When I'm with You (Because You Are Mine #2)(75)

“I can imagine,” she said, compassion seeping into her awareness. No matter her annoyance at him, Lucien was going through a rough time right now. He sounded exhausted. “Don’t tell me you were up again all night?”

“I’ll catch some sleep this morning,” he said, the hitch in his voice making her think he’d just fallen into bed. A sharp longing went through her to be there with him, to feel his arms around her— She interrupted her own thoughts before she sabotaged herself.

“Francesca stopped by Fusion today. She asked you and me to come to dinner at Ian’s Monday night. Do you want to go?”

“I should be back in town by then. Yes, if you do.” There was a pause and Elise simmered in the silence. “You might as well get to it,” he said.

“Get to what?”

“Whatever you’re pissed about. I assume there’s something, because you clearly haven’t been following my instructions,” he said levelly.

“With good reason. Do you know what else Francesca asked me?” Elise demanded, launching into her attack. “If I would ask my father to design her wedding dress. Ian told her to ask me.”

“Okay,” Lucien said slowly. His cautious confusion at her anger only amplified her irritation.

“Why didn’t you tell me that Ian knew who I was?”

“Was it important to you that he didn’t know?”

“No,” she exclaimed heatedly. “It’s not important to me. I thought it was important to you to keep my family and background hushed up. I thought you were trying to keep people from asking questions about our past connection!”

Lucien sighed. “If it’s any consolation to know it, I never told Ian specifically about your family. He found out himself. He knows everything about people that are in his life, even in the peripheral sense. It’s not only a precaution; it’s in his nature to know as much as he can in any given situation. He’s not the most trusting type, Ian. I imagine he comes by his paranoia honestly.”

Elise’s mouth fell open. Her annoyance segued to outrage.

“By your logic, Ian Noble would know everything about you and your past, then.” The silence rung in her ears. She threw caution to the wind. “He would know all about your father’s prosecution and imprisonment.”

“He does know all about it. I confided in him after my father’s arrest. He supported me during the trial, just by listening. I never told you anything different,” he added when she remained silent in disbelief.

“That’s because you never said anything to me period. Besides, you’ve told me from the beginning you didn’t want me screwing up and spilling the beans about your father and your identity.”

“I never said that about my father. You just assumed it.”

Hurt swamped her at his cool response. Her throat grew tight. For a few seconds, she couldn’t speak. Lucien made a sound of frustration.

“When you stormed into Fusion that day pretending to be my chef, and Ian walked in on us, I just thought it would be easiest and cleanest to say that we didn’t know each other. I couldn’t make things too complicated, given the situation.”

“You couldn’t make your lie too complicated. Isn’t that what you mean?” she seethed.

“If you prefer to put it that way. Yes.”

“Did you know that Ian and Francesca realize that we’re lovers?”

“I suspected they did, ever since the party at the penthouse.”

“And you didn’t think it was important to tell me? No, no one can tell Elise anything,” she shouted into the phone. “She’s too much of a loose cannon. Just leave her in the dark and let her stumble around like a fool. That’s the best way to deal with a wild child.”

“I don’t think you’re a loose cannon,” he said in a tight voice.

“That’s precisely what you think. You even told me you needed to keep an eye on me . . . keep me in line—isn’t that what you said?”

“Elise—”

“Here’s a crazy idea,” Elise interrupted, her voice going high. “Why not just tell me why you’re being so crazy about Ian Noble, and then you won’t have to worry about me unintentionally setting off an explosion?”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why not? Because you don’t trust me enough to tell me.” She answered her own question, her hurt turning to a burn in her chest. “You still think I’ll impulsively say something wrong . . . or worse, try to blackmail you with the knowledge.”

“I don’t really think you’d try to blackmail me,” he said, frustration in his tone.

“You said you did before.”

“What if I did?” he said abruptly. “You were thinking about how you could use something against me to get what you wanted. I could see it in your eyes, that day in my office. Do you deny it?”

She opened her mouth to do just that but bit her lip, halting her lie at the last second.

“I didn’t think so,” he said after a charged pause. “That doesn’t mean I truly believe you’d do something underhanded to intentionally hurt me.”

That admission let the pressure in her chest and throat remit enough to allow her to take a painful inhale, but she was still furious. And confused.