by A. Zavarelli
Okay, so he was drunk. Like very drunk. But happy drunk, which was a definite improvement over the night before.
“Do you need some help?” I asked as I watched him struggle out of his jacket.
My words seemed to amuse him for some strange reason, and he nodded. I flipped off the covers and stood up, gesturing for his foot.
“I’ll take off your shoes.”
I didn’t get that far, because the next thing I knew, he was pulling me into his lap.
“Jameson?” I squeaked. “What are you doing?”
He nuzzled into my hair and breathed me in. “God, you smell good. Always so good, Harper Nichols.”
He smelled like whiskey, but even so, it was delicious.
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you all day,” he murmured into my ear. “About your lips on mine. Your perfect body rubbing against me this morning. It’s driving me fucking crazy.”
A soft mew escaped my lips as his mouth nipped at my earlobe. He’d managed to set a fire inside of me in two seconds flat. I was about to tell him that I couldn’t stop thinking about him either. About how much I wanted him.
But then he spoke again.
“So I was thinking,” he whispered. “That there’s only one way to rectify this problem.”
I leaned back against his chest and rubbed my bottom against his groin. “Yes, Jameson. I’m listening.”
“I want to take the no sex clause off the table,” he said. “I’ll pay you whatever you want.”
I froze in his arms, and instantly my arousal was gone. His words had just dumped a bucket of ice water on the fire he’d set only moments before. I shot up out of his arms and turned my back so he couldn’t see how upset I was.
“There isn’t any amount of money you could pay me to sleep with you.” My words were filled with venom, and I couldn’t hide it.
Jameson sighed behind me. “I don’t understand, Harper. This is what you do for a living. You’re acting like I’ve insulted you.”
A tear spilled down my cheek and I shuddered. “Just go to bed, Jameson. Please.”
He didn’t say another word. And when he got up and shuffled across the room, I crawled into bed and silently cried myself to sleep.
Chapter Fourteen
The King family took the expression shopping with the girls to a whole new level.
I’d spent all day following them to every high end department store they could find. It was fun, and I was more than happy to be away from Jameson and the hurt from the night before. But I couldn’t afford anything in shops like these, and they were starting to notice.
“What do you think?” Lily asked, holding up a floor-length crimson gown. It was beautiful, but I didn’t have to look at the price tag to know I couldn’t afford it.
“You have Jameson’s card,” she said with an evil grin. “Use it.”
I smiled weakly in response. He’d given me his card on our way out the door this morning as though this was the typical thing for him to do. Of course, I had no intentions whatsoever of using it. But they didn’t need to know that.
“I brought too many clothes as it is,” I said. “I can’t fit anymore into my suitcase.”
Lily just looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language before she put the dress back.
“Okay, well then have you bought Jameson’s presents yet?” she asked. “I still have to get him something.”
Presents. Crap. How did I not realize that I would need to get him a present to keep up the pretense?
“I haven’t,” I admitted sheepishly. “I wasn’t sure what to get him.”
“Great.” She clapped her hands together and tugged me along through the store, leaving the others behind. “I can help you.”
She led me to the men’s department and started sorting through dress shirts, ties, and cuff links. Every once in a while, something would catch her eye but then she’d put it back down and shake her head.
“He is hard to shop for,” she whined. “What do you get a man who already has everything he needs?”
“Good question,” I agreed.
“I would suggest lingerie.” She crinkled her nose and giggled. “But that’s my brother… so I’m not even going to go there.”
A faint blush crept across my cheeks and I shook my head.
“What about this?” Lily asked, holding up a teal tie. “Jameson looks great in this color.”
It was beautiful. And she was right, he would look great in it. I reached over and picked it up, imagining how it would contrast with the color of his beautiful eyes. My own eyes fluttered shut, and I winced at the painful stab in my chest.
I felt too much for Jameson already. Things were becoming complicated. And I thought that maybe, just maybe he might have felt the same last night. Until those words flew from his mouth. He offered to buy me, like I was just another business deal to him. It stung, and I didn’t want to admit how much.
“Harper?” Lily placed a gentle hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
I blinked my eyes open and made myself get a grip. “Of course. I’m going to get the tie.”
“Great.” She beamed. “Now we just need to find something from me. I was thinking cufflinks. How cliché, right?”
“I think he’d love them,” I answered. “He’d probably love anything you give him, Lily.”
She smiled up at me in agreement, and I knew she thought the world of her big brother. I hoped she wouldn’t ever find out how we’d deceived her.
***
Jameson and I sat in uncomfortable silence throughout dinner while everyone else made small talk around us. We still hadn’t spoken about what happened the night before, and I hoped we didn’t have to. I just had to get through one more week with him.
“Can you believe Harper didn’t use your card once today,” Lily smirked.
Jameson glanced at me in surprise and I pushed the food around on my plate, uneasy with everyone’s eyes on me.
“Why not?” he asked.
Lily answered for me.
