by Joss Wood
“Of course. Now, back to your problem. Honesty is usually the best option.”
“Usually, I’d agree.” Thom blew out a long breath, his spine stiffening and the churning starting in his belly again. “But the situation is complicated.”
One corner of Lane’s mouth curved. “Well, let’s try to simplify the matter. Is there a specific reason not to tell her?”
“Yes.”
Thom stood, pacing. The look in the Fixer’s eye and the quiet, veiled threat still haunted him.
Lane waited patiently for clarification.
“Revealing this secret to Elana and her mom...it would change everything. Tear their family apart. Then there’s the possibility that...” Thom folded his arms and stared out into the darkness. With the patio closed and the fire pits not running, the cold wind seeped into his skin. “If I tell Elana and her family what I know, it could put them and me in danger.”
“Physically?” Lane leaned forward, his brow raised with concern.
He’d said too much. He couldn’t trust Lane with that much information.
“Our business interests and maybe our reputations,” Thom said, his eyes not meeting Lane’s.
The man folded one long leg over the other. He propped his elbow on the armrest and framed his jaw with his index finger and thumb. “That explains why you’re so reluctant to tell her or anyone.”
“Exactly.” Thom collapsed onto the sofa again, his thigh brushing against Lane’s. He hadn’t meant to sit so close to him. Yet there was something oddly comforting about the contact and his nearness.
“Could any harm come to her if she didn’t know this secret?” Lane asked thoughtfully.
“Possibly.” Thom shrugged. “Though it’s less likely.”
“So there’s less risk to you both if you don’t tell her. Plus, it sounds like if she doesn’t know, she’ll maintain plausible deniability.”
“True.” Thom hadn’t thought of that. If the shit ever hit the fan and there was some sort of legal blowback from the Fixer’s actions, the family could honestly deny knowledge of the Fixer’s identity or any of the resulting actions.
By not telling Elana, he was protecting her. Just as Harrison had.
But then, again, Harrison hadn’t been able to protect himself. So how could Thom know if keeping Elana in the dark about the Fixer was a kindness or making it more likely she’d become an unsuspecting victim?
What if one of the Fixer’s targets wanted revenge?
Elana was the most vulnerable member of the Marshall family. She was flighty, lax with security and rarely aware of her surroundings beyond who was wearing what designer and which drinks were being served.
He’d chastised her for all of those things before, but she hadn’t taken heed. Maybe knowing the truth about the Fixer would make her grow up and take her security seriously.
Or maybe it would simply put them both in danger.
Lane put his large hand on Thom’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Sounds like this decision is more about you than her.”
“What do you mean?”
“Like I said, I’ve known Elana a long time. She’s a great girl, but she doesn’t handle stress very well. Sounds like you want to relieve your conscience by laying the burden at her feet. If this is something she really needs to know, and it’s in her best interests, you should tell her. But if this is just about alleviating your conscience...”
“We’re going to be married. Am I just supposed to keep this secret from her?”
A smirk curled the edge of Lane’s mouth, and his eyes danced with amusement. “You’re telling me that you’re not keeping any secrets from Elana now?”
Thom swallowed hard, his spine stiffening. “What are you saying?”
“Look, I’m not judging.” Lane raised his palms and shrugged. “We’ve all got to do what we’ve got to do to get by in this world. And if you can honestly say there are no secrets between you two, then the decision shouldn’t be nearly this hard.”
The hair stood up on the back of Thom’s neck as his gaze locked with Lane’s.
Does he know the truth about me?
Had he sensed the attraction Thom felt the moment he’d laid eyes on him?
Thom clasped his hands. “Look, I don’t know what you think you know...”
“I don’t know anything. We’re just speaking in generalities, remember?” Lane looked at his watch. He stood, buttoning his jacket. “It’s getting late. We’d better head inside. I’m sure someone is looking for you by now. You know how much emphasis Mariella puts on order and punctuality.”
Thom pulled his cell phone from his pocket. It was well past the time he was supposed to meet up with the family. He’d silenced his phone earlier and forgotten to turn the alerts back on. He’d missed three calls from Elana and two from his mother.
“I have to get inside.” He stood, prepared to sprint around to the back entrance. Thom extended a hand to the man. “It was nice to finally meet you, Lane. Thanks for intervening at the bar tonight and for being a good listener. You’ve given me a lot to think about. I appreciate it.”
A big smile spread across Lane’s face. Something in his smile and in the touch of his hand made Thom’s skin tingle and sent electricity up his spine.
Lane Devereux was an incredibly sexy older man. Thom had tried to ignore the slight attraction he’d felt when he first met him at the bar. It was a fact that was more difficult to avoid when they were in such close proximity, skin to skin.
Lane pulled him into a warm hug. “Good luck with making your decision, and congrats on your engagement to Elana.” Lane gripped his shoulders and held him at arm’s length. “I can see why she’s so crazy about you.”
Heat trailed down Thom’s spine, and blood rushed below his belt as Lane held his gaze.
