“I’ll be happy when Dylan gets his ass back into his real life and his head on straight again,” I told her.

  “When he does, I think you’re going to regret not being honest with Nicole,” she mused.

  “If he does, Mum, not when.”

  “Oh, Damian,” she said, sounding disturbed. “It’s always been a matter of when, not if. Regardless of everything he’s been through, Dylan is strong. I’ve never had a single doubt that my wayward son would find his way back home. He’s stubborn, and it’s taking him a long time to pull himself together again, but the situation has never been hopeless. Even though the two of you are identical twins, your personalities are very different. Don’t you remember how long one of Dylan’s pouts could last when you were children?”

  My brow furrowed as I thought about my childhood. “Like the time that you and Father didn’t let him have a scooter because he was way too young to drive one?”

  My mum chuckled. “That, and so many other occasions when Dylan didn’t get his way. I think he punished everyone with his sour attitude for an entire year over that scooter. But that was never your way, son. You took no for an answer and carried on.”

  I frowned. “I never saw the sense in wasting time. Once you and Father said no, you weren’t known to change your mind.”

  “Exactly. But it took your brother a long time to realize that being sullen wasn’t going to change a single thing. That boy was always obstinate, but he wasn’t disrespectful, so your father and I simply waited him out. So right now, I’m doing what I always did with Dylan. I’m waiting him out. But I’ve never thought for a single moment that he’s lost. He’s too intelligent not to eventually pull himself out of his own head.”

  “But he’s not a kid anymore, Mum.”

  “However, he’s just as stubborn,” she said calmly. “This isn’t the first time he’s walked away from Lancaster International.”

  She was right. I took a gulp of my tea as I thought about the two years that Dylan had gone to work for our competition right out of university.

  He’d been insistent about getting into riskier businesses because he could see the potential for huge income.

  My father had refused.

  Dylan had bucked the constraint and went to work for our biggest competitor for a couple of years before he decided that his family loyalty was stronger than his desire to be right.

  “So you think this is one big sulk?” I asked her, unable to believe he’d put all of us in hell just to make some kind of point.

  “No,” she answered sadly. “I think we all know how much Dylan has suffered. I hurt for him, Damian. He’s my son. But I also know how long he can be hardheaded, so I knew he was going to need time to deal with this kind of pain. We talk when he wants somebody to listen. He doesn’t say much. But he will when he’s good and ready. In the meantime, I wouldn’t be a good mother if I didn’t hate the way you’ve had to shoulder all the responsibility.”

  “I don’t mind,” I said hoarsely. “I just want Dylan back.”

  “You’ve never lost him,” she reassured me. “Wait and see.”

  “You really do think he’ll pull out of this?” I asked desperately.

  “I know he will. So stop putting your whole life on hold waiting for him, Damian. And for God’s sake, don’t throw away your chances with a decent woman. I’m not getting any younger,” she said adamantly.

  I smirked. “Please don’t start counting your grandchildren before they’re made. How many times do I have to tell you that I’m not marriage material?”

  “Nonsense,” she argued. “You’d make any woman a wonderful husband. And I wish you’d get the deed done so I could start pestering your wife for my grandchildren.”

  “I’m not thinking about getting married, Mum. Why don’t you give up and badger Leo for a while?”

  She made an inelegant sound that I rarely heard from her. “That boy will never settle down,” she complained. “I can barely keep him in England for more than a week or two. He’s coming home tomorrow, but I doubt he’ll stay long.”

  “I’m going to have to call him—”

  “Never mind,” my mother interrupted. “I’ll fill him in if you’re hell-bent on following through with this ridiculous plan. I’ll ask the staff not to mention Dylan, too, but I won’t tell them why.”

  I tossed back the last of my tea and put the cup in the sink. “Thanks, Mum. I have to run. Don’t forget to take down those pictures.”

  She paused before she said reluctantly, “I’ll do it, but I hope you know what you’re doing, Damian. It’s going to be hard to dig yourself out of this one.”

  “You’re a peach, Mum. Have I told you that lately? I’ll bring Nicole around so you can meet her.”

  “Don’t try to flatter me into submission, Damian Lancaster,” she said in an ominous tone. “And you won’t just bring that girl around. You bring her to me. She can’t stay at your house if you’re trying to sell some kind of sweet love story. Besides, she’d be bored there with you if you’re keeping the same work schedule. I think it’s time for me to arrange my first social event since your father passed away. And I’ll accept some of your charity event invitations in your name. The press will already be at all the large, important functions, hoping some well-known family will do something newsworthy.”

  I swallowed hard as my head started to hurt again. Dad was gone, so there was no reason for my mother to be forced to entertain anymore. “There’s no reason for you to do that—”

  “There’s every reason. I’m still the Duchess of Hollingsworth, and my son has a love interest. I think there’s been enough sorrow around this monstrous estate. Leo will be here to attend. Please don’t think I can’t play the delighted mother in this whole plan. I fulfilled the role of duchess quite well all these years.”

  I certainly couldn’t argue with her about anything she’d just said. At one time, our Surrey estate had hosted enormous social events, and most of the time it had been filled with laughter, music, and parties.

