Discontent woke me.

At least that was what it felt like, although I couldn’t put my finger on exactly what it was that woke from a deep, deep sleep. I lay next to Lukas, wide awake, for the second time in less than twenty-four hours and tried to figure out just what had pulled me back to the conscious world.

My eyes were gritty with fatigue and my body ached with it.

I wanted to sleep.

But my mind was racing.

Get up, it whispered. You’ve got work to do.

Work. What work did I have to do?

I didn’t have a job.

I wasn’t angry with Lukas anymore because I could understand why I’d looked guilty – and more, I could understand why he’d pushed me away. But I was angry. I was angry with whoever had set me up. That thought set my mind wandering down the path of all the figures, the falsified reports and receipts – and they had to be false, right?

Tad Fikes. What kind of name was that?

A fake one, I thought. It had to be.

It’s faked.

I jolted, those words sending a memory trembling through me, but it stopped just shy of me grasping it.

Damn it.

Next to me, Lukas slept on, his breathing deep and steady. Hoping I wouldn’t wake him up, I slid out of the bed and picked up the laptop I’d left lying on the dresser. The bedroom was shaped like an L with a small seating area around the bend of the room. I headed over there and sat down in the window-seat, dragging the blanket over my bare legs. I had pulled on one of his shirts again. Pajamas hadn’t been high on the list of my priorities when I’d packed, Besides, I liked sleeping in his shirts anyway.

I could smell him on my skin now, and I loved it.

I flipped open the laptop and turned down the brightness, not wanting to disturb him if he got restless.

The bed shifted, wood creaking gently as he rolled over in bed and I looked up, wondering if he was going to wake up looking for me.

But a few moments later, his breathing settled back into a normal pattern, and I focused back on the computer.

Tad Fikes.

The name was all but echoing through my mind now, a sick sensation spreading through my gut.

That name. Tad. Where had I heard that before? Finally finding it on the spreadsheet, I read over the entry, eying the date – Valentine’s Day – and the total amount of money spent. It was just this side of insane, although I knew my dad had spent more when he courted new donors.

Valentine’s Day. I sneered absently, thinking of the plans I’d made for Aaron and me, plans I’d ended up canceling the day before after Aaron called me and told me he had a big project and the boss needed him to stay in town to wrap it up.

Aaron…

The bottom of my stomach opened up and dropped away as that final bit of memory settled into place.

Tad Fikes.

It’s faked.

Another Valentine’s Day, this time back in college. Aaron showing up at my apartment, a bottle of cheap wine in hand and even cheaper chocolate. But I’d been so delighted I hadn’t cared. The wine had been awful. I’d ask him how he had managed to get it, and he’d laughed. He didn’t turn twenty-one for another two months.

The memory played through my mind.

He flashed an ID in front of me.

“My good buddy Tad helped me out.”

I had snatched the ID away, looking at Aaron’s picture on what looked to be a very real ID. But the name…”Tad Fikes?” I asked, laughing. “If you’re going to come up with a fake ID, can’t you come up with a better name than Tad Fikes?”

He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me up against him. “Shows what you know. It’s an anagram, darling,” he said, kissing me quick and hard. “Switch the letters up and it says it’s faked. I’m laughing at everybody carding me. None of them have caught on.”

Amused, I had looked back at the ID I still held. It had been a fantastic job. I wondered who had done it. Not that I knew much about forging IDs, but it looked real to me. I studied the name, and in my head, I rearranged the letters. Sure enough, it’s faked spelled out perfectly.

“You must be so proud of yourself,” I said, laughing at him.

“From time to time,” he admitted. Then he dropped his head and kissed me. “Do you like your Valentine’s Day present?”

“I do.” The thought meant a lot.

“How about you tell me how much?” Aaron murmured against my lips.

I jerked to startling awareness just before Aaron would have kissed me again.

Even so, I wiped the back of my hand over my lips, not wanting even the memory of his kiss on my mouth.

“Tad,” I murmured against my hand as I remembered the name. And nausea welled inside me, my gut turning.

Understanding hit me hard and fast. It was Aaron. Aaron and probably Terri. That Terri had been involved in setting me up didn’t surprise me. But Aaron getting involved…? That hurt.

It hurt a lot. Tears burned my eyes and for a moment, I sat there, fighting to compose myself.

I wasn’t in love with him. If I ever had been, those feelings had faded a long time ago as the boy I’d loved had changed into the player he’d become since graduating.

But the echo of that boy…memories of him remained inside me and to know that he could do this?

It hurt.

Tears threatened, but I didn’t let them fall. He didn’t deserve the tears anyway.

Once I knew I could talk to Lukas without betraying how upset I was, I got up. Cradling the laptop against my chest, I padded back over to the sleeping area and rested a hip against the bed next to Lukas.

His eyes opened almost immediately, and he looked at me with startling clarity. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” I lied. I faked the smile and I had a feeling he could see right through it. “It’s just... Well, I figured something out.”

My fingers drummed nervously on the laptop and his gaze slid to it.

“What did you figure out?” he asked softly.

