Out of the Light, Into the Shadows

by Lori Foster

  “Cameo’s on it. She’ll keep him entertained. No worries.” He lounged back against the counter. Thrusting an icy glass of something under her nose, he said, “Here, drink this.”

  Mercy curled her lip. “What is it?”

  “Clear soda. It’s supposed to help settle things.”

  She’d barely taken a sip when he said again, “You need to come clean with him, Mercy. He’s not an ignorant man. Pretty soon he’ll figure it out on his own, and then how will he react?”

  Feeling very unsure of herself and her plan, she whispered, “I don’t know.”

  “He’ll be furious—and I won’t blame him. Getting pregnant was an accident, but keeping it from him is on purpose.”

  Needing a moment to think, she drank the rest of the soda. It helped more than she could have guessed. “The thing is … I don’t want him to feel trapped.”

  Her brother didn’t give an inch. “That’s not for you to dictate. And who knows? Maybe he’ll surprise you and be overjoyed.”

  She snorted at that.

  “You can’t know until you tell him.”

  With her stomach more agreeable, Mercy used the towels to blot her face. “Am I presentable?”

  Brax crossed his arms. “Avoiding the subject isn’t going to make it go away.”

  She knew that, but for right now, she just wanted to get through the night. “So you’re saying that I’m not presentable?”

  He must have seen something in her face, because he allowed her the change of topic. “You look fine.”

  Relief brought out a smile. “Thanks to that soda. What was it, anyway?”

  “Sprite.”

  “I’m buying a case of it and carrying it with me everywhere I go.” She hooked her arm through his. “Now let’s get back before Wyatt comes to find me.”

  Brax pulled her up short. “I’m good at reading people, we can agree on that, yes?”

  He’d made his fortune by being an astute judge of everything and everyone. Mercy didn’t know quite how he did it, how Brax stayed so infallible, but she couldn’t deny the truth. “Yes.”

  “I like him, Mercy.”

  Pleasure expanded outward, giving her a huge grin. “I just knew you would!”

  “He’s a good man. But,” he added when she started to speak again, “he’s got some very dark secrets.”

  Her jaw loosened. No, surely he hadn’t, not after she’d forbidden him to. Shoulders back, mood grim, Mercy demanded, “You dared to go snooping into his background?”

  Unfazed, Brax frowned at her. “You’re looking green again. All this excess emotion and worry isn’t good for you or the baby.”

  She threw up her hands. Leave it to Brax to be so cavalier over such a breach of privacy. Wyatt was waiting, so she couldn’t have it out with her brother right now. But first thing tomorrow she’d give him a piece of her mind.

  Disgruntled, she glared at him, then swept a hand toward the door. “Shall we go, preferably before someone comes in and finds you here?”

  The corner of his mouth twitched. “I’m ready. But Mercedes, think about what I said. I understand your perspective, but being a man, I can also anticipate Wyatt’s take on things. A lie, even a lie of omission, is never the way to get things off on the right foot.” He touched the end of her nose. “Okay?”

  “Yes.” As she considered Wyatt’s reaction to full disclosure, she put a hand to her stomach—a protective instinct that she couldn’t quell. “I’ll … think about it.”

  “You do that.” Brax straightened with a smile. “I’ll head back first. Wait another minute or two before returning. You don’t want him to know that we were in here together, holding counsel in the ladies’ room. I’m sure he wouldn’t like that very much either.”

  As soon as her brother left, Mercy turned to the mirror and faced her own shortcomings. She’d never before been a coward, but she desperately needed to hang on to the dream of a happily ever after.

  If she didn’t confront Wyatt with an ultimatum—accept her and their child—she wouldn’t be forced to face his likely rejection.

  But her brother was the most judicious man she knew. Eerily so. Never had he given her faulty advice. If he suggested she confess to Wyatt now, then that’s what she should do.

  Tonight. She’d do it tonight and damn the consequences. He either wanted her, all of her, or he didn’t.

  Having made the decision, she was almost relieved.

  She was also so afraid of losing Wyatt that she nearly got sick again.

