by Lexy Timms
Before coming to Prescott Hill, Allyson would have thought her suspicions bordered on paranoia. But after seeing Liliana’s behavior up close, she knew what the older woman was capable of. The only way to survive in Dane’s world was to be prepared, and Allyson wasn’t about to let Dane’s mother get in her head.
“When’s the interview?” Allyson asked.
Another cold smile. “Tomorrow.”
Chapter 17
The flight from Rhode Island back to New York was short, but to Dane it felt like an eternity. An awkward eternity spent trying to avoid Allyson. He downed too much scotch, and tried to sleep while she sipped white wine and flipped through glossy magazines. She apparently was trying to ignore him as well.
A chauffer picked them up from the airport. On the drive from the airport to her apartment, she acted completely aloof, giving one-word answers when questioned, her voice clipped.
He’d seen many women react to him breaking up with them. Most of them showed some sort of emotion. Usually, there were tears. More often anger. Even threats. Countless heiresses had threatened to turn the Prescott business empire into rubble. Sometimes they tried, but usually when they came out of their post-breakup blues they just moved on to another target. Another business transaction masquerading as a romance.
If his rejection of her had any effect, Allyson didn’t show it.
“Turn off here,” she instructed the driver.
Allyson was seated right beside him, but she might as well have been a world away. She sat with her long legs crossed, those sexy, strappy heels she had on driving him to distraction. He might have forced things to cool down between them, but she still heated his blood. Stirred something primal in him that he had no right to feel.
He turned the day’s events over in his mind. So much had changed, and yet nothing had. After declaring their feelings in the music room, they had gone right back to being what they were. Boss and assistant. Yet they still had to pretend to be husband and wife.
Dane tried to square away these two very different relationships in his head, but that only clouded things. Which was why breaking up with her was for the best. He had crossed a line by sleeping with her. After his unfounded accusations, the pain his doubt caused her was evident. She had been more hurt at being accused of being a thief than she had been about being unceremoniously dumped. Which made sense. They hadn’t really been together. They had only the promise of trying to get together when things died down. Now, there was no chance of that happening.
For all the intensity of his feelings, there was very little to show for it all other than a looming scandal that they had to contain. It was only natural for Allyson to care more about preserving their business relationship than salvaging what little existed of their personal relationship. And he certainly didn’t want his rejection to cause her pain. Still, her reaction stung. He had wanted her to move on from him, but the fact that she had done it so quickly was a real blow to his ego.
They stopped in front of Allyson’s apartment, the chauffer rushing out to get her bags.
“We probably need to prepare for the interview,” she said, her voice cold, emotionless.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, come upstairs then.”
That quickened his pulse. He’d dropped her off at her place before, but had never been inside her apartment. He had fantasized about her inviting him into her apartment. Into her bed. Now he had to remind himself that none of that was going to happen.
Stepping out of the car, he opened her door. He reached for her small hand to help her out and she stiffened. Without a word, he released her. They still had to play pretend, but the chauffer wasn’t paying enough attention to them for that to matter. That old formality was coming back. Walls were going back up. Propriety would win, and he didn’t blame her.
After he told the chauffeur to return in an hour, Dane followed Allyson upstairs to her apartment. The first thing he noticed as he entered was how small the place was. Or maybe that was just his perspective, and he was comparing it to the immense mansions and lofts he was accustomed to. Despite the size, the apartment was stylish, decorated with trendy furniture and accents. Everything was brightly colored, with brilliant greens, deep purples, and dazzling oranges. Somehow all those crazy colors seemed to work, creating an atmosphere that was distinctly Allyson.
“My roommate moved out, so we’re alone,” she said over her shoulder as she headed into the kitchen. “One of my cousins might be moving in soon.”
He trailed after her. “It’s good to have family around.” Especially as we’re going through this shit.
“Yeah, well, I get along with her so that helps.”
“I guess we’ve both just been reminded of how tough family can be,” he said quietly. “How’s your family taking all this, anyway?”
“They’re keeping quiet,” she replied. “Not talking to the press. I think they believe that if they play along with this fake marriage, you and I will eventually get married for real.”
“Maybe we faked things a little too well.”
Her cheeks turned bright pink, but she said nothing. Instead of speaking she turned her attention to the kitchen cabinets, grabbing items to set down on the counter top.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned against a counter, trying to will away his unease. Getting married to her for real was the most insane thought he had ever entertained. And yet, his heart was now hammering wildly in his chest. When he had first glimpsed her in her sister-in-law’s wedding gown over the weekend, something in him changed. She had been the most awe-inspiring vision in that white gown. A vision of a future that could never be.
He’d never had such serious thoughts about any woman. Even though he wanted the kind of marriage his parents ultimately settled into, he’d never entertained the idea of marriage with any of the women his mother shoved at him. Yet here he was. Pretending to be married to Allyson. Imagining her in a wedding dress. They hadn’t even really dated, and yet he was fantasizing about something that serious. It was crazy how quickly she had gotten under his skin. He had broken up with her, but he seemed to be a hell of lot more cut up about it than she was.
