His Secretive Lover (The Thorpe Brothers) (9 page)

Cricket’s phone rang at that moment and their work day started.  Just because their boss was out of the office didn’t mean there wasn’t work to be done.  Cricket worked through the stacks of invoices on her desk, diligently ensuring they were all accurate and in the system to be paid.  When she finished that stack, she pulled the second one forward, refusing to
give in to the feeling of being a gerbil running around on an exercise wheel but never making any progress.  This was what she wanted, she told herself.  There wasn’t anything more normal than accounting. 

As she worked through her tasks that afternoon, her mind was frantically working out what she was going to do about dinner tonight.  She’d told him that she was going to meet him, but that had been this morning.  At that point, she’d had every intention of calling him up and canceling, then figuring out how to be away from her house so he couldn’t find her there either.  It was a cowardly instinct, but she hadn’t figured out a better plan. 

She sat in her office, contemplating her options.  What she should do was just send him a message telling him that she wouldn’t be able to meet him for dinner.  No explanations, no apologies.  She should simply break off all communications with him. 

But she knew that she couldn’t just leav
e him hanging like that.  He deserved better treatment than that.  She wasn’t just attracted to him like crazy now.  She respected him.  She’d listened to him while they’d conversed and she suspected that he really was a brilliant, powerful lawyer and a good man.  Those didn’t come around very often. 

It took her forty-five minutes to reach the restaurant, but only because she had to go around and backtrack.  She suspected that she saw her father at one point, but she wasn’t certain.  By the time she arrived at the restaurant, she was flustered from walking so much and she was later than she’d anticipated.  She stopped in the lobby, hurriedly slipping her running shoes off and putting her heels back on so Ryker wouldn’t notice that she’d walked most of the way.  She suspected that he would be furious with her about that and she didn’t want to argue with him. 

She was just turning around to speak to the hostess when Ryker stepped forward.  One eyebrow was raised as he watched her shove her running shoes into her black bag. 

“I just needed some exercise,” she told him. 

Ryker’s eyebrow actually went a little higher and she bit her lip, hoping he wouldn’t question her explanation.  Because it didn’t really make a lot of sense.  Especially since he could have driven both of them, or she could have.  They were right across the courtyard from each other.

No, this wasn’t going to work, she told herself as she followed Ryker and the hostess to their table.  When the waiter had taken their orders and disappeared once again, Cricket leaned back in her chair, knowing she had to end this but not sure how. 
She was becoming a yoyo, she thought miserably.  One moment, she wanted to jump into his arms, the next moment she was so flustered at the idea of her father catching them, she was trying to figure out how to end the relationship that had barely started.  She was a mess!  She’d never been this pathetic before!  Her father was driving her nuts!

She took a deep breath, ready to start the discussion but at the same moment, the wine steward arrived with the wine Ryker had ordered.  She snapped her mouth shut and waited as patiently as possible while he went through the whole wine pouring process.  When he was gone and they were once again alone, she took a long sip of the excellent wine
.  When she set it down again, he was already waiting for her, obviously knowing she had something to discuss. 

“We can’t see each other anymore,” she finally said and then closed her eyes at how horrible that statement came out.  She opened them again, trying to gauge his reaction.  Oddly, he didn’t look upset or irritated. 

“Why is that?” he asked, leaning forward and looking at her across the linen covered tablecloth.  The candlelight made his face look more angular, but softened those angles at the same time.  Even his ice blue eyes looked lighter somehow. 

Cricket tried to come up with a reason that would make sense, but how does one tell a
magnificent, sexy, confident man that her father wouldn’t approve of him?  In Ryker’s case, the idea was ludicrous. 

“It’s complicated,” she finally blurted out. 

“So un-complicate it and give me your reasons.”  He took a sip of wine.  “It obviously isn’t that we’re not attracted to each other.”

She flushed red with that comment since he was right.  It was very hard for her to deny that she was attracted to him when she couldn’t seem to stay out of his arms.  And every time he held her, she was ravenous for him.  “No.  I think you’re right about that being obvious.” 

“So what’s the problem?”

Cricket held her wine glass as if it were a lifesaver.  “I don’t really have a traditional background,” she said, knowing that wasn’t enough of an explanation, but she wasn’t sure what to say next without revealing something that would put him in an awkward situation and her parents in prison. 

“Tell me about it,” he encouraged patiently.  When she still hesitated, he started to tell her stories about growing up as the oldest of four boys.  Cricket was so captivated by his stories, she forgot to get him to understand why she couldn’t see him any longer. 

“So when your parents died, all of your brothers were already in college?” she asked, fascinated. 

“Yes.  At various levels and all over the country.”

“And you flew out to each of them to tell them the news in person.”  She’d already figured that out from some of the other things he’d said.

“Yes.  And brought them all back for the funeral.”

“That must have been hard since they were in the four corners
of the country.  How did you do it in time?”

Ryker smiled slightly.  “Despite our growing years and the antics the three younger ones got into during high school, they’re all pretty responsible.”

“So they just got on the plane with you and came back?”

“Basically, yes.”

She nodded her head, more impressed with him every time she spoke to him.  “And you were dealing with your own grief the whole time.” 

“Getting my brothers back home helped a lot.”

“And now you all work together.  How did the four of you end up becoming lawyers?”

He smiled, remembering some of the arguments in their household about the subject.  “We might all be lawyers, but
we specialize in different kinds of law.  For instance, Xander does family law, which basically translates into him being a damn fine divorce attorney.”

She cringed, thinking of what kind of an impact that would have psychologically on a singl
e man.  “So he sees the worst in most relationships, doesn’t he?”

