Читать книгу Blame It On Texas - Cathy Gillen Thacker - Страница 11

Lewis spent a good hour and a half thinking about the incredibly sweet and sensual kiss he’d shared with Lexie. He fell asleep dreaming about her and awakened to sunlight pouring in through the windows and someone pounding on the apartment door. Fearing all the ruckus was going to wake Lexie, he grabbed his shirt off the back of the sofa and struggled to his feet. Thrusting his arms in the sleeves, he rushed to open the apartment door.

Standing on the other side of the portal was a haughty-looking fiftysomething blonde in an expensive designer suit and high heels. Everything about her, from her immaculately coiffed hair to the heavy jewels adorning her body, bespoke tremendous wealth.

“I am Contessa Melinda della Gheradesca from Italy.”

Lexie’s mother.

Her glance drifted over his open shirt, bare chest and shoeless feet. Disdain coating every word, the Contessa demanded, “Who are you?”

Before he could answer, an equally disheveled Lexie stepped out.

It was Lexie’s worst nightmare come true, and then some. “Mother.” She trod closer, aware how the situation must look, since she was clad in another of her stepmother’s ethereal creations.

Melinda’s eyebrows arched even higher as she took in the plunging neckline of the black lace negligee Lexie was wearing. Lewis couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, either. Trying hard not to blush, Lexie pulled the equally revealing black lace robe over her chest and folded her arms in front of her to keep it there. Steadfastly ignoring the flare of desire in Lewis’s eyes, she whirled back to the woman who had given birth to her, but never really nurtured her. “Mother. What are you doing here?”

Melinda touched a bejeweled hand to her immaculately coiffed hair. “Your father told me you were ill—I came as soon as I heard.”

That was a first, Lexie thought. Melinda hadn’t done more than telephone Lexie—albeit reluctantly—when she’d been hospitalized with pneumonia in the sixth grade. Nor had she ever tended to her personally if Lexie became ill when visiting. Instead, Melinda left her with a nurse until Lexie’s sniffles or tummy ailment cleared. Melinda was about as emotionally uninvolved a mother as could be, which made her appearance here now all the more strange. “When did he call you?” she asked.

“When he was en route with you from London. And I talked to him again two hours ago when my jet landed in Dallas. I must say, he did not mention anything about you—your new— Have you gone mad, taking a lover here in Laramie? Alexandra, for heaven’s sake! You can do so much better than this!”

Lexie flashed a deliberately cheerful smile. “Might want to be careful who you’re insulting, Mother,” she warned pleasantly. “This is Lewis McCabe, owner of McCabe Computer Games.”

Not a flicker of recognition, Lexie noted in frustration. “It’s the fastest growing computer game company in the country right now.” Melinda remained unmoved. Lexie took a deep breath and tried again to impress upon her mother why she should not denigrate Lewis further. “Or in other words, Lewis is a very wealthy and successful man, and destined to become even more so in the very near future.”

“Thanks for the stellar introduction,” Lewis said dryly, giving her a quelling look.

Lexie shrugged. Bringing up the cash value of anything was the quickest way to get her mother’s attention.

“I don’t understand,” Melinda said, as contemptuous as ever with someone she considered an underling. “Why is he here, Alexandra? Why are you both dressed—or maybe I should say undressed—like this? Your father never mentioned a boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Lexie interrupted quickly.

To her chagrin, Melinda sighed in obvious relief.

A uniformed chauffeur appeared behind Melinda, his arms full of luggage. “Where should I put these, madam?”

Melinda gestured to the middle of the room. “You can set my things here.”

Lexie gaped. “You’re staying with me?”

Her mother huffed. “Well, I can hardly bunk at your father’s ranch with him and Jezebel. And the lodgings in the area leave something to be desired. Actually, the whole town leaves something to be desired. I’ll never understand why your father left Dallas. When we were married, we had such a lovely home there.”

Here we go again. Lexie was aware that her mother blamed all of Lexie’s shortcomings on the fact that she’d been raised in Texas.

