by Maggie Marr
“Can’t explain it until it happens to you. One day you’re cruising along, minding your own business and then there’s this woman who’s front and center in your mind. Not like when you’re in the chase, this is completely different. This one is under your skin and in your bones…you start to think about the future and kids and family, and then it hits you like a fucking bag of wet cement how lost you’d be if she were to leave. How you can’t imagine being without her. Then you get scared that she’ll figure out that you don’t deserve her.” Justin smiled and shook his head. “Scares your ass so bad that you’ll do nearly anything to make sure she never ever discovers how unworthy you are of her love. And that includes being the best damn husband that you can ever be.”
Leo shuddered. “Sounds like my version of hell.”
Justin laughed. “Mine too, brother, mine too, until I found Aubrey again. And now, it’s simply the best kind of paradise I could ever imagine.” He stood.
“If you say so.” His brothers were whipped beyond redemption. Leo could tell Justin and Anthony were happy beyond belief, but he definitely didn’t want to follow them into their newfound coupled-up bliss. “Speaking of, Aubrey and the baby are good, right?”
Justin’s face grew somber. “She had a doctor’s appointment today. Bed rest for the rest of the pregnancy, or at least until it’s safe for her to deliver.”
“You’re kidding.”
“Wish I was.” He looked gravely serious, in a way that hit Leo in the chest. “She’s been doing too much with the holidays and the traveling. My fault—I should have been helping more. But she seemed so happy, like she was handling it and—”
“What? She’s a grown-up. She would have asked if she needed your help.”
Justin shook his head. “No, that’s where you’re wrong. They don’t ask when they need your help. They want you to offer.”
“We’re not mind readers.”
“No, but I love her, and she feels loved when I offer to help. It’s how she knows I’m keyed into our life.” Justin looked down at the floor, then back up to meet Leo’s eyes. “She means everything to me, Max and her and the…” He took a deep breath and a muscle in his jaw flinched. His eyes were red. What the fuck—was his brother about to cry?
Wow. His brother was madly in love with his wife. And worried. Justin didn’t really worry, he simply fixed the problem. He took care of business. He got things done.
A sudden thought occurred to Leo. He couldn’t fix this for Justin, but there was a way he could help. “Hey, so Gwen is running point for the launch party. I know Aubrey offered to help, but I’m thinking me and Gwen, we’ve got it covered.”
A smile cut across Justin’s face. “Thanks for that. One less thing for her to worry about. I appreciate it.”
Leo nodded. The least he could do, really. Seemed like the Travati family dynamic was changing and would continue to change. Even if he was going to be the confirmed bachelor of the group, he’d still have to buckle down and help from time to time. Hell, he didn’t mind being the cool single uncle to his nephew and whatever the heck this baby was going to be.
“Gwen’s running point, make sure you call her.” Justin walked toward the door. “You know, if you can figure out how to leave a voicemail.”
“Ha!” Leo retorted. But hey, at least now he had more than one reason to talk to Gwen.
Chapter 6
“Aubrey, I don’t think the space is right.” Gwen walked around the open room in the building Todd and Ilko, the Convenient Arrangement app designers, had suggested, FaceTiming with Aubrey on her phone. How were they this much behind schedule? Because one venue had canceled, another had burned to the ground over the holidays, and all the upscale venues she’d suggested had been shot down by Hipster 1 and Hipster 2 for being too mainstream, too boring, and not nearly edgy enough for the launch party.
The room was in an old club that housed obscure bands with overly precious names and small followings on the weekends. The entire place reeked of beer and stale cigarettes. “The vibe in here—” Gwen held her phone so Aubrey could see the dank basement room they were dealing with. “Your thoughts?”
“Oh. My,” Aubrey said. “I’m thinking N. O.”
“We’re so close to the date that we’re running out of options.” Gwen bit her bottom lip. This place made an interstate gas station bathroom look upscale. There was no way they could expect A-listers to flock to a basement that smelled like a frat house and looked like a dungeon.
