Still Into You

by Roni Loren

  Rory, his district manager, and Gregory Lawson, the vice president of the company, were standing in the empty restaurant. Rory smiled when he saw Seth step out from the back office. “There you are, Carlo. Just the man we were looking for. We were hoping to catch you before you headed out.”

  Seth glanced at the clock over the bar. Almost two in the morning. And Rory was calling him by his surname. This was either going to be really bad or really good. “Hey, Rory, Mr. Lawson. What can I help you with?”

  Rory came around and clapped Seth on the shoulder, which was a bit of a feat since Seth had almost six inches of height on him. “Well, son, I’ve been telling Mr. Lawson here what a bang-up job you’ve been doing for us over the past few years. He’s seen your numbers climbing despite this damned recession and wanted to talk to you about some things. You have a few minutes?”

  Seth looked from Rory to Mr. Lawson in surprise. “Sure. Absolutely.”

  The older man smiled. “Sorry to be stopping in so late. But I fly out first thing in the morning, and I don’t plan to be out this way again for another few months.”

  “Not a problem,” Seth assured, his heartbeat picking up speed. This was it. His promotion. He could feel it. And this could fix everything. He could go back to Leila with an apology and good news for their future. No more late nights closing the restaurant. No more small house in the suburbs. He could be the man she deserved to have.

  They all grabbed a spot at one of the tables in the main part of the restaurant, and Seth’s two bosses began to talk. Praise was heaped on him. His great numbers, his solid staff, his reliability and leadership skills. Seth couldn’t keep the grin off his face.

  As the conversation went on, Seth found himself scooting further to the edge of his seat, waiting for the offer, for the thing he had worked toward for so long.

  “And you’ve been a great team player for us,” Rory said. “I know I can always count on you in a pinch. When I need you here, you’re here, no matter what. You have your priorities in order.”

  Seth winced inwardly at that. Priorities.

  “So that’s why,” Mr. Lawson said, “we think you’d be perfect to be in charge of new openings for the region.”

  New openings? Seth sat back in his chair. He’d been told he was working toward a corporate office position or maybe a district manager role. “New openings?”

  Mr. Lawson nodded. “Yes. Getting one of our locations off the ground is a monumental task. So you’d be the man to go in as the initial general manager and do all the hiring and training. Build relationships with the community. Get things running smoothly those first six months out the gate. Then you could transition to the permanent general manger and move on to the next opening.”

  Seth’s fingers dug into his thighs.

  “We’d cover all your travel expenses, of course, and put you up in corporate housing wherever the new location is. You can fly home every two weeks for a four-day break. We’d give you a company car. And your salary will be double what you’re making now.”

  The words started to jumble in Seth’s head as he sat there, the reality of the offer knocking the wind from him. With that much money he could buy Leila that farmhouse and have money left over. He could put the kids in private school. His family could have everything he wanted to give them.

  But he would never see them . . .

  Living in a different city every six months, leaving Leila and the kids behind, having everything he thought he wanted but nothing at all.

  He leaned back in his chair, heartbreak sweeping over him. “Wow, that’s . . . not what I expected.”

  Mr. Lawson smiled, oblivious to Seth’s disappointment. “I know it’s a lot to think about, and I don’t need your decision tonight. But I wanted to make the offer in person. Give my assistant a call on Monday, and we’ll set up a time to talk out the details. You can give me your answer then.”

  Seth nodded numbly and said a few words that apparently were the right ones because the men rose and shook his hand. Good-byes were exchanged and Seth walked them out. But all of it was moving too slow for Seth. Suddenly being here in the restaurant felt like being locked in a padded room.

  He should’ve never run out on Leila tonight. This job had become a vampire in his life—sucking out every ounce of free time and energy and focus he was capable of. And he’d let it. The minute his boss needed him, Seth had been at his beck and call like an eager puppy time and again. Always hoping the company would see his potential, would give him that corporate position. But instead all he’d proven to them was that he was a man willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the business. A man whose priorities were so reversed that he would be willing to take a position that would isolate him from his family for months at a time to get a nice paycheck.

