by Katie Knight
“I, uh…” Lake tucked her hair behind her ear, those piercings of hers twinkling at him like a cosmic joke. “I’m going to hit the sack. Goodnight.”
Drake watched her go, knowing it was just an excuse to bail. Hell, it wasn’t even eight o’clock yet. Still, considering how his body had tightened and how his heart ached to be with her, she’d made the right choice. He needed to keep his hands to himself and his heart out of the picture where Lake was concerned if he wanted to get all of them out of this mess unscathed.
Nine
Drake got ready the next morning and wondered exactly when he’d lost his damned mind. Each time he closed his eyes, all he could think of was the kiss with Lake. How she’d tasted, the velvet of her skin, those tiny mewls she’d made before she sank into him. It was enough to drive a sane man crazy. It sure as hell had kept him up all night, tossing and turning.
God. What a fucking mess.
He rubbed his eyes and sat back on the edge of the bed to stare up at the ceiling. The fact was he was wildly attracted to Lake Bailey even if he shouldn’t be. She had been with his brother, for fuck’s sake. She was carrying Devon’s baby. And sure, she’d confirmed point-blank to him that her time with his brother had been nothing but sex, no emotional entanglement at all, but that shouldn’t matter.
Should it?
Restless, he sat forward again and did his best to shove all that drama aside and focus on the financial reports he’d requested. Devon had really gone all out trying to hide what he was doing, that was for sure. Taking over as CFO, burying his phony charity transactions under a mountain of extraneous paperwork. Would’ve worked too, if it hadn’t been for Lake.
That idea snagged in his head. Devon was crafty as hell. Was it possible his affair with Lake had been just another ploy to throw her off his scent? He couldn’t imagine anyone not wanting Lake, but considering the number of women his brother had been with during his lifetime and the ruthless way his family tended to use people, the notion wasn’t completely out of left field.
The thought of poor Lake getting caught up in the web of Devon’s filthy schemes made his stomach turn. She was good person. Honest and forthright and true. She deserved better than that. Especially given her current situation. He couldn’t imagine the pressure she must be under, facing single motherhood. And yes, he’d offered her financial help—which she kept declining—but he knew little about what other support she might have once the baby arrived. She’d told him little about herself or her past. Not that he wanted to pry or anything, but he was curious.
More curious than you should be…
Sounds echoed down the hall from the kitchen, jarring him from his thoughts. A glance at the clock showed it was nearly seven-thirty. They’d be late if he didn’t get a move on. Drake slid on his loafers and fixed his tie, then grabbed his suit jacket before heading down the hall to find Lake standing in front of the toaster, a travel mug of tea in her hand.
“Morning,” she said, not meeting his gaze. “You hungry?”
He was, but not for food. To distract himself, he headed into the living room instead and clicked on the TV to watch the latest financial news update. Drake really couldn’t care less how the markets were doing in Hong Kong, but it was better than embarrassing himself because he couldn’t stop imagining picking Lake up and setting her on the counter, kissing her silly as she wrapped those long, shapely legs of hers around his waist…
“No,” Drake said, the words emerging harsher than he’d intended. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I’m fine, thanks. You about ready to go?”
“Yeah.” Her toast popped up in the toaster and she turned to butter it. “Just let me grab a napkin so I can munch on this on the way. Unless you don’t want food in your car.”
“It’s fine.” He turned back to the TV, away from the view that showed him how that blue pantsuit of hers hugged her hips to perfection and cupped her butt just so. Man, he had it bad for this woman and that wasn’t good. “Bring whatever you want.”
“Great.” She joined him in the living room a minute or so later, her bag over her shoulder and her mug in one hand, toast wrapped in a napkin in the other. “Ready.”
“Awesome.”
The ride in to the office felt anything but awesome, though. They both avoided discussing the kiss as if it was a live grenade ready to explode, and instead chatted about the weather or the road construction happening everywhere or other stupid subjects. Drake didn’t pay much attention, his senses far too attuned to Lake to really allow him to concentrate on small talk. Lord help him, even the way she ate turned him on, licking those crumbs off her lips with that pink tongue of hers. He envisioned all the ways he’d like her to use that tongue on him, which only made his blood pound harder than it already was. At this rate, he’d have a coronary by noon.
Once he parked in his designated spot and helped Lake from the car, it was after eight. Maggie was smiling behind her desk, as usual, when they walked in.
“Good morning, Drake, Ms. Bailey,” Maggie said. “I’ve got your messages here for you, Drake.”
“Thanks.” He stopped at the desk and grabbed the stack of post-its she handed him. “Can you please have the empty office next to mine prepared for Ms. Bailey’s use for the duration of my stay here?”
“Uh,” the assistant said, the surprise on her face quickly masked behind her usual expression of efficient politeness. “Of course. I’ll call maintenance right now.”
“Thank you, Maggie,” Drake said, already heading down the hall toward his office with Lake by his side. “Let me know when it’s ready. Until then, Lake will share my space with me.”
“Of course,” Maggie called from behind them. “They say it will be about an hour.”
