New Beginnings (35 page)

“Don’t… come…” She gasped. “Back.”

***

It was discharge day for Cassidy, and the doctors refused to sign her release papers until they were satisfied she had a safe place to convalesce with someone who was able and willing to take care of her. Of course, her fake fiancé had stepped up to the plate, insisting she would be in good hands with him.

She had asked Drake to leave her alone, but he refused to listen. The one and only day he hadn’t stopped in to visit, she had to admit she missed him.

Living under his roof for a month or two while her body continued to heal would be torture, but he was right, it was her only option since going back to the center in her condition wasn’t feasible.

She was surprised when his driver took them in the opposite direction of his downtown penthouse. “You moved?” she asked, stealing a glance at him.

“Yeah, to Brentwood.” He slipped his phone back in his pocket. “I like it out there.”

“What’s not to like?”

He smiled. “True.”

Their eyes locked and she said the words she should have said before. “Thank you.”

“It’s my pleasure.” His eyes travelled over her body. “You’re looking better every day.”

Most of the bruises were starting to fade and she was finally able to walk without an aid. She was feeling a little bit stronger every day. “Thanks, I think,” she said, brushing her fingertips over the faint yellow bruise on one of her cheekbones.

“You’re still gorgeous,” he whispered.

“Liar.” She couldn’t hide her smile. It had been so long since he’d offered her a compliment, she’d forgotten how a few choice words could make her feel so special.

“You are.” He glanced at the cleavage peeking out of her fitted, zippered hoodie, quickly tearing his eyes away when she raised an eyebrow in question. “But you’ve lost too much weight. My housekeeper, Dora, will fix you up in no time.”

“I don’t want your staff waiting on me, Drake. I’m perfectly capable of preparing a simple meal for myself.” The doctors told her to listen to her body’s cues. Rest when necessary, engage in light activity when she had the energy. She intended to heal as quickly as possible so she could move out of his home and return to her own life.

“I don’t want you to lift a finger.” He pointed at her, scowling. “I mean it, Cassidy. I have a staff to cater to your every need while you’re recovering. Caleb will take you anywhere you need to go, including doctors’ appointments and physio, but he’s under strict instructions not to let you overdo it. He’ll be there to help you to and from the doctor’s office, if need be.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need someone to babysit me.”

“I’m not going to risk a setback because you’re too damn stubborn to ask for help when you need it. That’s why you ended up in this mess in the first place.” He released a breath, looking a little contrite. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. What happened wasn’t your fault, but…” He raked a hand through his hair. “I still can’t believe you were staying in a place like that. What the hell were you thinking?”

Cassidy couldn’t blame him for questioning her about her living arrangements. To a man like Drake, living in abject poverty would seem unimaginable. “I was thinking it was time to get my life together.” She looked at him out of the corner of her eye before quickly turning her attention back to the passing scenery. “When I moved out of your place, I needed to figure out how to get my life back on track. Phil and the center helped me to do that.”

“Why the hell didn’t you come after me for a settlement? Given my state of mind at the time, I can’t deny I probably would have fought you, but no matter how hard I fought, I’m sure you would have walked away with enough money to start over.”

After what went down between them, she would have been too ashamed to lay claim to anything belonging to Drake. “It was all yours. None of it was mine.”

“Yeah, but you could’ve made a case for—”

“I didn’t want it, Drake.” Keeping the car and ring had been hard enough. Her pride wouldn’t allow her to support herself on his dime after allowing him to believe the worst of her.

“If I’d known you were living like that, I would have done something about it. In spite of what you might think of me, I’m not a monster.”

“I never thought you were.” He’d always been kind, loving and supportive to her during their relationship. He picked her up when she stumbled and reassured her she had the talent to make a name for herself in Nashville, with or without his connections.

“Shutting you out the way I did was—”

“Justified,” she said, quickly. She couldn’t stand to hear him berate himself, given the lie he’d had to live with the past year. “You did what you had to do.”

“I guess I underestimated how much you wanted to make it in this business, huh?” His lips turned up at the corners, not quite a smile, more of a begrudging show of appreciation. “I thought you’d turn tail and run back home.”

