A Little Harmless Scandal Read online

  “Why is that?”

  “She wants grandbabies.”

  She choked on her coffee.

  “Woah,” he said, patting her on the back.

  “Sorry.” When she had control of herself again, she looked at them. “Babies?”

  Mick and Adam shared one of those looks—the kind that she knew was a kind of secret communication. They turned back to her.

  “We weren’t going to broach the subject, but if we entered into a committed relationship, we wanted to build a life,” Adam said.

  “And that means babies?” she asked, trying to hold onto her emotions. She had often thought of having children, but she didn’t know if it would ever happen.

  Mick nodded. “It’s not a deal breaker, but we both wanted to build a family. I mean, not right now. We would rather just be us for a while.”

  She thought about that. Just be us. That was a phrase she could get used to. She smiled and both men seemed to release a breath.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  “Yeah?” Mick asked.

  She nodded. “I just want to be us for a while too.”

  “So, this Nicola is going to fix everything?”

  She nodded as her phone rang. Another California number.

  “Hello.”

  When she heard the voice, her heart dropped to her stomach. It was the woman she had spent a decade avoiding, and the one who could completely ruin her happy life.

  “Kayleigh, I finally found you.”

  “Hello, Mother.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Serenity felt as if she were living in a nightmare. First, the call from the tabloids. Then, almost losing Mick because of it. Now this.

  Both men were staring at her as if they wanted to yank her phone out of her hands.

  “I have been so distraught.”

  “Who’s there?”

  “What?”

  “This performance has to be for someone. Who is it for?”

  There was a beat of silence, confirming her suspicions.

  “There is a reporter here, but—”

  “Take me off speaker or I will hang up.”

  “You should just hang up,” Mick said. She glanced at the guys. Adam nodded. She knew that was what Nicola would suggest. No, Nicola would have gotten hold of the phone and blocked the number. But she had to let her mother know exactly where they stood.

  “Okay,” her mother said. Serenity heard the difference in the sound on the other end of the phone, telling her that her mother had turned the speaker off.

  “I want to get one thing straight with you, Mother.”

  “I just wanted to talk to you. It’s been over ten years since I’ve seen you and I’ve missed you every minute.”

  “You missed my money every minute.”

  “Kayleigh.”

  She cringed at the name. “My name is Serenity. Use it, or I hang up.”

  Her mother’s sigh could be heard on the other end of the phone. “Okay, Serenity. I understand you’re in a relationship with two men. You never could seem to keep yourself contained to one man.”

  “So, you call me after all these years just to insult me?”

  “I didn’t insult you.”

  “You called me a slut.”

  “I did not.”

  “Yeah, you did, but you did it in that way you have. It doesn’t sound like an insult but it is.”

  “That was not my intention.”

  It was, but arguing about it would only keep her on the phone longer.

  “Listen up, Mother. I do not want any contact with you whatsoever. I have no interest in doing any interviews. I will not ever act again, and even if I wanted to, you would have nothing to do with it.”

  “Kayleigh—”

  “My name is Serenity,” she said from behind clenched teeth. “Now that everyone will know that, I will not hesitate to take out a restraining order…again. I will do it and make sure every reporter in Hollywood knows. Worse, I will make sure up and coming actresses know about you. That’s what you’re doing now, right? You’re a talent scout?”

  “I work for several studios.” Her voice had turned mulish.

  “How many of them would keep you on if they knew about our past? Do you still give kids valium, or have you moved on to OxyContin?”

  “I have never done that.”

  “Really? Because I’m certain the rags don’t care. Stay away from me, from my men, from everything to do with my life, or I will ruin yours. Do you understand?”

  Another long moment of silence.

  “Okay.”

  “Goodbye, Mother. And don’t ever call me again.”

  Without waiting for an answer, she clicked her phone off. Then she blocked her mother’s number.

  She looked up at Mick and Adam.

  “What?”

  “Wow,” Mick said with a smile as he unfolded himself from his chair. “You were badass.”

  She chuckled and he wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. Then he handed her off to Adam.

  “Yeah, and I particularly liked when you said my men.”

  She smiled as he bent down to kiss her.

  “It was definitely sexy.”

  She looked at them and recognized the looks. Before she could respond, Mick was leading her back over to their house. And for now, that was all she needed. These men, this time, and their love.

  * * *

  * * *

  Just before dawn, the flash of lights in the driveway caught Serenity's attention first.

  She went to the window.

  “Yay,” she said, practically running to the door. Before Adam could stop her, she was out of the house and running toward their new arrivals.

  “Finally,” she said with a laugh.

  Both he and Mick followed her out the door and watched as a statuesque woman unfolded herself from the town car before it had come to a complete stop. Adam could tell she was breathtaking, even with little light.

  “Seri,” she said, holding her arms open. Serenity walked right into them, and hugged the woman right back. Belatedly, they noticed a tall man walking towards them wearing a business suit and looking as if he had walked off a runway.

  “Hullo, there. Sorry for the early intrusion, but Nicola wasn't about to wait to see Serenity. Jensen Wulf,” he said with a smile. His accent was British and definitely upper crust.

