“Apollo, Apollo.” Glancing from the order sheet in her hand and the address of the building she currently had her truck stopped in front of, she shrugged and pulled the key from the ignition before swinging out of the car. “And, here we go.”

The building was huge, she mused as she set about pulling the supplies she needed for the job. Bucket, chemicals, rags all went into the cart she’d pulled out of the truck first. She bundled her thick, dark locks under a dusty cap and propped protective eyegear over her green eyes. Gathering the rest of her supplies, she started pushing the cart towards the large structure then stopped to tilt her head back and study it.

Forty stories of perfect architecture looked back down at her, glass shimmering and winking in the early April sunlight. It was a pretty enough building, she supposed. She didn’t really worry about any aesthetics when it came to her job. She did what she did because it got her out of the house, out from under the watchful eyes of her glaringly hateful stepmother. Besides, it was the only job she’d had any sort of qualifications for, having only been allowed to finish her high school degree.

Then, she’d been banished to doing laborious tasks until she’d escaped.

As she hooked up the cart to the side of the building and harnessed herself to it, she wondered briefly what her father would think if he were to see her. After a moment, she told herself it was pointless to have those thoughts anyway. Her father was dead.

And she, Laurel Caine, was a professional window-washer.

***

They shook hands like well-trained dogs and then, abandoning protocol, tapped their fists together before doing the handshake they’d invented when they’d been fifteen. The laughter erupting between them baffled the elderly members present in the meeting. The newspaper photographer caught it at all.

“I’m glad we’re going to be working together, Bri.” James Apollus sat back in his chair after the meeting had ended and it was just the two of them. His gray eyes gleamed with satisfaction from beneath unruly dark hair as he studied his best friend and now co-worker.

“I’ll be working under you, buddy. Of course, you’re glad.” Brian Littrell swiped his fingers through his curly dark blonde hair and grinned at one of his oldest friends. “But, yeah, you’re right. It’ll be good.”

James handed him a bottle of water from the mini-fridge he kept well-stocked in his office. “No regrets about me buying the business your dad built and put his heart into?”

“Not really. He’d told me to do what I wanted with it just as long as I didn’t disband it completely.” Brian lifted one shoulder. “I’m doing what’s best for the company. I couldn’t run it the way my father did, but I love every bit of it. I trust you and Apollo with it more than I’d trust anyone else.”

“It’s going to make us filthy rich,” James added after a moment.

Brian grinned and looked out at the city beyond the wide expanse of window in James’ office. “Pal, we’re already rich.”

***

“No, no, no.” Nick flicked her hands away from the soundboard and bent over it himself. Closing his eyes briefly, he let his fingers wander over it before he adjusted the knobs just enough so that the resulting blend of music pleased him. Sitting back, he opened his eyes so that the dark blue sparked as he smiled, satisfied, at his current partner. “What do you think of that?”

Bryna Chambers narrowed her eyes and repressed the urge to throw something at him. As appealing and charming as he was, it didn’t mean he wasn’t frustrating to work with. The sound was hers, but he always felt the need to change it. Nick Carter was used to having things his way, but she’d long since decided his perfect house of cards was going to be knocked down. By her.

She’d been in love with him for more than half of her life, and she was bound and determined to find a way to finally capture his heart. She just had to figure out the how first.

“It’s okay,” Bryna finally answered. When his face took on the lost puppy dog look, she rolled her eyes, resisting the need to kiss it off his face, and shook her head. “Knock it off, Nick. It’s not going to work with me, and you know it. You’ve got the sound you want, so why don’t you take it and go? Send it off to your fledgling artists and make them happy.” She pushed away from the console and stood. “Obviously, I’m not needed here, so I’m going to go where I am needed.”

“Oh, come on, Bryna.” Nick tugged at her hand. “There’s no need to get all huffy and leave. So what that my fiddling with the track made it better? It’s still yours, and you’re going to get the byline in the album jacket.”

She shook his hand off and pulled on her coat. “It’s not the byline that matters to me, Nick. It was never the byline.”

“Then what?”

His question stopped her at the door. “If you don’t know by now,” she finally said, “then it would hardly matter if I told you.” Before he could say another word, she’d disappeared through the door.

Nick sat back and frowned. What the hell was her problem? Usually Bryna Chambers was calm, quiet, and a freaking genius when it came to the music. Today, she’d lost the calm, and she certainly hadn’t been quiet. She’d been snappish and moody, and that spark that her deep brown eyes took on when she was pissed had flickered briefly here and there during their eight hours of working together. Fortunately for the both of them and their work, she’d quelled that anger—though it still fascinated him that her eyes would practically spit flames when she got that furious.

Shaking his head, he flicked on the track again and listened to it. It had taken them eight hours, but they’d perfected it. At least, he thought they’d perfected it. Bryna had been angry that he’d changed her initial ideas. But he knew what was what.

Nick Carter hadn’t gotten to be the Head of Sound Research and Development at Apollo Records for nothing. He knew his music, his sounds, and what was hot. Bryna Chambers, genius producer though she may be, was just going to have to deal with his expertise until they’d played out the contract he’d signed her to for the company.

Then, he thought, reaching for the controls on the board, then they’d see what was what.

***

Laurel scraped the dirt and grime from every inch of her body and nearly cried from the relief of hot water pouring over each aching muscle. Forty stories of gleaming glass had left her muscles nearly paralyzed, but she didn’t mind. When she thought of the mansion, her once-upon-a-time home, and the tortures she could be enduring working there, washing windows for companies with more money than God was a snap.

She could’ve been there, she thought, closing her eyes as water sluiced over her. She could have been one of those wealthy scions sitting in her own plush office, overseeing the daily businesses of a powerful company. If things had turned out differently, she would have been in charge of half of the multibillion-dollar corporation her father and aunt had founded before her birth. But things hadn’t turned out differently.

Laurel had sold her soul to the very devil herself and was now forced to watch Clarissa Chambers-Caine, her stepmother, control everything.

She was beautiful, kind, soft-spoken, gracious, intelligent, and more perfect than he could have ever imagined. Her hair was a shade of blonde that reminded him of angels in Boticelli’s paintings, and her deep blue eyes were lit with a smile. She was more than he could’ve ever hoped for.

And he knew that she wasn’t for him.

“Brian? Are you okay?” Her voice was full of concern as she laid one perfectly pampered hand on his arm as she studied his face.

He blinked. “What? Oh.” A sheepish smile appeared on his face. “Sorry, Leighanne. I’m okay. I just spaced off for a sec.”

“Are you getting enough sleep?” She peered into his face, searching for signs of exhaustion in his blue eyes.

Brian shrugged. “Probably not. This merger and everything involved is causing me stress and sleepless nights. The transition is just taking more out of me than the actual merger did.”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, I’m still handling all of the details of our wedding,” Leighanne reminded him. “Unless, of course, there’s something specific you wanted.”

His wedding. Every time he thought of getting married to Leighanne Wallace, his gut clenched. Painfully. As ridiculous as it was, the marriage was another by-product of the merger. The Apollus family had always hoped that Brian would marry James’ cousin, Leighanne, and they’d found the merger to be the perfect tool to force him into it. He could’ve said no, Brian reminded himself. But then his father’s company would be taking a nosedive, and he didn’t want everything his late father had worked for to go down the drain. The move to Apollus had been smart, and he’d just have to suck it up and marry Leighanne.

Now, she wore his ring and, pretty as you please, was gracefully eating her lunch. His own was sitting, neglected, in front of him as he wondered why things needed to be so complicated. It should’ve been a simple matter to work with his best friend, but he wished marriage hadn’t been included under the conditions of the contract. It was too sixteenth century to be real, and yet it was.

Leighanne wasn’t so bad, he told himself. She knew why he was marrying her and was still making things easier for him. She really was a terrific person, and their life would be great.

So why did he feel like he’d jumped into the deep end of the pool without learning to swim?

“Brian?”

He sat up. “I’m sorry. Really. I’m paying attention here.” He flashed a smile before digging back into his pasta. “I think you’ll do a great job of making our wedding perfect. I trust you.”

Her smile was beautiful. “Thank you. It means a lot that you would think that. I know all of this is so strange, but I’m really pleased that you and I are getting married. You’re a wonderful man, Brian.”

He tried not to squirm. “Thanks, Leigh. I’m glad we’re getting married, too.”

In three months.

***

“Dude. I don’t know what the hell crawled up her ass, but she’s been nuts lately.” Nick popped M&Ms in his mouth as he waited for AJ to finish his coffee. “All I did was change one chord in her song, and she goes crazy. Now, she’s refusing to show up for a session until next week. Apollo’s not paying her to sit on her ass this week. I need her to work!”

AJ McLean rolled his eyes and, drinking down the last of the coffee, threw out the cup before turning to Nick. “Relax, Nickolas. She’s Bryna Chambers. She might be mad, she may have threatened, but she’ll be here. Just watch. She’s nothing if not prompt and a perfectionist.”

“I sure as hell hope so because I’ve gotta get another track out of her for that new guy you just helped James sign last week.” Nick pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning on and fell into step with AJ. “I don’t do R&B tracks, and the majority of my guys are rock or pop oriented. Bryna’s got R&B down pat.”

“Bryna’s got everything down pat.” AJ pressed the button for the elevator. “Maybe you shouldn’t have insulted her.”

Nick choked on his candy as AJ stepped onto the elevator. “What? I didn’t insult her! I just suggested that she change…Forget it. She better be here.”

AJ shook his head and waited for the elevator to transport them to the twenty-ninth floor where his talent search offices were. At twenty-eight, he was the youngest director that the department had seen, but his finds were solid gold and made Apollo Records millions of dollars. Besides, it helped that he’d been friends with James Apollus for years. And speaking of the man…

“I like this one, Alex.” James spun himself in the iridescent blue desk chair. In true AJ style, it was covered with flames and dragons and succeeded in raising eyebrows. His day was never complete until he’d raised at least a few.

“Thanks. It just came in yesterday, so if you break it, you buy it,” he replied as he grabbed a file off his desk and flipped through it. “What’s up with you? Not enough going on upstairs?”

James shrugged. “There’s a hell of a lot to do, but I’m feeling restless.” He looked over as Nick strolled in. “Am I paying you to lounge, Carter?”

Nick grinned. “Nope, but I bet you’re not paying yourself to lounge either, right?”

“Shut up.” He suppressed his own grin before turning back to AJ. “So, as I was saying.”

“You’re feeling restless and blah blah blah,” AJ answered absently. “Listen, I’ve got an artist coming in soon. If you want a heart to heart, do it fast. Unlike the lazy ass over there,” he jerked a finger in Nick’s direction, “I’ve got actual work to do.”

Before Nick could protest, James nodded. “Cool. The super fast version then. I need a life, guys.”

He had their attention now. “Pardon me?” AJ was definitely confused. “You’re Mr. Multimillion-dollar Man. You own this company, run it, and everything. You’ve gotten this year’s hottest bachelor award in People Magazine, got women fawning all over you, and you’re complaining that you need a life?”

“Yeah.” James nodded. “That sums it up. I want to have fun again. All I do is work. Same with Brian. We need lives.”

Nick frowned. “Why are you asking AJ for help? He doesn’t have a life either.”

“I’m happily married, Nick. I’ve got a baby on the way.” AJ shot him a look. “I have a life, thank you very much.”

“Kyra should’ve married me,” Nick teased him. “You’re a workaholic, and I’d be able to give her plenty of TLC.”

AJ rolled his eyes. “Get off it, Nick. She’s practically your sister. You can’t even think a dirty thought about her.”

“True.”

“Guys?” James waved a hand. “Can we get back to me now?”

“Yes?” AJ suppressed the urge to sigh. He was going to be so late for the meeting. Then again, he was the director and the company president was making him late. He was bound to get off easy.

“Brian and I are in desperate need of some extracurricular activities. Know of any good ones?”

Nick cocked his head curiously. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Brian an engaged man, now? He has all the extracurricular activity he probably wants. But you on the other hand…”

“Go to a club,” AJ told James. “Pick a woman, talk to her. If she seems good, get her number. Call her after two days. Do what you want after that.” He gathered up the materials he needed. “I’ve gotta go.”

Nick and James watched him go. “Huh. That’s not how he got Kyra,” Nick said after a moment.

“Whatever. I’ll come up with something.” James stood and skirted around the desk to join Nick as they left AJ’s office. “So, why aren’t you working?”

“Bryna.” The name was said with just enough venom to make James’ brows rise.

“Nick. We’ve been over this before. If she doesn’t come today, go over to her place and get in her face about it.” He started down the hall towards the elevator. “But I don’t think you’ll need to go see her. She’ll be here.”

***

But she wasn’t. Nick stared at the empty studio and suppressed the urge to kick something. Of all the stubborn, egotistical producers he’d worked with, she was starting to take the cake. In the nearly twenty years he’d known her, she’d never been this temperamental.

“Maybe something’s really wrong with her,” he muttered to himself, thinking seriously now. After all, she’d never been this out of tune before. So, he’d just have to dig her out of wherever she was and find out what was bothering her.

***

Bryna curled up on her couch and glanced up when the pint of Rocky Road ice cream appeared in front of her face.

“Take it. Gorge.”

She sighed and took the ice cream. “Thanks, Laurel. You didn’t have to stay home from work today to take care of me, though.”

Laurel tugged on her stepsister’s auburn hair playfully. “You were feeling pitiful, and I can’t just let you sit here by yourself feeling that way. Work can kiss my ass.”

Bryna smiled, though she knew it would cost Laurel to miss a day. Her older stepsister didn’t have much money to begin with, though, by rights, she should have inherited nearly twenty million dollars nineteen years ago. Things just had a way of not working out, and both of them knew all about that. It was why they were both living away from the lavish Caine estate.

“I love you, Laurel. I don’t think I could’ve asked for a better sister.” Bryna gripped Laurel’s hand, her deep brown eyes serious.

“Well, after Theresa, it’s a good thing you’ve got me,” Laurel replied lightly, trying not to think of Bryna’s horrendous twin. She’d been groomed to be Clarissa Chambers-Caine’s Xerox copy in every way, and Laurel found it to be in her best interest to steer clear of both women. “How’s Carter?”

Bryna shut her eyes. “I hate him. And I love him.” A frustrated sound escaped her lips. “I wish he’d get a clue. Plus, he needs to quit messing with my music. The jerk.”

“Let’s burn him in effigy. Would that make you feel better?”

Bryna sat up. “You know, I take back my earlier comment. You’re the best sister a girl could ever hope for.”

Laurel grinned. “Well, I do what I can.” At the knock on the door, she frowned. “Were you expecting someone?”

“Nope.” Bryna sighed. “And I’m not going to answer it either. Let’s make a Nick out of marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate. We’ll melt him and eat the bastard.”

“That’s the spirit! Except.”

“Except?”

“Chocolate’s too good for him.”

Nick nearly kicked the door out of frustration. Where was she? If she wasn’t answering the door at her apartment, that meant either she wasn’t home or she was avoiding talking to anyone. Knowing Bryna, he thought as he turned away to stroll back to the elevator, she’d probably decided to make use of the day and gone off to a spa. Or wherever it was that women went when they wanted to de-steam.

Oh, but she’d have to see him sooner or later. She couldn’t stay away from work forever, and he was plenty pissed for the giant blowout argument that was sure to come. Their tempers had rubbed each other wrong for years, and this time was probably not going to be any different.

He just wished it didn’t have to be over his baby, his pet. His music.

***

“Mother, what are we supposed to do now?” Theresa Chambers paced her mother’s lavish office and scowled at the floor. Her coloring was similar to her twin’s, but her features held none of the warmth that Bryna had.

Clarissa studied her daughter, her pride and joy, and wondered how her child would like the new course of plans that she’d laid out after their first plan had failed. If she was anything like her mother, Clarissa decided, then Theresa would jump at the opportunity. After all, it was a much bigger prize that awaited them at the end of this one.

She had always kept her eyes on the prize at the end of every avenue she’d ever pursued in her life, and whatever she wanted, Clarissa Chambers-Caine always got it. She’d been a single mother of five-year-old twins when she’d met Ian Caine, and, even though she’d been a mess because of the stress of raising children, she’d seen the gift horse. Marrying Ian Caine had been the best, and most profitable, decision she’d ever made, and, twenty years later, she was still reaping the benefits of it. Ian may have died of an accidental drug overdose that she would never admit to inducing, and his daughter may have been enslaved for as long as Clarissa had been entertained, but, in the end, she had their money. Not to mention the brains, skills, and sharp eyes that had gotten her to the powerful office in which she now sat.

“Just because Brian Littrell is off the market, Theresa, does not mean that there aren’t other fish in the ocean.” Clarissa waited until her daughter turned to face her.

“What are you talking about?”

Clarissa smiled, and, if Theresa had had a metaphoric turn of mind at that moment, she would have said that the smile was reminiscent of a barracuda who’d found its prey. “Who is, at this moment, at the top of the food chain that Brian has now pushed his company into, Theresa? Who is sitting at the head of one of the most powerful recording companies that this country can boast?”

“I…” Theresa trailed off as it hit her. Her smile matched her mother’s now. “That’s beautiful, Mother. Really beautiful. He’s got more wealth than I would know what to do with, and he’s single.”

“Voted People’s Hottest Bachelor,” Clarissa agreed. “Which means you’d get the money and something very pretty to go with it.”

Though her mother had taught her to be ladylike and behave gracefully at all times, a small part of Theresa felt the need to squeal like a fifteen year old girl who’d been asked out by her crush. She was twenty-five, though, and knew the squealing would not do. Certainly not if she was going to marry James Apollus.

“So,” she began, moving to her mother’s side. “When do we start?”

***

Kristin shook her head and tried not to get too angry. Anytime she thought of her step-aunt, she was filled with fury. She couldn’t live and breathe with that fury pulsing through her, so she tried to get past it.

“Kris? Baby, you okay?” Kevin looked up from the proofs of album art and promotional pictures he’d been poring over to see his wife staring at the wall, steam practically pouring out of her ears. If there was one thing Kevin Richardson knew about his wife, it was that she was not the woman you wanted to be around when she was seriously angry. Which she appeared to be at the moment.

She blinked then looked back at him. “Yes. No. I’m contemplating murder, Kevin.”

“Uh, why don’t you do that while you eat?” he suggested, pushing her sandwich over to her. “And you can tell me how that artist you and AJ signed last week is doing.”

Kristin stared at the sandwich in front of her and sighed. Well, if she was going to kill, it may as well be on a full stomach. “Matthew Davis,” she muttered, biting into her lunch. “He’s doing well. I think AJ’s going to have him hook up with Nick and work on some initial tracks. Demo, so we can see how he’s doing. What his style is. I think he’ll probably stick to the R&B he auditioned with, and I’m pretty sure Nick has Bryna working on that project.” She tried not to think of Bryna’s mother and focused on the woman, her stepcousin, instead.

“How are Bryna and Nick dealing with each other?” Kevin asked, knowing that Nick Carter and Bryna Chambers had always mixed about as well as oil and water.

Kristin swallowed and smiled mischievously, her initial anger abating at the switch in topics to something that was fun. “You know how they are,” she told him. “Always spitting and clawing at each other. Half the time, Nick doesn’t have a clue why she screamed at him, so he just sits there all confused and cute-looking. Bryna’s so in love with him, and he can’t even see it.”

“What?” Kevin dragged his attention away from his work again to stare, disbelieving, at his wife. “What? You can’t be serious.”

“Serious about what?” Howie Dorough entered Kevin’s office and joined the couple at the table with his own lunch. “What are we talking about?”

“How Bryna’s in love with a clueless Nick,” Kristin replied.

“Oh, yeah. That.” Howie waved it off. “Everyone knows about that. Except for Nick.” He glanced up at Kevin. “Okay, and maybe Kevin.”

“I’m so out of the loop,” Kevin muttered. “So I’m just gonna stay that way and get back to my work.”

Kristin rolled her eyes at Howie. “Babe, try to stay with us for once. You’re always working through lunch, and we want you to relax sometimes.”

“We’re at work, Kris. And I’ve got a crapload of it, too. See this?” He held up a page of proofs. “They’re blurry. All of them. That’s a whole day of staging and photography gone down the drain. You know how that costs Apollo, don’t you, Howie?”

Howie swallowed his forkful of pasta and took the sheet from Kevin. As the Chief Financial Officer for Apollo Records, he was in charge of knowing the costs of everything. Just like he knew it was a waste of money retaining a photographer who couldn’t do his job right. “Thirty thousand,” he replied. “For all the equipment, crew, and the photog. Who doesn’t have a stellar record with us at the moment,” he added.

Before Kevin could reply, Kristin slapped a hand over his mouth. “No. Don’t even answer. We are not talking about work, right now. We’re talking about anything but work. For example, I could tell you about how my darling step-aunt is planning on selling her shares of Starlight to one of the Paramount execs, which makes me want to kick some serious ass. My parents are furious as hell because they’ve always hated the dried up bitch, but they can’t stop her. Uncle Ian left them to her and Laurel, but Laurel disappeared years ago, which leaves that hateful woman in charge of it all. But, no, I refuse to listen to talk about work,” she finished with a warning glare for both men.

“Clarissa’s trying to sell out to Paramount?” Howie frowned, intrigued by Kristin’s news. “What good is that going to do her? The woman’s a money hound, and selling her shares isn’t going to rake in any money in the long-run.”

Kristin held up a finger. “Uh-uh. I never said all of her shares, Howard. She’s keeping a quarter, and that’s going to bring her six to ten million a year for however long the company stays under our control.”

“Which won’t be long,” Kevin spoke quietly, understanding how much this hurt his wife. “Especially because, once Paramount’s got a hold of part of the stock, they’re going to want all of one of the most moneymaking production companies in the world.”

“She’s ruining us, Kevin.” Kristin fought to hold back the tears. “That company was built by my mother and Uncle Ian, and I’d hate to think of what he’d say if he saw it now.”

Kevin scooted her close to him, so she could lean her head against his shoulder. “Baby, he would’ve kicked her fucking sorry ass out the window faster than she could’ve said his name.”

It was just too bad that Ian Caine had been dead for the last twenty years.

***

The day off had been a welcome relief from the laborious job of cleaning windows, Laurel decided, dragging her cart of supplies towards the building she’d been assigned to that day. She’d been able to relax, eat ice cream, and talk smack about men with Bryna. Not that she knew that much about men, but she’d always lived vicariously through Bryna’s affairs. The only good thing to come out of her father’s marriage to Clarissa had been Bryna. And Jason, she remembered suddenly. What had happened to Jason, Clarissa’s only son?

When they’d first become a family, Jason and Bryna had been Laurel’s best friends. Jason had been a few years older than her and Bryna a few years younger, but they’d banded together to terrorize the hell out of Theresa with the help of their cousin, Kristin. Once her father died, though, Clarissa had banished Laurel to working with the maids in her own home. Her education had been completed at a public school, rather than the elite private school she’d once attended. Leaving that school and basically disappearing from sight had cut her off from all of her old friends, and she could barely recall them now.

Jason and Bryna had made everything easier on her, though. They’d snuck her presents on Christmas and her birthday, taken her shopping and out to dinners with them without Clarissa’s knowledge, and threatened Theresa if she ever tried to rat them out.

Eventually, on Laurel’s eighteenth birthday, Clarissa had handed her a check for twenty thousand and sent her on her way out the door. Unsure of what to do with the money and knowing that Clarissa was still keeping track of her, Laurel had found a cheap apartment in Brooklyn and had worked three different jobs to keep herself fed for the first two years. Then, she’d begun saving everything and cut down to just two jobs when she realized Clarissa no longer had people reporting about her status. On her twenty-sixth birthday, two years ago, she’d picked the window-washing job. It paid well, and she needed just a few thousand more to be able to put herself through college.

College was her biggest dream. She’d always been gifted with science and history and had dreamt of being an anthropologist since she was four. Her father had read to her from different history books about the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and the civilizations in the Indus Valley of India. It had cultivated her thirst for more, so she’d borrowed Jason’s books. Unfortunately, Jason had a falling out with his mother and, once in college, he never came home again.

So Clarissa robbed her of another of her meager store of treasures, Laurel thought, hooking up her cart to the pulleys on the side of the building. She hoped Jason was well wherever he was, and perhaps she’d run into him again some time.

She adjusted her safety goggles and sighed as she studied the tall expanse of building. She rummaged through her supplies to begin mixing cleaners together and frowned when one appeared to be missing. Kneeling down to search through the bottom shelf of her cart, she found it beneath her protective apron. She pulled out both, stood, and turned.

“Jesus Christ! Watch where you’re going!”

An irate man watched her, annoyed, as he gathered the things he’d dropped when they’d collided. His gray eyes were darkened with irritation and glared at her from beneath the dark hair he swiped out of his eyes.

“You should watch where you’re going,” Laurel shot back. “Or did you miss the giant cart standing here?” She gestured to her supplies before returning his glare. “The nerve of some people,” she muttered.

He stood and huffed out a breath. “Well, excuse me, but I was studying an important document. You shouldn’t leave your things in the middle of where people walk.” He lifted a brow and waited for her reply.

The retort had died on her lips, though, when he’d stood because she’d realized who he was. Her deep green eyes widened behind the protective eyewear before they dropped to look at the ground. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Of course.”

“What?” James was confused. “Just like that? No more snide remarks?”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry, Mr. Apollus. I’ll be sure to watch where I’m going next time.”

“Okay.” Thoroughly confused, he nodded and turned to walk away. “Have a nice day,” he called over his shoulder.

Laurel watched him go and smacked herself. She’d just yelled at the scion of a huge corporation. She’d recognized him from the cover of last month’s People magazine and wanted to smack herself. It wasn’t that she was low on the self-esteem scale. She was simply in awe of the man because he was heading a large, well-to-do company and had bewitched the entertainment world, too. He’d been to the best schools for business, and she’d envied him when she’d read the article.

