The Billionaire and the Cleaner (8 page)

Chapter Eight

The day at the art exhibition was fantastic. Lana couldn’t
imagine a better way of spending her time than with
Kent
. He was sweet, and his friends
were great. She saw how relaxed he was around his them. Lana wished she had her
own set of friends she was as comfortable around as
Kent
was with his friends.
Afterward at the Italian restaurant she’d sensed a lot of people paying
attention to them. The restaurant made her nervous. Everything about
Kent
’s richer
way of life made her nervous. She didn’t like feeling less than he was. When he
started with his money and being able to pay for certain things she could never
afford, it put her on edge.

His money meant nothing to her, but the way his friends
stared at her made her think they were assuming the worst. She’d never be a
gold-digger. The concept of using a man for money disgusted her. Lana was more
than happy making her own living. She earned enough to keep her going. The
bills she kept in the safe would be paid without concern. The two jobs paid for
everything she needed.

When he’d paid the waiter she’d nibbled her lip with unease.
Kent
simply placed a credit card on the tray and that was all. There was no money,
and she hadn’t been given a menu with the prices. The place must have been
expensive, and there was no way to find out how much dinner actually cost.

Twirling the spoon in her cup of coffee, Lana sat down at
the kitchen table. Her hair was bunched up on top of her head. She’d been awake
for twenty minutes before rising, simply lying in bed waiting for the time to
go by.

Sipping the hot liquid, Lana took her time thinking over the
last day with
Kent
.
After the meal he’d brought her home and sat with her watching a movie and
eating popcorn.

Blowing out a breath, she stared at the clock. He’d be
knocking on her door soon.
 
Should she
cancel? She didn’t have his phone number to cancel. As she was about to get
changed a knock sounded at her door.

She opened the door wide enough to see
Kent
stood
waiting. “How do you get inside my apartment building? You never beep for
permission,” she said

He lifted up a spare key. “I asked the manager to give me a
key.”

“That’s not fair. He shouldn’t have given you one.”

“I’ve found money can be a great incentive, along with
telling him I was your boyfriend.”

Lana glared at him. “That’s not fair.”

“Are you going to let me in?”

She sighed then unlatched the lock. Opening the door, she
stepped back then wrapped the robe around her. “I was going to get dressed.”

“I see your indecision, Lana. What’s wrong?” he asked,
stroking her cheek.

“I don’t think I should be the one to go with you to your
parents’ house for dinner.”

“Where is this coming from?”
Kent
asked.

Lana moved away from him. “I’m nowhere in your league. We’re
friends, and your family might think I’m something I’m not. I don’t know if I
can live with that.”

Her excuses were ridiculous. There was nothing she’d like
more than being with him.

“My family will know you’re my friend. Nothing is going to
happen, Lana.” He stroked her arms before leaning down to kiss her lips. She
kissed him back, and they both froze. Their breaths mingled. She stared up into
his eyes. He was so close. This shouldn’t be happening. Her heart pounded as he
brushed her lips once again.

“Lana?”

She licked her lips tasting him on her tongue. The tension
in the room terrified her. What was happening? There was an underlying attraction
between them. She’d sensed their attraction, and she’d be stupid not to have
recognised it.

“I’ll go and get dressed.”

Kent
pulled away.
“I’ll be waiting here for you. Just be yourself. My family are not expecting
anything else from you. Please be
yourself
.”

“I can’t be anything else but myself.” She smiled at him and
then closed her bedroom door behind her. Lana rested against the door.

What the hell
just happened?

She couldn’t even comprehend what happened. One moment
they’d been talking about his family, and then he was brushing his lips against
hers. Neither of them had crossed that line before. Biting her lip she moved to
her wardrobe. Most of her clothes were jeans and shirts with a few skirts mixed
in. The two summer dresses she owned were stored away to preserve them.

Pulling out her favourite pair of blue jeans she settled on
a red blouse. Her underwear was plain and black. She’d never win awards for
fashion, but she looked reasonable. Leaving her hair down she left the makeup
and settled on her glasses rather than the contacts she preferred to wear.

Opening the bedroom door, she spotted
Kent
looking
through one of her cookery books. She cleared her throat gaining his attention.
He looked up and froze.

“You wear glasses?” he asked.

“Yes. I tend to wear contacts though, but today I think
glasses would work.” She needed the added layer to keep him away. Lana didn’t
know if she’d be able to resist him.

It’s all in
your head. There’s no way
Kent
wants you.

He’s got
supermodels and beautiful women hiding in his bed. You’re nothing compared to
them.

I’m real.

Men don’t
want real women.

“Are you ready?” he asked. She sensed his disappointment.

“I’m ready to leave when you are.”

They were silent on the way down to the car.
Kent
put the radio
on shutting out any conversation. She stared out of the window wondering if
she’d made a mistake. In the last week and a half she’d come to value his
friendship. Kissing, sex, and everything else would take him away.
Kent
would
never commit, and she wasn’t the kind of woman to let
herself
become a one night stand.

You’re
fucked.

