lena hart- because you are mine (2)

2 Lena Hart

BECAUSE YOU ARE MINE

Lena Hart

Mainstream Romance

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Because You Are Mine 3

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4 Lena Hart

A Secret Cravings Publishing Book

Mainstream Romance

Because You Are Mine

Copyright © 2013 Lena Hart

E-book ISBN: 978-1-61885-618-0

First E-book Publication: March 2013

Cover design by Dawné Dominique

Edited by Lori Paige

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DEDICATION

To my Javel cousins and my best friend, Darling, whose strength and spirit is truly an

inspiration.

6 Lena Hart

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8 Lena Hart

BECAUSE YOU ARE MINE

Lena Hart

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

Blue Ridge, NC

It hurt to breathe.

Sharp, prickling pain shot through her legs, up her ribs, and throbbed in her head. She hurt

all over but didn’t know how to stop it. Tears seeped from the corner of her swollen eyes as she

willed the pain away.

“It’s okay, sweetie. They got him.”

Cara Sinclair couldn’t turn her head but the soft reassurance in her mother’s voice comforted

her. She realized she was lying on a bed. A hospital bed. The scent of sterilization was strong

and the beeping from the machines was loud.

Her mother, Lynette Sinclair-Jones, sat beside her and gently stroked her arm. “I know it

hurts, honey,” her mother soothed. “The nurse is coming to give you something for the pain.”

The sound of people entering the room drew Cara’s attention. Both her eyes ached, but only

one was swollen shut. She tilted her head slightly toward the newcomers but she could only see

Sheriff Allen and the pity in his eyes as he gazed down at her.

“Is she all right?” The sheriff turned his gaze to the nurse, who was injecting a clear fluid

into an IV tube.

“She will be,” the nursed replied, disposing of the syringe as she rushed out of the room.

“Have you arrested him?” Lynette asked anxiously.

“Not yet ma’am. We have him down at the county jail for questioning.” Sheriff Allen

paused then continued. “He’s alleging he found Cara like this. He must have scared the attacker


off because he didn’t see anyone around. But I have to get Cara to tell me what happened before

I can make an official arrest.”

“You can see the girl’s in no condition to talk,” Samuel Jones barked. She flinched at the

sound of her stepfather’s harsh, grating voice. “Shouldn’t the blood on his hands be enough?”

Turning to where her stepfather stood, the sheriff shook his head. “It’s not that simple. He’s

the one who brought her here so of course her blood would be on him.”

The sheriff turned to face Cara again, but directed his question to her mother. “If Cara saw

her attacker, then we can get this whole mess straightened out and go after the right guy. Mind if

I ask her a few questions?”

Lynette hesitated then nodded. “Please be quick. She’s in pain and the nurse gave her

something so she could sleep.”

Sheriff Allen nodded and made his way to the other side of Cara’s hospital bed. He laid his

hand on her arm and asked gently, “Cara, honey, I know this is hard, but I need to ask. Did you

get a good look at the man who attacked you?”

Cara tried to answer but the left side of her face exploded with pain when she tried to open

her mouth. She stared up at him, tears welling in her eyes.

“Do you remember anything at all from earlier today?”

Cara paused, thinking back to that afternoon. She remembered feeling angry and hurt. She

remembered Drake calling after her. But after that, nothing. She shook her head, tears trickling

down the sides of her face.

She couldn’t remember what happened to her.

“We all know who did it,” her stepfather cut in impatiently. “Now I want that damn, over-

privileged boy arrested. Now!”

Cara tensed at her stepfather’s words. What was he saying?

Feeling the effects of the medicine, and not having enough strength to fight it anymore,

Cara’s eyes began to drift shut. But before she descended into nothingness, her final thought was

of Drake. And their fiery moment by the lake.

* * * *

10 Lena Hart

Drake Ross prowled the tiny, dilapidated cell, fuming. None of it made sense.

There was no way Cara would accuse him of attacking her. It was by sheer luck he had even

found her in time. He had demanded to see her, to speak with her, but her folks had been

adamant against it. And his near scuffle with her goddamn stepfather had ultimately gotten him

placed in handcuffs.

Now here he stood in a filthy cell, charged with a crime everyone knew damn well he hadn’t

committed.

If what they said was true, if Cara had accused him, he wanted to know why. Why would

she lie? Was she getting back at him for what happened by the lake?

Drake shook his head, absently rubbing his bruised fist. No, that wasn’t the Cara he knew.

She was too sincere, too full of life to be even a little dishonest.

But looking through the tarnished bars of the small cell, he couldn’t help but think maybe he

didn’t know her as well as he’d thought.


Chapter One

Chicago, IL

Twelve years later

“Nice work, Cara. These look great.”

Cara Sinclair sat beside her restless boss, Frank Patton, in Greg Polanski’s very large office

and gave the heavyset Chief Financial Officer a small smile for his praise.

“Thank you, sir.”

“I just have a few changes.”

Cara quickly jotted them down.

“Be sure to get those done before our two o’clock,” Frank added, as if to validate his

presence by stating the obvious.

“Yes, of course,” Cara assured them, fighting to keep the annoyance from her voice. Just

one more week, she chanted to herself.

“And I trust you’ll be at the meeting?” Polanski asked.

“Yes,” Frank answered for her. “She’ll be there.”

Cara hated when Frank did that; when he acted as a buffer between her and the CFO. She

could have had this meeting with Polanski without him.

“Is there anything else I should bring to the meeting?” Cara asked, speaking directly to

Greg.

After jotting down a few more requests, some of which Frank contributed, Cara gracefully

left the CFO’s office.

Cara spent the next two hours finalizing the reports for the department meeting scheduled

for that afternoon. The long awaited meeting where she would get to meet her new boss.

12 Lena Hart

She was just wrapping things up when her colleague and friend, Melanie Stephens, picked

her up for their weekly Wednesday lunch, a tradition they’d made for themselves.

They sat in their favorite bistro and Cara casually brought up their subject from the week

before.

“Sorry, Cara, but I’ve got nothing.”

Cara sighed. “Doesn’t being an HR manager mean you’re always in the know,” she half-

teased. She had hoped her friend would have some news about the incoming Managing Director

who would soon be heading over the Finance department.

Melanie huffed. “Hey, all I know is that he’s some big hotshot from New York,” she

defended, flipping her long, auburn hair back. “But I think it’s being kept under wraps because

he was poached from one of our top competitors.”

Cara considered that. She didn’t know much about New Yorkers but from what she’s heard,

this wouldn’t be good. As long as he wasn’t neurotic like her current, stand-in boss, Frank, she

could cope.

“He must be really good if they’re going through this much secrecy to get him here,”

Melanie continued.

No, Cara silently corrected, he had to be the best. McArthur, Murphy & Company was

known for its selective hiring process, but they rarely, if ever, went searching for talent. They

didn’t have to. People with high credentials usually came running to MMC.

“Well, all I care about is that he can hold his own. I don’t know how much more of Frank I

can take.”

Melanie started to laugh but immediately stopped when she caught Cara’s glare. In the six

years she’d worked at MMC, Cara had never been so frustrated on the job—until Frank Patton

came along.

“Look on the bright side,” Melanie offered, “in another week you won’t ever have to deal

with him again.”

“The week can’t come fast enough,” Cara muttered. Then the balding tyrant she had been

forced to endure these past few months would be many states away from here.


They eventually moved on to a happier subject. Babies. Cara had been happy for Melanie

when she had announced that she was expecting. She had literally rushed into Cara’s tiny office

last week, brandishing a grainy sonogram photo, beaming. She was already three months along

and in all that time, Cara had never suspected her friend could be carrying a tiny life inside her.

But after her initial excitement, Cara realized she was a little envious of her friend. She had

always wanted a family of her own, wanted the husband and kids and the white picket fence.

But she wouldn’t start feeling sorry for herself just yet. If Melanie could have her first child

at thirty-eight, there was still time for her.

They finished their lunch and headed back to the office, completely engrossed in a

passionate discussion about baby names.

“Hello, ladies.”

Cara and Melanie started at the deep, baritone voice. They turned to see James Kent

standing right behind them.

“James!” Melanie squealed. “Where have you been hiding?”

James let out a heavy sigh. “Been busy with this and that,” he said. “But I really miss

spending my lunch hour with you lovely ladies,” he continued, his gaze directed toward Cara.

Melanie shot them both a curious glance, her shrewd pale green eyes boring into them. Cara

groaned inwardly. Cara certainly never read too much into his usual flirtation but the speculation

in her friend’s eyes was very clear.

As good-looking as James was, he could have any woman he wanted. He had attractive dark

eyes and ebony skin, with strong, striking features. And his shaved head only added to his

appeal. He was always friendly toward her—as well as every unattached woman at MMC—and

because of that, Cara never took him seriously.

“Are you headed out to lunch now?” Cara asked, changing the focus of the conversation.

“No. I’m just making a coffee run. Can’t stand that stuff in the office.”

At his grimace, Cara and Melanie laughed, too familiar with the staleness of their break

room’s coffee and the loud, grinding sounds of the machines.

“You don’t know what you’re missing,” Melanie teased.

“I think I’ll pass,” he grumbled, still frowning. “But guess what I’ve got?”

14 Lena Hart

The two women stared up at him expectantly.

“Tickets to the Cirque du Soleil show,” he continued. “A…friend bailed on me and I

thought, Cara, you’d like to go?”

Before Cara could politely decline, Melanie interjected.

“That’s so sweet of you, James. Just last week, Cara and I were talking about how the tickets

sold out so fast.”

He looked down at her, expectantly. “Are you free this weekend?”

Not wanting to lie or appear reluctant, Cara nodded. “Yeah,” she replied. James was a nice

guy and good company. It wouldn’t hurt for her to go to one show with him. “I’d love to go.”

“Great,” he said with a huge grin. “I’ll call you with the details.”

At his departure, Cara fixed Melanie with a glare.

“What?” she demanded, her green eyes wide with feigned innocence.

“That was not cool, Mel.”

“Please, Cara, don’t start.” Melanie retorted, rolling her eyes. “James finally worked up the

nerve to ask you out and I wasn’t going to let you shoot him down in that sickeningly sweet way

of yours.”

“What are you talking about?” Cara asked, confused.

“I see the way James looks at you and you totally ignore him. I know you don’t do it on

purpose, but I think you should give him a chance. You might actually have some fun.”

Cara drew her back up in defense. Why did Melanie feel the need to analyze her and her

relationships, though limited as they might be? She would love to find someone to fall in love

with but right now…she wasn’t ready yet.

“I know you’re trying to get me out there, but I’m not really into the whole dating scene.”

“You’re not into it ‘cause you’re too shy. You have to learn to let go once in a while.”

“It’s not that,” Cara defended. She may not be the chatty, bubbly girl she’d once been, but

that didn’t make her shy. “I’m just not looking for a relationship right now.”

Melanie waved a hand dismissively. “And that’s fine. Damn, Cara, no one’s telling you to

have sex with the guy.”


Cara cringed at Melanie’s candor, but smirked to cover her discomfort. How could she

explain to her friend how she felt without sounding like a prude?

“Simply go out and enjoy dinner and a few twirling men in tights,” Melanie continued.

“You’re right,” Cara relented. “But next time, let me speak for myself.”

“But what if—all right, all right,” Melanie lamented, throwing her hands up in surrender

when she saw the expression on Cara’s face. “Next time I’ll keep my mouth shut,” she promised,

zipping her fingers across her lips.

16 Lena Hart

Chapter Two

Cara made it back to her desk to find the light on her phone flashing incessantly. There were

two missed calls from Mr. Polanski’s assistant, Millie Groves. Just as Cara reached for the

phone, it began to ring again.

“Cara, Mr. Polanski and the others have been waiting for you in the West conference room,”

Millie said without preamble,

Confused, Cara glanced at the time and nearly dropped the receiver. It was twelve minutes

after two! Almost fifteen minutes late for the department meeting.

“Oh, shit!” she exclaimed, then profusely apologized to the older woman for shouting the

profanity. “Millie, please tell them I’m on my way.”

Grabbing her files and notepad, Cara ran out of her office and rushed down the hall to the

large conference room. An apology was forming on her lips before she was fully through the

wide double doors.

“I’m so sorry I’m late,” she immediately started.

She made her way into the room then froze. Her heart fluttered and the blood drained from

her face. At the end of the long conference table sat a new yet familiar face. The last time she’d

seen those piercing pale gold eyes, she had been a naïve sixteen year old hopelessly in love.

“Cara? Are you all right?”

Cara tore her eyes away and brought her attention to Polanski’s concerned face. She

mentally shook herself and pushed her tangled emotions aside. “Sorry,” she started again. “I

didn’t mean to keep you all waiting.”

Polanski nodded but she was quite aware of the hot glare Frank darted in her direction.

“Well, before we begin again,” Polanski said with a wide grin, “I’d like to introduce you to

our new Finance Director, Drake Ross.”


Cara forced herself to face him again and when she did, her calm composure almost left her.

He had gotten out of his seat and from where he stood he radiated intense authority – a far cry

from the lean, good-natured young man she’d known growing up. Twelve years was a long time

ago and it had changed him immensely. It was especially evident in his broad shoulders and

stern, harsh features. With his towering height and vivid gold eyes, he reminded her of a lion in

men’s clothing.

