“Why?”
“I’m kind of on a date.”
“A date? With Hayden?”
“Yes.”
“Okay, call me in the morning. I want details, and I don’t mean about D.C.”
She smiled to herself. “Will do.”
She hung up the phone and shifted the car into gear.
“Who was that?”
“My partner, Paige. You met her, right?”
“Yes. I like her. You chose well, Shelby.”
“Thanks,” she said.
He reached over and settled his hand high on her thigh. His fingers traced a random pattern that made her center tighten. She wanted him more than she’d wanted any other man.
“Give me a hint,” Hayden said once they were moving again.
“About what?” she asked.
His fingers moved, slipping between her legs and coming teasingly close to her core. She tightened her legs to prevent him from moving any higher.
“Stop, Hayden.”
“No. Every time you tease me, I’ll reciprocate.”
“It’s something you like to do.”
She shifted her thighs apart, and his touch retreated but not far enough. She was so aware of his hand on her inner thigh she could hardly concentrate on driving.
“Is gambling involved?”
“No,” she said, reaching down with one hand to capture his wrist and move his hand back to the top of her thigh.
“Pretty confident of your answer,” he said, turning his hand under hers and lacing their fingers together.
“Yes, plus your sense of fair play.”
He leaned his head back. “Don’t count on that, Shelby. I’m not always a nice guy. There’s a reason I’m a gambler.”
“You are so much more than a gambler, Hayden. Don’t doubt that.”
“Don’t let me hurt you, Shel. I’m trying here, but to be honest I don’t know how to hold on to something I want.”
“Do you want me?” she asked, aware that he wasn’t acting at all vulnerable with the mask on.
“Yes, I do.”
Her hands shook and she was incredibly grateful that he wore the mask so he couldn’t see how deeply his words affected her.
“Then let’s make sure we don’t hurt each other again.”
Five
The soothing scent of the water was the first thing he noticed. Shelby had insisted that he keep the mask on and led him through the parking lot. He felt the wooden planks under his feet and stopped.
How had she known? This was one of his most closely guarded secrets.
“We’re at the lake,” he said, wondering how she knew about his recent obsession with boating. Not even his assistant knew about the boat he kept at Lake Mead. It was the one thing he’d kept to himself, kept for himself and shared with no one. But Shelby knew about it.
She paused next to him. “Are you surprised?”
“Yes. How did you know about this?”
“I can’t reveal my source. But it took a lot of time and energy to figure this out.”
He pushed the mask up and off, pocketing it for later. He was touched she’d dug deep enough to find this out. “Did you rent a boat?”
“Uh, my source said you had one.”
“I do. Follow me.”
He noticed she held a picnic basket loosely in her left hand and that large leather bag she called a purse was slung over her shoulder.
He led her to the Lady Luck, his thirty-foot yacht. She smiled as she read the name. “Has luck been a lady?”
“More times than not. I always treat her right,” he said.
“You do have a way with the ladies.”
He helped her on board. Her words echoed in his mind. His way with women had served him well. There had never been a lady he’d wanted that he hadn’t been able to date. But the women never stayed. What did that say about his way?
The only constant in his life was the Chimera. He’d spent his life betting on the roll of the dice or taking risks, but that meant that life was constantly changing.
He piloted them out of the marina toward the middle of the lake. The evening was nice and warm and a breeze stirred the short hair at the back of his neck. He glanced over at Shelby, still amazed that she’d taken the time to really find something that he liked to do this evening.
It hadn’t been a test for her. But if it had, she’d have passed. That scared him because there was so much he’d forgotten about Shelby. She made the world brighter and more exciting. Even when they were younger, it had been the same. She made him want to take bigger risks—and that was dangerous.
“Ever piloted a boat before?” he asked her. He needed her in his arms, closer to him.
“No. One time Paige and I catered a party for some suppliers that was on the lake.”
“Tell me about your business. To be honest, I was surprised when I realized you owned such a successful chain of lingerie stores.”
She bit her lower lip. He glimpsed a hint of sadness in her eyes before she turned away.
He scanned the area in front of them. No other sailors. He reached for her, pulling her around to face him. “I didn’t mean that as an insult. You just never seemed interested in anything like that when I knew you.”
“I know. I was only interested in you and having fun.”
“I think it’s safe to say we both shared those interests.”
She hugged her arms around her waist and stared up at him. “When I left with the money…I thought all my problems were solved. I couldn’t believe I had a million dollars. You can’t understand this, Hayden, but I never imagined I would see that much money. It felt almost unreal.”
“Just because I’ve always had money doesn’t mean I can’t understand that. What’d you do with the money?”
“I went on a shopping spree. Then about two days later I realized that everything I’d purchased would be gone eventually and I’d be back in the same boat and…”
He stopped the engine on the boat and dropped anchor. He couldn’t concentrate on Shelby and the boat simultaneously.
“What?”
“I couldn’t do that again, Hayden. Whatever else you believe about me, please know that leaving you was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
He traced her jawline with his finger, realizing that in some ways, this strong independent woman was worlds too soft for him. Too innocent. Despite the fact that she’d left him, he knew that he and his father were to blame. When he’d started dating her to get at his father, he’d put her right in the middle of the power struggle they’d always engaged in.
“I know,” he said softly. “Tell me how you started your store.”
“Well, first I decided to go to college. Since I wasn’t going to be using my looks to make money, I figured I’d better use my brains.”
“It doesn’t