by Addison Cole
She turned and faced him, tears streaming down her cheeks. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her until all the hurt fell away, but he didn’t dare move.
“I swear, Riley, I’ll never hurt you again. Not ever. Please, Riley.” He’d beg all night if that’s what it took. “I messed up, and I regret it more than you could ever imagine.”
“It’d be easy for you to walk away. Everyone would forget what happened, and your life could go back to normal. You’d be free of this mess,” Riley said.
“Easy? You think it would be easy for me to walk away from you? To be free from this mess would mean losing you, and that would be the hardest thing I could ever do. I’d rather lose everything to be with you than go on without you.” Holy cow. I really would.
Stunned by his own admission, he couldn’t move. He and Riley stared at each other, each wrapped in a cloak of pain. He wasn’t letting go. Rage brewed within Josh’s gut—an unfamiliar, heated, uncontrollable anger. He fisted his hands. There was no way he was going to let Claudia take away what they had together, and there was no way he’d let her ruin the career that Riley deserved. Claudia. He clenched his jaw against the thought of her. His pulse raced, and Josh looked away from Riley, trying to calm the mounting, menacing hatred. He’d never felt out of control of his own temper, and he didn’t understand what was happening. But he was sure of one thing. There had to be a way to prove Claudia was lying.
His cell phone rang.
“Go ahead. You can get it,” Riley said.
“It’s okay. I can get it later.”
It rang again.
“I’m fine. Please,” she said.
He reluctantly got up and picked up his phone from the mantel. Mia.
“Yeah?”
“Just got a call from my contact at Page Six asking for a statement,” Mia said.
“What the…? A statement?” Josh shot a look at Riley, hoping it wasn’t about the designs.
“Claudia must have leaked the issue. They’re doing a story on it,” Mia answered.
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“What?” Riley flew to her feet.
He took her hand and held on tight. I won’t let go. Ever. “Do you know what it’s going to say?” he asked Mia. His pulse raced. This was the worst thing that could happen. He had no proof to stand behind Riley.
“No. Just that they’re doing the story,” Mia said.
“Here’s my statement. You got a pen?” Josh fumed. He pulled Riley against him and hoped he was doing the right thing. “We believe the allegations made by Claudia Raven are completely unfounded. An internal investigation is underway.”
He hung up the phone without waiting for Mia to respond and wrapped his arms around Riley.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“All hell’s broken loose.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
THE FIRST CALL Josh made was to Claudia, placing her on administrative leave while he had the matter investigated. She was livid, but he didn’t care. The second call he made was to Kelly Treejen, his public relations manager, the third was to his attorney, advising him to hire a private investigator to find out the truth. After the calls, he went into the master bedroom, where Riley was sleeping, and lay beside her. After Mia called, they’d talked for an hour and he’d finally gotten through to her. He didn’t know what he’d have done if she didn’t take him back; the thought of losing her was too dark to ponder. She stirred beside him, and he wrapped his arm around her.
“You okay?” he asked.
She rolled over and faced him. She was so beautiful, even with the world crashing down around her, the essence of her positivity remained. He brushed her hair from her eyes and kissed her.
“We need to talk,” he said.
Riley’s body went rigid within his arms. “Don’t worry. It’s not anything horrible.”
She sat up and crossed her arms. “Okay.”
“I put Claudia on administrative leave.” He searched her eyes, but knew she had no clue what he was about to say. “And I have to put you on administrative leave, too, just until this thing is dealt with.” He expected her to get angry, just as Claudia had. Instead, she nodded.
“Okay, I understand.”
“You do?”
“Of course. If you didn’t take equal measures then it would look like something was up between us,” she said.
“That’s the other thing. Riley, I have to hire a private investigator. If you have no way to prove that was your original design, then someone else has to find a way.”
She furrowed her brow. “What can they possibly do to prove they were mine?”
“Maybe nothing, but we have to try; otherwise this nightmare will go on forever.” He drew in a breath and blew it out slowly. “That means we’re going to be exposed. You and me.”
“But that’ll make things worse,” she urged.
“Maybe, but if we’re going to clear you, we have to be transparent about everything. Including us.” As much as it worried Josh to reveal their relationship alongside being sucked into Claudia’s craziness, he was also relieved. In his heart, he knew Riley didn’t steal those ideas, and he was tired of pretending that his love for her didn’t exist.
“So what happens now?” she asked.
“Page Six is doing some kind of article on the accusations. Who knows what it will say, but you heard my response. It’s Christmas week, so, hopefully, this will blow over and come to a resolution before the New Year. I want you to go back home so you’re not caught in the crossfire.”
“Aren’t you coming?” She moved closer to him. “I don’t want you to deal with this on your own. Isn’t it better if you leave town, too?”
“No. I have to be here to manage things. I’ll come home for Christmas, but I want you to leave tomorrow morning. You don’t need to see this craziness spread out before you. I’ll take care of it, and then I’ll join you.” At least I hope to. Josh recognized that he was putting himself in a vulnerable position. Without proof that Riley didn’t steal the design, he might not be able to clear her name, and then not only would JBD be seen as the scandalous design studio, but he’d be seen as the designer who was duped.
