Thanks to the time and the fact it was a Monday night, he didn’t have to deal with a lot of traffic, which meant less than ten minutes after leaving Mon Soleil, his stepmom’s favorite restaurant in the city, he pulled into the Mayfair’s parking garage. Originally a hotel built at the turn of the twentieth century, real estate developers had purchased the building fifteen years ago and turned it into what had been Providence’s most luxurious condo complex until the Hillcrest, where his brother lived, was built.
Josh expected the first floor of the Mayfair to resemble the many other exclusive condo buildings he’d visited. Instead, he discovered that the developers had left at least this level relatively untouched. A grand central staircase went up to the second floor, and an enormous chandelier hung from an intricately carved ceiling. Even the glass elevator that the hotel had been well known for remained, and he watched for a moment as it traveled up. Thankfully, it wasn’t the only one in the building, and he headed for the one closest to him.
He spotted the woman walking toward the elevator as the doors were closing. It wasn’t until after he pressed the button to hold them open that he realized doing so might not have been the smartest of moves. If the woman lived in the building, there was a decent chance she knew who lived in the penthouse. Until Courtney made up her mind, it would be best if no one could put them in the same place together.
“Thank you,” the woman said, stepping inside and selecting her floor. She moved to the opposite side of the elevator, but her eyes remained focused in his direction before briefly glancing at the control panel, which had only two floors lit up: hers and Courtney’s. “You’re J.T. Williamson. I was just watching Over The Edge last night. It’s my favorite of your movies.” She extended her hand toward him. “My name is Lexie.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“I hate to ask, but would you mind taking a picture with me? My friends will never believe I met you without proof.”
He was known for never refusing to give an autograph or pose for a photo. He didn’t want to start doing so now.
They managed two photos before the elevator stopped at the fifteenth floor and the doors opened to a thankfully deserted hallway. “Thanks again,” Lexie said, stepping out.
Josh made the rest of the trip alone. Unlike the first time the elevator stopped, the doors didn’t open to reveal a carpeted hallway. Instead, he stepped out into a small marble-tiled foyer several feet from a mahogany door. Oil paintings hung on the walls, and a chandelier much smaller than the one downstairs hung from the decorative ceiling, illuminating the area.
Unwelcome anxiety settled in his stomach as he pressed the doorbell. The anxiety changed into something he couldn’t label though when Courtney opened the door. At some point since their meeting, she’d ditched her dark suit for white leggings and an oversized crimson sweater. She’d let her hair down as well, and he could almost feel it slipping through his fingers or across his bare chest.
“Hey.” Courtney’s greeting stopped him from calling up all the times and places her hair had come in contact with his skin. “Come on in.” She stepped back so he could enter, and before she could change her mind and shut the door in his face, he crossed the threshold.
Whatever you do, don’t kiss her. Maybe if he repeated the words enough times while he was here, he’d manage to keep himself from doing it. However, if he were a betting person, he’d say the odds weren’t in his favor tonight.
He walked past her, and the barest hint of jasmine teased him. At least he thought he smelled it. In Hawaii, her hair had often smelled like jasmine, so it was possible he was imagining the scent now.
Other than to close the door, she didn’t move. “I was about to pour myself coffee, would you like some?”
How long she’d let him stick around tonight was anyone’s guess, but if she was offering him coffee, she intended to at least let him stay for more than five minutes.
“Sounds good.”
He caught another whiff of jasmine when she passed by him, and the memory of Courtney resting her head on his shoulder while they sat on her balcony formed. They’d done it countless times during their two weeks together, sometimes talking about whatever came to mind and other times simply enjoying the view. His eyes dropped to her feet as he followed her. It didn’t surprise him that she was barefoot. On vacation, she’d left her shoes and sandals behind whenever possible.
“Did you have dinner in the city?” Courtney entered the kitchen and removed two coffee mugs from a cabinet. Unlike his brother’s kitchen, which consisted of sharp angles, black cabinets, and a lot of chrome, this one incorporated dark woods, granite, and an inverted ceiling that echoed back to the grand hotel the building had once been.
“We went to Mon Soleil. Laura loves it there.” He’d meet Laura at the age of ten, and even though she treated him like a son, he’d never called her “Mom.”
Picking up the French press coffeepot, she poured coffee into the mugs. “That’s possibly my favorite restaurant in Providence.” Courtney added cream and sugar to her drink, then took a sip, but her eyes never looked away from him as he fixed his coffee. “Unless you visit Paris, you won’t find better French cuisine.” Rather than set down her mug, she gestured toward the doorway with it. “We’ll be more comfortable in the living room.”
Josh took that as another good sign she didn’t intend to kick him out anytime soon.
A unique combination of wood, leather, and various shades of red filled the living room. A door in the left-hand corner led out onto a balcony that wrapped around the corner of the building. Tonight it would be far too cold to sit out there, but in the spring and summer it would be a fabulous spot to sit and enjoy breakfast or dinner. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided an excellent view of the city, and during the day they would allow natural light to fill the room.
“This afternoon when you said you’d thought about calling me several times, I wasn’t sure I believed you.” She opted to sit on the sofa and set her coffee down on the end table.
