by Mia Caldwell
He’d watch her full lips move, the way she quirked up the corner of one side of her mouth when she was teasing. She had a tiny dimple in her left cheek that only showed up when she smiled widely. And the bridge of her cute nose scrunched up adorably when she was unsure or thinking hard about something.
Then there were her eyes. He understood now what it meant to be lost in someone’s eyes. How could he hear the words she spoke when her sparkling eyes were already speaking volumes? Everything she felt was projected there.
Today, when the passion in her eyes turned them nearly black, it had taken every ounce of his self-control not to strip her naked on the spot, tearing off every little button on her pretty dress, and doing to her magnificent body everything those gorgeous eyes were telling him she wanted.
He was glad he held back as much as he did. Romantic as this picnic spot was, he didn’t want their first time to be on a blanket on the ground.
And there would be a first time for him and Jada. He had to have her. Soon. There’d be no stopping it. Let all the deer, cats, parents, fake fiancées and publicists in the world descend on them at once, but they would not be stopped.
Ian Buckley didn’t lose. Not to anyone. Period.
He watched Jada’s lips close over the rim of the champagne flute. She drank the last of the champagne and let the strawberry at the bottom of the glass bump against her lips. She took it in her teeth and wrapped her sweet lips around the plump, red fruit, and—
Ian looked away, down at the cat napping beside him. He couldn’t watch Jada eat that strawberry, not with Ms. Kitty still around. Damn.
He offered Jada some more champagne, but she declined. He put the bottle back in the bucket. Probably best to keep their heads for now anyway.
He checked the time on his cell. Jada’s surprise would be arriving soon, so he might as well call the picnic a done deal. He sent a quick text to Lydia telling her to dismiss the security perimeter.
It was the work of only a few moments to gather themselves together and head back across the bridge toward home. For the first time, Jada didn’t comment that he’d left everything behind for the staff to clean up, though she looked like she wanted to.
The sun felt good on his shoulders, and it glowed on Jada’s flawless skin. Ms. Kitty led the way, making occasional forays into the undergrowth, investigating whatever it was that interested cats.
Ian realized he was happy. When was the last time he felt this happy, anyway? Other than yesterday and the time he spent with Jada then, he couldn’t remember.
“You know,” Jada said, bright and cheerful, “we didn’t do what we went on the picnic to do.”
Ian wasn’t sure what she meant. He’d planned to get her in a compromising position, and he accomplished it. Was there something else they were supposed to do?
Jada laughed. “You don’t remember. We were supposed to discuss who might have been behind our fiasco.”
“Oh, that’s right,” he said. “Guess I got distracted.” He gave her a deliberate, wolfish look.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, well, anyway. About the case ...”
“I wasn’t aware this was a case.”
“I’ve decided it is. The Case of the Phony Marriage License.”
“So who’s your latest suspect? Still stuck on Sasha?”
“No,” she said. “You’re probably right about her being too impulsive to pull off anything that complicated. I’m wondering ... and don’t take this the wrong way ... but, have you considered it might be someone close to you?”
“No. Who are you thinking of?”
“I don’t know you well, of course, but I thought Sullivan seemed to be more than a lawyer to you, that he might also be a friend.”
“You’re right. He’s one of my best friends.”
She peeped at him out of the corner of her eye. “Have you considered that Sullivan might have done it?”
“No. I hadn’t. And I don’t see any point in considering it now. There’s no way he’s involved in this.”
“I know it can be hard to suspect someone close to you. For what it’s worth, I haven’t only been thinking about suspects close to you. I’ve been thinking about people close to me, too.” She frowned, as if it were hard to say what came next. “I even considered that Marina might have done it.”
Ian was surprised. “Why would you suspect your sister?”
“Because she has contacts at the courthouse, which means she had opportunity. And she has the means because she can be capable when she wants to be.”
“You sure you went to school for accounting?” he asked with a grin.
