“Of course,” Stephanie said, quickening her steps to catch up with him.
He clasped his hands behind his back. “So how have things been at the station?” His voice held a faint Southern drawl.
“A little rocky at first, but I think everyone’s adjusting fairly well.”
“Mm.” He glanced at her. “And how are things with you and my grandson?”
Her face warmed and she cleared her throat. “What do you mean?”
“Well, you’re the Executive Assistant now. Doesn’t that mean you have to work fairly,” he shot her another look, “closely with one another?”
Gulp. “That is part of the job description, yes,” she said smoothly, hoping her voice sounded as calm as she wanted it to.
“That’s not...tense, Ms. Love?” Ross Lucas asked, with a hint of a smile on his lips. “Awkward?”
Hell yes—thank you for asking. “Why would it be?”
Mr. Lucas shrugged as they turned and walked behind one of the staircases. “You two didn’t exactly endear yourselves to each other upon first meeting.”
Stephanie ducked her head sheepishly. “I was anxious about the changes that were to come, that’s all. Chance—Mr. Valentine and I are...” She thought about how he’d comforted her on the plane, how he’d given up his credit card without a second thought just because he knew she had been uncomfortable. “We’re better now.”
“Mm,” Mr. Lucas said. “Odd, though, isn’t it?”
“What’s that?”
“That it’s not awkward working for someone you’re dating.”
Stephanie widened her eyes and choked back a laugh. “I’m sorry, sir. What?”
Mr. Lucas waved her question away. “Drop the act. I’ve already seen Chance’s performance; I don’t need a repeat.”
She crossed her arms as they passed behind the other staircase, circling back around toward the sitting room. “With all due respect, Mr. Lucas, you’ve been misinformed. Your grandson and I are not an item.”
“According to Clayton Morrison’s son you are.” He pinned Stephanie with an unwavering stare. “Or did he imagine seeing the two of you engaged in a passionate lip lock at a,” he winced, “bar?”
Clayton Morrison the Third, that little shit. Of course, she had no one to blame but herself. She’d wanted so badly to rub his face in the “fact” that she’d moved on so quickly and was deliriously happy without him.
Kissing Chance in front of him had seemed like a good idea at the time. What the hell had she been thinking? She knew everything went wrong for her—why would that particular plan of hers go any better?
Mr. Lucas snapped his fingers. “And I guess that means Clayton’s son imagined you telling him that you were, indeed, dating Chance and had been ever since he’d started running the station.”
Stephanie looked away. There was no way she could explain any of this without sounding like someone who needed to be terminated immediately. And if he suspected she was sleeping with his grandson, there was still a chance of that happening.
Ross Lucas was shrewd. He’d probably figure the primary reason she’d be having sex with Chance would be for a promotion. Stephanie almost laughed.
That had been the plan. But like the rest of her plans...
The sexy schmuck wasn’t so much of a schmuck anymore. He actually had some redeeming qualities, which she tried to think of as little as possible. Chance was kind-hearted—well, at least to most people. Kenny hadn’t fared too well with him. Stephanie squared her shoulders.
That’s what she needed to focus on. There was an unethical, ruthless corporate raider side to the bastard. Who cared if he was nice to puppies, loved his grandma, and could practically make Stephanie come just by setting those blue-gray eyes on her? Those eyes really were something, though.
“Have you heard a word I’ve been saying, Ms. Love? Though, I guess we’re beyond formalities now. You’ll be part of the family soon enough, after all.”
She laughed. “Mr. Lucas—”
“Ross, please. Until you and Chance are married. Then, I suppose it should be grandfather.” He sat down on the now empty loveseat in the sitting room.
It was crazy, but she hoped all of her purchases had been put away in an easy to find spot—the place was enormous and she really didn’t want to lose those suckers.
“Ross,” she began again. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. There’s no way I’m marrying anyone, much less that playboy grandson of yours. The man’s more maddening than you can imagine. More importantly, he’s been absolutely awful to someone I care very much about. The list of reasons goes on.”
Mr. Lucas nodded. “He can be spiteful. Ruthless.”
“Yes,” she said excitedly, relieved someone was finally getting it.
“A real bastard.”
She furrowed her brow as she sat in the chair across from him. She didn’t know if she’d call Chance a bastard. Well, she did all the time, but she never really meant it. “He’s not—”
“Selfish beyond belief, but I guess that goes without saying when someone’s conceited.”
She held up a hand. “Excuse me, sir—Ross. Chance isn’t at all selfish. And he’s confident, yes, but I wouldn’t go so far as to call him conceited.”
“What?” Mr. Lucas frowned. “What would you call him?”
She thought about it as she sat back, crossing her legs. “He’s really intelligent. He’s funny, charming, generous, kind and...strong.” She swallowed past a lump in her throat. “He’s actually pretty wonderful when he wants to be.”
Mr. Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Huh. You’re right. Why the hell would you ever want to be with a man like that?”
Stephanie’s face went hot again. She hadn’t meant to gush about the asshole, only to set his grandfather straight on a few things.
“That was actually...nice. How unlike you, Love. Thanks.”
