Miss Congeniality (13 page)

“Hello,” she drawled.

“Hey, sleepyhead.”

“You left me,” she grumbled.

“I figured I would let you sleep a bit, go home and get changed, and then call you for brunch.”

“I don’t know.” She suddenly felt shy, unsure of what last night and this morning had done to their relationship. She wanted to be with him and he wanted to be with her, she had no doubts about that. However, there was a shit storm going on in South Carolina with Alex which could potentially affect her, and by default him, if he continued to stay with her.

“You do know. Don’t pull away from me like you did after last weekend. Just say yes, and I’ll be there in thirty minutes. We need to talk about us, and all the shit which went on last night.”

“Why do you sound like the girl in this relationship? All you want to do is talk, talk, talk,” she teased.

“I’ll show you how much of a girl I am later tonight. But to answer your question, I try to think of myself as the rational one. You clearly want to stick your head in the damn sand, but fortunately for you I am not going to let you.”

“Whatever.”

“And I told you about using that word, especially given the immense vocabulary you possess. Thirty minutes. I’ll ring the doorbell this time.” He was so bossy. She shouldn’t do what he said, but she marched her happy ass straight to the shower, eager to see him again.

He took her to a little café for brunch outside on a patio, where she decided to gorge herself on pancakes and sausage. She needed comfort, and pancakes were always her go-to food when she needed comfort.

“So, have you thought about what you’re going to do about Alex?” he asked after they placed their orders.

She sipped her coffee. “Not really. I feel like I should go there and support him. He’s my brother, but I’m so damn nervous it’s going to come out in the media. Does that make me a selfish bitch?”

“Some people will think you are.”

She wasn’t expecting that one. “Thanks for that.”

His lips turned up slightly. “You didn’t pick me because I would lie and tell you what you wanted to hear. Some people will feel you’re selfish if you don’t support your brother now. Some people will judge you from what you come from and that your mother and brother have been doing drugs. But I want you to consider something else. Would it have made a difference toward Alex’s trial if you were there the whole time? Or are you just feeling guilty because you weren’t there when he was doing drugs?”

She seriously considered his question. “I don’t know. Maybe I should have had Alex come with me when I originally left, but he was so determined to stay with my mother and try to help her. But she was too far gone; even as a little girl I knew that. She has always been into drugs at the expense of her children, selling her body to feed her poisonous habit. Alex always felt responsible for her, and he knew I had Derrick and Sylvia so I didn’t need him as much.

“I agree with all of that except for one statement. You still needed your brother, regardless of whether you had your aunt and uncle.”

“He protected me when it counted,” she argued.

Lance ran his finger down the side of her face. “I know he did, but maybe the person he really needed to protect was himself. And I’m not trying to change the subject, but you should know something else since we are dealing with the nitty-gritty. Last night and this morning meant a lot to me. You shared some heady stuff and I shared a story with you which few people know, because I want a relationship with you. I want to see where this can take us, and I have a feeling you do, too.” They waited while the waitress brought their food, not wanting personal information to be shared with the media. Most actors adopted this mechanism early on, not knowing if any snippet of conversation could become media fodder.

“I do. What you did for me last night was huge, and I feel the same way you do. But I don’t want to drag you into my mess.”

He laid his hands on the table. “Hey, I’m in here, I hope, for the long term. I will support you a hundred and ten percent, and know if I have any power to protect you, I will do so.”

She reached her hand across the table, and he linked her fingers with his. “That means more to me than you’ll ever know.”

“Did Derrick say anything else?”

“He said they are doing early trial stuff, nothing too heady right now.”

“Well, maybe you should talk to him again today, see what he says, and then make a decision. Or you could always do something behind the scenes, like hire his lawyer.”

“Good point. I think I’m going to call him today and see what he needs. I want to be there to support Alex, regardless of what happens, but I also have to worry about me, too.”

“Understood.”

“Thank you.”

He lifted their joined hands and kissed the back of her hand. “No problem. We’re in this together now. Good or bad, you’re stuck with me for the foreseeable future.”

She had stuff to do, but she still wanted to see him tonight. “All right, I have to get some stuff done today, including calling Derrick, but I really want to see you later. What are you doing tonight?”

“You.” There it was. No hesitation, just a simple statement of fact, which caused Brea to melt.

“W
hat did Derrick say?” Lance asked when they sat down for dinner at her house. They had spent the afternoon apart, partially so she could make some calls and run some errands, but mostly because she wanted some space from Lance. She sat the parmesan chicken on the table, recalling her earlier conversation with her uncle.

“Unfortunately, not a lot of good information. Apparently, Alex beat the shit out of his dealer, but he’s not telling Derrick why. According to Alex, he had smoked some crack earlier in the day, but he wouldn’t say what set him off.” They worked together, her putting the sautéed vegetables on the table while he got the glasses and silverware.

“I don’t know what to do.” She threw up her hands in defeat. “He’s not talking, and Derrick said he spoke with someone in the DA’s office who said they want to make an example out of someone because of the rising occurrence of drug-related crimes. They don’t care he beat up his dealer. They care he was high when he committed the crime.”

He poured her a beer as they sat down at the table together. “Does he have a lawyer?”

“He currently has a public defender, but I told Derrick to get him a lawyer. I told him I wanted the lawyer’s lawyer. I would be paying for it, but I want someone who could help Alex get out of this.” Lance stared at his plate like he wanted to say something.