“I read a lot of mysteries.”
“So Marina is a real suspect then?”
“No. She doesn’t have motive.” Jada thought for a moment then said, “I don’t know if you’ll understand this, but, some women have a thing for rich men.”
“They do?” Ian asked, making a funny, shocked face.
“Stop that.” She laughed. “What I mean is, some women read the gossip magazines and daydream about marrying real life millionaires and billionaires and, anyway, that’s how Marina is. So here’s the thing: if Marina were going to create a scenario that would give her the opportunity to meet a billionaire, she wouldn’t have put my name on that marriage license. She’d have put her own.”
“Makes sense.”
“Also, she wouldn’t have put your name on it either.”
“Should I be offended?”
“No. You were already taken, remember? By Sasha, your supposed fiancée.”
“That’s right. I keep forgetting about her. Oh, no, that was you who forgot about her.”
She gave him a friendly shoulder bump. “Too soon. I’m not ready to be teased about that yet.”
He knew she was joking.
“So,” Ian said, “Marina is off the suspect list. Who else have you got?”
“That’s it. I’m all out. Well, except for Sullivan and anyone else you might think of.”
“Forget about Sullivan. And I find it hard to believe that anyone who cares for either of us would ever do something like this. An enemy? Yes. Friends and family? I should hope not.”
“You’re right,” she said. “I guess I’m out of the detective game, for now.”
He grinned. “Don’t worry about it. Tomorrow or the next day, we’ll learn what happened. Guaranteed. And when I do, whoever did it is going to dearly wish they’d never tried to burn me.”
“That sounds kind of personal.”
“Well, this was personal, wasn’t it? Thanks to this fraud, I’ve been made to look like an unfeeling cheater and you’ve been dragged through the mud even worse. When I think of that woman on that program and the things she said about you, I get ... well, never mind. It’s not right. That’s all. And I want you to know that I respect the way you’ve handled yourself in the face of all the criticism and outright lies. I don’t think I could have been as classy about it as you’ve been. No, I know I couldn’t have been.”
She gave him a wavering smile then looked in the opposite direction. “Thanks.”
“You can talk to me about how you feel, you know. I might be able to help. I’ve been dealing with gossip and public opinion my entire adult life.”
“I appreciate it,” she said, turning back to him, her eyes unnaturally bright with unshed tears. “But I’m okay. I tell myself once the truth comes out, everyone will realize they were wrong about me.”
In Ian’s experience, the public didn’t care about gossip being wrong; they merely moved onto the next scandal. Telling Jada that wouldn’t help, though.
They’d broken out of the forest and were now within sight of the house and lake.
Jada cocked her head. “What’s that sound? A kind of choppy sound.”
Ian listened, and heard it too. He knew exactly what it was, and it was a little early, too. “I don’t know. What is that?”
They walked on and the noise grew louder. Ms. Kitty wasn’t impressed an
d scampered off toward the house, rapidly leaving them in her dust.
Jada peered into the distance beyond the tree line. “Sounds like it’s coming from there.” She pointed. “You know what? I think it’s a helicopter. You don’t think the press has found us, do you? Or maybe you’ve got someone coming. Tell me you’ve got someone coming.”
“I’m sure that if it were the press, Lydia would have already called me.” He held out his phone. “See? No calls.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “Whew. That’s a relief.”
Irritation surged through Ian. CGTV and their gossip-mongering had put Jada under too much strain. He briefly considered buying the station just so he could close it down. “Let’s head to the landing pad,” he said. “It’ll be fine, I promise.”
And then he did the silliest thing: he took her hand in his. They walked toward the landing pad, hand in hand, as if they were a couple of kids. And he liked it. It was ridiculous. And nice. Mostly nice, the way her tiny hand fit in his. The way she smiled when she looked up at him. The trust on her lovely face.
This truly was getting dangerous. And here was indisputable proof. He had never, ever, held hands with a woman. It always seemed juvenile, even when he was still a juvenile himself. So he’d never done it, until now, with Jada.