She grabbed a kettle and filled it with water. “Would you like something to eat? I’m making tea and grilled cheese.”
“I don’t want to be any trouble—”
“It’s no trouble,” she interrupted with a wave of her hand.
“Okay. Tea and grilled cheese is fine. Need help?”
She turned to him, an incredulous look on her face. “To make tea and a grilled cheese sandwich?”
He chuckled. Some of the tension from the day began to lift. “It’s just that you do so much for me, and I’ve never lifted a finger for you.”
“Oh.” She lowered her eyes. Her hands rested on the counter and she started twiddling her fingers. “If you’re sure.”
“Of course,” he said. “It’s no problem. Why don’t you have a seat?”
She did as he told her, taking a seat at the small table on the far end of the kitchen. “When was the last time you cooked, Mr. Prescott?”
They were back to their formal selves. Which was what he wanted. If only it didn’t make his chest tighten. “I can’t cook.”
The corner of her kissable mouth quirked up. “You’re kidding.”
“I can make a sandwich, pour cereal, or boil an egg, but that’s about it.” He washed and dried his hands, then opened the fridge to retrieve the cheese.
“So, you’re hopeless in the kitchen.” She giggled.
He grabbed some slices of bread and set them out on two separate plates. “That’s what chefs are for.” He cringed, immediately realizing how privileged and pompous he must sound to her.
She laughed, the pleasant sound thrilling him. “It would be nice to have someone do some of the cooking. Or at least some of the cleaning.”
As he peeled the cheese slices out of their wrappers, he was reminded of how lucky he was. There were th
ings Dane had never worried about. Food was always prepared. Wherever he stayed was always clean. Laundry was always done. On top of working for him, Allyson had to worry about those mundane domestic tasks he rarely gave a thought to. He couldn’t imagine having to come home from a hard day at the office and then having to cook and clean on top of it.
“You work too hard,” he said. Now he understood how much strength and integrity it must have taken her to turn down his mother’s money.
“There’s no such thing as too much work.”
“Said the over-worked woman. Yes, there is.” He placed the cheese between the slices of bread. Doing this for her was a reminder of just how right he was to let her go. Allyson deserved a man who wouldn’t bring more stress into her life. She deserved happiness and a carefree life. Not one filled with drama, tabloid reporters, and meddling mothers-in-law. As much as it pained him to think about her with someone else, he hoped that she would find a good man after this. One with enough money to give her a good life, but not so much money that it brought her unhappiness.
“Agree to disagree then,” she said.
He held up the two plates. “Where do I grill these?”
“Try the sandwich toaster.”
That answer nearly made him drop the plates. Memories of the night before they headed down to Greenville for the weekend came flooding back. They had argued about wedding presents for her brother. She wanted to give him something cheap. Dane wanted something expensive. Eventually they had come to a compromise of sorts.
She arched an eyebrow. “What’s with that look? It isn’t my brother’s sandwich toaster. I gave him the gift.”
He shrugged. “Maybe when you get married I’ll get you that car for a gift.”
“Don’t you dare!” But she was laughing while she said it.
With the sandwiches in the toaster, he turned his attention to the tea. He busied himself pouring out the hot water and adding sugar. They had worked together long enough for him to know how much sugar she liked. Ordinarily he wasn’t much of a tea-drinker, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to drink coffee so late at night.
After grabbing the toasted sandwiches, he set the table and sat across from her.
“So,” she said, “what’s the plan for tomorrow’s interview?”
* * *
Dane’s strong, long leg brushed against hers as he adjusted in his chair. She knew it wasn’t intentional, but the pressure of the contact overwhelmed her senses. Earlier tonight he had taken her hand in his, and she had been so surprised by it that she froze. Her heart knew they couldn’t be together, but her body didn’t seem to have gotten the message. Every touch made her all hot and bothered. Made her eager to be touched again.
He cleared his throat. “It’s just a sit-down interview for one of those upscale local tabloids. So, we’re not going to be on camera.”
“Thank goodness.” She took a bite of her grilled cheese. Perfect.
“They’re going to take a few photos,” he warned.
A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. “Your mother mentioned that before we left.”
“Allyson, you’re beautiful,” he said. “Taking photos is the least of your problems.”
She forced down her grilled cheese, trying to focus on eating so she wouldn’t react to the way he was making her feel. Getting over her boss wasn’t going to be an easy task. Not if he insisted on being charming and complimentary. “Flattery isn’t going to help us, Mr. Prescott.”
“We just have to remember to keep talking about how sudden this was. We acted impulsively and got married.”
She nodded. “I guess when we reveal our version of the truth, we can say we impulsively got married at my brother’s wedding. But for now, no mention of my brother or our fake wedding not being legally binding.”
“Exactly.” He paused. “There’s still time to back out of this—”
“I want to do this,” she said, cutting him off. “Are you having second thoughts?”
