by Addison Cole
Riley was still in shock, moving on autopilot. “You knew?” she asked Jade.
“Of course I did, and it was painful not telling you.”
Hal Braden extended his arms to Riley. “Looks like we’ve got two weddings to plan.”
Plan? Riley could barely think past her next breath. She folded herself into his arms. “Thank you, Mr. Braden. I promise to make him happy.”
“Oh honey, you can’t make anyone happy. That’s not how happiness works. Being part of his life will feed his happiness, and he’ll feed yours. We’re honored to have you as part of the family.”
Riley watched Josh from across the room. Treat had his arm around his shoulder. Hugh and Dane said something that caused Josh to bend over in fits of laughter. His back was to Riley, and he must have felt her eyes on him, because he turned and instantly found her eyes and smiled.
Riley couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he crossed the room toward her. She saw the gallant man he’d always been and couldn’t believe he was going to be her husband. Husband! She blinked away tears of joy as he approached. His dark eyes washed over her body, lingering on her breasts, then lowering to her hips, and finally drawing back up to her eyes as he closed in on her.
He wrapped his hands on either side of her waist and whispered, his cheek against hers, his breath hot on her ear, “I cannot go another night without touching you.”
A shiver ran up Riley’s back. She scanned the immediate area, making sure no one was within earshot. Josh slid his hands down to the curve of her hips.
“You’re wearing Gucci Première, just like our first night together,” he said.
“You remembered,” she whispered.
He pressed his hips in to hers and embraced her. “I’ll always remember. I want to feel you close to me.”
Riley felt his desire swell against her. “Josh,” she whispered. “Kiss me.”
He took her face between his warm palms in the way he had so many times before, the way that made her knees weak and her heart sing, and he kissed her, hesitant at first, she assumed because of their families in the room. Their tongues touched lightly; then, as if they were both too entranced to control their body’s demands, more aggressively, their tongues colliding. Riley felt her body giving in to him. Her hands wandered down his legs. Oops. Restaurant. Riley’s eyes flew open.
She pulled back. “Josh.” His name came out in one long breath.
He looked around and she saw reality coming back to him, too. “Come with me.” He took her hand, and they hurried past the groups of family members, who were too busy talking to notice as they escaped.
Josh pulled her toward the front of the restaurant. She giggled.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“Shh.” Josh looked around when they neared the entrance.
“No. Someone will see us,” she protested.
Without a word, Josh lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her again, until she had no breath left to breathe and her legs threatened to dissolve beneath her. He guided her down a hall toward the bathrooms, stopping short at a closed door. Her eyes scanned the plaque, COATROOM. He opened the door, and in the space of a breath, they disappeared into the dark room.
“Josh.” She reached for him in the dark. Her eyes tried to adjust, but there wasn’t an ounce of light.
He brought her hands to his waist and cupped her cheeks again. Oh, how I love that. He was so tall, so muscular beneath her hands as they moved up his chest and then down his back.
“You deserve more than a coatroom quickie, but I have to love you, Riley. Now. Not later, not tomorrow, not when we get to New York. Now.”
She stood on her tippy-toes and met his lips, sinking to her heels with the weight of him as he deepened the kiss. Dizziness reminded her that she needed to breathe. She stole air from his lungs, unwilling to part. Please, please, kiss me forever.
Chapter Forty-Eight
LATER THAT EVENING, when Josh’s dad and Riley’s parents had turned in for the night, the Braden living room was alive with conversation. Riley sat on the couch beneath the curve of Josh’s arm, Jade’s legs stretched across her lap. Jade’s head rested in Rex’s lap at the other end of the couch. He stroked her long dark hair. Hugh and Dane occupied the leather recliners, and Savannah sat on the floor, her back leaning against the bottom half of Hugh’s chair. Treat and Max shared an oversized chair beside the warm fire. Dane’s phone vibrated, which reminded Josh that he needed to check his own messages. He pushed the thought away, not wanting to break the closeness he was enjoying with Riley.
