Going Down Easy (Billionaire Bad Boys) (11 page)

“White chocolate mocha latte with whipped cream. You like it?”

“It’s delicious. How did you choose the flavor?”

A pleased grin lifted his sexy lips. “Because it’s sweet. Like you.” He crooked a finger, silently beckoning her to join him.

She couldn’t resist and slowly made her way around the desk, swaying her hips as she walked over. His darkening gaze let her know he hadn’t missed the deliberate show. She stopped close to him and inhaled his potent masculine scent.

“Thank me,” he instructed.

“I already did.” And she didn’t appreciate being told to do so.

“The right way. The way you would if we weren’t in the office.”

She narrowed her gaze, admittedly confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Kiss me,” he said, elaborating more fully.

She blinked in surprise and had no doubt he didn’t think she’d comply. Not here, with his office door open.

Normally he’d be right. But he’d thrown down a challenge, and Lexie never passed up a challenge. Besides, he looked delectable in his black track pants and light blue Trekkie tee shirt.

So she rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her mouth against his. With a groan, he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Her feet practically dangled off the floor as he swept his tongue inside and took control. He devoured her, and she loved how he tilted her head so he could kiss her more deeply, take more from her. He had a talented mouth and tongue, and kissing Kade was definitely becoming her favorite kind of foreplay.

She had no doubt this was a prelude to whatever he ultimately had planned. He’d said he intended to pursue her, and he did just that, seducing her with his mouth until her toes curled and she fell forward in her heels.

He grasped her harder to keep her upright and pulled his head back. She stared into his eyes, hazy with desire.

“Any more commands?” she asked, catching her breath.

“Give me some time to come to myself, and I’m sure I’ll think of something.” A dimple she hadn’t noticed before appeared in his cheek, and she realized she’d do anything to see it again.

For the rest of the week, he continued his Starbucks gifts. True, he still expected his coffee made his way—he was Kaden Barnes, after all, and she wouldn’t want him any other way. He didn’t kiss her again at the office, but he did touch her more.

A caress on the cheek.

A tug on her hair.

An ass grab when they were alone.

Somehow they fell into a routine. She rearranged his desk again, this time so he could use the mouse and laptop easier with his left hand. She took notes for him in meetings with investors, learned more of what went on in his business, and discovered she also enjoyed his favorite lunch, grilled chicken on whole wheat bread, mayonnaise, and two slices of avocado. He noticed when there was only one slice of the green fruit.

On Friday, she walked into the office after he’d taken what sounded like a heated phone call and caught him shaking a pill from a prescription bottle into his hand. Everything in her wanted to ask … but she didn’t. He knew she’d seen him.

If he wanted her to know, he’d explain. Instead he snapped at her. “Can you fucking knock before you just walk in?”

“The door was open,” she reminded him. “Anyone could have walked in. If you’re looking for privacy, I suggest you be more careful.” She turned and walked out.

He avoided her for the rest of the day, leaving early without explanation. But a deliveryman came by with a lily of the valley plant.

How did she know? A plastic card was stuck between the leaves with the explanation:
Lily of the Valley—symbolizes a return to happiness.
This plant must be treated with care just like the relationship in which you and the recipient are engaged.

The note from Kade was much more down-to-earth.
I’m an ass and I’m sorry. Kade.
She’d smiled the whole way home.

After work, she and Kendall took the train to their parents’ house. They were overdue for a visit, and Lexie needed to pick up a dress to wear on Saturday night. Their apartment was small, and she’d had no need to keep anything formal there.

Kendall had offered to come with her, and Lexie gratefully agreed. She’d rather visit home with her twin than alone. For all her issues, she and Kendall had their mother in common, and it was easier to deal with her with someone by her side.

They sat side by side on the train with Waffles in a pet carrier, when Kendall took her by surprise. “I met someone,” her sister said.

Lexie whipped her head around and looked at her sister, whose cheeks were flushed a healthy pink. She stared at Lexie, waiting for a response.

“Where?”

“At the gym. I was getting off the elliptical, and this cute guy walked over and asked if I wanted to grab a shake at the snack area. We talked for an hour and had so much in common.” Kendall turned, one elbow on the top of the seat back behind her. “We’re going out on Saturday night.”