Drake extended his hand and she hurried over to where he stood, plastering a strained smile

on her face.

“Ross, this is Cara Sinclair,” Polanski continued. “She’s our best and brightest Senior

Analyst here.”

She slid her trembling hand into his, which tingled from the feel of his hard, callous palm.

She was at a lost on what to say. Should she greet him as an old acquaintance or a complete

stranger? From his indifferent expression, she opted for the latter.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

Amusement flickered in his eyes as he held her hand. “And it’s nice of you to finally join

us,” he drawled.

Cara’s face grew hot with embarrassment and she quickly pulled her hand from his grasp.

“Again, I apologize for–”

“Just don’t make a habit of it,” he interrupted then slid back into his seat.

Cara quickly averted her eyes. The glare he shot her was one of complete disregard and she

couldn’t bare it.

“Of course not,” she muttered then quickly took the nearest seat, which unfortunately

happened to be beside his. She still reeled from the shock of seeing him again. Their last moment

together had been his painful rejection of her pathetic attempt at seduction.

The meeting continued with each department manager summarizing where they stood

fiscally. When it came time for Cara to present their cumulative reports, she couldn’t have

appeared more unprepared.

18 Lena Hart

She was a jumble of “ums” and “uhs” and found it hard to concentrate with Drake staring

daggers into her. Luckily, with a few interjections from Frank and Polanski, she managed not to

make a complete fool of herself.

Usually, she jumped at the opportunity to present her work, but right now all she wanted

was to get far away from Drake Ross and his cold stare. She sat rigidly beside him, oblivious to

the conversations that flowed around her. But keenly aware of the cool, earthy scent of his

cologne.

“Cara, is that doable?”

Cara whirled around to face Frank, appalled at her inattention. “Um…is what doable?”

Drake answered for him, with obvious irritation.

“Yes,” she replied, “that can be done.” She jotted down the request, avoiding his hard gaze

all the while. “When do you need this by?”

“By the end of the week.”

Cara nodded. If he had anticipated a protest for such an aggressive deadline, he wouldn’t be

getting one. She was used to such demands.

The meeting came to a slow end and it took everything in her not to jump out of her seat and

run to the door. She contained the impulse when Polanski turned again to them and declared,

“Welcome aboard, Ross. I’m sure you and Cara can manage from here, right? While Frank

transitions off?”

“Yes,” Drake replied coolly. “We’ll manage.”

Cara turned her gaze to Drake and found herself locked in one of his penetrating stares.

Thumping Frank on the shoulder, Polanski said, “Frank here has been dying to move on to

his next assignment.” He chuckled before adding, “Isn’t that right?”

Frank obediently laughed and it suddenly dawned on her that she would now be working

directly with Drake Ross. If she hadn’t been sitting, she doubted she’d be able to remain on her

feet. She was starting to miss Frank already.

As the men prepared to leave, Cara sprang up from her seat. She desperately needed to leave

the room and get herself in order. Unfortunately, she was forestalled.


“Wait a minute,” Drake called out, looking in her direction. She froze. “I’d like us to

regroup on a few things.”

Cara fell back into her seat. Tension built inside her as they waited for the room to clear.

When they were finally alone, heavy silence thickened the air. It was suffocating but Cara

slowly withdrew into herself, not moving or speaking. All she could do now was hold herself

together…and wait.

After a long, stifling silence, Drake finally spoke.

“Wishing me away so soon, Cara?”

Her name rolled off his tongue, like an intimate caress, warm and soft. His tone had been

light, but she wasn’t fooled. She mustered the nerve to finally peer up at him but his cold,

scornful eyes stared back.

“What makes you say that?”

Drake smirked. “Let’s just say your…enthusiasm is written all over your face.”

She had never been any good at masking her feelings. “I’m just…surprised,” she said. And

nervous. “It’s been a long time.”

He lifted a brow. “And yet not long enough.”

That silenced her. But only for a moment. “What are you doing here, Drake?” she finally

asked, her eyes never wavering from his.

“I was hired to do a job,” he replied casually.

“Why here?”

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. “Why not here?” he

challenged.

Cara drew in an angry breath. “You had to have known I worked here before you took the

job.”

“So I must be here to pick up where we left off, is that it?”

“No, of course not!” she exclaimed fiercely, her face growing warm with shame and

embarrassment. “That’s not what I meant.”

He had made it clear he hadn’t wanted her then. She wouldn’t build false illusions that he

would want her now.

20 Lena Hart

He shrugged. “It’s your saga, sweetheart. I’m only the sucker that got played.”

She returned her attention to the table, his callous words slicing through her as nothing else

could. She had never meant for things to get out of hand between them. But her foolish actions

had gotten him arrested and she had never gotten the chance to make things right between them.

Cara took a deep breath and looked squarely at him, willing him to understand.

“Drake, I’m sorry for what happened back home. Please believe me, I never meant for–”

“I’m not interested in your apology,” he snapped. “Right now, all I care about is doing my

job and making sure you do yours.”

Cara fell silent. Fearing he would see how his words crushed her, she quickly averted her

eyes.

“And I hope it goes without saying,” he continued, “that it’s in your best interest not to bring

that up again. Understood? Good. Now let’s get back to work.”


Chapter Three

Drake resented the emotions that warred inside him.

He sat back in his chair, barely paying attention to the documents in front of him. Despite

his best efforts, he couldn’t get the image of Cara’s sensual lips and beautiful brown eyes out of

his mind.

He hadn’t seen her since that day he’d taken her to the hospital. Twelve years and she still

looked the same, only more refined and…sexy. From the pretty prepubescent girl he’d known at

fourteen had grown a breathtaking beauty with a body a man could really lose himself in.

Drake shifted in his seat, easing the pressure that started to form at the sudden thought.

Thankfully, his new assistant offered a much needed distraction.

“Sir, will you need anything from me this evening?”

Sandy Evans stood by the door, looking strangely enough like a wary shelter cat. He

couldn’t tell if he was the cause of her edginess but he sincerely hoped she’d get over it soon.

Drake glanced at the clock hanging on his wall and frowned. It was a few minutes before

seven.

“Sandy, when do you normally leave the office?”

“Around five-thirty.” She fidgeted some more. “Unless you need me to stay longer, I can

talk to my husband about picking up the kids…”

Drake raised his hand to stop her. The woman was supporting him along with two other

directors at the moment. There was no need for her to wait on him when she obviously had a

family to get to.

“Unless I specifically request you to stay later, please try to leave here on time.” To ease

her discomfort, he softened his command with a smile. “No need for both of us to hang around

here if it’s not necessary,”

22 Lena Hart

Noticeably relieved, she nodded then turned to leave. He was once again alone with his

thoughts.

Normally he welcomed the silence of the office around this time, when it was too late for

anyone to really still be working and too early for the cleaning crew to arrive. But tonight, he

didn’t see himself getting much work done.

His thoughts kept wandering back to Cara. Little Cara Sinclair all grown up.

She had been right.

When he’d been approached by McArthur, Murphy & Company, he had done his homework

and to his surprise had found that Cara Sinclair also worked there. And he had accepted the

position, well aware that the new position would force them to work directly together.

Call it fate, or destiny, or just plain old coincidence, but after all these years, the girl he had

obsessed over was back in his life. And he would be lying if he didn’t admit that the idea of her

working for him hadn’t been the selling point.

Yet the unwelcomed feelings he’d believed long buried had resurfaced at the sight of her.

Just seeing her again brought on a wave of longing so great it had been as if the twelve years of

hurt didn’t exist between them. But bitterness and resentment had welled up inside him at the

unwanted emotion. He didn’t want to want her.

And he couldn’t forget her role in destroying his reputation and nearly ruining his life. She

hadn’t been there when he’d needed her. She had simply disappeared, refusing to speak to him or

testify to what had truly happened to her.

For two years, he had worked to remove the stain of being branded a sexual predator. He

had never forced sex on anyone and being labeled one had driven him insane.

But even when the charges had been dropped, the suspicions had remained.

He had been convicted in the eyes of the people – the same people who had watched him

grow into a man, who had practically revered him because he could catch a ball. They had all

turned their backs on him.

And who could blame them. He certainly hadn’t. A sixteen-year-old girl had been brutally

attacked by one of their own. But while they had been condemning him, the real attacker had

gone unpunished.


Yet instead of seeking justice, Cara and her family had taken his family’s money and left

town. He had never agreed with his family’s decision but then their actions made it clear to him

that they hadn’t believed in his innocence either.

The best thing he had done from that ugly situation was take his tattered reputation and

leave the past behind.

Until now.

* * * *

A little after nine, Drake decided to call it a night.

He wasn’t getting much done with this slow, outdated computer system. He didn’t

understand how a company like MMC could tolerate such a mediocre infrastructure. It was just

one more thing he needed to add to his agenda of things to discuss at the next monthly alignment

meeting.

As he began to power off his computer, his cell phone rang. He debated whether to answer

it, until JR’s name appeared on the screen. His cousin, Jordan Ross Junior, never went by his

given name—just like he rarely ever called Drake at this hour. Not for anything good anyway.

“Should I be worried?”

JR’s bark of laughter was loud and distinct. “Not this time,” he replied casually. “I just

thought I’d check in on you. See how the new job’s treating you.”

Growing up, the two had often been mistaken for brothers though Drake couldn’t see it. JR

was older by two months and his features were overall darker. Though they had once been very

close, Drake had shut himself off to a lot of people, including his family after his arrest. Their

relationship wasn’t what it used to be, but JR had accepted Drake’s desire for space.

“It’s only been a week,” Drake muttered. “So no complaints. Not yet anyway.”

“Maybe I should come up,” JR offered. “Help you appreciate your new city.”

Before Drake could respond, Cara marched into his office carrying a thin folder. She

stopped when she saw him on the phone. He waved her in, surprised she was still here.

“Hold on a sec,” Drake said into the receiver.

24 Lena Hart

She walked up to his desk and dropped the folder in front of him. “Here,” she said tersely.

“It includes the Q-one actuals and Q-two forecast.”

He quickly sifted through the files as she turned to leave.

“Where’s the projections for Q-three?” he called out.

She called over her shoulder without stopping, “You’ll have it tomorrow. Good night.”

He wanted to call her back. Tell her to hold on to these until everything was ready then

decided to let it go. Partly because they had done enough bickering for the day but mostly

because of the weariness plain on her face. It could wait until tomorrow.

“Who’s the firecracker?”

JR’s appreciative tone brought Drake’s attention back to the phone at his ear.

“A co-worker,” Drake muttered.

“She sounds sexy. You should take her home.”

Drake shook his head, a little irritated. Though they were as close as Drake allowed anyone

to be, they were different in so many ways. Their work ethic being one of them.

“Do you listen to yourself?”

“What?” JR asked defensively. “There’s nothing wrong with a little hot office sex. Hell,

she’s probably already been around the office block.”

Drake held tight on his temper but it was hard. JR was a crass son of a bitch but he didn’t

want to hear any sexual insinuations about Cara. Least of all from his cousin. Drake knew he

shouldn’t care what JR said, but when it came to Cara, he did care. He cared a lot.

“Watch it, man,” Drake replied curtly. “It’s Cara.”

“Hey, I don’t need to know her name. That’s the fun—”

“It’s Cara Sinclair,” Drake interrupted and waited for it to sink in. When it finally did, JR

sputtered for the right words.

“Holy shit! You mean the little cutie that always had a thing for you? What’s she doing

there?”

Drake remembered the innocent infatuation Cara had held for him. She had always been at

his heels, always agreeing with him, always defending him. And to his own fault, he had come to

depend on it.


“Apparently she’s made a life for herself here in Chicago. Now I get to work with her.”

JR whistled. “Man, you were always the lucky one. I can’t imagine she’s happy to see you.

Or be working with you.”

Drake shrugged. He didn’t want to talk about Cara and the circumstances surrounding their

work relationship. He couldn’t even figure it out himself.

“How does she look now,” JR asked, after a short pause. “Is our little Cara all grown-up?”

Drake’s hands balled into fists. He didn’t understand where the sudden possessiveness came

from and his reaction to the question surprised him.

She was not theirs. She was his.

Pulling on the reins of his temper, Drake decided to ignore the question and brought the

conversation around to JR’s charming life of money, sex, and traveling. He could talk about

anything and anyone with his cousin. Anyone except Cara.

26 Lena Hart

Chapter Four

He must really like watching me squirm, Cara thought bitterly.

She braced herself, her gaze unwavering from Drake’s steely, gold-flecked eyes. It was

nearly a full week since he’d arrived at MMC and she was still not accustomed to his

overwhelming presence.

“Will that be a problem?” Drake asked, lounging behind his wide mahogany desk.

He had called her into his office just a few minutes ago and hadn’t even offered her a seat.

And she hadn’t taken one either, despite the empty seat and small sofa nicely furnishing his large

office. She hoped whatever he had to say would take very little of her time.

“No,” she replied coolly, “but I’ll need more than a few hours to finish this. There’s no way

I can get this to you by end of the day and finish the Q-three projections.”

“Speaking of which,” Drake added, “I was expecting that earlier.”

Cara frowned and looked at the clock on the wall. “I thought I had until five today.”