On his way over, he’d run through various conversation starters. He’d settled on asking her about how her new job was going. Evidently, she had ideas of her own, and he was fine with that.
“Honestly, Josh, I’m still not sure I do,” she added with a slight shrug.
Considering the favor he’d asked her prior to telling her that, he understood her reluctance. “I—”
“But if you were being honest, I guess I should be too.” She sounded conflicted about whatever she intended to tell him. “A few times, I pulled up your number and almost called you.”
Despite the many places to sit, he dropped down onto the sofa with her. It might not be the wisest of decisions, since the urge to kiss her was growing stronger the longer he was with her, but it wouldn’t be the first time he’d done something stupid. And it probably wouldn’t be the last.
“I wish you had. I’ve missed you.” Perhaps he should keep the truth to himself, since she might assume he was simply trying to convince her to do what he wanted. But he didn’t want to. He wanted—no, he needed her to know the truth.
Josh’s words were just what she wanted to hear. Despite all the warnings she’d issued before he showed up, reminding herself to be cautious, a sliver of delight erupted in the vicinity of her chest.
He wants my help. Don’t forget that.
She didn’t want to believe it, but it was possible he’d say or do anything to get her to go along with his marriage proposal—a plan she’d been thinking about constantly since leaving his brother’s office. No doubt about it, the entire idea was crazy. Unfortunately, the absurdity of the plan wasn’t stopping her from seriously considering going along with it. She could honestly say she cared about Josh, and given time, she could see her feelings growing into much more.
Josh’s request for help wasn’t the only thing she’d thought about since the meeting this afternoon. She’d also spent more than a few minutes replaying their two weeks in Hawaii. While it was possibl
e she was wrong, everything about their time together hinted that there had been more between them than sex. His words just further strengthened her belief.
“You had my number, Josh. You could have called me.” Courtney knew full well what had stopped her from reaching out. She wanted to know his excuse.
With his coffee mug almost to his lips, he lowered it and nodded. “Yeah, I know. Like I said earlier, I thought about it. But the last time we saw each other, you didn’t say anything about wanting to stay in contact. And this custody mess with Naomi....” Josh stopped and raked his hand through his hair. “I haven’t been myself since I found out what Naomi was doing.”
She could only imagine what he was going through. His daughter had come up more than once. While Josh might have the reputation of a carefree playboy, when it came to Adalynn, he seemed like a loving father who would do anything for his daughter. And he was right about her not bringing up the topic of staying in contact. Of course she had kept her mouth shut because of his well-known relationship history.
“Fair enough,” Courtney admitted.
Again Josh raised his coffee mug toward his mouth. Like before, it didn’t reach its final destination. “Why didn’t you call?”
Did he really need to ask? She thought the answer would be obvious. “You don’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to relationships, Josh. You’re known to sleep with two different women in the same weekend. That’s not the kind of behavior that suggests you’d be interested in something serious.”
A muscle in his jaw clenched.
“You’re right, I haven’t been in a serious relationship since Naomi. But I’ve never slept with two different women in the same weekend. Gone out with two, sure, but that’s it. Yeah, I know the media claims I have, but you know how good the media is at twisting the truth.”
Countless times she’d seen how reporters made up stories or changed facts when writing pieces about her family. The same could very well be true in Josh’s case. She wanted to believe it was, and for now she’d give him the benefit of the doubt.
She watched as the mug finally touched his lips, and he took a sip. What would he do if she removed it from his hands and settled her lips on his? She’d stopped herself from doing it when she opened the door tonight, but it had taken considerable willpower.
Start talking again.
If she kept her mouth busy talking, maybe she’d keep herself from kissing him. And kissing him before she had answers to her questions would be a bad idea. No, correction, it wouldn’t be a bad idea, it would be a colossally bad one, because once they started kissing, she might give in and agree to anything.
Clearing her throat, she reached for her coffee and forced her gaze back to his eyes. “I’ve been thinking a lot about our meeting this afternoon.”
“You don’t have to give me an answer tonight. I didn’t ask to see you because I expected one.”
“I know, but the sooner I give you one the better. And I can’t do that until I have a few questions answered.” Another woman might drag her feet and make Josh jump through hoops before giving him an answer. She had no intention of doing either.
“Ask me whatever you want.” Josh rested his ankle on his knee and draped an arm along the back of the sofa.
“How soon would you want to get married?”
“Within a couple of weeks. I thought we could tell people we got engaged while in Hawaii.”
Yeah, she’d expected as much. Then again, she wouldn’t be the first person in her family to have an exceptionally short engagement. “Where would we live? I can’t move to Maine.”
While she could do some work remotely, she needed to remain within commuting distance of the foundation. As far as she knew, the only house he had in New England was in Bar Harbor, a town more than five hours away, making a daily commute impossible.
“I’ve already considered that. We can either buy something in the area or I can move in here. Whatever you want. It doesn’t matter to me.”
