Just One Scandal

by Carly Phillips

  Chapter Three

  Beck worried about the woman who walked silently beside him down the hall to his loft. She’d been just as quiet on the ride here. He understood she had a lot to think about and deal with, so he gave her the space to do that, but he was aware of her the entire trip. They sat close in the back seat of an Uber, the mint scent of the hotel shampoo tickling his nose and the constant fiddling of her hands drawing his attention.

  “Here we are.” He stopped at the double entry doors that opened to his place, used his cell phone app to undo the lock and, once they entered, unarmed the alarm. “Welcome,” he said, pulling the suitcase he’d insisted on carrying inside.

  Chloe stepped in behind him, her eyes lighting up as she looked around. “Wow. This place is incredible!”

  “Thank you.” He knew what she saw, a view straight across the dark hardwood floor to windows rounded on top and surrounded by brick on each wall, overlooking downtown. Comfortable cream chairs, an L-shaped sofa, and a leather ottoman with live plants filled one corner of the living room. A foosball table sat against a wall, and a makeshift bar was in another corner.

  Was it a bachelor pad? Pretty much. But he figured he’d earned it. The loft, along with his Midtown offices, were his pride and joy. That she was obviously in awe pleased him immensely. Being a decorator and in the luxury real estate business, she’d seen her share of high-end properties and had furbished many herself. Her opinion mattered and not just because she knew the industry and could spot quality and outside-the-box thinking. Beck wanted her to like his loft.

  She stopped by the window and turned to face him. “I love this loft. Linc prefers a more traditional look for his listings and the décor I do for him.” She gazed longingly at the brick wall, then glanced around the room again and sighed.

  He debated whether or not to bring up the memory she’d triggered for him and decided what the hell. She obviously had strong feelings about her life she needed to face. “Last night you mentioned you were stuck in a boring job because your brother wouldn’t let you branch out?” He stood her suitcase beside the hallway leading to the bedrooms and joined her by the window.

  “I said that?” She wrinkled her nose in an adorable way.

  He nodded. “You did. While you sat on the bed and cried.”

  She winced. “I remember that now. Look, I’m sorry I lost it on you. I–”

  He shook his head and placed a hand beneath her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Don’t apologize. Why don’t you explain what you meant?”

  She raised her hands and dropped them to her sides before striding over to the sofa and sitting down. “So don’t get me wrong. I love my brother–”

  “So you’ve said,” he muttered through gritted teeth. Just hearing Linc’s name set him on edge.

  Chloe shot him a curious look. “But our styles are completely different,” she said without pressing him about her brother. “He likes conservative, safe designs, and just once I want to try stylish, fun trends on a rental or model and see what happens. He never lets me take a chance.”

  Sounded like Linc to him. When they’d been friends in college, he’d never been one to break the rules or push boundaries. Until that one night, that is. Beck clenched his fists and focused on Chloe.

  “Take this place, for example. It’s fantastic.” She waved a hand around the room. “And it’s not that I don’t understand the concept of low risk that Linc likes to apply to business. I do. And what did playing it safe get me? I was left at the altar.”

  She nibbled on her bottom lip before continuing. “What if Linc let me take a step outside the box? But no, go with what’s been selling, keep it within budget, and take efficiency into account,” she said, mimicking her brother, and Beck did his best not to laugh.

  She crossed one leg over the other, drawing his attention to the sexy-as-fuck boots she wore that came up high on her legs and had a small heel. Not to mention the body-hugging outfit that showed off her curves and had had him drooling from the moment she’d stepped out of the hotel bedroom.

  Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sure it’s difficult to work for family or anyone who doesn’t agree with your vision.” He walked across the room, sat down beside her, placing a hand on her knee. “Sometimes you have to reach for what you want. Go out, grab the world by the balls, and go after it.”

  She met his gaze, those blue eyes focused on him. “What if you’re afraid?”

  He shrugged. “All the more reason to do it.”

