Chapter Fourteen

“Look who decided to show up to work.”

Julian glanced up from his desk to see Jason and Ryan enter his office.

“What are you doing here?” he asked Ryan.

His friend shrugged. “Took a long lunch. We haven’t seen you in a while.”

He grinned. “I’ve been busy.”

The men each took a chair around his desk while he saved the document he was working on before giving them his full attention.

“Yeah, you have,” Jason said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “How old are you?”

“All men are teen boys at heart.”

Julian shook his head. He sure as hell had felt like a teenager these past weeks, desperate for his next roll in the hay. Since he and Lillian returned from the B&B, something was different in their relationship. More intense. More real.

More permanent.

It was like the marriage had gone from an ethereal concept to a real eventuality.

Because we’re committed to each other now.

Every morning when he left her, he couldn’t wait to return. It wasn’t a sentiment he’d ever dealt with before. These days, they spent more nights together than they did apart. He’d waited for the suffocation to come, but it never had. Instead, he slept more soundly than he ever had before.

“You’ve been playing hooky a lot recently,” Ryan said.

He grinned. “I only took Monday off.”

“To do what?” Jason asked.

“Stay in bed.”

Jason laughed while Ryan shook his head. “I wonder what HR would have to say about your use of working hours,” he said.

“Considering he could fire and replace the whole department if he wanted to, I think they’re cool with it,” Jason teased.

Ryan crossed his arms and shook his head. “What did I do to deserve you two?”

“You’re just that lucky,” Jason replied.

“Did you need me on Monday?” he asked.

Ryan shrugged. “Not really. I’ve been working with Jason as outside counsel on the merger, and the numbers still aren’t adding up.”

He leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “What’s your gut telling you?”

Ryan sighed. “When you see the sorts of patterns we’re finding in the balance sheets…”

“It points to cooking the books,” Jason said, his humor falling away. “There’s something going on here, Julian. We don’t know what it is exactly yet, but the Abbotts are definitely skating around the truth.”

He ran a hand over his jaw. “Hell.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself with your future wife, but given what we’re finding…”

“We’re wondering if she’s a distraction,” Jason finished bluntly.

Something in his chest twisted. “You think John is parading a beautiful woman in front of me in hopes that I don’t pay as much attention to the merger as I should.”

His two friends looked at each other before nodding.

Pushing from his chair, he paced over to the windows and looked down at the bustling metropolis.

Is Lillian lying to me?

Or was she an unwitting pawn?

She said she had a secret. Something that was keeping her away from me.

He remembered the pain in her expression the night at the B&B. That hadn’t been the expression of a jaded seductress playing a role.

It’d been one of a woman torn about something.

Conflicting loyalties, perhaps?

Where does that leave me?

“If John is hiding something, Lillian might be the bait to lead you into the trap,” Jason said from behind him, his voice serious.

“So, the question is,” Ryan said, taking over, “what’s this marriage worth to you?”

He knew what they were asking. It wouldn’t be easy to undo the merger, but they hadn’t passed the point of no return. That would only come after the wedding. He could pull out and walk away.

But I’d lose Lillian.

He leaned a forearm against the glass. This merger was supposed to catapult his business to the next level. Would he still want to walk down the aisle if that wasn’t possible?

I already have a bigger fortune than I can spend in five lifetimes.

Was the potential of making it larger worth losing the woman he was set to marry?

Family or wealth. Which one do I choose?

He turned back to his friends. “I want proof,” he said. “Cold, hard, undeniable proof that John is playing me.”

“And in the meantime?” Ryan asked.

He exhaled slowly. “In the meantime, I’m getting married soon. I hope you two have tuxes that fit.”

Jason sighed. “I know she’s hot, but you should back away for the time being. What if she—”

A visceral rebuttal rose up within him. “Don’t finish that sentence,” he growled.

His friend frowned.

“Something might be going on here, but what’s developing between me and Lillian is real.”

It had to be.

Because for the first time in his life, his solitude wasn’t enough anymore. After a long, exhausting life, the runaway inside him was finally ready to stop wandering.

She has to be real.

There was no other possibility.

Because if she wasn’t, it wasn’t just his company she was going to tear apart.

It was his life as well.

…

Holly waited impatiently for the elevator to climb, staring at the numbers above the door. She’d see Julian in a few seconds, and it still seemed too long.

A smile tipped her lips.

Ever since they’d come back from their trip, everything had been different. Lately, she’d been spending more time at Julian’s home than her own and had loved every minute of it. This could be her life. Coming home to a man she couldn’t wait to see, not one she had to avoid. With Julian, she could breathe again, and she hadn’t even realized how starved for air she’d been before him.

The elevator dinged as it reached the top floor, and the doors slid open.

She slipped the keycard that he’d given her out of her purse and opened the door to his home. A part of her still hesitated over just walking into his place, but he’d assured her he liked having her here.

We’re like kids playing house.

Except in a few weeks, there’d be no playing about it.

There was still no word from Lillian, and her happiness dimmed. She needed her sister to come back with a solution so she could tell Julian the truth.

Then I beg.

She’d do whatever it took to earn his forgiveness. He wouldn’t hold trying to protect her workers against her. Would he?

Believe things will work out.

Everything was going to be all right in the end. She’d find a way to protect them both, and then, hopefully, she’d find a way for them to be together. Because the mark she’d been sent to entertain had turned into someone she could—

She slowed to a stop.

