Safe in the Tycoon's Arms (Harlequin Romance) (6 page)

Her gaze latched on to him and the moment ended. She bolted upright.

“Lucas. What are you doing here?” She glanced down, cinching the robe closed. “I mean I know it’s your house and all...but what are you doing in my room...umm, your guest room.” She pressed a hand to her mouth, halting the babbling.

“I tried calling up the steps and even knocked on the door, but you were out to the world.”

“What do you want?”

The question was a loaded one and set off one inappropriate response after the other. The first of which was for her to move over in bed. The next thought was for her to kiss him.

He cleared his throat, hoping his voice would sound normal. “It’s time to go back to the hospital.” He turned for the door. “I’ll meet you downstairs.”

Drip... Drip...
He paused and listened.
Drip...

Lucas turned on his heels. “Is the faucet in the bathroom leaking?”

“Umm...no.”

“But that sound. Something’s dripping.” He squinted into the shadows. Frustrated, he moved to the light switch. “Can’t you hear it?”

“Of course I hear it. I’m not deaf.”

He flipped on the overhead light and spotted a wastebasket in the corner. A quick inspection of the ceiling showed water gathering around the bloated section of plaster. Droplets formed and dropped. Bits of fallen plaster littered the floor.

“What the—” He remembered his manners just before cursing. His mother had been the epitome of proper form. Carringtons should never lower themselves with vulgar language, she’d say. Especially not in front of guests.

“It’s been like that since the rain started. You need a new roof.”

His jaw tightened. “Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

“I told you when we met that I’m an interior designer. I know more about houses than just how to properly hang a painting.”

“So you do roofing, too?”

She smiled. “No, I’m not a roofer, but that doesn’t mean I can’t find someone qualified to do a rush job. Because if you’d look around, you’d realize that isn’t your only leak.”

This time he didn’t care about his manners. “Damn.”

He’d turned a blind eye to the house to the point where he had no idea this place was in such bad condition. This went far beyond the mopping and cleaning he’d envisioned. There was considerable damage to the ceiling that was now bowing, and the crown molding was warped and crumbling.

Kate listed everything she’d noticed that needed repair. Unable to bear the guilt over the devastation he’d let happen to his childhood home...to his daughter’s legacy, he turned his gaze away from the ruined plaster. Kate continued talking as though she was in her element. Who knew that fixing up old houses could excite someone so much?

She got to her feet and straightened the bed. “If you want I can make a few phone calls to get people in here to start fixing things up. Maybe they can change things up a little and give this place a makeover—”

“No. I don’t want people in here, making changes.” He ground out the words.

A frown creased her forehead. “Of course there will have to be changes. Nothing ever stays the same. Life is one long string of changes.”

The only changes he’d experienced lately were bad ones that left him struggling to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Like his last visit with his daughter in California—when she’d turned away from him because he was now a stranger to her.

“Listen to me,” Kate said, moving to stand right in front of him. “You’re going to have to make some decisions about this place. You can already see the neglect is taking its toll. Once it’s fixed up, you can move out of that tiny room in the downstairs—”

“I’m happy there.”

She frowned at him as though she didn’t believe a word he said. “Perhaps then you might consider moving to someplace smaller and selling this house to some lucky family who will appreciate its charms.”

He glanced around at the room. This had been his aunt’s room, back when he was a kid. In this room, he’d always felt safe and accepted just as he was. This house was a scrapbook of memories, some good, some not so good. He couldn’t turn his back on it all.

Ghosts of the past filled his mind. The walls started to close in on him. Each breath grew more difficult. He needed space—air. He headed for the door, ignoring Kate’s plea for him to wait. With his gaze straight ahead, he marched down the hall, his breathing becoming more labored. It felt as though the oxygen had been sucked out of the house.

No matter how much he hated to admit it, Kate had a point. This mansion was in worse shape than he’d ever imagined. His shoulders drooped beneath the weight of guilt. His parents and grandparents would be horrified if they were still around to see the neglect he’d let take place. They’d entrusted him with the care of the Carrington mansion and he’d failed. His chest burned as he rushed down the stairs.

Even if he someday won over his little girl—if she no longer looked at him like a scary stranger—he couldn’t bring her here. He couldn’t show her the numerous portraits of her ancestors that his ex-wife had stashed in the attic. The dust. The peeling and cracking plaster. And most likely mold. It just wasn’t fit for a child—or for that matter, an adult.