Thom swallowed hard, grateful for the chilly breeze that blew across his face, cooling his heated cheeks. He stepped away. “See you inside, I guess.”
Lane smiled. “You bet.”
Thom hurried around the building toward the private entrance, trying to think of anything but Lane Devereux.
Chapter Five
“Where’s Thom?” Elana asked as Gabe returned to the private room where the family waited for him to return with her fiancé. “You were supposed to find him.”
Gabe loved his cousin Elana. But after the great lengths to which his catering team had gone to make her engagement party a spoiled little rich girl’s fairy-tale fantasy, a little gratitude would be nice.
“Checked the entire place twice and couldn’t find him.” He forced a smile through clenched teeth. “But I’m sure everything is fine and he’ll be here any minute.”
He turned to walk away, but Elana grabbed his elbow.
“Gabe, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. I know I’ve been a little bitchy since I arrived, but I’m worried. What if something’s happened to Thom? What if he’s decided to call the wedding off?” She kept her voice low so her mother and brothers wouldn’t hear her.
Gabe sighed. Elana wasn’t trying to be difficult. She was just immature. His aunt and uncle had indulged Elana her entire life. Seldom made accountable for her actions, she behaved as if life had no consequences.
Yes, she could be self-centered and thoughtless at times. But Gabe suspected that Elana’s outrageous behavior was her way of demanding her parents’ attention. Instead of setting stricter boundaries, they’d coddled her and made excuses for her.
Too bad. Elana had a lot of potential, if only she’d stay focused and put in the effort.
“Thom adores you.” Gabe smiled reassuringly. “Nothing is more important to him than his marriage to you. He’ll be here. I promise. So just try to relax.”
She nodded gratefully and rejoined her mother on a grouping of sofas w
here she was seated with Joe and Rafe.
Gabe quietly surveyed the room. He’d been part of the Marshall family since he’d come to live with his aunt and uncle twenty-three years ago, when he was just ten years old. They’d taken him in after he’d been abandoned by his mother—a party girl who stayed high and had no desire to take care of a child.
As far as Gabe was concerned, Harrison and Mariella were his parents, and he was their son as much as Luc and Rafe were.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world didn’t see it that way. Neither did the Marshall siblings. At family events like this, they’d always made him feel more like an inconvenient intruder than a cherished family member. To Luc, Rafe and Elana, he would always be an outsider. The pitiful, abandoned relative that Harrison and Mariella took in.
The truth was that he’d been closer to Harrison than Luc or Rafe. And he probably loved Mariella more than any of them did.
He sighed, pushing the dark thoughts and feelings of rejection to the back of his mind. None of that mattered. Mariella had requested that he escort her into the room, rather than either of her sons.
* * *
Joe crossed his legs and sat back on the sofa. As he sipped his whiskey, his eyes returned again and again to Mariella as she tried to reassure Elana that everything would be fine.
Despite her brave effort and the broad smile plastered on her face, the pain in her eyes was evident to anyone who really knew Mariella. Anyone who truly loved her, as he did. As he probably always would.
Joe groaned quietly into his glass as he sought solace from the amber liquid. He found comfort in the heat that filled his chest as the whiskey slid down his throat.
After all these years, Mariella Santiago-Marshall was still one of the most beautiful women he’d ever known. While he admired her outer beauty, it was her warm smile and big heart that made him yearn for her as more than just a friend.
She was charitable and generous. Taking in her nephew had made Mariella aware of the countless children who suffered a similar fate. Only most of those abandoned children didn’t have family to care for them as Gabe had. Mariella had made it her mission to support such children. Often doing so quietly behind the scenes.
Mariella was a fierce businesswoman. Yet she was kind and thoughtful to her friends and her employees. Her warm smile could light a room. Her melodious laughter had the innate ability to rescue him from the foulest of moods.
She was everything he’d ever wanted.
Joe set his glass on the table and sighed. He’d give anything to have Mariella in his arms. In his bed. It was a fantasy his mind kept revisiting, no matter how many times he chastised himself for it.
His thoughts often returned to the night he and Harrison met Mariella. Joe had fallen for her instantly, but Harrison took “conquering” Mariella as a challenge. Another contest between them. Another opportunity for Harrison to assert that, despite Joe’s privileged upbringing, he was just as good, if not better.
Shy and awkward, he’d missed his chance with Mariella back then. He’d had no choice but to be content with her friendship. A concession that had sustained him all these years, even as it wrecked every other meaningful relationship he’d tried to establish since then. Two marriages and two divorces later, he was as much in love with Mariella as ever.
He would never have her, and Harrison would never deserve her.
“Joe, is everything all right?” Mariella’s warm brown eyes met his. The flecks of gold danced in the light.
He forced a smile, his heart filled with love and longing. “Yes, of course.”
If all he could ever be was Mariella’s dear friend, he’d take it over not having her in his life at all.
* * *
Luc went to the bar, where the bartender poured him a glass of wine.
“Is there one for me?” Rachel grinned mischievously as she approached, her hips swaying.
Luc studied her enticing figure, as if he wasn’t already familiar with every inch of it. He handed her his glass and asked the bartender for another.
