Preston Brothers The Complete Series

by Leslie North

  And she had liked it.

  “You don’t have to do that, you know. It’s fine to leave the dishes for Marta.” Drew stood across the island, watching her with a new intensity.

  She made a face as she straightened up. “And leave them sitting all night? No way.” Penny crossed her arms over her chest—over her thudding heart—and leaned back against the kitchen counter. “So.” She kept her voice even, though it threatened to tremble. “What was all that? Besides the fact that your business associate mistook us for husband and wife.”

  A smile quirked the corner of his lips, but he hid it quickly with a palm over his face. “And I didn’t correct him, because the deal is…really important to me. For Preston Logistics, but also personally.” His eyes never left hers.

  “Oh, Drew. I mean—Mr. Preston.” She felt that, deeply. When her own father’s company had been for sale it had kept her up at night, wishing for everything to go smoothly. For everything to be legitimate.

  Of course, it hadn’t gone that way, which was why she was standing in Drew’s kitchen and not still living in Toronto.

  “No,” he said softly. “Call me Drew. You’ve earned the right, after pretending to be my wife tonight. You definitely didn’t have to do that.”

  Oh, but I did. Maybe not technically, but the look in his eyes had gone straight to her core.

  “I didn’t have to,” she agreed. “But I thought there might be more to the story. I’m guessing, by the look on your face, that there will continue to be more to the story. Won’t there?”

  He screwed up his face for a moment. “The deal’s not closed yet.”

  “Okay.”

  “But I’m not going to ask you to keep up with this, if it’s not something you feel comfortable with.”

  Comfortable? Not so much. There had been an element of comfort in his hand on the small of her back, sure…but it was more than comfort. Her mind had fixated on his touch, on the heat of his palm through her shirt, the way he rubbed his thumb up and down as if she really were his wife…

  Heat came to her cheeks in spite of her attempt to channel a cool, casual attitude. Could she be any more obvious? Penny swiped the back of her hand across one cheek. “Honestly, I’m willing to do it. I understand what it’s like to want something to work out.”

  His eyebrows went up, curiosity obviously flaring in his expression, but an ache in her heart warned her away. Coming clean with the whole story—that was mixing business and personal, and it wouldn’t help either of them.

  “I would owe you.” An electric undercurrent tripped under the words owe you and arced across the air between them.

  “I just need to know,” she said, standing up straight. It would be easy to say yes to Drew Preston, no questions asked. But not asking questions—not pushing hard enough—had landed her in this position in the first place. “This is only about keeping up your image as a family man, right? This isn’t a distraction from…you’re not hiding anything about Preston’s finances, right? Because if that’s what it is…” Her stomach turned over.

  “Absolutely not.” Drew took a step forward, looking her straight in the eye. “Preston Logistics is in a great position to acquire Jack’s company. Honestly, it was a knee-jerk reaction back there, and I can go back to him and explain the whole thing.”

  “No,” she said quickly. Maybe it was the result of an ill-advised crush, but she wanted to get closer to him. Literally. That hand on the small of her back had only made her want more. “I had questions, but I…I didn’t mind the roleplay.” Now her face burned. “Anyway, I’ve got a date with Netflix tonight, and he’s a fickle lover.” And now she’d just said the word lover in front of her boss, in his kitchen, after she’d accepted his fake proposal to be his fake wife. “I’ll see you in the morning, Drew.”

  She turned and left without another word, a nervous laugh caught in her throat and adrenaline singing in her veins.

  4

  The text message from Jack Holloway came early in the morning, just after Drew sat behind his desk, coffee in hand.

  Jack: Our dinner was a five-star experience. Ten! Thank your beautiful wife for letting us intrude!

  Was it gratefulness that came, all in a rush? In an alternate universe, Drew was typing up a reply that included phrases like silly mistake and she’s a wonderful presence in Logan’s life. Things that would soften the blow for Jack while still getting the larger truth across: Drew was a family man, even if he wasn’t currently married.

