“Chloe Fitzgerald,” she murmured. “And thank you for your honesty.”
“Will you let me walk you to your car?”
“That would be lovely. I just need my—” Chloe looked around for her cell phone. She’d had it in her hand when she’d fallen. A few moments later she spied it lying on the path a couple of yards away. The screen was a maze of cracks. “Oh no,” she cried.
Miles picked it up and ruefully studied the smashed screen.
“Look, this is entirely my fault. I’ll replace it for you. It’s the least I can do.”
Chloe didn’t quite know what to say. She felt like she ought to protest, but she certainly couldn’t afford to buy a new phone right now.
“I—” she started, but Miles cut across her protest before she could fully form the words.
“Ms. Fitzgerald, allow me to replace your phone. Believe me, it’s no bother.”
There was something in the way he said the words that rankled. It was a combination of the expectation that she wouldn’t dare to refuse, blended with the fact that the purchase of a new device for her would hardly be a blip in his budget. She swallowed the bitter retort that immediately sprang to mind and forced herself to smile.
“Please, call me Chloe. And, thank you. I wouldn’t normally accept such a generous gift but I’m totally lost without my phone.”
“As are we all,” he said with another drop-dead gorgeous smile.
Like an idiot, she felt herself automatically smiling back again. Oh, he was too much. Too good-looking, too polite—just too everything! And every cell in her body that wasn’t currently throbbing in pain was reacting to him in ways she hadn’t anticipated.
“Where are you parked?” Miles asked, oblivious to the turmoil she was going through.
Chloe mentioned where she’d left her car, and together they walked along the paths.
“Do you run here often?” Miles asked after a few steps.
Chloe giggled.
“What? What’s funny about that?”
“Oh, just a new take on an old line, don’t you think?” she quipped, looking up at him.
Doing so, unfortunately meant she wasn’t fully looking where she was going and her foot caught on an uneven section of pavement. Miles was quick to reach out and steady her and, she noted with reluctance, just as quick to let her go again. Even so, the warmth of his hand and the gentleness of his touch had left her wanting more.
Ridiculous, she told herself. She’d only just met him. She wasn’t the kind of girl who reacted like this to anyone. Her mostly tame relationships to date had been few and far between. Juggling the responsibilities of teaching with supporting her mom, who was prone to depression, Chloe usually didn’t feel as though there was much of her own self left to go around. Most men didn’t understand her relationship with her mother and, until that one special guy did, she was happy to wait. Besides, being in a relationship would complicate her plans for vengeance.
A shiver of apprehension prickled along her spine. Vengeance. It was such a deliberate and often cruel word. Did she have what it took to go through with it?
Two
Miles walked beside the slender woman he’d sent flying. How could he have been so careless? He wasn’t in the habit of bowling over blue-eyed petite blondes any day of the week. At least not literally. And she was definitely the kind of woman he would normally notice. Even now he was deeply aware of the lightly sunkissed tone of her skin, the gentle curves of her body beneath her running clothes and the way her lips parted slightly on a sharply indrawn breath. Not that he should be looking, he silently castigated himself, nor reacting he realized, as he felt his own physical awareness of her sharpen. He really felt he owed her a great deal more than a new phone—and he wasn’t too pleased with how her wrist was looking now, either.
“This is me,” she said.
She’d stopped by an old model sedan that looked as though it had seen better days. He peered inside, noting the stick shift.
“Are you going to be okay with that?” he asked, pointing to the gear lever.
“Oh. I didn’t think of that.”
“The pain is getting worse, isn’t it?” he pressed.
She looked reluctant to admit it but eventually nodded.
“I’ll drive you to get it checked out. Last thing you need is another accident today.”
“I don’t want to impose. I’m sure you have better things to do.”
“Better than rescuing a damsel in distress?”
She laughed, just as he’d intended.
“Okay then. Thank you.”
He didn’t realize, until she agreed, just how much he didn’t want to say goodbye to her.
“Keys?” he asked, holding out his hand.
“On top of the front wheel.”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
She gestured to the tight-fitting running pants she was wearing. “No pockets.”
“Those things usually have a pocket at the back, don’t they?”
“Budget version,” she said with a light shrug of her shoulders.
“As a security consultant, I can’t begin to tell you how risky this is,” he grumbled, retrieving the keys from their not-so-hidden spot. “You’re lucky your car is still here.”
“I know, but I figure it’s so old, it’s hardly likely to attract trouble.”
He opened the passenger door for her and it gave a loud creak of protest. “I can see why,” he commented wryly.
She laughed again, and the sound made something begin to unravel at the center of his chest. He closed the door once she was inside the car and got in on the other side.
“I guess your mother told you never to get into a car with a stranger when you were little, right?”
“She did. Are you suggesting I’m not safe here with you?”
Her words made every protective instinct bloom from deep inside of him.
“I want to reassure you that you are completely safe with me.”
“Good to know,” she said before awkwardly fastening her seatbelt. “I’d hate to have to hurt you.”
