Chapter Fourteen

“I’m here.”

Audrey looked up from her spot in the waiting room of the hospital to see Gretchen rushing down the hall, two cups of coffee in her hands. Gretchen looked like a mess—her dark red hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, and she wearing a grubby sweatshirt, yoga pants, and flip-flops despite the chilly weather.

At the sight of her older sister, Audrey gave her a wan smile. “Hey, Gretchen. I’m glad you could make it.”

“Make it? My fucking junkie little sister’s in the hospital. Of course I made it.” Gretchen scowled at the woman seated next to Audrey who was on the phone, a camera around her neck. “Move it, sister, or you’re going to be eating that telephoto lens.”

The woman glared at Gretchen, but discreetly vacated the seat, going to talk to one of the other photographers hovering in the waiting room.

“Jesus,” Gretchen said, flopping into the chair and handing a coffee to Audrey. “I see the paps didn’t waste any time getting here. Who clued them in?”

“My guess is him,” Audrey said tonelessly, gesturing at the man in the corner. He was dressed in a slick, pinstriped suit despite the late hour and was chatting animatedly to one of the paparazzi while he texted on his phone.

“So who’s that douchebag?”

“One of her managers.”

Gretchen grunted. “Surprise, surprise. He probably thinks all this publicity is fabulous.”

“Probably,” Audrey said in a tired voice.

Gretchen wrapped an arm around Audrey’s shoulders and pulled her into an awkward hug. “How you hanging in there?”

“I’m fine,” Audrey said in her brightest, most efficient voice. “Cade is struggling, though, so I’m trying to keep him calm. I sent him off to talk to one of the board of directors about donating a wing if they’ll give Daphne privacy while she recovers. He liked that idea.”

“Clever,” Gretchen admitted. “But I was asking about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t seem fine.”

My sister overdosed because I blamed her for my love life troubles, I’m not in love with Cade like I thought I was, and I fell in love with a guy who abandoned me. “I’m fine.”

Gretchen gave her a disbelieving look. “You do realize that this is one of those times that it’s okay to be emotional?”

Audrey simply sipped her coffee, ignoring Gretchen. Her sister talked a big game, but she knew as soon as they heard word on Daphne, Gretchen would fall apart like she always did. Her big sister had a heart of gold, but she was impulsive and incredibly emotional. Couple that in with Daphne’s self-destructiveness and Cade’s restlessness as he sought to be able to do something—anything—to assuage his guilt over Daphne using him to get to the drugs? It was just best all around if Audrey kept her head together. Someone had to.

Later on, in the privacy of her own apartment, she could break down if she wanted to, but there would always be more to do. People to call, arrangements to make for Daphne’s car, managers to scold, her boss to check in with . . .

Someone had to be the practical one in all of this. The dependable one. And it was exhausting, but it needed to be Audrey. Longingly, she thought of Reese and the way he always pushed her into showing emotion. The way he’d laughed as he’d tossed her into the hot tub and bent her over the edge to made love to her.

Tears pricked her eyes and she blinked them back. This was not the time to dissemble. At least she had some really good memories of their interlude, before it had all gone to shit.

“Miss Petty?” A doctor entered the crowded waiting room and immediately the half dozen paparazzi and reporters stood up, readying their cameras. Audrey stood and raised her hand quietly and, true to form, Gretchen burst into emotional tears, just like Audrey had expected.

The doctor eyed Gretchen and moved to Audrey’s side, leaning in to whisper. “Your sister is in intensive care, but we feel she’s out of the woods. She’s awake and alert and can receive visitors.”

“Good. Thank you,” Audrey said. She squeezed Gretchen’s hand consolingly as she mopped at her face with Kleenex.

“You can’t bring those,” the doctor said with a sniff, gesturing at their coffees.

Gretchen automatically handed hers to the reporter sitting next to her. “Here, make yourself useful,” she said in a watery voice.

Someone pushed through the double doors nearby and then Cade was sprinting at them, his blond hair mussed and his clothing wrinkled. He looked like hell, dark circles under his eyes, and pocketed his phone. “I’d like to see Miss Petty.”

“I’m sorry,” the doctor said. “Family only.”

Cade looked at Audrey, raking a hand through his hair in frustration.

“It’s fine, Cade. Go home and get some sleep,” Audrey told him in her easiest voice. “I’ll handle it from here.”

“I need to see her.”

“I know you do,” she said soothingly, and gave him a hug. She whispered in his ear, “Maybe tomorrow. I’ll work on the doctors, okay?” When she released him, he nodded and then sat down in one of the waiting room chairs.

The man with the suit approached the doctor and handed him a business card. “I’m Miss Petty’s manager. I need to see—”

“No,” Audrey said at the same time as the doctor.

“I’m Miss Petty’s manager,” the man in the suit repeated. “The label—”

“I’m her legal guardian,” Audrey interrupted. “And she doesn’t want to see him.”

The doctor shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. Right now we are only allowing immediate family to visit.” He looked at Gretchen and Audrey. “If you will follow me.”

Gretchen shot the manager the bird when they left, and Audrey pretended not to see it.

They followed the doctor through the maze of corridors in the intensive care unit. “We’re keeping her under heavy monitoring,” he explained. “Her system was compromised by the amount of drugs, but with time and proper care she’ll make a full recovery.”

Gretchen began to loudly sniffle again, and Audrey handed her more Kleenex. “Thank you, doctor.”

He gave Audrey a pointed look. “I don’t need to tell you that that young woman needs serious help.”

“We know.”

“She told me she was trying to get clean. You know I must recommend constant psychiatric observation and a detox facility where she can be monitored at all times. She is a danger to herself right now.”

