"Nicole, wake up." A deep masculine voice broke through the veil of my dreams. The sound was warm and enveloping, a stark contrast to Tim's cold, cruel voice that had been haunting my dreams. His voice wrapped around me like a soft, cozy blanket, sending gentle vibrations through my body. Slowly, my mind moved toward the voice, and I became aware of the sensation of strong arms wrapped around me and a firm yet comfortable chest supporting my head. The warmth of the embrace seeped into my bones, easing the tension that had built up in my body. I reached out, exploring the unfamiliar pillow, and was met with a gentle chuckle and a hand that stopped mine. "Nicole, I'm not a saint. Wake up before you do anything more to provoke me."

I opened my eyes to an indulgent smile on a handsome face, and I realized with a start that I was nestled in Robert Lamb's arms. For a second, my body continued to revel in the warmth and safety of his embrace, feeling protected and cherished. But the realization of our intimacy hit me like a slap, and I scrambled away from him, hastily wrapping the soft blankets around my body. My face flushed with embarrassment as I looked down and noticed that I only wore a long white T-shirt. The heat of embarrassment crept up my neck as I struggled to make sense of what had just happened.

"What happened?" Suspicion chilled the comfortable warmth I had felt upon waking.

"You passed out after the Auction. Beth told me you had been drugged, and I brought you both to my Condo because it is only a few blocks from the pier. Beth changed you and stayed with you most of the night to ensure you continued to breathe and didn't have a seizure but had to leave this morning, so I took over," Robert calmly explained as he stood up and straightened his t-shirt that covered the top of the loose lounge pants. Robert was the most relaxed I had seen; something about it felt familiar.

"Oh, so we..."

"Nothing happened," he replied to my unasked question but then set his hands on the bed in front of me and leaned in close. "Yet."

He smiled at my lack of response and lifted himself. "There is a change of clothes in the bag beside the bed and a bathroom behind that door. I ordered some brunch for us. Once you are ready, come out so we can talk about what did happen last night."

I nodded, my voice still not working, and he left the room. A feeling of emptiness followed his exit, and it took me a minute to gather myself enough to pick up the designer bag beside the bed and enter the bathroom.

After a quick shower, I was pleased to see some hair products had been left on the counter. Beth must have ordered them for me. She knew that my hair was my only vanity. I didn't mind going without makeup, though there was some of that on the counter, too, so I did take advantage, but I hated having messy hair.

I entered the room I had woken up in and took a moment to survey my surroundings. The room was spacious and well-furnished, with enough space for a bed and seating. I concluded it must be a guest room. The windows were covered with blackout curtains, but I raised them using the switch next to the bed. The bright mid-morning sun blinded me momentarily, and I immediately knew where Beth was. Her family had a monthly Sunday lunch over video, which they had been doing for years. I sometimes joined her, but I usually gave her that time to connect with her family scattered throughout the country. The meal and conversation could go on for hours, which was usually the highlight of her week. She would always feel refreshed afterward as if she drew energy from her family. It was one of the few things Beth never missed, and we had discussed it when we planned where I would go after the Auction. We had initially planned for me to stay with my parents, but that plan had been changed after someone drugged me.

I took stock of how I felt and was satisfied that the drugs hadn't left too much of a residual effect. The dosing must have been pretty precise, so I imagine it had come from Tim and not Lisa. But she had to have put it in my glass at some point. I couldn't believe I had missed it. The dastardly couple had once again lost the gambit, and that perked me up enough to buoy my confidence. I straightened my shoulders and entered the hallway outside the room.

The sound of music and movement attracted me to the main room. I stood on the edge and watched Robert humming along with the soft pop music playing as he laid out the small table near the kitchen with food and settings. My heart swelled at this unscripted moment. I had never seen Tim look as natural and at ease as his uncle did then, and it was devastatingly sexy. Robert Lamb seemed nothing like his nephew. Could I trust him?

"How long are you going to stare at me?" Robert asked without turning toward me. I hadn't noticed when his humming stopped, but his movements continued until he finished the table to his satisfaction. Then he turned to me with his brightest smile and crossed his arms over his chest with satisfaction.

"As long as you'll let me, I guess," I responded cheekily, something strange taking over my mouth. I did not flirt, not ever, not before Tim, not with Tim, and certainly not after I started dating Tim. The closest I ever got was the innocent exchanges with Mikael, who was safe and loved to flirt but didn't take any of it seriously. This was different and dangerous, and part of me craved it.

I stepped closer to Robert before my mind caught up with my desire. Once we were close enough for his scent to wash over me, my mind ran away again without trying to control the situation. Robert entranced me. It felt like we had a connection that was older than a week. But there was nothing safe about my attraction to him. If I let myself fall for him as I had for his nephew, he would be able to control me similarly. I had to face that truth. Even knowing I could be used again, my body and brain could not pull me out of the situation caused by Robert's sultry smile.

