Dismissing the busy bodies in the waiting area, Rock followed the hostess past the cocktail bar, noting all the emergency exits and quickly taking stock of the customers they passed.
He spotted his sister and brother-in-law near the back wall, but before he reached them, Addie stood and rushed toward him.
“Rock.” She threw her arms around him.
Normally, he’d hug her right back, but tonight he paused. When he’d seen her in January, Addie hadn’t looked pregnant. Now she looked like she’d swallowed a basketball. The last pregnant woman he’d probably hugged had been his mom when she’d been expecting Addison. He didn’t want to hurt her.
“I won’t pop if you hug me,” Addie said, her voice low so no one else heard her.
“I just wasn’t sure I’d get my arms around ya.” No way was he admitting he’d been nervous about hugging his own sister.
“I’m so glad I invited you tonight. You’re always so full of compliments.” She flicked the back of his neck and then kissed his cheek.
Trent stood and extended his hand when they approached the table. “Rock, I’m glad you could join us. You probably remember my cousin Jake and his wife Charlie.” Trent gestured toward the couple across from him. “And my sister Allison.”
He remembered everyone, especially Miss Allison Sherbrooke. He’d only danced with her once at Addie’s wedding, but it had been enough to scorch the image of the woman into his brain. He’d never tell anyone, but since the wedding, Allison had made many appearances in his dreams.
“It’s nice to see everyone again. Thanks for including me.” He made eye contact with each member of the party before his eyes swung back for one extra glance at Allison. Mannaggia, Rock thought using one of his dad’s favorite Italian curses, one he’d adopted himself. The word itself didn’t translate into English, but it fit the moment because damn if she wasn’t the hottest woman he’d ever met. He suspected she’d be making another X-rated appearance in his dreams tonight.
“Trent wants me to stop working,” Addie said as the conversation at the table started back up again. “Charlie, you’re a doctor, can you please tell him it’s not necessary. It’s not like I’m climbing ladders and lifting heavy objects.”
“What’s wrong with wanting to make sure you get plenty of rest before the baby comes?” Trent asked.
“I tried to tell Charlie the same thing. She wouldn’t listen to me either,” Jake said, sounding annoyed.
Rock saw his sister and Charlie exchange a look he couldn’t decipher before Charlie said, “As long as Addie’s healthy, there’s no reason for her to stop working unless her doctor tells her to.”
He could’ve told his brother-in-law that trying to convince Addie to do something was pointless. She had a mind of her own. Most days he considered that a good thing.
“My mom worked the day she had me,” Addie said, looking in his direction. “Right, Rock?”
“Doesn’t mean you need to,” Rock said. Their parents had been in a very different financial situation than Addie and her husband. His sister could never work again and it wouldn’t adversely affect her or her family.
Trent looked at him and nodded. “See, even your brother agrees with me.”
“Thanks a lot, Rock.” Addie gave him a dirty look before she turned back to her husband. “I never said I was going to work right to my due date, just until the end of April. The baby isn’t due until June.”
“Maybe we should change the subject,” Allison said, entering the conversation. “Dad said you won’t tell him if you’re having a girl or a boy.”
Now that he thought about it, Addie hadn’t told him either. Then again, he hadn’t asked.
“That’s because we don’t know,” Trent answered.
“Seriously? How can you not want to know?” Allison asked.
“We want to be surprised,” Trent answered.
“You do realize it makes it impossible to buy gifts when you don’t know if they’re for a girl or a boy, right?” Allison asked, looking at the two married couples.
“Only a couple more weeks before you know our surprise,” Jake said.
“You don’t know what you’re having either?” Rock asked. Only a handful of his buddies had kids, but they’d all known what they were having in advance. He’d assumed most couples did.
Charlie shook her head, drawing Rock’s attention to her clenched jaw. “We decided to wait,” she said, her knuckles turning white as she gripped her water glass.
“Are you okay, Charlie?” Trent asked, telling him his brother-in-law had also noticed something appeared wrong.
