by Rita Sawyer
Unlike her friends Dade didn’t know her well enough to know her melt down had been a fluke. And that kiss, she had no idea where that had come from. She was normally in control of her emotions. If she’d had more time she had no doubt she wouldn’t have imploded when she’d heard what Walt had been telling everyone.
The minute they got home she went to the study and checked her computer to see just how bad the damage was. She saw the picture splashed across the internet claiming she and Dade were live-in lovers. Her muffled scream had been enough to make him come running. The way he’d found her last night hadn’t been pretty, and it had only gotten worse.
She’d been walking around the study cursing up a storm. Then before she noticed him standing there she’d slammed a few things, but not hard enough to break anything. Finally totally drained she’d collapsed into her chair and he made his presence known. She’d told him to leave, but he refused, which pissed her off even more. She let her anger loose and told him what a huge mess he’d made of everything. Dade hadn’t fought back, which made her feel like shit. When he pulled her into his arms, and begged her to forgive him her emotions were so out of whack she’d almost kissed him again. She knew he noticed her moment of indecision when his arms tightened around her. Rosie pulled back and the intense look in his eyes made her feel like she was going to burst into tears.
With the way night had been going she decided to run before it could happen, which left Dade to think whatever he wanted about her. Rosie knew right then that she owed him an apology. Probably some sort of an explanation too. She tossed the blanket aside and forced herself from the bed. Her feet hit the cold hardwood floor and she quickly stuffed them into her slippers.
She really didn’t want to face Dade without taking a shower first, but coffee or maybe some tea might help her to keep her eyes open so she wouldn’t drown. She tugged her robe on as she headed down the stairs. The scent of coffee was missing from the air so she guessed she’d be going for tea this morning. She turned the corner and bumped into a wall of muscle. Before she could regain her balance she fell onto her ass. Dade spun around so fast his plate tipped and Rosie found herself warding off a stack of pancakes dripping with thick sticky syrup.
“Shit.” She sputtered as Dade just stared down at her.
Rosie didn’t even try to get up. She just stared at him in total disbelief. Her wide eyed gaze turned to a glare when she saw his lips quirk. He quickly put the plate on the bar section of the counter. His hands latched around her arms and he pulled her to her feet. The plop noise the pancakes made as they fell to the floor must have been his breaking point.
His deep rumble of laughter only pissed her off more. Chin up she turned to walk away with what dignity she did have left. Only, with her chin up, she didn’t see the pancake she stepped on. She squealed a little her arms flailing at her sides as she started to slide. Dade came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her to keep her from falling again. His hands settled on her boobs his palms covering the sticky wet spots of syrup. Her body reacted to his touch and she groaned hoping he wouldn’t notice.
She knew with their height difference he probably hadn’t planned it, but she still slapped at his hands. Dade didn’t let her go right away, which was good because she most likely would have fallen on her ass. When she was steady on her feet he let her go and took a big step away from her. She wondered if he expected her to lash out at him. Rosie looked up at him not sure herself how to react. Any trace of his smile was gone, back was that intense stare she was just starting to get used to.
It seemed neither of them had anything to say. Rosie lowered her gaze down to her feet and sighed. Her favorite green googly eyed monster slippers —the ones her uncle had bought for her— had drips and dobs of syrup on them. Irrational tears threatened as she stepped out of them and tiptoed her way around the gooey mess on the floor. The second she was clear of it she ran to her room. Once again she’d left Dade to clean up after them. At least this time he’d caused the chaos.
“Unbelievable.” She walked into the bathroom and carefully stripped not wanting to get anything else sticky. “Did he use the entire bottle of syrup?”
Rosie tossed her clothes into the hamper and turned the shower on. They were going to have to come to some kind of arrangement if they didn’t want this kind of thing to keep happening. She stepped under the spray and pulled the door closed. The warm water relieved her tension, but nothing was going to erase the feel of his hands cupping her breasts. She loaded the bath poof with body wash and proceeded to try and ignore the memory. After all it wasn’t his fault her body found his touch pleasurable. It was hers, but really his touch had been firm and though he hadn’t done more than hold her up her mind instantly filled with lots of things they could do.
She stuck her head under the water hoping to drown out the images. Rosie was super careful about the men she got involved with, and Dade wasn’t her type. She preferred men who were so into their careers that they didn’t have time for entanglements. The dates she normally went on were to business or charity functions. Never anything personal and no man had seen her in her pajamas since college. Sophia said Rosie tended to choose men that were no risk to her independence. After just one night with Dade she was thinking maybe she was right, because Dade could pose a serious threat.
She wasn’t going to let this drive her crazy, at least not alone. Rosie stepped out of the shower and wrapped herself in a big fluffy towel. She wrapped a smaller one around her head turban style and walked into her bedroom. It was time to call in reinforcements. It was something she hadn’t planned on having to do, but things had taken too many twists for her to believe this was going to be as easy. She grabbed her cell and hit the number, which instantly started ringing.
Sophia answered on the third ring with a cherry, “Hello.”
“When are you guys going to be here?” Rosie demanded.
“What’s wrong?” Sophia asked picking up Rosie’s distress.
