Fifteen minutes later, he was dressed. Pulling open his bedroom door, he walked down the hall to find Desiree in his kitchen. She was dancing and lip-syncing while wiping the counter tops down. She stopped when she saw him approach.
“Good morning, Mr. Reed. I didn’t wake you, did I?” she asked as she pulled out her ear buds. A worried expression settled on her countenance.
Reed shook his head. “No. I was up.” He walked over and grabbed a banana from the bowl on the counter. “Either I slept in or you’re here early,” he said, taking a big bite.
Desiree waved away his comment. “No, I’m early. It’s my nephew’s birthday today and I have to be in Long Island for his party.” Her expression grew soft as if she were lost in a memory.
Reed finished the banana and threw away the peel. “That’s awesome. I hope you have fun.”
She stopped wiping the counter and studied him. “What’s with you? You’re acting different.” She raised her finger and wiggled it in his direction.
Reed shook his head. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Desiree narrowed her eyes and then blew away the strand of hair that has come loose from her bun and settled on her cheek. “It was the dinner, no? I told Ms. Lillian that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.” She raised her eyebrows and shot him a smile. “They should call me the love doctor.”
Reed folded his arms as he leaned back against the counter top. “Love doctor? Really?” That was the last thing he needed. Desiree thinking it was her duty to insert herself into his love life.
“You never know. It could be my calling,” she said, shrugging.
“This is a fake relationship,” Reed said and then stopped himself. He turned to see Desiree’s eyes widened. Crap. He’d forgotten that she didn’t know. “But you can keep that a secret, right?”
Desiree chucked a towel his direction. “Mr. Reed, I clean your house. Trust me, I can keep a secret.”
Reed started to laugh but then stopped. What did that mean? Before he could ask, Lillian came walking into the kitchen. Her eyes were heavy with sleep. Her hair was tousled, and she had on a t-shirt and shorts.
“Oh, Ms. Lillian. We didn’t wake you, did we?” Desiree turned around and swatted Reed with the towel she’d retrieved. “You woke up this poor woman.”
Reed raised his hands. “Hey, now. If anything, it was your singing that startled her awake.” He reached up and wiggled his finger in his ear as if the noise was too loud.
Desiree looked unimpressed. “I have a wonderful singing voice,” she said, gathering her cleaning supplies and taking off toward his room. “I’m going to start in here. I hope there aren’t any secrets that I might have to keep.”
Reed parted his lips and stepped toward her, but Desiree ignored him as she slipped into his room. Knowing that she was just joking, Reed chuckled and turned his attention back to Lillian. She had her arms folded across her chest.
“Can I get you a drink?” Reed asked, suddenly feeling the need to do something. After last night, he wasn’t sure what to say to her. He knew he’d upset her, but he still wasn’t sure why.
Her cheeks hinted pink as she nodded and sat down on a bar stool. “Thanks. Water.”
Reed nodded. “Coming right up.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled it open. After grabbing out a bottle of water, he set it on the counter, nudging the fridge door closed with his hip.
After he started a pot of coffee, he glanced over at Lillian. She looked contemplative as she studied him. Should he bring up the previous night? He wasn’t sure if she wanted to talk about it.
“Thanks for what you did. That studio is amazing. There are professionals I know that don’t have a state of the art studio like that.” She fiddled with the water bottle cap.
Reed’s chest swelled. She liked it. Even though her reaction last night left him worried, her words put him at ease. He hadn’t screwed up. He nodded. “I’m happy you like it. It’s all yours. I want you to feel like this place is your home.” He glanced around, taking note of the splashes of personality she’d put up around his apartment. It looked less sterile and more like a home.
“That’s kind of you,” she said.
There was a moment of silence while Reed met her gaze. For the first time, he held it. He allowed the feelings that brewed in his stomach. There was a connection there that was growing harder for him to deny. The intensity was getting too strong and he needed to break away.
