Shit Kickers & Stilettos (Heiresses In Aprons) (10 page)

Dade limped into the kitchen. His whole body ached. He tossed his cell phone on the counter and made his way to the sink. So much for being unbreakable. The screen was smashed and the back had cracked so bad it was barely holding the battery in. Luckily he had insurance on it. He added it to the list of calls he needed to make. Dade washed and dried his hands and face. He tossed the towel on the counter with a groan as his shoulder protested every movement, even the slightest.

The living room was the closest room with a soft surface he could stretch out on. And the fact that he could avoid climbing the stairs made it even more suitable. With slow easy measures he lowered himself
on the couch. As slowly as he could he eased back against the cushions and told himself after a few minutes he’d lie down. He heard the click of Rosie heels coming his way and found the strength to smile.

She paused in the hall and called his name.
“Dade?”

“In here.” Darn, just calling out hurt.

She came into the living room and stopped in front of him. Normally his manners would have dictated that he got to his feet, but his body demanded he stay right where he was. She propped her hands on her hips and tapped the toe of her shiny hot pink shoe at him. He wasn’t in the best mood for whatever was about to happen, but one look at her and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to avoid it either. It was best to just let her get it out of her system.

“Have you been crying?” He did his best to hide his pain from her.

“Where the hell have you been?” She asked not confirming or denying his assessment.

“Out.”
He wasn’t about to dump his horrible day on her when she was obviously already upset.

“I tried calling you to tell you that I’m going into the city.”

“Sorry I’m having trouble with my phone.” It was true, but a major understatement. “You’re leaving?”

“Yes.” She nodded.

Dade knew he looked okay as long as he didn’t move. Still he had kind of hoped she’d see him in this condition and offer to take care of him, but that meant he’d have to tell her what had happened. With her uncle’s accident still so fresh he assumed she’d be really angry that he’d been so reckless. In his own defense he hadn’t meant to flip the quad runner over. He knew he was lucky to walk away without any serious injuries. Dade assumed he was going to be sore for a few days and most likely be sporting a couple of nasty bruises, but every once in a while it was good for the soul to go a little wild. It might be best for him to recuperate a little before she found out

“How long are you going to be gone?” He wished he had the balls to say don’t go.

“I was thinking just for the night, but maybe longer.” She lowered her gaze to her feet making him wonder if she was hiding something.

He didn’t like her tone.
“But not more than the allotted time?”

“Yeah,” her gaze snapped back up to his. “I’ll be back in plenty of time.”

“When are you leaving?” He didn’t want her to go at all, but at least she wouldn’t be there to see him limp around.

She didn’t answer as she walked over to the big bow window, then back to him. “Did you know before Mr. Grest told you?”

“Told me what?” He was too tired and sore to play head games.

“That this whole thing,” She waved her hands in the air. “Was my uncle’s attempt to get us together? Were you in on it?”

“No. Well, I had an idea what he was up to, but Grest confirmed it at the funeral. Did he tell you?”

“No. I found an envelope hidden in the back of the bookshelf behind his books. It had pictures and a letter for each of us.” She stomped away her heels tapping out a quick rhythm.

Dade hoped she didn’t expect him to jump up and follow her, though he probably would of if he could’ve. Instead he sat there until she came back. She held out a couple of pictures and a letter with his name on it. The muscles in his back, arm, and neck protested, but Dade lifted his hand and took them from her.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me.” Her accusation was full of contempt.

“How would you have liked me to do that? Should I have just said ‘hey Rosie your uncle is making us live together hoping we’ll fall madly in love and stay together forever’. You would have thought I was crazy. And just remember that I tried to stop you from doing this right from the start.”

“Does his wanting us together have anything to do with what has been happening between us?”

“Hell no! I don’t think your uncle planned for us to be boinking like rabbits without some kind of commitment.” Dade didn’t hold back his grin when he added, “Actually I’m pretty sure Teddy would have kicked my ass, or hired someone to do it.”

“But you knew he’d approve so you went along with it?” It was the first time he heard anything like a whine come from her.

“No.” He let out a heavy sigh. “I tried like hell to fight it. Teddy warned me you were a force of nature that no man could resist. I guess you proved him right.”

“Please.” She rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Exactly. You didn’t have to do anything besides just be who you are.”

Rosie shook her head. “Are you going to read that?”

“Not yet.” It would take more energy than he had right now. “I’ve had a busy morning I’m going to go take a shower. When are you leaving?”

“Now.
I already have my stuff in the car.” That bite in her tone he didn’t like was back, but harder this time.

“Can I call you tonight?” Asking felt funny after how intimate they’d been lately.

“Why?” With that one word she pierced his heart.

“Because if I don’t hear your voice before I go to
bed, I won’t be able to sleep.” Damn as he came up with the excuse he realized it was true. “I’ll be up all night worrying about you, instead of dreaming about having you in my arms.”

