Safe in the Tycoon's Arms (Harlequin Romance) by Jennifer Faye Read Free Book Online

why he’d decided to marry Elaina. They had a relationship based on friendship and mutual goals, not love. A nice, simple relationship. Boy, had he made a huge miscalculation. Even without love things got complicated quickly. Now he couldn’t let his daughter pay the price for his poor decisions.
    Lucas stopped next to the table and stared down at the unfinished email. The cursor blinked, prompting him for the next words, but he couldn’t even recall what he’d written.
    Nothing was going right at the moment. First, his ex-wife declared war if he pursued his right to spend time with his little girl. Then there was the San Francisco expansion, which was hemorrhaging money. His only hope was the launch of his newest line: Fiery Hearts—brilliant rubies set in the most stunning handcrafted settings.
    The launch of this line had to be bigger and better than any other he’d done. Fiery Hearts had to start a buzz that would send women flocking to Carrington’s, infusing it with income to offset the cost of getting the West Coast showroom up and running. He raked his fingers through his hair, struggling for some innovative, headline-making launch for the line. But he drew a blank.
    He closed the laptop and strode over to the counter. He went to refill his coffee cup only to find the pot empty. The thought of brewing more crossed his mind, but he had a better idea—getting away from the house by going to a coffee shop. Between the hum of conversation and his laptop, it’d keep him occupied. And if Kate needed her suitcase, she had his number.
    Satisfied with his plan of action, he grabbed his keys and wallet when his cell phone buzzed. A quick glance at the illuminated screen revealed it was his aunt.
    “Aunt Connie, I’ve been trying since last night to get you. Are you okay?”
    “Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
    “I’m not used to you being out so late and not taking my calls.”
    “Sorry. I was at the hospital, sitting with a woman whose husband underwent emergency surgery.”
    “Did everything go well?” he asked, already having a pretty good guess at the answer. His aunt was too upbeat for things to have gone poorly.
    “Yes, the man has a good prognosis. So, dear, how are things going in San Francisco?”
    This was his opening to find out what exactly was going on here. “I got back late last night.”
    There was a quick intake of breath followed by silence. He wasn’t going to help his aunt out of this mess. She owed him an explanation of why a stranger was living here in his home without his permission. He might love his aunt dearly, but this time she’d overstepped.
    “Oh, dear. Umm...I meant to call you—”
    “So you’re admitting you invited Kate to stay here without consulting me?”
    “Well, yes. But I knew you’d understand.” Uncertainty threaded through her voice.
    If Connie were an employee, he’d let her have an earful and then some. But this was his aunt, the only family member who’d ever worried more about his happiness than the company’s bottom line...or having the Carrington name appear on the society page with some splashy headline. He couldn’t stay angry with her, even if he tried.
    “It might be best if you ask in the future, instead of assuming.” He made sure to use his I’m-not-messing-around voice.
    “I’m sorry. She doesn’t have any family for support or anywhere to go. And I would have sent her to my place, but you know after the last person I took in, my roommate insisted I never bring home anyone else. How was I to know that woman liked to borrow things?”
    “Without permission and without any intention of returning them.”
    He was so grateful that his aunt had Pauline to look after her. If it weren’t for Pauline, he’d never feel comfortable enough to leave town on business. His aunt was too nice, too unassuming. As a result, people tried repeatedly to take advantage of her to get to the Carrington fortune.
    “Kate isn’t like the others,” Connie