In spite of my resolve, I felt dangerously close to losing it. Between Jaden, the job, and everything else, I felt like a giant loser who'd made Florida my own personal train wreck.
Still, I kept on going until – damn it – I spotted a gaggle of familiar faces gathered near the main doors.
One of those faces was Darla's, and she was laughing it up with several of her closest friends. Oddly enough, they were the same friends who'd shown up with coffee and cake on my very first day – not that I'd been offered any.
At the sight of them, my steps faltered.
I'd have to pass directly by the whole group unless I wanted to make for the emergency exit, where an ear-splitting alarm would announce to everyone that I was a freaking coward.
Sadly, I was almost tempted.
And then what?
Enjoy some nice mockery tomorrow?
As if I needed any more grief.
Finally, I squared my shoulders and marched straight ahead, ignoring them just like I'd been ignoring everyone else who refused to make eye-contact.
As I passed, I said a silent prayer that Darla would just ignore me entirely and get on with whatever she was doing.
But she didn't.
Instead, she called out the strangest thing. "Have a good night."
I was so surprised, I almost fell on my face. I turned to look. "Um, excuse me?"
Darla repeated it, louder this time. "I said, 'Have a good night.'"
Stupefied, I glanced around. "Were you talking to me?"
One of her companions snickered, and I felt my body go stiff. What was this? Some sort of joke? Who knows, maybe they knew that I'd quit, and this was their way of rubbing it in.
If so, it would be the perfect ending to a crappy workday.
I turned to glare at the person who'd snickered, only to pause when Darla turned to the woman and demanded, "What was that?"
The woman – whose name was Robin – froze in mid-snicker. "Sorry, what?"
"That noise," Darla said. "You weren't laughing, were you?"
The woman glanced around. "I, um…" She lowered her voice. "Wasn't I supposed to?"
"No," Darla said. "You weren't."
As I watched from the sidelines, I wasn't even sure what I should do. Leave? Stay? Dig a ditch and throw myself into it?
Finally, I settled on mumbling, "You have a good night, too," before turning once again toward the exit.
"Hey!" Darla said.
Startled, I turned around. But as it turned out, she wasn't even looking in my direction. She was glaring at her companions. In a voice so loud, it carried throughout the whole lobby, she said, "Aren't you gonna tell Allie goodnight?"
The women exchanged glances. The one standing closest to Darla whispered, "Are we supposed to?"
"Hell yes," Darla said, "and not just when I'm around either." Darla gave me a quick sideways glance. In a quieter tone, she mumbled, "I mean, she's not so bad."
Coming from Darla, this was high praise indeed.
But I had no idea what it stemmed from, until I recalled that just yesterday, I'd been whining to Jaden that no one would talk to me.
Obviously, he'd had some sort of chat with her.
At the realization, I wanted to die of embarrassment. I appreciated it. Really, I did. But how humiliating was this? Now she – and heaven knows how many other people – would know that I'd been complaining to my boss-slash-boyfriend.
Shit.
As thankful as I was, this wasn't what I'd wanted. Stubbornly, I'd been hoping to win them over on my own – without threats or cajoling from Jaden or Jax.
Too late for that.
And yet, through my discomfort, a new hope kindled in my heart. If Jaden cared enough to convince Darla to be nice to me, what did that mean?
Maybe it wasn't over, after all?
As my mind whirled with this new possibility, the women awkwardly wished me goodnight while I returned the sentiment as best I could, even as my face burned with the certain knowledge that they were only doing it under duress.
When it was over, I was beyond relieved to get out of there. Soon, I'd be home, and then, I could crawl into my own bed and try to forget about this whole mess, if only for a few hours.
But that didn't happen.
And why?
It was because when I rounded the corner and spotted my truck, there he was, Jaden, leaning against passenger's side door, just like he'd done on the first day we'd met, all those months ago.
I stopped to stare, and our eyes met across the distance.
