by Coleen Kwan
“Sure, Dad.” Dane had no beef with that; he much preferred being his own boss. “And Saffron? What happens to her?”
“Well, I guess I’ll talk to her and find out her opinion. That’s if she doesn’t start blubbering. And I might be in bed right now, but I don’t intend falling off the perch without a fight.” He aimed a pugnacious scowl at all of them.
The lump was back in Dane’s throat. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Okay.” Martin waggled a knobby finger at the door. “Now leave me alone so I can get some rest.”
Dane had a weird urge to hug his father, but he sensed it was too soon for that. They filed out of the bedroom.
As they walked down the hallway, Dane slung an arm around Holly and hugged her. “That went better than I ever expected,” he murmured.
She slipped an arm around his waist. “I’m so relieved. I never want to come between you and your family.”
He bent his head to kiss her.
A loud throat clearing reminded him that Eric was still behind them. He turned and gave his brother a wry grin. “Hey, I owe you fifty grand. I’ll write you a check.”
“Keep it,” Eric snapped. “I don’t need your money.”
“Hope you’re not mad I’m getting a slice of the company. And don’t worry; I’ve got no plans to take over from you.”
“I’m not worried. And will you two stop slobbering over each other?”
Dane’s grin widened. “Get used to it, buddy. I’m never gonna get tired of slobbering over this woman.”
“Gah!” Eric moved forward to the elevator and jabbed the button. “Good night.”
Ignoring his brother, Dane ushered Holly into the elevator car. “Now, where were we?”
***
“Hey, Dane.”
“Hi, Kirk.”
Holly chewed on her lip as Dane and her brother shook hands. The two large men sized each other up. She wasn’t entirely certain they’d get along. Yesterday, Dane and his father had started to bridge the chasm between them, but she knew it would take a while. Today, it was time for her family. When Kirk had called her inviting her to brunch at his and Cassie’s home, she’d told him about Dane. To his credit, her big brother had taken it in his stride, telling her to bring him along, but she knew he was still reserving judgment.
As Cassie came forward to greet Dane, Kirk tweaked Holly’s hair. “You look good.”
“Thanks.”
She and Dane had spent most of the night talking and making love. Despite the euphoria, she hadn’t been able to totally relax. They were both so new to this, and despite his truce with his family, there was still a long road ahead. Not to mention her father.
“If he doesn’t treat you right,” Kirk murmured in her ear, “I’m going to beat him up. I’m not scared of those tats.”
Holly chuckled. “You’re a dad now. You can’t get involved in scuffles.”
“Speaking of dads, ours is with Noah upstairs. He’ll be down any second.”
Her stomach dropped, her smile quickly fading. “What? You could’ve warned me.” She darted a glance at Dane. “Maybe we should go…”
“No. You’re staying. And just so you know, I’ve already told Dad about you and Dane.”
“Dammit, Kirk, why the hell did you do that?”
“It had to be done, sooner rather than later.”
“But, you shouldn’t have—” She broke off as her father walked into the living room.
She froze, unable to decide what to do. On the other side of the room Dane turned to face her father.
“Good morning, Mr. Rochester,” he said, polite yet firm.
Ralph’s face stiffened, Holly’s stomach sank to her toes. That moment of closeness she’d shared with her dad in the ballroom, was it all gone now? Would he shut her out again like he had for years? Or go even further? She couldn’t bear it if he did; but if he forced a choice on her, then she’d have to choose Dane.
“Hi, Dad.” She tried to sound cheerful, as if this was just a normal Sunday brunch. “I’m glad you’re here. We—we have a lot to talk about.”
His hard gaze swept over Dane and settled on her. “So I hear.”
She bit her lip, but before she could say anything further, Dane spoke up. “Mr. Rochester, Kirk, Cassie, I’m not here to cause any trouble. I know how much Holly means to you, and how much all of you mean to her. So I just want to say from the outset that I don’t want to be the wedge that divides you.”
