Piers widened his grin, his tone amused and teasing. “Nah. But I’m glad you’re so eager. I’ll tell the Board we won’t even have to twist your arm to get the company from you cheap.”
Chapter 33
It was a clear night as the 737-900 descended into the SEATAC airport, and below Vanessa, all the city lights were ablaze in a sweeping, glittering panorama. Had she ever seen Seattle like this—dressed up like a girl at a ball? She trained her gaze out the window and fell a little more in love with her town. She may not have traveled as much as she’d wanted to by now, but Seattle was home.
Despite the pressure in her ears and the weird, circulated air smell of the plane, she felt like she could breathe.
“Not a bad view.” Jeremy’s voice rolled over her shoulder, and she glanced in his direction to find him staring at her, rapt.
She blushed, and he grinned, knowing the effect he had on her. On the return trip, the gate crew had offered Jeremy an upgrade to first class, but he declined so he could sit near her. He’d spent most of the flight working on his laptop, but his solid body pressed up against hers and distracted her from the book she’d been trying to read. Guess Jeremy wasn’t the only one who had trouble concentrating when they were together.
Still, there was a knot in Vanessa’s chest that wouldn’t go away. Jeremy might have warmed up slightly since the meeting with Yessir, but he was nothing like the man she’d spent the night with. And she didn’t know where they’d gone wrong.
She made it all the way through the airport and out to the curb before she finally broke.
“Did I do okay?” She wrapped an arm around herself, more to protect herself from what Jeremy might say than to protect herself from the cool night air. Over his shoulder, a stream of taxis fought their way to the curb.
“What?” Jeremy pocketed his phone. “Yeah. You were fine.”
Fine? Her mouth twisted. The weather was fine. The color of taxis was fine. But coming across the country and having sex and nailing the presale for Amy’s vibrators? How was that just fine?
Last night, after everything, Jeremy had held her, stroking a hand through her hair. “How did I get so lucky?” he’d asked, but didn’t he know she was the lucky one?
She’d pressed a kissed to his shoulder. “You took care of me.” She hadn’t realized how nice that would be—to have someone else worry about her, go out of their way to make sure she felt protected. All the little things Jeremy had done had added up to so much more—helping her with Lainey, getting her pepper spray, giving her a night in LA that would make her feel loved. When Jeremy cared for her, it felt like comfort, like relief. Like home.
Only now he was a stranger again.
She drew a deep breath, inhaling car exhaust along with the metallic taste of disappointment. “Okay. Because you’re acting like I did something wrong.” For all the ways Vanessa had coached other people to maintain open communication, it wasn’t so easy when you had to do it yourself.
Jeremy shook his head. “No.”
She lifted her shoulders, feeling very small. “You kind of ignored me all day.” Why couldn't he turn that dazzling attention and focus back on her? She missed the ease and playfulness of their banter. Right now, Jeremy winced like he’d rather be doing anything other than having this conversation. That made two of them.
“You’re fine,” he repeated. He sighed and raked a hand through his hair. “Listen, I don’t have the energy to get into this right now. I barely slept, and I spent the whole day out of the office. I have a lot to catch up on and a meeting in the morning.”
“On a Saturday?” God, was the man married to his work?
Jeremy’s jaw tightened. “On a Saturday.” He reached for her, but she pulled her hand from his grasp. His palm landed on the handle of his roller board instead. “I promise everything’s okay. I’ll feel better after some sleep.”
She shrugged like his response didn’t bother her, but she saw how this was going to be. And it was…well, not fine. But she’d deal with it.
Maybe she’d misread everything between them, from their conversation to the sex. No matter how hot it was, the man in front of her was running cold again. She didn’t know if she should wear a bikini or a parka to work on Monday. She suspected he’d much prefer the swimsuit, but somehow the parka felt like the safer bet.
Vanessa walked through her apartment door an hour later, more than ready to put a night’s worth of sleep between herself and the memory of this day. The trip had meant more to her than she wanted to admit, but apparently, it meant nothing to Jeremy. Not if he was going to give answers like that.
