by Cat Schield
It’s what made her crazy for him. His body, his soul, the heart he tried to protect. He was the one she’d dreamed about before they’d ever met and long after they’d parted. Fate had brought them back together. Now it was up to them to figure out how to make it work. Because this time she didn’t want to say goodbye.
* * *
Had it only been three weeks since he’d been arrested for embezzling the festival funds? It felt like the threat of imprisonment had been hanging over him for far longer. How ironic that the worst thing that had ever happened to him resulted in something as wonderful as bringing Lani Li back into his life.
The last week together had been nothing short of magic. They’d returned to the playful camaraderie and sizzling passion of five years earlier. There were moments when he was convinced everything would turn out okay, but then he’d bump the electronic monitor on his ankle and the whole miserable mess returned to his awareness in a hurry.
Asher shook hands with the horse trainer who’d arrived to pick up Royal Flush. As they loaded her into the trailer for the journey to California, he walked away with a tight throat and a heart ready for fresh opportunities,
The money he’d gotten for Royal Flush would clear the debt between him and Lani. Sacrificing his favorite mount demonstrated his willingness to grow. As much as he’d loved them, the horses tied him to his old life. They had been his comfort when his relationship with Rusty floundered and offered direction when it came to his life’s purpose.
Lani had been right to call him out all those years ago. He had been a directionless frat boy. But that had changed once he’d met her. And now that she was back in his life, he intended to evolve even more. New challenges awaited him and Lani was the key to what he wanted to do next.
Smiling, Asher attacked the stairs to his apartment, taking the steps two at a time. He was eager to share his new vision with Lani and see her reaction. She agreed with his assessment that The Edmond Organization wasn’t the place for him. Tonight he was taking her to dinner, a celebration of the positive changes he was making in his life since she’d come back into it.
He’d chosen Sheen, not only because the restaurant was known for its exceptional cuisine, but also for being run and staffed by all women of various ethnicities. Ross’s fiancée, Charlotte Jarrett, had returned to Royal to oversee the kitchen and had quickly made the restaurant a Royal favorite.
Lani had headed back to Dallas that morning to meet with a potential client and planned to return by six o’clock. That left Asher an hour to shower and get ready for their date. The word sent an electric zap through him. With his nerve endings buzzing pleasantly, he headed into the bathroom and the large mirror over the double vanity reflected back his goofy grin. He rubbed his palm over his stubbled cheeks, noted the sparkle in his eyes and remarked at the transformation joy had wrought. Damn, he was happy. Even to the point where he could appreciate the pain-in-the-ass electronic monitor clamped to his ankle, being charged with embezzlement and wire fraud had brought Lani back into his life.
Half an hour later Asher emerged from his closet dressed for dinner and realized he was no longer alone in the apartment. A cell phone was ringing in the living room. Eager to show Lani how much he’d missed her, he was halfway across the bedroom when he heard her answer the call.
“Hello, Kingston.”
Asher slowed his pace as the name registered. Kingston, as in Kingston Blue? An image of the famous singer popped into Asher’s mind. Above-average height with an imposing frame and a handsome face framed by long dreadlocks, his open and friendly manner combined with a wide white smile had disarmed and enchanted everyone. But it was his keen brown eyes that had told the real story as his gaze had scrutinized the construction happening at the festival site on Appaloosa Island, assessing the pros and cons before agreeing to headline Soiree on the Bay.
What was he doing calling Lani?
“What’s up?” While she came across as calm and professional, Asher detected a wary note.
Moving carefully, he took several steps toward the door leading into the living room, the better to hear the conversation, aware that by eavesdropping he was questioning if he could trust Lani. In a flash he realized he was once again prioritizing his needs first and in doing so causing damage to their fledgling relationship. How could he hope to form a solid connection with her when the first time his faith was tested, he chose to doubt.
“...progress report,” came the deep rich masculine voice. Lani must have had him on speaker.
Progress report? What progress report? Asher recalled how she’d avoided answering every time he asked her who hired her to look into the missing money. Was Kingston Blue that client? The man hadn’t made all his money with his music. He was a savvy businessman, as well. And obviously one determined to locate what had been stolen from him.
“As I mentioned before,” Lani said, “this case is a lot more complicated than it seemed. The money vanished from the bank accounts right after the funds were transferred. The feds think the money was moved offshore, but there’s no trace of those accounts on Asher’s work or personal computers, his phone or in his house. If he was funneling the money away from the festival accounts, then he was very careful about it.”
“If?” Concern deepened Kingston Blue’s voice. “You disagree with the feds about Asher Edmond’s guilt?”
“I know the evidence points to him. His name is on the house in the Maldives,” she said, “and his online signature triggered the wire transfers. But he could’ve been set up.”
