Designs on Haley (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Nita Wick

  He stared at her serious expression and burst into laughter.

  Her eyebrows rose. “Laugh all you want, but you know it’s true.”

  He nodded. “I guess you’re right. I just never thought about it that way.”

  “Well, let me warn you. I’m in no mood for a lecture, and since I’m not the one who lied this time, I don’t feel like I deserve one.”

  “I’ll admit I’ve thought a lot about what I want to say, but I wouldn’t call it a lecture. It’ll be more like me pleading for forgiveness.”

  She caught her bottom lip between her teeth before waving off his suggestion. “Let’s just skip it and find something to eat.”

  The prospect tempted him, but a nagging suspicion told him they really needed to settle this. Haley made a habit of avoiding anything unpleasant, even when it would be better to clear the air. He held out his hand. “We’ll make it quick.”

  She groaned and put her hand in his. He led her to the sofa and sat with her. “I’m not sorry I lied about the bet. It kept you talking to me. You wouldn’t be here with me now if I hadn’t come up with something.”

  “You couldn’t have found a more honest way to keep my attention?” she scoffed.

  “Not in the split second I had to think of something,” he countered.

  “Fine.” She crossed her arms again, her irritation evident. “Why did you lie to me about Meg inviting me to dinner and all that?”

  He shrugged. “I wanted to know how you’d fit in with my family, and—”

  “For heaven’s sake, Michael! We’d only just met. You—”

  He raised his voice to match hers. “And I was already certain that you were someone special. I needed to see how you’d get along with Mom. I thought it would be easier for you to meet her before we…you know, got serious.”

  Her brows knitted. “Why? It’s usually customary to introduce a significant other to your parents after they become significant.”

  “Maybe. But one time I was dating this girl, and we ran into her parents at a restaurant. They were leaving as we came in. I remember thinking the whole time that this man knew I was sleeping with his daughter. I’ve never been so uncomfortable in my life.”

  Haley took a deep breath. “I guess I would have felt pretty awkward meeting your mom if we’d already slept together. But why couldn’t you just tell me that? Why did you have to play me? I hate knowing that you manipulated me like that.”

  He reached for her hands and held them. “I thought you were going to hyperventilate that night, babe. I knew if I told you the truth, you’d freak out.”

  “I was already freaking out. Knowing that you were thinking about a serious relationship would have only made it worse. But I still hate the way you played me,” she grumbled.

  Michael grinned. “You hate it now, but someday you’ll be laughing and telling our grandchildren how their grandfather tricked you into meeting his mother.”

  Her eyes widened, and she jumped up. “Don’t say things like that!”

  He stood and followed as she paced. “What?”

  “Yesterday it was babies and trips to Vegas to elope. Today we’re grandparents already! Will you just slow down? Please!” She covered her face with her hands.

  Michael smothered a laugh and took her into his arms. “I’m sorry, baby.” He kissed her forehead and drew back to gaze into her eyes. “It’s just that when I look at you, I see my future—the future I know I want. I can’t help it. Stuff like that just comes out before I realize it.”

  “But…” She closed her eyes and shook her head.

  “But what?” he prodded.

  “I’m really trying to…to accept the possibility of a relationship—a long-term relationship.”

  “I know, Haley. And I know it’s not easy for you after what happened. It means the world to me that you’re giving me a chance.” He lowered his head to kiss her.

  She stopped him with a finger against his lips. “You said it yourself. A relationship is built on trust and honesty. How long can this relationship last if we’re building it on lies?”

  Michael clenched his jaw and pushed back his frustration at having his words twisted and used against him. “I was wrong. A relationship is built with trust and honesty. Its foundation is the emotion, the connection between us. Besides, neither of us has lied about anything important.”

  “Your lies may not have been—”

  “Neither were yours. Did you lie about being a Vols fan?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, like that’s important.”

  “It’s an interest we share, something we have in common. Did you lie about the kind of pizza you like? The kind of books you read? The music you listen to? The movies you like to watch?”