  “Oh, hello,” Mick said a little breathlessly.

  It was easy to understand. Even if Adam didn't know that Jensen Wulf was a billionaire or that he was part of a legendary family with ties to the Windsors, he was a striking figure. Okay, he was a fucking beautiful man. With the smile he offered, it was easy to see why he was often described as charismatic.

  “Adam Fullerton, and this is Mick McGrath.”

  “Nice to meet you. Please tell me you have coffee, because my dragon of a PA refuses to let me have anything else.”

  “If you didn't crawl into a bottle every time you had a sip, you could drink anything you wanted. Good...I guess morning, yes?”

  She still had one arm wrapped around Serenity as they walked up to the lanai side-by-side.

  Jensen tossed a smile over his shoulder. “And, if I ever forget, you are here to remind me.”

  “Mick, Adam, this is Nicola McCann.”

  When she was close enough, Adam got a look at her eyes. Ice blue. He had seen pictures of her and video when she was competing, but nothing compared to the woman in person.

  “Nice to meet both of you. And, as I am trying not to be an ass like Jensen, who thinks the entire world works for him, I would dearly love some coffee.”

  * * *

  Mick looked through the refrigerator as he planned breakfast. He assumed he would have to feed everyone after the night they had had.

  It started with Jensen Wulf, who was completely different than he had expected. He had asked for a pillow, took off his shoes and jacket, and promptly fell asleep on their couch. The noise didn�
�t seem to bother him. Mick glanced over at the couch again and found the Englishman stretched out on the sofa, his feet dangling over the side.

  “He sleeps anywhere,” Nicola said from behind him. He turned to face Serenity’s best friend.

  “Yeah?”

  She nodded. “I think it comes from his days as an addict. He would pass out and sleep wherever he landed. He’s learned to shut noises out.”

  She turned back to the kitchen and he followed her. She’d taken off the killer heels, but still wore her short red skirt and blouse.

  “So, you know him well?”

  She nodded as she poured herself another cup of coffee. “Better than he knows himself. And I am going to get jitters from all this coffee, but I can’t resist Kona coffee.”

  She doctored her coffee, then turned to face him, leaning back against the counter. The pose looked like she was relaxed, but he knew better. Both he and Adam were being assessed.

  “Well, how do I hold up?” he asked.

  Nicola smiled. “Quite well. She told me about your initial reaction to the rag story.” He opened his mouth to defend himself, but she held up her hand. “No. It was understandable, in a way. And Serenity is always going to respond by walking away. Or will sometimes. She hasn’t had a lot of people in her life do right by her, so it is her knee-jerk reaction.”

  He nodded.

  “Now, I understand you are a world class cook.”

  “Is that what Serenity said?”

  “Yes, but then she’s in love, so you have to prove yourself to me.”

  Before he could respond, there was the sound of a car driving into the area. He looked out the kitchen window. A small rental parked in the street. A tall, slender man in his thirties crawled out. He reached back in to get a camera.

  “Dammit,” he muttered.

  “What?” Nicola asked as she stepped up beside him.

  “I think our reporter just showed up.”

  She didn’t say anything, so he glanced at her.

  “I know this bastard. Jerry Dawson. And I have his number.”

  She set the cup down and walked to the front door. He followed her and noticed that Jensen was sitting up and stretching.

  “When’s breakfast?” he asked.

  “When I get done with this reporter,” Nicola said as she slammed out the front door. Adam and Serenity were already hurrying from her house.

  “Excuse me,” Nicola said. “You are on private property.”

  The guy barely spared her a glance.

  “Oh, this is going to be good,” Jensen said. He glanced at the man. “Nicola loves to tear bad people apart.”

  The reporter tried to step around her, but she didn’t allow for it. By now, Adam and Serenity had joined him. Serenity wrapped her arms around Mick and squeezed.

  “I don’t think you understood my comment,” she said.

  “I don’t really give a damn. I’m here to talk to Kayleigh.”

  “There is no Kayleigh here. And besides, Jerry, I would start paying attention to the person who knows your name.”

  He stopped his forward progression.

  “Listen, lady, I don’t know who you are.”

  “Funny, but that makes me feel better. My name is Nicola McCann, and I’m the personal assistant for that man up there,” she said pointing to Jensen. “Recognize him? Yes, that’s Jensen Wulf.”

  The man opened his mouth to argue with her, no doubt, but she barreled ahead.

  “I talked to your editor and to your paper’s owner just this morning. You are not supposed to be here.”

  “I can sell to other papers.” He offered her a smug smile. “Freedom of the press, lady.”

  Mick could tell from the way her back straightened, that she did not like that moniker.

  “Oh, this bloke is digging his own grave,” Jensen said beside him.

  “Okay, so you’re going to be an asshole. Let me explain to you something. See, I called HPD about you already.”

  He shook his head. “I haven’t broken the law.”

  She pointed down to his feet. “You are standing on private property, but that’s not what I’m talking about. When I got your name from your boss—yep, he handed you over—I spent a couple of hours researching your background. Do you know what I found?”

  “No, what?”

