by Cassia Leo
“As soon as I walked away to get my car, he made his way to the back of the hospital and climbed a fire escape to the roof. I was the first one to find him, because I was the first to notice he wasn’t in front of the hospital, where he was supposed to be. When I found…when I found him, he was still alive. He fell ten stories, and survived long enough to tell me he was sorry.”
I wiped at the tears on my face, trying to catch them before they fell, but they were coming too fast. Luke peeled off his coat and held it in front of my face. Something about him offering his thousand-dollar coat for me to use as a hanky made me smile—until he spoke.
“Brina, I have a confession to make.” He tucked the coat behind him and took my hand in his. “It’s something that’s been eating away at me for a while, and I’ve wanted to tell you ever since you walked into my office last week. I was hoping you’d bring it up somehow, but it looks like I’m the one who’s going to have to do it.”
My heart pounded wildly against my chest. This was it. He was finally going to confront me about working for NeoSys—right after I poured my heart out to him. I took a deep breath that rattled in my chest as I prepared for his words.
“I paid the excess costs on your brother’s funeral.”
I blinked a few times as I gathered myself. “What?”
“I’ve been doing it anonymously for the families of fallen servicemen in Seattle for a while. Janice used to take care of all the details. I didn’t know when I sent the donation to your family that they would use it to hold the services before you got back from San Francisco. If I had known you would miss the funeral, I would have put some kind of contingency on the donation or something. I didn’t know they would go ahead without you. I’m so sorry.”
I heaved a deep sigh of relief. “That was you?” I looked straight into his eyes through the hazy darkness. “Do you know how much you helped my family?”
“You’re not mad?”
I threw my arms around his neck just as Nia arrived to take our drink order again. He laughed as I threw my leg over his and squeezed him as tight as I could.
“Thank you so much.”
“More of the same,” Luke called out to Nia as I loosened my grip on him.
“Thank you,” I repeated as I sat back. He reached across and brushed a lock of hair away from my mouth. “I felt like crap when I came back and realized I’d missed the service, but my mom said the floral arrangement you sent with the donation made her happier than anything the whole day. Red was my brother’s favorite color, and she thought the donation and the red roses were some kind of sign from God that someone was looking out for him. That he had made it into Heaven. I know it sounds crazy, but you don’t understand what you did for my mother.” He hung his head a little and I tilted his chin up. “Hey, you and I are linked.”
He smiled as he brushed his finger along my bottom lip.
I grabbed his hand to get him to focus. “Luke, I have something I want to tell you, too.”
Chapter 4
Nia came back with our drinks and I quickly snatched mine off the table. More liquid courage was what I needed to end the lies right here. I took two long sips before I slammed the empty glass down.
Jill’s words rang inside my dizzy head. “The real question is can you survive another broken heart?”
Then it hit me. This whole time I had been thinking about how all this would affect me. But if I told Luke the truth, there was no guarantee I wouldn’t break his heart.
The never-ending battle in my mind raged on. Did Luke really care about me? Or was he just pretending? I’d gone so far off script, I didn’t know what part I was playing anymore. I had serious doubts that I could complete the mission I’d been sent to Maxwell Computers to execute. But there was no doubt in my mind that I was falling in love with Luke. Was he really falling in love with me too?
“What do you want to tell me?” he asked, giving my knee a gentle squeeze.
I leaned over and kissed the scruff on his jaw. “You’re amazing.”
He reached behind my head, twisted his fingers in my hair, and pulled my face toward him. “We’ll see about that.”
As his lips touched mine, my phone vibrated in my purse, which was lodged between us. He began to pull away, but I grabbed his collar. “Where are you going?”
“Aren’t you going to check that? It might be your parents.”
“I’m twenty-three years old. I think I’ve earned one night completely free of parental contact.” He cocked an eyebrow and I rolled my eyes as I let go of his shirt. “Fine.”
I dug my phone out of my purse, being careful to hold the screen in a position where he couldn’t read it, and quickly clicked the power button to shut the screen off as soon as I saw I had four text messages from Milo. I stuffed the phone back into my purse and tucked it behind me.
“Not my parents,” I declared.
He cocked an eyebrow. “Are you ready to see the suite?”
“I thought this was supposed to be a day trip,” I replied, pleased with the change of subject. “I didn’t bring any clothes.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to buy you something to change into.”
“No,” I replied quickly. “No, no, no. This isn’t Pretty Woman. I don’t want you to buy me a wardrobe and leave me curled up on the bed, wearing a diamond necklace and feeling like a prostitute.”
“Who said anything about buying you a wardrobe? I was thinking something more along the lines of jeans and a t-shirt.”
“You’re such a jerk.”
He smiled as he kissed my forehead. “Come on, Julia.”
He wasn’t kidding. He literally bought me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt at the True Religion shop and that was it. There was no way he would let me wear the dress I was wearing to work tomorrow morning.
“T-shirt Nazi,” I whispered as we entered the lobby at the Four Seasons.