  She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and released it again, making him think about it being his mouth pressed to hers, his teeth taking that bite. Their bodies coming together in a clash of…

  “So … show me to my room?” she asked.

  He shook his head hard, reminding himself he should not be thinking about fucking his new roommate. And she clearly didn’t want to talk about taking chances, so it was time to act like a good host.

  He rose and extended his hand. She placed her palm in his, and damned if electricity didn’t spark between them as he pulled her to her feet. “Come on.”

  “Wait.” Her gaze was on their hands. “You suggested I put this somewhere safe.” She pulled her hand out of his and eased the engagement ring off her finger. “I assume you have a safe in this apartment?”

  He nodded and accepted the heavy ring in his hand. “Are you sure you trust me with it?” he asked, trying to lighten the moment.

  And the way she rolled her eyes and grinned, he knew he’d accomplished his goal. He curled his hand around the ring, which he’d put in the safe in his bedroom until she was ready to deal with it.

  “Bedroom’s this way,” he said, tilting his head. He led her to the spare guest room, grabbing her suitcase on the way.

  His cell buzzed from his pocket. He ignored the call for now, guiding her down the hall and into the room across from his.

  Something he hadn’t given thought to until now.

  The most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes on, his ex-best friend’s sister, and someone who needed his friendship more than anything else, was now living with him.

  Keeping his hands to himself while giving her the shoulder she needed to lean on would be a challenge when all he wanted was to sweep her off her feet and take her to bed.

  * * *

  Beck walked Chloe into the room, set her suitcase on the bed so she could unpack, and excused himself to return a phone call, as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Whatever. She didn’t have the strength to worry about another man’s moods. She had her own emotional state and life to fix.

  With a sigh, Chloe sat down on the bed and took in her surroundings. The room was large and pretty, with white crown moldings and a light linen color on the walls. Windows let in a good amount of sunlight, giving the space a cheery feel, and the chic ruched taupe-colored comforter set was gorgeous, as were the decorative accents, lamps, and ultramodern fixture hanging from the ceiling. All reminders of the direction she wanted her career to go in.

  She shook off that thought and decided to tackle one thing at a time, starting with unpacking. She rose, unzipped her suitcase, and put away her undergarments first, falling in love with the gorgeous white oak chest of drawers with nickel-finished hardware.

  She placed the sexy bra and panty sets she’d bought for her honeymoon in the drawers, including the lingerie, and did her best to ignore the gut punch at the reminder of what might have been. Despite having realized that she and Owen were a mistake, she couldn’t deny wanting the family life he would have given her.

  After putting her toiletries in the private bathroom attached to the room, she went to deal with the clothes she’d hang in the closet … and realized all she had packed were Hawaii-appropriate items. Long sarong skirts, bikini bathing suits, sandals, and sundresses. Everything to remind her of being dumped and nothing helpful for living in New York in the spring.

  All her clothes were in boxes at her mom’s house, waiting for her to brin
g them to the place she’d planned to live with Owen. Thank God he’d signed the lease and not her. The rent wouldn’t be her problem, but the lack of clothing was. She couldn’t have those huge boxes sent to Beck’s, and she definitely wasn’t ready to go to her mom’s and face her disappointment and worry.

  She wasn’t sure what to do as she zipped up her suitcase and placed it on the floor in the corner of the room. Her cell rang, and she picked it up from where she’d placed it on the nightstand.

  Jordan’s name flashed on the screen, and Chloe answered, happy to talk to someone who would be rational about her situation.

  She pressed accept. “Hey!”

  “Hi, Chloe. How are you?” Jordan asked.

  Flopping back down onto the mattress, Chloe left her feet hanging off the side so as not to put her boots on the bedspread. “I’m feeling less hungover, so that’s an improvement.”

  Jordan chuckled. “Glad to hear it. Your brother came home really pissed off, and considering I pushed him to let you stay and party last night, I’ve been steering clear.”

