by L. P. Dover
He squeezed my shoulder. “There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. I would’ve helped you a long time ago, but I knew you wanted to do it on your own.”
“I still do, but I recently decided to expand, and Wade has a lot of good ideas that could help. That’s why we’re going to California for a fashion show, to show off my designs.”
His eyes brightened. “I’m so proud of you. I know your father would be too.” My chest tightened and I fought off the burn building in my eyes. “How’s your mother? I left her a message, but she hasn’t returned it. I know she’s been staying with you.”
“She has. But right now, she’s in the Bahamas. I think it’s the first real vacation she’s taken since Dad died.”
“She deserves it.” His gaze landed on Wade and a sad smile spread across his face, as he watched him dance with Kailey. “Do you remember dancing with me when you were a child?”
“How could I forget? I used to love hearing your stories about living in Charleston and surfing. It’s what made me want to go back and do the same thing. It’s too bad my father moved us away so soon. You could’ve taught me a thing or two.”
He chuckled. “And look at you now. Owning your own surf shop.”
“That’s right,” I stated proudly. “What about you, now that you’re retired?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, he shrugged. “It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I miss staying busy, but I knew Wade needed to get a foothold in the company before I got too old. We’re not all promised a tomorrow.”
That was for damn sure. The song finished and Kailey ran off to her grandfather so she could look at the pictures he took.
Wade focused on his father, his lips set in a firm line as he approached us. “What are you doing here?”
Glenn smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Something was wrong. “I wanted to catch you before you left, but I see now that you’re not alone.” He put his arm around my shoulders and squeezed. “Stop by the house after you drop this lovely lady off.” They stared at each other and I could feel the tension.
Wade nodded once. “Will do.”
Glenn kissed the top of my head. “Take care of yourself, peanut. We’ll talk soon.” He walked off and disappeared into the crowd.
“Is everything okay? Feels like something’s wrong.”
Wade’s brows furrowed. “Why would you think that?”
“I could see it in his eyes.”
He took my hand. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Ready to go?”
I replied with a nod. As soon as we were in the lobby, the limo appeared out front. There were still camera crews outside, watching as we stood just inside the doors. “You handled Kailey well tonight,” I murmured, turning to face him. “You’re quite the dancer.”
With a sly smile, he rested his hands on my waist. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me.”
“I have noticed you don’t smile often. How come you let me see that side of you?”
His dark blue eyes stared deeply into mine, making my whole body tremble. “Because I want you to.”
My breath hitched, and it was as if everything around us disappeared. Sliding my hands up his arms, I moved them to his face. I thought he’d pull away, but his eyes darkened and he looked down at my lips. I shouldn’t want him, but it was my only chance, my only excuse to feel him again. Our lips touched, and I closed my eyes. Even with my eyes shut, I could still see the camera flashes.
Wade slowly broke the kiss, nipping my bottom lip. He didn’t even bother to look at the reporters as they continued to take pictures of us. “Maybe next time you’ll kiss me because you want to, not because of the cameras.”
My naughty side came out to play, as I reached down with the hand hidden from the cameras and pinched his ass. “Too bad they’re not around more often.”
His gaze narrowed and he studied me. “Touché.”
Working closely with him was going to be my undoing. I didn’t know how long I was going to last, keeping my distance from him. It’d be so much easier if I knew he didn’t want me. I just didn’t understand why he was holding back. Hand in hand, we walked out of the doors and right into the limo. We’d given the press enough to chew on for the next week.
Once we were on the road, Wade loosened his tie and sighed. “We leave for California in two days. Will everything be here in time?”
I nodded. “Lexi’s shipping everything out there. It should be waiting for us when we arrive.” I’d worked with her to ensure we had plenty of different designs, along with a couple of surfboards. “What day are we coming back?” I asked.
His gaze met mine and I shivered. After everything that’d just happened, he appeared calm and collected. Why couldn’t I be like that? My palms were sweaty, and everything inside of me tingled. “I figured we could decide later. Is there a certain day you need to come back?”
I shook my head and smiled, as if the kiss hadn’t affected me at all. Hell, I’d already slept with the man. Trying to pretend otherwise wasn’t working. “No,” I replied. “If we have extra time, I want to check out the waves. I’ve never surfed the Pacific Ocean before.”
“Then we’ll stay an extra couple of days. I don’t have anything pressing on my schedule.”
We arrived at the lake house and the driver opened the door. Wade got out and reached for my hand to help me out.
“Thank you for inviting me tonight,” I said as he walked me to the door.
“You’re welcome.”
“You’re not mad at me for that kissing stunt, are you?”
He huffed, sounding more frustrated than angry. “No. I’m doing all of this for you.”
“Why?” I whispered.
Lifting his hand, he slowly ran a couple of fingers through a strand of my hair. “Why did you kiss me?”
Too many reasons. I was obviously attracted to him, but there were other factors as well. Ones I didn’t want to admit to myself. Before I could even muster a reply, his phone rang. It was a good thing, because I had no clue what I was going to say.