  She shrugged and stared down at his chest.

  “That sweet sigh I hear just before you go to sleep—the one that says you’re content, happy lying next to me. Is that a lie?”

  Haley shook her head.

  “Look, our relationship is not built on anything we’ve said to each other. It’s built on what we share, what we feel.” Slipping his finger beneath her chin, he forced her to meet his gaze. “When I hold you in my arms, it’s like I’ve found something I’ve been missing. It’s…it’s that feeling you get that lets you know I’ve walked into the room. You didn’t lie about that, did you?”

  Haley shook her head. “No. I always know when you’re there. Even when there are dozens of other people, like at the gym. I know when you’re watching me.”

  Michael smiled. “No use trying to spy on you, huh?”

  “Guess not.” She returned his smile.

  Relief coursed through him. “Am I forgiven?”

  Haley sighed. “I forgave you before I ever left the gym. I didn’t want to fight with you. Remember?”

  Michael grasped both her hands and brought them to rest on his chest. “Yes, I remember. But it wasn’t settled. I didn’t want to sweep it under the rug and have it come back to haunt us. Sometimes we need to argue, babe.”

  She gazed up at him with her beautiful blue eyes. “But I don’t like to fight.”

  He raised one brow sardonically. “I never would have guessed.”

  Haley laughed and hit his chest in a playful swat. “Smart ass.”

  With her mood lightened, he forged ahead. “I think that’s part of the reason you’re having so much trouble getting over Sheila and Keith. You never had it out with them.”

  She stiffened, her defensive walls resurrected. “And I don’t want to. I never want to see either of them again.”

  Michael shook his head. “What if they had apologized? Wouldn’t that have made it easier?”

  “No.” She narrowed her eyes.

  “You needed the opportunity to settle things with them.”

  “Things are settled.”

  “No they aren’t. You said you haven’t seen or spoken to them at all. You didn’t even cuss them out when you found them together. You just took a picture and left without waking them up. How can things be settled?”

  She looked away. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s all done and over with.”

  “Haley—”

  “I’m not going to argue with you about this any longer.” She reached for her keys and purse.

  Michael slipped his arms around her waist from behind, effectively trapping her. “Fine. But you need to realize that we will argue from time to time. We will fight. All couples do.”

  She relaxed, set her keys and purse back on the counter, and turned in his arms. “I told you. I don’t like to fight.”

  Lowering his head, he brought his lips close to hers. “Do you like to kiss and make up?”

  Her arms slid around his neck, and her fingers threaded through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Yeah. I like that part.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “You didn’t.”

  With only a few days left before the fundraiser, Michael thought it best he warn Meg. He shook his head. “I didn’t. The pub
licity guy did. I only gave him the idea.”

  “Are you crazy?” Meg’s coffee cup hit the table with a thud.

  He sent his best apologetic look to the ladies in the next booth at the little coffee shop. Obviously irritated by Meg’s outburst, their accusatory glare to him they blamed him for his sister’s indignation.

  Michael lowered his voice and tried to calm Meg. “She needs closure, sis. She never had it out with him. Never told him off. Never even saw him again after she found him in bed with Sheila. I think that’s why she’s had so much trouble putting it behind her. She needs to see him. Talk to him. Realize that she’s over him.”

  “Maybe. But at the fundraiser?” Meg frowned. “Not the best idea you’ve ever had, bro.”

  “You have a better one? What other excuse is there to get the bastard in the same room with her?” Michael sipped his coffee. He’d thought long and hard before approaching the publicity coordinator.

  “You have a point, but I still think it’s a bad idea.”

  Michael shrugged. “Too late now. He mailed it yesterday.” Haley needed to put this behind her for good. How could he convince her to look forward to a future together when the past still haunted her?

  “We should warn Haley.”

  He shook his head. “No way. Haley avoids confrontation at all costs. That’s what got her to this point in the first place. If you tell her Keith might be there, she will find some excuse to bail on the fundraiser.”

