Harrison pressed a hand to his shoulder, “I think I’ve got an inkling about what you’re going to do.”
He looked at Harrison. “I love her, Harry. And if this is what it takes…” He shrugged. “It’s what I’ll do.”
He opened his door, then climbed out before Harrison could reply.
The first reporter saw him as he was halfway up the steps. The rest turned into a flock of hungry seagulls the second they became aware of his presence.
Kimmy met him on the steps, puzzled frown in place. “I don’t know what you’re planning—”
He held up a finger. “Don’t sweat it, Kimmy. It’s all good. Trust me.”
She didn’t look convinced. Why would she? He’d never done anything like this before.
He smiled at the waiting, surging media and made his way up to the microphone and portable speaker waiting on the top of the steps. He could always rely on Kimmy to know exactly what he wanted.
Ha. The irony of it all.
A wave of elation rolled through him. Surreal and wonderful at the same time.
Judge Myers frowned at him from beside the microphone. The apprehension in her face made him chuckle. What was she going to make of it all?
Climbing the last step, he dropped her a wink. “Heya, Judge. Glad you could make it.”
“What are you doing, Mr. Hart?”
He smiled. “Something. It may sound a little wild at first, a little crazy, but I want you to bear with me? I think you’ll approve. And maybe even be a little proud of me.”
He turned, his heart hammering in his throat, his ears.
Was she here? Had she arrived? He scanned the waiting crowd, searching for any hint of glorious, copper-blonde curls. Any sign—
A black Audi sedan pulled to a halt at the curb. The rear passenger door opened, and he sucked in a sharp breath.
She was here.
Grace climbed out of the backseat, confusion and frustration etching her face. Her hair was a crazy mess, shining copper fire in the afternoon sun. She wore a flowy emerald-green dress that showed off her amazing curves and creamy skin. If he never saw her again, he would spend the rest of his life adoring this last glimpse of her.
She was beautiful.
My Grace.
Cody climbed out of the Audi wearing an Iron Man T-shirt and carrying an ancient video camera.
Sebastian smiled. Damn, he loved that kid. He really did.
Grace’s gaze met his across the crowd, and her frown deepened.
Okay, let’s do this.
With a smile only for her, he stepped up to the microphone. “G’day folks.”
His voice carried over the inner-city noise. The throng fell silent and looked up at him. Waited.
He drew a deep breath and began. “I’ve spent the last week or so with a very special family who have been treated woefully by fate. This family lost their husband, their father, to a fire. He was a firefighter here in Sydney, doing his job, saving the lives and loved ones and property of strangers. Every day, he put his own life in danger for people he did not know. One day, unfortunately, that job took his life. And forever changed the future for his wife and son.”
Cameras and phones focused on him. Recorded his every word. He didn’t care about any of them.
Grace. Grace and Cody. Only Grace and Cody.
She watched him, her expression unreadable. At some point, Harrison had moved down to stand near her. Cody stood on her other side, camera trained on Sebastian.
“When you compare what I do for a living…” He shrugged and let out a shaky laugh. “Well, there really isn’t a comparison, is there? Not a worthy one, at least.
“So I’ve decided it’s time I do something worthwhile. I am establishing a foundation here in Australia, and then hopefully, throughout the US, the UK, and the rest of the world, that will offer support—financial, emotional, social support—to the families of first responders who have lost a loved one on the job. And to show I’m not messing about, I am kick-starting this foundation with a personal donation of forty-two million dollars and a perpetual five percent cut from every movie I will ever make. Starting today.”
Grace pressed her hand to her mouth, curling her other hand around Cody’s shoulders to pull him closer to her. They both looked up at him. Both motionless. Both too far away for him to read their expressions.
A cheer went through the crowd. The gathering reporters surged forward. Questions were shouted at him. Fired at him.
“Mr. Hart?”
He turned and raised his eyebrows at Judge Myers. “Judge?”
She smiled. “I’m impressed. Surprised and impressed. Well done.”
He grinned. “I’m not finished yet.”
Turning away from her puzzled frown, he held up his hand to quiet the din. “I’ve been a self-indulged, self-centered idiot most of my life,” he said with a wry laugh. “The rules of society haven’t always applied to me. And I’ve used my money and my influence to make sure that’s the way it is. You can do that when you are rich and famous, you see. It’s surprisingly easy, and incredibly wrong. But as someone I know very well said to me a little while ago: I don’t live in the normal world.”
