“Meg, I promise I’ll call and explain everything tomorrow.” Courtney’s voice reached him as he shut the door. “I forgot that’s tomorrow night,” she said as she pulled out the sticks holding her hair up. He assumed they had a proper name, but to him, they resembled fancy chopsticks. “I might have to skip this month. I’ll let you know.” She dragged her hand through her hair. The innocent gesture conjured up all the times he’d done something similar while kissing her—an activity he’d love to engage in this evening.
After she ended the call, she set the device down on an end table and turned her attention on him. “That was my friend Meg. You just met her in the elevator. She was merely a little curious why I never told her you were moving in with me.” A hint of frustration echoed in her voice.
So much for honesty being the best medicine. “Sorry. She asked if I was visiting when she saw the suitcases.” If he’d known they were friends, he would have gone along with Meg’s guess and let Courtney explain the truth when she got around to it.
“It’s better that you ran into Meg rather than some of the other people who live in the building. She won’t tell anyone tonight. Some of my neighbors would be posting it all over Twitter right now.” Courtney gestured to his two suitcases. “Is that all you have?”
“Yeah. I packed light for this visit.”
“I have three guest rooms. You can pick the one you want, but the one down the hall from me is the largest.”
After her question last night about how real of a marriage he expected this to be, he’d known it was a long shot, but he’d hoped they’d pick up where they left off in Hawaii. If she was sticking him in a guest bedroom, that would not happen. At least not right away. If she was completely indifferent to him, she wouldn’t have responded to his kiss the way she had yesterday. Instead, she would have pulled away and told him not to do it again.
“Put me wherever you want.” This was still her place, and she was doing him the favor. The least he could do was play by her rules.
“Take the biggest one.” She grabbed the handle of a suitcase and pulled it behind her.
As he followed her through the living room and down the hall, his eyes were more interested in checking her out rather than the place he’d be calling home for the foreseeable future. Tonight she was wearing a dark gray skirt that fell just below the knee, hiding the legs he remembered being wrapped around his waist while they made love. She’d paired the skirt with a silky-looking top the same shade of purple as he’d noticed her toenails were painted last night.
“That’s my office.” She pointed to a closed door on her left. “I don’t use it too often. I prefer to get everything done while I’m at the foundation. Feel free to use it while you’re here.” She walked a little further before opening a door. Switching on the overhead light, she wheeled his suitcase inside.
“You’ll be living here for a while, so if you want to redecorate I don’t mind.”
His gaze fell on the king-size bed, and ideas of all the ways they could have fun in it assaulted him. And although his brain knew it would never happen tonight, his body had other notions. Before the night was through, he’d be enjoying an ice-cold shower.
“I’m going to change while you unpack. Then we can decide on dinner.”
He watched her exit the room before turning his attention to his new home. Various shades of red dominated the room, including the bedding. If he’d been decorating the bedroom, he would have gone with a different color. He saw no reason to change it though, since with any luck his stay in here would only be temporary while he lived with Courtney.
“Brilliant, just brilliant,” Courtney muttered as she tossed clothes in a bag intended for the dry cleaners. It would be hard enough to sleep every night knowing Josh was under the same roof, but knowing he was just a few steps away would make it impossible. When he told her to put him anywhere, she should have stuck him in the guest room on the opposite side of the penthouse, as far away from her as possible.
“At least I put him in a guest room,” she told the reflection in the mirror.
The bad girl in her, the side she’d only ever let out once and that had been in Hawaii, had urged her to escort him to her bedroom so she could enjoy all the perks of their current arrangement. And she’d been half a breath away from doing it. The only reason she hadn’t was because she wasn’t sure if mixing sex into their bizarre situation would be a good idea. Until Courtney decided, she planned to keep the bad girl in her gagged. Well, she at least planned to try. Since her hormones went into overdrive every time they were in the same room together, it might be a battle she’d eventually lose. Tonight she would not worry about what might happen in another few days. She would focus on getting through dinner.
She hated living out of a suitcase. Whenever she traveled, regardless of how long she planned to stay, she unpacked. Since this was now his home, she’d expected him to unpack before he did anything else, but either he held the world record for emptying suitcases or he’d left it for later, because he stood in the living room, his cell phone against his ear when she entered. While he might not have unpacked, he’d changed out of the sweater he’d been wearing and into a dark green T-shirt that showcased his broad shoulders and sculpted arms. Jeans, which he’d never worn when they were together in December, hugged his lean hips and long legs, and her palms itched to slip into his back pockets.
“Dad, I understand. But I’m not changing my mind,” Josh said, turning his head in her direction.
She’d missed the first part of their conversation, but she had a good idea of what they were talking about.
“Have fun on vacation, and we’ll talk when you and Laura get back.” Ending the call, he slipped the device into his back pocket.
Lucky phone. Clearing her throat, she forced the thought away. “Is everything okay?”
He rubbed a hand across his sexy barely there beard. Oh, how she’d love to feel it against her thighs again as he—
Stop. Right. There. The last thing she needed was to let her mind wander down that particular avenue while he was standing only a few feet away.