  But wow, if he was…

  He could not get hung up on Penelope Fox, even if he’d felt like a lottery winner to hear her agree to go along with his charade for the sake of the deal. Under most other circumstances, he would have preferred total honesty, but the itch to buy Jack’s company was embedded deep beneath his skin.

  Drew: It was great to have you. We’ll have to do it again!

  Jack: Set a time and we’ll be there.

  The two of them texted for a few more minutes, making plans for Jack and Lisa to attend a barbecue at Drew’s house in a week’s time. It was going to be a larger event, with more people from across the industry. It was another thing Drew had learned from his father—holding social events could go a long way in the business world. In the past, he’d filed those events firmly in the work category of his life and mind, but now, with Penny…

  The lines would have to blur a little bit.

  Drew leaned back in his chair and sipped at his coffee. He liked it black, piping hot. It was, after a workout in his home gym, the best way to start his morning. But today he could feel the caffeine working against him.

  He hadn’t been able to stop thinking of Penny last night.

  Drew had lingered in the kitchen for quite a while after she went upstairs, half hoping she’d come down again for a glass of water or something to eat. But she never had, so eventually he’d found himself in his upstairs den. There had been something he’d been meaning to do, but his thoughts wandered down to her bedroom, where she was…watching Netflix. When he’d started to speculate on what she might be wearing while watching Netflix, he gave up and went to his own bedroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

  Yes.

  Concert tickets.

  No matter what was happening at Preston Logistics, Drew was never going to pass up the opportunity to see Carver Row on a US tour. Hell, he wouldn’t pass up seeing them in Europe if the timing was right. And the timing hadn’t been right for the last couple of years.

  Things were better now. Logan was settling in with Penny, relations with Susan were remarkably stable, and he had fallen asleep without looking at the tour dates.

  Next available stop? New York City. Tomorrow.

  Yes.

  What couldn’t he do, honestly? The dinner had been a hit. Penny had been completely charming. Nothing was standing in his way.

  Drew bought tickets with every possible upgrade, backstage passes included, enough to take his brothers along if they wanted to go. He texted his man at the airport to make sure the private plane would be ready for the following morning.

  “Mr. Preston?”

  Britta stood at the door, forehead wrinkled, her usually sunny expression replaced with the hint of a frown.

  That wasn’t good.

  “What’s up?” He glanced at the clock. He had a meeting in a few minutes with a client, a woman named Rachael Hayes. Maybe she’d canceled. “Do we have a cancellation?”

  “The opposite, actually.” Britta glanced behind her. “Ms. Hayes is due to arrive in thirty minutes, and—”

  “Daddy!” Logan burst into the room, toy truck in hand. “Mommy’s sick.”

  “I’m sorry to come into your office like this. Really. I know you don’t want to mix—”

  “It’s fine. I think you should probably get to the doctor. I’ll have one of my guys drive you—it’s not a big deal.”

  Drew ushered Susan through the Preston Logistics building. She’d parked out back, in the private parking lot.
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  “I think that might be best.” She pressed her lips firmly together. “I’m not trying to screw with the schedule. I hope you know.”

  “I do.” He really did. They’d both agreed, when they split up, that keeping a consistent schedule was the best thing for Logan. He pulled out his phone and sent a text. Mike was his go-to guy at the house, but Pete was on standby whenever he was in the office. He’d have the car by the back door before they got there. “I get it, Suze. It’s not a problem.”

  She slowed her pace and took a deep breath. “Do you mind keeping him at your place for the weekend? I don’t think—” Susan made a strange gulping sound that had Drew’s stomach churning too. “I don’t think—”

  “It’s Logan’s home, too, okay? He doesn’t need a reason to stay there. But you need a weekend to recover. I’m going to have Pete take you to the urgent care at St. Lawrence’s.”

  “It’s probably just—just a stomach bug.”

  “Even so.”

