by Katie Reus
Darcy looked down at the man who was now stirring on the ground. “Thank you for what you did,” she said quietly.
She never had to thank him for anything. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Brooks tried not to stare at her as they waited for the police. The sirens were close now, right on Main Street if he had to guess by the noise.
Which meant their conversation was tabled for now. Hell, who was he kidding—their conversation was over. But he wasn’t done, not by a long shot. He might have screwed up, but he didn’t want to believe that things were over between him and Darcy. It was unfathomable to accept that he’d had the perfect woman and let her go because of his own stupidity. He had to figure out a way to convince her to give him another chance.
Chapter 3
—Today is the kind of day where I wish vodka came out of my shower.—
Sitting on the back of the ambulance, Darcy tried to stop her covert looks at Brooks. Because nothing about her actions were covert. She would have made a terrible spy. Or…any job that involved lying.
Every time she looked at him, he was looking at her. And he had this sad puppy dog expression on his face. Which made her want to punch him. Right in said adorable, handsome, stupidly sexy face. Gah!
She was still reeling from what had happened tonight. Or technically this morning, since it was now two thirty. And the really sad thing was, she was embarrassed that Brooks knew she’d been working on New Year’s Eve. Not out dancing with friends, having a good time. Though the thought of going to a crowded bar for New Year’s Eve wasn’t actually her idea of fun, but still, it wasn’t the point. She didn’t want him to know anything about her life. Especially how pathetic her social life was lately. Aaaannnd, she realized the EMT had said something to her.
“I’m sorry, what?” she asked.
The man half-smiled. “I just said we’re about to get out of here. I’m glad you’re okay. You’re lucky your friend was here tonight. Things could’ve been a lot worse.” The tone in his voice said that he’d seen worse.
Nodding, she slid off the back of the truck. He was the second person to tell her that in the last half hour, and she knew it to be true. Even if she was angry at Brooks, she was still glad he’d been there tonight. She thanked the EMTs as they left, surprised they’d even come down here. One ambulance had left with her would-be attacker. The police had told her that he would be taken to a hospital for treatment then booked.
The second ambulance had stayed. Apparently the entire police department was working tonight and the hospitals were fully staffed. They’d been at a nearby call that turned out to be nothing and instead of heading back to the hospital and PD, had all come here. It felt like overkill, and she wondered if the reason so many people had come had been because of Brooks’s involvement.
The man was a billionaire, after all. Or rather his father was. Maybe he was too. She didn’t know and she didn’t care. He’d broken her heart, and months later she still wasn’t over him. And she wondered if she would ever get over him. They’d been together for four months. And apart for a little over seven. She should be over him by now. At least throwing herself into work had been surprisingly easy. Working kept her busy and kept her mind off him.
As she turned away from the ambulance pulling out of the alley, she nearly ran into Brooks. The man moved like a ghost. And for someone of his size, it was surprising. He was a little over six feet tall, with dark hair and dark eyes, and while he didn’t exactly have that brooding thing down, he was still intense and a little bit serious. Once upon a time, she’d loved to make him laugh. But that was over. Everything between them was over.
She just needed to remind herself of that when he was standing right in front of her with those sad eyes.
“Do you need a ride home?” he asked quietly.
She resisted the urge to snort, because it would be rude. And he had saved her. Even if she was hurt and angry at him, she was still grateful for tonight. “No. But thank you.” There, that was civil enough.
“I’ll follow you home.” There was no give in his voice and she didn’t like his tone.
But she kept her expression neutral and pleasant. Something she’d learned to do at a young age. “That’s not necessary. That guy was likely homeless, and trying to mug me was a crime of opportunity.” It wasn’t as if she had any enemies. She was a freaking wedding planner. And while some brides might get a little manic, they weren’t homicidal.
He simply lifted one of those broad shoulders and didn’t respond one way or another. Instead, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a card. It said Redemption Harbor Consulting on the front, along with his name underneath it and his cell phone number. She flipped it over. Nothing else was on the back. Plain and to the point. “My number is on there. Call me if you ever need anything, day or night. It doesn’t matter what time.”
She resisted the urge to ask him what this consulting company was all about. As far as she knew, he ran his family’s ranch and everything that entailed. So even though she was desperately curious about this consulting business, she bit back all questions as she tucked the card in her pocket. It wasn’t as if she was going to call him, but ripping it up and throwing it in his face seemed a bit extreme and immature. Even if it would have given her a short-lived pleasure. “Sure.”
His expression turned wry. “I’ll take that ‘sure’ as a ‘no way in hell would I call you even if I was on fire.’”
Despite herself, a short laugh escaped. She quickly cut it off and cleared her throat. “Well, unless the police need anything else from me, I’m heading home.”
He didn’t look away from her, didn’t glance back at his detective friend standing by his car. No, Brooks’s attention was all on her. It was unnerving to be under that kind of scrutiny. “You look good,” Brooks said quietly.