Jake didn’t give Charlie a chance to answer. “You’re not fine. What’s wrong?”
“I’m––” The rest of her sentence didn’t come. Instead, Charlie took in a sharp breath.
“Charlie?”
There was no missing the worry in Jake’s voice.
“It might have been a contraction.” Charlie pasted on the fakest smile he’d ever seen and released her grip on the glass. “Should we order an appetizer? The stuffed mushrooms here are delicious.”
“Are you serious? When did they start?” Jake pulled the menu from his wife’s hands, not that Rock blamed him. If the woman was in labor, whether or not to order an appetizer shouldn’t be on her mind.
“About forty minutes ago, but I’m not convinced they’re not Braxton Hicks contractions.”
He had no idea what those were, but if the word contractions was at all involved, a restaurant seemed like the wrong place to be sitting.
“We’re going to the hospital.” Jake stood and pulled back his wife’s chair.
“Jake, even if they are real, we both know it’ll be hours before anything happens. If we go to the hospital now, they’ll send us home.”
“Trust me, they won’t send us home.” Jake reached for Charlie’s hand when she didn’t stand.
“We’re not going to the hospital,” Charlie said, her voice ringing with all the authority of a gunnery sergeant. “But if it’ll make you feel better, we can—” she paused again and took in a deep breath; after slowly exhaling, she continued “—go home.”
Jake gave his wife’s arm a little tug, his expression revealing the fact he wanted to argue but knew it’d be pointless. “Fine. Let’s go. Now.”
“It was nice seeing you again, Rock.” Charlie stood in no apparent rush, and Rock wondered if she was intentionally being slow to annoy her husband. Somehow, he could picture his sister doing the same thing to Trent when the time came. “Addison, Trent, I’ll see you on Sunday at the fundraiser.”
Rock doubted Jake would let his wife out of the house again unless it involved a trip to the hospital.
“Charlie.” Jake tugged his wife’s arm again and received a swat on the hand in return.
Across the table, Trent laughed. “You look a bit worked up there, Jake. Do you need a ride home or can you handle it?”
“Just wait, Trent, until it’s your turn.”
Trent laughed again. “Let us know what happens.”
Charlie nodded and allowed Jake to lead her away from the table and out of the dinning room.
“I’ve never seen him so worked up,” Allison said from next to him.
He wouldn’t have pegged Jake Sherbrooke for the type to overreact and worry either. After all, he did run a disaster relief foundation. He’d expect someone who did that type of work to be cool and collected in an emergency situation.
“If he keeps it up and Charlie is in labor, she’ll kick him out of the delivery room,” Trent said, picking up his menu as a waiter approached their table.
Conversation at the table stopped long enough for everyone to place their dinner orders. Once the waiter walked away, Rock looked back at his sister. “How long are you and Trent staying down here?” Assuming it fit into his schedule, he’d like to see them again before they returned to Providence.
“Until––” Trent’s ringing phone cut off his sister.
“It’s Ja
ke,” Trent said as he pulled out his cell phone. “I bet he does need help getting home.”
No one spoke as Trent answered the phone. “Keep us updated,” Trent said after a few seconds. Then he put the phone back into his pocket and looked in Rock’s direction. “We’ll be here until Wednesday.”
“Who cares,” Allison said. “Why did Jake call? Is something wrong?”
Trent shrugged and Rock suspected he was trying to annoy his younger sister. As an older brother himself, he knew how much fun that could be no matter your age.
“Nothing big. Charlie’s water broke in the parking lot. They’re headed to the hospital.”
“That’s terrible. Uncle Warren won’t be around when this baby is born either,” Allison said.
Rock almost laughed. To hear the President of The United States referred to as “Uncle Warren” just seemed wrong. After all, Warren Sherbrooke was one of the most powerful men in the world.
“He was in England when my cousin Callie had her son in September and now he’s in Turkey,” Allison said, looking at him and explaining her comment. “He won’t be back until Tuesday or Wednesday I think.”