Groaning, she turned around to see Chance standing in the doorway wearing that disgustingly sexy smirk. She stood, feeling his gaze touch every part of her body.
“You look—” He took a deep breath.
Eagerly, she waited to see what he thought of her decked out appearance.
“Really nice,” he finished.
She rolled her eyes. “Tone down the flattery, all right? You’ll spoil me.”
Chance flashed a dimple. “Wouldn’t want to do that.” He held out a long, thin velvety red box as he walked toward her. “Here.”
Stephanie eyed the box warily. “What is it?”
“Only one way to find out,” Chance said.
“Not really,” she said, looking up at him. “Either someone opens it or you tell me.”
“One of those isn’t happening, Love.” His eyes shone with mischief and...something else. Desire?
She stared into those eyes, barely resisting the urge to smile. She had to stay on her toes with this one. He was good. Snatching the box from his hand, she sighed. “Have it your way.”
Shrugging, he gave her a lopsided grin. “I usually do.”
“You are such an—” She pressed her lips together when she realized they still had an audience in one Mr. Lucas. “Amazingly generous person, sir,” she said through clenched teeth.
Chance rolled his lips in, undoubtedly to keep from laughing.
Not sure what to expect, she held the box with an unsteady hand. Valentine had a twisted sense of humor. Hell, the box could very well hold a single key, taped to the bottom. A key to his house. So I can run over and clean it on my next lunch break.
Opening it slowly, she gasped when she got a look at what was inside. An extremely sparkly, platinum tennis necklace, it had too many diamonds to count. And those suckers were impressive.
“Holy shit,” she mumbled, forgetting her vow to watch her language. With trembling fingers, she picked it up out of the box carefully. It felt slightly heavy in her hand—she couldn’t even begin to guess the total number of carats she was holding.
“Well?” Ch
ance asked. “You like it?”
Not trusting herself to speak just then, Stephanie shook her head as she stared at the necklace. She tore her gaze away from it and looked up at Chance.
“No?” His beautiful eyes flickered with disappointment.
She gave him a little smile. “I love it,” she said softly. They stared at one another as she continued to hold the necklace up. “But I can’t accept this, Chance.”
The burgeoning smile on his face fell in an instant.
“There’s no way I could even begin paying you back. The clothes and shoes alone will take long enough.”
His jaw clenched. “I don’t want you to pay me back, Love.”
She took a deep breath. “How much was it?”
“Don’t worry about it.” He grabbed the necklace from her fingers. “Turn around.”
She opened her mouth to argue.
“Turn...around.” His voice was low, insistent, and incredibly sexy.
Stephanie looked at him a few moments more before silently obeying. He softly brushed her hair away from her neck and she closed her eyes. His touch had always been more than enough to start her fires burning. He leaned down and she felt his breath, warm, against her ear.
“You’re beautiful, Love,” he whispered.
A slow, gentle swipe of his tongue on her earlobe had her biting her lip to keep from moaning. Chance clasped the necklace and she opened her eyes. She turned to face him and their gazes connected. And, as the seconds ticked by, they remained that way.
Damn it, there was no way to focus on the hate right then. She wanted him.
Bad.
Mr. Lucas chimed in from his seat. “Well, do I get to see the damn thing?”
Chance stepped aside and Stephanie took a few steps toward his grandfather.
He stood up, leaning in as he stared at the necklace. He whistled. “Whoo, boy! That had to set you back at least sixty grand—if you got a great deal.”
Her jaw dropped. Sixty grand?
Surely not.
“Quite a gift,” Mr. Lucas said, giving Chance a smug look Stephanie didn’t quite understand. Then, the old man turned to her. “I say, sugar, you must be the best little assistant in the whole world.”
Chapter 20
“My sweet baby,” Chance’s grandmother crooned as she patted his cheek. “I’m so glad you made it back for my birthday.” She gazed at him adoringly.
He smiled. “I wouldn’t miss it, Gammy.” He glanced at Love who sat across from him at the table. She smothered a smile before taking a sip of her champagne. She was loving every second of this.
The party, held in the large reception room of the mansion, was in full swing. Guests mingled and laughed, and a jazz band played in the background.
Gammy reached over to pat Love’s hand. “Ross told me all about you two, dear.”
He groaned.
His grandmother nodded. “I not only approve, I’m delighted.”
Love looked at him. “Uh....”
“Thank you, Gammy.” He made a point of looking around the room. “Oh, look. There’s Luke.”
Her eyes widened. “Lucas? Where?” She stood up from the table. “You, I can count on, sweetie, but that brother of yours...”
Chance pointed. “Over there by the fountain, next to Jennifer.”
Gammy bent down and pulled his face in for a quick peck on the cheek. “Don’t you run off now, okay, Boo Bear? Save me a dance first.”
Chance smiled. “You got it.”
She walked off calling, “Lucas Valentine, you get your tail over here.”
Love mouthed, “Boo Bear?” while looking at Chance with raised eyebrows.
He discreetly flipped her off.
Smiling, she shook her head. “Your grandmother’s sweet.”