“We’re coming to the end of the quarter,” he said dryly. “It should have already been done.”

“It’s on my list to do but other things,” she reminded him, waving her notebook, “keep

coming up.”

She regretted the action when he shot her with a fierce glare. “Can you get it done within the

hour?”

“I’m almost done but I need to—”

“Yes or no.”

She paused before responding. “No.”

He studied her for a minute then said, “Look Cara, if you can’t handle the work, you need to

tell me now.”

Annoyance flared up in her. “I’m more than capable of doing my job, Drake. But it gets a bit

harder to do when I have to stop what I’m doing and work on last-minute requests. Like now.”


He quirked a brow at her but the glint in his eyes said he didn’t appreciate her biting tone.

He leaned forward in his desk and the action made him appear larger. She took a small step back.

“You know the nature of this business,” he began coldly, “so I shouldn’t have to explain it to

you. But I will anyway. This job is demanding, unpredictable, and a damned inconvenience. So

again, if you can’t handle the work, you need to say so. Now.”

Silence lay thick and heavy between them. This was a no-win argument—at least not for

her. Drawing in a deep breath, Cara finally broke the silence.

“Are we done here?” she asked with a forced smile. “I have work to do.” Without waiting

for his response, Cara turned and walked out of the large office.

It took a lot for her to lose her patience but these last few days he had been goading her and

she refused to back down. Not when her competence was being questioned.

Totally engrossed in her thoughts, Cara didn’t notice the body coming toward her until it

was too late.

“Umph!”

Strong male hands reached out to steady her. “Cara, are you okay?”

Dazed, she glanced up to find James staring down at her with concern. “James? What are

you doing here?”

He gave her a perplexed look. “I work here, remember.”

Cara shook her head, laughing. “I meant, what are you doing on this floor?”

“I’m on my way to do some troubleshooting. Well I was, until you body slammed me.”

“Sorry about that,” she apologized, embarrassed.

“Please don’t be,” he said, grinning. “You can body slam me anytime.”

Cara laughed again, but ignored his teasing comment. She realized he still held on to her and

smoothly step out of his grasp, putting space between them.

“We’re still on for tomorrow night, right?”

“Tomorrow…”

“Cirque du Soleil. Didn’t you get my message?” he asked, seemingly disappointed by her

lack of interest.

28 Lena Hart

Crap! She had forgotten about his invitation to the show. She vaguely remembered the voice

message he’d left for her yesterday morning, but so much had been on her mind lately, she had

completely forgotten about it. But she couldn’t let him know that.

“Uh, no…I don’t think I did,” she lied, mentally crossing her fingers. A part of her felt

guilty for the deception. He was obviously going out of his way to show her a good time and the

least she could do was try to appreciate it, she chided herself.

He recited his earlier message and she quickly jotted down the information. Cara didn’t like

driving so they agreed on a time he could pick her up.

“Are you two done socializing?”

Cara jumped at the sound of Drake’s hard tone. They both turned to see him standing

outside his office door. Cara was taken aback by his angry, dangerous expression. Had he

overheard their conversation? It was a possibility, seeing as they stood only several feet away

from his office.

“I was just on my way to check on your computer,” James said with forged politeness.

Drake sized him up. “Then let’s get on with it.”

James clearly didn’t appreciate the command. Before James could further goad the lion,

Cara interrupted him.

“Sorry again for slamming into you.”

James turned to her, practically putting his back to Drake. “No sweat,” he drawled. “I’ll see

you this weekend.”

Cara stole a nervous glance toward Drake, who stood watching them with such an icy glare

a shiver ran down her back. At that moment, she wished James wouldn’t be so insultingly

obvious in his indifference to Drake’s authority. The man was a director.

Overwhelmed by those glinting eyes boring into them, Cara gave James a quick nod then

fled.

* * * *

Their date hadn’t gone as planned but Cara still managed to have a lot of fun.


What should have been an evening of circus art and live entertainment, wound up being a

night of bowling and ice cream.

It began with a simple dinner but when then they lost track of time and had to forgo dessert.

They rushed to the theater only to find out they had outdated tickets. And since tonight’s show

had been sold out, the sympathetic saleswoman couldn’t swap the tickets for them.

Embarrassed, James apologized profusely about the mix-up. “This is what I get for not

checking the tickets.”

“It was an honest mistake,” Cara reassured him, trying to ease his embarrassment.

He nodded but the fact that he avoided looking at her, made her think he was still humiliated

by his gaffe.

“So…what do you want to do now?” she asked after a moment of silence.

He looked hopeful and suggested a few things. She opted for something simple. Bowling.

Luckily, there was a bowling alley nearby so it would mean minimal walking for her tired feet.

Her dark green, fitted halter dress wasn’t the most sensible for a night of bowling but she

had fun anyway. She spent two wonderful hours clumsily trying to master her form and make a

strike but failed miserably. Her scorecard was pitiful but she didn’t care. She had fun learning

different techniques and just hoping for a hit.

“I thought you were pulling my leg when you said you never bowled before,” James

declared, shaking his head. “Now I believe you.”

Unfortunately a violent brawl broke out between two big, burly men and the game pretty

much ended for everyone.

They left soon after and James suggested they stop for dessert. He was trying hard to make

up for the evening and Cara didn’t have the heart to refuse.

They sat in the small vintage ice cream parlor next door, exchanging outrageous tales of

college life.

“Not the cops,” James sputtered, still chuckling.

“Yes! I was so embarrassed. But in my defense I thought he was saying nine-one, not line

one.”

30 Lena Hart

James laughed even louder and Cara smiled. She stared across the small table at his

handsome face. He was really very attractive.

Although he was as tall as Drake, his lean frame was a striking contrast against Drake’s

more muscular one. She never really liked too much muscle on a man, but on Drake it fit.

Everything about Drake reminded her of a primal animal ready to mate. The very idea

should have sent her running but the pulsing between her legs welcomed the thought. Her face

grew hot from embarrassment…and desire.

She shook away the racy thoughts and concentrated on the man sitting in front of her. She

hadn’t dated much in college, content to just focus on school and work. Then after graduation,

her primary focus had shifted to her career and getting ahead. But she had to admit, she really

enjoyed herself tonight.

When the small ice-cream shop turned off the cheerful mood music and the cashier began

wiping down the counter, they took their cue and left. On the drive to her apartment, they fell

into an awkward silence.

“Sorry again about tonight,” James stated.

“Don’t be. I had a great time. I went bowling for the first time, got to see a fight, and had ice

cream.”

“But—”

“James, please don’t worry about it. Really,” she stressed gently. “I had fun.”

He glanced at her. Gauging her sincerity, Cara assumed.

“How’d you like to do it again?”

She turned to face him in the dark car as she thought about that. Being around him was fun

and easy, though she still didn’t feel that spark that she had expected. Maybe it would come with

time.

Tension had invaded his profile at her hesitation—if his grip on the steering wheel was any

indication. Smiling at him through the dim car, Cara whispered, “I’d like that very much.”


Chapter Five

Cara was exhausted.

Her head pounded and her stomach made loud, angry noises.

Thanks to her new boss, she was inundated with work, and being pulled into new projects

with outrageous deadlines. He almost put Frank’s tyranny to shame.

But whenever she tried to bring some light-heartedness between them, she would come up

against a wall. Like the other day when they were reviewing the forecast document she had put

together.

She had gone through them thoroughly, explaining her methods and rationale, and he had

been on board.

“You’re very good at this,” he had praised. “Especially with the calculations and

estimating.”

Cara had beamed. “Thank you,” she’d said, pleased with the compliment. There was a time

when math had stood in her way of graduating junior high and Drake had offered to tutor her

every day after school. “I’ve been taught well,” she added, smiling at the memory.

But instead he had scowled in return and she had quickly lost her smile. Moments like that

made her miss Frank. At least with him, she had no fond memories to conjure up.

“Hey you!”

Cara jerked at the loud knock on her office door. Melanie stood in the open doorway,

looking radiant as usual.

“Sorry,” she said in a hush tone. “Did I scare you?”

“Nope.” They both laughed at Cara’s obvious lie.

Melanie took the seat in front of her desk and folded her hands over her slightly distended

belly.

“I just dropped by to see how you were doing since you stood me up for lunch today.”

32 Lena Hart

“Sorry Mel, I’ve been swamped.”

“Are you really that busy?” she asked, genuinely baffled. “I mean, I hardly see you

anymore.”

“I know. It’s the new Finance Director.”

“Oh, right,” she sympathized. “I heard he was tough. But fair.”

Maybe to those he respected. When it came to her, the scale tended to lean heavily toward

tough.

“Well, we have history so the situation’s a little awkward.”

Melanie’s mouth fell open. “Wait. Are you telling me that you and he—”

“No, of course not,” Cara burst out, her face getting warm. “I mean we knew each other

growing up. My mom was his grandmother’s nursing aide for five years until she passed.” Cara

had been young, but she remembered his grandmother had always been kind to her and her

mother.

She gave her friend a quick rundown of her situation surrounding Drake, deliberately

leaving out certain details. She faltered toward the end, not wanting to lie to her friend but not

wanting reveal too much either.

“So you can see how the situation is a little awkward right now.”

Melanie made a little sound in agreement. “What I want to know is what was this falling out

all about?”

Trust Melanie to dig for the details.

“It’s a long story,” Cara muttered. “And I wouldn’t really call it a falling out.”

“I see,” Melanie said when Cara didn’t continue. “Well, whatever it was, it must have been

pretty bad for you two to still hate each other.”

“I don’t hate anyone,” Cara clarified forcefully, though she couldn’t speak for Drake.

Melanie studied her for a moment but graciously moved on to another topic. “So, how was

your date with James?”

“It was nice.” At her friend’s deflated expression, Cara laughed. “I’m sure you’d love me to

go into detail but that’s going to take time I don’t have right now.”


“Then let’s take a coffee break,” Melanie suggested. “Just ten minutes,” she added, stopping

the refusal that was forming on Cara’s lips.

Cara hesitated. Her last meeting today was with Drake then after that she planned to rush

home and crash. She had no intentions of staying late in this office another night.

But she couldn’t ignore the grumbling in her stomach any longer either.

“Okay,” she relented. “Ten minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, Cara rushed back to her office, grabbed the files from her desk and

hurried to Drake’s office. She had pushed it, taking the extra time away, but she refused to nag

herself for it. It had been worth it.

She made it to his office with a minute to spare only to find it empty. The slave driver was

late to his own meeting. She thought about leaving a note then decided against it. She would give

him ten minutes.

Cara wandered further into the office. She had been in his office countless times but hadn’t

realized how impressive it was and how inviting the small sofa appeared. Her focus had always

been drawn to the large beast sprawled behind the desk. ,

She sat down, suppressing a moan of pleasure. The cushions were smooth and plush and

Cara couldn’t help but relax even further into the cushions. She caught the faint aroma of

Drake’s cologne, marking his recent departure from the area.

She struggled to keep her eyes open, to stay alert, but fatigue won over. Her eyes began to

drift shut and she let them. She would rest her eyes for two minutes. Two minutes and then

she’d…

* * * *

Drake was in a bad mood.

The monthly alignment meeting had proved to be a complete waste of time. He had more

important things to do then sit around and re-discuss irrelevant material. He didn’t care who they

selected to redesign the company’s website. He wanted to know how they planned to improve

their network security and inefficient infrastructure.

He strode back to his office, irritated by the lost time.

34 Lena Hart

As soon as he entered his office, he froze.

Resting on his sofa was Cara’s small feminine figure. For a moment he just stood there,

transfixed. Then, without thinking, he quietly closed the office door and walk up to where she

slept.

Her curly hair was pushed back but a few dark tendrils managed to escape and sprawled

across her face. Her head rested on the sofa arm and the position exposed the tiny mole on her

slender neck. A flaw he always found endearing.

He couldn’t take his eyes away. The peacefulness of that moment left him mesmerized. In

that short moment, his mood shifted. His irritation melted away and was replaced by a pleasant

calm.

He crouched down in front of her, fighting the urge to lean down and kiss her smooth,

graceful neck. She was a natural beauty, and in sleep she was achingly so.

But the peaceful moment came to an abrupt end.

With a loud gasp, she jolted awake and stared right at him. Her eyes widened and she stifled

another gasp when she found him hovering only inches away. He could practically feel the panic

building inside her.

He was fascinated at how she could be sound asleep one minute then wide awake the next.

She ran her hands through her mane of curls and he was drawn in by the feminine gesture. The

uncomfortable strain forming in his pants was his cue to move away. He ignored it.

“Hello there,” he greeted, his tone devoid of emotion. “How was your nap?”

A faint rose color appeared on her sleep-softened brown face. “Sorry,” she murmured,

finally meeting his gaze despite her obvious embarrassment. “That’s never happened before.”

“See that it doesn’t.” He regretted the curt comment as soon as it left his mouth but it

couldn’t be unsaid.

“It won’t.” She avoided his gaze but fear flashed in her eyes. Fear of him? That thought

didn’t sit well with him.

He stood and walked back to his desk, hating the wounded look on her face. He much rather

see her curled up, asleep and completely unguarded.

“Why don’t we reschedule this meeting for tomorrow morning,” he suggested.


