Our Little Secret Read online

  Lauren fought against a familiar, sinking feeling. Her irresponsible sister had stood her up—why should she be surprised? This was exactly what she hated about Meg, and exactly why she was with a dependable, sensible man like Jeff. Meg could stand to adopt a few of his values.

  “Call me Lauren,” she murmured, trailing Gerald into the living room. She could feel Drew’s presence behind her. All the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, as if carrying a magnetic charge pulling them in Drew’s direction. She tried to ignore him as she addressed Gerald. “What did you mean about determining her whereabouts? Where is Meg?”

  “Pay no attention to Gerald, he worries too much,” Drew said as he settled onto a yellow sofa. The silk brocade upholstery was patterned with pale green flowers, and the contrast with his plain sweater and jeans only made him look more masculine. Lauren didn’t realize she was staring until she caught his lazy smile. She quickly looked away.

  Gerald clasped his hands, apparently too nervous to sit. “Meg stopped by the house two days ago on her way to the bank. No one’s heard from her since.” Concern was evident in his voice. Gerald obviously considered Meg a friend, and he was worried about her. Lauren wondered if she should be worried, too.

  Drew gave a soft snort. “They haven’t heard from her with good reason. Either my father is keeping his new bride occupied, which I’ll admit is possible, or she’s already ditched him in favor of his assets, and she’s long gone.” When Lauren frowned at him he pointed toward the matching sofa across from his. “Have a seat. I can’t wait to hear what excuses you come up with for Meg’s behavior.”

  She eased onto the edge of the sofa, knees together, purse tucked under her arm, the antithesis of Drew’s relaxed sprawl. Angling her body away from him and toward Gerald, she tried to allay his fears. “I don’t know why you haven’t heard from Meg. I have. She called around noon the day before yesterday to say she’d reserved a plane ticket for me, and begged me to come. She knew I had to use my vacation time for the trip, so I’m sure she wouldn’t just”—she waved a hand and quoted him—“disappear. She knows I can’t stay here long. You’ll see, she’ll be back soon. She must be with Senator Creighton.” She slid a dark look at Drew as she quoted him again. “Who is keeping her occupied.”

  “Maybe,” Gerald mused. Lauren didn’t like how grudgingly he said it. “We called his Senate office, but he wasn’t available. Committee meetings or something. We’re waiting for him to call back.”

  “Stingy with vacation time, are you? Even to celebrate your sister’s marriage.”

  She glared at Drew, annoyed that he’d sorted out the one fact that made her sound prissy and rigid. “Not that it’s any of your business, but my fiancé and I have resort reservations that I made months in advance.”

  God, she did sound rigid. And prissy.

  “Oh, I know what her reason was.”

  “You do?” She and Gerald said it together.

  “It’s obvious.” He scanned Lauren from her turtleneck sweater to her sensible low-heeled shoes. “Do you and your sister always dress alike, some cute little twin thing?”

  “We’re not six years old,” Lauren snapped.

  “So why did you dress exactly like her today?”

  Had she? Lauren recalled his description of Meg’s coat and scarf, the reason for the mistaken identity at the front door. She hesitated, then admitted, “I didn’t know Meg owned the same coat and scarf. She Fed-Exed these to me. They were a gift, and she said if she knew exactly what I was wearing it would be easier to spot me at the airport.” It did sound weird, now that she said it out loud. They just didn’t know that weird behavior was the norm for her sister. As far as weird went, sending Lauren a new coat and scarf for her trip to Washington didn’t stand out.

  “But she didn’t pick you up at the airport,” Drew objected.

  “She sent a limo instead because she’d been delayed.”

  “Uh-huh. And why didn’t she just ask you what you’d be wearing? Wouldn’t that be easier than playing identical dress-up games?”

  Damn, his logic was even better than Jeff’s, who had impeccable reasoning skills. It didn’t seem to be puzzling Drew, though. “If you’re so smart, you tell me why she did it.”

  Drew made himself comfortable first, arms crossed and long legs stretched beneath the coffee table. It was the sort of careless confidence she might have found sexy in someone less obnoxious. “I don’t think Meg sent you an identical coat and scarf. I think she sent you her own.”

  Lauren recognized the truth as soon as he said it. She recalled noticing the faint scent of Meg’s perfume on both items. But she wasn’t about to admit anything to this stranger. “So what?”

  “So, she set you up. You were a decoy.”

  “What? That’s ridiculous.” Even as she denied it, Lauren was aware that was exactly how it sounded.

  He didn’t respond, just picked a piece of fuzz off his sweater while she thought about it. He was right, damn it. Meg had arranged for Lauren to arrive at the house looking exactly like her sister, while she was somewhere else.

  “She even cut her hair recently,” Drew reminded her. “She might have gone too short, but it made her look enough like you to fool Gerald at first, and no one is better than Gerald at noticing those sorts of details.”

  “That’s right,” Gerald agreed without a trace of false humility.

