She broke it off and gulped in a huge breath. Let her arms move down to his forearms. “We should...”
He immediately lifted his head and stepped back. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize for that kiss.” The heat on her cheeks refused to die down. “It went nuclear faster than I expected.”
“Right.” His chest lifted and fell in heavy breaths. “I’m going to go.”
“Yeah, you should go.” But her fingernails dug deeper into his shirt as she held him there.
“You need to let go of me for me to leave.”
Her brain battled with her body. There were so many secrets sitting between them. So much she wasn’t sure about. Things he might not know that could wreck him. But every time she tried to move away, her hands grabbed on harder. “I don’t really want to.”
“Good.” Then his mouth was on hers again. His tongue slipped over hers as his hand eased just under the hem of her sweater.
He didn’t venture higher. He didn’t need to because the touch of skin against skin, no matter how innocent or light, had her mind spinning and her stomach dropping to her knees.
Forget the girl crush, she wanted him. Here and now.
That simmering attraction had never gone away.
As soon as she thought it, he lifted his head and rested his forehead against hers. She kept her eyes closed for fear he would see the desire she knew she could not bank. But she could feel his gaze. Feel his thumb as it rubbed against her arm in a soothing gesture that made her want to wrap her body around his and demand he stay.
He breathed in and his whole body moved. “Okay, now I need to go.”
“My feelings haven’t changed.”
“Oh, Hanna.” He made a strangled sound. “But you are torn. I can feel it.”
He could see it or sense it, she wasn’t sure. But in that moment, she was relieved he had more strength than she did.
She sighed. “Yeah.”
“Then I have my answer.” He kissed her forehead, letting his lips linger before pulling back and looking at her again. “When I stay the night, and I’m hoping that happens soon, it will be because you know you want me to.”
“What about you?” Her fingers played with his top button and the sliver of soft skin she could touch at the base of his neck.
“I want to. Trust me.” He lifted her hand and kissed the back of it. “Now, good night.”
This time he separated their bodies and stepped out of the kitchen. She watched him circle the chair and pick up his jacket off the corner of the couch. She didn’t stop him when he took those long confident strides to get to the front door.
“Carter?”
With his hand on the doorknob, he turned around to face her again. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for not being your father.”
“You can always count on that to be true.” He winked at her, then left.
She wanted to call him back, which was why she didn’t. She had decisions to make. Things they needed to talk about.
But one thing was clear: they were going to happen soon.
* * *
The next afternoon, Carter ventured into the D.C. office. He’d planned to meet Spence at a restaurant for lunch, but Spence texted that he was running late and told Carter to come upstairs for a few minutes.
As soon as he walked into Spence’s office, Carter knew he should have seen this coming. Jackson sat there with his feet up on the edge of Spence’s desk. They both held files but they were joking about something that didn’t sound work related.
“You guys are hard at work, I see.” Carter closed the door behind him because these two could say anything.
Spence’s smile was almost feral as he put the file down. “Well, well, well. Look who it is. The guy with the big secrets.”
Exactly what he’d suspected. Jackson finding out proved to be a communication line right back to his brothers. “You told him about Hanna.”
Spence’s smile only grew wider. “Hanna?”
“No, but you just did.” Jackson mumbled under his breath about Carter being a dumbass. “I can’t believe you fell for that.”
Neither could Carter. He must be off his game. He usually stayed ready when it came to his brothers. They were smart and a bit sneaky. If there was information they wanted to know, they were clear that they would use any means to get it out of Carter. In this case, Spence used Jackson.
Spence leaned forward with his hands clasped together. “So, Hanna?”
Jackson nodded. “It’s that Hanna.”
“Hey!” Now he had to fight off both of them. Carter didn’t like his odds.
Jackson held up his hands as if in mock surrender. “You already blew it.”
“You have Hanna Wilde squirreled away at the house in Virginia? Wait until I tell Derrick.” Before Carter could say anything, Spence glanced at Jackson. “Are they having a thing?”
Jackson made that humming sound he always made. “On the verge of it, I’d say.”
Since that struck a little too close to the truth, Carter tried to take back the conversation. He dropped into the chair next to Jackson and across from his brother. “She is staying at the cottage.”
Spence frowned. “That’s a nice nonanswer. Why?”
“Excellent question.” Jackson laughed. “Go ahead, Carter. Try to explain this.”
“What am I missing?” Spence looked back and forth between Carter and Jackson. “Is this related to Dad’s letter?”
“She didn’t want to open it.” This time, Carter thought the explanation sounded strange when he said it out loud. When she’d first said it, he got it. He hated being manipulated by his father to do things he didn’t want to do and he was related to the man. He couldn’t imagine how not interested Hanna would have been in playing Eldrick’s games.
“And?” Spence asked.
“She came to the cottage instead.” She used the excuse about her father’s things, but Carter remembered her mention of a baby. He still didn’t know how or where that piece of information fit in and it nagged at him. He’d checked emails and family bank records and...nothing.
Spence opened his hands and shrugged. “Okay, I admit it. I don’t get it.”