In the foyer, he yanked open the front door. The cool breeze rushed up and swirled around him. He stood in the doorway as the rain pitter-pattered on the pavement. He breathed in the fresh air—the coolness eased his lungs.

As his heart rate slowed, his jumbled thoughts settled. Kate was right. The house did need more repairs than he’d ever thought possible. And he was way past putting it off until another day. Then a crazy idea struck him. But could it work?

CHAPTER SIX

U
PON
HEARING
K
ATE
’
S
approaching footsteps, Lucas turned. “You’re right.”

“I am?” Her pencil-thin brows rose. “Is this your way of apologizing? And perhaps asking me to make those calls for you?”

“Yes, that was an apology.” Why did she make him spell everything out? He thought he’d made it clear from the start.

As for having her involved with the repairs, he wasn’t sure. Guilt niggled at him. Here she was with so much on her plate and she was worried about him...er, rather his house. This was all so backward. He should be offering Kate a helping hand.

Wouldn’t things have gone more smoothly for him when his daughter went missing if he’d let someone in? Instead he’d closed himself off from the world. Lost in his own pain, Carrington Gems had teetered on the brink of disaster. Even today, he was still paying for the poor choices he’d made back then.

Was that the way Kate was feeling now? He glanced into her eyes, seeing pain and something else...could it be determination? Of course it was. She might have had a case of nerves earlier, but he could see by the slight tilt of her chin and her squared shoulders that the moment had passed.

Still, he wasn’t quite ready to throw in with a woman he barely knew...even if his aunt trusted Kate enough to open up his home to her. Still she seemed so excited when she talked about the house. He couldn’t make any decisions now. It’d take him some more thought.

He glanced at his watch. “We should go. You don’t want to be late.”

“But what about the roof?”

“It’ll keep for a few more hours. We can talk it over when you’re done at the hospital.”

He ushered her out the door into the gray, drizzling day. Deep inside he knew that Kate’s appearance in his life was about to alter things...for both of them. He didn’t know how, but he sensed change in the wind. And after years of trying to keep the status quo, this knowledge left him feeling extremely off-balance.

But no one could understand how hard it would be for him to help this woman with a sick child—a child the same age as his own daughter...who no longer even recognized him. Regret pummeled him. He should have been home more and tried harder to work things out with Elaina, if only for the sake of his little girl. Then it would be him she was calling Daddy—not someone else.

Silence filled the car, giving Lucas too much time to think about what he’d lost and how inadequate he felt as a human. He glanced over at Kate. “What has you so quiet?”

“I was thinking about how to raise money for the surgery.”

The streetlight turned green and Lucas eased down on the accelerator. “Do you have any family you can reach out to?”

“No. My family is small and not close-knit. My mother was around when Molly first got sick, but she doesn’t have a lot of patience. The longer the tests and hospital visits went on... Well, now she’s off in Los Angeles, or was it Las Vegas, with the new flavor of the month. She calls when she gets a chance.”

That was tough. Even though his mother had remarried after his father’s death and moved to Europe, he knew if he ever picked up the phone and asked for help that she’d come. She was never a warm and affectionate mother, but she did protect what was hers.

“So without a rich uncle in the family and knowing I won’t qualify for a loan, I’ll have to organize a fund-raiser. Something that can be arranged quickly and without too much overhead.”

He paused, searching for a solution. “I’ll help you as much as I can. You just hit me at a bad time as I’m fully invested in expanding Carrington Gems to the West Coast.” He didn’t bother to add that they’d hit one expensive stumbling block after the other with this project. In comparison to what Kate was facing, his problems paled considerably. “If I think of something that might work, I’ll let you know.”

“Thanks. And my offer is still open to make those phone calls. I have some contacts in New York who can hook me up with a reliable crew.”

The depth of her kindness struck a chord with him. “You’d really do that with everything you have going on?”

“Of course I would. You let me stay at your house for almost a week, rent-free...even if you didn’t know it. I owe you so much.”

He grew uncomfortable when people started thanking him. He wasn’t someone special—definitely not a selfless person like Kate appeared to be. He was a workaholic, who’d lost focus on his priorities and wound up with a house of memories and a business in jeopardy because he’d pushed too hard, too fast to gain the expansion into San Francisco.

