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Sunlight streamed through the window and landed right on Lana’s face. She had forgotten to close the blinds when she crawled into bed the night before. She could be excused for her mindlessness though. Sullivan had kissed her—really kissed her. He even wanted to spend time with her and, like, date.
She wanted to believe in happy endings, pots of gold at the end of rainbows, and even unicorns. But in the harsh light of day, she questioned everything, and why wouldn’t she? This was Sullivan “Can’t-Be-Monogamous” Brady. Should she really risk her heart because he said some pretty words and made her feel giddy? What really had changed? He claimed seeing her in the hospital bed had opened his eyes, but what if he woke up one day and realized he’d made a mistake, and he didn’t really have those kind of feelings for her?
God, she was a freaking mess.
She had to get out of the house and do something. Anything. As long as it took her mind off of Sullivan and how wonderfully sweet he’d been the night before. He’d even kissed her before he left for the night. Never once doing more than cuddle with her and a few sweet kisses...
Maybe that was her problem entirely. He hadn’t tried to get into her pants. Was there something wrong with her that he didn’t want to have sex? Was this an elaborate ruse to make her feel comfortable around him for some reason? As far as she was aware, he’d thought of her as a sister. Why should she believe he saw her differently now? Shit. She had to get out of her own head.
Lana rolled out of bed and walked to her bathroom. A hot shower and a change of clothes would help. Then she would call Jessica and demand she pick her up. They could do lunch or shop—maybe go see a movie. She’d let Jessica decide because she didn’t care as long as it diverted her attention.
After her shower she went to call Jessica and realized she still didn’t have a damn phone. What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she keep forgetting that small detail? That should be a top priority on her list today. Go to the cell phone store and buy a new one. Then they could do whatever Jessica wanted. That was if she could find a way to get a hold of her...
Her door bell chimed. Thankfully, she was already dressed, so she didn’t have to worry about answering it in a towel. She headed toward the door and opened it. Sullivan was waiting outside. He couldn’t have waited thirty minutes? She hadn’t even had time to blow dry her hair. It was a sopping wet mess.
“Did you forget something last night?” she asked. Like maybe taking me to bed and making me scream with pleasure? She wanted to say that aloud, but held it back.
“I came to see how you were doing today. I missed you after I left.”
Damn him. Why did he have to say the sweetest things? A girl could get used to that kind of treatment. “You keep dropping by unannounced; I might not let you in again.”
He held his hand over his heart. “You wound me, Lisanna. I thought we made progress last night.”
“You caught me at a weak moment,” she retorted. “I’m back to myself today. What do you want, Sully?” How many times did she have to tell him to quit calling her that before he obliged? At this point, she wasn’t sure why she bothered. Sullivan did what he wanted no matter what she said.
“I thought I made that clear last night,” he said. He almost looked—upset. Had she actually hurt his feelings? “Why must you make me start over every time I see you? What is it going to take for you to accept I want to be with you?”
A miracle? Peace on Earth? A brain tumor? She didn’t say any of those things to him though. He seemed to genuinely want to spend time with her, and not as friends or anything platonic. Lana couldn’t answer his question because she had no idea how to. “This is a little hard for me to grasp. Last night seemed rather surreal.”
Sullivan stepped forward. “Why don’t you start by letting me inside?”
She shook her head. “That’s where I went wrong last night. When you’re near me and touching me, I forget my own name.”
His lips tilted upward. “I can remind you anytime you want. Lisanna Kelly—the woman I can’t live without.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them she said, “I need you to slow down. A lot. I’m not where you apparently are yet.”
He nodded. “I can be patient a little longer. You are not saying no, and that’s something I can work with.”
“Good,” she said.
“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?” he asked.
Did everyone forget her phone was damaged in the accident? “Can’t answer what I don’t have.” It was time for Sullivan to go. She had to finish blow drying her hair and figure out how to get a hold of Jessica. “Can I use yours a minute?”
He crinkled his brow. “You really don’t have a phone? Why didn’t you say something sooner?” He pulled his out of his pocket. “You were still pretty weak after you were released. I would have made sure one was brought to you.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you to take care of me. I’ll get a new phone when I’m ready.” She snatched his phone from his hand and punched in Jessica’s number—thankful for her eclectic memory. Of course it went to voicemail. Jessica probably saw it was Sullivan and avoided the call on purpose. She couldn’t blame her, especially after Sullivan bullied her about Imogen. Provided she had his number—hard to say. For all Lana knew he’d slipped it to Jessica after her divorce to Ren was final. She hoped not because it would bother her a lot if they’d done anything together. “Hey, twat,” Lana spoke into the phone. “Come pick me up. I need to get a few things.” Then she hung up the phone and handed it back to Sullivan.
