A Limited Engagement

by Bethany Michaels

  My team. He couldn’t wait until the deal with Thomas was signed and his father wasn’t able to throw that up in his face any longer.

  “What I do in my personal life has nothing to do with the team.”

  “The hell it doesn’t. If you want to succeed, you have to focus 100 percent on winning. No distractions. You have to sacrifice if you plan to get to the top.”

  Derek knew that. He actually agreed with the old man there. Racing had been his sole focus since the first time he’d put on a helmet and strapped into a race car. But he’d be damned if he admitted to his dad that he was right.

  “We all know how that worked out for you, don’t we, Dad?”

  He heard a frustrated sigh from the other end of the line. “The divorce is ancient history. Jacob, Graham, and Shana all got over it. Why can’t you let it go?”

  Maybe because Derek had been the oldest and had seen what was happening. He’d seen the way his father’s lack of interest in the family affected his mother. He’d been the one to hear her crying at night when she thought everyone was asleep. He’d been the one listening outside the bedroom door when his father popped in long enough to inform her that he wanted a divorce. He’d seen the way people in town looked at her differently after that. As if the dissolution of the marriage had been her personal failure.

  So yeah, maybe the old sore was a little rawer for him than it was for his younger siblings, who really hadn’t understood what was going on at the time…that their father had ripped the family apart through his own selfishness, leaving their mother holding the bag.

  “I can handle business and pleasure,” Derek said, tossing the blue tie back in his suitcase.

  “I’ll be looking for another driver at the first sign you’re slipping. I give it six weeks, tops.”

  More threats. He would be happy not to have to put up with that crap anymore. “Until the end of my career or my engagement?”

  “Take your pick.”

  “I have to go. I’m meeting my fiancée for dinner in a few minutes. I’ll explain things to Mom on Sunday when I get into town.” He clicked off before his father could reply. He knew that not having the last word drove him absolutely nuts. Good. Let him stew.

  Derek hadn’t anticipated that the engagement would irk his father so much. Just another perk. His mother, though…she wouldn’t be happy when she found out the engagement wasn’t real. None of the four kids had come anywhere close to getting married or producing grandchildren yet. An oversight they all heard about every time they talked to their mom. Well, hopefully his other sibs would come through, because marriage and family just weren’t in Derek’s blood. He was pretty sure racing fuel pumped through his veins, and that’s the way he liked it.

  Derek finished dressing and headed downstairs to meet Lilly. He tried not to think about how the pointy dress shoes pinched his toes as he waited at the bottom of the staircase for her to come down. These shoes, these pants, this tight shirt. He hated them. But it would be standard attire when he bought the team. Better the tie choking him than his father’s overbearing meddling.

  “I was wondering when you’d come again,” Serena Thomas said, breaking into his thoughts. He hadn’t even heard her approach.

  “Hello, Serena.”

  He watched Serena glide across the room, her hips swaying in a fashion calculated to have any man within her sight on his knees and drooling. Her floor-length gown seemed demure, except for the way it clung to her hips and breasts, leaving no question that she was bare underneath. Her silky hair lay on her dress in waves of gold, and she wore diamond earrings big enough to chip a tooth if a guy went in for a little earlobe nibble.

  A month ago, hell, a day ago, it would have had a serious effect on him. Now? Well, it pretty much took care of the issue he’d been having with his fly lying flat. Serena stopped in front of him and air-kissed his cheek, rubbing her nearly-bare breasts against his arm as she did so.

  He cleared his throat and smiled at her. “We got in around five,” he said, glancing up the empty stairway and wishing Lilly would hurry the hell up. The proposition was coming any second, and turning her down was sure to piss her off. Once those contracts were signed, he’d feel a lot better.

  “We?” Serena said, cocking an eyebrow. “Did you bring your team?”

  A door closed upstairs, and Lilly came down the staircase. Relief swept over him. But only until he saw how hot she looked. Resisting kissing her again was going to be a lot harder than he’d imagined. “You could say that.”