Now, she’d run into him and yelled at him. She’d kick herself in private, she decided.

She watched him walk over to the fountain in the business complex’s plaza and sit on one of the benches. He looked down at his watch then up at the street. After a few minutes, a dark sedan pulled up and deposited another man with dark blonde hair onto the sidewalk. She studied them as the two dark-suited men exchanged what she’d termed “man slapping hugs”. She could hear the blonde one’s voice and detected a soft southern accent.

For a moment, just a moment, something struck her. It jiggled in her memory, and she tried to figure out what her mind was trying to recall. Then, she heard James’ voice and the feeling passed.

Shrugging, Laurel turned back to her cart.

“Back to work. Business as usual,” she murmured with a small sigh.

“To us!” Glasses clinked over the sounds of loud music and raised voices.

“To friends!”

“Forever.”

AJ leaned back in his seat and turned to James, who sat next to him in the booth they’d crowded ten people into. Beyond a balcony and down a floor, bodies danced to the beats mixed by a popular New York DJ. “So, you ready to try out this scheme you’ve got of getting a life?”

James shrugged. “I kind of like just hanging out here with everyone. We haven’t done this in too long,” he added, smiling happily at the sight of his favorite people surrounding him.

Their group had been close-knit for the past twenty years and had grown when AJ had married Kyra, and James had hired Nick for Apollo. They’d initially started off as a small group with Brian, Kevin, Kristin, and Howie, who’d gone to the same private school and had spent time together during recesses. When Kristin’s uncle had remarried, Bryna and Jason Chambers had been added to the group. Then, in seventh grade, AJ had transferred in and been added to their diverse bunch, and James had joined when he and Brian had been freshmen. Although Bryna and Nick had known each other since the start, none of the others really knew him until he’d interviewed for James and gotten the job. In twenty years, though they’d changed and grown, their friendships had remained strong and a priority for all of them.

“Too true.” Kyra McLean leaned over her husband’s shoulder to smile warmly at James. Her dark blonde hair was tied back, but her blue eyes sparkled with fun. “Just because we’ve all been busy with life doesn’t mean that we can’t make time to spend with each other.”

“Why don’t we make it an official monthly deal?” Nick suggested from across the table.

“Fabulous idea,” Kristin agreed next to him. “I mean, we haven’t even properly celebrated the fact that you and AJ are going to have a baby, Ky. And this doesn’t exactly count.”

AJ nodded. “It’s okay. We’re not that far along yet. Only three months.”

“We?” Kyra poked him. “You’re not the one who’s been throwing up every morning for those three months.”

“You’re right.” He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, settling one hand on her still-flat belly. “You’re a goddess. I don’t know how women do it.”

Kristin rolled her eyes. “Well, better we do it than you men. God knows, if you were the ones giving birth, the human species would be extinct at this point.”

Howie noted a look pass between Kristin and Kevin. “Are you guys not telling us something?”

Kevin shook his head. “No. Not yet.” Though not for lack of trying.

“Hello, alcohol here.” Kristin shook her martini lightly before turning to Brian and Leighanne. “What about you two? You’ll be married soon. Thinking about kids of your own?”

Brian hoped Leighanne hadn’t noticed the way he’d stiffened for just an instant at the thought of their children. Truthfully, he couldn’t imagine it. Given some time…maybe. “I love kids,” he answered honestly. “Of course, I’d want my own. Right, Leigh?” He squeezed her hand lightly, smiling at her.

Her hand tensed beneath his for an instant before she returned his smile. “They’ll be beautiful children.”

“Well, just as long as there are plenty of kids for us unmarried ones to spoil, I’m all for all of you having a bunch.” Jason Chambers held up his glass in a toast. “Good luck, all of you.”

Kristin patted her step-cousin’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Jason. We’ll find you someone, so you can have your own vanful of children, too.”

He shook his head, his deep brown hair curling over his eyes. “No, thanks, Kris. I’d rather be healthy, wealthy, wise, and single. Besides, that leaves more women for Howie and Nick to find.” He winked at his friends. “I’m doing you a favor.”

Nick scowled into his glass. “Personally, I don’t really want a woman. No offense,” he added apologetically to the women in the mix. “But I’ve been turned off women at the moment.” And it was all Bryna’s fault, he thought viciously. If she’d just stop being so damned righteous all the time. He couldn’t wait for the fight they were sure to have when they returned to work on Monday. But that was for Monday, and he was going to try to forget she existed for this Saturday night.

“Bryna’s one woman, Nick.” James shook his head. “Besides, what does a professional argument have anything to do with the way you view women as a whole?”

Nothing, he thought. He was being irrational, and he knew it. And yet… “She’s damn frustrating is what she is. Stubborn, unbending, infuriating little…”

“Watch it, Carter,” Jason warned. “That’s my little sister you’re talking about.”

“Sorry.” But he set his glass down and stood. “Maybe I’ll go improve my mood. Find a woman who can convince me otherwise.” He smiled a little. “Maybe.”

When he’d disappeared down the stairs, Kristin shook her head. “Seriously. Bryna and Nick have got to figure out that they’re crazy about each other. It’s fun to watch, but it’s not healthy for them.”

“It’s fun for me to sit and hear Bryna steam about how awful he is,” Jason agreed. “But, yeah, Nick needs a clue. Maybe if we gave them a push…”

“We could have another wedding after Brian and Leighanne’s,” Kyra finished. “That would be wonderful!”

Abruptly, Brian stood. “Excuse me” was all he said before he headed towards the stairs. No one managed to stop him, but they all stared after him.

“Did I say something wrong?” Kyra wondered.

Leighanne suppressed a sigh and shook her head. “No. Probably not. He’s been out of sorts lately.” And he was unhappy to be marrying her, she thought sadly.

“I’m sorry, Leigh.” James leaned across the table and squeezed her hand. “I thought this was best for both of you. Maybe I was wrong. I could go find him and talk to him.”

She shook her head. “No, no. None of this is your fault, and he’s probably just feeling overwhelmed by everything. After all, he did just merge his company with yours and has to plan a wedding, too. I’m surprised he’s still relatively sane.” She hoped she was convincing.

“Okay.” James nodded then looked down at the dance floor. He glanced up at AJ. “I guess I should take your advice and try it out, huh?”

“What could it hurt? We’ll be right here,” AJ added reassuringly. “Go and make merry.”

As James stepped down, Kevin, Kristin, and Howie followed him, while AJ and Kyra turned to each other in a private conversation. Leighanne had to smile at how in love they were and wondered if she would ever have that with Brian.

“Leighanne?” Jason scooted over to sit next to her. “If anything’s wrong, you should let us know.”

She bit her lip, surprised that a man she barely knew, for she’d only met him a few times, would offer his help so sincerely. But he was one of Brian’s oldest and closest friends, so he probably knew her fiancé well. “Everything’s fine. But thanks all the same for the offer.”

Jason sat back and studied her. There was definitely tension between Brian and Leighanne, but she was holding it together. Something he couldn’t quite say about his friend. He suddenly felt horribly sorry for her as she seemed to want to make things work between herself and Brian. Unfortunately, Brian, not his usual self, was not exactly cooperating.

“Lord, what a mess,” he muttered before moving to stand. He held out a hand and smiled kindly when Leighanne blinked at it. “Let’s try to make this evening enjoyable, huh? Dance with me?”

Hesitating briefly to glance in the direction of Brian’s retreat, she turned back to Jason and bit back a tiny sigh. “I’d love to.” And placed her hand in his.

***

He’d never been like this before. He’d always been the nice, genial, cheerful one. He would always have a sincere smile for everyone and got along with one and all. If he was grumpy, it was a rare mood for him. His behavior lately was pissing him off and surprising himself and everyone around him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t figure out how to stop.

It wasn’t Leighanne’s fault. It had never been her fault, or anyone else’s for that matter. No, he’d been eager to do whatever it took to make certain that his father’s company would be kept safe and prosperous. If the merger of Apollo and Trident stipulated that he marry Leighanne, it wasn’t her fault he’d agreed to it. It was his fault, and he knew it. Therefore, if he followed that logic, he needed to just suck it up and move forward. He’d grow to love her in time. He had to. It was what he’d dreamed of all his life. And yet…

“I’m a horrible person,” he spoke into the night air surrounding the balcony he stood on and brooded over the New York skyline.

“Hmm. I think you need this drink more than I do, in that case.” A glass full of dark liquid and ice jiggled in front of him.

When he turned to see who’d offered it to him, he met a pair of inquisitive, and amused, emerald eyes framed by dark curls of hair. Something flickered in his mind for a moment, an almost recognition, before he brushed it aside and shook his head.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m okay. Just being pissed off at myself.”

Laurel shrugged but shifted so that she, too, faced the city lights. “Suit yourself, but I hope it’s okay if I chill here for a bit.”

When he shrugged without sparing her a glance, she leaned against the railing and sipped from her glass. She’d come to the club tonight only because Bryna had been in the mood to get out and let loose. Though her stepsister didn’t lack in the friends department, Bryna loved to drag Laurel out when she was in her bitchy and wanting to strike out mood. Tonight, she’d still been stewing over Nick Carter, a man Laurel hadn’t met, and often found herself wondering if he was as bad as Bryna made him out to be. Then again, if Bryna was in love with him, he couldn’t be that bad, could he?

Laurel shook her head at herself and, suppressing the shiver she felt as a light, late April breeze blew, wished she’d brought at least a jacket. True, the days had been warm lately, but she should’ve remembered that the nights tended to get cold. The light blue halter top and white linen pants had obviously been a poor decision on her part, she scolded herself. Shivering again, she wondered if she should go back into the warmth of dancing bodies, where she was undoubtedly uncomfortable, and find Bryna. Make sure she didn’t do anything rash.

“You’re really distracting.”

Laurel snapped out of her thoughts and frowned at the man still standing next to her. “What?”

“You’re distracting me out of what I’m trying to think about.” Brian scowled at her and the way her hand hadn’t quit playing with the swirls of stars and moons dangling from her ears. “Quit it.”

When she realized what she’d been doing, her hand dropped away from her ear. “Sorry. It’s an old habit.” But she scowled right back. “Whatever’s bugging you gives you no right to be rude to me, you know. It can’t be that bad.”

“You’d be surprised,” he muttered.

“Try me.”

“Huh?”

Laurel shrugged. “I doubt I’d be surprised at what’s bothering you. It must be something about your work, right? And, let me guess, you’re in business. Maybe a higher-level officer,” she added, studying him. Though he was wearing a polo and slacks in all black, she could easily imagine him wearing a suit, too. “Yeah, you fit the type.”

“Uh, okay. You win that one.” Intrigued, Brian turned so he faced her. “What do you do?”

She smiled. “All manner of things. But we’re veering away from the subject, which is what’s bothering you. So, is it a contract gone wrong? Did you do something illegal, immoral?”

“No, no, and no. It’s simpler and more complicated than that.” He sighed, not caring that he was asking advice of a stranger. “What if you had to do something as part of a contract, something to do with your personal life, something that you don’t wish to do because you don’t want to hurt yourself and others? Would you do it?”

Frowning a little, she mulled it over. “Guess it would depend on whether or not I was seriously incapable of doing it,” she finally replied. She couldn’t say much more because she felt as though she’d spent a good amount of her life living out a contract that had everything to do with her personal life. None of it had been what she’d wanted, and she’d been hurt. Though the scars were long-buried, of course.

“I can do it. I know that, but still. It’s turning me into someone I don’t like. I’m not usually the kind to sulk when I could be having fun,” he explained. “I’m never upset because there’s always a way to lighten up a bad situation. Or so I thought. Now, I’m not so sure.”

Laurel swirled the leftover ice in her glass and gave him a small smile. “Maybe you should give yourself some time and cut yourself some slack. You sound like you’re carrying the fricking weight of the world on your back. Unload a bit and go dance.”

“Thanks,” he said after a moment. “Do you always give advice to random strangers at clubs?”

“Nope. You standing here brooding just reminded me of Titanic, and I thought I’d be Jack to your Rose. Did it work?”

Brian grinned. “Actually, I go by Brian. And I wouldn’t have jumped.”

“Rose wouldn’t have either.” Her lips curved at his contagious smile. “And, honestly, I’m no Jack, either.”

“So, if you’re not Rose or Jack, who are you?” Brian wondered, curious. He’d never enjoyed talking to a complete stranger before, but he’d thoroughly liked their conversation, even if it had been about a dismal topic. Truth be told, he just liked hearing her voice and watching the face that made him think of fairy princesses. Which was ridiculously frivolous, but that had been his initial impression and he couldn’t shake it.

“Just a random player passing through the stage of your life,” she replied with a smile.

“Poetic, but you’ve got to have a name.”

“Eve,” Laurel lied, giving him the name she gave anyone she met on such strange occasions. Of course, she was tempted to give him her actual name because she realized that she wanted to see him again. Do something more.

He smiled brilliantly, and she found herself gravitating towards him involuntarily. What was it about him? she wondered. The man had such an appealing face, and his eyes were the darkest hue of blue, gleaming in the lights from the buildings around them. That smile, she decided, was his greatest weapon.

“Eve,” he began but was cut off by the appearance of a beautifully delicate blonde.

“Brian?” She made her way towards them and rested a hand on his shoulder. Laurel would’ve had to be blind not to miss the way this woman looked at Brian.

Or, for that matter, the giant rock on her hand. Taken, she thought and was startled at the realization that she was disappointed by the fact that he was engaged.

“Leigh.” His hand covered hers. “What’s up?”

“Is everything okay? Everyone’s wondering about you.” Leighanne tried not to think about the woman he’d been talking to, the one who stood and watched them.

He nodded. “I’ll be right in. Give me two seconds.” But when he turned to look for his new friend, she was gone. Puzzled, but resigned, he shrugged. “Never mind. Let’s go in.” Even as they made their way back to the door into the club, he stopped her. “Wait a minute.”

“What’s wrong?” Leighanne asked, her hand squeezing his gently. He was certainly acting odd.

Brian cupped her face in his hands and brushed his fingers over her cheekbones. She really was beautiful, he thought. And she didn’t deserve the way he kept treating her. “I wanted to apologize for making you think that I’d rather be anywhere but where you are. It’s not true.”

“Brian, you don’t have to-”

“I do.” He nodded. “It’s not that I don’t want to marry you, Leighanne. I do.”

“Because you’ve got no other choice,” she pointed out.

He shook his head. “Not entirely. I suppose, if I’d really wanted to, I could’ve said no to that stipulation in the contract. This is the twenty-first century, and you’re not obligated to agree to anything that you don’t truly want to do. I agreed to marry you, but that doesn’t mean it’s not going to take me a bit of time to adjust. Reshape my life, my plans.”

“Was there someone else?” she wondered. “Before?”

Unless he counted a fourth grade wedding to an old, long-gone friend, he thought wryly. “No. There was no one. What I’m sorry for is not realizing that while I may have had to think about how this, us, changed my plans, it must have thrown a wrench in yours, too.”

A little, she thought. “I was supposed to marry my business school sweetheart,” she admitted after a moment. If he was being honest, why shouldn’t she? “But he left me five months ago. So, relationship-wise, I’ve got nothing to change.”

“And professionally?”

Leighanne shook her head. “The dance school isn’t going to be affected by me being married.”

“I’d like to see it sometime.” Brian frowned at her expression. “What? Is that not allowed?”

“No. I guess I’m just surprised that you’d want to see it.”

He brushed his lips over hers lightly, astonishing them both as it was their first kiss. “We’re to be married, Leigh. I’d like to know more about my wife-to-be. Maybe things will go more smoothly this way.”

“Of course. I don’t want this to be uncomfortable,” she agreed and was stunned when he kissed her again.

Hope sprouted its first, fragile shoots in her heart.

Laurel slipped back into the sounds, heat, and lights of the club. She’d decided against waiting around to say goodbye to Brian. It had been nice meeting him, and she was sure he’d work out whatever problems he seemed to be having. And, of course, if the blond was any sign, he’d have a lovely life, too.

Just because she wished him well didn’t mean that she couldn’t be jealous—just a little, she thought—of the fact that he had someone, probably many someones, who loved him. She had an ancient cat and her slightly nutty stepsister.

“Better than nothing,” she muttered before she was bumped into. “Ouch!”

The man who’d run into her steadied them both by placing a hand on her arm before he looked up at her. “I’m so sorry. I…Laurel?”

“Jason,” she whispered. He was here. She could hardly believe it, but her arms were around him instantly. “Jason!”

He hugged her close and could hardly believe it. Of all the places in all the world, he’d found her here. Though he’d been estranged from his mother for the past several years, he’d made efforts to find Laurel. No one, not even Bryna, had been able to inform him of her whereabouts. And, now, here she was. His little stepsister. Though she wasn’t quite so little anymore.

“Let me look at you.” He stepped back, holding her at arm’s length. “You’re all grown up, Laurie. I can’t believe I found you. I’ve looked all over for you!”

She smiled and hugged him again. “It’s good to see you again, too! After you left, I thought I’d lost you forever.”

“I went back to the estate to see you and Bryna, but Mother told me you’d gone. She couldn’t say where or when, though. I was so worried about you.” Jason patted her cheek. “Obviously, I didn’t need to. What have you been up to?”

“A little of this, a little of that. It’s nice to hear that someone worried about me,” she told him. He’d always been the best brother she could’ve ever asked for.

He looped an arm around her shoulders. “There are a lot of people who worried about you. Do you remember, before you left Cliffton, we were friends with Kevin Richardson?” At her nod, he went on. “Kevin married Kristin. They’re both here tonight, along with Howie Dorough and a bunch of others. I’m sure they’ll be ecstatic to see you again.” He led her towards the staircase to the VIP section, but she stopped him.

“No, please. Jason, I can’t. I can’t see them again.”

“What? Why?”

Laurel sighed a little. “It’s just…it’s been so long. And I’m not the same anymore. Neither are they. There’s a reason I’ve always asked Bryna to keep quiet about where I was.”

“Bryna? Bryna knew where you were and didn’t tell me?” He was surprised and hurt. “Why would you do that, Laurel?”

“I need to keep a low profile because, even if I’m away from your mother, she’s still keeping an eye on me. If I’d gone back to the old gang, she would’ve made my life a living hell. At this point in my life, I don’t need that.” She looked away from the hurt shading his eyes to stare at the hordes of moving bodies. “You haven’t seen Bryna tonight, have you?”

“Bryna’s here? Right now?”

“Yes.”

His laugh surprised her. “What’s so funny?”

“Nick Carter. She must have told you about him, right?” Laurel nodded. “Anyway, Nick’s here tonight and in a horrible mood because of her. I wonder if they’ve found each other.”

When his arm rested around her shoulders again, she leaned against him as they watched the clubgoers companionably. “I’d pay money to see what would happen if they did.”

***

“Of all the…” Bryna muttered furiously under her breath and tried to ignore him. But, of course, she couldn’t. He hulked around like he owned the place. No, like he owned her.

Nick pulled up a stool to the bar where she sat and glared daggers at her. “So that’s how you work, huh, Bryna? You’re too sick or busy or what the fuck ever else to come in to work. But you’re perfectly fine enough to party. With a work ethic like that, you’ll never make your mark bigger in music. Such a hypocrite,” he muttered and ordered a drink. He needed one. Badly.

“You ass!” she nearly hissed it. “You’re the one that hired me and didn’t bother to pay attention to the way my music sounds. I don’t need you, Nick, and I certainly don’t need Apollo to help me make my mark in the industry. I was fine without your help, and I’ll keep being fine.” She shoved away from the bar and started back towards the dance floor. When his hand caught hers in a strong grip, she stared coolly from his eyes to his hand. “Get your hand off me, Nick. You don’t want to mess with me now.” Not after she’d spent a week building steam and anger over him and his bullheadedness. Why she was in love with the pathetic ingrate, she still didn’t know, but she was. Even if he currently had her arm in a stranglehold.

He pulled her back to him and met her stare with a sneer. “What are you going to do, Bryna? Beat me up if I don’t let go? I’m bigger than you.”

“Learn to pick on someone your own size then.” Another man stepped between them and pulled Bryna out of Nick’s hold. He was nearly Nick’s height with dark blonde hair and, currently, irritated brown eyes. “And don’t mess with a woman that way,” he added, turning from Bryna to glare at Nick. His face went from irritated to shocked instantly. “Carter? Nick Carter?”

Nick sighed and wondered if things could get more complicated. “Matthew Davis, right? It’s a small, small world.”

“And a pretty fucked up one if my boss is going around manhandling his co-worker,” the other man countered. “If I’d known Apollo had such bastards on their team, I would’ve never come to you to be signed.”

“Look-” Nick began, feeling just a little sick as his eyes fell on the way the singer had his arm around Bryna’s waist and the way she seemed to lean against him.

“No, you look.” Matt cut him off. “I don’t want to get into an argument with you. Not when I’m going to be working with you for the next foreseeable future. So let’s get something straight. I may technically be your employee, but I’ll kick your ass if you touch Bryna again.”

He resisted the urge to throw his hands up in frustration. “Great. Sure. Fine.” Nick’s eyes met Bryna’s, and he wondered how she could make his feelings run the gamut from annoyed to elated to miserable and everything in between. “You’ll be working with Bryna anyway. She knows your music style better than any of the other Apollo producers or myself. She’s damn good at her job, so you won’t see me around. That saves you an ass-kicking, doesn’t it?” He sighed and, grabbing his drink, left them behind.

“You okay?” Matt turned to Bryna, who was watching Nick’s retreating figure.

She blinked. “Huh? Oh, yeah.” She patted his arm. “You’re a great guy, Matthew.”

“I am, aren’t I?” He grinned. “So, wanna dance some more?”

Bryna sighed a little. She wasn’t sure what she wanted to do. She’d come to this club to party and try to let go of the bruised feelings she’d been nursing all week. Considering they were the product of twenty years of bruised feelings, she’d been walking around with a huge weight on her chest. So, she’d come to have fun and dragged Laurel with her, only to run into the man who’d bruised her feelings and her heart. And she’d watched him walk away with the same frustration, confusion, and pain that dwelled in her, too.

She glanced back at the clubgoers that now filled the space Nick had disappeared through and sighed. Running into Matt had been pure coincidence, and, considering she’d liked him from the start of their professional relationship, she’d settled into harmless flirtation. Harmless, but she didn’t want Matt to want more. Not when she couldn’t give more.

“I don’t know, Matt.” She bit her lip and hoped that Nick wouldn’t be too much angrier with her on Monday. True, she knew how to handle him, but that didn’t mean she wanted to spend forever fighting him. “I’m kind of tired. I’m just going to chill here for a bit. You go and have fun. I’ll catch up with you later.”

Understanding, he nodded. “If Carter comes back, I really will kick his ass, though.”

“Matt, it’s…complicated. He wouldn’t have hurt me. Not the way you think,” she added. “We’ve got a crazy history, but it’s sweet of you to want to help me out. I’ll remember that.”

“Okay. If you end up leaving before I see you again, have a good night. I’ll see you on Monday.” He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “By the way, you’ve got great moves. Boss.”

Why, she wondered, pressing a hand to her heart, why couldn’t she just feel that flutter of butterflies when another man touched her? Why was it that only being near Nick did that to her? It would have been so lovely if she could’ve responded to that brush of Matt’s lips on her cheek. But she couldn’t.

Only Nick. Only Nick could do that to her. Just as only Nick could make her feel this miserable.

***

Laurel stepped back from the railing and grinned at Jason. “They’re so cute.”

“And miserable, too.” He shook his head. “Seriously, as much as I wanted to march down there and punch him for touching her like that, I want her happy.”

“I know. She won’t be happy until she’s with Nick, though.” Laurel twirled a lock of her hair idly. “I think Nick’s the same way from seeing them around each other.”

Jason nodded. “Oh, yeah. He hasn’t realized it yet, but he’s sunk in her. He just has to figure it out.”

“He looked upset when he walked out,” she commented. “Maybe someone should talk to him.”

“Yeah.” And he saw her look. “Wait. Me? You want me to go talk to the guy who’s making my little sister miserable? Laurel, I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

She put her arm around his shoulders and pointed to where Bryna sat, still staring in the direction Nick had stalked off. “That’s your sister, and she’s unhappy. It’s up to you to do something to fix that. Talking to Nick is a good place to start. So do it.”

“When did you become so bossy?”

“When I realized that nothing happens unless you work for it.” Laurel patted his cheek. “Help Bryna, Jason. Do it for me, the sister you haven’t seen in years.”

He scowled. “Great card to pull.”

“Did it work?”

“Yeah.” Jason started off in the direction Nick had gone. Then, he stopped and caught her up in a hug. “Don’t disappear again.”

“I won’t.” She blinked back tears and squeezed him back. “Bryna knows how to find me.”

He nodded and stepped back. “I’m going to go save the day, I guess. Bryna is so going to owe me, though.”

***

Jason found Nick sitting in a corner booth with a bottle of beer dangling from his fingers as he scowled at the people dancing. He was alone and, apparently, brooding with it.

“Mind if I join you?”

Nick didn’t spare his friend a glance, just lifted a shoulder. “It’s a free country.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jason settled in. “And being a free country, you won’t mind me exercising my freedom of speech, right?”

“What do you want, Jason?”

Well, let’s not beat around the fucking bush, shall we? “I saw your argument with Bryna.” The one sentence was enough to have Nick’s head whipping around to glare at him. “I didn’t come here to argue, though.”

“Then what?” He was pissed at the world, Nick decided. Taking it out on the brother of the one person causing him a great deal of annoyance, had to be more satisfying than pounding a fist on the table.

Jason gave him a sympathetic look. “I know you’re tired and confused with all the crazy signals she’s been sending off, Nick.”

“They’re not crazy. They’re deranged. Your sister’s a fricking lunatic.”