  I’d grown up surrounded by family and friends.

  I guess I’d just forgotten what it was like to be happy during the last five years.

  My mother had stopped hosting the social scene, and the entire estate had gone silent when we’d lost my father.

  Just when the pain of losing my father had started to dull, Dylan’s problems had begun, so there had never been any attempt or desire to actually leave that empty solitude of mourning.

  “You actually want to host an event?” I asked, astonished.

  “If it will get you married faster, I’ll do one every single night,” she said amiably. “I can’t avoid hosting some of the snobs, but not everyone in our social circle is a nasty backstabber.”

  “You’re absolutely relentless,” I said, letting out a bark of laughter.

  “Bring that girl to me, and you’ll see just how persistent I can be,” she teased.

  “I think I’ll be staying at the estate as well,” I said, a little nervous about leaving Nicole entirely in her hands.

  “Perfect. I’ll see you both soon.”

  Mum disconnected, but it took me a few seconds to do the same.

  By the time I finally dropped my mobile into my pocket, I wasn’t quite sure if I was happy that my mum was finally coming out of her solemn retirement, or completely terrified.

  CHAPTER 18

  Damian

  “I CAN’T BELIEVE I’M actually flying to London on a private jet! It feels so weird that we’re the only passengers. This plane is amazing, Damian. It feels like a luxury home!” Nicole exclaimed, looking like she was about to bounce out of her seat as we prepared for takeoff.

  Her blonde ponytail hopped up and down in her excitement, and her beautiful face was flushed as she turned her head toward me with a look of complete astonishment.

  My chest started to ache as badly as my damn head as I watched her.

  She was smiling, and fuck! That smile got to me. Every. Single. Time.

  Nicole’s enthusiasm about life in general was probably one of the many things that drew me to her.

  Other than the first time I’d seen her, she was always…excited about life. Even when she was arguing with me, she was passionate, and so full of emotion that I wanted to reach out and grab her, hold her close to me so some of that vibrant personality would rub off on me.

  For me, life was all about work, duty, and obligation. I didn’t have time for anything else, but that didn’t mean I didn’t wish I could feel happiness like I had before my father’s death.

  I’d never even thought twice about the privilege of flying private. I did it all the time. But I could almost feel her enthusiasm as I watched Nicole, and possibly share it, even though the experience was second nature to me.

  “Transatlantic Airlines isn’t good enough for you anymore?” I joked.

  “I love to fly,” she answered brightly. “And going business class was kind of a splurge because the flight was so long. Honestly, before I took over Mom’s business, I hardly got to fly at all. Will we have to stop to refuel?”

  I was relieved that she’d splurged on a business class ticket for London. If she hadn’t, we never would have met. “No. We’ll go directly to Heathrow.”

  I didn’t want to mention that my custom jet had taken very specialized engineers a couple of years to design, or that it was one of the fastest, and most costly, planes flying right now.

  It didn’t matter.

  The joy on her face was a hell of a lot more important than the specs of the aircraft.

  Eventually, she’d figure out that there was a theater room, a huge master suite, and any convenience she could ask for built into the custom airliner.

  For now, all she seemed to care about was the roomy, luxurious cabin that could easily sit both of us, and probably forty or so of her closest friends.

  I reached over and fastened her seat belt before she sprang right out of her tan leather recliner. “We’re rolling,” I informed her.

  Once she was buckled in, I leaned back in the seat next to hers and fastened my own seat belt.

  She settled down with a sigh. “I can’t believe I’m headed back to London. I’d really like to do some sightseeing this time.”

  I smiled as I closed my eyes. “I’ll make sure you see anything you want to see. No Tube this time.”

  She was quiet as we took off, but once we were in the air, she asked, “Are you okay? You don’t look like you slept well.”

  I actually hadn’t slept for more than a few hours at a time since Dylan had dropped off the radar. “I have a bit of a headache.”

  A bit of a headache was putting it mildly. But it wasn’t like the stress headaches were anything new. I’d learned to live with them most of the time, but today’s pain was the worst I’d ever experienced.

  After I’d spoken with Mum, the discomfort had increasingly become a torturous agony. It was so bad that I could barely function.

  I felt her hand on my arm. “Is it a migraine?”

  “Nah. Just a tension headache, I think. I’ll be fine. I took a couple of aspirin. I just need a few minutes.” My explanation was much too forced, even to my own ears.

  Nicole’s warm palm gently stroked my jaw as she said, “You look kind of pale, Damian. Hang on.”

  The captain had reached altitude, so Nicole wasn’t confined to her seat. I heard her unbuckle her belt, and get to her feet.

  “Where are you going?” I inquired weakly in protest. It wasn’t like she could go far, but I felt like I should get my ass up and show her around.

  “Don’t move,” she instructed from a distance.

  I opened one eye, and saw her chatting with the attendant assigned to the flight, a very sweet, efficient, middle-aged woman named Claire who I’d stolen away from Transatlantic because she’d been thinking about retiring from the rigorous schedule she had to maintain on commercial flights.

  Claire had worked for my airline for almost thirty years, so I’d convinced her that she’d have it far easier working part-time for me.

