LEAD ME ON by Julie Ortolon (best pdf ebook reader TXT) 📗

skiing in Vermont, so there’s no way she can come.”

Alli nodded.

“Where’d Scott go?” Adrian asked.

“He went to take Chloe back to the inn, but offered to gather up some food and drinks and come back. I figured we’d have a small crowd before long.”

“Now why didn’t I think of that?”

“Because you’re nervous, too.” She smiled at him.

He just laughed. “Caught me.”

As they settled on the sofa, a low keening moan came from the other room. Alli chewed her lip, part of her wanting to rush to her sister’s side and hold her hand through the next hours. Another part of her wanting to run from the barrage of memories.

“You know, Alli...” Adrian said, pulling her attention away from the half-opened doorway. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about Scott.”

She turned to him, startled, then let out a groan of her own. “Not now, Adrian. I’m really not up to one of your big-brother lectures.”

“Actually, it was going to be an apology, but if you’re not interested ...” He sat back.

“Apology?”

“Yeah.” He turned almost sheepish. Well, as sheepish as her six-foot-plus hunk of a brother could get. “I think there’s an outside possibility, a slight one, mind you, that I may have been wrong about the guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I thought he was using you—taking advantage of your inexperience.”

“I’ve already told you—”

He raised his hand, silencing her. “I know what you told me. That it was a mutual use.”

“A mutual agreement.”

“Whatever you want to call it, I’m not blind. I can see there’s something pretty powerful going on between you two, and I just want to say, about time. You deserve a man who’s crazy about you.”

She sat there stunned. “There’s nothing ‘powerful’ going on between us.”

“Alli, how stupid do you think I am? Do you honestly think I don’t know you two have been going at it like rabbits for the past week?”

Her cheeks heated with embarrassment. “But that’s just sex.”

“That’s not ‘just sex.’ Trust me. When it’s just sex, you do it once or twice and move on. When two people become clothing challenged for days on end, there’s a whole lot more going on than a mutual desire to get horizontal.”

Her embarrassment grew as she remembered some of the times they hadn’t even bothered with the horizontal part, or getting completely undressed. She concentrated on smoothing her dress over her knees. “Okay, I’ll admit, we enjoy each other’s company. It doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Adrian opened his mouth as if to argue, but apparently changed his mind. “I just wanted to say, whatever is going on between you two, knock yourselves out. You’ll get no more grief from me. Not that you need my approval, but well, there you go.”

“Thank you,” she said, wondering why his approval bothered her more than his disapproval.

Chapter 20

Scott returned to find that Bobby and Paige had arrived along with an older couple who were introduced to him as Chance’s parents, Ellen and Norman Chancellor. The names gave his heart a bit of a lurch. He’d heard his mother, who’d grown up in Galveston, speak of Ellen Chancellor as a mild acquaintance. John had done business at Norman Chancellor’s bank for years, although the relationship had clearly been severed over the Pearl Island foreclosure.

As he returned their greeting, he reminded himself the Chancellors had no reason to connect Scott Lawrence to John and Deirdre LeRoche, or DeeDee, as his mother’s friends called her. Her maiden name had been Howard, so DeeDee wasn’t so bad, but he’d always thought that paired with LeRoche it sounded like a stripper name. Not that he would ever tell his mother that, but how could she not think it herself?

Adrian took the bag of pastries from him, and somehow the two of them wound up working side by side in the kitchenette, filling cups with ice and pouring tea and juice for everyone.

Scott glanced over his shoulder at Allison, who sat in a chair away from the others, looking small and lost. “Is Alli all right?”

Adrian hesitated slightly. “She’s just worried about Rory.”

“Is there some complication I don’t know about?”

“With Rory, no. Although ... if you could stick by Alli, keep her distracted, I’d appreciate it.”

The words startled Scott. Over the last week, Allison’s brother had thawed a bit toward him, but to actually encourage him to spend time with his sister set a new precedent. “Sure. I’ll do what I can.”

“Thanks.” With a friendly nod, Adrian took drinks over to Chance’s parents. They were a handsome couple, with the polished manners of old money.

Norman Chancellor scowled at the cup. “I don’t suppose you have anything stronger to put in this.”

“Sorry.” Adrian laughed. “I’m afraid iced tea and fruit juice are all we have.”

Scott carried a cup to Allison and squatted down by her chair. “Any news on how she’s doing?”

Allison blinked as if pulling herself out of her own thoughts. “Ellen went in a bit ago and said it was going really fast.” Her gaze wandered toward the door. “I should probably go in, too. Sit with her.”

He tipped his head, noting the lines of stress etched about her mouth. “You can do that later. How about you and I go for a walk to help pass the time?”

“No. I want to stay here. I need to be near my sister.”

“All right.” Glancing around, Scott saw a straight-backed chair against the wall and dragged it over to sit by Allison. “So, is this your first birthing to sit through?”

She hesitated, then nodded.

“It’s my second. Although, so far, it seems a whole lot more boring sitting out here than being in where all the action is going on. You want me to tell you about it? Minus the gory details?”

“You’ve been through this before?” Ellen Chancellor asked.

“With my niece,” Scott said, and regaled the room with how his sister had called him in the middle of the night to say it was time and for him to come get her. He’d