And then, he did something that sent my heart straight into my throat.
He smiled.
Chapter 72
Almost in a trance, I walked slowly forward, never taking my eyes off him. He was dressed casually in jeans, a dark T-shirt, and a red hoodie. Unless I was mistaken, it was the same hoodie that he'd been wearing when I'd first shown up on his doorstep all those months ago.
Unlike that time, he strode forward, meeting me more than halfway in the bustling parking garage. We practically collided into each other's arms, and he cradled me tight against him.
Into my hair, he whispered two words that caught me totally off-guard. "I'm sorry."
With a laugh, I pulled back to look into his eyes. "Really?"
His gaze was warm and wonderful. "Is that such a surprise?"
"Yeah," I said.
He gave a tight shrug. "Eh, just goes to show…"
When he didn't finish, I said, "It goes to show what?"
His eyes filled with humor. "What you know."
I tried to glare, but failed miserably. The truth was, I was so insanely glad to see him that I couldn't even pretend to be angry.
But I was confused. "What about Hawaii?"
"What about it?"
"You were there."
"Yeah. And now I’m not."
I was still soaking up the sight of him. "But why'd you come back?"
His gaze met mine. "You've gotta ask?"
Suddenly, I felt like crying, but they weren't tears of sadness, not this time. They were the other kind, the better kind.
In a softer voice, he said, "You should’ve told me."
"Told you what?"
"That people were giving you grief."
"But they weren't," I said.
His eyebrows lifted. "Is that so?"
"Okay, well maybe Darla and I had a few spats, but honestly, nobody was giving me grief. They were just…" I tried to laugh. "…pretending I didn't exist."
"Say the word, and I'll fire them all."
Now, I laughed for real. "Oh stop it. You wouldn’t."
"Wanna bet?"
From the look on his face, this was a bet I'd surely lose. The thought was more than a little unsettling.
I looked down and murmured, "You know I'd never want that." And it was true. I didn't, especially when most of them probably thought they had good reasons to hate me.
He placed a gentle finger under my chin. "Hey…"
When I looked up, he said, "If anyone hurts you – and I mean anyone – they'll have me to answer for. Got it?"
At the intensity of his gaze, I sucked in a quiet breath. "Is that what you told Darla?"
His eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Well, just now, she was actually pretty nice." I gave a nervous laugh. "So whatever you said, it obviously made an impression."
But already, Jaden was shaking his head. "Sorry, I haven't talked to her."
I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "Are you sure?"
"Oh yeah." His expression darkened. "But I will."
"No," I blurted, and then softened my tone. "I just mean, I think it'll work out on its own." I paused. "Or maybe it already has." With a sigh, I waved away the distraction. "But forget that. You didn't really come back because of me, did you?"
"Hell yeah."
"But what about Hawaii?"
"Say the word, and we'll leave tonight."
I laughed. "Oh, stop it."<
br />
"You think I'm joking?" he said. "The jet's waiting at the airport."
"The jet? You mean your private jet?"
He gave me a crooked smile. "You didn't think you were flying commercial, did you?"
Actually, I did. But looking back, I should've known better. After all, he'd mentioned sending a car to take me to the airport, and when I'd asked about plane tickets, he'd said that the driver would have everything I needed.
But this was something to ponder later on, when my mind wasn't already whirling. Still, I had to point out the obvious. "But I already quit."
"Yeah. About that…"
I held up a hand. "Just hear me out, okay? I've been giving it a ton of thought, and you're really important to me – a million times more important than any job."
I gave him a tearful smile. "And if quitting is what it takes, then I’m happy to do it, honest."
His eyes filled with mischief. "Happy, huh?"
"Well, not thrilled," I clarified. "I mean, I'd miss you during the day, but…" I sighed. "I just feel that it's a little awkward, trying to hide how we feel."
He shrugged. "Alright, so we won't hide it."
I stifled a laugh. "You're impossible. You know that, right?"