“I can force her to go,” Audrey said quietly. “But it won’t work unless she wants it. It has to be her decision.”

“I realize this. As a professional, though, I’m recommending it strongly. I don’t know that Miss Petty could survive another overdose. Do you understand me?”

“I do.”

The doctor nodded and led them to a door. The room’s blinds were down and the door was closed. Isolated. Private. “I’m Doctor Howell. Please let me know if you need anything else.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” Audrey said, her voice calm as she shook the doctor’s hand. “We will.”

Gretchen sniffed loudly.

The doctor turned and left. When they were alone at the door, Audrey turned to Gretchen. “I’m going to say some unkind things to Daphne,” she warned her sister. “But I need you to support me in them, understand? It’s for her best interests.”

Gretchen’s eyes widened but she nodded. “I’ll follow your lead.”

Audrey opened the door and they went inside.

The lights in the intensive care unit were turned off so Daphne could sleep. Her twin’s frail form was hooked up to multiple monitors, all beeping and flicking with her vital signs. Intravenous medications hung from her skinny arm, needles taped into it. As they shut the door, Daphne opened her eyes and gave them a wan smile. “Hey.”

Gretchen burst into tears again. She sat down next to the bed and took Daphne’s hand in hers, squeezing it. “Hey, baby girl. It’s your slutty sister come to visit.”

The corner of Daphne’s mouth quirked, as if she were trying to smile and didn’t have the energy. “That’s an odd greeting.”

“You told me I was a slut the last time I saw you.”

“I did? Huh. I don’t remember.” Daphne’s voice was soft, tired.

“It’s because you were drunk. And high. Both,” Gretchen told her.

“That explains it.” She turned to look at Audrey. “I guess I caused you a little trouble, didn’t I?”

Anger flared in the pit of her stomach, but she tamped it down. Anger wouldn’t reach Daphne. It’d just make her run harder. “You caused everyone a bit of trouble,” Audrey said, her voice mild. “Your manager’s here, along with every paparazzi he could round up at this hour.”

“I don’t want to see him,” Daphne said in a tired voice. “Tell the doctors not to let him in.”

“They won’t,” Audrey reassured her. “Cade’s waiting to see you, too.”

“I don’t want to see him, either.” Tears welled in her eyes and trickled down the sides of her face. “I can’t look at him right now.”

“Because you used him to get to the pills?” Audrey said coldly.

Daphne sighed. “You don’t understand.”

“I don’t,” Audrey said calmly. “I’ve never understood it. You have the life you’ve always wanted and you’re tossing it away.”

Daphne said nothing. She squeezed Gretchen’s hand as Gretchen continued to mop fresh tears from her cheeks. “Don’t lecture me, Audrey. You don’t know how hard it is to be me.”

Audrey moved forward and put a hand on Gretchen’s shoulder. “You’re right, Daphne. We don’t know what it’s like to be you. We’ll never know. That’s why it’s time for us to say good-bye.”

That got her twin’s attention. Daphne’s gaze focused on Audrey, her eyes widening a little. Audrey felt Gretchen stiffen under her grasp, but she didn’t speak up to contradict Audrey.

“You’re my twin,” Audrey said in a soft voice. “I love you more than anyone else on the planet. And I thought that by supporting you through everything, no matter what happened, that I’d be doing you a favor. That you needed someone to lean on.”

“I do—”

“But I see now that I’m not doing you any favors,” Audrey continued. “I’ve always let you do what you wanted, even when I didn’t think it was the right decision. All those times you bailed out of rehab early? I let you. All those times you went right back to that bad situation? I said nothing. And this last time? When you promised to get clean and then overdosed as soon as my back was turned? That’s my fault because I supported you when you said you didn’t want to go to rehab.”

Tears began to pour from Daphne’s eyes. “I was doing better,” she protested. “Yesterday was just a bad day.”

“There are always going to be bad days, Daphne,” Audrey said bluntly. “Some are going to be worse than others. That doesn’t mean you run for the pill bottle to fix things. That doesn’t mean you use a man who loved you simply to get your way.” She felt no pleasure at Daphne’s flinch. “And it doesn’t mean that I’m going to continue to support you while you make bad choices. So this time, instead of supporting you, I’m offering you a choice. You can go back to rehab—”

“No—”

“And you can stay there until I’ve met with all your doctors and I’ve decided that you’re clean.” Audrey turned her calm Daphne, ignoring her tears. “Or we can say good-bye now.”

“Good-bye?” Daphne choked.

“If you do this again, the doctor says you won’t live,” Audrey said bluntly. “And I already feel like I’ve lost the sister I used to know and love. I won’t go through this again. I won’t hold you on the floor and worry if you’ve killed yourself. If you won’t get help, this is where Gretchen and I leave you behind. You can destroy your own life, but you can’t destroy ours too, Daph. And watching you kill yourself slowly is ruining all of us.”

Daphne said nothing as tears poured down her cheeks.

“I’m sorry,” Audrey said. “But this is the way it has to be. You know I love you, Twinkie. You know I do. But I can’t watch you destroy yourself. Come on, Gretchen. We’re leaving.”

“Oh, but—” Gretchen began, looking at Daphne and Audrey. After a moment her face screwed up like she was trying desperately not to cry again, and she leaned in to hug Daphne. “I love you, too. I hope you make the right decision.”

“Audrey,” Daphne said piteously, now sobbing openly. “Don’t go. I want to talk to you—”

Audrey shook her head, her heart breaking into a million pieces in her chest. “You make your decision, Daphne. And if it’s the one where you choose to live, then we can talk. But for now, Gretchen and I have to go.” She turned to the door, then looked back at her sobbing twin. “I love you, Twinkie.”