He glanced across the room at Holly, his eyes earnest. “Babe, I know how much it hurts rejecting your family, even one as dysfunctional as mine, so I won’t force that on you. Especially since your family loves you. I’m not going to make you choose between me and them. I’m not going to drag you to Austin and make you leave everything behind.”
Her mouth fell open. “But, Dane—”
“No, sweetheart. I’ll find a way to be with you, trust me. I’ll work long distance, move my headquarters, expand my business to California, whatever.” He crossed the room and took her hands in his. “You and I will be together, but it’s not going to cost you anything, I swear.”
Tears choked her throat. She couldn’t speak.
Dane turned back to her father. “I’ll leave if you want me to.”
Ralph gazed at him for some time, then he slowly shook his head. “Stay, please. I have something to say.” He paused to clear his throat. “This competition for the Halifax Hotel has been very difficult for me. It’s revived some painful memories, but many good ones, too. It’s also made me examine myself, and I haven’t liked what I saw. For too long I’ve let the sins of the past fester in me and warp my mind.” He looked straight at Dane. “Your father tried to harm my marriage. For years I hated him for that, hated him and everyone connected with him. But that was wrong. If my marriage wasn’t shaky at the time, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. And it’s stupid to reject you simply because you’re his son. In fact, what you just said gives me hope. You understand what family is, and you’ve demonstrated that you care about Holly.”
Dane’s hand crushed Holly’s. “I do care about Holly.” His voice shook. “I fucking love her to bits.”
Now Holly could barely see for the tears filling her eyes.
“That’s all a father wants to hear,” Ralph said, his voice gruff.
Holly let go of Dane’s hand, rushed to her father, and flung her arms around his neck. After a moment he hugged her back, far more restrained. When she disentangled herself, she saw that Kirk and Cassie had their arms around each other, their eyes glimmering with moisture. Then she turned back to Dane and saw his eyes were also damp. She slipped into the crook of his arm, their bodies fitting perfectly together. Oh yes, this was where she belonged.
“Well,” Kirk said on an upbeat note, “now that we’ve got all the awkward stuff out of the way, I have some good news to tell you.” He paused to gather their attention. “I found out who’s behind Holly’s suite getting trashed and the tipoff to that ratbag journalist. It was Chad Litchfield.”
“What!” Holly gaped at him. “How did you find out?”
“I got hold of the hack, and he spilled the beans,” her brother said casually. “Seems Chad cottoned on early that Holly and Dane were the two biggest threats. He also must’ve noticed you were attracted to each other. So he hatched a plan to smash up your suite while you were away. Paid off one of the security guards to do it. Then, when that didn’t seem to work, he tipped off Pete Martell that there was something going on between you two. On the awards night the reporter followed you and got that pap shot.”
Dane whooshed out a long exhale. “Jesus. I never suspected the preppy boy. Seems we underestimated him.”
“I informed the Gilberts,” Kirk said. “Chad’s out of the running. He might even get fired. That just leaves the two of you and Simone Connaught with a chance.”
Dane shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. “Nah, I’m out too.” Glancing at Holly, he squeezed her tighter. �
��Couldn’t do it. Not to the woman I love.”
Holly’s father stepped forward, frowning. “But what about your father? Martin must’ve been livid with you. I hope it didn’t cause a permanent rift between the two of you.”
“For a while it looked that way, but, well, I wouldn’t say we’re all good now. There’s a way to go before I can say that, but we’re on the right path.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Ralph shook his head. “This competition has brought out the worst in people.”
“And also the best,” Holly said.
“I agree.” Cassie spoke up. “Now, let’s forget about feuds and bad feelings for a while, shall we? Brunch is waiting, and I’m starving.”
She led the way out of the living room, Kirk and Ralph following behind her.
Holly tugged on Dane’s hand to make him stay.
“Thank you,” she whispered, standing up on tiptoe.
