Page 29 of Home to Me (The Andrades 2)
Julia’s looked down at her hands, then back up. “I don’t understand why it’s so hard for Gio to tell me what’s bothering him. I could help him.”
“Have you met his mother?”
With a visible shudder, Julia answered, “Yes. Okay, I guess I do understand. But what do I do?”
Rena gave Julia’s arm a supportive pat. “I’ll talk to Nick. Maybe he knows something.”
“Would he tell you if he did?”
Rena thought about it, then with confidence said, “Yes, he would.”
Later that day, while Gio was out for an extended lunch with Julia, Rena dropped by Nick’s office. His drop-dead gorgeous secretary asked her to wait a moment while she checked if Nick could see her. Rena wanted to tell her what she could do with her ridiculously long nails and overly bleached hair, then lectured herself that it didn’t matter what Nick’s secretary looked like because she and Nick didn’t have a commitment. That was part of the arrangement. No questions allowed about what either of them did when they weren’t together.
Not that Rena was interested in anyone besides Nick.
And she didn’t think he was seeing anyone else.
Certainly not this bimbo.
Before Rena had time to chastise herself for a moment of weakness, Nick was standing before her with that sexy, I’d-do-you-right-here smile on his face. “I love it when you come to me,” he said, turning the simple declaration into an innuendo, wiggling his eyebrows for effect.
Janet rushed back to her desk.
Rena gave him a playful swat on the arm. She wanted to be upset with him for being less than subtle, but she also wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him senseless for not caring what his secretary thought. “Stop,” she said with a smile. “That’s not why I’m here.”
He took her hand in his. “It could be.” His smile was all invitation as he whispered in her ear, “Have you seen the size of my . . . desk?”
Rena shook her head, torn between being drawn into his sexual banter and remaining businesslike. She forced herself to focus on the reason she’d sought him out. “I spoke to Julia today. She’s worried about Gio. Can we talk?”
Instantly serious, Nick guided her into his office. “Absolutely.” He closed the door behind them. “What’s going on?”
Rena told him what Julia had said and then shared how Gio had responded to the envelope he’d received the week before. “Julia said Gio hasn’t been himself this week. He told her it was work related. I don’t know of anything that is going wrong at work. Do you?”
“No,” Nick said, but he didn’t look surprised.
He knows something.
Why did I think he would tell me if he knew?
We’re just friends.
Barely that on Sunday through Friday. She fought back against the insecurities that nipped at her. And I’m okay with it.
I have to be okay with it.
“Well, if you hear anything, please tell me. Gio has been in a bad mood all week, so Julia might be right. There could be something wrong.”
Nick shrugged. “Gio has been in a bad mood for years.”
“Not since he met Julia. Not like this.”
Nick pulled Rena into his arms and tipped her face up to his. “Hey, you’re really worried about this, aren’t you?”
“I am,” Rena said, fighting the desire to wrap her arms around his waist and bury her face in his chest. She extracted herself from his embrace. If she gave into the pleasure of being with him even a little, she feared she would lose the tight control she’d maintained over her feelings. And she couldn’t risk that.
“Rena,” Nick reached for her again but she evaded him. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “We’re at work, Nick. I don’t want to . . . I can’t . . .” She gave up trying to be strong and, in a moment of panic, turned and fled. She cursed herself the whole way back to her office.
Don’t do it.
Don’t ruin the best thing you’ve ever had because you can’t follow your own rules.
***
Following Rena’s abrupt departure, it didn’t take Nick more than a moment to decide it was time to tell Gio he was seeing her. In the beginning, Rena’s rules had been fun. The secrecy had made their time together even more exciting. But lately, Nick was becoming less able to contain what he felt for Rena to Saturdays.
He had started to call her during the week, but she’d asked him to stop.
He’d offered to drive her home from a dinner party they’d attended separately, but she’d refused. He was beginning to see that the very rules that had brought them together were now keeping them apart.
Although their escapades were fun, they weren’t enough for him. He wanted Rena in his bed on more than just one day, and he was prepared to do anything to achieve that goal.
If he’d thought being around her would make him want her less, he couldn’t have been more wrong. She’d become an obsession to him.
He sent Gio a text to come see him when he returned to the office. It was time to remove every obstacle standing between him and Rena.
As he rehearsed how he’d tell Gio, he remembered what Rena had asked him. If something was bothering Gio, it would be better to ask him before rather than after his announcement in case it was something urgent.
Nick didn’t doubt for a moment that Gio would storm off in a huff as soon as Nick told him he’d been seeing Rena, but he was confident they were now close enough that he’d get over it.
Rena would be the harder one to win over.
Why she clung to her rules so adamantly was beyond him, but he was sure if he planned their makeup sex just right, not only would she forgive him, she’d also be in his bed whenever he wanted—which would be every night.
Chapter Fourteen
Rena was back at her desk sorting Gio’s mail when her cell phone rang. She hesitated before digging it out of her bag. If it was Nick, she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. If it was Maddy, she definitely didn’t want to talk to her. Kane? Not now. Mom and Dad? Please no. Really, the list of who she was in the mood to speak then was near nonexistent.
Still, her phone continued to ring, so she gave in and answered it. “Hello.”
“Rena, I hope I haven’t caught you at a bad time.”
Almost dropping the phone, she was so surprised by the voice that greeted her, Rena strove to sound casual as she said, “Patrice. I didn’t realize you had my number.”
“Of course I do, dear, you’re practically part of my family.”
Her tone set the hairs on the back of Rena’s neck standing on end. Like a snake trying to hypnotize its prey, Nick’s mother was always nicest before she struck. “How are you feeling?” Rena asked, attempting to be polite. Patrice could have won an Oscar for the performance she dove into. She made a small, pathetic sound as if she were in pain, then claimed to be feeling better. Rena
rolled her eyes heavenward and prayed for strength.
“Are you with George?”
“No, he’s still at lunch.”
“So, you’re alone?”
“Yes.”
“I’m worried about Nick. He and George have never gotten along well. It must be difficult for him, trying so hard to fit in where he knows he’ll never be welcome.”
“It’s not like that, Patrice.”
“Really? How is it?”
Don’t trust her. Don’t say anything. “They’re getting along really well. I’ve never seen Nick happier.”
“And you would know what makes Nick happy, wouldn’t you, Rena? I hear you’ve been spending time with him lately.”
Maddy wouldn’t have said something to Patrice, would she? “We do work at the same company, so yes, that’s true.”
Patrice laughed, but the sound held more malice than humor. “Don’t lie to me, dear. I know what you’re up to, but I won’t tell anyone—as long as I can count on you to help me.”
As much as Rena wanted to hang up on Patrice, she needed to know what the old bat was after. “What do you want, Patrice?”
“What you want—the best for Nick. He’ll never be happy as long as he lives in George’s shadow. Help me convince him to quit Cogent. He doesn’t need a job. He has more money than he could ever spend in his trust fund.”
Rena let out a harsh breath. “Patrice, your sons are finally getting along. You should be happy.”
“Don’t tell me how I should or shouldn’t feel. If you care at all about Nick, you’ll help me.”
“It’s because I care about him that I won’t.”
“You think you know everything, don’t you? I’ve had to stomach watching you insert yourself into my family for too long. I was hoping to avoid this, but you’ve left me with no other choice. You can either convince Nick to quit Cogent, or you can watch me destroy him.”
Rena gasped at the ugliness in Patrice’s voice. “What are you talking about?”
