Rush: A Second Chance Romance

by Ellen Lane

  I loved her then, and like hell if I wasn’t falling for her again. The woman in my bed was just as charming, headstrong and ambitious as the child had been. That, and more.

  Cece murmured something softly in her sleep, stirring slightly as she turned onto her side. The long dress she’d worn to travel hiked up one calf and I swallowed thickly. Only Cecily could incite an erection with her goddamned calf.

  I had some decisions to make before we touched down. The interviews might have been what brought us together but I’d be damned if things would end at that. Not if I had my way.

  It was all too easy to wrap an arm around Cecily’s smaller form and draw her against my chest. She pressed her cheek to my shoulder, her full mouth curving upward in an alluring, sleepy smile, and slept on.

  Fuck, I had it bad.

  When my phone buzzed on the bedside table, the last thing I wanted to do was pick it up. I had only installed a phone in the plane for emergencies, however, which meant that whoever it was probably needed my attention directly. Frowning, I slipped from beside Cece to perch on the side of the bed before picking up the receiver.

  “This is Rhett.”

  “Man, I thought you’d fallen off the face of the earth.” My brows shot towards my hairline at the sound of Tony’s voice. “Skive off to Asia for a whole week without telling me after a huge deal...you nearly sent me into panic mode, Rhett.”

  As disgruntled as I was at the interruption, I supposed it could be worse. I never enjoyed having to make conference calls at thirty thousand feet. “You go into panic mode every time I go on vacation,” I mused dryly. “You know, it’s usually clients who freak out when their lawyers go missing. Not the other way around.”

  “Well, my client happens to be a multi-billionaire and world-famous philanthropist. I’m just making sure people don’t look at me first.”

  Though I rolled my eyes, I couldn’t help but smile. “Right.”

  “So, you’re your way home then? With your girl in tow?” I immediately opened my mouth to deny that Cece was any such thing before I realized that saying so would, at least in my mind, be a blatant lie. I wanted her to be mine, and I intended to have her, all things considered.

  “We should be back in the city in a few hours. Can you hold down the fort until then?” I could practically see him sprawled across the desk in his home office, doing abso-fucking-lutely nothing except giving me a hard time.

  The man was engagingly insufferable. “I’ll do my best. The rafters are burning down here.”

  I chuckled at that one. “Fuck you very much, Tony.”

  “Yeah, I love you too, man.” He paused for a minute before deciding to add a coda. “And Rhett?”

  “Yeah?”

  “...When the wedding bells come, I’ve got dibs on Best Man title. Called it.” Before I could think of a proper retort, Tony had hung up the phone. I stared at the receiver for a long moment, torn between laughing and groaning.

  It was nice to be reminded that I had Tony on my side - even if he was a bit insufferable.

  I was reminded that, no matter how used to dealing with jetlag I might be, Cecily wasn’t. Though she was up for the last few hours of the trip, she practically sleepwalked through customs and dozed off again on the way back to the penthouse. Unfortunately, I had to go to the office a few hours after we returned, but she had the much-needed luxury of being able to sleep things off.

  Which, of course, meant that I took a bit of advantage. I could have woken her for the trip upstairs, but it was much easier - and far more indulgent - to simply carry her. Though she had her own room down the hall from mine, I indulgently set her in my bed, unable to keep from thinking how right she looked there.

  “Cece.” When I murmured her name, she came half awake, staring up at me with large, adorably bleary eyes.

  “Where are we?”

  “Penthouse.” I reassured her softly. “Sleep. You’re probably going to feel off for a few days.”

  “Mm.” She was too tired to argue about the sleeping arrangements, I presumed, and drifted back off in short order. It wasn’t until I got up to head for the shower that I realized her fingers had wrapped around my hand and stopped short.

  For a long moment, I just stared.

  I remembered the first time Cecily had ever reached for my hand. Me and Jeb had been exploring the woods together and he had firmly instructed his sister to stay at home. Cece, precocious and disobedient, had followed us anyway and promptly taken a tumble into a large mud patch from a rainstorm the night before. When she began to wail, Jeb had only laughed at her, saying that it served her right.

