“Good morning, baby,” I whispered, running my hand over the back of Jo’s head, my fingers lost in her locks.
She tilted her face to glance up at me, eyes still heavy with sleep, hair wild from the way I had ravaged her last night.
Another Saturday, and I got this one all to myself.
“Mmm,” she yawned.
For the last two months that she’d been waking up in my bed, I’d learned that mornings were her least favorite time of day. She needed time to rise, time before she was ready for conversation. But seeing her face fresh without makeup, feeling her skin extra warm, having her completely naked in my arms—this was my favorite time of the day.
I couldn’t get enough of her.
And I had no problem holding her just like this for the next several hours, but I was positive there was something she was craving, especially as the sun came in through my windows, casting its rays across her cheeks.
“Coffee?”
“Mmm,” she groaned again. “Please.”
I kissed the top of her head. “Be right back.”
I slid out from underneath her, grabbing my phone from the nightstand before I made my way into the kitchen. As I placed the first cup under the brewing machine, I scrolled through all the messages that had come in overnight. Aside from a multitude of emails, there was a group text that caught my attention.
Walter: I just received the digital rendering from our architect. I need the both of you in my office at 10 tomorrow morning.
The time on the microwave told me that was in two hours.
On a Saturday.
I sent a quick reply, telling him I would be there, and I made a second coffee, carrying them both into my bedroom, where Jo hadn’t moved.
“Thank you,” she grumbled, holding out her hand, gently sitting up to sip. Once she had a few swallows down her throat, she eyed me as I climbed into bed. “The most irresistible body and makes the best cup of coffee—my God, I’m lucky.”
I laughed, pulling the blanket back over me, positioning her so she was close, carefully so she wouldn’t spill. “Not to kill the mood, but you might want to check your phone.” Her head tilted, and I added, “Your dad needs us to come in. The rendering is done.”
She held her finger in the air, burying her face in the cup, downing what looked like half the coffee. “There, that’s a little better. Now, say that again. Us? Going into the office? Today?”
I nodded. “In two hours.”
“When he sees the design, this is either going to turn into the best day ever or he’s going to wish he never hired me.”
I brushed my fingers across her cheek. “It’s not going to be the latter.”
She shrugged. “But it could be.”
I knew what would make this day better.
If I could walk into the office, holding Jo’s hand. If I could sit next to her in the meeting with my fingers on her thigh. If I could look at her the same way I was right now without worrying that her father would know what was on my mind.
But I couldn’t.
Because Walter still didn’t know about us.
And every time I brought that up, Jo didn’t want to talk about it.
“I wish I weren’t able to read your thoughts.” She grabbed a pillow and tucked it against her chest, resting her mug on top of it. “I’m sorry …”
I set my coffee down and wrapped my arm around the back of her. “For what?”
“Everything. This. Us.” She was staring at the top of her cup and slowly looked at me. “He needs you. Spade Hotels needs you. Every time I go into the office, I’m reminded of how integral you are to our brand and …” Her voice faded out while she pressed her hand against her chest. “I’m worried I’ve ruined that. That’s why I’m afraid to tell him, Jenner.”
My fingers moved to her face, holding her so she wouldn’t look away.
I didn’t know if I believed this, but I still had to say, “It’ll be all right.”
I just wanted to take the worry from her. I didn’t want it eating at her like it was doing to me.
She shook her head. “But it’s not all right.” She took a deep breath. “When I was in Vegas, I didn’t think. I didn’t understand. And now that I work there, now that I see your role, I do.” Emotion started to fill her eyes. “If he fires you, it could be so detrimental—to him and to the future of our company.”
I took the coffee out of her hand, setting it on my nightstand, and I pulled her into my arms, pressing my lips to the top of her head. “I’m only a lawyer, Jo. There are many others out there who are just like me, who can do what I do. I have an entire firm of them, and I can certainly suggest someone on my team who can help your father the same way I can—”
“No.” She leaned back to look at me. “I know you’re just trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate that, but there’s not a single lawyer in this country who can do what you do. That’s why you’re the best, why Google says you’re worth as much as you are—a number I can’t even wrap my head around, let alone understand the meaning of.”
She’d Googled me. She was so fucking adorable.
And even though this was a sensitive topic between us, I hated that she was hurting.
I brushed my thumb across her cheek, nearing those lips that I loved so much. “I can’t predict what’s going to happen or how he’s going to react. All I know is, the sooner we tell him, the better we’ll feel.”
Her eyes changed, a look of fear entering them. “Are you sure about that?”
Jo, who had left my house fifteen minutes before me, was already in the conference room when I walked in. Despite our conversation this morning, we still wanted to play it safe. So, with Walter at the head and Jo at his right, I took a seat on his opposite side and folded my hands on top of the table.
“Thank you for coming in on a Saturday,” Walter said, dressed as though this were a Monday morning press conference.
I’d done the same, wearing a black suit for the occasion, his retainer ensuring that I would be on and prepared, no matter the day or time.
“You asked for a digital mockup before the physical rendering,” Walter said to Jo. “So, that’s what the architect has prepared.”