She glanced up at him, surprised. “Okay, but…are you sure?” she asked, uncertainty clear in

her voice.

“Yes.”

She nodded and started toward the door. Before she left, she turned and asked, “Is there

anything else you’d like me to do tonight?”

He’d been absently admiring the soft sway of her hips that he almost missed the drawn lines

of fatigue on her lovely face.

Disgusted with himself, he nodded curtly. “Yeah. Go home and get some rest.”

36 Lena Hart

Chapter Six

Unfortunately Cara didn’t get to do either.

“Mama, how did you let this happen again?” Cara asked into the receiver, her forehead

resting on her arm.

“It wasn’t my fault.” Lynette Sinclair said defensively. “I told the man at the bank someone

stole my bank cards, not my bank account numbers.”

This was the last thing she needed right now. She had been seconds away from leaving the

office when her phone rang. These were one of the rare moments she regretted giving her mother

her direct work number.

“But the money’s been going into the account just fine,” Cara said, exasperated. “How is

there money in the account, but none of the bills are getting paid?”

Lynette murmured something noncommittal and Cara sighed.

“Cara, I can’t go another day without electricity. Please handle this.”

“I will, Mama,” Cara assured her mother, suppressing another long, weary sigh. She hung up

the phone and stared blankly at her computer monitor. Even her mother’s financial problems

couldn’t distract her from thinking about her ultimate gaffe and berating herself some more.

Sleeping on the job? Really? Cara shook her head. In Drake’s office no less. What’s the

matter with you?

Luckily, he hadn’t made a huge fuss about it. Their work relationship was already strained

without him thinking she was incompetent and lazy.

Groaning inwardly, Cara pushed the miserable thought way back in her mind and began

gathering her things. If she left now, she could probably make it before the bank closed.

Unfortunately, she got there three minutes too late. She would just have to pay her mother’s

defaulted bills from her personal bank account and deal with the rest of this in the morning.

* * * *


It was a little before ten the next morning when Cara got into work. As soon as she entered

her office, the phone rang. The deep tenor of Drake’s voice came through the receiver.

“Get in my office. Now.”

For a second, she didn’t move. Was he angry because she missed their meeting this

morning? It had slipped her mind but she had left a message with Sandy while at the bank.

Cara placed her bag down and grabbed her notebook. Whatever she’d done had apparently

put him in a mood. Then again, everything she did put him in a mood.

And it only seemed to intensify when she slipped into his office.

“Where the hell have you been?” His tone was deceptively cool.

“I had an important errand to run this morning,” she replied, forcing calm into her own

voice.

“Why didn’t you check your email?”

Cara looked at him, confused. “I don’t have email setup on my phone.”

“Why not?” he asked, frowning.

Cara shrugged and his frown deepened. “I guess it wasn’t really necessary,” she replied.

“It is now.”

Before she could agree or disagree, he moved to the issue at hand, which simply amounted

to a few misplaced files on the server.

But she excused his attitude since those files had been needed for his meeting that morning

and she was partly to blame for their malposition.

Cara came around his desk and pointed to the small icon on his monitor. She walked him

through the many steps needed to get to the server and he murmured something about the

company’s inefficient systems.

But she couldn’t concentrate on anything he was saying. His scent and the heat emanating

from his body were big distractions. Involuntarily she leaned closer to him.

Appalled by herself, Cara reached out to grab the computer mouse to camouflage the bold

move. But the action only forced her closer to him, her breast brushing firmly against his

38 Lena Hart

shoulder. She jumped back, stumbling as he turned to face her. Before she could register what

was happening, his arm looped around her waist to steady her.

Cara grabbed his shoulder to balance herself, but his hold was strong and firm. Small tingles

formed in her belly and she stared down at him, lost in the rustic gold of his eyes. They stood

like that for what seemed like forever, staring at each other as if in a trance. But the increasing

pressure of his arms around her waist broke the sensuous spell and she dropped her hand from

his shoulder.

“Sorry,” she mumbled. He nodded curtly, dropping his arm.

She immediately missed the heat his arm had created around her.

They finally located the missing files but she didn’t move away. Tension radiated from him

but he didn’t shift away from her either.

Until Sandy burst through the door like a sudden hurricane. Cara instantly jerked back.

“Sorry for interrupting,” she began, glancing in Cara’s direction. “Your eleven o’clock is

here.”

Drake cleared his throat. “Thanks. Please send him in.”

Cara put more space between them and prepared to leave. She slid him a sidelong glance as

he rose from his seat. He came from behind his desk, saying nothing else to her.

A tall, attractive man entered the office, and she was virtually trapped by the two large men

standing near the door. They greeted each other as if they were good friends, barely paying

attention to her.

For a moment she was captivated by the transformation in Drake. She hadn’t seen him with

a genuine smile since he’d come to MMC. It was like the ice had melted away and he was her

old Drake again. She only wished he could also be that way with her.

She tried to sneak past but Drake stopped her. “Cara, if you’re not busy, I’d like you to stay

for this.”

She did have work to do, but then again it was rare for her to be around Drake when he was

in a good mood so she decided to stay. And she was pleased that Drake invited her to stay.

“Sure,” she replied, bestowing a polite smile to the two men.


For a moment, Drake stood looking down at her so intently she could feel her clothes

searing off her. Heat flooded her cheeks. His guest must have noticed it too because he glanced

at Drake with an amused glint in his eye.

The man introduced himself, extending his hand to her. “Jake Landon.”

Cara took his hand, liking him already for bringing a smile to Drake’s usually hard face.

“Nice to meet you.”

“Jake and I worked together in New York,” Drake offered. “I brought him in to look into our

internal networks.”

Cara nodded, not sure how she could help but happy to be part of the discussion.

They all went back into the office and took a seat. Jake sat in the only available chair,

forcing her to seat next to Drake on the sofa.

Apparently Jake’s young company was starting a satellite office in Chicago and Drake was

eager to work with them. Since he was still new to the company, Drake believed she would be a

good asset to tap into for general background and the day-to-day functions.

Jake was thorough, asking questions Cara would have never given a second thought to. The

meeting lasted a little over an hour but they lingered a while longer. And she was content to hang

around this more relaxed Drake.

“So how’s the new office coming along,” Drake asked.

Jake sighed. “Too fast for us to keep up. Casey’s working hard to get the office running like

a well-oiled machine.”

Drake scoffed. “How’d you convince that Brooklynite to move out here?”

Laughing, Jake rose from his seat and said, “Let’s just say the relocation package was

generous.” Reaching out his hand to her, he added with a wink, “It was a pleasure, Cara. Don’t

let this guy work you too hard.”

Drake walked him to the door and they were once again alone. He remained by the door and

she took that as her cue. Suddenly feeling nervous, she tried to walk past him without making

eye contact. But without warning, he reached out and grabbed her arm.

40 Lena Hart

She stopped and eyed him curiously. He was no longer smiling, but neither was he

frowning. He stood so close she was forced to tilt her head back. His faint scent caressed her

nose and she wanted nothing more than to lean forward and touch him again.

Instead, she held her breath and waited. He continued staring down at her with those intense

gold eyes, as if trying to see into her soul.

She couldn’t take the silence any longer. She licked her suddenly dry lips and asked, “Did

you need something?”

He looked down at her lips and his eyes darkened. The hand around her arm tightened and

he said hoarsely, “Yes.” Then before she could react, he swung the door shut and leaned her

against it.

He tilted her chin up, leaned down and brushed his lips lightly across hers. She inhaled

sharply, tension invading her body. He brushed his lips against hers again and Cara melted

against him. At her response, he wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and slanted his

mouth over hers. He lightly trailed his tongue across her lower lip and she moaned, parting per

lips for him. At her invitation, he deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth.

The kiss was hot and intense. It had been years since he’d kissed her so passionately,

so…primitively, and she didn’t want it to end.

A deep groan rumbled from the back of his throat. Clutching fistfuls of his shirt, Cara shyly

curled her tongue to stroke his. His shudder of pleasure fueled her desire and she gave in to the

intense passion. Clinging to the dark tide of yearning that swept over her, she let herself succumb

to the fever he fanned inside her.

Unfortunately their haze of desire was rudely interrupted by a loud vibration coming from

his desk.

He quickly pulled away from her, cursing fluidly. Cara leaned against door, desperately

trying to sturdy her weak legs. She avoided his gaze, scared to see what she would find there.

“Sorry,” he apologized gruffly. “That was a mistake.”

Cara didn’t let him see the hurt his words caused. This wasn’t the first time he regretted

touching her.

But what they’d just shared had been perfect, yet he thought it was a mistake?


She had never experienced such searing desire for a man only to find that the one man she

wanted didn’t feel the same burning need for her.

Her eyes searched his. “No,” she whispered. “It wasn’t.” As soon as the words left her

mouth, an overwhelming sense of déjà vu came over her.

His eyes darkened and for a second he appeared conflicted, as if he wanted to say something

more but wasn’t sure how to get the words out.

“Thanks again for your help,” he finally muttered.

Cara nodded and formed her lips into what she hoped was a smile. Feeling oddly depressed,

she opened the door and left.

42 Lena Hart

Chapter Seven

“Damn it,” Drake muttered to himself, running his hand over his face. He stared at the

closed door. He hadn’t meant to kiss her but she had looked so damn tempting standing there. He

had almost forgotten how beautiful she was when she smiled.

His shaft strained painfully against his pants and he welcomed the discomfort as punishment

for his stupidity.

I guess I’ll always have a soft spot for her, he thought, shaking his head. And a hard one.

He didn’t know what to make of her. She wasn’t the exuberant, playful girl he’d known

growing up. Not that he gave her a chance to be relaxed around him. Working together hadn’t

endeared her to him and he hadn’t expected it to. Too much time and hurt had passed between

them. They were no longer the same people.

But he was having a hard time figuring out this quiet, reserved Cara. Hell, he was having a

hard time understanding himself.

One thing was certain, though. She knew how to drive him to distraction. And he didn’t like

it. Whatever this was between them was clearly not going away.

Like the image of Lynette Sinclair dragging a bouncy eight-year-old girl into his

grandmother’s home twenty years ago had never left him. He had only been fourteen at the time

but had immediately taken to the lively little girl. Grandma Libby had also fallen for the wide,

slanted eyed innocent with the deep dimples and mop of dark curls. From then on, his family had

treated Cara like the daughter they’d always wanted and she had been like the little sister he’d

never had.

But before he knew it, the adorable little girl had developed into a beautiful young woman

and his body had instantly taken notice. And the moment she’d kissed him that hot summer

afternoon, he’d known they were in trouble.


That day, it had been unbearably warm, even for North Carolina. To escape the sizzle of the

sun, he had driven out to his secret spot. Nothing beat soaking fully nude in the lake’s coolness,

until Cara had come to surprise him but instead changed everything…

“Oh, Drake,” Cara called in a sing-song voice, “I can see your—”

“Cara, what the hell!” he shouted, startled by her presence. He whirled around but slipped

on something smooth and went under. He came up sputtering, finally finding his footing, and

yelled over her loud giggles, “What the hell are you doing out here?”

“I came to see you.”

She was dressed in very short cutoffs and a flimsy yellow top. Her shorts left little to the

imagination and he couldn’t help but noticed how well she was filling out. He frowned at the

thought.

“How’d you know I was out here?”

“I followed you.” At his scowl, she laughed, deep dimples dotting both her cheeks.

“Kidding. I’m just kidding. JR told me you were out here.”

“He should know better than to let you come out here alone,” Drake said, cupping himself as

he walked closer to the bank. “What did I tell you about wandering out here by yourself?”

“Please,” she scoffed. “I can take care of myself.”

“You know better,” he scolded, not impressed by her bravado. “Now turn around,” he

barked, making his way out of the water.

Once she had her back to him, he dashed to where his clothes lay and jerked on his jeans. He

was pulling up his zipper when she turned to face him. He started to lash into her about decency

and safety but the stark desire in her eyes stopped him cold.

She stared fixedly at his damp chest and he stood there, unmoving, staring back at her. He’d

been with enough women to recognize desire when he saw it. And her innocent passion sparked

his own. He looked into her smoky brown eyes then glanced down to her soft, full lips. He didn’t

know which of them moved first but she was suddenly standing inches away from him.

Lifting her hand as if in a trance, she gently placed it on his damp chest and he groaned from

the pleasure of the soft touch.

44 Lena Hart

Drake sucked in his breath as hot, fierce desire shot through him and settled in his groin. He

grew heavy and taut, the throbbing of his shaft matching the steady beat of his heart. He gazed

down at the girl who stood so close her soft, sweet scent floated around him.

His eyes then fell to the slender hand that rested lightly on his hard chest. The silver bracelet

he’d given her for her thirteenth birthday sparkled in the sunlight, the charms dancing in their

chains.

She gazed up at him and he knew he had to taste her. At that moment nothing else mattered.

Leaning down, he captured her soft lips with his.

She stood still for a millisecond then melted against him. That was all the encouragement he

needed. He deepened the kiss, slanting his mouth over hers. He brought her hand up to his neck

and she looped her other arm around him and clung.

He was on fire now. She pushed her body fully against him and his need quickly took over

his self-control. Grabbing at her lush bottom, he lifted her against his thick erection. She cried

out but he caught the soft whimpers and continued to devour her.