  FIVE

  AS Cameo droned on about everything from the weather to corporate planning, Wyatt tossed back the last of his wine. It was delicious and outrageously expensive, and it didn’t help one freaking bit. He wasn’t much of a drinker, but it’d take more than a glass of wine to numb his misgivings.

  Where the hell was Mercy?

  And for that matter, where had Brax gotten off to? It was damned suspicious that they were both gone, had been gone for so long.

  Were they together? He sensed a conspiracy, and damn it, he didn’t like it.

  Maybe Brax was trying to persuade Mercy to walk out on him. Mercy’s brother was such a hard man to read that Wyatt didn’t yet know if he’d been accepted or not. In the normal course of things, he wouldn’t have given a shit one way or the other.

  But this was Mercy’s brother, a man with great influence over her, so unfortunately it mattered.

  In some ways, Brax appeared to respect him. He’d discussed business with him as an equal, though Wyatt had remained distracted with Mercy’s emotional distance throughout dinner. She’d sat right beside him—but it felt like she was miles away.

  At other times, Brax seemed to be just waiting for an opportunity to take Wyatt apart. He’d look at his sister, and some barely veiled emotion electrified the air. Cameo didn’t seem to notice. Neither did Mercy.

  But one man seldom missed the protective instincts of another. The unspoken warning was there: Brax blamed Wyatt for making Mercy unhappy.

  But then, Wyatt blamed himself.

  Dinner might have appeared relaxed to the casual observer, but for Wyatt, juggling emotions and protective urges of his own, it had thus far been excruciating.

  Mercy had planned the damned dinner, so why was she so quiet and withdrawn? Hell, she’d been too damned quiet everywhere lately.

  He didn’t like it. He wanted his fun-loving, teasing, sexy woman back. God, he missed her.

  “Don’t you think?” Cameo asked.

  Wyatt glanced up, knew that she knew he hadn’t been listening, and said, “About what?”

  She laughed, and the amusement in her face turned her from mostly plain to downright stunning. “My God, Wyatt, you have the whole ominous bad-boy thing down pat.” Coyly, she added, “But then, I’m sure you know that.”

  Wyatt shook his head in confusion. “Bad boy?” What the hell was she talking about?

  “Oh come on. You have the edgy good looks, the super-buff build, and the aloof I-don’t-give-a-damn personality to pull it off. Add that thunderous scowl and you ooze dangerous appeal. I’m sure the women who like that sort of thing come on in droves.”

  Sitting back in his seat, Wyatt crossed his arms and leveled a look at Cameo. Her smile never wavered; she propped her chin on a fist and waited.

  “I don’t play that game.”

  “Ah, of course not. You live it.” She feigned a delicate shudder. “Authenticity is important, right? And Mercy apparently likes the edgy persona—to a degree.”

  Wyatt had to concentrate hard not to ratchet up his scowl. She poked fun at him, all the while wearing that innocent grin.

  But why? If she was any other woman, he’d think she was coming on to him. But with Cameo, he sensed it was something else entirely.

  It almost felt like mothering concern … for Mercy. “The only woman I’m interested in is Mercy.”

  “Of course.” The smile got replaced by in-your-face candor. “But that interest has limits, now doe
sn’t it?”

  Ice ran up his spine. Had Mercy told her that he wasn’t the marrying kind? Had she gossiped about their very personal conversation?

  Or was Cameo just that shrewd? “You care as much for her as her brother does.”

  “Oh, no.” She shook her head with emphatic disagreement. “Not possible. No one could love her more than Brax.”

  There was no missing the implied insult. “I might challenge that.”

  Thoughtful, she looked down at her plate, then swung her gaze back up to his. “I hope so, Wyatt, I really do. But it appears to me that you’re going about it in the wrong way.”

  Prepared to demand answers, Wyatt leaned forward—and Brax pulled out a chair, halting whatever he might have said.

  With a hint of humor, Cameo told Brax, “Propitious timing.”

  “Is that so?” Brax looked from Cameo to Wyatt and back again. “Judging by the crackle in the air, I’d say I’ve missed some scintillating conversational tidbits. Anyone care to fill me in?”

  Not in this lifetime. Wyatt dropped back in his seat and looked beyond Brax, but didn’t yet see Mercy. “Where is your sister?”

