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.
It wasn’t like she thought she could do a better job. Hell, Kendall lived under Lexie’s roof, and she couldn’t keep track of what her sister did when Lexie wasn’t around.
She really didn’t want to go home to the empty apartment, where she’d do nothing but dwell on her frustrations and worry about her family. Waffles wouldn’t even be there to greet and distract her, but she had no choice. The only person she wanted to be with, to talk to, was someone she wasn’t close enough to warrant calling … just because she needed a friend or an ear. But she still had to fight the urge to give the driver Kade’s address, because she believed he’d understand her sadness and frustration.
Which was odd, considering they were just beginning to test the idea of a relationship outside the office. Because she still was worried about mixing business and pleasure. And because she just knew her personal life, her sister, mother, father were all ticking time bombs waiting to explode and drag her under, ruining everything in her life she cared about. Including Kade, should she let him near.
After a difficult night’s sleep and a lot of tossing and turning, Lexie woke up Saturday morning, an entire day of beauty appointments ahead of her. Although it was hard, she had no choice but to put last night behind her and focus on today. She’d splurged on a spa day. She had appointments for a massage, manicure, pedicure, spray tan, waxing, and hair before having her makeup professionally done at Saks Fifth Avenue.
By the time she returned home to get dressed, she felt like a princess, never having treated herself quite this way before. To her relief, her sister wasn’t home when she returned. Of course, she experienced a healthy dose of guilt, as well, for feeling that way. Waffles was nowhere to be found, so maybe her twin was still at her parents’ place.
No matter, Lexie had a date to finish getting ready for and a man she couldn’t wait to see.
Chapter Eight
Saturday night with Lexie felt like it was weeks away instead of only one night. Kade’s mind whirled with all the problems he was worried about, and instead of focusing on his upcoming date, he obsessed about Julian’s vendetta. At times like this, he missed his regular workouts, where he could count out reps, one soothing number after the other. But thanks to his damned hand, he was sidelined. Lifting weights didn’t just bulk up his muscles, it calmed him during times of stress, and he had a lot of tension to work out. So he’d turned to the treadmill, but he had a hard time quieting his brain. And he ended up running … and dwelling—fuck, he was obsessing—about his one-time friend and his threat to Kade and his company.
So far, the investigator his partners had hired had come up empty on anything about Julian’s current life to use against him. According to the PI, Julian was currently clean, working the program … and coming after Blink’s money. The guy was digging deeper into Julian’s recent past. Unless they came up with something to counter his ex-friend’s threats, they’d have to pay him big money for his minimal role in Blink and to keep quiet, something Kade wasn’t willing to do. All of which left him antsy and out of control.
Kade didn’t like when life wasn’t manageable. Orderly. Under his direct command. As a young kid, he’d thrown tantrums and acted out when he felt frazzled and overwhelmed, which resulted in his father soothing him with things. Whatever money could buy. As an adult, Kade had developed subtler techniques to handle his emotions and anxiety.
Upon entering college, he’d been unwilling to admit he needed help, instead trying to tackle his issues himself. He’d minored in psychology in a search for answers, and his studies had allowed him to accept that he had difficulties that necessitated therapy and medication. Too bad his parents hadn’t taken the time to figure that out when he was younger, but there was no point dwelling on the past now.
Derek and Luke joined him at the gym Saturday morning, where he ran hard, and they talked about everything but Julian and their potential business problem. His friends understood they were helping Kade work out his stress, and they needed to do the same. They might have his back, but their futures were at stake too.
The one bright spot in his day was an event he might otherwise find a reason to bail on and cut a nice check instead. He supported the MHA without reservation, but he wasn’t in the mood to socialize with people. He was, however, in the mood to spend the night with Lexie.
He hired a car for the night, dressed in the tuxedo he tried to wear as little as possible in any given calendar year, and gave the driver Lexie’s address.
He’d planned to pick her up at her apartment door but instead found her waiting downstairs at exactly the time he said he’d arrive.
She was dressed in a white dress with an off-the-shoulder contrasting black band; the hem fell high in the front, revealing her gorgeously tanned legs and black sandal heels. The dress skimmed her luscious, mouth-watering curves. And her hair fell over her shoulder in long curls, making his fingers itch to wrap themselves around the long strands and tug while he kissed her bright red mouth.
She took his breath away. Every long minute he’d waited to see her this weekend had been worth it, and as he climbed out of the car to greet her, a single red rose in his good hand, he needed a second to steady his breathing and calm his sudden, burning need.
“Lexie,” he said, walking up to her. She glanced up at him and smiled. “You look gorgeous.”
A pretty blush stained her cheeks. “Thank you.” She reached up and straightened his bow tie. “You dress up nicely yourself.”
She slid her hand down his lapel, and it was all he could do not to grab her small wrist, pull her against him, and let her feel the depths of his desire.
He extended the rose, the same color as her lips, the flower the only means he could come up with to convey he was glad she’d agreed to join him.
“Thank you. It’s beautiful.”
“Not as exquisite as you.” He couldn’t stop the compliments, and when she smiled radiantly, he didn’t want to. “Are you ready to go?” he asked in a roughened voice.
She nodded.
He held out a hand, and she placed her palm against his. A shock of electricity raced through him at that simple touch, and he curled his fingers possessively around hers, leading her to the open car door. He helped her into the backseat.