Only You

by Francis Ray

  “I’m at your door; please let me in.” The line went dead. A knock sounded on the door.

  Luke caught Sierra’s arm when she started to answer. “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m not sure. Shane Elliott, the head of Security, sounded worried.” She hurried to the door and opened it when the sound became more demanding.

  Shane stepped around her, his gaze hard and alert. Two other men were with him.

  “Shane, what is it?” Sierra asked.

  Luke answered, “He’s checking on me.”

  He gave a hand signal, and the men with him left. “Mr. Grayson, it is my duty to protect everyone associated with Navarone Properties. You will not be admitted on this floor unless you’re cleared by Security.”

  “Now wait—”

  “Understood,” Luke said, cutting off his sister. “It won’t happen again. I hope the man who let us come up isn’t in trouble.”

  “He would have been in a lot more if he hadn’t called me immediately afterwards. Good-bye.” The door closed after Shane.

  “What—”

  “Sierra,” Luke said patiently. “He’s right and I was wrong. I could have been anybody. He’s keeping you safe, and for that he can chew on me any time he likes.”

  “He’s right, Sierra,” Catherine said.

  “I guess, but first thing in the morning I’m giving him pictures of all of you, so if I’m out, you’ll still be allowed to come up.” Taking both of their arms, she led them to the great room. “Come on in and sit down.”

  “This place is fabulous,” Catherine said, taking a seat next to Luke on the antique sofa.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Sierra sat on the ottoman in front of them, drawing her pant-covered leg under her.

  “Will you miss this when you come home?” Luke asked.

  It wasn’t an idle question, and he didn’t mean only where she was staying. “A little. What brings you to Dallas?”

  “I’m speaking tomorrow at Southern Methodist University at a children’s mental health symposium at eleven. Luke, as usual, loves me enough to come with me,” Catherine teased, but the love they shared was obvious.

  “Where you go, I go,” Luke said with undisguised affection.

  Sierra wondered for the first time if she would find a man to share such lasting happiness. A picture of Blade filled her mind and heated her body. “Have you two eaten?”

  “Not since lunch,” her brother told her.

  “Can’t have that.” Sierra stood. “Feel free to explore while I call my contact at the W so we can get into the restaurant. It’s not to be believed.”

  Catherine shook her head. “You’re already settled in for the night. We can get something on the way back to the hotel. You’ve probably already eaten.”

  “I wasn’t very hungry earlier,” she confessed, and watched Luke’s eyes sharpen.

  Catherine stood and studied Sierra almost as closely as her brother. “Are you feeling all right?”

  Having a hearty appetite and a perceptive family had its disadvantages. “Fine. I’ve just been busy with sales and marketing.”

  Luke rose as well. “Nothing ever put you off food before.”

  “I’ve never been the exclusive broker for a property like Navarone Place, either,” Sierra said, trying not to squirm under her brother’s penetrating stare.

  “Do we invite Blade to join us?” he asked.

  “He’s in Mexico on a project,” Sierra told her brother, and watched as Catherine and Luke exchanged looks. Protesting that they were jumping to conclusions would only make them more suspicious. “It won’t take a moment to change. Where are your bags?”

  “At the hotel,” Catherine told her.

  “Not for long. You’re staying here,” Sierra said. “After we eat, we can take the car and go get them.”

  “What car?” Luke asked.

  Sierra just grinned, feeling in control for the first time since their arrival.

  TWELVE

  Dinner was wonderful. Sierra even managed to forget how much she missed Blade and enjoyed her meal with Luke and Catherine. After dinner Sierra called Shane and asked him to bring the car around. The look of surprise on Luke’s face when he saw the Titanium Maserati coupe was priceless.

  “It’s a perk,” Sierra told him before he asked as she slid inside.

  “Nice,” Catherine said, getting into the front passenger’s seat.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Sierra let down the window on the passenger’s side and spoke to Luke, still on the sidewalk: “We’re waiting.”

  Slowly he got into the back. “This is Blade’s doing.” It wasn’t a compliment.