“Don’t I know it.” Jason grinned at the withering look Nick shot him. “Hey, I know what she’s like. I grew up with her. Just be happy you’re not dealing with Theresa. She’d freeze you and hack you to pieces. She’s my sister, too, but she’s a nasty piece of work. Bryna’s not.”

Nick frowned. “I wouldn’t bank on it if I were you.”

“I’ll take my chances.” Jason patted Nick’s shoulder. “Having grown up with Bryna, I have a piece of advice for you, young grasshopper.”

Nick snorted. “Grasshopper?”

“Shut up. It’s a term that refers to a novice. You still don’t know how to deal with Bryna, so you’re still a grasshopper. Anyway.” He paused to collect his thoughts. “Bryna. She’s hard as hell to figure out when she’s upset, but she’s as pure as they come, Nick. If she’s making you mad and frustrated, she’s probably just as mad and upset. She doesn’t do things to spite others on purpose. Whatever’s wrong between the two of you, you need to talk with her about it. Don’t shove each other around because that closes her down. She’ll never fix things with you if you do that. Just be very calm, mature, and willing to listen. Bryna will come around.”

Nick was quiet for a few moments. “She never used to be this complicated before,” he said finally.

“Yeah, well, you’ve always been sort of dense when it comes to reading her.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Jason chuckled at the insulted tone. “She’s always been Bryna, Nick. You’re just starting to notice her, now. When you’ve figured out why that is, you’ll know what to do.” He rose and patted Nick’s shoulder again. “Until then, learn from wise words, grasshopper.”

“Yeah, well, at least a grasshopper can make music,” Nick muttered as Jason strode off. Then again, so could Bryna, and he had a sneaking suspicion she was better at it than him, too.

***

“I think I’m in shock.”

Kevin chuckled and Kristin shushed him. “You’re not in shock, and this shouldn’t be such a surprise,” she told James. “After all, what smart, beautiful woman wouldn’t say yes to you?”

“Kris.”

“Well, if I was younger and not married to you, Kevin, I would, too,” she replied and grinned at James’ horrified look. “Kevin’s not going to bust you over that statement, either. Relax.”

But James continued to stare at the name and number of the woman he’d spent fifteen minutes talking to at the bar. He’d been there, she’d been there, and they’d struck up a conversation. She’d been intelligent, witty, and gorgeous. Even now, as he sat in Kevin’s car on their way home, he couldn’t get the image of her out of his mind. He hoped he wasn’t making a mistake, he thought, half-listening as Kevin poked at his wife and riled her up. He had her number and her name. A pretty name to go with a magnificent face and personality. He couldn’t help but say her name to himself.

Laurel.

“I still can’t believe you’re going to go out with James.” Bryna’s surprised voice crackled over Laurel’s cell phone. “I mean, really, he’s my boss. How…weird.”

Laurel grimaced as she tried to find the invoices for the jobs she needed to log into the system. They’d been in her small desk at work on Friday, but, suddenly, they weren’t. Remembering her sister was still on the phone, she shifted it from one ear to the other and held it between shoulder and ear. “Bryna. It’s not the end of the world. He won’t ever know I’m your sister. Besides, I’m surprised he didn’t remember that we’d met before.”

“Oh, right! When you knocked him over.” Bryna didn’t bother to conceal the chuckle. “My, it’s a small, small world, isn’t it?”

“Aha!” Laurel pulled out the file of invoices from the back of a drawer with a flourish. “Now, how’d that get all the way back there?” She puzzled over the mysterious way things seemed to move around. “Sprouting little legs, are we?”

“Laurel?”

“Sorry.” She spoke into the cell again. “I was searching for something and found it. Anyway, yes. Yes, it is a small world. And, speaking of small worlds, I can’t believe I ran into Jason on Saturday night.”

“Yeah. He gave me hell about not telling him where you were. Something about family ties and how being your brother entitled him to that knowledge.” Bryna sighed. “He’s such a drama queen sometimes.”

Laurel chuckled as she flicked on her ancient computer. “Yeah, well, it was nice seeing him again. Did you give him my address?”

“And have you kill me? No, I didn’t.”

“Good. It would be really hard to explain to Jason why it’s okay that I practically live in the slums.” She pulled up the program she needed on the computer and began to carefully type in the required information. “Either way, though, I’ll definitely enjoy catching up with big brother. I’ve missed him.”

“I know.” Bryna’s voice softened. “He’s missed you, too. I’m glad the game of hide and seek is over. He’d been asking me about your whereabouts every year since you left. Good thing I don’t have to lie anymore.”

Laurel squinted at what she’d scrawled on one of the orders. “Oh, yeah. Thanks for being so strong, Bryna. I’m proud of you for going to work today, too.”

There was a small sigh on the other end. “Well, I’ve been sitting in my car for the last twenty minutes in the parking lot of Apollo. I’m just nervous about seeing Nick. He was so hurt on Saturday, Laurel. I don’t like knowing that I can make him miserable, too.”

“Must be love,” Laurel quipped before turning serious. Bryna needed serious at the moment. “Bryna, just take it a step at a time. We’ve discussed this. Walk in there and go to work on what you have to do. If Nick shows up, deal with him without all the pettiness you two seem to lob at each other. If he doesn’t, then, hey, no worries. Right?”

“Right. I hope it won’t be awkward for him and Matthew Davis to work together. It’s not right that a new artist have a grudge against a board member.” Laurel could practically hear Bryna gnawing worriedly on her lip.

“Bryna. Things will happen the way they’re meant to. Pull yourself together and get in that building. Everything will be fine. Besides, Jason’s practically watching out for you, too,” she reminded Bryna.

“Okay.” Bryna took a deep breath. “Thanks for being a part of the pep talk, Laurel. I love you.”

“Love you, too. Now, go.”

When Bryna had taken a deep breath and said goodbye, Laurel wished her luck and got back to her own work. Bryna would be fine because she had the courage to stick through whatever mess awaited her. Hopefully, Laurel thought, Nick would catch the right drift soon and fall for Bryna, too. It would make everyone and everything happier than it, and they, were.

As for her and James, well, Laurel decided she’d wait on that one. James hadn’t called her yet, but it had only been a day and a half. If he didn’t call her by Wednesday, though…

“Let’s leave that for later, Laurel,” she muttered to herself, pulling out another order and setting aside the finished one. “One dramatic issue at a time.”

***

Bryna squared her shoulders as she marched towards Apollo’s doors. She felt a lot less confident than she’d let Laurel believe, and, though part of her hoped she wouldn’t see Nick, another bigger part perversely wished he’d show up. Not to harass her, but just so she could watch him and wonder why he never looked at her the way she needed him to.

“You look ready to do murder.”

Stopping with a hand on the door handle, she turned to see Brian approaching. His eyes twinkled humorously even though his brows were raised curiously. “Brian. Hi.”

“Everything all right?” he asked in that soft southern twang she’d always liked since she’d met him.

Opening the door, she stepped inside and waited for Brian to follow. “I hope so, Brian.”

“Hey.” He placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her in front of the bank of elevators. “If you’re worried about Nick, don’t be. He’s mostly harmless.”

She sighed a little and mustered up a smile for him. God, she was transparent. “I know, B. I just wish things were different with us, you know.”

Of course, he knew and sympathized. He’d been the first person she’d told when she’d realized that she’d fallen in love with Nick. It had been at Brian’s high school graduation party. Nick had teased her and pushed her to tears, and Brian had felt bad enough to follow Bryna and apologize for his friend’s behavior.

“It doesn’t matter what he says, Brian!” she sobbed. “I just figured out I’m stupidly in love with the asshole. And I don’t know what to do!”

He’d never forget feeling a little shocked and awed that someone fourteen years old could feel so much. At the time, he had doubted her words, for, really, who could truly trust in the feelings of a teenage girl? As the months and years passed, though, it became harder and harder for everyone to doubt those feelings. He’d watched her battle that love for Nick for eleven years and still…

“I think he’s starting to figure out something. Not sure what, but you’re getting to him,” Brian told her now. “If it’s any consolation, he was miserable last week when you weren’t here.”

“Really?” Her spirits brightened a bit before plummeting again. “It was probably because he had to work more than his share to get things in by deadlines. He’ll never feel the same way about me that I do about him. I’m tired of convincing myself that he will.”

Brian wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pressed the button for the elevator. “Bryna, don’t give up on him. You know you couldn’t have fallen for him if there wasn’t something inside of him for you. Love doesn’t just come to one person and not to the other.”

“Really?” She turned curious doe brown eyes on his face. “But isn’t that how it is between you and Leighanne?” And winced when she saw his expression. “Sorry, Bri. Don’t mind my comments, here. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

He shrugged it off. Almost. “Don’t worry about it, Bryna. Besides, Leighanne and I are getting on track with each other. It was a good weekend for us.” He flashed a smile at her as they stepped onto the elevator. “We’re figuring each other out and warming up to the idea that we’re going to be married.”

“Lucky you,” Bryna murmured. “I guess I should just try to forget about him for the moment, right?”

“Hey, he’ll march straight to you and demand explanations if you ignore him,” Brian suggested with a wink. “He’ll work harder to get to you if you seem unconcerned with him. It’ll bother him to distraction.”

Bryna found it hard to stop the smile forming on her lips. “You’re a smart man, Brian Littrell.”

The doors opened on his floor, and Brian stepped off. He turned and grinned at her. “Thousands agree with you. Good luck.”

And the elevator doors whisked close to carry Bryna to where her work, and Nick, awaited her. She hoped she’d survive it, dignity intact.

***

He creased and re-creased the slip of paper and worried over it like a bad toothache. All he needed to do was pick up the phone and call. That was all. And yet…And yet, he was more nervous than he’d thought he’d be. There was a very good reason why James Apollus, owner and CEO of Apollo Records, was a bachelor, and apparently the hottest one, at the age of thirty one.

He was terminally shy.

Of course, he hid it well. In the business he was in a guy couldn’t let his weaknesses show, or the competitors would chomp him to bits. It was a little like being bait in a pool of sharks. Act cool and unbait-like, and you’d be fine. If they drew blood, well, you were out for the count.

The friends he’d had since he was in high school were the one group that he’d never worry about being himself around. They knew him inside out, and he’d never been embarrassed to admit to any of them that he needed to start dating again. He hadn’t been out with a woman since the one he’d nearly married two years earlier.

In retrospect, he wondered why he’d ever thought Carrie Henderson, of the Hendersons who owned a huge chain of hotels around the world, was the perfect woman for him. She’d pushed and prodded him into taking her to movie premieres and parties ripe with paparazzi. They were the type of events he’d hated, but she’d thrived on them and the attention she’d garnered from being on his arm. He’d nearly stuck a whopper of a ring on her finger before Brian had pointed out that Carrie was an attention-seeking whore. Well, he hadn’t put it that way because Brian was nothing if not polite and tactful. But it had basically been the same thing.

So, here he was, two years later, driving himself crazy over a simple phone call to the woman he’d met at the club two nights earlier. She hadn’t appeared to know who he was and, if she had, had hid it well.

“Uh oh. Looks like there’s trouble. What do you think, Kev? He seems troubled.”

James looked up to see Kevin and Brian grinning at him from the doorway of his office. He must have been obscenely distracted if he’d missed their arrival, he decided.

“At a guess, Brian, I’d say there’s trouble of the female variety,” Kevin replied, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

“Shut it, you two. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows the boss,” James began. “I could have you sacked if I really felt mean.”

Brian moved towards the desk where James was seated. “But you wouldn’t, would you? Besides, where would you find people as good as we are to fill our positions?”

“I hear Duncan in Accounting and Reynolds in Legal at the LA offices are doing damn fine work.”

“They’re also sleeping together,” Kevin said with a straight face. When James’ expression ran the gamut from confused to horrified to outraged and, finally, to realization, he couldn’t hold back the laughter. “Sorry, man. It was too easy.”

James shrugged and stared at the piece of paper in his hands again. “Whatever. It took me a second to remember they were married.”

“I figured you wouldn’t remember that detail. Or the fact that Duncan is a woman,” Kevin added with a grin as he deposited several files on James’ desk.

“There are far too many people that work under me,” came the muttered reply.

Brian edged a hip onto the side of the desk and studied his friend with concern. “Seriously, though. What’s bothering you, Apollus? It’s Monday morning, the beginning of another week that makes you millions, you had a good weekend, and, now, we find you sitting here like the burdens of the world rest on your shoulders. What’s happening?”

“Kevin was right,” James replied after a few moments. “It’s a woman.”

“The one whose number you got on Saturday night?” Kevin remembered. “Did you call her yet?”

“No. Which is why I’m worried.” He sighed and set the slip of paper in a drawer. “I don’t know if today is too soon or if I should call her now. Maybe I just shouldn’t call her at all.”

Brian patted his shoulder. “I think you should call her up and see her. From what you told me, she sounds like a good bet. You did have a conversation with her at a bar for a half hour in the middle of a busy club. That, and her first reaction to meeting you wasn’t, ‘Oh, my God! You’re James Apollus! I saw you on the magazine cover last month!’” Brian batted his eyes teasingly at his best friend. “I say go for it.”

“I don’t know. Maybe I’m not cut out for this whole dating deal. I mean, look how well I did the last time.” He stared forlornly out the window at the wide expanse of city. “Maybe I’m not meant to find the woman I’ll spend the rest of my life with.”

“Oh, please.” Brian slid off the desk and paced in front of it. “That’s crap, James Apollus, and you know it. You figured out what Carrie really was before you made that relationship permanent.”

“With your help,” James muttered.

Brian rolled his eyes and shot a look at Kevin. Kevin sighed before answering the sullen remark. “As your friends, we’re bound to look out for you. Of course, Brian was going to tell you what she was really like before you made a mistake. It’s not a strike against you or your judgement. Either way, you’re making this more complicated than it needs to be.” He reached over and pushed the telephone near the younger man. “Pick it up and call her. Do yourself, and all of us, a favor. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“She’ll say no,” James said irritably.

“Then she’ll say no. That’s that.” Brian lifted the receiver and held it out. “But you’ll never know until you call.”

James looked from one man to the other then at the phone. After a few moments, he sighed and took the telephone. “Here goes nothing.”

Five minutes later, a grin had replaced the worried frown on his face, and Brian and Kevin teased him about being scared to call up a woman.

“Big, bad James Apollus terrified of one woman. Wait until I call up the tabloids and tell them about this one,” Brian chuckled. “I’ll even recount our conversation word for word for them.”

It was James’ turn to roll his eyes. “Whatever. I don’t care what you say because Laurel said yes. That’s all that matters.”

“We knew a Laurel once,” Brian remembered and turned to Kevin. “Hey, Kev. Remember Laurel Caine, Jason and Bryna’s stepsister? She disappeared after Ian Caine’s death. I wonder what happened to her.”

Kevin did remember and, with the memories, he remembered his wife’s current misery. “The two of you were attached at the hip. Wherever Brian was, Laurel was sure to be found and vice versa,” he explained to James. “And then, one day, she was gone. Speaking of the Caines, Clarissa’s busy selling a good portion of Starlight Productions’ stock to Paramount. Kristin and her family are sick about the whole deal.”

“Can’t Kris’s parents veto the sell? I mean, they own the other half of the company.” James sat up and thought of the intricacies of the business dealing. He loved the ins and outs of such things.

Kevin shook his head. “They own it, but they have no say over what Clarissa does with her part of it.”

“Do you think, if Laurel was here, the deal could be stopped?” Brian wondered. “I mean, I’m sure if she’d been around still, Clarissa wouldn’t have as much control as she does, right? Mr. Caine left his shares and business holdings to Laurel with Clarissa’s supervision. Laurel would’ve been in complete control of it once she turned eighteen.”

“But she’s not here,” Kevin replied. “And the whole thing is just going sour, now.”

James opened his mouth to speak when his intercom buzzed. “Yes, Helen?”

“Sir, a Miss Theresa Chambers is here to see you,” his secretary’s voice crackled over the speaker.

The three men frowned and exchanged puzzled glances before James cleared his throat. “Let her in, Helen, but hold any refreshments.”

“Of course, sir.”

“I don’t get it,” Brian said once the intercom was off. “She’s never had a single thing to say to you in seventeen years, and, suddenly, she shows up here out of the blue?”

James shrugged but the frown didn’t disappear. “I love Bryna, but her twin creeps me out. Let’s hope she’s in and out of here fast.”

“We’ll get out of your way then,” Kevin began but the door opening behind them cut him off.

“Oh. I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t realize there was a meeting in here.” Theresa stopped just inside the door and studied the three men. Rich men, she reminded herself and hid her thoughts with an apologetic smile.

James came around his desk to meet her. “No, there’s no meeting. I believe you know Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell.”

“Of course,” Theresa replied with a smile to them. Brian thought it seemed more piranha-like than anything else, while Kevin wondered how it was possible that this woman had shared the womb with Bryna.

“We were just on our way out,” Brian said with a slight smile and moved to the door.

Kevin acknowledged her smile with a slight nod and followed Brian. “Nice seeing you. We’ll catch you later, James.”

When they were gone, James turned to the woman in front of him and pasted a smile on his lips as he wondered what she could possibly want with him. “Have a seat, Theresa.” He gestured to a chair across from his desk. “We rarely see each other.”

“I know.” She settled into the seat and, put her purse down, leaning over just enough to offer James a glimpse of the black lace and creamy skin beneath her low-cut gray blouse. She’d calculated every movement she’d make to entice the man. And, being a man, he was bound to fall for it. “I was thinking about it yesterday and thought I’d drop by to see you and maybe convince you to have dinner with me sometime.”

James caught himself before rolling his eyes at the way she’d crossed her legs in a way that edged her short, snug skirt a few inches higher on her thighs. It was pathetically obvious what she was trying to do, but he couldn’t quite figure out why she was baiting him. Deciding to play along and be a good host, he smiled at her. “Well, that’s certainly a tempting offer. I’ll have to check my schedule and get back to you.”

“Wonderful.” And too easy, she thought gleefully. He was ripe for the picking, and she was more than willing to pluck him off the money tree. “So, tell me, how have you been? I saw you on last month’s People. You looked satisfied with yourself.”

And here we go, James mused before mustering up a reply. It was going to be a long meeting.

Oh, she was good. Damn good.

Nick wanted to walk over there and throttle her, but he resisted. Because he knew what she was up to. Well, two could play that game, he mused. She wanted to act like she hadn’t just skipped on a week of work, that she’d just waltzed right back to work without an excuse for her behavior, well, then, he’d let her.

But, damn it, she hadn’t looked over at him once since he’d walked into the practice room where she was working with Matthew Davis on his ideas for his musical style. Matt had shot him evil glares for the past hour, but Bryna sat behind the piano and played scales and melodies, until Nick wanted to smash an anvil through the damn thing. He wanted her to be as annoyed as he was, but she didn’t seem to give a damn about him.

So he sat, and he waited.

When they took a break, Matt glared at him again and stalked over to where Nick sat next to a mini fridge full of bottled water. As he took two out, he narrowed his eyes at Nick. “Don’t you have work you should be doing, Carter?”

Nick merely folded his arms and blinked. “I’m doing it.”

“Right. Sitting here doing nothing is your job.” Matt sneered. “May we all be fortunate enough to have such leisurely occupations.”

“Matt.” Bryna stood next to the piano and shook her head. “Mr. Carter is simply supervising as it is part of his scope of work. Let’s just finish up this break and get back to work. You’re doing really well today.”

Matt smiled at her. “Of course. I got you water,” he added, moving over to her again.

Nick rolled his eyes. Oh, yeah. A bottle of water is so going to get her to fall for you. He couldn’t understand how Bryna had dealt with hours of the man nearly pawing her, but maybe she liked it, he thought viciously. She’d probably fucked the guy already between Saturday night and this morning. He wouldn’t put it past her. She was probably enjoying the way he fawned over her and lavished such…He frowned. No, actually, she probably didn’t.

He sighed as he watched her smile at Matt, though he wasn’t sure that he imagined the strain behind it. He could say a lot about Bryna, but he’d never seen her bask in the spotlight. In fact, she went out of her way to duck behind it. And the word “manipulator” was the last thing he’d ever call her because she didn’t have a single, manipulative bone in her body. As the piano began playing again, he shut his eyes and felt the first trickles of guilt and shame.

Bryna hadn’t done anything, really, to deserve the accusations and evil thoughts he kept hurling at her. In fact, she hadn’t deserved the words he’d said to her at the club, either. When he thought back to the origin of their current conflict, it had been the song she’d written for one of his favorite artists. As much as he hated to admit it, he’d been impressed by the song but had wanted to add his own touch to it. Because he’d wanted part of it to be his, he remembered. Was he really that proud that he couldn’t handle when someone else’s work was superior to his?

Okay, Nick admitted to himself, maybe he was. In which case, he couldn’t really fault Bryna for being angry that he’d switched around things in her song.

He stood up and quietly made his way past Bryna and Matt. And ignored the way Matt’s hand rested on Bryna’s shoulder as he sang along to her accompanying piano. When Matt’s eyes met his, Nick nodded at him and walked out of the room.

It was time he left her alone.

***

“What was the ice princess doing visiting James?” Kristin asked her husband and Brian as they stood in the elevator on their way to the café in the lobby for lunch.

Brian shrugged. “Not a clue. She was dressed to kill, though. And I meant that in as bad a way as possible.”

“I can’t imagine what she could possibly want to talk to him about,” Kevin said as they stepped off the elevator. “The woman’s never said a single thing to any of us for as long as I can remember. She didn’t even bother showing up to our wedding,” he reminded Kristin.

“Yeah, and that was surprising in itself. Our wedding had some of the wealthiest and most influential people there,” Kristin remembered. “That’s the kind of atmosphere she and the step-aunt from hell thrive in.”

Brian threw his jacket over the back of a chair at one of the small tables in the café. “Well, let’s not ruin our appetites thinking about them,” he suggested. “I, for one, am starving.” Kevin and Kristin exchanged amused glances, and the three of them went to order.

Fifteen minutes later, as they went over various artist files and paperwork and ate, Brian glanced up and noticed Nick crossing the lobby, his shoulders drooping and a frown fixed on his face. Excusing himself, Brian hurried after Nick.

When he caught up to the younger man, Nick was slouching in a bench by the fountain that stood in the Apollo plaza.

“Hey, Nick. Mind if I join you?” He fixed a smile on his face in response to Nick’s scowl.

“I’m really not in the mood for chitchat,” Nick muttered and yanked out a cigarette.

Brian plucked it out of his hands and broke it in two. “Smoking’s a disgusting habit. It’s like slowly killing yourself.” He settled down next to Nick. “So, tell me, have you seen Bryna today?”

Nick’s head whipped around to face him. “Why do you ask?”

“Oh, no reason.” Brian lifted a shoulder. “I mean, I just thought I’d go down the list of possible things that could cause you to be in such a grumpy mood.”

“And she’s number one?” Nick asked, incredulous.

Brian reached out and ran his fingers lightly through the pool of water around the fountain. “Well, seeing as that’s what was bothering you the last time we met, I thought I’d try my luck. How’d I do?” he asked, glancing over his shoulder at Nick.

“Bull’s eye.”

“That’s what I figured.” He leaned back and patted Nick’s shoulder. “Tell me what happened.”

Nick stared at a spot on the ground. “Nothing.”

“And?”

“And…And I guess that’s the point.” Nick sighed. “I was just so mad at her last week, Brian, because she’d gone off in a snit over the fact that I changed a chord in her song. She skipped an entire week, and I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry. She was at that club on Saturday night.”

“Oh.”

“Yep. I said some ugly things to her, Brian. Things I wish I hadn’t said and words that I don’t really think I meant at all.” He paused and wished he could go back and change things. “She hasn’t said a word to me today. I was still mad today, but she looked…unhappy. I don’t think I like knowing that it’s because of me.”

Brian wondered how much he could really meddle in his friends’ lives before he spoke again. “Because she’s a friend, right? That’s why you’ve always made fun of her, bothered her, and made her cry on more than one occasion, isn’t it? Because she’s a friend.”

“N-no.” Had he really done those things? Had he made her cry? The guilt he’d been feeling tripled as he realized that it was probably the truth. “I didn’t realize I’d…God, Brian, I didn’t realize I’d made her cry. God, I’m such a jerk.”

Brian patted his back sympathetically. “No, you’re not. You just haven’t figured out what you really want from Bryna. It’s still a wonder that she still speaks to you after all the crap you’ve pulled on her, though.”

“She’s pissed me off, too,” he tried to point out but slumped lower on the bench. “I didn’t mean to make her cry. Ever. I always thought she took it good-naturedly.”

“Oh, sure. She wouldn’t tell you that you upset her, but that’s what you’ve done since we were in school.” Brian shook his head. “You’re supposed to be god’s gift to women, Nick Carter, and, yet, you can’t figure out how to deal with one you’ve known for years.” He stood, thinking he’d given Nick plenty to think on. “Apologize to her. Start over. It’ll help both of you feel better.”

When Brian had walked back into the building, Nick continued to sit and stare at the fountain, dozens of thoughts running through his head. He had no clue what to do next, but one thing was certain. He owed Bryna a bucketful of apologies. He could only hope it wasn’t too late and that she’d still accept them.

***

Brian was buried, elbow-deep, in paperwork and was on the phone with the manager of one of Apollo’s most lucrative bands. They didn’t think they were getting enough creative control on their albums, and Brian had to agree with them. He’d enjoyed the music from the five-part male vocal group, but he knew that they had untapped songwriting capabilities that Apollo hadn’t made use of in the past. As the VP, he intended on correcting that and set up a time to meet with them one-on-one.

He loved his work.

Music had been one of the biggest parts of his life growing up. It seemed as though he’d been singing since the day he first learned to talk. There were home videos of him in diapers, belting out tunes like there was an audience paying him. Embarrassingly enough, his parents brought out the videos any time they had guests over. Though he knew that his father had been more than willing to sign him to a contract with the company, Brian had known that he was better backstage and at business than he was performing for others.