“Fine.
You can call,” She gave him her permission, but she didn’t sound happy about it. “But I want you to know that this charming act of yours isn’t going to get you off the hook. You should have told me so we were both going into this knowing full well what Teddy’s plan was. Things have changed and I’m going to use this time to reevaluate what’s happened and where I think things should go from here.” With that she turned and started to walk away.

Dade shoved the pain out of his mind and pushed himself up off the couch. It took him three long painful strides to reach her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to a stop. She turned and looked up at him. The blue in her eyes seemed brighter, and there were streaks of red on her cheeks. Whether with passion or anger it gave her a fierce sexy edge.

“I don’t like the way that sounded.” He closed the distance between them making her tilt her chin up higher to keep her gaze locked on his.

“Too bad.
You’ve kept something important from me for four months. We’re going to be together for another eight weeks. Then who knows what is going to happen. I’m not going to sit around and wait to see what my uncle has planned for us. I’m going to be ready with a plan of my own.”

“Damn it Rosie.
Us living together was his idea, and it turned out to be a good one. He couldn’t have manipulated our emotions, or pushed us into having mind blowing sex. Unless we were both willing none of this would have happened.” Dade had figured out a couple of weeks ago that going with Teddy’s plan made falling for her unavoidable, but he’d keep that tidbit to himself.

“Willing or not I feel duped.” Her lips formed a kissable pout.

Dade instantly decided he wasn’t going to let her lay all the blame on him and Teddy. “You’re not that naïve. You had to wonder what Teddy was up to.”

“I did,” His gaze dipped to her breasts as they rose and fell with her sigh. “And you knew and didn’t tell me.”

Rosie reached out and put her finger under his chin and pushed his head up. Dade brought his gaze to hers.

“I’m sorry.” He knew he was going to be saying that for a while.

“Yeah, so am I.” She tugged her hand free and walked away.

Dade wasn’t in any condition to chase after her. And he figured it was probably best if he didn’t. He headed for the stairs. A hot shower and tube of pain relieving cream might help ease his tight muscles. Tonight after she had some time to calm down he’d call her and plead his case again. When he reached his room instead of going to the bathroom he went to the window. He was just in time to see her car drive way.

He closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the cool glass. Teddy might have screwed him by asking him to agree to this one last request. He had to know they’d both say yes. And he had to know that Rosie was smart enough to figure it all out sooner or later. It was hard to believe since he hurt everywhere, but his heart ached most of all. As he walked to the bathroom he wondered if he’d lost Rosie before he really had a chance to win her.

Rosie refused to cry. It
would be a waste of good tears on a bad boy. Nothing good ever came from that. Still she had to admit Dade hadn’t really lied to her, because she’d never come right out and asked him what her uncle’s plan was. She might have tiptoed around it though. So basically he’d only omitted what he’d known. And he hadn’t tried to use it against her in any way. Her dilemma lied in the fact that she wasn’t sure about his feelings for her. Could he really be doing all this out of reverence for Teddy? Or did he really have feelings for her? Rosie needed to find out the answers to her questions, and damn quick too.

As promised she called Nicolette as she pulled up in front of her building. She left her stuff in her car and walked the six blocks to the gallery. A black town car pulled up just as she reached the door. The driver got out and opened the back door. Dressed all in red from her boots to her leather jacket Nicolette emerged from the car. She smiled at the driver and he tipped his hat.

“New man?” Rosie asked not recognizing this one.

“I was visiting Nana and she insisted her driver drop me off. I think she was aiming to do a little
matchmaking.”

“He is cute.” Rosie might be hooked on Dade, but she could appreciate a little eye candy.

“I’m looking for something… more.” She opened the door and they both entered the gallery.

They exchanged cheery hellos with Monica and Francine the attendants. Nicolette led the way upstairs to her private office. It was also her work space. She walked over to an easel covered with a white sheet. Nicolette tugged it off and stood back letting Rosie get the full view. Rosie moved from right to left just a few feet getting different angles. Three little girls were tossing a ball and another was jumping in the spray from a sprinkler.

“Wow. It’s stunning.” Rosie stepped closer, and had to remind herself not to touch the canvas. “You really did go in a new direction. Where did you find the models?”

Nicolette picked up a small picture from
beside the painting and handed it to her. Rosie read the info on the back and gasped. She looked back to the easel with awe. She knew her friend was a good artist, but she always found new ways to amaze her.

“That’s you and your sisters. It’s so… personal and beautiful. You always avoid anything like that so no one will find out that you’re N.B. Harriet.”

“I know, but I wanted to give it a try. If I ever decide to come out of the closet I can give this to my parents.”

“You can give it to them
anyway, just tell them you had it commissioned.” Rosie would handle it all, because her parents deserved to have this.

