by Calista Fox
L.L. asked, “When?” She was still breathless. “When are you leaving?”
“Friday.”
“Friday?” she all but shrieked. “Oh, my God. That’s like… Oh, my God!”
Stepping away from him, L.L. started to pace.
“That’s so soon,” she murmured. She drew up short and whirled around to face him. “I only get another week with you?”
So, there was her answer regarding the move. Was he surprised? He wasn’t sure.
Shoving his hands in his jeans pockets he said, “I want to continue seeing you, Loralai. Dating you. Exclusively. I can fly you over whenever you want. However often you can get away. And I’ll be back at least quarterly.”
“I just…” She shook her head, still looking befuddled. Shocked to the core, actually. “I need to sit.”
She perched herself on another window ledge and pulled the full-length coat around her, as though a chill rushed through her. Aside from the white and silver fur, she wore all black again, like the day he’d met her. She had on a fitted mock-turtleneck sweater, slim pants and suede ankle boots. She’d loosely twisted her hair at her nape, leaving wispy strands.
She was just as striking as she’d been the night before.
Tague gave her a few quiet moments to reconcile his bombshell. The corners of her mouth dipped, indicating she wasn’t having much luck at figuring this all out.
He crossed to where she sat and knelt in front of her.
“Hey,” he said as he took her hands in his. “What’s happening between us blindsided us both, right?”
“Yes.”
“I never anticipated meeting someone like you. I wasn’t looking to meet anyone. Truth be told, I was actually pretty pissed at Chip for trying to set me up. But then I saw you and you were just so damn spunky and energetic and just…so perfect. For me. I’m utterly defenseless against your allure, Loralai. L.L.” He grinned. “There was absolutely no way that I couldn’t fall hard and fast for you.”
“Tague,” she said on long sigh. Her expression turned questioning.
“You heard me, Loralai. I’m in love with you.”
And it didn’t faze him in the least to say it out loud. To admit it even after the disaster that was his relationship with Renee Redmond—and the fact that Tague had sworn he’d never put himself in the position to go through that agony again.
Yet with this woman…he was willing to take a risk.
More tears flooded her eyes. “Tague. I—Oh, shit.”
“Well, yeah.” He let out a low grunt of frustration. “Bad timing. But that’s life, right?”
Her fingers swept over his cheek. Along his jaw. A delicate touch, but one that set him on fire.
“I feel the same. But—”
34
Hope sprang to life for Tague, regardless of the but she’d just issued. “Then we can make this work, Loralai. We’ll find a way. There is the tiniest chance my plans will change, but doubtful. My father is the deciding factor. I suspect he’s got an ace up his sleeve, yet I haven’t discerned his true motives, so I can’t say for sure what he really has in mind. It makes good business sense for me to open an office in Tokyo, though, and I think that reality is going to sway him, in the end. I’ll know for certain on Monday.”
“I don’t know what to say,” she confessed. “Japan… I mean, that’s so far away. And, I just…” She shook her head. “It’s so far away.”
Tague kissed her. Slowly, seductively. Attempting to convey his intention to do everything in his power to make it happen for them. To give them the happy ending they’d both been robbed of early on in their lives.
When he broke the kiss, she looked a bit swept away. A good sign.
He took her hand and helped her to her feet. “Plenty of couples live apart,” he said.
“I know. That’s one of the reasons why my products are in demand. But…I never expected to be one of them.”
His gut twisted. “If you can’t accept it, Loralai, then—”
“I didn’t say that,” she insisted. “This is just a lot to digest. I mean, I thought you were back in New York for good.”
“And I thought you were more of a free-spirit. Then you signed a three-year lease on this building.”
Staring up at him, she asked, “Why didn’t you stop me? Pull me aside and tell me your plans before I committed to this?”
He was a bit taken aback. “There was no way I could have done that. I can’t influence your decisions in order to get what I want. That’s not a card I would ever play.”