“Aud, wait—”

Audrey opened the door and ushered Gretchen out.

They walked down the hall in silence. After a moment, Gretchen looked over at Audrey, her eyes red from weeping. “Sometimes you are stone cold, you know that?”

“I know,” Audrey said, feeling heavy and aching with sadness. She wanted to run back in there and comfort her twin, but she knew it was the wrong thing to do. This was the only way she could think of to get Daphne to turn her life around. So she had to be firm, even if it meant she had to be cruel.

“You’re not even crying!”

“I’ve shed enough tears over Daphne for now,” Audrey said. “I’ve got to be strong.”

Someone had to. There was so much to do. Someone would need to talk to the paparazzi and downplay the story. Talk to Daphne’s management team and discuss how to proceed. Call family and friends who would see the news and worry. Straighten out her work, Daphne’s insurance, and a million other small things that someone had to think about. She didn’t have time to be emotional or needy.

But for a brief, weak moment, she wanted to curl up into someone’s arms and just cry and weep and be a blubbering baby. Someone like Reese, who didn’t mind if she wasn’t strong all the time.

But Reese wasn’t here.

They returned to the waiting room, Gretchen sniffling the entire time. Cade met them at the door, the look in his eyes worried.

“She doesn’t want to see you,” Audrey told him gently. “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll wait out here,” he said. “Until she wants to see me.”

“You might be waiting a while,” Gretchen told him tearfully. “These twins are the most hardheaded women you’ll ever meet.”

A ghost of a smile touched Cade’s pale face. “Oh, I know.”

***

Reese poured himself another drink and considered the cards in his hand. Nothing but garbage. Eh. He swallowed his scotch and tossed his cards on the table. “I fold.”

“Gotta stay in to make some money, Durham,” Jonathan Lyons teased him, raking the pile of chips toward him. “Unless this is some new tactic you’re trying.”

Normally, Reese would have risen to the bait. But his mood was foul tonight, so he just grunted and poured himself another scotch.

“You’re in a bad mood,” Logan observed, taking the scotch bottle from Reese’s hand and refreshing his own drink. “Business trouble or women trouble?”

“Are they ever separate?” Reese asked with a grimace and tossed his drink back. Women were definitely trouble. Upon returning to the city, he’d approached Camilla in a strictly business manner about the cruise line. She’d refused to see him. So he’d gone to her father, only to be stonewalled once more.

His business was fucked, all because he wouldn’t pork a bored heiress. Goddamn.

Hunter snorted at his side. “For most people, yes, women and business are separate.”

Reese made a face at the scarred man. Hunter was usually silent. Count on him to chime in for that. Reese glanced around the table at his friends. Logan was to one side, Hunter to his other. Across the table, Jonathan was carefully stacking his pile of chips while Griffin dealt the next hand.

Cade was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s the golden boy?”

Griffin shrugged and continued to deal. “You’re his keeper. You tell us.” His cultured, European accent made the insult sound almost pleasant. “Weren’t you vacationing with him for the last week or two? We had to cancel three meetings because of you two being out of town.”

Reese grunted again. “We were busy. And we’re not joined at the hip. I’m not his keeper.” If he was, he wouldn’t have let Cade near Audrey.

Audrey, who’d lit up shyly at the thought of going on a date with Cade. Who’d forgotten all about him an instant later. Audrey, who’d just been using him for sex to pass the time, her sister had informed him as soon as they’d gone. Daphne had gone on to confess to him that Audrey had told her hours earlier that she still wanted Cade and not Reese.

And that ate at him. He stared down at his empty tumbler and considered refilling it again. Maybe he needed to get good and blasted.

It wasn’t like him to get all hung up on a woman. But then again, Audrey wasn’t like most women. He thought of that tight little bun and her prim shirts covering those big, lush breasts, and that fiery passion she showed in bed. He clenched his jaw in frustration.

Fuck. The one woman who didn’t bore him within a week and his best buddy scored her right from under his nose. It fucking sucked to be him.

There was a bang at the top of the stairs. Automatically, all five men glanced up.

“Isn’t Bruno up there?” Logan asked Hunter.

“Always,” Hunter replied.

“No, miss,” they could hear from upstairs. “You can’t go in there.”

“Fuck off, Bruno! I can, too. Let me in!” The voice was familiar.

Reese turned to Hunter, who groaned and rubbed a hand on his scarred face. “Is that who I think it is?”

Hunter glared at him and got to his feet, approaching the stairs just as the door flung open and a disheveled Gretchen Petty stumbled her way in, brandishing her purse like a weapon. She bounded down two stairs, glared back at Bruno, and then brightened at the sight of Hunter waiting at the foot of the stairs for her. “Hey, baby!” She peered at the others sitting around the table, her gaze going to the cards and poker chips, and a wide smile crossed her face. For a moment she looked so much like Audrey that Reese’s chest ached.

“Thank fucking God,” Gretchen said a moment later, spoiling the vision. “Poker night. With the way Bruno was acting, I thought I’d wander in on some secret sausage party or something.” She tripped down the stairs, ignoring Griffin’s choked sound of outrage, and kissed Hunter on his unsmiling mouth. “But then again, I know Hunter doesn’t like cock, so that couldn’t be it.”

“Hello, Gretchen,” Logan said in a flat voice. “Did Brontë set you up to this?”

“No.” Gretchen’s eyes widened. “Does she know about this? That little hussy. She never said a word.” She moved to Cade’s empty chair and sat down, inviting herself to the table. “I was wondering where my lover had to run off to when I was clearly in need of more comforting, and I got nosy, so I tailed him here.” She looked over at Hunter and wiggled her eyebrows at him.

