A lump formed in his throat as he endured her laser-like scrutiny. Concern, mixed with a well of uncertainty, chased across her light-green eyes. Something touched him deep inside. Highly aware of the others, he grit his teeth, saying, “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”
***
Heather clung to her illusions. Her boss could pile on the charm even at the most difficult times. Was this one of them?
His answer, smooth and delivered with ease, didn’t impress her. No, she was still reeling from eavesdropping when he’d said she was his and he was hers. Her insides quivered. If only!
“Why are you here again?”
“Volunteering my services, for one,” he said, nodding to the person coming up behind her. “Rico asked.”
“Oh, my, Mr. Rake! I mean, Mr. Diamond.” Rico engulfed him in a brief hug. “Squeal! I shamelessly begged the hotties at the wedding reception and he said yes! Your tux is already a King’s, so no need to do anything but to deliver it to our dry cleaning service.”
“The charity event?” Heather shook her head. When had that happened?
“All hands on deck,” Rico and Peg said in unison.
In minutes, Rico gave out instructions for the practice runs through the week and the dress rehearsal Friday night with the event on Saturday. “Of course, you two will be paired up on the runaway now. Nothing like the real deal to make everyone swoon, right?” He squeezed her arm. “Luck, sweetie.” He lifted his hand up to his face, his thumb to his ear and his pinkie near his mouth. “Call me. We’ll drink. We’ll talk.”
She grinned at him, relieved she’d unloaded the truth on him before her friends had shown up over an hour ago. At this moment, sharing with her besties would cause the kind of commotion she didn’t want right now.
“Holy guacamole! Look at the time. I gotta run with these hot little numbers.” She held up her clipboard. “Bosses will be sending out a search party for me,” Peg called as she scampered off.
“Tootles, loves,” Rico cried, throwing kisses. “See you in two,” he held up two fingers, “days. No delays.” He laughed.
Alone with Drake was not where Heather wanted to be at this moment. His hot gaze unnerved her.
“To the office?” She nodded to the nice woman at the desk. “Thanks, Mrs. Higgins.”
“Miss Talbert. Mr. Diamond.”
“Someplace neutral,” Drake said, holding the glass door open for her. “King’s.”
“You want to go shopping?”
“Engagement ring. Wedding rings.”
On the sidewalk now, she came to an abrupt halt. Was this another bad joke?
“Hey, lady!” some guy barked as he dodged her. “Watch it, will you?”
“Why not? We play it up for all it’s worth.” Drake turned her to him. “Look, Heather. I’m man enough to say I screwed up this morning. No, I don’t know a whole hell of a lot about you. That’s both our faults. Being from a broken home does that to people. To us.”
They had that much in common. We keep things hidden.
“I don’t go shouting off the rooftops about my rough childhood to everyone I meet. Only a handful of people know that about me, know what I went through. You are one of the few.”
“It was nice meeting your dad.” On a business trip together over a year and a half ago, Drake had taken the call. They’d rushed to the airport, hopped on the next flight out, and arrived in time to see Mr. Diamond at the hospital.
For days, they’d stayed, waiting in frustrated impatience to talk to the doctors, to get the tests done, and to hear the pneumonia diagnosis instead of the heart attack first tossed about. She’d tagged along as an associate and ended up feeling closer to Drake than most any other person in his life. They had a deep connection.
“Your dad is a pretty tough guy.” And sweet. And funny. Just like you are when you let your guard down.
“He tells me you call and send him cards on a regular basis. Thanks for that.” His voice roughened.
“I like him.”
“And his son?”
“More than just like.” She winced. That dang kiss had backfired on her. Big time! He may be trying to pull the wool of everyone else’s eyes, but she wanted to know. No, needed to know. Heather shoved her glasses up on her nose. “Honest. No hype. No sales pitch. What do you feel for me, Drake?”
A puff of laughter came out as he dragged a hand through his hair. “Turned on. Annoyed. In awe. Confused. Proud. Grateful. Overjoyed. Overwhelmed. Scared.” The last came out shaky.
Gulping hard, she pasted on a smile and nodded curtly. “Nothing remotely close to…more.”
“Maybe that’s as more as I’ll ever get with anyone.”
The whisper-soft answer hit as close to the real Drake as she’d ever heard. “Not nearly enough for me.” On tiptoe, she kissed his cheek, her heart aching.
“That’s it?”
“I’m off to find another job. Because, damn, Drake, it would be so embarrassing to have to face you every morning knowing I feel so much more for you than you do me.”
***
Panic burst in his gut. He could not lose her. He caught up with her, half dragging her with him to the entrance of King’s Department Store. “So we’ll get married.” The words nearly choked him.
“Don’t think so,” she countered, tugging her hand.
Refusing to let her go, he counteroffered. “Sooner rather than later. And you’ll have my babies.”
Heather jerked to a stop again. “Be…serious.”
“What’s not serious about that?” His chest tightened thinking of her round with his baby—no, their baby. “I’ve never asked anyone to marry me or have my baby before.”
“Drake, I’m not fooled by your charming ways.”
“No?” He rubbed his jaw. “God, I must be losing it. You don’t want to have a bunch of little Diamonds running around?”
