He’d said the wrong thing, but he wasn’t a kiss-and-make-better type of guy. She was hurting, so he should’ve done something more mature, more comforting, even though she’d said she didn’t want that from her own mother. He put the rest of the pizza in the refrigerator and finished off his glass of wine. Tomorrow they would talk and he’d apologize for being so crass.
As he passed her doorway, he could see from the light in the hall that she was sitting on the floor at the foot of the bed with her knees drawn up and her face resting on them. Was she crying? He started to go in, but changed his mind. She needed this time alone.
He brushed his teeth, turned out the lights and sat on the bed. For some reason, he couldn’t force himself to crawl beneath the sheets. He couldn’t sleep when she was going through such a traumatic upheaval.
Her door was slightly ajar, and he tapped on it. She didn’t respond and his first reaction was to go back to his room and leave her alone. Instead, he walked in and sat beside her with his back against the bed.
“I’m sorry I was so crass. I should have been more understanding of what you’re going through. You lost your place of work and your car and survived the fire. That’s a lot for one day.”
She raised her head. “It’s not about that. Those are material things that can be replaced, though I would have rather not have lost them. It’s just...just... Have you heard of the Colton families in Chicago?”
“Can’t say that I have.”
She leaned forward, snagged a newspaper from the dresser and placed it in his lap. The lamp was on, but still he could barely read Colton vs Colton. She’d said something about her convoluted family, and maybe she would tell him about them.
“Are you one of these Coltons?”
“Yes. So many weird things have been happening lately that it’s hard to take it all in.”
“What happened?”
“I never met my grandfather Dean. He had a wife named Alice and a mistress named Carin Pederson. I’m told the marriage was a happy one until Alice couldn’t conceive. There was a lot of tension in the marriage, and then Carin got pregnant and my grandfather decided to leave Alice for Carin to be with his children. Before he could break this news to Alice, she told him she was finally pregnant and he made a decision to stay with his wife and raise his proper family. This made Carin very angry and she’s been that way to this day. Carin blackmailed my grandfather many times using her sons as leverage. He bought Carin a house on the outskirts of Chicago and paid her a huge monthly salary.” She took a deep breath. “Carin is my grandmother.”
“The mistress?”
“Yes. And to up the tension, so to speak, Alice had twin boys, Ernest and Alfred, and my grandmother gave birth to Erik and Axel. The two families lived here in Chicago never knowing about the other until Ernest and Alfred were murdered outside their office. They caught the murderers and then found out there was a codicil to Dean Colton’s original will. It named my father, Axel, and Uncle Erik as heirs. Of course, this was a shock to all of us, on both sides. How could we have been duped for this long?”
“It’s easy to be deceived. I deal with it every day in art and in the real world. Everybody wants their fair share and more.”
“That’s my grandmother. When she heard there was a codicil to the will, she hired a lawyer and forced my dad and my uncle to side with her so they could get their fair share.”
“Is there a lot of money involved?”
“Have you heard of Colton Connections?”
“Sure. It’s a big company.”
“That’s the business Alfred and Ernest created, and now my grandmother wants half of it, which comes to about thirty million. If the judge rules in my grandmother’s favor, it will bankrupt the other Coltons. That’s what makes me sad. It’s not our money.”
“But if the will says so, you’re entitled to it...”
“They asked to meet us.”
“The other Coltons?”
“Yes. We met at Farrah’s home and talked. She’s the widow of Ernest and was very gracious to have us in her lovely home. You know, you could tell they are very wealthy and yet they all hold down jobs. My father and Uncle Erik have been get-rich schemers all their lives and have accomplished nothing. They live off of my grandmother. And now she wants her sons to have what they deserve because Dean denied them all of their lives.”
“And you don’t feel that way?”
“It was hard to hate these people who seem to have everything. They were very nice to us and they didn’t have to be. We’ve been trying to get along these past few months and trying to get to know each other and exactly what we want for the future. Myles—he’s my brother—and I feel that the money isn’t ours, and so do my cousins Aaron, Damon and Nash, Erik’s sons. But we don’t have a say in the matter. It’s up to our fathers and they are controlled by our grandmother. I don’t look for anything to change until my grandmother gets her way. She wants revenge for the way Dean treated her, and she’s not going to stop until she gets it.”
“It’s clear you have issues with your grandmother.”
“Oh, you bet I do. She manipulates my dad to the point where he is still like a little boy asking favors from her. He will never go against her.”
“You weren’t raised by your father?”
“No. My mom and Nicole, Erik’s wife, got out as soon as they found out their husbands were cheating on them and had children by other women. I was raised by my mother, and it was hard for her that first year as we moved around a lot. There was no place to call home. And then my mom met Rick and our lives settled down. He became the father we never had. He and my mom own Yates’ Yards plant nursery. It’s in the suburb of Wheaton and a lovely place if you like plants of all kinds, trees, blooming flowers, shrubs and fruit trees.” She flexed her arm. “That’s where I got these muscles, working in the nursery.”
He touched her bicep. “You don’t have any muscles.”
“You better watch out,” she singsonged in a happy voice, “or I might show you these muscles.”
He pushed her hair away from her face. “You’re the most beautiful and captivating woman I’ve ever met.”
“And you’re a handsome charmer who saved my life.”
“The authorities would’ve been there to save you.”
She shook her head. “I keep thinking what if I had been in the gallery alone...”
“Shh.” He gathered her close in his arms. “You weren’t, so no more what-ifs. Now, do you think you can get some sleep?”
She blinked at him. “I don’t know. I might need company...”
“Lila...”