“Why? There’s nothing for me there.” She wasn’t one to feel sorry for herself, but she was a realist. “I may have been able to secure a job slinging hash like my mama, but I could do that anywhere. I sure as hell didn’t have to go back to Georgia to find a job as a waitress in some greasy truck stop. Besides, there are too many bad memories back home. That’s the last place I want to be.”

“I admire you,” he said quietly. “There’s not many people who would’ve stuck it out here with the kind of obstacles you were facing. It’s hard enough to catch a break in this town, but with a guy like me working behind the scenes to block you at every turn… Hell, that would’ve broken a lesser person’s spirit.”

“What choice did I have?” she said, daring to look him in the eye. “No money, no family, no education. The only thing I have is my voice.”

“I’m sorry I tried to take that away from you,” he whispered. “That was a really lousy thing to do.”

She’d never wanted or expected him to show remorse for his actions. If anyone should apologize, it was her. “Nothing less than you felt I deserved. Like I said, you were justified.”

He grinned. “Damn, you’re stubborn, lady. Can we just agree to disagree about this?”

“Sure,” she said, shrugging. “But first, I want to say what I tried to say that night, I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Don’t,” he said quietly, gripping his phone in his fist. “I don’t wanna talk about what happened that night.”

She knew better than to push, so she let it go. There was nothing more she could say anyway and there was no sense rehashing the past. It wouldn’t change the present and they had no future.

Drake was occupied for the rest of the ride to his estate, taking calls and responding to emails. She flipped through one of the magazines she’d brought from the hospital, pretending to read the articles highlighting the biggest and brightest stars in country music.

She tried to conceal her appreciation when the stone and stucco mansion came in to view, but it wasn’t easy. She’d never even seen a house that big, much less been an invited guest. “Will I be staying in the guest house?” she asked, pointing to a much smaller building near the pool.

“Nice try,” he said, smirking. “If you think I’d leave you out there to your own devices, you don’t know me as well as I thought you did.”

Suddenly desperate to make him see reason, she said, “It may be easier for me to make my way around a place that size. It looks like just making it from one end of your house to the other may be exhausting.”

She started to panic. The last thing she wanted was to get comfortable living in the lap of luxury, especially when she would be returning to Phil’s center in a matter of weeks. It was important for her to remember where she came from so she wouldn’t get caught up in some silly fantasy, playing house with Drake.

“No worries,” he said, slipping his iPhone into the pocket of his leather blazer. “If you need anything, Dora can get it for you. You’re welcome to stay in our wing if you don’t feel like venturing too far at first.”

“Our wing?” she asked, her voice betraying her concern.

“Yeah, you’ll have the suite next to mine.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, wringing her hands.

“Of course it is. Dora is at the opposite end of the house. This way, if you need anything at night, I’ll be there to…” He licked his lips. “See to your
needs
.”

Damn her traitorous body for responding as though he was propositioning her. He was merely trying to be a good host, not get her back in to his bed. “I don’t want to inconvenience you.” She knew she was grasping at straws, but felt compelled to try convincing him an alternative arrangement would be in their best interest. “I know how busy you are. You need your sleep and I really don’t want to be a bother.”

He chuckled, lowering his head. “I don’t recall ever considering it a bother when you woke me up in the middle of the night, darlin’.”

Her face flamed when she thought of all the times she’d woken him with a gentle caress intended to entice him. “I, uh…” Before she could respond, the limo driver was opening the door and offering his hand.

She looked up, taken aback by the man smiling down at her. He was gorgeous. Tall with sandy blond hair, deep green eyes that crinkled at the corners, and a flash of white teeth that revealed a single dimple in his left cheek.
Wow.

“Miss Ross,” he said, his smile indicating he was amused by her obvious perusal.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, blushing as she reached for his hand. “Thank you.” She caught a whiff of spicy cologne as she invaded his space, prompting her to draw a deep breath.
Yummy.