  I closed my eye again, hoping to Christ the aspirin I’d taken before the flight would kick in soon.

  Nicole eventually came back to her seat, and laid a gentle hand on my shoulder. “Here, Damian. Take these.”

  I lifted my head and took the water and pills from her hand. “I already took some aspirin.”

  She shook her head. “Ibuprofen will work better. It’s an anti-inflammatory. Just take them.”

  I didn’t argue. I popped the pills in my mouth and chased them with a slug of water.

  Nicole took the cup from me. “My mother used to have headaches like this,” she said. “It was miserable for her. Do you have a shower in this floating hotel? Never mind. I’ll check it out myself. Just rest for a while.”

  “Nicole, I’ll be fine,” I told her.

  When she didn’t reply, I knew she’d already gone exploring.

  Five minutes later, I felt her take her seat gingerly. Her voice was soft as she spoke. “Oh, my God. It’s like a five-star hotel back there.”

  Apparently, she’d found the master suite, master bath, and probably the theater room, too. “I like to be comfortable when I fly, which is pretty often.”

  “Do you log any time on that enormous bed back there?” she asked dryly.

  I wanted to crack a bawdy joke about her comment, but I couldn’t muster the energy to do it. “I occasionally sleep there, yes.”

  “You need to do more than take a nap,” she scolded. “You need a hot shower to relax you, and a good night’s sleep. It will make a world of difference. Let’s get you into the shower.”

  I felt her tug on my hand, and my cock suddenly became very interested in her intentions. Apparently, even excruciating misery couldn’t keep my dick from responding to Nicole.

  I opened my eyes. “Are you planning on getting me naked?”

  She frowned at me, which I decided I didn’t like at all. “I’ll help you. Come with me.”

  The innuendo had obviously flown right over her head because her focus was on curing my nasty headache.

  What the hell? I was more than willing to follow her if she was going to help me take off my clothes.

  Not that I wasn’t capable of doing that myself, but I was beyond curious to see how far Nicole would actually go to ease my pain.

  I quickly disengaged the clip on the seat belt, got up and followed her to the back of the plane.

  I sure as hell wasn’t used to anybody trying to help me, but I couldn’t deny that I was touched by her tender concern. How long had it been since a woman other than my mum had worried about me for any reason?

  My brain was a little foggy from pain, but I was fairly certain no female had ever really cared about my physical wellbeing since I’d always been very capable of performing sexually.

  But this…this whole tender affection thing was brand-new, and I wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it. Okay, it wasn’t that I didn’t like getting it from Nicole, but I had no idea how to respond.

  She closed the door to the master suite behind me. “Let’s get you undressed.”

  There was absolutely no artifice in her tone. Her gentle voice was that of a woman who simply wanted to…help me.

  Suddenly, I felt like a complete wanker for playing along just to see how far she’d go.

  Granted, my head was pounding, and I was feeling a little nauseous because my lack of sleep was catching up with me, but I wasn’t exactly an invalid.

  “Maybe I’ll just lay down for a while,” I sputtered. Guilt was starting to play hell with my conscience.

  She shot me a displeased look. “Absolutely not. You need a hot shower, and then you can get some good sleep, not just a nap. You need to relax those muscles before you pass out. You’ll sleep better and longer. When you wake up, the headache should be completely gone. You’re not invincible, Damian, even if you think you are.”

  I nearly cringed because I avoided hot showers like the plague. I stepped into cool water every single morning to get my brain to function after a couple hours of sleep.

  I watched, helpless to stop my gorgeous package of TNT as she started to dislodge the buttons of my white button-down shirt.

  Holy hell! She was going to get me naked without a second thought about doing it.

  She pushed the open shirt over my shoulders, and caught it before it hit the ground. She folded it quickly and dropped it on a nearby dresser.

  “Come with me,” she said like a general commanding her troops as she grabbed my hand again.

  I didn’t launch a single complaint as I followed her into the bathroom, watched her turn on the shower, and then observed the rosy glow of her cheeks as she faced me again and grabbed the top button on my jeans.

  Fascinated, I didn’t move a muscle as she yanked every button free, which was probably considerably more difficult right now since my cock was excitedly welcoming the touch of her fingers on my fly.

  “Nicole,” I said with a strangled groan. “I can finish.”

  She was fucking killing me. Even though my head felt like it was caught in a vise, it wasn’t like I could exactly ignore the fact that she had her hands exactly where I wanted them to be. Well, almost, anyway.

  “Let me help you, Damian. Don’t be stubborn,” she chastised as she pushed the jeans down my legs.

  I knew there was no damn way she could have missed my enormous erection, but she’d obviously decided to ignore it.

  Which, I had to admit, rankled just a little, no matter how painful my headache was at the moment.

  I looked down at her kneeling at my feet, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine her being there for a far different reason than just assisting me to undress.

  Hell, yes, my mind was going to go there. I was a red-blooded male, for fuck’s sake, and Nicole was the star of every single one of my sexual fantasies.

  How could I not go there?

  I held back a frustrated groan as she rose to test the shower water.

  “It’s nice and hot,” she announced as she turned back to me. “Do you want me to stay with you?”