Lucky In Love (Harlequin Special Edition)

by Sinclair, Tracy

  “The attraction between us was always strong. You wanted me as much as I wanted you. I could tell. But you wouldn’t give in to it until now.”

  “If you were as perceptive as you claim to be, you should know the reason. Your girlfriend, Ashleigh, made it clear that you were already taken—and you didn’t make any great effort to deny it.”

  “I was talking about before this. There were so many times when we almost made love, but you changed your mind at the last minute.”

  “Something always happened,” she murmured.

  “What about when the car broke down and we had to share a room? That’s a night that will live in my memory,” he observed sardonically.

  “I’d prefer to forget about it.” She sighed.

  It was useless to explain what really happened that night. Jonathan hadn’t listened to her then, and he wouldn’t believe her now. Men had fragile egos. But that was the only thing that had been involved for him.

  “I suppose I shouldn’t complain. You had a revelation and we’re here now.” His voice had a brittle quality that rasped on her nerves.

  She gave him a bewildered look. “I don’t understand. What was my revelation?”

  He waved one arm, including the luxurious room and the expensive waterfront beyond the closed drapes. “You found out I have more toys than your other admirers. Wasn’t that the way you put it?”

  Michelle stared at him incredulously. “You think I slept with you because you’re rich?” She purposely didn’t call it making love, since that wasn’t what it was for him.

  Jonathan regretted his words instantly. “I’m sorry, darling, I didn’t mean that the way it sounded.”

  He reached for her, but she drew back. “Yes, you did! That’s been the problem between us ever since we got here, only I didn’t realize it.”

  “Maybe it did bother me a little,” he admitted. “But you, yourself said your attitude changed when you found out my life-style was...different than you’d expected,” he concluded delicately, but it was too late.

  She was taut with anger. “I wouldn’t have cared if you’d been out of a job and lived in a one-room apartment,” she raged. “Money didn’t enter into it then, and it doesn’t now. No amount would make up for your insulting opinion of me!”

  “Please, Michelle, I—”

  She didn’t let him finish. “If you really want to know the reason I didn’t fall into bed with you before, it had more to do with scruples than economics. I didn’t think it was sporting to go to bed with a man I might later have to report to the police,” she said witheringly. Wrapping the sheet around herself, she got up and stalked into the living room.

  He trailed after her, trying to reason with her. “I understand why you’re upset, but can’t you see how I could jump to a wrong conclusion?”

  “It didn’t stop you from having sex with me,” she said bitterly as she gathered up her strewn clothing.

  “It was more than sex for me. I’d hoped it would be for you, too, although it no longer made any difference. I was willing to settle for whatever feelings you had for me.” He started toward her, but he stopped when she glared at him.

  Michelle was struggling into her clothes, jerking angrily on her zipper. “Why are you bothering to pretend? We both got what we wanted. And it didn’t cost you a penny,” she added mockingly.

  Jonathan flinched. “I’m sorry that I’ve hurt you so badly,” he said quietly.

  She lifted her chin, determined not to let him see how badly. “You’re wrong about me as usual. My emotions would have to be involved for me to be hurt. Give me your car keys,” she demanded abruptly. Michelle was afraid she couldn’t keep up her caustic act of indifference much longer.

  After realizing she was in no mood to talk things out calmly, he said, “I’ll take you home. Just give me a minute to throw on some clothes.”

  “Are you afraid I’ll steal your expensive car?” she taunted.

  Jonathan’s jaw set grimly as her barbs began to rankle. “Aren’t you overreacting pretty drastically? If you don’t care about me, what does my opinion of you matter? Maybe you’re angry because I made you face the truth about yourself.”

  “I won’t dignify that with an answer.” She turned toward the door. “If you won’t give me your keys, I’ll walk.”

  “Wait.” Jonathan picked up his discarded slacks and reached into the pocket. “Here,” he said, tossing her the keys.

  She caught them deftly. With her hand on the doorknob she said, “Goodbye, Jonathan. Enjoy your toys. Sorry I don’t want to be one of them.”

