by Sarah Morgan
“You loved your father. You were being supportive.”
“But I should have found a way to support his dream while still pursuing my own.” He drew her closer. “I told my brother he was selfish, but I see now that he was protecting his dream.”
“But he was only able to do that because you stepped up. He lived his dream while you let yours lie dormant.” She touched his arm, feeling the hard swell of muscle beneath her fingers. “Either way, I’m glad you and he have sorted things out.”
“So am I, but I don’t want to talk about my brother or my business. I want to talk about you.”
And this, of course, was the part she’d been dreading. There was no more hiding behind Lara. No more fiction. It was time for facts and truth.
Time to be herself.
She withdrew her hand. “I’m not who you think I am.”
“You think I care what your name is?”
“I’m not just talking about my name.” The truth lodged in her throat. It was the hardest thing she’d ever had to say. “You asked me what I was doing at the event the other night and I didn’t really answer you because I was—” She took a deep breath. “I was working.”
“Working?”
“Yes. For Star Events. I’m a waitress. Or I was a waitress until I had a catastrophic spill and tipped champagne over your guests.”
He stared at her. “That was you.”
“That was me. And I could tell you that I was having a bad night, that I was unlucky, or I could say that sort of thing has never happened to me before, but the truth is that it happens to me all the time. That was me in all my undisguised glory.”
“That explains why I couldn’t find your name on the guest list.”
“You checked the guest list?”
“Several times.” He closed his hands over her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” She challenged him right back and he sucked in a breath.
“Because I didn’t want my name to get in the way. For one night I wanted to be myself.”
“Then that’s the difference between us, because for that one night I wanted to be someone different.”
“And you chose to be Lara.” He shook his head, a smile touching the corners of his mouth. “Your heroine.”
“How much did you read?”
“Every word. And I read the sex scenes twice. There were a couple of things in there we didn’t have time to try that night. We need to rectify that.”
Her stomach flipped. “I’m not Lara. She’s a product of my imagination. But after I was fired—”
“You were fired?”
“Of course.”
“For one accident?” His eyes hardened and his voice turned several shades cooler.
In that brief moment she glimpsed the ruthless businessman; the side of him that others saw.
“It wasn’t the first. Look—” she took a deep breath “—I’m nothing like Lara. Just for one night I wanted to be like her and live a life of daring and adventure, full of wild affairs with good-looking men. I wanted to be like her, but I’m not. The real me is clumsy and uncoordinated. I hate being this tall. I’m shy with strangers. I hate confrontation. I could go on. You have no idea.”
“Yes, I do. I know all those things. But knowing you were pretending to be your heroine explains a lot. Like the fact that one moment you were confident, and the next shy. One moment you were telling me nothing, and then you were spilling your innermost secrets.”
“I’m always spilling something,” Matilda said gloomily. “At least secrets don’t make as much mess as liquid. It’s my worst trait.”
He cupped her face in his hands, a slow, sexy smile transforming his features. “It’s adorable. It makes you human. You’re imperfect. I love that.”
It was her turn to stare. “You love that I’m imperfect?”
“Everyone is imperfect, Matilda. Everyone. But most people are afraid to show their imperfections.”
“Mine are pretty hard to hide.” She shifted awkwardly. “You love the fact that I’m clumsy?”
“I love everything about you. I love you.” He breathed deeply. “And I know it’s too soon to say that. I know it’s crazy, so don’t give me that look. You’re not thinking anything I haven’t thought myself. But logic doesn’t change the way I feel. Do you know how many people I meet like you?”
“Not many, I assume, or your dry cleaning bill would be high enough to bring down the company.”
He laughed. “I know you’re clumsy. You threw champagne over me. Then you dropped a slice of pizza on my jacket, broke the zipper on my pants and crushed my hand in the bathroom door.”
If there had been an ejector seat, Matilda would have pressed the button. “I’m sorry about that. I wanted to give you a night you wouldn’t forget but I didn’t quite mean it to be for reasons of personal injury.”
“You gave me a night I wouldn’t ever forget, but not for those reasons. Because it was the first time in my life a woman has been herself with me. Our relationship might have been short, but it wasn’t fake. It wasn’t superficial.” His voice softened. “We had fun, Matilda. You know we had fun.”
Her mouth was dry. “It wasn’t real.”
“Which part wasn’t real? The part when we made love all night, or the part when we watched the sunrise and talked about everything? It was real, and you have no idea how long I’ve waited for real.”
“You didn’t know who I was.”
“Yes, I did.” His hands tightened on her face and he lowered his forehead to hers. “I knew exactly who you were. The only thing I didn’t know was your name or what you did for a living, but that isn’t what defines a person. In the end it isn’t about what you do or what you call yourself, it’s about the person inside, and I know the person inside.”