  Susan’s face was flushed as Drew helped her into the back of the car, but as he watched, the color drained away and she turned pale and green. “Thanks,” she whispered, then put her hand over her mouth.

  Yikes.

  Rachael Hayes would be at the office in fifteen minutes. It was one thing to leave Logan with Britta for a few minutes in a pinch, but he couldn’t keep doing this to her.

  And even if it was Penny’s day off…

  He took out his phone and dialed her number.

  “I’m impressed with Preston,” Rachael Hayes said, big green eyes sparkling. “I know it sounds funny to say it like that.”

  “No, I’m glad to hear it. It seems like we’ve worked out an arrangement that can benefit us both.”

  “I totally agree.” Rachael leaned forward, a big smile on her face. “You know, nobody else has addressed my concerns about stopovers on the shipping routes like you have.”

  Pride flared in Drew’s chest. “We’ve worked hard to streamline our process over the years, so it’s encouraging to hear that it’s working.”

  “I certainly feel encouraged.” She laughed, and her earrings trembled with the movement, catching Drew’s eye. Her hair was perfect. Blonde and perfect. Susan had a similar style, when she wasn’t sick. From Rachael’s soft smile and her teeth nibbling at her bottom lip, she felt…a little too encouraged. Back to business.

  “Were there any more details you wanted to go over? I’ve got time,” Drew said, though he could hear Logan bouncing off the walls in the outer office.

  “Nope. I’m ready. Give me that pen.”

  He’d just reached into the holder on his desk for the pen when Penny poked her head through the office doorway. His heart held still.

  She was breathless, radiant, pink cheeks and tousled hair. She never had tousled hair. Penny waved. “I’m here—just wanted to let you know before we took off.”

  Drew hadn’t realized his shoulders were so tense until they relaxed at the sight of her in her yoga clothes. The black capris skimmed her hips and legs in a way that made him wish he could run his hands down every inch of skin the pants were covering, and the tank top—

  He gritted his teeth, then consciously relaxed his jaw. It was too much for the office. Too much for life, really. This version of her—the one with her hair falling around her face, escaping her hair elastic—was achingly attractive. Even more so than the corporate princess he’d met at her first interview.

  “Have we met before?”

  Rachael’s question took him totally off guard, not least because he hadn’t looked at her since Penny arrived. But his brand-new client had twisted around in her seat to look at Penny. “I swear we’ve met.”

  The smile dropped away from Penny’s face, then came back in a slightly less radiant version. “Oh, no. I don’t think we have.”

  “I’m sure we have,” insisted Rachael. “Your face looks so familiar to me. Maybe an industry party?”

  An industry party? For something involving cosmetics or logistics? That couldn’t be. The experience on Penny’s resume hadn’t been so specific. He’d have remembered.

  “I’m sorry.” Penny shrugged. “I must have that kind of face.”

  Rachael waved her off, but Drew was riveted. What was going on?

  He stood up. “I’ll give you a moment with the contract, Ms. Hayes. Shout if you need anything.”

  Drew led Penny out to where Logan waited at the edge of Britta’s desk, hands on the edge, watching her take a message. “I’m sorry about this,” he said in a low voice. “I know it’s supposed to be your day off, but I’m scheduled in meetings all day. It didn’t seem fair to leave Logan with Britta for that long.”

  Penny laughed. “Of course not. A full day in the office for that boy? We’ll be far better off at the playground. And I get it. Sometimes business isn’t the most flexible. It seems that way from the outside, but that’s not always the case.”

  This was, in fact, something Drew often thought about the logistics business. It seemed like one big flexibility game—so many moving pieces—but when you got down to the details, there wasn’t a lot of room for error. Everything was more tightly coordinated than most people realized. “That’s some real business insight,” he said. “You sound like one of my higher-ups at Preston.”

  “Oh, I—” Penny shook her head. “Just something I’ve read about. It’s an idea that applies to pretty much everything, I’d think.” She stepped toward Britta’s desk and bent down next to Logan. “Hey, buddy. You want to head to the playground?”

