Chasing Happy (Texas Desires #1)

by Rylie Roberts

“It’s gonna be okay. I promise,” Kade said, tucking her in beside him. He drifted to sleep more quickly. She lay there for hours replaying the night over and over in her head. Where had everything gone so wrong?

  Chapter 11

  Reed stared up at his ceiling as he listened to the nonexistent tick of the digital alarm clock mocking him with every minute that passed by. He’d have assumed since he ruined everything, with no foreseeable chance of making things right, he’d have been able to finally get some rest. Defeat should have been exhausting, but this was already day three of little to no sleep. What the fuck was wrong with him?

  When the image of his grandfather showing up at the benefit that night came to mind, Reed rolled out of bed. He sat on the edge, digging his toes into the plush carpet seconds before dropping his head in his hands. An ominous groan resonated. He was so fucked up.

  Trying to sleep now was useless. That old man pissed him off more than any other person on this planet. He just had a way of ruining everything, and Reed solidly placed the blame on his seasoned shoulders for what happened after he and Lara left. The guy was such a douche bag. He’d known what he was doing by showing up there. He’d done it on purpose and got a lucky break when Reed had brought Lara along.

  In that few minutes of time, Reed was set straight. It was like the heavens own little reminder of the filth he’d come from.

  Actually, it was worse than that. All the fantasies he’d built inside his head about Lara—thinking how well she fit on his arm and how elegantly she’d stood by his side playing hostess to every person he introduced to her to. She’d been his perfect date. She’d even managed to do what no other person on the planet had done before: She made him forget the startling fact that he was nothing more than polished Prescott trash.

  He looked down at his hands, remembering how her skin felt to his touch. And, man, he’d touched her all night long. He always had his hands on her. Hell, he wanted his hands on her right now. Not just for sex, but for more than that. Her presence soothed him. Made him forget his struggles. Loosened him up. He actually bet he’d be sleeping right now, even after seeing his grandfather, if she were here with him in bed.

  If she were a regular fixture in his life, he’d get to taste her anytime he wanted, and man, did he want a second shot between those thighs. His touch had drawn such a primal reaction Reed wasn’t certain he’d ever pleased a woman as much. What a fucking turn-on to have Lara orgasming in his mouth, with his tongue lapping up every bit of her essence. Damn if he didn’t want that to happen again.

  Pushing off from the bed, he rose, desperate to get out from underneath all his self-reflection. He ground his palms in eyes and let out a long string of curse words. His buddies would have been proud at the way he strung them so artfully together. He couldn’t find relief from the mental volleyball game his fucked up brain decided to take him on.

  He pulled out a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt. A workout might relieve some of this tension coursing through him, and he needed time to think. He dressed quickly, grabbing socks and his tennis shoes before going down a few flights to his building’s twenty-four hour gym. The place was deserted like normal at this time of day. His workout schedule was the primary reason he kept the gym open around the clock. He was an overnight regular. He went for the free weights first.

  He worked himself to the point of exhaustion, trying for mental escape. He lifted, doing more reps than he ever thought possible, all lost in the images of sweet upturned faces, with giant sparkling amber eyes. When had he ever danced at one of those events, let alone begged a woman to dance with him? Hell, when had he ever stayed at a benefit for more than an hour?

  No, stop thinking! He mentally scolded himself.

  Somewhere between the free weights and the elliptical he came to the conclusion he had no choice but to salvage things with Lara. He didn’t deserve a second chance, and she’d be smart to run far away from him, but he had to try. Any woman that stayed on his mind twenty-four seven must be worth the effort, and honestly, their problems were all on him tonight. She had played no fault in how things turned out. She’d watched him morph into something vile right before her eyes. He’d been a doting date one minute and a hardened creep the next. If he got a second chance and she allowed them more time together, he owed it to Lara to explain his family ties. She needed to be prepared for the next time she encountered his relations.

  If he were being truly honest and looked at this whole night from Lara’s perspective, he got what a large, empty box of condoms signified. He needed to clean out his stash of condoms, lubricant, and sex toys. He had to always remember that, with Lara, he was dating up—she was way outside his league. It wasn’t in her to lower herself to his level and he didn’t want her to.

  Lara Hunter was a keeper.

  His heart lurched in his chest. His cock finally lay down. She was someone he wanted to keep around. Fucking shit! He came to a complete stop on the machine and reached for his towel. Sweat poured profusely and he wasn’t certain he could entirely blame the workout after that revelation.

  He climbed off the machine and grabbed his water bottle. He took a long gulp, thinking over the possibilities. No way could he please a woman long-term. Hell, he was lucky to come out on top if he spent a solid hour alone with any of them. Even the ones he’d paid to be there. Those arguments didn’t seem to matter to his heart, which had surprisingly become the most powerfully vocal organ in his body.

  He reached for his phone and texted on instinct. He sent a quick message to Lara.

  Pease forgive me. Give me a second chance.

  Short and sweet, he hit send. His phone alerted him to an immediate response, surprising him. He pulled up the message and rolled his eyes at the words.

  Fuck off, stay away from her.

