Love Like Ours (Sugar Lake Book 3)

by Melissa Foster

  “He’s a stripper? And you’re okay with that?” His tone was more concerned than angry or judgmental. That was Ben. He had always worried about Talia first and the details later.

  “A dancer, and yes,” she said firmly.

  He studied her face, as if he was looking for an indication of hesitation. Keep looking, Ben, because you aren’t going to find it.

  “Then why the hell didn’t you tell anyone?” He grabbed her arm and dragged her away from Piper and Aurelia. “And what does it say about how you really feel about him, having kept it from everyone?”

  “It says I trust my judgment, and I don’t need anyone else’s approval.” She wrenched her arm from his grip.

  He ground his teeth together, studying her for so long it made her even more nervous.

  “Fine,” he finally said. “That makes sense. But why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were closer than that. I never told a soul about what happened in college.”

  “We are, and I appreciate that, but I’m not a kid anymore.” Her heart hurt at the thought of having broken their unspoken bond, but she’d lived beneath the safety and comfort of her brother’s powerful wings for too long. “Ben, you have always been there for me. You’ve kept my secrets and you’ve made me feel safe. I appreciate that so much, and I know I’d never be who I am today without having had you behind me, protecting and encouraging me. I hope you’ll be there for me in the future. But it’ll be different. It has to be different.”

  He cocked his head, staring at the lake out of the corner of his eyes, his jaw muscles twitching. Her pulse was beating so fast she was shaking, but not from fear or guilt. It was from the overwhelming power that came with breaking free from living within the confines she had for so many years. And as much as she owed that strength to Ben, she owed even more of it to Derek. It was time for her to get it all out in the open.

  When Ben finally met her gaze, his dark eyes softened, and he hauled her into an embrace. “Okay. You’ve got this, and I’ve got your back when you need me.”

  “Thank you.” She sighed with relief.

  When he let her go, he said, “I knew before Aurelia told me, but you can let her think she spilled the beans.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I was doing some due diligence on Derek tonight, thinking I might want to invest in his business. He’s a smart guy, and his business plan is spot-on. He’s going to be very wealthy one day, even though he doesn’t want it or see it. I got the report right before Aurelia and I sat down to have a drink. I was going to talk with you tomorrow, but when she let it slip, something inside me snapped.”

  “That seems to be going around.”

  “Well, not that you asked, but his background is clean.”

  “Of course it is.” She didn’t like that Ben had run a background check on Derek, but when it came to investing, Ben was meticulous and scrutinizing. He crossed his t’s and dotted his i’s, and never made a move without doing thorough research. On that front, she’d expect nothing less from him.

  “I’m sorry, Ben. I should have told you before everyone else.”

  “Nah. You’re right. We’re not kids anymore. But I still can’t believe you’re dating a dancer.”

  “Piper and I are going to see him dance. Want to come and see it for yourself?”

  Ben scoffed as they walked back toward Aurelia and Piper. “Hell no. Dudes in G-strings?” He grabbed Aurelia’s arm and dragged her toward his car. “Come on. We have business to take care of.”

  “Geez, you don’t have to be so handsy.” Aurelia looked over her shoulder and yelled, “Sorry, Talia!”

  “What’d he say?” Piper asked as she and Talia headed for her car.

  “Oh, you know Ben. Big-brother stuff.”

  “Want to stop by Mom and Dad’s first so you can tell Dad about Derek’s dancing while I’m there for backup?”

  “No.” Talia cringed inside, thinking about her father’s text message to her mom. “I want to go see my man. No one else matters right now.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  NEON LIGHTS DANCED across the stage like falling stars, slow and steady. Just when they seemed as though they’d stop, they faded away and more appeared. Derek thrust and gyrated his way through the spray of hot lights. The pungent aromas of perfume, musk, and desperation hung in the air. He sank down at the edge of the stage, staring above the heads of men and women with their arms outstretched, paying him for a few visual thrills. They tucked money into his G-string or tossed bills in his direction. He picked up a few bills scattered at his feet, closed his eyes, and pressed them to his chest, dragging them slowly down his body, thrusting to the beat of the music, until he hit his package and quickened his pelvic thrusts, earning cheers from the crowd. He pushed that money into the hip strap and tossed his hair, crossing the stage in a series of seductive moves.