“How long have we known each other?” She sat up to look at his face, and even though it was almost dark, she saw a lot of questions and a lot of answers there. But she couldn’t decipher any of them.
“Maybe forty-eight hours.”
She placed her hand over his heart and it raced like a stallion waiting at the gate. “From the first moment I saw you standing in the doorway, I thought you could be someone I could really go for. I didn’t know anything else about you, but somehow our hearts connected.”
“Lila, you’ve been through a lot today and I don’t want to take advantage. I think it’s best if I go back to my room and we’ll talk about this tomorrow.”
At his words, rejection filled her. Even though she tried to hide it, she could feel the tightness of her face scrunching into a frown. She sat back on her heels, trying to wiggle out of an embarrassing situation.
He quickly cupped her face. “Hey, hey, I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t want you to regret it in the morning.”
“Do you know how old I am?”
“No, and I would never ask.”
She patted his chest. “Good. I’m old enough to know what I want. I’m not in college, fooling around for the fun of it.” She made a face. “Although, I’ve never been that girl, either.”
“Well, then stop talking.” He brought his lips to hers and the room tilted as a storm of emotions exploded in her, emotions too long denied and emotions that she needed to feel. His lips took her on a journey of pure heat as hot as the fire in the gallery. He trailed his lips to her cheeks, over her jawbone and down her long neck to her breasts. Just when she thought she couldn’t get enough, he lifted her into his arms and fell backward onto the bed. They laughed like teenagers and quickly discarded their clothes. But unlike teenagers, they made love in a slow, satisfying way. It was unlike anything she’d ever experienced. His hands and lips made a thorough investigation of her body, and she could very well say he had the touch to drive her crazy. Her breasts swelled and her body ached for more. She heard moans and cries and realized it was her enjoying the pleasure of a man who knew what he was doing.
He trailed a finger down the length of her body. She shivered.
“You have such smooth skin.”
“And your hands are lethal tantalizing weapons.”
She pulled his head down to hers, and nothing else was said for some time as they soothed each other’s aches, pains and worries in a way that satisfied both of them. The world with its gigantic headache floated away. As she drifted into sleep, she thought she could be falling in love for the first time in her life. Or making the biggest mistake of her life.
The sound of the phone woke Carter at six. He looked down at the woman beside him curled into him like a soft and warm kitten and wanted to stay there forever. His phone sounded again, and he scrambled looking for his pants and then realized they were in the other bedroom. He lightly kissed Lila and she stirred.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Carter...”
He found his pants and his phone. It was Neil, his boss. He’d forgotten about him. “Neil.”
“I’m at the hotel and you’re not here. Where are you?”
“Uh...” He looked around at the very feminine decor and the many paintings and thought he was in heaven...with an angel. “Give me a few minutes.”
“Okay. I’m eating breakfast in the restaurant, so that’s where I’ll be.”
Carter went back to Lila’s bedroom and crawled in beside her. He kissed the curve of her neck. “I have to go.”
“Oh.” She stretched, and his eyes strayed to her flawless white body and all his engines roared to life. “Is it morning?”
“It’s after six.”
She sat up straight. “Oh, heavens. I’ve got to go, too. I’m meeting the car insurance guy at the gallery and hopefully I can get a rental, but you’ll have to drop me off on your way to wherever.” She tried to crawl from the bed, but he caught her and pulled her back.
“Carter,” she screeched.
“You can’t just run away.”
He stared into her green eyes, which were full of laughter and fun, and that was the way he always wanted to see her.
She raised an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind? You’ve got five minutes.”
He chuckled. “I’ll only be getting started.”
Laughter filled the room, and once again everything faded away except their attraction for each other.
Afterward they were in a rush to get out the front door. Lila called her mother with Carter’s phone to let her know she was okay. As they drove up to the gallery, Carter watched Lila’s face. It was much worse in the daylight, a large pile of charred rubble, smoke still emanating from some of the destruction. The right wall and the front of the building were completely gone. All that was left was Lila’s office and safe.
“Oh,” erupted from Lila’s throat. “It’s all gone. Somewhere in that pile are the Tinsley paintings. Now you won’t be able to validate them.”
He reached over and took her hand. “You don’t have to try to be brave. If you want to cry, cry.”
She linked her fingers through his. “I’ve already had my cry, and thank you for being there for my meltdown.”
“My pleasure.” Then he reached over and engaged her in a long kiss that he would remember for the rest of the day.
A car drove up to Lila’s burnt one. “That’s the insurance agent. I sent him pictures yesterday, so it should be quick.”
“Do you want me to wait?”
“No. The insurance guy will help me get a rental. I’ll call you later.”
“You don’t have a phone.”
She sighed. “Okay. I will get a phone after I get a rental and I will call you, but I don’t remember your number.”
He reached for his wallet, pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “You can usually reach me at those numbers, but my cell is the one I usually answer.”
“Thank you.” She tucked it into the wallet she was carrying.
She gave him a quick kiss and he drove away. He looked in his rearview mirror and saw her just standing there staring at the destruction of the fire. Was she okay? Did he need to stay?
The insurance guy walked over to her, they shook hands, and he knew she was fine. She’d gotten it all out of her system last night. She was strong and resilient, and he was lucky enough to have been there when she’d needed someone. He never had a problem leaving town, but today he was feeling a pull to stay in Chicago for a while. That had never happened to him before. He’d fly into a new city, do his job and get on a plane and go to another city. That was his life and he enjoyed it. Since the Tinsley paintings were ruined and they couldn’t validate them, they’d probably be leaving as soon as tonight. How could he tell her he was leaving?