“Dad wanted to share his opinion about our wedding date again.”
“Let me guess, he thinks it’s too soon.” She didn’t know how their parents would get along, but at least they had one thing in common. “I got a similar response from my mother.” Courtney gestured toward the kitchen. If they sat in there, she could put an entire island between them. “I’m surprised my dad hasn’t called to tell me the same thing yet.” Since he hadn’t, Courtney assumed her mom hadn’t shared the news with him.
Opening a drawer, she pulled out all the takeout menus she had. While she was a decent cook and often prepared her own meals, tonight seemed like a good night to have someone else do all the work.
“Pick a place.” She handed him the menus before hopping on the stool across from him.
Rather than look through them, he slid them back across to her. “You decide.”
What was he up to? She’d spent enough time with him to know he wasn’t this easygoing, yet since she walked into his brother’s office yesterday, he’d left every decision up to her.
“Are you trying to earn brownie points or something? So far you’ve left everything up to me, including the wedding date.”
“Depends. Is it working?” he asked with a wink.
“I can’t answer that until I know what you plan to use the points for.” She selected the menu for her favorite pizza place in the city, well at least her favorite one that would deliver, as well as the one for the best Indian restaurant in Providence. “Which do you prefer?” She held them both up for him to see. “If you don’t answer me, I’ll take away any brownie points you might have earned.”
His fingers brushed against her hands as he took both menus, and a shiver traveled up both arms and down her spine. Like a jack in the box, she bolted off the stool. “While you look them over, I’ll get us something to drink.” And maybe I’ll look you over,
she mentally added. She didn’t bother to ask what he wanted. More than likely he’d give her an answer similar to all his other ones tonight.
“If you really don’t care, pizza sounds good.”
She traded him the menu for a bottle of sparkling water. “You’ve earned yourself one point since I felt more like pizza tonight.”
The grin he gave her almost stopped her heart, and she resisted the urge to use the menu as a fan. “I’ve got to start somewhere, and one point is better than none,” he said.
Like an idiot, she nodded. “I left my phone in the other room.” A moment or two alone might help get her hormones back in order, otherwise she risked hopping onto his lap.
Before she managed to escape, he stood and pulled his cell from his pocket. “Use mine.” He held out the device, leaving her no choice but to accept it and make the call from the kitchen, forcing her hormones to remain in chaos.
She kept her eyes focused on the menu as she placed their order, but she didn’t need to be looking at him to know he had his eyes locked on her. Every cell in her body knew his gaze lingered on her. In return, the gentle butterflies that had been flying around since she got home tonight turned into soaring eagles.
“They’ll be here in about thirty minutes.” Handing the phone back to him, she made the mistake of meeting his gaze. There was no missing the spark of interest in his green eyes. It was the same look she’d seen there the afternoon he’d joined her by the rooftop pool. The only difference being that tonight his T-shirt made his eyes an even more brilliant shade of green.
“My parents are expecting us on Saturday. Mom was disappointed I hadn’t introduced you to the family yet. Since my brother and his family will be in town this weekend, it seemed like as good a time as any. I already let Addie know we won’t be able to make it.”
It wasn’t the only thing her mom had been disappointed about, but there was no point in sharing all of her mom’s views, especially the one regarding whether or not Josh was the type of person she should be marrying. “Since Uncle Mark is doing the ceremony, we can hold the wedding and reception anywhere we want.”
You’re in big trouble if you say it’s up to me. Curious to see what he’d do, she kept the thought to herself.
“I’m open to ideas,” he said, “but if it’s available, Cliff House would be at the top of my list.”
“You earned yourself another point. Cliff House was on my list. I’ll call my cousin Callie tomorrow and see if we can use it.” Since Uncle Warren had much more important responsibilities, his oldest daughter handled everything pertaining to the mansion. Traditionally the mansion always passed down to the current owner’s eldest son. However, her cousin Jake had already made it known he didn’t want it, so eventually, the mansion would belong to Callie. “I don’t think it’ll be a problem.”
Courtney crossed one more item off her mental to-do list. “What are your plans for tomorrow?”
“Don’t have any at the moment.”
“We need to get a marriage license. I have some free time in the afternoon. If you have your birth certificate, we can go to City Hall before lunch and get it.” Most people didn’t carry their birth certificate around, but since he’d planned this whole arrangement out before yesterday, he might have come to Rhode Island prepared.
Josh’s cell phone buzzed. Shaking his head, he glanced at the screen but didn’t pick up the device. “It’s in Maine. Instead of waiting until the weekend, I’ll drive up tomorrow and get it and everything else I need.”
As much as she wanted to visit Bar Harbor, maybe letting him make the trip alone was a better idea. If she went with him, it would mean being trapped in the same car with him for a minimum of ten hours round trip, and who knew what kind of effect that would have on her decision to keep the bad girl in her gagged.
