Lauren didn’t immediately reply, glancing toward Trent, who was a few steps behind Caden. Something told her now wasn’t a good time to relay the fact that she had misled them, but she would never outright tell a lie, so she confessed. “I’m sure it can happen. I know that it can occur because it happens to my brother all the time.”
“But it’s never happened to you? So you lied to us?” Caden placed his hands on his hips, looking every bit the authoritarian she assumed he was. It certainly had the effect on her he was probably hoping for, and she felt guilty, when she technically had done nothing wrong. Immediately, her anger started to rise.
“I did not lie, Mr. Luca. I omitted a fact, which is totally different than lying. Just like I am sure you make decisions in your business, I have to make decisions in mine. There could have been a number of reasons why her energy was cutting in and out.”
“Reasons?” Caden asked, taking another step forward, until they were almost touching. “And do you really want to keep up with the ‘Mr. Luca” pretense, after what just happened between us?”
Lauren gritted her teeth at forgetting how observant he seemed to be. She had realized her slip the minute she made the word plural, but there was no turning back now. Refusing to step back, she tilted her head and looked him square in those condescending brown eyes that had been burning with hunger not thirty minutes ago.
“There is a slight potential that someone could have interfered with my power,” Lauren tightly said, bracing herself for the anger he must feel at being kept in the dark. It wasn’t her intention to lie to them, but she had made the best decision to keep that information to herself at the time. Plus, she was dealing with the aftermath of having just come for him. “As for your title, just because of what happened, does not make us some kind of item, Mr. Luca.”
“Are you saying you think she is with a Noble who has this power?” Caden’s voice never wavered. He obviously ignored her last statement and chose to address the first. He didn’t raise his voice, nor did he show any outward sign that he was furious. That didn’t mean she couldn’t feel the waves of irritation rolling off of him.
“I’m sure that you think if she is, that places her in danger. But your sister has confirmed she is fine and showed no apparent stress at wanting time to herself. She said she’s safe. As a missing-person consultant, it is in my opinion that she left on her own free will. You no longer need my services.” Lauren was trying very hard to maintain the professional front she needed to keep them at arm’s length. It was only a matter of time before Trent noticed that her hair was not wrapped at the base of her neck, while she was sure Caden would want to talk about what happened upstairs once they got through hashing out her little white lies. It was time for her to go. “I’m glad your sister is okay. I need to leave so that I can finish my other case to give another family closure. I’m sure you have work to do yourself, Mr. Luca.”
Nodding her good-bye because she couldn’t bring herself to touch them, Lauren was satisfied that she walked, and didn’t run, to Trent’s car parked out front. She wanted nothing more than to be away from these two powerful, intimidating men. When Caden had kissed her, it was like everything had melted away. Then she had let her body take over. Her worries, her stress, her life—everything had faded away, with the exception of his touch. And then in a span of five minutes, reality came crashing down. One last car ride with Trent, and she would be home free, back into her comfortable and safe world. It worried her that the entire time she was having an exchange with Caden regarding her power, Trent hadn’t said a word. He had stood off to the side, observing them. As if she wasn’t nervous enough, she still had to deal with a ten-minute drive sitting next to Trent, who undoubtedly knew she had kissed his brother.
* * * *
“You want to tell me what the hell just happened?” Trent angrily asked his brother, watching Lauren walk out the door. He knew he needed to catch up with her but wasn’t leaving until he received the answers he was looking for. Caden was the more intense of the two, while Trent was always bringing him back down.
“Trent, she lied to us. And on top of that, she knows exactly where Victoria is and you know it. She’s choosing not to tell us.”
“Maybe that’s because Vic is fine,” Trent remarked, knowing it wasn’t what his brother wanted to hear. “She’s been trying to live her own life for years, Caden. We just haven’t let her.”
“You know the only way she knew we hired a Noble wasn’t just some random guess. Whoever she is with knows about Lauren. How could you not think something is wrong with that or that that wouldn’t put her in danger?”
Trent watched his brother go to the door, looking out the side window to where Lauren was getting into his car. He did agree that Lauren probably knew exactly where Victoria was. But the bottom line was Vic was safe. He could hear it in her voice. It was time for him and Caden to take a step back and give her some breathing space. What he needed to know before driving Lauren to her car was how far Caden had taken things with Lauren. Her black hair now hung down her back, mussed in a way that only a man could make. He knew his brother had kissed her, for Lauren’s pink lipstick was slightly smeared. But how much further had he taken things? Because now she was running, which he couldn’t blame her for after Caden confronted her in the manner he did.
“I’m not saying that there aren’t things we need to find out,” Trent conceded. “We just need to sit back and wait. Whether that’s until Vic comes home or we find out from Lauren, I don’t know. But I need to know what happened upstairs before I take Lauren back to her car.” Trent watched as his brother ran a hand through his hair, although with his cut, not a strand moved from its original position.
