Solid Gold Seduction (The Drakes of California) (9 page)

Chapter 21

T
wo days later, Warren sat in the front seat of his father’s Lincoln, waiting curbside at Oakland International Airport to pick up his grandfather. They’d just pulled up when they saw the dark, distinguished gentleman pulling a carry-on bag.

Warren jumped out of the car. “There’s the man!” He met his grandfather in the middle of the sidewalk and gave him a big hug. “Let’s get you in the car and get going. At this airport they won’t let you idle for long.”

Once Walter was settled and buckled into the front seat and had exchanged greetings with Ike, he turned to Warren. “Did you remember what I told you before I left home?”

Warren chuckled. “You said that if you flew all the way out here and found nothing but gold dust to accompany that nugget, I’d owe you a thousand dollars
plus
all your expenses.”

“Well, after all the fuss my wife made at me coming out here...make that two thousand dollars!”

The men laughed.

“How is Grandma Claire?” Warren asked.

“Yes, how is Mama doing?” Ike echoed. “Is she still in denial about her arthritis?”

“Your mama told me that there was only one man in her life, and his name wasn’t Arthur!”

They burst into laughter again.

“She’s doing pretty good. Still making those praline pies and spoiling Reginald’s children.” Reginald was the lone married child in Ike and Jennifer’s clan, a point that Jennifer often made to the remaining siblings. “She also wants to know if y’all are all going to be down for Christmas.”

“That’s the plan.”

“I told her before I left that we might have some gold to put under the tree. She told me not to hold my breath.”

“Grandma Claire has always been pragmatic.”

“Yes, her common sense has kept these old feet on the ground and money that otherwise might have been squandered gathering interest in the bank!”

The men continued talking while driving to the Drake family home, where Walter would freshen up, and then travel on to the site that he demanded to see before relaxing. Warren looked left and right as Ike Sr. drove down the long, tree-lined drive of Drake Ranch, still marveling that his dream of a home on this spot of land was so close to reality.

“This is it,” he said proudly, placing a hand on his grandfather’s shoulder. “The new and improved Drake Ranch.”

“More like the one and only Drake Ranch, boy. Back when me and Charles owned it, it was called Northern California Dairy Farm.”

“Gee, real creative, Grandpa,” Warren drawled.

“We weren’t as concerned about the name as the money it would produce,” Walter countered.

“Let that be a lesson to you, son,” Ike Sr. cautioned.

Warren could only nod in agreement.

They pulled up to the wide drive area, next to where a couple golf carts sat idle. Warren had phoned Jackson while Walter freshened up at his parents’ house, so as soon as they drove up, he walked their way. Introductions were made before the men transferred to the golf cart and rode over to where the pool was being dug.

There, they met Jackson’s subcontractor, Tom, who’d stayed behind to watch over the area...just in case.

“Good to meet you, Mr. Drake,” Tom said as he removed his hard hat. “I think we might have something here. While y’all were gone, I took the liberty of sinking the bucket back down a time or two into the area where I’d found that first nugget. Then I handpicked through the dirt. Look what I found.”

He opened his palm and revealed seven little rocks, similar to the one Warren had showed his dad.

“We’re going to have to shut down your operation,” Walter immediately said. “Get a security team over here, and a group of men that we can trust.”

“You can trust Tom,” Jackson said.

“Of course we can trust Jackson,” Warren added.

“I’ll only need five or six guys to dig,” Tom stated, fixing his gaze on Walter. “But I have to tell you, sir, I don’t know a thing about mining for gold.”

Walter nodded. “That’s why I’m here. If you’ve got the guys to work the machinery, I’ve got the knowledge to instruct them on what needs to be done. And a friend that I can call for backup. Won’t take us more than four or five days to determine if this is a serious find or wishful thinking.” He turned to Warren. “We’re going to have to mess up more of your land, boy.”

“No problem.”

“And more than anything, we’ll have to keep this quiet. Even with security, if the right amount of information gets heard by the wrong set of ears...there might be hell to pay.”

* * *

Charli casually roamed the aisles of Paradise Cove’s most upscale boutique. She wasn’t interested in buying anything. No, this was the every-other-week girl time that Miss Alice insisted on having, or tried to, whenever Charli couldn’t find a legitimate excuse to beg out of the affair. But she had to admit that for the first time in a long time she was showing more interest in the clothes on the rack and wondering whether or not Warren would appreciate seeing her in this or that outfit. Much to her chagrin.