  Kade would be a problem. The guy from the coffee house said Kade had a protective streak for her. But why? Did he have a sick fascination? Nothing about their relationship made any sense to Reed. He quickly typed a reply.

  Give her the phone.

  She’s sleeping. You’re a douche. Stay away from her or else.

  Kade was a bold one. Reed laughed at that threat—or else what? God, that was so The Godfather. There was no point in fighting through text messages with a weirdo. He dropped his phone back in his pocket.

  Since sleep still didn’t look like an option and his cock had finally settled down in fear of an impending relationship, he headed back upstairs for a shower and to dress for the day. With as much work as he’d missed over the last few days, he could use the extra hours.

  Chapter 12

  On his fourth cup of coffee, Reed glanced over at the window in his office. The sun was on the rise, peeking through his drawn window drapes. The earning reports from his latest oil venture in the Middle East fully occupied his mind. There was no denying the lucrative nature of civil unrest. He always wondered if some of that side of the world’s problems might not be manufactured, because damn, those men could make some money. They never slowed, nor did they falter. He had a cash cow on his hands over there.

  He took a hearty swallow of the hot coffee and stifled a yawn. Of course he’d finally start to feel the call of sleep weigh on him with the day just beginning. He looked down at his watch to check the time—a little before eight o’clock in the morning. As if on some cosmic cue, he heard the elevator doors open. Margaret was right on time. She was never late, as prompt as could be, and he leaned back in his chair, stretching his long arms over his head. He gave a deep satisfying groan as the yawn came back full force.

  “Good morning,” she said from his doorway.

  “Morning.” He leaned completely back in his chair.

  “Long night?” she asked. He wasn’t certain what she had seen that caused that question and he looked over at her confused. “Did you sleep at all?”

  “Not really. Why?” Not sure why this was any different than any other time she’d found him sitting at his desk when she arrived. She never cared
before.

  “I’m not sure I’ve ever seen you in a T-shirt.”

  “Sure you have.” Except he wasn’t sure at all. He always dressed before coming into the office.

  “No, I’m certain I haven’t.” She didn’t wait for an explanation, but turned to leave. He heard her at her desk as his cellphone vibrated violently. The damn thing had been on crack since about seven o’clock that morning. He went for the silence button and was caught off guard to see several hundred Google alerts gathering at the bottom of the screen. He opened the icon to see row after row of websites posting a picture of him and Lara from last night. Every site seemed to have the same shot, one where they stood outside at the front doors of the event center.

  What a fool he’d been; blinded by some possessive need and never contemplated the consequences. But who in the hell would have thought anyone would consider them this newsworthy? He figured they might make the Dallas news, maybe even the Fort Worth newspaper. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought the entire world would give two shits who he dated.

  He ran his finger over the first website. The associated press posted the picture first. Slowly, based on the newsfeed, hundreds of online outlets picked up the story. The headlines varied, but they’d even found her name. All the reports considered him quite the catch and he gave a loud grunt at that one. After last night, he was sure Lara didn’t see him as the “catch” they’d dubbed him.

  He thumbed through the scroll and picked a random article, opening the site. He enlarged their picture and stared at the beautiful Lara. She was as dazzling as he remembered.

  He saved the photo to his phone, leaving the picture open. He wondered if Lara might have seen this yet. She would certainly piece together who he was to the company, no question there. As of last night, he was positive she still hadn’t. For him, he was proud to let the world think someone as pure and kind as Lara would choose him to spend time with. But for her, he should have this picture removed—especially with how their night had ended.

  Logging in to email, he sent a quick message to his personal publicist to begin the process of removing this story from the Internet. They were excellent at eliminating these very things. As expected, he received an email right back, assuring him the steps were already in progress.

  Good, maybe Lara could be spared any further embarrassment. Based on the time, she should be arriving to work. He’d give her a few minutes to get settled before he called. He had a lot to apologize for.

  “Mr. Prescott? You have a visitor,” Sandy said, poking her head in the open door. She was one of the two assistants who sat up front to help Margaret with her tasks.

  “Can Margaret take care of it?” he asked.

  “She’s downstairs, and he says it’s urgent,” she said, and a masculine voice called out from across the lobby.

  “I’m just trying to play nice, Prescott. I’m not leaving until you see me,” Kade’s voice boomed. Great! Weirdo woke early. Reed rolled his eyes and then his shoulders, the tension thick inside the mass of muscles around his neck.

  “Let him in.” Reed lowered his laptop lid and pushed back from the desk. He wasn’t certain why, but he stood. Maybe he was itching for the fight Kade represented. A small needling at the base of his neck encouraged him to leave the desk between them. Lara wouldn’t be happy if he and Kade had a go at it, but he pushed that thought aside and rounded the desk. He already had so much to make up for, what was one more thing? Kade came through the door, an imposing figure, but he already knew that about the guy. He was tall, not as tall as Reed, but well over six feet, and he wore his police uniform, weapon and all. Reed stopped in the middle of the office and eyed Kade. “Shut the door.”

  Kade was cool. He reached out, grabbed the door, letting it fly. The door slammed shut without him taking his eyes off Reed.

  “To what do I owe this…visit?” Reed asked when Kade wasn’t immediately forthcoming.