  Double damn. What was going on here? Lauren lifted a hand to her mouth and nearly started on a fourth nail before catching herself. She really needed to break the habit, but dealing with the screw-ups in her sister’s life made it difficult. Grabbing a lock of hair instead, she twirled it around her finger as she glanced at Gerald. He looked worried—no help there. Drew watched her impassively. “She must have had a good reason,” Lauren insisted finally.

  At least, she’d better have.

  “Of course she did,” Drew told her. She was beginning to hate his certainty about the whole confusing situation. “She wanted whoever was watching to think she hadn’t left town. Anyone who saw you would think you were Meg.”

  It made sense, and she nearly put a knot in her tortured strand of hair at the implication. “Who would be watching Meg?”

  “The press. My father’s marriage would be big news.”

  She’d forgotten about that. It would explain Meg’s ruse. If the press got wind of the biggest playboy in politics getting married, to his much-younger secretary at that, it would be all over the news.

  But it wasn’t. She tipped her head toward the front window and the empty lawn outside. “If the reporters were supposed to be watching for Meg—for me—why aren’t they here?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe you were Meg’s ace in the hole and she didn’t need you. She got away without the press getting a whiff of it. But if she hadn’t, you would have been here to divert their attention.” Drew suddenly dropped his placid pose and leaned forward, his gaze intense. “Your sister used you, Lauren. Convinced you to take off work and messed up your perfectly organized vacation schedule, just so she could avoid the press for a few days. How do you feel about that?”

  Pissed as hell, but not about to let him know it. Her infuriating nephew had already identified her weak spot, her obsessively regulated life, and it irritated her more than she wanted to admit. “Why do you hate Meg? You don’t even know her.”

  Drew’s expression hardened. “I don’t have to know her; I’ve met her type before. This town is full of them.”

  “Really? What type is that? Bright, efficient, and hard working? Yes, those are pretty suspicious qualities.”

  His lip quirked into a cynical smile that she tried not to think of as sensuous. “Oh, I don’t doubt she’s bright—they usually are. She’s also young, pretty, and ambitious enough to land a top job in a Senate office. Then a few short months later she marries her boss, a wealthy senator thirty-three years her senior.” Drew affected an innocent look. “Gosh, you don’t think that looks suspicious, do you?”


  At least now she knew why Meg had passed on any romantic involvement with Drew Creighton. The man was a butthead of the first degree.

  Lauren had nearly forgotten Gerald was there until he stirred at Drew’s words. “Now, Andrew, I told you Meg’s not like that.”

  “You don’t know Meg well enough to say what she’s like, Gerald.” He spoke sharply, without taking his eyes off Lauren.

  She fumed. “And you don’t know her at all. You want to know why this marriage is such a bad idea? The way I see it, an older man—much older—used his position and wealth to seduce a gullible young woman into his bed.” She only stretched the truth a little. Knowing Meg, Lauren had no doubt it was a mutual seduction. “Then he talked her into a marriage that would give him some classy arm candy to show off at banquets and parties, and even better, on the campaign trail—voters love candidates with pretty wives, don’t they?—while still keeping her available in his bedroom. Maybe Meg believed he’d give up his other women for her, but I’m not that naive. She’s just another conquest.”

  She expected him to be furious at the picture she’d painted of his father, but she didn’t care. They both knew it was true.

  Drew nodded. “Dad does have a reputation as a ladies’ man,” he agreed, undisturbed.

  Lauren bristled. “Is that the politically correct term? I do listen to the news, you know. The man’s a tomcat!”

  Drew nodded again. “Yup. I wonder what sort of sexual tricks it took to maneuver him into giving up two decades of happy bachelorhood. Your sister must be pretty skilled in that area.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him and willed her nephew to burst into flames.

  Drew stared back, serenely unaffected.

  That made one of them.

  Confusion fogged her mind. As irritating as Drew was, talking about possible sexual antics had sidetracked her brain. The sharp blue gaze that fastened on hers should have been cold and intimidating, but an unexpected heat began building inside her. Something had to be wrong with her.

  Maybe it was a lack of sex. Meg’s phone call had upset her, and she hadn’t kept her usual Thursday evening date with Jeff, which meant canceling one of their biweekly sex nights. Two sessions a week of making love in Jeff’s bed had always been enough for her, but she could be wrong. Maybe she needed more. Or maybe she’d thrown her hormones out of whack worrying about Meg. That would explain why she kept having all these conflicting thoughts about Drew.

  She had to admit, though, if the man weren’t such a jerk, he’d be every one of her fantasies come true. Family loyalty rated high with her, not to mention being quick-witted and handsome as sin. Just like Jeff, she assured herself. Except Jeff’s body was a little softer, and she couldn’t imagine calling him handsome as sin. Handsome, yes, but in a safer, more… bland way. She couldn’t figure out what it was about Drew that gave his looks a dangerous edge. Maybe it was the intensity in his gaze, or maybe the way his smile had a mischievous slant, making her wonder about things she had no business wondering about.