  “The man knows how to build resorts and residences, and pamper clients and employees.”

  “That he does.” Sierra glanced in the rearview mirror at her brother’s tight-lipped expression, then pulled away, hitting 50 MPH in two seconds. Catherine, who drove a Porsche, loved the stunning bodywork and luxurious interior as Sierra had expected. Just as she’d known Luke wouldn’t.

  In the front seat, the women ignored his opinion that no one on the road should be driving a car that reached speeds of 200 MPH. He didn’t care how well it was engineered or that it switched from manual to automatic.

  After their luggage was in the trunk, Sierra handed Catherine the key. “Why don’t you try her out?”

  “I was hoping I could.” Catherine kissed Luke on his clenched jaw and got behind the wheel.

  Luke, who couldn’t deny Catherine anything she wanted, swallowed and climbed back inside. Sierra enjoyed teasing him by suggesting Catherine consider buying herself one. She could keep her bottled water and lipstick in the refrigerated console.

  Back at Sierra’s place, Catherine had taken Luke’s hand in hers and assured him that she’d never do anything that would cause him to worry about her. They’d said good night and, hand in hand, gone to the guest bedroom.

  Sierra watched them go. Sadness swamped her. To be able to share that unique link with another person had to be the most incredible feeling in the world. Blade hadn’t even called her. Her arms wrapped around her waist, she slowly went to the master bedroom. The wide bed with the half canopy and plush silk headboard she sat against to read or work increased the feeling of loneliness.

  She didn’t like missing a man, but there was nothing she could do about it.

  Sierra woke up early the next morning determined not to brood. She worked on another marketing plan and did paperwork until a little after eight, when she called Martin, thankfully not waking him up, and asked if he could prepare breakfast.

  He loved cooking and was delighted. He turned stubborn on her and refused to serve them at her place. Well aware that her kitchen might have staples but nothing to prepare the caliber of food Martin was capable of, she reluctantly agreed. He assured her that he’d see them at the penthouse at nine.

  Hanging up the phone, she took a long bath, then curled her hair. The curls wouldn’t stay long, but she needed a little lift. Her plan not to think about Blade wasn’t working very well. Finished, she dressed in a white wrap dress and slipped a chunky turquoise bracelet on her wrist and turquoise-colored sandals on her feet.

  Finished, she left her bedroom to wait until Luke and Catherine woke up. In the great room she wanted to pace but made herself pick up the book she had been trying to read the night before Luke and Catherine’s arrival. Moments later, Sierra shut the book and got to her feet.

  Men. Why do they have to make things so difficult? Would it hurt Blade to call me? Sure, she could call him, but she somehow knew that he needed to be the one to reach out.

  All of her brothers except Luke had some doubts when they were dating their future wives. Not that she could compare whatever it was between her and Blade with what her brothers and wives had, she quickly told herself. She was just thinking metaphorically. Men dithered and worried. Only Luke had never swayed from his belief, despite the odds, that he’d make Catherine his one day.

  He had. When
he wanted something there was no turning him around. In that, he and Sierra were most alike. She might be impulsive in some things, but in others she was methodical, weighing the odds, counting the costs.

  The price for caring for Blade could be a very broken heart if she wasn’t careful. He cared for her, but was it enough to get past whatever put that look of torment on his face and stole his smile? Was she strong enough to risk the heartache if he couldn’t?

  “What are you thinking?”

  Sierra turned to see Luke, her protector for as long as she could remember. “That you and I are a lot alike.”

  He walked to her. “You take chances; I don’t.”

  She started to point out that he had taken the greatest chance of all, falling in love. Just then there was a knock at her door. She glanced at her watch. Eight forty-five. “We’re going upstairs for breakfast. It’s probably Jenkins coming to get us. Martin doesn’t like to be kept waiting to serve.”

  “Who are they?” Luke asked.

  “I’ll explain later.” Sierra opened the door. Her eyes widened. Happiness rolled through her.

