Tease Me (15 page)

She crossed her arms. “You don’t fight fair,” she said stubbornly, but the daggers,
both of defiance and pain, were gone from her eyes.

“I don’t want to fight at all.”

“You also have a twisted way of making an apology, assuming that if I am not hard
on myself, I’d be a hypocrite to be hard on you for making the same mistakes.”

He smiled. “I hadn’t planned it that way, but since you mentioned it …”

“I’m not sure on either score,” she said sincerely. “I’ll let you know.”

“Understood. Thinking things out isn’t a bad way to go when you have that luxury.
I do want to help you.”

“How? By making me walk away from the whole
thing and stand by while Minerva gambles away a goodly chunk of her life’s savings?
I’m sorry, I can’t do that.”

“Slow down a second. I only pointed that out because it needed saying. You need to
understand all the possibilities before you can plan the most effective strategy.
And one of those possibilities is that nothing we do or say will stop this from happening.
In the end, it is her decision. You have to face that, deal with that first.”

Her expression fell; her shoulders slumped. “You’re right.” Her voice was low. “I
just want to do the right thing for once.”

He did touch her then, a whisper of a caress over her hair and down her cheek. “Lainey,
look at me.”

She did. The glassy sheen of her eyes made his heart ache.

“We’ll figure something out.” He’d never meant anything more in his entire life. First
he had to erase those tears. He let a small smile kick up the corners of his mouth.
“I can always break Damian’s kneecaps, if that would make you feel better. I know
it would make me feel better.”

She laughed and sniffed at the same time. “If I thought it would stop him, I’d take
the first whack.”

“You have no idea how hard it was for me to stand there and listen. I—”

Color flooded her face. “You heard it all?” She waved her hand. “Never mind. What’s
a little more humiliation?”

“What is there to be humiliated about? You made some decisions that didn’t turn out
so well. Madelaine Cooper isn’t perfect. Who is?”

“It’s more than that, Tucker. I jump first, think about the consequences second. Most
people learn from their
mistakes, but I seem destined to make mine over and over.” Her lip trembled as she
looked at him again. “I’ve made a mess out of a lot of things in my life. Even coming
to Florida was a way to escape things that were getting too hard to deal with. Since
I’ve gotten here I’ve tried to think more responsibly, act after giving a situation
a thorough going-over. And then along comes Charlie, and I think I’m being nice to
the twins by seeing him, and he turns out to be a nice guy, very low-key. Everything
about him screamed safe. So I jump at his very nice and low-key offer to help invest
my money. And I almost land in jail. The IRS will be paying close attention to me
for years. I’m a business major, for goodness’ sake, and I couldn’t see through tax
fraud.”

“Maybe you saw what Charlie wanted you to see, a nice man who was trying to help a
newly single woman expand her investment base. Weasels come in all shapes and colors,
Lainey. You can’t spot them all.”

“So what was my excuse with you?” She blushed but kept her chin tilted in determination.
“I made the appointment, again for the twins, although I had no idea they were matchmaking.
And even when I knew I was in trouble—”

“Trouble?”

She glanced down, then back up, a half-smile darting around her mouth despite her
embarrassment. “Let’s just say I was already a bit uncomfortable with the whole idea,
and my immediate reaction to you didn’t exactly make me feel more secure.”

Tucker grinned, scooped up her hand, and resumed their walk. In silent agreement,
at the first corner they turned right, away from Main street and the café. “Continue.
I’m liking this conversation.”

“I’ll bet.” She was silent for a few seconds, and he was about to tell her to let
it go, but then she continued. “Anyway, I was all set to get the hell out of there,
but you looked so damned relieved that I—”

“Slid onto my massage table and almost made me explode. Do you have any idea what
you in that towel were doing to me?”

She smiled, her cheeks pink, but her eyes were gleaming. “Thank you. But it still
doesn’t change the fact that I acted on impulse. Again.”