“She needed some time to work out things in her head, things about our dad and hers, and to collect some property. I offered the cottage so she’s there—”
“Working things out. Right.” Spence broke eye contact with Carter and looked back at Jackson again. “But you think they’re having a thing.”
Carter missed a lot about hanging out with these two when he was in California, but not this. The ribbing worked great when he wasn’t the brother in the firing line, but right now he was and he didn’t see that changing any time soon. “I’m standing right here.”
“Fine. Are you having a thing with Hanna?” Spence leaned back in his chair. “I’m not judging. I remember she was cute but quiet, and I really liked her dad.”
Carter wondered when he’d asked for permission. “Lucky me.”
“Hell, I’d like to see you putting down roots, dating, and generally acting like a normal person and not someone who is planning to bolt.”
“I’m not going anywhere.” Carter repeated the words without thinking. He’d said them so many times to his brothers over the last few months that he was starting to believe them.
“So, you are in a relationship with Hanna or no?” Spence asked the point-blank question without blinking.
Carter picked at the fraying leather seam on the armrest of the chair. “I don’t know what we are.”
Spence nodded. “So, yes.”
“I think it’s more of an almost thing,” Jackson said.
Carter really wanted to ignore both of them but that wasn’t easy to do. Neither of them tolerated that sort of thing. Not with all the staring and talking over him and g
enerally making up facts to any questions he refused to answer head-on.
“She’s only here on a temporary basis.” And that was true. That’s what they’d agreed on. But now, saying it, Carter didn’t like it. The idea of her picking up and leaving, of not eating meals together. Of not walking the grounds with her, like he did early this morning. His mind rebelled at all of it.
Spence shot Carter a you’re-never-going-to-hear-the-end-of-this smile. “Then you, my dear baby brother, need to use some of that charm to get her to stay.”
“She has some unfinished business with Dad.” Carter couldn’t let himself forget that little fact.
Spence’s smile faded. “Don’t we all.”
Nine
So many secrets swarmed in Hanna’s head.
She needed to share at least one of them with Carter. Last night they’d had a close call. She wanted to put the past to the side, if only for a few hours. Being with him, kissing him, felt like the most natural thing ever. But now, in the stark light of day, she thought about his father and hers, her sister, their families, and the baby. That was a lot of baggage piled up around them. Unpacking it seemed like an impossible task.
She used to think Carter knew most of it. That he’d been this carefree playboy who didn’t care if he got a woman pregnant. The kind of guy who would send in his rich daddy to clean up his mess. But none of those characteristics fit now.
She sat on the couch, so deep into self-reflection that she almost didn’t hear the knock. She glanced at her cell, expecting to see a text from Carter asking if he could stop by. That’s what he did. He checked with her first. But maybe after last night he felt more comfortable stopping by without warning. If so, good.
Their relationship had taken a step forward. The question was how big of a step.
Putting all that aside, she went to the door. She had it open before she remembered the peephole and a lifetime of precautions and generally being smart about her safety. The big fence made an impression, but she’d learned from experience that evil could creep into her life without warning.
All of those things ran through her head as she looked at the two women standing there. The obviously pregnant one with the long brown hair and a pretty round face wore a cute empire-waist dress and a big smile. She also carried a carton with a bakery’s name on the side, which made Hanna like her immediately. The other woman, equally stunning in a trim black pantsuit, shifted her weight around, looking far less comfortable about being there.
For a second Hanna couldn’t speak. Then she forced out a fumbling greeting. “Uh, hello?”
“I’m Ellie. This is Abby.” The pregnant one pointed back and forth with her free hand.
Hanna knew Ellie’s name and that she was engaged to Derrick and obviously close to her due date, but none of that explained why they were standing in front of her. “Okay.”
Ellie shook the box. “We brought cookies.”
Since Ellie was about to be a Jameson by marriage, she’d probably own at least part of the cottage they were standing in. And they looked friendly. Maybe a little sheepish but still welcoming. “You said the magic word. Come in.”
Hanna stepped back and let the women move past her. They smelled as nice as they looked. All put together and perfect. Shiny hair, comfortable but stylish looking clothes. Suddenly, Hanna felt like a lump of dirty linen.
She rubbed her hands on the back of her jeans as she followed them to the sitting area. They sat next to each other on the couch. Hanna opted for the safety of the chair across from them because she had a feeling there might be some Carter questions ahead of her.
“So...” The rest of her words died in her throat. That’s all she had.
Ellie laughed. “Let me start. I’m engaged to Derrick and clearly pregnant. Seven months, so I have swollen ankles and a permanent case of grumpiness. But the cookies help my mood.”
“You hide the bad mood well.” All Hanna could see was Ellie’s perfect complexion and shiny smile. Nothing seemed forced. She practically radiated happiness. “I figured out from the pregnancy who you were.”
Ellie wrestled with the tape that held the box of cookies closed. “Well, we’re both pregnant and both engaged to Jameson men, so you get both of us this afternoon.”