“Eggs,” he blurted out.
Lillian raised her eyebrows.
Heat raced across Reed’s skin. He could be such an idiot sometimes. “Sorry. Would you like me to make you some eggs?”
“Oh. Sure.”
Reed nodded, grateful for the job he now had. He busied himself in the kitchen, grabbing out a pan and the eggs from the fridge. Once oil was heated, he cracked the shells and watched as the yolk and whites sizzled in the pan.
“Toast?”
She nodded.
Reed sliced some french bread that Desiree always bought him from a bakery down the street. He slipped the slices into the toaster and then turned. With nothing to do, he shoved his hands into his front pockets and studied Lillian.
“Wow, this is amazing. You could run a bed and breakfast,” she said. He reveled in the hint of a smile that played on her lips.
“I could, couldn’t I?” He grinned at her. Was it wrong that he liked the fact that she saw him as a capable person? Most women he dated whined about the fact that he didn’t have a full time cook to wait on their every whim. It was refreshing that he could feed his guest himself without complaints. That Lillian appreciated the fact that he wanted to do something for her.
Once their food was served, he grabbed both plates and nodded toward the table.
Lillian followed him. When they were sitting, Reed handed her a fork, and they ate in silence.
When they were finished, Reed grabbed her plate and stacked it on his. Lillian thanked him and leaned back.
“Did you have any plans for today?” Reed asked. He wasn’t sure how she was going to react to the fact that he wanted her to meet his grandfather. But it was a necessity that needed to happen. Might as well pull that Band-Aid off.
Lillian’s gaze made its way over to him. “No. Not particularly.”
Reed nodded. “Good. I want to visit my grandfather and introduce you to him. That way, when we announce that we are getting married soon, it won’t come as a shock. My grandfather doesn’t really read the tabloids so probably hasn’t heard.”
Lillian’s eyes widened. “What? You want me to meet him? Now?” She shifted in her seat.
“Yeah. Is that okay? I mean, you’re going to have to meet him soon anyway.” He shot her a supportive grin. “Plus, this way, it can be just you and me.”
Her cheeks reddened as she glanced up at him. “I guess,” she said. Her voice was quiet as she dropped her gaze to study the tabletop in front of her.
Relief washed over Reed. Having her agree lifted the weight that was sitting on his shoulders. If his grandfather didn’t believe that they were for real, then this whole situation was for nothing.
“Give me a half hour to shower and get ready,” she said, pushing away from the table and standing.
Reed nodded and watched as she walked out of the room. He breathed out the air he’d been holding and studied the plates in front of him. He could do this. It was just one meeting.
Desperate for a job to do, he brought the dishes to the sink. Just as he picked up the dish wand to wash them, Desiree appeared, grabbing it from him.
“What are you doing, Mr. Reed?” she asked, peering into the sink.
“Washing a dish.”
She tsked him and bumped him with her hip. “I don’t think so. I’d be out of a job if you learned how to do what I do.” She motioned for him to leave. “I’ll take over. You go relax or do push-ups. Or whatever it is that you wealthy types do.”
Reed parted his lips to protest, b
ut she shot him a no-nonsense look so he backed off. As he walked out of the kitchen, he realized that he had twenty-five minutes of idle time. This was not good. With the way his mind was racing from thoughts of Lillian, he needed a distraction.
After ten minutes of aimlessly wandering around his house, Reed finally settled down on the living room couch, next to one of Lillian’s additions. A fluffy red pillow that tickled his arm every time he moved.
He tried to get comfortable, but the cushions on the couch had very little give to it. Probably because no one had sat on it since it was brought here six months ago. When he’d left the home that he and Hannah were going to share because he found out she’d cheated on him.
Clearing his throat, he leaned forward and grabbed a book off the coffee table in front of him. It was titled, Botched Taxidermy. Flipping it open, he glanced down at a picture of a fox whose eyeballs had been put in wrong. Instead of staring straight ahead, one was looking up while the other one looked down.