“You don’t owe me a thing. All I did was let you stay in a leaky bedroom. Not very gallant of me.”

She sniffled. “You could have had me thrown in jail. Most other people who find a stranger in their house would call the police first and ask questions later.”

Lucas slowed the car as they neared the hospital. Once he maneuvered into a spot in front of the main sliding glass doors, he shifted into Park and turned to her. “Listen, you shouldn’t put me up on a pedestal. You barely know a thing about me. Trust me, I have an ex-wife who would vouch for the fact that I’m no saint.”

“You’re far too modest—”

“Don’t let a little kindness fool you. I’m a Carrington. We don’t have hearts—instead, there’s a rough diamond in its place.” His fist beat lightly on his chest. “Harder and colder than any rock you’ll ever find.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. My grandfather told me. I was too young to truly understand what he meant, but now I do—”

“You definitely have a heart or you wouldn’t have been so kind to me.”

“And you’re too sweet for your own good.”

The way she stared at him with such assuredness made him want to be that man for her. The kind that was giving and thoughtful instead of focused and driven. For a moment, he was drawn into her dream—drawn to her.

When she lowered her face, he placed a finger beneath her chin. He wasn’t willing to lose the connection just yet. Her eyes glinted with... Was it longing? His body tensed at the thought. How could this slip of a woman—a near-stranger—have such an effect on him? And why did he have this overwhelming urge to pull her close and kiss her?

Without thinking of the consequences, he leaned forward. His lips sought hers out. They were soft and smooth. A whispered voice in the back of his mind said he should not be doing this. Not with Kate. Not with anyone.

But when her mouth moved beneath his, logic escaped him. It’d been so long since he felt this alive—this invigorated.

He went to pull her closer, but the seat restraint kept them separated except for his lips moving hungrily over hers. His hand reached out, cupping her face. His thumb stroked her cheek, enjoying her silky, smooth skin. All he could think was that he wanted more—more of her kiss...more of this connection.

A bright flash broke the spell. Lucas pulled back, struggling to catch his breath. His gaze moved to the window. Immediately he spotted a photographer smirking at him. Lucas surmised from past experience that the guy would take the picture and fabricate an eyebrow-raising headline to fit it.

“Wait here. I’ll be back.” Lucas jumped out of the car and started after the photographer. “Hey, you! Stop!”

The reporter had too much of a head start and slipped into a waiting vehicle. Lucas kicked at a pebble on the side of the road and swore.

What had he gotten himself into this time? Of all the foolish things to do. He’d been so touched by her insistence in believing in him that he’d momentarily let down his guard. He hadn’t thought about where they were or what he was about to do. He’d just reached out to her, needing to feel her warmth and kindness.

How was he supposed to know there was a photographer at the hospital? And how could he anticipate that they’d be noticed? Normally it wouldn’t have been a big deal, but with Kate involved it was different. She already had so much on her plate. She didn’t deserve to have to put up with the press. Those news stories, as they loosely called them, were nine times out of ten malicious pieces of gossip—such as the story his ex-wife had read about him being involved with one of the Carrington models. But it had been only one crack in an already crumbling marriage.

Kate hadn’t signed on for any of this media mayhem. She didn’t deserve to have her name associated with some trumped-up story. He just wished he could shield her from the public eye. With a frustrated sigh, he climbed back in the car.

“What’s going on?” Kate’s eyes filled with concern. “Why were you chasing that man?”

“The man was a reporter and he took a picture of us—”

“What?” Her face lost most of its color. “But why? None of this makes any sense. Why would he be interested in me? In us?”

Lucas raked his fingers through his hair. “Normally it wouldn’t matter. And any other time the paparazzi wouldn’t have given us a second look, but last month there was this magazine article—”

“The one announcing you as Bachelor of the Year.”

“You saw it?” His muscles tensed, hating the thought of being played by her. “You knew who I was from the moment we met, didn’t you?”

“That’s not true.” She held up both palms, feigning an innocent expression. “At first, I didn’t recognize you in your boxers. I guess I was a bit distracted.” Color rushed back into her cheeks. “The more important question is what will this reporter do with the photo?”

