by Hart, Taylor
She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn’t even notice that Jeremy had stopped in front of a silver sports car—not the same car they’d ridden in a few days ago. He opened the passenger door for her.
“Where’s your driver?” she asked.
“I drive myself around mostly, if you can believe it,” Jeremy said with a wink.
The soft light from the setting sun made him look like he was a painting in a Greek temple. She hadn’t realized that she was staring at him, not getting into the car, until he said in a soft voice, “Are you all right, Mandy?”
She blinked. “The racoons are going to flip when they see you.”
His brows lifted as if he was questioning her statement.
Mandy rested a hand on her hip. “I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what effect you have on women.”
Jeremy merely gazed at her, then he reached for the hand on her hip and tugged her toward him. Mandy took a step forward. She’d noticed his faint cologne scent in her apartment of course, but up closer, he smelled even better.
His warm hand encompassed hers. “Did I tell you that you look beautiful?” he said in a voice so low that it made things inside her melt. “I’m willing to bet that every racoon will be green with envy tonight because of you, not me.”
“How much are you willing to bet?”
Jeremy chuckled and ran his thumb over the back of her hand as he studied her. “Two hundred.”
Mandy scoffed. “That might be pocket change to you, but I don’t have that kind of cash on me.”
“How much do you have?”
“Thirty bucks.”
“All right. My two hundred against your thirty.”
Mandy was pretty sure she was blushing. Jeremy was still holding her hand. She was also pretty sure that Daisy was peeking through the blinds of their apartment window. “How will we know who the winner is?”
“A woman’s envy is hard to conceal,” he said, one side of his mouth lifting into a smile.
“True.” Mandy sighed and pulled her hand from his, then moved past him to slide into the passenger seat. She could think better when he wasn’t touching her or gazing into the depths of her soul.
Jeremy shut her door, and as he walked around the front of the car, she told herself that riding in a car that probably cost more than her parents’ cozy house wasn’t something to freak out over. Jeremy worked hard for his money like everyone else. He was a decent guy, and she hoped to all that was holy he wasn’t a player. And holding her hand wasn’t something he did on every date.
“Ready?” Jeremy said as he settled into his seat and started the engine.
She nodded, and he pulled out of the parking lot. Daisy had already sent a dozen texts along the lines of: OMG. He’s gorgeous! And: I’m in love with your boyfriend! Then: Even if he wasn’t a billionaire, he’d be worth every penny in a poorhouse. Mandy put her phone on silent and slipped it into the clutch she’d borrowed from Daisy.
The drive to the hotel where the reunion was being held was around thirty minutes, but the time flew by as Jeremy told her about growing up with his siblings. It was plain that he’d always been the more serious, stoic brother, and his sister had been fiercely spoiled. His twin brothers sounded like troublemakers all the way around, but there was still affection in Jeremy’s voice when he spoke of them.
When they turned into the circular driveway of the hotel and headed toward the valet stand, Mandy said, “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”
“What are you accusing me of now?” Jeremy said, amusement in his voice.
“You were telling stories to distract me,” Mandy said.
“Did it work?” he asked as he stopped the car and rolled down the window.
It had worked. Mandy hadn’t felt nervous for the entire drive.
“Good evening sir,” the pimple-faced valet said.
“I’ll be parking myself,” Jeremy said. “Can you direct me to the best lot?”
The valet lifted his chin. “Certainly, sir. Just beyond the orange cones.”
“Thank you,” Jeremy said, then continued around the circular driveway. “I know what you’re thinking,” he said to Mandy. “Why doesn’t the rich guy use valet parking?”
“You caught me,” Mandy said. “Good thing reading my mind isn’t part of our bet.”
Jeremy chuckled. “I don’t trust a lot of people. Especially with my car.” He steered into a parking lot, then drove to the very end and parked in the last slot. When he turned off the engine, he looked over at her. “Are you okay to walk in those heels?”
“I’ll manage.” The air between them seemed to grow thick with . . . what, she didn’t know. Although they’d been in the car together for a while, she suddenly felt very alone with him.