As he flipped through the book, the more ridiculous the mistakes were. He couldn’t help but laugh at the frog that had been dressed up to look like Kermit. When it got to the strange concoctions of animal parts, he shut the book. Those just might give him nightmares.
He set the book down on his coffee table and looked around. He was going to have to ask Lillian about the book and if he should be concerned that she’d decided to bring it into his house to use as a decoration.
Movement by the hallway caught his attention. He turned to see Lillian entering the living room wearing a full-length dress. It was white and embroidered with blue swirls. It had a beach feel to it when she walked. Her hair was pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck. She looked like a Greek goddess.
Suddenly, he had the desire to call Tristan, his pilot, and whisk her away on his jet to Greece where they’d lounge on the beach and watch the sun set over the ocean. But that might overwhelm her, so instead, he stood and did a sort-of half bow.
Feeling stupid that he couldn’t get his thoughts in order, he laughed off his response. “Sorry. Don’t know where that came from.”
She quirked an eyebrow. “Yeah.”
Desperate to move away from the strange feelings brewing in his chest, he steepled his fingers and brought them to his lips. Then he pointed toward the book he’d been thumbing through. “Botched Taxidermy?”
Her cheeks reddened as she approached. “Sorry about that. I think the shopkeeper was playing a joke on me. She told me that all the high-end socialites were buying it.” She rubbed her temple. “In hindsight, she might have been teasing me.”
He laughed as he approached her. “It’s okay.” He reached out and hovered his fingers inches from her arm. “I would have probably listened as well.”
Her gaze dropped to his hand and then she glanced up at him. “I thought I would enjoy shopping, but being there just proved to me how out of place I feel in stores like that.”
Reed studied her. “What happened?” Was there something she wasn’t telling him?
She held his gaze for a moment before she dropped it. “Never mind.” She turned and headed toward the door. “Ready to go?”
He followed after her. “Lillian, what happened?”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.”
Reaching out, he grabbed her elbow to stop her retreat. “Why won’t you tell me? Did someone treat you bad?”
She kept her gaze trained on his chest. Then she took a deep breath. “It started at Jezebels and continued to all the stores Cassie took me to. Everyone could see I wasn’t rich and treated me such.”
Anger built up in his chest. “What? Who?” He grabbed out his phone. There was no way his fiancée was going to be treated this way.
Lillian reached out and wrapped her fingers around the phone. “It’s okay. I’m sure it’s pretty normal. I don’t look like a billionaire. I’m a nobody. I would have probably tried to kick me out if I were them.”
He stared at her. How could she possibly believe any of what she had just said to him? She wasn’t a nobody. She was rapidly become a very big somebody to him. He reached out and placed his fingers under her chin and slowly raised her face until she was looking straight at him.
“You are not a nobody. I don’t ever want you to say that about yourself again.” He met her gaze with as much intensity as he could muster without scaring her. “If that ever happens again, you tell me. I will be down there as fast as I can to deal with the situation. You are going to be my wife, and nobody does that to my family.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him. Then she blinked a few times. “Thanks,” she said.
Reed dropped his hand and nodded. “Now, let’s stop talking about this or I just might have to go down to those shops and give them a piece of my mind.”
Lillian reached over and grabbed her purse. Once it was strung over her shoulder, she followed him out the door. Reed watched her press the elevator button. Anger roared in his stomach, but he tried to dampen it down. There was no need to go all hot-headed. She assured him that she was okay. He was just finding it hard to believe her.
All he knew was if anyone attempted that when he was around, they would have a world of hurt on their hands. Nobody treated his future wife like that. Even if she wasn’t really his. He’d protect her, no matter what.
Chapter Eleven
All it took was a thirty-minute boat ride to Reed’s grandfather’s secluded island to make her forget everything that had taken place in Reed’s apartment. It must have been the light blue skies and the salty breeze that helped take her mind off of how protective Reed had gotten when he found out how she had been treated. Or the fact that he called her his family.