  Jonathan stared at the door for a long time, trying to figure out how things had gone so wrong. He had decided to take Michelle on any terms. God knows he’d agonized over it long enough! So why hadn’t he kept his mouth shut?

  Naturally she’d be offended and upset. But people often told the truth when they were too angry to be cautious. Michelle sounded believable when she said her emotions weren’t involved. How could he doubt her? She never once mentioned the word love.

  Jonathan paced the floor, telling himself he was lucky to have uncovered her true feelings before the wedding rather than after. It would never have worked out. They wanted different things from a marriage. And then he remembered the passion they’d shared. Her responsiveness. The way she’d made him feel like king of the universe.

  He wavered for a moment before his expression hardened. Sex was fine for a short-term affair, but it wasn’t enough for a successful marriage. He’d been a fool to think Michelle would ever grow to love him.

  She’d been painfully blunt about her feelings. The scornful words still rang in his ears: “We both got what we wanted tonight.” That was clear enough. All tonight had meant to her was good hot sex.

  Jonathan told himself he’d forget her. Or maybe the bitterness would fade and he’d only remember the part of their relationship that was what he’d hoped for. Like the beginning of this evening when Michelle had shed her inhibitions along with her clothes. His groin throbbed at the memory of her exquisite body and what he had mistaken for love in her eyes.

  Turning abruptly, Jonathan stalked into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

  Michelle had stormed out of Jonathan’s house holding onto her anger so the desolation underneath wouldn’t surface and overwhelm her. When that happened she wanted to be alone in her room, away from well-meaning questions and sympathetic looks.

  It began to seem as if she would get her wish. Lucky’s car wasn’t in the driveway, which meant he and her mother hadn’t gotten home yet. He never bothered to put his car in the garage.

  Michelle parked her own car and dashed for the house, intent on getting upstairs before they returned. She was closing the door with a sigh of relief when Manuel came through the entry carrying a tray with a pitcher of juice.

  “You’re home early,” he observed. “In my day, a date that ended before midnight was a bummer.” He laughed merrily.

  “Oh, well, it’s almost twelve o’clock.” Michelle started across the marble floor toward the staircase.

  “The boss and your mom aren’t back yet,” Manuel remarked unnecessarily. “I was just taking a pitcher of orange juice to the den. Would you like some?”

  “No, thanks. I’m going to bed.”

  “I always leave a pitcher of juice for Mr. Lucky. He likes a glass before he turns in. The oranges are fresh squeezed, right off our own trees. Are you sure you don’t want some?”

  “No, really.”

  “Well, okay. Can I get you anything else?”

  Manuel was in one of his chattier moods, Michelle thought in despair. “Not a thing,” she answered brightly. “I’ve-had enough of everything tonight.”

  “I’ll probably be up when your mom gets back. Do you want me to give her any message?”

  “Just tell her I’ll see her in the morning.”

  Manuel cocked his head. “You can tell her yourself. They just drove up.”

  Michelle was considering a
dash for the stairs, when he opened the door wide. The staircase was in full view of the entry. She would never make it to the top before her mother and Lucky got inside. How could she explain not waiting to say hello? While she hesitated, the older couple appeared in the doorway.

  “Hello, dear. Did you have a nice time tonight?” Evelyn asked.

  Lucky glanced around. “Where’s Jonathan?”

  “He...he isn’t here,” Michelle said.

  “That’s his car in the driveway, isn’t it?”

  “Well, yes, I...he left it for me.” Michelle reproached herself silently. Even in her highly charged state, she should have thought to put Jonathan’s car in the garage. Naturally it would provoke questions.

  Lucky was looking at her with a slight frown. “He drove you home, and then you drove him home? Isn’t that a little strange? If you needed a car tomorrow you could have taken one of mine.”

  “He didn’t actually drive me home,” Michelle said slowly, searching wildly for a believable explanation without finding one. “Jonathan was, uh, he was having trouble with his back, so I told him I’d drive myself home. It was no big deal.”