That didn’t mean that he didn’t sing whenever he felt like doing so. He’d been known to pick up the guitar and sing in hole-in-the-wall, smoky bars on a whim. When he’d been eighteen, instead of going on senior week to a beach with his friends, he’d crossed the Atlantic and traveled all over Europe on his own. There had been a time or two, when he’d run out of cash, that he’d ended up singing in a pub to earn a little money.

He’d had the best times whenever music was involved, Brian thought now, swiveling his chair to face the city spread out in front of him. It wasn’t every day that a guy was lucky enough to work with what he loved.

At the knock on the door, he turned back to his desk and called out a “Come in!” He wondered if it’d be Nick coming back to complain about the latest Bryna woes. As it had only been a couple hours since he’d left Nick stewing, he decided it probably wasn’t his friend.

“Leighanne.” Brian stood and came around his desk, pleasure glowing on his face as he leaned down to brush his lips over hers in welcome when she entered the office. “I didn’t know you’d be stopping by today.”

She brushed her wispy blonde bangs out of her eyes and smiled up at him. “Actually, I hadn’t planned on it either, but James called me. I was on my way up to see him and thought I’d surprise you.”

“I’m glad you did.” He beamed at her and, taking her hand, led her over to the small sitting area in his roomy office. “How’s your day been?”

Leighanne had to admit that line sounded so married, and it made her heart glow. She was so close, she knew, to falling in love with him. She could only hope it was the same for him. They’d spent all of Sunday together, talking of nothing and everything. True, she’d known him for years but only casually. She hadn’t known that they’d shared everything from a love of cheesy horror movies to old books of fairy tales. It was good, she thought, to feel comfortable and enjoy herself around the man she was engaged to. And, of course, their kisses were lovely, too.

She linked her fingers with his. “My day’s been pretty normal. I had two classes this morning and have one more tonight. In the meantime, the two instructors who work for me teach afternoons. Which is why I’m able to be here now. How was your day?”

“Productive,” he said simply. “Aside from work, I’ve gotta deal with two very frustrated and lonely lovebirds.”

“Really? Who?”

He grinned. “Nick and Bryna Chambers. She loves him and, while he’s yet to figure it out, he loves her, too. They’re at the stage where they’ll spit and claw at each other rather than admit any sort of attraction. I have a feeling things will change soon, though.”

“Aww. That’s very cute,” she decided. “James told me he’s finally asked a woman out, too.”

“Hah. Yeah. Kevin and I had to practically shove the telephone in his hands.” Brian grinned at the memory. “The people around me are pathetic about relationships. At least we’re doing well, right?” he asked, leaning close and squeezing her fingers gently.

She leaned close, too. “Oh, absolutely.” Their lips met and clung, filling her with a humming joy. “I like this,” she whispered against his mouth.

“Oh, me, too,” Brian whispered back, threading his fingers through her hair to pull her closer.

Indulging in several more moments of their embrace, Leighanne leaned back, her fingers stroking over his cheek. “I have to go.”

“You…Oh, right.” He stood and held out a hand to help her up. “Try to drop by afterwards?”

She grinned up at him as he walked her to the door. “I’ll see what I can do.” She glanced over his shoulder. “You’ve got a window-washer out there, Brian.”

“Who?” He turned and spotted the trim, little figure soaping his view of New York. “Right. Well, that’s what we pay them to do. Anyway, tell James I’ve got some files and notes for him, so I’ll be dropping by his office before I leave for the day.”

“Will do.”

He kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll see you.”

“Bye, Brian.”

Once she was gone, he turned back to his desk and the soap-covered windows behind it. His life, he thought again, was going pretty well. He had a fabulous job, great friends, and, now, a pretty woman who would soon be his wife. All in all, he couldn’t complain.

Then why, he wondered, was there a restlessness, a feeling of waiting, still causing an itch between his shoulders?

***

Alex leaned back in his chair and watched Nick pace his studio. There was a semi-permanent frown fixed on his face, and he muttered to himself. Every so often, he’d turn to his friend and say things like “I suck!” and “It’s not all my fault!” Alex had to assume he was talking about Bryna. There was no one else, really, that brought out this side of Nick.

Finally, after nearly a half hour of listening, he cleared his throat. “Nick. Sit down.”

“What?”

Alex pointed to a chair. “Sit. Listen.”

Nick did as he was told and tried not to slouch. “Can you believe that this has wasted an entire day of work for me? I haven’t been productive at all. James is going to crucify me.”

“No, he won’t.” Alex tapped his fingers on the arms of his chair. “You know you have to apologize, right?” When Nick nodded, he continued. “Have you figured out how you’re going to apologize?”

Nick scowled at the mixers. “No. I want to just shake her, but, then, that’s just going to piss her off.”

“You’re such an idiot, Carter. Why do I waste time with you?” Alex rolled his eyes. “Do you think you could work that Carter charm for Bryna? Get her flowers, a present, something. If not that, then do something nice for her and apologize. Bryna’s not going to turn away from your attempts to play nice. She’s probably just as ready to get past this bullshit as you are.”

Nick nodded. “Okay. You’re probably right. Sorry for dragging you away from work.”

“No problem. I stopped by to see how Bryna and Matt were doing earlier.” Alex grinned as he decided to stir the pot a bit. “He’s got a serious case of puppy love over her. I wonder how she’ll handle it.”

Nick frowned. “If she feels the same way about him, that’s going to be a professional problem.” And a problem with me, he added silently. She couldn’t just go off and have a relationship with a guy who had no career in music yet. He had nothing to offer her. “She’ll deal with it, though. She’s good at making things work out.”

Alex rose and lifted a brow. “Then why haven’t the two of you worked things out yet? It’s only been close to twenty years.” And he left Nick sitting in the studio, his frown deeper than ever.

On Wednesday, Jason met Laurel for lunch—the first meal they’d shared in years. It was in an artsy restaurant in the East Village, and it was where Jason finally decided to tell her what his mother was up to.

“She’s selling her Starlight stock to Paramount,” he told Laurel.

Laurel was sure her jaw had hit the table, but she found it again as anger began to bubble through her. “That’s ridiculous. She can’t do that.”

“Apparently, she can. And she is.” Jason sighed. “She’s holding onto some of her stock because it’ll keep making her money, but she’s selling the rest. Your aunt and uncle have tried to stop her, even tried to buy the stock from her.”

“She said no.”

“She laughed in their faces.” Jason’s fingers curled into fists as he thought of his mother. “I had a meeting with Kristin’s parents yesterday. They wanted me to try to convince her to drop the sale.”

Laurel reached out and patted his hand. “I understand if you can’t see her, but Jason…”

“Laurie, not even for you. Besides, she never listened to me a day in her life, why would she start now?” He gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you for it. I mean, I haven’t seen her since I left either. I just wish there were some way to stop her. That’s a company that my father built with his sister. I’d hate to see it fall apart because my father made the mistake of marrying a heartless, greedy woman.”

“Yeah.” Jason sighed. “Maybe things will work out. There’s still three months to go before the deal is signed. Paramount might decide to drop the whole thing.” But they both knew it was unlikely.

Laurel decided to change the subject. “Tell me about work. What do you do?”

“Not as much as the others do. Actually, I’m one of James Apollus’ advisors. But enough about me. Tell me about the guy you’ll be going to dinner with on Friday,” he said with a smile. “He doesn’t have a clue who you are.”

“James, really. It’s silly of you to act all protective of me. I’ll be fine. Besides, he seems intelligent, sweet, and, well, decent. Let me tell you, there are just not enough decent men in the world.” Laurel thought of James with a smile. Friday wouldn’t come soon enough.

Jason shrugged. “I won’t. But if he hurts you-”

“You’ll break a bone in his body and blah blah blah.” Laurel grinned. “You’re getting back into the groove of being my big brother again. It’s cute. Which makes me want to get back into the habit of having a big brother. So, are you dating anyone these days or have your sight set on a lucky woman?”

He shoved aside the errant image of Leighanne that snuck into his mind and shrugged. “Not really. In a city of eight million, I guess I haven’t found anyone that really sparks my interest lately.”

“There’s always those eight hundred number women,” she teased him. “Or, if you’re really desperate, the Russian mail-order brides.”

He grinned now. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too. In honor of that, you can buy me dessert.”

***

Nick felt stupid as hell, but he knew he had to go through with it. He’d barely slept the last two nights, trying to figure out how he’d make things right between him and Bryna. Now, the wrapped box stared at him from the corner of his desk. He’d tried to work with the tunes that were floating in his head, but he couldn’t grasp them long enough to write any notes down. The damn box kept distracting him.

Finally, he threw his pen down and, grabbing the box, he stalked out of his office.

Inches from Bryna’s office door, he stopped. He couldn’t go in there angry and annoyed. That was sure to get her back up again, and nothing would be accomplished. So, he had to chill. He gave himself a few moments to breathe in and out. When he figured he’d be okay, he lifted his hand and knocked.

He pushed open the door when he heard her call out “Come in!” and stepped into an office space that was considerably smaller than his. The company had ferreted out a temporary space for her to use, but he was disgusted at the fact that it was too cramped. Bryna had managed to turn it into a cozy space nevertheless, and he liked the way she’d hung pretty curtains at the window and had candles scenting the air with, he sniffed, vanilla.

Finally, Nick faced the woman who’d tied him up in knots and wondered what he’d do or say now as every speech he’d prepared flew out of his head when he found her seated at her desk, her face displaying nerves and a weariness that she tried to hide. She rose but didn’t come around the desk to meet him and merely gave him a small smile.

“Nick.” Her voice was low and soft. “What can I do for you?”

He shifted the box from one hand to the other as he tried to figure out how to respond. Finally, he blurted out, “I wanted to apologize.”

Her brows lifted. That wasn’t quite what she’d been expecting. After shadowing her work on Monday, she hadn’t seen him since and wondered if he’d just lost interest in her. He’d always been that way with her in the past. He’d torture and tease her to no end for a few days and then forget she existed for weeks. Until the next opportunity arose for him to mercilessly poke at her.

As much as she wanted to believe that he’d come to genuinely apologize, she couldn’t help but be suspicious. Nick had never, in the many years she’d known him, apologized to her. Now that he was, she found herself wondering if there was an ulterior motive behind his apology…

And she was being unfair, Bryna decided. She was just rattled and horribly tired, and the week was only half over. Between her mother actually calling her on both Monday and Tuesday to inform her of the sale of the Starlight stock then commanding her to attend a dinner at the estate the previous night and dealing with her heightened emotions and feelings for Nick, she just wanted to close her eyes and pretend none of her problems existed. Music wasn’t even helping soothe her any longer. That was going to be a problem.

“Apologize?” she asked quietly. “Explain to me what you’re apologizing for, Nick.”

He studied her and wondered when she’d discovered how to make him feel small and not worthy of being squished under her shoe. “For everything. For changing your song, saying terrible things to you, for not trusting your judgement. For making you cry.” He swore under his breath, and she was surprised to see real regret tingeing his eyes when they met hers. “I never meant to make you sad, Bryna. Whether it was last week or a million times in the past, I never meant to cause you pain. It was pointed out to me, though, that that’s exactly what I’ve done. I don’t know how to make it up to you, but I swear to you that I didn’t know I’d made you unhappy. I want to make things right, and I’d like it if you could give me, what, the five gazillionth chance to make it up to you.” He stopped after the speech and waited for her to respond. When she continued to give him a wide-eyed stare, he shuffled his feet and looked down, ashamed, at his shoes. “I wish you’d say something, Bryna.”

“I’m not quite sure I know what to say,” she finally replied. “All these years, I thought that maybe there was something wrong with me. That there was something lacking in me that made you so eager to lash out at me.”

“I didn’t mean it in a malicious way,” he began but was cut off.

“Nick, it doesn’t matter. I’ve practically come to accept and expect the rude barbs you fling my way.” Bryna looked away from him and toyed with her pen as she spoke. “In fact, I’ve thought myself nearly immune to it all. But then…” Her voice faltered as she tried to prevent the cranky, hot tears from clogging her throat. She wasn’t going to cry, she promised herself, but she couldn’t help but want him to just hold her. Even after all that he’d done and said to her, she still wanted his arms around her. The pathetic quality of those feelings sharpened her voice. “Then there are times when you say or do something that hurts. It really digs deep and wounds badly, and I can’t count the number of times it’s happened. I don’t know how to forgive you, Nick,” she told him, truthfully. “I don’t know how you could really make up for years of taunts and cruel teasing.”

His heart plummeted at the words and the tears he could hear in her voice. He’d never seen Bryna weep, but Nick was sure that, if he did, it would probably cut him off at the knees. “Bryna, I…I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know how else to apologize, but I do know that, if you want to switch that song back to the way it was, I won’t object. I guess, uh, I’ve always been a little jealous of your talent,” he admitted and had her head whipping up, a surprised expression on it. “You’ve always had fabulous tunes, and you’re making such a huge name for yourself. I guess I’d wanted to stifle that because I was jealous that you were better than me. You are better than me, and I guess that’s partly what’s always driven me to tease you.” He sighed miserably. “So the lack wasn’t in you, Bryna. I was the one lacking good sportsmanship.”

She decided she needed to sit and did so. The headache throbbing behind her eyes faded a bit, and she managed to look up at Nick. “Well, I, uh, I don’t know what to say. Thanks, I think? We can’t help what we’re good at, and you’re just as good as I am at what we do. Having fame doesn’t mean a thing to me, and I’m surprised you thought it did.” She paused. “I think our problem is that we don’t know each other as well as we thought we did. We’ve known each other for years, but it’s obvious that we haven’t a clue as to what the other thinks and feels.” And, Bryna admitted, being in love with him didn’t mean she knew that he’d been jealous of her. Maybe it was time to go back several levels. “I think we should start over.”

“Start over?” With what? From where? He just wanted her to forgive him, so that he could work on being a better friend to her. She’d been right in saying that he didn’t know her, but he wanted to learn.

Bryna gestured to the chair. “Why don’t you have a seat, Nick?” When he had, she continued. “It occurs to me that we’re not really friends at all. Acquaintances, sure. But we’ve spent so much time squabbling that we never really got to be friends. I’d like to be your friend, Nick.” And more when the time’s right, she added mentally. “I know it sounds weird but-”

“Not weird. Right. It sounds right,” he assured her firmly, his blue eyes sincere. “You’re a pretty terrific person, Bryna, and I don’t have to know you well to know that. I’d like to get to know you better, though. If you could set aside the fact that I’ve bruised your feelings more times than I’d like to count, I’d really appreciate the chance to be your friend.”

Her heart hummed a little and did a quick jig before Bryna smiled and held out a hand. “Hi. I’m Bryna. What’s your name?” she asked and Nick laughed a little. Lord, she loved his laugh.

“Nick. My name’s Nick,” he said, giving her hand a squeeze. “I have a feeling I’m going to enjoy being your friend, Bryna.”

“Your life’s about to change, Nick Carter,” she assured him with a content smile. “So, are we going to play Twenty Questions or are you going to let me see what’s in that box?”

Nick frowned. “What?” He followed Bryna’s gaze to the prettily wrapped package in his arms. “Oh, yeah. Sorry. This is for you.” He offered it to her, and she took it with a puzzled smile. “I wasn’t sure what to get you, but I brought it as a peace offering.”

“Well, I don’t know a single woman who doesn’t enjoy…Oh!” Bryna lifted out a snowglobe with an elaborately carved brass base. Inside, Belle and the Beast waltzed in a snowy wonderland. “Nick, this is lovely.” She beamed at him before flipping the globe upside down then right side up again and watched the shimmering snowflakes drift down.

He decided that her smile was something he wouldn’t mind seeing more. “I thought it sort of made sense with us. I’m like Beast, there, because of how insensitive I am. And, well, you’re, uh, Beauty,” he added, suddenly uncomfortable for an unknown reason.

“I love it, Nick. It’s just right,” she said sincerely and, skirting around the desk, wrapped her arms around him to hug him. “Thank you.”

As he held her close, the thought flitted through his mind that holding her like this was also just right.

***

“You’re not stalking me, are you?” Laurel smiled at Brian.

They stood in an Italian restaurant where she occasionally picked up an extra shift or two as a waitress. Brian had dropped by to pick up an order he’d made. For one. Leighanne was teaching tonight, and he planned on spending the night going over the wedding plans she’d made so far. It was about time he started helping her out on that end.

Running into the woman he knew as Eve was an amazing coincidence. In such a large city, it was close to impossible to accidentally run into the same person twice.

“I swear,” Brian said, grinning. “I’m just here to pick up my dinner. You disappeared really quickly on Saturday. I didn’t get a chance to say thanks for the advice. Things are going more smoothly now.”

She smiled and patted the hand he’d laid on the counter she stood behind. “I’m glad. I just thought I’d give you space with your, uh…”

“Fiancée,” he supplied.

“Right. She looked upset, and I could sense some sort of tension. I thought you deserved a little privacy.” She didn’t want to pry, but… “Did the problem you were having involve her?”

Brian nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, it did. I think we’re past it now, though.” He liked the way the muted light of the restaurant brought out little gold flecks in her deep green eyes. “Plus, thanks to your advice, I’m no longer carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.”

“Really?” The smile played across her lips as she entertained the thought that, if he weren’t engaged, she would have definitely enjoyed spending more time with him. But she did have that date on Friday, she reminded herself. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.” The sound of a bell dinging made her step away from the counter. “That’s probably your order. I’ll be right back with it.”

Brian stopped her. “When are you done with your shift?”

Laurel glanced at her watch. “In ten minutes. Why?”

“Have dinner with me,” he suggested impulsively. “I’ll just sit at a table and wait for you.”

“Uh…” She tried to think of an excuse but couldn’t really find one. What was one dinner, she told herself, in the grand scheme of things? Besides, it wasn’t as though one dinner was a commitment. He was engaged. “Sure,” she said finally. “I’ll get you set up and clock out.”

Ten minutes later, they were working their way through dinner and talked, among other subjects, about the Giants, a team they discovered they’d both been fans of since they were in elementary school. Brian didn’t consider himself sexist, but there had been few women in his experience who knew the intricacies of football. He was lucky to be having dinner with one, he mused. An added plus was her keen interest in basketball.

“You’re seriously perfect,” he told her. “You understand sports.”

Laurel lifted a brow. “As a feminist, I’m honor-bound to bust your balls for such a crappy comment, but, seeing as we’ve only known each other for a few hours, I’ll make an exception. Don’t do it again,” she added, stabbing her fork threateningly in his direction.

He held up his hands. “Forgive me. I was wrong. I’m sure there are a vast quantity of women who know how to play those sports.”

“After all, the WNBA is in existence,” she pointed out.

“Too true,” he agreed and realized he’d all but licked his plate clean. “What do you suggest for dessert?”

Laurel, too, noted that she’d finished off her meal. “The cannolis are always good, but Renaldo, the chef, makes this fantastic cheesecake that he dribbles the most heavenly chocolate sauce over. It’s got an almost minty flavor to it, but…You should try it. I can’t do it justice with words,” she told him.

Grinning, he ordered it, and they shared the large slice when it arrived. Scraping the last of the chocolate sauce off the plate, she glanced at the clock and was shocked to note that it was nearly nine.

“I can’t believe how time’s flown,” she said, pulling out her wallet when the bill was brought to them. “I still have a million things to do when I get home.”

Brian laid a hand over the one on her wallet. “I’ll pay. I kept you from your responsibilities, so let me,” he added when she opened her mouth to protest.

“Okay,” she agreed, knowing it was one of the few times she’d ever had a man pay for her meal.

Once the bill had been paid, they found themselves standing on the darkened sidewalk outside the restaurant. It was a relatively peaceful night in the middle of Manhattan, and traffic was quiet.

“Where do you live?” Brian asked her. “I’ve got a car parked in a lot a block away. I can drop you off, and you won’t have to worry about public transportation.”

Laurel thought of her neighborhood and decided she didn’t want him to see it. “No, it’s okay. I live out in Brooklyn. It’s probably out of the way for you, and I don’t want to hold you up.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “Thanks for dinner, Brian. I really enjoyed it. Plus, you know where to find me on Wednesday and Saturday evenings, so don’t be a stranger.”

Brian smiled. “I’ll be back then.” He leaned forward to brush his lips over her cheek, but Laurel, startled by his sudden proximity, moved her head, and their lips met.

It was like being scorched straight down to her soul, she thought faintly and wondered how she’d ever thought such kisses only existed in romance novels. Her brain had surely melted because the feel of his mouth on hers was damn near magical. She forgot that she was in the middle of Manhattan, on a crowded street, and that she was thinking of dating another man. All she could think of was the feel of Brian’s lips on hers and the hope that he’d never take them move away.

For his part, Brian found her surprisingly sweet, and a deep, secret place, he hadn’t known existed within him, began to ache. Even as he moved to deepen the kiss, he remembered Leighanne and, not without some regret, pulled away.

“I’m sorry, Eve,” he began, “I didn’t mean to, uh…”

Now, she felt guilt. He didn’t even know her name because all she’d ever given him was a fake name. And, yet… “Don’t worry about it, Brian. I think I should be the one apologizing. You startled me, and, well, I shouldn’t have turned my head. Your secret’s safe with me,” she added when he continued to look guilty. “I won’t tell a soul. Besides, it was just a kiss.”

“But…” If she wanted to shrug it off, he thought, then he would, too. He couldn’t imagine what good it would do anyone if they analyzed it to death. “Okay. I, uh, should get going.”

“Me, too,” she replied and decided he deserved to know her real name. “Brian,” she began, but he’d already taken steps away from her.

He turned back and gave her a brilliant smile. “Be safe getting home. I’ll see you around. Soon.” And he was gone.

Laurel leaned against the side of a building and resisted the urge to smack herself. Fantastic, she thought. The first man to turn her insides to mush with just his lips, and he didn’t even know her name. Things were just fabulous.

“What’s the status on the Harris project?” James asked, leaning back in his chair and studying the stack of papers in front of him.

“Ready to be sent to mass production,” Kevin answered as he scribbled on a notepad and sipped from the mug in his hand. “If you want to review it, go ahead. But, in my opinion, it’s never looked better.”

“Sounds perfect,” Nick added and sent a text to his secretary. “I don’t think it can be mixed to a better flavor of sound. I’m proud of it.”

Kristin rolled her eyes. “Well, you may be proud of it, but what does Evangeline Harris think?”

“I met with her yesterday,” Brian spoke up. “She thinks it’s better than she had ever dreamed her first solo production would ever be.”

“She’s glad she left that straggling girl group.” Alex slid a packet down the table to James. “God knows why they thought their image would get them far. It’s Evangeline’s voice that’s gotten her to where she is.”

Nick grinned from across the table. “Well, her voice is great, but, damn, her style is…Mmm.” He licked his lips and missed the look James shot him. “Oh, yeah. The whole package is going to get her far.”

“Hopefully further than your bed,” Jason said absently. His mind wasn’t on the meeting so much as it was on the contract of sale in his hands. He’d coaxed it away from his mother’s assistant with considerable charm and now sat staring at the legalese.

Brian shrugged. “Her single’s number seven, so by the time the album drops, it’s a safe bet she’ll be at the top.”

“And another one hits platinum for Apollo,” James finished with a satisfied smile. “Now, what about the soundtracks for the Peterson, Jackson, and Goldberg films? Where are we on those projects because Peterson’s in post-production, Jackson’s nearly done the direction, and Goldberg is in the middle of filming. Tell me everything’s good.”

Brian cleared his throat and, with a glance at the rest of the table, faced James. “Peterson’s soundtrack is completed, and we’ve got Artwork, and Kevin, working on the album art. We’re in the middle of Goldberg’s because the man keeps changing his mind about the music he wants. At the rate he’s going, he’ll be lucky if he gets anything at all.”

James waited a beat. “And?”

“Uh, well, I’ve heard from Miramax that they want to change companies,” Brian said quietly and had James lifting a brow at him.

“Oh? And why is that?”

Nick swallowed nervously and spoke up. “They don’t want any actual artists on the track. Just music. Music that can fit the romantic, violent, and funereal tone of the film. Jackson’s dissatisfied with what he’s gotten so far.”

“Why?” The word was quiet but full of authority.

“Shawn Robertson was assigned the project, but, so far, he can’t deliver.”

“Then why is he still on the project?” James met Nick’s eyes. “Apollo has a standard of achievement and offers top-of-the-line service to those film projects that demand our services. If we lose the account, you can bet your ass that you will have a hell of a tap-dance to do, Nick. You cannot afford to start slipping because, if you slip, Apollo slips. Apollo slips, and, well, I don’t have to explain what happens in that unfortunate event. Get me the right person on the job, ASAP.” He glanced over his paperwork again then set it down. “That’s all for this meeting.”

As they cleared out, James watched Kristin slide a comforting arm around Nick’s waist and murmured quietly to him. Alex gave James a wary look before he, too, slipped out of the conference room.

“I could say he needed that kick in the ass,” Jason began, “but I won’t say it.”

James turned to his most trusted advisor and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Why not? You should say it because it’s true. I’ve been watching the production rate in his department decreasing in the last month, and I thought it time to remind him that he’s not paid to lounge around and argue with Bryna.”

“Bryna’s got nothing to do with it. James, you hired him a year ago, and he’s already come so far. I think your words today will begin to bring him up to where we need him to be.” Jason slid the contract into his briefcase. “You did good, Boss.”

“I hope he doesn’t hate me.” James sighed. “And, if my dad were here, he’d be disappointed to hear the words come out of my mouth.”