Since he’d spent time with Griff at their house, she’d resisted the urge to contact him. As much as she’d wanted to. The night after his visit, she’d scoured her mind for a reason to call him. Two days later, she’d come close to driving over for a neighborly “do drop in.” Yesterday, as her cows drank at the stream, she’d heard the sounds of heavy equipment and had almost ridden Butterscotch over to see the progress. He wouldn’t have thought that forward...would he? In the end, she’d done nothing. Past memories and present insecurities had kept her away.

Charli wandered over to where Alice was admiring a beautiful navy blue suit.
As if she needs another.
There were more clothes still sporting price tags in her good friend’s closet than should be legally allowed. Still, she knew how much Alice loved their outings, loved to gossip and loved to believe that she was impacting Charli’s life. And she was. Alice and Charles had been good friends. Truth be told, Charli had come to believe that the two had been even closer than that. And given the fact that her and her mother’s relationship was held together by long-distance calls, Alice was the closest female friend that Charli had. So even as she was bored out of her gourd, she made a silent vow to herself to keep this in mind.

“Miss Alice. I think I’ll go across the way and get some cash from the ATM. I’ll be right back, okay?”

“That’s fine, Charli.” She held up two navy suits. “Which one looks better?”

“I like the one with the straight skirt,” Charli said, pointing to her choice. “I think it would be flattering to your figure.”

“I was thinking so, too. So I’ll just purchase this one and meet you at the car.”

“Sounds good.”

Charli smiled at the nice salesclerk as she left the store. It was rare that she ventured into town but whenever she did, she was impressed by what Paradise Cove had done with this strip mall. Many times around the country they got a bad rap, but this one was classy. The nail salon was neat and clean, the dry cleaners eco-friendly, the coffee shop was a popular meeting spot for the town’s elders and there wasn’t a run-down building in sight. This was Paradise Cove, after all. Mostly, she loved the two businesses that anchored the spot: a family-owned grocery boasting organic and homegrown goodies and one of her favorite restaurants, Acquired Taste. The grocery store was where the ATM was located.

She headed over, humming softly, taking in the beautiful day and thinking about Warren. Again. She couldn’t help it. Since he’d won over Griff, he’d been a constant presence—not only in her mind but in Griff’s also. At least if their recent conversations were any indication. In the last week or so, they’d talked more about the dairy back when things were good, when Charles and Walter were friends. Griff had shared stories she’d never heard before about their legendary chess games and fishing excursions. They’d even talked about Charles’s wife, Martha, the grandmother that Charli barely remembered because a car accident had taken her away too soon.

Just as she reached the grocery store, the last person in the world that she wanted to see was coming out.

Great. Just my luck. Of all the times and all the locations, I have to see you.
In moments like these, Charli was reminded of just how small this town could be.

“Hello, beautiful.” Cedric blocked her way inside the store.

“Move, Cedric.” It was spoken in a voice that showed no love lost.

“What’s your problem? You dissed me at the dance. You hung up when I called you. You’re treating me like a piece of crap when you should be treating me like what I am, one of your oldest friends.” Charli rolled her eyes and remained silent. “Do you seriously want me to believe that you’re still fretting about something that happened a long time ago, back when we were kids?”

“I don’t know, Cedric. How would you suggest I forget the night you tried to rape me?”

Chapter 22

“R
ape you? Girl, you’re overreacting.”

“I don’t think so.” Once again, Charli tried to go around him. And once again, Cedric blocked her path.

“Cedric, I don’t want to talk to you. Ever. Now move!”

“Not until we settle this little...misunderstanding. You’re not the only one who remembers that night. Your grandfather’s party, our families all happy, drinking and whatnot. You had on that cute little minidress, teasing me, flirting with me all night.”

“You are such a liar. At the time my grandfather had that dance, animals were my best friends. Boys were the last thing on my mind.”

“So you tried to get everyone to believe. But I knew you were hot to trot.”

“Back then you were too ignorant to know much of anything.” She looked him up and down with disdain. “I see nothing much has changed.”

Cedric’s eyes narrowed. He took a step closer.

Charli took a step back and placed a suggestive hand on her purse. Cedric didn’t miss the gesture and backed up a bit.

“If you thought I tried to attack you, then why didn’t you tell anybody? Why did you leave the barn, go back to the party and act as though nothing had occurred?”

“Because I was ashamed!” she spat, tears threatening to spill as memories escaped from where she’d locked them. “Because the last thing I wanted was for anyone else to know how
stupid
I’d been, how
naive
I was to believe that you actually wanted to come with me and see a baby colt!”

Cedric’s laugh was low and sinister. “Baby, what I was looking for that night? I still want to see it.”

