April didn’t say anything for the longest time, not knowing what to say and even where to start. He hadn’t really said he was in love with her, just that he’d always had this thing for her, and it still could be more sexual than emotional. Because she didn’t know what to think, the best thing to do would be to tread lightly to see where this “thing” he had for her would lead.
“You do know I wouldn’t feel comfortable dating you openly, don’t you, Griffin?”
“Why? Because I’m not in your league?”
She frowned, narrowed her eyes. “No, because I’m not in yours.”
Now it was Griffin who narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You know what it means. We’ve lived in Hattersville all our lives and fully understand their social class system. I’m not in your class.”
He released a disgusted sigh. “That’s how things used to be.”
“That’s still how things are.”
“They’re changing, sweetheart. One of the first things I intend to do as mayor is to bring everyone together. I’m sick and tired of there being separation and a lack of unity.”
She tried not to let his term of endearment affect her. “That’s how it is, Griffin.”
“But it doesn’t have to be that way, April, at least not to the extent it is now. You and Erica always got along just fine. The two of you became the best of friends.”
“Yes, against her mother’s wishes. If Mrs. Sanders had had her way, she would have banished me from the face of the earth. I never understood her problem when it came to me. It was as if she had a personal grudge against me for some reason.”
“That’s just her way.”
April glared. “You can say that, since she’s always liked you. You were the chosen one. You still are.”
What she didn’t add was that, until the day she saw Erica and Brian drive away with a Just Married sign on the back of the car, she would not let her guard down where Mrs. Sanders was concerned. April just didn’t believe that Mrs. Sanders had accepted their engagement and thought the woman wasn’t above sabotaging the wedding.
“Well, once Erica marries, Mrs. Sanders will think differently.”
I doubt it, April thought, but refrained from speaking that thought aloud. She met his gaze. “So what do you want from me, Griffin?”
When his gaze darkened, she rolled her eyes. “Besides that.”
He chuckled as he eased down on the bed with her and pulled her into his arms. “I want for us to get to know each other better, and the only way we can do that is to begin dating.”
She pulled away from him. “That’s out of the question.”
“Why?”
“I told you why.”
“And you’re willing to let a town of closed-minded people keep us from developing a relationship?”
Yes, she was. “You’re thinking of running for mayor, for Pete’s sake. What on earth will people think?”
“That I refused to let the old ways dictate my life and that my platform actually does stand for change and a new beginning.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip and then said, “I hope you know that your parents fall within the category of closed-minded people, right along with Mrs. Sanders.”
“I’m very well aware of that. But I’ve never let my parents or anyone else dictate my life.” He paused a moment. “So, will you consider developing a relationship with me?”
“And what about Paulina? The two of you seemed pretty taken with each other in New York, Griff.” She hadn’t been able to resist calling him that, knowing he would get annoyed by it.
He did and it showed in his expression. “There’s nothing between me and Paulina. The only relationship we had was a sexual one and she’s been told more than once how I feel about being called Griff. Some of her antics she thought were cute really weren’t. I haven’t seen or talked to her since that time in New York.”
He then raised a brow. “And what about you and Neil? The two of you seemed rather chummy.”
Erica chuckled. “His partner knows I’m no threat.”
“Partner?”
“Yes, Neil is gay and Aaron is just as drop-dead gorgeous. They make a beautiful couple.”
She studied his features a moment, then asked, “Are you sure there’s nothing going on with you and Paulina?”
He smiled. “Positive. I knew my relationship with her was one that wasn’t going anywhere, but I don’t see that happening with us if given the chance, April. I can definitely see anything that develops between us going places. I think we owe it to ourselves to find out where.”
She drew in a deep breath. His offer was making her dream come true, and here she was thinking about turning him down, which would be refusing to take the one thing she’d always wanted. Him. Was she really willing to do that?
“Would you agree for us to date secretly, at least until after Erica marries?” she asked him.
He frowned as if he couldn’t fathom why she’d want them to do such a thing. “Is there a reason you wouldn’t want anyone to know we’re involved?”
“Yes. I couldn’t handle Mrs. Sanders’s wrath, which she will bring down on my head with a vengeance if she thought for one minute you and I were lovers.”
“It doesn’t concern her, April.”
She heard the irritation in his voice but couldn’t let that sway her. “But she’ll think it does concern her, and Erica has enough stress keeping her mother under control until the wedding without me doing something that could cause more problems. Let’s deal with one thing at a time, and the first thing on the list is Erica’s wedding. Until then, I don’t want anyone to know about us, Griffin.”
She couldn’t believe she was actually saying this. She was saying one thing but truly feeling another. She wished she could let everyone know that after all this time there might be a chance for her and Griffin after all. The very thought made her feel downright giddy, but the reality of how many people might be against it kept her feet firmly planted on the ground.
“I don’t like the thought of sneaking around with you, April.”