"Me?" he said. "I'm an angel compared to you."
"Hey!"
"And," he said, "I'm not just saying that as your boss."
I rolled my eyes. "But you're not my boss, at least not for long."
"We'll see…" He pulled away and gave me a look that I couldn’t quite decipher. And then, he did the strangest thing. He sank down to his knees, right there in the parking garage.
With a laugh, I reached out and tried to pull him back up. "Oh, stop it. Like you'd actually beg me to come back."
His eyes were filled with humor. "I might."
I hesitated. Something was definitely up. "So, are you?"
He smiled. "No."
My heart was racing now. "Then what are you doing?"
"You can't guess?"
"I, um." Oh, my God. With my heart in my throat, I managed to say, "I'm not sure I should."
"Good."
"Why is that good?"
"Because there's only one word I want to hear."
Breathlessly, I said, "What?"
Still on his knees, he reached into the pocket of his red hoodie and pulled out a little black jewelry box. As I watched in stupefied silence, he opened it to reveal the most dazzling diamond I'd ever seen.
And then he said it, "Allie Brewster, will you marry me?"
Chapter 73
Oh. My. God. He was serious. I felt myself swallow. My lips felt dry, and my eyes grew wet.
I knew exactly what word he wanted me to say. Happily, it was the same word that I felt like hollering to the whole world. But instead, with a heart filled with love and longing, I said it in a breathless whisper. "Yes."
With a look that warmed me to the core, he pulled the ring from the box and slipped it onto my finger. It fit perfectly, too, like it was made just for me.
Who knows, maybe it was.
Soon, I was in his arms, soaking up the feel and scent of him. I'd missed him so very much, and now, the thought of having him forever was almost too wonderful to be real.
But it was real, just like the feel of his arms and the taste of his lips as he kissed me like I'd never been kissed before.
Suddenly, the only thing I wanted was to be alone with him – really alone, where we could make up for lost time.
Breathlessly, I pulled back to say, "We should go."
He smiled down at me. "Yeah?"
I gave an enthusiastic nod. "Yes. Definitely."
He chuckled. "Alright, Hawaii, it is."
Suddenly inspired, I said, "That sounds amazing, but do you think we could leave tomorrow instead?"
"Why tomorrow?"
"Because…" I gave him as sheepish smile. "I was thinking that now, we could go to my place." Technically, it was his place, but that was a conversation for another time. More importantly, Cassidy would be working until ten, which meant that we'd have all the privacy in the world to catch up.
His eyes lit with interest. "Why yours?"
I laughed. "Because it's a lot closer than the airport."
He gave me a mischievous grin. "So, you wanna pack? Is that what you're telling me?"
"No." I hesitated. "Well, yeah, maybe that, too, but…"
With a look that was all innocence, he said, "But what?"
"Oh, you know what," I laughed. With that, I reached for his hand and began tugging him toward the truck.
Behind me, he was saying, "You're pretty strong for someone so small."
Now, I couldn’t stop laughing. "Oh stop it. If I weren't dragging you, you'd be dragging me."
"Got that right."
Giddy with love and laughter, I rushed us toward the truck. But when we reached the passenger's side, my laughter faded. "Oh, no." I pointed through the window. "The keys, I left them in the ignition."
It shouldn’t've been surprising. This morning, I'd been so distracted, it was a wonder that I'd made it into the office at all.
From behind me, Jaden said, "So?"
I turned around to face him. "So, how are we gonna leave?"
He eyed me with obvious amusement. "Is that a serious question?"
"Oh. Right." I glanced around. "So, where'd you park?"
"Nowhere," he said. "I had Hank drop me off."
Hank was his regular driver – the one who ferried the brothers to the airport whenever they weren't driving themselves, which granted, wasn't very often. I said, "So….should we call him now?"
"Screw that." Jaden left my side and vaulted himself into the truck bed.
I asked, "What are you doing?"
