Our Little Secret (3 page)

At least now she knew why Meg had passed on any romantic involvement with Drew Creighton. The man was a butthead of the first degree.

Lauren had nearly forgotten Gerald was there until he stirred at Drew’s words. “Now, Andrew, I told you Meg’s not like that.”

“You don’t know Meg well enough to say what she’s like, Gerald.” He spoke sharply, without taking his eyes off Lauren.

She fumed. “And you don’t know her at all. You want to know why this marriage is such a bad idea? The way I see it, an older man—much older—used his position and wealth to seduce a gullible young woman into his bed.” She only stretched the truth a little. Knowing Meg, Lauren had no doubt it was a mutual seduction. “Then he talked her into a marriage that would give him some classy arm candy to show off at banquets and parties, and even better, on the campaign trail—voters love candidates with pretty wives, don’t they?—while still keeping her available
in his bedroom. Maybe Meg believed he’d give up his other women for her, but I’m not that naive. She’s just another conquest.”

She expected him to be furious at the picture she’d painted of his father, but she didn’t care. They both knew it was true.

Drew nodded. “Dad does have a reputation as a ladies’ man,” he agreed, undisturbed.

Lauren bristled. “Is that the politically correct term? I do listen to the news, you know. The man’s a tomcat!”

Drew nodded again. “Yup. I wonder what sort of sexual tricks it took to maneuver him into giving up two decades of happy bachelorhood. Your sister must be pretty skilled in that area.”

She narrowed her eyes at him and willed her nephew to burst into flames.

Drew stared back, serenely unaffected.

That made one of them.

Confusion fogged her mind. As irritating as Drew was, talking about possible sexual antics had sidetracked her brain. The sharp blue gaze that fastened on hers should have been cold and intimidating, but an unexpected heat began building inside her. Something had to be wrong with her.

Maybe it was a lack of sex. Meg’s phone call had upset her, and she hadn’t kept her usual Thursday evening date with Jeff, which meant canceling one of their biweekly sex nights. Two sessions a week of making love in Jeff’s bed had always been enough for her, but she could be wrong. Maybe she needed more. Or maybe she’d thrown her hormones out of whack worrying about Meg. That would explain why she kept
having all these conflicting thoughts about Drew.

She had to admit, though, if the man weren’t such a jerk, he’d be every one of her fantasies come true. Family loyalty rated high with her, not to mention being quick-witted and handsome as sin. Just like Jeff, she assured herself. Except Jeff’s body was a little softer, and she couldn’t imagine calling him handsome as sin. Handsome, yes, but in a safer, more… bland way. She couldn’t figure out what it was about Drew that gave his looks a dangerous edge. Maybe it was the intensity in his gaze, or maybe the way his smile had a mischievous slant, making her wonder about things she had no business wondering about.

She caught Drew watching her with frank curiosity and realized she’d sucked her lower lip between her teeth while staring thoughtfully at his mouth. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks.

“This is not helping,” she said.

Gerald stepped closer and placed his hands on his hips. “Arguing over motives isn’t getting us anywhere. We still don’t know where Meg is.”

“Yes, we do.” Drew turned his attention toward Gerald. “She’s on her honeymoon.” The heat inside Lauren waned as soon as he said it.

She looked at Gerald, too. Anything to avoid meeting Drew’s eyes. “No, she isn’t. Meg wouldn’t have told me to drop everything and come here just so she could sneak out of town.”

“I agree,” Gerald said.

His approval gave her enough courage to risk a glance at Drew. He raised his eyes in silent appeal to the heavens, apparently at their misguided loyalty
to Meg. “Okay then, where is she and why can’t we reach her?”

Frustration surged through Lauren, pulling her to her feet. “How should I know? But I’m not leaving until I see her. My sister thought it was vitally important that I come here today. And I’m glad I did because I plan to convince her to disassociate herself from the Creighton family as soon as possible.”

It was much easier to meet Drew’s eyes when she glared.

He smiled. “Well, Aunt Lauren, at least we agree on one thing—my father’s marriage to your sister is a mistake.”

She gritted her teeth. “Don’t call me that.”

“But I’m beginning to like the sound of it.”

Gerald threw his hands up. “Oh, for crying out loud! Will you two behave?”

