Certainly none of the women he knew, he thought.
And her reactions to his teasing were so refreshing. Endearing. It made her feel more authentic. And it made her perfect for his plan.
It also made him realise how little innocence the women he’d spent his time with in the past had had. But then innocence wasn’t exactly something he’d been looking for in the past. No, he’d been looking to forget the way he’d screwed up his life. And then the public had turned on him—had destroyed him in the media—and he’d begun to wonder what the point of trying was. If they wanted a bad boy, that was what they would get. And they had—for an entire year. The worst time of his life...
‘I don’t know why I let you fluster me.’ Lily’s words tore him from his thoughts. ‘I know you’re teasing.’
‘And if I wasn’t?’
She sent a look at him that had him smiling.
‘Nice try, but it isn’t going to work again.’
‘It was worth a shot. How else would I be able to see the wonderful colour your cheeks turn when you’re flustered?’
She shook her head, and with her bottom lip between her teeth looked away.
Because he saw the very colour he’d been talking about again, he grinned. ‘This is fun.’
‘For you, maybe,’ Lily answered, but she didn’t seem upset. ‘What did Caitlyn say to you when she called you back?’
‘You saw that?’
She nodded, and it took him a few seconds to decide what to say to her.
‘She told me to be careful with you.’
Lily nodded again, her face pensive, and then her eyes shifted to something behind him. She moved closer and gave him a whiff of citrus and summer. It was a heady combination, he thought as his body tightened, and he assured himself that that was the only reason for his reaction.
‘Our plan seems to be working.’ Her curls shook as she lifted her head to look at him. ‘Kyle barely seems to be paying attention to his—’
Her eyes widened and she bit her lip again. The prickle in his body became an ache.
‘Date?’ he offered, to distract himself, but couldn’t help the hand that lifted to tuck a curl around her ear.
‘Sure—let’s go with that,’ she murmured, and fluttered those dark lashes up at him.
The ache was replaced by a punch to the gut.
‘Why do I need to be careful with you?’
It suddenly seemed imperative for him to know.
‘You don’t...’ she breathed, and electricity snapped between them.
‘Are you sure?’
‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘I’m tired of being treated like I’m going to break. My fiancé cheated on me. I was—’ She stopped, and there was a flash of vulnerability on her face before it was replaced with a fierce expression. ‘You don’t have to be careful with me. Treat me as you would any other woman.’
CHAPTER THREE
JACQUES’S EYES FLICKERED down to her lips, and Lily realised how her request sounded. Under any other circumstance she would have been mortified at the implication of her words. Now, though, she wanted Jacques to take advantage of the ambiguity. She wanted to be taken advantage of...
‘I wouldn’t be pretending to be your boyfriend if you were any other woman.’
His voice broke into her thoughts and she blushed at the direction of them, wondering where they’d come from.
‘Why are you doing this for me, then?’
The heat she’d thought she’d seen earlier in his eyes cooled into an enigmatic expression.
‘Besides the fact that you basically forced me to on the stairs?’
She nodded, feeling her blush deepen.
‘At first because I couldn’t imagine anything better than making Kyle Van der Ross uncomfortable. Now it’s because I want to make him jealous.’
He looked at her, and she realised they were having this conversation in an awfully intimate position. She took a slight step back, to give herself some air—and to prevent herself from being distracted by his scent—but stopped when he placed a hand gently on the small of her back.
It sent her next question stammering from her mouth. ‘Wh...wh...why?’
He smiled at her—a soft smile that was in stark contrast to his intimidating masculine presence—and she wondered what she was missing. A man like Jacques wouldn’t be interested in her. And even if he was the last thing she wanted was to get involved with someone who could shatter the self-esteem she had fought so hard for.
The self-esteem she was still fighting for.
‘He cheated on you, Lily. And only the most despicable of men hurt the women they claim to love in that way.’ His face no longer held an easy expression. ‘Besides, I like helping you. And before you ask me why, it’s because I like you.’
‘You barely know me,’ she retorted. It was easier than acknowledging the truth of his words.
‘I know that you had the guts to leave someone who cheated on you. I know that you’re loyal enough to come to your best friend’s engagement party even though you knew your ex would be here. You’re innovative—I don’t think I know many other people who would come up with the idea of a stranger pretending to be their boyfriend—and you’re thoughtful enough to let your friends know about the charade so that they don’t get upset. What more is there?’
He grinned, but she couldn’t bring herself to respond. Hearing him describe her like that sent a gush of warmth through her body. But it didn’t seem right. Not when she was used to harsh words. Not when she was used to people telling her how she should look. How she should be. And from her parents—from Kyle, too, she’d realised too late—how much better she could be.
‘Fine—you know things about me,’ she said, when the silence had extended a tad too long. ‘How about you share something about yourself, then?’