How could she respond to that? She certainly wasn’t going to return the compliment, even if it was true. He always looked good. The first time they’d met, he’d stolen her breath. Then, not long after that, he’d stolen her heart—then broken it. She shoved her hands in her pocket and said, “Thanks again for what you did.”
He looked as if he wanted to say more, but instead nodded, his jaw tightening. Then he glanced over at his friend. “I’ll stay here until she locks up.”
“Sounds good. Ms. Cooper, I’ll be in contact with you,” Detective Hernandez said before getting into his car.
She turned her attention back to Brooks and had to steel herself as she looked at him. “I would tell you that it’s unnecessary for you to stay until I lock up, but I know it’s probably useless.”
“It is useless.” Brooks fell in step with her as she headed toward the back door.
She needed to save a few files on her laptop then pack up her purse and she was more than ready to head home. Since she didn’t have any meetings tomorrow—gah, today—she was planning on catching up on sleep. And she had some dinner thing with her sister’s fiancé’s family. Not wedding related, just a family thing, and her sister wanted her to be there. Since Emma was her only family—or the only family that mattered—she would be there. And she couldn’t look like a zombie either.
Without bothering to make small talk, she quickly shut everything down before turning off most of the lights. Brooks simply stood near the back hallway, silent and sexy. She wondered what was going on in his head, then cursed her curiosity. She shouldn’t care and hated that she did. He was not hers to worry about anymore.
But him showing up tonight and giving her that sincere apology… She wasn’t sure how to process it. She certainly wasn’t giving him another chance. Not that he’d actually asked for one.
Once she’d finished everything, she set the alarm by the back door and stepped outside with him, her purse heavy at her side. She really needed to clean the thing out.
“At least you have a security system,” he grumbled.
“Seriously? You’re going to give me grief now?”
“What the hell were you t
hinking, coming back here so late? And why are you parking back here?” Muted anger and another emotion she couldn’t define laced his words.
After what had happened earlier, she didn’t have much of an argument. But that was beside the point. “I think I make my own decisions and don’t answer to you.”
“Are you at least carrying pepper spray?”
She had the pepper spray he’d given her tucked into her purse. Normally she carried it with her anytime she came out back after dark. But she wasn’t going to tell him that. Instead, she pulled her keys out as they reached her car, a four-door, boring sedan that she hoped she could get a few more years out of. Though considering the sounds it was making lately, that wasn’t likely. “In case you’re still thinking about it, you seriously don’t have to follow me home. It’s overkill.” She wasn’t his to take care of.
“Can I take you out for coffee this week? So we can talk?” His words were quiet, his expression serious.
She wanted to say yes so badly. But she knew if she did, she would be one step closer to forgiving him. And nothing good would come of letting him back in her life. He’d shown her how little he thought of her. When he’d basically called her a whore, it had cut deep. There was so much she wanted to say to him too. But she’d learned the hard way how to cut a toxic person out of her life. Not that Brooks was necessarily toxic, but she wasn’t opening herself up to the way he’d made her feel again. “No.” She pressed the key fob and slid into the driver’s seat without giving him another glance.
Even as she pulled out of the parking lot, she refused to look at her rearview mirror. She didn’t want to see him. Tonight had completely tilted her world on its axis. Seeing him gave her a rush of wonderful, sexy memories—right up until the end. When her world had crashed around her.
Soon enough, she’d get her equilibrium back. Unfortunately, it felt as if she was starting at square one in her attempt to get over him.
* * *
As he drove down the nearly deserted two-lane highway, Gage glanced at the screen of his cell phone, ready to dismiss whoever was calling him at two in the morning on New Year’s Eve, until he saw that it was Nova, the new executive assistant for Redemption Harbor Consulting, aka “the voice.” She’d been working with them the past couple months and he loved her snark.
The first conversation he’d ever had with her, she’d hung up on him. Deservedly so. And he’d been hooked on her sexy, sultry voice even before he’d met her. But she worked with them and he was one of the cofounders. There was too much of a power imbalance for him to ever hit on her. Of course, if she ever showed an ounce of interest, he might change his mind, but he wasn’t going to head down that path.
Still, he couldn’t stop the increase of his heart rate when he saw her name. “Hey,” he said, picking up on the second ring.
“Hey, sorry I never made it to the party tonight. I’d planned to but got stuck at this stupid country club thing. My friend is sick and can’t find her purse or keys. I was supposed to be the designated driver but I can’t drive without keys. And…” She cleared her throat. “I hate to ask, but would you be able to pick us up? I can’t get a cab or an Uber tonight. It’s too busy everywhere. And all of my friends have been drinking. I figured you’d be a safe bet for being sober.”
“Of course.” Already on his way home, Gage definitely didn’t mind making a detour to pick her up. “Where exactly are you at the country club?” Because he knew where the place was, but it was vast, on a hundred acres.
“In the main building, in the women’s restroom on the first floor. As soon as you step inside the main lobby, make a left and it’s the first restroom on the right. If you text me when you get here, I’ll meet you.”
“All right. Everything okay?” Because something about her tone bothered him. Nova was smart, beautiful—and a smart-ass. And she hadn’t made one snarky comment tonight. That was what was bothering him, he realized.