“Way to go, Hunter,” Reese said sarcastically. “Maybe we should invite everyone’s girlfriends to show up and hang out. Fuck privacy, right?”

Hunter moved to Gretchen’s side, putting his big hands on her shoulders and ignoring Reese’s foul mood. He stood behind her, showing his support for her presence, along with the stony expression on his face that just dared someone to say something.

“Jeez, why is everyone so pissy?” Gretchen looked around at the table of irritated men. “You sure I didn’t interrupt a circle jerk?”

Hunter leaned down and whispered something into Gretchen’s ear.

Her eyes widened and she studied the group. “A secret society? Holy shit! Do you guys all have the same tattoo that Hunter does?”

Griffin groaned and threw his cards down. “What’s the use of keeping a secret anymore?” He pointed at Logan. “I hope you have some more of that nondisclosure paperwork that you made Brontë sign.”

Hunter glared at Griffin. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Griffin protested, taking the words out of Reese’s mouth.

“So do you guys meet here every week?” Gretchen looked excited at the prospect, picking up one of the poker chips and examining it. “I bet Hunter never wins, huh? He blushes like a schoolgirl. It’s a total tell.”

As if on cue, Hunter turned red, his scars showing livid against the flush.

“The meeting’s screwed this week anyhow,” Reese said, setting his empty tumbler down on the table and pushing it away. “Cade’s not here so it’s not like we can start anyhow.”

“I imagine he’s still at the waiting room of the hospital,” Gretchen said. “He wouldn’t leave as long as my sister was in there.”

Blood roared in Reese’s ears, and he felt all the color drain out of his face. His heart lurched sickeningly in his chest. Audrey was in the hospital?

His Audrey was hurt?

He got to his feet. “Where’s she at? I have to see her.”

Gretchen gave him a puzzled look. “Daphne?”

“Audrey,” he growled, his fists clenched. He wanted to hit something, the rage burning through him. Audrey was hurt and he hadn’t been there to protect her. He should have never left. It took a moment to sink in and he looked at Gretchen, confused. “Wait. Daphne?”

The disheveled redhead gave him a curious look. “She overdosed a few days ago. Cade won’t leave her side.”

Relief staggered him and he collapsed in his chair, burying his face in his hands. “Ah, fuck. Thank God.”

The room was silent.

“Well,” said Gretchen after a moment. “That wasn’t my reaction to hearing my sister overdosed, but okay.”

“You feeling all right, Reese?” Logan nudged the scotch bottle toward him again.

He took it and didn’t bother to use the glass. He drank straight from the bottle, letting the amber liquid burn right to his gut. Audrey was all right. His Audrey.

And Cade wasn’t in a relationship with her. Good. The vicious thought startled him. Cade was his best friend. He should have been happy that his buddy hooked up with someone as intriguing and delicious as Audrey. It shouldn’t have been eating at him.

But it drove him fucking crazy. He thought about it every night when he went to sleep, picturing Audrey with her sexy hair down and tumbling around her shoulders, kissing Cade, pushing those lush breasts against him.

She should have been with him, damn it.

“Your sister overdosed?” Logan asked. “The problem one?”

“Yeah,” Gretchen said, her voice sounding a bit wobbly. As Reese looked up, he saw Hunter’s hand tighten on Gretchen’s shoulder, and she placed her hand against his, as if seeking comfort. “Been a rough week. At least for me, anyhow. I just keep crying.”

Logan grunted. “Audrey didn’t say anything. She’s been back to work for two days. I didn’t realize there was anything wrong.”

Reese sat up straighter, his attention captured. Audrey was back at work with Logan? So she wasn’t with Cade and Daphne?

“Yeah, that’s Audrey for you,” Gretchen said bitterly. “Audrey just smiles and takes things calmly and puts our lives back in order. She hasn’t cried a lick since Daphne went into the hospital, even though it has to be hurting her.”

Reese ached at that. His Audrey wouldn’t, no. She’d wear her hair in that tight little bun and starch her clothes within an inch of her life because she liked to hide all her fire and emotion behind that outer serenity. She must be raging on the inside.

And she had no outlet. Cade wouldn’t know how to act with her. He wouldn’t know how to draw all that emotion out of her, to make her human again, and to help her let all that pain out. She needed someone to goad her beyond her boundaries, to make her forget that she was trying to be so self-contained. So she could let loose and just be herself.

But no one would understand that about his Audrey but him, because no one saw past the surface but him.

And suddenly, he needed to be at her side. She would need comforting. A strong arm to lean on. Someone to irritate her out of that icy shell she always put on.

Reese jumped to his feet, but the room spun and he wobbled. “I need to see her.”

Logan braced an arm on Reese, steadying him. “You’re drunk, man. Sit down.”

“See Daphne? They’re not letting anyone see Daphne,” Gretchen said. “Once she’s released from the hospital, she’s going straight into rehab for God knows how long. Haven’t you seen the papers? They’re having a field day with this.”

“See Audrey,” he told them, trying to get to his feet again and ignoring Logan as he pushed him back down again. “Need to talk to her.” She had to be hurting, and she wouldn’t let anyone see it.

She always thought she had to be so strong and capable. She was the opposite of him in so many ways, but they were so alike, too. Here he was letting his business fall down around his ears simply because he had too much pride to ask his friends for help.

Ah, fuck. Reese sat down and slumped in his chair, rubbing his face. Damn. The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He was a fucking fool sometimes. “I need to see Audrey. She has to be hurting.”

“Not tonight,” Logan said in that voice of authority. “And not while you’re drunk.”

Gretchen watched him with a curious gaze. “Why do you want to see my sister?”

It was on the tip of his tongue to tell her that it wasn’t any of her business, but judging from the stony look on Hunter’s face, he wouldn’t get very far if he told Gretchen off. So he ignored her and turned back to Logan. “You said she’s back at work?”