‘Sure,’ he replied easily, and touched her waist to shift her to the left. ‘It’s easier for Kyle to see you like this.’
Her skin felt seared at his touch, and her thoughts went haywire for a second. And in that second she saw herself pressed against Jacques, kissing him until she no longer knew who she was.
She shook her head, thinking that she didn’t know who she was now. This woman having inappropriate thoughts about a man she barely knew was definitely not her. She’d never gone that far—even in her most lonesome of days.
When she’d been overweight it had been easier to avoid attention. And even when she’d lost some of her weight she had still been too afraid to put herself in a situation where men might hit on her.
It had been on the one night Caitlyn had convinced her to go out—in their final year at university—that she’d met Kyle. He’d been the first person to treat her like a woman, and not like ‘the girl who lost weight’. His attention had been flattering, overwhelming. She’d fallen hard, and had been swept into his world like a commoner into a castle.
His offhand comments about her looks—he hadn’t seemed to have a problem with her weight, but her hair, her face, her clothing were still fair game—hadn’t mattered when he could make her feel like the most beautiful woman on the planet with one look. His suggestions as to how she should act, what she should say, how she might do better had been irrelevant when he was treating her to fancy dinners, to expensive gifts.
‘What do you want to know?’
Jacques was watching her, and her face heated even at the thought of him knowing what she was thinking.
‘How’d you get the scar?’
He frowned, as though he wasn’t sure what she was talking about. And then his hand lifted and he rubbed his thumb over the scar. Lily was hit with the desire to do the same, and she clenched her hand, determined not to be caught in this attraction between them.
‘I was in a fight.’
‘Kyle?’
He smiled, though his eyes were hooded.
‘He didn’t land a punch that night. No, there have been other fights.’
His eyes glinted dangerously, and her knees nearly went weak.
What is wrong with you, Lily?
‘Next question. What do you do?’
‘I own a sporting goods company.’
‘What does that entail?’
‘Well, there’s a shop where the public can buy sporting equipment, but mostly we do bulk and international orders.’ He slanted a look at her. ‘You’ve never heard of Brookes Sporting?’
‘Hard to believe, isn’t it?’
He smirked. ‘Just a little.’
‘And that’s what you chose to do after your rugby career ended?’
There was a beat of silence before Jacques asked, ‘How did you know I played rugby?’
She only then realised she wasn’t supposed to know that.
‘You expected me to know your company, but not that you played a popular South African sport? Besides, I’m sure Nathan mentioned it a while ago...’ She trailed off when she saw he wasn’t buying it.
‘Really? The brother who didn’t think I was going to come to his engagement party told you I used to play rugby?’
‘Would you believe me if I told you I used to watch you play?’
‘No.’
She sighed. She was going to have to tell him the truth.
‘I overheard your conversation earlier, Jacques. I’m really sorry.’
* * *
That explained how she’d known he would follow her lead when they’d spoken to Kyle, Jacques thought. It also meant she had heard Jade and Riley’s suggestion, which put his plan to convince her to be involved at risk.
‘Is eavesdropping a hobby of yours?’ he asked slowly.
‘I didn’t mean to,’ Lily replied primly. ‘I was upstairs because I saw—’
‘Kyle and the cheater?’
She nodded. ‘And when I walked past the room you were in I heard the whole marriage thing...’
So she had heard it, he thought, but soothed the faint trickle of panic by telling himself that she didn’t suspect he wanted her involved. She wouldn’t have agreed to his suggestion to continue the charade of their pretend relationship at the party if she did. And then Jacques would have lost the opportunity to ensure that all the wealthy people who formed part of his brother’s social circle—including Lily’s ex-fiancé—saw him and his ‘new girlfriend’.
The rest of his plan had originally involved them leaving together at the end of the night. It would have just been for coffee—though the party attendees wouldn’t have known that—and he would have suggested their pretend relationship continue for just a while longer. But this new information meant he needed to speed up that plan...
‘Why don’t we get out of here?’
Her eyebrows rose and her cheeks took on that shade of red he liked so much.
‘Together?’
‘Yeah. We can grab a cup of coffee.’
‘Why?’
‘I like you, Lily.’ Though he’d meant the words to convince her to have coffee with him, he found that he genuinely meant them. Something tightened in his stomach at the knowledge. ‘I also think there’s nothing more you’d like to do than to get out of here.’
Her face had changed when he’d said he liked her, and though he couldn’t quite read it he thought there was a trace of uncertainty there. As if she didn’t believe what he said. The tightening in his stomach pulsed, and for the first time he considered how manipulative his plan was. Sure, it wouldn’t hurt Lily—but it wouldn’t benefit her either. It was entirely for his benefit.
But you helped her, too, a voice in his head reminded him. That made him feel better, and because he couldn’t afford to dwell on why he should reconsider he chose to focus on that.