  “Jonathan has never had trouble with his back,” Lucky stated. “He’s in perfect shape. Even the doctor was impressed when he gave him his last physical.”

  Evelyn was aware of her daughter’s tension and the strain on her face that Michelle was unable to hide. Not from her mother, anyway.

  “Backs are tricky things,” Evelyn remarked casually. “I knew a man who threw his back out just bending down to pick up his briefcase. He was in good shape, too, so you never can tell.”

  “Maybe I should phone Jonathan,” Lucky said hesitantly.

  “I’d leave him alone,” Evelyn said. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious and he might be asleep by now.”

  “I’m going to bed, too.” Michelle was grateful to her mother for averting Lucky’s questions and not asking any of her own.

  But Evelyn had only postponed them. “I’ll go upstairs with you,” she said. “I want to change into more comfortable shoes.”

  Michelle wasn’t surprised when her mother came into her room instead. “Lucky is waiting for you downstairs, so we’d better not get started talking,” she said with a forced smile. “You know how we can go on for hours.”

  “What happened tonight?” Evelyn asked quietly.

  “I already told you.”

  “I’d like the truth. I can see that you’re upset about something. Did you and Jonathan have an argument?”

  “Another one, you mean?” Michelle asked bitterly.

  Evelyn sighed. “I know the path of true love isn’t supposed to run smoothly, but you two are the absolute limit! What do you quarrel about all the time?”

  “In the first place, love has nothing to do with it.”

  “Oh, please, Michelle! It would be obvious to a blind man that you’re in love with Jonathan and he feels the same about you.”

  “You need a refresher course in the birds and the bees, Mother,” Michelle said mockingly.

  “If sex was all you wanted from each other, neither of you would be this miserable,” Evelyn answered calmly. “It’s quick, it’s satisfying and it’s over.”

  “That isn’t what you told me in our mother-daughter talk,” Michelle said in a brittle voice. “In your version, sex and love were a package deal. I grew up believing in fairy tales, but my Prince Charming always turns into a frog. I seem to have a knack for choosing the wrong men.”

  “I can’t believe Jonathan was a bad choice. I’m sorry to see you so unhappy, dear, but you’ll work things out,” Evelyn said soothingly. “You always do.”

  “Not this time. I’m going home tomorrow.”

  “That would be a mistake. You can’t run away from a problem.”

  “I’m not running away. I’m finally facing reality. Maybe I did think Jonathan and I had a future together, but it was strictly in my own mind,” Michelle said bitterly. “All I want to do now is go home and get back to a normal life.”

  Evelyn realized, as Jonathan had, that Michelle was beyond reach in her present mood. “All right, dear. It’s your decision to make. But do think about it. You might change your mind in the next day or two.”

  “You weren’t listening to me! I just told you, I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  “You might not be able to get on a plane that soon,” Evelyn said, hoping that was true.

  “I intend to call the airport right now. Surely they’ll have one seat available. But if they don’t, I’ll ask to be put on standby. Either way, I’ll be packed and out of here in the morning.”

  Evelyn looked at her daughter’s set face and knew any further argument would be futile. What could have happened to hurt Michelle this badly? If only there were something she could do. But she couldn’t think of anything.

  “Well, I’ll let you make your phone call.” She paused at the door. “I will see you in the morning, won’t I?”

  “Of course! I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye.” Michelle managed a smile. “Don’t look so tragic, Mother. This isn’t the end of the world. I’ll survive.”

  “I know you will.” Evelyn tried to hide her concern. “Get a good night’s sleep. You have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow.”

  Evelyn and Lucky discussed the situation when she went downstairs a few minutes later.

  “I knew that story about the car didn’t make sense.” He sighed. “What did they fight about tonight?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve never known what they find to quarrel about.”

  “Well, they’ll make up, like they always do.”

  “Not this time, I’m afraid. Michelle is going back to New York tomorrow.”