  “She can’t bail. She’s the main attraction,” Meg scoffed.

  “Trust me. She’d run. She’d plan to make a brief appearance then head for the hills.” Michael held Meg’s worried gaze. “No. We can’t tell her. Understood? As much as I hate the idea of him being anywhere near her, Haley needs to talk to him. It’s the only way she’s going to get past this. I wanted to send Sheila a ticket, too, but I couldn’t get an address for her.”

  “Thank heaven for small favors. A cat fight at your swanky event would not go over well.”

  “I don’t think there would be a fight. Haley hates to fight.” Michael stood and grabbed his briefcase. “I need to get back to work, Meg. Thanks for meeting me here. I wanted you to be prepared to support Haley if Keith actually shows up. I need her to know that we are there for her. I’m hoping our support will give her the courage to confront the asshole.”

  Meg stood, too. “I’m just going to pray he doesn’t show. I’ll be there for Haley. I agree she needs the closure, but I don’t like the idea of trying to give it to her at the fundraiser.”

  Michael sighed. “Yeah. I wish there were a better way.”

  * * * *

  Four weeks had flown by in a haze for Haley. If she wasn’t busy finalizing details and overseeing the work on her home, she was at the new law office working with M.E.D.’s design team. Though she hadn’t planned to do more than provide minimal consultation via the phone, Haley had ended up directing the project. Now that she stopped to consider it, the blame resided squarely with Michael. He’d engineered the whole thing, innocently asking her to accompany him or bring his forgotten briefcase to him at the work site. Each time she’d stepped into the building, she had been drawn in by an interior design team member.

  It hadn’t been easy to avoid the host of reporters and photographers constantly staking out M.E.D. and Maynor’s new office building. She’d gone to great lengths to be certain none of them followed her home or found her apartment. Fortunately, the press remained unaware that she was dating Michael. Everyone at M.E.D. had been told in no uncertain terms they were not to speak to the press about anything. Everyone involved in the project and fundraiser had been sworn to secrecy concerning anything even remotely involving Haley. The bigger the mystery, the more successful the event would be.

  Her relationship with Michael had settled into a comfortable but immensely passionate bond. He made an effort not speak too much about any possible future they might have together, and she had learned not to panic if he slipped and mentioned marriage or children.

  Their lovemaking had lost none of its intensity. If anything, the attraction and chemistry had only increased. Haley reveled in the knowledge that Michael couldn’t resist her. Several times she’d taken great pleasure in seducing the sexy man. Once, she’d even pulled him into a partially furnished and yet unused office at the Maynor building for a heated quickie on the bare desk. He’d resisted at first, citing the presence of the entire M.E.D. design crew only a few feet down the hall. His surrender had been a sweet victory, one that erased any remaining insecurities she’d developed concerning her own sexual skills after Keith’s infidelity.

  Haley slid her foot into a glittery silver stiletto. With practiced ease, she donned the second shoe and stood before the full-length mirror. The glamorous, jet-setting A-lister she’d once been in New York stared back at her. With her hair meticulously arranged in a formal updo, Haley surveyed the virtual stranger. Her ivory designer dress clung to every curve. Crystal beading caught the light and glistened on the bodice, and swirls of iridescent stones flowed across her hip down to the slit just above her knee. The woman in the mirror would be at home on any red carpet. No wonder people hadn’t recognized her. Months of jeans, ponytails, and little or no makeup had helped her to hide the life she’d once lived.

  She sighed. Dressing up like this had always been fun. Not tonight. Her stomach fluttered with uneasy nervousness. She liked her new, peaceful life. A part of her felt guilty, as if she were betraying some intangible ideal by stepping back into the trappings of her former lifestyle.

  A knock followed quickly by Michael’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Haley?” He’d used the security card and key she’d given him to get into her apartment.

  “Coming.”