“Yeah. Just been a long night.” A short pause. “Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it.”
Gage wanted to say more, but didn’t. If something was wrong, he’d know soon enough. “Just sit tight. I’ll be there soon.”
As he headed in her direction, he ignored a few traffic laws and gave exactly zero fucks about it.
Instead of parking or having his vehicle valeted, he left his truck under the overhang. One of the valet guys had told him he couldn’t but Gage had slipped him a hundred, and the kid, who couldn’t be more than twenty-one, had just grinned and told him to leave it as long as he wanted.
Under any other circumstances, Gage was certain that he wouldn’t have been let in, but it was close to two thirty in the morning and whatever shindig had gone down was coming to an end. There were a few stragglers in the hall, men in tuxedos and women in glittery dresses. Some clearly intoxicated; others just looked tired as they made their way to the exit.
As he reached the door that Nova had indicated, he texted her. A few moments later she walked out, looking like a wet dream. Ah, hell. He shouldn’t even be noticing. But it was damn hard not to. The shimmering gold dress she had on clung to every one of her curves. And her pouty lips that he’d fantasized about more than he would admit were painted a ruby red. Her dark hair was down in long waves, and he wondered what it would be like to run his fingers through them as he dominated her mouth. In flats she was about five feet nine inches, but tonight she had on heels and had to be at least six feet tall. He was over six feet, so she would fit perfectly against him. Again, not something he should be thinking about.
Relief filled her expression when she saw him. “I’m so sorry to drag you away from the party.”
“I was already headed home.” He’d only had a couple beers earlier in the night, and even if it was New Year’s Eve, he’d still be working tomorrow. There were a few things he needed to check on regarding some of their working intel.
“Seriously? Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?”
“I would tell you that to make you feel better, but I actually am telling the truth. Savage and Olivia are officially engaged, by the way.”
Her luscious mouth spread into a grin. “Good for them. I wondered how long he’d be able to hold off.” Before he could respond, she continued, “My friend is passed out in here. I’m going to need some help getting her to your truck.”
Alarm instantly slid through his veins. “Do we need to take her to the hospital?”
“No.” She rolled her eyes. “She’s just a lightweight. Normally she doesn’t drink much, but her ex-boyfriend was here with his new fiancée and I guess it hit her hard. So she downed three glasses of champagne in quick succession—without having eaten in the past few hours. But I’ll be staying with her tonight and checking on her anyway.”
It didn’t take him long to carry her friend to his truck. The woman was actually lucid, and giggly, by the time he strapped her into the back seat. Nova carried both of their coats and her own purse, but her friend’s purse was still missing.
“Should I take you to your place?”
“No…gah, yes. Because we don’t have her keys,” she said as if just realizing that.
When she shivered, he turned the heater on higher. “What’s your address?”
She gave him a sly look, her dark eyes narrowed. “Are you telling me that you, hacker extraordinaire, don’t have my address?”
“No. Don’t get me wrong, I could easily find it without having to hack anything.” All he would have to do was look at her resume and company file.
“Good answer.” She gave him her address, which he plugged into his GPS.
He was familiar enough with the area she’d given him but not sure of the exact street. “So you didn’t have a date tonight?” His voice sounded normal enough as he asked.
She snorted in a very Nova-like manner. “Hell no. I didn’t even want to go to this thing, but Jennifer insisted. She didn’t realize that her ex was going to be there.”
He wasn
’t sure about her “hell no” response to having a date. Because she was one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. But more than that, she was funny and real. Why wouldn’t she have been on a date? As far as he knew, she wasn’t dating anyone and had no interest. They’d gone out a few times as friends in the last two months and she was checked out everywhere. He didn’t think she was oblivious to it, but a woman as stunning as her would have learned to filter out second glances and lingering looks. Or he assumed.
“I’m bummed that I missed Olivia and Savage getting engaged,” she continued. “What else did I miss tonight?”
“Nothing… Look, you sounded weird earlier on the phone. Are you sure everything is okay?” It would bother him until he knew for sure, so he just flat out asked her.
Sighing, she fiddled with the vents of the heater. “Yes. Just some jerk offered us a ride home if I would perform…a service for him. With my mouth. Jackass,” she muttered. “After that, I called you.”
It took him all of a second to understand what she meant and raw rage surged through him. “Who?”
She blinked. “Who… Wait, you want his name?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, no. Because you look a little like you want to throttle someone right now. It’s not a big deal. He was just a random asshole.”
It was a big deal, but he didn’t push it. For how he felt, he could easily rip said random asshole’s life apart for telling Nova she could give him a blowjob. And even Gage knew that was psychotic. But what kind of asshole wouldn’t give a woman in need a ride home just because it was the right thing to do? He already knew the answer to that, because there were far too many assholes in the world.
“Hey,” Jennifer slurred from the back seat. “You think Taco Bell is still open?” she asked, before slumping back against the seat, snoring softly.
Next to him, Nova snickered. “Or maybe KFC,” she murmured, loud enough for only him to hear.