  The cocktail dress Lilly wore clung to every curve she had, from her generous breasts to the tiny waist to the round hips and thighs he could easily imagine wrapped around his head as he got up close and personal. The plunging neckline showed more than a hint of cleavage, and on another woman it might have looked a little cheap, but on her, with her sweet face, wide blue eyes, and softly curling hair brushing her cheeks, it was perfect.

  He was still staring when she got to the bottom step and smiled at him. “And this must be Serena,” she said. Her words were warm and gracious, but the underlying warning was anything but. Her eyes darted from him to Serena and back again before she swallowed and then stepped right up to him, belly to belly, and looked into his eyes. “I missed you, baby,” she said, and rose on her tiptoes to kiss him full on the mouth.

  His arms went around her, and his surprise gave way to pleasure as her soft lips moved over his. Her mouth opened in a tiny gasp, and her body molded to his. He would have happily gone on kissing her until the clock struck midnight. The tiny grunt of frustration and a not-so-subtle throat-clearing from the forgotten woman beside him told him yes, the kiss was doing exactly what he wanted. Serena would see he was off-limits. But good God, the kiss was only supposed to be for show. The blood sprinting through his veins and raw need socking him in the gut—that wasn’t supposed to happen.

  He broke away from the kiss, but he couldn’t pull away entirely, because Lilly kept her hand on his chest in a very clear gesture of possession. When she did a favor, she went all in.

  “Goodness,” she said, and she sounded genuinely breathless. Hell of a performance. “I’m so sorry, Miss Thomas.” She flashed her ring at Serena. “Newly engaged. I can’t keep my hands off him. Why don’t you introduce us, sweetie?”

  His mind took a moment to catch up, mostly due to the fact that the blood needed in his brain to run his mouth had rushed south of the border. Again.

  “Uh, yeah. Serena, my fiancée, Lilly Harmon. Lilly, Serena Thomas.”

  “So nice to finally meet you,” Lilly said, still glued to his side. “I’ve heard so much about you.” The tone was back. Did girls from the South practice this stuff? It kind of turned him on. Hell, everything about Lilly turned him on.

  “Fiancée? Why, I had no idea you had a serious girlfriend, Derek.” She didn’t bother to look at Lilly at all, her gaze focused on Derek in an assessing, predatory way. “I should offer my congratulations.”

  Lilly ran her hand down Derek’s chest. “Thanks. We couldn’t be happier, could we, honey?” She was playing the part for all she was worth. If only his body would remember it was all an act.

  “I’ve known Lilly forever,” he said, finally forcing his mind to the farce they were supposed to be playing out. “We were next-door neighbors.”

  “Childhood sweethearts?” Serena asked wryly. “How precious.” Her voice was smooth and sultry, like the low purr of a high-performance racing engine, but her razor-sharp words were designed to maim. Obviously she’d studied the tone, too.

  “Yeah. It’s crazy.” He shifted his weight. “But when you meet the one, you just know.”

  “Well, there’s the man himself.” Mr. Thomas’s Texas accent boomed through the foyer. He moved across the room in just the same way, taking bold, confident strides. With a perfectly tailored suit and a fussy tie, the only thing that kept him from looking like some country club yuppie was a beat-up black cowboy hat sitting atop his shock of white hair. He was a g
ood ol’ boy, but one with a hell of a lot of money. “How you doing, son?” He shook Derek’s hand vigorously, his grip a combination of welcome and sheer dominance.

  Derek made sure his grip was just as firm as he smiled at the older man. “I’m fine, Mr. Thomas. Thanks for the invite.”

  “Glad you could make it.” His eyes shifted to Lilly, and his gaze softened a bit. “And who’s this pretty lady by your side?”

  Derek pulled Lilly’s hand to bring her in front of him. “This is Lilly Harmon. My fiancée.”

  Well, here went nothing. Either Thomas bought it and forgot about any ideas he might have as far as making him a son-in-law, or he made it an issue right now and let it sour the deal.

  After a second, he shook his head at his daughter and smiled at Derek. “How ’bout that? Didn’t know you were fixin’ to get married.”

  “It’s recent,” Derek said. “Just this afternoon in fact.”