With her arms wrapped tightly around him, he moved them forward, never lifting his mouth

from hers. He braced her against a tree and lifted her so that he settled neatly between her

smooth thighs. She immediately wrapped her legs around his hips, enveloping him within her

soft body.

Drake ground hard against her, slowly rotating his hips. Moisture gathered at the tip of his

groin. He was on the verge of climaxing.

His hand moved under her thin halter and gently rubbed her soft, round breasts. Her small

nipples pressed hard against his palm and she whimpered softly as he continued his gentle caress.

He shoved the thin straps of her top down and exposed her plump smooth breasts. He

feasted on her beautiful, chocolate brown nipple, sucking hard at the small pebble. She grabbed

fistfuls of his hair, threw her head back and moaned deeply. Her taste intoxicated him and he

continued to suck and tease until both nipples were moist and swollen.

Trembling, she clutched at him and he was suddenly impatient to get inside her.

Then she murmured the words that hurled him back to reality.

“Drake, what’s happening to me?”


The anxiety in her voice pierced through his thick fog of desire and he immediately released

her, ending the sweet torture. She pushed her body heavily against his and he groaned.

“Please,” she whimpered, “don’t stop.”

He let out a groan from deep within. With his body on fire, it took everything he had not to

lay her on the dry, springy grass and plunge deep.

But it would be something he could never undo. And she was not ready for this.

He took a deep, steadying breath. Laying his forehead against hers, he concentrated on

reining in his wild lust. Sensing his withdrawal, Cara tightened her arms around him and softly

placed a warm kiss on his neck and jaw.

“Please, Drake,” she whispered. “Please make love to me.”

It was too much. She obviously didn’t know what she was doing to him. What her words

and soft lips were doing to him. But before he could succumb to temptation, Drake carefully

unwrapped her legs and arms from around him. He pulled up her top and took a few steps back,

putting some space between them. The look of unspent passion and innocent confusion in her

soft, brown eyes filled him with sharp guilt and regret.

Though he wasn’t sure what he regretted more, starting what he couldn’t finish or not

finishing at all.

“Cara, listen to me. This was a mistake.”

“No, it wasn’t,” she cried, moving closer to him. “Drake, I want you to be my first.”

Frustrated by the situation and her guileless seduction, he grabbed her arms and shook her,

hard.

“What’s the matter with you?” he shouted. “You’re too young to be thinking about having

sex.”

She jerked out of his hard grip. “I’m not a child,” she shouted furiously, angry tears welling

in her eyes. She dashed them away before they could roll down her cheeks.

“Yeah, well the law says you are,” he snapped. “And what you’re asking could put my ass in

jail.”

Desire was still plain in her eyes. “But…” she whispered walking toward him, her hand

stretched out. “But I want you.”

46 Lena Hart

Drake groaned, battling his own need and sense of responsibility. His body burned to take

her and for a moment he almost gave in to his lust. But the sight of the charm bracelet dangling

on her wrist instantly penetrated his haze of desire. He pictured the thirteen-year-old girl who

had jumped on him when he’d presented it to her and the reality of what he’d done disgusted

him.

“Don’t,” he growled, stepping away from her touch.

The crushed look on her face tore at him. What had just happened between them had

irrevocably shattered the tender bond they’d shared all these years.

Tears began to roll down her cheeks and before he could stop her, she fled into the woods.

“Cara, get back here!”

But she ignored him. And in his rage and frustration, he’d slammed his fist into the tree

trunk.

Later he had found her lying at the edge of the road, partially shielded by a tangled bush,

covered with bruises.

Drake shook the memory away, relaxing his tightly clenched fist. It had been a while since

he’d let himself think about that day. So much time had passed and yet the anger and guilt was

still strong.

He refused to have her speak of that day, had practically prohibited her from bringing it up,

but was starting to realize he’d been wrong in that. Too many questions remained unanswered.

Maybe it was time he confronted the truth.


Chapter Eight

Cara was relieved when the night finally came to an end.

Not that James hadn’t tried, but she hadn’t been able to get Drake out of her mind all night.

And unfortunately James sensed her distraction, turning their evening into a strained affair.

But her feelings for Drake were not normal. She still loved him, loved him with a passion

that had not diminished despite their rift.

But he didn’t feel the same way for her. He had made her feel things she’d never

experienced before, only to reject her. Twice.

She remembered their moment by the lake a long time ago and grimaced at how young and

foolish she’d been. She had only thought of her needs at the time, not of the ramifications her

actions would have caused. She had been so in love with him, had wanted nothing more than to

be his that nothing else had mattered.

Damn Drake for having this hold on me! How was she supposed to move on and find love

when she couldn’t even let go of her obsession with him?

She wanted a family of her own, wanted to love and be loved in return.

James drove to her apartment and they sat in tense silence. She felt guilty about how the

evening had turned out. When they arrived at her place, James parked the car and she turned to

face him. He appeared to be deep in thought and Cara wasn’t sure if he planned to walk her to

her door, as he’d done before, or was waiting for her to get out.

But before she could say anything, he surprised her with a kiss. It ended before she could

process what had happened.

“I wanted to do that all night,” he whispered.

Cara was stunned. She certainly hadn’t expected that. This was the first time James had

touched her intimately and she didn’t know how to react. She did know, however, that she liked

him and wanted to give him a chance.

48 Lena Hart

And was desperate to prove to herself that she could forget about Drake and her love for

him.

Cara didn’t know what possessed her to do it, but before she could think about the

consequences, before she could make sense of her feelings, she impulsively leaned over and

kissed him back.

James froze for a moment but quickly took control and wrapped his arm around her waist.

Pulling her close, he fastened his mouth neatly onto hers and deepened the kiss.

She felt nothing. No tingling sensation, no breathlessness, no giddiness. None of the things

that pulsed through her veins when Drake touched her.

She didn’t know what she had expected to feel or what she wanted to prove but the minute

his tongue probed against her lips, Cara realized she’d made a mistake.

Before it could go any further, she pushed at his shoulders, trying to break free of his

suffocating hold. But instead of releasing her, his arms tightened. He leaned further into her,

making it harder to shove him away. Panic surged inside her and she pushed at him with such

force her wrist stung.

“James, stop!”

Her panicked scream echoed in the car and James jerked away from her. Shock and

confusion were plastered on his face at her unexpected outburst. But she was more astonished by

the terror that had suddenly come over her.

“Cara, I’m…I’m sorry,” he stammered, still looking at her perplexed. “I didn’t mean to

scare you.”

She nodded, glancing away from him. Had she overreacted? He seemed genuinely

remorseful and tried putting as much distance between them in the car’s close space as possible.

“Are you okay?” he asked, uncertainty evident in his voice.

She nodded again, still too embarrassed to look at him. She had practically jumped the man

then screamed when he became a bit enthusiastic. He must think I’m a freak.

Cara mumbled a hasty good night then jumped out of the car. She dashed into her apartment

and huddled on the couch, her arms wrapped around her middle.


A fleeting image of being shoved faced down on the dirt flashed before her. And an

overpowering sense of suffocation overcame her again. The memory was extremely vivid. Her

heart pounded heavily and she couldn’t stop the slight tremors that coursed through her.

What’s wrong with me?

In the silent nest of her apartment, devastating loneliness cocooned her.

* * * *

“Did you forget about me?”

Cara glanced up from the spreadsheets she could barely concentrate on and forced a smile

on her lips. “Sorry, Mel, I did.”

“I figured,” Melanie said, shaking her head. “Well there’s still time and I’m starving so let’s

go.”

Cara began to make an excuse as to why she couldn’t leave but her stomach protested

loudly. She hadn’t eaten anything since last night and her body was reminding her of that fact.

And she couldn’t hole herself in her office forever. Not even to ignore James.

Today was relatively quiet and her calendar was clear so she didn’t have to rush back. Drake

had cancelled their only meeting today and now that she was getting emails on her phone, most

of their communication had been online. Odd how she could go all week without seeing him

when they worked in such close proximity.

As they made their way down the hall, Melanie asked, “So are you gonna tell me how your

weekend went?”

Cara grimaced at the question. But she wasn’t surprised by it. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Of course that statement only increased her friend’s curiosity. “Okay. That doesn’t sound

good…What happened?”

Cara groaned. If she didn’t give Melanie something, she would never let up. “Let’s just say I

made things awkward between us.”

Melanie shot her a shocked look. “Awkward like, you-slept-with-him-awkward?”

50 Lena Hart

“No, nothing like that,” she said, exasperated. Awkward in that I flipped out when he kissed

me, Cara thought ruefully. But she left the words unspoken. “It’s just…can we talk about this

later?”

“Fine,” Melanie relented. “But tell me, did he cross the line with you?” Cara shook her head

and Melanie let out a breath. “Good. I didn’t want to have to hate him.”

Effectively switching gears, Melanie began a steady monologue about her new strange

cravings. As they approached the elevator banks, a small crowd had already gathered in the area.

She had the uncanny feeling she was being watched and absently scanned the small group.

When she spotted him, the bottom dropped from her stomach.

He stared directly at her and the blood drained from Cara’s face.

She barely noticed when Melanie came to stand directly in front of her. Her friend’s lips

moved but she couldn’t hear anything over the faint buzzing in her ear.

She stood there, frozen with bone-deep fear, as memories came crashing over her. At his

unnerving smirk, a dark mist edged around her vision and Cara did something she’d never done

before. She fainted.


Chapter Nine

Drake’s scowling face was the first thing that greeted Cara when she opened her eyes. At

first she was puzzled by the situation. She quickly took stock of her surroundings and realized

she was in his office, lying on the sofa with her legs elevated on a cushion.

Melanie hovered behind Drake, fear and panic plain in her eyes.

Then the memory of that mocking grin flashed in her mind and she jolted up. Or tried to

anyway. Drake gently, but firmly, held her down.

“Hold still. We want to make sure you’re all right.” The gruffness in his voice convinced her

to lie back down.

“I’m fine,” she whispered. “Just tired.”

He gave her a searching look, leaned over and ran a hand over her head and neck. He stared

down at her face intently, watching for any nuance of pain, she guessed. Every place he touched

left a trail of heat behind. Cara realized she was holding her breath and slowly let it out. She tried

to mask her reaction to his touch but wasn’t sure if she succeeded.

When he straightened, he barely escaped from bumping into a hovering Melanie.

“Cara, you almost gave me a heart attack!” Melanie cried. “Are you okay? Do you need

anything? Should we call someone?”

“She could use some water,” Drake suggested, shooting Melanie a pointed look. She

immediately rushed out of the office. Drake remained crouched in front of her, visibly upset. He

didn’t say anything but continued to stare at her.

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he finally asked.

She nodded. “How long was I out?” Cara asked with a heavy sigh.

“Not long,” he said. “But we were seconds away from calling the EMT.”

52 Lena Hart

Cara gingerly sat up on the couch but closed her eyes when a wave of dizziness swept

through her. Drake cursed and moved to sit beside her on the sofa. He reached for her but she put

her hands up, warding him off.

“I’m fine, really. It’s just that I haven’t eaten all day and got a little dizzy.” She avoided

making eye contact when she gave him that lie. Not really a lie since her last meal had been the

night before. But that certainly hadn’t been the cause of her faint.

“So hunger made you drop like a stone and scare half the office to death,” he prodded.

“You’re going to have to do better than that.”

Cara didn’t appreciate his sarcasm and was about to tell him so when he cut her off.

“You need to start taking better care of yourself. I’m not always going to be around to look

out for you.”

“News flash,” she bit out. “I can take care of myself.”

She jumped off the sofa, wanting to put distance between them, but swayed at the sudden

movement and nearly fell back down.

“Damn it,” Drake barked, coming up to his feet and wrapping his arm around her waist. “Be

careful.”

Before she could shove him away, Melanie walked into the room and found them in the

awkward embrace. Her face flushed with embarrassment. If Melanie noticed the bizarre

exchange, she didn’t show it.

“Um…I brought food,” she announced, standing at the entrance of Drake’s office. She held

a bottle of water and an armful of vending machine snacks.

Cara slowly stepped out of Drake’s arms. “Thanks Mel. You didn’t—”

“Just leave them on the desk,” Drake said at the same time.

“No,” Cara said, ignoring the glare he shot her. She didn’t want to be left alone with him

another minute. “I’m feeling better now,” she added, walking over to Melanie.

She could feel the anger and frustration radiating from him but he didn’t argue.

“Take the rest of the day off,” he ordered instead.

* * * *


Cara laid curled up in the darkness of her bedroom. It was two in the morning yet sleep still

eluded her.

The memories that had been buried for so long resurfaced in waves, crashing into her until

she thought she would drown from them. Twelve years of repressed memories rolled through

her, forcing her to relive the pain and fear.

She had been young and foolish. And in her desperate attempt to get away from Drake, she

unknowingly ran into the kind of danger he had always warned her about.

Cara curled into a tighter ball as the memory of that day flooded her again...

“Please,” Cara sobbed, trying to reason with him, “don’t do this. I won’t tell anyone. I

promise.”

“I know you won’t, dimples,” he sneered, his heavy body pressing her into the hard ground.

“We’ll just keep this between us.” He ran a hand over her breast, squeezing it painfully. “You

two looked like you were having a lot of fun back there. It’s only fair I get a turn.”