She raked her fingers through her long blond hair and smiled, fully aware of what her soft, sensual gaze was doing to him. She leaned in, her body shielding her hand as she traced the outline of his shaft, awakened by her seductive allure.
“I can think of a way we can occupy ourselves while we wait for your sister’s fiancé,” she whispered in his ear.
“It’s a tempting offer.” He trailed his fingertips down her arm. “But Thom will be here any minute. We don’t want them to come looking for us next and find us in a compromising position. Trust me, you don’t want to end up on my mother’s bad side.” He nodded toward where Mariella sat with Elana, Joe, Rafe and Sam and Caroline Scott.
“There you go again being all practical.” She pouted. He was sure she was only half teasing. “That’s no fun.”
“Don’t worry.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.”
Her eyes twinkled, and her full mouth curved in a sensual smile. “I’m counting on it.”
Rachel sipped her wine, then strutted away. She sat beside Elana and started chatting about the wedding again.
“Your fall wedding is going to be so beautiful, Elana. Especially with the colors you’ve chosen for your theme.” Rachel shifted her gaze to where Luc still stood by the bar, her voice carrying. “Though I’ve always dreamed of being a spring bride.”
Luc released a slow, quiet breath and turned his back to them as he finished his glass of cabernet.
Rachel was desperate to follow in Elana and Thom’s footsteps. Her hints about marriage had become more frequent and less subtle with each passing day.
He cared for Rachel and found her incredibly attractive. What man wouldn’t? They had fun together, and he couldn’t ask for a woman with a more voracious sexual appetite. But there was something missing between them. Something he couldn’t quite name.
Luc glanced over his shoulder and listened as Rachel, Elana and his mother discussed bouquets and the band they’d hired for the wedding.
Once Elana and Thom were married, his mother would undoubtedly turn her attention to marrying him off, too.
Perhaps it was time for him to settle down and begin building a family. To carry on the Marshall legacy with the pride and ethics his father had always instilled in him.
Rachel Franklin was the ideal woman for such a venture, but she wasn’t the woman who made his pulse race and his heart beat faster. Nor was she the one he dreamed of making a life with. Luc squeezed his eyes shut, fighting off the vision of the beautiful eyes and soft smile of the woman who stole his heart.
* * *
Elana had excused herself to go to the restroom. What she’d really needed was a break from Rachel’s wedding chatter.
The woman obviously couldn’t take a hint.
And could she be any more desperate about wanting Luc to marry her?
Elana opened her leather Jason Wu clutch and fished out a shiny gold tube of Sisley Paris lipstick. She studied her face in the mirror as she applied more of the saturated tangerine hue. Her mind drifted to her earlier conversation with Jarrod.
You have no idea what you do to me. How much I wish I could be there with you right now.
A chill ran down her spine, and her nipples beaded, remembering the words he’d uttered in that sexy, panty-obliterating growl.
She inhaled deeply, her chest and cheeks flushed with heat.
Pull it together. Do not think of Jarrod.
It wasn’t as if she was in love with him. Nor did she believe that he’d ever actually leave Finola. Still, there was something about him she couldn’t resist.
Maybe it was that Jarrod was the only person in her life who didn’t make her feel like a pampered little girl or a complete screwup in need o
f fixing. He accepted her for who she was and found her observations funny and insightful.
Elana returned the lipstick to her bag and sighed. It didn’t matter. She was going to be a married woman soon, and she’d be the kind of wife Thom deserved.
Even if it killed her.
She stepped into the hall, headed toward the private room where her family was waiting.
“Elana!” Thom rushed up to her, his forehead beaded with perspiration, as if he’d run there.
“Thom, are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but I need to talk to you.”
“Why the hell were you late today of all days? My mother was worried sick.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you worry. The time just got away from me—”
“Any other time you’re Mr. Punctuality and tonight you lose all track of time? What’s going on with you, Thom? You’ve been acting strange this week.” The worry had dissipated the moment she realized he was okay.
It was Thom and her mother who’d been so anxious to have this party while her father was fighting for his life. The least he could do was be on time for his own damn party.
“That’s what I want to talk to you about.”
“Thom?” Her mother opened the door. “I thought I heard your voice. You’re finally here.”
“I’m sorry I’m late, Mariella, but—”
“No matter. You can apologize later. Right now, we really need to get this show on the road before the guests stage a mutiny.” Her mother smiled, kissing Thom on the cheek.
Mariella summoned everyone else and indicated the order in which they should enter. Gabe phoned Teresa St. Claire—the engagement party planner—to let her know the family was ready to be announced.
“Elana, I really need to talk to you,” Thom said as Elana slipped her arm through his, as her mother had instructed.
“If you’d arrived at the time we agreed, we would’ve had the time to talk about anything you’d like.” She glared at him, keeping her voice low.
“But, Elana, this is serious.”
“So you said on the phone the other day, but you haven’t wanted to talk about it since then...until now. At the worst possible time. You know how important this is to my mother and to your parents.”