His lips tweaked into a smile. “Hurt me?”
“My mother also sent me to self-defense classes. You’d be amazed at what I can do with one good hand.”
He nodded slowly and turned on the ignition. “Good to know.”
After he drove to the nearest urgent care center and parked the car, Chloe turned to face him.
“Look, I really don’t want to take up too much of your time. You don’t need to stay with me. I’m sure once my wrist is bandaged up, I’ll be okay to drive.”
“No problem, and, as to your wrist, we’ll let the doctor decide. Okay?”
Two hours later they were back at the car with Chloe protesting every step of the way.
“You didn’t need to pay for me, Mr. Wingate. I have insurance.”
“Miles.”
“What?”
“Call me Miles,” he said with a smile. “And, yes, I did have to pay. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have been hurt in the first place.”
“It was my own silly fault,” she reminded him half-heartedly.
She was looking pale. The examination of her wrist had been painful, but they’d both been relieved when the X-ray had shown nothing was broken. But clearly she was tired now.
“How about we call a truce on whose fault it was? I’ll see you home and then I’ll arrange your new phone to be delivered.”
“No, I have to draw the line at the phone. I’m sure I have an old one somewhere I can charge up until I replace my other one.”
“I won’t hear of it. Look, Ms. Fitzgerald—”
“Chloe. If I’m to call you Miles, you must call me Chloe.”
“Chloe.” He liked the way it tripped off his tongue. In fact there was a
n awful lot he liked about this woman. “One thing you’re going to learn about me is that I am a very determined person.”
She quirked a brow. “Does that mean you don’t listen to other people?”
“Oh, I always listen. It’s how I work out what people really need. In my line of business it would be a mistake not to listen.”
“You said you’re in security?”
“Yes, both personal and online.”
“Just you?” she asked.
“No, I have a team of experts working for me.”
“So, you’re the boss of everything?”
He felt a grin pull at his lips. “Well, maybe not everything. But I am the boss of Steel Security, so trust me, paying for your medical bills and for a new phone won’t cripple me financially.”
She looked him straight in the eyes. From here he could see her pale blue irises were flecked with gold. They were the kind of eyes he could stare into for quite some time and happily get lost.
“Based on your experience as a security expert, would you advise a woman on her own to allow a stranger, like yourself, to take her home?”
Miles laughed. “Not under normal circumstances, no. In fact, I would advise against it most strongly. However, if you would like to speak to my assistant at the office, I’m sure they could vouch for my identity and, I hope, my trustworthiness.”
She continued to stare at him, then gave a little nod. “As a schoolteacher, I’ve learned to be a pretty good judge of character, and I think I’ll be okay with you. I accept your kind offer.”
“Excellent. Now, I’ll take you home so you can rest up.”
“And what about you?” she asked. “How will you get home?”
“I’ll call for a ride. Honestly, it’s no bother. So? Where to?”
She gave him her address and he raised his brows.
“Midlothian? You came a fair distance to run in the park.”
She shrugged and looked out the window. “I like the park.”
Miles continued to look at her, but she kept her gaze firmly outside. He couldn’t help but admit it. She intrigued him in a way that he didn’t want to ignore, but there was something about her that made his senses prickle, too. Something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Something that made him curious on a professional level as well as a personal one.
Miles turned on the car and backed out of the parking space before heading toward Midlothian. This time of day the trip would probably take around forty minutes. Again, he wondered why she’d chosen to come to Lincoln Park this morning, since it was so far away from where she lived.
She shifted her gaze from out her side window and back toward him. “I’m always looking for places to take my class on day trips. The Lincoln Park Zoo is one of my favorite places to go. That’s why I was at the park this morning.”
“Hey, no problem,” he said, wondering why she sounded a little defensive.
“Did you want to come in for a coffee or something cool to drink before you call your ride?” she asked unexpectedly, changing the subject.
Miles was on the verge of refusing but then thought better of it. “Sure, that’d be great. Thanks. Although, as a security expert, I would advise against it.”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure you’re safe.”
They got out of the car, and he followed her down the path to the small single-level house. She let them into the house, which looked neat and tidy, and was furnished with the bare minimum. A couch and an armchair in the living room, together with a wall-mounted TV and a small coffee table. They went into the kitchen, where Chloe one-handedly filled the carafe on her coffee maker and then tried to measure out the coffee.
“Here, let me do that for you,” Miles said, stepping forward.
Their hands brushed as she passed him the scoop, and his eyes flicked to hers. Her pupils had dilated, and that tiny fact made him more than a little curious. He was definitely attracted to her, and it gave him no small measure of satisfaction to see that attraction reciprocated. He knew right then and there that, one way or another, he would be seeing more of Chloe Fitzgerald.
* * *
Chloe leaned back against the kitchen counter and watched as Miles moved around the compact space while he made their coffee.
“You’re pretty good at this knight in shining armor thing,” she teased as the machine spluttered, signaling the coffee was done.