Logan’s jaw clenched as he considered Reese. “You’re not coming to my office to harass my personal assistant.”

“Fuck it, man. I just want to see her, all right?”

“Then come to the cocktail party on Thursday like you intended. She’ll be there in a professional capacity.”

“Good. That’s good.” Reese sighed and took another drink from the bottle.

“Wow, he’s a bit of a sloppy drunk,” Gretchen said in a mock whisper. “Now’s the time to clean him out if you’re really playing poker down here.”

“It’s business,” Griffin said in his stiff, aristocratic voice. “Something you clearly don’t know much about.”

“Watch it,” Hunter said in a warning voice.

“Speaking of business,” Reese said, setting the bottle down on the table and shoring up his courage. He rubbed his eyes and then regarded his friends. Audrey had told him to trust in his friends, and he’d been too blind to do it. No longer. “I need your help . . .”

***

“I’m not taking it,” Brontë said with a stubborn look on her face, arms crossed over her chest.

Audrey pushed the foot-long velvet box toward her again and wiggled it. “I’m not your assistant, I’m Logan’s. He said that the gentleman here tonight has an interest in antique jewelry, and it’ll reflect well on him if he has you kitted out properly.”

“He’s full of crap,” Brontë complained, but took the box from her. “You know he’s constantly coming up with new excuses just to be able to buy me jewelry.” She snapped open the case and groaned. “This even matches my dress. Did you pick this out?”

“Absolutely not,” Audrey said with a smile. “And your dress looks lovely.” She might have taken a picture of the green satin sheath so Logan could purchase the appropriate jewelry, but she wouldn’t have bought it and passed it off as Logan’s idea. Brontë was too good a friend for that. “Do you need help putting it on?”

“No, I’m fine,” Brontë grumbled, tying the waterfall of emeralds at her neck and then peering into a nearby mirror. “God, the man has expensive taste.”

“But good taste,” Audrey corrected, and then gestured at the double doors down the hall. “Shall we join the party, then?”

“If we must,” Brontë said cheerfully, straightening her skirt.

Audrey smoothed a hand over her tight, professional bun and adjusted the earpiece she wore over one ear, the microphone curved to her mouth. That small item, along with her plain beige business suit, would tell anyone who tried to talk to her that she was there in a strictly professional capacity. Not that it would be a problem, Audrey thought wryly. Strange men never tried to pick her up at these parties. The occasional one would try to headhunt to replace his assistant, but for the most part she was invisible unless someone needed her to dictate notes on a whim.

She followed Brontë into the party, scanning the crush of guests. The ballroom was owned by Hawkings Conglomerate, and they kept it reserved for the frequent parties that Logan threw for his business associates. This party was like many others, so things were running smoothly as usual. She kept an eye on the wait staff as they passed by with glasses of wine and champagne, then strolled past the hors d’oeuvres table, which was neat and still relatively clean. The rich didn’t eat much at these parties. They drank like fish, but most of the food went home with the staff that night.

The ice sculpture at the center of the table was a woman’s bust, the long, swan-like neck of the bust ornamented with a thick diamond choker that had its own security guard standing at hand. And the guests tonight glittered like stars, since it was a party celebrating the acquisition of one of the largest and oldest jewelry chains in America by Hawkings Conglomerate. The man had been trying to get Logan to buy his business for some time, but Audrey suspected that Logan had only had interest after acquiring a fiancée.

Which was kind of cute, really.

It made her wistful, too. Wistful that someone would look at her and think of her like that. That she would be at the forefront of someone else’s mind at all times.

And utterly wistful that that person was Reese Durham. Which was more than wishful thinking. Reese wasn’t the type to settle down with someone, especially not someone like her. Reese dated heiresses and movie stars and women who could do things for his career, not a nobody personal assistant who wore tweed and tight buns, no matter how compatible they were in the bedroom.

It just wasn’t meant to be. She’d known that all along, but it didn’t mean she didn’t wish it had been something different.

Audrey turned toward the kitchen, intending on checking out the wine stock to see if they needed to order more at the last moment. This crowd was drinking heavily and Logan wouldn’t like it if supplies ran out early. When people were a little tipsy, their tongues got looser. And when tongues got loose, a lot of interesting information was passed in conversation and Logan listened like a hawk.

As if her thoughts had conjured him from midair, a tall, handsome man stepped out of the crowd and began to head toward her. Reese.

Her heart thudded in her chest and her eyes widened. She stopped in mid-step and turned and headed the other way, pressing a hand to her earpiece as if she’d just gotten an important message. Look busy, she told herself. Look busy.

“Audrey, wait.”

Her steps sped up, her cheeks burning, until she was practically running out the double doors of the ballroom and down the marble-tiled hall, doing her best to escape him. Damn it. She should have known he’d be here at a party that Logan threw. Of course he would be. She was foolish to think that just because he’d ditched her back at the cabin that she wouldn’t have to run into him again.

The footsteps got faster, and then a hand tugged at her arm. “Audrey, I said wait.”

She turned, jerking her arm out of his grasp, and gave him a scowl. Then she straightened her suit and smoothed a hand down the front of her beige jacket. “Do you mind?”

He let her go and a smile curved his mouth. “Not at all, actually.”

“You almost ripped my sleeve.”

“Now that would have been a shame, wouldn’t it? Not that I’m averse to ripping your top off.” And he gave her a lascivious look that made her blood heat and her temper rise. “I seem to recall that you enjoyed ripping mine off my chest.”

Audrey put on her most professional expression. “Can I help you with something, Mr. Durham?”

