Because I Love You (14 page)

“Yup, she is. But she's your sister. And she does love you, but she's dealing with some big changes. One thing about Amy is she talks a big game, but she's scared to death of change. She loves the idea of going to Scotland, but actually doing it is going to freak her out.”

“I guess that's true.”

“Leah!” Cringing, she turned to see Tad, walking in with Candace, a high-powered attorney with connections to the SEC. Leah didn't like her.

First, there was something about her dismissive, disdainful attitude as she walked toward them that made Leah's skin prickle. Regardless of who you think you are, you put on your game face at a social gathering. Leah never trusted anyone with bad manners. Second, she was with Tad. Of course, judging was bad, but the man was an asshole, and being in his company made someone instantly unlikable.

“So, new boyfriend?” Tad was his usual smarmy self. Wonderful.

“No, actually this is my brother, Nate Bayard. Nate, this is Tad Carr. He's a partner at my firm.”

“Ah, Nate. The billionaire.”

Nate shook his hand and tilted his head to the woman. “Candace. Glad you could join us.”

There were further introductions, but more than ever, Leah wanted to leave. Now with the addition of Tad and Candace to the party, things were just going to get worse.

Nate held her back when they headed toward the dining room. “I didn't know he was a member of your firm and such a colossal ass, but you're sitting with him. I need you to pick her brain.”

“Pick her brain?”

“She has major contacts at the SEC and she might be able to find out why we're having so much trouble with the IPO. I know it's shady, but I don't expect anyone to do anything illegal. Even if you can find out if there's a work slowdown, or if another department or person can expedite things for us, I'd be grateful.”

“But Tad, ugh. It's only because I was so horrible to you and Jenna. I feel like I owe you.”

“You don't owe us anything, but thank you. I know you'll finesse something out of her. You and Tristan are anchoring that table. The other guests are nice. I think you'll have a good time.”

“Don't worry, I'll muddle through.”

“All right,” Tristan said to them as he came from the dining room. “Does someone want to tell me why that bloody wanker Tad Carr is here? And he's with Candace Hopkins no less?”

“We're sitting with him,” Leah said gently.

“Oh, for fuck's sake. Really?”

“Yep. I need to charm information out of Candace.”

“Good luck with that,” he glanced back toward the dining room. “The only time she loosens up is when she drinks tequila. Other than that she's humorless.”

“Well, that could be a problem, since I don't see us throwing back shots of
Casa Noble
.” The last time Leah had gotten drunk doing shots, she and her sister were celebrating her graduation from Yale. She didn't remember much about the night, but the following day she was sure she was dying.

“She's a sucker for good red wine, so let me make sure whatever is at the table is going to impress her sufficiently.”

“You know an awful lot about Candace.” Leah was amused watching his eyes dart between her and the rest of the party.

Annoyed, he turned his attention right to her. “I worked with her at an investment firm in Hong Kong.”

“And you dated her?”

“Yes. Look, what are you driving at? Are you jealous?”

“Nope. Just getting the lay of the land. Why are you being so combative?”

Tris rubbed a hand across the back of his neck. “She brings out the worst in me. I'm sorry.”

“Okay.” She took his hand and held it. “It's going to be fine.”

“I'm going to check on the wine.”

She watched Tristan go, all while Nate was chuckling. “He's not happy. This is going to be fun to watch.”

Leah didn't know if she agreed. Between what had happened with her sister, and now the appearance of Tad Carr, with someone who was obviously a thorn in Tristan's side, Leah's spidey sense was going crazy. Nothing good could come from this. Nothing. And it definitely wasn't going to be fun.

Candace Hopkins was a bitch of the highest order, and not just because she and Tristan dated and it didn't end well, but because she used people to her own end. Tris met her during a brief stint in Hong Kong, and had gotten involved when they both moved back to London. They never really clicked at work or in a relationship, no matter what they tried. Beautiful and brilliant, Candace would go far, but she lacked a moral center, and Tristan found that disturbing.

People were never much of a concern for her, only the end goal, the bottom line; and if anyone got in her way, she wouldn't hesitate to do damage.

It was sad, really. She had the potential to do great things. To use that magnificent ability to analyze markets to improve economies globally, but instead, it was all about Candace.

That was what had finally cemented things for him at Reliance. He enjoyed consulting, liked the flexibility, but when he saw how the company brought jobs and funds to local communities, how they were able to grow talent in-house, and still remain very profitable, that was a model he could hang his hat on.

Candace wasn't about growth. Candace was about Candace.

“I hope you'll enjoy dinner,” Leah said, playing the part of the perfect table hostess.

Tad was staring, not quite sure what to make of Leah Bayard, the attorney, the socialite. She wasn't a subordinate here. Leah wasn't even his equal. She was in a place he couldn't go. Leah was family.

What was obvious was how Leah was raised. Her manners were impeccable, but more than that, she knew how to treat people. She spoke to everyone, from servers, to the sommelier, to the guests, with the utmost respect. She was pure class.