  Seth’s stomach twisted into a wretched knot. By trying to become the man he thought Leila wanted, he’d become a shell of one.

  He’d sacrificed everything important to him. And after walking out on Leila tonight, he wasn’t sure he could get it back.

  But that wasn’t going to stop him from trying. He grabbed his keys and shouted at John to lock up.

  It was an hour’s drive to The Ranch.

  It was going to be the longest hour of his life.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Okay, okay.” Leila waved a hand in front of her, her drink sloshing a bit in her other hand. “I’ve got one. Favorite John Hughes movie?”

  Kade arched an eyebrow at her. “You realize you’re setting yourself up to take another shot? All girls have the same one.”

  Leila smiled, her brain fuzzy from Kade’s contraband tequila. “I only have to drink if I can’t guess yours. And all boys have the same one, so I’m golden.”

  He shifted on the couch to face her. “Okay, yours is Sixteen Candles because you chicks can’t resist that guy with the hot car and no personality.”

  “It wasn’t his hot car we were into,” she said, grinning. “But I’m insulted to think I’m so predictable.”

  “Guess you better get mine right or you’re going to be sucking a lime again,” he teased.

  Leila eyed him. “Weird Science because no boy can resist the idea of having a woman like Kelly LeBrock in your shower.”

  “Ha!” He set his shot glass on the coffee table. “Take a drink, gorgeous. I like Pretty in Pink the best.”

  She scoffed. “You do not. No guy would pick Pretty in Pink over Weird Science.”

  “Wrong. I identified with Duckie, and I’ve always had a thing for Molly Ringwald.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You are such a liar. Duckie? You are so an Andrew McCarthy and not a Jon Cryer.”

  “Oh, really? And why is that?”

  “You’re rich and have good hair,” she accused.

  He tilted back and laughed. She grinned and took her losing shot. The warmth of the alcohol burned a bit less than it had the first three times, and her jagged emotions seemed to blur and soften around the edges after an hour with Kade.

  Thoughts of Seth tried to push into her consciousness and tighten her chest, but she tamped them down. He’d left. He’d made her place in his life crystal clear. She didn’t have the strength to face that grief tonight. Tonight she just wanted to be mindless and numb. To forget her heartbreak for a while.

  She sank back against the arm of the couch, watching Kade watch her.

  He gave her an easy smile. “What are you thinking about over there?”

  She set her empty glass on the side table behind her, the buzz of the alcohol fueling a bolder question than she’d normally ask. “I was wondering what you come here for. What’s your thing?”

  The humorous gleam in his eyes darkened a bit. “I’m a dominant and a sexual sadist.”

  She tilted her head. “Really? I can see the dominant thing, but you seem too nice to want to hurt anyone.”

  He smirked. “Well, hurt is a relative term when the person receiving the pain gets off on it. And I’m not that nice of a guy
, Leila.”

  She rolled her eyes and got up so she could get some water from the kitchen. “Right. Because taking the sad, lonely girl whose husband bailed on her to your room for drinks and eighties trivia is a real asshole thing to do.”

  He grabbed her wrist as she walked by him, halting her. She looked down at him in surprise.

  “Don’t paint me to be that chivalrous. I’ve spent the last forty-five minutes trying to talk myself out of making a move on you.”

  She sucked in a breath, and after a long, stretched pause with no protest from her, he pulled her down onto his lap.

  “I would love nothing more than to untie this corset of yours with my goddamned teeth and taste my way over every inch of you.” He gazed at her with hungry eyes. “Since the night you left my house, I’ve been cursing the lucky bastard that is your husband. But now knowing that he’s willing to walk away from you makes me feel less sorry for coming on to you that night and for having you here now. You deserve someone who knows how good he has it.”