“Yeah.” He regarded her for a long moment. “You can tell me why you have that stick up your ass when you’re talking to me. I thought we were past that.”

She didn’t blink an eye but merely clasped her hands and waited for him to continue.

He sighed, looking disappointed. “I heard about Daphne. I wanted to see how you were doing.”

“I’m fine,” she said automatically, then moved to step past him.

Reese grabbed at her sleeve again, then tugged her back into place, ignoring the baleful frown she leveled at him. “Don’t pull that with me.”

“Pull what?” She attempted to leave again, but this time he stepped in front of her, which only made her glare harder.

“You know exactly what I mean,” Reese told her, the look in his eyes still full of concern. For her. “The whole ‘I’m being the stable, responsible twin because I’m too proud to ask for help’ thing. Gretchen said you haven’t shed a tear since Daphne went in the hospital. She said that you’re keeping busy and being strong. Except I know you, and I know what you’re like underneath, and I wonder how long it is before you break down and start screaming.”

Audrey continued to stare at him with that too tight, too professional smile that was starting to hurt. “Can I go now? I’m sure Mr. Hawkings needs me.”

“No, he doesn’t,” Reese said in a husky voice, and his hands moved to her waist, grabbing her and pulling her close. “I need you. And I think you need this.”

To her surprise, he pulled her into a hug. A warm, friendly hug that assumed nothing and simply gave comfort. Audrey stiffened for a long moment, waiting for the inevitable—for Reese to crack a joke, for him to reach out and pinch her ass, something.

But he just held her.

And she felt her knees weaken a little. Her eyes stung. She bit her lip, trying to maintain her composure.

Reese’s hand stroked her neck. “You’re just like me, see,” Reese told her in a soft, husky whisper. “You’re so busy being capable and not needing anyone that you forget that you need things, too. And I’m guessing that right now you need a shoulder to cry on. You’ve had a really rough week, and everyone’s expecting you to be strong and handle it all because they can’t. And I’m guessing that’s the last thing you want to do.”

Audrey burst into tears.

Great, big, ugly sobs ripped out of her throat, and her fingers curled in the lapels of his black jacket. She clung to him while he stroked her neck and whispered soothing things, holding her and simply comforting her.

“It’s all right, firecracker,” he said in a soft voice. “I’m here for you. I’m the one person you don’t have to be strong around. You just have to be yourself with me. I’ll never ask you to be anything else.”

Eventually, Audrey’s tears stopped and she gave her swollen eyes a swipe, though she didn’t pull her cheek from Reese’s shoulder. It felt too good to be huddled in his arms, her face against his neck, breathing in his scent. She felt vulnerable with him—vulnerable and yet oddly protected. Like he was there to take care of her. Was this how Daphne felt when Audrey stepped in and handled things? If so, she suddenly understood why her twin let her shoulder all the burdens. It felt good to have someone to lean on.

Audrey pulled away from Reese’s shoulder and smoothed his jacket, frowning to herself at the wrinkles she’d left in the fabric. “I’ve ruined your suit,” she said with a note of alarm. “If you’re going to return to the party, let me call someone—”

“Shh,” Reese told her, and cupped her cheek. “I was only at the party to see you.”

Her heart thudded. “Me? Why me?”

He grinned. “Because Gretchen wouldn’t give me your cell phone number.”

“I still have to get it replaced,” she said, and the prim tone returned. “Someone threw it into a hot tub, remember?”

“I still think that’s one lucky hot tub.”

“Why did you come looking for me?”

“Because I left without saying good-bye,” Reese told her. “And I needed to fix that.”

And he leaned in and gently kissed her mouth.

The feel of his lips against her own brought back a rush of memories of their time in the cabin. Oh, and his scent was so divine. Why did Reese always smell so incredible? She whimpered when he grazed his lips over hers, and then his tongue brushed against the seam of her mouth, demanding entrance. She had no choice but to part her lips for him and let him stroke inside her mouth. His hand cupped her nape, dragging her against him, and her hands splayed on his chest for support as he gently and sweetly plundered her mouth. His kiss drugged her senses and made her forget everything, the world beginning and ending with his lips and tongue.

The kiss slowly ended, and Reese pressed one more soft caress on her mouth. “I want you in my bed, Audrey,” he murmured, sending skitters of fireworks through her body, the butterfly returning to her stomach.

“I—”

“Reese, there you are, darling!” a woman’s voice cooed down the echoing hallway. “Why did you leave the party? Minka and I were just saying that I—”

The woman’s voice stopped. Audrey peered over Reese’s shoulder at the beautiful blonde in a slinky ice-gray dress, accompanied by a gorgeous brunette. They stared at Audrey in surprise, then at Reese.

Audrey looked up at Reese’s face and saw the annoyance in his eyes.

She pushed away from him. How had she forgotten who he was? He was the ultimate playboy, the quintessential player. She was a nobody who was a bed warmer. Of course.

“You should go back to the party,” she said in a brisk voice, straightening his lapels.

“Audrey,” he began, following her.

“Just leave me alone,” Audrey said, shaking her head. She walked down the hall to the elevator and hammered at the button.

“Reese? What’s going on?” one of the women asked. She had a thick and sultry European accent. “Are you coming back inside?”

The voices down the hall lowered to a murmur, and she could hear Reese’s low baritone mixing with the women’s voices, though she couldn’t make out what they were saying.

Audrey pushed the button again. It didn’t arrive fast enough for her. With a hateful glare at the elevator, she headed to the fire exit and began to head down the stairs.

She just had to get out of there. Away from Reese and the inevitable women who crawled all over him. Away from the party and Brontë’s happiness that ate at her.

Away from the memory of that comforting hug, and that wonderful kiss. It was nice that Reese wanted her in his bed, but she couldn’t deal with the women crawling all over him.