  At ten, I’d been annoyed, but not heartless. When I took her tiny hand to pluck her out of the filth, she looked at me like I was her guardian angel.

  I had probably fallen in love with her right then and there….it just took my rational mind a while to catch up. Thirty-one full years to be exact.

  With a sigh, I leaned down to brush my lips across the back of her hand before prizing it gently from my own. I forced myself to leave her. The quicker I did, I reasoned, the quicker I could come back.

  The day seemed to last forever - and this was coming from a man who was used to pulling twelve to sixteen-hour shifts on a regular basis. Cynthia seemed to recognize my lethargy and, in a maternal gesture, asked if I needed to take the rest of the day off. As tempted as I was, however, I declined. My business had always been my passion - now I’d just have to find a way to slowly ease it into second place.

  I was preparing for my last meeting of the day when Cynthia buzzed me to let me know I had a visitor.

  “A visitor?” It was enough to make me scowl deeply. The last thing I needed was another appointment today. “There’s no one on the books.”

  “Says he’s a childhood friend of yours, Sir. A Mister Jebediah Warner?”

  I almost dropped my fifth cup of coffee of the day. “Jeb is here?”

  “Shall I send him in, Sir?”

  I had some quick thinking to do. The smart move would have been to send him away to buy some time, but that would be suspicious as hell, considering the circumstances. I suddenly wished I had paid more attention to his voicemail message. Of course, at the time, I hadn’t intended for things to get as serious as they had with Cecily as quickly as they did. If things were going to move forward, ideally, I’d need Jebediah’s approval...but I know from experience that earning it was easier said than done, money and success be damned.

  “Sure, Cynthia. Please reschedule my last meeting for tomorrow morning.”

  “Of course, Sir.”

  I had no time at all to prepare. I shocked even myself with my sudden trepidation. Twelve years bridged the gap between Jeb and I; and even before I left, we’d grown apart. How the hell were we supposed to interact now?

  Two minutes later, a knock came on my door. When Jeb stepped over the threshold, I was shocked at how different he looked. He’d always been a scruffy youth - getting into trouble and avoiding his parents as much as he could. Getting him to take a shower had been a trial, let alone persuading him to wear anything that wasn’t ripped or torn. Though I knew we were both grown men now, the shock of seeing him in a suit was enough to stun me speechless for a good ten seconds.

  “Rhett, you look like you’ve seen a fucking ghost.”

  The man before me was just as taller and lankier than I remember, his dark hair combed straight from his brow. He’d grown a moustache and beard that made him look like his father, and his crafty, dark eyes darted around my office even as he stepped forward, his hand extended. His gray suit actually matched, and looked as if it had been tailored to fit him. Call me jaded, but it would take me a while to get used to seeing him this way.

  “Jesus, Jeb, you look great!” I finally recovered enough to shake his hand, only to have him use his leverage to pull me into a bear hug.

  “Bring it in here! It’s been forever!” Another shocker. The Jeb I’d known had never been the hugging type. He hadn’t even bee
n the touching type.

  “It has been a while.” He released me after a long moment before dropping into one of the chairs in front of my desk.

  “Man, this place is amazing. I asked for a tour before I came up to see you and I am beyond impressed. I thought it looked amazing on TV but it’s really something else. Google wishes they were you.”

  The compliment was enough to make me crack a smile. I liked to spoil my employees when I could. God knew I couldn’t take the money beyond the grave with me. “Thanks. I appreciate it. Looking forward to opening similar facilities in Shanghai and Dubai this year.”

  “That’s insane.” Jeb grinned, shaking his head in disbelief. “Every time I’ve seen you make an appearance the past few years I’ve been more and more blown away by the things you’re doing.”

  I leaned against the edge of the desk, wondering where the conversation was going. Jebediah Warner was the kind of guy that could smooth talk his way into or out of any situation. I didn’t think I’d be overly surprised if he tried to pitch me a business idea or asked for a loan. That would be more in line with the Jeb of my childhood than the slickly dressed man before me. “Nobody ever thinks the white trash boys will amount to anything, but look at us now!”