“And speaking of home, I better mosey on back to mine,” Lewis said tactfully, graciously closing the distance between them. His eyes met hers. He seemed to know she was as unnerved by her mother’s sudden appearance on her doorstep as he was. “Lexie—”

She nodded, letting him know his decision to depart was the right one. Glad he seemed to understand that she had no control whatsoever over her mercurial mother, she squeezed his hand and looked him in the eye. “I’ll call you,” she promised.

Just as soon as I find out what my mother is really doing here.

FORTUNATELY, ONCE LEWIS got to the office, he finally managed to shake off the unsettling encounter with the Contessa. He was able to strike a deal that would get his line of computer games shelved in yet another retail chain. The prototypes of two games showed substantial improvement, and the talented graphics designer he had been trying to hire to work exclusively for his company finally accepted his offer.

At four-thirty, his assistant, Maxine Cossman, stuck her head in the door. A whiz at organization, the stout fifty-year-old with the curly red hair and thick glasses kept him on track. “Lexie Remington is here to see you,” she remarked briskly. “I told her you had a prior engagement this evening. She hoped you would see her without an appointment anyway.”

Lewis rocked all the way back in his chair. This was a pleasant, albeit somewhat inconvenient, surprise. “Send her in. And Maxine, you can go on to your yoga class if you want.”

“Thanks.”

Maxine disappeared and a few moments later Lexie sauntered in. She was wearing a pair of slim black jeans, a long-sleeved white T-shirt, a cropped red corduroy jacket and boots. She looked amazing. “You’re supposed to be resting,” Lewis chided as she neared, enveloping him in a drift of exotic perfume.

“Been there, done that,” Lexie said sassily, perching on the front of his desk, just to his left.

Lewis tried to ignore the proximity of her long, sexy thigh next to his hand. Ignoring the jump of his pulse, he tilted his head at her and continued to regard her with lazy insouciance. “You’re aware that if you don’t follow doctor’s orders, I’ll be blamed.”

She crossed her legs at the knee. “What’s Riley going to do? Twist your arm?”

Lewis grinned at her soft, teasing tone. “Worse. He’ll give me a guilt trip.”

Lexie wrinkled her nose at him. “You look like you can handle a little remorse, provided it’s balanced by a good time.”

No kidding. It was all he could do to keep himself from dragging her down onto his lap and kissing her the way he had wanted to kiss her the night before, with no time limits and attempts at gentlemanly behavior. He didn’t want to be gallant. He wanted to give in to temptation. But he knew pushing her too hard, too fast, would be a huge mistake on his part, so he held back.

“Is that what you’re planning to give me?” He regarded her flirtatiously. “A good time?”

Flushing self-consciously, Lexie pushed away from his desk and bounded onto the floor. “Maybe we should just get down to business.” Her gaze drifted over him, his body heating with each lingering visual caress.

Lewis tensed, aware his feelings were anything but transactional. Maybe his brothers and sister-in-law were right. Now was the time to level with Lexie, while boundaries were still being set. “About that style makeover…” he started carefully.

Lexie stripped off her jacket and regarded him purposefully. “I want to get started tonight,” she stated, already pushing up the sleeves on her knit shirt. “Got a problem with that?”

“No sirree, I do not,” he quipped, deciding to see where this makeover stuff took him, after all. He’d tell her about the misunderstanding later. “What about your mom? Are you just going to leave the Countess alone, during her first evening in Laramie?”

“She’s sleeping. The jet lag and seven-hour time difference finally caught up with her.”

“So for her it’s midnight,” Lewis guessed, glad Lexie had sought refuge with him, even if it was for work-related reasons.

“Right.” Lexie lounged with her back to a metal file cabinet.

He strolled closer. “Does that mean she’ll be awake when you get home at midnight?”

She made a face that would have been comical if not for the sudden vulnerability in her pretty turquoise eyes. “Doubtful. The Contessa usually sleeps until noon at home. She reserves her afternoons for shopping or hair appointments, her evenings for social events.”

“Ah.” Lewis watched Lexie walk over to inspect the half-dozen umbrellas. He could always remember to bring an umbrella. He could just never remember to take it home. What that meant, he wasn’t sure he wanted to know.