Not when he wasn’t hers. Not when her heart would break every time he dated someone else, because she’d given her heart and he hadn’t. She couldn’t do it.

***

In retrospect, taking the stairs in a pair of heels—no matter how sensible—from the thirtieth floor? Not her best idea. But she continued to trudge down the stairs, her heart heavier with every flight. By the time she got to the bottom, she was exhausted—mentally and physically.

Which was why, when she opened the door to the fire escape and saw Reese standing there alone, she groaned. So much for her legendary composure.

Reese grinned at her, holding the door open. “Get your exercise in?”

“Shut up.”

“The rest of the world takes the elevator.”

“Just shut up.”

“Not until you and I have a little talk.”

She sighed, then crossed her arms over her chest. “What could we possibly have to talk about? We slept together. It was no big deal. You left. End of story.”

“I left because you went out with another man,” he said flatly. “And you were excited about it. So how about we talk about that?”

“You’re blaming me?” She gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious? You’re the one who ran like a chicken.”

His jaw clenched. “Is that so?”

“Yeah, that’s so.”

“Who’s the one who just took the stairs for thirty floors?”

She gritted her teeth.

“Now quit changing the subject.”

“I went out with Cade because he asked, all right?” She jabbed at his chest with a finger. “And I didn’t realize that I’d fallen for someone else until I couldn’t stop thinking about you at dinner.”

His hard expression softened, and that roguish grin returned to his face. “So you fell for me, huh? I bet Cade hated that.”

Her face flamed with color. Should she backtrack on her story? Or just keep going? “Cade was relieved because he thinks of me as a little sister,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice. “And then he slept with Daphne later that night.”

Reese leaned against the stairwell, propping one arm up against the door. “I can think of someone who was at that cabin that didn’t think of you like a little sister.”

“So can I,” she said wryly.

“So how is it that you fell for all this”—he paused and gestured at himself —“And yet you still keep running away from me?”

“Because I can’t do this, Reese. Just because I was stupid enough to fall in love with you doesn’t mean that I want to end right up in your bed again when I know it’s not a permanent thing. And I wouldn’t try to force you into anything because that’s unfair. One-sided romances always are.”

He reached out and touched her cheek, then pulled her close. “So you fell in love with me, huh?”

She weakly pushed at him. It felt too good to have his arms around her. “Reese, don’t.”

“What if I told you that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you?” He leaned in and grazed his lips against the shell of her ear. “What if I told you I keep comparing every woman I meet to you and they all come up lacking? What if I told you that I haven’t even given the thought of another woman any consideration since I left your side?”

A wry smile touched her mouth. “It’s only been a week. I’d say you’re a normal man.”

“Ah, but I’m not a normal man. I’m the billionaire gigolo Reese Durham,” he teased. “Your words, I believe. And a week for me is an eternity, especially when it’s a week without you.” He leaned in and lightly kissed her jawline. “And what if I told you that maybe I’d fallen for you the moment you kissed me like you wanted to make me never forget you? What would you say then?”

She shivered, leaning into his mouth. Her fingers curled at the lapels of his suit again, but she said nothing. She didn’t want to break the spell.

“What if I told you,” Reese murmured, kissing along her jaw until he got to her mouth,“that I was willing to try a committed relationship with you? Just you and me against the world.”

A tremble swept through her. “I’d say not to lie about things like that.”

“Firecracker, you know I’m many things, but I’ve never been a liar.” He lightly kissed her mouth. “How about it?”

She twisted her hands in the front of his suit and kissed him hard. “I’d say let’s go for it.”

He groaned and his hand slid to her hip, then he tugged her leg around his waist. “Ah, that’s my girl.” The kiss became brutal and fierce. She wasn’t quite sure who was leading—her or him, only that they desperately needed each other in that moment. She moaned with need, pressing her body against him, her leg locking around his waist. Her skirt was hiking up and she didn’t care.

“So fucking sexy when you’re dressed up all subdued like this,” he groaned against her mouth. “Do they even know how fucking hot you are when you get riled?”

“Only you,” she breathed. “Only for you.”

“Good,” he growled, and kissed her hard again, pressing her against the stairwell door.

A throat cleared, and Audrey and Reese broke the kiss for a moment to look around. A bellhop stood in the doorway, giving them a red-faced look.

“Can I help you with something?” Reese asked, his hand not straying from Audrey’s hip.

“Sir, you’re in the middle of the hallway,” the bellhop protested.

Audrey bit at Reese’s ear, then whispered, “There’s a storage closet on the thirtieth floor, across from the ballroom.”

“Now you’re talking,” he told her. “Think we can make it up thirty flights?”

“How about we take the elevator this time?” She smoothed a hand over her bun and was thrilled when his gaze went there and got even hotter, as if she’d stroked his cock in public. Keeping a cool look on her flushed face, Audrey moved to the elevator and pushed the button, straightening her skirt. Reese followed behind her, and they waited, patiently. Quietly.

The elevator eventually dinged. They got in. No one else did. The door shut.

As soon as the door shut, they were all over each other again. Hands sliding under jackets, mouths locked, moans filling the air. Her hand stroked the front of his pants, feeling the hard length of his cock and glorying in it.

“Goddamn,” Reese growled when she did it again. “Fucking slowest elevator ever.”

“That’s why I took the stairs,” she said with a giggle.

The doors finally opened and they stumbled out, hands still on each other. The hallway was blissfully empty, and Audrey headed down the hall in the opposite direction of the ballroom, toward a storage closet that held party decorations and cleaning supplies. Sure enough, the door was unlocked. She pushed it open and then gestured for Reese to follow her in.

“How’d you know this was here?”