“Perfect.” He opened his door and stood aside for Lake to enter first. As she passed, her sweet floral scent tickled his nose before he tamped down his awareness. This was a place of business and they had a full day of work ahead of them. This wasn’t the time or the place to get distracted by how amazing she smelled. He got Lake set up at the table where she’d worked earlier, then went back to the reception area. “Oh, and Maggie, can you get me access to Devon’s storage unit at the penthouse? All the residents have one, but I haven’t been able to locate my brother’s key.”
“Sure thing,” Maggie said. “I’ll call the building security for you.”
“Thanks.”
The rest of the day passed quickly, between phone calls and meetings and getting Lake set up in her office beside his. She’d still have to go back to her usual office space for staff meetings and the like, but so much of her work with her team was done via phone calls and emails that it didn’t really matter where she worked. Drake worked through lunch to get through his stack of messages and ended up finishing his work around the same time Lake did, so she didn’t have to wait on him, since they’d ridden together.
He was just finishing up with his final phone call of the day when Lake knocked on his door, her bag in hand. He waved her inside and pointed to the chairs in front of his desk, indicating she should sit and wait for him.
“Any chance I could get those records faster?” Drake asked the man on the phone. He was speaking to the outside CPA firm that acted as independent oversight for the Shepperton family when it came to taxes and such. He’d asked them to look into Devon’s personal holdings for him. If his brother was in as deep with the money laundering scam as Drake suspected, then it made sense to check every corner. “I’ll pay whatever added cost is necessary, but I really need that information ASAP.”
Lake leaned forward and Drake placed his hand over the receiver to hear her say, “I need to use the restroom before we go. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
He nodded and watched her leave while the accountant on the phone quoted him a ridiculous amount to get the reports he wanted by the next day. Under normal circumstances, Drake would have balked at the cost, just as a matter of principle, but this was hardly business as usual. And
it wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it. “Fine. I’ll have the cash wired over tomorrow. Thank you.”
Drake met Lake in the lobby and after saying goodnight to Maggie, they headed back to the condo. Both of them were quiet. He worried that things would always be awkward as hell now because of that kiss. He was still berating himself internally for screwing up so badly when she tilted her head to look out the window beside her.
“New moon will be here soon,” she said, peering out into the gathering twilight.
Slowing for a red light, Drake glanced over at her. “You follow the moon phases?”
“Sure. I love astronomy.” She settled back into her seat. “Why?”
“No reason.” The light turned green and he accelerated through the intersection. “I like space too.”
“Yeah?” She grinned. “When I was a kid, I used to spend a lot of time alone, watching the night sky. Tracking the stars. As I got older, I wanted to learn more about all of it.”
“Me too!” He smiled and flipped his signal, turning onto the street where the condo was located. “When I was growing up, I hated all the fancy parties my parents used to throw at our house. Devon, of course, loved them.”
“Of course.” Lake rolled her eyes and they both laughed.
“Anyway, while they had their galas downstairs, I used to go up on the roof by myself and use my telescope. I got some books from the library and taught myself about the constellations and other galaxies and stuff. I still love to stargaze, when I have the time.”
“Same.” She rubbed her hand over her abdomen absently as she spoke.
“Everything okay?” he asked, concerned.
“Fine.” She gave him a sad little smile. “Just imagining sharing that love with my baby someday.”
“That would be cool.” Relief eased the tension in his shoulders, and he rested one elbow near the window beside him. “I haven’t had a chance to check out the skies around Dallas lately, but with the city lights it’s not optimal viewing. You’d have to get outside the city limits to have a proper look.”
“Agreed. There’s a state park not far away that usually has a good turnout from the local astronomy club for the new moon. You can see Andromeda and the Pleiades too, on a good night.”
“Wow. That sounds great.”
“It is.” She rested her head back against the seat as dusk fell. “I’ve been a few times and it’s pretty cool. They have weekend retreats where the park rangers act as guides and help people pick out the different galaxies and star clusters.”
“I’d love that.” He turned into the garage for the condo and parked, then cut the engine. It felt like forever since he’d just relaxed and studied the stars. It used to be one of his favorite things to do on missions, when he wasn’t working or learning about the local cuisine. The fact that Lake also loved astronomy made him happier than anything had in a long time. A crazy idea entered his head and before he could stop himself it spilled out of his mouth. “You said they have the weekend retreats to coincide with the new moon?”
She nodded, giving him some side-eye. “Yep. Why?”
He rushed ahead before he couldn’t. “Want to go with me?”
Her dark brows rose and she met his gaze directly. “On a camping retreat? To the state park? This weekend? Together?”
Drake swallowed hard. “Yes. I mean, only if you want to. I just thought it might be nice to get away from all this Devon business and just relax for a change. It could be fun, just you and me. Not like a date,” he quickly amended when her lovely eyes widened. “I mean… Yes, we’d go together, but as friends. Camping buddies. Fellow stargazers. That’s all.”
Lake blinked at him a long moment, and Drake’s chest squeezed with an odd mix of wariness and anticipation. Honestly, he hadn’t felt this nervous since he’d been in high school asking the prettiest girl in school to go to prom with him. He’d lived and died in those few seconds waiting for her answer back then (which had been yes) and now wasn’t any different. Heat crept up from beneath the collar of his white dress shirt and he desperately wanted to loosen his tie, but didn’t want to fidget and give away his anxiety.