Stunned, Cara sucked in what little air she could with him lying over her. He’d been

watching them? Mortification consumed her replaced by a burning rage.

Her arms were trapped between them but she managed to slip one out. Balling her hand into

a tight fist, she slammed it as hard as she could against the side of his head. He let out a piercing

shout and slightly rolled off her. Before he could recover, Cara tried to roll away from him but he

was quick.

He grabbed her by the hair and slammed his fist into her. Intense pain shot through her head

and bright white dots filled her vision. Breathing heavily, he brought his face close to hers.

“Try that again,” he growled, tightening his fingers around her neck, “and I’ll make you

very sorry.”

She stopped her struggles, too stunned and dazed to fight him anymore. His smile was

chilling. “Good girl.”

Tears gathered in her eyes as she lay there, shocked. Still dazed from the blow, she didn’t

realize he was tearing at her clothes until the sound of ripped fabric snapped her back to reality.

She fought him in earnest, crying, struggling to push him away. She inhaled sharply, preparing to

scream, but he clamped his hand over her mouth.

54 Lena Hart

“Shut up,” he breathed harshly. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

Cara stared up at him helplessly but when his hand brushed against her crotch, she bucked

wildly, desperate to get away from him.

He brought his lips down to hers and thrust his tongue into her mouth. Cara gagged. Without

thinking, she bit down on his tongue. Hard.

He jerked back and there was murder in his eyes.

Before she could react, he began pummeling her with his fists, slamming it against her

temple. Sparks of tiny lights flashed before her.

He swiftly turned her on her stomach, viciously pulling at her shorts. Pain from his blows

made her actions slow but she tried in earnest to crawl from beneath him.

Remembering one of the dirty fighting tricks Drake had taught her, she stopped her struggles

and went limp beneath him. At her stillness, he eased his hold on her. She curled her fingers

around a ball of dirt and began gasping for air.

“I can’t breathe,” she choked out.

“Shut up!” he snarled. But as she hoped, he began turning her over.

Before she could fully face him, Cara flung the fistful of dirt in his eyes. His howl of rage

was deafening.

She fought her way from beneath him and ran aimlessly through the wooded path. Fear and

desperation kept her running. She didn’t know where she was headed and didn’t care. The only

thing that mattered was getting far away from him.

But pain and exhaustion slowed her down. Her vision blurred and then everything went

black.

Later, she had found herself in the hospital, disoriented and in pain. And oblivious to the

monster that had lurked close for so long.

Curling herself tighter in the bed, Cara continued to stare into the darkness. Drake had

always warned her about the dangers of the world. She just hadn’t realized how close the threats

really were.


Chapter Ten

Drake tossed the detective’s card on his desk. His cousin had only been in town for a few

short days and already causing trouble. He didn’t know what JR had gotten himself into now but

he made a mental note to ask him about it.

Right now, his mind was preoccupied.

He stood by the window and looked out into the brightly lit city, staring at nothing in

particular.

He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong with Cara. Three days had passed

since her collapse and she hadn’t shown up to work. At first, he’d been pleased that she’d

decided to take the time off. She obviously needed the rest. But it was now the start of the week

and she gave no indication of when she would be back in. She had simply sent a vague email that

morning, requesting a personal day. That only increased his concern.

He wanted to call her but kept talking himself out of it. He told himself that he didn’t want

to bother her but that was a lie. He just couldn’t find the right words to apologize for his idiot

remarks the other day.

But seeing her unconscious like that had brought back old feelings of fear and helplessness.

And he had unfairly used anger to mask his deep guilt for not being there at the time she’d

needed him the most. A guilt he struggled with even now.

With a silent swear, he went back to his desk and dialed her number. No answer. He left a

short message then hung up. He glanced at the clock and made his decision. If she didn’t return

his call in the next hour, he would go to her.

* * * *

“Cara, why aren’t you at work?”

56 Lena Hart

Cara sat up on the couch, holding the cordless phone to her ear. “I needed a day off,” she

said to her mother.

“But I tried calling you all day yesterday. Didn’t you get my messages?”

Cara shook her head, exasperated. Her mother had gotten too accustom to calling her at

work when it wasn’t an emergency. She needed to start breaking that habit. “Mama, it’s better if

you call me on my cell.”

“Why?” Lynette asked, full of suspicion. “Is that man getting ready to fire you?”

Cara almost smiled at the indignation in her mother’s voice. She had told her mother about

her new work situation with Drake Ross and her mother had insisted she quit. And she had

considered it, but for only a moment. Drake was turning out to be a decent supervisor. He may

be a taskmaster but he also provided prompt feedback and always asked for her input on a range

of matters.

She had to admit, her big, surly boss was growing on her.

“No, he isn’t,” Cara reassured her mother. “I just…needed a few personal days.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

But she wasn’t fine. She was a tense and terrified wreck. And of course her mother picked

up on it.

“Cara, you’ve got five seconds to tell me what’s going on.”

Cara hesitated, not knowing how much to tell her. She had hoped taking some time off

would ease her mind. But it hadn’t.

She had even prepared to go to work today but the thought of going back into that office

triggered an anxiety attack that had crumbled her resolve. Nausea threatened to flare up

whenever she thought of stepping outside her apartment.

“You have two seconds.”

“Mama…I know what happened back in Blue Ridge,” she blurted out.

Lynette was silent for a moment. “Know what?”

“I remember what happened,” she whispered. “I remember everything.”


Complete silence filled the air. Cara didn’t know what else to tell her mother. She’d been

oblivious of the truth for so long, it was all too much to sort out.

“How?” her mother finally asked.

“I saw him.”

“When?”

Cara shuddered. “A few days ago…at my job…he smiled at me.”

“Oh, honey,” Lynette crooned. “I’m so sorry. I knew this would happen.”

Cara was silent for a moment. Was that guilt in her mother’s voice?

“Mama, did you know?”

Her mother was silent for a moment. “Not at first,” she finally whispered.

Cara was floored. All these years her mother had never even brought up Blue Ridge. It had

been as if nothing had happened that their lives there had never happened. And Cara had gone

along with the pretense. But apparently her mother knew more than she let on.

At that moment, she felt more alone than ever.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Her mother was silent for a brief moment. “We didn’t want to worry you. It was a blessing

that you couldn’t remember what happened. You didn’t need to carry that memory around.”

“And you thought keeping it from me would be better?”

“Yes,” her mother said vehemently. “We wanted you to feel safe.”

“Well I don’t,” she snapped. Safe was a state of mind she hadn’t felt in a very long time. “So

I hope keeping your secret was worth it.”

“Cara Sinclair, don’t you dare talk to me like that.”

Cara immediately apologized. She had never snapped at her mother before and was contrite

for the sudden burst of anger.

“Try to understand,” her mother said again, before hanging up. “We only wanted to protect

you.”

But she couldn’t understand. She was tired of the lies and secrets in her life. Twelve years

was a long time to be kept in the dark. She would have liked the chance to process what had

happened and put it all behind her.

58 Lena Hart

A deep misery began to settle within her and she suddenly wished Drake were by her side.

Despite all they’ve been through, he had always made her feel safe. And right now she wanted

him near.

When a knock came at her door, she froze. Then immediately shook the unreasonable fear

away and went to answer it. Her heart skipped when she saw who stood outside her door.

An overwhelming emotion washed over her. She could only make out his hard jaw and wide

shoulders but that was all she needed.

She threw the door open and they stood there, staring at each other. Before he could say

anything, Cara threw her arms around his neck and held tight. For brief moment, Drake just

stood there with her in the open doorway. Then he wrapped his arms around her tight and walked

them back into the apartment.

Soft tremors course through her and he held her tighter.

“Cara, what’s wrong?” he whispered gruffly into her ear.

That was her undoing. She crumpled in his arms, the tears coming down uncontrollably. The

past few days, she had avoided talking to him, knowing she would break down if she did.

“Come on, baby, don’t cry,” Drake murmured, gently stroking the nape of her neck. “Talk to

me.”

Burrowing her face against the crook of his neck, she leaned onto his strength. His fingers

left a trail of heat down her back and she shivered at the sensation. Eventually her tears slowed

but she didn’t pull away from him.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” he prodded gently.

Her head rested on his shoulder. She wanted nothing more than to lean on him, to unleash all

the fear and uncertainty bottled up inside her. But she couldn’t. Not now, anyway.

For now, she wanted to forget.

She leaned in closer to him and brushed her lips across his neck. He tensed under her gentle

caress. The risk she was taking was great but she couldn’t stop herself. She needed him.

Twelve years ago he had introduced her body to intense passion and to sensations she had

never felt before—or had again. Tonight, she wanted those feelings.


She trailed her lips up to his jaw then fitted her lips softly against his. The touch was

electrifying.

Drake didn’t react. For a moment, she feared he would pull away from her. But instead he

tightened his arms around her and deepened the kiss.

He thrust his tongue into her mouth, rubbing and savoring, unearthing her dormant desires.

His erection pressed firmly against her and she quivered. A burning desire ignited within her as

his lips trailed down her neck, nipping and sucking at the tender flesh.

A fiery sensation coursed through her as shivers ran down her body and a warm ache pulsed

between her thighs.

“Drake, make love to me,” she whispered without thinking.

He pulled away from her, breathing heavily. His face was taut with need, his gold eyes dark

with desire. But he continued to stare down at her.

For a moment she thought he was going to refuse. And she didn’t think she could take it if

he rejected her again.

She brought her eyes down to his chest, embarrassed by her bold request and wanting

desperately to take the words back. But it was too late.

He wrapped his arms around her bottom and pulled her to him. “Are you sure?” he asked

thickly. “Because there’s no going back.”

She looked straight into his eyes, her heart beating fast in her chest. “I know.”

60 Lena Hart

Chapter Eleven

Drake grabbed her loose-fitting shirt and yanked it above her head. She stood before him in

pale pink panties and a thin, white bra.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, gazing down at her with intense need in his gold

eyes.

The dim lamp in the bedroom appeared to illuminate more than she expected and Cara

fought the urge to cover herself. Instead, she began undoing the buttons of his shirt but he

brushed her hands aside and jerked the material off. He peeled off his undershirt next and the

sight of his bare, muscular chest mesmerized her.

Even the faint trails of hair across his chest leading to his navel appealed to her.

She reached out and placed her palm on his chest. He inhaled sharply. Heat radiated from

him and his heartbeat thumped strong and steady beneath her palm.

Growing bolder, she moved closer to him until their bodies touched. Though he still wore

his pants, the hard length of his erection pressed firmly against her belly. Intense passion rose in

her and the urge to touch him there suddenly overtook her.

She kept her focus on his chest, too shy to look anywhere else. She reached down and

wrapped her fingers around him. His groan was long and deep. Giving him pleasure delighted

her and fueled some hidden courage she didn’t know she had. She began to stroke him gently but

before she could explore further, he grabbed her hand and hoisted her up. Instinctively, she

straddled him, wrapping her legs tight around his flanks. She clutched at his shoulders as he

brought his mouth down to hers again.

He stroked and teased and Cara was lost in his inferno. She wrapped her arm around his

neck and lightly caressed her tongue against his. He let out a low growl and ground his hard shaft

against her. Moaning, she tightened her arms around him.


Before she realized what he was doing, Drake undid the clasp of her bra and flung it aside.

He brought her bare breast fully into his eager mouth, sucking and licking until her nipple was

taut and throbbing. She shuddered at the intense pleasure, her moans echoing through the quiet

room.

This was nothing like what she’d experienced twelve years ago. The fire he banked in her

took on a whole new level of intensity and she craved more.

Cara didn’t realize he’d walked them to the bed until the cool sheets touched her heated

back. He gently laid her down and trailed soft kisses along her body, stripping her of her panties.

Once they were off, she felt exposed and vulnerable.

But this was Drake. She loved him and wanted this.

He continued to caress her all over and her insecurities were eventually drowned out by her

mounting desire. She let out a soft mewling sound and opened her legs wider for him.

“That’s right, baby,” Drake urged huskily. “Sing for me.”

He reached between them and slid a finger into her soft, slick passage. She moaned deeply,

her soft inner muscles clenching eagerly around his bold finger.

That was all the invitation he needed.

He quickly shed his pants, grabbed her thighs and lifted her toward him.

She shivered at the sensation of his hard, hot shaft pushing into her. She lifted up against

him and he shuddered, prodding deeper. Cara clutched at his forearm as the pressure built. The

pain increased and she dug her fingernails into him.

“How long has it been?” Drake asked roughly through gritted teeth.

Cara winced as he forced himself in deeper. “What?” she gasped.

But he didn’t respond. Instead, he fell over her with a harsh groan and plunged deep. She

cried out as a searing pain tore through her. Hot tears formed behind her clenched lids. She had

expected discomfort but not this sharp, piercing pain.

But she didn’t stop him. She couldn’t. He gripped her bottom and she held on as he pumped

inside her, pounding into her as if he couldn’t get deep enough.

After a few more heavy thrusts, he went rigid. With a loud groan, he found his release inside

her.

62 Lena Hart

In the silent aftermath, he laid his head against the crook of her neck and Cara could feel the

heavy thud of his heartbeat. There was an unnatural stillness in the room and a tension in him

that hadn’t been there before.