He felt for the man. He wouldn’t be around when Addie gave birth in June. At least the President would see his new grandson or granddaughter in a matter of days. It’d be months before he got to meet his new niece or nephew.
Rock listened as the rest of the party discussed the upcoming fundraiser. He’d known it was the main reason Addie and Trent had traveled down to Virginia. He hadn’t realized several other members of the Sherbrooke clan would also be present, including the President’s youngest daughter and two of Trent’s younger brothers.
“Hey, Allison, I think Charles just walked in.”
Allison shifted in her seat, her arm bumping into his. “Trent, that’s not funny.”
Judging by the annoyance in Allison’s voice, this Charles guy ranked low on her friend list.
“I’m not joking.” Trent glanced back over at the entrance again. “And it must be him because he’s headed this way.”
Rock heard Allison groan, and then she grabbed his hand, sending an electric shock across his skin. “Just play along,” she said, and he wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or everyone at the table.
A moment later, a well-dressed man in his early thirties stopped at their table. “Trent what a coincidence running into you here,” Charles said before he looked at Addie. “This must be your wife. Congratulations.” He extended his hand toward Addie and they exchanged the typical pleasantries before he looked in his and Allison’s direction, his eyes momentarily glancing down at their clasped hand. “Allison, it’s nice to see you again.”
Allison squeezed his hand, perhaps as a reminder to play along before she answered. “Hi, Charles. It’s been awhile.”
Rock imagined she was thinking it hadn’t been long enough.
“I don’t believe I’ve met your friend.” Charles turned his narrowed eyes in his direction.
“This is my boyfriend. Rock, this is Charles Perkins, a friend of mine from Providence.”
Oh, yeah. Charles hadn’t liked her statement. If the guy’s eyes narrowed anymore, they’d be closed.
Going with it, Rock nodded at the man. “Nice to meet you.”
“Are you all down here for a visit?” Charles asked and Rock thought he heard Allison groan.
“Uh, Trent and Addie are here for a fundraiser, but I work for the Falmouth Foundation in Alexandria now,” Allison said.
Charles offered up a tight-lipped smile. “Really. I didn’t know you took a position there.”
Bullshit. If Rock was good at one thing, it was smelling BS a mile away.
“Then I guess I’ll see you all at the fundraiser.”
“You’ll be there?” Allison asked, her voice a few octaves higher than normal.
The man’s smile widened, revealing his unnaturally white teeth. “My friend Daniel told me about it. He and his wife are going, and it’s a good cause, so I bought a ticket as well. That’s actually why I’m here tonight. We’re meeting for dinner.” Charles pointed at a couple seated across the dinning room. “It was nice seeing everyone tonight. I’m sure I’ll see you all on Sunday.”
He watched Mr. Teeth—Rock thought the name fit him—walk toward his friends and waited for Allison to release his hand.
“Something you want to share, Allison? I didn’t know Rock here was your boyfriend,” Trent said with a chuckle, and Rock knew the guy was trying to get under his sister’s skin.
Allison rolled her eyes, making her appear more like an annoyed younger sister rather than the beautiful socialite she was. “Knock it off. I was afraid he’d ask me out again. Since we broke up, he does it every time we run into each other. That’s one of the reasons I was anxious to move. I was always running into him in Providence. It drove me nuts.”
Yep, an ex-boyfriend. Sounded like the guy couldn’t move on, not that he blamed him. He imagined most guys would hate getting the boot from a woman like Allison Sherbrooke. From the little Addie had told him about her, she was not only beautiful, but also smart and genuinely nice, not to mention she came from a powerful family.
Perhaps realizing she still held his hand, she released it and reached for her water glass instead. “Unfortunately, he still calls every so often.”
“Looks like we’ll be seeing you on Sunday night, Rock. I hope you didn’t have any other plans.”
Allison’s sharp intake of breath indicated she understood her brother’s comment. It took Rock a second longer to unravel Trent’s meaning.