“For what?”
“For everything. My heart is so full it feels like it’s bursting.”
He brushed a strand of hair away from her forehead. His eyes burned with clarified emotion. “This is only the beginning. I intend to keep your heart filled for the rest of our lives.”
“I can’t wait.”
He lowered his head to claim her mouth, and the world faded away.
***
Eight months later.
“Oh, god, I’m so nervous I think I’m going to puke.”
Holly ran a trembling hand down the champagne-colored silk of her evening gown. She’d barely had enough time to run a comb through her hair and slap some make up on her face.
Behind her, Dane wrapped his huge hands around her shoulders and bent to kiss the top of her head. His steady green eyes met hers in the mirror she was standing in front of.
“Everything’s going to be fine. You’ve done a fantastic job.”
“You really think so? You’re not just saying it?”
“Of course.” He kneaded her shoulders. “You’re too tense. Need me to make you relax a little?” He nuzzled her throat, one hand slipping around to cup her breast.
Her breath hitched as she relaxed into his embrace. Some of the apprehension did ease from her, to be replaced by a very different kind of tension, the kind his caresses always invoked. If only they could, but…
“We don’t have time.” She sighed.
They were in one of the penthouse suites of the Halifax Hotel, where she’d gone to get ready for the big opening night. Soon, hundreds of guests would arrive, together with the press, to attend the grand reopening of the Halifax Hotel, now under the Rochester brand. Would they approve? She desperately hoped so.
Since winning the Gilbert Challenge, she’d worked hard these past eight months to bring her vision to life. Kirk had been her rock during that time, and so had Gina Esposito, the heritage consultant, who’d worked side-by-side with her. Recently, Gina and Holly’s father had gone out on dinner dates a few times, drawn together by their mutual love of art and architecture. It was early days, but she detected an extra bounce in her dad, and he seemed years younger.
Despite the help she’d received, by and large this project was Holly’s baby. She’d thrived on the challenge, but at times it had been really hard, especially when Dane was away in Austin. Those weeks were the worst, the only consolation being that their reunions were spectacularly awesome.
Dane smoothed his hands down her bare arms. “We’ll have plenty of time after tomorrow.”
“Yes. I’ve already told Kirk I’m taking a few days off.”
“Good.” His voice thickened. “Because I have plans.”
A delicious shiver curled down her spine. She rubbed her ass against him, but instead of responding, he scratched the back of his neck. Hmm. This wasn’t the first time tonight he’d seemed hesitant. Earlier, she’d caught him jiggling something in the pocket of his pants, and when she’d asked him what it was, he’d started and said it was nothing. With all the pressure of opening night preoccupying her, she’d let it go, but now she couldn’t help wondering what was bothering him.
“Dane? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, of course, babe.”
“Is it your dad? He seemed in a good mood the last time we visited.”
Martin’s cancer was currently in remission. No one knew if it was permanent, but the reprieve appeared to lift the old man’s spirits.
“He’s good,” Dane replied. “He even attended Saffron’s school concert the other week.”
“Aw, that’s nice.” She paused before asking, “And your business? I know it hasn’t been plain sailing expanding into California.”
“Hey, it’s nothing I didn’t expect.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “I’ll still be travelling back and forth to Austin for quite a while, but by next year I’ll be spending most of my time here. With you.” His broad palms warmed her skin and set her senses tingling, but still there was an underlying tension in him.
“I can’t wait, honey. So…why do you seem, I don’t know, like you’re holding something back from me?”
He shook his head and smiled. “Can’t hide anything from you, can I?” He turned her around to face him. “Okay, there is something I want to say, but I was going to wait until after all the hoopla of the opening was over.” He paused to swallow, and a faint sheen of perspiration showed on his forehead.
Holly’s stomach cramped up. Oh, god, he’s anxious. This must be bad news.