“First I’m a jerk, and now I’m a Nazi again. You’d better watch the name-calling. It’s still my birthday. You’re at my mercy tonight.”
The smile on my face vanished instantly when we reached the elevator lobby.
“Do you want to climb forty stories?” he said as he took one look at my face. “I’ll do it, if necessary.”
I shook my head. “No. Don’t be ridiculous.” I pressed the call button to prove my point.
The doors slid open and I hesitated for a moment as he stepped inside. He held his hand out and I latched on with both hands as I followed him in. As soon as the doors closed, he slid his cardkey into the slot and pulled me into his arms.
“Are you okay?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his chest as I tried to remember to breathe slowly. “I will be.”
“Good, ’cause I have a surprise for you in the suite.” The elevator slowed to a stop and the doors slid open. I stepped into the corridor, and Luke grabbed my hand. “This way.”
He led me toward the room on our right and I realized, once I saw the room number, that we were on the fortieth floor. He slid his cardkey into the door and turned to me when it flashed green.
“Close your eyes.”
I closed my eyes and heard the soft click of the door opening. He led me inside, and I couldn’t help but smile as nervous excitement built up inside me.
“Sit down, but keep your eyes closed.”
I sat down on what felt like a sofa. I tapped my foot and tried not to peek as I waited for him. Soon, I heard his footsteps getting closer.
“Can I open my eyes now?”
“Yes.”
He sat on a dark-mahogany coffee table across from me in a living room the size of my entire apartment, but it wasn’t the size of the suite that surprised me.
“I know you said you didn’t want jewelry, but I got this for you a few days ago, before your Pretty Woman comment. If you don’t want it, I’ll understand.”
The box in his hands displayed a diamond circlet necklace. It had to set him back at least $100,000.<
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“Why?” I whispered.
He laughed. “Not quite the response I expected, but I guess…because when I’m with you, I feel…present, like I’m making memories that I will look back on fondly when I’m old and gray.”
I swallowed the guilt and looked him in the eye. “I can’t accept this.”
“Why?”
I stared at the necklace for a moment before I answered. “Because I…I don’t wear jewelry.”
He glanced at my diamond stud earrings before he replied, “I’ll send it back.”
The look of disappointment on his face made my heart ache. “Wait.” I placed my hand on his knee before he could stand. “I’ve just never gotten a gift like this. I don’t even know what… Oh, just put it on me.”
He smiled hesitantly as he removed the necklace from the box and fastened it around my neck. It felt heavier than I thought it would.
“Thank you, but it’s your birthday. I feel really terrible that you gave me such an extravagant gift on your birthday, and I don’t have anything for you.”
He looked me in the eye without a trace of a smile. “All I want from you tonight is your consent to ravage you.”
I stood up and pulled my dress over my head. “I’m all yours, Mr. Maxwell.”
He pulled the waistband on my panties and smiled as he peeked inside. “Don’t ever call me Mr. Maxwell again.”
Chapter 5
Thursday and Friday in the office were spent mostly ignoring Milo’s voicemails and texts and taking calls from the receptionist whenever a new birthday package for Luke arrived downstairs. Most of the gifts were from people who were sending their best wishes, and regrets they couldn’t make it to the birthday bash on Saturday. One package the size of a shoebox caught my eye. The return address had no name, but a San Francisco address.
It was my job to open all of Luke’s packages, but something told me this was something he should open himself. I knocked on his office door and it swung open immediately.
“You have another package,” I said, carrying the heavy cardboard box toward him.
“What is it? Another set of golf balls?”
“I didn’t open it. It’s from San Francisco.”
He looked up from his tablet and eyed the box. “Just set it on the desk. I’ll open it later.”
I laid the box on the desk, but I made no move to leave. “Are you sure you don’t want to open it now?”
“Brina, it’s from my sister. She sends me something every year. It’s not a big deal.”
I shrugged. “As you wish, Mr. Maxwell.”
As I turned to leave, I heard him sigh. “All right. You can open it.”
I skittered back to the desk and stared at the box. He reached into his pocket and slid his car key across the desk. I punched the key through the tape and slid the key along the seam.
“You are much too eager. My sister does not give me exciting gifts. It’s probably a box of cigars.”
I lifted the flaps on the top of the box and peered inside. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a soft, red blanket. I slipped my hands inside and lifted it out. It was almost as heavy as a gallon of milk. I set the blanket-wrapped object on the desk and looked to Luke. He nodded for me to proceed and I lifted the blanket away.
It looked like a wooden cigar humidor, but it felt much too heavy to contain cigars.
“Can I open it?”
He nodded again and I lifted the lid. My heart stopped. Nestled into the molded velvet case was a gun. He quickly slammed the lid closed and slid the case to the other side of the desk, away from me.
“It’s not from my sister. Sorry about that.”
“Who is it from?”
He shook his head. “Probably my mom. It’s my dad’s gun. He was a cop for thirty-two years. That’s why he got so pissed when he caught me smoking.”
“Why would she send you your dad’s gun?” I asked gently.