She shrugged. “I usually have to keep an eye on the staff when there’s a shindig, and there’s always a shindig. You never know when someone’s going to need an emergency mop.”

“You’re so handy,” he said, and it sounded like the sexiest thing in the world.

She shut the door and locked it, a flush rolling through her body. “You say the sweetest things.”

He pulled her close and began to kiss her again, his mouth hot on hers. After a moment, he groaned and pressed his forehead against hers. “Fuck.”

“What is it?”

“No condom.”

“That doesn’t sound like you,” she teased.

He chuckled in the darkness. “I wasn’t planning on scoring. I just wanted to talk to you. Didn’t give a shit about anyone else.”

Her hand stroked along the front of his pants again. “I’ll take a chance. I’m feeling the need to gamble. I need you. Don’t care how.”

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Her hand slid to the front of his pants and slid his zipper down.

“Think I can get up that sexy little skirt of yours?”

She laughed as he pinned her against the wall. “You mean this sensible beige knee-length skirt?”

“The one that clings to your luscious ass and makes me think of all the dirty things I could be doing to you? That’s the one.” His hands dragged it upward, exposing her panties. “Ah, thank God you’re not wearing pantyhose.”

“It’s just me under here,” she agreed. She moaned when his fingers dipped into her panties and stroked her clit teasingly. “Oh, God, Reese, I need you so bad.”

“Then drop these,” he murmured.

She did, and then he was between her legs, his own pants around to his knees. She felt the heat of him nudge against her a second before he slid deep, and she cried out in sheer pleasure. “Oh, Reese!”

“Ah. Fuck. Firecracker, you feel too good.” He groaned and pressed his forehead against hers again. “I think I need to go bare into you from now on. You feel amazing.”

“I’ll get on the Pill,” she assured him.

“Good thing we’re in a committed relationship as of five minutes ago,” he told her. “Because I think I’m in heaven.” He thrust deep, shoving her up against the wall, and she cried out and clung to him. His strokes were hard and fast, and it was clear he wouldn’t last long. And she wanted it to be as rough and wild as he could make it, because she needed him so badly.

So she slid her hand between them and rested her finger against her clit. Every time he slammed into her, her finger rubbed against it, making her moan.

“Damn, firecracker,” he groaned. “Touching you drives me insane. Not gonna last long.”

“No,” she breathed, and then bit back a scream when she began to come, her pussy clenching.

He growled her name and thrust again. Then she was coming too, jerking hard and rough against her. She felt the wash of his seed inside her, and she shivered again.

When she tried to slide her leg down his hip and back to the floor, he stopped her. His hand continued to hold her in place, locked around his hip. As if he wanted to stay there forever. That was fine with her.

He leaned in and kissed her again, slow and tender. “I might have just made you pregnant,” he told her. “That was irresponsible of someone who prides herself on responsibility.”

“What can I say? You bring out the wild side in me,” she said, pleased and dopey from his loving. “Plus, that would be really bad luck.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he told her, and kissed her again, as if he couldn’t stop. “I might bring out the wild side in you, but you bring out the responsible side in me.”

“I do?” That made her pleased, oddly enough.

“Yeah. Did Logan tell you that he and Hunter are investing in my cruise line?”

Her hands tightened on his jacket in excitement. “They are? You approached them?”

“I got some good advice from a very sensible woman,” he told her in a husky voice. “A very sensible woman who has a naughty side. And it’s the woman I happen to love.”

“You do?” Her voice was even softer, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.

“Yeah. Except she loses her head around me,” he said in a teasing voice, then pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Which is why I think I’m going to have to marry her.”

Her breath stopped. “You . . . what?”

“I mean it, Audrey.” He kissed her again, this time coaxing her mouth open with a lick of his tongue. “Marry me. Be my wife. I don’t want anyone but you. I love you. I love your spirit and your pride and that sexy figure of yours, and I can’t stand the thought of you getting away from me again. And if we’ve made a baby, then I want to marry its mother.”

“Aren’t you jumping the gun just a little? I thought I brought out your responsible side.”

“You do.”

“Proposing marriage after a few weeks isn’t very responsible!”

“I said you brought out my responsible side,” he said with a chuckle. “I didn’t say how big it was.” He leaned in and kissed until she was breathless. “Say yes, firecracker.”

She considered it a moment, then returned his kiss. “Tell me you love me again.”

“I love you,” he said, and it was husky and achingly sweet. “I love your good side and your naughty one.” He kissed her neck. “Especially your naughty one.”

She smiled. “It might be stronger than the good one from time to time.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” He nipped at her collarbone again. “Now tell me you’ll marry me.”

“Yes.”

His hand clenched around her thigh, and he pressed his hips against hers. She felt his cock still buried inside her, still hard, and he began to thrust again. A moan built in her throat.

“I love you, Audrey,” he told her. “Wanna elope to Hawaii?”

She bit her lip, moaning with pleasure. “Is this a ploy to get me to agree to anal again?”

“Mmmm. Now that you mention it, we can save that for the honeymoon.”

She giggled.

“Now don’t distract me, woman. Do you, or do you not wanna elope to Hawaii?”

He was kissing her and his hips were rolling against her own in a way that was driving her to distraction. “I . . . I’ll have to ask for the time off.”

“I’ll talk to Logan,” he told her. “Or you can ask him at poker night.”

“Poker night?” she echoed, confused.

“Yeah. I’ll explain some other time, but it involves a nondisclosure.”

She was going to ask him exactly what he was talking about, but then he began to stroke deep inside her again, and Audrey found she didn’t care much about poker night or any other night at all.

As long as she was in Reese’s arms, it didn’t matter.

Date: 2015-02-03; view: 552