“Chase—”
“I know you have a dream to be a published writer, and you want it so badly you were prepared to put aside your natural shyness and approach a man you found intimidating. I know you hate your long legs because it makes you conspicuous and you hate being conspicuous. I know that when you’re listening you tilt your head to one side. And I know your mom would have been proud of how hard you’ve worked to follow your dream. I liked the dedication at the front of your book. She would have liked it, too. Now I understand why you wanted to see your book on the shelves across the US.”
Her eyes filled and her throat thickened. “Chase—”
“There are people I see every day who I don’t know as well as I know you. And do you know why? Because they hide who they are behind a screen. You didn’t hide.” He lowered his forehead to hers. “Meeting you changed my life.”
She could hardly breathe. “Because I dropped ice in your lap?”
His eyes were amused. “No, because you made me think long and hard about my life.” His smile faded. “You questioned why someone who had reached my level in an organization would need to spend their time doing things they hated doing. And I realized you were right. I didn’t need to do those things. You asked me about my interests and I realized I’d let them slide into the background along with the people I really want to spend time with.”
“So no more parties?”
“That depends.” The words sounded like a question, and she felt her heart miss a beat.
“On what?”
“On whether you’re by my side.” He kissed her gently and then lifted his head and stroked her face with his fingers. “You didn’t just show me who you really were, you showed me who I was, too, and you reminded me what’s important. You forced me to take a long, hard look at my priorities.”
“So you’re reinventing yourself?”
“I’d call it rediscovering rather than reinventing. I spent last weekend sailing, with my brother. We talked about things we’ve never talked about before. Cleared the air. It’s going to take a while to get back to where we were, but I know it will happen. It’s another dream of mine
, and someone I know and respect told me you should never let anything get in the way of your dream.”
She felt a rush of happiness for him. “I’m pleased. Really pleased. Family is too important to let it go without a fight.”
“I agree. And now I’ve addressed my work life and family issues, all that’s left is my love life.” He looked deep into her eyes and she shook her head.
It was fine to pretend for one night, but extending the fantasy would lead to nothing but pain, and she had enough reality to deal with.
“This can’t possibly work, Chase. It’s isn’t real.”
“No?” He lowered his head and kissed her with erotic purpose until she was shaking, until the fire of pleasure melted her thoughts and all resistance left her.
How did he know how to do this? How did he know how to kiss like this? She relaxed against him, feeling the hard pressure of his body against hers.
Someone passing wolf-whistled, and she pulled away.
“Alex—Chase—”
His gaze didn’t shift from hers. “Kiss me again and tell me this doesn’t feel real.” His voice was thickened with the same dizzying passion that was making her head spin.
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I don’t. I don’t see a single legitimate reason why we can’t be together.”
“Well, for a start you’re rich enough to buy a small country and I don’t even own an apartment. In fact, since I lost my job, I’ve had to give notice and soon I will have nowhere to live.”
“It wouldn’t have made economic or logistical sense to keep your apartment on once we’re married, so that’s one decision made for us.”
“Married?” She gaped at him. “Are you drunk?!”
“No, I’m decisive, as I keep telling you, but if you need a little more time that’s all right with me. As long as it isn’t too much time. I’m an impatient man, as you’ve already identified. And ruthless, and single-minded about getting my own way.”
“But—” She shook her head, dazed. “You can’t be serious.”
“You want me to prove how serious I am?” He took her hand and walked toward the door of Tiffany’s.
She stopped and tugged at his hand, half laughing, half embarrassed. A few people had stopped to watch, curious. “Wait! They’re closed.”
“Sometimes they open for special occasions. Me finally proposing to a woman is a special occasion.”
“Chase—” she was desperate “—you’ve spent one night with me.”
“The best night of my life. The first of many best nights of my life.”
The breath hitched in her throat. “I’m nothing like the women you usually mix with—”
“That’s true. Please don’t ever change.”
“We come from different places.”
“But as long as we end up in the same place, that’s all that matters. You were the one who told me that there are no obstacles that can’t be overcome when you care about someone. I know you love me. It’s in your eyes and in your smile. I can wait to hear you say it, and until you do I’ll keep saying it for both of us.”
Hope poked its way through the doubts. “You’re a man who thinks about every decision. You measure everything and—”
“Some things are too important to leave to logic.” He curled his hand behind her head and brought her face to his. “I love you. I want to make you happy. I’m going to make you happy. If you’ll trust me, if you’ll come with me, I’ll prove it.”
“Come with you where?”
He grinned. Boyish. Younger. “Anywhere. Everywhere, but we’ll start with my beach house in the Hamptons.”
“You have a beach house?”
“I do, and I haven’t spent nearly enough time there lately. I’m going to teach you to sail. And there’s a room overlooking the sand that will be perfect for writing. And I have a library.”
The library.
“I saw your library featured in a magazine.”
“Well, now you can see it in real life. My brother bought your book and you have another deadline pressing down on you. A whole career ahead.”