She gulped; he could see her struggle for words. “You’re teasing me. And bluffing.”
That sparked a memory of when they’d been leaning on each other during the middle of the night in the waiting area to get back to see his dad. “Family. Aside from the occasional visits to see the beloved grandparents in New York. Yours was torn apart. By innuendoes and lies. You were like a ping-pong ball going back and forth between your mom and her new husband’s house to your dad and his new wife’s house. You didn’t feel like you were a part of them, just apart from every one. I can give you what you want. A family.”
“You…remembered. What about love, Drake?”
“I don’t know what that is. Maybe you can teach me.” Hope jumped to life. He’d never been this open and honest with anyone before. Somehow she made him think he could be more, could give more.
“You have to want it.”
If the thought of losing her was any indication, he didn’t want any part of that sweeping ache attempting to consume his chest right about now. “I need you. I want you in my life.” Drake prayed he was up to the task of learning to feel that special something for Heather; he’d never forgive himself if he ever hurt her.
“You lie.” But her eyes glistened with unshed tears behind her glasses.
A swift pang bounced in his chest. What was he doing? “So, you in?”
Chapter 7
Heather swallowed hard once and then again. It didn’t help. “Drake, all right. Only pretend, though.” Otherwise, she’d just die if she bought into that whole love and romance thing to be let down once again.
She had no idea if this was the best thing or the worst thing she’d ever done in her entire life. Again? Hope. Fail. Rinse. Repeat?
Time would tell.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t come back to bite her.
Relief washed over his features. “Perfect!” Drake grabbed her face and planted a kiss on her cheek.
I’m never washing that one ever again.
Maybe, if they faked it…
Was she just fooling herself?
What? Are you crazy? He’s pr
actically offering himself up on a platter and you’re not taking the goodies?
In a daze, she let Drake tug her along and into the elegant store. A blur of pretty, shiny expensive things caught her eye, and then in to the jewelry department, where things went from oh boy to megawatt brilliance!
With glittering diamonds and jewels under the bright lights, she thought she’d skipped death and gone straight to heaven.
That and Drake’s thigh pressed against hers! They sat close together, like any newly engaged couple, in front of the counter of spectacular rings. She could get used to this pretend thing.
“Which one?” Drake asked, whispering in her ear. His breath tickled and made her tremble.
“All of them.” She teased, getting caught up in the moment and in the romance of it all. Tentatively, she reached out for a delicate stone. “It has to be a diamond, right? To go with your name.”
His deep chuckle rumbled through her, causing her to shiver. “White? Pink? Chocolate?”
“We can customize anything you’d like.” The beautiful blonde woman showing them the tray smiled fondly. “Would you prefer that?”
“That may take too long,” Drake murmured. “We’ll be getting married next week.”
Heather’s heart lurched. “Next…” She couldn’t form thoughts, never mind words. When was he going to tell her this lie? She could barely keep up with them, yet they rolled smoothly off his tongue.
“Three-day honeymoon in the Caribbean. Perfect timing.” He winked at her.
“You’re serious?” she squeaked out. Hadn’t she wanted him to come along to evaluate the potential resort property? But not like this. Not when he’d lumped their personal lives with his business. He’s just toying with you, Talbert.
“What better way to explore the island, and each other, than to be on our honeymoon? Firsthand knowledge.”
His eyes flared with banked desire and she swore her insides melted.
Drake Diamond was flat out lethal to her senses.
How was she going to survive this blatant fabrication—or him, for that matter?
***
Something seemed slightly off at the office. Several employees ducked their heads and shuffled papers on their desk. Others halted, stopped sipping coffee or chewing on their donuts, and then turned around. Whispered exchanges hushed when Drake and Heather walked down the hall.
A weird vibe pulsed in the air.
“Ah, you do know that you keep the diamond, after all’s said and done, right? I mean, it’s the least I can do for all you’re sacrificing for…the business.” Did it sound as awful as it came out? If he hired a plane trailing a banner and blasted it across the sky, it couldn’t be more obvious to him. Single and staying that way, in spite of what it looks like.
“So that’s the bonus.” Hurt laced her words, but she plastered on a smile for him. “I’ll just go get those notes you were asking for.” Heather murmured, “Is it me or do you feel like all eyes are on us?”
“Storm brewing?” He halted at his door, taking a brief, assessing look around.
“Meet you back in ten, fifteen tops,” she said before heading off.
He moaned at the slight sway of her hips in the tight skirt she’d changed in to after she’d left his place earlier. Before entering his office, he glanced around, only to find the nearby employees jerking their heads away and looking at blank spaces on the wall or off into space.
Why did he feel like a dead man walking?
With all the calm he could muster, Drake dug in the pile of work waiting for him. His glass office afforded him the luxury of being slightly apart from his employees yet accessible. He enjoyed seeing the hustle and bustle only a few yards away. And they were fond of popping in his office for a word or two, a quick question for him to answer, and to run by a spark of a new idea.
He thrived on the interaction just as much as they did. They worked well together. All thanks to Heather.