  “No,” Logan said. “Home. I want to go home.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  She just…rolled with it. Drew had the sense that if they passed a playground on the way back to the house, Logan would change his mind, and Penny would go along with it. Drew didn’t have to worry. He didn’t have to worry.

  The moment she’d walked through the door, things got easier.

  She’d be there for the weekend, too.

  The weekend he’d just booked for the concert.

  Crap.

  With Logan at his house for the weekend, there was no way he could still go.

  Unless…

  The words came out of his mouth before the thought was fully formed. “Do you have plans for the weekend?”

  Penny’s brown eyes swung to his face, eyebrows raised. “Just my…regular nanny schedule.” A quizzical smile flashed across her face.

  “How would you like to spend the weekend in New York City with me and Logan?”

  She blinked. “I didn’t know you were planning a trip.”

  “I bought concert tickets this morning. And then Susan got sick and brought Logan in, and now…” He shrugged. “I’ve already got the jet lined up.”

  Penny’s face brightened. “The jet?”

  “I thought I’d take the private jet to New York tomorrow for the concert tomorrow night. I was going to cancel when the weekend plans changed, but now…” Now that I see how easy it is to rely on you, I don’t see any obstacle. For any of us. “Now I’m thinking it might be more fun if we all go. And the tickets won’t go to waste.”

  “Who’s playing?”

  “Carver Row.”

  “You bought concert tickets for Carver Row’s concert tomorrow just this morning? That’s a little ambitious, don’t you think?”

  Not with you by my side.

  He pushed the thought away and focused on the excitement in her eyes instead. “I think it’ll be fun. Are you in?”

  Penny only hesitated for an instant. “I’m in.”

  “Oh, before you go.” Drew opened his desk drawer and pulled out three velvet boxes. He had taken a wild guess at Penny’s ring size and sent out a personal shopper with very specific instructions earlier in the morning. If they were going to play these parts, they needed all the appropriate props. Nobody would ever believe that Drew Preston had married a woman without even a ring.

  “What’s all that?”

  “If you’re going
to be my wife, you need an engagement ring.” He opened the first box, and Penny’s eyes flew open wide. “And a wedding ring. And something else, just to go with it.” The third box contained a necklace with a single teardrop diamond on a platinum chain.

  “This is too much,” she breathed.

  “This is just enough,” he countered, taking her hand in his and slipping the rings on one by one. The fit, to his immense relief, was perfect.

  They both looked down at her hand, admiring the way the diamonds sparkled in the light.

  “Yep,” Penny nodded. “I’m so in.”

  5

  Spontaneous decisions didn’t usually turn out to be good ones.

  The thought nagged at Drew as they pulled up to the plane waiting on the tarmac, Logan bouncing in his car seat. What had he been thinking, bringing Logan to a concert? Bringing his brother Archer? Bringing Penny? It wasn’t like air travel was a walk in the park for a three-year-old, even on a private jet.

  But Penny hopped out the moment the car had pulled to a stop, reaching back in to unbuckle Logan from the seat. “Lost in thought, Mr. Preston?” She winked at him. “We’ve got a plane to catch.”

  He couldn’t help smiling back at her big smile. She’d tried to play it cool on the ride over, but he could feel the excitement coming off her in waves.

  They boarded the plane, Mike coming along behind with their luggage. Archer came last, his phone in his hand. “I’ve got a couple calls before we take off,” he said, disappearing into the bedroom in the back of the plane. His brother had agreed to come on the last-minute jaunt without a moment’s hesitation.

  “Wow,” Penny said softly as Logan hurtled through the space and jumped onto the sofa toward the middle of the plane. “This is nice.”

  “Is this your first time on a private jet?”

  Penny looked to the side, her eyelashes fluttering down. “I’ve been on one other. It wasn’t this nice, though.” She pressed her lips together. “Okay. Where should we set up camp?”