Page 42 of The Mountain Man's Virgin
On Seattle’s gray streets, traffic seemed to be in slow motion as the Range Rover crawled along. I wanted to scream at the cars to speed up. I wanted to yell at the pedestrians to pick up the pace and get out of our way, so I could get home.
I was antsy, I didn’t want to be in the car with Lawrence, I wanted to be in Mick’s strong arms. I glanced over at Lawrence. He had his hand draped over the steering wheel and was checking his text messages again.
“You know, they just raised the fine for distracted driving,” I said as the car inched closer to the sidewalk.
Lawrence dropped the phone onto the seat between his legs and opened his fingers up, palms on the steering wheel, a mock hands up. “I’ve been texting and driving for years and haven’t hit anyone yet, baby.” He grinned at me and reached for my hand. Who was this Jekyll and Hyde character? I noticed that he kept tapping his fingers on his thigh and glancing down to check his phone every few minutes.
I sighed and slid my hand out from under his, leaving his soft hand resting on my leg. Lawrence and his family were above the law. If he mowed someone over in his car, I’m positive that his family would just make a donation to the right hospital and he’d walk away guilt free.
“Alanna’s tumor hasn’t grown,” I said, trying to fill the silence that hung heavy in the car.
“That’s good. Isn’t it?”
“It is. She asked about you, you know.”
“You know that I hate hospitals.”
Lawrence had come to visit my sister a grand total of two times. I thought that he had been charming, but I guess Alanna had seen right through his act. I wish that she would’ve told me that she didn’t like him, that I should run away as fast as I could, but I don’t think that I would’ve listened to her.
Instead of turning toward south side, Lawrence turned the Range Rover north toward the coast.
“Where are we going?” I asked. Breaking up with him on my own turf was going to be the easiest way to do it. I could tell him that we had drifted apart and then shut the door on him, closing that chapter on my life forever.
“It’s a surprise babe,” he said and reached for my hand again.
Oh, shit.
I let him hold onto my limp hand and stared out the window. How could I get out of this?
“Lawrence, I just want to go home and curl up in my own bed.” It was the truth. I didn’t mention that I wanted a certain lumberjack in my bed with me. In fact, the idea of getting under the sheets with Lawrence, his cologne and waxed skin, repulsed me. I longed for the feel of a man with muscles created from chopping wood, being enveloped in the scent of cedar and musk.
“You’ve been through a lot, Lucy. Let me take care of you. And trust me, you’re gonna love this.”
“No, Lawrence. I really am drained.” It was true. I was tired, and the idea of pretending to be the happy girlfriend for another few hours was exhausting.
“Lucy. I put a lot of effort into this surprise for you. Just give it a chance.”
I knew that Lawrence always got what he wanted and wouldn’t let this go. I decided that I would just shut up and call a cab once we got to wherever the hell this surprise was.
The city grew small behind us as we headed north up the coast. We drove for about half an hour before Lawrence pulled down a paved laneway that led to two huge gates. He pressed the buzzer and the gates swung open. As we crested the hill, I caught sight of what I thought was a big stone hotel, complete with turrets.
“What is this place?”
“It’s called Hearthstone - it’s another one of our family homes.”
“This is a house?” I said, taking in the gorgeous architecture. The hotel, I mean the house, was perched on a seaside cliff surrounded by stone walls.
“They still have cannons on those outer walls,” Lawrence said, pointing out the window.
“Remind me again how many companies your family owns?” I asked. I had seen opulence before, but this was another level. This home could rival Buckingham Palace.
“It’s just the one, you know that.”
That’s what Lawrence always said when I asked about what his family did for a living. He never gave me a straight answer. it was always, “It’s a family business.” Sometimes he said that they were involved in acquisitions, sometimes he said consulting. I hadn’t wanted to seem like I was prying, or that I was an idiot. I mean, was I supposed to know what someone meant when they said that they were in consulting?
We were met by a butler in full traditional garb. He opened the passenger door and grasped my hand with his white-gloved one to help me out of the car. I think that he said, welcome, but it was hard to hear over the rushing sound of the water from the marble sculpture in the centre of the circular driveway.
I smiled at the butler. “Hello.”