  Chloe winced. “As if he has a say in what I do? When is he going to start treating me like an adult?” she asked, frustrated. “Never mind, that’s a rhetorical question. But I am sorry if you’re taking the brunt of my decisions.”

  “Seriously? When can’t I handle your brother? It’s fine. He’s just pissed you’re with Beck. Their history is … complicated,” Jordan said.

  Chloe glanced at her French manicure and thought about what she knew about Linc and Beck’s falling-out back in college. “I remember meeting him when we went up for parents’ weekend, freshman year. They were best friends, but then I never heard about him again until I went into business with Linc and Beck was both his competitor and enemy number one.”

  “Mmm.” Jordan let out the sound.

  “I’ll take that to mean you can’t say more. I respect that. I guess I’ll just ask if I need to be worried about Beck? He’s giving me a place to find peace for a little while, and I need that.” Chloe would never ask Jordan to betray Linc’s trust, but she did need to know if the man who’d stepped in was using her in any way as Linc had insinuated.

  “No. I don’t believe you need to be concerned,” Jordan said. “I don’t know Beck, but when Linc came home and told me where you were, I did some digging and asking around with people in the business. Beck seems to be a decent guy. Intensely competitive but nothing that stands out as an issue. Beck and Linc’s problem is a personal one.”

  Chloe closed her eyes and expelled a relieved breath. “Thank you.”

  “That said, I wouldn’t let my guard down completely. It was an ugly situation between them, and no one really knows how he’ll react. And that’s all I can really say on the subject.”

  Curiouser and curiouser, Chloe thought before turning her attention back to her brother and his soon-to-be wife. “I’m glad Linc has you, Jordan. And I’m glad you two realized taking that next step into a real relationship means what you share will grow deeper.”

  “Thanks, Chlo. You take care, okay? And if you ever change your mind, you’re more than welcome to stay with us,” Jordan reminded her before they said their goodbyes.

  Then, Chloe pulled out her laptop she’d packed to take with her and began to do some online shopping. She also made calls to a couple of personal stylists she knew in order to fill in her wardrobe while she was staying with Beck.

  * * *

  Beck withdrew to his bedroom, leaving Chloe alone in her new accommodations across the hall. For a man who kept his emotions locked up tight, Chloe brought out the oddest feelings, and he wasn’t talking about his attraction to her, either. Her vulnerability reminded him of his sister. Whitney had had a bright smile, a big laugh, and she’d just begun to see who she might become as a woman when cancer had hit, but she’d also been a fighter. And she hadn’t gone down easily.

  He walked to his bedside drawer, opened it, and pulled out a piece of paper he’d had laminated so nothing would ever destroy his tangible memory of her. The words Bucket List were handwritten across the top of the page. A list of things Whitney wanted to do once she’d kicked cancer’s ass. And when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, a list she made Beck promise he’d complete for her. So one of them would fully live. He hadn’t been Whitney’s twin, but they’d been close nonetheless.

  And he’d completed most of them. A tandem jump at Skydive Arizona, in the heart of the Sonoran Desert, which taught him extreme sports were not his thing, a hot air balloon ride in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the ballooning capital of the world, which had been phenomenal, and surfing lessons in Kauai, Hawaii. He’d enjoyed that experience but decided he’d prefer to be on a yacht instead of in the water. There were more things on the list he’d accomplished, and at each, he’d felt like his sister was with him, sharing the moments.

  Only two remained. Seeing the northern lights and getting married. Of those, checking out the aurora borealis would happen. He’d been debating between a trip to Alaska and Norway, depending on how much time he wanted to be away. But the last item on her list would remain undone. Getting married was not in Beck’s future. After Whitney had died, he refused to let anyone close enough for him to feel that kind of shattering loss again.

  The buzz of his cell shook him out of the past. He put the laminated paper back into the drawer and closed it again before answering his phone to one of his brothers.

  “Drew, what’s up?” he asked.

  “Just calling to find out what ended up happening last night.”

  Beck laughed. “You’re the one who had a bridesmaid all over him. I should be asking you that.”