Lexie picked up one emblazoned with the Stanford University logo. She inspected it, end to end. “The Contessa leads an exceptionally busy life, you know. She’s a very important and socially well-connected person.”

Lewis followed her over to the stand. He sensed she needed to vent, and he was only too happy to listen. “You don’t have much respect for your mother, do you?” he asked in a low voice.

Lexie dropped the umbrella into the large, galvanized metal milk can. She picked up another he had picked up on one of his business trips. It was an unfortunate color of purple, but had been the only one available during the unexpected deluge he’d found himself in.

“No,” she said, “I don’t.”

The lack of apology in her expressive turquoise eyes was interesting to say the least. As was the career path she had chosen. Why had Lexie chosen a profession that had her constantly catering to the whims of people much like her snobbish, self-involved mother? “Ever thought of having that kind of life yourself?” he asked, playing devil’s advocate. She could have easily gone the pampered dilettante route, instead of working herself half to death.

She dropped the purple umbrella back into the can with a clang. “No, of course not. I’d be bored silly if all I did was go to parties.”

The lusciousness of her full lips had his gaze returning to her face again. “Is that why you can’t seem to slow down?”

Lexie mocked him with a look. “I am slowing down,” she declared emphatically. “I spent the whole day in bed, pretending to sleep.”

“Or avoiding your mother?”

She wrinkled her pretty nose at him, even as she inspected a small, rainbow-striped umbrella he’d also picked up on the run. “You are psychic,” she said playfully.

He shook his head, watching Lexie close the child-sized umbrella and put it back in the can, quietly this time. Lewis would give anything if he could spend time with his own mother again. But it wasn’t going to happen. They’d lost her to cancer when he was ten. “You ought to spend time with your mom while you have the chance,” he advised soberly.

Silence fell as Lexie stuck her hands in her pockets and said nothing, which made Lewis wonder if Jake Remington weren’t the only parent Lexie was fighting with. “How is your mom doing, by the way?” he asked gently, deciding to try a different tact.

She rocked forward and studied the scuffed toes of her red leather boots. “You saw the Contessa this morning.”

Wishing he knew Lexie well enough to haul her into his arms and hold her there until the hurting stopped, Lewis edged close enough to inhale the fragrant softness of her skin and hair. “Physically, your mom looked great. But she just lost her husband. That can’t be easy.”

“Yeah.” Tension tightened the delicate features of her face. “She’d never admit it, but I think she’s finding widowhood a little tougher to navigate than she imagined.”

Lewis heard the sympathy beneath the defiance in Lexie’s low tone. “Which is maybe why she came over to visit you,” he theorized.

The troubled look was back in Lexie’s pretty eyes. “Maybe, but my mother never does anything without an agenda.”

Lewis walked back over to his desk and shut down the e-mail and instant messaging system on his computer. “What agenda could she have here?” he asked. “Except to be close to you?”

“That’s just it. I don’t know.” Lexie’s teeth worried her lower lip as she inspected the mismatched furniture and state-of-the-art electronics in his office. “Financially, she’s fine.” She dropped down onto the black leather sofa in the corner. “Count Riccardo’s lawyers read the will when I was over there. He had no other family left so Mother got everything—all the family jewelry, tons of money, the villa in Naples, the country house in Florence.”

Lewis closed the distance between them and sat down next to her. “Well, that’s good, isn’t it?”

“You’d think so.” She stretched her slender legs out in front of her. “But…”

“What?” he prodded.

“She seems so edgy. Restless.”

Giving in to the need to comfort her, Lewis reached over and took her hand in his. “Isn’t that to be expected?” he asked gently. “She just lost her companion of the last twenty years.”

Lexie shook her head and left her hand clasped warmly in his. She ran the fingers of her free hand over the back of his. “They didn’t really have that kind of marriage.”

Trying not to get distracted by the heat of her caress, Lewis shifted his weight toward her. “What kind did they have?”

“Passionate, volatile.” She swallowed hard. “They were both very old-world European in their outlook.”