He was silent for a moment before he spoke. “Brina, can you call Mary Kingman’s secretary and schedule a meeting for next Thursday. I need to discuss some—”
“Please don’t change the subject.”
He leaned back in his chair and glared at the wooden box. “My dad is sick.”
My heart sank. “How sick?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. He doesn’t want me to see him, and my mom was pretty far down the path of denial last time I spoke to her.” He glanced at the gun case, regret etched in his brow. “I think this means she might have found her way back to reality.”
“You have to go see them,” I insisted.
“He doesn’t want me there, and that’s about as much time as we’re going to spend talking about this. Schedule that meeting and close the door on your way out.”
I waited by his desk for a moment, hoping he would change his mind, knowing he’d regret it if he didn’t. But he never said a word, so I turned around slowly and left.
I scheduled the meeting then quickly gathered my purse and coat before I left for lunch without telling Luke. I was too upset. After nibbling a slice of pizza in the company cafeteria, I returned to find Luke’s office door open as he leaned against the doorjamb.
“All right. I’ll go visit them.”
I tossed my purse onto my desk and went to him. “I’m proud of you,” I said as I wrapped my arms around his waist.
“But I’ll only go if you come with me.”
“To San Francisco?” The image of the bridge flashed in my mind and my arms went limp at my sides.
He cupped my face in his hands. “We can do this together. Come with me.”
Luke didn’t know why I went to San Francisco after my brother’s death. If he knew how many times I drove out to Vista Point and walked along the bridge that week, he wouldn’t be asking me to go back there. I sat in my hotel room that week and watched a documentary on Golden Gate jumpers, over and over again, thinking it would give me some kind of insight into what Ryan felt on the way down…thinking it would give me the courage either to fly back to Seattle or fly after him.
“I can’t. I’m sorry.”
He must have seen the change in my eyes, because he didn’t press me. “Okay. I’ll go without you, but the invitation’s still open.”
He kissed my forehead, and I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. “Thanks for understanding.”
He brushed the back of his hand across my cheek, sending a chill through me. “You can go home for the day. I’ll pick you up for the party tomorrow at eight.”
He kissed my cheekbone and my breath stuttered. “Are you sure you don’t need me here?”
“I didn’t say that.”
He kissed the corner of my mouth and I gripped the front of his shirt to steady myself.
“Come home with me,” I whispered as his hand slid down the front of my jeans. His finger slid through my folds and I gasped. “What if someone walks in here?”
“If someone walks in, you have my permission to slap me in the face and file a sexual harassment lawsuit.”
“Oh, my God.”
He kissed my neck as his fingers stirred me into a frenzy. I was on the edge of a fiery orgasm when he slid his hand out of my jeans.
“What…what’s wrong?”
“Better not risk it. Let’s finish this at your place.”
My mouth dropped as I smoothed down my t-shirt. “You unimaginable tease.”
He grinned as he shut his door. “Come on. No time to waste.”
We arrived at my apartment building twenty minutes later, seven minutes of which were spent trying to convince Luke he couldn’t leave his sports car parked on the street in my neighborhood. I finally gave up, and he followed me in through the front gate. We passed the lush garden and the gushing fountain before we reached my front door, where Milo was waiting for me.
“Milo?” I said, my voice cracking slightly.
Milo was wearing his usual Armani suit and intense glare, though the glare softened when he saw Luke. “Brina.”
“Luke, this is my friend Milo. We worked together at NeoSys.”
Luke held out his hand without hesitating. “Nice to meet you, Milo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Milo glanced at me questioningly then back at Luke. “You have?”
“Not from Brina. Your reputation at MIT trickled down to us dropouts many years ago.”
Reputation at MIT? What the hell was he talking about?
“You heard about that?” Milo said, his eyes widening a bit. “Well, I just have to talk to Brina very quickly and I’ll be out of your hair.”
I unlocked the door to my apartment and Luke eyed me curiously. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. You go ahead and I’ll be right in.”
As soon as he closed the door behind him, I shot the nastiest scowl I could muster in Milo’s direction. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I whispered.
“I didn’t know you were going to bring the guy home with you,” he said with a chuckle. “What are you in love with him?”
The way he asked the question made it seem as if falling in love with Luke was the most ridiculous thing that could happen. He didn’t know how easy it was to fall for him.
“Stop wasting my time, Milo,” I said, standing up straight to look him in the eye. “I know what you want, and I don’t have the fucking phone.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “Janice told me you ordered a new phone, and that fat-fuck conveniently lost his phone on the boat while you were there. Don’t try to tell me you don’t have the phone, Brina, or I swear to fucking God you will wish you never took this assignment.”
“It’s too late for that,” I replied, immediately wishing I could take it back.
Milo squinted his eyes as he looked at me sideways. “You are in love with him. Wow…I never thought you of all people would be this stupid.”
“Fuck you.”
“You have until tomorrow night to get me that phone before I blow the lid on your sick little romance.”
I didn’t linger outside long enough to watch him leave. When I entered the apartment, Luke was staring at me from the sofa with one eyebrow cocked suspiciously.