  “But you picked up the bride and carried her out of the ballroom. Sounds much more exciting to me. Where’d you go?” Drew asked.

  Beck cringed as he replied. “I took her to the bridal suite.”

  “Jesus fuck, Beck. Tell me you dumped her in bed and left her to sleep it off.”

  With a groan, he settled onto his king-size mattress. “Something like that.”

  “How about you explain?” An attorney, Drew was never one to let something go without getting an answer.

  Beck slid an arm behind his head, stretched out, and told him how last night had gone down with Chloe, how he’d carried her upstairs and settled her in.

  “Kingston? Chloe Kingston, Linc Kingston’s younger sister? That’s whose wedding we crashed last night? Carrie, the bridesmaid, was too drunk to talk much, and eventually she left and stumbled upstairs with her friend who was all over Tripp,” Drew said. “But back to you. Tell me you tucked her in and left her alone.”

  “Wish I could.” Staring up at the ceiling, Beck bit the bullet. “I stayed with her – nothing happened – and this morning I had a scene with her douchebag brother before telling her she could stay at my place until she figures out what to do with her life.”

  Beck pulled the phone away from his ear while his brother listed all the stupid reasons why having Chloe here was a bad idea. It started with her being a Kingston and ended with her being twenty-five to Beck’s age of thirty-two.

  “First off, it’s not like she’s underage. Second, we’re platonic…” Despite his raging hard-on when he thought about Chloe. “Third, she’s nothing like her brother, and the fourth and final point, how the hell do you know how old she is? I had no idea.”

  “I’ve been Googling while we’re talking. First thing that came up was her non-wedding and being dumped at the altar by her ex. The article in the society page that came up first mentioned her age. Now tell me how you know she’s nothing like her brother and why you’d bring a Kingston into your life after what Linc did to you?” Drew finished, sounding concerned.

  As the older brother, Drew had always been protective of his younger siblings, and though Beck appreciated his concern, he knew what he was doing. “I trust my instincts and you should, too.”

  After all the years that had passed since Linc’s betrayal, Beck had come to accept that Linc
had still been drunk the morning he’d found him in bed with Jenna. Over the ensuing time at school, Beck had also seen his ex-girlfriend in action with other guys and learned she was no saint.

  Beck wasn’t about to renew his friendship with Linc or play nice, but he wasn’t as blinded by anger and hurt as he once was. He just wanted to keep him at a distance.

  “I’m coming over,” Drew said.

  “No–”

  But Drew had disconnected the call, and Beck braced for a visit soon, considering his brothers both lived in a building Beck owned that was nearby. No doubt Drew wanted to meet Chloe and judge her for himself. Beck didn’t appreciate his sibling getting into his business, but that’s how his family rolled.

  Sure enough, not long after the call, Drew arrived with Tripp in tow. Chloe had been in her room for almost an hour, and instead of checking on her, he gave her the time and space she probably needed.

  “Don’t you two have something better to do than check up on me?” Beck asked as they stepped inside.

  “Not when you do something stupid like let a woman you barely know move in,” Tripp said.

  “One whose last name is Kingston.” Drew shut the door behind them.

  “Did I hear my name?” Chloe walked into the entryway, coming in from the hall, and his brothers turned her way. “Or my last name, anyway.”

  Beck frowned and glared at his brothers. “Chloe, these are my brothers.” Asshole One and Asshole Two, he thought. “Tripp and Drew. Guys, meet Chloe.”

  “Hi,” she said, treating them to a wave and a smile.

  “Hi,” Tripp said. “We met last night.”

  Chloe blushed and Beck shot his brother an annoyed glance.

  “Yes, umm, last night I wasn’t at my best. I’m sure you put the whole story together by now. Or read it somewhere,” she said beneath her breath.

  “It’s not your fault,” Beck said, irritated with his siblings.

  “What do you have to eat? I’m hungry.” Drew headed for the kitchen and they all followed.