustible, you send off smoke signals.”
Leah laughed. “You’re incorrigible, aren’t you?”
“I do my best, ma’am.”
He was an adorable scoundrel, but he was talking about manipulating his brother.
“I don’t know, Nick. I really believe these things have to take their course, although I do appreciate your faith in me. I care about Tristan, but if he wants to make a go of this, he has to do it on his own.”
Nick reached across the table and took Leah’s hand. “You’re an honorable woman.”
“I’m a scared woman.”
“Trust me, he’s pretty scared himself.”
* * *
Leah dropped her keys in the bowl on her coffee table and flipped through her mail. Dinner with Nick had been enlightening, to say the least. He gave her some insight into Tristan, mostly through stories of how they grew up. Sure, she knew the basics, but hearing about how he was teased by the wealthy students who attended the boarding school where their parents worked broke her heart.
Small, skinny, and clad in hand-me-downs that didn’t quite fit, Tristan developed an inner fire. Instead of letting the circumstances beat him down, he used the experiences to push him forward. Apparently, he worked harder than anyone to succeed—and it didn’t matter what it was—school, sports, or business, Tristan wanted to be the best.
Leah could relate. She wasn’t teased so much, but Leah always felt invisible, and the fight she always found herself in was the fight for visibility.
Her respect for him, her attraction, increased with every word his brother uttered. He never quit, he didn’t feel sorry for himself, and he thrived when he was able to do things for the people he cared about.
Nick said he threw his money around sometimes, but that was only because it never occurred to him not to do it. That explained a lot. Tris didn’t think about impressing someone with his wealth, but he didn’t hesitate to use it if it looked like something he bought would make a person happy.
He was straightforward, never pulling punches, and his siblings’ only problem with their middle brother was that they didn’t see him enough.
Nick, who was a war hero, admired Tristan with a ferocity and a loyalty, that warmed Leah’s heart.
“I’ve served with some of the bravest men in the world, Leah.” Nick smiled warmly. “My brother is one of the best people I know. Is he a little arrogant? Aren’t we all? But he won’t hurt people. He won’t betray someone, even when they might deserve it.”
Those words seemed to be just for her. “He won’t betray someone . . .”
Picking up her phone, she saw there were three missed texts from her sister, and one from Tris.
Amy’s were the usual, but Tristan’s had come in only a minute ago. It simply said, Hi.
Leah responded in kind, figuring she’d let him take the lead. This could be fun. According to Nick, Tristan had settled on the couch in his loft with a six-pack of beer and the remote. Apparently, the billionaire was sulking.
Did my brother behave or should I think of a place to hide his body? Tristan asked.
Again, Leah chuckled. He was very nice. You don’t have to hurt him.
There was a pause between messages. She could see he was typing a response, but he kept stopping and starting.
Nick is here until next Tuesday. Can I see you for dinner that day? Our usual?
It would be nice and safe to go back to their routine, but Leah was feeling adventurous. And she figured it was time to take a chance. Based on everything she’d learned, brash, arrogant billionaire Tristan Wade was a good risk, and Leah was tired of being afraid. Who’d have thought?
Come to my apartment for dinner. I’ll make pasta. We can have a quiet night in. I’m sure that will be welcome after having your brother underfoot for a whole week.
That sounds perfect, he responded.
His response set off a fluttering in her belly. Already she was anticipating where this might lead. Over the past six months she and Tristan had gone from strangers to friends to unexpected lovers, then right back again. They both knew the risks. Both knew that they had to be careful, but for the first time in a very long time, Leah was more eager to take the chance with someone than lose him.
She expected there would be no middle ground with the two of them. That’s why the friends-with-benefits arrangement wouldn’t have worked. From the start, Leah felt differently about Tristan than other male acquaintances. The response he elicited was scary as hell because Leah knew if she went with her gut, her life was going to change.
And for the first time in years, she was okay with that.
Chapter Eight
Leah was cooking dinner.
In her apartment.
For a man.
Shit.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook. Most definitely, Leah could hold her own. She and her siblings had been taught the basics with Sally, so none of them would starve, and Leah often stayed around in the kitchen to learn different techniques even after the others had bolted. Sally, who was skimpy with praise, said her work was acceptable. Leah was always proud that she’d made it that far.
But now Tristan was coming over and she was chopping garlic for the pasta sauce and worrying that she’d forgotten something important at the market. God, she hoped he liked pasta.
“Pssht. Of course he likes pasta,” she muttered to herself. “Everyone likes pasta.”
Maybe it was time for wine. Wine made everything better. Or worse. It could make it worse. Going to the well-stocked bar in her living room, Leah pulled out a bottle of Sangiovese she’d found on her last trip to Italy. Her grandparents owned a villa on Lake Como and she and her sister had spent two glorious weeks there taking excursions to Cinque Terre, Florence, and wineries in Chianti. Good red wine was Leah’s weakness, and she’d found one vineyard that was heaven on earth. She’d bought three cases of wine and had them shipped to the States. The one she’d just opened was her next-to-last bottle.
This date had better turn out to be worth it.
Grabbing one of the wine glasses she’d placed on the dining room table, Leah did a heavy pour of her favorite vintage, taking a long swallow from the crystal glass. The flavors played over her tongue and she relished the blending of fruit and oak.
Just as she swallowed, the door buzzer let her know her company had arrived. She hadn’t seen him in almost a week, and after spending so much time together after his riding accident, it was a little unnerving. They’d definitely gotten used to each other. But their relationship ran hot and cold. Since he’d gone back to work, Leah didn’t feel the need to hover any more. Like, you know . . . a girlfriend might do.
They were both confused as hell.
> Just as she’d done a thousand times since she’d moved into the gorgeous prewar building in the West Village, Leah pressed the intercom and the front door release. She didn’t know what she was going to do yet about an apartment. Her lease was up soon, and she had to make a decision to stay or move. “Hi,” she said into the speaker. “Come on up.”
“On my way,” he said, his voice sounding sexier than usual. She paused. What did that mean, exactly? Good Lord. She was doomed.
It was only a minute until she heard the knock on the door and her insides began to quiver. He wasn’t even in the apartment and she was a tingly mess. Which was different for her. Leah never let her emotions get the better of her anymore. But Tris held all the cards, and Leah was pretty sure he knew it.
Taking a deep breath before greeting her date, Leah checked herself in the mirror. She’d made time to get a manicure and pedicure. She’d had her hair blown out. In short, she’d primped. Even though she was still dressed from work, in a silk blouse and a pencil skirt, she felt like she’d made an effort for him, and that wasn’t something she’d done for anyone in a very long time.
Deciding she looked fine, Leah pulled open the door and her breath caught. Tris had a way of doing that to her. The man was sinfully dark and sexy, and Leah didn’t think she’d ever get over the way he affected her on such a visceral level.
He was leaning into the doorframe, still in his navy-blue suit from work. His tie was gone, his collar was open, and he was sporting a delicious amount of scruff to go with his hooded, dark eyes. He looked like he was ready for a GQ magazine shoot.
In one hand he held a bottle of wine, in the other, a bouquet of flowers. Nothing as predictable as a dozen roses. Tristan brought a gorgeous mix of blooms in fall colors.
“These reminded me of you,” he said, as he handed her the bouquet.
The flowers were beautiful and a rose or two complemented the scent of the gerbera daisies, lilies, and zinnias. “These are lovely, thank you.”
She stepped back from the door, opening the way to her space, which was at least clean today. The last time he’d been there, she’d been having a meltdown, and her apartment definitely suffered for it.