****

Kent
was angry.
She’d worn the glasses to try to keep him at bay. He knew enough about Lana to
know what she was trying to do. They’d kissed. Their lips had brushed against
each other, but they didn’t deepen the kiss. He wanted to do far more than kiss,
and then she’d pulled away from him.

What did he have to do to convince her he wasn’t going to
hurt her? She continued to stare out of the window and didn’t even look in his
direction.
Kent
ground his teeth together to stop himself from looking like a total ass.

You’re
forty-five years old. Stop acting like a jerk.

Pulling into the first available spot
Kent
cut the
engine of his car.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

He turned to her. “We kissed, Lana. I’m not scared of the
kiss, but I think you are.”
Kent
cupped her cheek forcing her to look at him. “Nothing is going to come of it.
Stop acting like I’m going to attack you and demand something from you.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you feel that way,” she
said.

“Then calm down. We kissed, and I enjoyed it, but nothing is
going to happen. We’re good.”

She smiled at him. Lana took his hand and kissed his
knuckles. “Thank you for understanding.”

An image of himself bashing his head against the steering
wheel entered his head. Instead, he smiled and turned the engine over. He
pulled away from the kerb and started in the direction of his parents’ home.

That didn’t
go well.

You were
hoping she’d want you back.

You’re a
fucking idiot.

Over and over he berated himself inside his mind. They’d
been friends for two weeks, and already he was fucking it up with his own
desires and needs. He took her hand half-way through the journey. She squeezed
his hand back.

There was so much more between them, and he didn’t want to
fuck it up. Lana was clearly hurt by Frank. He saw the pain in her eyes when
she’d talked about him.

“Who will be cooking today?” Lana asked.

“My mom.
She doesn’t allow
anyone else in her kitchen. Any woman who is not invited should watch their
back. My mom can be a wicked woman.”

“She sounds … pleasant,” Lana said.

Kent
chuckled.
“She’s more than pleasant. Since I can remember she’s loved her kitchen. No one
is going to take that pleasure away even with her in her sixties.”

“I can tell you love them.”

“Don’t you have parents you love?” he asked.

She grew silent. He saw her fidgeting and rubbing her hands
along her thighs.
Kent
decided to let it go. Lana would tell him about her family when she was ready
to let that part of herself go.

He pulled down the street where he grew up. His parents came
from money, and his grandparents had been happy when they discovered his mom
was pregnant.

“Wow, this is where you grew up?” Lana asked.

“Yeah.
I went to school down
the road. It was a private school.”

“This place is amazing.”

I could give
you this if only you let me.

Kent
shook the
thought off. He didn’t do commitment.

You could if
you let her in.

“It’s pretty cool. My brothers own a house along here, and
so do my two sisters. They’re very happy.”

“It must be nice,” Lana said with a sigh.

He pulled up into the closed driveway.
Kent
typed in
the number for the gate to open.

“You’ve got a security locked gate?”

“Yeah.
My mom demanded it
because my grandparents always dropped by when she didn’t want them to. It was
her way of keeping the in-laws away.”

Lana chuckled. “I like the sound of your mom.”

“She’s going to like you. Trust me, Lana, my mom is no
ogre.”

“Okay.”

She turned behind her to watch the gate close. “It must be
nice to lock the world away.”

“Have you ever wanted to lock the world away?” he asked.

“Sometimes.”

She didn’t elaborate.
Kent
wanted more than anything to
get some truth out of her. Instead, he grew silent and waited for her to speak.

He drove up to the main house. The day was overcast, and
dinner would be served inside the house. Sophie opened the door and ran down
the steps. She was the youngest of all the siblings. She was twenty-five and
had been a shock to the family when she arrived.

“
Kent
,
it’s about time you got here.” He climbed out of the car and tensed waiting for
her to jump at him.

Lana got out of the car staring at them. He felt her eyes on
him. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck.

“You’ve been gone too long, big brother,” Sophie said.

“I know. Work has been hectic recently.”

“You’re all work, and you’re going to put yourself into an
early grave. Mom and dad are worried. They think you’re going to be a sleep-around
bachelor for the rest of your life.”

Kent
cleared his
throat. “Can I introduce you to someone?” He pointed toward Lana. “This is Lana
Hawkins. She’s my friend.”

“You don’t have female friends, not after … erm … you know
what I mean.”

He glared at his sister. They were saved by the rest of his
family running down the stairs including some of his nieces and nephews. He was
suddenly bombarded with hugs, kisses, and slaps on the back.

Lana stood off to the side watching the whole spectacle. He
saw something else in her gaze as she watched him, a yearning. She wanted what
he’d gotten.

“Guys, stop with the hugs and everything. I get it. You love
me and miss me.” They took a step back. “I want to introduce you to a
friend
. This is Lana Hawkins.”

His mom, Penny, turned to Lana. He’d seen the happiness on
her face.
Kent
felt he’d done the right thing bringing Lana with him.

Chapter Nine

Kent
’s family was
huge, and Lana saw they all loved each other. The display of affection was
making her yearn for something similar. There would be no happy family
gatherings for her and no public displays of affection. If anything, her mother
would proposition
Kent
after already getting blind drunk. She’d not seen her mom in years, and the
thought of returning to the trailer where she used to live filled her with
fear.