“She was upstairs looking at the equipment, and I couldn’t help myself. I kissed her,” Caden admitted, rubbing his eyes the way he did when he was frustrated. “I know that you feel something for her as well. She doesn’t live the BDSM life, and we always agreed that whomever we found to share our lives with would understand how important it is to us. This changes things.”
“You were hell-bent on having someone already experienced. I wasn’t. This changes nothing in terms of our attraction to her. And now that we know Vic is safe—”
“We don’t know that, Trent,” Caden gritted between his teeth. “I can feel something is off. Did she sound fine? Yes. I want to pursue Lauren as much as you do, but I don’t know if now is the time. I shouldn’t have kissed her this soon. I also took things a little further than I should have.”
“How much further?”
“I restrained her to the cross and gave her an orgasm.”
“Fuck, Caden, for a man who wanted someone in the lifestyle, it never crossed your mind to take things a little slower with someone like Lauren? Give me her hair clip.”
“It’s pins.” Caden reached into his pocket and handed them over to Trent. “I know I rushed this, but maybe we should take Lauren’s cue and slow things down.”
“Too late to take it back now,” Trent said, finally walking to the door. “I’ll deal with Lauren on the car ride out. As for our sister, I know you are thinking what I’m thinking— that the man Victoria was speaking to is a Noble. If that is the case, we would be hypocrites to be attracted to Lauren and consider seeing if it was something worth pursuing, when you obviously have an issue with the fact that Vic might be involved with one. Even you could hear Vic’s voice soften when she spoke to the man she was with.”
“Trent,” Caden called out, before he had reached the door. Trent turned to look back at his brother. “I pushed her pretty far today. See if you can’t bridge the gap I may have created by rushing her.”
Trent nodded his head, giving Caden the acknowledgement he needed. Walking outside, the heat rose off the pavement and saturated his skin. He should have changed into a pair of shorts, but since he had originally planned to attend an informal meeting, he had thought jeans would be more appropriate. It was his brother who dressed to the nines. Caden was t
he one who dabbled in real estate, and with their combined finances, they had done rather well for themselves early in their lives. Caden always took those types of meetings and liked to dress the part, whereas he preferred to be comfortable.
Lauren didn’t look at him as he made his way to the car and around the front. Opening the car door, the stifling air came out in a puff. He immediately wanted to chastise her for sitting out here without leaving her door open, but opted for a gentler approach. His brother had accelerated what should have been something that was gradual. Taking the keys from his pocket, he folded himself into the driver’s seat and looked her way. Choosing his words carefully, he said, “It’s a little too hot to be sitting in a closed car. You should have left the door open or come back inside.”
“I’m fine,” Lauren said in that shallow tone he was coming to hate. “Thank you for taking me back to my car.”
Trent started the car and instantly put the vents in her direction, letting the warm air cool down so the temperature was just right. Putting the car in gear, he slowly drove down the lane and slowed to a stop as the gate opened to give them access to the main road.
“Caden can be a little intense at times, and we both love our sister. He didn’t mean to accuse you of lying, although just for the record, omitting an important fact is lying.” Once the gate opened, Trent eased the car onto the main road.
“You need to understand, my job is not just to the families who hire me. It is also to that missing person. Do I know the proximity of where she is? Yes, I do. But she obviously wants to be there and will come home when she wants. She said herself, she’s a grown woman.”
“Agreed.”
“And we all make business decisions based on the facts in front of us. I disagree that omitting a fact, whether important or not, is lying. I do what is best for the case put in front of me.”
“Agree to disagree.”
Trent saw out of the corner of his eye that her head whipped around at that. He knew she expected him to argue, but he wasn’t going to. In business, she was correct. There were times to base your decisions on the facts presented before you, as long as she would never omit something important when it came to personal issues if they were to become involved. Becoming intimate seemed more than likely, considering Caden had already taken that first step. He let her stare at him and wondered what she was thinking or if she would say anything else on the subject. Apparently not, because she then turned her head to look out the passenger-side window. It was time to push a little harder.
“Here,” Trent offered, holding his hand up with her pins in the middle of his palm. He purposefully looked at her face while she reached for them. A light blush touched her cheeks, and her bottom lip was sucked in between her teeth. He felt a pull in his balls as he slowly hardened and was envious that his brother had tasted what he wanted and given her something that they should have given her together.
They rode in silence for a few minutes before Lauren said, “She’s somewhere near Atlanta.”
Trent smiled. “Thank you. But you have my word we will not send a posse out for her. She needs time to herself, and Caden and I must step back and let her have that.”
“How old were you when your parents died?” Lauren asked, fiddling with the pins in her hands.
“We were twenty-five when Mom and Dad died. “Do you remember, about ten years ago, the plane crash over Tennessee? Unfortunately, our parents were on the flight returning from their vacation. My mother had a fondness for country music.”
“That would have made Victoria, what? Sixteen?” Trent saw Lauren reach out a hand to touch him but pull back at the last second. “I’m sorry. That must have been very difficult.”
