04 - Born to be Wilde.txt (21 page)

There was no easy way to couch the ugly, disturbing truth, so he didn't even try. "Because Zach used the life insurance policy on you as collateral for a loan so he could gamble some more and get himself out of debt," he said bluntly. "Except now he's in deeper shit than before and his 'friends' are demanding payment, or they'll go straight to the source to get it themselves."

Lora's eyes widened in disbelief and her hand fluttered to her throat, her fingers pressing against the red mark still visible on her neck. "And that's me. Dead."

"Yeah, that's usually how those insurance policies work," he said grimly.

"Oh, God," she breathed. Stunned, she sat down on the sofa, then her gaze cut to his. "And all this time, you knew."

It wasn't a question, but a statement of fact. "Yeah, I knew. Zach called me a few weeks ago and told me everything. He knew those guys were going to come after you eventually, and he asked me to watch over you until he could get the money together to pay back the loan."

She swallowed hard. "How much does he owe them?"

"Over fifty grand," he said, and watched her complexion pale even more.

She was quiet for a long moment, and Joel gave her the time to process everything he'd just told her. He'd always known that she was a strong, capable woman, but her relatively low-key reaction to learning that her brother pretty much sold her life to enable his gambling habit proved it. Most people would have been frantic, hysterical, and emotionally distraught, yet here Lora sat, trying to sort out the facts. He couldn't help but admire her for that internal fortitude and her ability to remain calm in the face of such devastating news. However, he also suspected that this was the calm before the storm, that soon her composed demeanor would shift to a very justified anger.

"So," she said, a small, pained smile on her lips. "Our meeting at The Electric Blue wasn't some kind of coincidence, was it?"

He shook his head. "No, it was planned."

"Oh, wow." Lora exhaled a deep breath, feeling as though her world as she knew it had tilted on its axis. And in a big way, it had, considering nothing had been as it seemed.

But knowing the truth now explained so much. Like Joel's single-minded pursuit in order to stay close to her. His resisting the attraction between them because it went against that code of honor of his when their meeting had been based on a pretense. But there were other questions, important ones, that still remained unanswered.

She glanced back at Joel, who stood just a few feet away, his arms crossed over his wide chest and his expression as guarded as his attitude. Last night he'd been her rock, her anchor in a very stormy, turbulent sea of shock and confusion. Now, he looked like what she knew him to be… her protector, a man who'd promised her brother that he'd watch over her. And he was back to taking that job very seriously.

"Why didn't you tell me about Zach's debt and my part in it?" she asked.

A muscle in his cheek ticked, and he scrubbed a hand over the dark stubble on his jaw before answering. "Because I promised Zach that I wouldn't tell you the truth."

Judging by the reserved look in his eyes, she suspected there was more to that simple reply than he was letting on. "Why not?" she asked curiously. "Wouldn't it have just been easier if I knew what I was up against?"

"Hell, yeah," he said with a dry little laugh. "If you knew, last night with those thugs never would have happened. I'm sure of it."

"So why keep everything a secret?" she persisted.

He hesitated, his reluctance to reveal that part of his agreement with Zach nearly tangible. Then, he obviously decided that honesty at this point was the best option. No more lies between them. "There's two reasons, actually. First, Zach didn't want you to know what he'd done, because he was afraid this would be the final straw for you when it comes to him, considering this isn't the first time he's gotten himself into this kind of situation."

"As upset as I am about Zach's gambling addiction and what he did with my insurance policy, he's my brother and I love him. Nothing will ever change that, but it's so clear that he needs professional help."

"Yeah, he does," Joel agreed gruffly.

"And the second reason?" she asked, wanting to hear it all.

"I owed Zach for saving my life in Iraq." His eyes grew dark and shadowed, and uncompromising. "If that meant promising him I wouldn't tell you that your life was in danger while protecting you, it was a small favor to agree to, considering what he did for me."

Lora stared at Joel in shock. Her brother had saved his life? Good Lord, what had he endured in the military? What had Zach gone through, as well? A huge lump formed in her throat, and she spoke around it. "What happened?"

"Look, this conversation isn't about me," he said, pushing aside her too-personal question to redirect the discussion back to business. "It's about you and keeping you safe until Zach gets his shit together."

Lora knew it was a very real possibility that her brother wouldn't be able to come up with the fifty grand, or more, that he owed. Which meant not only her life was in danger, but Zach's as well. And that thought was enough to make her feel physically sick.

Knowing she had to do whatever she could for Zach, she stood up and approached Joel with her idea. "I have over twenty-five thousand sitting in a savings account that I've accumulated over the years. I've been putting it away so I could use it to open my own spa one day, but if that money means helping Zach get out of the trouble he's in, then I'm willing to use it for that."

Joel's brows rose incredulously. "Just a few hours ago you told me that you've bailed him out of similar situations before. And now you want to do it again?"

"He's in trouble, Joel, and he's my brother," she said, a little angry that he'd question her solution.

"You don't get it, do you?" He jammed his hands onto his hips and moved closer, so that he was in her face and being brutally honest and straight with her. "You're enabling him, Lora. Making it okay for him to go and do it again. He's got a huge problem, an addiction. Just a few minutes ago you said that he needs professional help, yet here you are, ready to bail him out again!"

She felt tears of frustration burn the backs of her eyes. Frustration and fear for Zach's life, she knew. "He can't get professional help if he's dead!"

The tension riding across Joel's broad shoulders eased, and his voice softened, too. But not his words. "Those people are still going to want the rest of the money, Lora."