  “Well, hot damn. I’ll bet there’s a helluva story there.” He turned to Lilly. “Nice to meet you, my dear. And congratulations.”

  “Thank you. It was…unexpected.” She gazed up at Derek and smiled.

  “I believe dinner is ready,” Serena said, her tone no longer so bright. “Shall we?”

  “Absolutely,” Derek said, and he hung back as their hosts led the way toward the dining room.

  “That was intense,” Lilly whispered to Derek. “You weren’t kidding about her trying to get you into her lair. And she is gorgeous. Are you sure you don’t want to just do it and forget all this pretending?”

  He stopped walking before he tripped on his own feet.

  Just do it and forget all this pretending. Was she suggesting…?

  “Is that what you want?” It’d be stupid to take her up on this. Every reason why they couldn’t actually sleep together was just as real today as yesterday. But the thought of kissing her again, of seeing the way her hair would spill over his pillow, her lush body beneath his—

  “I said I’d help you, and I will,” she said. “But seriously, if you’ve changed your mind and want to hook up with Serena, I can catch a flight home in the morning.”

  He blinked…and then the real meaning of her words sank into his lust-addled brain. She wasn’t offering herself. She was offering him the chance to opt out of their arrangement so he could start something with Serena.

  Hell no. Serena wasn’t just looking for a hookup. She was looking for a husband. She was looking for him to be that husband. The only kind of husband he had any interest in being was the fake kind that ended with the weekend.

  “No. It’s best if we just play this out.” His voice was tight. Clearly she wasn’t affected by the kiss as much as he was. That was probably a good thing. If this—whatever it was—was all one-sided, it made things easier. He’d just have to get over it, forget about naked, sexy Lilly.

  “Okay.” She took his arm. “You look great, by the way. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a suit and tie. Well, except for when you took Marissa May to the senior prom.”

  “Yeah. Ditched the jacket and tie as soon as the pictures were taken.”

  She laughed. “I’m not surprised. You were always more of a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy.”

  “Amen to that.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and they followed the statuesque Thomases into a dining room that was big enough to hold all of Derek’s ex-lovers. Half of Serena’s, too, he reckoned.

  “Break a leg,” he whispered to Lilly as they approached the elegantly set table, complete with fancy dishes, candlesticks, cloth napkins, and bunches of flowers in the middle.

  He reluctantly let go of her when Mr. Thomas held a chair for her across from Derek’s seat. Serena moved to the foot of the table, so he pulled the chair out for her and stifled a sneeze when her strong floral perfume caught the breeze.

  He gave Lilly a weak smile and set his napkin in his lap. Not even the smell of perfectly grilled filet mignon being brought out tempted him as much as she did.

  It was going to be a long dinner.

  …

  “So you two knew each other as kids?” Mr. Thomas asked, cutting into his steak. He narrowed his eyes on Derek as if he didn’t completely believe the story.

  “Yes. Lilly and my sister, Shana, were best friends. She practically lived at my house during summers.”

  “And all this time, you two never dated, never were a couple. Until now?” The tone in Serena’s voice made it obvious she wasn’t buying it.

  Crap. She couldn’t fail Derek now. She set down her silverware and prepared to inject a healthy dose of truth into their farce.

  “I had a huge crush on him all the time I was growing up,” she said. “I’d watch him come and go with a different girl every weekend and wish it was me. Years of field observation made me an expert on Derek Sawyer.”

  Derek looked at her, a grin splitting his face. “You never told me that. About the crushing, I mean.”

  “It was embarrassing. You didn’t know I was alive.” The last thing she thought she’d be doing at this dinner was confessing all the humiliating thoughts she’d ever had about Derek. Hopefully it would be enough to convince the Thomases they were a real couple.

  “I knew.” He stared at her across the table the way she’d always wanted him to. Too bad it was just for show.

  “You did?”

  “Sure. You followed me around like a little lost puppy dog.” He glanced at Mr. Thomas. “But I was six years older than her. Way too old to even think of her as anything but a friend.”

  Mr. Thomas nodded. “I was ten years older than Serena’s mother,” he said.

  “So then you two reconnected,” Serena said. “When was that?”

