“Bullshit. Let’s not pretend I don’t know the kind of setup you really want with a woman—that’s anything but just having a good time. And you never go into anything without a plan, so don’t feed me that line, either. What are you going to do?”
Kade pulled his phone from his pocket and checked the time, unwilling to risk being late for his plans with Tessa, then looked back to his brother, meeting his gaze with grave determination. “You really want to know?”
“Yes.”
“Fine. Tonight, I’m going to introduce her to kink, fuck her until she can’t remember another guy ever existed, and make her wish she’d chosen me all those years ago. Is that what you want to hear? Then I’m going to use what I didn’t have then to sweep her off her goddamned feet so that she agrees to another night and another.”
Gibson scoffed. “Un-freaking-believable. So that’s what this is about, huh? Your ego and proving you can get the unattainable chick from your past?”
Kade’s molars ground against each other. That wasn’t it at all. Gib didn’t get it.
His brother stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. “A few minutes ago I felt sorry for you. But now I just feel sorry for her, bro. Because I’ve seen you in this mode at work. You think you know what you want, but as soon as you conquer her and have her wanting you back, you’ll be done with her. Acquisition accomplished, move on to the next restaurant chain. The only reason this girl is still interesting to you is because she’s the challenge you never won. And Kade Vandergriff always wins.”
Despite Kade’s attempt to ignore his brother’s pop psych analysis, the accusation was burrowing right beneath his skin, seeking purchase. Though, he didn’t always win. Maybe in business, but not where it really mattered. If that were the case, he wouldn’t have an unused bedroom decorated in pink and purple daisies at his house. “Fuck you, Gib.”
Gib huffed with laughter for a moment then as if the air was taken from his lungs, he went stone cold silent. A strange expression crossed his face as he lifted his eyes. “Hey, wait a second. What if . . .”
Uh-oh. Kade didn’t like the sound of that. “What if, what?”
Gibson’s eyes were bright now, a sure sign that bad shit was about to commence. “This could actually be the perfect solution.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Didn’t your lawyer tell you that anything that made you appear settled and stable would help your case?”
Kade crossed his arms, wary. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Tessa is attractive.” He raised one finger as if counting off something. “And she is in charge of a charity for kids. Why did she get divorced?”
“Doug cheated.”
Gib pointed at him as if he’d gotten an answer right on a game show. “Ha! Perfect. A victim on top of all of that. And you who rarely publicly dates anyone anymore already has them chomping at the bit. You couldn’t paint it better. The media would . . . Eat. That. Shit. Up. The Time Share Bachelor reconnects with his old love. Golden.”
“Gib . . .” Kade warned, the threads of what Gib was spewing starting to weave together in a recognizable pattern. The PR person in Gibson was at full throttle and zooming down a dangerous road.
“What? I’m serious. You want more than clandestine sex with Tessa. Don’t fucking pretend you don’t. I know you. So why not use that while you can? What better way to convince the court and your ex than to have proof in the damn newspaper? Then after the case, whatever happens, happens.”
He gave his brother a look that he hoped conveyed the level of his contempt for the idea. “Are you serious right now? You want me to use Tessa to fake a fucking relationship to win in court?”
“No,” he said, excitement still buoying his voice. “Don’t fake it. Have it. You want to anyway. Just don’t do it in your normal behind closed doors style. Of course, keep the kinky stuff out of the press if y’all go there, but bring her out to places, parade her around a bit. They won’t be able to tie her to anything sordid. You can say you left all that alternative lifestyle stuff in your past.”
“You’re insane.” But the crazy idea was sneaking into the crevices of Kade’s mind and infiltrating his thoughts. Yes, he wanted Tessa. Long-term? He had no idea. He didn’t know if she would even be open to his lifestyle. Plus, his track record with long-term since his marriage sucked. Gib hadn’t been off base on what he’d said about Kade’s history. He could think a woman was the best thing in the world, believe that he wanted something more with her. But the minute she said she loved him or wanted something serious, it was like all his interest deflated. He’d feel smothered and trapped and would already be fast-forwarding through the familiar life cycle in his mind: marriage, kids, disillusionment, hate, divorce. Just the thought of going through that again would send him into panic mode. He’d shut the relationship down before the girl knew what had happened.
But regardless of his pattern, he knew he needed Tessa for longer than a few nights. And there was nothing in life he wanted more than to be able to see his daughter again for more than a few supervised hours a month. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to make that happen. And Gibson was right about the press. Tessa was built to be a media darling. Beautiful, charitable, a survivor of an awful childhood and recovering from a bad marriage. Plus, it wouldn’t look rushed because they’d known each other as teens.
Gibson nodded while he watched Kade. “See, see, I’m starting to make sense, right?”
“I would never admit to that. But even if you were, you’re railroading way ahead. I barely got Tessa to agree to see me a second time. She doesn’t want anything to do with a relationship. And when she finds out who I really am . . . I don’t know how she’s going to react to that.”