Thankfully he opened his door and climbed out, so Mandy took the few moments to calm her racing thoughts.
Jeremy opened her door and offered his hand to help her out. She climbed out of the car and fully expected him to release her hand, but he didn’t.
“So . . . we need to talk about something,” he said.
She looked up at him in the near darkness of the parking lot. The closest light was a streetlamp several car spots away. “Okay . . .”
“If the racoons are going to buy that we’re a couple, then we need to act like a couple.”
Heat prickled at the back of Mandy’s neck. She could guess where this was going.
“We need to hold hands a lot,” he continued, his gray eyes intent on hers. “And touch and . . . kiss.”
The spring weather had failed her. Where was the cool wind when she needed it? “Maybe we’re a couple who doesn’t like PDA?”
“That’s one option.” Jeremy moved a step closer. “But I like my option better.”
“What’s that?” Mandy whispered because he was that close now.
“I think we should kiss now,” he said. “Then things won’t be awkward between us. It will be more natural to hold hands and other stuff . . . Because the kissing part is over.”
Mandy bit her bottom lip. She was probably messing up her lip gloss by doing so, but kissing Jeremy would definitely mess up her lip gloss.
“It’s a good plan in theory,” she said at last. “But remember when I said I wanted to keep things professional between us?”
Jeremy didn’t break his gaze. “What if I said that I think we should keep things professional during business hours? And even if I wasn’t your plus-one tonight, I’d still want to kiss you.”
The melting inside of Mandy burst into flames. “You aren’t playing fair, Jeremy Lode.”
“I’m not playing at all, Amanda Wurst.”
She swallowed. “Okay, then. Kiss me if you must.”
Jeremy smiled. He lifted her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist. Then he cradled her face with both of his warm hands.
The breeze finally arrived, but Mandy didn’t feel a bit of its coolness as Jeremy lowered his mouth to hers. His lips were warm, and his scent enveloped her, making her forget the very reason they were standing in this parking lot in the first place. She should have guessed that kissing a billionaire would be completely amazing. She also knew that the warmth and tingles floating through her had nothing to do with money or spreadsheets or deals. It had everything to do with the man who impressed her more every day.
When Jeremy had first suggested they kiss, she’d assumed he meant a short kiss, with a small amount of lingering. But Jeremy’s mouth explored hers quite intently, and one hand moved behind her neck as his other hand trailed to her waist, pulling her closer. This was not a brief, obligatory kiss. This was . . . heaven.
“Mandy,” he whispered, breaking away but not releasing his hold. “When I saw you wrestling open that conference room door, I didn’t know how much my world was about to change.”
Her pulse was racing so fast that it took her a second to catch her breath and reply. She gazed into his beautiful gray eyes and only saw sincerity there. “I hope it’s in a goo
d way.”
His gaze moved to her mouth again. “Very good.” Then he smiled before he kissed the edge of her jaw. Pulling her closer, his voice rumbled against her ear. “We’d better get in there, or not much will be stopping me from taking you home and keeping you to myself.”
Mandy let her eyes drift shut as she kept her arms around him. “Mmm. I think I’m going to need to re-apply my lip gloss.”
He chuckled, then he kissed her again. Briefly.
While she put on more lip gloss, he locked the car.
After she put the lip gloss into her clutch, he held out his hand. She linked her fingers with his, and together, they walked to the hotel entrance.
Mandy was right, Jeremy thought. Everyone was staring at them. Maybe not so much him, but Mandy. She was one of those women who was beautiful in an unassuming way. She was elegant, had gorgeous coloring and captivating eyes, and she carried herself with intelligence and poise.
Jeremy had predicted that heads would turn, and they did. Maybe after tonight, she’d believe his compliments more. He loved that she was doing something hard and facing the racoons head on.
Speaking of racoons . . . the women clustered near the open bar all had that similar look to them of trying too hard. They no longer wore mass amounts of eyeliner, but he knew they were the ones who’d bullied Mandy. And it made him furious.