Rosie didn’t know where to start. “Everything.”
“We’ll be there by six.”
“I’ll make dinner.” It would give her a reason to go out and then she’d be so busy in the kitchen she wouldn’t have time to talk to Dade about what just happened.
* * * *
Dade had two thoughts running through his head as sat in his office and tried to get some work done. First, the one that he couldn’t get out of his head was that Rosie hadn’t been wearing a bra. She’d been in her pjs so he wouldn’t think she would be, but he also hadn’t thought he’d be palming her round firm breasts either. With just the thin material of her T-shirt between them he’d felt the way she reacted to his touch, just before she’d tensed up in that instance of panic.
He’d felt it too. That moment when the contact was too intimate, yet not enough at the same time. Wanting more. Needing to end the feeling before it went any further. Doing the right thing had never been harder. With the way she tore out of the house not long after the incident he didn’t have to wonder if Rosie was as flustered as he felt. Still she could have at least given him a chance to apologize.
That brought him to the second thought, which was more of a question. Was she going to run every time they ran into a problem? For any two people getting to know each other they were going to have a few rough spots. He really hoped that she wasn’t the type to run at the slightest snag, because he wasn’t the type to hold back to keep the peace.
If something bothered him he’d say so. He expected her to do the same. Six months was too long to be walking on eggshells. Tiptoeing around each other wasn’t his idea of the best way to start a relationship, even if it was just business. Since Teddy wanted them to be more than associates they were going to have to be honest and put themselves on the line to make things work.
A door slammed somewhere and Dade got to his feet. It was about damn time she got back. Seriously where the hell could she have gone for three hours? He got up and walked to the office window. Rosie wa
s leaning into the trunk of her car. The colorful flirty short skirt she wore barely covered her ass. Dade swallowed hard as he let his gaze roam over her. Slowly he moved down her thighs to her shapely calves ending at her ankles and another pair of those damn shoes.
She pulled out a shiny red bag with a fancy logo on it. Shopping he should’ve guessed. She leaned back into the trunk, but came out empty handed. He watched as she lowered the bag and carefully set it on the ground. Rosie lifted one leg and put her knee on the bumper and stretched further into the car. What the hell! Was she going to climb in to get what she wanted? Dade wasn’t about to let her get hurt on his watch. He didn’t run, but he moved damn quickly.
“Are you trying to hurt yourself?” Dade grabbed her by her hips and lifted her off the car.
She gasped as he set her on her feet. “No. I was doing just fine you know.”
“Yeah, I could see that.” He turned to the car expecting to find bags from the local boutiques and shops, instead there were bags of groceries. “Not happy with what I chose?”
“We’re having company for dinner tonight.” She picked up the bag from the ground and held out her arm for one of the three in the trunk.
He handed it to her and grabbed the others. “We?”
“I was hoping you’d join me and my friends. They need to see everything is okay here so that they won’t worry too much about me.” She headed for the house and he followed.
“Is everything okay?” He wasn’t so sure.
“We’ve gotten off to a rocky start, but I’m sure things will get easier. Especially now that the entire world thinks we’re a couple in love.” The smile she flashed his way made him hope she was right.
He put the bags on the counter and stepped out of her way as she began to unpack them. “I never said anything about love. People can live together without being in anything more than like.”
“I’ve done my best to keep from being linked to anyone so since you’ve broken my streak love will probably be the word getting tossed around. I was thinking we could just call and demand a retraction—”
Dade didn’t let her finish that thought. “No we can’t. It would lead to questions about why we’re living together, and we can’t answer them. We’ll have to let this play out for a little while.”
“If you had let me finish I was about to tell you that I came to the same conclusion.”
“Oh.” He grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Nope. Just go back to doing whatever you were doing while I was gone.” She shooed him out of the room and not wanting to make waves he went.
He didn’t get far when he heard soft sultry music start to drift down the hall. Dade snuck back to the doorway. He watched Rosie for a few minutes. She’d put on a black and pink polka dotted apron. She danced and swayed as she unloaded the bags. With a twirl she went to the fridge took some stuff out and added it to her piles on the counter. Dade smiled realizing he was seeing another part of her. One he wouldn’t have seen if they hadn’t agreed to Teddy’s request. Teddy had told Dade she cooked for him when she visited, but he hadn’t said she enjoyed doing it.
Dade had thought it was just her being nice to her old uncle. Obviously he was wrong. He turned and headed back to the office. Teddy hadn’t bragged about it the way he did all her other accomplishments, so there was a chance that even though she enjoyed it didn’t mean she was good at it.
Dade knew he should get some work done only he was more interested in being prepared to meet her best friends. He decided it was time to check them out, just like they had probably already done with him. It was hard for him to get information about them. Sophia’s father owned a media empire. Print, TV, and radio he had a finger in everything. Nicolette’s family owned a beauty conglomerate. Tiffany was what some people would call nouveau riche. Their wealth had been accumulated over the past few decades.