“I’d rather stay here.” She’d moved in the middle of November and had no desire to do it again. Besides, it wasn’t like she didn’t have more than enough room here for two people. “We’ll need to have a prenup.” If she’d been entering into a marriage like her brother’s, she wouldn’t consider it. But this wouldn’t be anything like what her brother and Paige had. She needed to know that when it ended, she would be protected.
“Not a problem.” Josh picked up his coffee and took another sip. Once again, she wished his lips were touching her rather than the mug.
Looking away from his mouth, Courtney focused on a painting hanging on the far wall and sipped her coffee. So far, he’d given her all the right answers. But she had one more question she needed answered. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn’t sure how she wanted him to answer when it came to this one.
She’d slept with the man, so asking him if he expected them to be intimate shouldn’t bother her. Yet it did. Tightening her grip on the mug, she asked her final question. “How real of a marriage do you expect this to be?”
Setting aside his coffee, he slid closer to her. “When we’re in public, it has to appear 100 percent real. Except for Evan, not even our families can know the truth.” His hand closed around her shoulder as his thumb caressed the skin along the neckline of her sweater. Each pass sent another spark to the tiny fire growing insider her. “But when it’s just the two of us here, it’ll be up to you.”
She’d have to put some thought into whether or not they’d be intimate, because on one hand, sleeping with him while they were married might not be the wisest of moves. At the same time though, if she agreed to this, she might as well be able to enjoy the perks. Correction, not if, but when she agreed. It might turn into an epic disaster, but she intended to help him. Even before he walked in, she’d been leaning in that direction. The only thing holding her back had been the need for answers to her questions, which she now had.
“Do you—”
“I’ll do it,” Courtney said at the same time.
His whole face spread into a smile, and he cupped the back of her head before brushing his lips against hers. The feel of his mouth against hers again caused the fire inside her to go from a small and manageable one to an out-of-control wildfire. Before she could fully enjoy it though, he pulled away, his face a mask of seriousness.
“Are you positive?” Josh asked, his tone both cautious and optimistic. “You usually stay out of the media. If we do this, you won’t be able to do that. The tabloids will be all over us, Courtney. Not everyone can handle it.”
The last part of his statement had her wondering if the media had played a role in the ending of his relationship with Naomi. Other than to tell her Naomi was the mother of his daughter, Josh hadn’t given her any details about their one-time relationship.
“Trust me, I already considered that. I’ll be fine. It’s not like the media has never bothered me before.”
Josh’s smile returned, and the hand on her shoulder slipped down to her waist. “Thank you.”
He brought his mouth down on hers and pulled her in closer. Memories of him holding her close once again bombarded her, and she briefly considered inviting him to stay the night. Common sense kicked in before she could do something she might later regret. Before she allowed their relationship to become intimate again, she needed to know for certain it was what she wanted. Courtney couldn’t make a decision like that with his lips and body touching hers.
Ending their kiss, she moved her hand, which had found its way to the back of his neck, and put some much needed space between them. “We should talk about how we’re going to proceed.” She wrapped both hands around her coffee mug again. She couldn’t touch Josh if they were both occupied.
“If you agreed, Evan said he’d pick up an engagement ring for me. Since we’re going to claim I proposed weeks ago, it’ll be safer if I’m not seen by anyone shopping for a diamond ring.”
A twinge of disappointment bubble
d up at the thought of another man buying the ring. But she couldn’t argue with his reasoning. It would look odd if anyone ever found out he’d bought the ring a day or two before they went public with their relationship.
“I’ll ask him to do it tomorrow. What size ring do you wear?”
Courtney didn’t shop for clothes or purses as much as some women, but she had a weakness when it came to jewelry, especially rings. Since there was no written rule stating an engagement ring had to be a diamond, she had the perfect piece to fulfill the role.
“Don’t worry about it. I have something I can use.”
The ten-carat oval ruby surrounded by fourteen solitaire diamonds had caught her eye the previous winter during a shopping trip in Manhattan. With so many options in her collection, she didn’t wear any one piece often, so no one in her family would remember seeing it on her prior to their announcement.
“Are you sure?”
“Positive. Besides, this way I can start wearing it tomorrow. If Evan purchases something, it’ll need to be sized to fit me, which won’t fit with the narrative that you proposed last month.”
“Okay. I’ll ask Pauline to prepare an announcement for the media outlets. Knowing her though, she already has one done.”
“You were confident I would agree.” She wasn’t sure how she felt about that.
“She was. Honestly, I didn’t know how you’d react.”
“In the meantime, we should both contact lawyers regarding a prenup.” She didn’t have a lawyer per se, but her cousin Derek worked in one of the largest firms in the city. He should be able to either help her out or get her in contact with someone who could. “We don’t have much time to plan. If you want, I can ask my uncle Mark to marry us. He did it for Derek and Brooklyn last year.” Sometimes having an uncle who was a Rhode Island Supreme Court Chief Justice came in handy.
“Whatever you want is fine.”
What she wanted and what they needed were not the same thing, but Josh didn’t need to know that. “I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” She added calling her uncle to the mental to-do list forming. “I’ll let my parents know too. Don’t have Pauline release anything until after I have told them.”
Tempting The Billionaire (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 13) Page 5
