A half smile tugged at his mother’s perfect lips. “I like this one. You should keep her around.”
“I’ll take that under advisement. In the meantime, why don’t you answer her question?”
“Fine. I know who she is. Your father wasn’t exactly as discreet as he’d like to think.”
Gray wasn’t entirely certain what to say to that. Sorry? How convenient? So he simply kept his mouth shut and waited.
“She worked at the club. One of those girls that drives a cart around and brings drinks out to the men playing golf. At least, until your father set her up in a nice town house and provided her a monthly stipend to be at his beck and call.”
Great, his mother sounded like a winner.
“When she got pregnant, he was pissed. Supposedly, she was on birth control, but the hussy forgot to take it. However, as he always does, your father found a way to make that work in his favor. We’d been trying for years to get pregnant, but couldn’t. The doctors weren’t hopeful and fertility treatments weren’t as advanced back then as they are now. He convinced me that he’d found a woman who’d agreed to a private adoption.”
“But you knew.”
His mother grimaced. “I knew. I was aware of the affair already. It wasn’t the first one and, clearly, wasn’t the last. But as long as he was inconspicuous I didn’t particularly care.”
“You agreed to accept the baby as your own.”
With a sigh, his mother walked over to the chair across from Blakely and sat. “I did.”
“But you knew,” Blakely said. “It wasn’t simply that he wasn’t yours. It was that he was hers.”
His mother looked up at him, regret filling her eyes. “Yes. Every time I looked at you, it was a reminder of your father’s infidelity. It was one thing to live with it in the background, but...you look like her.”
“I do?”
She nodded. “And him. I tried. I really did, Gray. I wanted you to be my son. And you are.”
“But I’m also not.”
“It was so hard not to allow you to shoulder the blame for something you had no responsibility for.”
Gray nodded. What else could he do? Argue with her? Tell her she should have tried harder? That it wasn’t fair for her to agree to accept him as her own, but then not follow through with actually being his mother?
Speaking those truths aloud would change nothing.
“Who is she?”
“Now? She’s a showgirl in Vegas. My one requirement was that the adoption be closed and the mother agree to leave the state. Your father paid her a huge sum and she left.”
Clearly, his birth mother had been more interested in the money than in her son. And if the letter was any indication, she still was. That was something he’d have to deal with later.
“Do you know how to find her?”
His mother nodded.
“Give me the letter and her information and I’ll take care of this.”
Reluctantly, his mother handed the letter to him. Without looking, he held it out to Blakely, knowing she’d grab it and keep it safe. When they returned to the office, he’d send it to their forensics team to be analyzed. He’d also contact Joker to see what information he could dig up before heading to Vegas.
Holding out a hand, Gray indicated Blakely should follow him out of the room. She rose, heading in his direction. He stood still, waiting for her to exit first.
And was surprised when her palm landed on his chest and stroked down across his body as she passed. Somehow, that simple touch helped settle the chaos rioting inside him.
He followed her through the house. His mother’s footsteps echoed behind his. But before they left, Blakely paused at the front door. Turning, she glanced around him to his mother. “Why did you call Gray instead of your husband?”
“Because Malcolm’s indiscretions are the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. And I know Gray is part owner of a security firm. I assumed he’d be better equipped to handle the situation than his father.”
Blakely nodded. “That’s what I thought.”
Gray was surprised when she grasped his hand and headed down the wide front steps. Squeezing his hand before she dropped it, Blakely rounded the hood of the car and slid into the passenger seat.
He loved the smooth, graceful way she moved. It was becoming more and more difficult to tear his gaze away from watching her whenever she was close.
Gray slid down into the driver’s seat, but before he could put the car in gear, Blakely placed a staying hand over his.
“Are you okay?”
Was he? Gray honestly didn’t know. Certainly, his mother’s revelation should have rocked his foundation. But it really hadn’t. It wasn’t like she’d ever been the demonstrative, loving type. Actually, learning he wasn’t her real son added context to his childhood. It helped him understand things that had never made sense before.
And he’d actually lost both of his parents long before now, so learning this new detail changed nothing, although it provided another possible motive for what had happened to him.
Which was a good thing.
“Yeah, I’m good.”
Blakely stared deep into his eyes. She didn’t try and tell him he wasn’t okay. She simply searched for clues that he really meant what he’d said.
After several moments, she gave him a sad half smile and squeezed his hand again. “I’m going with you.”
Gray’s eyebrows arched up in confusion. “Where?”
“Vegas. Don’t pretend you’re not going. I’m going with you.”
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. What would Stone think about you gallivanting off to Vegas by yourself to meet the biological mother you didn’t know existed until twenty minutes ago? A woman who may or may not be involved somehow in your embezzlement conviction?”
Oh, she really was good. “That’s playing dirty.”
Blakely’s smile morphed into a megawatt one. “What can I say? I’m learning.”