“I had to practically twist her arm to get her to buy anything at all,” she said. “And she used her own money. I think we need to train her in the fine art of shopping.”
All the women laughed, and I humored them with a smile. Jameson’s father was staring at me with a curious expression, as though he wanted to delve further into the subject but knew better of it.
“Why don’t you all move into the sitting room,” Julia suggested. “I’ll get the dishes cleaned up.”
The family stood up to leave, but I decided to hang back. I wasn’t ready to face Jameson yet, or the questioning gaze of his father.
“Let me help you,” I offered Julia.
She smiled, and it lit up her face. “Oh, thank you, Harper. That would be lovely.”
We cleared the dishes and made small talk while we worked. It was nice, and I didn’t feel any pressure to be anything other than myself. That’s what I loved about her. Julia told me she taught piano lessons in her spare time, and I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
“You have a piano?”
“Of course.” She beamed. “Would you like to see it?”
“I’d love to.”
She dried her hands and ushered me down the hall to the infamous Library I’d been looking for on the first night. It was huge and filled to the brim with books and interesting bric a brac. And right smack dab in the middle of it was a beautiful black grand piano.
I ran my hand over the wood in awe. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Do you play?” she asked curiously.
“A little.” I gave a hesitant nod. “I’m not very good, and it’s been a while.”
She pulled out a music book and flipped through the pages before gesturing for me to sit.
“I can’t actually read music,” I admitted. “I just learned to memorize the notes.”
“Oh.” She blinked in surprise. “That’s interesting. Well, go on then. Play something you know by heart
. I’d love to hear it.”
I sat down uncertainly and debated whether I wanted to do this. It was revealing to play the songs I knew by heart. The first one that came to my mind and leached out of my fingers was Hallelujah in the style of Kate Voegele.
My fingers were a little stiff at first, but they came to life as they poured over the keys, the music flowing through me. I closed my eyes and began to sing, and before I knew it, I was playing another Kate Voegele song. Lift Me Up. It was my all-time favorite, something that really spoke from my heart.
When I finished, my hands fell away from the keys and I opened my eyes nervously. I was surprised to find every set of the King families eyes on me as they crowded into the library to watch my performance. My cheeks heated in embarrassment at the surprised expressions on their faces. And when Julia started clapping with tears in her eyes, everyone else did too. She pulled me in for a hug as I stood up, and I was grateful for it. I didn’t want them to see my emotion.
“You play so well,” she said. “And you have such a lovely voice, Harper. It’s truly special.”
Her praise resonated through my soul the way that only a mother’s could. When I opened my eyes, Jameson’s gaze met mine with an unfamiliar expression.
He cleared his throat and his eyes blazed with warmth as they danced over me. “That was beautiful, Harper.”
Julia pulled away and held me at arm’s length. “You must let me teach you how to read music whenever you come to visit.”
My happy face melted under her words and was replaced by a pang of longing. Because even though I nodded in agreement, I knew I would never truly be a part of this family.
Chapter Fifteen
It was the Saturday before Christmas, and the day of Jameson’s friend Mark’s wedding. The whole family had been invited, and I was grateful when Lily came upstairs to help me get ready. She tore through my suitcase and frowned at the plethora of short dresses. When she looked up at me, my gut burned with shame.
“While these are all really nice, Harper,” she said carefully, “I think it would be better if you borrowed one of my dresses. I have just the perfect one.”
“Will it fit me?” I asked, my eyes roving over her shorter figure. I was a good three inches taller than her by my estimation.
“Definitely.” She grinned. “It’s too long for me anyway, and I’ve been meaning to get it hemmed but I haven’t got around to it yet.”
“Okay,” I conceded. “Thank you.”
She ushered me through the house and into another bedroom that was almost as large as Jameson’s. It had a huge walk in closet, and when she led me inside, it looked like an entire store lived there.
“Holy crap,” I gasped.
She giggled and shrugged. “I know. I have a little bit of a shopping addiction. What can I say?”
She dug through the racks and then pulled a beautiful silver dress off the hanger and wiggled it in my direction.
“Wow, Lily,” I murmured. “This is gorgeous.”
“I know. I think it will look amazing on you. Go ahead and try it on.”
She laughed at the blush on my cheeks as I tried to wiggle out of my skin-tight dress. “For someone who dresses so sexy, you sure don’t act the part.”
The words slipped from her mouth before she realized how they sounded, and mortification washed over me again. I hated that Jameson’s family thought I was trying to get attention, and I was nothing but a gold digger. But I couldn’t really blame them. That was what Jameson had intended after all.
“I’m sorry, Harper,” Lily said weakly. “That came out completely wrong. You have a beautiful figure, I just meant it doesn’t seem like you really know it.”
“It’s okay.”
I turned around and discarded my clothes and pulled the dress over my head while Lily went about finding some shoes to match.
When I turned around and glanced in the mirror, I actually liked my reflection for the first time since I’d stepped foot in the King house. This dress was exactly my style, and I was so much more comfortable in the calf length material.