Wade stepped back and answered his phone, his tone clipped and fast. When he hung up, his knuckles were white from gripping the phone so hard. “I have to go. I’ll be here to pick you up for the airport.”
I nodded. “Goodnight, Wade.”
His gaze landed on my lips, but he walked away and sighed. “Goodnight, Brina.”
Opening the door to my house, I tossed my purse onto the couch. What the fuck am I doing? I hated when people played games, yet here I was, knee-deep in one. I knew better than to get involved with another high-profile man. It was a mistake. But clearly, part of me didn’t give a shit.
Grabbing the remote, I turned on the TV and collapsed onto the couch. I kicked off my high heels and breathed a sigh of relief, only to freeze at what I saw on the news.
“Oh my God.”
Wade
I didn’t want to leave, but I had no choice. Being sexually frustrated wasn’t something I was used to. A simple call or text to any of the countless women in my phone would help exponentially. No strings. No attachments. Just a quick fuck and that’d be it. Unfortunately, even that didn’t appeal to me anymore. What the hell was wrong with me?
I arrived at my father’s house and walked right on inside. My father called out from the kitchen, “Care to tell me what’s going on with you and Brina?”
Huffing, I marched into the kitchen and found him sitting at the table with the newspaper spread out. His glare of disappointment bore right through me. “Is that why you wanted me over here? To talk about her?” I took off my tie and tossed it on the counter.
His lips pursed. “I watched you two together tonight.”
“And?”
“She obviously has feelings for you. I could see it on her face.”
I scoffed. “No, she doesn’t.”
He shrugged. “You’re blind then.”
Clenching my teeth, I poured myself a glass of whiskey. “It’s all for show. After wh
at happened in D.C. she was pissed about what the media said about her. I offered to make it right.”
“How valiant of you.”
The whiskey burned my throat as it went down. “Look, I’m not going to hurt her, if that’s what you’re worried about. She’s helping me out too. Her reputation wasn’t the only one that got fucked. I was made out to be the bad guy.”
“You are.” He laughed. “Christopher Parks is a good guy, and very respectable. He and Brina were the perfect match. He loved her.”
“Fuck that shit,” I grumbled, slamming my glass down. “They have nothing in common.”
With a loud chuckle, my father got to his feet. “You do have feelings for her. Never thought I’d see the day.”
I glared at him. He always knew how to push my buttons. “In the end, it doesn’t matter if I do or not. She’s made it perfectly clear nothing’s going to happen between us long-term.”
He held up his hands. “All right. That might be the best thing anyway. Although, I’m hoping you’ll help me with a certain situation. I have no doubt it’ll give Brina closure.”
“What is it?”
He walked over to the table and picked up the newspaper. “I don’t think she knows just yet. If she did, she would’ve said something tonight.”
Brows furrowed, I took the paper. I recognized the picture of the man in handcuffs; it was Keith Sanders, the man who’d assassinated Brina’s father. He was the leader of an extremist group who hated the new changes the Carmichael’s brought to the government, blaming them for all his misfortunes. He was a fanatic.
My father tapped his finger on the picture. “Peter and I finally got the transfer approved. Sanders is being moved from Folsom to California State Prison. Just a little less than two hours away from where you’re going to be this weekend.”
That was all he had to say. I knew exactly what he wanted me to do. “When does this take place?”
My father sighed. “Sunday. Think you can extend the weekend an extra day or two?”
I nodded. “Shouldn’t be a problem.” Brina wanted to spend a day on the waves. It was the perfect time to get away.
“Good. I’ll have all the information for you tomorrow.” He grabbed my shoulders. “This isn’t going to be easy, son. You run the risk of exposure. You’ll need to make the kill before they get to the facility. Timing is of the essence.”
“I’ll get it done.” I always got the job done, no matter the cost. I’d do it for her.
Brina
I’d spent the past two days trying to get a hold of my brother. He had to have known about the prison transfer before it even aired on the news. Why hadn’t he called to tell me? The whole thing pissed me off. Keith Sanders deserved to die after what he did. A lot of people didn’t agree with the death penalty, but I believed in a firmer punishment than living it up in prison on the taxpayers’ dime.
Wade put his arm around my shoulders, drawing me out of my inner turmoil. I could hear the clicking sound of people taking pics on their phones. “We’re about to board. You okay?”
I hadn’t said a word about Sanders. When he picked me up this morning, I pretended everything was okay. I didn’t want to think about the past. All I wanted was to focus on the fashion show—the here and now.
“I’m fine,” I said, plastering on a smile. I snuggled into his side, drawing in the comfort I craved. His skin was warm and his T-shirt was soft against my cheek. It was the first time I’d seen him in normal clothes. His dark hair was even hidden behind a baseball cap. “I was going to come by and see you yesterday.” I looked up at him and his brows furrowed.
“You were?”
Sighing, I sat up and faced him, not even caring that so many people were around trying to listen. “We didn’t get to finish our talk the other night.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it. I already know how you feel.”
“That’s not—” I didn’t get to finish because it was time for us to board. Timing was not on my side.
