The Do-Over (28 page)

Lanie’s spine stiffened, and even in the dark, Kyle could see her hazel eyes widen. He had seen this expression before, aimed at him. It was not fear or guilt…Lanie was pissed. Kyle knew better than to interject. This was Lanie’s fight, and he considered himself lucky to be present for it.

Brad, on the other hand, didn’t know better. “Cassie, don’t talk to her like—”

“It’s okay,” Lanie interrupted, holding out her hand to dismiss Brad. She walked over to Cassie. “Cassie, you are the epitome of self-centered. You always have been, and you know what? I’m done with it. I want you out of my house. I’m giving you twenty-four hours to pack up your stuff.”

Kyle felt like clapping, but he held back, choosing to cheer her on in silence. Cassie’s expression changed from anger to shock. “Y-you can’t do that,” Cassie stammered.

“Like hell I can’t. Twenty-four hours or I’ll personally put it all on the street. You, better than anyone, know what happens to makeup when it’s exposed to the elements.”

“I have no place to go!” Cassie wailed, turning to Brad. Her quivering lips and pleading eyes clearly conveyed her unasked question. Brad slowly shook his head and removed her hand. Black, mascara-tinted tears rolled down Cassie’s face, making her look like a horror movie clown.

“Go live with Mom,” Lanie said, providing the answer. Kyle was proud Cassie’s meltdown did not deter Lanie. In fact, Kyle was very proud of Lanie in general.

“What? I can’t live with Mom. We’ll kill each other.”

Kyle almost laughed, but he was too mesmerized by Lanie’s laugh. She cupped her hand to her mouth as soon as she did, as if the sound was unintentional but unavoidable. In that intense moment, it probably was. “You deserve each other,” she finally said.

Cassie straightened up, wiping the tears from her face, managing to make an even bigger mess. “You can’t do this. I won’t let you get away with it. There are laws about this!”

This time Lanie’s laugh was fuller, and she didn’t hide it. “You’re right. There are laws, and guess what? I’m a
lawyer!
And a damn good one too…a fucking ten, and I don’t have to tell you the difference between ten and two, do I?”

Kyle wondered what Lanie was talking about, but it was clear the statement held some deep meaning between the sisters.

“If you fight me, I’ll sue your ass for back rent so fast you won’t be able to find a sugar daddy to take care of it.” Cassie opened her mouth to protest, but Lanie cut her off. “Stop making fucking excuses, and worry about hiring a moving company to get your truckloads of clothes out of my house.” Cassie gave Lanie a last pleading look, but Lanie ignored it. She turned on her heel and marched purposefully toward the parking lot.

“Brad, please. I can’t live with my mother,” Cassie whimpered.

“You can’t live with me either. Go inside and clean yourself up.”

“But Brad— “

“Go inside!” Brad commanded. Cassie sulked and lingered for a few seconds, but she eventually complied, walking toward the hotel entrance with stooped shoulders.

Kyle almost felt sorry for her, but he knew the kinds of mind games she put Lanie through, and he couldn’t summon an iota of sympathy. Kyle waited a few minutes, watching as Lanie’s car peeled out of the parking lot. Brad was watching too.

“I love her, and I’m not letting her go,” Kyle warned. “I know I’ve made mistakes, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes to right my wrongs.”

“Yes, but she loves me, doesn’t she?” Brad asked.

“I don’t know,” Kyle said, feeling his muscles stiffen.

“It was a rhetorical question, idiot.”

They both stared at each other, having a nonverbal conversation. They had been friends so long that they didn’t always need words. Brad moved with lightning swiftness, heading toward the hotel entrance, but Kyle surmised the situation quickly. Brad ran toward the valet, and he got there first with his lead, but Kyle was a faster runner and not far behind. The valet kid held his hands out and backed up at the sight of two suit-clad grown men running toward him like children. Brad held out his valet ticket, breathing hard. “Get my car, fast.”

Kyle didn’t ask for his car. Instead, he looked over at the board with all the keys, instantly recognizing his, thanks to the gaudy keychain. He jumped behind the valet desk like it was a hurdle and unhinged it.

“Hey, you can’t do that!” the valet kid yelled, but Kyle was already sprinting toward the parking lot. He had no idea where his car was parked, but he pressed the lock button on his fob until he heard the familiar sound.