A thoughtful expression came over his chiseled features. “You said you wanted to go ahead with this to help Prescott Global. Well, during this charade we ended up in bed together. If you’re doing all this for the company, then what we did was about business. Which means I made a mistake and I’m sorry.”
She swallowed hard. “Do you regret what we did? Because I don’t. It wasn’t about business. I wanted to be with you. Both times we ended up together it was my idea, remember?”
“So, it was just physical?” There was no emotion in his tone, but their eyes met. Heat blazed in the depths of his clear blue eyes.
“Does it matter? You made it clear we should go back to the way things were. It’s not going to do us any good to litigate the past.”
He ran a hand through his blond hair, clearly frustrated. “We need to look like a loving couple tomorrow. It’s probably going to be hard to convince the reporter of that if you’ve managed to get over me so quickly.”
“Over you?” she snapped. “How could I get over something that barely even happened?”
Dane steepled his hands and looked at her, his brows furrowed. “Allyson, I’m trying to clear the air. I just want to make sure that you’re okay. That we are okay.”
She narrowed her eyes. “So, this clearing the air is just business?”
A pause. Then he sat up straight and crossed his muscular arms. “No. I guess I want to know if what happened meant anything to you. And I know I don’t have the right to ask, because I’m the one who ended things.”
If he was trying to undo what he had done, she wasn’t going to beg him to take her back. He was going to have to lay out what he wanted and fix what he had broken. After all, she was the assistant. Chasing after her boss when he so clearly put an end to things was bad form.
“I’m not going to wait for you, Mr. Prescott.” Maybe her family didn’t think she was good enough. And maybe nothing was going to stop the pang that shot through her every time she realized they couldn’t be together. But she had her pride. She wasn’t an heiress, but she could still show him that he was wrong. She could still show him and everyone else what she was made of. “If you regret what you did, I suggest you figure it out sooner rather than later.”
His jaw clenched, but he said nothing further on the touchy subject of their not-quite breakup. Instead, he steered things to tomorrow’s interview. They went over questions the reporter might ask, and even texted his mother a few times for her input.
Finally, he said goodnight and left. The empty apartment was somehow lonelier without his presence. Suddenly, she felt exhausted. The roller coaster ride of the last several days was finally taking its toll. Draining her.
She headed into the shower. When she stood under the hot jet of water she thought she might cry, but she didn’t. It wasn’t until she stumbled into bed that the pain began to tug at her heart in earnest. Last night she had fallen asleep in Dane’s arms, but now she had to sleep alone. Clutching a pillow tightly she felt the pain wash over her, and let the tears fall.
Chapter 18
“It occurred to me that we haven’t moved in together.”
Dane’s voice made her bolt upright as she pressed her cell phone against her ear. “What?” She hadn’t meant to shriek so loudly, but WTF! This man was full of surprises.
“Why don’t you get ready and we can discuss it on the way over to the interview,” he said.
In her shock, she managed to find the words to form a coherent sentence. “Um, okay. Don’t you want to go over some last-minute details first?”
“That would be fine, Allyson. Let’s do that now. We’ll talk about moving in together on the ride over.”
He’d called bright and early, so her brain was still fuzzy from sleep. As they went over details, her heart squeezed at the sound of his deep voice. Her stomach fluttered at the thought of moving in with him. Somehow she was going to have to stay as calm as possible this morning so she wouldn’t blow the interview.
After s
he hung up, Allyson agonized over the right outfit to wear. She’d picked out about five last night, and now none of them seemed right. Frustrated, she grabbed the furthest one from her, dropped it, and settled on a light pink skirt suit. It was romantic, flirty, but also professional. And it was the most expensive thing she owned. She might not be a wealthy heiress, but with perfectly applied makeup and some jewelry she had to admit she looked like a million dollars. She stared at herself in the bedroom mirror; she had somehow managed to hide the dark circles she’d gotten from crying herself to sleep the night before.
She met Dane downstairs. When she saw him leaning against the luxury car, waiting for her, she nearly dropped her handbag. He looked sinfully gorgeous, dressed in an expensive navy-blue suit with no tie. The top buttons of his shirt were opened, revealing the tanned skin beneath. His blond hair was deliciously tousled, and he wore aviator sunglasses. Dane looked like a movie star, and the sight of him took her breath away.
“Good morning, wife.” He held the car door open for her, and flashed her a killer smile.
If she was going to prove she could navigate the shark-infested waters of high society, she had to remember that the first person she had to watch out for was Dane himself. He was disarming enough to steer her from her goal of proving him wrong. “Good morning,” she said breezily, and settled into the back seat.
He got in beside her, slipped his shades off, and pocketed them. “So, have you given any thought to moving in with me?”
Luckily, the partition between the back seat and the front was up so the driver couldn’t hear. As the car drove off down the street she sighed, marveling at how one little white lie had upended her entire life. In the chaos of the last few days, she hadn’t even thought about moving in with him to keep up the charade. Probably because they had spent most of their time together at work, at the Lodge, and at his seaside home on Prescott Hill. “I haven’t.”