  She caught Drew watching her with frank curiosity and realized she’d sucked her lower lip between her teeth while staring thoughtfully at his mouth. Embarrassment flooded her cheeks.

  “This is not helping,” she said.

  Gerald stepped closer and placed his hands on his hips. “Arguing over motives isn’t getting us anywhere. We still don’t know where Meg is.”

  “Yes, we do.” Drew turned his attention toward Gerald. “She’s on her honeymoon.” The heat inside Lauren waned as soon as he said it.

  She looked at Gerald, too. Anything to avoid meeting Drew’s eyes. “No, she isn’t. Meg wouldn’t have told me to drop everything and come here just so she could sneak out of town.”

  “I agree,” Gerald said.

  His approval gave her enough courage to risk a glance at Drew. He raised his eyes in silent appeal to the heavens, apparently at their misguided loyalty to Meg. “Okay then, where is she and why can’t we reach her?”

  Frustration surged through Lauren, pulling her to her feet. “How should I know? But I’m not leaving until I see her. My sister thought it was vitally important that I come here today. And I’m glad I did because I plan to convince her to disassociate herself from the Creighton family as soon as possible.”

  It was much easier to meet Drew’s eyes when she glared.

  He smiled. “Well, Aunt Lauren, at least we agree on one thing—my father’s marriage to your sister is a mistake.”

  She gritted her teeth. “Don’t call me that.”

  “But I’m beginning to like the sound of it.”

  Gerald threw his hands up. “Oh, for crying out loud! Will you two behave?”

  The reprimand, coming from such a slight young man, carried a surprising amount of authority. Lauren gave him a sheepish smile. “You’re right.”

  “The voice of reason.” Drew stood, an act which, however unintentional, dramatically reduced Gerald’s presence in the room. “It looks like we have no choice but to wait for the happy couple to show up. So what do you say we make ourselves comfortable? I’m willing to play nice if you are… Lauren.”

  Since he dropped the Aunt, she forced her lips into a brief, upward curve. “Works for me.”

  He smiled back with seemingly genuine pleasure. Probably at the prospect of having several more hours to insult her sister.

  “We’ve forgotten our manners, Gerald. Lauren is our guest.” Drew turned back to her. “Can I get you anything?”

  It was about time someone asked. “Yes. Food.”

  He grinned, a look entirely too erotic for comfort. “Right this way.”

  Lauren spent the next hour eating her way through soup, a sandwich, and a large slice of pie. She tried to clean up, but Gerald shooed her out of the room along with Drew, who seemed no more familiar with Senator Creighton’s kitchen than she was. Growing up with money, he was probably used to having cooks make his food.

  Meg still hadn’t shown up, or even called. Neither had Senator Creighton.

  Lauren stood at the senator’s leaded glass living room window, brooding over the darkening Georgetown street. She felt Drew enter the room.

  “I just tried his office again. They haven’t heard from either of them, but apparently it’s not unusual for my dad to be out of touch for a day or two. He has an active, uh, social life.”

  Lauren nodded without turning and crossed her arms. At least he was keeping her updated without dropping further insinuations about her sister’s loose life and shady motives.

  “Why don’t you try your sister’s cell phone?”

  “I did. I’m still getting her voice mail.”

  He was silent for a moment. “Would you like to watch TV?”

  “No, thank you.”

  Another short silence. “How about—”

  Lauren spun around. “Stop being so nice to me. It’s like someone’s died and you’re afraid to say the wrong thing.”

  Drew ducked his head and scratched at a lock of dark hair on his forehead, but she thought he hid a smile behind his arm. “Sorry. Would you like me to say something insulting about your sister?”

  “That would certainly sound more like you,” she grumbled.

  He bit his cheek, and this time she was certain it was amusement he held back. It made her feel a little better to know he was laughing at her. No one laughed at tragedies.

  “You were starting to look as worried as Gerald,” Drew said. “Is it unusual for Meg to change her plans without telling you?”

  Lauren shot a hard look at him, wondering if he’d known the answer before he asked. “No, unfortunately, it isn’t.”

  “Not the responsible type, eh? Just takes off on a whim and never considers that someone might worry?”

  She shifted uncomfortably. “Don’t push it, Creighton.”

  He didn’t try to hide his enjoyment. “It bugs you, doesn’t it, having to be the responsible one? The one who has to clean up her messes?”

  How did he do
that? It was like she had the words written across her forehead: Good sister and martyr.

  Lauren straightened her spine. “There’s nothing wrong with being responsible. It shows consideration and maturity.”

  Drew laughed. “Spoken like a true adult.”

  His superior act was getting on her nerves. “I’m thirty-one years old, Drew. I am an adult. And so is Meg. She has a wonderful career just like an adult, and she pays her taxes and her bills like an adult. It’s just that sometimes…” Her voice ran down along with her temper. “Sometimes she doesn’t act like one.”

  Admitting Meg’s faults to Drew made Lauren angry and depressed all over again. She turned back to the window. Why couldn’t Meg just pull in the driveway so Lauren could yell at her, talk her into a divorce, then go back home?