* * *
Blakely never expected to find herself sitting across the aisle from Gray on a private plane. Sure, she’d half expected to fly first class for the first time in her life, but this...? Totally unexpected. She was completely out of her element, although tried not to show it.
“Relax.”
And she was apparently failing miserably.
“I’m relaxed.”
“No, you’re not. You’re wound tighter than a top. What’s wrong?”
Wrong? “Nothing.”
Gray arched an eyebrow, silently calling bullshit.
Not that she was going to tell him the truth. When she’d insisted she was going with him, she hadn’t completely thought through the implications. It was one thing to be cooped up in the same office with him for ten hours a day, but to be a shadow at his side for the next several days...
At least back in Charleston she had the ability to go home and clear her mind of him. Or attempt to.
“Remind me again, why are we staying so long?”
Another expectation blown to bits. She’d assumed they’d fly up, track down his birth mother and head home. A day at the most. Instead, Gray had told her to pack enough for three or four days. Considering they already had a full rundown on his mother’s information, including where she worked and lived, Blakely wasn’t entirely certain what he expected to take so long.
“There are a couple other people I want to pay a visit to while we’re here.”
Blakely couldn’t help the suspicion that snaked through her system. She’d been reading enough about Gray’s history before he’d gone to prison to know that he’d spent quite a bit of time in Vegas before. And most of that time revolved around gambling, sex and outrageous benders that went on for days.
None of which she was interested in being a part of.
Sure,
Gray hadn’t done any of those things since he’d been out—at least not to her knowledge—so she didn’t think that’s what he had in mind, but...
“I’m not down for some wild Vegas weekend, Gray. I’m not interested in the lavish parties or high-roller games.”
“Good, since neither of those things are on the agenda. I simply want to check in with some people I used to know.”
Blakely’s eyes narrowed. Gray looked entirely sincere, his steady gaze holding hers as she watched him. Every fiber of her being wanted to believe him. But she couldn’t completely shut down the sneering voice in the back of her head.
She finally shrugged and said, “Great, then I’ll leave you to it and take a commercial flight home after we’ve talked with your mom.”
“Nope. I need you here for my meetings.”
“Why?”
“Because I’m talking to my former bookie, Surkov.”
Nope, that did not sound like something she wanted to be involved with. “You don’t need me to gamble.”
“Do I look like an idiot to you?”
Blakely didn’t understand the question, and seemingly unconnected segue, but answered, anyway. “No.”
“Apparently I do if you think I’m here to place a bet. The main reason I spent seven years in prison is because I had a gambling habit. By no means was I an addict, but I wasn’t exactly careful, either.”
“Why’d you do it? The prosecution’s biggest argument was that you were up to your eyeballs in debt to some bad people and didn’t want to confess to Daddy to bail you out.”
Gray’s eyebrows rose. “And what do you think about that now?”
Blakely cocked her head and considered her answer for several seconds. What did she think? At the time, the only information she’d had about Gray was either what the media had told her or based on the limited interactions she’d witnessed at Lockwood Industries, which hadn’t exactly painted Gray in the best light.
There was no doubt in her mind the man she knew now wouldn’t have hesitated to do or say anything he needed to, including talking to his father, even if their relationship was strained.
But that didn’t mean the man he’d been before would have reacted the same way. In fact, she was pretty certain the time he’d spent in prison had fundamentally changed him. And maybe for the better.
“I think I don’t know who you were back then, so I can’t really say. But I have a pretty good grasp of who you are now, and I don’t think you’d be concerned about your father’s reaction to anything.”
“That’s very true.”
“However, after pouring over your personal financial records for the last week, I’m well aware that you had more than enough assets to cover the gambling debts without consulting your father.”
“Also true.”
“But that does raise the question—why did you routinely take out loans in order to gamble?”
Gray frowned and looked away for several seconds. “Because I was young, stupid and lazy.”
“Well, doesn’t that just explain all sorts of decisions we’ve all made.”
Gray chuckled. “I was spoiled and used to getting what I wanted immediately. On several occasions I found myself in Vegas, enjoying some high-stakes games, and ran out of liquid cash. It’s easier to take out a high-interest loan in the middle of the night than contact my portfolio advisor to liquidate assets. Especially when I knew I had the ability to pay back the principal before the interest skyrocketed.”
“But the last time...you didn’t pay it back immediately.”
“No, I didn’t. Because my life got blown to bits when officers barged into my home to arrest me for embezzlement. I was a little preoccupied with clearing my name to worry about the latest loan. If I’d known it would be used against me, I would have taken care of it immediately. But, once again, I was spoiled and didn’t give a shit. Not even when the gentleman who’d loaned me the money sent an envoy to impress upon me the need to make good on it.”
Was he really saying what she thought he was? “They sent someone to rough you up?”
Gray’s laughter filled the cabin. “You’ve been watching too many movies, Ms. Whittaker.”