One look into Riley’s eyes told him that none of that mattered. He had faith that she was telling the truth, and his only regret was not standing behind her that first night. He should have climbed right into bed with her and told her what was going on—and believed every word she said afterward. He knew the message silence and hesitation sent, and he regretted having done both.
He stripped off his clothes, needing to feel Riley’s body against him before she left, and climbed beneath the covers. He helped her out of her T-shirt and panties, and pulled her close. Her chest pressed against his, their hearts beating in perfect harmony.
She looked up at him, and he lowered his mouth to hers, taking her in a deep, passionate kiss, wanting to kiss the hurt right out of her heart. Needing to heal the pain that slayed them both.
He took her face between his hands and whispered, “I love you, Riley. You are what matters. You’re my life, my love, and I will never again fail you.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“IT’S NOT FAIR to drag you through this mess with me,” Riley insisted. It was five o’clock Sunday morning, and she and Josh were getting ready to leave for the airport. They’d just showered, and Riley was pulling on a pair of jeans.
“I’m already in the mud, and there’s no one I’d rather be there with,” Josh said.
She didn’t know how their lives had become so crazy in such a short period of time. Yesterday morning, she’d wanted to run away and never come back. Now, with Josh’s declaration of support, she wanted to stand by his side and figure things out—but she also knew it wasn’t fair. Josh had a great career, one that had taken years to build, and a reputation that she didn’t want to be responsible for soiling.
“But you don’t need to go public with our relationship to figure this out. Do
n’t hire a PI. We’ll figure out a way. Isn’t there a handwriting expert or someone who could validate my work on the drawings I gave Max?”
“That wouldn’t prove that they were your original drawings,” Josh said. “Look, we were going to eventually have to tell people about us. This just brings it up a little sooner than we had anticipated.”
“And attaches it to a scandal,” she reminded him.
He pulled her against him as she slipped on her blouse. “Maybe so, but if this whole nightmare has made me realize one thing, it’s that there is no doubt that I love you, Riley, and when you love someone, you endure their pain.” He kissed her nose. “Come on. We have to go.”
“Wait. I really don’t want to leave. Can’t I just stay with you and we’ll deal with it together?” she asked.
“You have no idea what it will be like. Once this mess gets out, we’ll both be hounded day and night. It will be a nightmare. You think we have to hide now? When the media hounds get word of a scandal, they’ll be all over us. By this time tomorrow, I won’t be able to leave my apartment without camera flashes going off from all directions.”
“Josh, why stay? Come with me, then. Let’s both escape it.” She touched his cheek. “Please?”
“I can’t run from it. I’ll have to hold a press conference, and I want to meet with the PI and have him go through every inch of the office. There’s proof somewhere. I’ll go through the security tapes, too. Where there’s a crime, there’s evidence.” He picked up her bags and headed for the door.
As they came off the elevators and headed for the front door of the building, Josh’s cell phone rang. He answered it as Riley swung the door open and stepped onto the sidewalk.
“Hi, Mia.”
Josh looked up as cameras flashed; a mob of reporters circled Riley.
Riley knew she must look like a deer caught in the beam of headlights. She saw Josh’s mouth form the word bastards. The muscles in his biceps flexed, and his legs shot forward, pushing through the crowd. His eyes darkened as he scanned the unruly mob of reporters. She’d never seen him look so angry, like he’d kill anyone who touched her. He shoved his phone in his pocket, putting his left arm out in front of the photographers—a protective line they could not cross, her bag dangling from his fisted hand.
“Josh!” she yelled.
He encircled her in his arms, shielding her from the press and lifting her bags in front of their faces as they made their way into the waiting car. Jay flew out of the driver’s side door and barged in between the photographers and Josh and Riley, his arms outstretched as he shouted at the photographers to back off.
Riley felt Josh’s muscles, rock hard and straining around her. His face reddened, as if a surge of rage was driving him forward. He pushed her into the car, then climbed in beside her and locked the door.
Riley blinked away the black splotches left from the camera flashes. She’d never seen anything like the rush of photographers and reporters thrusting microphones in her face and hollering questions one above the next. Her heart slammed within her chest as she tried to catch her breath. She stared at the crowd of photographers outside the tinted windows as they chased the car down the street.
“You okay?” The muscles in Josh’s arms and neck pulsated, his hands still fisted, his knuckles white from pressure, as if he were still ready to attack.
She nodded. “What happened?”
“Mia said there’s an article on Page Six. That media nightmare is what I was trying to tell you about all along.” Josh shot a glance behind them. They’d blended into traffic with no photographers on their tail. He drew in a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. His eyes darted along the streets as they whisked by.
“Are you okay? That was awful,” Riley said. She leaned against him. “I’ve made your life a nightmare. I think I should just go home, and you should just live your life as normal. You don’t need this craziness.” Her gut ached as she made the suggestion. “I refuse to let Claudia, or those media parasites tear us apart.”