  The beat accelerated, and Derek whipped off his shirt, twirled it around his head as he tossed it to the crowd, earning more loud whoops and hollers. He dropped down to the ground, and put one hand behind his back, hammering out a series of hip thrusts. He went up on his knees, gyrating his way across the edge of the dance floor, collecting money every inch of the hip-grinding way.

  He jumped up to his feet, staring above the heads of the crowd, wishing he were at home with Talia, but knowing this was what he had to do. The music sped up again, and the lights shot over the crowd, earning more cheers. Derek often focused on a picture on the walls to make it appear as if he were checking out someone in the back of the crowd, but tonight his gaze landed on a stunning woman with gorgeous dark hair, high cheekbones, and a slim, perky nose. Even in the dusky light, he knew his girl. His careful girl, who never came to see him dance, and yet she was there, watching him with a hungry expression, while seated with her sister.

  With his eyes trained on Talia, his pulse kicked up, his every move precise and seductive, perfectly orchestrated just for her. She didn’t look away, didn’t bite that lower lip. Holy fuck. She pushed to her feet and strode toward the stage like she was on a mission, her pixie of a sister hurrying after her. The possessive look in her eyes was so freaking hot as she pushed her way through the crowd, up to the edge of the stage. He spun and gyrated, his eyes never leaving hers. He was going to make her proud, and if he was lucky, hot and bothered, because just the sight of her supporting him by being there made him want to carry her off to an island and love her into oblivion.

  Piper shoved a handful of money into Talia’s hands, and then Talia lifted those shaky hands toward him. Holy fuck, he was going to die. If ever there was a reason to dance, she was standing right there in front of him. The confidence she’d found gave way to pink cheeks as he slid down to his knees before her, legs spread wide, rocking his hips so close to her, she bit that sweet lower lip of hers. He’d go straight to hell for this, but he grabbed her face and kissed her hard. All the women squealed and cheered, offering to be next. The kiss lasted only a few seconds, but it made the whole damn night worthwhile.

  Talia’s eyes went wide as saucers. She grabbed Piper’s arm and held out her hand. Piper gave her another handful of bills, and she waved them at him. Oh baby, you wanna play? He grabbed his crotch, rocking slow and purposefully. Then the music slowed, his cue that the song was almost over. He shot to his feet, moving toward the back of the stage. He pointed at Talia and mouthed, Stay put.

  The song came to a crescendo, ending abruptly. Smoke filled the stage, and the crowd went wild. The end of his shift had finally arrived. He jumped off the stage, and the people parted like the Red Sea. With his eyes locked on Talia again, he hauled her into his arms, dancing to the regular music that kicked in after the last show. He was all too aware of everyone watching them, and he knew that though his show was over, the crowd expected more. Talia was beet-red, but she moved with him, and when she tried to hand the money back to Piper, he shook his head, took a step back, and glanced down, waggling his brows. Piper cheered her on as Talia’s gaze followed his
and she watched his hips pulse in slow gyrations. Talia’s gaze darted around them. Yeah, it was unfair, but holy fucking hell, his girl was there, and he wanted everyone to know he was hers.

  “Come on, baby,” he urged. “Show them who I belong to.”

  A nervous smile lifted her lips, and the crowd went crazy as she shoved money into his G-string, and he danced just for her.

  “I can’t do any more! I’m shaking too much!” she hollered over the crowd, dollars falling from her fingers.

  Piper tried to catch the money as it drifted to the floor.

  He’d give Piper every dollar back, but first he pulled Talia into his arms and said, “I love you, Tallie girl! You’re here, and you’re amazing! Thank you!”

  Talia looked shell-shocked, elatedly shell-shocked, as people cheered her on and commented about how lucky she was. They had no clue what they were talking about. Derek knew he was the lucky one. Damn lucky.