  Jeb’s grin was oddly infectious, even though I knew nothing about where he was now. In the past few weeks that we’d spend together, Cece had only mentioned him a handful of times - and not terribly favorably.

  “I assume that you’re doing well then?” I finally returned, crossing the room to the mini bar to pour us both drinks. I knew I needed one. “That’s good to hear!”

  “Well, damn, I’m hurt! Cece hasn’t mentioned anything about what I’ve been doing?”

  Here was where I had to tread carefully. It was obvious that Jeb had already figured out that Cece and I were spending time together. It wasn’t obvious from his tone how he felt about that, but I’d have to figure it out if I wanted to address the issue.

  “...She hasn’t. Talk has been mostly centered around me. I’m sure you know she’s interviewing me for her magazine.”

  “Yes, I heard.” When I handed Jeb his drink, I couldn’t help but think his swarthy face reminded me of a fox’s. “I had planned to come and visit Cecily anyway, but getting the chance to catch up with you? That’s a rare treat.”

  So, he didn’t live in the city. There was something I could chase. “What are you into these days?”

  Jeb took a long sip of the whiskey I’d poured him before smacking his lips gratefully. “Mmm, that’s the good stuff, isn’t it? Appreciate it.” He set the glass aside before answering me. “I got into TV out in California. Manage a production office.”

  “Damn.” I found myself whistling. That was no small feat. Considering that Jeb, to my knowledge, had quit high school halfway through, I wondered how he’d lined it up. But that didn’t mean he deserved any less congratulations. “That’s amazing. How’s the entertainment business?”

  “Very picturesque.” Jeb leered through his teeth unabashedly. “Girls looking to get into the business have a lot of talent, if you know what I mean.”

  And there it was. My smile became slightly strained.

  “I can only imagine.”

  “Hopefully you’re not imagining stuff like that with my sister.” The conversation altered direction so fast my head spun.

  “Excuse me?” My whiskey glass dangled from my fingertips as I gazed down at Jeb, unsure I’d heard him right.

  “You heard me.” His tone was still surprisingly pleasant, even if there was an underlying steel that hadn’t been present before. “I assume you’re still sniffing after Cece. Certainly haven’t seen you settle down with anyone over the years, which leaves you wide open.”

  “Jeb,” I started, as diplomatically as I could, “This isn’t-”

  “Just give it to me straight, Rhett: Are you seeing my sister, or aren’t you?” Jeb took another sip of his drink and the ice clinked against the side of the glass in my otherwise silent office. If the man had been anyone else…. anyone at all, I could have asserted myself. Had security escort him out and been none the wiser. But this was Jeb we were talking about...I was going to have to tread very lightly.

  “Maybe you should ask her.”

  “I’m asking you.” I should have known things wouldn’t be that easy.

  “We’ve been spending a lot of time together, yes.” I finally relented, setting my glass on the edge of the desk. Too much whiskey could be detrimental at this point.

  “In bed?” The invasive question was enough to rouse my temper.

  “That’s none of your damn business, Jeb?”

  “Isn’t it?” He was immediately on his feet - just as tall as me if not quite as wide. “This is my sister we’re talking about. You’ve had an unhealthy obsession with her for as long as I can remember. Why can’t you just let her move on?”

  “How are you so confident that you know what she wants?” I all but snarled. “Have you even seen her since we got back?”

  “Got back from where?”

  Fuck. This wasn’t where I meant this to go. I raked a hand through my hair, turning away from Jeb to gather my thoughts. “Look, Jeb...Cece is twenty-eight years old. She can make her own decisions. I’m sure that, as her brother, you’re concerned for her, but rest assured, I have nothing but the best-”

  “Does she know about all that fucked up shit you went through when we were kids?”

  The question was enough to stun me into silence for almost a full minute. When I turned around to face Jeb, I found him glaring at me in a combination of triumph and unbridled malice. Jesus fucking Christ...he hadn’t changed at all.