This time it was Charli who took a step forward, anger guiding her moves. “Listen, you pigheaded jerk, and listen closely. I’m going to try one last time to penetrate that thick thing above your shoulders that usually houses a brain. Obviously not in your case but...here goes.

“I am not interested in you. I have never been interested in you and never will be. There is no part of the words
relationship, friendship
or
acquaintance
that I want to establish with you. If you were the last person on earth and held the last glass of water, I’d
die
rather than drink it. The only thing you are to me is someone that I used to know. And the best thing, the right thing and the
only
thing you can do for me is this. Leave. Me. Alone!”

With this, Charli pushed past him and placed her hand on the door handle.

“Bet you’d never say anything like that to Warren,” Cedric snapped from behind her.

She whirled around. “Warren Drake has more class in his toenail than you do in your entire body.”

She pushed open the door, entered the store and had no idea how long after she left Cedric continued to stand there, or the evil thoughts he vowed to see through to the end.

Later, Charli was still trying to calm down from the afternoon confrontation when her phone rang. When she didn’t immediately recognize the number, she started not to answer it. Then she remembered that she’d blocked Cedric’s number. And then she remembered something else: to whom this number belonged.

She snatched up the phone. “Hello?”

“Hey, there you are. I was all prepared to leave a message.”

“Hey, Drake.” The fact that just hearing his voice helped calm her nerves was not lost on her.

“Sounds like I caught you in the middle of something. You sound out of breath.”

“I’m all right. Just rushed to grab the phone. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to warn you that we’ll be doing some extensive excavating over the next few days. Might come real close to the property line, maybe dig up some of your land. We’ll fix any part of your place that gets damaged. Also wanted to make sure that you still had a key to the gate, since the electricity might be out during the process.”

She plopped down on her bed, glad to have her mind distracted by mundane, everyday matters, such as things that concerned the ranch. “What’s up with all the digging?”

“A couple of things. One of which is that the crew that’s laying pipe that will be connected to my in-ground pool wants to check out the surrounding grounds, make sure there are no craters or sand traps that can later become sinkholes.”

Charli almost shuddered as she remembered the recent news story about a sinkhole that opened up in Southern California and swallowed a whole house. “Do you think that’s possible? That we have sinkholes around us?”

“I don’t want to believe it. But I also want to keep us safe.”

Us.
She knew it shouldn’t, but the way he’d used that word made her feel warm and cozy. Like he had at least some of her best interests at heart. Like maybe in one way or another, just a little, she mattered.
Silly girl.

“Charli?”

His voice was soft and low, pouring over like warm, soapy water, or the sweet, sticky molasses that Griff so enjoyed. Her muscles clenched, her thong became wet and she thought of things that happened between a woman and a man when clothes were not an option.

“Yes?”

“Are you all right?”

He’d said it so sincerely, as if he had a stake in asking, as if he really wanted to know. So before she could think or rationalize or put on her superwoman cape and feign indifference, she answered honestly. “No.”

“What’s wrong?”

She told him about the confrontation, about what had happened earlier between her and Cedric. A shorter, more sanitized version, leaving out the bit about parties and barns and near sexual assaults. “He terrorized me when we were younger,” she explained. “I’ve never liked him.”

“I don’t, either.” Warren’s words were short, curt, delivered in anger. “Just say the word and I’ll have a talk with him. I hate when a so-called man tries to intimidate someone of the weaker sex.”

“I’m not weak!” Charli retorted, her hackles raised at once at the mere suggestion. “Just because I’ve been vulnerable does not mean I’ve been weak.”

“Sorry, baby, poor choice of words. Dang, my bad. ‘Baby’ might also be offensive. I mean no harm, Charli. I’m on your side.”

“I believe that. And I just may be a tad hypersensitive.”

“You think?”

She laughed at the humor in his voice. “I’ve grown up holding the banner for women while surrounded by men.”

“You’ve done a great job.” A companionable silence ensued for a few seconds and then, “Charli, where are your parents, if you don’t mind me asking? I was thinking about you the other day and realized that there is so much that I do not know.”

She knew that she should hedge, that she should put her guard up to this blatant request for personal information. But for the life of her she couldn’t find a defensive bone in her body. She was too busy smiling at the fact that he’d been thinking about her.

“Better yet, why don’t we both take a break and go riding? I haven’t had Coal out all day and could use the fresh air. What about you?”

“That sounds like a great idea, Drake.”

“Good. I’ll be at your place in about five minutes.”

Charli listened as Griff’s hard-heeled boots scraped the hardwood floor. Even though they’d shared a bonding moment, she knew that Griff still held it against him that Warren was a Drake. “Why don’t we meet down by the fence instead?”