Jason patted his shoulder. “Buddy, you’re not your father, and you shouldn’t try to be. I think you’ve done a hell of a job with Apollo. Record sales are soaring, Alex and Kris are finding excellent talent, and Nick does do a good job with sounds. He knows what the trend will be before it even happens. What I think is crap, Nick turns into the newest sound, helps stick it out, and, well, everyone follows Apollo’s lead. We are the most lucrative company in the industry, and your instinct is to thank for that. Nick is onboard for a reason. He’ll be fine, and so will you.”

“I hope so.” He stared out at the skyline of the city and sighed. “Thank God, it’s Friday. I need the weekend pretty badly.”

“Don’t you have a big date tonight?”

James’ face lit up. “I do. I can’t wait because I feel like this might be the one.”

“Uh, may I remind you that you haven’t even been on a date with this woman yet?”

“Shut up, Jason. You said to trust my instincts, and I am. I’m trusting them, and they’re saying Laurel may be the one.”

Jason paused, his arm halfway through his coat. “Laurel? Her name’s Laurel? And you met her at the club last Saturday night?”

“Yeah. She’s beautiful, too.” James missed his friend’s expression and smiled to himself. “I’m meeting her at the Plaza before heading over to dinner at Lucian’s. I hope she likes it.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure she will.” Jason headed for the door, his mind already flying ahead to the phone call he needed to make to his stepsister. “Well, I’ll leave you to it. Good luck tonight.”

“Thanks. And Jason?” James waited until the other man turned back. “You and Brian are going to Seattle next week to meet with Ebony and its managers at their show on Wednesday night. Then, on Thursday, I need both of you to meet the heads of department in the LA offices. There appears to be mismanagement of funds, and I’m sure you two can handle it. The details were finalized this morning.”

“Right. I’ll tell Bri. Gotta go.” And he slipped through the doors and rushed to his office.

Once inside, he tossed his things on his desk and flipped open his phone. He listened to the phone ring one…two…three times before it was answered. “Laurel? It’s Jason. Why the hell didn’t you tell me you’re having dinner with James Apollus?”

***

Bryna was rushing back to the studio from her office when she spotted Nick walking slowly down the hall. With his head down, he didn’t notice her until she stepped into his path.

“Sorry,” he began then realized who he was apologizing to. “Bryna. Hey.”

“Hi.” She observed the hunched shoulders and the frown with a puzzled expression. “What’s it going to take for you to tell me what’s wrong? Because I know there’s something wrong.”

He shrugged. “It’s nothing. I’m just trying to think of someone I can get hold of within the next day or so that would be willing to take over the creation of an entire soundtrack within the next four weeks.” He managed a tight smile. “It sounds impossible, but-”

“Nonsense.” She shook her head, wanting to comfort him. “Four weeks is more than enough time if you know the sound you want. What’s the film about?”

“Violence, sex, and death.” The smile spread slowly. “I guess there are a ton of movies like that, though. This one’s a little different, but you’d have to read the screenplay in order to really see that.”

Bryna calculated quickly in her head and, realizing that her workload would become impossible if she did, held out a hand. “Can I have it?”

“Huh?” Now he wore the puzzled look.

“Can I have the screenplay, Nick? Unless you don’t trust that I can come up with something that works in four weeks or less?”

Nick wondered what he’d done to deserve the salvation she was offering him. She was definitely good enough, but he hadn’t given her the project initially because he knew that she was already working on so many others. “Bryna, your workload is overflowing. Why the hell do you want to add to it?”

“Because you’ve piqued my curiosity,” she answered simply. “I want a crack at this soundtrack that no one else seems to be able to create. After all, I love a good challenge.” One brow arched. “Well, are you going to give it to me, or do I have to wrestle it out of your hands?”

***

Leighanne met Brian at the door to her apartment and smiled over her shoulder as she unlocked the door to her loft. “I’m running late. There were three new students that registered today, and my assistant’s out of town at her sister’s wedding. I had to show them around and begin their orientation.”

Brian followed her in, shrugged out of his jacket, and loosened the tie. “Don’t worry about it. I just got here, too.” He leaned over and pressed a kiss on curve of her shoulder and neck as she hung her keys on a rack. “I’m glad we’re staying in tonight. This week got impossibly long after Wednesday.”

“I know what you mean,” she replied, heading into her kitchen. “As if I don’t have enough to deal with at work and planning our wedding, James has recruited me to hostess Apollo’s annual charity ball next month. You know what that means, don’t you?”

Brian rolled his shoulder where the muscles were particularly stiff. “More work?”

“Oh, baby, you have no idea. I did this gig once before, too, and I swore to myself I’d never do it again. But, well, until James gets married or serious about a woman, I’m the one for the job.” Leighanne poked her head around the side of the kitchen wall. “Is a tuna casserole going to be enough for you? I haven’t had time to run errands all week, so my kitchen is practically empty.”

He waved it off. “Let’s not cook. Let’s just pull up some movie On-Demand and order takeout. When was the last time you had Chinese?”

“Let me guess. You’ve got a place on speed dial?”

He grinned and kissed her. “I’m transparent to this woman. You’re a genius, Leigh.”

“Go ahead and make the call. I’m going to change into sweats,” she said and disappeared into her bedroom, while Brian called in the order.

As he waited for her to return, he stretched out on the couch and let his mind drift away from work. Invariably, it returned to the one subject he’d mentally tried to avoid for a day and a half.

It was a wonder, he mused, that one kiss from a woman he barely knew could stir him up so crazily. He’d felt the heat and impact of that kiss for hours after and had barely slept for fear that he’d dream of it again and again. And, of course, he had dreamt of it. It wasn’t right nor fair of him to do so, he reminded himself. He was getting married to the perfect woman, and he didn’t need to remember random kisses so vividly in the middle of his day.

It had popped up, unbidden, during his meetings with shareholders, managers, and department heads for two days. When he was busy with paperwork, it would drift through his brain again and make him lose his train of thought. Not thinking about that one kiss was more difficult than he’d thought it would be.

She’d said that she worked Saturday evenings, Brian remembered suddenly. Then, just as quickly, he brushed the thought aside. It was imperative that he not see her. At least, not for a while. Not while the memory of their embrace was still burning in his mind. Damn it, his lips still occasionally tingled, and he felt like a silly teenage boy after a first kiss.

“Brian?”

“Hmm?” He blinked and remembered where he was. “Oh, sorry. Mind’s wandering.”

Leighanne settled onto the sofa next to him and brushed her lips over his softly. Even as he thought that it was great they could be so relaxed with each other, he couldn’t help but think of how much more one kiss from Eve had rocked him. Guiltily, he slid his arms around his fiancée and drew her against him.

He just needed to forget about the whole incident, he decided. The quicker he did so, the easier it would be for his feelings to return to an even keel.

But, even as he argued with Leighanne over which movie to watch, Brian couldn’t quite shake the thought of that one dinner and the kiss that had followed it.

***

“Oh, my God!” Laurel lightly banged her head against her bedroom wall and felt like the biggest idiot in the world. But, really, what else could she do? she asked herself. It wasn’t her fault that James Apollus was just as interesting as Brian. It wasn’t her fault that he’d taken her to a fabulous restaurant and ordered her one of the best meals she’d had in a long time. No, sir. None of it was her fault.

What was her fault was the fact that she’d thought of that one kiss from Brian almost as soon as James had kissed her good night. It hadn’t been a conscious effort on her part to think of another man after receiving a kiss from the one she’d been on a date with. It had just…happened.

Kissing James had been sweet and soft. It was obvious he knew how to treat a woman respectfully and not just on a first date. She’d enjoyed every minute of the time she’d spent with him, starting with meeting up with him at the Plaza in Manhattan. It had to have been sheer luck, she thought, that had made him pick a French restaurant for their first date. Her favorite food had always been French, ever since her father had taken her to France when she was six. Point one, she decided, for James.

But she had to give Brian points for the mere fact that she’d never been kissed in quite that way before that night. Not that she went out with that many men to begin with, but Brian had something special. If they hadn’t ended the kiss, she’d probably have dragged him to the sidewalk and had her way with him right then and there.

She’d never actually done that, but, hey, he’d pushed her to a crazy brink like no other. So…points for Brian.

Not that she was keeping tabs on which man was better than the other. It wasn’t as though she was going to see him again. After that last…moment they’d shared, Laurel was sure Brian wouldn’t want to chance being near her again. He wouldn’t want to risk doing something that was sure to hurt his fiancée, and he seemed like the kind of guy who wouldn’t want to hurt her either by carrying on with both of them.

Laurel stripped out of the royal purple shirt and black skirt she’d been wearing and plopped onto her thin mattress in the middle of her one-room…apartment was too generous a term for the space. As long as it had a bathroom and kitchen area, she was fine with it. She wrinkled her nose as she heard the neighbors arguing again.

“One of these days,” she muttered to herself, “Mrs. Pinkman is going to just murder her cheating husband. Serves him right, too.” God knew, she’d heard more than enough of their arguments and knew what was going on over there. She’d just stopped caring after the first month or two.

It was a good thing no one but Bryna really knew where she lived. Her workplace had her address, of course, but it wasn’t as though anyone would come to see where she lived. At least, she hoped no one did because the area she was in wasn’t pretty. If Jason knew, she was sure he’d never stop nagging and lecturing until she moved out to somewhere else. And, of course, it would be impossible to imagine the impeccably dressed Mr. James Apollus show up in his fancy, expensive car in her neighborhood. The chances that he’d be mugged and his car stolen from under him were very high.

She grinned to herself. Her neighborhood had its own style and ways of working. And it was as far from her early childhood home as the sun was from Pluto. She had to admit, though, that she enjoyed living there, though.

The smile vanished from her face when thoughts of how she could keep her mind from drifting to Brian emerged again. She hoped beyond all hope that he’d never stop by the restaurant again. It would be nice if she could just date James and not have to worry about emotionally cheating on him. But, man, she mused, it was going to be hellishly hard to follow through on such a conviction.

One month later…

“You want me to what? Oh, no. No, no.” Laurel shook her head and took a step back, though that only put her back up against a wall. “James, I can’t.”

James took a step towards her and didn’t miss the fear in her eyes. “Okay, tell me why. Why won’t you come to the gala?”

“Because, well, just because. I can’t.” Because everyone from her past would be there, and every effort she’d made to remain hidden would be rendered pointless. “I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to make it.”

James studied her. Her refusal to accompany him to Apollo Records’ annual charity gala was the oddest thing. Not to mention it came on the heels of all the other odd sidestepping, evading, and omitting that she continued to do whenever the subject of her family and her work came up. Not to mention that, they’d been dating for a month, and he’d never seen where she lived. She had just told him that it was in Brooklyn and nowhere near the kind of place he would want to see.

He’d let her evade. Until now.

There was little more frustrating than falling in love with a woman who, by all rights, he barely knew. Their relationship had quickly progressed from casual dating to exclusivity, and they’d been as close, physically and emotionally, as two people could be. Or so he’d believed. Now, he wasn’t quite so sure.

Laurel was constructing walls and barricading herself against his onslaught of questions, and they both knew it. He needed to know why.

“Laurel, I don’t know how much longer I can keep going like this.”

“What?” The statement was a shock to her system, though she told herself that it was no less than what she could truly expect. After all, he’d bared his whole life to her, and she hadn’t. Not the way he deserved. “James, I don’t know what to tell you.”

“Tell me about you. You let me in only so far before you pull back. Tell me what you keep hiding from me,” he whispered. “I can’t keep playing tug of war with you forever.”

She swallowed hard. “I know. I just—I need a little more time. Just a little.”

“The gala is this Friday. Four days.” He brushed a hand over her cheek gently. They both heard what he didn’t say. Friday would be the Day of Truth for her. If she didn’t come clean…

“I don’t want to lose you. That’s the truth.” Her hand lightly gripped his wrist, her eyes holding his. “I need you to believe that.”

“I believe a lot about you, Laurel. About us.” He pressed his lips to her forehead. “I can’t keep flying on blind faith, though.”

She cracked a small smile. “You’re right. You’ll know my decision soon. Friday. I promise.”

“Friday. I’ll hold you to it.”

Laurel hoped she wouldn’t disappoint him. As she slipped out of his apartment building minutes later, she admitted that he deserved better than the half-truths she kept dealing him. But what was she to do? Her whole life had been about hiding herself from everyone, no matter what. Now, James Apollus was in her life. He had a connection to everyone from her past life—people that could destroy her. Yet, he was the first who’d ever made her want to tell the truth.

The truth, though, might push him away. At the idea of losing him, tears clogged her throat. How one man could come to mean so much to her in the space of one month was unbelievable. She’d started sliding when she’d met him, and her heart was very nearly his. The thought of losing him was unbearable.

Restlessly, she paced the sidewalks of upper Manhattan and worried on what to do. When she glanced up at one point, the lights of the city were blurred. It was then that she realized that there were tears drying on her cheeks and yet more slipping out of her eyes. Swiping at them, she turned the corner to step away from the bustle of Times Square.

And bumped into someone.

“I’m so sorry,” the man she’d collided with apologized. “I guess I didn’t really watch where I was going.” He stretched out a hand to help her up. Grasping his hand, she brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked up at him. And gasped.

“Brian!”

***

“You are my lifesaver.” Nick flipped through the file as the music flowed out of his office speakers. “The producers of the film loved it. You’ve saved my ass.”

Bryna mock bowed. “Well, we’re here to serve and please.” But she smiled. “Glad I could help.”

“And, boy, did you help!” He grinned at her. “I’d just like to take the time to say that I want to marry you and have your babies. That’s how excited I am.”

She acknowledged the hard bump her heart made at his words and continued to smile. “One, that’s anatomically impossible. And, two, we can’t get married.”

“Why not? I feel really grateful to you.” Nick signed off on a few documents as he spoke.

“Well, for one, you don’t even really like me. Remember?”

He shook his head. “I remember we were going to be friends. And I like you just fine.”

“That’s always nice to hear.”

Capping his pen, Nick shuffled the papers on his desk around. “Besides, you’re fun to relax with. Who knew we’d have the same taste in movies, music, and mixed drinks?”

I did. “Ah, the three M’s.” She rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “It must be fate. I told you you’d like those films. You didn’t believe me.”

“Maybe I should just listen to you from now on about my entertainment choices,” he said easily. “You seem to know just what I’d like.”

The effects of spending years studying him. Bryna stood. “Well, whatever works. Unfortunately, I have to get going. Glad I could help out, though.”

“I’m glad I made the decision to contract you,” he replied with a smile. “I’ll call you later about our date tomorrow?”

Date? “Since when is hanging out with me considered a date, Carter?”

He shrugged. “It sure felt like we’ve been dating. Movies, dinners, having great conversations. If that’s not dating, then what is?”

“Nick, we don’t have a relationship other than casual friends. Don’t make it more.” Because it’ll break my heart.

Nick stood now and skirted around his desk to meet her at the door. He rested one hand lightly on her shoulder and met her eyes. There was uncertainty and confusion in them. That he’d expected. What he didn’t expect to see made something warm move through him.

“How can I not make it more, Bryna?” His thumb stroked her cheek. It was soft and smooth, and he wondered why he’d never really noticed how lovely she was. “We spend so much time together, and there are times when something happens and I have to stop myself from calling you. You’ve gone out of your way to help me professionally, and, when you should’ve kicked me to the curb, you took pity on me instead. You became my friend and, if I’m not totally in the wrong, something more.”

“Nick.” His name was a whisper.

“I don’t think I’m making it into anything more than it is. I think I’m finally clarifying, for both of us, what we really have.” Unable to resist, his lips lowered to within a breath of hers. “You touch something in me, Bryna, and I think I do the same to you. Why not be sure of it, though?”

When his lips met hers, Bryna had a second to think, Finally, before his touch made her forget anyone and anything else existed in the world but the two of them and the way he made her feel.

***

Jason watched with worried eyes as Leighanne paced back and forth across her living room. Seated on her couch, he had a front-row view of her frazzled movements. Her hair, usually perfectly done, stood out all over from her fingers scraping through it nervously. Her face was ravaged by tears, and he wished he could just hold her and make her worries, doubts, and fears disappear. Of course, he couldn’t.

“There’s less than two months to our wedding, and I can’t even be sure, not really, that he loves me!” Her voice wavered. “I mean, I knew it would take some time, and I thought we were making progress, but then…In the last week or two, something just clicked off in him. I can tell, I can just tell!”

He sighed. “Leighanne, why don’t you try talking to him? I’m sure what you’re feeling is just wedding jitters. I know he’s been really busy at work lately, but you know he’ll always make time to talk to you. Maybe he doesn’t even know how you feel.”

“Jason! Try putting yourself in my shoes, would you?” Leighanne pressed her fingers to her eyes as more tears leaked out. “We’re getting married, about to spend the rest of our lives together, and I know that he doesn’t love me. When he looks at me, his eyes are blank. Emotionless. How would you feel if the woman you were about to marry wasn’t happy about it and, by all appearances, didn’t want to be with you?”

“I think I have a pretty good idea,” he murmured to himself before raising his voice. “Leigh, darling. Why don’t you sit? I’m sure that this is all in your head.” He had to duck to avoid the pillow she tossed at him. “Okay, now you’re getting violent. You’re not mad at me, remember?” He held up his arms in defense, just in case.

She let out a strangled shriek. “You are not helping! I thought you’d listen to me, but I can see I was wrong. I thought I’d ask Brian’s good friend what he thought, get some advice, but, instead, you blow it off!”

“I am giving you good advice!” This time, the pillow hit him in the face. “That’s it.”

His voice was low, and the look in his eyes was not so pleasant. It sent a little thrill through her before he moved. Shrieking embarrassingly, she tried to dash into the kitchen but was caught before she’d taken three steps. In the blink of an eye, she found herself trapped beneath him on the couch.

“Not so pillow-happy now, are you?” he muttered. “Next time, don’t shoot the messenger.”

“I wasn’t trying to.” Damn it, why was she breathless? That couldn’t possibly be her voice that sounded so breathy. Could it?

It suddenly occurred to Jason that she was finally in his arms. So close. If he leaned in just a little, he could…No. She was his friend’s fiancée, and he couldn’t. Could he?

Leighanne saw the emotions move through his eyes, and something deep within her fluttered in response. “Jason.” His name was a whisper in her ears.

“Leigh.”

The hell with this, she thought, throwing caution and any sound decision-making to the wind. Curling her free hand around the back of his neck, she tugged.

Their eyes drifted shut as their lips met for one kiss. Then another. And a third…

“Oh, wow. I haven’t seen you in, what, a month?” Brian helped Laurel up and grinned, pleased. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”

She brushed herself off and smiled in return. “You know where I work. You could’ve stopped by.”

“Yes, well. I’ve been busy with…work. And stuff.” His excuse sounded lame, even to his ears. The truth was that he didn’t think he’d be strong enough to see her again without wanting to yank her into his arms again. “So, how’ve you been? Aside from the part where I knocked you over on the street.”

“Not bad. I’ve had work, too, and stuff. Been keeping pretty busy.” She glanced at her watch. “Isn’t it a little late for you to be running around out here? Don’t you have work in the morning?”

Brian checked his own watch. “Yeah, it is late. If you can believe it, I’m just now getting out of work.”

“Seriously? Where do you work?”

He pointed to the skyscraper a block and a half away. “In that building.”

“Man, they really keep their minions working, don’t they?” She remembered the building as the Apollus building. Did Brian work for James? Did he know Bryna? If so, she thought, the world was a small place and getting smaller by the minute.

“It’s not so bad. I love my work.” He caught the crook of her elbow as they walked. “So, what brings you out to the not-so-safe streets of the city this late at night?” When she tilted her face to look up at him, he noticed the drying tears on her cheeks. “You’ve been crying.”

His simple, quiet statement made fresh tears spring to her eyes. She’d never been a sniveler, but she couldn’t help it. “It’s nothing,” she murmured, wiping at her eyes.

“Here.” Brian pulled out a handkerchief and, stopping her steps, dried the new tears. “Wanna talk about it?” he asked softly.

It was the first time in too many years to count that someone dried her tears, and Laurel had to fight the urge to lean into him and the comfort he offered a near stranger. Then, she remembered that he didn’t even really know her name. The thought of that lie in the face of his kindness made her want to weep again.

“Hey, don’t do that,” he scolded her gently when more tears slipped out. “Come on, baby.” He wrapped his arm around her, letting her head rest in the curve of his neck. “Let’s get you inside somewhere. Then, you can tell me what’s got you so upset.”

“Brian.” She stopped him as he began to lead her down the sidewalk. “Thank you. You don’t even know me, and you’re helping me like this.”

His lips brushed over her forehead. “I know you. Now, come on.”

In less than fifteen minutes, Brian pushed open the door to his apartment and flicked on the lights. His apartment had been three blocks away and seemed the best place to take her. The only places that were bound to be open at this hour were bars, and he didn’t think they were the best place to take her when she was so upset. They needed privacy, peace, and quiet.

“This is your home?” Laurel stepped away from his side and took in her surroundings.

While it didn’t scream “Bachelor pad!”, it was still so obviously the home of a single male. The furnishings were mostly made of good, dark mahogany and the cushions of the couches were a deep green. From what she could see, the apartment’s color scheme was earthy, forest colors. It fit him, she decided.

“Here,” he gestured towards the couches. “Why don’t we sit? Do you want anything to drink? Water?”

She shook her head and followed him to the seating area. Her feet sunk into the plush carpet. “Oh! It’s perfect!” Instead of sitting, she dashed to the giant windows that framed the skyline of the city beautifully. They were ceiling-to-floor length and let the city into his home. “Gosh, you must feel like the king of the Big Apple when you look out. I love the view!”

Brian smiled at her enthusiasm, glad that her worries were momentarily forgotten. “I like it, too. It’s what sold me on this apartment.”

“I’ll bet.” Laurel returned to sit across from him. “You didn’t have to do this, Brian. I would’ve been fine.”

“Do you really think I would’ve let you wander around the city while you were so upset? I don’t think so,” he answered for her. “So, do you want to talk about it?”

She looked from his sincere face to her hands, her mind whirling with doubts and worries. What was she supposed to do? How could she tell him things were going wrong between her and James? How was she supposed to tell him anything without him realizing that she’d lied about herself? It was a bad pattern of hers, she realized. Lying to the people she met.

“I don’t know where to start,” she began.

“Usually, the beginning is the best place,” he suggested with a small smile.

She nodded. “Yeah. Usually.” A small sigh escaped her lips. “I guess it began with this man I met. Uh, we’ve been dating for about a month, but I’ve been afraid to let him get too close.”

“Does he care about you?”

At least, that was one question she could answer honestly. “Yes. Quite a bit, and, in truth, he barely knows me.”

“You said that about me, too, and we haven’t been dating for a month,” Brian said lightly. “If he cares about you, it can’t be that bad. Do you care for him, too?”

“Of course!” she replied without hesitating. “It doesn’t make any sense for me to hold him at arms-length, but…I-I’m scared.” She couldn’t believe how easy it was to pull things out of herself and give them to Brian.

He leaned forward and took her hand between his. “What are you afraid of?”

“That I’ll tell him who I really am, and he’ll run as fast as possible in the opposite direction,” she whispered and realized the words were true for Brian, too. “I don’t know what to do.”

He didn’t know what to tell her, either. “You saw him tonight?”

“Yeah, I did.” She shook her head a little. “There’s this charity ball that his company throws each year, and he wants me to be there. I told him I wasn’t sure if I was ready yet for us to be seen together like that. I care about him, but I guess I just want to be sure before I…I don’t know,” she admitted. “I don’t know what I think or feel. What I want.”

“I take it he was upset?”

She nodded. “Yeah, and then he brought up the fact that I haven’t let him into my life yet. He’s right, too. He, uh, he sort of gave me an ultimatum. If I go to the ball, it means that I’m going to be honest with him. If I don’t…”

“I see.” He was pretty sure he did, too. “Well, that’s quite the situation you’ve got yourself. I think I could help you figure it out, if you want,” he added. “Of course, there’s just one thing I need from you before all that happens.”

“Excuse me?”

Brian patted her hand. “Tell me your name. It’s not Eve. I’ve figured out that much from listening to you. You wouldn’t have told me your real name if you’re this nervous about people knowing who you are. So, first things first. Who are you?”

The day had come, she thought. And he deserved to know. “Laurel,” she said after a few moments. “It’s not Eve. It’s Laurel. Oh, and I wash windows, waitress at a restaurant, and a few other odd jobs. I live in a pretty dangerous part of the city as I don’t exactly earn much. If this man I told you about ever came out there, he’d get mugged before he stepped out of his car. He’s from a pretty wealthy family, and I’m afraid that he won’t want me if he sees me for who I really am.” The words came out in a rush, and she felt relieved that they were out. Now, she waited for Brian’s reaction.

He could tell she was waiting for some sort of condemnation, and he decided he wasn’t going to give it to her. “Well, Laurel. It’s nice to finally meet you. I knew a Laurel once when I was younger. It’s a pretty name, and you shouldn’t hide it.” He smiled at her and received a tentative smile in return. “I’m not going to tell you that you’re right or wrong in not wanting to tell him. However, I think that if he really feels as strongly for you as you say, he’s not going to walk away. Not even if you tell him you’re homeless,” he joked. “Now, if you said you were a serial murderer, that might push him away.” He winked cheekily before becoming serious. “Laurel, if you care about him, you need to tell him. He deserves the truth.”

“Yeah.” She sighed. “I thought so.” And then, she reached over and swatted his hair. “I’m no serial killer, and I can’t believe you would use that example!”

For a moment, he thought she was seriously angry, and then he saw the look in her eyes. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t want to date you if you got your kicks by taking lives.” He swatted her right back. “You deserved that,” he added, seeing the frown in her eyes.

“I didn’t come here to get smacked around, you know.” Laurel folded her arms and slumped back on the couch. “And here I thought you were a nice guy.”

Brian grinned playfully. “Yeah, well, even we nice guys have our mean streaks.” He moved around to sit next to her. “Feel better?” he asked softly.