The thought that it bothered him touched her deeper than he would ever know. “I don’t like the thought of sneaking around, either, but for now it’s for the best.”
He looked doubtful but said, “Fine, I’ll keep things between us for now, but after Erica marries then all bets are off and we won’t sneak around again. Understood?”
She nodded, not only understanding but in full agreement.
Chapter Sixteen
“Hello, Rita. Thanks for agreeing to meet with me tonight.”
Rita took the chair Wilson slid out for her, not sure agreeing to see him had been the right thing. “Wilson,” she responded in a whispered breath. And the moment their eyes connected she felt it. The heat and sizzle belonging to people who had once been intimate.
Her mouth opened to form a word but no sound came out so she closed her lips. It was as if the moment their gazes met and he smiled at her, she’d become lost in his entire presence. What she remembered most about him was his smile. It was so arresting it was causing heat to thrum all through her.
“I’m not sure your coming to Dallas was the right thing to do,” she finally found her voice to say.
“And I believe coming here was the only thing I could do, Rita.”
“Why?”
“Because I knew you would be feeling guilty about everything.”
She leaned closer to him and whispered, “And I shouldn’t?”
“No, you shouldn’t.”
Instead of responding to his statement she sat back and glanced around. At that moment she needed to focus her gaze on anything but Wilson while she allowed her brain to make sense of what he’d said.
The one thing he hadn’t come across as was callous, a man who would have no regard for the woman he’d married. From the first she’d read him as being a loyal man, a man who would not hurt anyone. A man who would put others ahead of him
self. A man who would love deeply.
But now she didn’t know what to think about him. He was sitting here, a married man, telling the woman he’d slept with that she shouldn’t feel guilty about the part she’d played in his infidelity. She couldn’t help but glance back at him. Their gazes latched together immediately and she felt a pull in the pit of her stomach that she’d never felt before.
“Would you like to order now, sir?”
The waiter’s voice had them breaking an intense connection as Wilson responded. “Give us a few more minutes, however, I’d like a scotch and she would like a glass of red wine.”
“Yes, sir.”
She didn’t have to ask how he knew her drink of choice. A part of her wished she could blame her actions that night on the wine she’d drunk. Although she had consumed more glasses than usual, she had been in full control of her senses. What she hadn’t been able to control was her body.
And she was having trouble doing that very thing now.
To distract herself, she glanced around the restaurant again. Wilson had chosen a location close to the airport, on the other side of town from where she lived. Glancing at the other patrons she was glad there wasn’t a familiar face.
“This is my first time in Dallas in over five years. I can’t believe how much things have changed.”
She glanced back at Wilson. Why did he appear more hand some than she remembered? More manly? Why did the salt-and-pepper hair around his temples give him such a sexy look? And why was she thinking such things? An even better question was, why was she here?
Knowing he expected a response, she said, “Yes, we’re growing by leaps and bounds.” She didn’t say anything else for a minute, then broached the unspoken subject. “You wanted us to meet and talk, Wilson.”
“Yes, but can we enjoy a meal together first?”
She looked away. She didn’t know how long she could resist him while in his presence. “Rita?”
She glanced up at him. “Yes?”
“I don’t bite, you know.”
She wasn’t so sure about that. There had been passion marks left all over her body from their prior encounter. But she didn’t want to remember that. She swallowed thickly, feeling anxiety at the back of her throat. “All right, we’ll share dinner and then we’ll talk, although I doubt there is anything you can say to make me feel better.”
“I hope that’s not true,” he replied. “Let’s look at the menu. Hopefully, we can start there.”
Wilson knew what he wanted but pretended to study his menu a little longer while Rita was still scanning hers. He glanced up thinking that he liked the way she was wearing her hair tonight. It was styled differently from when they’d been in Sweden. Then it had been shoulder length and now it was cut in a style that to him highlighted her beauty even more.
He tried to push to the back of his mind the thought that he’d told Karen he was in Boston. He had deliberately lied to her and wasn’t feeling guilty about it. He was well aware of lies she’d told him in the past, like the one involving her sister.
It had been by accident last year that he’d discovered Blair was not dead, as he and everyone else thought. He and Karen had separate checking accounts and one day he had come home early from a business trip to find her checkbook open and her records spread across the desk in the study. He had only planned to be there long enough to pour a glass of scotch and had glanced down and noticed an exorbitant amount payable to the nursing home. After looking through the checkbook he’d found several others, all drawn on Karen’s trust fund account.
It didn’t take long to discover the truth. To this day he hadn’t revealed to Karen what he’d uncovered. He knew she had always been ashamed of her sister’s physical and mental state and had probably staged the death as a way to deal with it. As long as it appeared she was doing the right thing by properly taking care of her sister—and from the amounts on the checks she’d written out it appeared she was—he’d decided to let her keep her secret since Blair was probably still in a coma anyway.
“I’ve made up my mind about what I’m having, Wilson.”
He glanced up. “Have you?”