  Good thing they’d gotten their story straight in the car. It was starting to feel like an interrogation. The only thing that was missing was harsh lighting and a pair of handcuffs. “Derek was in Chicago, and he called me out of the blue to ask me out to lunch. We just…clicked.”

  “And then you proposed.” Serena smiled, but her eyes were hard.

  “Well, yeah,” Derek said. “As soon as we sat down to eat, I knew we’d make a great couple.”

  “I see.” Serena sipped her wine, never taking her eyes off Derek.

  Lilly fully expected Serena’s claws to come out again sometime between the salad and the steak, and she was ready for the assault. Yeah, her cheating ex had fired her, but she really had been damn good at her job, a master at spinning an awkward situation, charming the good guys, and disarming the bad guys. She was ready for the first volley and fully intended to send it sailing right back over the bone china and silver flatware. She looked forward to it, in fact.

  But the dinner attack never came. Instead, Serena was polite and kind and kept up a civil conversation with Lilly while the guys discussed racing and their impending business deal. Lilly was instantly suspicious. Serena was too spoiled to let go of what she wanted. Something was up. But she couldn’t find out what until the dinner was over and they escaped the lioness’s den.

  “Well, thanks for joining us for dinner,” Mr. Thomas said. “We have a couple of more things to hash out, though, before we finalize. I have a few more questions for you.” His eyes darted between Derek and Lilly.

  “I understand,” Derek said. “I have all the numbers with me and we can go over whatever you like.”

  “I’ve already drafted the press release,” Serena said, setting down her fork and dabbing her mouth with her napkin. “There will be at least a dozen news outlets there. We’ll do a brief press conference on the west patio. It’ll be a great way to jump-start our new ad campaign with our star spokesperson.” She beamed at Derek.

  “Hold on to it,” Thomas said. “I’ll give you the green light if I like what I hear in the morning. You play golf?” he asked, turning to Derek.

  “Absolutely,” Derek said.

  Mr. Thomas leaned forward, focusing on Derek. “You know, son, this press conference would be a good opportunity to an
nounce your engagement. We’d get more mileage with that angle. You can pose with your little lady here, and it’ll show what a good, solid family man you are. The news boys will eat that up.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Assuming we move ahead with this deal.” His gaze darted back to Lilly.

  Lilly froze, her fork full of the best tiramisu she’d ever tasted hovering in the air, forgotten.

  Press. Publicity. Photos. To her, Derek was the boy next door, but in all the rush, she’d almost forgotten he was a celebrity. Of course the press—and everyone else in the country—would be interested in his engagement. And in the woman who’d toppled his most eligible bachelor crown. This wasn’t going to be some secret game they played for the weekend. It would be national news.

  She set her fork down, her appetite gone. What was she going to tell her parents? Her friends? Had Derek even considered this when he’d proposed his crazy plan? Either way, he’d better have a plan to fix things.

  “Sounds great,” Derek said. He was playing nice, but Lilly could see the tension hidden in his smile. He eyes darted to hers. “Doesn’t it, sweetie?”

  She had to swallow hard before she could even take a breath. “Sure.” She would have kicked him under the table if he’d been in range, for getting them into this.

  Mr. Thomas suggested a drink after dinner, but Derek politely declined.

  “I appreciate your hospitality, Mr. Thomas, but Lilly and I are pretty tired, aren’t we, sweetie?”

  “Exhausted,” she confirmed, stifling a very real yawn. “It’s been a long day.”

  “I understand,” Mr. Thomas said, standing to shake Derek’s hand. “It’s not every day a man gets himself engaged.” He winked. “Enjoy it.”

  “We’ll see you at breakfast,” Serena said, smiling at both of them. But the way her gaze lingered on Derek sent alarm bells ringing. She was planning something. “Sleep well.”

  Derek and Lilly climbed the stairs hand in hand, and he didn’t let go until they reached the hallway outside Lilly’s room. Derek had been given the room at the top of the stairs, while Lilly’s bedroom was clear at the end of a long hallway and then down the corridor to the left. They were as far apart as could possibly be.