Robert uncrossed his arms as I approached him, and they reached out for me before falling to the chair in front of him with a quick shake of his head. He pulled the chair out for me and I accepted it, grateful for his control even when I had none.

We ate the sumptuous brunch in silence. It almost seemed as if he knew all of my favorite breakfast foods.

"Beth chose the meal before she left," Robert explained, though I hadn't actually asked, as I helped him clean up the table. "I wasn't sure what you would like."

"Well, she did great. That was just what I needed," I replied with relief. It made sense that Beth would know what I liked, much more sense than Robert magically ordering my favorite foods.

"I'm glad," Robert said, ushering me into his living room with two cups of fresh coffee. I took one and wandered over to the wall-to-wall windows, which had an almost panoramic view of the city and the bay.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, overwhelmed by the view and Robert's nearness.

"The view is why I bought this apartment," Robert announced beside me.

"Is it a penthouse?" I looked up to see if I could tell if we were on the top floor.

"Yes, you can go out onto the roof garden from my bedroom." He pointed toward a shut door on the opposite side of the space.

"Oh," I mouthed, not wanting to go into his bedroom but interested in what his rooftop garden might look like.

Robert stared out the window for a while without saying anything. Then he took a deep breath and let it out as if preparing to say something he wasn't excited about.

"We should talk about last night," he finally offered and waved his hand at the oversized grey couch in the center of the living room. I nodded and walked over to the corner seat. Robert chose an armchair nearest my chosen seat and leaned onto his knees. What do you remember?"

"The auction, drinking one glass of wine, and passing out in a car," I answered definitively, then bit my lip as I tried to remember the details. "An elevator ride, Tim trying to take me from Beth, and you ..." I stopped abruptly and doubted my memory. Robert smiled sheepishly at me and took another deep breath.

"Called you my girlfriend in front of Tim," Robert finished my sentence.

"Oh, that was real?" My eyes widened at the slight discomfort that escaped Robert's perfect composure.

"Did you think it was a dream?" The question raised an eyebrow, and I shrugged in response. "Do you dream about me often?"

"No," I exclaimed, sputtering a bit before taking a deep breath. "I just meant it didn't seem real. Why would you call me your girlfriend?"

"You looked scared, and I could see the determination in Tim's stance. There was no way of escaping that situation without a real surprise.

"So, you were just helping me out?"

"Well, yes and no," Robert clenched his hands and leaned back in the chair. "Nicole, I admit that I find you attractive, and I have been trying to get you out on a date with me, but you are hard to connect with. So maybe this was my way of forcing the issue a bit."

"You find me attractive?" Of all that he said, that was the part I heard.

"I would think that was obvious based on what happened Friday night."

"You were drunk," I countered.

"Not enough to act like that with someone I wasn't interested in. But just enough to kiss a woman who I wanted to kiss." The words could have been intimidating or off-putting, but he delivered them matter-of-factly and kept his body relaxed and far away from me.

"So, are you asking me to be your girlfriend?"

"Would you say yes if I did?" He leaned into the question and captured my eyes with his.

"Um, we just met a week ago," I pointed out, heat rushing to my face again.

"Did we? It feels like I've known you much longer than that." The way he said those words struck me as odd, as if I was forgetting something. But I would have remembered meeting Robert Lamb before. He was pretty unforgettable.

"I, um, agree," I admitted, not knowing how else to answer the question. He smiled and leaned back again.

"So, why are you afraid of Tim?" Robert changed the subject.

"I'm not sure if I should tell you," I hedged.

Robert sighed and leaned forward again. I was beginning to think that this was his equivalent of fidgeting. "Do you know why Tim uses Lamb instead of Biernacki?"

"Because he's not close to his father?" I had never dared to ask Tim why he didn't use his father's name. He was proud of his heritage, even if he had been cut out of the man's life.

"No, well, yes, they are not close, but that's not the main reason." He stood and walked over to the kitchen area. I watched his movements like a gazelle monitoring a departing lion, or was I a lioness?

"What's the main reason?" I asked, rising to join him as he brewed another coffee.

"He wanted his grandfather to consider him a potential heir," Robert explained as he took my cup.

"But you are the heir," I protested, knowing what he meant but not wanting to admit it.

"Yes," he answered quietly. "For now. But Tim is working on replacing me with everything he has learned from his mother."

"Your sister? She wants to replace you, too?"

"My sister wants her son to succeed. I don't think she intends me any real harm, but she also wouldn't mind me disappearing from the succession."

"God, it's like you are a royal family."

"Yes, is your family not similar?"

"Well, no, not really, or at least I didn't think so. It's pretty clear that I'll never be CEO of Lamb Industries, though I'll probably own it someday. It's not where my strengths are."

"What about your cousin?"

"Lisa?" I wanted to reject the idea, but I remembered what Tim had said in my last life. "I didn't think she was interested, but that was before she spiked my drink."