  Haley grabbed the silver clutch containing her cell phone, lipstick, and keys and stepped into the living room.

  Michael stood near the door. The tux he wore suited him to perfection. Its dark simplicity and lack of the usual shiny, silk lapels accentuated his uncommon height and golden coloring. A crisp white shirt and black bowtie completed his formal attire, but nothing about the sleek suit could draw her attention from his handsome face.

  His penetrating, emerald gaze perused her with deliberate languor. “You look amazing.”

  Haley might have been offended that he sounded so surprised if she hadn’t detected a hint of desire in the hushed tones of his deep, southern drawl.

  “Thank you. You look pretty good yourself.”

  He stepped closer. “This is going to be a hell of a long night.”

  With his lack of experience in attending high society functions, he probably had no idea just how long it would seem, but Haley wondered at his reasoning. “Why?”

  His heated stare travelled the length of her and back up again, and he licked his lips. “I will be thinking of nothing all night but getting you home and out of that dress.”

  Haley smiled. “You don’t like it?” she teased.

  Michael returned her grin. “Love it. And I will like it even better when it’s lying on the floor.”

  She laughed and did her best to hide her reaction to the seductive image his words elicited. “Are Meg and your mom in the car?”

  He nodded. “I had the chauffer pick them up first, just as you asked. They were both exclaiming over the luxury of the limo you’ve rented. Even Meg was impressed. Not an easy thing to do. Working at the movie studio, she’s seen some pretty fancy rides. I believe she labeled your choice, ‘the ultimate in sophisticated elegance.’”

  “I’m glad she likes it.” Haley tucked her hand at Michael’s elbow. “Let’s not keep them waiting.”

  A moment later, Meg and Kate greeted her warmly as Michael helped her into the limo.

  “Oh, my, you look like movie star,” Kate proclaimed.

  Meg nodded. “I think I would have recognized you if you’d been all dolled up like this when we met.”

  Haley sought to change the subject. “Look at you two ladies. Kate, yo
u could be Meg’s sister. You are radiant this evening.”

  Kate smiled and murmured a soft thank you.

  “And Mary Margaret Flannery…” Haley paused while Meg rolled her eyes at the use of her full name. “You look fabulous!”

  Meg patted her hair, pulled up in a stylish twist with a few of her red curls framing her face. “I do clean up pretty well, don’t I?”

  Haley laughed. “So here’s the plan. Michael, when we arrive, you’ll exit the car first and then escort your mother inside. Meg and I will follow.”

  Michael frowned. “I’d rather us stay together. I like the idea of escorting three beautiful women.”

  Haley shook her head. “No, that wouldn’t be the right impression. Meg, I’m sure you will agree. When dealing with the press, image is everything. Michael escorting your mom will be big hit.”

  Meg nodded. “The handsome architect fawning over his mother will play quite well with the media.”

  Haley agreed and turned back to Michael. “Besides, when Meg and I get out the car, every available camera will be aimed at us. Meg and I are well acquainted with the skills needed to successfully navigate the gauntlet.”

  “Now, hold on just a sec, Haley.” Meg’s voice betrayed her nervousness. “I know how it works, but I’ve never had those cameras pointed at me before.”

  Haley giggled. “Well, it’s about time you got the attention you deserve then. Just think how pleased your boss will be when he sees his new PR girl’s picture on the front page of the lifestyle section in tomorrow’s paper.”

  Michael chimed in. “You’re a ham in front the camera, sis. Don’t pretend you aren’t excited about being the center of attention. And Haley is right. The publicity will be great for Williams and Tanner.”

  Meg sucked in a deep breath. “The paparazzi can be ruthless. I don’t know if I’m the best one to be at your side for this, Haley.”

  “Are you kidding? Everyone will be intrigued by the tall, sultry redhead standing next to me. That gorgeous teal dress you’re wearing will complement my white one perfectly for the publicity shots. And who better to have with me than a PR expert?” Haley waited for Meg’s reply.