  She blinked at him, her heart hammering and her mind whirling. She wanted to defend Seth and tell Kade that her husband was a good man, that he did love and appreciate her. But how could she be so sure of that anymore? How could she reconcile the Seth she saw last night and today with the one who’d been a near stranger to her this last year?

  Kade pushed a lock of hair off her forehead and brushed his thumb over her cheekbone. And before her slow-on-the-uptake tequila brain could process what that look he was giving her meant, he cupped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her down for a kiss.

  Warm lips moved over hers, gentle but coaxing, opening her to him. His tongue stroked over hers and his grip tightened against her neck. Her body responded to his obvious skill, but her mind seemed to snap back in place like a tape measure. She was kissing another man. Not Seth.

  A beautiful, unfairly sexy man. But not Seth.

  Seth, her gorgeous, dark-haired husband. The boy who used to make her mix tapes and surprise her with new paint supplies in college. The man who wept the first time he held their daughter. The guy who made love to her underneath a tree by the lake this afternoon with the passion of a man in love.

  Leila stiffened. Suddenly Kade’s hand against her waist felt all wrong and the hardening erection beneath her bottom put her in a near panic. She didn’t want this. She didn’t want Kade. Or any other man for that matter.

  Illicit fantasies were exciting to conjure, but now that she had one in the making, she realized that fantasy had nothing on the sparks that zipped between her and the man she loved when they were focused on each other. She put her palms against Kade’s chest and gently pushed away from the kiss. “I can’t.”

  He looked up at her and sagged against the couch, his mouth hitching up at the corner. “Shit, I am an asshole. We’re drinking. I should’ve never done that.”

  She climbed off his lap and straightened her skirt. “It’s okay. I didn’t exactly fight you. I’m just kind of a mess right now.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m really sorry. This isn’t my style.”

  “Thanks for keeping me company tonight, but I think I need to head back to my room.” She reached down to grab one of the shoes she had kicked off earlier and swayed a bit when the room spun around her. She put her hand on the coffee table. “Whoa.”

  “Hey.” He put his hand under her elbow, steadying her. “You don’t need to walk all the way to the other side of the property and wallow in the cabin you shared with your husband. You can stay here.”

  She shook her head. “You don’t understand.”

  “No, I do,” he said, standing up, keeping ahold of her elbow. “It’s almost morning anyway. I promise I’ll keep my distance. You can sleep it off in my room, and I’ll take the couch.”

  She began to protest again, but her unsteady feet and heavy eyelids didn’t offer much support to her argument. And the thought of returning to the bed she and Seth had made love in last night made her heart twist in her chest. She nodded and let Kade lead her to the back of the cabin. He helped her to sit on the bed, then dug through one of the drawers. He tossed her a soft black T-shirt. “That’ll be more comfortable to sleep in than your outfit.”

  She held the ball of fabric in her hands. “Thanks.”

  He walked back to her and leaned over her. With one quick flick of the wrist, she felt the laces on her corset give. Her hands instantly went to the bodice, holding it tight against her.

  He stepped back and gave her a wistful smile. “That should be enough to get you started so that you can get that thing off by yourself.”

  “Oh,” she said, a bit sheepishly. “Right. Thanks.”

  He bent and kissed her on the crown of her head. “Good night, Leila.”

  “Good night.”

  He headed toward the bedroom door.

  “And you’re not an asshole,” she added. “You’re a great guy.”

  He laughed and turned around, sticking an imaginary knife into his chest. “Ouch. That’s like telling a woman she has a good personality.”

  “I’m serious,” she said, smiling despite herself. “Any girl would kill to be with someone like you.”

  “Any girl, just not this girl,” he said, pointing at her.

  “No, not this girl.” She rubbed the place where her wedding band should be. “This girl already belongs to someone else.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Their room was empty. Empty! Where in the hell could Leila be at nearly four in the goddamned morning? Seth was sweating by the time he jogged up to the main house and headed for the club.