  “She hasn’t returned? What do you suppose she’s up to?” A rhetorical question, given that he turned to Cameo. “Any ideas?”

  And just that quickly, Cameo pushed back her chair to leave the table. “No, but I’ll go see what’s holding her up.”

  Brax stood, said, “Thank you,” and continued standing until she’d gone.

  Knowing that he had arranged the private moment, Wyatt tensed. Would her brother now read him the riot act? Give him all sorts of dire warnings? Lecture him?

  “So.” Wearing no expression at all, Brax reseated himself. “You’re madly in love with my sister.”

  Not a question at all, but Wyatt confirmed it all the same. “Yes.”

  Brax nodded slowly. “No doubt you’ve noticed, but she’s very special to me, too.”

  Accepting that as truth, Wyatt said, “You raised her.”

  “Yes. And for that reason, we’re closer than most siblings.”

  Did he miss some subtle meaning there? “Mercy values your opinion.” What did he think of Wyatt?

  “Not as much as you might think.” Brax declined more wine when the waitress came by. As she departed to get the bill, they both noticed Mercy and Cameo on their way back to the table.

  To Wyatt’s jaundiced eye, despite fresh lipstick and a steady smile, Mercy looked distraught and pale.

  Brax said, “Yeah, I see it, too.” When Wyatt showed his surprise, Brax smiled. “A man in love is easy to read. And because I believe you love her, here’s a word of advice, man to man.”

  Expecting the worst, Wyatt locked his jaw. “I’m dying to hear it.”

  “Mercy is more independent than you can imagine. She knows that I’m always here for her, but she doesn’t need me.” He leaned a little closer, his posture forceful. “She doesn’t need you either, Wyatt. She wants you, for now, but we both see that she isn’t happy. A smart man would figure out how to get her happy and quick, and then he’d tie her to him, legal and otherwise, before it’s too late.”

  Wyatt stiffened. That was certainly in his face and to the point.

  Brax held up his hands when Wyatt started to speak. “Just a friendly observation, that’s all. No insult intended.”

  Obviously Mercy had discussed their private business with her brother and Cameo. Maybe that was the norm; what the hell did he know of siblings? He’d never had any.

  Hell, he’d barely had parents.

  Knowing that Brax and Cameo were privy to the dealings of his personal relationship with Mercy burned his ass, but he’d be damned before he said so.

  “I’m keeping her.” Somehow he’d make it true.

  “Because that’s what she ultimately wants, I hope you’re right.” Brax pierced him with a stare. “But you better shake off the past and get with the future. Quick.”

  The opportunity for conversation ended when Mercy and Cameo reached the table. Wyatt and Brax both stood, but it was her brother Mercy turned to.

  “I’ve had a wonderful time, but I hope you don’t mind if I beg off early.”

  “What’s wrong?” Wyatt asked.

  At the same time, her brother said, “Still not feeling well?”

  As Mercy glanced at both men, the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “A little tired, that’s all.”

  “Probably the big move,” Brax teased. “You two go on, then. Cameo and I will hang around for some coffee.”

  The waitress returned with the check, and Brax snatched it away before Wyatt could get hold of it. “I’ll handle this.”

  Like hell. Wyatt pulled out his wallet. “Thanks, but I’ve got it.”

  “This is the first time I’ve had Cameo out on a date.” Brax draped an arm around Mercy. “I’m not ready to take her home just yet.”

  Both women seemed surprised by that. Wyatt didn’t care one way or another. “I’ll give my credit card to the waitress.”

  “Never a good idea.” Brax kissed Mercy’s forehead before releasing her and realigning himself next to Cameo. She looked a little wary as Brax put a hand to the back of her neck, beneath her hair.

  The hold was more possessive than intimate.

  “Assuming you’ll be around long enough,” Brax said to Wyatt, “and assuming I can talk Cameo into accompanying me to dinner again, why don’t you just get the next one?”

  Through his teeth, Wyatt said, “I’ll be around.”

  Brax turned to Cameo. “Well?”

  “Oh … I, uh … sure.”