“It was, emotionally,” Trent confessed, liking that they were communicating this way. He wanted nothing more than to learn about her life, her wants, and her needs. The initial step was always opening up first, letting others know you were receptive to their tales. “Fortunately, my parents safeguarded us in case of their deaths. We were fine financially and had already started our lives. Since Caden and I didn’t need the money, we placed the life insurance in a trust for Victoria. She finished high school, went to college, and now is one of the top pharmaceutical sales reps in her company.”
“You must be very proud of her.”
“Very. But I’m sure you can see why we worry. She might be our sister, but she’s also like a daughter. We love her very much.” Wanting to learn more about Lauren and knowing this was a perfect opportunity, Trent asked, “And what about you? Does your family live close by?”
Immediately, the atmosphere in the car became thick with tension. Lauren sat up a little straighter and looked out the windshield. “No.”
“Do they live in Florida? Or another state?” Trent pushed a little further, to see how far he could take her. He wanted to know more. He needed to know more.
“My father left when we were little. My mother died when we were in our teens,” Lauren said in a flat voice. “I left the items your brother gave me of Victoria’s on the side table. Please see that they are returned to her.”
Trent ignored her attempt at changing the subject. Instead, he continued on as if she hadn’t closed the subject. “We? Is it only you and your brother? Or do you have more siblings?”
Trent heard Lauren take a deep breath and stall, as if she were debating how much to share with him. It was in his experience that when someone spoke, every word went to their way of being and why they were the way they were. Right away, knowing her father had left them and that her mother had died at an early age spoke of abandonment issues. Did everyone have those issues if a parent left? No, but her reactions were certainly leading him to that conclusion.
“Just my brother.”
Trent was unhappy to see her car up ahead. The car ride had gone by a little too quickly for his liking. Lauren already had her hand lying on the release button of her seat belt and obviously couldn’t wait for the conversation to be over. Pulling up right behind her car, he placed the stick in park and reached for the ignition.
“Please, don’t get out,” Lauren said as she clicked the buckle. The seat belt slid across her chest, bringing his eyes down to her breasts. He figured they were around a 34-C and wondered if her nipples were pink or ruby. Were they sensitive? Would they respond to his touch? They were pebbled underneath her shirt, though she probably didn’t realize that. “Thank you for driving me back. I wish you and your family the best.”
Trent grabbed her hand as she reached for the door handle. “Have dinner with us.”
Lauren’s expressive eyes widened, and he watched so many emotions run through them. When she tried to pull her hand away, he let her go, not wanting her to feel trapped. There were times to force the issue and times to take a slow approach.
“I appreciate the offer, but I can’t.” Again, she turned toward the door.
“Can’t or won’t?” Trent asked.
Surprisingly, Lauren turned back to him and looked him directly in the eye. “I don’t date, Mr. Luca, let alone two men at once. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be with you two. While your brother obviously thinks my kind is dangerous, I’m not some type of experiment to get your rocks off. I’m also not some naïve woman who isn’t aware of how you live your life. While your brother gave me a taste of what you are into, I’m sorry to say that it isn’t for me. Go play with someone safe who enjoys your fetishes.”
To say he was shocked was an understatement. Lauren was out of the car before he could reply, shutting the door behind her. Trent reached for his door, stopping when he felt his seat belt cut across his chest. Cursing, he unlatched his belt before finally opening his door. Lauren was already at her car, opening the door and sliding in. Before he could reach her, Lauren started the engine and put it into drive. Trent stood there and watched as she drove away. He searched his memory of their conversations and finally realized where she got the idea they thought she was dangerous. Damn Caden and his big mouth.
Chapter Six
“Stupid,” Lauren muttered underneath her breath as she turned the key in her apartment door. It was close to nine o’clock at night, and she was exhausted. All she wanted to do was fall into bed and shut off all the thoughts that were running rampant through her head. What had possessed her to let Caden Luca bring her off? And he was able to do it through her clothes! She must have been really sexually frustrated to come that easily.
Finally, the door lock slid open and she turned the knob. She entered her apartment with a sigh of relief and welcomed the air that immediately cooled her skin. Lauren placed her purse on the table she kept right next to the entrance. Turning, she closed the door and flipped the locks back into place. About to head straight for her bedroom, the ringing of her cell phone stopped her. She reached into her purse and fished out the phone, looking at the display. Colorado shined up at her. Knowing it was Theo and hoping he was calling her with information, Lauren answered.
“Hi, Theo. Were you able to find out anything?” Lauren continued making her way to her bedroom. Eating could wait, because right now she needed sleep more. She was just glad she had gotten all of her business taken care of today, even telling Detective Troves to stop the investigation into Victoria’s old boyfriend.
“Well, after talking with you this afternoon, I told Jagger we needed to make this a priority. The only good thing out of all of this is your gut feeling that Victoria Luca is with this Restrictor on her own free will. So that gives us a little time to do some digging.”
Noble Release [Nature's Nobles 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 5