Finally, she gave a small nod and a smile. “I’d like that. To go to the state park with you, I mean. It’ll be nice to get out of the condo for a while.”
“Great.” Drake got out of the car and walked around to open her door for her. Warmth buzzed in his stomach before he tamped it down. “It’s a date then. No. I mean not a date,” he fumbled. “I mean…”
“I know what you meant,” Lake said, winking at him over her shoulder as she walked to the entrance to the condo. “I’m looking forward to it.”
“Me too.” Drake unlocked the door to let her in, then hesitated on the threshold, feeling like they’d just taken a step forward. Toward what, he wasn’t sure, but damn if he wasn’t excited to find out.
Ten
By the time Saturday rolled around, Lake had changed her mind at least a million times about going camping with Drake. Sometimes she wanted to go, badly. She enjoyed thinking about the good conversations they’d had, how easy it felt to be around him, his kindness and consideration and protectiveness toward her. All those were good things that made her want to spend more time with him. But then she’d remember that kiss they’d shared in the kitchen, the way her knees had gone weak the moment he’d touched her, how heat and need had surged through her bloodstream. Whenever that happened, her fears took hold as she worried over him being Devon’s brother and a Shepperton and therefore not exactly the best bet as far as a long-term prospect was concerned. With that in mind, she wondered if she should be keeping her distance. It had been enough to drive her to drink. Or, since there was the baby to think of, eat massive amounts of chocolate cookies instead.
Ugh.
Now though, as she walked beside him up the short distance to the clearing at the top of the hill where the view of the sky was best, she felt confident she’d made the right choice in coming. She could handle whatever this weekend threw her way. They’d parked his rental SUV in the parking lot near the start of the path, Drake insisting he wanted her on her feet as little as possible.
“Are you sure I can’t help carry anything?” she asked, glancing over at him weighed down with gear. To his credit, he seemed to have no problems with the load of stuff in his arms or strapped over his brawny shoulders. “I’m pregnant, not an invalid.”
“I’ve got it,” he said, adjusting his backpack with one hand while toting the case with the telescope in it in the other. That pack alone had to weigh at least fifty pounds, but he made it look light as a feather. Her traitorous heart fluttered at the thought of all that muscle lurking beneath his plaid flannel work shirt and tight jeans. “Besides, you are carrying something.”
“A map doesn’t count.”
“Sure it does. Without it, we’d have no clue where to get the best seats.”
They crested the top of the hill and found lots of other people already setting up their equipment for the evening. Lake checked her watch. Almost seven-thirty. The sun was low in the sky and dusk would fall soon. Best find a spot and get to it. After consulting the map together, they chose a patch of open ground near the west side of the clearing, twenty feet or so from the closest observer. Enough space to have a bit of privacy, but not so far away that they were too isolated.
Drake set the backpack on the ground and started setting up the telescope while Lake unpacked the things they’d brought along—a white light to help them when they weren’t stargazing; a red light to help their eyes adjust when they were looking skyward; insect repellent; bottled waters and snacks. She set it all out atop the sturdy wool blanket she’d packed, then set up their two folding chairs.
“How’s the telescope coming?” she asked, opening a plastic baggie full of carrots and pulling one out to munch on. “Anything I can help with?”
“Nope. I think I’m done,” he said, leaning over to peer through the oculus to make a few adjustments to the lens.
The light was dimming—but it wasn’t dim enough to hide his form, and damn if she could stop herself from checking out his taut butt and long legs. He really was a certified stud. Handsome, smart, and sexy as all get out, especially when he got absorbed in something that interested him. Honestly, one of the main reasons she’d jumped on his offer of moving her into an office next door to his was because sitting in the same room with him while he worked had gotten far too distracting. There was a certain expression that came over his gorgeous features when he concentrated, quiet intelligence mixed with masterful wits, that made her need to be near him almost overwhelming. She’d always been drawn to men who were confident and competent at what they did. It was probably one of the main things that had drawn her initially to Devon. He might have been a lying turd behind the scenes, but in his office, in his position as figurehead for Shepperton Inc., he’d exuded a high-wattage self-confidence that had been hard to resist, even for a skeptic like her.
Drake, though, had a quieter power that was less in your face. Sure, he was hot and charming, but there was a reserve about him. You didn’t get past the charismatic shell until you knew him better and then, look out! She sighed and narrowed her gaze on him, remembering the way his hands had felt on her as he’d held her close in the kitchen, the brush of his lips against hers, the taste of ale and desire on his lips.
“You still awake over there?” he asked, looking back at her over his shoulder, one brow raised as if he’d caught her red-handed with her naughty thoughts. “Doing okay?”
Not trusting her voice, she nodded and shoved another baby carrot in her mouth. Heat prickled her cheeks and she prayed the growing darkness was enough to cover what had to be a hellacious blush on her cheeks. Thankfully, if Drake had noticed anything, he didn’t mention it—just took the seat beside her and crunched on a carrot or two of his own.