Kyle’s car squealed out of the lot as he made his way toward Lanie’s apartment. He would tell her again how sorry he was. He would tell her how much she meant to him. That they were both flawed, but she was perfect even in her flaws. He knew he was far from it, but he would do everything in his power to make her happy. Kyle saw the high beams of Brad’s headlights in his rearview mirror. He cursed, realizing his lead wasn’t as big as he thought. He pushed down on the accelerator, feeling his heart race as fast as the speedometer. He thought about what Brad had said. This whole mess had started because Lanie loved Brad. Did she still? Suddenly his mission seemed ludicrous. He felt ridiculous. Lanie was not fickle enough to fall into the arms of the guy who got to her first. Kyle slowed down until Brad was dangerously close to his bumper. He then abruptly pulled over, with screeching tires, until he came to a halt. Brad passed him, slowing long enough so Kyle could see his puzzled expression.

Kyle wanted to make Lanie happy, and maybe the best way to do that was to concede. Ironically, everything had worked out exactly as she’d predicted in that sports bar so many months ago. Brad had naturally fallen in love with her. He’d seen that Lanie was special. She was sweet but strong. She was innocent but wise. She was loyal and dedicated. Brad was, in many ways, perfect for her. Kyle wouldn’t stand in the way of that. He’d already said his piece, and Lanie had rejected him. He wouldn’t make her do it again. He loved her so much that he’d let her go.

Kyle made an illegal U-turn and headed back to the Marksman Hotel.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Kyle passed through the lobby. The partnership dinner was still in full swing. Kyle wondered if Cassie knew Brad had left yet. Maybe Mrs. Jansen would give her a ride home. What an awkward scene it would be for her to stumble upon Brad and Lanie. At least the truth would be out now. Lanie had stood up to Cassie. Brad would tell Lanie he loved her. They would have their happily ever after with minimal casualties.

The suite at the Marksman was luxurious and well-appointed, like a scene from an old Hollywood movie with pale colors, velvet curtains, and miniature crystal chandeliers. It screamed opulence and romance, and Kyle hated it. He considered leaving and checking in to a motel along the expressway. He hadn’t booked his return flight. He had come here on a mission, unsure of the ending. The mission had failed miserably.

Kyle surveyed himself in the glass-tiled bathroom. His eye was slightly blackened from Brad’s fist, and his jaw ached, but there was no permanent damage. He carefully took off Brad’s suit. He would have the hotel dry-clean it and courier it for him. He donned loose sweats and his favorite Syracuse T-shirt.

He opened the minibar and grabbed all the tiny bottles of liquor it held, preparing to drown his sorrows. He poured the drink and swallowed it fast like medicine, but it wasn’t quite what he craved. He wanted ice cream. Kyle called and ordered the deluxe hot fudge sundae. It was the same one he and Lanie had shared on that first date.
What date?
Their whole relationship was a sham. Kyle had warned Lanie not to fall in love with him. He hadn’t taken his own advice.

He sat on the plush velvet sofa and flipped channels until he found an infomercial on an electric can opener that only required one hand to use. Was it really so hard to open a can? He watched the whole thing. The rain started then, pelting down in fat drops against the cement, echoing through the triple-paned windows. It was just cold enough to freeze. The bitter and sad sound matched Kyle’s own emotional state.

Kyle was about to call and check on his sundae when he heard a tentative knock. “I was beginning to won—” Kyle stopped short, staring at Lanie, dripping wet, shivering, and standing outside his door.

Kyle pulled her into the room. “Why are you so wet?” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms, trying to generate some heat.

“I got here twenty minutes ago, but I had some thinking to do, and someone once told me a walk was a great way to think, but then it started raining and I wasn’t done thinking, so I just kept walking.”

“Are you crazy? You were walking around in the rain at this hour?”

“It didn’t start raining until the end.” Lanie’s lips chattered as she spoke.

“What were you thinking about?”

“I missed you. I missed my friend.” She embraced him then, and Kyle wrapped his arms around her tightly, closing his eyes as each one of his muscles relaxed. Then he felt her shiver in his arms.

“Take off your clothes.”

“What?”

“Take off your clothes.” Lanie regarded Kyle quizzically, and he realized how it sounded. He took her by the elbow and led her to the bathroom.