“Oh! What’s his name? What does he do for a living? How do you know he’s … I don’t know, safe?” All the immediate questions floating in her brain spewed out of her mouth before she could censor herself.

“Could you just be happy for me for once instead of hounding me and questioning my judgment?” Kendall snapped.

Lexie blew out a long breath. “You’re right. I just… I worry.”

Was it smart for her sister to be going out on a date with a guy she’d just met? Was she in a place where she could pick out the good from the sleazy? Lexie curled her fingers into a fist but said nothing.

Kendall tucked a leg beneath her. “Fine. His name is Jay, and he’s in the middle of complicated negotiations with his partners in some company. I can’t remember the name. Anyway, until they work things out, he has free time on his hands, so he was at the gym during the day.” Kendall met her gaze. “He said I have pretty eyes,” she whispered, a dorky smile on her face.

No doubt about it, her sister was smitten. “You know I just want what’s best for you, right?”

“I do and I love you for it. Trust me, Jay’s a nice guy.”

Lexie hoped so. Before she could respond, a voice announced their stop. “This is us. Ready?” she asked, pushing herself to a standing position.

“To visit the old homestead? Sure thing.” They shared a knowing gaze, neither one of them wanting to address the sad truth.

Nobody knew what to expect from Addy Parker. Although their father knew they were coming, not even Wade knew what mood his wife would be in at any given time.

*     *     *

“My girls!” Wade
Parker hugged Kendall and Lexie in turn and in no particular order.

“It’s so good to be home,” Kendall said, letting Waffles out of his carrier. The dog immediately ran to Wade, jumping up and down for attention, which their father immediately gave. They’d already walked the dog after getting off the train, so Waffles was good to tag along with Kendall toward the kitchen.

Lexie glanced toward the curved staircase in the center hall colonial leading up to the master bedroom suite. No sounds came from above, and she wondered if her mother was in a darkened room or downstairs somewhere. Her father’s silence on the subject didn’t bode well.

She picked up her pace, joining her sister and dad as they reached the kitchen. The room had been remodeled since she’d grown up here, but more so her father could keep the house current and up to date than because her mother needed a place to cook. Tonight her father had dinner waiting. He’d brought in from a local restaurant that they’d favored growing up. Which meant her mother was definitely incapacitated.

With a sigh, she pasted a smile on her face and talked with her father about his work as an investment banker, which eventually turned to him questioning Lexie about her new job.

“So how’s the working world?” he asked as they sat around the table, eating chicken Marsala.

Lexie smiled. “I’m enjoying it.”

“Barnes isn’t making you crazy? I admit when Derek said he was the one who needed an assistant, I was worried. The boy’s got his quirks.”

“Really, Dad? Glass houses and all that. Who are we to judge anyone else?” she asked, immediately jumping to Kade’s defense.

“Whoa. I didn’t mean anything except facts. He’s difficult…”

“Demanding with good reason.”

“Obstinate—”

“Stubborn.”

“Peculiar.”

“He has idiosyncrasies.” Like anxiety and ADHD he tried to keep hidden.

From how he aligned the pens on his desk
any time they got out of order
to his fresh coffee, to the precise way his shirts were lined up in his closet—this she knew because she’d brought his dry cleaning to his apartment and had to hang them up. She’d taken the time to undo the plastic and put the clean shirts at exactly the same width apart like the others before leaving things just as she’d found them.

“Quirks,” she added. Adorable quirks, Lexie thought.

“Protective much?” Kendall asked, putting down her fork and staring at her sister. “Someone has a thing for her boss!”

Her father’s fork clattered to the table. “You do?”

“Would you both cool it?” Lexie said, her face flaming.

“She needs to pick up a dress for a formal event Saturday night. With her boss.” Kendall waggled her eyebrows.

Lexie shot her sister an annoyed glare. “It’s a business affair.”

“At least she admits it’s an affair.” Kendall laughed, the sound musical to Lexie’s ears. Especially when they were in this house, where laughter and true happiness were rare.