She swallowed as she rubbed her upper arms. Even though it was warm, the wind whipped around her, chilling her skin.
“Here,” Reed’s low voice said from behind her.
She turned to see that he’d removed his suit coat and held it out for her.
“Thanks,” she said, slipping in one arm and then the other.
He helped her pull it up onto her back. For a moment, his hands lingered on her shoulders before he dropped them. Her skin tingled from the absence of his touch.
Swallowing, she glanced over at him. “This is amazing.”
Reed squinted toward the water that surrounded them. “Yeah. Grandpa Williamson knows how to pick a place to call home.”
Lillian nodded. “He really does.”
The boat captain, Roger, pulled the boat up to the dock and left it idling. Once it was secured, he opened the gate and rolled out the walkway that led from the boat to the dock.
Lillian could feel Reed hesitate next to her. It was as if he didn’t want to leave. Feeling the urge to comfort him, she reached out and entwined her fingers with his. She felt his gaze bore into her as he studied her. Not sure what to do, she started to walk toward the dock.
Reed followed her, keeping their contact. Her heart hammered in her chest as she stepped onto the dock still holding his hand. It was almost like they belonged together. Like they were meant to do this all along. Her mind swam with thoughts of Reed. How he’d taken care of her. Let her into his life that had so many people in it. What a contrast to her lonely one.
They made their way across the backyard and up to the house that sat at the top of the hill. The outside walls were completely covered with a grey stone. The same material made up the steps and patio that led up to huge windows where two sliding doors sat open. Drapes waved and shifted in the breeze.
There were pots that exploded with flowers next to tall light posts that hugged the path they were on. Lillian couldn’t help but sigh from the utter beauty around her.
Reed’s soft chuckle drew her attention over to him. He was watching her which surprised her. How could he be looking at her when there was so much to see around them?
“Do you like this place?” he asked. His voice grew louder as he leaned toward her.
He was i
nches away from him. She could feel his closeness even though only their hands were touching.
Lillian focused her thoughts and nodded. “It’s beautiful.”
“It is.”
When she glanced up at him, she saw him staring down at her. A rush of emotions raced down her spine and raced throughout her body.
Warning bells sounded in her mind. This couldn’t be happening. There was no way Reed could have feelings for her. There was no way she’d get through this arranged marriage if the guy she was supposed to be faking a relationship with might possibly have feelings for her.
Even though her heart ached to stay, Lillian dropped Reed’s hands and stepped away from him. She folded her arms only to realize that she was still wearing his suit coat. She wiggled out of it and handed it over.
“Thanks for that,” she said.
He studied her with his brows knit before he reached out and took it. “No problem.” He narrowed his gaze as if he were trying to figure her out. “You can still wear it if you need it.”
She shook her head. “I’m okay.” Then she cleared her throat, trying to dispel the lingering feeling of Reed’s hand against her own. “We should probably get our story straight before we go in there and your grandfather sees right through our act.” She shot him a smile that hopefully came across as confident.
Reed glanced toward the house. “Okay. How about we met, fell in love, and got engaged?”
She tapped her chin as she stepped away from him. “Yeah, probably need to be more specific.” She turned abruptly and hesitated. Reed had moved to stand right behind her. Her heart raced so she moved away from him. “Let’s say that we met four months ago at a party. Afterward, I went to Europe to study art and we kept in contact—”
“And then I slowly fell in love with you so when I found out I needed to marry, I knew you were the girl for me. I raced across the ocean to get you and bring you back.” There was a hunger to his gaze that scared and excited her.
She broke his gaze. None of this was real. She never studied anything in Europe and Reed never suddenly decided that he loved her and raced to win her over. The marriage wasn’t real and neither were any feelings they might have for each other.
Marrying a Billionaire (A Fake Marriage Series Book 3) Page 8