“Well, you were hardly in danger of being hurt or hurting anyone else. I don’t think
getting a massage qualifies as a mistake.”

“It’s symbolic of my personality, Tucker. It’s proof I haven’t changed.”

“I still don’t see why you think you should.”

She sighed. “Well, I do. My reasons for coming to Florida might not have been the
most admirable, but I’ve found a home here, a place where I feel I belong, with people
I care about and who care about me. And now something is happening that can hurt the
people that mean the most to me. I can keep that from happening. I need to. It’s the
responsible thing to do, Tucker.”

“Tracking Damian down and confronting him isn’t the responsible way to handle this.”

She pulled him to a stop. “And going undercover as a masseur is?”

“Touché,” he said with a smile. “But that proves my point. We do what we think is
right, and sometimes, when our hearts are involved, we don’t think clearly in our
rush to help.” He stepped closer to her. “Trust me, I get within ten feet of you,
and my brain turns to mush.
The harder I try to get you to trust me, the harder you push me away.”

She didn’t say anything at first. He watched her wet her lips. He bit his to keep
from kissing her.

“I wanted to do this on my own,” she said finally. “I need to learn to trust myself
again first. You’re right, confronting Damian might not have been the smart thing
to do. But I’d already talked to Minerva, and she’s not budging. I didn’t see that
I had any other avenues.”

So I’m a last-ditch effort?”

She sighed heavily. “I don’t know what you are.”

“Ouch.” He rubbed a hand over his heart. “At least you’re honest.”

“I’m not trying to hurt you, Tucker. See what I mean? I can’t even ask for help without
bumbling it.” She blew out an exasperated breath and looked away.

“Lainey.”

“What?” She didn’t look at him.

“You want my help but not me.”

She turned to him. “That’s not entirely true. I like you, Tucker. I’m attracted to
you. I won’t even discuss what I want because your head would just swell up.” At his
wide grin she blushed hotly. “Don’t
even
go there,” she warned.

He raised his hand. “Not me. Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a scout.”

“How can you be so sure?” he said, looking wounded. When she merely raised an eyebrow,
he relented. “Okay. See, you can, too, judge men.”

She rolled her eyes. “Only you can turn everything into a life lesson for Lainey.”

“Just trying to help.”

She grew serious. “Can you? Just help, I mean?”

“If that’s all you want, yes.”

“It’s all I can handle right now.” There was honest pain shadowing her eyes.

“Then that’s all you’ll get. Right now.”

EIGHT

“I think Lillian will be more than pleased.” Tucker shook Stephan’s beefy hand and
handed him one of Lillian’s salon cards. “I’ll tell her to expect your call.” The
hulking Swedish masseur nodded, then disappeared into the men’s locker room.

Quite pleased with himself, Tucker strolled across the Fairmont Hotel lobby and made
himself comfortable in one of the deeply cushioned loveseats. He kept his eyes on
the entrance’s revolving doors. Lainey was due any second. They’d parted that afternoon
on the agreement to meet for dinner and a discussion regarding the situation with
Damian and hopefully find some solutions. Tucker had put the intervening time to good
use. Excellent use, he thought, allowing himself a smug smile. He’d spent a good deal
of the time on the phone in his room, tracking down people who might be able to help
him get more information on Mr. Damian Winters and the Greensleigh Knolls project.
He’d also contacted one of his former clients who happened to be an international
investment broker.

Tucker had been so flush with his success rate, he’d decided to go for broke and solve
his dilemma on how to end his employment at Lillian’s salon. His smile grew to a grin
as he imagined Lillian’s reaction to his replacement. Yes, he’d had quite a day.

A flash of green caught his eye. Lainey. She pushed through the doors and all thoughts
of Stephan massaging Lillian’s blue-hairs fled as he watched her stop and scan the
crowded lobby. Her hair was sexy, all wavy and wind-tossed. His fingers curled with
the need to touch her. She wore a jewel-green tank-top dress that hugged her slight
curves and bared enough leg to make him swallow hard and shift in his seat.