She dropped her keys by the front door, and Bea’s red head popped up from the couch at the sound. “Hey lady.”
Too bad their place was so small that you could see every room right from the sofa—she was definitely not getting out of this without getting grilled.
She raised a feeble hand. “Hey back.”
“You’re a lucky duck that I happened to be home and riding the crimson wave right now,” Bea chided.
She left her suitcase by the front door. “Why’s that?”
“Because if I didn’t hear from you in a few more hours, I was going to have to call Papa Reese.”
Vanessa pulled a face. “You were going to call my dad? What am I, twelve?”
Bea grinned. “Well, I mean, I was going to have to call him for his enchiladas recipe since I need all the carbs. In my face. Now. But did I make you sweat?”
Vanessa groaned. “Okay, number one, it’s almost nine p.m. Surely you wouldn’t be making enchiladas at this hour? And number two, yes, you did make me sweat. Part of me living on my own means not having to answer to anyone.” She wasn’t very gentle when she said the last part, and a hurt look flashed across Bea’s face.
“Sorry I was worried about you.”
Vanessa sighed. “No, don’t be. That didn’t come out right. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
And then—shit—the opening was out there.
Bea jumped on it. “No sleep, huh?” Her eyes lit. “So did you and Jeremy…?”
Vanessa loved her, she really, really did. But she couldn’t do this right now. She needed to keep this close to the vest, for now. To let it just be hers until she figured out what the hell this actually was. Especially since things had started to unravel.
“It wasn’t like that. I was nervous and couldn’t sleep well. Strange bed and all of that.”
“Sure,” Bea teased.
“No, it’s a thing. Like, your body is designed by evolution not to get too comfortable outside of your normal sleeping space. So you don’t accidentally get eaten by tigers, or something.”
Bea laughed. “You know the Los Angeles tigers are the scariest ones.”
“Of course they are. They have the biggest egos.” Vanessa offered her friend a smile. “Tell you what, let me try to catch up on a little sleep, and tomorrow we can cook the Reese family enchiladas together.”
“A girls’ date?”
“Obviously. Pajamas mandatory.”
Bea’s eyes flashed like she wanted to say more, but she just bit her lip and nodded. “Okay. Tomorrow is fine.”
Vanessa made it almost into her room before Bea called out one last time. “You know, if you did sleep with Jeremy, I support you. I just want to know how the sex toy CEO measured up.”
Vanessa cringed and waved goodnight before shutting the door behind her. Sex with Jeremy more than measured up—there was no comparison. And the man himself had already started to mean so much to her. The pull between them was undeniable—at least, during the moments Jeremy let her in. But the way things were going, she needed to get her heart under control. If she didn’t, she was bound to do something stupid, like give it entirely away.
Chapter 34
Jeremy strode through the doors of Skillet Diner, scanning the restaurant for his father. He located him in one of the green booths in the back corner, but instead of being alone, as Jeremy expect
ed when he first set this meeting, another man occupied the seat across from his dad.
Jeremy flexed his fingers. It was so like his dad to turn a solo trip into a social outing. Apparently, the alone time with his son was that unbearable.
Jeremy forced his features to remain neutral as he wove past the servers carting towering burgers and kale salads. He touched a hand to his father’s shoulder. “Dad.”
His father remained seated, but his companion rose and offered his hand. At least his dad had the decency to make the introduction. “Jeremy, meet Arthur Kane, Chief of Police. Art, meet my son.”
Okay. Now things were officially awkward. Sure Jeremy’s goal today was to get Arthur’s number anyway, but springing the actual man on him wasn’t entirely fair. Jeremy liked to be prepared—the apple didn’t fall far from the tree on that one. So this surprise from his father felt like a cruel joke.
He shook Arthur’s hand and dropped into the booth next to his father, a wave of betrayal coursing through him.