“It’s about that name…Tad Fikes.”

Lukas nodded. “I’ve already emailed my assistant. I want more concrete info on this so-called client. There’s very little hard data that she’s been able to find but I’m going to have her keep digging.”

“Go ahead, but you won’t find much,” I told him. Taking a deep breath, I said softly, “The man doesn’t exist.”

Lukas said, “I’m rather certain of that myself.” He cocked his head. “But what clued you in?”

“Nothing clued me in.” Uneasy, I smoothed my hand down one of the wrinkles in the shirt before confessing, “I know he’s not real. Tad Fikes is the name that Aaron used on his fake ID back in college. I just now remembered it.”

For a moment, he didn’t even blink.

Finally, a thick, heavy fringe of lashes fell down, shielding his eyes, and he averted his gaze, staring off at nothing.

“Aaron,” he repeated in a low voice. “Your ex set you up.”

“Well…I think he had help. I think he was doing it with Terri.” I hesitated a moment, then said softly, “I’m sorry.”

He reached up and cupped my cheek. “Don’t apologize to me. If anybody deserves apologies here, it’s you.”

He pulled me in close, but he didn’t kiss me. His brow touching mine, he simply held me.

* * *

Nerves danced inside me as I followed Lukas into the office the next morning. I was wearing nothing more than a blouse and jeans because I hadn’t exactly packed for a day at the office.

Technically I wasn’t an employee here anymore, and I suspected I could have worn a paper bag for a dress and Lukas wouldn’t have cared, but clothing was armor. I would have felt more secure if I’d been in one of my designer suits, with a pair of Louboutin heels to go with it.

Instead, I was in jeans and a pretty top with a pair of boots that went up to my knees and I was just going to have to fake it.

People slid me sideways looks as I walked along with Lukas up the stairs to his own personal office, and I could only imagine what they were thinking.

I hadn’t been quiet about why I had gotten fired, and I knew that Breanna had been furious so whether or not she had stayed quiet about what Lukas had done, I had no idea.

But that wasn’t my concern right now.

“Are you sure I should be here?” I asked softly.

“We wouldn’t have figured it out as quickly as we did without you,” Lukas said simply. He opened the door to his office and stepped aside, gesturing for me to enter.

I did so but turned back to meet his gaze one more time. “I still feel kind of funny.”

He cocked a grin at me. “As you’ve made it clear several times.”

He indicated for me to take one of the seats by his desk, but I elected to take one in the seating area in the corner instead. “I don’t want to be the first thing they see,” I said, making a face at him when he gave me a questioning look. I already knew he planned on calling Terri and Aaron. “It just seems…weird.”

Lukas let it go at that and moved around behind his desk, pushing the button on the intercom to bring his assistant on the phone. “Good morning,” he greeted her in return. He asked that she page Terri and Aaron and send them to his office.

“I should have gotten some coffee,” I muttered, crossing my legs.

He was waiting in the corner opposite me now, hands in his pockets.

“You’ve probably got a minute,” he said.

“No. I’m fine.” Glancing at the door, I looked back at him and met his eyes. “After this, I might need something stronger than coffee. Like a screwdriver or a Bloody Mary.”

“We can go get brunch.” He jingled the change in his pocket restlessly, but at the knock on the door, his head whipped in that direction.

Terri entered, followed closely by Aaron. She approached him, speaking in a brisk tone, and if she had any nervousness inside her, I couldn’t tell.

“I’m glad you called us in here, Mr. Grayson. I’ve been wanting to talk to you about the account Stella was managing. I’d like to take them over.”

Aaron said nothing. Neither of them had noticed me yet.

I crossed my legs.

Some small sound alerted him to my presence, and he glanced over his shoulder and saw me. His eyes widened and nerves jittered in his eyes. He reached out, his fingers trembling the slightest as he brushed them down Terri’s arm.

She ignored him, her attention raptly locked on Lukas.

“There is one account associated with Stella that I’d like to speak with you about,” he said with a tilt of his head, an expression on his face that might have made one think he was considering Terri’s request. “I’ve got questions…we might need to consider calling Breanna up. With Stella being new, she was supposed to have a senior member go over all her accounts.”

“I’m certain I would know the account,” Terri said, rather quickly. “I made sure to stay abreast of anything she took on.”

“Did you?” Grayson’s eyes were cold. “It’s odd then considering…well, that matter is being kept between accounting and me.”

“What matter would that be?” Terri asked, once again brushing Aaron’s hand off when he went to grab her elbow.

Lukas looked at Aaron instead of answering. “Aaron, did you also try to stay abreast of the accounts Stella worked on? Since you brought her in, one would think you felt a responsibility in this matter.”

Aaron opened then closed his mouth. He shot me another look, his face a dull shade of red. He was caught and he knew it. It was stamped all over his face and instead of responding to Lukas’s question, he just shrugged.

Terri shot him a quick look and that was when she noticed me.

“Stella,” she said, shock in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s that account Lukas had questions about.” I smiled at her. “I’ve got to admit, I’ve got questions too. So…that’s why I’m here.”