The ballroom had been decorated with banners welcoming the former classmates and pronouncing the celebration of their ten-year reunion. Round tables had been set up, and it looked like a buffet was along one wall.
The music was low, and colored lights highlighted an area that must be a dance floor. No one was dancing though.
“Get your name tags here!” a petite, square woman called out to them.
Mandy’s hand tightened on his as she led him to the name tag table.
The woman’s tag said Lynne.
“Hi there,” Lynne said, smiling at Mandy, then smiling wider at Jeremy. “Remind me of your names.”
“I’m Mandy,” she said and picked up a tag, then wrote her name in bold letters. She grabbed another one and wrote Jeremy on it.
Lynne scrunched her eyes. “Mandy . . .”
“Wurst.”
“Oh, Amanda Wurst,” Lynne said, her eyes still scrunched. “You’ve changed.” Then she laughed as she looked at Jeremy. “I guess we all have. Ten years and all.”
Jeremy nodded, although the interest in Lynne’s eyes was practically begging him to introduce himself. He’d leave that to Mandy’s discretion.
Mandy grasped his hand again, and he had to admit he liked her taking the initiative. She hadn’t been shy about kissing him back either—and now . . . he was thinking about their kiss. Well, kisses. Maybe an hour in this place would be sufficient, and he could have Mandy to himself again.
A man moved toward Mandy, and she slowed. “Chris, I thought that was you.”
Chris grinned, and Jeremy quickly assessed the man. Tall, lean, glasses, rather large nose.
“Jeremy, this is Chris Miller,” she said. “We had like every AP class together.”
Chris shook Jeremy’s hand, then his gaze returned to Mandy. “It’s so great to see you. I always wondered what happened to you after high school.”
Mandy shrugged. “I’m an accountant; what about you?”
“Life insurance,” he said with a laugh. “Do you need a plan?”
“My company’s got me covered, but thanks,” she said.
Chris nodded. “It was worth a try.” His gaze moved to Jeremy. “Well, I should let you guys mingle. Nice to meet you.”
Mandy turned to Jeremy. “Hungry?”
He was a bit dubious about trying this hotel’s food, but he didn’t want to put a damper on things. “Sure.”
They walked toward the buffet table, and Mandy was stopped several more times. Those speaking to her didn’t seem to remember her from high school, but were making the rounds and being friendly.
They got in line at the buffet, and Mandy said, “This is so weird. It’s like we’re at a corporate retreat and trying to be polite to everyone in case they’re a potential client.”
“High school is always lame,” Jeremy said.
“Did you like high school?” Mandy asked, looking up at him. Her eyes were a deeper green in this dimmer lighting.
“I survived it.”
“Did you play sports?”
“A few.”
Mandy smiled and rested her hand on his arm. “Of course you did. You were probably the prom king too. If I had been at your school, I would have been completely invisible to you.”
Jeremy slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “You’re wrong.” Her scent was intoxicating, and he wondered if she’d mind too much if he kissed her right now.
“Well, well,” a woman’s voice cut in. “I told Jean that Amanda Wurst was at the buffet table, and Jean didn’t believe me.”
Mandy turned, but Jeremy kept a hand at her waist. He didn’t like the tone of the woman’s voice.
“It is you,” the woman said. Her name tag read Peggy. “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe how different you look.” She cast her giant-lashed eyes at Jeremy. “Is this your husband?”
He extended his hand. “I’m Jeremy.”
Peggy’s hand was limp and moist, and as soon as he could, he withdrew from her grasp.
“I don’t see any wedding rings,” Peggy continued. “Are you engaged or just dating?”
“W-we’re dating,” Mandy said.
Peggy must be one of the racoons.
“Well, good for you, Amanda . . .” Peggy’s smile was so fake that Jeremy wondered if it hurt. She licked her lips, then rested her hand on her chest just above her ample cleavage she had on display. There were low-cut dresses, and then there was the dress Peggy wore. “You two bring your plates over to my table. We all want to hear what you’ve been up to.”