“I have to admit, I didn’t expect to have the pleasure of meeting you,” Jeremy said. Normally his dad was too embarrassed by Jeremy’s business to introduce him to any colleagues. Even though his dad had moved on to law, Jeremy still counted his old police colleagues in that group. So what had changed?
Arthur leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. Whatever Jeremy expected a Chief of Police to look like, this man did one better. His button-down shirt strained over the broad muscles of his chest, and he had an air of authority and competence that Jeremy could appreciate. “Your father was telling me that you wanted to connect me with one of your friends. I figured I’d hear your opinion of her for myself.”
Friends. Is that what they were? He pictured Vanessa’s face as she offered herself up to him, the way her skin had glowed in the light of the bedside clock.
Nope. Definitely not friends.
And after yesterday, maybe not not friends. Because he’d messed this one up. He hadn’t realized how cold he’d been to Vanessa until he’d fallen into bed, bone-tired but still unable to sleep. Her face kept flashing back to him—the way she’d drawn her arms around herself at the airport when he’d dismissed her worries.
Fine.
What kind of an idiot was he?
The waitress arrived to take their orders, giving Jeremy a moment to pull himself together. He forced a smile on his face. He was going to make this up to Vanessa. And he was going to start by making this connection, even if it meant putting on a show.
He turned to Arthur after the waitress departed. “Well, you’re in luck. Vanessa is a perfect candidate for a Victim Advocacy role. Her background is in social work, and she’s spent a good chunk of time volunteering with Girls Run Our World. I’ve watched her coach firsthand, and she’s top of her game.”
Arthur nodded along. “So that’s her résumé. But what’s she like?”
Jeremy couldn’t stop a smile from stretching his face. Vanessa was challenging and bold, the biggest pain in his ass sometimes, but also his biggest surprise. The way she’d stalked into his room? He wanted more of that, more of her.
“She…” Sparkles. How else could he describe her? He started again. “She’s kind but not a pushover, and she’ll put one hundred percent of herself into helping those victims. She’s clever and great at solving problems. Very dedicated to her job. Basically, she’s the kind of person you want to be around.”
“Sounds impressive.”
He grinned. “You’ll love her.”
He realized his mistake a moment too late.
Oh god. Was that where this was headed? He had closed himself off from the possibility for so long. And that wasn’t how he’d seen any of this go down when Vanessa walked into his office. A fling? Sure. But love? Well, he didn’t know what that even looked like anymore.
But now that the idea was in his head, he couldn’t shake it.
Jeremy’s father stiffened beside him. He cleared his throat, reeling Jeremy in, and across the table Arthur swallowed a sip of his water.
“Sounds like I’d be foolish not to give her a chance,” Arthur said.
Jeremy nodded gratefully, and his dad leaned forward to grin at the Chief of Police. “Enough about that. Jeremy’s about to sell his company. Isn’t that right, son?”
Apparently, the only acceptable way his dad could be proud of a sex toy company was if Jeremy was selling it. Now Jeremy understood—this meeting wasn’t about him at all. It was just a scheme for his dad to look good. Jeremy bristled, but at least he was starting to capture his dad’s attention.
“That’s right,” Jeremy said. “I am going to sell X Enterprises. Just came from a meeting with the buyer last night.” The matter of the contract caught in his throat, but after that meeting, he was still ninety percent sure the official offer was coming. It was just a matter of time. Unfortunately, every day Piers delayed was another day closer to the day Vanessa would leave. Piers needed to get it together before Jeremy’s leverage—hell, his not friend—found herself a new job.
“Good for you,” Arthur said. “Tell me more.”
Jeremy gathered a breath and slipped into the persona of who they wanted him to be, smiling and accomplished and magnetic. Whatever display he put on was going to be worth it. For Vanessa. And for himself. He opened his mouth and spun a tale.
Chapter 35
Mid-morning on Monday, Julie leaned her arms over the partition that separated Vanessa’s desk from her own.
“Hey, V. Did I just see what I think I just saw?”
Vanessa pushed back from her computer. “Um. What do you think you saw?”