Josh had spent most of the evening watching Riley stare at her ring, then look at him with disbelief in her beautiful eyes. He pulled her tighter against him and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, but you didn’t have to do all of this,” she said, looking up at him from beneath the fringe of her bangs.
“I know. I wanted to.”
“I want every bit of this night to last forever,” she said.
“Me too,” Josh said.
Dane’s phone vibrated again. He pulled it out, read the text, smiled, then typed a message into the phone.
“Did you ever listen to Reggie’s message?” Treat asked.
There was still the chance that Reggie would have news about Riley that Josh wasn’t prepared for. He pushed away the thought.
“I forgot,” Josh said.
“Please, listen to the message. The sooner this is behind us, the better,” Riley said. “I still can’t believe you fired Claudia.” She reached down and tickled Jade’s feet.
“Cut it out,” Jade said with a laugh.
Dane’s phone buzzed again.
“I should have done it ages ago,” Josh said.
Rex leaned down and kissed Jade’s lips. “If you’re going to put your feet there, then you have no say in the torture she imposes.”
“Oh, really?” Jade poked Rex’s ribs.
He bent over, and in one swift move, pulled her up onto his lap and began tickling her. Jade squealed.
“Get a room,” Max said.
Dane’s phone vibrated once again.
“Jeez, Dane, who are you talking to?” Savannah asked.
“Please check the message,” Riley urged Josh again.
“Lacy,” Dane answered.
“Ri, it can wait.” I want to enjoy this happiness for a while.
“Please?” she urged again.
“Fine.” He pulled out his phone and dialed voicemail, half listening to the others as the electronic voice answered.
“Lacy Snow? Really? This has gone on a long time,” Treat said to Dane.
“Yeah, it sure has,” Dane said. “Do you mind if she comes to your wedding?”
“Lacy? Really? Oh, Dane, I was going to invite her anyway. Of course she can come,” Max said.
After listening to messages from Reggie and Peter, Josh left the room and returned Peter’s call. Ten minutes later he reentered the room. Josh hung up the phone and spun Riley around to face him. “You, my dear, are brilliant. If I ever forget that, please slap me.”
“What did I do?” she asked.
“Reggie said the portfolio you sent to Peter Stafford included the drawings that Claudia claimed as her own, and—and here’s the kicker—he said Claudia’s drawing of Max’s wedding dress has a later date than when you sent the package to Peter. Peter’s been in Switzerland. I got a message from him, too, but let me tell you what else Reggie found first. He looked at the building’s security tapes—not JBD, but the actual building’s tapes, the ones Claudia didn’t realize existed—and he found footage of Claudia not only going through your desk and your trash, but your HR files, too, which means she had seen your portfolio before you even came on board. She was ready for this. She must have seen the quality of your drawings and felt threatened, or overlooked, or whatever.” Josh punched the air with his fist. “I knew my girl would never do those things.”
Riley rose to her feet. “I forgot about
those drawings. I had included a few sketches of that dress, but they were so rough, and in my mind it wasn’t really going to be Max’s wedding dress. I drew them after lunch at your dad’s a few weeks ago and put them in the portfolio because Peter had said he was interested in any new designs I was playing with. I didn’t make the connection. Does this mean…?”
He pulled her to him. “It means Claudia’s full of it.”
“You called it, Josh,” Treat said.
“I also had a message from Peter, and when I called him back, he apologized for being so far out of the loop since he’d been in Switzerland. He said he would have brought the portfolio to my attention earlier had he heard about the issues with Claudia, and more important, he wasn’t upset with me about firing Claudia. Once I explained the games she’d been playing, he said I should have come to him a long time ago.”
“That’s great news,” Riley said.
“There’s more,” Josh said. “Apparently, Peter’s interested in backing a new line, a partnership of sorts, and after seeing Riley’s portfolio, he wants her included in the process.” Josh turned to Riley.
There was a collective cheer from all but Dane, who was typing on his phone.
