“You don’t have to okay your plans with me, remember?” Her cheeks were flushed, and she definitely looked like she’d been doing some cavorting. Good. He’d hate to think he was the only one suffering.
“Right.”
“Okay, so I guess I’ll leave you alone so you can pack.” She hesitated like she wasn’t quite ready to leave. “Have a good trip.”
He nodded, knowing exactly how she felt. The more time he spent with her, the more he wanted to spend with her. And that was a bad idea on so many levels. “Catch you later.”
Chapter Ten
Lilly pressed the button on Derek’s fancy coffeemaker and grabbed a yogurt from the stainless steel fridge. She looked out the back window while she waited for the coffee to brew, watching the bluebirds, which had migrated from the north for the winter, cardinals, and other winter birds flit around what passed for Derek’s backyard. She was glad it wasn’t the sculptured, manicured space she’d expected. She liked it a little wild. It was just the kind of location she would have chosen for a house.
If she didn’t already have a gorgeous apartment in a great building back in Chicago, of course.
The house was well cared for, but it was apparent that the owner wasn’t often home. There was none of the usual clutter in the living space that went along with an occupant spending lots of hours hanging out there. No remote controls on the arm of the couch in the living room, no half-used rolls of toilet paper in the bathroom. No spoons or iced tea glasses left in the kitchen sink, besides Lilly’s.
This was nice, but it was temporary. In just a few weeks, she’d be back in Chicago or some other city with a great new job and this whole mess behind her, for the most part. And then she could get on with her real life and maybe, someday, finding someone to share it with.
The house had been empty for three days since Derek had hopped on his private jet to take care of business. She still couldn’t believe he wanted to own the team. She got that he wanted control, and that he resented his dad’s interference, especially given the bad blood between them, but he’d never cared about anything but driving. He’d never taken an interest in the business part of the sport. People changed, she supposed. He’d learned to negotiate multimillion-dollar deals and handle national press. He was more like his father than he realized.
She had kind of assumed Derek would end up siphoning his family’s wealth so he could play on racetracks for the rest of his life without ever having to actually do a day of work himself. He’d really surprised her with his ambition and just how far he’d gone. He’d taken a talent for something he loved and beat the odds on a one-in-a-million chance of hitting the big time in racing’s premier series. She was proud of him, and if she was honest, maybe a little bit jealous, too.
She had always been the responsible one, the one with the five-year plan. Not Derek. He’d set a goal, then embraced each opportunity to get him there, even one as spontaneous as this fake relationship.
It was good Derek was gone for a few days. It gave her time to clear her head, to focus on what she needed to do—find a new job.
Derek had followed through on his promise—she’d gotten a call from a headhunter he’d hired. She had emailed her several leads, and Lilly was putting the final touches on her résumé this morning to email to the woman. There was a big firm in Seattle looking for a director. And one in Houston, too. Either would be a good opportunity, a chance for her to get her derailed career back on track. Hopefully, Derek’s name and influence would negate Richard’s attempts to get her blacklisted.
Freelancing was always an option if she got really desperate. But she liked being part of a team. She didn’t think freelancing was the right fit for her. Although living on her mother’s couch wasn’t an appealing option, either, so she wasn’t ruling that one out just yet.
She walked through the house, silent except for the birdcalls outside the windows and the low hum of the heat pump. The house felt big and empty without Derek in it. He took up space, became the center of everything in whatever room he was in. She missed his laugh and the way he teased her out of her bad moods and self-inflicted misery. When he was around, she didn’t have time to beat herself up over losing her job and moving back home.
But she’d better get used to his absence since they really only had a matter of weeks before they’d go their separate ways again. She couldn’t afford to make a spot for him in her head. Or her heart.
She took her yogurt and returned to the makeshift office she’d set up in the guest bedroom. She opened her laptop and stared at her half-updated resume, trying to decide how to word the reason for her departure from RSG—
Her phone beeped. She picked it up, frowning. If Richard was texting her now, she was going to call the phone company and block his ass.
What are you wearing?
It wasn’t Richard. It was… She couldn’t help but smile. It was Derek. She typed out a response.
Nothing. You?
Same. Crew staring. Getting uncomfortable.
LOL
Big plans today?
Fishing my career out of the toilet. You?
Just signed a three-million-dollar sponsorship deal.
Slacker.
Can always count on you to keep me in line.
My second job.
Feel bad abt leaving you alone.
So he was thinking about her. Nice to know she wasn’t the only one.
Nothing I can’t handle.
I know. Always liked that abt you.
She swallowed. What did she say to that? Had he always thought she was capable of handling things? That boosted her confidence a little.
When will you be back?
She bit her lip waiting on a return text. Maybe that was too much. She didn’t want him to think she missed him or anything. Or that she was trying to control what he did. What if he took it too seriously? What if—
Need more of me, huh?
Not anymore.
LOL. Friday.
Whatever. :p
Gotta run. Mark insisting I put on pants before I go out to sign autographs for kids in the lobby.
Probably best. See ya.
TTYL… PS: I miss u, too.