‘You’re right.’ Lily’s expression was unreadable. ‘And buying you a coffee is probably the least I can do to say thank you.’
She was setting boundaries, he realised. Letting him know that she was only accepting his offer because she wanted to say thanks. He wasn’t sure why that bothered him, but he didn’t have time to ponder it.
‘Are you sure you want to leave, though?’ she asked. She looked inside to where Nathan and Caitlyn were standing.
‘I don’t think Nathan expects me to stay longer than I already have,’ he said, ignoring the guilt.
‘Do you want to say goodbye?’ she asked softly, and he looked down to see a compassion he didn’t understand—and didn’t want—in her eyes.
‘I don’t want to interrupt them.’
She watched him for a moment longer, and then nodded.
He reached for her hand, thinking about how easily he could feign affection with Lily and yet struggle with women he was much more familiar with. His skin heated when her fingers closed around his, warning him that his plan might have complications he hadn’t considered.
But as he made his way through the crowd of people with Lily he knew that those complications would be worth it when the Shadows Rugby Club was his and he could help place them in the international league. If he could do that it would make up for the fact that he’d cost them their place in that league seven years ago.
When he felt like being kind to himself he told himself his actions that night of the championship game that should have determined that place had come from anger. From pain. That night had been the last time he’d seen either of his parents, too. Not a coincidence, considering that they’d been the reason he’d got into a fight with a player who hadn’t deserved Jacques’s attention. Who wouldn’t have got it if he hadn’t uttered those same words his father had before Jacques had arrived at the game...
‘You’re such a disappointment.’
The memory of that night still plagued him—still scarred him—but if he could pull off his PR company’s ridiculous plan maybe he would finally find some peace. Maybe he would finally be able to put it all behind him and move on.
‘Do you have somewhere specific you’d like to go?’ Lily asked once they were outside.
He watched her pull her coat tighter around her, saw her look out around the private estate his brother’s house was on, and realised she was nervous.
‘I’m not going to kidnap you, Lily.’
She looked at him. ‘I know. And I’m going in my own car.’
Smart girl, he thought, even though disappointment lapped at him for reasons he didn’t understand.
‘My office is pretty private.’ He saw something in her eyes, and said, ‘You’ll be safe, Lily. I promise to behave myself.’
My future depends on it.
She tilted her head, as though she was considering his words. ‘So let’s have coffee somewhere more neutral, then. I know a place...’
CHAPTER FOUR
‘THIS IS NEUTRAL for you?’
Jacques joined Lily in front of her store, and looked pointedly at the sign that said ‘Lily’s’ above the glass entrance.
‘Relax,’ she replied, though the way her heart was beating told her she was probably saying it to herself.
‘We’re just stopping here for the coffee—then we can take a walk down the beach. It’s not too busy this time of night.’
‘I usually let a woman take me out for dinner before I do romantic walks on the beach, Lily.’
Her hand froze on the door at his words, and it took her a moment to hear the store’s alarm beeping. She hurriedly entered the code, trying desperately to come up with something to say. But her mind only formulated excuses—not the sassy comeback she’d hoped for.
You should have known it wouldn’t last, a voice mocked her.
And though she wanted to deny the words she co
uldn’t. She’d thought it was a good idea to bring him back to her store and then to walk on the beach. She’d feel better in a familiar place, she’d told herself.
But being in that familiar place had snatched her from the fantasy world she’d been in for the past few hours. The world where she’d flirted as though she were in a thinner body. As though she had all the confidence in the world. As though she wasn’t trying with all her might to value herself.
‘This is nice,’ he said, breaking the silence. ‘It’s a coffee shop and a bookstore?’
‘Yeah. I love reading and I love coffee, and a lot of the people I know do, too. So I thought it would be pretty great to have a place where you could relax and do both. And, of course, there’s the view.’
She was rambling, she knew. A combination of nerves at Jacques being there and the defensiveness she always felt when she spoke about her store.
Her parents’ warnings echoed in her head—as did their urges for her to do something more respectable than being a store-owner—and she shook it off. She had more pressing things to worry about at the moment.
‘Do you have any preferences for coffee?’
‘Black, no sugar.’
She busied herself with the task, and for a few moments there was silence.
‘You have good taste.’
The milk she was pouring spilled onto the counter. ‘Wh...what?’
‘I assume you decorated the store yourself?’
She nodded mutely, refusing to look at him in case he wore that amused expression again.
‘It’s the perfect décor for a shop like this.’
She’d gone with a blue and white colour scheme, to complement the view of the sea that stretched endlessly through the glass entrance. White bookshelves held as many books as she could fit in them—old and new—and lined the walls on either side of the shop. The wooden tables and blue-cushioned chairs were homely, comfortable—exactly what she’d been going for when she’d decorated, though she knew she’d spent hopelessly too much on them.
The Millionaire's Redemption Page 3