“Dude.” Treat tapped Dane on the shoulder.
“Yeah, what? Sorry.” Dane stood. “Riley’s in the clear?”
Savannah swiped the phone from his hand and ran across the room with it as she read his messages.
“Oh.” She laughed. “Gosh, blush, blush.”
Dane chased her. “Give me that, Savannah.” His voice boomed across the room.
“Goodness, who knew you were so into Lacy? Those Snow sisters must be something else. Blake fell just as hard.” She turned her back to Dane as he swooped in and retrieved the phone.
“How long have you been dating her?” Savannah asked Dane.
“We’re not exactly dating,” Dane answered.
“Don’t tell me you’re…sexting a girl you’ve never actually taken out,” Savannah said with a tsk.
“I’m not sexting. Our schedules haven’t come together yet, but she’s coming to Treat’s wedding,” Dane explained.
“Do you even know how to read a calendar? Are you telling me that she’s going to wait for you for the next three months?” Savannah shook her head and flopped into the now vacant couch.
“I’d wait for Dane,” Jade joked.
Rex pulled her close. “Oh no, you wouldn’t.”
“We talk all the time,” Dane explained. “You know how crazy my schedule is.”
“That’s hogwash, Dane. Make her a priority or set her free,” Treat said.
“What makes you such an expert? Lacy understands my schedule,” Dane said.
“Then I need to have a talk with her,” Treat said. “No woman deserves to be treated that way. It’s been, what? A year? Inexcusable. Push a button or get off the elevator. Women are different. You may have other women filling your nights, but I’d put money on the fact that Lacy Snow isn’t dating anyone else. I met her, Dane. She’s not that kind of girl.”
Dane let out a breath. “Look, I’m not trying to hurt her. I really like her. Maybe too much.”
“You haven’t even dated her yet,” Savannah reminded him.
“I’m well aware of that fact,” Dane said.
“Okay, listen, guys, this is supposed to be a happy time for us,” Josh said. “Can we just break out the champagne and let Dane worry about his love life? I can’t wait to meet her, and if it’s at Treat and Max’s wedding, then it is. Whatever. Let’s just keep the good mojo rolling.”
“You’re right; sorry,” Savannah said. “Dane, I’m really good at dating advice, and I’m here.” She stretched her arms out to the sides.
Dane rolled his eyes. “Yeah, haven’t you and Connor Dean been off and on again forever?”
Savannah looked away.
“Sorry, man,” Dane said to Josh.
“No worries.” Josh headed for the kitchen. “I’m breaking out the bubbly.”
Dane followed him. “I’m really sorry for all that. Congratulations, Josh. I’m happy for you.” Dane leaned against the refrigerator, watching Josh uncork the champagne. “Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“For years, we’ve had no idea if you’re dating, much less who you’re dating, and then, all of a sudden, you’re getting married. How does that happen?” Dane asked.
Josh spun around, ready to defend his relationship with Riley.
“I don’t mean that in a judgmental way. I guess I mean, how did you know?” Dane added.
Josh poured them each a glass of champagne. “One day nothing in your life makes sense except for the happiness you feel when you’re with that other person. And you get the sense that this meaningful life is floating around your head, just waiting for you to grab hold. That’s the best way I can explain it. There’s no secret message written in the wind or any of that nonsense. It just…is.” He shrugged.
“When that day comes, Dane, you’ll have all sorts of craziness going on in your head. But, man…” He watched Riley walk into the kitchen, her long legs bare below her short red dress, her smile adding light to the expansive kitchen, and her eyes locked on his in a way that made Josh feel like he was the only thing that mattered.
He reached for her and kissed her forehead. Then he turned back to Dane. “When it happens, you’ll thank your lucky stars that you were there to catch it.”