“What about one of the Travati properties?” Aubrey asked.
“Maybe,” Gwen said. “But I don’t know what’s available. Most the events we’ve done together have been at restaurants or in your home.”
“Right. I was worried about this, that’s why I had—”
“What’s a lady like you doing in a dump like this?” A familiar male voice sent a tremble down Gwen’s spine. Her stomach tightened. Lucky for Gwen the dungeon was rather dark, because heat flamed in her neck and cheeks. She licked her lips and spun on her heels to face him.
It had been two weeks since she’d slept with Leo—okay, thirteen days, but who was keeping track?—and every night she still saw his face in her dreams.
“Leo.” His name came out of her mouth like velvet.
“Hey Leo,” Aubrey yelled from the phone screen and waved. Leo moved around behind Gwen to look at the phone over her shoulder. “Thanks for getting over there so fast.”
“Hi, sis. So this is…quite a place.”
Gwen kept her expression neutral as Leo’s body pressed against her back. Her nipples tightened against the lace of her bra. His breathing next to her ear, the planes of his chest…like hard steel.
Gwen cleared her throat. “We can’t have the event here, obviously.”
In his reflection on the phone screen, Gwen watched his eyebrow rise. His scent was just what she had remembered, identical to the scent that still clung to one pillow on her bed. No, she hadn’t washed that pillowcase…yet. Was the room suddenly hot? She tugged at the collar of her turtleneck, cleared her throat, and took a step forward. She handed her phone to Leo with Aubrey still on FaceTime.
“I…uh…I need to find the ladies,” Gwen mumbled and walked toward the door that led to the stairs. “Be back in a second.”
The cramped bathroom smelled like old pee. Nope. If there had been any doubt that this was the absolute wrong venue for the launch party, the dirty toilets and moldy sink sealed the deal. She looked into the mirror. She could do this, she could totally find a place for the event with Leo. She was a businesswoman. She could pretend that she was cool, tough, and uninterested.
Her heart rattled behind her ribs. Who the hell was she kidding? Just his name on her lips and his breath tickling her neck had sent her scurrying away into a shithole that smelled of old pee and…was that vomit on the floor? She pulled a paper towel from the dispenser, wrapped it around her hand, and opened the bathroom door without touching a thing. Taking a deep breath, she turned the corner and walked right into Leo’s chest.
“Ah, there you are. I told Aubrey I’d find you and you could call her back.” He held out her phone. Her fingertips grazed his as she took her phone from him, and you’d have thought she’d stuck a fork into a 220 outlet.
“Since she has to be on bed rest, I told her I’d step in and help you find a venue.”
“Thanks.” She ran a hand over her hair.
“There’s a place we have over on the Upper East Side that might be right for the launch. Want to check it out?”
“Now?”
“Unless you have someplace to be. I carved out the rest of my day to be with you.”
Her lady parts tingled. Leo had carved out the rest of the day to be with her… As much as she didn’t want those words to cause her blood to thrill, they did. Damn. This man with his velvet voice and sexy eyes—she couldn’t begin to pretend to be indifferent. Just him standing there in a hallway made her knees wobble. Quick breath. Professional. Remain pro
fessional. Pull it together, woman. Remember you’re a badass businesswoman. “Of course. I have a dinner later this evening, but I’m sure we’ll be done by then, right? Let’s go take a look at the venue.”
Leo tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Sure.” His wary expression seemed to convey that he thought she was on drugs, or perhaps mentally unstable. She wasn’t certain which would be more embarrassing. “I’ll drive.”
There was no small talk as they drove across Manhattan. Gwen preferred the silence to having to attempt to talk and ignore the memories of their New Year’s Eve together, a night that had been a heated tangle of legs and arms and tongues. She scrolled through her phone, checking notifications. A new voicemail message had popped up. She pressed the message line and listened to Leo sounding like a prepubescent boy attempting to ask a girl on his first date. A smile slipped onto her face. Hmmm… She looked across the car toward Leo, clicked the button to put her phone to sleep, and dropped it into her purse.