She looked up into his sincere blue eyes. He was so completely perfect, she realized. He hadn’t gotten angry over the lies she’d told him. In fact, he’d been more than accepting, and then he’d turned around and given her advice about her relationship. He was smart, cute, a total goofball, and a great listener. For the first time in a month, she let herself dwell, for a moment, on what could have been if he’d asked her out before James had.

“A lot better,” she replied after several moments. Leaning her head easily against his shoulder, she let her eyes close. “I like this.”

Brushing at her hair, his lips curved quietly. “I like it, too.” He paused for a moment. “Laurel, why don’t you spend the night here? I don’t like the idea of you going out at this time of the night,” he added quickly when she jolted in surprise and stared at him.

“Brian, I couldn’t. And I live there, so it’s not like I’m not used to it.” She patted his cheek. “It was a nice thought, though.”

“No, really. I’d consider it a favor if you stayed,” he insisted. “I really will worry about you, and it would help me sleep easier if I knew you were safe.” Ha. He wouldn’t sleep if she was in the bedroom next door, he thought wryly.

Laurel hemmed. Then she hawed. Mentally. Then she hemmed and hawed some more as she debated the issue. It would be nice not to have to hop the subway at two in the morning, she told herself. Then again, she really shouldn’t impose on Brian’s hospitality this way. One look at his face, though, told her that she wouldn’t be imposing.

“Come on, Laurel,” he pleaded, giving her a pitiful, puppy dog face. “Just one night. Whenever you need to leave for work, you can get going. In the meantime, you can have the run of this place. I don’t know if there’s actually any food in the kitchen, but you’re more than welcome to whatever. Plus, there’s a great big bed in the guest room. I bet you’re exhausted,” he added, beginning to see the light of surrender in her gorgeous, green eyes.

Damn it. “Okay.” When he cheered, she frowned. “It’s not like I’m staying forever, Brian.” Though the idea sounded so very appealing, she thought, studying him. Why did she feel closer to him than she’d ever felt to James? There’d been a click—a connection—with him from the instant she’d met him on the terrace at that club. Laurel shook it off. She was fantasizing where she shouldn’t be.

“Let me show you the room, and I can get you some sweats or whatever,” he added, glancing at her soft blue dress. “You’re only a couple inches shorter than me, so they’ll probably fit you. The bathroom’s through that door,” he motioned towards a closed door in his hallway, “and that’s the kitchen,” he gestured as they passed the darkened room full of gleaming appliances. “And this is yours.”

He pushed open a door and followed her in. Laurel noted the giant windows were in this room, too, just as the plush carpeting was spread through here, too. There was a mahogany dresser and an armchair leaned against one wall. What really got her, though, was the bed. It was a huge, four-poster decorated with tons of colorful pillows and a thick, forest green blanket.

“Wow. This is pretty spectacular for a guestroom,” she commented.

Brian grinned. “I just liked the set, so here it is. I’m gonna go get you those sweats, but let me know if you need anything else.”

“Sure,” she whispered when he’d disappeared. She sank onto the bed and couldn’t stop staring, wide-eyed, at her surroundings. “I suddenly feel like Cinderella.”

Brian couldn’t sleep. He tossed and he turned, and then he tossed and turned some more. He knew that if he didn’t get to bed soon, he wouldn’t be able to function in the morning. There were important things that needed to be looked over, checked up on, and worked out. Plus, the gala was this weekend, which meant the company, and Leighanne, were in an uproar over the final details.

Leighanne.

Suddenly, he felt guilty about not once thinking of her in the past few days. Sure, she’d called him, and they’d spoken for a few minutes here and there. That was it, though. Apart from the phone calls, he’d been too busy to really think of her. And that was really awful. She was the woman he was going to spend the rest of his life with, yet she never crossed his mind when they were apart.

No, Brian thought. She was never on his mind, but the woman lying in the room next door was. There hadn’t been a day where he hadn’t thought of Eve—no, Laurel, he corrected himself—and had wondered if he’d ever see her again. She had become a near obsession when he couldn’t afford one.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending upon how you looked at it—she was involved with someone else. Someone that appeared to care for her and who she, in return, cared for quite a bit. Once they’d solved their issues, which seemed to be soon, they would probably end up living happily ever after. Where, he wondered, would that leave him?

It was pretty pathetic, he decided. Here he was, a perfectly normal, thirty-one year old man. He had a great job, plenty of money at his disposal, everything he’d ever wanted, and he still wanted the one person he would never have. All of his friends were happy and involved with great people, and he couldn’t be more thrilled for them.

Kevin and Kristin were happy and planning for a family, while Alex and Kyra were expecting a baby. Even Nick and Bryna seemed to—finally—be taking steps towards each other, where everyone could see that they belonged. They had all found each other and loved enough to want to spend their lives together.

The only way he’d gotten himself a fiancée, though, was to make a business deal. And that was just downright pitiful.

A month ago, he and James had been complaining about how depressingly lonely their private lives were, but even James seemed to have found someone he was head over heels for. True, Brian had yet to meet the woman, who’d caught his best friend’s heart, but he knew she was probably absolutely spectacular. James wouldn’t have fallen for just anyone.

So that left Brian and Leighanne. They hadn’t been in love before their engagement, and they most certainly weren’t in love now. At one point, he’d tried to talk himself into falling for her, but he’d failed at it.

What had seemed as though it might work out in the long-run, now seemed like a terrible idea. He and Leighanne deserved better than a business marriage, but they’d locked themselves in and thrown away the figurative key. No way out.

No.

Brian sat up, the moonlight filtering in over his frowning face. No, there had to be a way out. He was sure that if he talked to Leighanne, she’d see that their marriage was the worst idea anyone could have had. They were better off as friends than a couple. There had to be more than a loveless marriage for them.

There, in the dark, Brian sat and wondered. Planned.

***

There was a storm coming, and she watched the dark clouds blot out the stars towards the edge of the horizon. Dawn was still hours away, and she tried to will her mind to find some semblance of peace. Peace, though, was eluding her tonight.

It was all Nick’s fault.

Bryna sighed, frustrated and edgy. Needy.

The man had kissed her mindless then stepped away and told her he’d see her tomorrow for their date. As though nothing amazing and of enormous proportions had just occurred between the two of them, he’d sat in his chair and gotten busy with paperwork again. She’d stared at him, shocked that he could be so casual about the whole thing when it felt as though the top of her head had just blown away. Then she had gotten angry. How dare he put her aside for work? Had their first kiss meant nothing to him? Resisting the urge to kick his desk or strangle the man, she’d stalked out and slammed the door.

Now, hours later, she couldn’t get her feelings to level out long enough for her to catch some sleep. She needed all of her wits about her, she knew, if she was going to handle Nick the next day. She didn’t know how he had managed it, but he’d turned their entire relationship around on her.

Not that she minded the kissing. Of course.

What Bryna minded was the way he’d treated her like she was just another one of his conquests. That she couldn’t stand. She wasn’t going to be just anybody in his life. She was going to be the somebody for him. If she could just pin him down long enough to knock sense into him, of course.

***

The view from his windows was magnificent, and, unable to sleep, she’d padded down the hall to his living room and curled up on the floor, leaning against the wall of glass. It was the kind of apartment she’d always dreamt of having once she’d earned enough.

Her inheritance should have been enough to afford her an apartment more incredible than this, but, of course, her evil stepmonster had rendered her invisible and taken control of everything. Now, with that control, Laurel knew Clarissa planned on selling the majority of the company stock. Her father’s hard-earned business was about to be destroyed, and she wanted, so badly, to help save it.

Clarissa was bound to be at the Apollus ball on Friday, which was just one of the reasons she dreaded going. Clarissa would know Laurel instantly, and things would just fall apart. James would never speak to her again because of her deceptions. And everyone else? God, she could just imagine the talk, the looks, the speculation.

The media attention she was bound to receive as the long-lost daughter of the late, and great, Ian Caine.

Restless, she stood and roamed the room, pacing. On the plus side, she told herself, if she did go to the ball, the truth would be out in the open. She could take back control of her life, her father’s company, and have what she was entitled to. She’d never have to live in the dark again.

Running her fingers over the dark, silky wood of a bookcase, Laurel admired Brian’s reading collection. He had all the classics that she loved, plus a healthy handful of books on music theory and business. On the bottom shelf, she found several albums labeled “Memories”. Curious, she plucked one out.

Settling on the rug, she pulled it open. Dozens of pictures of Brian as a baby spread out across the pages of the album she held. He had been adorable, she thought. She could see the same mischievous gleam in his blue eyes when he’d been a baby that she’d seen now.

The album was chronological and followed Brian’s growth up to his second birthday. At the end, there was a picture from his second birthday party where Brian was surrounded by his toddler friends. Something about the picture was eerily familiar, and she stared at the picture, her mind running to figure it out.

“Laurel?”

Startled, she slammed the album shut and whipped around to stare at Brian. He stood at the entrance to the room and frowned down at her. Remembering where she sat, she scrambled up and set his album on a table.

“Brian! I didn’t expect you to be up still.” And looking sexily rumpled, too, she thought, holding back the smile at the thought.

He squinted at her and rubbed his fingers through his hair, making it stand up in all directions. “Uh, yeah. I thought I heard something, so I came out here. And here you are.”

“Here I am, indeed.” She smiled sheepishly. “I couldn’t sleep, so I was shamelessly invading your privacy. I hope you don’t mind.”

“I let you in, didn’t I?”

Laurel watched as he moved around the couch and lifted the album she’d set down. “I found baby pictures of yours. You were adorable.”

“I hope there weren’t any of those naked ones in there,” he muttered, flipping through the pages. “I haven’t looked at these in forever.”

“It’s good to have those pictures.” She settled next to him and studied the pictures over his shoulder, not noticing the way he went still when her breath whispered over his skin. “I don’t have any of my baby pictures. I don’t even know if they exist.”

Brian took a careful breath before turning to look at her. “Why? Wouldn’t your parents have them?”

“My parents died before I was ten, and my stepmother sort of took control.” Thinking of Clarissa pissed her off, but then, it always would. “You could say she turned me into her whipping child. She pushed me into the corners and raised my stepsiblings to be everything that I could have, should have been.”

“Sounds like Cinderella.”

Remembering her own thoughts from earlier, she sighed wistfully. “If there was a Prince Charming for me, he’d have to find a way to get my rights and my inheritance back. I was thirsting for college, too, and never got to go. I left as soon as I turned eighteen. If I hadn’t left, she would’ve kicked me out anyway.”

Her eyes were tinged with sadness and a pain Brian didn’t know how to soothe. His hand covered hers. “I’m sorry. If I could, I’d go back and change things for you.”

The look in his eyes told her that he would have, too. She leaned against him, and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Thank you. Really. This is the first time I’ve told anyone about my past. It seems to be so easy for me to just tell you. I think it’s because I know you won’t pull away or look at me with pity. God, I couldn’t handle the pity.”

“I won’t give you any,” he promised. “I don’t think you need it, anyway. I think you’re doing a remarkable job raising yourself the way you have. Your stepmother may have neglected you, but I think you came out perfectly.”

Laurel stared at his hand over hers then turned hers and linked their fingers. When her eyes lifted to meet his, she froze at the look in his. She’d seen desire in a man’s eyes before, but she’d never seen the emotions that stormed through Brian’s eyes. A woman might go her whole life, she thought, without seeing such feelings. But what could she do? She had no right to answer those, no matter how much she might want to. There was James.

“Brian, I…” She cast her mind for a lighter subject and saw the pictures in his arms. “Tell me about your life. Your past. It occurred to me that, though I may be spending the night in your home, I still know next to nothing about you.”

He fought to reign in his emotions. He was too on edge, and he hadn’t meant to scare her with the intensity of what he felt. “What do you want to know?”

“Tell me about this Brian.” She waved her hand over the album. “And the other ones between now and then. Your accomplishments, goals, dreams. What you did for fun when you were younger.”

Brian studied the pictures in front of him for a moment. “I was a rambunctious kid. I always wanted to do everything I saw on television and then some. I had crazy adventures, and, because they loved me, my parents let me have them. Safely, of course. I had the best of friends when I was younger. I told you that I knew a Laurel once, and she, her brother, sister, and one of her cousins were my best friends. We did everything together. I’m still friends with all of them, except Laurel. I’m not entirely sure what happened to her, nor do I remember. I think I was only ten.” He shrugged. “Anyway, I always knew that I’d end up in the music industry. I wanted to sing, but I guess Fate meant for me to work behind the scenes. Which I do.”

“You enjoy your work?”

“Sure, I do. It’s challenging, and it’s rewarding.” He grinned. “I always enjoyed the long, hard work it required to achieve the big prize in the end. Working with fledgling artists is the same way. I can’t imagine doing anything else.”

Like James, she mused. “As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be an anthropologist. I wanted to travel all over the world and learn about the different, exotic cultures that my father used to read books about when I was younger. So far, though, it’s not exactly working out. I’m glad your dreams are coming true.”

He squeezed her hand comfortingly. “I have everything that I’ve ever wanted, and I’ve surrounded myself with family and friends who I love. The only thing missing is my own family.”

“But you’re getting married, so that’ll come soon, too,” she assured him. At the look in his eyes, she frowned. “Right?”

Brian shrugged again. “Who knows? I’m starting to wonder if she and I are meant to be together. Lately, we just haven’t been connecting the way I’d hoped I would with the woman I’d spend the rest of my life with. I’m thinking about breaking it off.”

“Does she feel the same way? Because you might break her heart.”

Guilt rolled through him at the idea of a heartbroken Leighanne, but it reaffirmed his belief that she deserved better. “I think we’d be better off as friends, and, sometimes, I think she’s thinking the same thing. It’s just this feeling I’ve gotten when I’m with her. Our wedding was, you could say, an amiable agreement between a number of parties. A business merger of sorts.”

“That sounds so horribly cold.” She couldn’t imagine it. “It must feel like you’ve trapped yourself.”

“You have no idea,” he murmured.

Laurel found herself at a loss for words and offered comfort, instead, in the form of a hug. Wrapping her arms around him, she rested her chin lightly on his shoulder. After a long moment, his arms slowly came around her and held her close to him. This, she thought, was perfect. It was just absolutely lovely to sit here in his arms and not have to worry about anything. The outside world just didn’t exist in this moment.

Brian loosened his hold on her after a moment. Leaning back a little, he cupped her face in his hands and studied her. His look, the intensity, didn’t frighten her. It exhilarated. It was as though he could see straight into her soul, and she wondered what he saw.

“Laurel. I can’t-” He broke off, shaking his head, though his hold didn’t loosen.

Her hands lifted to grip his wrists. “What? What is it?”

She was in his arms, and he knew what he could and could not do. He just didn’t know how much he cared about rules and restrictions anymore. “I don’t think I can apologize this time. I wouldn’t mean it.”

Before she could ask him what he meant, he pressed his lips to hers in a quietly desperate kiss. She sat, frozen, for an instant before her lips, following her heart, responded. Instead of pushing him away, she found herself pulling him closer until she’d practically crawled into his lap. As his hands slid away from her face to wrap around her waist and bring her more fully against him, her mind went blissfully blank.

The rain was pattering on the windows, and thunder bellowed in the distance. Knowing the day she was about to face would be a dreary one, she curled under the blanket and snuggled against him. When his arms came around her as he continued to sleep, she sighed dreamily. Was it any wonder she didn’t want to leave her lovely cocoon?

The day, and the consequences of the night, would have to be faced, though. She wasn’t a coward and had no intentions of starting now. Whatever the night had meant, she wouldn’t regret it, but she would face the consequences of her actions. The one thing she wouldn’t do, though, was hurt him. Turning in his arms until she faced him, she let her fingers lightly trace over his features and brush the hair off his forehead.

His eyes opened as a lazy smile curved his lips. “Like the view?”

“I could get used to it,” she murmured, before touching her lips to his lightly. Stretching a little, she sighed. “It’s raining outside, and I have no desire to go to work. If I could, I’d stay right here.”

“Just like this?”

Her head found the curve of his shoulder and settled there. Her eyes closed as his fingers combed lightly through her hair. “This is perfect. How did we miss this for so long?”

“I didn’t.” At his words, her eyes opened and watched him curiously. “I’ve known for a while, but I didn’t know how to tell you. I mean, what could I have said to get you here?” He smiled. “I guess things work out the way they’re meant to.”

“I’d like to think so. I just don’t know what to do from here on out.” Her eyes were troubled, and he brushed his lips over her nose.

“We’ll figure it out. Together.” His fingers tipped her chin up so their eyes met. “Whatever happens now, it’s going to be you and me. Okay?”

Her mind raced with the meaning and the possible results of his words. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.”

He kissed her firmly before turning to look at the clock on her bedside table. “Shit. I’m supposed to have breakfast with someone this morning. I’m going to be late.”

“Breakfast? On a Wednesday morning? Don’t you have work?” She sat up in bed and watched him yank on his clothes.

“Yeah, but this is important, too. I can’t miss it.” He buttoned his shirt before finding his shoes. “I’ve got twenty minutes to get from here to the Village. I’m definitely going to be late.”

“Call and let whoever you’re meeting know.”

“I will.” Trying to use his fingers to fix his hair, he strode back to the bed and, cupping her face, kissed her. “Remember that.”

She pressed a hand to her speeding heart. “I will.”

“Leighanne.” His voice was quiet, though his eyes were storming with emotion. “I love you.”

Her heart lodged in her throat. “Jason, I-”

“I don’t expect the words back. Not yet.” He smiled though, one finger trailing down her cheek. “But I hope you remember that whenever you feel uncertain. I’ve loved you for a while. I’ll always love you.” With another kiss, he was gone.

As she listened to her front door close, Leighanne pressed both hands to her heart and held his words close, letting them warm her.

***

Laurel drummed her fingers against the edge of the table and stared into the steaming mug of coffee that sat in front of her. Jason was late, which was a rare thing. They were supposed to meet to come up with a plan to prevent or stall the transaction between Starlight and Paramount that Clarissa had engineered and was making dangerous progress on. Jason had already called her, though, and she expected his arrival in another five minutes.

Which left her keeping company with her thoughts. Which was dangerous. Especially now.

She didn’t want to think about everything that had happened in the past twelve hours, but, of course, her evil mind shoved it all in front of her anyway. Twelve hours ago, she’d been with James as he’d demanded that she put her barriers aside and finally let him in. Three hours later, she’d bumped into Brian, a man she’d met twice before and had barely known. Now, she sat in a coffee shop after spending the night in his apartment. In his arms.

It was difficult, she realized, to feel guilty about cheating on James. She should, she knew. James hadn’t deserved what she’d done, but she’d never felt more alive with anyone as she had in Brian’s arms. On his couch. In his bed.

The bitter, black coffee snapped her brain out of the steamy memories that continued to assault her. She’d left Brian still sleeping and had crept out of his apartment. His doorman must have known what had happened, but the man had been polite enough to hail a cab for her.

“God, oh God. What am I going to do?” she whimpered, laying her head down on her arm. She wouldn’t be able to live with the guilt on her conscience. Would she? Then again, did she feel guilty because of what had happened or was it just guilt over the inevitable hurt it would cause James? Laurel no longer knew, and she wished the answers would just appear. Of course, they didn’t.

“Laurel?” Jason slid into the chair across from her. When she lifted her head, he smiled sympathetically. “Is everything okay?”

She opened her mouth to respond and ended up bursting into tears. “Sorry, I’m sorry,” she said between sobs. “I don’t mean to keep crying. It’s just that my life has suddenly become very complicated. I don’t know what to do anymore.”

Jason handed her a tissue, and Laurel was reminded of how Brian had mopped up her tears the night before. “I’m guessing this has nothing to do with my mother’s corporate espionage. Why don’t you tell me what’s wrong? I’m here to listen. It’s what big brothers do, you know.”

“I know. I, uh, you know I’ve been dating James.” The pained look on Jason’s face made her smile a little. “Oh, stop it, Jason. You know I’ve been with men before. I’m not ten years old anymore.”

“I know. It’s still weird, though. You dating my good friend and boss. The fact that he still doesn’t know who you are.” His eyes narrowed at the look on her face. “Or does he?”

She shook her head. “He doesn’t know. But he definitely wants to. He’s giving me until the charity ball at Apollus on Friday to figure out what I want to do with our relationship.”

“So you have to come to the ball? Laurel, everyone will be there. They’ll know who you are.” He reached out and took her hand. “Are you up for all that attention? I know the instant Mother and Theresa see you, they’ll be pissed. They’ll do whatever it takes to bring you down.”

“Actually, I was thinking about how, if I went, if everyone knew that I was still around, I’d be able to regain control of the company completely. The courts would stop her from preventing me from doing anything,” she explained. “Jason, I could stop everything.”

He nodded, considering all the angles. “You could.” He met her gaze with a serious one. “You’d be willing to do all of that, to expose yourself and open yourself up to shots from my mother?”

“I couldn’t care less anymore what she does to me.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m starting to realize that I’ve got more on my side than I ever thought I did.” But her eyes darkened as a gloomy expression crept across her features. “I just don’t know how James will react. To everything. How much could he take before he would have to walk away?”

Jason sighed. “Laurel, he’s in love with you. He’ll accept anything you tell him because it’s a part of who you are. He’ll stick by your side, through thick and thin because that’s just the kind of guy he is. Are you, uh, are you in love with him, too?”

“I thought I was. Up until last night, I was so sure I was,” she murmured. “Now, I’m not so sure.”

“What happened last night?”

She was quiet so long that he wondered if she’d even really heard the question as she was staring so intensely into her mug of coffee. Finally, she lifted her eyes to meet his. “I slept with someone else.”

“Laurel.”

“I didn’t mean for it to happen. It just did, and it was a crazy moment of insanity on both our parts.” She spoke quickly now, afraid that he’d lecture her or, worse, turn her away. “It’s just that we were both so confused about what we were feeling for our significant others, and then we ended up talking about ourselves and everything. And, it happened. It just happened.” Her head ended up in her arms again. “I cheated on James, and he cheated on his fiancée.”

Jason surprised her by chuckling. “Oh, this is fantastic. Fabulous. Just fucking incredible.”

“What?”

“Laurel, you helped a guy cheat on his fiancé, and I helped the woman I’m in love with cheat on hers. We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

Laurel’s jaw had dropped. “You never told me you were in love with anyone! Who is she?”

“Her name is Leighanne. She’s a dance instructor, and I didn’t tell you about her because I thought it was a lost cause.” He smiled, thinking of the night before. “And then last night happened.”

“But she’s getting married, right? What are you going to do about that?” Laurel asked, thinking of Brian.

Jason looked thoughtful. “I think the only thing to do is to tell her fiancé what happened. I love her, and I’m not going to lose her. She’s actually engaged to one of my really good friends, but I don’t think he particularly wants to marry her either. You remember Brian Littrell, don’t you?”

“Uh, no. Not particu-” She suddenly remembered a little boy with big blue eyes and a mischievous grin. “Yes, I do! He was my best friend before…before.”

“Yes, well, he’s her fiancé, but it was all a part of this business agreement between Apollus Records and Brian’s father’s company when they were negotiating the merger. It was just a stupid thing to add to a contract, but I hope they’ll break things off. I plan on making sure they do,” Jason added, firmly.

Laurel had stopped paying attention as her mind whirled. Leighanne’s fiancé’s name was Brian. Brian’s engagement had been a business deal. Brian had known a Laurel when he was younger. A Laurel who had disappeared. Brian who worked with Jason and Bryna. Brian who worked at Apollus. With James.

James.

Brian.

“Oh, my god.”

Her face had gone so pale so suddenly, and Jason clutched her hands between his. “Laurel, are you okay? Tell me what’s wrong.”

“Jason.” She was speechless, though, as everything seemed to come together in her head. “Is Leighanne’s fiancé a couple inches shorter than you, curly-haired, blue-eyed? Brian? Does he have a great sense of humor and a sort of drawl to his voice?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess you do remember Bri from when were younger.”

Laurel shook her head slowly. “No, I don’t remember that from when we were little. Jason, I spent the night with Brian. My God, I cheated on James with his friend. With my old best friend. And neither of us had a clue.” Then realization hit her. “If I go to the charity ball, Brian will know who I am. Jason. What do I do?”

He was still reeling from all the information she’d just dumped in his lap. James and Laurel and Brian and Laurel? But his mind hooked onto one piece. Brian had been unfaithful to Leighanne. Though his heart did one wild leap of joy, one look at Laurel’s face chased any thoughts of Leighanne from his head.

“Laurel, it’s all going to come out. Both of them are going to know everything.” He wished he could offer comfort but didn’t know how to in this. “I don’t want you to be hurt, but you will be.”

***

James stared out at the rain and sighed. Perfect. The weather had decided to match his mood, and he just didn’t care anymore. All he wanted was Laurel. All of Laurel and not just the bits and pieces she’d given him. He needed to know who he’d fallen in love with because he needed to know if he could trust her to not break his heart.

He was deathly afraid of the ball.

When his intercom beeped, he sighed again and pressed a button. “Yes, Helen?”

“Miss Theresa Chambers is here to see you. Again,” she added quietly.

He suppressed the urge to groan. For the past month, Theresa had been relentless and obvious in her attempts to seduce him, and he was tired of it. Unfortunately, she was also the daughter of a very powerful woman and the sister to two of his friends. He had no choice but to invite her in, be polite, and quietly send her on her way.

“Let her in, Helen.”

“Yes, sir.”

When Theresa walked in, James noticed that she wasn’t wearing her signature snug skirt nor had she put anything remotely alluring on. Instead, she strode towards him in a no-nonsense business suit. Not even remotely seductive. He wondered what was going on in that head of hers.

“James.” She held out a hand. “Thanks for seeing me.”

He held her hand briefly before letting go. “Of course. What can I do for you?”

She studied him for a moment before she spoke. “I’m going to cut through the bullshit, today. I know you don’t like me. I know that none of your circle of friends cares at all about me. My siblings included.”