“Yes.”
He smiled. “Good. I heard everything on the menu is delicious.”
“Will there be anything else, sir?”
Jaye Pittman glanced up at the waitress, thinking that she was definitely a looker and hot as hell. He’d noticed her and that cute waitress outfit after the maître d’ had escorted him to his table. She had a pair of gorgeous legs, legs he would just love to get between later.
He slid his gaze to her ringless finger and then back up to her face and smiled, deciding he wasn’t ready to leave just yet. “Yes. I’d like another glass of wine…and what time do you get off tonight?”
He saw the sultry smile that tilted the corners of her lips. His erection was already hardening against his zipper when she replied, “We close at eleven.”
Instead of saying anything, he merely nodded slowly, knowing he would keep that in mind. If he had to be in this town for another week or so, he might as well enjoy himself.
He leaned back in his chair. So far he hadn’t been able to find anything incriminating on Brian Lawson and it wasn’t for lack of trying. Even the man’s former girlfriends were tight-lipped and loyal. And no amount of money could convince them to be otherwise. But he wasn’t feeling the weight of failure pressing down on him just yet. If he had to hire someone to fake a few things, then so be it. Karen was paying him a lot of money for the results she wanted.
The waitress returned and refilled his glass. It was only after she’d left that he glanced around the restaurant and his brow lifted. A man resembling Wilson Sanders was having dinner with a woman who he’d been introduced to last month as the mother of Erica’s fiancé. Rita Lawson.
Evidently Wilson had flown into town to meet with his future son-in-law and his mother and was taking them out to dinner. He wondered why Karen hadn’t mentioned it.
He took another sip and wondered why Brian hadn’t yet arrived. It took a few more sips of his wine for him to pick up that Wilson and Ms. Lawson were actually sharing a cozy dinner for two and Brian wouldn’t be making an appearance. And he saw how they were looking at each other when each thought the other wasn’t noticing. Yes, something was going on between them.
Damn, if that didn’t beat all.
Jaye smiled, realizing that Karen, his mother’s cousin, would flip if what he was thinking was true. And the more he studied the couple, the more he was convinced that it was. He might not have been able to dig up anything on Karen’s future son-in-law, but it seemed Erica’s future mother-in-law was another matter.
He leaned back in his chair thinking things were getting rather interesting.
“Will you please just listen to what I have to say, Rita?”
She drew a sigh and shook her head. He could tell she was fighting emotions the same way he was doing. They had enjoyed a meal and had tried talking about topics other than the one they were here to discuss. The conversation had been strained and he regretted that, but more than anything he regretted what she was doing to herself. Guilt was taking a toll on her and it should not have been.
She pursed her lips. “It won’t change anything.”
“If it doesn’t, I will try to accept it.”
He paused and took a sip of his scotch. She had preferred coffee and each time she took a sip his stomach knotted in desire. As much as he didn’t want to, he wanted her again.
“First, I need to give you a bit of history on Hattersville, Ohio.” He told her about the founding families and their pact to join by marriage in order to keep all the wealth in the same families. “So in other words, it was decided that Karen and I would eventually marry even before we were born.”
“An arranged marriage?” she asked with disbelief.
“Yes. We’d always known it and accepted it, but at no time did we think we loved each other. It was more like a business arrangement.
We treated each other with respect, but after Erica was born our relationship began to change.”
She lifted a brow. “In what way?”
“She felt her duty to me was over and that there was no reason for us to continue to sleep together.”
Her expression was one of disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”
He met her gaze and held it. “Trust me. I would never joke about anything as personal as that.”
He took another sip of his drink. “At one time she even suggested that I take a lover, said she could care less as long as I was discreet. But I never did.”
She placed her coffee cup in the saucer. “Are you saying that…”
“Yes, that night I made love to you was the first time I’d had sex in over twenty years.”
From the shocked look on her face he was fairly certain that she’d been rendered speechless. She opened her mouth to say something and then immediately closed it. She then narrowed her eyes while searching his face for some sign what he’d just told her was a bald-faced lie. But there must have been something in his features that compelled her to believe him.
“How did you survive? Men have needs.”
A smile touched his lips. He figured now was not the time to counter that women had needs, as well. “Yes, but I’d convinced myself that I could live without fulfilling those needs. I threw myself into my work, my hobbies and my daughter. And I hoped and prayed that she would never find herself in the kind of loveless marriage her parents are in.”
“What about Karen?”
He took another sip of his scotch. “I truly believe she doesn’t enjoy the intimacy of marriage. She actually detests being touched.”
Rita’s eyebrows knitted together and he waited for her to say something, and when she didn’t he continued. “I want you to believe that I tried making a go of my marriage, and once or twice I have come close to asking for a divorce, but the love I have for Erica stopped me. I didn’t want her to grow up with divorced parents.”
“Do you think she knows that you and her mother…aren’t close?”
A Silken Thread Page 15