“What are you holding back?” He looked surprised she could tell and told her as much.

“You just look like you want to tell me something, but are too afraid to do so.”

“What if he really is violent?”

“What are you talking about?” She took a bite of chicken, moaning in appreciation.

“If your brother beat the shit out of his dealer, are you sure you want him out?” She put the fork down, wiping her mouth with her napkin before she answered.

“You don’t know my brother, so I’m going to give you that. But I can’t believe the same person who used to carry me so I wouldn’t step on dirty needles wanted to kill his dealer, which means something happened to cause him to react violently. The other thing, which is part of the reason why I have been considering going home, is because he needs to go to rehab.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but what if he doesn’t want to go to rehab? He hasn’t before.” Lance was voicing the same fear she had, but she refused to say it aloud.

“You think I’m being too optimistic, don’t you?”

He smiled sadly. “I don’t want you to be hurt.”

She blew out a deep breath, staring at the ceiling. “I know. And if I had my choice, I wouldn’t want to be hurt either, but I can’t sit by and let my brother be lost. Derrick said he was doing all right until about three months ago. He wasn’t doing drugs, just mainly watching out for Mom, but something happened several months ago which made him start, which makes sense because that’s about the time he stopped taking my phone calls. I thought it was me, or he was too busy, but I should have known something was wrong. I failed to be there when he needed me before; it’s not going to happen again.”

He slid his hand across the table, rubbing his thumb over her hand while she talked. “I get it; I’m just saying you need to be prepared for the worst. Hope for the best, plan for the worst.” She nodded, taking a drink of wine to ward off the tears she felt coming.

“Thank you for that. We’re just going to have to wait and see. Derrick said the next big hearing would be in a couple of weeks where Alex will enter his plea. He has the possibility of being bailed out, but I told Derrick that was up to him. I would put up the money for it. I just want it to be okay.”

“It will be. It may not be what you want it to be, but it will get better. You’re just going to have to give it time and stay in touch with Derrick.”

“I know, and I can’t do anything else for Alex tonight. Now I just want to focus on us.” She shook her head, trying to shake off the bad mood she was feeling. “I seem to remember someone at this table making all these sexual promises, which I haven’t seen come true.”

He sipped his drink, watching her over the rim of his glass. “Are you telling me I didn’t give you an orgasm today?”

“I’m telling you that you promised me more than an orgasm, and I haven’t been able to collect.” He leaned over, taking her fork from her hand and putting it on her plate.

“I’ll give you something to collect.” He took her hand and helped her out of the chair.

“What about dinner?” she asked while he walked her backwards toward the stairs.

He raised an eyebrow. “You got a microwave?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll heat it for you later.” She pulled her hands from his when they reached the stairs.

“Fine,” she said dramatically before leaning in as if she wanted to kiss him. Lance grinned, enjoying the game, and reached for her. “Race you.” She shoved him, catching him off-balance because he wasn’t expecting it, and took off up the stairs laughing. He quickly made up for lost time, taking the stairs two at a time. Lance caught up with her in the room, tossing her on the bed before he lay on top of her, propping his elbows on either side of her head. He looked down at her, breathing heavily from her recent running, and brushed the hair from the side of her face.

“So, you’re running from me now?” He leaned down, kissing her neck while she leaned her head to the side to give him better access.

“I have to keep you on your toes.” She tried to put her arms around him but he grabbed her hands, pinning them above her head with one hand. He took his other hand, sliding his finger across the space above her jeans where her shirt had ridden up. He dipped his finger in the waistband of her jeans, causing her to lift her hips instinctively.

“You always keep me on my toes.” He watched as blue eyes grew stormy with desire, knowing they wouldn’t be stopping tonight. She lifted her head, letting him know she wanted a kiss, but he shook his finger to symbolize no.

“Uh-uh. You ran away from me, so now you don’t get what you want right away. But I, on the other hand, get to drive you crazy.” She slid her leg up his calf, wrapping it around his hips before she lifted into his erection. “How about you give us what we both want?”

“Oh, I will.” He released her hand so he could lift her shirt up to remove it. He kissed the top of her breasts, reaching behind her to unclasp her bra. He cupped her breasts when they spilled out, pinching the nipples to make them harden. Her quick intake of breath was the only indication she felt it, but she held his head when he started sucking on her breast. He concentrated on her breasts, pressing tiny bites along the sides. Pleasure and pain existed in the same place on an acute level, and never before had she felt herself wanting it to continue.

“Lance,” she moaned, not knowing how to voice that she wanted more.

“Gotcha, babe.” He lifted above her, moving down to unbuckle her jeans. With jerky movements, she helped him remove the rest of her clothes. He stood for a minute, taking off his shirt and pants while she watched him, liking how his six-pack met in a V before the trail of hair disappeared into his boxer briefs. She never wanted to be underwear so badly, wanting to feel him against her skin. He didn’t climb back over her body; instead, he held her legs apart while he slid her toward the end of the bed. His face disappeared between her legs, and the first stroke of his tongue had her arching her hips. She ground her heels in the mattress, seeking to get closer, while he simply laughed against her slit. The simple vibration drove her crazy, but it wasn’t enough for her simply to lie there. She wanted to touch him, to feel the hardness underneath her hands.