James was startled by her flat, emotionless tone and the words she hit him with. “Theresa, I don’t know what to say. Of course, we care about you.”

She held up a hand. “Don’t. Don’t say anything that isn’t true. I know what all of you think of me. Snobby Theresa who doesn’t give a damn about any of you. Theresa, who doesn’t work for anything and certainly couldn’t care less about anything except her next facial or whatever.” She paused. “That’s not me. And I’m tired of being treated in such a way.”

“Uh…” He didn’t quite know what to say to her except the truth. “Look, Theresa. I’m sorry that you feel that way, but you were the one who never cared to spend time with us. We always asked you to come with us when we used to hang out in high school. You always thought you were better than us. Or so we thought.” He considered her for a moment. “Were we wrong?”

“No. But I’m tired of that Theresa. That title.” She looked away, out the window. She looked so vulnerable all of a sudden that James felt guilty. “I want more. What’s wrong with wanting more?”

“Nothing. Theresa, if you’d said all this years ago, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation. There wouldn’t have been any need to have this discussion.” He placed a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to offer comfort. “Why did you come to me about this today?”

Theresa looked away from the windows and back at him. “Because I trust you. Of everyone, you’ve always been the one that I would’ve trusted. I can’t even really rely on Bryna or Jason. But you, James, have a heart of gold. I knew that you’d listen to me and not laugh at me.”

“The others wouldn’t laugh at you, Theresa.”

“Sure they would.” She sighed. “Kristin hates me because of my mother’s actions, because I’ve never really broken away from my mother. Because Kristin doesn’t like me, neither does Kevin. Because Kevin doesn’t like me, neither do Alex, Howie, Kyra, or any of them. It’s just how it’s always been and you know it.” The expression in her eyes dared him to deny her claims, and James knew he couldn’t.

“Okay. Okay, maybe that’s true.” He lifted his hands and let them fall helplessly. “I don’t know what you want. Or how to help you.”

She managed a tiny smile and held out a hand. “Be my friend? I could really use one.”

He studied her for a few moments before nodding. “Sure. Of course.” He placed his hand in hers and squeezed comfortingly.

Then he was floored when she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. “Thank you,” she murmured, burying her face against his neck. “This means so much to me.”

James hesitated a moment before letting his arms come around her, too. “No problem.”

***

She was gone. There wasn’t a single trace of her anywhere. It was as though she’d never been there.

Brian searched his apartment for any evidence that she’d spent the night in his home. That she’d spent the night with him. That she’d been there at all and made him fall in love with her.

God, he didn’t even know how to reach her. They’d never gotten around to exchanging the basics about each other. Shaking his head forlornly, he decided that their relationship wasn’t exactly following the normal pattern that it should have. Starting with the fact that both of them were committed to relationships with other people.

Sitting in the middle of his bed, surrounded by tangled sheets, he could almost smell her—that fragile scent of jasmine that had haunted his senses for a month.

“What the hell am I going to do now?”

Bryna taped the picture to the brand new dart board that she’d just hung in the corner of her office. Making sure the picture wouldn’t fall off, she stepped back and picked the darts up off her desk. Taking careful aim, her tongue caught between her teeth in concentration, she threw the first dart.

And missed.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn you!” She pointed an accusing finger at the picture. He smiled back at her with the smile that charmed millions. “You haven’t won yet!”

Retrieving the first dart, she tried again. This time, the dart landed on his chin. Close, but not close enough for her. So she took aim again.

By the time she’d thrown the darts three times, she’d managed to hit the bull’s-eye, his nose, twice. Not bad, she decided, for her first time playing darts. She grinned, darkly satisfied at the holes puckering his face in the picture.

At the knock on her door, she scrambled towards the dart board and ripped the picture off. “Come in!” she called out after a moment. Hiding the picture behind her back, she walked back to her desk as Jason stepped into her office. Sighing in relief, she slumped into her seat. “Thank goodness, it’s you.”

“Yeah. Nice to see you, too.” He frowned at her frazzled appearance. Bryna was usually neat as a pin for work, but there was something off this time. “Let me guess. Man trouble?”

Bryna sat up quickly and eyed him suspiciously. “Have you been talking to Nick?”

“Nick? As in Nick Carter, Nick?” Jason eyed her right back. “Has he been causing you trouble again? I swear, Bryna, I don’t understand why you’ve crushed on him for so long. He’s really not worth it.”

“The jerk kissed me yesterday.”

“I mean, he just treats you like you’re not important. He doesn’t take all the hard work you do into-” Jason broke off and gaped at her. “That bastard put his hands on my baby sister? I should break him in half.”

When he started to rise, Bryna rolled her eyes and waved him back into the chair. “Relax, Jason. I don’t think it meant a single thing to him. Figures. The first time I get him to notice I’m a female, he blows me off afterwards.”

“The offer still stands on breaking him in half.”

“Forget it. I’m having more fun throwing darts at his face.” She held up the hole-filled picture. “It’s stress relieving.”

“Cute.” Jason sighed. “Man, we are quite the family, aren’t we?”

Bryna frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I slept with Leighanne last night, Laurel slept with Brian, and you’re pissed because Nick Carter finally kissed you. Good thing we don’t have to worry about Theresa.”

Bryna just gaped at him, her jaw nearly touching her desk. She managed to drag it off and tried to come up with something to say. “I think,” she began, slowly spacing her words out, “that was information overload. Start over, and go slow this time.”

Jason grinned. “Bryna, I’m in love with Leighanne, and somehow I ended up spending the night with her. I had breakfast with Laurel this morning, and she told me that she’d argued with James last night and then, after running into Brian, she slept with him. I don’t know how that happened, but it did.”

She took a moment to let it all process before she mustered up any words. “Wow. Just wow. Does Laurel know who Brian is?”

“She didn’t. Now she does, but Bri has no idea that Laurel is the Laurel Caine.” He shook his head. “It’s a mess, but it has to get sorted out fast. Someone is going to get hurt, though. It’s inevitable.”

Bryna covered her face with her hands for several moments before scrubbing her face. When her hands dropped away, she let her head fall back against the back of her chair. “Laurel has to tell James what happened, and she’s going to have to tell Brian, too. Clearly, Brian and Leighanne can’t marry each other. Not only will they be too scared to hurt the other by admitting they cheated on each other, but they’ll never be happy together. Something must be done, Jason, and soon.”

“Well, Laurel has to come to the gala. If that helps,” he added.

“Really? Mother’s going to be there.”

“Laurel’s ready to push on and take back what’s rightfully hers. I doubt there’s a court in the country that would stop her. Mother stole Laurel’s shares and control, and it’s hard to disprove that. I think Laurel’s finally figured that out, and she’s fighting back.” Jason sighed. “That’s going to be another complicated mess to sort through.”

“I love family drama, don’t you?” Bryna replied cheerfully before groaning a little in sympathy. “I just can’t wait.”

***

“You’re late, Brian.” Alex lifted a brow at Brian’s frazzled appearance. His hair was tousled, his tie was untied, and the buttons on his shirt were mismatched. “Whoa, pal. Did you go a couple rounds with the champion this morning? You look like a mess.”

Brian barely glanced at his friend. “I overslept.”

“Is everything okay?”

Brian paused, his fingers stilled on the combination of his briefcase. How could he tell anyone what he hadn’t quite figured out yet? He was engaged to a woman he didn’t love, but he was pretty sure he’d fallen in love with another woman, who was certainly in love with another man. Except that she’d slept with him. He was ten kinds of confused, and he hadn’t even had a shot of coffee to snap his mind clear. With everything in his personal life such a mess, he wondered how he would even begin to deal with everything that needed to be done in his professional life.

“I think early retirement sounds great. Don’t you?” he finally responded.

Alex leaned back in his chair in front of Brian’s desk and steepled his fingers contemplatively. “Well, now. I give that a great deal of thought often. Then I remember that I’m not as wealthy as you, and, besides, I like my work. Maybe in twenty years or so.” He narrowed his eyes. “What’s going on, Brian?”

“A lot. I can’t even think about it because it’s too much to handle at the moment.” Brian settled into his office chair and riffled through the paperwork on his desk. “I just wish I was as sure of my life as you are with Kyra and the baby that’s on the way. It must be nice to have that security.”

“What are you talking about? You’re going to marry Leighanne and have lots of beautiful babies.” Alex paused. “Unless something’s happened.”

Brian knew he’d get lectured if he told Alex he’d cheated on Leighanne. Instead, he decided half-truths were better than nothing. “I don’t think we’re right for each other. I mean, sure, we can make our marriage work because we work well together. But I just don’t feel that passion for her that I thought I’d feel for the woman I would spend my life with. I don’t care if that sounds fanciful or whatever, but I still believe in a fairytale ending for myself. Leigh doesn’t give me that.”

Alex was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again. “Does Leighanne know how you feel?”

“How could she not? I’m not entirely subtle about it, and, sometimes, I think she’s not quite sold on us either. I get the feeling that she’s still waiting for something to spark between us, too. It’s not going to happen, and I don’t know how to tell her.” Brian ran his hands through his hair, frustrated, and made it stand up more. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Alex shook his head slowly. “That’s quite the situation you’ve got yourself in, buddy. After all, there’s still the legality of the whole engagement to look at, too. You signed a contract over it, too.”

“Contracts can be amended. I don’t think James is really going to want to see Leighanne or me unhappy for the rest of our lives.” Brian sighed. “I just wish I could tell Leighanne all this and know that she won’t be heartbroken about it.”

“I think she’s stronger than she seems.” Then, because he sensed that Brian was just getting more frustrated thinking about his own troubles, he changed the subject. “Speaking of heartbroken, have you talked to James today?”

Brian frowned. “No. Why? What happened?”

Alex leaned forward and drummed his fingers on the edge of Brian’s desk. “He had it out with the woman he’s been seeing for the last month or so. He’s head over heels for her, but, apparently, she’s been secretive about herself and her feelings for him. Anyway, he finally told her that she had until the gala to either come clean or they’d break things off. I think that’s kind of harsh, but he’s upset about the whole thing. Man, he’s really into this woman. She might be the one for him.”

Something sparked in his memory for a moment. “That’s awful. I guess I should find him and talk to him about it or something. I haven’t even really been paying attention to this relationship of his. They’re really that serious?”

“Oh, yeah. He spends nearly every other night with Laurel. They’re always going out for dinner, the movies, Broadway, anything. I haven’t met her, but Bryna said she had. Apparently, Laurel’s a sweetheart, not to mention strong-willed and really smart. She’s got James hooked good.”

Alex’s words swirled in Brian’s head, and, like pieces in a complicated jigsaw puzzle, everything began to settle into place. His heart sank even as his mind was simply shocked and amazed at the whole thing.

He’d spent the night with the woman his friend was in love with, and, though part of him was ashamed, the rest of him was rooted in shock.

***

On Thursday morning, Laurel walked into the cleaning agency and walked towards the tiny cubicle that she called her own. As she passed the manager’s office, his voice stopped her.

“Miss Caine? May I have a word, please?”

She was too tired to deal with the demands that she was sure were about to be placed on her plate. Besides, she had to get over to Apollo Records to clean and hope that she could avoid both Brian and James. She was more confused than ever about what to do with either of them. She thought she’d loved James, had been convinced she did. Then, Brian had stepped into the picture. Brian, her childhood best friend, had changed everything on her. She’d been so sure, and, now, nothing was sure in her life.

Apparently, not even her job.

“I’m sorry to tell you this, but the agency’s letting you go, Miss Caine.”

Laurel just stared at the manager. When she’d been able to find her voice, she managed to ask, “Why?”

“I’m afraid that information was not passed on to me. This order came from the execs, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.” He held out a hand. “It truly was a pleasure to have you in my wing, and your work was always impeccable. However, it’s time for you to go. You have an hour to clear your personal possessions from your work area. Your appointments have all been reassigned already.”

In a foggy state of shock, she drifted wordlessly out of his office and back to her desk. She haphazardly took down her pictures and stowed all of her own things into a box she unearthed from beneath her desk. She didn’t feel sorrow at the loss of her main income, but, instead, a sense of burning panic filled her.

What was she supposed to do now? What would fill her days? She didn’t have the energy to look for another job, not when this one had been paying her well enough. In nine months, she would’ve earned enough to quit and go to school for her degree. Instead, everything had been snatched away for some unknown reason.

Still in a state of disbelief, Laurel walked out of the building with her things and stood on the curb. Mustering up the energy, she lifted her hand for a cab. Almost immediately, an expensive black sedan pulled up in front of her. When the passenger window lowered, she blinked at Bryna’s grinning face.

“Bryna? What are you-” She broke off when she saw Jason in the driver’s seat. “I don’t understand.”

“Hop in, Laurel, and we’ll explain everything,” Bryna assured her.

Nodding, dazed, Laurel followed her sister’s directions and sank into the backseat. “What’s going on? How did you know I would be out there now?” She paused, letting her eyes shut. “I was fired today.”

“We know,” Bryna said gaily. “Also, I hope you don’t mind that we told your landlord that you’re moving out. He said you have until next Friday to clear the apartment. God, Laurel, you lived in the worst neighborhood out there. You know, there were some really safe apartments in that borough.”

“Bryna. Shut up and let me get this all straight.” Laurel looked from Jason to Bryna and sighed. “What the hell were the two of you thinking?! Where am I supposed to live now?”

“Look at it this way,” Jason suggested. “Now you don’t have an apartment to worry about paying the rent for. Which means you don’t have to worry that you don’t have a job that pays you enough to pay rent.”

Laurel covered her face with her arms and let out a frustrated shriek. “WHY?!”

“Same reason we had you fired on purpose.”

Laurel let her arms fall away slowly. “What. Are. You. Doing. To. My. Life. Why do you two hate me all of a sudden? I mean, I know I cheated on James with Brian—which I’m sure you know about already, Bryna. But come on! Don’t punish me this way! It’s bad enough that I’m as confused as I could possibly get, and I certainly don’t need the added complications that you’re giving me!”

“Actually, sweetie, we’re simplifying your life for you,” Bryna said quietly. She squeezed Laurel’s hand comfortingly. “You’re staying with me until you get your own place. A home that will be bought with the money that is rightfully yours from your inheritance. You’re taking back Starlight tomorrow night, Laurel, and we’re going to back you the whole way.”

Laurel just stared at her for several moments before she burst into tears. “I love you guys so much. Seriously, what would I do without you?”

“Crash and burn,” Jason joked, but his eyes were serious. “We’re going to do whatever it takes to help you and save what belongs to you. The rest…The rest, Laurel, will play out the way it’s meant to.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” she whispered before she swiped the tears away and managed a smile. “So, where are we going now?”

Bryna smiled mischievously. “You can’t just show up at the gala in work clothes, Laurel. We’re taking you shopping! When we’re done with you, there won’t be a man in that room who won’t drool over you.”

Even as she heard Jason grumble about cutting out those men’s eyes, Laurel smiled back. “I have the best siblings. Ever. You guys rock!”

***

Laurel stood, swathed in a gown of royal blue silk, and stared at Bryna. “You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not.” Bryna, in turn, stared at her cell phone. “She really wants to talk to all three of us. She said she’d meet us at Xavier’s on Forty-fifth in two hours. I guess she figured I’d know how to get hold of both of you.”

Jason’s frown deepened. “I just don’t understand what could possibly be so urgent that she’s asking us, all three of us, to meet with her. She’s never given two damns about Laurel, and, for all she knows, I could be dead.”

“She knows you work with James.” Bryna sighed. “I agree that this is definitely strange, but, maybe, there really is something wrong. I know none of us owe her anything but, call it twin intuition, I really think we should see her.”

Jason and Laurel exchanged glances fraught with meaning. Both of them knew that Bryna had a much softer heart than they did, but, there were times when it was a good idea to listen to her. With Theresa, though, they just didn’t care enough to pay heed to Bryna’s advice. Theresa had always ignored their existence, and they felt no qualms in doing the same to her.

Except…

“Okay.” Laurel sighed. “We’ve got two hours before we meet her, right?”

Bryna was surprised that Laurel would relent at all. “Yeah. Plenty of time to find you a great dress. That blue is not it, though.”

“I know.” Laurel shrugged then glanced over at Jason. “You in?”

“I think we’re all nuts, but, no matter what, I guess we are family. Dysfunctional as hell, but family.” He sighed. “Let’s do it.”

***

“So what I’m saying is that I’m finally seeing why all three of you hated her.” Theresa bit her lip nervously and toyed with the handle of her teacup. “She’s done everything to control my life and, sometime in the last month, I realized I didn’t want it anymore. She wanted me to seduce James Apollus and con him into marrying me. That way, she’d be able to have control over two of the most powerful corporations in the entertainment industry. At first, I just went along with it because I saw the dollar signs, too.” She didn’t miss the disgusted looks her three siblings shot her. “Somewhere during the visits I paid James, though, I noticed the look of disgust he kept sending me. I went home one day and looked at myself in the mirror. I realized I didn’t like what I saw. I’m nothing without Mother, and I hate knowing that. I want to be done with that. I just thought I’d apologize to all three of you for all the pain I’ve caused you in the last twenty years. I wish I could say it was all her fault, but it’s not.”

There were several moments of silence after she finished. Laurel, Bryna, and Jason simply stared at Theresa, unsure of what to say or whether they could trust her words.

“Theresa, you swear you’re not lying? You’re not pulling a fast one on us to fool us into falling for some trap Mother’s setting for us?” Jason stared hard at her.

She swallowed hard and shook her head. “I swear to you I’m not. I want to be my own person. I’m twenty-five years old, my twin is winning awards for her music, my brother is an exec for a major corporation, and where am I? Nowhere,” she finished miserably. “I haven’t even gotten the guts up to tell Mother all this to her face. I’m a mess and pitiful, too. I’ll understand if you hate me because I hate myself at the moment, too.”

Laurel reached out after a moment and placed a hand on Theresa’s. “I believe you.”

“You-you do?” Theresa blinked in surprise. After all, Laurel was the one who’d been hurt the worst.

“I do. Even if you have been throwing yourself at my boyfriend for a month,” Laurel said lightly. “I understand what it’s like to hate yourself when you look in the mirror. I think it’s time we all just take charge of our lives and give Clarissa a good kick and show her that she can’t control us forever.”

“Amen, sister,” Bryna finally spoke up, too, a small smile on her face as she, too, took her twin’s hand. “We’ll start by stopping the Paramount/Starlight merger. With Laurel back at the helm of Starlight, we’ll finally be able to keep Mother from keeping us under her thumb.”

Theresa nodded but still looked nervous. “Are you sure we’ll be strong enough to bring her down? I mean, I’ve been in the trenches with her, and she’s got a corporate arsenal built up. How will the four of us manage to defeat her?”

“Faith,” Jason said quietly, his eyes intent. “We’ve got the law on our side. Legally, she had no right to take Laurel’s shares and control from her and force her out of her own home. Laurel’s claims will stand up in court, and Mother’s won’t.”

“Then I’m in.” Theresa turned her hands over and laced her fingers with her sisters’. “Whatever you need me to do, I’ll do. I’m with you, one hundred percent.”

Laurel smiled at her stepsister, thrilled that the nearly nonexistent good side of Theresa had finally emerged. With her very determined siblings by her side, she was sure that nothing could go too terribly wrong at the gala.

Nothing.

An hour before the gala was to start, there was a knock at the door of Bryna’s apartment. Bryna had already gone ahead to the venue where the gala was being held to take care of last minute details. That left Laurel to answer the door. Already dressed in the stunning gown that Bryna, James, and Theresa had helped her find, she stuck one last pin in her hair to hold it up in an impressive up-do and made her way to the front door. Whoever it was, she hoped the visit wouldn’t take too long. She had yet to put makeup on, and she still needed to go through Bryna’s shoe closet to find a matching pair.

Every thought of getting ready flew out of her head the instant she opened the door.

“Clarissa.”

A very formidable-looking Clarissa Chambers-Caine swept into the apartment without so much as acknowledging Laurel’s presence. She took one sweeping glance of the room then turned away with a barely audible sniff and a turning up of her nose. When her eyes settled on Laurel, the expression in them was chilling.

“I told myself that, when you left ten years ago, I would never have to deal with you again.” Clarissa’s words were spaced evenly, the tone ice cold. “It gives me no pleasure to see you again.”

Laurel tried to find the spine that had so recently snapped back into place with her resolve to stand up to her stepmother. That spine had vanished with one look from Clarissa, and she was reduced to the cowering little girl she’d been when Clarissa had taken control of her life and made her nothing. Less than nothing. So she said nothing, could say nothing.

“I had heard rumors that you were making plans to appear at the Apollo Records gala tonight. I thought them laughable until I heard that you’d been carrying on an affair with James Apollus.” Clarissa’s eyes narrowed upon her stepdaughter, pleased to see that Laurel’s eyes were full of fear and uncertainty. “Do you know the game you’ve been playing, Laurel? Of course, you don’t,” she answered herself. “You’re too simple-minded to understand that you could not possibly mean anything to a man such as James. He’s out of your league, and you could not possibly hold his attention for too long. Showing up at the gala would just be a ridiculous move for you to make.”

Laurel made a tiny sound of dissent, but Clarissa ignored it.

“Of course, all that was simply ludicrous to hear. And then a little bird told me of your plans to bring me down by appearing tonight.” Before Laurel could brace herself, Clarissa’s hand had slashed across her face in a stinging slap. “Could you really be that stupid to think that I wouldn’t hear of it? That I would do nothing to stop you from carrying out your foolish plans?”

Laurel had staggered back, one hand against her bright red cheek, and stared with wounded eyes at the woman who’d continued to ruin her life. “You can’t stop me from going,” she whispered.

“You think not?” Clarissa threw her head back and laughed gleefully. “My poor, poor, delusional stepchild. You really have no idea what money can buy in this world, do you? If you step within five hundred feet of me after I leave here, you will be arrested.”

It took her a moment to find her voice. “What?!”

“I have put out a restraining order against you. If you so much as step one foot in that building tonight, you will be handcuffed and imprisoned. I believe that's easy enough for you to understand.” Clarissa smiled evilly as she stared Laurel up and down. “Since you obviously won’t be appearing tonight, there is no need for you to be so well-dressed. Let me help you get out of that gown.”

Without warning, one hand had ripped apart the top layer of the Chanel gown Laurel wore, and the other had swept her hair into a disordered wreck. Taking a step back to study her handiwork, Clarissa smiled. “Have a lovely night.”

And she was gone.

Shocked, her spirit broken, Laurel slowly slid to the floor, one hand holding the top of the dress together. Sequins had scattered across the floor at her feet and lay mixed with the pins she’d had in her hair. When she lifted her hand to her still stinging cheek, it came away wet. She realized it was tears and tried to hold in the awful sobs that were building up within her.

Unable to prevent them from spilling forth, she curled into a ball and wept for herself, for her siblings…and for the man she was in love with.

***

Bryna glanced at her watch and looked up at Jason worriedly. “She should’ve been here almost an hour ago. Where is she?”

“She hasn’t been answering her cell phone.” Jason slid his back into his pocket, his brow furrowed. “The festivities are about to start. Maybe she’s stuck in traffic.” He watched as James moved from a group of people towards the podium. “James is getting ready to speak. We should probably be up there with him.”

Brian watched Bryna and Jason make their way to where he stood with James while his eyes searched the room, and his heart sank. Laurel wasn’t here. He could feel the tension surrounding James and knew that his best friend was as stressed about Laurel’s absence as he was. He was still unsure as to what he would say to Laurel if she ever did come to the gala. After all, she was still with his best friend, and James still had no idea what had transpired between the two of them. With every minute that passed, it appeared increasingly likely that he would never find out.

His eyes swept across the room and spotted their friends studying James and him with worried looks. In the past two days, they’d all heard what had happened and had found it hard to side with either man. Instead, they’d sympathized with both.

Brian’s eyes settled on Leighanne and noted that her attention was on something else. When he followed her gaze, he realized that it wasn’t something else that held her captive, it was someone else.

Jason.

He was smiling at her a bit wistfully, and Brian wondered what was going on. A sick feeling slowly slid through him, and, when Jason turned his head and met Brian’s, the feeling worsened. Jason’s smile slipped away even as he began to move towards Brian. Neither man noticed when Leighanne followed Jason.

“Brian.” Jason stood in front of him, an awkward expression on his face. “There’s something I should’ve told you. I know this is crappy timing, but you have to know.”

Brian’s hands fisted, and he shoved them in his pockets. He knew, how could he not? He didn’t know how he knew what he was about to hear, and, even knowing that he really hadn’t ever been in love with Leighanne, it still burned in his gut. “What is it?” he managed to ask.

“Brian. Jason.” Leighanne appeared at Jason’s side, her hand automatically moving to rest on Jason’s arm. “What’s going on?” But she, too, already knew.

Brian barely spared her a glance. “Jason’s about to tell me something important.”

“Oh.” Her fingers dug into Jason’s arm.

Jason lifted a hand to soothe the fingers on his arm. “Leigh, he has to know. He’s one of my best friends. I can’t do this to him.”

She nodded and swallowed hard. “Of course. Of course, he has to know.” Her eyes met Brian’s, and, in them, he saw the sorrow and fear. “Brian, I am so sorry. You have to know that neither of us meant to hurt you. It just…happened.”

“What? What just happened?” He needed to hear it said.

Jason took a deep breath. “We fell in love. It wasn’t planned, it wasn’t anything either of us could help. We didn’t want to hurt you, but we need you to know because…Well, because you’re engaged to Leigh.”

Leighanne laid her other hand on Brian’s arm. “Brian, I know we both tried, really tried, to love each other, to make this work, but it can’t work out. You know you don’t really love me, and I’m not in love with you either.”

He couldn’t deny it, but he still hurt. “It doesn’t make it any easier to know you cheated on me.”