Chance turned to watch as she disappeared into the crowd. “Yeah, she is. She and my grandfather are total opposites.” He turned to look at Love again. “I’m sorry, by the way.”
She frowned. “For what?”
“For what he said about you being the best assistant in the world—”
“You’ve said the same smart-ass thing, Valentine.”
“—and for whatever he may have said to you before that.”
Her gaze held him fast for a few moments before she broke the contact. Shrugging, she looked around. “I never should’ve lied about us dating, especially to Clay.”
“True. This is your fault.”
“Shut up,” she said before picking up her glass again.
Chance smiled. She looked...
Well, to say she looked beautiful was really an understatement. She was perfect. Smart mouth and all. When he’d walked into the sitting room to hear her saying nice things about him, his damn heart had skipped a beat or two. Until he realized she had been saying those nice things to his grandfather, who happened to be someone on whose good side she desperately wanted to be.
He’d had to remind himself that this woman had some kind of nefarious plan where he was concerned. It would be stupid as hell to forget that.
He’d told himself that buying the necklace had been strictly a strategic move. It would show him as the dashing, suave bachelor and help her fall in love with him even quicker. Then he’d realized another way the necklace could prove useful—it amounted to over a year’s salary for Love.
Why the complicated revenge plan when he could hurt her in a far more simple way by doing what his grandfather wanted? Firing her was the smartest option. She wouldn’t have a chance to do whatever the hell it was she planned to do and he wouldn’t have to wait for the satisfaction of getting her back for even thinking of going up against him.
Really, he had to hand it to Ross Lucas. The man had given him the perfect solution without even knowing it.
But even as Chance entertained thoughts of ripping away the one thing she loved—her career—he had a damn bleeding heart. Would she be okay while she searched for another job? How would she get by? Did she have family who could help her if necessary?
If she were smart, and she was, she would sell the necklace in a heartbeat and be set for at least a year. If not more. Oklahoma may not offer the most cosmopolitan of living experiences, but the cost of living sure beat Beverly Hills by a mile.
The only problem was, he had to find the strength to look in those eyes and break her heart. Even though he told himself that it was what he wanted, his stupid emotions were getting in the way.
To top a messy situation off, his cock pretty much stayed hard whenever she was anywhere in the vicinity of his thoughts, which was constantly. He could easily throw her on the table and fuck her senseless right there in front of shocked partygoers.
Yeah, he couldn’t get away from this pain in the ass fast enough.
Love narrowed her eyes. “What are you thinking about over there?”
“All the different things I could do to you,” he said quietly.
She licked her lips before biting the lower one.
He bit back a groan. God, he’d love to taste those lips again.
She cleared her throat. “So,” she said, changing the subject, “your brother’s name is Lucas?”
“We’re named after our grandfathers.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Oh?”
Chance took a sip of champagne. “Lucas, after...well, you know. And my dad’s father’s name is Chance.”
She nodded. Then, she wrinkled her forehead. “Why’d Lucas get the last name and you got the first?”
He thought about it. “Huh, I don’t know. I guess I couldn’t be named Valentine Valentine and my parents liked the name Lucas better than Ross?”
Love snorted. “Valentine Valentine. That would have been a good one, Boo Bear.”
Chance chuckled and shook his head. “I really don’t like you sometimes.”
She lowered her lashes briefly before giving him a flirty smile. “Feeling’s mutual.”
****
Stephanie hated to admit that she was having a pret
ty good time with Chance’s relatives. They were close and affectionate, which was something she was definitely not used to with her own. She watched them, mesmerized, as if they were exhibits at a museum. So this is what a real family looks like...
After the party wound down, she stood with Chance, watching as the guests trickled out of the reception room. His parents made their way over to them. His father, Grant, was an incredibly attractive, well-built man. However, Chance favored his mother, Ellen, strongly—from his nose, to the shape of his face, to the color of his eyes.
Chance’s brother was the one who took most after their father. Physically, anyway. Other than noticing his extreme gorgeousness (and how could she not), she didn’t know enough about either man to make any personality judgments.
Chance groaned as his parents approached. “Here we go again.”
Stephanie was sort of getting used to people thinking she was destined to be Mrs. Chance Valentine. And that scared the shit out of her more than anything. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Mr. Lucas she didn’t plan on ever getting married.
There was no way it could end in anything other than disaster. Kind of like everything else in her life.
Ellen extended her hand. “I’m so glad you got to join us for my mother’s birthday, dear.”
Stephanie returned her smile and gave Ellen’s hand a light squeeze before letting go. To think, she’d spoken to Chance’s mother over the phone and had just figured she was his cougar. Now that she knew the woman, Stephanie couldn’t help but be embarrassed at her former assumption. “Thank you for having me.”
Grant Valentine wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders. “The pleasure was ours. It’s nice to finally meet someone Chance is seeing.”
She was once again at a loss. There was no good way to explain a lie gone haywire.
“Well, of course Stephanie’s special, honey,” Ellen said, beaming. She gave Stephanie a knowing look. “My father told us about you two. It’s wonderful.”
Chance blew out an irritated breath. “Mother, please.”
“That’s all I was going to say,” she said innocently.
Chance on Love Page 13