He drew another breath. Held Grace’s stare. “But I’ve come to realize I want to. I want to live in the normal world, and to do so, the rules of society must apply to me as well.”
A murmur went through the crowd. Grace stared up at him, shaking her head in small little side-to-side motions, pressing her hands to her stomach.
“A little while ago,” he continued, “I threw a shopping trolley through the window of the Hugo Boss store on George Street all because I liked a hat in the window and wanted to try it on. Instead of being severely punished, I was given community service. And during my community service, I met an amazing young man who has forever changed my world, and I was reacquainted with the one person in my entire life who has never let me get away with thinking I am above the rest of the world.”
Grace’s frown deepened. She caught her bottom lip with her teeth.
“I want to be a better person for them, so as of today, I am going to begin the six-month jail term I was originally meant to receive. I hope the world will know that when I get out, I will be coming out a better man. The man Grace Wilder knows I can be.”
The media erupted.
He ignored it, standing motionless.
Waited.
And then he let out a shaky breath as Grace climbed the steps, Cody a little behind her.
The media parted. Cameras and phones trained on them both.
He rounded the microphone and met her, stopped as she climbed the last step and drew level with him.
“Hi,” he said. “Any chance you’ll make me a cup of Earl Grey when I get out?”
She stared at him, eyes wide. “Are you crazy?”
He smiled. “Crazy in love with you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I never thought the Sebastian Hart would resort to clichés.”
He shrugged. She was so close and yet still a world away. “I never thought the Grace Wilder would be in love with me.”
Her lips twitched. “Who says I’m in love with you, Hart?”
“I do. And even though you told me I wasn’t allowed to tell you I am madly in love with you, I’m going to anyway.”
“Because you always do what you want, right?”
He chuckled, drowning in her eyes. “Not always. And I’m beginning to realize that’s okay. But I’m hoping to hell this is one of the times you’ll let me get what I want.”
She regarded him for a heartbeat, and then rolled her eyes again with a smile. “Oh, okay. You can say it.”
Yes.
He smoothed his arms around her waist and drew her to his body. “I am madly in love with you, Grace Wilder, and I hope you and Cody will want me in your life for the rest of mine.”
“And I am insanely in love with you, Sebastian Hart. And I think”—she looked at Cody, who grinned and nodded—“and I t
hink we would like that a lot.”
He cupped the side of her face with a trembling hand. “Will you wait for me?”
She rose onto tiptoe and brushed her lips against his. “I think I’ve been waiting for you—this you—ever since you first came into my life.”
“Hurry up and kiss already.” Cody laughed at their side. “My battery is flashing red.”
Sebastian hurried up and kissed her.
And kissed her.
Epilogue
Six months and two weeks of waiting later…
“I don’t know.” Grace shook her head. “I don’t think I can. I just…”
Rory raised his eyebrows and flicked a glance at Shelli. “Might be a bit late now for freaking out, hon.”
Grace shook her head again. “I can’t.”
Shelli closed her fingers over Grace’s shoulders and squeezed. “Okay, Wilder. Suck it up. You picked these shoes against Rory’s advice, so now you have to wear them.”
Grace shook her head again, lifted the hem of the ivory satin dress she wore, and frowned at the matching six-inch stilettos on her feet. They were beautiful and made her taller, but holy crap, they must have been designed by a professional sadist.
“No.” She returned her attention to Shelli and Rory. “I don’t. I’m going barefoot.”
“But you’re not pregnant,” Rory protested with a grin before dropping a glance at her midsection. “Are you? I mean, I’m assuming you had conjugal visits while—”
“Rory!” Shelli slapped him.
Laughing, Grace kicked the torture devices off her feet, dropped the hem of her dress, and let out a relieved breath. “There. Better.”
Shelli raised her eyebrows. “Really?”
She nodded. “Really.”
Rory chuckled and looked at Shelli. “Hart’s not going to change his mind just because she’s shoeless.”
“True.” Shelli shrugged and handed Grace the large bouquet of ivory roses she’d been holding for her. “It’s your wedding after all.”
Grace took the bouquet, wriggled her toes in the soft Bondi Beach sand, and smiled. “It is. Ready?”
Rory offered her his elbow. “Ready.”
