“Sometimes, I wish that too, but a wise man once told me that change was inevitable and it was how you dealt with it that mattered.” She went over to the cupboard and pulled down two mugs. Expertly she tugged out the coffeepot and inserted one mug under the trickling brew while she filled the other cup by pouring coffee from the pot. When the other cup was full, she pulled it from the coffee machine and replaced the pot, all without spilling a drop. Returning to the counter, she plunked both coffees down and waited.
“Obviously, that guy didn’t know what he was talking about.” Lucas was chuckling at her, his smile brightening his whole face. “Only you would throw my own words back in my face.” He picked up his mug and took an obviously much-needed gulp. Katie examined his face and noticed the circles under his eyes. He looked almost as bad as she did, but she’d been too wrapped up in her own worries to notice.
“Thanks for the coffee.” He paused. “But seriously, Katie, what’s wrong? Are you worried about the business? Is it some guy?”
Something in her expression must have tipped him off because his coffee cup made a thud as he slammed it to the counter. His large hands flattened on the countertop and he leaned towards her. “Did some guy hurt you?” Lucas’s eyes glowed, promising immediate retribution.
“It is a guy. But he didn’t hurt me, at least not in the way you mean.” She paused to gather her thoughts.
Lucas was not reassured. “But he’s done something that’s upset you.” It was a statement, not a question, and it demanded a response from her.
Tugging on the tails of her apron, she marshaled her thoughts. “I met this guy and it got pretty intense fast.” Lucas waited impatiently for her to continue. His whole body practically vibrated with his barely contained energy. “I’m not sure he feels the same way I do and it worries me. That’s all.” She hoped her condensed explanation would satisfy him, but one look at his face told her no such luck.
“That’s all!” he roared. Lucas’s hands curled into fists on the top of the counter. “Katie. You haven’t even looked at a man since Kent and now you’re telling me you’re serious about some guy that I don’t even know.”
Katie knew it was that fact, more than any other, that both upset and hurt him at the same time. At times, Lucas took his role as big brother way too seriously for Katie’s liking. This was obviously one of those times, so she tried to smooth it over just a little by offering him some reassurance. “But you do know him, in a way. It’s the guy who bought the painting.”
“I don’t know him at all. I only dealt with his assistant, that Martha what’s-her-name.” Lucas started pacing in the kitchen. “How the hell did he meet you?”
“He followed me home,” Katie replied in a meek voice. She braced herself for the explosion.
“He followed you home. My god, Katie, do you have a death wish? You don’t know anything about this guy.” Lucas was now frantically pacing back and forth across the kitchen but not once did he take his eyes off Katie.
She held her hands out pleadingly in front of her and tried to find the words to placate him. “He didn’t approach me at first and he told me who he was immediately. We’ve spent some time together…” Her voice trailed off as Lucas rounded the counter and hauled her up in front of him. His grip was gentle even though his whole body was vibrating with barely suppressed anger.
“Katie, you’ve been spending time with a virtual stranger that none of your friends have met. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” He shook her lightly as he spoke.
Katie pulled back and put her hands on her hips. Now she was the one getting angry. “I’m a grown woman not a child. Besides which, I feel safe when I’m with him.” She felt like stomping her foot in anger and would have if she hadn’t just told Lucas she wasn’t a child.
“It’s the fact that you are a woman— a beautiful, young woman— that worries me.” Lucas sighed and shook his head. “You know I’m going to worry about you until I meet him. At least tell me his name and let me check him out for you.” Lucas smiled and added in a cajoling voice, “Then I won’t worry so much.” When that gambit looked like it might not work, he quickly added, “Katie, I don’t need any more gray hair.”
Katie burst out laughing, as he’d known she would. Lucas didn’t have a gray hair on his head. It was still a thick blond that he kept chopped off short. She stepped forward and ruffled his hair. “We can’t have that happen to your beautiful hair, can we? It’s not a secret, I guess. His name is Cain Benjamin.”
Lucas went as still as a statue. “What did you say?”
Katie began to get nervous. “Cain Benjamin. Why, do you know him?”
“Sit down, honey.” He helped her sit on a stool and took both her hands in his, and the bleak look on his face began to frighten her.
“Just tell me what you know. You’re scaring me.”
“I’m the one who’s scared, but you’ve got nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of things.”
“Take care of what? How do you know Cain?” Her voice was a high-pitched wail. She was very afraid of what Lucas was going to tell her.
Gripping her hands tight in his he took a deep breath and began. “I did some research on E. S. Investors.”
Now Katie was perplexed. “What does that have to do with this?”
“This company buys and sells real estate, businesses, and just about any other thing it wants to.” Katie was wondering why that phrase sounded so familiar and almost missed Lucas’s next statement. “It’s owned and operated by one man. Cain Benjamin.”
“No, that’s not possible.” Katie felt all the blood drain from her face. Her head felt like it was spinning. She shook her head, the denial immediately springing to her lips. “You must be mistaken.”
“I wish I was.” He took her cold hands in his large, warm ones. Katie was glad for the warmth. Her whole body felt cold and she began to shake.
Lucas chafed her hands between his. “Reclusive multimillionaire, Cain Benjamin. He made a fortune on the Internet companies when they first started and is a wizard on the stock markets as well. Whatever he touches turns to gold, but he keeps to himself. I couldn’t even find a picture of this guy online and he’s been written up in every major business magazine.”
The thought that Cain would simultaneously make love to her and destroy something he knew she loved was almost incomprehensible. Her laughter was bitter. He’d already known about Lucas losing the location for his shop. After all, he was the one taking it from him. Katie felt like a fool remembering how she’d poured her heart out to him over the phone. She shuddered when she remembered his cold reply. “It’s business,” he’d replied. And she guessed, to him that was what mattered. Her feelings certainly didn’t seem to make any difference to him.
Lucas had released her hands and wrapped his arms around her, but Katie couldn’t feel them. She couldn’t feel anything at all. The sound of hysterical laughter filled the air and she wished whoever it was would shut up so she could think. Her whole body was shaking and she was chilled to the bone, so very, very cold.
“I know you’re cold, honey.” She was surprised when Lucas answered her. She hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud. “You’ve had a shock, but everything will be all right,” his deep voice rumbled.
The world was a deep haze to her now and tears blurred her vision. The only solid thing in her world was Lucas and she clung to him for dear life. His voice coaxed her into her coat and in moments she was bundled into his car. For a moment, she came out of her funk, knowing something wasn’t right.
“What about the shop? We have to open the shop.” She had to make Lucas understand that it was time for work.