“You’re with Spence?” she asked Abby. Hanna heard her stunned tone and rushed to apologize. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound so surprised.”
But Abby took it in stride. Without breaking eye contact or showing any sign of being upset, she reached over and snapped the tape Ellie had been picking at, then she smiled at Hanna. A warm, genuine smile. “I’m still trying to believe it, and by ‘it’ I mean the pregnancy and the engagement. I hadn’t really expected either.”
Carter had skipped the two future sisters-in-law thing...or had he? Hanna couldn’t remember. Their conversations touched on a lot of topics during all those meals together. His upbringing and Eldrick’s constantly changing rules. Trips with his brothers. Time with Jackson and his sister. Funny things they all said during the day or did in the past. His thoughts about turning the Virginia property into a business. She loved hearing him talk, having him open up, so she encouraged all of it.
She didn’t realize how much she did know until right that second. Somehow, despite her efforts to stay detached, she’d done the opposite. She’d let her defenses drop despite her vows to reinforce them. With the secrets and now the kissing, her mind spun. Being this close to him, this enmeshed in his life, was never the plan. They were not dating. She didn’t know what they were, yet this all felt very domestic...and that made her jumpy.
“I think I’m nervous.” When Hanna realized she was twisting her hands together until her skin turned white, she grabbed onto the armrests instead.
Abby frowned. “Why?”
“You two are so...” Good grief. They owned mirrors, right? They knew who they were and the kind of family they were marrying into. All that money and power. The potential to get stung by Eldrick and his schemes.
Ellie grabbed a cookie from the now open box. “I’m excited for you to finish that sentence.”
That made one of them. Hanna had to fight off the urge to run into the bathroom and throw up.
“We’re here because Carter told Spence you were staying here.” Abby glanced at Ellie. “Actually, I think Spence tricked him into it.” Abby waved a hand in front of her face before continuing again. “Anyway, we know you don’t live around here usually and thought you might be lonely, so here we are.”
“With cookies.” Ellie lifted the box and handed them to Hanna. “They are so good.”
Abby winked. “Her favorite.”
They had such an easy back-and-forth. The rapport made Hanna miss Gena, or at least miss the relationship she’d always wanted with her sister but never actually had. They were close but Gena could be volatile. Her judgment wasn’t great. Carter had been right when he said Gena teetered on the edge of control. Hanna had left because she couldn’t watch it...a decision she’d regret forever.
Hanna balanced the box on her lap and glanced up. Ellie and Abby watched her. Ellie wore a soft smile while Abby seemed to be studying and assessing.
None of it made Hanna uncomfortable. The silence did, so she rushed to fill it. “Did you guys grow up with Spence and Derrick?”
Ellie snorted. “Ha! No. I was out of work and hating Derrick when we started dating.”
“What?” Hanna tried to remember the gossip she’d read about the couple months ago but she couldn’t recall the details. She could see the photos and the locations—expensive hotels and parties. It all fit with the way she’d wanted to see the Jameson brothers before she got to Virginia.
Abby reached over and took a cookie. “I work for Jameson Industries and was about to leave the business because Spence’s dad is a piece of garbage.”
Some of the tension running through H
anna eased. She didn’t realize how stiff she’d been holding her shoulders until Abby made the comment. “Man, he really is.”
“We also have an ulterior motive for our visit.” Abby pointed at Hanna with her cookie. “We wanted to meet you.”
Hanna couldn’t imagine their lives. Probably filled with parties and business functions. The idea of them thinking about her, even for a second, confused her. “Why?”
“Because of Carter,” Ellie said.
Abby nodded. “You guys are together and we love Carter—”
Just as she feared. “No.”
“Excuse me?” Abby’s eyebrow lifted and for a second she sounded like the tough businesswoman Hanna imagined her to be.
Carter. Talk about a tough conversation. She’d been thinking about him nonstop. About that kiss, about how good his hands felt on her. She wished she could write him off; she needed to because being with him meant spilling so many secrets and trusting him. A voice in her head screamed a warning at the thought of doing either. “There’s not... We’re not... I mean, there was kissing and...ugh.”
A huge smile broke over Abby’s face. “That sounds so familiar.”
“Right?” Ellie shook her head as she took a bite of her cookie. “Those Jameson men.”
They lost her. Hanna had no idea what they were talking about. “What do you mean?”
Abby sighed as she put down the cookie she’d been holding but not eating. “The Jameson men have the power to get the most stable woman turned around and babbling.”
Exactly. That description totally made sense to Hanna. She’d been off balance and stumbling ever since Carter showed up at her door. It was nice to know she wasn’t alone. Sounded as if this was a regular affliction. “Have you met Carter’s other girlfriends?”
“I like that you used the word other.” Abby flashed a smile.
Hanna couldn’t imagine Spence having any defense to that look. Hanna couldn’t find one. “I didn’t mean—”
“But no. He’s charming and very sweet and funny, but also very private.” Ellie’s head tilted to the side. “Hence, our curiosity about you.”
The Reluctant Heir Page 10