Someone I could fall for.

A chill went through her as she realized just how deep she was getting.

But what else could she call it? What else had such an electrifying force on a life? He’d turned her world upside down, and she loved every moment of it.

Just as she loved every second she spent with Julian. She missed him when he was gone. Thought about him when she should be focusing. Today she’d counted down the damn minutes until she could leave to see him again.

There was no denying how wrapped up in him she was getting.

And she didn’t want to escape these feelings.

A lightness filled her chest. She’d never been one to put herself out there or take chances. And caring about a man who could easily turn around and burn down her world was one hell of a chance.

She’d always assumed happily ever after was for other people. Luckier people. Who would bother with her by the sidelines when Lillian stood in the spotlight?

But Julian noticed her in a way no one else had ever bothered to try.

And it might put her life on a collision course with a heartbreak there was no avoiding.

It’s a risk.

But what they were developing was worth fighting for.

Wasn’t it?

“Julian,” she called, dropping her purse by the door. “Where are you?”

She wanted to see him. Touch him. Kiss him.

The kitchen was empty, so she wandered into the living room. The lights were on but there was no sign of her partner.

“Hello?” she called.

Maybe he wasn’t home yet.

The door to the patio slid open, and a man stepped inside. Julian was dressed in a tailored black suit that fit him so perfectly it made her mouth water.

“Wow,” she said. “Are we going out? You could have warned me.”

He smiled. “No, not going out. Come here.”

Curious, she crossed the room to his side, taking his hand. “What are you up to?”

He leaned down to give her a soft, welcome home kiss. “Something occurred to me.”

“What would that be?” she asked, leaning into him.

“Come with me.”

Taking her head, he led her out onto the wraparound balcony. Bemused, she followed his lead around the corner and stopped short.

Twinkly lights were strung up everywhere, creating a magical glow against the light. A table was set in the center, complete with champagne and strawberries. Two chairs waited for them at the heart of the romantic setting.

“Damn, Worth. I didn’t think you had something like this in you,” she said.

“You and me both.” He caught her hand, leading her closer to the table. “But I realized something I needed to correct.”

“Whatever it is, I’m a fan.”

He chuckled. “Enjoy the moment. I’m not doing something like this twice.”

She grinned at him. “Noted. So, what are we correcting tonight?”

He squeezed her hand. “I never actually asked you to marry me.”

“What?” she said, her breath freezing in her chest.

He pulled a small black box from his suit pocket. “Our engagement has been about papers and mergers. We were headed for the altar before we even met. I didn’t give a damn about that before, but now…”

Slowly, the man she’d once thought was cold as ice sank to his knee before her.

Her heart thundered in her ears. Nothing existed beyond this moment.

Nothing mattered but him.

“We’re more than a business deal,” he said. “I didn’t understand that before, but I do now. So, this time, it’s up to you. Will you marry me, Lill—”

She dropped to her knees, pressing a hand to his mouth. “Sweetheart,” she corrected before he could propose to the wrong woman.

He smiled beneath her palm before pulling her hand away. “Will you marry me, sweetheart?”

A bittersweet pang shot through her. Cupping his cheek, she stared into the face of an honest man. One as different from her father, from the world she’d always known, as night was from day. And here he was, a man who never bent, on his knees for her.

Something infinitely gentle swept over her as she brushed her thumb over his bottom lip. If she had her way, she’d choose him in a heartbeat.

“This is usually the part where the woman answers,” he teased, no doubt in his eyes.

“As if you don’t know what I’ll say.”

He smiled. “Tell me anyway.”

Saying yes should be simple. It’s what Lillian would have done had she been here because as sweet as this was, they both knew it still boiled down to business.

But even knowing what she should do, the words wouldn’t come.

This time there was no escaping. Facing the truth head on, she forced herself to think about this marriage, really think about it, for the first time. Marry Julian. Not Lillian. Not for gain. Not for business.

But because she willingly wanted her future tied to his.

What would I say if I could answer honestly?

If he was really asking the right woman?

Her fingers ghosted along the edge of his jaw. “I never really thought much about marriage,” she said honestly. “But you have me questioning everything.”

He laughed. “You’re not the only one.”

Her heart clenched. If she could make whatever decision she wanted, a lifetime with him sounded far better now than it had when her father had first forced her into his charade.

“Say yes,” he teased, taking the ring out of the box.

“Yes,” she said, unsure if she was answering for herself or for Lillian. She leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. “But I’m going to need you to ask me this question again before we make it to a church.”

His brow arched.

“Secrets,” she whispered.

He looked down at the ring in his hand before sighing softly. “Something isn’t right.”

She froze, her heart rate kicking up for an entirely different reason.

His dark gaze rose to hers, a seriousness in his expression she’d rarely seen. “Tell me now,” he said. “If we let the rest of the world go to hell, would you want to be with me?”

“If there was nothing but you and me?”

He nodded.

“Without hesitation,” she said, sincerity in her voice.

The tension in his shoulders relaxed.

“Then that’s what we’ll do,” he said. “You and me versus everyone else. We’ll find a way through.”

He slipped the ring on her finger without another word.

Her chest was tight as she looked down at the sparkle and wished, with all her heart, that they’d be able to keep the promise they’d just made.