Getting out of the car, Drake narrowed his eyes as looked from his chauffeur to his house guest. “Caleb,” he said, gesturing to Cassidy. “Miss Ross will be staying with me for the next couple of months while she recuperates from an accident. As I mentioned earlier, I want you to tend to her…” He clenched his jaw, as though he was reconsidering his directive. “I want you to take her to and from appointments, that’s it. She claims she’ll be fine to make it in to the doctor’s office by herself. Unless you’ve changed your mind about that?” he asked Cassidy, raising an eyebrow.

Obviously he wasn’t happy that she’d shown an interest in his driver. Not that she was interested. She just hadn’t expected him to look like
that
. “No, I’ll be fine on my own,” she said, smiling up at Caleb. “Thank you.”

“Fine,” Drake said, between his teeth. “You can wait for her in the car when you accompany her to appointments.”

“Yes, sir,” Caleb said, winking as he tipped his hat at Cassidy. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

Drake reached for Cassidy’s hand. “I don’t think we’ll be needing your services any more tonight.”

She tried to ignore the shiver that ran up her arm at the intimate gesture. She’d expected Drake to take her arm to help her navigate the stairs, not her hand.

“Would you like me to bring your Ferrari around, sir?” Caleb asked. “My mother said you were attending an event this evening.”

“I’ve changed my mind. I want to make sure Cassidy gets settled in.”

“You don’t have to cancel your plans on my account,” Cassidy said quickly. She already felt like she was invading his privacy. The last thing she wanted was for him to rearrange his life around her.

“Yeah,” Caleb said, smiling at her. “I’d be happy to keep her company if you have to go out, Mr. Elliott.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Drake said, grasping her hand tighter as they slowly made their way up the stone steps. “That’ll be all, thank you.”

“Geez, are you always so short with your employees?” she asked, shooting a glance over her shoulder at Caleb.

Caleb was standing by the driver’s door, watching her navigate the stairs. Grinning, he saluted her.

“Only when they ogle my house guests.”

She rolled her eyes. “He wasn’t ogling me.”

“Sure as hell looked that way to me.”

She nudged him gently. “You almost sound like you’re jealous, Drake.”

Once they were at the top of the stairs, he shocked her by framing her face with his hands and leaning in to kiss her.

Her response was automatic. Without even thinking, she leaned in to him, opening for his sensual exploration. For a brief second, she was able to pretend they were still lovers and the kiss was just a prelude.

“What was that about?” she whispered. She knew her eyes must be glazed with lust and confusion when she finally withdrew from his embrace, but she couldn’t pretend being back in his arms hadn’t affected her.

“God,” he groaned, dipping his head to brush his lips against hers once more. The kiss quickly turned passionate before the sound of a car engine broke their trance. “That was supposed to have been for Caleb’s benefit, but…” He stared in to her eyes. “I’d almost let myself forget the way you taste, the way you kiss me when you’re turned on…” His hands spanned her waist and he pressed his arousal in to her flat stomach.

“Drake,” she said, bringing her fingertips to her swollen lips. “That shouldn’t have happened. I mean, we can’t let it happen again.”

“Yeah, I know,” he said. His hand skimmed over her waist, resting on her hip. “It won’t.”

He didn’t sound convinced, but instead of pressing the point while she was still trembling from the after effects, she turned toward the door, hoping he would take the hint.

He turned the burnished knob and gestured for her to enter ahead of him.

Cassidy didn’t know where to look first. His home was like a feast for the eyes. High ceilings, ornate mouldings, gilded wood furniture, opulent fabric adorning the soft furnishings and highlighting the incredible view of the impressive gardens.

“Wow,” she whispered. The apartments and trailers she’d lived in growing up could have fit in the foyer. “This is…”

He smirked. “A bit much, I know.”

“No, it’s stunning.” She looked up and her lips formed an “O” at the sight of the Swarovski crystal chandelier hanging overhead.

“I’m glad you like it.”

A woman wearing a pink apron came out of the kitchen. “There you are,” she said.

Her accent was British, and her smile warm and inviting. She was pleasantly plump with a soft blond bob. Cassidy guessed she might be the same age as her own mother, though Elizabeth Ross’s lifestyle made her look ten years older.