Lewis studied the veiled pain in her eyes. He tightened his hand protectively over hers. “I don’t get what you’re trying to say.”

Lexie’s voice took on an unhappy tone. “They both had lovers, lots of them, and they were okay with that.”

Lewis could only envision how hard that must have been for Lexie, who would have been exposed to that from the tender age of six. Bad enough to have your parents divorced and remarried, living on different continents. To have one set openly cheating… “Kind of the opposite of your dad and Jenna,” Lewis surmised compassionately.

“Yeah, those two are really devoted to each other.” Lexie smiled reflectively. “Kind of like your Dad and Kate.”

Lewis knew his own life would have been a lot harder had Kate Marten not stepped in to help him and the rest of his family deal with the loss of his mother. Kate’s love and understanding had healed his family and brought love and laughter to their lives again. “We both lucked out in the stepmother department, didn’t we?”

Lexie nodded. “So, are you ready to get to work?” she asked. Energetic as ever, she perched on the edge of the sofa.

Lewis kept a grip on her palm, wishing the situation were different. “Not quite yet,” he said.

Lexie looked frustrated. “What’s stopping you?”

Lewis frowned. “My previous plans for the evening.”

“YOU’VE GOT A DATE.” She didn’t know why, but just the thought of him seeing someone else was very disheartening.

“With about sixteen people.”

Now he had lost her.

“I’m hosting the monthly Laramie High School computer club get-together,” Lewis explained. “The kids will be here at six.” Noting the time, he said, “I’ve got to get the testing lab ready.” An inviting smile curved his lips. “You can tag along if you like.”

She regarded him in amazement. “You do this yourself?”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Why wouldn’t I?”

Used to being around people who lorded their wealth and power over others at every opportunity, Lexie shook her head in bemusement. “You own an entire company.”

“It doesn’t mean I’m above getting out some game prototypes and ordering pizza and soft drinks.” Lewis returned to his desk and typed in something on his computer screen. The menu for Mac Callahan’s restaurant popped up. He gestured her over. “Anything here look good to you?”

Lexie moved behind his desk chair. She curved her hands over the back of it, as she bent down to scan the offerings from Laramie’s favorite pizza place. “The hot wings,” she said quickly.

Lewis turned to shoot her a glance, the side of his face lightly brushing the side of hers. “Not quite on your diet,” he chided.

Refusing to acknowledge how sexy she found the brush of his evening beard against the softness of her skin, she shrugged.

Lewis turned back to the menu, clearly a man on a mission. “How about a white pizza?” he asked, after a moment. “Crust, olive oil, fresh mozzarella. Nothing there to get your acid reflux going, especially if we ask them to go easy on the basil and garlic.”

Lexie appreciated the way he was taking care of her. No one—except her dad and Jenna—had done that for a very long time. “Sounds good,” she said, surprised by the sudden huskiness of her voice. Aware the backs of her hands were still brushing the hard musculature of his shoulders, she stepped back and cleared her throat. “What is everyone else going to eat?”

“A little of everything,” Lewis said, typing in the appropriate choices on his computer and then sending the delivery order via the Internet.

Doing her best to calm her racing heart, Lexie roamed the spacious office, which did as little to reflect Lewis’s personality as his ridiculously out-of-fashion clothing. Both were things she could fix. In that way, she realized, she’d be taking care of him, too. Lexie paused to study one of the many awards hanging on the wall. “It’s been a long time since I had Mac Callahan’s pizza,” she said in the most casual tone she could manage. “Mac still works there?”

“Along with his daughter, Casey,” Lewis confirmed with a smile. He rose and crossed to her side.

“Funny how some things never change,” Lexie continued awkwardly, acutely aware of how arousing she found Lewis’s formidable size and masculine strength.

Oblivious to the ardent nature of her thoughts, he led the way out of the office and down the hall to a testing laboratory.

“This is where the kids are going to meet?” Lexie asked, wondering if he wanted to kiss her—really kiss her—as much as she wanted to kiss him.

He winked at her. “Since you’re the one who’s got me running behind schedule, make yourself useful.” Lewis handed her a box of computer games with the McCabe logo. “And put one of these at every station, please.”