She stared at the last text until her phone went to sleep and the screen faded to black. Now how the heck was she supposed to take that? Did he miss her as a friend? As a verbal spar mate? As a partner in crime? Was he afraid she was snooping in his medicine cabinet? Okay, fine, she’d done a little bit of snooping yesterday, but only because she was looking for a Tylenol.
Things had definitely been simpler when she’d worshipped Derek from afar. She’d harbored a crush she knew would always be unrequited…only now it wasn’t, exactly. Okay, so they wouldn’t be riding off into the sunset together, but kissing him in real life was way better than what she’d imagined by spending all those hours spying on him from her bedroom window.
She put her phone facedown on the desk, determined to shove all thoughts of him out of her head. She needed to focus on her future, and he was anything but that.
…
Derek put his phone in his pocket, still smiling at the exchange he’d had with Lilly. It had been an unpleasant morning for him, full of meetings and planning and pie charts, thanks to all the new sponsorship opportunities his fake engagement had made happen. It was definitely a good thing, but he was glad to be alone for a few minutes. On a crowded racetrack, his pulse barely got above seventy. But make him listen to hours of budget and marketing talk and he was as bored and grumpy as a two-year-old in an insurance seminar.
He had to suck it up, though. Once he bought out his father’s part of the team, this would become a big part of his life.
It had been nonstop interview requests and photos since news of the engagement had broken, but at least they were mostly leaving her alone. The locals in Penny Ridge protected their own. There wouldn’t be anyone selling tell-all accounts of her wilder days. Not that she had any. She’d always been the good student, th
e valedictorian. He was the one who’d been handed the keys to the race car.
He looked at the itinerary someone had uploaded to his phone. A lunch meeting with a new sponsor, paint schemes for Phoenix to look at, and then they were putting the new car through the wind tunnel tomorrow. He tugged at the neck of his team logo polo shirt and hoped the time would pass quickly. The fact was, he couldn’t wait to get back to Penny Ridge. Just the thought of Lilly in his house, sleeping in his bed—even if it was the spare—showering in his shower, sitting on his couch, made him want to be there, too.
“Little woman texting you dirty pictures over there?”
Rodney, Derek’s crew chief, walked into Derek’s office and plunked down in the visitor’s chair opposite his desk.
“Hell, yeah,” he said, ignoring his irritation at Rodney talking about Lilly. “Jealous?”
“Naw. Got this one last week.” Rodney pulled out his phone and showed Derek a picture of some groupies baring their breasts for the camera. “Want me to forward it to you?”
They had always shared pictures of the beautiful girls at the racetrack. Especially the ones who showed up at the infield and decided to sunbathe topless. But it really held no appeal for him now. In fact it seemed pretty juvenile. He smiled, thinking those would be Lilly’s words…and she’d have a few more to add, he’d imagine. There was only one girl he wanted to see without her clothing, and she might as well be on another continent.
“No thanks.” He clicked something on his computer, hoping the other man would get the hint and go back to the shop.
“She ain’t got your balls in a vise yet, you know.”
“If I wanted to look at dirty pictures, I would,” he said, hearing the note of irritation in his own voice.
“Whatever.”
“I would.”
“Fine, dude. No big deal. I bet your girl has a great rack.”
He fisted his hands and reminded himself that punching a guy on another race team was one thing. Punching out your own crew chief was something else. “That’s enough.”
Rodney looked at Derek like he didn’t recognize him, then put his phone away, obviously seeing that Derek was serious. “Sorry, boss,” he said.
Mark, Derek’s business manager, walked into the office and sat down. “What? What happened?”
“Nothing. Just Wild Thing is already whipped and he ain’t even walked down the aisle yet.”
“I think it’s done him good. Seriously. Have you seen Derek smile this much since winning that race in Texas?”
“Hey. I’m right here,” Derek said. “And I haven’t changed. Just because I put a ring on it doesn’t mean I’m a different guy now. I still piss standing up and I still have a mind of my own.”
“A mind that’s on your girl’s rack,” Rodney said under his breath.
He narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you have a car to build?”
Rodney stood up quickly but wasn’t quite able to wipe the shit-eating grin off his face. “Sure do, boss. Two, in fact.”
“And you have a lunch meeting you’re late for,” Mark said, shoving a tie and jacket at him. “I texted you the address. Don’t be late.”
He took the jacket, frowning. Another meeting, another sports jacket. And another large check, he reminded himself. Hopefully he’d be able to squeeze in some time to hit the shop floor with the guys. He wanted to see how the new transmission was working out in the second car.
Just then his phone beeped, and he looked to see a new text from Lilly.
Dinner with the parents on Friday at 6—your place. Pls bring LOTS of wine.
He tucked his phone back into his pocket. Home was never a place he looked forward to going. When he wasn’t racing, he traveled to the most remote locations his travel agent could come up with. Anywhere but Georgia. It reminded him too much of why he’d focused so hard on building his racing career. On the pain that had haunted his family’s home, driven his parents apart, and pushed him to do whatever it took to break free.