Gib gave him a come-on-now look. “Dude, you’re Kade-fucking-Vandergriff now, not that kid she used to know. Women at The Ranch fall over themselves trying to get you to look their way. Change her mind. Woo her.”
“Did you seriously just advise me to woo? Is that your professional PR opinion or your brotherly one?”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Kade groaned and ran a hand over his face. “I can’t do that. I don’t want to hurt her, man. She’s been through enough. I know I’m interested in her right now, but I can’t give any guarantees. You know how I am.”
Gibson shrugged. “She let you fall in love with her all those years ago and bailed. Turnabout’s fair play as far as I see it. And unless she never plans to date again, it’s not like she’s going to be safe from heartbreak. It’s part of the deal. You’re going in with good intentions. That’s all anyone can ask.”
“Look, I appreciate your concern, but I’m not looking for relationship or legal advice. All I came here for was to ask you to treat Tessa well as an employee and not to bring the past into it.”
Gibson lifted his hands palms out, determination still hovering at the edges of his expression. “You know I’m here for whatever you need. And of course I’ll treat her professionally. Well, unless at any point you ask me not to.”
Kade bristled. His brother knew he had a penchant for threesomes, and he could imagine Tessa going out of her mind under the overwhelming attention of two determined men. But he’d promised Tess the personal stuff wouldn’t muddy the work stuff. She needed to know her boss was only her boss. His protective instincts rose up like a beast inside him. “Don’t go there. Don’t even flirt.”
Gibson grinned wide, making him look like the incorrigible teenager he used to be. “Oh, you’ve got it bad. Fine. I’ll look and not touch. You’re the worst boss ever, by the way. But don’t shoot down my idea about the public relationship yet. Give it some thought. If you’re going to try to be with her anyway, what’s the harm?”
Kade let out a frustrated breath. His brother could annoy the shit out of him and this idea wa
s nutso, but he knew Gib was well-intentioned. He knew how heartbreaking it was for Kade to be reduced to cameo appearances in his daughter’s life. He grabbed his keys. “Fine, I’ll think about it, but right now I need to go. You gonna be in the office on Monday?”
“Yep, I’ll be there with bells on. Apparently, I’ve got a new employee to train.”
Training. Yes, that was on Kade’s agenda, too. Just not quite the same kind.
Hopefully, Tessa would be open to both of their lessons.
Because Kade was definitely ready to teach.
But first he was going to have to come clean and tell her who he was and hope to hell she didn’t run in the opposite direction.
Kaden Fowler, come on down.
TEN
Tessa had no idea what to wear on her date when she had no idea what said date involved. What if she wore jeans and he showed up in a suit or she wore a dress and he wanted to go hiking or something? But before she could deliberate much more, her cell buzzed. She grabbed it from her dresser and read the text message.
Will be there in half an hour. Wear a casual dress or skirt and bring a sweater or jacket. See you soon. -K
The message was simple and to the point, but her skin tingled with heat as if he’d told her to show up naked. God, it wasn’t even fair how easily he affected her. It was as if all her teenage hormones were reappearing after a decade-long nap. She wasn’t the type to get swoony and fluttery over guys. Tessa had never had that sensation around Doug. She’d cared for him and had enjoyed the attention he’d given her, but he hadn’t made her stomach twist and dip.
But Kade could inspire that with one stupid text message. What had gotten into her? She used to hate when Doug told her what to wear. Why was this any different? Maybe her silly reaction was just the result of a lethal combination of Kade’s good looks and a practiced charm that could melt the panties off any woman in a ten-mile radius. He was that guy. The guy who could get any woman in his bed, but who never really showed anyone what lay beneath all that flash and urbanity.
Normally, it’d be the guy she’d steer farthest away from, the heartbreaker. But in this case, that type of man may be exactly what she needed. The perfect one-night stand—or two-night stand as the case may be. She needed fun in her life, an adventure. Like she’d told him that night at the restaurant. She wanted to use him and be used. Maybe it wasn’t ladylike or proper to want that, but she was nothing if not intensely practical. They both had needs the other could fill tonight.
As long as she kept that in perspective, she needn’t worry about the rest of it. She slipped into a casual flowered dress and tossed a white cardigan over it, then went into the bathroom to finish her makeup. After she was done, she locked up her little rental house and sat on the porch swing to wait. The evening had a touch of coolness to it but the breeze soothed her still feverish skin. Maybe by the time Kade arrived she wouldn’t look like some blushing virgin waiting to go to the sock hop.
Her phone rang, lighting up the inner pocket of her purse. She pulled it out and groaned when she saw the name blinking on the screen. The last thing she wanted to do was answer, but she knew if she didn’t, he’d call all night and interrupt her date. She lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello.”
“Where did you store my grandfather’s gold watch?” Doug barked, not bothering with a greeting. “You didn’t take it, did you?”
She took a breath, forcing her teeth to unclench. “Hello, Doug, how are you? Yes, this is a bad time actually. Thanks for asking.”
“Don’t be smart, Tessa. Just tell me where it is.”