He shrugged. “My guess is he’ll sell it to the highest bidder—”

“But he can’t. If it gets out people will think that you and I are...uh—”

“Involved.” He wasn’t used to women being repulsed by the idea of being romantically linked with him. “Is the idea of people thinking we’re a couple so bad?”

“Yes.”

Her snap answer stung. He didn’t know what to say, so he leaned back in the driver’s seat. Maybe he should be relieved by her lack of interest, but he wasn’t. And that knowledge only aggravated him more.

“I’m sorry.” She fidgeted with her purse strap. “I didn’t mean for that to sound so harsh. I’m just not used to the paparazzi. And I really don’t want my picture in the news.”

Now that he could understand. His family had been making headlines longer than he’d been alive and he still wasn’t comfortable with it.

“Most likely something more newsworthy will come along and they’ll forget about us.”

“Oh, good.” The stress lines eased on her pretty face.

He didn’t really believe it, but there was always a sliver of hope. And right now, Kate looked as if she could use some positive thoughts.

* * *

Later that evening, Kate made sure to double-check the dead bolt on the door. She glanced out the window, relieved to find that no one had followed her.

“Anything wrong?”

She jumped at the unexpected sound of Lucas’s voice. “Umm...no.”

Had she imagined someone had been watching her at the hospital? Definitely not. She might be a lot of things but paranoid wasn’t one of them.

“Listen, if you’re stressed about what happened between us earlier, don’t be.” He shuffled his feet and wouldn’t look her in the eyes. “It was all my fault and it won’t happen again.”

Kate didn’t know whether to be insulted or relieved. She hadn’t been able to forget that kiss either—that mind-numbing, toe-curling kiss. And he was right—there shouldn’t be a repeat.

“If you don’t make a big deal of it, neither will I.”

He looked as if he wanted to say more, but then he turned away and headed for the kitchen. “I ordered pizza, if you’re hungry.”

She followed him. The aroma of tomato sauce and sausage wafted across the kitchen. “Smells good. Did you by chance order a salad to go with it?”

“Yes, I did.” He looked very proud of himself as he pulled a bowl from the fridge.

“Thank you.”

She sat down at the counter, still unsettled. She kept going over the memory of that man lurking in the hallway at the hospital. She hadn’t thought anything of him at first. But as the evening wore on, she’d noticed him again.

Lucas waved a hand in front of her face. “Kate?”

What had he said? She hadn’t been paying attention. “Umm...sure. Whatever.”

He placed a slice of the thin-crust pizza on a plate and pushed it in front of her. She didn’t make a move as she kept replaying the events from the day.

“I wasn’t going to ask,” Lucas said, “but you obviously aren’t going to eat until you resolve whatever has you so distracted.”

“There was a man lurking in the pediatrics unit this evening. At first, I thought he was there to visit someone, but he stayed in the shadows and sort of watched everyone. I wasn’t sure about leaving, but when I mentioned him to a nurse, he just sort of vanished.”

“I hired him,” Lucas said in a low, even tone.

That news had her sitting up straighter. “You hired someone to spy on me?”

“He was there to protect you.”

“Protect me?” Her voice rose. “From what?”

“Remember the photographer outside the hospital?” Her hands pressed the countertop as she nodded and he continued. “I didn’t want him or any other reporters to bother you with questions, so I sent an off-duty security guard from Carrington to make sure that didn’t happen.”

“I thought you said the press wouldn’t make a big deal of it.”

“I just wanted to be sure they left you alone.”

“So you do think they’ll go ahead with the photo?”

He wanted to assure her that she had nothing to worry about, but he couldn’t lie to her. “Probably.”

Her eyes lit up. “You can stop them.”

“Me? How am I supposed to do that?”

“Pay the guy off. Bid on the photo. I don’t know. There has to be a way.”

“Even if I wanted to stop him, I don’t have the man’s name.”

“How am I supposed to throw myself on people’s mercy and ask for money after my name and face have been tangled up in some tabloid scandal?”

“So you’ve come up with a plan to raise the money?”

She sat back with a huff. “We’re thinking of making it a costume party. Something unique. Your aunt offered to help.”

“You’ve been talking to my aunt?”

“Since I don’t know anyone else in this city except you, I approached her to help me organize the fund-raiser. Your aunt seems to know everyone, and if she doesn’t know them personally, she knows someone who does. Your aunt loves to talk. We even talked about this house.”