A pregnant silence followed her words. Asher’s heart hammered. While it sounded like she was defending him, this conversation drove home the fact that she’d ultimately come to Royal to find the missing festival funds. Something he’d conveniently put to the back of his mind.
“I hired you because of your previous relationship with Asher,” Kingston Blue said. “I assumed you would use that connection to get information out of him about where the money ended up.”
Kingston’s words scored a direct hit. Asher set his hand on the wall as his thoughts reeled. All this time she’d been playing him for a fool. While he shouldn’t be surprised, that didn’t make the emotional blow less devastating. She made it very clear five years ago that her career came first and he was just a reckless playboy without a future. Well, one thing was true, obviously she’d gotten a lot better at acting.
“That’s not how I work,” Lani said stiffly. “I’ve been looking into various people involved in the festival and Asher isn’t the only one with access to those funds. His brother Ross—”
Kingston Blue interrupted her. “It seems to me you’re just offering me excuses why you think your ex-boyfriend is innocent. I’m not paying you to exonerate him.”
“Asher was never my boyfriend.” Her voice was stark and fervent on that point. “I’m not emotionally involved with him now if that’s what you’re thinking. You hired me to find the money and if you can be patient with me a little longer, that’s what I intend to do.”
“By chasing random leads.”
“By doing a thorough investigation,” Lani insisted. “As soon as investigators found the house in the Maldives, they stopped looking at anyone else.”
“There’s overwhelming evidence that Asher’s the one who transferred the funds out of the festival account. Where they went is what I want to know.”
“So do I,” she said. “But I need to figure out who actually stole the money.”
“Asher Edmond.”
“Maybe.” Lani sounded less than thrilled to be arguing with her client. “But I’m also looking into someone else. Billy Holmes.”
“Who is that?”
“Friend of the family. He lives at the Edmonds’ estate. I’ve discovered he has a suspicious background and I’d like to pursue the lead.”
Kingston Blue paused before answering as if weighing his option
s. “You have three days. After that you’re off the case.”
Asher took several seconds to compose himself before emerging from the bedroom. Lani was standing by the large window that overlooked the extensive manicured grounds between the barn and the main house.
“You’re back early,” he remarked, crossing the room to pull her back against his body and place a kiss on her cheek. “How’d the meeting with the new client go?”
She stiffened momentarily before relaxing into his embrace. “Good. She hired me.”
“Then we should celebrate.” Asher headed into his kitchen to pull a bottle of champagne from the wine cooler, and set two glasses on the breakfast bar. “You have a new client. I sold Royal Flush.”
“You want to celebrate that?” Lani asked, drawing near. “That’s been a big part of your life. I thought you’d be sad that she was gone.”
Asher focused on pulling the cork from the bottle rather than look at her. He was still processing the call he’d overheard.
“It was hard to part with her, but she’s too well trained to waste away here.” Asher pictured the chestnut tearing across the polo field and smiled. “And since her new owner paid me a hundred thousand dollars for her, I can pay you back the money you put up for my bail and compensate you for the time you spent on my case.”
This last part he’d added to test her reaction.
“I already have a client.” She looked uncomfortable. “You know that.”
“Is there some reason you can’t have two?”
“I’m not sure that your goals aren’t in conflict.”
“It seems as if everyone wants to find the money. Including me.” He extended a glass filled with bright sparkling liquid toward her. “I’d also like to find out who stole it. I don’t see how we could possibly be in conflict.”
“I just don’t think it’s a good idea.”
Dismayed by the fact that she continued to let him think that Rusty had hired her, Asher chose not to push any further. No doubt she had her reasons for keeping him in the dark. The fact that they were at odds as long as this case remained open was not the problem. He was more concerned what would happen once everything had been wrapped up.
He lightly clicked his crystal flute against hers before taking a sip. He watched her surreptitiously while appearing to savor the champagne. She looked more miserable than he’d ever seen her. Obviously guilt wasn’t a comfortable weight on her shoulders.
“Now that I’ve officially closed the door on any chance of a comeback as a professional polo player—”
“Was that a possibility?” she interrupted, arching one dark eyebrow.
“Hush. I’ve been thinking what I want to do next.”
Retreating into his frat-boy act was familiar and would serve him better than venting his frustration over the investigation’s slow progress.
“Next?” She looked resigned as she asked, “What about your position at The Edmond Organization?”
“I promised Rusty that I’d stick with it for two years. My time is up and after spending these weeks with you, I realize I rather enjoyed investigative work and I think I have a knack for it.”
She gave an odd snort and then began to cough vigorously as if the champagne had gone up her nose rather than down her throat. “I’m sorry?” she wheezed. “Didn’t you go to work for the family business after Rusty threatened to cut you off? How are you going to support yourself?”
“By partnering with you.”