The reprimand, coming from such a slight young man, carried a surprising amount of authority. Lauren gave him a sheepish smile. “You’re right.”

“The voice of reason.” Drew stood, an act which, however unintentional, dramatically reduced Gerald’s presence in the room. “It looks like we have no choice but to wait for the happy couple to show up. So what do you say we make ourselves comfortable? I’m willing to play nice if you are… Lauren.”

Since he dropped the Aunt, she forced her lips into a brief, upward curve. “Works for me.”

He smiled back with seemingly genuine pleasure. Probably at the prospect of having several more hours to insult her sister.

“We’ve forgotten our manners, Gerald. Lauren is
our guest.” Drew turned back to her. “Can I get you anything?”

It was about time someone asked. “Yes. Food.”

He grinned, a look entirely too erotic for comfort. “Right this way.”

Lauren spent the next hour eating her way through soup, a sandwich, and a large slice of pie. She tried to clean up, but Gerald shooed her out of the room along with Drew, who seemed no more familiar with Senator Creighton’s kitchen than she was. Growing up with money, he was probably used to having cooks make his food.

Meg still hadn’t shown up, or even called. Neither had Senator Creighton.

Lauren stood at the senator’s leaded glass living room window, brooding over the darkening Georgetown street. She felt Drew enter the room.

“I just tried his office again. They haven’t heard from either of them, but apparently it’s not unusual for my dad to be out of touch for a day or two. He has an active, uh, social life.”

Lauren nodded without turning and crossed her arms. At least he was keeping her updated without dropping further insinuations about her sister’s loose life and shady motives.

“Why don’t you try your sister’s cell phone?”

“I did. I’m still getting her voice mail.”

He was silent for a moment. “Would you like to watch TV?”

“No, thank you.”

Another short silence. “How about—”

Lauren spun around. “Stop being so nice to me. It’s
like someone’s died and you’re afraid to say the wrong thing.”

Drew ducked his head and scratched at a lock of dark hair on his forehead, but she thought he hid a smile behind his arm. “Sorry. Would you like me to say something insulting about your sister?”

“That would certainly sound more like you,” she grumbled.

He bit his cheek, and this time she was certain it was amusement he held back. It made her feel a little better to know he was laughing at her. No one laughed at tragedies.

“You were starting to look as worried as Gerald,” Drew said. “Is it unusual for Meg to change her plans without telling you?”

Lauren shot a hard look at him, wondering if he’d known the answer before he asked. “No, unfortunately, it isn’t.”

“Not the responsible type, eh? Just takes off on a whim and never considers that someone might worry?”

She shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t push it, Creighton.”

He didn’t try to hide his enjoyment. “It bugs you, doesn’t it, having to be the responsible one? The one who has to clean up her messes?”

How did he do that? It was like she had the words written across her forehead:
Good sister and martyr.

Lauren straightened her spine. “There’s nothing wrong with being responsible. It shows consideration and maturity.”

Drew laughed. “Spoken like a true adult.”

His superior act was getting on her nerves. “I’m
thirty-one years old, Drew. I
am
an adult. And so is Meg. She has a wonderful career just like an adult, and she pays her taxes and her bills like an adult. It’s just that sometimes…” Her voice ran down along with her temper. “Sometimes she doesn’t act like one.”

Admitting Meg’s faults to Drew made Lauren angry and depressed all over again. She turned back to the window. Why couldn’t Meg just pull in the driveway so Lauren could yell at her, talk her into a divorce, then go back home?

“I’m willing to bet Meg is acting like an adult right now.” Drew’s suggestion cut through her dark thoughts. “I’ll bet she and my dad are holed up in some cozy hotel room, drinking champagne like adults and screwing their—” He stopped with a mild look when she whirled around. “What? A little
too
adult for you?”

A succinct two-word response had barely formed on her lips when he stopped her with an outstretched hand. “Wait, don’t say it. I wouldn’t want to be the one to spoil that proper image. Maybe we should just change the subject, forget about the honeymoon couple for awhile.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t talk at all.” She stalked past him, but he caught her by the arm, pulling her around to face him. She should have looked at him with all-out fury, but a pleasant shiver accompanied his touch, and heat flared through her when he pulled her close. She had no idea her body craved physical contact so much. It wiped the intended fury out of her mind, and she looked at him blankly.