Once we were settled in and the plane took off, he leaned back in his seat and shut his eyes. The man was maddening. I could see it in his face and his actions that he wanted me, yet he never did anything about it. Was it bad I wanted him to ravish me the way he did that night in D.C.?
Yes. It was bad, especially since I just signed a one year contract with him. If things got messy, I’d be stuck dealing with him. I needed to go with my brain, and not what my heart or lady bits wanted.
I could tell he wasn’t asleep, so I nudged him in the side. “Have you ever been in love?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, he opened his eyes. “No.” Then he turned to me. “You?”
I shook my head. “Never had the chance. It was hard to go on dates with secret service agents following me around.”
“I bet everything got worse when your father was killed,” he said in all seriousness.
“It did, but when I was old enough, I had the choice of whether I wanted protection or not. My mother and I both decided against it, to live our lives freely.”
“And have you had any issues?”
“None. Then again, I know how to use a gun. My father used to take me hunting. I was seven when I killed my first elk.”
“I’m impressed,” he replied, his eyes widening with fascination. “What else did you and your family do?”
There wasn’t any harm in letting him know a little bit about myself. “Lots of things. I was eight when my father won the presidency. Life before that was normal. I remember getting up and going to school like every other kid. My father was always gone on business, so it was just me and my mother. Noah went off to college when I was three, so I don’t remember him being around much.”
“But you’re close to him now, right?”
If he only knew. However, Noah’s track record of avoiding me when there was something he didn’t want me to know was infuriating. “I am, for the most part,” I admitted truthfully. “But I’m closer to my niece. She’s like the sister I never had. What about you and your brothers? Are you close?”
He snorted. “Sometimes, when I don’t want to kill them. You might not remember this, but Ian and Bryce are twins. My youngest brother, Reed, was born after you moved away.”
I remembered the twins, but only vaguely. They weren’t in the spotlight like he was, so I didn’t know much about them. “What do they do?”
“Believe it or not, they live out in Wyoming, close to where your family’s from.”
“Really?” I gasped. “I never would’ve thought that. They didn’t want a piece of Chandler Enterprises?”
He shook his head. “They have no desire to run the business. If you stick around long enough, I’m sure you’ll meet them again.”
“If I stick around? Excuse me, but I think you’re the one to be worried about.”
“How so?”
We stared at each other, his gaze never wavering. “Why did you agree to this charade?” I asked. “What’s in it for you? Surely a man such as yourself has to miss some of the perks of being who you are.” Now that we were supposedly a couple, he couldn’t be with other women without being caught.
“Like what?” he questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. “Women?” I nodded and his lips pursed. “You must think I’m a grade A asshole, huh?”
“I’m just trying to figure you out. There has to be something you’re getting out of this other than money from my company. I don’t see why you’d go through all of this trouble for chump change.”
Leaning over, he stared down at my lips, then into my eyes. “You obviously don’t have much faith in me. I will tell you this though.” I breathed him in and froze as I felt his breath against my skin. I ached for him to kiss me. “I do have an agenda, sunshine. And hopefully, one of these days, you’ll figure it out.”
When we landed, I expected Wade to take us to a hotel, but we ended up at a private Malibu ranch. “How did you find this place?” I asked, admiring the house. The front looked lik
e a castle, nestled in the valley between acres and acres of grassy hills. There were no neighbors in sight.
Wade opened the trunk to our SUV and unloaded all of the bags, including my surfboards. “It’s mine.”
“How many homes do you own?” I asked with a laugh.
He shrugged and looked around. “I haven’t been out here in years. My brothers use this place more than me.”
I helped him with the bags and followed him inside. It was open and bright, the view breathtakingly beautiful from the living room windows on the far side of the house. “This is amazing. If I owned a place like this, I’d be here all the time.”
“Where do you live in Charleston?” he asked curiously.
“The house where I grew up. It looks exactly the same, except I had the outside painted yellow.” Pulling out my phone, I showed him a picture with the new house color. It was a two-story home with wrap around porches, and a wonderful view of the ocean.
Wade looked at it and smiled. “I remember it. The yellow looks good. My father still has a house out there. I was down there not too long ago.”
It was crazy how we’d been connected all these years, yet hadn’t seen each other since we were little. His father visited me on numerous occasions. “You’ll have to visit me sometime. I could teach you how to surf.”
His eyes lifted to mine. “I’d like that.”
Heart racing, I looked down at his lips and moved closer. It was time I finished what I had to say.
He took a few quick, shallow breaths, then stepped back and turned for the door. “I’m going to get the rest of our stuff.”
My stomach clenched and I huffed. “Wait,” I called out. “Let’s not do this anymore.”
He stopped mid-step and glanced at me over his shoulder. “What are you talking about? Do what?”
I threw my hands in the air. “I’m done lying, and pretending what we’re doing isn’t driving me absolutely insane.” He turned around completely, eyes darkening as he bit his lip. “You asked me the other night why I kissed you. The selfish part of me wanted the world to know you’re mine, but in all reality, I kissed you because I wanted to. Because I wanted to feel the connection we had that first night.”
