"Are you crazy? Lace, you're hot. Lady in red, remember? He'd be lucky to have you."
"Thanks. But he's not exactly spoiled for choice." The two women Bronson had been at the nightclub with on the night they'd met had been ten times better looking than Lacey.
"If he can't see how great you are, then he doesn't deserve you. Period."
"Okay, I won't argue." Lacey let out a real laugh this time, grateful to have Ally on her side. "But it was a one night thing. We both agreed."
"So you're not going to keep sleeping with him?"
"No, of course not."
"Okay."
"Seriously. I'm not."
"I believe you," said Ally, in a way that told Lacey she totally didn't.
"It's true. Goodbye." Lacey hung up quickly, before Ally could say anything else. At least now she could get her blog post written. It was a G-rated account of last night's storm, highlighting the fact that the Baxter needed urgent repairs. From now on she'd drop the #PamperedPlayboy label she'd given Bronson. Not much of a compromise, but it would have to do.
She worked all day, keeping herself sharp with regular consumption of coffee and chocolate, and left the library at six. On the way back to her apartment, she stopped at Crystal's door and knocked. There was no answer. She knocked again, frowning. "Crystal? It's Lacey." Still no answer. Wolf wasn't barking so they had to be out, but she dropped in on her neighbor every evening around this time. Usually Crystal would let her know if she wasn't going to be home.
Worried, she went across the hall to her own apartment, and let herself in. A fire crackled in the hearth, and candles flickered on every surface, making the place mysterious and romantic. When she walked into the hall, a delicious smell wafted over the scent of burning logs. Lacey's stomach gurgled in response. Usually she got home to a freezing cold house and the stink of damp walls and slowly-rotting carpet, so this was a very pleasant change. She could get definitely get used to having dinner waiting for her. But how could Bronson have cooked a meal without electricity?
"Hello?" She put her laptop bag on the coffee table and went into the kitchen. Dozens more candles were flickering in there, making it look like a set from a medieval movie. Lit up in their glow, Bronson was pouring a glass of wine. And he was wearing … Oh crap. Lacey closed her eyes and groaned. "Where did you get that?"
"From your website, of course." Bronson glanced down at his gray T-shirt. The words Team Bronson were emblazoned across his chest. And underneath in smaller letters, #TheBaxterGames. He nodded to a woman's sized shirt on the counter that said Team Lacey. "I got one for you."
"Great." She took the glass of wine he handed her. "Listen, I stopped to check on Crystal, but she isn't answering her door. I'm worried something might have happened to her, so I think we should-"
He held up one hand. "Don't worry, she's fine. Her son picked her and the dog up a little while ago, and they've gone to see the place she's moving into. It's a retirement complex a little way out of town. Nice gardens, apparently."
Lacey frowned, her heart contracting the way it always did when she thought of Crystal moving out. "I don't know how she'll get on without me. And she'll hate living in a retirement home. Bingo and sing-alongs? That's just not her."
"Her new place is close enough that you can visit."
"But I always pick up her medicine for her. And I walk Wolf at least three times a week."
"She'll have twenty-four hour medical care available, and no stairs to climb."
"But she won't have me just across the hall. And I won't have her." Lacey turned away so he couldn't see her face. He'd never understand how she felt. Her father was stuck in a place he hated, and now the woman who'd been like a mother was leaving too. Even if she could get this place fixed up well enough for her father to come back, Crystal never would.
Thirteen
Seeing Lacey's expression, Bronson couldn't help himself. He slipped his arms around her from behind, so his front was pressed against her back. His cheek rested against the top of her head. She didn't lean into him, but she didn't pull away either.
It might be his fault Crystal was moving, but surely Lacey could see the woman would be better off in her new home? And when Lacey moved out of the Baxter, she could live somewhere that didn't leak, or smell, or grow mold. Somewhere the electricity would stay on all the time. Where she'd be safe.
The sooner that happened the better, not that she'd appreciate it if he told her. Instead he dropped his face so his nose was in her hair. What was it about her scent that turned him on? She wasn't wearing expensive perfume, lotions or sprays. Just the smell of soap and skin, faintly bookish from having spent the day in the library.
Every time he set foot in a library from now on, he'd probably get a boner.
She sighed, relaxing a little in his arms. "I thought we weren't going to do this again."
"I'm not doing anything."
"Really?" She angled her head around to shoot him a sideways look.
"Want some dinner?" He nodded at the foil-wrapped package on the kitchen bench. "The power's been out all day, so I had it delivered."
"Of course you did. Snap your fingers and you can have anything you want." She eased out of his grip and turned to face him. "Don't suppose you got someone to come and fix the roof?"
"I did, actually." And when her eyes widened, added, "But don't get too excited. It's a temporary job that won't last long. A lot of sealant that'll only stop the worst of the leaks."
"Just enough to make your stay more comfortable."
"Speaking of a comfortable stay, it's a little strange that all the other apartments had their electricity restored."
"Did they?" Her cheeks went pink, and he bit back a smile. Keeping the power off is exactly what he'd do in her place, so he could hardly blame her. Besides, all the candles he'd set up looked rather romantic. Perfect for another seduction. They might have agreed last night's lovemaking would be a one-off event, but why not stretch it to two nights? As long as they were clear it wouldn't change anything with regards to their bet, he couldn't see the harm.
Opening the foil-wrapped package, she bent to sniff its contents. "It smells good."
He glanced at the small, cracked formica table. Several candles flickered on it, but even those couldn't make it look appealing. "Let's have a picnic."
"A picnic?"
He took their food into the living room and spread a blanket in front of the fire. After throwing several pillows and cushions onto the blanket, they ate sprawled on the floor, with the flames dancing in front of them and the warmth of the flames matched only by Lacey's smile.
"You did some reading today?" She nodded to the neat pile he'd made with the folded-up camping bed and his clothes. The novel Carla had picked out was lying on top.
"My assistant's idea. For a long time, I've been too busy to read. But I'm enjoying taking some time out from the clubs."
She wrinkled her nose. "Your week isn't supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be cold, damp, and miserable."
"If it makes you feel better, it's definitely been damp." With his stomach pleasantly full of good food, and Lacey beside him, her living room wasn't dingy, but rich and welcoming. Thanks to her, he was having more fun than he'd had in years.
"Did you make friends with Myrtle?" she nodded to the fish tank under the window.
"Myrtle?"
"The turtle."
He frowned. "The tank's empty."
"No it's not." She laughed. "You obviously don't know turtles." She jumped up to clear the dinner plates away, and he glanced back at the fish tank as he got up to help her carry them out. Weird. The thing was definitely empty. There were rocks, sure. But none were turtle-shaped.
"Your book must have been good," she said when they went back to their picnic blanket. "You didn't tweet much today."
"Neither did you."
"I was busy." She piled up some pillows to lie back on, and gazed into the fire. "Actually, I should have tweeted more. I feel terrible about what we did last night. If my readers discover I slept with the enemy, they'll think I've betrayed them."
"I don't want anyone to find out about it either."
She jerked her face to him. "I'm not good enough for you?"
Her expression was so outraged, he couldn't help but chuckle. "I have four hundred employees. If the popularity of my clubs dips, their jobs are threatened. My reputation is a big part of their popularity. Why do you think I work so hard on it? And unfortunately, you're a little wholesome to fit with my image."