Romancing Austin

by Riley Bancroft, Evelyn Berry, Cara Carnes, Jax Garren, Irene Preston, Rebecca Royce, Chandra Ryan

  With a smile on her face, Chloe wrapped up the conversation and disconnected the call because like a tiger stalking its prey through the high grass on the savannah, her ultimate goal was to win Holt’s affection. After she married him three weeks before, she started working for his record company—in truth, her job was a business deal in its own right.

  They didn’t have an intimate relationship, yet a crackle of attraction always danced between them. He labeled them as companions from day one, but he insisted they share a bed together and worse, he always slept wearing only his boxers, though he never touched her in a sexual manner. Talk about mixed signals? She couldn’t even explain the desire driving her forward to seek his acceptance, but she was one step closer to making everything right.

  Her reputation had been slandered and dragged through the mud after her rock star, ex-fiancé publically cheated on her. After a night of drinking, she’d made a horrible spectacle at a swanky hotel—busted a few vases. As a well-known magazine journalist, she’d made a fool out of herself and lost thousands to repair the damage she caused in the hotel lobby. At least the hotel decided not to press charges for property damages.

  Then she met Holt—a collision of chance, so she opted for a career and life change. Turned out she had a knack for the record industry she didn’t know she possessed. Her intuition and perseverance had served her well.

  He seemed proud of her progress too. Well, in the beginning he praised her—but as swiftly as their relationship began, so it seemed his interest in her waned. Tension strained between them and he became more distant with each passing day.

  To lose him so soon made her sick to her stomach. The first two weeks of their marriage had been a maddening, full throttle, whirlwind of time spent together—though he never touched her physically, they did a lot of laughing and even flirting. Somehow, through it all, he even helped her forget about her ex by getting to know her and letting her know him. He intrigued her, and she couldn’t be near him enough. They had deep conversations from everything on religion to philosophy, they shared so many interests—she even read to him at night.

  Throw two strong personalities together and sparks ignited. So true, both extremely good and bad, because they had their differences occasionally. Even when he drove her crazy, she still felt this strange yearning to be near him. Taking a deep breath, she rose from her seat behind the desk. She smoothed her palms down the front of her black skirt, then left the office.

  Holt had asked her to stay inside all day while he worked on a project out front, so she’d busied herself in finding Ashley. No matter what happened, she would succeed in making him proud of the work she did. Wanting his approval shouldn’t bother her as much as it did. They got married on the premise of a business arrangement, not love or anything close to it, so she shouldn’t have let her feelings get involved. The attraction toward him grew and she wanted him to want her, but she knew going in, they would be just partners.

  Holt needed a wife on paper to secure his assets against the asshole competitor who sought to take his record empire apart and knock him out of the business. He could safely move everything into her name, so they couldn’t take him for all he was worth. In return, he would restore her reputation and get her career back on track.

  She steeled her heart, pulled her shoulders back and walked down the hallway of their mansion to head outside and find him.

  When Chloe opened the front door, she stopped a moment, taking in the dark and contrasting colors of the beautiful spring sunset which mirrored the conflicting turmoil inside of her. Holt had been so good to her and she was happy to help him, to be with him. She needed to block her growing affections out, as if they didn’t exist and keep a wall up to protect the parts of her already aching, or she would never make it through their marriage.

  She was his companion, despite the fact that their wedding license said wife. He’d reminded her of that fact a few times already, even though he kept throwing her mixed signals by using those terms of their relationship status so loosely, then brushing her shoulder with his, squeezing her hand and more than once, tucking the wisps of her hair away behind an ear. Intimate, natural gestures all—each one keeping her more off balance than the last.

  At the end of the walkway, Chloe rounded the corner of the garage and made her way down the sloped driveway, her heels clicking against the pavement.

  Holt had some big project he’d been working on outside all day. She hadn’t seen him since he crawled out of bed in the morning, only wearing boxer briefs. His lean and muscular body always caught her eye. He was too gorgeous not to look at—and the tattoos wrapping his left arm only added to his appeal.

  Finally Holt, wearing his signature white button up and black business pants, came into view as she descended the drive, shielding her eyes from the setting sun. His hot-ass body blocked the scene unfolding beyond him. Three large work trucks were on the main street and about a fifty men milled about.

  She squinted as she made out some type of large garden sculptures by the entryway. Raising her voice to get his attention, she said, “I have some really good news. Remember that song we heard on YouTube last night?”

  With his arms crossed, he spun to face her. His brown eyes narrowed, and his mouth straightened to a thin line, but he never answered her.

  Is he upset? Chloe shifted her stance. She had such a hard time reading him these days. She fought the urge to frown and remained strong. “I’m sorry—” Her gaze followed his when he turned away from her. She froze in place and slapped a hand over her mouth when she saw what he’d been working on all day. Did he do this for me?

  She stared at the entryway she’d always dreamt of having, never imagining the lavish entrance would ever be possible to afford. The most beautiful green bushes, trimmed in swirls, surrounded pools of water. It looked so much like a picture she’d seen in a magazine a few years before. She carried the magazine everywhere with her, even dog-eared the page, so she could admire it every day.