Ignoring the innuendo, Lexie decided to address the elephant in the room. “Where’s Mom?”

“She’s under the weather,” Wade said, using his old fallback excuse.

“You mean she’s upstairs in your bedroom, shades drawn, hiding under the covers,” Kendall muttered.

“Actually she’s sitting in the rocker,” he said, picking up his plate and heading for the sink.

The rocker was worse than the bed. If Lexie closed her eyes, she could hear the creak of the old chair as her mother pushed back and forth in an endless cycle.

“God, why can’t the doctors do something for her?” Kendall asked. Frustrated, she shoved back her chair and began cleaning the table with her father.

Although Lexie knew she should help, she quietly left the room and made her way upstairs, her stomach in knots. She walked slowly down the hall and pushed open the double doors to her parents’ bedroom, hearing the creak of the chair before she set foot inside.

“Mom?” Lexie asked into the dark room.

No reply.

She walked farther in and sat on the edge of the bed, on her father’s side, while her mother rocked in the chair. “Mom, it’s Lexie.”

More creaking noises from the chair.

Lexie curled her legs beneath her and sighed, as frustrated as Kendall that they no longer had their mother around. Over the years, they’d had less and less of Addy and more of … this.

She wanted to be able to tell her mom about Kade, just like she’d wanted to talk to her when she’d lost her virginity after her prom and decided she was really in love with John. But her mom had been
under the weather
, and her father hadn’t wanted her disturbed.

“I’m falling for my boss,” Lexie said out loud, just to see if she could get a rise from her mother.

Nothing.

With a lump in her throat and the same old lead weight on her chest, she rose to her feet and walked out of the room.

With Kendall, no matter how bad things got, there was a flicker, a spark of personality, someone and something to fight for. Her mother was long gone, and Lexie feared her father hadn’t faced that fact yet. When he did, he’d have to consider putting her in a home where she could get more specialized care—and he could go on with his life. If such a thing were possible.

She walked back downstairs, not wanting to draw attention to where she’d been or argue with her father about upsetting her mother. He was so overprotective of her it wasn’t an easy balance for Lexie to deal with.

As she approached the kitchen again, she heard the sound of raised voices, her father and sister, arguing.

“I said no. I already gave you money to buy interview clothes. I can’t imagine you need more.” Their father rarely raised his voice, so Lexie assumed this conversation had been going on since she’d walked out.

“Dad, please. It’ll be the last time. I promise. I just really need—”

“What?” Lexie asked. “You really need what?” She stepped into the room.

“Nothing. It’s between me and Dad.”

“Of course it is,” Lexie muttered.

Lexie glanced at her father, who guiltily looked away. Well, at least the shopping bags had an explanation; however, she doubted her sister had been buying
interview clothes
.

When they both remained quiet, Lexie threw her hands up in frustration. She headed to the table only to discover they’d already cleaned up.

“Your rooms are available if you want to stay over,” her father said as if nothing was wrong.

Which was the story of her life. Sweep everything under the rug and pretend. “No, I think I’ll pick up what I need and head back to the city.”

Kendall pouted. “Well, I think I’ll stay.”

Probably to spend more time pressuring their dad for cash. Lexie shrugged, fed up with all of it. “Suit yourself.”

Feeling suffocated by this house, the people in it, and the painful memories, she needed to get out of here.

A little while later, the dress she’d worn to her father’s big formal company Christmas party was packed up. She added a pair of sexy heels and dressy jewelry she didn’t normally need and headed back to the city.

Alone.

Lexie stepped off the train at Penn Station after dark and decided to splurge on a taxi instead of taking the subway uptown by herself. Depressed from seeing her mother, and particularly down after getting confirmation that her sister’s excessive spending wasn’t under control, which meant her illness wasn’t either, Lexie’s emotions were at the surface.

She felt raw, fragile, and alone. The only person she could turn to for understanding was her father, and clearly he was having his own challenges dealing with her mom and sister. Sometimes she was angry with him for keeping her mother at home, for not trying harder, for giving Kendall money … and other times she felt sorry for him because in addition to a full-time job, he had to juggle his wife’s and his daughter’s problems.