  The music in the place had mellowed from the pulse-pounding rock and techno from the night before to the low, sensuous beat of old-school R&B. The club was a ghost town. Two couples swayed on the dance floor as if suspended in some dream. A few others had tucked themselves into the darker corners and were well past the getting-to-know-you stage with their partners. Seth scanned the room, frantic to find Leila and praying she wasn’t one of those in the corner. Though he damn near deserved it based on how he’d bailed on her tonight.

  But in his heart, he hoped that what they had was strong enough to keep Leila from hopping into bed with some guy for solace or revenge.

  His eyes paused at each auburn head he came across, but none belonged to his wife. He made his way across the mostly empty club and spotted a familiar face sitting at the bar. Not the one he wanted, but one that maybe could help him.

  “Hey.” He tapped Ian on the shoulder. “You got a minute?”

  Ian paused in his conversation with the woman he was talking to and looked over his shoulder at Seth. “Oh, hey.”

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Seth said. “But I need to know if you’ve seen my wife tonight.”

  Ian frowned and shifted on his stool. “Man, this isn’t really the kind of place where you report on people’s whereabouts.”

  Seth took a breath, reeling in his urge to grab the guy’s shirt and demand answers. If Ian got the vibe that Seth was some husband scorned, he would never get any information. “I understand, but I had to run up to the city for work tonight and it ran later than expected. I don’t care if she’s with someone, I just want to make sure she’s all right.”

  Ian eyed Seth for a moment, then, apparently buying the story, cocked a thumb toward the door. “She left earlier with Master Van.”

  Seth’s throat tightened. “Master Van?”

  “Yeah, Kade Vandergriff. Usually rents the cottage near the north vineyards. The one with the vines growing on the walls.”

  Ian turned back toward his date, but the whole room seemed to blur in Seth’s vision. Kade Vandergriff. Kade-fucking-Vandergriff. Leila had left with the man who’d she’d said made her feel wanted. Beautiful.

  Seth wanted to punch something. He wanted to heave. He wanted to fucking choke the guy with his bare hands. He wanted to kick himself.

  He managed to mumble a thank you to Ian and set off to find the
cottage.

  Of course the place had to be on the other side of the planet. Seth stomped across the quiet grounds, so many emotions whipping through him he could barely form complete thoughts. He should’ve been coming up with a plan on what he was going to do once he knocked on this jerk-off’s door, but he couldn’t even get his head together enough to do that. Logic and plans had gotten him to this point, so maybe instinct was the way to go.

  When he reached the cabin with the vines, he didn’t even pause to consider anything more. He climbed up the steps and pounded on the door like a cop ready to break it down. “Open up, Vandergriff.”

  A few seconds passed and Seth raised his fist to pound again, but the heavy lock on the door clinked and a shirtless blond dude appeared in the doorway. The guy—Kade, no doubt—ran a hand over his face, obviously trying to shake the sleep from his brain. “Who the hell are you?”

  “Is Leila here?” Seth asked between clenched teeth.

  Kade crossed his arms and gave Seth a knowing look. “Ah, you must be the husband.”

  Seth wanted to beat that smug look off the guy’s face. He crowded Kade against the door, the top of his head about to blow off. “You make a habit of fucking other people’s wives, asshole? Can’t find one for yourself?”

  His blue eyes narrowed. “Make a habit of abandoning yours at a sex club, friend?”

  Seth’s fist balled, ready to strike.

  “Seth?” The soft, gasped word was unmistakable.

  Both men turned their heads, and Seth lowered his arm. Leila stood there in nothing but bare feet, a man’s T-shirt, and bed head. His chest clenched at the sight of her.

  So she’d screwed him.

  Seth had left her here, and she’d given herself over to the temptation. He wanted to be angry, to yell at her, to beat this rich fucker to the ground. But instead, something deep and primal inside him took hold. This was his fault. He hadn’t done his job as a man. He’d chased her to this place. Into another guy’s bed.