I said, sitting
up. "I can stay longer."
He nodded without looking up from the
display. "Excuse me, Cleo, I better return some of these." He
padded barefoot out of the bedroom.
I sighed. Damn. I'd just ruined the moment
and offended him by insisting on catching a cab. Good going,
Cleo.
His voice seemed far away, but I could just
make out what he said. Most of the calls sounded work related, but
one caught my attention. He greeted his brother, Ash, but his tone
became gruff and then he must have walked further away because I
couldn't hear him anymore. Instinct had me getting to my feet and
going in search of him. I found him in what appeared to be a study,
his broad, naked back to the door and me. I stood near the door,
but out of sight.
"None of your damned business," he said into
the phone. "I don't want to talk about it." He paused, listening,
then added, "I don't want to talk about that either." More silence,
followed by, "Tell Mom and Dad it's not about them. It's not about
any of you. I'm in the business of making money for my
stakeholders, and my stakeholders want to build a hotel on the
site. The location is perfect." He listened again then sighed.
"Yeah, I know she is," he said in response to something Ash said.
"But she can get another studio elsewhere. She's not my
responsibility." More silence, and then Reece's shout made my heart
leap into my throat. "You fucking leave her out of this! Not
everything is about her. Do you hear me? You think everything I do
is shaped by what happened, but listen to me, little brother.
Sometimes it's just about the money."
He must have hung up because something in the
room smashed. The phone? I quickly ran back to the bedroom and lay
on the bed. He did not return and the next moment I heard water
running from the bathroom. I checked the study again and sure
enough, the phone lay in pieces on the floor. Something Ash said
had made Reece furious. Something to do with a woman and an
incident Reece was involved in. Had they been discussing
Cassie?
I returned to the bedroom and looked through
his closet for a robe. It was best I left if he was in a bad mood,
but I needed a shower first. The closet was as big as my bedroom
and half empty. It seemed a shame to waste such a huge space on a
man.
"Hey," came Reece's soft voice from the
doorway behind me. I spun round, unsure of what reaction I'd get,
but there was no evidence of his earlier anger. He was all crooked
smiles and smoky eyes again.
"I was looking for something to wear," I
said.
"Take any shirt you want. Later. For now, I
want you to come with me." He took my hand and led me into the
bathroom.
The scent of blossoms drifted to me before we
entered. The water was still running and I realized it wasn't the
shower but the Jacuzzi.
"I thought we could have a soak," he said,
hands on my shoulders, his chest at my back.
I tipped my head up to look up at him. "How
did you know my muscles needed it?"
He kissed my mouth. "Just a guess."
The man had an incredible ability to leave
one emotion behind and replace it with another. Or was it a mask,
not a replacement? Was he still furious at his brother on the
inside, but determined not to let me see it?
Or was he determined to forget? Forget the
conversation, forget the mysterious woman and whatever had happened
between them?
We climbed in and I lay back against his
chest, my head on his shoulder. He gently massaged my thighs
beneath the water, but did not turn it into something sexual. I
closed my eyes and sighed.
"Like that?" he murmured in my ear.
I nodded. "It's Heaven. Thank you, Reece. I
was afraid that I offended you about the cab."
I felt him shrug. "You don't want me to meet
your sister yet," he said. "It's okay. I get that."
"You've already met her."
"Not as your…"
"Boss?" Clearly he was having trouble
classifying what we were to one another now, just as much as I
was.
"Boss," he agreed.
"We'll see where this takes us. There's no
rush. Besides," I ventured, "you
up. "I can stay longer."
He nodded without looking up from the
display. "Excuse me, Cleo, I better return some of these." He
padded barefoot out of the bedroom.
I sighed. Damn. I'd just ruined the moment
and offended him by insisting on catching a cab. Good going,
Cleo.
His voice seemed far away, but I could just
make out what he said. Most of the calls sounded work related, but
one caught my attention. He greeted his brother, Ash, but his tone
became gruff and then he must have walked further away because I
couldn't hear him anymore. Instinct had me getting to my feet and
going in search of him. I found him in what appeared to be a study,
his broad, naked back to the door and me. I stood near the door,
but out of sight.
"None of your damned business," he said into
the phone. "I don't want to talk about it." He paused, listening,
then added, "I don't want to talk about that either." More silence,
followed by, "Tell Mom and Dad it's not about them. It's not about
any of you. I'm in the business of making money for my
stakeholders, and my stakeholders want to build a hotel on the
site. The location is perfect." He listened again then sighed.
"Yeah, I know she is," he said in response to something Ash said.
"But she can get another studio elsewhere. She's not my
responsibility." More silence, and then Reece's shout made my heart
leap into my throat. "You fucking leave her out of this! Not
everything is about her. Do you hear me? You think everything I do
is shaped by what happened, but listen to me, little brother.
Sometimes it's just about the money."
He must have hung up because something in the
room smashed. The phone? I quickly ran back to the bedroom and lay
on the bed. He did not return and the next moment I heard water
running from the bathroom. I checked the study again and sure
enough, the phone lay in pieces on the floor. Something Ash said
had made Reece furious. Something to do with a woman and an
incident Reece was involved in. Had they been discussing
Cassie?
I returned to the bedroom and looked through
his closet for a robe. It was best I left if he was in a bad mood,
but I needed a shower first. The closet was as big as my bedroom
and half empty. It seemed a shame to waste such a huge space on a
man.
"Hey," came Reece's soft voice from the
doorway behind me. I spun round, unsure of what reaction I'd get,
but there was no evidence of his earlier anger. He was all crooked
smiles and smoky eyes again.
"I was looking for something to wear," I
said.
"Take any shirt you want. Later. For now, I
want you to come with me." He took my hand and led me into the
bathroom.
The scent of blossoms drifted to me before we
entered. The water was still running and I realized it wasn't the
shower but the Jacuzzi.
"I thought we could have a soak," he said,
hands on my shoulders, his chest at my back.
I tipped my head up to look up at him. "How
did you know my muscles needed it?"
He kissed my mouth. "Just a guess."
The man had an incredible ability to leave
one emotion behind and replace it with another. Or was it a mask,
not a replacement? Was he still furious at his brother on the
inside, but determined not to let me see it?
Or was he determined to forget? Forget the
conversation, forget the mysterious woman and whatever had happened
between them?
We climbed in and I lay back against his
chest, my head on his shoulder. He gently massaged my thighs
beneath the water, but did not turn it into something sexual. I
closed my eyes and sighed.
"Like that?" he murmured in my ear.
I nodded. "It's Heaven. Thank you, Reece. I
was afraid that I offended you about the cab."
I felt him shrug. "You don't want me to meet
your sister yet," he said. "It's okay. I get that."
"You've already met her."
"Not as your…"
"Boss?" Clearly he was having trouble
classifying what we were to one another now, just as much as I
was.
"Boss," he agreed.
"We'll see where this takes us. There's no
rush. Besides," I ventured, "you
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