I would have said more but this was Lukas’s show.

Except he seemed to want to turn the ball over to me. His slate-blue gaze slid to me. “Why don’t you tell us more about this account, Stella? What was the client’s name again? Are you familiar with the client at all?”

“I’m familiar with the name,” I allowed, flicking a look at Aaron. “I just don’t think he’s a client. He’s certainly not one of mine. Beyond that…there’s not much to tell. The client isn’t mine. Anything that’s come out of petty cash that has my name on it that’s linked to this…client? Well, I don’t know what to tell you. I didn’t have any expenses associated with him. I didn’t have any dinners with this client. As a matter of fact, there were nights when I supposedly had dinner with this client when I was actually in the office working with Breanna.” I slid a look in Lukas’s direction. Once we’d started breaking down the expense reports, we found two nights where I’d been here with Breanna when I’d supposedly been wooing and wining and dining a client.

As I talked, Aaron’s face got red and redder.

Terri’s, on the other hand, was getting whiter and whiter. Malice and anger burned in the depths of her green eyes, though, making her gaze snap.

She was angry? Screw that.

Her anger was like a match, setting fire to mine. I met her angry glare with one of my own.

“I will tell you this though,” I said, holding Terri’s gaze with mine. Bite me, bitch. “This...person isn’t even a client.”

“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” Terri demanded.

Instead of answering, I looked over at Aaron. I could almost hear the ice dripping from my voice as I said, “It’s faked.”

He clenched one hand into a fist.

Terri didn’t get it. Apparently, he hadn’t let her in on the little joke.

“Are you saying the client isn’t real, Stella?” She gasped, the outrage on her face perfect.

I had to admit she was good.

“That is outrageous. It’s insane,” Terri said, her voice shaking.

I didn’t bother looking at her. I simply waited for Aaron to respond.

He didn’t though. He seemed frozen where he stood. Rising to my feet, I rose and walked over, stopping a few feet away. I held his eyes. “Nothing to say…Tad Fikes?”

At that moment, Terry realized she was caught. Turning to glare at Aaron, she demanded, “What is she talking about?”

“I did mention I knew the name from somewhere,” I reminded her, turning to look at her. “He’s used the name since college. Funny, huh?”

Knowledge started to glimmer in her eyes. Terri shifted from one foot to the other.

“You messed up,” I said softly. “You two used the same name back on Valentine’s Day. That’s just one we found…I don’t know if there are more, but if there are…?” I shrugged. Glancing at Lukas, I cocked a brow.

“I’ve already hired an outside team, specialists in forensic accounting. The books will be gone over with a fine-toothed comb.”

Terri’s composure snapped. Whirling on Aaron, she flung out her hand, pointing at him. “You dumbass! This is your fault! You went and messed up everything, you stupid asshole!”

At that, Aaron snapped out of his daze. Turning on her, he demanded, “Me? You’re the one who couldn’t stop having expensive dinners. You’re the one who couldn’t stop using petty cash as her personal piggy bank!” He took a step toward her, his face going thunderous. “Your dad got on you about that so many times and you still found a way to keep doing it. Don’t you go blaming this on me.”

The door opened but neither of them noticed. That was until two uniformed officers approached.

Terri froze. “What in the hell is this?”

“They’re called cops,” I offered helpfully.

Terri ignored me, spinning around to stare at Lukas imploringly. “What’s the meaning of this? You can’t be serious.”

He spoke for the first time in several minutes. Coming around the desk, he stopped in front of her. “You were going to ruin Stella’s career before she even had a chance to really build it. If she’d gotten arrested, you would have just sat by. You did nothing when she was fired. And you want to know if I’m serious?”

“You didn’t have her arrested,” Aaron said, stepping forward. He gestured toward me. I could tell he was trying to sound calm, but he looked like he was about ready to cry. “Is that because you’re fucking her?”

Lukas took one step forward.

Aaron backed up three. “Look, okay…okay. That was uncalled for. I get that. Look, we can pay the money back. And maybe…” His eyes flicked to Terri, then back to me. “Stella’s gone and moved back to New York. I mean, she’s here now, but…you know…” He glanced at Terri.

He said nothing else, but Terri seemed to read his mind as easily as I did.

She moved toward him. “We can make this right.” She laid a hand on Lukas’s shoulder.

I was moving toward them, murder on my brain.

Lukas caught her wrist in his hand and pulled it away, which saved me from committing murder.

Terri didn’t get the point though. “You can’t have us arrested. You can’t be serious.”

“I’m very serious.” He leaned in, his face the cold mask I’d first seen on the mountain. “If you hadn’t tried to paint Stella as the thief, maybe I would have just let you pay the money back. But that’s not what you went and did. So now you get to deal with the mess you made.”

He nodded at the officers. They stepped up, and as Terri and Aaron continued to beseech him, he came to me. “Do you want your job back?”

I considered it for a moment and then I nodded. “I do. But only for a little while. I think I’m going to go back to school. I want to finish my degree.”

And this time, I thought to myself, I was going to find a career that actually made me happy, not just something that would please my parents.