“I don’t want you to catch pneumonia. Whatever you have to say to me can wait. Take off your wet clothes and take a hot shower. I’ll be out here waiting for you.”

Kyle stood outside the door in case Lanie needed anything. He had a million questions for her, but he wouldn’t let his curiosity win out this time. He’d make sure she was warm and comfortable first.

“Um, Kyle,” Lanie said through the closed door.

“Yes?”

“I don’t have anything to change into.”

Kyle didn’t think. He just took off his shirt. He opened the door a crack to hand it to her. “Wear this.”

“My legs will be cold,” she said. He shrugged off his sweats, handing them to her. “You’re giving me the clothes off your back? That’s very generous.”

“I’ll give everything I have to give you, anything you need.” The words were pure and honest, born from the heart and not contrived by the head.

It occurred to him that there was a terry cloth robe in the closet he could have given her. He justified that by telling himself the clothes were already warmed from his body heat. He heard the water turn on. She stepped out then, leaving the door open, still wearing her evening dress.

“Why are you still dressed?” he asked.

She turned, lifting her hair. “I need a little help. Unzip me.” He swallowed, dropping the zipper down the length of the dress, staring at the lacy red bra beneath it and the waistband of what looked like a thong. Damn. “Now unhook me.” His knew his way around women’s bras, but his fingers shook as he unclasped it. He stared at her beautiful back with its perfect dip and couldn’t resist running his hand down that stretch of skin.

She turned her head toward him, looking at him with hooded eyes, about to speak, when a loud knock interrupted her.

“Room service.”

Kyle cursed. “Leave it at the door, please.”

“Sir, it’s ice cream. It will melt,” the anonymous male voice called back.

“Then take it away. I don’t want it.”

“Kyle, you’re turning away ice cream?” Lanie asked with amusement.

He smiled at her. “You can’t have it anyway. Not until your body temperature’s normal.”

“So much for giving me anything I need.”

“
Need
being the key word in that sentence.” He stomped over to the door, ready to scream at whoever was there. As soon as he opened it, though, the young room service attendant took a step back, almost dropping the platter in his hand. Kyle realized why immediately. He was almost naked with a bulging erection that made his boxer briefs appear two sizes too small.

“Just take it away.”

“You don’t want it?”

Kyle sighed in frustration, reaching for his wallet off the console table. He took out a crisp bill, handing it to the man.

“Leave it on standby, please.”

“Have a good evening, man,” the room service guy said with a wry smile.

“I hope so,” Kyle replied after he slammed the door.

He darted back to the bathroom, where the door was now shut, but steam escaped through the narrow slit, warming his bare feet. He wasn’t sure what Lanie was doing, but if the door was unlocked, he had every intention of finding out. He smiled when the knob turned easily in his hand, and he entered with such force that he slammed his shoulder against it. “Lanie?”

She stood in front of him wearing nothing but that sexy red lace thong, her hands on her hips, not attempting to cover herself in any way for the first time. His eyes raked over that thick, lustrous mane of reddish-brown curls, stopping just shy of the most perfect breasts he’d ever seen, down her slim waist and those curvy hips. He didn’t remember his feet carrying him, but somehow the space between them had dissolved until he was so close he could feel her breath as it brushed his skin.

“You almost caught me with my panties off,” she teased with a seductive smile.

“Are you trying to torture me?” His voice was thick with want, and he was having a difficult time focusing.

“Can you help me with my last layer?” she asked, sliding her fingers around the narrow waistband.

“Should we talk first?” The small portion of his brain that was still functioning made him ask. He wanted to kick himself for the stupid question.

She trailed her fingers down his chest. “I think you can tell me without words. I need you.” He pulled her against him then, unable to stand the tiny space between them, and held her face in his hands. He kisses weren’t soft and sweet. They were full of need, fueled by his hunger. There was a desperation between them to touch and feel.

He hooked his fingers under the thin waistband of her panties. He meant to slide them down, but in his urgency, he snatched them right off her body, curling them tightly in his fist.

He couldn’t handle any more. “Shower, now!” he growled, grabbing a hold of her shoulders and spinning her around to the glass-encased executive shower.

She giggled and sauntered slowly toward it, swaying her hips and voluptuous ass with each step. He was in a trance, staring after her. She crooked a finger at him as she entered. “Coming?”