  Blade had thought of this moment almost every hour while he was gone. He’d never missed a woman, missed anything, as much as he’d missed Sierra. The chopper had barely settled on the roof before he was out. He’d taken the stairs two at a time when the elevator didn’t open immediately.

  She had never looked more beautiful, with her hair curling softly around her face. He was going to enjoy mussing it up. His hungry arms reached for her. With a small gasp she stepped back.

  His brow furrowed; then he followed her frantic gaze over her shoulder to the tall, imposing man standing several feet behind her. Rage hit Blade. While he was thinking of her, barely able to work, she had been with another man! He’d even left Shane to protect her, Martin to cook for her.

  The right thing to do was leave before she saw how much she had hurt him. No, that wasn’t the right word, he thought as his fists clenched. Disappointed him. Yet somehow he couldn’t get his feet to move. He wanted too badly to rip the man’s face off.

  “Good morning. You must be Blade Navarone.”

  Blade pulled his gaze from the man and saw a striking woman. She wore a welcoming smile, elegance, and a silk couture suit.

  “I’m Catherine Grayson.” She curved her arm lovingly around the man. “Have you met Luke, Sierra’s brother?”

  Brother. Blade’s sharp gaze went to the man again. Tall, handsome, challenging.

  “Blade,” said a voice from behind him that he recognized as Shane’s. “I see you’ve met Sierra’s brother and his wife. Martin sent me up to tell you that breakfast is waiting for all of you on the terrace.”

  No one sent Shane anywhere unless he wanted to go. He was trying to keep Blade from jumping to the wrong conclusion. Too late. Blade knew he’d made a complete ass of himself.

  “Why did you give Sierra such a dangerous car?” Luke asked.

  “He didn’t give it to me, Luke,” Sierra said, trying to smile, but it kept slipping. “It’s a perk.”

  “I’m asking Blade,” Luke told his sister.

  Blade didn’t need Shane’s nudge in his back to know that if he didn’t work through his embarrassment, Sierra’s big brother, whom she adored, would think Blade was an idiot. “The car is an extension of Navarone Place, luxurious, elegant, a bit elitist.”

  “So are several other cars that don’t reach two hundred MPH,” Luke pointed out.

  “But they don’t run on a flat, have safety features like collapsible steering wheels and breakaway engine mounts, nor can they stop on a dime and give you change,” Blade said, finally finding his footing. “All of which, after riding with Sierra, I know she needs.”

  “I drive just fine,” Sierra said, her lips curving into a pout.

  “You let her drive that car without seeing her drive first?” Luke asked incredulously.

  “She’s one of the most competent, responsible people I’ve ever met.” Blade’s brow furrowed when he looked at Sierra, sensually beautiful. “I never guessed she was a speed demon.”

  “I am not,” Sierra said, but there was no heat in her voice. He realized she was trying to help him. He needed all the aid he could get.

  “And after you found out?” Luke asked.

  “I’d already offered her the car. I’m sure you know how impossible it is to talk your sister out of something she wants,” Blade told him.

  “Granted. But if I really thought she was at risk, I wouldn’t give her a choice,” Luke came back.

  Blade knew they had moved past talking about the car. He was being given fair warning. “The car is fast, but it’s safe or I wouldn’t have offered it in the first place. Her well-being comes first.”

  Luke studied Blade for a long time, then did the unexpected. He extended his hand. “Luke Grayson.”

  “Blade Navarone.” The handshake was firm, the black eyes direct. He was being given a pass for the time being. But if Blade hurt Sierra, he might be the one getting his face ripped off.

  Seeing Blade and Luke shake hands, Sierra breathed a little easier. She’d seen Luke in his “big brother” mode and it wasn’t a pretty sight. He had a low boiling point … unless it involved his family—then watch out.

  Blade was still being watched and weighed, but at least Luke was willing to give him a chance. Sierra looped her arm through Luke’s, telling him without words that she thanked him.

  She was independent enough not to need her family’s approval of the man she dated, but she wanted it. “I think we’d better go to breakfast before Martin dumps everything out.”