  “Leave her alone.” He didn’t beat around the bush or falter, just laid his reason out there.

  “I wish I could—” Reed began, but Kade cut him off.

  “She’s not a fucking game.” Kade reached for something in his back pocket. The vehemence in those words actually made Reed take a mental step backward. Unrealistic worry had him considering Kade might be pulling his weapon, even though one was holstered in plain sight at his hip. Kade’s weapon of choice came by way of a manila envelope. Reed’s name written on the outside. Kade competently tossed the envelope to the center of the coffee table close to Reed. Well shit, he might have rather had a gun pulled on him than someone digging up his past again.

  Not such a good idea to go toe-to-toe with an angry cop. There was a fine line to be had right now. Truthfully, Kade was intimidating as hell, but Reed hid his thoughts and placed the same scowl on his face to give Kade a taste of his own medicine. He reached out and picked up the envelope. He tore open the top and thumbed through the contents. Kade did his homework. A complete background report, including names and birth dates of everyone close to him. He saw the document showing his legal name change back to Prescott from Bryant in order to make sure his grandfather knew who was kicking his ass in the business world. There were also pictures of him with various women. In the back was a narrative—he figured that detailed some of his more questionable business deals. He tossed the entire envelope into a trash can close to the table.

  “Anyone can pull that information. It means nothing to me,” he lied casually. Kade had the information on his family—that made him an even larger liability. Reed casually walked across the office toward the coffee pot at the bar. “Coffee?”

  “Prescott, stay away from her.” Kade grabbed his forearm, stopping him in his tracks.

  “Or else?” He added the words Kade used last night in the text message. The tic in the guy’s jaw became more pronounced as they stared at one another.

  “She’s better than you,” Kade hissed.

  “Don’t you think I know that?” He wrenched his arm free and took a step back, tucking his fingers into his jeans pocket. The action should have made it clear he wasn’t going to fight. “What I can’t understand is you. This weird relationship you two have. Save me the time of finding that piece of information.”

  Kade clamped his jaw tightly shut, the tic still going full force. Reed never looked away.

  “What did she do for you?” Reed asked on instinct. He kept his face passive, knowing he was poking an angry tiger. He stood rooted in his spot as Kade took a step into him, fire blazing in his eyes.

  “She doesn’t know when to give up. I want you to leave her the fuck alone.”

  “What happened to her?” Reed asked more quietly, driven by something unknown. When he was met with silence, his heart slowly dropped. He’d stumbled on a life changing event in Lara’s and Kade’s lives. Man, he wished Kade would have flung those words back in his face, saying he was way off base. Any anger he’d mustered fled with the play of emotion now crossing Kade’s face. He spoke softly to Lara’s defender. “I’m not playing her. I’m not gonna hurt her. I’ll step away before I let her be hurt again. Tell me what happened.”

  Kade bumped him in the chest. Another signal he was spoiling for a fight. Reed wasn’t going to accommodate. Not over something this important. If he intended to win Lara back, he needed to not have a fistfight with her best friend and lifelong protector.

  This time there was angry pain crossing Kade’s face.

  “She’s not normal. She steps in and stands by those she cares about. You won’t be able to let her just go if she decides to stick by you.”

  Reed narrowed his eyes, trying to understand. “And she did that for you?” he asked, hoping that was enough of a question to keep the angry man talking.

  Kade answered the question through his silence. Reed waited, hoping for anything more, but nothing else came.

  “Just fucking tell me. I can find the information myself, but tell me the truth from your perspective.” Reed took a non-threateni
ng step backward, bumping up against the bar. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited. It took so long, he wasn’t certain Kade was going to tell him.

  “We were little. In third grade. I was clearly gay as a boy. She was my best friend from day one. I got cornered by older boys. She didn’t run like she should have.” That was all he said before his face turned passive.

  “She got hurt?” Reed asked, and Kade stayed silent, but the stare never wavered. “You were both hurt. So now you protect her like she did you?” The pieces fell into place.

  The tic was back and Kade pointed a finger in Reed’s face. “She’s not for you, Prescott. She’s too good for you. You don’t deserve her. Leave her alone. I have that folder of information for her too. I’m not playing with you.”

  Reed had no idea what to say. His heart ached for the suffering children they used to be. He stood there several long moments in silence. Kade looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn’t. Instead that barely contained anger unleashed as Hurricane Kade stormed out of the office. The door should have been ripped off the hinges with the force he used to exit. A minute later, he heard a solid growl. “I want a fucking elevator.”

  “Yes, sir.” He reached his office door by the time Kade entered the elevator. Their stares connected until the doors slid closed.

  “Do I need to call anyone?” Margaret asked. Reed looked around, and he had three sets of eyes riveted to him.

  “Have security watch him leave,” Reed said, his own adrenaline ebbing as he turned away. His mind fully on the little girl standing up for her friend against older male bullies. He cringed at the possibilities and wanted to know the whole story. From the first day they’d met as children, Lara had put Kade first, above even herself—he was obviously the most important person in her life. Those dots were beginning to connect. He went for his phone to call his private security to start the process of a detailed background report on Lara.