  Large rocks, like monoliths sat on each side of the luxurious piece of artistry straddling the driveway. In person, the design looked so much more amazing. Her stomach clenched as happiness bubbled over her, and she sucked in a deep breath.

  Holt placed his hands into the pockets of his pants and strolled up to her. A sexy smirk tilted his lips to the side. “I had hoped to show you after it was completely finished, love.”

  His smile made her melt and it slayed her on the inside when he used endearments, throwing more mixed signals, but she was bound and determined not to reciprocate, focusing on the entryway. “I—why?” Still flabbergasted, she couldn’t move, staring back at the new serene garden. “You shouldn’t have.”

  “When we got married, I told you I would always take care of you. I wanted to do this for you.” He did say she would never want for anything monetarily. It was part of the arrangement of their convenient union. They didn’t love each other. Hell, they barely knew one another. They met one night at the bar where she’d made a scene and spent hours chatting before devising their plan of nuptials.

  Holt going out of his way to do something special for her threw her off guard. Why would he give her something out of pure generosity? “How did you know?”

  “I took the magazine. You didn’t think I’d notice how you take that damn thing everywhere with you?” His dark brown eyes glinted with a sincerity she’d only begun to recognize when they were alone together, so different from the aloofness he’d shown her recently.

  After an argument the previous week about how she needed to not be so affectionate toward him when she’d admitted she was starting to care for him, he became distant and reminded her a few times how she was his partner…not his wife or his lover. The pain of the bitter and hollow words seeped into her skin, twisting like a dull knife, piercing her soul.

  “You did this for me?” Pressure welled in her head as tears threatened. “It’s beautiful—you didn’t have to.” The mixed signals he sent her were going to be
her downfall, because it killed her a little more inside when he went above and beyond.

  “I wanted to, love.” He smiled…so devastatingly handsome.

  The way he looked at her, made her feel warm all over while her heart clenched in her chest. Knowing she couldn’t touch him in a loving way because of their argument before, she clasped her hands together and squeezed them. “Thank you for the surprise. You always have a way of undoing me.” She regretted the admission as soon as the words left her mouth, but they were already out there.

  He took a step closer to her, a seductive gleam in his eye, “I do, do I?”

  Pasting the best smile on her face, despite the warring emotions flaring through her, she replied, “You do.”

  “I want you to be happy here with me; that’s why I did this all for you.”

  When he spoke to her like this, with tenderness and sincerity, it eviscerated her. She couldn’t hold back any longer. Unable to fight the need to touch him, she wrapped her arms over his shoulders, hugging him. “Thank you.” Stretching onto her tiptoes, she snuggled into his neck. “I promise you that I will make it up to you too.”

  His muscles strung taut under her hold, then he pulled back, holding her at arm’s length. The look in his eyes seemed troubled as he studied her, almost disappointed.

  Defeat. Defeat prevailed as she realized yet again, she just crossed another line in their companionship—even if they shared a bed together every night.

  He pursed his lips to the side. His brows furrowed.

  Chloe locked her emotional wall back into place and asked, “Is everything all right?” Pretending nonchalance seemed to be her forte.

  “It’s fine. You don’t need to do anything for the things I give you.”

  Heat seared her chest and she tamped down the anger. “I know. I’m just thankful.” She again wondered about their relationship because she didn’t know how replaceable she was to him. If another girl came into the picture, with the same type of willpower and strong personality he seemed drawn to, she might be out the door. With Holt, it wasn’t about fixing the disarray she made. It morphed into his acceptance of her as his. “I said I would make it up to you and I mean it.”

  “You don’t need to offer anything to me.”

  His deadpan stare hit her in the gut. Chloe’s eyes widened. Did he think she just suggested sex in exchange for everything he provided her with? “No, I—uh, I didn’t mean it that way.”

  His brows knitted as he narrowed his gaze on her. “I never suggested you did.”

  Warmth heated her cheeks. Hell, the exchange between them was getting embarrassing. From the first moment they met, she’d felt like she’d known him forever. “I meant that I have a surprise for you too. You’ve given me so much. It’s not in my nature to sit back and not return the favor.”

  “You married me. Don’t you think you’re sacrificing enough by giving up the chance to find someone to love?”

  “I…” Her mouth closed and opened a few times. She didn’t know how to respond. She knew what she’d been getting into with him.

  Was he having regrets about sleeping in a bed with her?

  She waved away the negative thoughts and instead, latched onto his bicep, then pulled him across the driveway to the side of the house, shielding them from the prying eyes of the construction workers. “We’re partners in this deal. I like helping you. I want to help you, or else I wouldn’t be here.”

  Widening his stance, he scrubbed a palm over his barely there whiskers. He usually kept such a neat and clean appearance. “Your ex-fiancé is in town for South by Southwest.”

  Chloe’s gut clenched. “What?” She’d checked the line-up for weeks to make sure Adam’s band, Dauntless Shadows, wasn’t on any of the performances.