  “Dude, that was freaking hot,” Piper said.

  Talia glared at Piper.

  “In a very nonsexual, sister-appropriate way,” Piper quickly added.

  Talia hugged her. “I’m only kidding. He’s crazy hot. Like, light-the-stage-on-fire hot, isn’t he?” She threw her arms around his neck, pride beaming in her eyes. “And he’s mine.”

  “Damn right I’m yours, baby.”

  Several steamy kisses later, he reluctantly went to change his clothes. When he returned, he found Talia standing alone with a big-breasted blonde who frequented the bar. She’d offered herself up on a silver platter a few times, and he’d turned her down. He didn’t like her anywhere near his sweet Talia.

  He slid his arm around Talia’s waist as he came to her side and kissed her cheek. She stood rigidly beside him. “Hey, babe. Everything okay? Where’s Piper?”

  The voluptuous blonde watched them with a cold expression as she finished her drink.

  “She’s in the ladies’ room,” Talia said flatly.

  “People have been spreading rumors about me for years,” the blonde said. “It’ll be nice to have the heat on someone else for a while.” She winked at Derek and said, “Call me when you’re ready to share.”

  “Not happening,” he said, and guided Talia away from her. “What the fuck was that about?” he asked as Piper cut through the crowd.

  “Nothing,” Talia said, jaw tight.

  “Was that the man eater?” Piper asked.

  What the . . . ? “Man eater?”

  “Don’t ask.” Talia headed for the door. “I’ve got to get out of here.”

  As they walked outside, he handed Piper an envelope. “Piper, this is for you. Thanks for bringing Talia out.”

  She peeked into the envelope, and her eyes widened. “I don’t want your money! She brought me.”

  That surprised him, but he was too worried about Talia to think too much about the fact that Talia had initiated the outing. He tucked it away to revel in later.

  “It’s yours. You gave it to Talia.” Take the damn money so I can find out what’s going on. “Do you have a car here?”

  “I do,” Piper said. “Talia said she was going home with you.”

  Talia looked like she was ready to murder someone as they walked Piper to her car.

  “Thanks, Tal. It was really great going out with you tonight.” Piper embraced her. Then she gave Derek an awkward, stiff-armed almost hug and said, “It feels weird hugging you after seeing you in a G-string, but I’ll get over it. Tal, I’ll text you tomorrow.”

  As soon as Piper drove away, Talia said, “We have to talk.”

  His chest constricted. He must have embarrassed her too much with that last dance. Talia pushed her hands into her coat pockets as they headed around the building toward his car.

  “Tallie, I’m sorry for coming off the stage and dancing with you like that. I was just so happy to see you there. It felt like you’d finally jumped the last hurdle and you were proud of me, and not embarrassed, or . . . Hell, I don’t know what. It was just the greatest feeling, seeing you there at the front of the stage, having your hands on me, and I wanted everyone to know I was yours.”

  She didn’t respond. Her eyes were trained on the pavement, shoulders rounded. He’d never seen her crawl so deep into herself. Damn it. He should have backed off, accepted what she’d given him, which was more than he’d ever expected, and not pushed it. When they came to his car, he embraced her.

  “Babe, I’m really sorry. I will never, ever embarrass you again.”

  “It wasn’t you.”

  The bite in her tone told him otherwise.

  “You need to get home so Maria can leave,” she reminded him. “We can talk on the way. I don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  He ground his teeth together, knowing she was right and wishing he had a little flexibility in his schedule so he could put Talia first all the time. He opened her door, and when she was settled in her seat, he leaned in and took her hand in his. “I’m sorry we have to rush home.”

  “That has nothing to do with why I’m upset. I don’t mind making concessions for your father, so please stop worrying that I do.”

  “Thanks, babe, but I’ll always worry. It’s kind of what I do.”

  “Well, this time you shouldn’t.”

  Her voice still had an edge to it, one he knew meant she needed space. He just hoped the space she needed wasn’t from him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  DEREK CRANKED THE engine and drove out of the parking lot, trying to figure out what the hell had gone wrong. He wanted to ask, to push, but pushing was probably what had gotten them into this situation, so instead he sat in miserable silence, waiting for her to explain. They drove for a few minutes in silence. The tension in the car was thicker than fog.