He slowly pulled out of her and she winced, her thighs quivering from the tenderness there.

“Are you okay?” he asked gruffly.

Cara gave a brisk nod, feeling awkward and uncertain about what they’d just done. She

avoided looking directly at him but couldn’t help shooting him a curious glance.

Something had definitely changed in him.

* * * *

A flood of thoughts and emotions came crashing down on Drake, making it hard to latch on

to one and concentrate on it. He willed his heart to slow as he tried to process what just happened

between them. What they’d done only a few minutes ago couldn’t be ignored.

He had come here to check up on her only to end up having mind-blowing sex instead. And

it had taken little urging on her part to turn him into a sex-starved lunatic.

She looked up at him and he couldn’t stand to see the hurt confusion there.

It was obvious her first time hadn’t been pleasurable. And his attitude wasn’t helping the

situation. But what did she expect from him? He’d just found out that the girl he’d been arrested

for sexually assaulting had never even had sex.

Needing to put some space between, to clear his head, he rolled away from her and sat up on

the edge of the bed. He began to search for his clothes but was caught off guard when she placed

her hand lightly on his back.

He jerked at the unexpected touch and she pulled away.

“Drake, what’s wrong?”

He found his boxers and jerked them on. “How are you still a virgin?” he asked, not looking

at her.

She was silent for a moment. “Because I’ve never been with a man.”

Frowning, he glared down at her, annoyed she would state the obvious. But from her clear

agitation, he realized she wasn’t purposely being sarcastic.


“Back in Blue Ridge,” he continued, jerking on his pants, “everyone—including me—

thought you’d been…” He stopped, unable to say the words out loud.

“H-he never…it never got that far,” she stammered.

Drake jerked on his undershirt then turned to fix her with a hard glare. “Then why.”

“Why what?” she asked, still sitting on the bed.

“Why the hell was I arrested?”

She opened her mouth then shut it. “I don’t know,” she murmured, stuttering on her words.

“They told me it was because of what we did by the lake.”

“Bull,” he retorted icily.

“It’s the truth!” she cried. “I don’t know how they found out about that, but I told them you

didn’t do anything. That I was the one who came on to you.”

“So was that the plan? Get me to feel you up so my family would pay up?”

“What are you talking about?” she burst out. “I would never take your family’s money.”

“Right,” he scoffed. “Then why did your folks drop the charges? It certainly wasn’t because

they found the guy.”

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” she whispered, staring off as if she was right back in that

long ago moment. “Why would they charge you for hurting me? They told me they didn’t even

know who it was.”

He stared down at her coldly. “But you know, don’t you,” he bit out, glaring down at her.

“Who was it, Cara?”

She glanced up at him but didn’t say a word.

He walked to where she sat on the bed. The sheet did little to conceal the soft curves of her

body.

“Who was it?” he asked again.

She simply looked at him, slowly shaking her head.

He cursed. “It doesn’t matter,” he snapped. “Like I said, it’s your saga.”

“Drake, please,” she cried out. “It’s not like that.”

“Then tell me the truth,” he shouted, his anger and hurt finally erupting.

“I…I can’t,” she whispered.

64 Lena Hart

He let out a harsh laugh. “You know, I thought maybe I had it all wrong. That maybe…” He

shook his head, too angry to continue. “But I was a fool. I should’ve just taken what you offered

twelve years ago. Damn sure would’ve been worth the trouble.”

She flinched at his words, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. He looked away.

“If you’re trying to make me hate you,” she said quietly, “it’s working.”

He stood there for a moment, torn between anger and a deep-rooted longing for her that he

could not seem to shake. In a matter of minutes, everything he’d known had all come undone and

it was all suddenly too much.

He had to get out of there.

Without another word, he left, bothered by the hurt plain in her eyes.


Chapter Twelve

Cara couldn’t do it.

She had dressed in her best dark gray pencil skirt and silk gray blouse, determined to go

back to work today. And face Drake.

But she couldn’t get herself out the door.

Her stomach clenched at the thought of leaving the protection of her apartment. Cara walked

back to her living room and threw her keys and purse on the couch.

This is silly! Cara raged at herself, angrily wiping her eyes. She wasn’t sure what caused the

tears. Fear or shame.

She paced her small apartment, the dull ache between her legs a sharp reminder of what

should have been a beautiful experience. Instead, it had turned mean and ugly.

Drake had said he’d been arrested for her attack. But that didn’t make sense. Her feelings for

him had never been a big secret to those who knew them. She had idolized him and everyone had

known it. Drake would never brutalize her.

But what had he hoped to gain by accusing her family of taking money from his? Was it true

or was he deliberately being cruel? She wouldn’t put it past her stepfather, Samuel Jones, to take

their money. He had always resented the Ross’, especially after they had refused to hire him for

their landscaping work. Would he be vindictive enough to accuse Drake of her attack just to get

back at them?

Cara shook away the thought. Her mother would have never let that happen. She thought

back to that time, trying to conjure up the memory of that day. It wasn’t all clear but she recalled

fleeting bits of conversation.

“…sweetie. They got him.”

“Have you arrested him?”

“Not yet…down at the county jail…”

66 Lena Hart

“…want that damn over-privileged boy arrested. Now!”

Cara’s head began to pound. She hadn’t known who they were talking about then but never

in her wildest imagination had she thought they’d believe Drake could hurt her. Despite how he

felt about her now, he would never hurt her like that.

But emotionally, he had the power to break her. Just like he had last night. He believed she

had been part of some big scheme to steal from him and his family, but he failed to realize that

she could never hurt him.

And the truth certainly would have.

That’s why she had to put an end to this. Cara grabbed her things and marched to the door,

determined to get past her fear and put an end to her misery. There was a lot for her to do this

week, a lot she needed to wrap up before she put in her resignation.

After last night, there was no way she could continue working with Drake.

Cara flung open the door only to be met with a tall figure standing in her doorway. She

stopped in her tracks, fear and panic paralyzing her.

“Hello, dimples.”

* * * *

It was early when Drake made it into work. He usually wasn’t in this early but his night had

been restless and he hadn’t gotten any sleep. He also had to think about what to do with Cara.

There was no way they could continue working together after last night. But he had a relentless

flow of headhunters after him so he wasn’t worried about finding another position.

When he reached his office, Sandy stood outside the door, ringing her hands.

“Mr. Ross, you have a visitor. She claims to know you and is waiting inside.”

She? Drake frowned down at the older woman. Before he could ask who, Sandy rushed out,

“I’m sorry, but she was very…insistent on waiting for you.”

Drake marched into his office and sitting on his sofa was a petite, black woman with streaks

of gray covering her dark hair. Instant recognition came to him and he turned to his assistant.

“Thanks, Sandy,” he said. “I’ll take it from here.” Drake quietly closed the door to his office

and walked over to where the older woman sat.


She stood up when he drew near, weariness etched across her refined face.

“Lynette,” he greeted, his initial shock of seeing her in his office finally wearing off. “It’s

been a long time.”

“Yes, it has,” she replied simply. Besides the lines that graced the corners of her mouth and

eyes, she had aged beautifully. It was like staring at a mature version of Cara.

He had always held Lynette in high esteem. Of course, that was before she had swindled

money out of his parents. But for five years she had taken care of his grandmother and had done

a great job of it.

“Please have a seat.”

She shook her head. “No, thank you. I won’t be long.”

He shrugged then went to his desk. She followed him.

“Just so you know, Cara didn’t send me here,” she began.

Drake glanced over at her, surprised. “I didn’t think she did.”

She visibly relaxed and Drake wondered at it. Did she think he would punish Cara for her

showing up here? He sighed. They clearly thought very little of each other.

“Mind telling me what you’re doing here?”

She took a deep breath. “I came to ask you a favor.”

Drake stared at her, dumbfounded. For what she and her husband put him through, a favor

was the last thing he expected her to ask.

“And why would I do anything for you?”

“Because if you ever cared about Cara, you’d know that she doesn’t deserve this.”

“Deserve what?”

“This harassment. She’s a good girl.”

“Right. A good girl wouldn’t lie or exploit others for a few extra bucks.”

Lynette shook her head. “She had nothing to do with that.”

Drake snorted.

“Think what you want but she didn’t even remember what happened to her that day until a

few days ago.”

68 Lena Hart

Doubt and uncertainty clawed at his gut. He walked up to the older woman and glowered

down at her. “Tell me what happened.”

Lynette didn’t shy away from him. Instead she fell into the nearest seat and began with a

heavy sigh. “At first, I was so angry with you for letting her get hurt. It didn’t matter that you

had found her and brought her to the hospital. I know it wasn’t right but I blamed you for what

happened.”

Drake leaned against his desk, trying to remain indifferent, and waited for her to continue.

She hesitated, as if struggling to find the right words.

“I let Sam work me up and when he decided to press charges against you, I didn’t argue.”

She glanced up at him then back down at her hands. “Very few people knew about Cara’s

memory loss so, as her mother, I took it upon myself to do what I thought was best for my

daughter.”

Drake didn’t move or say anything. But inside, he reeled at what she was saying.. He tried to

process everything but it was difficult. “So you forced my family to pay you in order to make

everything go away?”

Lynette shook her head. “I didn’t know about the money until we’d left Blue Ridge. At first

Sam told me he had found work in Illinois and that Cara would be safer if we left town, that she

would be better off not remembering that terrible time.” Tears shimmered in her dark eyes. “But

it had all been a lie.”

Drake vaguely remembered the sizable amount his family had parted with to get him

released. If he had known what was transpiring, he would have talked them out of it. But it ate at

his core to think his own parents thought he was capable of such a crime.

“What happened to the money?” he asked.

“We bought a small house here in the suburbs. And Sam gambled the rest away. We didn’t

even have enough to help Cara pay for college.”

Drake had never liked Samuel Jones much and at that moment his disgust for the man only

increased.

“Where’s your husband now?”


“Sam passed away some time ago. The year Cara graduated college actually,” she said, as if

just now coming to that realization. “But…but before he passed, he told me who had put the idea

in his head in the first place.”

Drake frowned. “What idea?”

“To get money from your folks.”

The hairs on the back of Drake’s neck rose. Not many people knew about the agreement his

family had entered into to secure his freedom.

“Eventually, I put two and two together and realized he was the one who hurt my daughter,”

Lynette continued. “But by then it was too late to do anything about it. Too much time and

money had been spent. So my main focus then was to protect my daughter and shield her from

all this craziness. And it still is.”

Fury and nausea flared inside him as everything began to fall into place. He walked around

his desk and picked up the detective’s card he had tossed there last night.

“I’ve always appreciated your parents,” Lynette added. “And I was upset when I found out

what Sam had done but—”

“Lynette,” Drake interrupted, a dangerous calm washing over him. “Whose idea was it?”

He needed to hear her say it.

She eyed him curiously. “It was your cousin’s. He always reminded me of a snake,” she said

with disgust. “Now about that favor.”

70 Lena Hart

Chapter Thirteen

Cara was surprised at the calm that came over her.

The panic and fear that had encage her these past few days suddenly melted away. She

didn’t know where the inner strength came from but she held on to it. She stared up at him and

smiled.

“Hello, JR.” She was pleased at how calm and friendly her voice sounded. Maybe if she kept

up the pretense, he would go away.

He studied her for a minute. He was larger than she remembered but not in the way Drake

was. His bulk centered mainly around his gut.

“What are you doing here,” she asked casually.

“Can I come in?”

“Uh, I’m actually on my way to work.”

Still grinning, he pushed his way into her apartment and shut the door behind him. “This

won’t take long.”

She moved away from him, her heart slamming in her chest as she tried to maintain her false

composure. “Really, I need to leave now. I’m already running late. Maybe we can talk later.”

His gazed traveled down her body as he shook his head. “I’m leaving Chicago in a few

hours,” he announced. “I was just hoping we could…chat before I left.”

She stared at him, gripping her keys in her hand. She found the longest one and pushed it

through her middle and ring finger. “What did you want to talk about?”

He smirked and took off his jacket. “I saw you the other day.”

“You did?” She winced inwardly at the high inflection in her voice. She had never been a

good liar.


He laughed. “Yeah. And I know you saw me too.” He started toward her and Cara took a

step back. “But I wasn’t sure if you still recognized me. Then I thought, of course you did. You

always had a thing for my cousin and I’ve been told we favor each other.”

Her composure began to desert her as he took another step forward. They were moving

further away from the door and the last thing she wanted was to be trapped in her apartment with

him.

“Maybe a little,” she offered, still trying to maintain the sham of civility.

He gave a shout of laughter. “Liar. Or you would have looked at me the way you did my

dear, old cousin.”

Her resolve was beginning to diminish. “What do you want from me?” Cara asked quietly.

He smiled, then reached in his pocket and pulled out something small. He opened his palm.

“I wanted to give you this.”

The bottom dropped in her stomach. Her old silver charm bracelet dangled from his fingers.

He had kept it all this time? Impulsively, she reached out to grab it but he jerked it from her

grasp.

Rage twisted inside her but before she could react, he grabbed her by the neck. Cara swung

her hand up, intending to jab him with the pointed edge of her key. But he grabbed her wrist and

squeezed. The small bones in her wrist ground together and pain shot through her hand. It went

numb and the keys fell from her hand.