“Don’t leave voicemails for women very often, do you?”
He glanced away from the congested traffic and met her amused gaze. Realization flashed through his eyes and…wait, was Leo embarrassed? Flushing red?
“I’m guessing most women fall all over themselves to answer your call, right? Maybe jump out of showers, cut meetings short, hang up on friends, all so they can answer when you call?”
Her saccharine smile made him do a double take.
“What? I don’t know.” He shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe.”
Liar. He did know. She gathered he knew exactly the kind of effect he had on the female of their species. How could he not? Hadn’t she brought him home and called out his name over and over and over again?
Heat burned her cheeks and tingling flooded her below the waist. Worth it. Yes. He was good in bed. Better than good, but she was certain that Leo had arrived at excellence after practice. Lots and lots of practice.
“Where’s the property?” she asked, turning the subject to business and away from anything that provoked her blushing, his shoulder shrugging, and the sexual tension simmering between them.
“Near Central Park. Great view, especially at night. We own the building. There’s a floor with an industrial kitchen and space for dining and parties.”
“What do you guys use it for?”
“There was a catering company in there for a while, but they bailed. Haven’t had anyone take on the space, so we’ve been sitting on it looking for the right tenant. Kind of pricey but the location is good. If you’re into doing parties and you have clients who need a venue, this one is pretty ideal.”
Gwen’s heart pattered. The property sounded exactly like what she wanted and needed to take her business to the next level. A large space in a neighborhood convenient to her clients, with a kitchen on site? Every party planner’s dream, but of course she was still a small business. She couldn’t imagine the kind of rent Travati Financial would be looking for on a space like that.
*
“I love the view.”
Gwen turned and the golden light from the setting sun swept over her dark red hair, turning the color a burnt copper. Her smile was the widest he’d seen directed toward him since New Year’s.
Every muscle in his body tightened. Gwen was spectacular, and not just because of her looks. She carried herself with warmth and grace. Her laugh, her smile—she intrigued Leo in a way that some of the most enchanting women in the world hadn’t. She walked toward the floor to ceiling windows and looked out over Central Park.
“But as much as I love the space, I don’t think it’ll work.”
His brows creased. “What? Why?”
She glanced over her shoulder at him. “Not nearly hipster enough for your partners.” She crossed her arms and swept a glance around the room. “They’ve nixed nearly all my suggestions. Plus, the place we went to earlier?”
“The Puke Palace?”
“I’d been thinking of it as the dungeon, but actually, that’s a better name. Yes, that place was their idea.” She waved her hand toward the high-ceilinged room with its polished wood floors. “This will be much too upscale for them. They’re looking for a gritty, hip sort of place. I’m trying to find one that doesn’t have throw up on the floor.”
“Tall order.” Leo walked toward her, drawn like a magnet to metal. The halo of golden setting sunlight outlined her body.
“You have no idea.”
She turned from the window. She was right beside him. Close, very close. Close enough for him to catch the scent of flowers…what kind of flowers? Magnolias? He didn’t know flowers, couldn’t possibly know that, and yet he was sure he was right. Magnolias…the scent was Gwen. A scent that had clung to his body after New Year’s. His shirt and his skin.
“You have my vote.” Leo’s voice grew husky with her nearness. She had such an impact on him. His attempt to ignore these feelings, to brush them aside, was failing. Gwen took a step back and a look of…discomfort flashed over her face.
“You’re uncomfortable around me now. Is it because of what happened?”
“New Year’s Eve?” Gwen pasted an isn’t-that-silly smile onto her face and patted her hair. “No. Not a bit. We discussed New Year’s Eve and we agreed it was a blip, a nothing. Best to pretend that night never happened.”
“That’s not exactly how I remember the conversation.” Leo took two steps closer and she didn’t back away, didn’t turn. Instead, the pulse in her neck fluttered. “As I recall, I thought our chemistry should be investigated further.” Gwen’s tongue darted over her lower lip. “You,” Leo nodded toward Gwen, “declined.”