“Shoot. I didn’t think of that,” Allison said.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her bite down on her lip. How many times since the wedding had he dreamed about her pleasuring his body with those lips? The image of her doing that now surfaced, and Rock was damn glad he was sitting down with a napkin covering his lap.
“Would you mind coming with me Sunday night?” She touched his arm as she spoke, sending a bolt of desire straight to his crotch.
He’d come tonight so he could visit with his sister and get to know his brother-in-law, not so he could get roped into attending some la-di-da dinner surrounded by people he had no desire to hang around.
Her fingers curled around his wrist. “If you can’t, I understand.”
Say no. He’d fit in at an event like the fundraiser about as well as a bull in a china shop. The anxiety in Allison’s voice kept the two-letter word from coming and turned on his protective instincts. “Give me the time and location and I’ll be there.”
Two hours later, Rock followed everyone outside, somewhat bummed the evening was over. With the exception of now being stuck playing the role of a fake boyfriend, he’d enjoyed spending time with his sister, her husband, and her sister-in-law.
“Allison, where did you park?” Trent asked.
“Down near the lot entrance.”
“I’ll walk you. We’re parked right here.” He pointed to a silver Mercedes and used his key remote to unlock it and then pulled open the door for Addie.
His sister had mentioned Trent always did that for her. She’d told him in the beginning it had taken a lot of getting used to. Now, she no longer thought about it. She’d even recommended he start doing it when he took a woman out. As if the woman he dated would care either way.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine. There are plenty of lights around. Take Addie back to Jake’s. She looks tired.”
Anticipating Trent’s response, Rock spoke before his brother-in-law had the chance. “I’ll walk Allison to her car. I parked down there too.”
“Thanks, Rock. I appreciate it,” Trent said as he closed the passenger side door and walked around the car. “I’ll see you both on Sunday night.”
He’d already suspected Addie was in good hands with Trent. However, Trent’s treatment of Addie all night and the fact he didn’t want his own sister walking in a parking lot alone verified Rock’s beliefs. “See ya then.”
Inside during dinner, he’d done more listening than actual talking. Now that it was only the two of them, Rock didn’t know what to say. Judging from their vastly different backgrounds, they wouldn’t have much in common, and he’d rather shoot himself in the foot than ask her about the weather.
Allison saved him from having to speak first. “Thanks again for agreeing to come Sunday. If I’d known Charles would be at the fundraiser, I never would’ve said we’re dating. He doesn’t seem to get the message. I thought maybe telling him I had a boyfriend would help.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Still, I owe you one.” She stopped under one of the parking lot lights. “This is me.” She pointed over her shoulder. “If you have trouble finding my house or change your mind, call me.” She’d given him her cell number and address before they walked outside. Both were now stored in his smartphone.
Rock looked at the car behind her, one side of its front end was slightly high than the other. “You’ve got a flat.”
“What? Again?”
Allison turned, giving him the opportunity to once again appreciate the view she provided. Seated inside the restaurant, he’d been denied seeing the sexy legs her skirt revealed. Outside under the light with her back to him however, he could admire all he wanted. Her legs weren’t the only thing he admired. His palms itched to reach out and cup her shapely ass.
“I had a flat tire last week too.” She dropped her shoulder bag on the hood and searched inside. “I’ll call the auto club and have them come change it.”
He’d have it changed and she’d be home before the club got anyone there. “Don’t bother. I got it. Pop the trunk.”
She pulled her smartphone out and looked at him. “You’ll get your clothes dirty. It won’t take them that long to get here, and you don’t have to stay. I promise to sit in the car with the doors locked and wait.”
“Allison, pop the trunk. I’m not leaving ya here to wait.” He’d only heard everyone address her by her full name, yet in his head it didn’t fit. She struck him more as an Ally. When she didn’t comply right away, he took the key remote from her hand and unlocked the trunk himself. “It’ll only take me a few minutes.”
Protecting The Billionaire Page 2