“Nice try,” he breathed. He brought his other hand around her bottom and hauled her to him.

“You’ve filled out quite nicely.”

Bile rose in her throat as he groped her. He had his hand still wrapped around her throat but

she managed to rasp out, “Why are you doing this to me?”

He laughed. “Because I paid for you,” he sneered, moving his hand down her throat.

“Because I’m…adventurous.” He moved his hand down to cover her breast then squeezed. Hard.

“Because I can.”

She flinched and he laughed again. “Does it really matter? Just close your eyes and pretend

I’m him.” With that he brought his mouth down to hers and sucked viciously on her lips. It stung

72 Lena Hart

but she ignored the pain and struggle violently against him. He threw her on the ground and

straddled her, trying to catch her flailing arms. She fought in earnest.

Suddenly the door came crashing open. In a blur, JR went flying off of her and a man

carrying a gun appeared before her. He tucked his gun away and helped her up.

“Ms. Sinclair? I’m Detective Stokes. Are you all right?”

She nodded. “I think so,” she murmured, absently rubbing her neck.

They turned at the sounds of loud grunting and scuffling. Cara recognized Drake in the

tangle of bodies and rushed toward them. The detective stopped her.

She tried to pull away from the man. “He’s going to kill him,” she cried, her eyes wide with

fear.

But it was Drake who straddled JR and was pummeling him. The ferocity on Drake’s face

terrified her. In that moment, he reminded her of a brutal, wild animal.

“Drake, stop!”

Her shriek echoed through the small apartment and everyone went still. Panting, Drake

glared down at JR, whose mouth and nose oozed blood. Then he turned to her.

They stared at each other. The savagery left him and he moved away from his bruised and

bloody cousin. The detective released her and immediately went over to JR. He unceremoniously

flipped him around and read him his rights.

But Cara barely paid attention to them. Her focus was on Drake and her need to hold him.

She paused for a heartbeat then threw her arms around him, her face buried in the crook of his

neck. He instantly grabbed her and hauled her to him.

A few feet away from them, JR snickered. “That’s my cousin,” he spat. “Always gets the

girls.”

* * * *

“Cara, are you sure you’re okay?” Lynette asked, holding her daughter’s hand.

Drake sat across from them, willing his fury to subside. Anger didn’t compare to the guilt

that consumed him.

Cara gave her mother a strained smile and nodded. “Yes, Mama, I’m fine. Really.”


Lynette nodded then turned to him. She had arrived minutes after the police had taken JR

away.

After that it had been a whirlwind of activity with them taking evidence and statements.

“What’s going to happen to him?” Lynette asked.

Drake had asked the detective the same thing. A burning rage filled him when he thought of

what his cousin had done so long ago—and what he had tried to do today. All these years

together and he had never suspected his cousin was capable of such brutality.

“He’s being transported back to California for another charge.” Drake left out the fact that it

was for the assault of a teenage girl. Not because he wanted to protect the bastard, but from the

look on Cara’s solemn brown eyes, they didn’t need that information haunting them.

“Unfortunately,” he continued, still watching Cara, “twelve years is a long time.” And they

both understood what that meant. Though JR would be charged for his attack on her today, there

would be no justice for what he’d done to her twelve years ago. That knowledge only deepened

his rage.

“It’s my fault,” Lynette blurted out, looking down at her lap, an action Drake had often seen

Cara do. “I should have said something when I found out about him.”

Cara gaped at her mother. “Mama, what do you mean?”

Lynette told her daughter what she’d told Drake earlier about her husband and the

arrangement they had made with his family for his release. Cara glanced at him then quickly

averted her eyes. She hugged herself and turned back to her mother.

“But…but JR mentioned something about…paying for me?”

For a moment Lynette was completely silent. “When I figured out what JR had done, I

confronted Sam about it.” She shook her head in disgust then continued. “But I was too late. Sam

had also figured it out and had demanded more money from JR. Money he had taken and spent.”

Cara rocked back and forth and Lynette rubbed her back. “I’m sorry I kept all this from you,

honey. I was very upset with Sam and had planned to leave him but then he got sick…and you

had started college. You didn’t remember so I thought it was best if we just left everything in the

past.”

74 Lena Hart

Cara stared blankly at her mother then jumped up from the sofa. Alarmed, Drake and

Lynette both sprung up from their seats.

“Excuse me,” she rushed out and ran to the bathroom.

Drake went after her. The door was locked.

“Cara?” Fear made his tone harsher then he intended but he couldn’t help it.

“I’m fine,” she called through the door. “I just need to use the bathroom. Can you give me a

minute?”

Her surliness eased some of his worry. He went back into the living room where Lynette

stood and fell back into his seat. He didn’t know what to say to her so he said nothing. She stared

at him then finally broke the long tense silence between them.

“I never thanked you,” she offered. “For all you’ve done.”

Drake gave her a curt nod but he didn’t want her gratitude.

“I don’t even want to think about what would have happened if you hadn’t—”

“Yeah, me neither,” he cut in tersely.

Lynette fell silent for a moment then began again. “I know what you’re thinking,” she

murmured. “You think I’m a bad mother. That I failed my daughter.”

Drake eyed her and saw the bitterness and guilt that mirrored his own. “We both failed her,”

he simply stated.

Cara came back into the living and before Lynette could ask, Cara reassured her. “I’m fine,”

she muttered with a tight smile. “I’m just…tired.”

“Okay, well I can stay—”

“Thanks, Mama, but tonight I’d like to be alone.”

Lynette studied her for a minute then turned to Drake. “And what about you?”

“He’s leaving too,” Cara blurted out, not looking at him.

Drake raised a brow but didn’t say anything. He’d let her think that.

The two women hugged and Lynette walked over to him and grabbed his hand. “I’m sorry

for what we’ve put you through.”

Drake nodded, not knowing what to say to that. He couldn’t say he accepted her apology but

for Cara’s sake, he would try.


When Lynette finally left the small apartment, Drake regarded Cara silently. She was more a

victim in this whole mess then anyone and yet she stood there looking delicately resilient and

graciously beautiful. He suddenly wished he could take back all the harsh words and accusations

he’d ever uttered to her.

“What?” she asked nervously after a minute of his silent scrutiny.

He walked toward her and held out his hand. “I thought you might like this back,” he

whispered.

76 Lena Hart

Chapter Fourteen

Cara tried to maintain her composure but it was getting harder to do. With trembling hands,

she reached out and gently lifted the silver bracelet that rested on his large palm.

“Thank you,” she whispered, swallowing the large lump in her throat. It had been the first

piece of jewelry Drake had given her and she had cherished it, never taking it off. When she’d

noticed it missing at the hospital, she had been distraught.

His penetrating gold eyes studied her intently. “You can stop pretending now,” he said

gruffly, moving toward her.

She shook her head, tears blurring her vision. “I’m fine,” she choked out. “Really.”

But when he pulled her into his arms, she broke down. He sat down and arranged her easily

on his lap. He murmured soothing words of comfort in her ear as he rubbed her back and neck.

She worked to control her tumultuous emotions, not wanting to upset her mother or Drake.

But once her mother revealed the unforgivable scheme she had been involved in, her tentative

control started to crack. No wonder Drake hated her. All this time and she had been unknowingly

caught up in a mountain of lies and deception.

Cara was mortified and ashamed at what her family had done. Drake had been accused of

attacking her, had spent time in jail because of her. Yet he sat here trying to comfort her. It was

too much.

She clutched at his shirt and wept. “I’m so sorry,” she sobbed. “I didn’t know.”

“Shhh,” he murmured. “I know you didn’t. You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Eventually she quieted and they sat there in silence for a moment, while he continued to run

his hands along her back.

When she didn’t move or say a word, he brushed her wild hair from her face. He wiped her

damp cheeks with his thumb. She refused to look at him. He waited. When she continued to

avoid his gaze, he brought his hand under her chin and lifted her face to his.


“Last night,” he began, “why didn’t you tell me?”

She could only stare at him, despair engulfing her. Her bottom lip quivered, but she quickly

controlled it. She tried to slide off his lap, but he held her firm.

“Why,” he urged.

She gave him a searching look. “Would you have believed me?”

He watched her intently then let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t blame you for asking,” he

muttered. “Lately, I haven’t given you any reason to have much faith in me.”

She tried to turn away but he cupped her chin and brought her face back to his. “But I would

have believed you,” he insisted. “Never doubt that.”

“But he’s your family—”

“No,” Drake interrupted, anger clear in his voice. “He stopped being my family the minute

he touched you.”

That saddened her. He already didn’t have much of a relationship with his family and to lose

one of the few people he kept close made her heart ache for him.

“Hey, stop that,” he said gruffly when her eyes brimmed with tears. “It’s no great loss, trust

me. I think we only stayed close because I was used to having him around.”

Cara scanned his face and then placed her hand on his cheek. “Well, you’ll always have

me,” she assured him tenderly.

He closed his eyes then brought her palm to his lips and kissed it. It tingled and her breath

hitched. He leaned forward and placed his lips gently against hers. When she didn’t pull away,

he deepened the kiss.

A pleasant ache began to build and she was lost in the soft pressure of his lips. He brought

his hand up to caress her breast and, in her haze of desire, Cara realized he had opened a few

buttons. He pushed her bra aside and rubbed his thumb against the puckered nipple. She moaned

into his mouth and tightened her arms around him.

He shifted and carefully leaned her down on the couch, never taking his lips off her. He

trailed damp kisses down her neck, to her aching breasts. He pulled a small brown nipple into his

warm mouth and sucked hard. Cara let out a sharp gasp of pleasure and arched against him.

78 Lena Hart

Her body was on fire. Without breaking contact with her, he rolled up her skirt and tugged

down her panties.

She tore her lips away. “Drake,” she panted, “what are you doing?”

He looked down at her, his cheeks flushed, his face drawn tight with desire.

“Making up for last night,” he said huskily. He knelt down in front of her, lifted her leg over

his shoulder, and brought his mouth down on her.

Cara inhaled sharply then let out a deep moan. His tongue and lips worked over her, sucking

and licking mercilessly. She pushed against him, lifting herself toward his bold, eager tongue.

She grasped fistfuls of his hair and held him to her.

A pressure spread through her belly and she groaned from the pain and pleasure of it. Her

thighs began to tremble uncontrollably and the sweet pressure continued to build until it snapped.

“Drake,” she cried. Then she burst into a million pieces.

* * * *

Cara was exhausted. It was dark in the quiet bedroom and though Drake had shown her

pleasure she had never experienced, she was more content to just have him beside her.

Her head rested on his chest, her hand slowly rubbing his arm and shoulders. The tension in

him was unmistakable.

“Drake, what’s wrong?”

He was silent for a moment then let out a harsh breath. “I should’ve known.”

Cara knew where his mind had gone, but she didn’t want him to go down the path of hate

and resentment. There had been too much of that already.

She leaned over him and placed her hand over his heart, trying to ease some of his rigidity

with her light touch. “How could you have?” she demanded softly. “You can’t blame yourself

for this, Drake. Let’s forget the past and focus on our future.”

He stared at her silently. “Is that what you want?” he asked softly. “A future with me?”

She nodded without reservation. “Yes,” she whispered. “I don’t want to lose you again.”


He sat up and pulled her to him. “You won’t lose me,” he assured her with a low, rough

whisper. “I promise you that.” He brought her face to his for a light kiss. “I’ve loved you for too

long and I’m not going anywhere.”

Cara smiled through the tears that gathered in her eyes. “Good,” she whispered. “Because

I’ve loved you forever.” She wrapped her arms tightly around him and they stayed like that for

some time.

“You know, Lynette asked me for a favor,” Drake confessed after a while. “But I said no.”

She pulled away from him. “Is it because—”

“No, it’s not because I hate her or anything,” he interrupted. “I may not like what she did but

she thought she was protecting you. And I can understand that.”

Cara nodded, grateful that Drake didn’t harbor any resentment toward her mother. “Well I’m

glad you said no because you don’t owe us anything.”

Drake shook his head. “I said no because she didn’t have to ask it.”

Cara frowned, confused. “What did she want?”

“For me to look out for you,” he said. “But she didn’t have to ask because you’re mine and

I’ll always protect you.”

Cara’s heart skipped. She stared at him, love and happiness bursting through her.

“Marry me, Cara.”

Before she could stop herself, she threw her arms around him. “Okay,” she breathed.

He hauled her to him and she pulled his head down, fitting her lips neatly against his. “By

the way,” she whispered into his mouth, “I quit.”

*THE END*

80 Lena Hart

About The Author

Lena Hart’s passion for romance novels began when she picked up Amanda Quick’s Seduction.

Her love for writing eventually emerged when she wrote two screenplays and a short story in her

8th grade English class. Though she enjoys reading a variety of romance genres, she mostly

writes sensual interracial romances with a flare of suspense and mystery. Lena currently lives in

New York City with her regal yet feisty calico mix kitty, Duchess. When she is not writing, she’s

reading, researching, or conferring with her muse. To learn more about Lena and her upcoming

works, visit www.LenaHartSite.com.

http://www.lenahartsite.com/


Secret Cravings Publishing

www.secretcravingspublishing.com



lena hart- because you are mine (2)

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