Already, he was reaching toward the rear window, or, as he'd called it, the slider.
Now, I couldn’t help but cringe. "Sorry, it's locked." And it was. Ever since that first day, I'd been excessively careful. In truth, I never used the slider at all, for fear of accidently leaving it open.
But Jaden was grinning. "We'll see."
From the sidelines, I watched in amazement as he slid open the rear window and began climbing, head-first, into the vehicle. My mouth fell open. What the heck?
I had locked it, hadn't I?
I couldn’t help but stare as he tumbled into the passenger area and then reached out to unlock the passenger's side door. He pushed the door open and said, "And just so you know, I'm driving."
I was too stunned to move. "Wait, it wasn't locked?"
"Not anymore."
"So….you had a key?"
He grinned. "Get in, and I'll tell you."
I was too giddy to argue. With a laugh, I climbed into the truck and shut the door behind me as Jaden settled himself into the driver's seat.
As he fired up the engine, I said, "So…? What'd you do? I mean, it didn't even have some sort of secret key, did it?"
He gave a low scoff. "Keys are for pussies."
I stifled a giggle. "So you broke in?"
"Nah." He gave me a sideways glance. "You see anything broken?"
"No," I admitted. "But I can't see the outside from here."
"Good."
"Wait, why is that good."
"Because there's nothing to see."
I felt a goofy smile spread across my face. In a voice filled with love, I murmured, "There is too."
"Yeah? What's that?"
I was still smiling. "You."
When we reached the garage's exit, he turned to face me head-on. With a wicked grin, he said, "And don’t you forget it."
As if I could.
We were halfway to my apartment when I suddenly realized something. "Hey, wait a minute…"
"What?"
"A few months ago, you gave me a ride home."
"Yeah, so?"
"You remember the reason, right? It was because just like today, I'd locked my keys in the truck."
"So?" he repeated.
> "So, if you were able to get in, why didn't you then?"
He was smiling again. "Why do you think?"
I couldn’t help but smile back. "It wasn't just to give me a ride home, was it?"
"Hell yeah, it was."
I laughed. "No."
"Yes."
"But you didn't even like me."
"Wanna bet?" he said. "You drove me fucking crazy."
"Yeah? Well you drove me crazy, too."
"Good."
"No," I laughed. "It wasn't good. It was terrible."
"Admit it, you loved it."
I tried to glare. "I did not."
At the next stoplight, he turned and gave me a long secret look. "You sure about that?"
Woah. With that look alone, I felt primed and ready. What was it about him, anyway? Happily, I'd have years and years to find out.
Still, I insisted, "Of course I’m sure." I paused. "Well, most of the time, anyway."
"Uh-huh. We'll see about that."
That sounded vaguely ominous. "What do you mean?"
"I mean," he said, "you're gonna tell me everything."
"Like what?"
"Everything," he repeated.
"Oh yeah?" I teased. "And what if I don’t?"
"Trust me, I've got ways of making you talk."
And oh, boy. Did he ever.
Chapter 74
When we reached the apartment, we were naked in like two minutes flat. Or rather, I was naked. As for Jaden, he was annoyingly clothed – at least below the waist.
But it wasn't my fault. Every time I'd tried to take off his jeans, he'd been totally uncooperative.
I might've objected more strenuously except for the fact that his lack of cooperation where his jeans were concerned was completely overshadowed by his fingers dancing over my naked body.
I was lying face up in my double bed, and already, I was a breathless, quivering mess. He was lying next to me, propped up on his elbow, giving me a view that was pure bliss, even if it wasn't nearly as complete as I wanted.
His pecs were hard and defined. His biceps bulged. His stomach was a work of art, with its sculpted washboard lines and ridges.
Again, I reached for the button of his jeans. Again, he pulled back, even as his fingers toyed with my nipple, worrying it between his smooth fingertips.
I stifled a little moan. "What are you doing?"
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 30