“I know.” She managed a small smile. “But I don’t want to end things with you being angry with me.” She slid the ring off her finger and held it out to him. “I think we both know that there’s someone else out there for you.”

Brian stared at the delicate ring of diamonds before taking it and slipping it into his own pocket. He looked from Leighanne’s worried face to Jason’s apprehensive one. In a moment he realized he could never be angry with them. It would make him too much of a hypocrite to fault Leighanne for falling in love with Jason when he, too, had been falling in love with Laurel.

The smile spread across his face as he patted Leighanne’s hand, his eyes meeting Jason’s. “Does this mean that you’ll be getting married now?”

Leighanne looked startled, but Jason merely grinned back. “I haven’t asked her yet, since it’s still early days yet. But I hope so.” He slid an arm around her and brought her against him.

“Well, let me be the first to offer congratulations,” Brian replied and leaned forward to kiss Leighanne’s cheek. “Be happy. Incredibly happy.”

“Thank you, Brian.” Leighanne beamed at him. “I hope we’ll still be friends.”

“Of course.”

***

Bryna couldn’t help but worry as James stepped up to the podium and welcomed everyone to the annual Apollo Records gala. Laurel still hadn’t arrived, and the car service that had been hired to pick her up had called Bryna to let her know that no one had answered the call at her apartment. As she twisted a bracelet round and round in an agitated movement, her eye caught her mother’s across the room. When a slow, satisfied smile spread across Clarissa’s face, Bryna’s blood ran cold.

Something was dreadfully wrong.

As she turned to hurry out of the ballroom, she found her way blocked.

“Bryna. Where are you going?” Nick stopped her with one hand on her shoulder. When she looked up into his face, he saw the panic in her eyes. An instinctive need to protect moved through him. “What’s wrong? What happened?”

She shook her head and slipped around him to head for the door but found her arm caught. A miserable sense of déjà vu hit her as she remembered the fight they’d had in a club weeks ago. Fighting it off, she met his eyes coolly. “Let me go, Nick. I have to go. I have to find my sister.”

“Sister?” Nick frowned as his eyes sought out and found Theresa standing near the front of the crowd. “Theresa’s back there.”

Bryna shook her head and wrenched her arm out of Nick’s hand. “Laurel. I have to find Laurel. I think something awful happened to her.”

Nick froze for an instant, his mind remembering a girl with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. “Laurel. Where is she? She was supposed to come?”

Nearly breaking into a run in the hallway headed towards the parking garage, she heard Nick following her and spoke over her shoulder. “She’s been dating James. She was supposed to come tonight and upstage my mother, take back Starlight.”

“Dating James? She’s James’s Laurel?” Nick’s brows lifted in surprise. “Holy shit, it’s a small world.”

“Tell me about it,” Bryna began and then she stopped in her tracks so abruptly that Nick nearly collided with her.

“Bryna, what-” And he saw what had stopped her. “Laurel. Laurel Caine.”

Laurel walked slowly but calmly towards her sister and Nick. Gone were the gorgeous gown and the fancy hair. Her hair fell in a mass of curls down her back, and she’d changed into one of Bryna’s old dresses. On Laurel, though, the dress looked incredible. The forest green satin was strapless and fit her like a glove. The color matched her eyes and made them glow with power. The power she hadn’t felt when Clarissa had torn her apart.

The cheek that Clarissa had slapped had turned a mottled purple color.

“Laurel, what happened?” Bryna had her arms around her sister in an instant. “Who hurt you?” But she already knew the answer. “My mother.”

Laurel merely nodded. “She’s got a restraining order on me. Now that I’ve stepped foot in this building, I’m liable to be arrested.” She waited a beat. “Obviously, I don’t care. She scared me,” she admitted. “For a little while, she made me flashback to the terrified little girl I’d once been. Now, I’m not.” Her smile was brilliant and strong. “She’ll see that she can’t hold me back anymore. She can’t bully me and make me nothing.”

Nick held out a hand. “Good. And it’s great to see you again,” he added.

She placed her hand in his and looked from him to Bryna with a surprised look. “It’s nice to see you again, too. Though I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Yeah?” Nick studied Bryna for a moment. “Well, whatever you’ve heard is about to change.” But before Bryna could come up with a response, he turned back to Laurel. “We’d better get you in there so you can kick some Clarissa ass.” He held out an arm to her. “Shall we?”

Laurel smiled up at him and slid her arm through his. “Thanks, Nick.”

***

James had the perfect view of them when they stepped into the ballroom. Whatever he’d been saying slipped out of his mind as he watched Laurel make her way through the crowd flanked on either side by Bryna and Nick.

He didn’t notice Brian rise and move to stand next to him. Nor did he hear Brian’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of the bruise on her face.

“Laurel.” James’s voice was quiet as he stepped down from the podium and towards her, but she heard him.

Knowing that she was about to hurt him, she took his hands in hers when they lifted to touch her face. “James. There’s something I have to tell you.”

He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. You came.” He squeezed her hands. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Laurel! I’m so sorry!” Theresa broke through the crowd and stopped a few feet from her stepsister, her eyes shocked at the sight of Laurel’s face. “Oh, god. I’m so sorry. I couldn’t stop her, I couldn’t help but tell her.”

Laurel reached out and comfortingly squeezed Theresa’s hand. “I know. I figured it out, and I don’t blame you. I completely understand.”

“Well, at least there’s something that you understand.” Clarissa stepped into the clearing. “Because it is quite obvious you didn’t understand the words ‘restraining order’ when I told you that you were not to step within five hundred feet of me.”

Laurel let go of James’s hand and turned to face Clarissa. “You’ve been bullying me for most of my life, Clarissa. Ever since my father died, you took over everything he’d done, everything he’d built, and you warped it. You ruined the spirit of Starlight, and you restrained his child. Hell, you restrained your own children, but they were still yours, so they could still break away from you. But you never let me be free.”

“Don’t be silly. I gave you ten years.”

“Oh, yes. You let me go when I turned eighteen and gave me nothing of what was rightfully mine. Starlight is mine, Clarissa, and I will have it back.” Laurel looked her stepmother in the eye and was pleased to see a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “I have a whole ballroom full of witnesses who will hear that I, Laurel Caine, am the rightful heir to Ian Caine’s legacy, his business holdings, and his wealth. There is no court in the world that will deny me what was in my father’s will. You can try to have me arrested, Clarissa, and I’ll still win. It’s my time, now. You’re finished.”

Clarissa stared at her for long moments, her chin beginning to tremble and her breath ragged. In those moments, Laurel finally saw her for what she was. A haggard, old woman still bent on delusions of grandeur. Pity moved through her, but she held it down. It was for later.

Without a word, Clarissa turned and left the ballroom.

Laurel had an instant to breathe a sigh of relief before Bryna, Jason, and Theresa pounced on her and hugged her hard enough to leave her breathless. When they pulled back and their words of joy filled her ears, her eyes met James’s.

The joy that had so recently filled her, drained. “James.”

As she moved towards him, he stepped back, hurt filling his eyes. “Is this what you were hiding from me, Laurel? That you’re a Caine? Couldn’t you trust me with that knowledge or did you think it amusing to play me?”

“No. James, you can’t think that,” she began but he cut her off.

“What else am I supposed to think? You lied to me about who you were. I get that you weren’t living the way you’re entitled to, that Clarissa had kept it all from you, but why couldn’t you trust me? I trusted you,” he said bitterly.

Laurel blinked the tears out of her eyes and took a step towards him. “James.”

“Don’t.” He held up a hand. “Don’t say anything to me. I can’t believe I let myself fall for you. I can’t believe what an enormous mistake I’ve made.” He met her eyes, and his were iced over. “I don’t ever want to see you again.” Not caring that there were hundreds of guests filling his ballroom, he turned and strode away.

Laurel stood, staring after him. The ballroom was buzzing with the scandal just witnessed, but Laurel heard nothing. Her siblings and friends had grouped together, waiting for her reaction, but she didn’t notice them. Her hands were beginning to tremble, so she clenched them into fists, her nails digging into skin. How could she have known that she’d hurt him to such an extent? She’d done everything wrong, she knew, and had no clue how to go about fixing it. He hadn’t even known about Brian, and-

Brian.

She spun and found herself face to face with him. His face was blank, and he stood watching her calmly.

“Brian.” She tried to summon up a smile and failed. “I didn’t know who you were when we met or all the times after that. I just figured it out the morning after…The morning after.”

“I figured it out, too.”

“You-you did?” She should’ve felt relief, she thought, but she didn’t. There was something terribly wrong.

Brian shrugged. “It wasn’t so hard. I just didn’t make the leap, though, from you dating James to you being the Laurel Caine. My childhood friend, Bryna and Jason’s stepsister. Heir of Starlight.”

“A-and now that you know?”

She’d never seen the blue of his eyes so cold and shivered from the iciness. “Now, I wonder how I could’ve missed the whole thing. That whole time we were talking about our pasts, and it never clicked. It also never clicked in my head, until now, what a horrible, horrible woman you are.”

Her heart cracked. “What?”

“You cheated on my best friend with me. He won’t ever know it from me, but you have no idea what you’ve made me do, do you?” His voice rose on the last few words, and he struggled to keep it low. “I betrayed him, and it doesn’t matter that I didn’t know who you were. None of that matters, except that it happened. You lied to both of us, and I can’t stand knowing that either of us could’ve fallen for you the way we did. But I did, and I’m having a hell of a time living with it.” He couldn’t handle looking at her, the way her eyes filled with tears, so he turned away. “You can go to hell for all I care, but stay away from me.” And he strode off in the direction James had gone.

Laurel simply stared after him and wondered how things could’ve gone so terribly wrong. She’d taken back what was rightfully hers, but she’d lost the man she loved…

Brian pulled his car into the nearly empty parking lot and found a space near the front doors of the building. When he’d turned off his car, he let the keys dangle from the ignition and simply rested his head on the steering wheel. Suddenly, his tie felt too tight, the car felt too small, and his heart was racing as though he’d just run a hundred miles. His nerves were killing him.

He supposed it was apt, though, that he felt this way. After all, it wasn’t everyday that a man had to face the woman he’d fallen in love with and walked away from. It wasn’t everyday that he had to figure out the right words to say to her when he finally stood in front of her.

Well, maybe not that last part, he thought. He’d been thinking about what he would say to Laurel if he ever saw her again for the last thirteen months, eleven days, and fourteen hours. Now, it was time to see if he’d actually come up with anything.

Ever since that fateful night over a year ago when he’d walked away from her, Brian hadn’t been able to let her go so easily. She’d preyed on his mind during his waking hours and had invaded his sleep nearly every night. The need to find her, go to her was so great that there had been a few instances in which he’d actually made it to his car before he’d stopped himself.

He told himself that she’d told him half-truths, that she’d never trusted him enough to tell him the whole story. He’d remind himself of how hurt James had been when he’d discovered who Laurel really was. He could easily recall the hurt in his best friend’s eyes when Brian had confessed about sleeping with Laurel. It wasn’t easy to forget.

James, though, had made his peace with Laurel nearly six months ago, and they were now good friends. Brian, on the other hand, had expressly avoided any social gathering that she would have been invited to simply out of self-preservation. He didn’t want to make a fool of himself over her again.

But he knew everything she’d been doing in the last year. He’d devoured every article about her that was printed in any publication. She was quite the popular subject and had quickly become a celebrity in her own right. Her court appearances and trial had been broadcast nearly every week for eight months. Most people referred to her rise to the top as “a Cinderella tale,” and, in the only comment she’d ever given on the matter of her new title as Cinderella, she’d simply said that Cinderella had gotten her Prince Charming. Laurel hadn’t.

As well as the public knew the story of Laurel’s childhood with Clarissa, they also knew that Brian was the Prince Charming who’d never quite fulfilled his role. Word had quickly spread about the goings-on at the Apollo Records gala. He didn’t particularly care to answer the questions that he’d been bombarded with over the past year. Fortunately, the press had backed off after many tries.

He refused to discuss her with any of his friends who asked him to at least make his peace with her. Secretly, he was desperate to see her again, in person, rather than the masses of pictures that had been taken of her since she’d regained control of Starlight, replaced half of Clarissa’s appointed board members, and begun to turn the company around. Naturally, she’d prevented the merger of her company with Paramount. Brian couldn’t have been more proud of her.

What he wasn’t so sure of was whether or not he’d actually be able to hold a civilized conversation with her when he saw her or whether he’d simply drag her off to a corner and relish in the sensation of being with her after so long. Or maybe he’d strangle her. He still wasn’t sure, but, after a year, his anger had greatly diminished and left only an enormous need for Laurel in its stead.

Knowing that nothing would be accomplished if he continued to sit in his car, he climbed out of his car and walked into the church. He followed a small hallway and stopped outside one of several doors when he heard James’ voice. Knocking lightly, he pushed the door open and found James, Nick, Jason, Kevin, Alex, and Howie gathered. James was obviously the center of attention as it was his big day, but the others were just as excited.

“Brian, you made it!” James looked visibly relieved. “I wasn’t sure if that delay in Chicago would keep you from making it back in time. I don’t know what I would’ve done without a best man.”

Brian gave him a half-smile. “You would’ve just picked from one of these guys and kept going. I doubt my absence would really keep you from marrying the woman you love.”

“You never know,” Nick told him. “He’s been worrying about whether you’d be able to make it or not for the last hour. If you hadn’t made it, he probably wouldn’t have made it out there.”

Kevin nodded. “I don’t think Theresa would’ve been too thrilled to postpone her wedding on your account.”

“Then I guess I should get a big prize for being here,” Brian joked but went to James’s side and patted his back reassuringly. “I’m here, so all is well again. How much time do we have?”

James checked his watch. “Still an hour. Somebody, quick! Entertain me. Do something because I think I might throw up.”

Alex slapped the back of Nick’s head, which created a stir between the two of them as Alex had known it would. Watching the hilarity ensue, James relaxed. Brian, though, continued to fret over seeing Laurel soon.

Being one of Theresa’s stepsisters and the reason why Theresa and James had ever gotten together in the first place, she was naturally a bridesmaid. Which meant that Brian would have to stand across from her in front of a church full of people and try not to watch her the entire time. He wasn’t sure he’d manage it.

“You’ll be fine,” James told him.

“Huh?” Brian broke out of his thoughts and stared at his best friend. “What?”

James lifted a brow. “Don’t pretend you weren’t thinking about Laurel and how you’re about to see her for the first time in a year.”

“Okay.” Brian sighed. “I won’t.”

James shook his head. “I know you’re still in love with her.”

Brian winced. “Is it that obvious?”

“No. But I know you, so I know. And I also know that you’ll never be happy and you’ll never be able to move on until you talk to her. I know you’ve heard this a thousand times,” James continued when Brian opened his mouth to protest, “but it’s true. Maybe the two of you will finally have it out tonight. Maybe you’ll realize that whatever you found with each other last year is over, and you’ll quit asking yourself ‘what if?’. Or maybe you’ll find that you two belong together and have only been prolonging the pain.” He shrugged. “Whatever it is, you’ll never know until you sit down and talk to her. And don’t use me as your reason why you can’t be with her,” he added, knowing how Brian’s mind worked.

“James-”

James shook his head and cut off Brian’s protest. “Nope. Laurel’s a friend. A good one. That’s all she and I are, and I’ve forgiven her for what happened. You can’t use me.”

“Fine.” Brian folded his arms across his chest and watched Nick and Alex play Rock, Paper, Scissors. His excuses were dwindling away, and he understood that it was futile to deny what was obviously going to happen.

The knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Bryna stuck her head in the door and rolled her eyes at the scene. “I should’ve known men couldn’t take such things seriously.”

Nick bounded over to her instantly, his arms wrapped around her. “You know you love it, though.”

“No,” she corrected him. “I just love you, and it’s all just part of the package I paid for.”

He kissed her then frowned. “Hey, you’re not supposed to be here. Are you a spy?”

She rolled her eyes at his playful behavior. “Nope. I just wanted to make sure that all of you are ready.” Her eyes fell on Brian. “Brian! You’re here! I’m glad you made it.”

“Me, too.” He couldn’t hold out against her smile. “I guess it’s my best man duty to tell you to scram. We’re fine. Nervous,” he said, with a glance at James, “but we’re ready.”

Bryna reached out and squeezed his hand comfortingly. She’d already given Laurel a pep talk and was sure the other men would’ve talked to Brian. Now, it was up to the two of them. “Everything’s going to be just fine.”

***

She was stunning. Absolutely breathtaking in the pale blue bridesmaid’s gown that Theresa had designated for her sisters to wear. Brian wondered how anyone could even pay attention to a glowing Theresa when Laurel was standing not five feet away and looking so incredible.

They hadn’t made eye contact yet, though he knew that they’d both chanced a glance at each other since the start of the ceremony.

So intent was he on studying Laurel that James had to nudge him when the rings were needed.

“Oh.” Brian blushed furiously. “Sorry.” He held out the plush velvet cushion that held the gleaming gold rings.

James just winked at him, knowing exactly where Brian’s thoughts were. Fortunately for Brian, there were more important things for James to worry about than where his best friend’s attention currently was, and he turned back to his almost, nearly-there wife.

Laurel thought he was adorable. Absolutely, gorgeously adorable in the black suit, his curls just brushing the collar. She wanted so badly to run her fingers through them the way she had that night when—No. She stopped her mind from traveling down that path again. That was the past, and she was going to stick to her vow to only look to the future.

Today, she was going to take the future in her hands and confront Brian. Soon. After the ceremony. At the reception. Sometime. Oh, God.

Because it made her nervous to think about that confrontation, she simply drank in the sight of him greedily. Thirteen months had been far too long to go without seeing him, but she had been too scared to approach him after the way he’d stormed out of the gala. She’d hurt him, and she’d have to tread very carefully in order to, if not get him back, at least make amends.

At the reception.

***

The lavish reception was held at a nearby country club and hosted nearly four hundred people. Everyone from James and Theresa’s innermost circle of friends and family to several of the musicians Apollo Records had signed were there. The paparazzi had buzzed at the entrance to the club in an attempt to spot the big names that were present at the reception. Brian, though, had foreseen such a problem when he’d been helping James plan for the wedding. Instead of arriving through the main entrance, all of the guests were instructed to enter through one of three side entrances to the grounds.

Brian doubted the media was too thrilled about being able to photograph…well, no one.

At the moment, though, his mind was too preoccupied with how to approach Laurel. She was currently in the midst of mingling with a group of friends, which left Brian no other choice but to wait until she was alone again.

He wondered if she thought of him.

“Brian! What are you doing in this corner by yourself?” Leighanne made her way over to where he stood, surveying the scene. She beamed at him before sliding her arm through his. “You did a great job with the reception. Everything’s absolutely wonderful! Maybe you should go into business as a reception planner,” she joked.

Brian kissed her cheek. “Well, I learned from you. Remember? Even if we didn’t get married, I still remembered all those little details you had on your to-do lists.” He glanced down at her belly. “So, how’s Baby doing?”

She laid her free hand on her abdomen, her wedding band gleaming in the light. “Not bad. Two more months, and Jason and I will actually be able to hold him. Or her,” she added.

“Still don’t want to know?”

“Jason and I wanted to be surprised.” Being perceptive, Leighanne knew his attention was only partly with her, and she followed his gaze to the object of his attention. “So, have you talked to her yet?”

“What?” Startled that she could read his thoughts so easily, he turned back to her. “Who?”

“Brian, why don’t you just go over there and ask to speak with her privately?” Leighanne patted his arm. “I promise, she won’t kill you.”

“No.” He blew out a worried breath. “But I bet she thinks I will. I wasn’t exactly nice to her the last time we were together.”

Leighanne shook her head. “Laurel understands why you were so angry. And, if I’m not wrong, she really wants to talk to you. Neither of you will be happy until you’ve had it out.”

“You’re right. I know you’re right. I’m just waiting for her to be alone for a bit.” Brian looked over her shoulder to watch Laurel again. “I don’t want everyone to know what’s going on.”

Well, everyone does, Leighanne thought wryly, but she patted Brian’s hand reassuringly. “Just go for it. Don’t think about everyone else. It’s just you and Laurel. So go.” She nudged him forward.

He knew Leighanne was right. “Well, then. I guess it’s now or never.” He started towards Laurel and turned to smile at Leighanne. “Thanks. Now, go sit and put your feet up.”

She watched him go and just shook her head. “He spends far too much time with Jason.”

Brian felt like a man walking to his execution and knew it was foolish to think such a thing. This conversation with Laurel was bound to turn out one of two ways. They were both smart enough to know that there was no point in being upset with each other after more than a year had passed. So they’d either part as just friends, or they’d agree to try to be together. Brian wasn’t sure he could handle just being friends with Laurel when he was so in love with her.

It felt as though his life was in balance rather than just his heart.

He approached the group Laurel was with, his heart pounding in his ears. When he was a few steps away, she looked up and met his gaze. As though she understood exactly why he was there, she said something to the person she was speaking with and then left the group and made her way to where Brian stood.

For a moment, they simply stared at each other. Then, he broke the silence.

“Hello.”

She resisted the urge to throw her arms around him. “Hi.” Then, “I heard you helped plan the reception. It was wonderfully done. Congratulations.”

“I, uh, didn’t do that much, but thanks.” Knowing that ears around them were perked for anything juicy, he placed a hand on her elbow. “Why don’t we get out of here? Go outside for fresh air?”

Laurel wondered if he could feel her pulse racing. “Sure.”

When they were outside in the moonlit gardens, Brian stopped near a bed of lilies, unsure of what to say.

“So,” he began, “how are you? How have you been?”

Laurel didn’t know what to do with her hands and linked her fingers to keep them from fidgeting. “I’ve been well. I got full control of Starlight a month and a half ago, so it’s been keeping me pretty busy. It’s much more difficult than I’d imagined because several of the officers don’t trust me yet. But they’ll come around,” she added with a determined gleam in her eye.

“I bet they will,” he murmured. “I should congratulate you on winning your case. What’s going to happen to Clarissa now?”

She sighed. “I couldn’t be as cold-blooded as she is. I gave her two million dollars as a settlement and asked that I never have to see her again.”

“Two million’s a big amount.”

“I just couldn’t kick her out on the streets with nothing. The courts took most of her liquid assets, her investments, and whatever else she had because it wasn’t rightfully hers. Plus, it turned out she’d already been under investigation for tax fraud, which is why she was probably trying to sell the Starlight shares to Paramount,” Laurel explained. “She wanted enough money to pay off the government and keep herself from going to prison. I just didn’t have the heart to leave her with nothing.”

Brian smiled. “You’ve got a huge heart.”

“I guess. Maybe.” She shrugged.

“Maybe you’ve still got room in it,” he began nervously. “For me?”

Her breath caught. “What?”

He stepped towards her and cupped her face in his hands. “I’ve spent the last thirteen months trying to figure out a way to make things right between us. To get you back,” he whispered.

“Brian, I…” She was speechless. “I don’t know what to say.”

“Don’t say anything. Just listen for a minute.” He let go of her and began to pace. “The morning after we’d been…together, I figured out that you were the same Laurel that had had James tied up in knots for weeks, and I had no idea what to do. He’s my best friend, and I’d just slept with the woman he was in love with. Before the gala, all I could think about was you and how I could possibly convince you to leave James without him finding out that we’d been together. And then I saw how hurt he was when he discovered that you were really Laurel Caine, that you’d held out on trusting him. I was reeling from that news, too, because it turns out that you were really the girl I’d grown up with. I was confused, stunned, really, and then I watched James storm out of the ballroom, and I knew that if I said anything to you, I’d probably regret it down the road. I’m sorry for what I did say to you,” he apologized now. “Everything I felt for you was so new and then to have it mixed up with memories of you from when we were little…Laurel, you have to believe me when I say it was too much for me to rationally handle. But I’m ready to handle it now because I know what I feel now.”

When he fell silent and watched her, she realized he was waiting for her to say something. “I guess it’s my turn now,” she said a bit shakily. This time, it was she who was reeling from what he’d told her. “I’m sorry for not telling you the truth that night I spent with you. I had sort of figured out that you worked for Apollo, but I hadn’t realized that you knew James. That’s not any sort of excuse for cheating on him, but I’d like to believe that there were forces greater than us that compelled us to be together. I fell in love with you that night,” she told him. He reached for her then, but she held up her hands. “Wait. Just give me a second. Whatever happened in the following days and whatever you said to me in anger, I didn’t blame you for because you were right to be angry. I messed up. Big time. In all the months since then, Brian, a lot changed, except one thing.”

His fingers itched to touch her, but he knew he had to wait. “What’s that?”

“That I love you. I never stopped. I don’t know if it started when we were little, but I don’t think it’ll ever stop.” When she found herself in his arms, she smiled into his shoulder. “I guess you liked that answer.”

Brian tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “I guess I did, since I’m in love with you, too. You do realize I won’t be able to let you go for the next, oh, forever?”

“I don’t think I’m going to have any problem with that.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I guess this means you’ll have to marry me then.”

He froze for an instant before he relaxed and grinned. “Is that a proposal?”

“What if it is?”

In response, Brian pulled her in for a kiss, one that shimmered with all the love and joy pouring through them both. They held each other for long moments, exhilarated to finally be together with no lies or obstacles between them.

“Brian?” Laurel buried her face in the curve of his neck and breathed him in.

“Hmm?” He rested his cheek against her hair and was thrilled to find she still smelled of jasmine, the scent that had haunted him for months.

She lifted her head to meet his eyes. “You didn’t answer my question.”

“Which one?”

“If I were to propose, would you-”

His lips cut off her question, and she all but melted in his arms at the intensity of it. Around them, the gardens were full of moonlight, the fragrant scent of blooms, and magic. Beneath her palm, Laurel could feel his heart race and only clung closer. Against her mouth, his lips curved.

“I accept.”