  “It wasn’t anything you did,” she finally said, her tone cutting a little less deep. “It was me and that witch of a woman, Dina.”

  “You? Tallie, you didn’t do anything wrong. There’s nothing wrong with watching your boyfriend dance, for Pete’s sake.”

  She finally lifted angry, watery eyes to him. “Not that. I should have given Dina hell, but I didn’t. I let her threaten me, and now I have to worry about what she’s going to say to my colleagues.”

  “Threaten you?” What the fuck? He wasn’t going to sit by while anyone threatened her. “About what? What kind of threat?” He stopped at a red light. Talia looked so tortured, his protective urges surged forth. “Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it.”

  She exhaled loudly. “No, you can’t. She made this comment about sharing you and how she knew you’d be into it because dancers love to get down and dirty.”

  Motherfucker. The light turned green, and he sped through. “She’s wrong, Talia. She’s trying to get under your skin because she’s propositioned me a few times and I turned her down flat. I’m not one of those guys who fucking shares.” He reached for her hand as he turned on to his street. “Babe, I’d never do that. Not with you or anyone else. Ever. She probably doesn’t even know who you work for, so—”

  “She’s my colleague at school,” Talia said evenly. “People are always gossiping about her, and she’s threatening to tell them that I’m dating a stripper.”

  He parked in front of the house. “Why would they care? And I’m not a stripper. I’m a dancer. But that shouldn’t matter anyway. Can your boss fire you for dating me?”

  “No! You’re not my student. It shouldn’t matter. But I don’t want her telling everyone you’re a stripper and making our relationship seem dirty and wrong.”

  “Then let’s go talk to your boss. The two of us. We’ll explain what’s going on, and—”

  “It doesn’t work that way,” she said with an exasperated sigh. “People talk. You can’t stop them.”

  “Then why worry about it, Talia? I mean, I know you’ve been too embarrassed to come and watch me dance, but this is what I do for a living and will be for the foreseeable future. It’s not going to change. Did you think people wouldn’t
find out?”

  “No!” she said adamantly, and then in a slightly defeated voice she said, “I don’t know what I thought, but I definitely don’t want her making us out to be the type of couple that would share or that was into skanky things.”

  Christ, how could he not have seen this coming? He knew how private she was, and it was one of the reasons he’d been shocked to see her at the bar tonight. “Well, it clearly worries you, so let’s figure out how to stop it from happening.”

  “We can’t. I know we can’t. It’s just been a shitty evening all around, and I’m pissed at myself for not giving her hell when she said it. I just stood there looking at her. I couldn’t believe she was there, or that she was saying it to me. I mean, she knows me. She knows I’d never share myself, much less share the man I love. But I was in shock, and . . .” She exhaled and looked out the window.

  “Hey.” He gently guided her face back toward his, slayed by the sadness in her eyes. “Babe, we’ll get through this. If I have to personally meet every one of your colleagues to show them I’m not a lowlife, I’ll do it.”

  The porch light came on, and his heart sank. Fucking hamster wheel.

  “I have to tell you something else,” she said tentatively. “But why don’t we let Maria go home, and then we can talk. I don’t want to hold her up.”

  With a hundred worries racing through his mind, he helped her from the car and embraced her. “Whatever it is, it’ll be okay.”

  They went inside, and he hoped to hell he was right.

  “Your father had a very good night, mijo.” Maria handed him a drawing of his father and Louie standing in front of the shark tank at the aquarium. “He said that was you. Today’s outing was very good for him.” She pressed her hands to her chest, her expression grateful. It was the same look she had when she witnessed his father’s cogent moments. “Talia, your family . . . Please thank them for me. They did a nice thing today.”

  “They enjoyed their time with Jonah, too,” Talia said. “My sister Willow is hosting a brunch a week from Sunday. We’re celebrating my sister Bridgette’s pregnancy. I’d really like for you and Jonah to be there.”