LEAD ME ON by Julie Ortolon (find a book to read TXT) 📕

She laid a hand on his thigh, longing to absorb some of his worry. “I’m so sorry. What can I do?”

Gratitude filled his eyes as he stared at her. “You just did it.”

“What?”

He covered her hand with one of his. “You did nothing. You didn’t ask for anything, blame me, or demand that I fix the problem. You did ... nothing.”

She sat quietly as his thumb brushed her knuckles. In that moment, gazing into his eyes, she felt closer to him than she had last night even when their bodies had been joined.

He looked away. “The worst part is, all I can do is wait by the phone. The police have put out a BOLO, ‘be on the lookout,’ but runaways aren’t something they actively investigate. So I have to wait and hope either Chloe calls and tells me where she is, or my sister calls to tell me the kid’s been found.”

“Do you know where she may have headed?”

“Yeah. She left a suitably dramatic note saying she wanted to live with me, so it’s a safe bet she headed for my townhouse.” He rubbed his forehead. “I live in the French Quarter, for God’s sake. I don’t even want to think about my twelve-year-old niece wandering around that area by herself.”

“What do you think she did when she found out you weren’t there?”

“She was smart enough to call my agent, who told her where I’m staying and gave her the phone number. Since she hasn’t called, I assume she’s taken it into her head to come find me. Oh, man.” He leaned forward, and buried his face in both hands.

Worry came off him in waves, reminding her of her brother when he went into protective male mode.

“If she’s hitchhiking I swear I’ll kill her. Surely she’s not that stupid, though. She’s a smart kid. She’ll try to take a bus, right?” He looked at Allison, his eyes beseeching. “The driver will notice she’s a minor traveling alone and turn her in, right?”

Her heart ached, knowing all the things that could happen, or might already have happened. “I’m sure she’ll be fine.”

He nodded and stared at the phone as if willing it to ring.

Allison petted Sadie absentmindedly as she wondered what to do. “Can I get you something to eat?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“How about something to drink? We have white wine in the refrigerator.”

He laughed. “Now that I’ll take.”

Nodding, she headed back for the kitchen to get a bottle of Pinot Grigio. When she and Sadie returned, he raised a brow at the second glass. She shrugged. “I figured I might as well keep you company while you wait.”

“Thanks.” His whole face relaxed with a smile. “You know, Alli, I don’t care what anybody says, you’re okay.”

She laughed as she poured them each a glass. “Such lavish praise.”

“Try and not let it go to your head.”

She sat beside him and Sadie settled in at their feet. “Tell me about Chloe.”

“Oh, she’s a handful.” He laughed. “Smart, stubborn, a tomboy trapped in a body destined to be a heartbreaker. I’ve been totally nuts about her since the day she was born, and she knows it.”

“You spend a lot of time with her?”

“Not as much as I’d like, but more time than her father does.”

“Oh?” Allison frowned at the bitter edge to his voice.

He settled back into the corner of the settee, facing her with an ankle resting on the opposite knee. “My sister has a real knack for picking men. Chloe’s father is a prime example, suave, charming, and a total user. That was Diane’s first husband and the marriage lasted all of one year. She’s been married twice since then and is currently accepting applications for asshole number four. Chloe has a way of getting lost in the shuffle.”

“So you step in as surrogate dad.”

“Something like that. I like having her around, even if she is a major distraction.” He took a sip of wine. “The irony is, Diane loves to complain about how our parents were so wrapped up in their own lives, they totally neglected us as kids. Yet she’s doing exactly the same thing. It drives me insane.”

“Have you talked to her about it?”

“Oh yeah.” He snorted. “Unfortunately, Diane’s whole life is an optional illusion.”

“An ‘optional’ illusion?” Alli settled back into her own corner of the settee.

“You know, you get to pick and choose your own reality. She’s quite creative at altering the facts to fit her fantasy.”

“Maybe she should have been the writer in the family.”

“Gawd.” He shielded his eyes. “I can just imagine the kind of books she’d write—high drama with lots of angst. There would be the misunderstood glamour queen who marries one lying, cheating playboy after another, the child who takes her for granted, and the friends who only care about her money and connections. No one really loves her, or gives her the attention she deserves.”

“Sounds dysfunctional enough to be a blockbuster movie.”

“That’s it!” He snapped his fingers. “She writes a book, Hollywood picks up the movie rights, and Diane becomes even more impossible to deal with than she is now.”

“No.” Allison shook her head. “She marries the leading man. Finds him in bed with a starlet. Murders him, and goes to jail.”

Scott raised both eyebrows. “Maybe you should be a writer.”

“Wait, I’m not finished.” She waved her hand as she took a sip of wine. “In prison, her roommate is a cat burglar who teaches her the tricks of the trade. They stage a daring breakout, then go about the country stealing from all the men who ever did them wrong.”

“With Diane that would have to be all over the world. Asshole number three was an Italian tennis pro.”

“Italy, hum? Even better. They can graduate from stealing jewels to stealing internationally famous art objects.”

He grinned, getting into the spirit of the story. “And since they both hate men so much, they become lesbian lovers.”

“Oh, that’s good.” Alli laughed. “What happens next?”

Scott wiggled his brows. “Diane finds her new lover in bed with