Page 32 of Fight for Me
“She what?” Lexie asked, suddenly feeling slightly more awake. Mrs. Derricks had complimented her outfit! Several times, actually. Which, now that Lexie thought about it, should probably have been a sign.
“She said it looked like you were dressed for a funeral.”
Lexie closed her eyes and stifled a yawn.
“Are you even listening?” Colt asked, his irritation coming through loud and clear. “You seem very distracted.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. It’s just very, very early,” Lexie said, sneaking another peek at the clock and hoping it had changed.
“Well, forgive me for disturbing you. I didn’t want to wait for you to finish curling your hair or whatever else you women have to do every time you leave the house,” he snapped, and Lexie flinched. How had she already made him angry? She’d only been awake for five minutes.
“I’ll be ready. Don’t worry.”
“Good. I’ll be there at nine,” he said sharply, and then he was gone.
Lexie dropped the phone onto her pillow without looking at it and rolled over, closing her eyes.
Jake’s heart pounded against her chest, his body heat making hers rise as his hand slid up her rib cage.
“Now, where were we?” he asked.
Ugh. Lexie’s eyes flew open again. Wherewerethey?
Nowhere. That was where they were.
Jake was kind and gentle and considerate. He left comic strip clippings and Post-it note doodles on her desk every day. He sometimes randomly disappeared from work and returned with strawberry smoothies from her favorite cafe. He was a good friend, and nothing else. That ship had sailed when she’dembarrassed him; he wasn’t likely to come back begging for another round.
She had Colt, and he was... well... Colt. He was brash and arrogant, confident and cocky. He made decisions for her and didn’t ask for her opinions. But he took care of her. And he loved her.
Didn’t he?
That was the million-dollar question.
Lexie stared at the textured ceiling above her bed, the details barely visible in the early morning light.
Coltsaidhe loved her. She’d waited her entire life to hear those words, and even though love didn’t feel the way she’d always hoped it would, it wasn’t something she could just walk away from. Plus, her father had made it very clear that Colt was the only good choice she’d ever made, and who was she to argue? She didn’t have any real evidence to the contrary.
Knowing she’d never get back to sleep, Lexie slung her legs over the edge of the bed with a groan. She moved quietly down the hall to the bathroom and filled the tub with steaming water, thinking she might as well enjoy herself since she had so much time. She made a mental note to thank Colt for that, managing not to roll her eyes as she did.
“Do you reallyhave to go all the way to Hampton just for breakfast?” Olivia asked, sitting on the edge of Lexie’s bed almost two hours later.
Lexie unwound a long, golden ringlet from her curling iron and arranged it over her shoulder, giving herself a critical look in her dresser mirror.
“It’s tradition. The first Sunday of every month is brunch at Penbrooke,” she said, referring to the Derricks’ large homeabout an hour from Cypress Valley. It not only had a name but also a set of tennis courts, a driving range and an infinity pool complete with a lazy river. It was basically a resort destination.
“You’d think they’d give you a break since you’re not actually family. It’s just pancakes,” Olivia replied unhelpfully.
Actually, it was a four-course social experience with everyone who was anyone within Derricks Pharmaceuticals, including the entire executive team and their families. Lexie’s presence was expected by default. The heir to the throne must have his princess, after all.
“You know how they feel about appearances” was all she offered Olivia, keeping the finer details to herself.
She knew exactly how it would go.
She and Colt would climb out of the car in his parents’ driveway, and Colt would appear at her side like the attentive, adoring partner he was meant to be. He would put on his most charming smile and look at her warmly, maybe even leaning down for a kiss if he thought anyone might be watching from the front windows. She’d look up into those crystal blue eyes, and her heart would remember a day when she’d thought this entrance came from a Hollywood movie rather than a well-choreographed sleight-of-hand show.
And then they’d go into the lion’s den, where glittering women using pretty words would pick her apart and show her every flaw she’d ever tried to hide, all while smiling graciously and asking if she’d like more champagne.
Lexie yanked the plug for the curling iron out of the wall, grateful for something to do with her hands.