“Tague—” Her eyes were wide and searching. It took her a few moments to gather her thoughts before she quietly said, “Thank you. I’ve appreciated from the beginning that you don’t play games. That you don’t scheme to get the upper hand.”
“Remember, I have personal experience of what it’s like to have someone else control your destiny. Hell, I’m still dealing with it to an extent. Although, I do have alternatives.” He could break free of the firm and establish his own company. It was the equivalent of ripping the Mason, Hoffman & Stein signage from the front lobby and pissing all over it, but…it was an option. He did have options, he reminded himself.
And that was hugely liberating.
Tague had always contended that he was his own man, following the Renee debacle. So why was he ultimately allowing his father to hold his future in chains?
But again… L.L.’s reticence when it came to a long-distance romance was a huge complication.
One Tague couldn’t immediately reconcile.
He said, “We have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow or two years from now. Just because we’ve hit some roadblocks doesn’t mean we can’t fight for our relationship and find a way to make it thrive. If it’s what we both want, than this will work.”
Her gaze narrowed on him. “My mother would say the exact same thing to me in this scenario.”
“Loralai, tell me it’s exactly what you’re thinking,” he urged.
She continued to stare at him for endless seconds. Looking as tormented as he felt. Then she told him, “I just can’t make that decision right now. I signed a three-year lease. I have business partners. And there’s still so much about each other that we don’t know, Tague.”
“I think we’ve hit the high points, baby.”
“Yes. True. But…” There was an intense earnestness in her eyes that made his heart wrench. “I knew last night before we even arrived at the party that I was falling in love with you. I knew it for a fact this morning. I feel it even more strongly right this very second. I just… I need to get my feet underneath me again.”
Tague understood where she was coming from. He wanted to push, because that was his nature. But she needed time.
So he said, “Just keep an open mind, Loralai.”
She nodded. “I promise.”
It was easier said than done to start packing up his life, this time on a more permanent basis, because he wouldn’t be living out of a hotel suite in Tokyo as he had previously.
Tague boxed up suits and other apparel to ship overseas. He left his apartment intact, for the most part, only opting to take a few personal items he couldn’t bring himself to part with for extensive periods of time. He had some great photos of L.L. on his iPhone and decided to print and frame them for his new office and apartment in Tokyo.
Granted, guilt and a peculiar longing festered deep within him. This international strategy had been his dream for years. It was the next critical step in taking his career to a higher level, whether he did it under the umbrella of his family’s firm, or he hung his own shingle. Yet leaving his heart behind was another story entirely.
He’d lost Renee at a young age. It’d been devastating for him. But he’d powered through, considering himself older and wiser.
He was older, yes. But was he really wiser?
Because now he had a chance to experience with L.L. everything he’d thought he could’ve had with Renee—and who was the one walking
away this time?
He glowered as he continued packing on Sunday afternoon. L.L. was working on her new operational plans with Max and Len, though she’d agreed to come by Tague’s later in the evening.
He couldn’t help but think of how hurt she’d sounded when she’d told him her father had disappeared as soon as he’d heard he was going to have a child. And then her high school boyfriend had skipped out on her after four years together.
Now Tague was doing it?
A low groan blew from his lips. Fuck.
He could rationalize on one hand that he’d set his future in motion long before he’d met her. He could also contend on the other hand that futures were meant to be redefined with the ebb and flow of life. The changing tides.
If he had a third hand, he wouldn’t be so conflicted about having his cake and eating it, too.
But it was true what they said—sometimes life really was a bitch.
35
L.L. stepped out of the coffee shop on Monday morning and received an even more jarring shock than Tague’s news on Saturday.
“Hey, beautiful.”
Her gaze snapped from her iced coffee to the man standing before her, dressed in jeans, a black leather jacket and ultra-cool sunglasses. His bronze-colored hair was a stylish, shaggy mess, his facial features strong, his body rock hard.