“Did you put a PO from Yessir Unlimited into the system?”
Vanessa smiled up at Julie. “I did. A preorder for Bex’s newest vibrator in the G Master series.”
That part of the trip, at least, had gone well. When she and Amy had returned from their warehouse tour, they’d sat down across from Jeremy and the company’s president, Piers. Vanessa had still been shaken by Amy’s warning in the warehouse, but not so much that she couldn’t pull it together and ask if there were any products or capabilities that another supplier was providing that X Enterprises wasn’t. It had opened the door for Jeremy to introduce the G17, which he’d ever so thoughtfully carried in his roller board suitcase.
Vanessa had managed to keep a straight face as the four of them gathered around the conference room table to put the vibrator through its paces, but she’d almost lost it when Amy held the buzzing toy against the tip of her nose and closed her eyes.
What the hell?
Amy had opened her eyes and shrugged. “The best way to tell how a vibrator will feel is by testing it against your nose. Weird but true. The skin there acts most like the skin in other areas.”
So there you go. Vanessa had also learned that Piers and Amy were a father-daughter duo, and she wasn’t sure which was more awkward—Amy taking a vibrator to the face, or Amy holding a vibrator in front of her dad in the first place. There was being close to your parents, and then there was being close.
Julie lifted her eyebrows as Vanessa recounted the story. “Impressive. So I take it the trip went well?”
“Well, I didn’t miss my plane, and Yessir seemed to like us. So I’d say that’s a win.”
Julie laughed. “Agreed. How was Jeremy?”
Vanessa froze, her face flushed. There was no way Julie knew about them, was there? Hell, she’d barely looked at Jeremy all morning, which was a pretty remarkable show of willpower given that he ran the damn morning meeting.
“What?” she choked out.
Julie leaned forward. “How was he? In the meeting? I’ve heard he’s an amazing negotiator, but I’ve never been on a sales call with him.”
Relief flooded through Vanessa, though she bit her lip to keep from laughing. Jeremy was a pretty fantastic…negotiator…in bed. And out of it, too. He’d clearly mastered human nature and learned how to leverage each of his impressive skills to charm people into defe
rence. He had skillfully controlled the conversation at Yessir, speaking to Amy and Piers with total authority about the benefit of each product he offered.
It had been a pleasure, actually, to watch him work. There was no doubt Jeremy commanded each room he entered with the same ease and competence that he displayed in that meeting. Hell, he’d even controlled the hotel-room experience with Vanessa, to her extreme satisfaction.
Vanessa shook her head. It was one thing to relive the trip from the safety of her own bed, but she couldn’t afford to think like that in the office. Especially since Jeremy hadn’t said a word about that night.
What the hell, Glass? For a man who had an opinion on everything, his silence felt like a dismissal. Tears pricked at her eyes, but she just blinked at Julie.
“‘How was he’ who?” The deep voice rumbled over Vanessa’s shoulder, and she knew without turning she’d find Jeremy there. That voice had seduced its way into her heart, had heated her every thought since the day she met him, but it pierced her now.
Julie’s eyes widened, and she let out a small gasp.
Sure enough, when Vanessa spun her cushy leather chain around, Jeremy stood beside her desk in a gorgeous gray suit, his dark blond hair falling in his face in a way that made her want to push it back in place.
She tucked her hands under her knees to keep from reaching for him. Her heart stabbed in the same way it did when she’d caught sight of him from the corner of her eye. How had he gone from being everything to being so distant in the space of a few hours?
Julie scrambled for composure. “How was…Piers?” She shot a desperate look at Vanessa, and Vanessa nodded along to cover her.
Jeremy just laughed and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants.
“Miss Reese, can we debrief at lunch today?”
Debrief. Jesus. Even his vocabulary was suggestive.
She frowned. She would have been perfectly happy to continue avoiding him, but she couldn’t turn him down now. Still, what was he doing to her? He was going to start rumors, chasing her down like this.
His Distraction Page 18