“I have no idea. You never gave it to me. You showed it to me and then I didn’t see it again.” She stood, the swing squeaking from her hasty dismount, and started to pace the length of the porch. How had she tolerated this man for all those years? How had she not seen how cruel and hateful he’d become? She didn’t want to think about what that said about her.
“That’s crap. I know I gave it to you to put in storage,” Doug said, breaking her from her morose thoughts.
“Doug,” she said, trying to keep her tone even as she continued to pace the warped, wooden boards creaking beneath her feet. “I can’t deal with this right now. I have a date and am about to walk out. Maybe check the lockbox in the guest bedroom downstairs.”
“I already—” But he didn’t finish the initial thought. “You have a date?”
She almost laughed at the incredulity in his voice. Half of her wanted to say—Yes, with a ridiculously sexy man who made me come more times in one night than you did for most of our marriage. “Yes, last I checked, I was no longer married and free to do that.”
He sniffed. “Already on the prowl, huh? How much money does he have? Because I know you’re not spreading your legs for some guy who can’t afford your Prada habit.”
“Go to hell.”
He cursed back at her, his voice getting louder as he gained steam, and now she could hear the slight slur of alcohol lacing it. Fun. She’d learned early with Doug that his asshole gene amplified when under the influence of his evening scotch. “Come on, tell me. Millionaire? Billionaire? I know that’s what gets you wet. Not big cocks, but big bank accounts.”
The ugly words made her want to gag. “You’re disgusting. Don’t you dare talk—”
But before she could finish her threat, the phone was plucked from her hand. She spun around to find Kade. Anger shimmered off him like heat waves rising off the road.
“Kade, I—”
Kade held up a hand to halt her and put the phone to his ear, a murderous look in his eyes. “Hello, Doug.”
Tessa could hear her ex-husband’s booming voice come through the phone with crystal clarity in the quiet evening. “Who the fuck is this?”
She closed her eyes, dying of humiliation. The last thing she needed was for Kade to get pulled into her ugly divorce shit. “Kade, please, don’t.”
But Kade gave her a stern I’ve-got-this look. “Doug, this is the guy who isn’t going to allow you to disrespect Tessa. Do not call this number or bother her again. Talk to her through her lawyer. And if you ever dare speak to her again the way you just did or attempt to bully her, I will personally fly to wherever you are and shove your tongue down your throat. Do we have an understanding?”
His tone was calm as water on a windless day, but the icy ferocity behind the words rocked Tessa back on her heels. She braced herself for the explosion from Doug. No one talked to him that way.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Doug shouted into the phone. “She’s my goddamned wife.”
“No, she’s your ex-wife,” Kade reminded him, the utter stoicism in his voice probably driving Doug to the brink.
“Oh, so you’re the date, huh?” Doug challenged, his snide tone obvious. “Hope your bank account is big, friend, because that bitch only has one reason to date anyone.”
Tessa tried to reach for the phone, mortified at the exchange, but Kade stepped back. Cold fury had settled in those blue eyes. “This conversation is over. Your communication with Tessa is over. Contact her again, and you and I will have a problem.”
He laughed. “You think I’m afraid of you?”
Kade’s grim smile sent a chill through her. “You should be.”
With that, Kade ended the call and handed back her phone. She took it, trying to keep hot tears at bay. Embarrassment was like a living, breathing entity holding her in its claws. “Kade . . .”
“Get rid of this phone and number. I’ll get you a corporate-issued one tomorrow. You don’t need him having access to you like that.” The words were clipped, the residual anger from the call still clear in the tight set of his jaw and shoulders.
She stared down at the phone like it was a rattlesnake that had bitten her. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that, that he—”
“Hey,” h
e said, closing the distance between them and sliding warm palms to her upper arms. The hard edges of his expression softened and melted away as he looked down at her. From ruthless to kind and considerate in two seconds flat. “No apologies for things that aren’t your fault. I heard what he said to you. He’s an abusive asshole who gets off by tearing you down. Don’t give him his thrills anymore. Cut him off.”
“He’s not going to stop calling. He’ll get the new number.”
“And you charge him with harassment if he does. He has no right to abuse you like that.”
She blew out a breath. “It’s not really abuse. It’s just how he is. He’s angry about what happened with the divorce. He thought I’d—”
“Tessa,” he said, cutting her off with that firm voice of his. “It’s abuse. He hits and cuts you with words for his own enjoyment. He tears you down and makes you feel worthless. That can be more damaging than a punch. Believe me, I know.”
She stared up at him, seeing a flicker of old pain in his eyes. But she couldn’t quite wrap her mind around the idea of Doug being abusive. She’d seen abuse. Before her mom had disappeared for good, Tessa had watched her mom’s boyfriend knock her around. She’d sworn she’d never let a man do that to her. She would not become her mother. But here she was, feeling like shit over what some guy had said to her even when she knew the accusations weren’t true.
“This is definitely not how I wanted our evening to start,” she said finally. “Now you know why I wanted to keep things to one night. My life is messy.”