“No, I grew up around organized crime, Gray. I’ve seen plenty of despicable men do despicable things. Beating someone up over money would be mild in comparison.”
Gray’s sharp gaze cut to hers and Blakely realized just how much personal information she’d revealed. Personal information she hadn’t meant to share with anyone, especially Gray Lockwood. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel sorry for her. Or, worse, ask for more details.
But he didn’t. “They actually did just come to have a conversation. At the time, I thought because they knew I was good for the money. I’d paid in full before. But now...”
It wasn’t hard for Blakely to connect the dots to what Gray might be thinking.
“Do you really think they had something to do with the embezzlement?”
Gray shrugged. “Logically, it doesn’t make much sense. They knew I was good for the money.”
No—no, it didn’t. But then sometimes crazy people did asinine things.
“It’s worth double-checking, though. Especially since we’re in town. Turning over all the stones...”
Eight years too late. The guilt she’d been fighting for the last several days swelled inside her. The more she learned about Gray, the more certain she was that he was innocent. Which meant she’d played an instrumental part in sending an innocent man to prison for a significant chunk of his life.
And there was nothing she could do to make up for that.
It was her turn to apologize for something she couldn’t change. “I’m sorry.”
Gray shrugged, not even attempting to pretend he didn’t know what she meant. “Not your fault.”
That’s where he was wrong, but she wasn’t going to argue with him about it. She was going to protest staying, though.
“Considering you don’t really expect it to be anything, you don’t really need me here for this.” Which meant she could escape, and maybe, just maybe, prevent herself from doing something stupid.
Like throwing herself at him and begging him to kiss the hell out of her again.
“Talking to my bookie? I don’t.”
Well, she hadn’t expected him to agree with her. That was easy. Too easy.
Reaching across the aisle, Gray ran his fingers down a strand of Blakely’s hair, sending a cascade of tingles from her scalp down to her toes.
“I want you here for me.”
Seven
He’d made her nervous, which was actually a little cute. Mostly because from his observations, not much made Blakely Whittaker nervous. He was learning that she might appear small and fragile, but she had a core of straight-up steel.
It was one of the most attractive things about her. Although, he wasn’t thrilled knowing she’d built that tough core because of the things she’d seen and experienced in her life.
It was still cute. He liked knowing he could make her off-kilter. Because she certainly had the ability to set his own life on its head.
It might be seriously inconvenient to be dealing with this now, but if there was one thing he’d learned in the last few years, it was that one couldn’t control everything. Sometimes, one simply had to roll with the punches, enjoy the experiences and find the lessons.
And like he’d said earlier, he wasn’t stupid. When faced with the opportunity to follow a couple of leads and spend several days in close quarters with Blakely... This was one of those times to take advantage of the opportunities.
Gray breezed through check-in at their hotel, going straight to the penthouse suite. It might have been several years since he’d visited, but the staff was fully aware of who he was and they’d been more than happy to accommodate his last-minute requests
when he’d contacted them.
After punching in the code for the private elevator, he led Blakely into the small space. The minute the doors closed, he reached for her. Pulling her tight against his body, he backed them both up until she connected with the shiny chrome wall.
But he didn’t kiss her. Yet.
Instead, his gaze raced around her face, taking in her wide, surprised expression. Her soft pink lips parted and a puffed gasp of breath caressed his face.
But she didn’t move to break free. Instead, her hands settled at his hips, curling in and pulling him closer. Her pupils dilated as she leaned into him.
She wanted this as much as he did, which was all he needed to know.
Cupping a hand around the nape of her neck, Gray tilted her head and pulled her mouth to his. She tasted like peppermint and sin.
He tried to ease into it, to let them both sink into the connection, but Blakely had something else in mind. With a muffled groan, she rolled up onto her toes, trying to get more. One leg hooked over his hip, widening her stance so he could sink into the welcoming V of her open thighs.
Her heat and scent melted into him as she yanked him closer, grinding his hips against hers. Hers rolled, stroking his throbbing erection through the layers of their clothes.
She was hot as hell. And no doubt someone in security was enjoying the free show. As much as his body begged him to pull off all her clothes and take what she was clearly willing to give, he wasn’t thrilled with the idea of having an audience the first time he stripped her naked and feasted on her delectable body.
Reluctantly, Gray put some space between them. But he couldn’t make himself completely let her go. His hand still wrapped around her neck, he pressed his forehead against hers.
There was something calming and enticing about the way her body reacted to him. Labored breaths billowed in and out of her lungs, as if she’d just run a marathon instead of kissed the hell out of him. Which was good, since she made him feel the same way—as if he’d had the wind knocked out of him.
Her body arched, trying to find the connection again.
“Shhh,” he whispered, nuzzling his lips against her forehead. “If I keep kissing you, I’m not going to be able to stop myself from pulling every stitch of your clothes off. And as much as I want that, the eye in the sky is always watching.”
The Sinner's Secret Page 7