All his accomplishments shrank to a minuscule pile of nothing when stacked against
the one accomplishment he’d yet to achieve: finding a way to earn Lainey Cooper’s
full and complete trust. And if he somehow managed that miracle, he’d go for broke
again and shoot for the big prize: capturing her heart. In the time since he’d sold
MMSI, his plans had been vague at best, but he’d assumed he’d figure out new career
and location first, then start working on friends and, if he was lucky, family.

It wasn’t happening quite the way he’d planned. His new life was planning itself.
He had to decide to play or pass.

Tucker Morgan wanted to play.

He allowed himself the additional aching treat of watching Lainey turn in a slow circle
as she continued to look for him, then he stood while he could still do so and retain
his dignity and waved. “Over here.”

She turned, immediately spied him, and smiled. His heartbeat sped up and his pulse
throbbed. As she walked toward him, he thought how wonderful it would be to
wake up to that smile every morning and come home to it every night. Yes, he definitely
wanted to play. And when he played, he played for keeps.

“Hi, I didn’t see you,” she said.

“I was practicing being a superspy.”

Her skin was a little flushed from the evening humidity, her eyes sparkled, her smile
was sincere. Just friends, he reminded himself. He’d keep his hands off her—for now—if
it killed him. He gestured to the garden restaurant located in the atrium, which was
visible at the top of the floating central staircase. “Shall we?” With a quick nod,
she proceeded him up the stairs. Watching the quiet sway of her delectably showcased
hips, he gripped the gold-plated handrail to keep from grabbing her and thought he’d
be lucky to make it through appetizers.

He’d reserved a private table in the outside patio garden overlooking the gulf. “Is
that okay with you? It should cool off soon, and I understand the sunset view is not
to be missed.”

Her smile faltered a bit, but he kept his firmly in place. He wanted to play, but
that didn’t mean he had to play fair.

“Sounds nice,” she said with just a touch of cool reserve.

“I thought it would give us some privacy.” At her questioning look, he added, “Considering
the topic under discussion, I thought keeping a low profile was a good idea.”

“You’re probably right.” Her expression smoothed, but there was a wariness shadowing
her eyes now. He wasn’t sure if it was the mention of their reason for being there
or because she doubted his sincerity. Probably a little of both, he thought.

They were seated in a small alcove with ferns and tropical flowers providing a subtle
screen from neighboring tables. Bougainvillea and clematis trailed along the balcony
railing, and beyond that all that was visible was the sparkling sun-tipped waters
of the gulf.

“Nice place,” she said as she slid her linen napkin from her plate.

“You’ve never eaten here?”

She laughed. “It’s a little steep for me. You’re staying here?”

He smiled at her skeptical tone. “For the time being.” Now was not the time to mention
the real estate agent he’d also spoken to that afternoon.

“You must have guarded some fairly exclusive bodies.” She smiled apologetically. “Sorry.
That was tacky of me.”

He shook his head, thinking he’d actually enjoy talking about his former profession
with her. “If by exclusive you mean demanding, overbearing, and generally pains in
the rear, then yes, that defines my former clientele pretty well.”

“Is that why you quit? You didn’t enjoy it?”

“I didn’t say that.”

She smiled. “Which part?”

“Both. I loved my job. In fact, it was my whole life. Which is why I no longer do
it. I ran my own company with a friend. He died several months ago from a heart attack.
After that, I sold it.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said quietly. “Please don’t feel like you have to—”

“No, I don’t mind. In fact, other than a brief interrogation by Lillian, I haven’t
really talked about it to anyone.”

“I’m all ears.”

Not hardly, he thought, fighting to keep his eyes on hers and off the soft curve of
her lips, her slender neck, and the sweet slope of her tanned shoulders. He stopped
doing inventory and pulled his thoughts back to the topic at hand. Her expression
told him that she was serious about wanting to listen. And that was a good thing,
because he had an undeniable need to tell her … everything.