A horrible thought sneaked into her head. “Did you tell him to buy it?”
“No, and once you know my brother, which you soon will given all the Thanksgiving, Christmas and Fourth of July celebrations that stretch ahead of us, you’ll know it wouldn’t have made a difference if I had. He’s as stubborn as I am.”
“So he really did like my book.”
“He loved your book, and he wants more books, so while I’m working during the day, you can write, then we’ll meet up and do exciting things to each other. And if you want to pretend to be your heroine from time to time to practice different positions, that’s fine with me. How does that sound?”
It sounded like a fairy tale.
“You sent it to him. You made my dream come true—”
“You did that.” He kissed her gently. “You did it yourself.”
She eased away just enough to speak. “That apartment you took me to—you told me you were just staying there for a while—”
“That was true. Before now I’ve never spent long enough in a place to be able to call it home.”
“But you do own it.”
“If you’re worried, don’t be. We can sell it. In fact, we probably should sell it. We’re going to need a family house.”
“We are?” She felt faint. “Why?”
“Because we’re a family. Eventually we might have babies. Lots of long-legged kids who are going to grow up learning to sail.”
Her eyes filled. “Chase—”
“Don’t cry.” He swept his thumb over her cheek. “I don’t ever want to see you cry. I am going to put bubble wrap on all the sharp edges in our home so you can’t damage yourself.”
She gave a choked laugh. “I’d trip over it.”
“We’ll use cushioned flooring.”
She buried her face in his shoulder. “Chase—”
“Shh—”
She felt his hand on her hair, unbelievably gentle. “I can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe it’s real.”
“Why not? This is New York City,” he murmured, “and anything can happen here. You were the one who told me that. Exciting things. So if you say yes to me we can go and live a life of daring and adventure, but the wild affair you wanted will be with each other. How does that sound?”
“It sounds like a dream come true.” She wrapped her arms round his neck. “When does our new life start?”
“Right now, when we walk through that door into Tiffany’s.”
Read on for an extract from SLEEPLESS IN MANHATTAN by Sarah Morgan
“I owe you an apology.”
“For what?”
“For misreading the situation the other night. For making things awkward between us. I was—” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. “I was looking for things that weren’t there. I was close to panic and you were trying to distract me. I understand that now. I don’t want you feeling that you have to avoid me, or be careful around me. I’d never wanted that—I—”
“Don’t. Don’t apologize.” He gripped the railing and she noticed his knuckles were white.
“I wanted to clear it up, that’s all. It was a kiss. Didn’t mean anything. Two people trapped in an elevator, one of whom was feeling vulnerable.” Shut up right now, Paige. “I know I’m not your type. I know you don’t have those feelings. I’m like your little sister. I get that, so—”
“Oh for—seriously?” He interrupted her with a low growl and finally turned to face her. “After what happened the other night you really think I see you as a little sister? You think I could kiss you that way if I felt like that about you?”
She stared at him, her heart drumming a rhythm against her chest. “I thought—you said—I thought you saw me that way.”
“Yeah, well, I tried.” He gave a humorless laugh and drained his champagne in one mouthful. “God knows, I tried. I’ve done e
verything short of asking Matt for a baby photo of you and sticking that to my wall. Nothing works. And do you know why? Because I do have feelings, you’re not little and you’re not my fucking sister.”
Shock struck her like a bolt of lightning.
They were the only two people left on the terrace. Just them and the twinkling lights of Manhattan. The buildings rose around them, dark shapes enveloping them in intimate shadows and the shimmer of light.
The storm clouds were gathering, creating ominous shapes in the dark sky.
The sudden lick of wind held the promise of rain.
Paige was oblivious. The sky could have come crashing down and she wouldn’t have noticed.
Her mouth was so dry she could hardly form the words. “But if you feel that way—if—you do have feelings, why do you keep saying—” she stumbled, confused. “Why haven’t you ever done anything about it?”
“Why do you think?” There was a cynical, bitter edge to Jake’s tone that didn’t fit the nature of the conversation. None of the pieces fitted. She couldn’t think. Everything about her had ceased to function.
“Because of Matt?”
“Partly. He’d kick my butt and I wouldn’t blame him.” He stared down at his hands, as if they were something that didn’t belong to him. As if he was worried about what they might do.
“Because you’re not interested in relationships—or complications as you call them.”
“Exactly.”
“But sex doesn’t have to be a relationship. It can just be sex. You said so yourself.”
“Not with you.” His tone was harsh and she took a step back, shocked. They’d often argued, baited each other, but she’d never heard that edge of steel in his voice before.
“Why? What’s different about me?”
“I’m not going to screw you and walk away, Paige. That’s not going to happen.”
“Because of our friendship? Because you’re worried it would be awkward?”
“Yeah, that too.”
“Too? What else?” She stared at him bemused.
He was silent.
“Jake? What else?”