They stood well back from the pad as the helicopter flew in low, over the trees and toward them.
“That’s your helicopter,” Jada yelled, her voice barely carrying over the noise and the wind.
“It sure is.”
Raul made his usual skillful landing, touching down like a feather. He slowed the rotors and Mr. Forest, the estate manager, jogged out to the copter, wind whipping his hair as he opened the passenger door.
A woman hopped out, followed by a man who spoke to Mr. Forest briefly. Mr. Forest waved at the edge of the pad to Billy, who was standing nearby waiting. Billy rushed out and was soon being loaded down with baggage.
Jada squinted at the craft. “Who is that? Is that? Ohmigod. It’s Marina!” She looked at Ian, then at Marina who was already walking briskly toward them, then back to Ian. “What’s she doing here? You brought her here?”
He felt a moment’s worry that he’d read the situation wrong. “I did. I thought she’d be safer out here with us. I hope that’s okay.”
“Okay? It’s wonderful!” She practically jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his waist and squeezing him, her head pressed against his chest, nestled beneath his chin. “Thank you so much. I didn’t realize I was so worried about her until I saw her jump out of the helicopter.”
His heart swelled that she was happy. He gave her a quick squeeze in return, then let her go so she could greet her sister.
He watched as the two sisters laughed and hugged. He heard Jada telling Marina she was in trouble for not texting that she was coming, and Marina saying she wanted it to be a surprise. Marina was a knockout, like her sister, though Ian thought Jada had the edge.
Mr. Forest arrived shortly thereafter, along with the man who’d climbed out of the helicopter. It turned out to be Sullivan.
So Ian got a surprise, too. He hadn’t been expecting his head counsel and friend.
As a group, they headed toward the house and away from the noisy helicopter. Marina and Jada walked side-by-side, their arms around one another’s waists, talking a mile a minute, completely ignoring Mr. Forest who trailed behind them, trying to give Marina his usual introductory speech about the property.
Sullivan fell in beside Ian. “So, are you enjoying your time away?” Sullivan asked.
“Yes. The bigger question is, what are you doing here? I asked you to find Marina, not come with her. Who’s going to keep things together in the city if you’re out here?”
“I learned the most amazing thing today. Tomorrow is Memorial Day. Did you know that?”
“I did, but only recently. Not sure how I forgot, except that we always work it. Also, there have been a few things going on to distract me.”
“So you know there’s no point in worrying about this situation until Tuesday. And that’s why I’m here. I don’t take a lot of time off myself, you know. Thought I’d come hang out, get in some fishing, the usual.”
Ian shot Sullivan a skeptical glance. “Why are you actually here?”
“Okay, look, I feel badly about what’s gone down with the Brimgore woman, and that you’re saddled with her now. I swear I didn’t tell her you were here. I only told her you were out of town. Sasha must have figured it out from there.”
“So you say.”
“It’s the truth. And I’m going to prove it. I’m here to throw myself on my sword for you. I’m going to run interference between you and Brimgore, and Sasha too if need be. If you want, I can try to make them so miserable they’ll be out of here by tomorrow morning.”
Ian relaxed. “You don’t have to do that. If Trey ever found out I let you terrorize his sister just to get rid of his former stepmother, he’d have my head. I will, however, let you know if I can use your services to keep them out of the way if need be. Come on. Let’s get you settled in. The more the merrier. Mrs. Best might pass out from joy with this many people here.”
Sullivan grinned. “I love Mrs. Best. I asked her to marry me once, but she turned me down flat.”
“I think she’s saving herself for Sasha.”
When they arrived at the wide steps leading to the house, Jada bounded up to the two men. Marina waved shyly at Ian and he nodded with a smile by way of greeting.
Jada beamed at Sullivan. “Thanks for rescuing Marina. She told me you found her and brought her here.”