Glad for the distraction from her thoughts, Lexie complied.

“How did you get involved in this?” she asked after a moment.

“The kids asked me to sponsor a monthly event. I know what a great group it is—I was president of the computer club when I was at Laramie High School—so of course I said yes.”

“That’s really nice of you,” she said sincerely.

Shrugging off the compliment, he moved to the other side of the room, dropping a game CD at every station. “It’s the least I could do,” he told her. “I know how hard it is to be a computer nerd amidst all the athletes and popular kids.”

Lexie hadn’t ever really fit in, either. “And yet look at where you are today.” They met again, in the center of the room.

“Right here.” Lewis wrapped both arms around her waist and drew her against him. Without warning, every secret fantasy she had ever had about him turned real. His voice turned husky. “With you.”

Lexie trembled at the feel of his hard body, pressed up against her. His fingers brushed down her face, stroked along her jaw. Her skin heated and the pulse at the base of her neck fluttered wildly. Determined to keep some connection with reality, she batted her eyelids and teased, “Why, Lewis McCabe.” She affected her best Texas belle drawl. “Are you hitting on me?”

Sifting both his hands through her hair, he lowered his head and tilted his face slightly to the right. He moved in even closer, all sexy, determined male. His eyes darkened to a smoky blue-gray. “What if I am?”

Lexie moaned as his lips captured hers and he invaded her mouth with his tongue. If the caress the night before had been full of promise and yet restrained, this one was so deliberately sensual it took her breath away. No one had ever kissed her like this, as if he had waited his entire life for her. No one had ever made her feel like this, she realized—so warm and wanted and feminine. His lips made a slow, mesmerizing exploration of hers. Swept up in the embrace, Lexie forgot she was supposed to be forging a strictly professional relationship with him. He kissed her until she moaned softly and clung to him, until every inch of her was tingling with need. Lexie hadn’t meant for anything like this to happen but she was powerless to resist. Lewis’s seduction left her vulnerable, and aching for more. It left her wanting to see where this would lead. Had it not been for the sudden, jarring sound of a phone ringing on the wall just behind them, and the collection of youthful voices coming ever closer, who knew what would have happened next.

The awareness they were no longer alone forced them to draw apart. To her surprise—and yes, pleasure—Lewis looked as completely affected as she felt, even as the guilt that she shouldn’t be getting involved with a “client” filtered through her. She had done that to disastrous results once before. Did she really want to do it again? Mold a man into every woman’s fantasy only to have him leave her behind, once he had gotten what he wanted…?

Her emotions in turmoil, she turned away from Lewis and spotted a group of high school kids coming down the hall, then filtering into the computer testing lab. It seemed to be about half guys and half girls, Lexie noted. All were dressed in jeans and gaming T-shirts. Name tags were plastered to their chests. Most of the kids, like Lewis, were somewhat challenged in the personal style department. But all were very happy to see him. He was obviously a hero to them, and Lexie could see why. Not many men as successful as Lewis would take the time to mentor a group of high school kids.

“What game are we trying out tonight?” Percy McNamara asked eagerly.

Lewis moved to the center of the group. “It’s called ‘The Deal Maker.’ It’s a game that puts the player in mythical business situations. The goal is to win each task without losing your moral compass or compromising your ethics.”

A young girl with frizzy hair and glasses teased, “Are you trying to educate us, Mr. McCabe?”

Lewis winked. “Or teach you all how to become self-made millionaires without landing in jail.”

Guffaws all around. The room reverberated with excitement. Lexie enjoyed seeing Lewis in his element. It gave her a sense of what kind of father he would be one day. “You’ve got ninety minutes until the pizza arrives,” Lewis said, directing the eager group to their stations. He returned to Lexie’s side and eased her toward a gaming station, too.

“THANKS FOR HOSTING this event, as always,” the club sponsor, Josephine Holdsworth, told Lewis as the three of them walked toward the lobby. The computer science teacher at LHS was pretty and single and—if Lexie’s instincts were correct—as romantically interested in the school organization’s most famous benefactor as she was.