“You look stunning,” Lily squeaked. “I knew you would. Wait until Jameson sees you.”
Crap. Jameson.
Somewhere in the back of my mind I worried he wasn’t going to like this. He wanted me to dress sexy. This was more… charming and sophisticated.
Lily misread my expression and patted me on the arm. “Don’t worry, he’s going to love it.”
***
The ceremony was absolutely beautiful. At every turn, there were tea candles and twinkling lights. The decorations were all silver and white, in keeping with a winter theme.
Jameson led me through the fray, finding our seats beside his family. He’d been oddly attentive to me ever since I met him downstairs at the house. When his eyes landed on my dress, they flared with unexpected heat. And then he surprised me by taking my hand in his and kissing it softly as he told me I looked beautiful.
It was a tender gesture, and one I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with. If he’d done it in front of everyone else, I might have questioned whether it was for show or not. But we were completely alone.
Even now, as we took our seats, he threaded his fingers through mine and gave a gentle squeeze. It was soft and sweet and I couldn’t stop looking at him. He seemed to be having the same problem.
The ceremony began and the bride and groom both wore happy, relaxed expressions throughout. Lily blubbered next to me and then complained about her boyfriend Clark not proposing yet.
As the happy couple left the room, we all made our way to the ballroom housed in the same hotel. The reception was due to begin immediately, and I was more than ready for a drink.
I spotted Katherine and her family across the room, and my grip on Jameson tightened. He didn’t even seem to notice and simply continued on with his mission to find us some drinks.
After dinner was served, Jameson leaned over and traced my palm with his finger while he whispered in my ear.
“Having fun?”
I shivered as his breath warmed my skin, and a jolt of desire burned straight through me.
“I am,” I whispered, my voice betraying me.
Jameson’s eyes flared, and he clasped my hand in his as he stood. “Come dance with me.”
I followed him onto the dance floor, melting against him as he pulled me into his chest. He smelled so good I couldn’t stop myself from inhaling his cologne. There was a very small part of me that wished he would use our code word just so I could touch him.
“I said it before,” he murmured as his eyes met mine. “But you really do look beautiful tonight, Harper. I know we have an agreement for you to dress… a little differently. But I like the way you look tonight so much better.”
Oh, to hell with the code word. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I reached up and grasped his face in my hands, pulling his lips to mine. Our bodies collided, and for a moment, everything else ceased to exist as he devoured me with his mouth. His hands tugged me against him, so close his arousal burned against my belly.
I was panting and flushed, breathless and completely at his mercy when he pulled away with a confused expression on his face. He looked like he wasn’t certain what he was doing. Like he wanted more but knew he shouldn’t. And then he did the worst thing he could possibly do.
He put distance between us and left me standing there, feeling completely exposed and vulnerable.
“I need to get a drink,” he muttered.
He needed an out. Why, I couldn’t say. Because he was still in love with Katherine? Maybe. Or was it because he thought I was really an escort. My heart fractured a little as I nodded and watched him walk away.
I walked back to the table and found Lily, who was drowning her own sorrows in a gin and tonic. Her boyfriend wasn’t able to make the wedding and wouldn’t be flying in for another two days. She told me weddings always reminded her of how badly she wanted her own.
I smiled and offered to drink o
ur sorrows away together.
After about an hour and four drinks later, I felt a little better. Jameson still hadn’t made an appearance, and I’d done a rather good job of not thinking about him. But as my eyes wandered over the room, I couldn’t help but feel a stab of pain when I saw him. He was standing beside Katherine, and she was blatantly flirting with him. Her hand was on his tie, smoothing her fingers up and down as she looked up at him with big doe eyes.
I sucked in a harsh breath and tore my gaze away, which caught Lily’s attention. When she glanced across the room and saw what had upset me, she cursed.
“I’m going to kill him, Harper,” she said indignantly. “Why is he letting her touch him? That stupid conniving…”
“It’s okay.” I attempted to play the unaffected card. “They’re just old friends, right?”
Lily knew I didn’t really mean it because my voice was wobbly and my eyes were glassy. And I was humiliated. I was falling for the man who brought me here to make his ex jealous. Talk about pathetic.
“Do you want to get out of here?” she asked.
“God yes,” I blurted.
“C’mon.” She stood up and grabbed my hand. “We’ll take a cab. Leave that dickhead to wonder where you’ve run off to.”
***
Jameson came in two hours later, and I pretended to be asleep.
He turned on the light and sat at the end of the bed.
“Harper?”
I didn’t respond. But he continued anyway.
“I’m sorry about the reception, for leaving you alone like that. Lily told me you saw me talking to Katherine, and I just want you to know it wasn’t what it looked like…”
I rolled over and flaunted a bored expression. How many times had women all over the world heard that line before?
I wasn’t going to be another one. And if Jameson wanted to treat me like an escort that’s what he was going to get. I’d had two hours to numb myself and think this over. To realize that I couldn’t let myself get invested in something that was one-sided. This was just business.