When he’d brought her on board, she’d sized up his lackluster team and suggested on improvements. Some were still with him, yet fulfilling their potential now; others agreed it wasn’t their cup of tea; a few were let go with a generous severance pay.
Brainstorming with her, he’d realized what a true gem he’d found and allowed her much more leeway than he ever had with another employee.
His drive, determination, and people skills coupled with her savvy business sense and observation talents made them a dynamite pair.
Drake did not want to lose that. Not with her. Spark. Heat. Sizzle. He directed his mind away from the sharp tug of intense longing curling through his center. He blew out a hot breath. “Back to business…”
Things would shift and change the moment the false news leaked out.
What would the other employees say? How would they react?
Realization struck. They must know already. Why else would they be getting the strange behavior and looks? But how?
A sense of dread sunk like a cement weight in his gut.
He, who glossed over the details to get what he always wanted, hadn’t taken into consideration the damage control he’d have to do for his team.
Things were getting messy already. And he thought facing D.W. and the chance of losing his lucrative business opportunity with Grant was dicey!
Drake turned to his computer and quickly tapped out an all-wide company email to meet within the hour. Next, he dug out his shiny, new cell phone and began scrolling through missed texts and listening to his voicemail messages. Some were questioning, others anxious; concern grew with each passing one. Why hadn’t he just attended to his business like he normally did?
The last one, short and clipped, shot through him. “On Facebook!” his assistant hissed and then slammed the phone down.
“What the hell?” Drake jerked his head up, not finding his trusted, long-time assistant sitting at her desk outside his office. Sonia was nowhere in sight. Unheard of when he was in town.
She’d been with him from the beginning, stuck in a small, cramped space on the bad side of town while he made cold calls for hours every day. He’d slept on the couch in the office and she’d wake him every morning by brewing a pot of gritty coffee and shoving a stale, day old pastry in his face, gotten for free from the tiny bakery she lived over.
He’d scraped and clawed his way up while she, a single, struggling mom, kept her kids in line and in school. When he hit pay dirt, he paid her back, twenty times over. Still, she worked part-time for him, bringing him much better black coffee and every once in a while a fresh treat from that bakery, now that she was married to the owner.
Where was Sonia? Steaming mad, most likely. For the first time ever, he’d left her out of the loop. He cursed under his breath.
Snatching up the phone, he tapped in an extension. “Heather, come to my office please.” He barely kept his voice under control.
Ha! Sham engagement? Look what you’re doing to me!
He groaned.
Things were falling apart fast!
Mayday! Mayday!
***
Heather shook slightly as she gathered up her notes and made her way down the hall to Drake’s office. His door was open, as usual, so she walked right in.
“Hey, boss. Sonia out today?” she asked, trying to get back on an even keel with him, adjusting her glasses higher up on her nose. Yeah, right. Your heart is ready to burst out of your red silk blouse!
Looking up, his gaze focused and then caught and held hers.
A shivery breath whistled through her lips. Sinful man!
“Maybe you should close the door.” His soft, velvety voice might as well have said, “Why don’t you take off your clothes for me?”
“S…sure,” she stuttered to both suggestions. All sorts of wild visions came to mind. In the chair, on his desk, up against the window… Not like she didn’t have those thoughts before, but now they seemed wickedly delicious and possible.
When she finally slid into a chair opposite his desk
, she sat on the edge of the seat. Were her glasses fogging up?
“Relax.”
Take off my clothes? Okay! Heather eased back and crossed her leg.
His stare followed her every move. “God, I never thought you in a black leather skirt and red high heels could look so incredibly sexy in my office.”
“I’ve worn this before.” Was it getting hotter in here?
“I know. But now I can say it out loud.” His devilish grin nearly undid her.
Her breaths came out short and quick. He’d gotten turned on by her in this outfit before? Wow, newsflash!
“You can’t believe I haven’t wanted you?” His quizzical look only made him sexier.
“We’ve—you’ve never gone there.”
“Now, I can.” He flicked his glance to the glass walls and then the top of his glass desk. “Well, after hours. How would you like to make a date here? Say, after we get back from our pretend honeymoon?”
Tingles raced up and down her body, stopping in extra-sensitive areas along the way. “Sounds…” She swallowed hard. “Like an amazing plan.” Visions of him with her danced in her head. He wanted her! Even after the pretend thing.
He shook his head once, and then twice as if to clear it. “You’re distracting me. Big time.” Drake blew out a breath. “Focus. It’s not as bad as it seems.” He rose, coming around to her side of the desk.
“You only talk to yourself when— What’s wrong?”
“There’s talk. And pictures.”
A noise, like the whooshing of the door, came from behind her, making her jump.
“I tried to stop them at the elevator, boss, but, they are pushy,” Sonia said first in English and then in rapid-fire Spanish. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him with a smirk.
“Heather!” Her mother and father stormed toward her.
Her jaw dropped and she shot up from the chair. “Mom? Dad? What are you two doing here?” And together?! That was unheard of!
“Is it true?” Her mother, dressed in a short coat with a ridiculous fur collar that nearly swallowed her neck and with her hair piled high, slapped down the paper on Drake’s desk. “Engaged?”
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