After readjusting her pillow, Courtney flipped on her back and stared into the darkness. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she’d been in bed, but it felt like hours. Hours of staring into the darkness while her mind remained centered on the bedroom down the hall. Okay, well not the bedroom but the man sleeping in there. The one she’d teased and joked with while they watched a movie after dinner. The one who sat next to her and somehow managed to touch her countless times. Sometimes it had been his leg brushing against hers when he shifted his position. Other times it had been his arm as he scratched an itch. No matter where the contact happened, it left her skin tingling. She’d finally gone to bed, not because she was tired, but to get away from Josh before she gave in to the temptation and kissed him.
Unfortunately, the distance wasn’t helping. Instead of falling asleep or concentrating on what awaited her at the office tomorrow, Courtney kept thinking about how much more enjoyable Josh could make her time in bed. Thanks to all her firsthand knowledge, she knew the precise answer.
“I give up.” Courtney switched on the bedside lamp and kicked off the blankets. She’d make a cup of tea and watch television. While neither one always put her to sleep when insomnia struck, they helped pass the time. Tonight maybe she would get really lucky and the combination would distract her enough to get in a few hours of sleep.
With a cup of freshly brewed chamomile tea in hand, Courtney scrolled through the classic episodes of I Love Lucy. While the show might be outdated in many ways, it still made her laugh. Often when she had a lot on her mind and couldn’t sleep, she switched on an episode, even though at this point she’d seen them all numerous times. After selecting the episode where Lucy and Ethel got jobs at a candy factory, she tugged a throw blanket over her legs and willed thoughts of Josh from her mind.
“That’s one of my favorite episodes.”
It would be nice if the voice was all in her head, but she knew it wasn’t. So much for using the television as a distraction.
Courtney looked away from the screen, where Fred was showing Ricky the cake he’d made while the women were at work, and toward the door. If she’d had trouble falling asleep before, seeing Josh in the doorway in just a pair of shorts ruled out any chance it’d happen at all tonight. Her memories didn’t do Josh justice. Part of her brain urged her to keep focused on his face. The other gave her the green light to look wherever she wanted. After all, he was the one who’d decided to walk around half-naked, not her. Courtney’s eyes knew which argument they preferred. Slowly they traveled past his chest, down his abdomen, and lower. Although it was perhaps the worst idea ever, they lingered on the taut ridge his shorts simply couldn’t hide, and heat that had nothing to do with embarrassment rushed to every part of her body.
“Can I join you?” Josh asked rather than make himself at home.
“Sure.” Just sit anywhere but next to me. “You’ve watched I Love Lucy?”
Clearly, Josh had his mind reading abilities turned off tonight, because rather than sit in one of the multiple other places in the room, he dropped down on the sofa next to her. Even though they weren’t touching, the heat from his body managed to seep into hers, pushing her internal temperature even higher.
Josh stretched his legs out and crossed his ankles. “I don’t think I’ve seen all the episodes, but I’ve watched a lot of them. My favorite is the one where Lucy makes the commercial for the vitameatavegamin.”
Who didn’t love that episode? It was a classic.
She should finish this episode and retreat to the safety of her bedroom. She already knew that wasn’t what she would do. “I’ll put it on next.”
Beside him, Courtney leaned forward for her cup of what looked like tea, and the neck of her oversized T-shirt slipped off one shoulder, exposing the tiny birthmark at the very top of her right breast. The one that usually remained hidden under her clothes. If her shirt somehow dipped another few inches, her nipple would be free.
The image of him reaching over and pulling the shirt down played out in his mind. Once he had the fabric out of the way, he’d lower his mouth to her dusky pink nipple while his other hand slipped beneath the blanket covering her lap and settled
between her legs.
Not tonight. Rather than move the top down and carry out the fantasy playing out in his head, Josh grabbed the shirt’s neckline and tugged it back into place. Then he readjusted his position on the sofa, putting several more inches between them.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked. For all he knew, drinking tea and watching old sitcom reruns might be part of her normal routine at home. If it was, he’d have to think twice the next time insomnia struck, and he went wandering around.
Courtney sipped her tea as she shook her head. “I keep thinking about how the media will react tomorrow.” Instead of putting the cup back where it had been, she held on to it in her lap. “You?”
Yeah, no way was he telling her the cause of his inability to sleep. Despite the frigid shower he took before bed, the damn erection refused to quit. It probably didn’t help that his body knew the cure for the problem was sleeping under the same roof. “Same.”
“Since when do you care about the media?”
Talk about being caught in a lie. “I don’t care what they say about me. I’m worried about how this might affect you.”
While it wasn’t what was keeping him up, it wasn’t a lie either. Some people did everything they could to get the kind of attention Courtney was about to get, and they knew just how to handle it. Courtney might say she was prepared, but no one truly knew how they would react until put in the position. While his ex-girlfriend Naomi, who had once worked for his dad, loved the perks of being with him, she’d hated the regular scrutiny of their relationship. The stories that had regularly popped up in the tabloids while they were together claiming he was cheating on her hadn’t helped their relationship either, even though they’d all been false. He had one-night stands and short weekend flings, but never while they were together. He wasn’t a cheater. There were some lines even he wouldn’t cross.
She looked away from the television and at him. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about meeting my dad and brother Saturday.”
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 8