  “What are you talking about?” I kept my voice admirably neutral, considering I wanted to throttle the bastard.

  “Oh, don’t play dumbass, Rhett. All that trauma and ‘woe is me’. Daddy beat you. Momma couldn’t save you...then all that nonsense with the foster families. You’ve never been able to let anyone in and you never will. You’re damaged goods, and I don’t want you hanging around Cece.”

  I wanted to ask how he knew, but knowing Jeb, he’d probably had some idea all along. I wanted to challenge the insults - to tell him that he had never known me as well as he thought he did, and that Cece was worth ten of him.

  But, ultimately, none of that mattered. “Jeb, this isn’t about you want. It’s never been about what you want. Now,” I met his gaze steadily, rage smoldering in my gut, “I’d appreciate it if you left my office.”

  The tension between us hung dense as molasses, and for a split second, I wondered if Jeb intended to start something physical. The fact that he was Cece’s brother would probably prevent me from having him arrested, but I didn’t know if I’d be able to keep from whaling on the man at that particular moment.

  Luckily, it was a decision I didn’t have to make.

  “This isn’t over, Rhett.” With those words, Jeb tossed his glass onto my desk with enough force to crack the glass before turning on his heel to leave in a huff. The moment the door closed behind him, I cursed lowly.

  That had gone even worse than I imagined. All that time apart and all Jeb could think to do was start an argument about his sister’s welfare. It had been a while since he was Cece’s guardian, and the fact that he and his sister didn’t talk much indicated to me that he held less sway over her than he thought he did. But if Jeb got it into his mind to tear us apart, he could be pretty thorough in his methods.

  But I was willing to brave that. That and anything else that might stand in the way of having Cece in my life. I had let her go once. I wasn’t about to do it again.

  Chapter Thirteen

  ~ Cece

  There wasn’t nearly enough here to write the comprehensive article that I had planned to. All the notes I’d taken, the outlines Jim had given me and the plans I made ended up falling apart the moment Rhett and I were together.

  I sat at the desk in my room, trying to concentrate on my work in lieu of remembe
ring what it was like to wake up in Rhett’s bed.

  It smelled like him. The whole room smelled of him, and it was enough to make me luxuriate in bed for an extra hour as I imagined him lying next to me. I had to admire the man’s drive. After a week chocked full of death-defying adventures and two fourteen-hour flights, he went straight to work. He never stopped putting in the effort that had helped him rise to the top.

  The realization made my heart swell with pride I couldn’t avoid, no matter how hard I tried.

  I told myself that my feelings where Rhett was concerned didn’t matter, because our little indulgence was over. I forced myself to leave his bed and his room - to shower his scent from my body and to face the decision I’d been putting off for the last two weeks. Though, really, what kind of decision was it at this juncture?

  I hadn’t done the interviews I was supposed to. If I’d stuck to my job, I’d have the material I needed - and my head would probably be screwed on a lot straighter. Instead, I gazed down at page upon page of notes detailing Rhett as my lover, and wondering if I really had the balls to hand it over to Jim.

  There was no way.

  I’d written things here that made my face burn.

  Somewhere during the process of trying to figure out what the hell I was doing, I had stopped writing like a journalist and started keeping a diary of sorts - questioning myself and gathering all my doubts and insecurities in written form. Of course, that wasn’t all I had written about. Rhett’s story was there, in all its brilliant glory. How we’d met as children, all he’d been through and how I hadn’t been able to save him from any of it. How he’d turned up in my adult life and proceeded to wreak havoc on it.

  And how things had gotten so completely, irrevocably complicated. It was just as steamy and convoluted as Jim wanted - all that and more. But I couldn’t bring myself to send it to him.

  My boss wasn’t happy that I’d skipped the country for a week. I came back to a barrage of calls and e-mails demanding an update on his pet project and done my best to ignore them. I wrote something, yes, but that something seemed far too intimate to turn over to someone like Jim.