Instinctively, L.L. jumped back as her heart lurched. Her latte flew from her hand and crashed to the ground. Yet again.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she demanded of Corey Crenshaw. The ex-ex.
“Thought I’d surprise you,” he said in a casual tone, as though them running into each other wasn’t the least bit earth-shattering or gut-shredding. Like it was no biggie at all. He added, “I saw pictures of you in the paper over the weekend.” He whistled under his breath. “You looked fucking amazing.”
L.L.’s stomach took a dive south. Her pulse pounded erratically. This was the absolute last man on the planet she’d anticipated running into. Because she’d worked damn hard to banish Corey to the dark recesses of her mind where the asshole belonged.
“You’re stalking me because of those pictures?”
“I’m not stalking you.” He gave a half-snort for emphasis. “I read that you were working for Kensington & Marks. Since this is the closest coffee shop to your office—and knowing your love of lattes—I decided to pop by. I’ve only got a few minutes. Someone will recognize me and there’ll be a flash mob before you know it.”
Her gaze flitted to the burnt-orange stretch Hummer double-parked and the three bodyguards standing alongside it.
“A stretch Hummer, Corey?” she sneered. “Jesus.”
She bent and scooped up her cup and lid. Tossed them in the nearby trash bin and kept on walking.
Unfortunately, Corey fell into step with her.
“I wanted to tell you that I just bought an apartment in Tribeca,” he said. “And I’m remodeling a studio a couple blocks away from here, where we’ll record our new album. So, I’ll likely be seeing you around.”
She halted abruptly. Removed her aviators so she could glare up at him. “You’re moving to New York?”
“Not moving. Moved.” He gave her the grin that used to make her melt at his feet. Back when she’d been young and naïve. She was neither now.
“Just when I was really starting to like this city,” she grumbled.
“I’m actually hoping that we’ll see more of each other,” he said, either ignoring her comment or not getting it.
Her temper flared. “You have to ruin everything, don’t you, Corey?”
She tried to march off, but he grabbed her by the forearm. “Hey,” he said. “Wait.”
L.L. spun around and yanked her arm from his loose grasp.
“Don’t touch me, Corey,” she said in a forceful, measured tone. She speared in with a look she knew was filled with rage and agony. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again.”
True to his conjecture, he was spotted and suddenly photos were being snapped and people descended upon them, asking for autographs.
From the legendary Rock God.
With mounting disgust and rising fury, L.L. stormed off.
She was shaking from head to toe by the time she stepped out of the elevator on her floor. Jace and Meg were at the gourmet coffee station and when they caught sight of her, clearly distressed, both followed her to her office.
Once inside, Jace asked, “What happened? Is it Tague? Goddamn it, I knew you were going to fall for him and he was going to say Hey, baby, I don’t get involved. Thought I told you that from the beginning.” He checked his pockets and scowled. “I don’t have a handkerchief with me.”
L.L. glowered, her heart still thundering. Maybe even cracking a little bit. “I don’t need one. He said nothing of the sort. At the beginning or now. Yes, I am in love. But guess what? He is, too.”
Jace’s brows jumped. “Holy shit. Didn’t see that one coming.”
Meg stared at her. “For real?”
“For real. And I didn’t see it coming either. Or this.” She crooked her finger at them as she crossed to the window. The huge conglomeration around Corey remained.
“What’s going on down there?” Jace asked. “And what a pretentious fucking limo.”
“That’s Corey for you.”
Jace’s gaze shot to her. “The hell you say?”
“Yep.” She still quaked from the inside out over the sight of him, and it had nothing to do with his bad boy looks or any sort of residual affection. She had no residual affection for Corey Crenshaw. If anything, L.L.’s fury made her want to kick him between the legs—so hard she launched his balls into his throat.
“What’s he doing out there?” This from a now equally distressed Meg.