As excited as I was for this moment, I was also dreading it. The ideas Jo had given the architect were unique and sounded fantastic, but that didn’t mean they would translate to a design that would actually work. I was worried like hell that I was going to hate it. That Walter was going to hate it. That I would give my opinion—something I would never lie about—and it wouldn’t be in her favor.
That in front of her father, I’d have to go against the woman I loved.
And knowing how much Walter valued my opinion, it made me sick to think what that would do to her career.
Walter pointed a remote toward the wall of TVs, and they all turned on at the same time, showing the design of the building. He pressed another button, and the angle changed, revealing each side of the massive structure and the way it was embedded into the mountain. “The architect took Joanna’s concept, and this is what his team came up with.”
Jesus fucking Christ.
I was speechless.
The hotel was shaped like a tree trunk, protruding out the side of the rock, starting out wide at the bottom and gradually thinning as it grew the twenty-two stories, expanding again as it neared the top. The texture matched the look and feel of the mountains, the spiral grooves etched into the facade, like the rings inside a tree.
As the image continued to spin across the screens, I glanced at Walter and then at Jo, waiting for one of them to say something.
“Joanna, is this what you wanted him to build?”
I put my hands in my lap, so he wouldn’t see me wringing my fingers.
She was slow to look at her father, staying reserved when she said, “Yes.” She swallowed. “I know you had visions for it as well, and I tried to relay those to the architect. I realize this isn’t what we discussed, but I’ve studied this town and our intended demographic, Dad. I’ve analyzed our competition. I truly believe in my heart that this is going to set us apart.”
His face stayed stoic when he looked at me and added, “What do you think, Jenner?”
Jo had taken a gamble.
An expensive one.
One that had more than paid off.
I took a deep breath, slowly glancing over at Jo before I gave him my honesty. “There’s nothing traditional about this build-out, nor does it match any of the buildings in your portfolio. But I don’t think it should. What Joanna and the architect have created makes a statement. It makes the property desirable. People will want to stay there just to say they’ve been there. That right there is effortless marketing, and it doesn’t get much better than that.” My leg bounced under the table as I continued, “You know I’ve been all over the world, and not a single hotel I’ve been in is as beautiful as this one.”
“I see,” he replied.
He glanced back at his daughter, and I still couldn’t get a read on him, his opinion and thoughts not making their way to his face.
“Joanna …” he started and stopped.
My fucking stomach hurt for her.
I’d been in the same position as her many times in the past. I’d presented new ventures to my parents, waiting for their response, their aloof faces staring back at me in the boardroom.
I knew this was a moment she’d been anxious about.
I also knew this could be a huge breakthrough for her career—or not.
“I knew my inability to meet with the architect was going to result in a shift of control, that you were going to heavily influence this project.” He shook his head. “I’ve been worried about what that would look like from a brand standpoint and how that could affect your future at this company. I certainly can’t have my daughter having a vision so vastly different than my own. And then I see this and …” His head dropped, and so did my goddamn stomach. “It’s exactly what Spade Hotels needs.” He gazed up at her, pride now filling his stare. “I couldn’t be prouder. You really delivered on this one, pumpkin.”
As I processed his words, relief passed through me.
Jo’s face mirrored the same feeling, a warmth now growing across her lips.
She quickly looked at me, and I squeezed in, “Congratulations, Joanna.”
Her grin grew, and she said, “Dad, you love it? Really?”
“It’s stunning,” he replied. “You’ve exceeded every expectation, and Lord knows, I set hundreds for this project.” He smiled. “Never did I think you’d create something this special, but I should have known better—you’ve proven me wrong at every stage of your life. This moment, this achievement, this massive undertaking is certainly no different.”
“To you,” I said, holding my scotch in the air, a small table separating us at the restaurant.
Jo blushed, raising her champagne. “We’re toasting to me?”
“And we will be for weeks to come. That design, Jo”—I shook my head, clinking my glass against hers—“is fucking gorgeous.”
“Thank you.” She sipped from the flute. “I had a lot of faith in our architect, but I didn’t think he’d capture my ideas practically word for word.”
I set my drink down and reached across the table, covering her hand with mine. “You should have seen the way your father was looking at you. You’re his whole world.”
“The man about gave me a heart attack. I was positive he was going to tell me he hated it and then fire me.”
“But he loved it.”
“I’m honestly still in shock.” She clung to the thin stem, staring at the bubbly. “You know, I always pictured myself working for him, but I never knew what that would really look like.”
Our eyes finally locked.
“My parents divorced when I was ten. I lived with Mom mostly. Dad took me every other weekend, and most of those were spent flying to one of his hotels. A nanny would watch me while I played in the pool, so he could meet with the executive staff of the property.” Her fingers tightened, and so did my grip. “I heard his phone calls, I listened to him talk to his employees whenever I was in his office, and I tried to picture myself on the other end of that conversation. It’s one thing to be an alpha’s daughter; it’s a whole other thing to work for him.”
“And impress him.” I smiled. “But you have.”
A gentleness came through her eyes. “I can’t even tell you how overwhelming that feels.”
“Baby, trust me, I know.”
She placed her free hand over the back of mine, our fingers now stacked together, and she took several deep breaths, taking her time to say, “Today proved a lot to me, Jenner, and I know”—her voice softened—“it’s time.”