“Hang on, Lauren.” With his free hand Drew rubbed at his forehead until the lines of frustration
eased. “Look, I’m sorry. It’s Meg I’m angry with, not you. I actually admire your sense of loyalty.”

“Really?” she said, dripping sarcasm. “I couldn’t tell.”

He chuckled softly and it reverberated inside her like a hundred butterflies taking wing. “Feisty. I like that about you, too. And I really do understand. If someone accused my sister of”—he cleared his throat—“bad things, I’d be just as protective as you are. And just as worried.”

His expression suddenly became sincere. Damn, he really meant it. “Thanks.”

“The problem is, you’re all wound up, worrying about your sister while she’s obviously not sparing a thought for you. Why don’t you cut yourself a break? Let Meg live her own life, make her own mistakes.”

He’d hit the bull’s-eye with that one, and it shook her nearly as much as the touch of his hand on her arm. She had to fight to keep her voice steady. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fine, we won’t.”

“Let go of me.”

His gaze flicked to his hand, then back to her. He didn’t release her.

Oh God, that shook her more than anything; he felt something, too. She couldn’t look away from his eyes. Something wavered in their blue depths, something that transferred itself to her body, settling in her stomach. It was fluttery, but nice. Something she’d never felt with Jeff.

Lauren sucked in a breath. “Jeff!”

Drew’s lip twitched. “It’s Drew.”

“No!” She pulled her arm from his unresisting hand
and held up her ring finger. “My fiancé, Jeff.” She wiggled the finger at Drew, who gave it a puzzled glance.

“Yes, a diamond ring. I see it.” He squinted. “Barely.”

“I forgot to call him. I said I would as soon as I got here, and he’ll be wondering what happened to me.”

“Ah. Another person you look out for? You could tell him the truth, that you were distracted by… events.”

Earthshaking events. She pretended not to understand even as the heat rose in her cheeks. “He won’t understand,” she said, twisting the ring nervously on her finger, already formulating an explanation.

“No, I guess he wouldn’t. Because you would never be that irresponsible.”

Stung by the rebuke, Lauren raised her eyes to his face and found it much too close to her own. Taking a quick step back, she pressed her mouth into a stern line. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I wouldn’t do that, Lauren.”

Not Aunt Lauren. Lauren. Distracted by how different that one softly-spoken word could sound, she didn’t realize he’d lifted his hand until she felt it against her cheek. She froze, eyes wide, as he stroked a light path down the side of her face.

“I could never make fun of you. In fact, I find I’m taking you quite seriously.” Two fingers lingered beneath her chin for one long moment during which the world might have tipped off its axis for all she knew. Something about him affected her equilibrium and made her head swim.

Another something that never happened with Jeff.

The thought stirred her. She took another step
backward, causing Drew’s hand to fall away. She swallowed. “I have to go now.”

“Okay.”

“To call Jeff, I mean.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I’m going upstairs. For privacy.”

“Okay.” He raised an eyebrow and waved. “’Bye.”

“’Bye.” She stumbled, turned, and darted toward the stairs.

Lauren spent the rest of the evening in the guest bedroom, too humiliated to face Drew. And too scared.

Talking to Jeff didn’t help. She couldn’t answer his questions and didn’t care to hear his demands.

“When will your sister stop these crazy games and grow up? Her wild impulses interfere with my life as well as yours. They already ruined tonight’s dinner with my parents. Aren’t you tired of putting up with this kind of nonsense?”

“Yes, I guess so.”

“You
guess so
?” Jeff’s annoyance came through loud and clear.

“It’s just that I’m not sure it’s nonsense. Meg asked me to come, nearly begged me. She should be here. But she’s not, she’s missing, and she doesn’t even answer her cell phone. No one knows where she is. I can’t help thinking something might be wrong.”

“What’s wrong is that you’ve let Meg’s problems affect our lives again.”

Lauren’s brows puckered with irritation. “I don’t see how Meg’s disappearance affects your life, Jeff.” Unless he was missing their Thursday night sex date, too. The possibility took her by surprise. She liked to
think that wanting her more would make him irritable, but she wasn’t sure, since he’d always been uncomfortable talking about sex.