Adjusting her grip on the smaller bouquet of roses in her hands, Shelli smiled. “Ready.”
Grace moved her gaze past her bridesmaid, down to where Sebastian and Cody stood on the beach a few yards away, beneath an arch made of eucalyptus branches and leaves. The beach was crowded with onlookers trying to get a glimpse of the famous wedding guests. Actors, writers, movie stars—a who’s who of the rich and famous waited near Sebastian and Cody.
And none of them mattered to her except Sebastian and Cody.
The men in her life were dressed in identical charcoal-gray suits. Both wearing identical neon-orange Crocs on their feet. Looking at her.
Waiting for their new life to begin.
She smiled.
Perhaps getting what you wanted wasn’t so bad after all.
Did you love this Indulgence? Check out more of our category romance titles here!
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About the Author
Lexxie Couper started writing when she was six and hasn’t stopped since. She’s not a deviant, but she does have a deviant’s imagination and a desire to entertain readers with her words. Add the two together and you get erotic romances that can make you laugh, cry, shake with fear, or tremble with desire. Sometimes all at once. When she’s not submerged in the worlds she creates, Lexxie’s life revolves around her family, a husband who thinks she’s insane, a indoor cat who likes to stalk shadows, and her daughters, who both utterly captured her heart and changed her life forever. Having no idea how old she really is, Lexxie decided to go with 27 and has been that age for quite some time now. It’s the best of both worlds – old enough to act mature, young enough to be silly. Lexxie lives by two simple rules – measure your success not by how much money you have, but by how often you laugh, and always try everything at least once. As a consequence, she’s laughed her way through many an eyebrow raising adventure.
Discover the Muse series…
The Stubborn Billionaire
The Mistaken Billionaire
Also by Lexxie Couper
Love’s Rhythm
Muscle for Hire
Guarded Desires
Steady Beat
Lead Me On
Blame it on the Bass
Getting Played
Blackthorne
Tropical Sin
Sunset Heat
His Suspicious Ways
Discover more category romance titles from Entangled Indulgence…
69 Million Things I Hate About You
a Winning the Billionaire novel by Kira Archer
After Kiersten wins sixty-nine million dollars in the lotto, she has more than enough money to quit working for her impossibly demanding boss. But where’s the fun in that? When billionaire Cole Harrington finds out about the office pool betting on how long it’ll take him to fire his usually agreeable assistant, he decides to spice things up and see how far he can push her until she quits. But the bet sparks a new dynamic between them, and they cross that fine line between hate and love.
His Convenient Husband
a Love and Sports novel by Robin Covington
NFL football player Isaiah Blackwell lost his husband three years ago and is raising their teen son alone. He lives his life as quietly as his job allows, until he’s introduced to Victor, a professional ballet dancer. Brash and loud Victor Aleksandrov has applied for political asylum. He’s been outspoken about gay rights in Russia, and going home will be a death sentence. When Victor’s denied asylum, Isaiah proposes something that’ll keep Victor in the US and safe…marriage. He just doesn’t expect his new husband to dance away with his heart.
Catching the Player
a Hamilton Family novel by Diane Alberts
Kassidy Thomas didn’t quite bet on singing a horrible song in front of the handsomest bachelor in the NFL, Wyatt Hamilton. She also doesn’t think he’d then consequently ask her out on a date. Married to the game, Wyatt Hamilton has no interest in relationships, love, or even second nights with the same woman. But from the second the girl-next-door beauty Kassidy knocks on his door to deliver a singing telegram, nothing goes as planned. He can’t stop thinking about her, and keeps showing up on her doorstep for more. That is, until the unthinkable happens…And all bets are off.
The Billionaire’s Holiday Engagement
an Invested in Love novel by Jenna Bayley-Burke
Cameron’s boss is convinced he needs a wife to be the right man to take over the company. When a gorgeous caterer cooks up the perfect event and catches Cam’s eye, he proposes an innovative arrangement. A relationship was never on Cameron’s agenda, he’s soon tempted to renegotiate their deal. Pretending to be Cam’s fiancée means Lauren can network with the kind of clients she’s always dreamed of. And if she can convince Mr. Buttoned Up Tight to have some unscheduled fun along the way, theirs could be a perfect arrangement.
The Irredeemable Billionaire (Muse series) Page 20