If she'd had a rough go with her family, it was all in the past.

“You seem to be smitten with her.” Candace was on his right, and caught Tristan gazing at Leah. “She's not your type, is she?”

“My type?”

“She's smart, pretty, but I don't know . . . seems a little too good to be true. Does she know about the real Tristan Wade?”

“The real—” He didn't like where Candace could take this. He'd left her and a disastrous deal back in England, but her presence threatened to dredge up old mistakes. “You're still oozing loveliness I see, Candace.”

She was so damn smug, grinning as she sipped her wine. She hadn't changed, either. Tall, thin to the point of being gaunt, she worked too hard to be stylish, from her severe, short blond hair to her austere makeup. He didn't know how he'd ever found her appealing.

She just wasn't a nice woman.

He thought about what she said.
The real Tristan Wade
. No doubt he'd changed since he'd been here, since he'd met
Leah. There was no denying that a person could affect your life in a way you never expected. Candace had affected him in the opposite way. She definitely didn't bring the best out of him.

Funny how that worked, and damned if she didn't keep turning up.

He turned when he felt the tap on his shoulder. Owen motioned with his head to follow. Tris excused himself, but not before locking eyes with Leah, who was charming everyone at the table. He saw what she was doing. There were some very powerful people sitting with them, more powerful than Tad Carr or Candace, and Leah had them eating out of the palm of her hand. Tad and Candace would play nice just so they wouldn't look bad in the eyes of the other guests.

His girl flashed him a smile, and a wink, and continued owning the room.

*  *  *

Owen, Nate, Josh, and Jason had taken up residence in the private dining room adjacent to the main space. When Tristan joined them, they had already started talking. Apparently there were other problems that he was totally unaware of because he'd been trying to keep his cool with Candace and Tad.

“Has anyone noticed we don't have the usual friendlies in the room tonight?” Owen was pacing the room, having swapped his wine for a bottle of beer. Tris wished he'd thought of it. “I mean, we invite people, and they send ‘substitutes' from their firms. We have a lot of unknowns, rookies, or hostiles. That's fucked up.”

“It's gotten to be more of a problem, but I'm wondering if some of the investment firms are smelling blood in the water,” Jason offered. “Maybe they think we're doing the IPO because we need the money.”

Josh glanced around the room. “I wasn't going to say anything, because up until now there's only been occasional chatter, and I wasn't going to add to it, but there are rumors going around that you guys are in trouble.”

“How the hell did that happen? And why didn't you mention it?” Nate wondered. “We've always had a pretty closed system. Nothing leaks out.”

Josh shrugged. “It can happen. Disgruntled employee, jealous competitor stirring up trouble, it could be anyone. But I wasn't going to feed the flames by going into denial mode.”

“Candace was on the guest list because she has some high-powered friends, but Tad wasn't. He's her date? That seems damn coincidental. They're not talking to a soul, just listening. No matter how much Leah tries to draw Candace out, she's not giving an inch.”

“How well do you know Hopkins?” Nate asked.

“We worked together in Hong Kong, dated when we were back in London.” He couldn't hide it so no use trying. “I always felt like she was going to cut off my dick while I slept just because she could. Ruthless, that one.”

“Speaking of dicks,” Jason began. “What's up with that Tad guy?”

“He works with Leah. One of the partners at her firm, and he's hit on her a few times. She says she has it under control; I want to feed him his balls.”

Josh laughed. “Well, you might get your wish. He is here with Candace.”

They all chuckled, but it wasn't funny. Not really. Generally, when smart people sensed something was wrong, it was.

“That's some necklace you bought my sister,” Nate said quietly.

“That was out of the blue,” Tris said.

“Yeah, well,” Nate said. “I want to know what that's all about.”

Tristan thought about the look on Leah's face when she first saw the diamonds around her neck. “That's not all I bought.” Reaching in his pocket he pulled out a box, opened it and showed his friends the massive engagement ring from Harry Winston. “Think she'll like that?”

“Holy shit,” Jason choked out. “That's fucking impressive.”

“I spoke to your parents,” Tris told Nate. “I have their blessing.”

It was an old-fashioned thing to do, but it was the right thing to do. “I'm sure they appreciated that. Especially my mother.”

“They seemed to. I'm going to ask her soon.”

Josh raised an eyebrow. “Think she'll say yes? She's unpredictable.”

“I believe so, but if she doesn't, I won't be worth shit.”

“These women of ours,” Jason muttered. “They own us.”

Nate nodded. “They sure do.”

Owen was still pacing. The man was like a caged animal. “I wish we could get Leah to leave that damned job of hers and sign on to be corporate counsel. She'd kick ass.”

Jason sat back. “I've mentioned it, but we've never made an offer. Maybe we should.”

Tristan would like nothing better than to have Leah on the team. She'd be formidable. And he'd get to see her all the time. “I'll work on it.”