Dade didn’t believe half of what he read, but he felt a little better knowing something of their backgrounds. It didn’t take him long to realize her friends weren’t coming to the house just for dinner. If he had to guess this visit was some sort of strategy session. He wondered if he was going to be allowed to sit in on it, or if they’d try to find some way to get rid of him.
Dade wasn’t willingly going to let that happen, but he knew he couldn’t put up too much of a fight either. He’d love to use the time to dig deeper into Rosie’s background, see what her friends were keen to tell him. He stewed in his office as long as he could before the amazing smell coming from the kitchen drew him out. His mouth was already watering and he didn’t even know what she was making. Whatever it was he hoped it would taste as good as it smelled. Before Dade reached the kitchen he heard the mixture of feminine laughter drifting down the hall.
“Dade,” Rosie walked over the wrapped her arm around his and led him into the room. “I was just about to come and get you.”
“Ladies.” He said in greeting as he sat in the chair Rosie gently shoved him into at the small kitchen table and smiled up at her. “What smells so great?”
“Mmm… lasagna,” Sophia said.
Tiffany shook her head. “It’s the cheesy garlic bread.”
“All I smell is chocolate. Can we have dessert first?” Nicolette asked.
“No,” the three other women said.
Dade got the feeling he wasn’t seeing the polished facades Rosie and her friends showed the world. Their playful banter seemed way too genuine to be faked for his benefit alone. Dade was more than willing to sit back and let them be themselves. He was honored that they were willing to let him in. Especially after the mess he’d already created. Rosie brought platters of food to the table. She put the lasagna in the center of the table and he found himself moaning right along with her friends. Damn it looked as good as it smelled. She walked away and returned with a big salad she put on one side and garlic bread she put on the other.
Dade kept his mouth shut while they loaded their plates and discussed what Rosie should do about Walt. They all agreed that a small dose of revenge was due. Dade wouldn’t mind delivering a physical dose of punishment, but he knew it would only make things worse. He was going to have to let Rosie decided exactly what they were going to do and go along with it. After all this was her field of expertise. She’d been dealing with this crap her whole life.
If he hoped to become a part of her life, even just as a friend, he needed to learn the rules. There was no one better to teach him the ropes than the woman herself.
Dade loaded his fork with a chunk of steaming lasagna and lifted it in front of his mouth. He gently blew on it before sliding it into his mouth. The tang of the sauce hit him first, but mixed with the meat and cheese added to the flavor and texture. He closed his eyes and sighed as he swallowed. God, it was the best thing he’d ever tasted.
“You like it?” Rosie asked.
“Like?” Couldn’t she tell just be looking at him that he loved it. “That is an understatement.”
“Complements should really go to Nicolette’s grandmother, it’s her recipe.”
“Hers is amazing too,” Nicolette said with a smile. “But your version has something special.”
They ate and laughed. Rosie’s friends held nothing back even though he was a perfect stranger to them. Dade was surprised to learn that Tiffany had an affection for animals big and small. Rosie explained that the rest of her family was allergic to most animals people had as pets, so she never got to have one growing up. Though he assumed Rosie had already done it he extended an invitation to come and enjoy their stables whenever she wanted. He promised to leave word with the stable manager to give her whatever she wanted. Sophia teased warning him that she’d probably move in.
Rosie and the girls started discussing their schedules for the next few weeks. A lot of their appointments were covered by at least two of them, if not all. Dade listened and when they asked him what he had on his plate he jokingly said nothing and helped himself to mor
e food. The entire meal was amazing, company and all. He’d never had thought he’d feel so comfortable being surrounded by four wealthy gorgeous women. Whoever was lucky enough to catch one of them better hold on tight, or he was a damn fool.
“If you can handle it I’d like you to squeeze me into your schedule.” His comment caused an instant silence to settle over the room.
“For what exactly?” Sophia asked before anyone else could.
“Well, I’ve seen a few glimpses into your world and it’s only fair that you see mine.” He gave a shrug trying to make it seem like it was no big deal, but to him it kind of was. “I’ve scheduled those meetings we discussed.”
“I guess you’re right. Teddy said that we should learn as much about each other’s roles in the business as possible.”
“So you’ll give me some time?”
“She will,” Sophia and Nicolette said in unison.
Chapter Five
It took three attempts, but Rosie finally managed to spare some time to sit in on the meetings. They weren’t with the companies he originally chose, but Dade was okay with that. Mostly because he’d worked in a meeting with her uncle’s pet project. He was glad he was going to be able to introduce her to the owners. Dade knew she wasn’t blowing him off on purpose. The cause of the delay was another big event coming up. This one was Nicolette’s baby, but they all chipped in and did their part to make it amazing. These four women were busier than some of the most committed executives he’d worked with.
She and Dade both agreed that in order for her to really be able to give Dade and the meetings her full attention she needed to clear a day on her schedule. Today was that day. She’d given a perfunctory knock as she walked into the office. Dade looked up at her and had almost choked on the bite of muffin he’d just taken. Her light pink T-shirt was almost sheer and he could see the pink bra, just a shade darker, that she wore under it. She turned her back on him to set the folders she had on the desk. Dade let his gaze coast down the length of her. The black jeans weren’t skin tight, but they’d clung to her curves.