  “You’re wanted in Illinois.” The man’s face turned white. “Yep. I know about the four years of unpaid child support. I’ve alerted the authorities.”

  “That’s not right.”

  “What? That I research a private citizen and turn their world upside down? It’s all true. There is a warrant out for your arrest.”

  “She’s not a private citizen.”

  “Yes. She is. But, you see, I only spent a couple of hours on you. I’m about to crawl up your ass—metaphorically speaking that is. By the time I am done with you, you’re going to look at a colonoscopy as a playdate. I will find every little dirty deed you did. Wasn’t your divorce because you liked to beat up your wife? Oh, and you had a taste for the hookers?”

  His mouth opened and then snapped shut.

  “You have about ten minutes before HPD shows up, so you should get out of here while you can, or you’ll be snatched up as soon as they see you.”

  “I...goodbye.”

  The man turned around and practically ran to his car.

  “Isn’t she amazing?” Jensen said. The tone of his voice was filled with more than admiration.

  “Yeah, she is,” Adam said.

  Nicola walked back. “That was easy.”

  “So, you let him off, just like that?” Adam asked.

  Serenity laughed. “Not likely,” she said. “Tell them. What did you do? I know you did something.”

  “HPD is supposed to gather him up at the airport.”

  “You are a mean woman, Nicola,” Jensen said. “It’s why you are the perfect PA for me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Now, I believe breakfast was offered.”

  Mick smiled. “Anything for the woman who made that man almost wet himself.”

  She laughed as she walked toward their house. “I did do that, didn’t I?”

  * * *

  After an amazing breakfast, Nicola and Serenity had some time to themselves. She’d brought her best friend over to her house and they had looked over her new pics for the book. By the time they were done, Nicola looked ready to pass out.

  “How many hours have you been up?”

  “I caught a cat nap on the plane,” she said, yawning. “Oh, excuse me. That was rude.”

  Serenity laughed. “I know you’re tired when you start being proper.”

  She smiled as she settled down at Serenity’s kitchen table. “I quite like your men.”

  Serenity returned the smile. “They make me happy.”

  “I can see that. I was ready to kidnap you if need be, but I don’t think that will be necessary.”

  She shook her head. “Nope. We had a moment there, but...no. Everything is okay now.”

  “Just remember, those two are there for you. There will be bumps. You just smack them and tell them to snap out of it. I have a feeling they will.”

  She nodded. “And you need someone now.”

  “Nope. Not for me. You know I don’t work in that department since I lost Harry.”

  Serenity wanted to argue, but Nicola was tired, and that meant she could be mean. Plus, right now, she was just so happy being together with her best friend.

  “You need sleep.”

  “That I do.” She stood and pulled Serenity into a big hug. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thank you.”

  When she pulled back, she looked down at Serenity. Even with her shoes off, Nicola towered over Serenity.

  “I’ll keep tabs on the other tabloids, but I haven’t heard anything from any of the others.”

  “Good. Go get some rest.”

  She sighed. “Sounds brilliant.”

  Nicola wasn’t English,
but working with Jensen and his family had rubbed off on her.

  “Just so you know,” Nicola continued as she stepped out onto the lanai, “I’m going to book a spa day for us later next week.”

  Serenity smiled. “Like you said. Sounds brilliant.”

  * * *

  The three of them waved at Nicola and Jensen as they drove off. Adam really liked them, but he found Nicola a bit exhausting.

  “Do they always have a driver?” Adam asked.

  Serenity shook her head. “But when they arrive somewhere, it’s to be expected. Ned goes with them everywhere. Along with Damon.”

  “Who is Damon?”

  “Their pilot.”

  He stopped walking. “He has his own plane?”

  “Of course he does,” Mick said.

  “It’s Wulf Industries, but yes, they have their own plane. Makes more sense and thank goodness. It’s the only way she could get here so fast.”

  They walked back into the house. “Coffee on the lanai?” Adam asked.

  Mick and Serenity nodded. Five minutes later, they were sitting out back, Serenity between them. The day had started off hazy, but the temperature was rising and burning a lot of it off. He turned and glanced at Mick over Serenity’s head. He nodded, telling him it was time they had the talk.

  “Serenity,” Adam started.

  “Hmm?” she asked absentmindedly. She was leaning back in her chair and her eyes were closed.

  “Mick and I wanted to have a talk with you.”

  She slowly opened her eyes. Wariness filled her expression. He gave Mick a dirty look.

  “Don’t look like that, please,” Adam said.

  “Like what?”

  Her posture and tone said it all. She was rigid. Ready to fight. He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. It took another second or two, but she relaxed.

  “Sorry.”

  “No. We’re sorry. We should have talked about this before, but everything happened so fast,” Adam said.

  “And, we wanted to make sure we were far enough away from the bed when we talked about it. We want you to know we’re serious.”

  She sat back and looked from one to the other. “Serious about what?”

  “You. And us,” Adam said. “We want to make this official.”

  “In a ceremony?”

  “That can come later,” Mick said. “But, I guess we want you to know that we are cool with being your men. As in, a serious relationship.”