“My pleasure,” Lewis replied, showing no evidence that he knew the pert redhead had a giant-sized crush on him.

“And thank you for attending our meeting, too,” Josephine continued, regarding Lexie warmly. Josephine paused to shrug on her coat, before stepping out into the brisk autumn air. “I don’t think the students know what you do for a living, but I certainly do. The spread they did on your clients in In-Fashion Magazine last year was downright amazing.”

“Thanks,” Lexie said.

“I’d heard from some of the other faculty who grew up here, too, that you were from this area.” Josephine’s expression faltered slightly. She swallowed and completed her fact-finding mission. “But I had no idea you were dating Lewis.”

Lexie blushed, aware that if she let this misconception stand it would be all over Laramie in no time. “No. We’re not. I would never…” she stammered, wishing she had never agreed to let him employ her as his stylist. Then this wouldn’t be such a dilemma. She could let the rumors fly and just see where their obvious attraction to one another led. But she had a professional reputation to protect. Lexie gulped and forced herself to continue, “Lewis is a cl—”

“Friend,” Lewis interrupted, before she could finish the word. He stepped slightly in front of her. “Lexie and I are friends, Josephine.”

Josephine beamed. “Oh.” She fished in her handbag for her car keys. “Well, in that case, perhaps Lexie would consider making an appearance at the LHS Career Night on Tuesday evening, too? The students would love to hear about your profession.”

Lexie smiled. “I’d be glad to participate.”

“Great! We’ll see you both then,” she announced cheerfully.

Lewis watched as Josephine exited, then turned back to Lexie. “Sorry I had to cut you off like that.”

Lexie studied the guilty expression on his handsome face. She planted her boots firmly on the marble lobby floor. “Why did you?”

He moved toward her, not stopping until they stood toe to toe. “I didn’t want word getting out that I had hired you to help me.”

She propped her hands on her hips and lifted her chin. “Don’t you think they’re going to figure it out when you start looking a whole lot different after spending concentrated time with me?”

Lewis’s probing glance made a leisurely tour of her body before returning to her eyes. “Well, maybe not so much if people thought we were dating,” he offered in an offhand tone.

“Right,” Lexie said dryly, savvy enough to realize when someone was embarrassed by what she did for a living. “Then they would just think you were whipped. That’d be sooo much better.”

Lewis caught her by the arms and turned her to face him. “If word got out we were dating, would that be so bad?”

She ignored the warmth of his fingers that penetrated the layers of her clothing. “Yes. You’re a client,” she reminded him, delicately extricating herself from his grip.

“But people here don’t know that,” he insisted.

“But I do,” Lexie retorted stubbornly. “And I don’t date clients, Lewis.”

He paused to come up with a new strategy. “Then we’ll just have to tell people we’re spending time together because we’re friends.”

“You’d rather do that than let word get out you hired a stylist to help you change your image?” she asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” Lewis’s jaw was set.

Her heart pounding, Lexie fell silent as she studied the half-hidden apology in his eyes. “You’re that ashamed of what I’m trying to do for you?” she asked, even as she struggled to ignore her reaction to his nearness.

Lewis released a frustrated breath. “Is that a trick question?” He peered at her from behind his lenses.

Temper flaring, Lexie rummaged through her shoulder bag for her keys. Thank heavens her stepmother and father had loaned her a ranch pickup to drive while she was in town, so she didn’t have to rely on Lewis McCabe for her transportation home. “It’s an honest inquiry,” she replied in a voice laced with steel. She paused to look up at him and let their glances mesh, sorry now she had kissed him at all. “And yours was an honest answer.” She held the keys so tight they pinched her palm. Chin held high, she marched past him, toward the exit.

Lewis fixed her with an exasperated look. “Where are you going?”

She barreled past. “None of your concern.”

“Lexie. Come on.”

She ignored the entreaty in his tone and tossed him a withering look over her shoulder as she sped through the double glass doors. Bad enough she had doubts about her chosen vocation—she didn’t need to hear them from him! “Find yourself another stylist to help you, Lewis,” she snapped. “I’m out of here.”