"So you think your cousin drugged you?"

"She was the only one near my wine other than Beth."

"I think it was Tim," Robert stated blandly as he sipped his coffee.

"Why do you think Tim would drug me?"

"The same reason he showed up at your drowning."

"He's trying to kill me?" That was a consideration I had never thought of. Tim and Lisa could have planned for me to die that day so that she could become the heir apparent instead of me. Maybe pursuing me had been an afterthought after they had found me rescued on the side of the pool. Perhaps he was angry because the job had been botched, and he planned to finish it himself last night. I shuttered, and Robert touched my arm to comfort me.

"I had thought: pursue you. What makes you think that he might want to kill you?"

"I think he is dating Lisa. I noticed the way they interacted that day and last night. It was with more intimacy and understanding than they should have." I hadn't noticed them much at the Auction, though they could have interacted while I was on the dias with my mother. But I didn't know how else to defend my theory. "I think he is helping her get rid of me."

Robert's expression suddenly turned cold, causing me to shudder even more. I unconsciously pulled away from his grip on my arm, not wanting to be the target of his set jaw and icy glare. However, he didn't let me go. Instead, he put his coffee down on the counter and then did the same with mine to free up both of our arms. Without any further warning, he pulled me into his embrace. I crashed into his chest, this time turning my head in time to avoid injuring my nose again. His arms tightened around me as if he was afraid I would resist. I didn't. I didn't know why I allowed him to hold me, but it seemed he needed the comfort of hugging me as much as I needed it. I found my arms snaking around his waist, returning the embrace.

"Nicole, I won't let anything happen to you," Robert promised into my damp hair. I wanted to question it, to ask why he cared, but I didn't. I just accepted the truth of his words and let him continue to hold me. Nothing about my reaction to Robert made sense, and everything did. I was an artist, someone who gave into her passion entirely. It had always been my biggest flaw—one that Tim had taken advantage of for years, one that Robert could take advantage of now.

I hadn't learned anything. Despite taking a different path, it seemed to lead in the same direction. Trusting a man, especially someone like Robert Lamb, towards whom I felt an intense attraction, was just plain foolish. And yet, there I was, embracing him and feeling secure.

Robert retreated a few steps, and I felt his fingers slide off my arms. Even as he withdrew, his hands lingered momentarily on mine, the warmth of his touch still tingling on my skin. He held my gaze, and I could see the encouragement in his eyes. A smile played on his lips.

"So, we may not be ready to really be dating, but the rest of the world doesn't need to know that. Let's run with it for now. It will give me an excuse to protect you until we know exactly what is happening."

"Run with what?" My brain tried catching up with his words while my heart swam in his ocean eyes.

"I blurted out to Tim that you were my girlfriend. Dozens of reporters caught wind of it, and it is already hitting the gossip pages. I was going to work on snuffing it out, but we should lean into it instead."

"You want me to pretend to be your girlfriend?" When I fully understood his plan, my heart rate skyrocketed as conflicting emotions surged.

"Yes, just until we know if there is something more between us. If you or I decide there isn't, we can part ways once we have the Tim and Lisa business settled."

"So, I'd be like a contract girlfriend?"

"If you would feel better, I can have my Joe draw up a contract."

"Oh, no, I don't think that's necessary. I was just trying to understand." I shook my head, not wanting to appear as silly as I felt. How could I even mention contracts?

"Then let me make a verbal contract with you. I promise not to do anything you don't want and to protect you with all of my resources."

"I accept," I answered resolutely. "And I promise to do the same."

"Oh?" Robert's eyebrow rose again.

"I mean, don't you think Tim is trying to kill you too? I can try to protect you from that, like I did with the car."

"True, but I found the other part more interesting."

"What part?" Something about Robert muddled my brain, and I couldn't keep up.

"Nicole, I doubt there is much you could do to me that I don't want except leave, so I feel that you just promised to move in with me."

"What?" I waited for him to respond with a laugh or some other sign that he was teasing, but his face showed no sign of joking. "I can't live with you!"

"Why not? You already spent the night, and I'm sure everyone in the city knows that by now, so living with me is an obvious next step. We can talk to your parents later today."

"Robert, are you insane? What makes you think my parents would agree to let me live with you?"

"Sure, I can be pretty persuasive," Robert teased as he walked back to the living room, picked up my phone from a charger on his wall shelves, and handed it back to me. "Go ahead and set up a dinner with them tonight. We can all get to know each other."

And that is just what I did. Of course, I did. I was captivated by Robert Lamb, just like I had been with his nephew in my previous life. Why did I think I could change anything? Everything was different and yet eerily similar. I glanced back at Robert, who was sipping his coffee and contemplating me. I could only hope that Beth's tacit approval of Robert meant that he was a better man than Tim because, if not, I would fall into the same web, just with a different spider. 

WC3231

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