“Do I want to know?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “It’s best you don’t.” Some things were meant for girlfriends. Jessica may have been a thorn in Lana’s side once, but she rather liked hanging with her now. If Sullivan wanted to be a part of her life, he’d understand that. “Now, shoo.” Lana gestured for him to leave. “I have to finish making myself pretty.”
Instead of backing away, Sullivan stepped closer, pulling Lana into his arms. “You’re always beautiful to me.” Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers. The magic was instantaneous. Something about him always punched through her blood and made it sing whenever he was near. When he touched her, it grew a thousand fold. A kiss—complete chaos ensued.
He stepped back. Lana stood there like a blinking moron. He grinned and then said, “Think of me.” Lana blinked several more times and realized at some point Sullivan was gone and she was still standing on her porch. One day she would become accustomed to those kisses enough to function like a normal person...
***
SULLIVAN WAS RATHER pleased with his tête-à-tête with Lana. She’d been a little too docile the night before. He had to go see her to make sure she wasn’t finding reasons to end things between them before it had a chance to begin. He was in this for the long haul. Whatever was needed he’d do it. They belonged together. He’d never been so sure of anything in his life. Lana was his heart, and without her life would never be the same again.
His phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and a familiar number blinked across the screen. He clicked the answer button and lifted it to his ear. “Carter,” he said. “Please tell me you have good news.”
“Depends on your definition of good news,” Carter said. “We still do not have any leads on Wilson’s murder. We were hoping you found those missing files.”
Sullivan swore under his breath. He realized it had only been a week, but damn it, he wanted to see someone pay for killing the accountant. Part of that was his guilt for not making the meeting. Most of it was the audacity of someone to not only steal from him, but also to have the nerve to commit murder. He wanted them punished and rotting in a prison cell for the rest of their natural life. The death penalty was too good for them.
“I don’t have anything for you,” Sullivan said.
“You’re not holding back, are you?” Carter asked. “Because I’d hate to see you taking the law into your own hands. That never ends well.”
Sullivan was no vigilante. He was more than willing to play by the rules where law and order was concerned. His personal life was a different matter entirely. For Lana, he threw out every rule book and made a new set to make her his. “If I find the files, you will be the first person I call.”
“Good,” Carter said. “I’m glad you see that working with us is for the best. Do you have any idea who could’ve been embezzling from the foundation?”
He wished he did. Wilson had argued against talking to the head of the foundation. Perhaps there was another solution. “Do you want me to set up a meeting?”
“With your staff?” Carter asked.
“Colleen O’Callaghan runs everything, but there is someone else there I trust more—Sienna Kent and I are long time friends. If you don’t like that idea we can get the entire foundation staff together,” Sullivan said. “Or we can keep it quiet a little longer if you think that would be best. Wilson believed it would prevent the culprit from skipping town.”
“He might be right,” Carter said. “At some point, we will need to speak with Colleen or your friend, Sienna, but hold off a little longer. I want to watch without them realizing we have them under surveillance. They might slip up.”
Most of the time Sullivan could be patient. It was one of his strong suits. When he told Lana earlier he could wait for her to be ready, he hadn’t been lying. She was too important to him to mess things up. With Wilson’s murder, he wanted to bulldoze through it all until he had the killer in hand. At this point, it wasn’t about the money. A man had died working for his company. He owed it to him and his family to find them and see justice done.
“All right,” Sullivan said. “I will hold off speaking to anyone a little longer. Let me know when you think it would be a good time to speak with her.”
“Will do,” Carter said. “And you let me know when or if you locate those missing files.”
Sullivan rolled his eyes. “Detective, I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but you know how it goes. I must end this titillating conversation.”
Carter’s chuckles echoed through the phone. “By the way, your office has been cleared. You now have permission to enter it.”
As if he wanted to ever go back into that room again. He would hire an interior decorator and have the whole thing gutted. Maybe, with a new look, he’d be able to forget a man had died in there. Somehow, he doubted that was possible, but at least it was worth a shot—for his, as well as Ali’s, peace of mind.
“You’re nothing but kindness,” Sullivan said mockingly. “Have a good day.” Then he hung up the phone before Carter could reply. The detective needed to do his job and find the killer. Sullivan had plans of his own to see though. First being to make sure Lana had a phone to use. He didn’t like that she had no way to call for help. After seeing Wilson’s dead body, he didn’t want anyone he cared about to ever be helpless if he could prevent it.