I have to fix this.
Several minutes later, dressed in gray sweats and a dark green henley, I climb the stairs to the second floor. If the lights are off, I’ll leave it until tomorrow. If not, I’ll apologize and ask why she was in my bedroom. She must have needed something, and I’m sure it wasn’t the manhandling I gave her.
Yellow light glows beneath the door, and I tap softly, hesitating. Perhaps I’ve done enough for one night. No one answers, and I’m almost relieved as I turn to go downstairs.
I’ve taken one step when the door opens, and her soft voice stops me. “What do you want?”
Something I should not touch, I think to myself before turning to face her.
She’s wearing a thick robe over her tank and short shorts and her high ponytail is now down at the nape of her neck. It makes no difference how much she shows or hides. She’s a grown woman, and she’s irresistible to me.
Clearing my throat, I return to where she’s standing outside the door, holding it closed. “I came to apologize. I wasn’t myself just now.”
Her silver eyes narrow. “That’s too bad. You were more human just now than you’ve ever been as long as I’ve known you.”
I’m not sure if she’s teasing me or being serious. She’s not smiling, so I stay the course. “Anyway, I hope you’ll forgive me. Was there something you needed?”
“Blankets. Hana and I were chilly, and the thin quilts on these beds aren’t cutting it.”
Nodding, I motion for her to follow me to the end of the hall where a narrow closet is located. “I think everything is in here.”
Sure enough when I open the door, a chenille blanket falls on my head. “Pepper,” I grumble, taking the blanket and folding it properly, putting it on the shelf where it belongs.
A sniff behind me tells me she’s laughing, and my shoulders relax. “My niece is a true eleven-year-old, always half-doing shit.”
“She’s adorable.” Blake walks to where I stand in front of the closet. “How long have you had her?”
“Judy died… almost eighteen months ago.” Funny how the pinch in my chest never gets softer when I remember my sister. “Ovarian cancer. We had time to prepare, but…”
“I’m so sorry.” She puts her hand on my arm, and I almost forget she’s a jaded New York party girl.
Standing in the hall of my old family home with her this way is messing with my head. I’m serious, focused on my work, and having her here is way too distracting.
Lowering my arm, I move away. “If that’s all you need, I’ll head down and let you rest.”
“Actually…” She steps forward and returns the blankets to the closet. “Hana is asleep, and I have questions. Can we talk now or are you tired?”
“It’s only ten. We shut things down early because Pepper has school, but I’m usually up for a few more hours.”
“Is there somewhere we can go?”
I lead her down the stairs and out one of the doors lining the large living room to the wrap-around porch. It’s a cool night, but not too cold for me to need a coat.
I glance at her thick robe and arch an eyebrow. “Do you need a jacket?”
“I’m good.” Her hand is at the neck of her robe, and she holds it closed as she looks out into the dark night.
Purple wisteria is blooming, clusters of petals like grapes dropping from the eaves in a curtain. The landscapers installed lights to illuminate the massive live oaks at night. It all gives the place an almost mystical appearance.
“I remember this so well,” she sighs.
Going to the porch railing, I sit with my back to a column. “What’s on your mind?”
Gray-blue eyes meet mine, and she blinks a few times as if she’s choosing her words. “Do you have any idea what happened to my uncle? Any leads? When’s the last time you talked to him?”
Unease tightens my stomach. “I saw him yesterday. Something was on his mind, but he didn’t tell me what.” I hate giving clients bad news, but I decide to be straight with her. “I don’t have a clue. He asked me to be sure you and Hana came here. He wanted you out of the city, and he asked me to protect you.”
Her slim brows furrow. “He didn’t say why?”
“No. All I know is he was worried about your safety.”
“Not much to go on.” She puts her hands on the rail near where I’m standing.
“I’ve been going through his recent contacts.” I hesitate, wondering if she’ll return the favor and be straight with me. “How much do you know about Victor Petrova?”
Taking a step back, her eyes flare before she smiles. “What did he tell you?”
“Not as much as you just did.”
Her smile is tight with anger. “I thought you didn’t like playing games.”
“I don’t. This is all too real, and you have to trust me if I’m going to honor your uncle's request. I need the whole story.”
“Maybe I don’t want your protection.”
“Maybe that’s not your call to make.”
She starts for the door, but I step between her and escape. Her jaw sets, and that defiance fires in her eyes. It burns hot in my stomach.
“I’m not interested in kissing you, Mr. Winston. I don’t even particularly like you.”
Dropping my chin, I exhale a laugh. “Is that so? Why don’t you like me?”
“You’re an overbearing jerk who tries to run other people’s lives.”
“Is this about your little trip to boarding school? You were spiraling, Blake. Anyone who cared would see it.”
“You interfered in a situation that was none of your business.”
I want to say she is my business, but I don’t. “I helped you.”
“Are you trying to pretend you cared? Someone who cared would have asked me what I was going through, how it felt to have my father die and my family retreat to their own personal vices. You simply ordered my mother to send me away, and she was all too ready to get me out of her hair.”
“Your mother drinks her lunch from a bottle and was ready to give me a lap dance while I was standing up.”
“What does that have to do with me?” She’s standing right in front of me hurt and anger blazing in her eyes, and fuck it, I want to kiss her again.
Now that I’ve tasted her, I can’t get enough. I want to wrap my arms around her and tell her I’ll take care of her, lean on me. Instead, I fall back on my training.
I take a beat and inhale, exhale.
Studying her angry face, the lines in her forehead, I notice a thin, white scar above her left eyebrow. “What happened there?”
“Victor Petrova happened. Thanks to you, my father’s estate lost thousands before he was exposed, not to mention the abuse he inflicted on my sister.”
“He was embezzling money from your family’s estate?” Stepping to the side, I rub my hand over my chin. That would explain a lot about Hugh’s behavior lately.
“When I threatened to expose him, he slapped me across the room into the fireplace. I came to and discovered he was long gone, and my mother couldn’t be bothered.”