"I'll take out a loan," she said, desperate for some kind of solution.

Joel shook his head sadly. "I'm not going to let you do that. You have to understand that Zach's behavior has become a vicious cycle, Lora. Unless you make him accountable for his actions somehow, instead of making it easy on him every single time he finds himself in a bind, then this gambling addiction of his will never end."

As much as it pained her, she knew deep down inside that Joel was right. It was hard to accept that truth, even more difficult to let her brother find his way out of this mess alone. "There has to be something I can do."

As if understanding her dilemma, he closed the distance between them and rubbed his hands down her flannel-covered arms, his caress as gentle and caring as the look in his eyes. "Right now the best thing you can do for yourself, and for Zach, is to keep yourself out of harm's way. That said, I don't think it's a good idea for you to return to work, at the spa or the bar, until this is over."

For her, that wasn't an option. "I don't intend to cower or hide, or keep myself cooped up for who knows how long." She lifted her jaw stubbornly, refusing to back down on the issue. "I have a life, and I have a job that means a lot to me, and there's no reason for me to take a leave of absence. Now that I know what's going on, I'm not going to do anything stupid like I did last night. Besides, didn't you promise Zach you'd protect me?"

He narrowed his gaze at her, and his arms dropped back down to his sides. "Yeah, I did, but I'm not Superman, Lora. It's difficult enough being responsible for someone without them making themselves a direct target." He paced away from her, then spun back around. "You saw what those men were capable of, and while I don't plan to let you out of my sight again, there are things that I can't anticipate, or that are out of my control, that can happen."

"I'm not a coward, Joel," she said, and meant it. "Sure, those men scared the hell out of me, but I've never run or hidden from anything in my entire life, and I'm not about to start now. If they want me bad enough, they'll find a way to get me, whether it's on the street with you, or in my apartment. I'm not changing every aspect of my life just because I'm afraid."

He studied her for a long moment, then, obviously realizing that there was nothing he could do or say to change her mind, he exhaled a long, harsh breath. "Fine."

She relaxed, grateful that that particular fight was over. "Thank you. Now that we've settled that argument, I'm going back to bed to try to get some sleep." As if. But she felt so drained and exhausted, emotionally and mentally, and crawling back under the warm covers held immense appeal.

"Lora, wait," he said when she started to leave the living room. "There's something else we need to talk about."

She faced him again, and immediately knew by the reserved look in his gaze, coupled with the gruff, direct tone of his voice, that their conversation was about to take a more personal, intimate turn. She steeled herself for what he was about to say.

He didn't disappoint her. "About last night—"

"Don't." She cut off his apology before it could leave his lips. "Don't you dare say you're sorry for what happened between us last night."

Even though she now understood why he'd resisted her overtures for so long, there wasn't anything about being with Joel that she regretted. He might have been sent to protect her, but the feelings between them were real.

"We're both adults, and I knew exactly what I was doing when I asked you to make love to me," she went on before he could interrupt her. "And we've already had the discussion about your position on sex, relationships, and how you don't like messy emotional attachments, so we don't need to go that route again. I get it, Joel, and I'm not going to start making demands or become some kind of clingy female, so don't worry about it." Unfortunately, the dull ache in her chest contradicted those words, made a mockery of what she knew to be true.

She was falling in love with Joel Wilde, a man who liked things uncomplicated and commitment-free, and truly believed he wasn't capable of giving a woman what she craved beyond physical pleasure. Yet last night he'd been everything she'd ever needed in her life, everything she'd yearned for as a woman, and so much more. The desire between them had been mutual and real, soul-stirring, and deeply, irrevocably emotional.

And he obviously didn't have a clue. He was a typical, stupid, stubborn man when it came to admitting anything that had to do with his feelings or emotions. And she wasn't one to push or cling to false expectations. She'd learned with her last relationship that you couldn't force someone to love you back.

"I wasn't going to apologize," he said with a frown, clearly not happy about her tossing his own lecture right back at him. "But it won't happen again."

She knew exactly what "it" referred to, and though his abrupt about-face didn't surprise her, his steely resolve made her all too curious. "Because?"

"Because my attraction to you is too damned distracting, and it gets in the way of my job of protecting you," he admitted roughly, and dragged his long fingers through his tousled hair. "I need a clear, focused head, and thinking about having sex with you isn't conducive to maintaining a sharp and alert presence. That's what got you into trouble with those men last night. My mind wasn't one hundred percent on the job, as it should have been, and I'm not about to make that same mistake again."

She held back the smile threatening to curve the corners of her mouth. At least he'd admitted to their attraction, even if he was now trying to do the honorable thing by establishing a more professional relationship between them in order for him to keep her safe from harm. That he had to physically and mentally remove himself from the temptation of sleeping with her again said a whole lot about Joel and his true feelings—that sex with her hadn't been easy, casual, or forgettable like every other affair he'd ever had. Because if last night had been all about pure gratuitous sex, he'd be taking advantage of the no-strings-attached fling instead of scrambling to put distance between them, as he was attempting to do right this second.

She could tell him that by not sleeping with her he'd be twice as distracted, but decided to let him figure that out on his own.

For now, she'd let him have his way, and she'd respect those professional boundaries of his. For now, she'd let him believe that their involvement had been a one-night deal, a result of heated passion and the need for her to replace bad memories with more pleasant sensations.

And maybe, if she was lucky, when this situation was over he'd realize that there was more between them than just incredible lust, sizzling desire, and one night of sex.

Chapter Eleven

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"SINCE you've never been to Santori's, I can personally guarantee you're in for a real treat."