“See you there.”

Several minutes later, Warren watched the fluid motions of horse and rider as Charli rode up to meet him. She wore no cowboy hat today. Instead, her natural curls bounced in the wind, along with lush breasts straining against a pastel-yellow tee. He took in khakis molding her thighs and felt his passion rise. She was wild and free, like the countryside. He couldn’t remember having seen a more beautiful sight in his life.

“Hey,” she said when she pulled along beside him.

“Hello, Charli.”

“Where do you want to ride?”

“Why don’t you take the lead? You know this land better than I do.”

“I do, don’t I?” He’d barely caught the sparkle of mischief in her eyes before she turned the reins, tapped her palomino and took off. “Yah!”

Warren burst out laughing as he took off after her. She obviously still remembered how he’d beaten her during that first impromptu race and wanted to even the score. He had no problem letting her stay ahead. It gave him a chance to appreciate how well she was wearing those pants, how her butt lifted rhythmically with the gait of the horse, how her hair blew in the wind and how he wanted to wrap his arms around her slender waist and not let go.

For several minutes the only sounds were horse hooves hitting hard dirt. As they entered a wide expanse of land, framed by a cloudless blue sky, vibrant green grass and a copse of trees on one side, Warren gave Coal the signal and the horse shot forward, easily catching up to Charli and her horse.

“Still trying to beat me, huh?” Warren shouted, as they matched each other stride for stride.

“A girl can dream!” Charli laughed, and to Warren it sounded like joy and felt like fairy dust. It transported him to his childhood, when he was young, life was fun and there wasn’t a care in the world. She turned down a dirt lane, one that Warren hadn’t even known was there. It was as if they’d been transported to another world as large trees bordered the road on both sides, their branches so large and leafy that it created a shady canopy—or, as they slowed their horses to a trot and Warren took in the natural beauty beside him, a lovers’ haven.

They reached a part of the fence that was indented, built around a large oak tree. Charli turned her horse into the space, dismounted and looped the reins around the top of a protruding board. Warren followed suit.

Warren looked at his surroundings, and then back at Charli. “Beautiful.”

“It is, isn’t it? I used to spend hours here, felt it was my own personal paradise.”

“The landscape is lovely, but that’s not what I meant.” He took a step closer. “You’re beautiful, Charli.”

Charli took a step back and came up against the fence. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and Warren could see the quickened pulse on her neck. She licked her lips nervously. It was Warren’s undoing, bringing back a rush of memories. Another time. That first caress. He quickly closed the distance between them and, without a word or a second’s hesitation, pressed his lips against Charli’s as his arms went around her. When she opened her mouth to protest, he took full advantage, sliding his tongue inside her moist sweetness. A moan escaped her mouth. Warren caught it, swallowed it and deepened the kiss—pressing his body full against her, his pelvis beginning a familiar dance on its own.

For a few blissful seconds, Charli’s mind was totally detached from her body, causing her not to think, but to feel. And what a feast of feeling stood before her: from the broad shoulders her hands sculpted to the strong back they slid down, all while experiencing the most delicious kiss she’d ever felt. Unlike other men she’d known, Warren’s wasn’t so much a kiss as a collision. The way his tongue swirled lazily with hers and his head rotated to match his pelvis.

Through her haze, she felt a piece of wood that was harder than the planks against her back and butt. This human woody fairly pulsated against her abdomen and brought moisture to her sex as it was ground against her. She began to shake with the intensity of her attraction, began to feel as though she were being pulled into a vortex from which there would be no return.

With the last vestiges of sanity and control...she broke the kiss.

But Warren would not let her break his hold. “Charli,” he whispered, his tongue darting out to touch her ear. “There’s something between us. I know you feel it, too.”

“It’s rather hard to miss,” was her dry reply.

Warren chuckled. “Not only this,” he said, nudging her with his rock-hard penis. “But also these feelings, this thing between us. I don’t just want to have sex with you, I want to date you. I want us to ride out this attraction and see where it leads.”

“I’m not sure I’m ready.”

Warren released her and took a step back. “We’ll go as slow as you’d like.”

“Are you sure you can wait that long?” Charli’s eyes searched his, trying to read his mind as well as hear his words.

Warren’s eyes narrowed as he slowly perused her body, going from her head to her feet and back up again. He noted the hardened nipples straining against her T-shirt, her moist, kiss-swollen lips, her flushed face and the desire in her eyes.

His smile was bright, his eyes knowing as he answered her question with one of his own. “Can you?”