“I did, indeed.” Her gaze was on his mouth. He wanted to reach out, pull her close, and press his lips to hers. If being together meant nothing to her emotionally, then why wouldn’t she agree to explore this outrageous heat that sizzled between them? One night hadn’t been nearly enough for him, and from the look in Gwen’s eyes, that one night hadn’t satisfied her either. Her gaze flicked from his mouth to his eyes.
The answer hit him, sharp and fast like a jab to the gut, as soon as her eyes met his and he saw the longing she tried so hard to mask with another stiff smile. Gwen’s decision wasn’t just about discretion, or about his family, or about being a busy executive. Her reasons were much simpler. How could he have failed to see the truth? He’d been right all along. He’d been right the morning after. Gwen couldn’t have sex without emotion. A convenient arrangement wasn’t just inconvenient for her right now—a convenient arrangement was an impossibility for Gwen Fleming.
Leo took a step back. Away from the heat, away from the attraction…away from Gwen. His breath hitched in his lungs. With those long legs and effervescent smile, Gwen was the type of woman any man would be lucky to have in his life, even with the complications of a relationship.
A relationship?
When was the last time he’d considered having a real relationship with a woman?
“Aubrey will love this space.” Gwen looked away from him and turned back toward the room. “So will Nina. You want to show me the kitchen?” Her eyes sparkled and her lips relaxed into a true smile. A smile that seemed to let him off some hook she’d hung him on. A smile he most likely didn’t deserve. He hadn’t realized, even when he’d doubted her words, hadn’t realized for certain that the night between them did mean more to Gwen than a simple one-night stand.
Gwen deserved more. Deep breath. Did he want to give her more?
“I like it when you smile.”
Gwen’s eyes widened. This moment wasn’t just chemistry and heat. A need to reach out, to pull Gwen into his arms and gently kiss her, swelled in Leo’s chest.
“Gwen—” He stepped forward. “Gwen, you are—”
“Leo, I—”
“Gwen please, will you let me—I don’t want to have a convenient arrang—”
Her phone trilled the notification of an incoming FaceTime call and she looked away, the moment shattered by the electronic device
.
Aubrey’s face popped onto the screen. “Soooo, how is it?”
“The place is amazing.” Gwen held out her phone and pressed the button to switch to the rear-facing camera so Aubrey could see the room for herself. “Won’t work for the launch party because of Hipster 1 and Hipster 2, but it would completely work for Nina and catering.”
“You’re right!” Aubrey chortled from the phone. “This is perfect, and the address is ideal. Leo”—Gwen pointed the phone at him so Aubrey could address him directly—“I can’t believe you guys have this place and we didn’t know.”
“It’s been empty for months.” He sighed and forced a smile onto his face. “You may do with it what you will. Want to see the kitchen and the offices?’
“Offices?” Gwen and Aubrey gasped in unison.
“Oh yes, please,” Gwen said.
“Perfect, perfect, perfect,” Aubrey crowed.
Leo led the way, pleased he could make his sister-in-law happy, but wishing he could find the way to make Gwen happy as well.
Chapter 7
The next morning, Gwen’s sat with her iPad open on her kitchen table. She sipped her coffee, her hair up in a messy bun, clicking through different locations on her computer while Aubrey’s face beamed out from the iPad screen. She still needed a venue for Leo’s launch party. Though her face showed nothing but calm concentration, panic careened around her belly. She was running out of time.
“The invitations for the baby shower are finished and sent.”
“That’s part of my job,” Gwen chided, smiling.
“Check it off the list. Why messenger them over to you so you could drop them in the mail? It’s done.” Aubrey sipped her tea. “Oh! I showed Nina the video of the Upper East Side location.”
“And?”
“She flipped. Couldn’t believe the video of the kitchen. Was shocked, first, that we didn’t know, second that no one is using it, and third that the guys own it. Who knew? Those guys. I swear one of these days I’ll find out they own an island.”
