“I needed a place to stay, and he offered his apartment. When I get things sorted, we’ll go our separate ways.”
Harper and Alyssa stare at me with confusion.
“What about the sparks and the zapping?” Alyssa waves her hand around.
“That’s all. It’s just sex.”
Harper looks unconvinced. “If it’s just sex, why has he brought you home with him? He could have dropped you off at your mother’s or Claudia’s if you didn’t want to stay at another hotel after what happened.”
“There’s no security at their homes. Lucas suggested I stay here until I can get Darren out of my apartment and ramp up security in my building,” I explain.
Alyssa narrows her eyes as she stares at me intently. “I sense something else simmering under the surface. Like this is all a plan for Lucas to keep you here because he has feelings developing.”
“I agree,” Harper says. “Lucas never has women stay over. He wouldn’t invite you here unless he cared.”
No, Harper and Alyssa are wrong about him having feelings. “Sure, he cares as a friend. That’s all.”
“What about you? How are you feeling about Lucas?” Alyssa asks.
There’s nothing more than friendship. Right? “Thinking about the past few days, with everything that’s happened and everything he’s done for me, he’s become an important person in my life.”
Then I remember the way he smiles at me. Touches me. My heart pounds against my ribs.
Or am I falling for him?
Chapter Thirteen
LUCAS
In the kitchen, Finn and Hayden take a seat at the breakfast counter. I open the fridge and pull out three Budweisers and pass them on. Twisting off the cap, I toss it into the sink and take a long pull of my drink.
“Okay, hit me with it.” I know for a fact my brothers have a lot to say. Better to get it over with.
Hayden twists the bottle in his hands. “The media has gone nuts over you and Penny. Some are calling you the greatest couple of all time. Others think you’re a home-wrecker and Penny is a cheater who doesn’t deserve a man like Darren, and that’s putting things lightly.”
I rub my fingers up and down my forehead. It’s been days. Why hasn’t there been another celebrity scandal for the media to move on to? “You said you were getting the PR team on it? Can they make it go away?”
With a shake of his head, Hayden says, “We put out a statement on your behalf stating that Darren’s accusations were false, but with all the photos and video evidence of you and Penny together, plus his statement about the two of you having an affair which drove him into Karen’s arms, there wasn’t much they could do. It was dying down until they spotted you in Oaks Valley.” Hayden blows out a breath. “We’ve lost two major clients because of this. Hopefully no one else leaves us or we could lose a ton of money.”
I slap my hands on the counter. “Is that all you’re worried about—the money?” As head of finances, sometimes all Hayden sees is dollar signs.
“Of course not,” Hayden retorts. “What I’m trying to say is that if we’re losing clients because you’ve been seen with Penny, I can only imagine what damage is happening to her company. The media are ripping her apart.”
“This isn’t her fault. That asshole is to blame.”
“We know that. The media doesn’t. The juicier the story, the better. They will milk it for every drop they can whether it’s true or not. Destroying people’s reputation isn’t a concern for them,” Hayden says.
Leaning against the counter, I cross my arms over my chest. “How do we fix this? Penny has worked too hard for her career to be tarnished.”
“Why do you care so much?” Finn asks. “I thought you hated her.”
“Things have changed.”
“What things?” Finn gives me a curious look.
I never told my brothers why I hated Penny so much. After what happened I didn’t want to think about her or speak her name. It was better to forget she ever existed. So without going into detail, I say, “We had the time to talk and work through some misunderstandings.”
Thankfully they don’t pry and ask questions about what those misunderstandings were.