“Partnering...?”
“You’re not the only one who can dig up information on people. I checked you out and it turns out your business is in a bit of a slump. It could use someone like me to bring in more high-profile clients.”
Lani was staring at him as if had sprouted a set of horns. “Let me get this straight, you want to go into business with me?”
“Why so surprised?” He ignored the negative sweep of her head. “We work well together.”
“I think you like dabbling in my investigation because it’s a distraction. But once this case is over and if you’re exonerated—”
“If?” Her meaning went through him like a hot blade. Without her on his side, eager to prove his innocence, he could still go to jail. Even if the money was recovered.
She continued speaking as if he hadn’t interrupted her. “I’m convinced you’ll lose interest in the kind of work I do.”
Asher needed no further proof of Lani’s low expectations about him and the hit blew a big hole in what he thought was developing between them. This constant feeling of not being good enough because he’d made mistakes in the past was getting old. No wonder he’d preferred traveling around the world playing professional polo to sticking around and seeing nothing but disappointment and disapproval in his father’s eyes.
“Are you really worried that it’s the investigative work I’m going to lose interest in?” he countered, frustration making him strike out at the one person he wanted to make happy.
She shifted her weight backward, a slow recoil from his insinuation. “What else?”
“Or is this about us?”
Ten
Us?
Lani stiffened at the question and leveled her gaze at him. The answer was too fraught with uncertainty to answer. Was Asher romancing her for the sole purpose of using her to change careers? She’d been worried that he wanted her on his side to clear him of the embezzlement charges, but now it seemed he wanted to move in on her business, as well.
“Is there an us?” she asked, unsure where to draw the line between reality and fantasy.
“You tell me. Are we going to keep seeing each other once the case is over?”
She could barely acknowledge to herself how much she wanted their sexual connection to develop into deep romantic love much less share that with Asher. Long ago she’d confessed her feelings and he’d rejected them. She couldn’t face that same crushing disappointment again.
Lani bit her lower lip and grappled with how to answer him. “I don’t know.” She wanted to, but once the prescribed proximity of the investigation ended, would Asher even be interested in a personal relationship anymore? His interest in her business seemed to confuse the situation. “You live here in Royal and I’m in Dallas...” It was an obvious dodge given how they’d broken up last time.
“Once you were open to a long-distance relationship,” he reminded her.
“And you made it very clear that it wasn’t your thing.”
“What if I moved to Dallas?”
Hope barreled through her, but she shut it down. Was this about their relationship or a business partnership? Had she let herself be played?
“Are you serious about quitting The Edmond Organization?”
“It’s not for me,” he told her.
“What about your horse training?”
“I’m already in the process of selling the string.” His gaze increased in intensity as he spoke. “I’d like to help you with your business, but it’s more important that you want to take a chance on me.”
“I tried that once.” She could barely get the words out past the lump in her throat. “It didn’t work out so well for me.”
“So you’re saying you can’t trust me.”
“I don’t honestly know. All this is coming at me so suddenly and there’s a lot of upheaval in your life right now. Who knows how you’ll feel once the case is closed and things settle down.” As much as she wanted to trust him with her heart, she’d been devastated last time.
“Don’t make this about how I feel,” he said, wariness entering his expression. “I want to know how you feel. What are we doing? Is it just casual sex or are we going to turn it into something real?”
“Something real?” She tried the phrase on for size, but couldn’t find comfort in the fit. “I don’t know.”
Even though they’d rec
onnected physically, her resistance to baring her heart put a wall between them. A wall she was loathe to tear down. Sex was one thing—they had explosive chemistry and it was easy to lose herself in the magic of his touch. However, as long as the embezzlement charge hung over his head, he needed her help with the investigation. Once it was over, she would reconsider taking the risk of getting emotionally entangled with him. But for now she couldn’t in good conscience commit to that.
“Because you’re using me to close your case and make your client happy?”
“I’m not using you.” That was true even if it had been her plan at the start. Once her old feelings had surfaced, she’d lost the battle with how much she wanted him. “But I really don’t know if we can make it work.”
“Sounds like you’ve made up your mind.” He stared at her for a long time while a muscle jumped in his jaw. “So, I guess that means you’re putting me in your rearview mirror once more.”
“I’m the one putting you in the rearview mirror?” Was she hearing him right? “I recall that I wanted to try the long-distance thing and you thought that was too much of a commitment.”
Asher’s gaze intensified. “And so you called us done and walked away.”
“You didn’t give me a whole lot of choice. Basically, it was either give up on grad school and run off with you to Argentina or we were over.” Her blood raged white-hot as unresolved resentment flared. A second later fear and panic kicked in. She was on the verge of losing him all over again. “You didn’t want to do the long-distance thing.”
“Okay, so maybe that was a mistake.”