“Maybe.
Now tell me why you look so pale. Have you been holed up with Dade and not getting any sunshine?”

The damn tears she’d willed away earlier flooded her eyes, so she quickly turned away. “I’ve been getting plenty of sun. I just put on a little too much powder.”

Nicolette grabbed her arm and dragged her over to the desk and practically shoved her into the chair. “You only put too much powder on when you’ve been crying. What happened? Did he get angry because you were coming to spend the night with us? Should I call and give him a piece of my mind?”

“No. Listen I’m going to tell you everything.” From the way Nicolette pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes ever so slightly Rosie knew that she didn’t believe her. “Really I am. I just wanted to wait until Sophia and Tiffany were with us too so I only have to go over everything once.”

“Grab your stuff.” Nicolette pulled her cell phone from her pocket.

She called Sophia and Tiffany and told them to get to Rosie’s. Rosie let hurricane Nicolette run her course and did whatever she told her to. As they slowly walked to Rosie’s building Nicolette would pause now and then to look at something in one of the shops along the way. It gave Rosie too much time to think about what she was going to say. It wasn’t like she was going to hold anything back, with them she never did. She was going to tell them everything. Hopefully they would give her some ideas on how to deal with the whole crazy situation. Rosie just needed to decide where to start.

Rosie was relieved when they finally reached her place. They stopped at her car and grabbed her bags. It felt kind of bittersweet to be coming home without Dade. If this is how it felt to leave him for a few days how was it going to feel to leave him forever? She unlocked the door to her loft and let them in. By the time she had her laptop and folders unpacked Nicolette had pulled the cork from a bottle of wine and put it on the counter to breathe. She and Nicolette had just started talking about a few of the ideas Rosie had for the Gallery when Sophia and Tiffany showed up.

Sophia got right down to business. “What’s going on? We weren’t supposed to meet until four?”

“Rosie is having problems with Dade,” Nicolette said as she took Tiffany by the arm and went into the kitchen.

“If you’re having problems I’m guessing things have gotten serious.” Sophia sat down and leaned to the side as Tiffany put large wine glasses on the table.

Nicolette put one in front of her and Rosie and started to pour the deep red wine into all four glasses.

Once Nicolette and Tiffany were seated at the table Rosie said, “I found an envelope hidden in my uncle’s office. His plan was for me and Dade to fall for each other. Dade knew.”

“And he didn’t tell you?” Sophia shook her head. “Big mistake.”

“Did you give him hell?” Tiffany asked.

“Yeah, but now what do I do? I mean he sort of lied to me, but that’s not what’s got me so…” She waved her hands in the air in front of her unable to put how she felt into words.

“Do you love him?” Nicolette asked.

Rosie gave a little shrug of her shoulders. “I have strong feelings for him. I’m just not sure what they are yet.”

“Does he love you?” Sophia asked and Rosie shrugged again. “Has he said it?”

“Not exactly, but even though I was as riled as a wet kitten he asked if he could call me tonight. He said he wouldn’t be able to sleep without talking to me first. I think he might have just been trying to use that charm of his to get out of trouble.”

“There’s only one thing you can do.
Nothing.” Nicolette sounded confident, but Rosie had no idea what she meant.

“Nothing?”
Tiffany asked saving Rosie from doing it herself.

“Yeah.
Nothing. If you’re not sure how you feel about him then do nothing until you are.” Nicolette had a point.

“Or until you’re sure how he feels about you,” Sophia added.

“Living with Dade for another eight weeks and not falling back into the easy routine we have is going to be really hard.” So hard Rosie wasn’t sure she’d be able to hold out.

“Yeah, giving up all that hot sex is going to be really rough. I guess you’ll need to make a decision and damn quick if you don’t want to spend what time you two have left at odds. There is an upside to this course of action. If it’s going to be hard on you just think how hard it’ll be for Dade. And I’m sure if you decide that you want to keep him that you could come up with a few ways to make it even harder.” Nicolette winked at her and Rosie groaned.

“If he loves you, and isn’t just trying to fulfill your uncle’s last wish, he won’t be able to hold out very long.” Tiffany could be right.

“We’re not saying ignore him completely, but it might not hurt to cool things down until one of you figures out how you feel,” Sophia explained. “You were probably thinking you were going to rush home in the morning. Well you’re wrong. You have forty-eight hours and you’re spending them with us.”

Nicolette added, “I’d say you’re not allowed to even think about him, but since we all know you’d do it anyway use the time to think about what it is that you like about Dade.”

“It might help you figure out what your feelings for him are before you make him confess his.” Tiffany picked up one of the folders and started flipping through the documents a sign that she was ready to get to work.

Rosie still had one lingering question. “Should I answer if Dade does call tonight?”

Her friends all looked at each other, but no one answered. Of course they would leave this choice up to her.