Now, though, he couldn’t think of anywhere else he’d rather be. It’d be hell when the fantasy fell apart. As owner of the team, he wouldn’t even be able to hop on the Gulfstream and disappear anymore. His team would need him more than ever.
But those worries were down the road. Staring him in the face was the fact that he still had to think of a way to break the news of his fake engagement to his family. His parents were on speaking terms, even staying under the same roof. His mom was over-the-moon happy. All because of one little lie. He had no doubt that this temporary calm was just the eye of the storm, but he hated to see it end. The backside of the shit storm would bear down on them stronger than ever before once he dropped the bombshell that he was buying out his dad’s portion of the team and kicking him out of his life for good. Somehow that thought wasn’t nearly as satisfying as it had been only days ago.
He shrugged into the jacket. He’d be home the day after tomorrow. Until then, he’d have to try his best to keep his attention focused on the reason he and Lilly were doing all this in the first place. He couldn’t afford to let the lines between fantasy and reality blur.
At least not too much.
Chapter Eleven
Lilly hadn’t hosted many dinner parties in her life. Exactly one, in fact, counting this one. And it was even weirder hosting it in someone else’s house…someone who was running very, very late.
She’d sent him one text, praying he’d come back in time to help.
And thank God, he’d said he’d be here. But that wasn’t much help if he ran so late that he may as well not come.
She glanced at the clock as she reached for the plates in the overhead cabinet. She wondered if Derek had ever used them. Or even knew they were there.
She stood on tiptoes to reach the plates. She needed a step stool. Who put dishes on the top shelf of the cabinet, anyway?
She could hear the families talking and laughing from the dining room and wished she could just slip out the back door and disappear into the woods. She’d be like one of those super-successful millionaire CEOs who just snapped one day from all the stress, moved to a shack in the woods, off the grid.
Only she wasn’t a millionaire CEO. And she wasn’t going to snap, she told herself. She wasn’t weak. The closest she’d allow herself to running away to live in the woods was a s’more.
It was just her parents out there, Lilly reminded herself. And Derek’s parents, and Grandma Gail. The wedding talk had started the moment she’d answered the door and hadn’t stopped through appetizers or wine. Lilly cursed Derek under her breath, silently willing him to get there so she didn’t have to run this show by herself. There was only so much deflect and redirect she could handle on her own.
“Now that is a sight worth coming home to,” Derek said from behind her. He reached around her and lifted the plates easily from the top shelf of the cabinet and set them on the counter.
Her body snapped to attention. Had he always smelled so good? Like the outdoors and clean laundry.
“It’s about time,” she said testily.
“Missed me, huh?”
“Hardly. But all the wedding talk is about to send me around the bend. I’m sure I’ve sprouted at least ten new gray hairs since everybody got here an hour ago. And your dad—he just makes me nervous.”
“You look good to me,” he said, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Her stomach did that weird little kicky thing it did whenever he was close and focused on her.
“Good. Fine. Chicken’s almost ready,” she said all in a rush, feeling her face flush from more than just the heat the oven was generating.
“I didn’t know homemade chicken was part of the deal. I thought you couldn’t cook.”
“I never said that,” she said, looking over her shoulder at him as she pulled on a hot pad. “But I did utilize your speed-dial take-out for this meal. Houston’s seemed a good choice.”
“Need help stashing the boxes before your mama or mine gets onto you?”
>
“Already done. Burn pit out back.”
“Let’s hope no one gets a hankering for a bonfire tonight,” Derek said.
“They’re too busy discussing what kind of bouquet I should carry down the aisle,” she said. “My mama thinks pink roses and baby’s breath would be perfect. Yours votes for an all-white arrangement of peonies, camellias, ranunculus, nerines, and crispa tulips. I don’t even know what ranunculus is. And don’t even get me started on the conversation revolving around what color tux you should wear.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“Oh, believe me, it’s worse. But now that you’re here, you can take a turn with the whole deflect-and-redirect strategy of yours.”
“Yeah, sorry about being late. I got stuck in an emergency meeting. Last-minute rule change for the second race of the season.”
“You don’t have to answer to me, remember? You don’t owe me any explanations.” She set the chicken on the counter and poked it to make sure the reheating hadn’t dried it out too much. “Just remember, though. Paybacks are hell.”
“Huh. I could get used to this. Beautiful woman in my kitchen, Houston’s fried chicken, and no nagging about being late. Every man’s fantasy—if, that is, you’re not wearing anything but a sexy thong under that apron.”
She swallowed hard at the heated look that made his blue eyes simply smolder. It was moments like this that made her feel like that gangly fifteen-year-old again, smitten with the impossibly sexy boy next door, not knowing where to look or what to do with her hands.
“How about a welcome-home kiss?” He moved toward her, his gaze focused solidly on her lips. She wet hers, her body already heating with the anticipated contact.
“Is that you, Derek?” his mother called from the other room.
He froze. “Yes, Mama.” He gave Lilly a wink, then grabbed the stack of plates and went into the dining room. She checked out his ass as he walked through the arched doorway to greet his guests, and that same little stomach kick made her belly flutter with warmth.
A Limited Engagement Page 12