“Yes.  I didn’t want him going into that area.  I knew it would be hard on him.”

“What kind of impact has it had on him now?  He’s a year younger than you, right?”

“Yes.  But he’s twenty years more cynical about marriage and relationships.  And he’s in love with someone but won’t go near her because he’s afraid it will turn out like the marriages he’s hired to help end.”

“I guess some of his cases become pretty bitter, don’t they?”

Ryker nodded sagely. 
“Some of them, yes.  There have been physical battles he’s had to break up when the husband and wife start tearing into each other.”

She cringed, pictur
ing the problems that would create.  “Why did he choose to go into that area anyway?”

“He dated a lot of girls in high school and college, several of whom weren’t…” he hesitated, trying to come up with the right way to express Xander’s female problems. 

“Moral?” she offered, starting to see the issue.  “Honest?  Ethical?  Are you trying to beat around the bush and tell me that he dated women who cheated on their boyfriends?”

“Not intentionally.  At least not at first.  Xander was the kind of guy who is c
harming and laughs a lot.  Women are drawn to him like flies to honey.  And he loves them all right back.  But when he discovered that some of them had promised themselves to another guy, he was devastated that he’d broken up their relationship.  He had a sort of….reputation for being…”

Cricket smiled
, realizing he was trying to be honest but still keep his brother’s confidences.  “Good in bed?” she offered again.  “Like you?”

Ryker winked at her but nodded.  “My dating habits would be pathetic when compared to Xander’s previous lifestyle.”

She nodded, knowing that would be a hard place to be.  “But your other brothers are okay, right?”

Ryker smiled.  “None of us wanted Ash to get into criminal law.  But he’s just as stubborn.  He wanted to help the underdog.”

“And what happened to him?” she asked.

“He got his eyes opened.  He’s still an excellent criminal defense attorney but he doesn’t have that doe eyed idealism he once had.  He takes a lot of pro-bono cases though.  Especially when he hears that someone is being beaten down by the legal system and can’t afford a good attorney.”

“And does that cause friction among the four of you?” she asked, already knowing the answer.

“Not at all.  We all take pro bono cases.  More than we’re required to take but we back each other up.  Especially when there’s a personal issue involved.”

The waiter took their dinner plates away and she felt slightly bereft, not sure what to do with her hands now.  Eating the meal had acted as a sort of buffer.  And Ryker had carried the conversation while trying to demonstrate that he’d also had a non-traditional upbringing.  But he had no idea what he was getting into with her family.  Now she fiddled with her wine glass, wondering how to completely break things off with him. 

“Anyway…” she started to say.  The waiter interrupted her once again with the largest, most decadent piece of chocolate cake she’d ever seen.  And it wasn’t just a chocolate cake.  There was fudge, chocolate whip cream
, more fudge and dark, chocolate cake that looked so moist it might as well have been fudge or pudding.  “You didn’t,” she breathed, her mouth already watering just at the sight of the dessert in between the two of them. 

“I did,” he teased and handed her one of the forks the waiter had placed next to the plate.  “You looked stressed about pretending you don’t want to see me anymore.  I thought this might help break through the tension.”

Cricket couldn’t believe how rich and amazing the dessert tasted.  With her first bite, she closed her eyes as if she were in heaven.  “Oh my,” she sighed.  “This is amazing!”

He took a bite as well, chuckling at her glazed ove
r eyes.  “I’m glad you like it.”

They sat there and ate the dessert and Cricket loved every decadent, fattening moment of it.  “I’m going to have to run a few extra miles tomorrow to work this off,” she said as she leaned back in her chair and wiped her mouth delicately with her linen napkin. 

Ryker signed the check the waiter had brought.  “I’ll make sure you don’t have to run those extra miles,” he said and took her hand, lifting her out of her chair easily. 

Cricket grabbed her purse and followed, not sure what he meant by that statement.  But as soon as they were in the lobby and he’d handed the valet his ticket, he took her into his arms and kissed her.  This one wasn’t anything like the other two they’d shared this morning.  It felt more powerful, more deliberate.  And she melted just like the chocolate, clinging to him as if he were the only
normal part of her world. 

The valet cleared his throat, standing awkwardly behind the two of them. 

Ryker pulled away, a satisfied look in his eyes when he noticed that her eyes were glazed over once again, this time from his kiss and not the chocolate cake.  “Let’s go,” he said and took her hand, handing her into his luxurious car. 

They were already driving away by the time Cricket could think properly.  “Where are we going?” she asked, nervous all of a sudden. 

“We’re heading to my place,” he said and took her hand, bringing it over so that their fingers were intertwined, but the part that made her mind go blank was the way he laid their hands on his thigh.  She could feel the muscles move every time he switched from the accelerator to the brake.  She didn’t realize she was doing it, but she stared at their hands, or at his thigh, the entire way out to his place.  Since he lived relatively close by, it was a fast trip.  The next thing she knew, he was pulling into a garage, and then she was in his arms.  She didn’t even hesitate when he lifted her out of her seat, his expert hands already dispensing with her seat belt so she could land on his lap. 

The moment he touched her in private, she was out of control. 
She couldn’t worry about her father or possible prison issues when Ryker touched her.  The differences in their backgrounds faded to nothing.  She’d wanted this all day long.  From the first moment he’d touched her this morning, she’d been craving his touch.  All those sensors that had been suppressed after her father’s visit woke up fully now, more demanding than they’d ever been. 

The first time they’d come together, it had been frantic and demanding.  This time, there was an urgency that she couldn’t slow down.  In the back of her mind, there was the possib
ility that this might be the last time she saw him.  She needed him.  All of him.  Now!