  “Yes. Adam conveniently stopped by this morning while I was letting the contractors in. Apparently, he doesn’t think you guys are over. He doesn’t even know you’re married to someone else now.” A flare of anger rippled in his tone.

  “Oh. The tabloids would have a field day with this.” She rubbed her forehead. Her marriage to Holt had been kept on the down low, because she asked him not to make a big deal about it. To top it off, how did Adam even find out where she lived?

  “What are you going to do? Do you still want him?”

  “No. I told you the night we met in the bar it was over between him and me.”

  “Do you want to be here with me?”

  Frustration bubbled, mixing with her already confused feelings. “Yes. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. We made this deal together.”

  “Then why didn’t you tell him we were married? Why are you still insistent that we keep our marriage a secret for now?”

  Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, unsure of the point he was trying to make. “Look, where is this third degree coming from?”

  “Like you said, the tabloids will have a field day when they learn of our marriage. I kept everything discreet for you.” He took a step closer.

  The body heat coming from him fueled hers. “I don’t care if Adam knows. I just wanted to make sure we had everything in order first, so we have a united front—together. Does it bother you that I wanted to keep our marriage quiet?” Why doesn’t he get it? She didn’t want any new publicity. After the public spectacle she’d made of herself at the bar, she just wanted some time to let it all fade away.

  “No. I want to see where your loyalty lies though.” Holt shrugged. “He’s a rich and famous rock star, every woman’s wet dream. Why give him up for me?”

  “Exactly—every woman’s wet dream. He cheated on me!” Chloe’s voice rose. “More than once, until I literally lost it, and I acted out in a way that embarrassed me, not to mention ruined my career. Do you think I want to live a life like that?”

  “So, you marry a stranger to escape instead?” He pursed his lips into a thin line, narrowing his gaze on her.

  He already knew why she went into this marriage with him. She needed him to help her take on a new career and build it up. “Why now?” She stomped her foot. “Why are we having this conversation now, and not three weeks ago, before we said I do?”

  “I didn’t realize then that your fiancé would show up, demanding you back.”

  “He’s not my fiancé. You’re my husband.” Exasperated, she took his hand in hers. “There’s no reason to think for one second that I will leave. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “And what about when you decide you need more? Hmm?” He took a step closer, boxing her in against the side of their house. “What about when you want a relationship? When you want somebody to love you?”

  Her body heated up at how near he was, even as her heart dropped at his words. After Adam had torn her soul to shreds, she hadn’t wanted to be with anyone again, to go through the ache of being heartbroken and depressed. She’d written off men, figuring she would be better off alone. Yet, Holt had offered her a different type of security, one she thought would satisfy her. “What about you? Do you plan on having affairs to keep yourself happy? You know this door swings both ways.”

  “I already told you Chloe, I won’t.” He skimmed his chin with his knuckles in slow back and forth strokes.

  She took a deep breath and exhaled with force, trying to understand where their conversation headed. “I’m not going anywhere. This is you and me.”

  He placed his palms against the stone exterior of the house right next to her head, effectively caging her.

  A hot blaze danced across her skin as she caught his scent and her pulse pounded in her ears. The man exuded power and he was sexy as hell.

  “I guess we’ll see after this weekend. We will be attending a South by Southwest party tomorrow night as husband and wife.”

  When his breath fanned across her lips, warmth blossomed in her core. “Wha—I—what?”

  “Dex Reed is throwing a party at his condo. There are rumors that he’s thinking of leaving his label to start his own and I want to sign him. I need you to be by my si
de to win him over with your charm. He has a definite weakness for women, but I will make it clear that you belong to me when I introduce you as my wife.”

  Belong to me…

  The man confused her so much sometimes. Mixed her feelings into a jumbled mess and she couldn’t think properly. She closed her eyes and fought to find clarity. With the new entryway he just built for her and the turn of their conversation, she needed to remember what she came to tell him in the first place, then he started talking about signing Dex.

  In the public eye, Dex was riding high on his recent comeback album since he’d been clean and sober, behaving himself, for the past two years. It made total sense why Holt wanted him and it would be a good move for XTC Records against the competition to procure him.

  That’s right—signing—music. She came to tell him about Ashley. Chloe opened her eyes and met his gaze. “Okay. I’ll go with you to the party, but there’s something else I wanted to tell you. I found the girl who sang the song we listened to last night, ‘Devastation of Beauty.’”

  Holt loved the song so much, he’d listened to it twice and that was a rarity.

  She’d witnessed him shut off songs in the first five seconds more than once. Chloe nibbled her lip while she waited for him to respond, but his only reply was a darkened stare, so she continued, “I spoke with her and her best friend on the phone, and they agreed to let me fly them into town on Saturday morning. They’ll be checking into a hotel under an alias I set up.”

  The scowl on his face loosened a bit. “How’d you manage to swing that one?”

  She shrugged. “The same reason you want me to go with you to Dex’s party. I was just real with her. Other record scouts have been contacting her, but I told her to trust no one.”