*  *  *

The car ride home with Tristan had been quiet, and she figured it had something to do with why the guys had all vanished for about a half an hour. Something was wrong.

She didn't push but instead curled into him in the back of the town car, letting her hand settle on his belly. She could feel the muscles of his abdomen through his silky white dress shirt, and touching him like this made her want him.

She could have been very forward in the car and sent the driver on a spin around the city, but she thought it might be more fun to surprise him when they arrived home. Much more fun. And somehow, she sensed he needed it.

He'd been quiet at the dinner, and Tris had a big personality. He was friendly and charming, a man who was comfortable in any social situation. But not tonight. Candace Hopkins had shown up and Tris reacted.

There was a story in there somewhere, but right now, Leah wanted to make sure her man was happy.

Her man.

It had been a long time since Leah believed she'd have a love story, and that “happy ever after” was real. But Tristan was making her dreams come true. Touching the necklace he gave her, she wanted to tell him she didn't need presents, especially ones that were so extravagant. All she wanted was a happy life. Things were nice, but a loving heart was all she needed.

Tilting her head up, Leah touched his cheek and brought his lips down for a kiss.

“What was that for?”

“No reason. Because I can?”

He chuckled, low and warm, and Leah's pulse kicked up listening to the deep timbre of his voice.

It felt like forever from the point they pulled up to the building until they got upstairs. Leah turned and presented her back. “Can you unzip me?”

“Sure.” He fiddled with the hook and eye in the back and then pulled down the zipper, letting his fingers glide over the skin on her back.

“I'm going to change,” she whispered. “Meet me in the bedroom.”

His lips came down and brushed over her neck. “You bet.”

*  *  *

Tristan went to his study to get a drink and ended up sitting in the large leather chair that faced the windows, which opened to the river. He loved this apartment, but with Leah in his life, he knew he'd be making changes, and that included a family.

He was thirty-five. He'd traveled, made money, lived a pretty selfish existence. He'd had women when he wanted them, solitude when he needed it, and he was about to change it all because of one gorgeous ginger who meant more to him than he ever imagined.

Anything he did now had to have Leah at the core. If she couldn't be on board with something, then it was a no go. Making her happy was the most important part of every decision he made.

Of course, he was also thinking about the business. About his colleagues. About the rumors and the gossip. He wondered how much of this could be tracked back to people who were in the room tonight. Especially one named Candace Hopkins.

He wouldn't be able to do anything until Monday, but he planned on getting to the bottom of her mysterious appearance. Rising, he walked around the room and stretched, stopping only to pour himself a neat scotch.

He sat and thought. He worried about things he couldn't control, and he startled a bit when gentle fingers caressed his collarbone.

“Hey,” she said. “I was waiting. Are you okay?”

“Just thinking.” He leaned back and took her in. God, she was beautiful. Her hair was long and loose, the curls tumbling
over her shoulders, across her breasts and down her back. She was wearing a long, dark-blue satin gown that barely covered her rosy pink nipples. It fit in such a way that when she moved, the satin clung to her legs, the globes of her ass, and the soft mound that had welcomed him again and again.

“Come here.” He pulled her into his lap and kissed her. It wasn't deep or demanding, but he felt Leah respond, press against him, and his arousal couldn't be hidden.

“Come to bed, Tris. Whatever it is, we'll make it go away.”

She stood, still holding his hands, and Tris followed because Leah was right. They would make the troubles go away. Buried in her soft heat, Tristan would find security and release like nothing else. He would be able to show the woman he loved all she meant to him, without question.

When they arrived in their room, Leah lay back on the bed, her hair fanning out behind her. She still held his hand, and with each second of every day, Leah held on to another piece of his heart.

Tristan undressed, joining her on the bed. She didn't say anything because no words were necessary. His hand ran over the silky satin of her gown, tracing the outline of her breasts, her belly, and her legs. She was so beautiful, so kind. He didn't know what he'd done to actually deserve her. Pushing the sheath up, Leah opened her legs and extended her arms to him, beckoning him to join with her. He stroked her warm folds and found her wet and waiting for him. Tris felt himself smile. “I love you, Leah.”

“I love you, Tristan.”

Slowly, Tris pressed into her, loving how it felt when he first entered her, and her body caught him and held. “Oh, Leah. God, you feel so good.”

She moved ever so slightly, shifting her hips so she could take all of him, deep and hard.

In his mind there was nothing closer to heaven than making love with Leah. That's how he felt as he moved inside her. It was slow and gentle. Loving. Perfect.

She was holding on to his neck, thrusting her hips in unison with his, matching his rhythm so perfectly, Tristan didn't know if there was anything to bring their hearts closer. He leaned down, and drew a nipple into his mouth, pulling just enough to make her arch her back and moan.

“I love you, Tris. I love you so much.”

“I love you, too. Oh, Leah. I love you, too.”

On those words, Tristan's back tensed and he rode her as she climaxed with him. It was a connected feeling he'd never known and he would only experience with her.

She was his match. No one else.