“It was totally Ian’s idea,” he said. “But it was my pleasure, all the same.”
Jada turned to Ian. “I had a good time on our picnic. I hope you don’t mind if I go and help Marina settle in.”
“Of course not,” Ian said. “Go on now. I’ll see you later.”
“Promise.”
“Absolutely.”
She stood up on her tiptoes and he leaned down slightly so she could whisper in his ear. “I had a really, really good time, especially the part before we were so rudely interrupted.”
Ian’s ear tingled. “Same here,” he said, his voice a bit gruff.
Jada dashed off with Marina, Mr. Forest still trailing them, asking if Marina wanted a short tour first, or to be shown to her room right away.
Ian and Sullivan watched them go. Ian heard the helicopter gear up and take off again.
“You know,” Sullivan said, “your wife has the prettiest smile I think I’ve ever seen.”
“She does, doesn’t she?” Ian answered without thinking.
Sullivan chuckled. “That was a joke, calling her your wife I mean.”
“Oh, well, I wasn’t paying attention,” Ian blustered.
“That, my friend, is clear as a bell. You’ve obviously got other things on your mind.”
And then some, Ian thought. And they all wore a demure green dress, smelled like flowers and tasted like strawberries. And had a cat with terrible timing.
He heartily slapped Sullivan on the shoulder. “Are you hungry? Shall we give Mrs. Best a thrill and let her fix you a snack?”
“You read my mind.”
And they were off to the kitchen.
Chapter Nine
MARINA LOOKED OVER HER PRETTY room which was nearly as big as Jada’s, and sighed. “Isn’t this the life, Jada? Didn’t I tell you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“About being rich. I told you it would be great to be rich. And here you go. You have to admit this is incredible.”
“I never said it wouldn’t be great to be rich.”
“I wanna see your room. Technically, I want to see everything Ian bought you,” Marina said, a spirited gleam in her eye. “I didn’t bring much with me, so I may need to borrow an outfit or two, for dinner and stuff.”
Jada laughed. “Come on.”
Elly was in Jada’s room when they arrived,
tidying things and re-organizing Jada’s drawers for what had to be the third or fourth time. Jada wondered why Elly didn’t have other things to do besides nitpicking the arrangement of Jada’s sock drawer, but what did she know about it?
Marina and Elly met like old friends and bonded within seconds with their shared enthusiasm about Jada’s new wardrobe. Marina and Jada sat in the comfortable wingback chairs while Elly brought out one outfit at a time for Marina’s inspection.
They thrilled over the fabric and workmanship, oohed and ahhed at detailing and speculated over cost. All the while, Jada’s mind wandered, returning to the magical picnic site and her steamy times with Ian, daydreaming about what might have happened had Ms. Kitty not arrived when she did.
“Can I wear this to dinner?” Marina asked, breaking into her fantasies.
Jada wasn’t sure how long she’d been away. She scanned the slinky silk dress Elly held up. “Sure. Of course.”
Marina clapped. “Yay! Now, we need to find shoes. What do you think will go best with this, Elly?”
Jada drifted off again. Ian was so handsome, so manly and powerful, yet he could also be kind and generous, too. She knew he couldn’t be as perfect as he seemed. No one was. Still, she hadn’t found anything about him she didn’t like.
Again and again, she recalled the events of that day, the way the sun sparkled in Ian’s hair, the way his ripped abs felt under her fingertips, the hard swell of muscle on his shoulders. Perfect. Everything was perfect. And getting more perfect all the time.
“Damn!” Marina said loudly. “You are out of it, Jada. And I think we all know who you’re out with.”
Jada came to, glancing at Marina who was practically gloating. “Okay. Don’t make fun of me. I can’t help it.”
“I think it’s sweet,” Marina said. “Now, do these shoes go with this dress?”
Jada had no idea. “What do you think?”
Marina sighed. “She’s no help, Elly. I think they work, don’t you?”