“Letting his fans bow down and kiss his feet,” L.L. said. “A couple of minutes before that, he was grabbing me by the arm and trying to keep me from walking away from him.”
“Bastard. I ought to go down there and kick the crap out of him.” Jace actually did an about-face and started for the door.
“Don’t you dare!” L.L. cried out. “He has bodyguards and hero worshippers! Jace!”
He pulled up short at the entrance to her office and turned back to her, fuming. “That low-life piece of shit deserves my fist in his face.”
Despite the tense scenario, L.L. softened. “You really are a great friend. Both of you. I know you took offense to what he did to me.”
“If only I’d seen him sometime afterward,” Jace contended, “I would have laid him flat. But he didn’t come back to L.A. while we were still there.”
“Probably because he knew you’d lay him flat.” She sighed. “Even though what he did to me completely wrecked me for a time, Jace, let’s face it. I am so much better off without him. I mean…thank God he left me when I confronted him, instead of him begging me to take him back. I just might have.”
“No,” Meg insisted. “You would not have. You’re much smarter than that.”
“I don’t know,” she confessed. “I loved him so fucking fiercely. So fucking faithfully. He was all I knew—I ate, slept and breathed Corey Crenshaw before the entire world even learned of his existence.”
Oh, what a fool she’d been. Not initially. In the beginning, he’d been good natured and loving. But once Corey had started pursuing his dream to be a famous guitar player with gusto, he’d changed. Drastically. Despicably.
Jace gently clasped her upper arms. “You have a new life, L.L. From the moment you ended it with him. You’re stronger. You’re more stable. And…goddamn it! You’re in love with Tague Mason?”
L.L. smiled, despite it all. Because just the mere mention of Tague suddenly made her heart flutter.
“Yes, indeed.” She confirmed.
But then dread seized her once more.
She told her friends, “Problem is, he’s moving to Tokyo at the end of the week.”
“What?” Meg shrieked.
“I know, right? I serio
usly cannot catch a break in the romance department.” L.L. stripped off her jacket and hung it on the coatrack. Divested herself of the beanie, gloves and glasses. Left her thick, crimson-colored scarf on that not only kept the chill at bay—from the weather and thoughts of Corey—but also accessorized her short, winter white sweater dress.
“Damn,” Jace muttered. “I don’t know what to say.”
“I don’t either, to be honest,” L.L. told them. “I feel like I’ve been on a gravity-defying roller coaster ride since last Monday morning, and I’ve left my heart at the top of one hill and my stomach in the corkscrews as a result of my suddenly thrill-seeking ways. And life as I know it will never be the same.”
36
Later, L.L. was at the counter in her small kitchen, slicing veggies while Tague sat at the round dining table.
“So, the Tokyo branch of Mason, Hoffman & Stein is a definite go,” he announced. “My father gave his full support, which I wasn’t sure he’d do since he’d hedged last week and needed more time to make his decision.”
“Congratulations,” she said, trying to concentrate on what Tague said—and what she was doing—and keep thoughts of her confrontation with Corey from her mind.
The asshole had rattled her to the core, and she hadn’t been able to shake the consternation of seeing him and knowing that he now lived in the same city.
The island of Manhattan was only so big. Chances were very good she’d run into Corey again, as he’d indicated. That freaked her out, mostly because she was still so enraged over their volatile split that she wasn’t entirely sure she could keep herself from inflicting bodily harm on the man. Or stop the tremors of fury that still ran through her.
Tague continued. “My father had said he wouldn’t give a confirmation either way until today. I’m still trying to dissect that, figure out why he needed additional time.”
“Maybe he was waiting to see how things went at the party. See whom you brought. Determine if you’re following in firm footsteps or being too much of a rebel.” She said this glibly, but her stomach instantly churned as though she’d latched onto a viable thought. Worse, visions of June Mason flitted through her mind, along with her haughty tone and that whole horrific bathroom scene L.L. had had to endure.