She watched his eyes narrow, then close for a breath, and when he opened them again, his jaw relaxed. He rubbed his hands on his pants, then rubbed them together, taking another deep breath. Riley knew he was trying to shake off his anger. When he took her face in his hands, as he’d done the night before, she was drawn into his serious, loving gaze. His breath still held the minty smell of toothpaste; his palms were warm and sure.
“I’m with you. Photographers or no photographers. Scandal or no scandal, Riley Banks. I love you.”
She fell against him. “Thank you for not walking away from us.” Guilt clenched her heart. “I’m sorry my being here caused all of this.”
He kissed her forehead. “This isn’t about you, Riley. This is about Claudia. It’s her effed-up issue.”
His cell phone rang, and she tried to move away. He lifted the phone with one hand, keeping her safely against him, and he pushed the speakerphone button. “Treat,” he said.
Treat’s concerned voice came through the speaker. “What is going on over there?”
Riley was embarrassed to be listening in on his phone call, and she tried again to pull away, but Josh’s grip was too strong. She pointed to the phone and brought her hand to her ear, mouthing, You can pick it up.
Josh shook his head and pulled her closer. “A bit of a circus,” Josh said.
“What’s this about Riley stealing the design for Max’s dress?” Treat asked.
Riley couldn’t help herself from calling out. “I didn’t do it,” she said.
“It’s Claudia’s newest ruse. We’re dealing with it,” Josh said.
“Dealing with it? Not from what I can see. Have you seen the headlines? Airing the Dirty Laundry of the Designing World. This can’t be good for your career, or Riley’s. It’s not exactly what I meant when I said to turn the media on to her design skills.”
“Treat,” Josh said. “Please, this is stressful enough. No jokes, all right?”
“I’m sorry. What can I do? Want me to make a statement? Say she showed us the dress two months earlier? I assume she’s innocent in this mess,” Treat said.
“I am, but I don’t want you to lie.” Riley was astounded by Treat’s offer, but she wanted to prove herself honestly.
“We’ll handle it,” Josh said. “I’m sending her home so she’s out of reach of the media. I’m hiring a PI to figure it out.”
“Sounds smart,” Treat said. “Let me know what I can do. If you want me to come back to New York, I can be there in a few hours. By the way, Riley, where’d they get that picture of you? You definitely looked like a kid with her hand in the candy jar.”
“Picture? What picture?” Riley asked.
“Front of Page Six,” Treat said.
“We gotta go, Treat. Thanks for calling.” Josh pulled out his iPad and pulled up the New York Post’s website. Riley’s startled face stared back at them above the article beside a photograph of Claudia holding up the drawing of Max’s dress.
“Oh my gosh. They took that at the trade show yesterday. That’s crazy. I look guilty.” This was ten times worse than she’d imagined. How could she ever show her face on the streets of New York again? What would this do to Josh and his reputation? As she stewed over those questions, a concern rose to the forefront of her mind. “Josh, they caught us leaving your apartment together.”
“No, they caught us both leaving the apartment building,” he corrected her.
“With you carrying my bags and then running to my side to shield me from the cameras. Come on. There’s no covering this up. Pictures of us together will be on all the websites in an hour, if they’re not already.”
“I’m not trying to cover it up. I told you: I’m with you, scandal or no scandal.” Josh Googled his name. With a piercing pain in her stomach, Riley read through the first three listings.
Designer Josh Braden’s new girlfriend. Is she a thief?
The Braden Scandal: Is he dating a fraud?
UPDATE:
Fashion Designer Josh Braden leaves home with accused design thief/lover.
“What are we gonna do now?” Riley could barely get the words from her lungs. She’d come to New York looking for a career, and not only had she lost hers, but she’d ruined Josh’s in the process.
Josh’s phone rang again. He pushed the speakerphone button again. “I’ve already seen it,” he said to his sister.
“You’re sleeping with Riley and I’m the last to know?” Savannah asked. “Do you have me on speaker? I hate that.”
“Yes, and Riley’s right here,” he said.
Wishing she could grow wings and fly away, Riley said, “Hi, Savannah.”
“Hey, Ri.”
“Sorry we didn’t tell you we’re dating. We were trying to keep it quiet,” Riley explained.
“Maybe you should have thought about that before leaving Josh’s apartment together. What’s this cockamamie story about you stealing Cruella’s designs?” she asked.
“Even you call her that?” Riley asked.
“Everyone does,” Josh answered. “She didn’t steal them. This is one of Claudia’s tricks. We just have to find a way to prove it.”
“I told you to fire her years ago. I never liked her,” Savannah said.
If only he’d listened to her.
“Shoulda woulda coulda, I know. I’m over my loyalty to Peter, okay? It took me forever and it sucks, but it is what it is. Listen, Savannah, my attorney is hiring a PI, but do you know anyone who might be good?”
“Know anyone? I’ve got the best one in New York. Call Reggie Steele. I’ll text you his number. And, Josh, are you all right with all this?” she asked.
“I’m fine, but I’m sending Riley home. Where are you?” he asked.
“Heading back home to Colorado. Riley, we’ll get together after you’re home, okay?” Savannah offered.
“Thanks, Savannah. I’d like that, and I’m sorry if I’ve embarrassed your family,” Riley said.