Chapter Forty-Nine
AFTER SPENDING CHRISTMAS with their families, Josh and Riley had come back to New York to prepare for the annual JBD New Year’s Eve party and to wrap up the loose ends regarding Claudia. Her attorney had been in touch with Josh’s attorney, and Josh had agreed to drop the sexual harassment charges in exchange for a public statement from Claudia stating that all allegations against Riley were unfounded. In addition, he demanded that she personally apologize to Riley, which she reluctantly had done. Now, as Riley stood beside the bed in their apartment, watching Josh secure his cuff links in place, her stomach was doing acrobatics for a different reason. Josh was going to announce their engagement tonight at the JBD New Year’s party. Riley had yet to see anyone other than Mia since returning to the city, and she had no idea how the others might react. Thankfully, Mia was genuinely happy for them.
“Nervous?” Josh asked as he slipped his arms into his tuxedo coat.
“Very,” she admitted.
“Don’t be.” He crossed the room and touched her cheek with his palm.
Riley leaned in to the familiar caress.
“I’m not going anywhere. Not everyone is as cutthroat as you know who, and if anyone makes a remark about you sleeping your way to the top, you just smile and hold your head high,” Josh said.
“That’s easy for you to say,” Riley said. She smoothed her long black gown along her waist.
“Babe, do I embarrass you?” Josh asked.
Riley spun around and ran her eyes down every inch of his six-foot-three frame, lingering over his arms, chest, and the naughty place at the juncture of his thighs. She drew her eyes back up to his freshly shaven cheeks and took a step closer. She placed her hands on his cheeks, her engagement ring sparkling in the light. She ran her hand through the side of his hair, loving the feel of him.
“Never,” she said, then pulled him in to a deep kiss and pressed her body against his.
“We’re not missing this,” he said with a smile. “You can seduce me all you want, but we’re going. We’re doing this, Ri.”
“Sheesh, how can you know me so well?” She slipped her feet into her heels, secured the diamond earrings Josh had given her for Christmas in place, and feigned annoyance. “Shall we go?”
Josh wrapped his arms around her from behind and nibbled her ear. “We can make time…before…if you want.”
Riley playfully pushed him away. “You canned my strategy to dodge the party. Now you’ll have to wait.”
MIA MET THEM at the front door, wearing a for
m-fitting navy gown with a plunging neckline and long, arm-hugging sleeves. “Everyone’s talking about you two; I just want to warn you.” She hugged Riley. “You look gorgeous. I knew that would be the perfect dress. Josh, wow, you clean up real nice,” she teased.
“Thanks, Mia,” Josh said.
“I’m a wreck. Are they saying horrible things about me?” Riley was so nervous she thought she might be sick. She clung to Josh’s hand with a vice grip.
“They’d better not,” Josh said.
She felt his arm tense.
“No, no,” Mia said. “All anyone knows is that you two are dating, so they’re still in the have-you-heard-the-news stage of gossiping and trying to figure out what they missed over the holiday.”
Riley let out a long breath. “Okay, I guess we need to get this over with.”
Josh put his arm around her. “I’m right here. Besides, Savannah’s coming, so you’ll have even more support.”
“She is?” Riley asked.
“Yeah. She’s all bark, you know. She loves you,” Josh said.
They headed into the ballroom, which was alive with festive music and the employees mingling among themselves.
All eyes turned toward them when they entered the room. Riley tried to swallow past the lump that was pressing on her windpipe. She clung to Josh’s hand and felt a hand slip around her waist.
“You are gorgeous,” Savannah whispered in her ear.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” Riley said, remembering Savannah’s semithreat. “Savannah, I’m not going to hurt Josh,” she said.
“I know. But if you ever are tempted to, you’ll hear my voice in your ear,” Savannah said with a wide smile.
Josh and Riley made their way around the room hand in hand. Simone and K.T. were drinking champagne together when they approached. Riley felt the heat of Simone’s stare, wishing Mia were there to play interference. She and Simone had gotten close before the holiday, but Simone had an edge, and by the look in Simone’s eyes, Riley was on the wrong side of it at the moment.
“Simone, K.T., I hope you’re having a nice evening,” Josh said.