Miles grabbed the carafe to pour out their coffee. “I try to be good at everything.”
“I’ve had a couple of kids over the years like that.” She looked at him, noting the intent way he concentrated as he did everything. “Challenging kids. Does that make you a challenging adult?”
He barked a short laugh. “You’d have to ask my family about that. Or maybe my staff. I’m sure there’d be any number of them happy to fill you in.”
“I’ll bear that in mind.”
She accepted the mug he passed her and walked through to the living room. He followed soon after and sat beside her on the couch. Chloe took a sip of her coffee.
“Good coffee, thank you. I’m sure I do exactly the same thing as you and yet mine never tastes as good.”
“Ah, it’s an old Wingate family secret,” he said with a slow wink.
And just like that, the easy camaraderie they’d been building shattered. Chloe forced herself to keep a smile on her face, but it was difficult when she’d just been so soundly reminded of exactly who it was that was sitting here in her house with her. She’d allowed herself to be lulled by his care of her after her fall, but she had to keep her wits about her.
“So, I guess that means you’re not sharing your secrets?”
“I’m an open book. I don’t have any secrets. Seriously, though, it’s all about how you measure the coffee.”
She laughed. “And that’s it? No magical ingredient hidden up your sleeve?”
He held out his arms in his short-sleeved T-shirt. His biceps and forearms were beautifully shaped, and muscles rippled beneath his tan as he turned his hands up then back again to show her he had nothing hidden anywhere.
“As you can see, nothing,” he said.
Oh, there was no way there was “nothing” about Miles Wingate. He certainly was something and, despite her throbbing wrist and sore palms, she was completely and utterly aware of him as a man. A very attractive man at that.
“You mentioned being a teacher,” he said. “Do you work near here?”
“Yes, at a school a few blocks away. It works well living here. I can walk to school during the semester when the weather’s good. A bunch of kids often walk with me.”
“I bet you’re popular.”
She pursed her lips. “Oh, how so?”
“Let’s see. From my first impression of you, you’re warm and friendly and don’t want to cause a bother. You listen well and you’re not demanding or pushy. How’s that for starters?”
“You discerned all that from just this short time?” she queried.
“It’s my job to read people and situations. I know there’s also a lot about you that you’re holding back. You choose your words carefully, as if you don’t want to accidentally give anything away.”
Chloe felt her eyes widen. Did he read her that well? Maybe this whole idea of hers was about to head to hell in a handbasket.
“You’re good,” Chloe admitted non-committally, taking another sip of her coffee.
“I make it my business to be good.” Miles drained his coffee mug and stood up. “I’d better call that ride.”
“I feel terrible to have taken up so much of your day. I am sorry.”
“Hey, no need. I wanted to make sure you’d be okay. And, now I know where to have your new phone sent to.”
He gave her a smile and went through to the kitchen, where he washed out and dried his mug and returned it to the
shelf where he’d taken it from originally. So far, he’d done nothing to be faulted on, Chloe realized. He’d been friendly, chivalrous, and he made a darn fine cup of coffee. And she wanted to bring his family’s world down around their ears? Her conscience pricked at her.
She knew this wouldn’t be easy, but she had to remain committed. Chloe thought about the family portrait of her parents and her that she kept on her nightstand. It was a constant reminder of what Trent Wingate had destroyed. Three lives irrevocably changed because of Wingate’s greed. And that greed had continued to fester as his fortune had grown. Nothing had ever been enough.
Chloe needed to keep that truth in the forefront of her mind because no matter how charming Miles Wingate was turning out to be, he was, first and foremost, one of Trent Wingate’s children. Much of the privilege he’d grown up with and taken for granted every day of his life was due to his father stomping all over hers.
All her life she’d witnessed her mother’s deep unhappiness, and she would give anything to see her mom genuinely smile again. Maybe, just maybe, if Chloe succeeded in hurting the Wingates, even if it was just a little, it would be enough to break her mom free of the miserable state she’d lived in over the last nineteen years.
They’d both suffered long enough.
Three
Miles parked his Audi e-tron quattro at the curb outside Chloe’s house and looked at the sad little building. She didn’t belong there. The sagging guttering, the peeling paintwork on the clapboard exterior and the general air of neglect to the rental home told him more about her landlord than he wanted to know. The house could best be described as a renovator’s dream.
His fingers tightened on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. Yes, he knew his feelings about Chloe’s living conditions were irrational. They were also none of his business, if he was being totally honest with himself. But, and it was a big but, he wanted to make it his business.
From the moment he’d knocked her over this morning, he’d wanted to make sure she was okay. And the more time he’d spent with her, the more he wanted to ensure that things went right for her. Sure, he’d been taken by her pretty face, her blond hair and the clear blue of her eyes. Her figure was pretty damn fine, too. Hell, he was a heterosexual male and she was absolutely his type. He’d have to have been blind not to notice her—although, in hindsight he hadn’t noticed her soon enough not to cause her hurt.
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