  “Great.” He saluted Wyatt with the bill in hand. “The next dinner is on you.”

  Mercy stood there, wide-eyed and slack-jawed, staring at Cameo, who stared back. Brax remained as nonchalant as ever.

  Short of wrestling him for the damned bill, what could Wyatt do? “Thank you.”

  “Anything for Mercy.”

  The words felt like a jab. Anxious to get her alone so they could talk, Wyatt sighed and put his arm around her. With a verbal nudge, he asked, “Ready to go?”

  She nodded, but it took her a moment to get her attention off her brother and his assistant. “Yes, I’m ready. Brax, thanks for dinner. Cameo, it was great to see you again.”

  Cameo’s stiff lips formed a vague smile. “You, too. Drive safely.”

  As Wyatt led Mercy away, he saw Brax bend down to whisper to Cameo, and he saw her cheeks flush—with embarrassment or pleasure?

  Cameo was more than an assistant—or soon would be. Not even a blind man would miss Brax’s interest in her, but Wyatt had a feeling that until now, Cameo and Mercy had both been unaware.

  “That was so weird,” Mercy whispered.

  “Dinner? I’ll say.”

  “No, I meant Brax hitting on Cammie.”

  Wyatt noted her use of a less formal name when discussing her friend now, almost as if with her worry, the pet name had slipped in.

  Mercy turned her face up to him. “He’s never done that before. Not once that I know of in all the years she’s worked for him.”

  Curious about her reaction, Wyatt gave her a small squeeze. “Does it bother you?” Did she prefer to keep her brother all to herself?

  “Only because I love Cammie and because Brax … well, he does tend to go through women.”

  Wyatt led her out the front doors and into the humid evening air. “Women like Cameo?”

  “Oh no. In fact, I’ve never known him to be interested in anyone like her. Usually he favors …”

  “Bimbos?”

  Acting more like her old self, she elbowed him. “No, Brax is always discriminating, even in his social life. He enjoys intelligent, independent women. But so far they’ve all been more outgoing than Cammie. She’s … reserved. Classy.”

  “And his usual partners aren’t?” Wyatt opened the passenger door of his truck for her.

  “That’s not what I mean at all.” Rather than get in, she turned and l
eaned on the truck.

  Moonlight shone on her ebony hair and made her eyes more golden than ever. She was the most beautiful woman, inside and out, that he’d ever known.

  “Whenever I’ve met one of my brother’s dates, and it’s always a different woman each time, the thing I noticed most was that the women were affluent and openly sexual.”

  “Take-charge women?” Wyatt put one hand on the truck beside her head, leaning in closer to her, enjoying the feel of her body heat, inhaling the scent of her skin and hair.

  “Maybe, but it was more than that. Cammie is the take-charge type. It’s why she’s so perfect as his assistant. Not everyone can put up with his demands for perfection.”

  “No kidding.” He really didn’t want to talk about her brother. He wanted … Mercy. All of her. Right now.

  “Most of the women I’ve seen him with make no bones about admiring him. They hang on his arm and his every word. And the clothes they wear, their makeup and perfume, are always meant to entice.”

  “Looked to me like Cameo enticed him, too, whether she meant to or not.”

  “And that’s the weird part! Never have I seen her treat my brother with anything other than respectful deference for their business association.”

  Teasing her, Wyatt said, “Maybe she has carnal depths she’s hidden from you.”

  Mercy scoffed. “You saw her.”

  “She’s very pretty when she laughs, but yes, otherwise, she’s the epitome of an upscale and businesslike assistant.”

  “Exactly.” Mercy put a hand to his chest. “I can’t imagine her putting up with my brother’s domineering ways—outside the office—for a single heartbeat.”

  “Speaking of domineering …” Wyatt’s heart pounded. Tie her to him? Yeah, he wanted to tie Mercy to him, and he would.

  With sex.

  She was the perfect bed partner for him, a willing and anxious participant in everything they did. He wouldn’t let her forget it.

  Her smile warmed. “What did you have in mind?”

  Wyatt bent his bracing arm, caging her in, letting his body brush hers. With the fingertips of his other hand, he lifted her face. “Much as I enjoyed meeting your brother—”