Going Down Hard (Billionaire Bad Boys 3)

“Ready?” he asked.

“Yep.”

He came around to the side of the car and walked with her up the walk, ringing the doorbell. A few seconds later, a familiar woman opened the door. Marie had a few more wrinkles on her skin, a couple of strands of gray in her dark hair, and a wide, welcoming smile on her face.

“Derek, Cassandra! Come in, come in!”

After they stepped in out of the cold, Cassie found herself enveloped in a big hug. “It’s so good to see you again,” Derek’s mother said.

“I feel the same way.” She stepped back and smiled at Marie.

She hugged Derek next. “Let me take your jackets.”

Marie hung their coats in the front hall closet and led them back to the kitchen. The inside of the house was a new as the outside, a beautifully decorated dark wood kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. Marie had always loved to cook, so Cassie assumed this room got a lot of use.

The three sat at the kitchen table, a slice of homemade lemon meringue pie and coffee in front of each person. Good memories returned, of Marie giving her homemade treats after school, with milk instead of caffeine.

She dug into the pie. The lemony tart taste exploded on her tongue and she moaned. “Delicious.”

At the sound, Derek shot her a warning look.

She snickered to herself. She hadn’t meant to make an arousing noise, especially in front of his mom, and she cleared her throat.

“Mom, I thought I’d go change some of the higher ceiling lights while you two talk.” He rose and took a long sip of coffee before starting to walk out.

“Be careful on the ladder,” Marie said.

Derek all but rolled his eyes. “I will.” He winked at Cassie and disappeared out the kitchen entry.

This man, she thought, well aware of the growing feelings she had for him. And just look how far they’d come, her sitting in his mother’s kitchen.

Cassie knew how hard it was for him to leave her alone with his mother. But he had. Which meant he trusted her, she thought, her heart full.

She turned to Marie, who studied her through wise eyes. “Thank you for seeing me,” Cassie said.

“Are you kidding? From the time Derek mentioned your name, I couldn’t wait to see what a fine young lady you grew into.”

Cassie blinked in surprise. “You really don’t … hold it against me? What my father did?”

“Honey, we aren’t responsible for the sins of others.”

“I’m so sorry. I’m also grateful you feel that way. You were a big part of my childhood, and it would break me if you hated me now.”

Marie grabbed her hand. “On to other things, really.”

“Okay. Okay.” She sniffed before she could break down.

“So Derek tells me you’re writing a series of articles about him.” She leaned back in her seat.

Cassie rubbed her hands together, her excitement over her choice assignment coming through. “I’m almost ready to start working on them. I just need your perspective on what he was like as a child, how he’s changed, if he has. Things like that.”

“Well, let’s see, he was a handful as a toddler, into everything.” Marie smiled at the memories. “But he was also a good boy. He wanted to please both me and his father. Always willing to help around the house and at work.”

Cassie took mental notes of everything Marie said. So far none of it surprised her. Derek was a decent man who took care of his friends and family, but he also had no problem digging into things he had no business doing … like her brother’s life.

She blew out a puff of air. Since he’d been truthful with her, she’d tried to be grateful for his honesty and not angry he’d gone digging. Especially since he’d had good reasons. Reasons that included taking care of her. Cassie had been, and still was, torn by that revelation. She shouldn’t have any loyalty to her family. After all, they’d shown her how little she mattered to them. But how did you throw away a lifelong belief of what family was supposed to mean?

Yet how could she blame Derek for anything he did before he’d been involved with her, or for looking into her brother’s past indiscretions?