  “That does sound serious. But don’t worry. I’ll tell her I’m having trouble getting a reservation. That will delay her, and maybe this will all blow over.”

  Evelyn shook her head. “When I left her room, Michelle said she was going to make her own reservation. She’s so determined to leave that I think she’d take a plane to almost anywhere.”

  “That doesn’t sound good,” Lucky admitted.

  “Whatever happened must have been really traumatic. I’ve never seen Michelle this upset.”

  He frowned. “Jonathan has always been a gentleman. It’s hard to believe he got out of line. But if he did, he’ll have to answer to me. I’m going to phone him right now!”

  “You can’t do that.”

  “Watch me!” Lucky barked.

  “I have nothing against meddling when people don’t know what’s good for them.” A hint of a smile lightened Evelyn’s sober expression. “But you can’t do it openly— especially with young people. They think they know more than we do to begin with.”

  “What do you propose, then? That we just sit back and let them make the mistake of their lives?”

  “I’m not any happier about it than you are. But short of locking Michelle in her bedroom, I don’t think we can stop her from leaving.”

  “That might be the solution. Or better yet, why don’t we lock them up together?”

  “The way they’ve been acting, I’m afraid only one of them would come out alive,” Evelyn said wryly. “No, we have to let her go. But perhaps after she’s gone they’ll discover their differences aren’t really that important.”

  “Or maybe one or both of them will get involved with someone else to prove they’re not hurting. It would be just the kind of foolish thing they’d do.”

  “That’s a possibility,” she admitted. “But at this moment, I don’t have any answers. If you do, I’d be happy to listen.”

  “Let me think. I can’t believe there isn’t a solution. The trick is to get them together,” he mused.

  “Unfortunately there isn’t enough time. Michelle was very firm about leaving in the morning.”

  “How is she getting to the airport?”

  “I’ll borrow one of your cars and drive her. I’d ask you to come along, but I think it would be better
if you didn’t. Michelle might feel defensive because you’re Jonathan’s uncle.”

  “What if the Mercedes had a dead battery and I’d taken the Lincoln to go to the golf course?”

  Evelyn gave him a puzzled look. “Then I suppose we’d have to call a taxi.”

  “Or you could call Jonathan.” Lucky smiled broadly.

  “They’re probably not speaking,” she said doubtfully. “Do you think he’d take her?”

  “I believe he’d jump at the chance. I’ll bet he’s already trying to figure out some way to get Michelle back and still keep his pride intact. This will give them a perfect opportunity to see each other again without either having to make the first move.”

  Evelyn’s face lit with excitement that only lasted a moment. “It’s a wonderful idea but it won’t work. Jonathan’s car is right outside. If both of your cars were unavailable, it would be logical for me to borrow his car to drive her to the airport.”

  Lucky frowned as he realized she was right. Then his face cleared. “No problem. I’ll take Jonathan’s car back to him tonight and slip a note under his front door telling him it’s in his driveway. You can follow me in my car and drive me home.”

  “You’re a genius!” Evelyn exclaimed. “And a very nice man,” she added fondly. “Somebody else might have decided Jonathan was well rid of Michelle.”

  “Your daughter is very much like you,” Lucky said tenderly. “I want the best for my nephew.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Michelle was up early after a sleepless night. When she opened the drapes, a heartbreakingly beautiful day greeted her. The sun shone brightly from a clear blue sky, edging the fronds of the palm trees with gold. Little sailboats bounced over the ocean and birds sang joyously, as though glad to be alive.

  Michelle didn’t share their sentiment. There were dark shadows under her eyes that she lightened with makeup so her mother and Lucky wouldn’t guess how forlorn she felt.

  The pain would ease, Michelle assured herself. She just had to keep reminding herself of what a smug, insensitive jerk Jonathan was! But she kept remembering the tender lover instead. He had seemed concerned only about her pleasure, making sure he satisfied her completely. Michelle’s pulse quickened as she remembered the ecstasy his hands and mouth had brought her.