“Um, okay,” Mandy said.
Although she’d agreed, Jeremy heard the reluctance in her voice. “Sounds good,” he said, so that Mandy knew that she’d have his support.
The tenseness of her body didn’t soften, even after Peggy went back to her table.
Jeremy linked his fingers with Mandy’s and moved closer. “We can leave if you want.”
She exhaled and met his gaze. “No, I need to face them.”
He nodded. “Okay. But after we eat, I’m dancing with you.”
They filled their plates and walked over to the table, where Peggy looked as if she was a queen holding court.
Five women turned to watch as they approached, and Peggy waved enthusiastically. “Hi, Amanda and . . .” She smiled. “Jeremy.” She turned to the other racoons. “Everyone, this is Amanda’s boyfriend.”
Jeremy pulled a chair out for Mandy, and she slipped into it. He sat on her right side and didn’t miss how her hands trembled as she arranged the silverware at her place setting.
Peggy took over the conversation for the whole table and proceeded to introduce everyone to Jeremy. He didn’t commit any of the women’s names to memory. Peggy continued to rattle off the personal details of each woman as if she was reciting baseball stats. “And . . . finally, there’s me. I’m Peggy Grayson. I’m divorced and have a little tyke at home. The most adorable towhead you’ve ever seen. Of course, I’m biased.” She winked at Jeremy.
He draped his left arm over the back of Mandy’s chair. She was picking at her food, not really eating. Jeremy had no appetite either. The women asked Mandy, rather stiffly, what she’d been doing for the past ten years. Mandy summarized her life in about three sentences; she was good at brevity.
And then it came . . . “So what do you do for a living, Jeremy?” Peggy asked, her gaze flitting from him to Mandy, then back again, as if she was trying to determine how serious their relationship was.
Jeremy rested his hand on Mandy’s shoulder, just to be a little more possessive, and to let the five women gazing at them know that he was most definitely with h
er.
“I’m a venture capitalist,” he said.
Three of the women’s brows puckered. But Peggy was all smiles. “Wow, that’s wonderful. What type of companies do you invest in?”
“Successful ones,” Jeremy deadpanned.
Peggy laughed, and her racoon friends joined in, although they looked a little confused.
When Peggy stopped her laughing, she took a long swallow of her wine. Then she zeroed in on Jeremy again. “Tell me, Jeremy, if it’s not too confidential, what is the net worth of your firm?”
Mandy stiffened, though Jeremy wasn’t surprised at Peggy’s question. It might be unusual for a woman to ask so directly, but men did all the time. “About eight billion.”
“Billion, with a b?” one of the racoons asked.
Jeremy met her gaze. “Yes ma’am.” He leaned toward Mandy. “The dancing’s started.”
He felt her exhale.
“Are you asking me to dance?” she asked.
“I am.”
“In that case,” she said, “I’d love to.”
Jeremy didn’t wait another minute. He rose from his chair and said, “It was a pleasure meeting all of you ladies. But I’m afraid I promised Mandy a dance, and she’s the kind of woman men don’t break promises to.”
He held out his hand to Mandy, and she placed hers in his. Together they walked to the dance floor, then joined the half-dozen other couples dancing. Mandy stepped easily into his arms, and he marveled at how well she fit there. They moved slowly to the music, ignoring the faster beat. He could practically feel the gazes from the racoon table on them.
Jeremy studied Mandy’s face, but the dim lighting made it hard to read her eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” Mandy said. “If not, then I will be. You pretty much saved me.”
Jeremy touched the small hoop earring on her left ear. “They aren’t worth thinking about anymore.”
“I know.” Mandy glanced toward the table of women. “They haven’t changed much. It’s like they’re trying so desperately to hang on to the past. I’ve no doubt they’re trying to figure out how in the world I ended up bringing a date like you.”
Jeremy slipped his hand down her back, pulling her closer. “Don’t shortchange yourself, Mandy.”