  “I’m starved. Let’s go.” Catherine crossed to Blade and took his arm. “Mr. Navarone, this place is fabulous, but I understand all of your properties are.”

  “Thank you. Please call me Blade. If you ever wish to stay at any of them as my guest, please let me know.” As if an afterthought he glanced back over his shoulder as he started down the hall. “You, too, Grayson.”

  Luke grunted. Catherine laughed softly. Sierra’s lips twitched. She’d call Catherine later and thank her for helping smooth things and for her willingness to give Blade a chance. Sierra had the best sisters-in-law in the world.

  As for Blade, he might have been thrown when he’d initially seen Luke, but he’d recovered nicely. She’d take him to task later for thinking she was fooling around with another man.

  Blade had barely inserted the key when Jenkins opened the door with a greeting before showing them directly to the terrace. Martin, muttering under his breath, served them the moment they were seated.

  “I see what you mean,” Luke said to Sierra, then blessed the food.

  “Wait until you taste the food.” Sierra leaned over to her brother, who sat to her right at the small rectangular table. “He and Brandon are both excellent chefs.”

  “You’ve eaten a lot of meals here?” Luke added butter to his grits, placed a fluffy cheese biscuit on his plate, then cut into the thick slice of honey-cured ham.

  Sierra took a bite of fluffy scrambled eggs before answering. Luke might appear casual, but she knew better. “If you had a choice between cooking, going out to a restaurant which may or may not be consistent, or eating food like this, which would you choose?”

  “Martin.” Catherine bit into her crisp bacon.

  Luke tasted his food before answering. “The man can cook.”

  Sierra laughed. “Exactly. Martin even brings me lunch. I couldn’t ask for better.”

  Luke looked at Blade. “I hope it stays that way.”

  “There’s no reason for it to change.” Blade set his coffee cup down. He turned to Sierra. “My staff and I will do everything to ensure her tenure here is one she won’t forget.”

  “You already have,” she answered, the words slipping from her before she had a chance to guard them.

  “With your elegant residence, a luxury sports car, and a five-star chef at your disposal, I can see why,” Catherine said.

&
nbsp; Sierra threw her sister-in-law a grateful smile for helping her out once again. She knew Luke had seen the wistful look she’d given Blade, heard it in her voice. She just prayed he hadn’t seen the longing, too.

  “Stay safe and try to keep to the speed limits,” Luke told Sierra, giving her one last hug before getting in the waiting limo. Catherine was already inside.

  “I will.” Sierra felt a knot in her throat as she waved and watched the car pull away. Blade had put his driver and car at their disposal. He’d squashed their objections by pointing out that they might have a difficult time getting a cab after the seminar. The streets around the university were narrow and heavily congested.

  “I’m not sure your brother likes me.”

  She looked at Blade as the car hit the freeway ramp. “If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t have offered his hand or accepted the car. But I think you need to worry more about how I feel.”

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I was hoping you’d forget about that.”

  “Not likely.” Sierra stepped away and went inside the building. Blade slowly followed her onto the elevator. He didn’t say anything as he got inside, or later as they walked down the hallway to her place. Neither did she until they were inside, the door closed.

  “You don’t call for two days, then you come back and think the worst of me.”

  “I was wrong,” he said slowly.

  Arms folded, Sierra cocked an eyebrow. “And?”

  “I apologize.” He took her arms and stared down at her. “I couldn’t get you out of my head the entire time I was there, and when I come back I see a man in your place.”

  “So naturally you think something is going on.”

  “It was a knee-jerk reaction.”

  “You have the jerk part right.” Pushing away from him, she started for the terrace. He stopped her. She looked meaningfully from the hand on her arm to his face.

  “I don’t want a fight.” Frustration tinged each word.

  “You’re awfully close to getting one.”

  He took her other arm, dragging her against the muscled hardness of his body. “I thought of calling countless times. I didn’t because I thought, if I heard your voice, it would make me miss you more.”