“Holly…I don’t know how to say this. I don’t have any fancy words or quotations.” He hesitated again, a muscle pulsing in his temple, before he dove into the inside pocket of his tuxedo and pulled out something. “Holly Rochester, I love and adore you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”
He lifted his hands, and she saw he was holding a small velvet box that held a very large diamond ring.
She spluttered. He really wanted to… Her heart constricted, and then it expanded and swelled until she felt like she’d swallowed a helium balloon. Blood thudded in her ears as she reached out and clasped his hands.
“Yes,” she choked out, too overwhelmed to say anything else.
He smiled, relief and happiness showing. The world tilted on its axis, and it felt like they had their own personal sun shining down on them. He slipped the ring onto her finger, then kissed each of her fingers and her palm. Unable to wait, she lifted his chin and claimed his mouth with hers, eager to show him how much he meant to her.
They were lost in their kissing when the beeping of her cell phone brought them back to reality.
“Oh my god, that’s my dad, wondering where I am!” Holly exclaimed when she’d read the text message.
“Maybe you want to fix your lipstick,” Dane grinned as he wiped the smudges from his own mouth.
After she’d straightened herself, Holly glanced at herself in the mirror. The glow in her eyes matched that in Dane’s. Her heart surged as he curled his hand around hers, his thumb caressing the ring newly placed on her finger.
“Come on,” he said. “We’re going to dance all night in that ballroom downstairs and create memories we’ll be telling our kids about for years to come.”
She blinked back her tears. “Can’t wait.”
~~~ THE END ~~~
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Read the other Rochester stories!
Each is a sizzling standalone romance.
UNDERCOVER IN THE CEO’S BED
Billionaire Lex Rochester has a problem. Someone is trying to sabotage the family company, but the investigation needs to be highly discreet because Lex suspects it’s one of his own relatives. His solution—hire IT security specialist Jacinta Greene, who also happens to be his ex-girlfriend. With Jacinta posing as his newly reconciled girlfriend, the other Roches
ters won’t suspect they’re being monitored.
The last thing Jacinta wants is to see Lex again. Their breakup still tortures her, but she’ll do just about anything to help her kid brother, even pretend to reunite with Lex. But the more time she spends with Lex, the more she realizes she’s never gotten over him. Which is bad news, because she and Lex are fatally incompatible.
The fire that still burns between them is as hot and irresistible as ever. Can Jacinta remember what’s real and what’s fake, or will she be hurt by Lex all over again?
Buy it here.
WHEN THE CEO CALLS
Prequel to UNDERCOVER IN THE CEO’S BED.
A late night call out, a handsome, sexy CEO, and a brother who needs protection…Jacinta Greene knows she’s courting trouble when she assists Lex Rochester while disguising her true identity. When he pursues her, she knows she should turn him down and walk away, but this man is too irresistible for her own good.
This novella is included in this book. See Table of Contents.
BEST FRIENDS WITH THE BILLIONAIRE
When an innocent deal between friends turns sinful…
Cassie Cooper has never been the kind of girl noticed for her looks. But around billionaire Kirk Rochester, her best friend from college, Cassie wishes she could turn just one head—his. So when Kirk asks her to be his pretend girlfriend to thwart another woman's unwanted advances, Cassie embraces the opportunity to prove to him that she does have a feminine side.
Disillusioned by a rough marriage that had an even rougher end, Kirk values friendship more than romance. He’s always had a good thing going with Cassie. But he can’t ignore how sexy she is now playing the role of his girlfriend, and soon he’s fighting a dangerous attraction to her. Even though their time between the sheets is scorching hot, he refuses to take it beyond “friends with benefits.” He’s learned the hard way that loving someone is the first step to destroying his heart, and he won’t risk losing the best person in his life by falling in love with her.
Buy it here.
WHEN THE CEO CALLS
This novella is a prequel to Undercover in the CEO’s Bed published by Entangled Publishing. In this prequel Jacinta and Lex meet for the first time under very trying circumstances.