Harlequin E Contemporary Romance Box Set Volume 3: Falling from the SkyMaid to LoveWhen the Lights Go DownStart Me Up

by Sarina Bowen

  She could be the one, he realized. She could be the sun and the moon, the laughter and the quiet. Nina could burn him to the ground, send him into a bottle of Jack or pills. But he wasn’t worried. Because she wasn’t a gold digger.

  More than that, he wasn’t Graham. He was Chase and so far that had been enough.

  He refocused on Nina. And her answer was more important than ever.

  She nodded against him. “We’ll see.”

  At this point, he would take what he could get.

  Chapter Nine

  Nina clenched her hands in her lap and tilted her head to look at the floor. Everything about this place was wrong, from the gilt mirrors to the imported marble on the floor. As much as she wanted to succeed in business, she preferred her small office suite to the full-on grandeur of the Wright Industries complex.

  She glanced at her watch. A quarter after twelve. Her father had let her wait for fifteen minutes. She straightened her shoulders and sat perfectly still as if the next half hour or so wouldn’t change her life. Leaving the boardroom she would either own Wright Attraction or…

  No, the alternative didn’t bear thinking about. She would own the company, as Molly always wanted, or she would move on. Maybe she would think about what Chase had said. Spread her wings a little, see what opportunities were out there away from her family.

  See if what they’d started just a few days ago could turn into something real. He might not have been Commitment Guy when he walked into her office, but when he’d asked her to forget the plan and really date him he had been sincere. Her heart sped up as she remembered the look in his eyes. The tension in his fingers as they spanned her waist.

  He wanted her. She wanted him. Why not take one more risk in a week that had been filled with them?

  The phone at the desk buzzed and the stylish-but-conservative receptionist picked up the handset to speak quietly into it. A moment later the woman stepped from behind the desk and motioned Nina to follow her down the hallway. She stopped before the bank of elevators, pressed the up button and then gave Nina instructions to reach the boardroom.

  As if she’d never been inside the building in her life.

  Another of her father’s tricks. Putting her in her place because if she wasn’t going to cave in to his demands, she might as well be a stranger to him.

  She took a deep breath as she exited the elevator and started down the hall, nodding to a few secretaries she had known all her life, and knocked twice on the boardroom door. She schooled her features, threw her shoulders back and when the door opened, she knew she looked like the professional, successful businesswoman her father had raised.

  Anything he had to throw at her, she could handle. Not just because of the lessons she had learned but because of the woman she had become.

  A woman who made a business move that just might have led to love.

  And suddenly, while her business was still important it wasn’t the number one issue she needed to deal with. Whatever was happening between her and Chase…was. The man who was not on the best terms with commitment asked the girl who always wanted commitment to, well, commit. And she’d said “we’ll see”?

  So not what a smart woman would do. And she was a very smart woman.

  First things first.

  Nina didn’t wait for her father to stand or welcome her into the room. She marched to the rectangular table and pulled copies of the prospectus from her briefcase to pass around the table.

  “As you all are aware, Wright Attraction was never intended to be part of Wright Industries for an extended period of time.” She looked around at the twelve faces, none any friendlier than another, and decided to focus on the window over her father’s shoulder with a view of a rocky cliff. A cliff that she had always thought looked forbidding but after looking over the edge of Chase’s cliff now looked interesting. Challenging. Like standing on her own rather than relying on the solid backbone of Wright Industries.

  “We’re here to discuss the closure of Wright Attraction,” her father interrupted, eyeing the various board members. “This Madam scandal is the final nail in the coffin that was my sister’s business. There is no recovering from the violent spin the matchmaking business is in—”

  Nina interrupted. “Which is why the board should have no problem signing Wright Attraction over to me, severing the connection between Molly’s business and the global Wright Industries conglomerate. For the tidy profit I’ve outlined inside the prospectus you all hold. Based on the company’s revenue since Wright took charge and the current scandal creating a tenuous position, I think you’ll find my offer more than generous. My aunt’s company, and now mine, isn’t a multi-national conglomerate. It isn’t even a blip on the regional radar. It’s small and boutique and it will perform best if it remains small and boutique. You have nothing to lose by allowing me to buy the company back. In fact, Wright Industries stands to profit by a solid two million dollars plus, and as my father pointed out, the company name will no longer be associated with tabloid rumor and innuendo.”

  Her father sat in stony silence for a moment, focused on her as the board focused on him. “You have better business sense than this, Nina. Wright Attraction isn’t just floundering, it is sinking.”

  “Then it’s a good thing I’m willing to bail it out.”

  Natalie Green, a vice president Nina remembered from a holiday internship a few years before, cleared her throat. “Whatever your reservations about the future of Wright Attraction or your daughter’s attempt to salvage it, the offer in this prospectus stands to save the company hundreds of thousands of dollars in broken leases, office equipment and salaries. On top of that, she is willing to pay to retrieve the service from under our corporate umbrella.” The woman flipped her prospectus shut. “I motion that we accept Ms. Wright’s proposal to repurchase Wright Attraction, moving the firm from under the auspices of Wright Industries. Effective immediately.”

  “Second,” said a small man who appeared focused on avoiding her father’s iron gaze. “Usually I would want to research the future of a firm prior to sale, but in this case the business Wright Industries will lose does not fit within the parameters of our other holdings.”

  Nina bit back the smile threatening to spread across her face as the board voted to sell Wright Attraction to her. She didn’t pump her fist in the air or do a rump-shaker as she exited the door and turned toward the bank of elevators. And when her father’s hand reached out to stop her as she pressed the down arrow, she didn’t jump.

  “Dad.”

  “Nina.” Lambert beetled his brows and clasped his hands behind his back. “I don’t think this is the smartest business move you’ve ever made.” Nina opened her mouth to speak but her father continued talking. “But I admire your gumption. Molly would be proud.”

  She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded. Lambert Wright was all about the bottom line. Buying, selling, profits and margins. He admired a move that held the potential to sink not only her bank account but also her business reputation?

  “Thank you,” she managed to utter.

  The elevator signaled its arrival and Nina stepped inside.

  “Good luck,” her father said as the doors slid closed.

  * * *

  Chase rubbed his sweaty palms down the front of his jeans, thankful denim didn’t show the marks. Nate and the band were debuting new music tonight at the club, a variation from the fun, funky sound from their first three albums. A variation that would either push the band into the stratosphere or lose some fans.

  It was enough to make a veteran group rethink their position.

  And had nothing to do with the sweatiness of his palms at this moment.

  He didn’t say it right, back at the beach house. He didn’t straight-out ask Nina to be his girlfriend, to make their deal not only a dating deal but an exclusive dating deal. Not even close. Instead he said he didn’t want ‘this’ to end tonight. Which she might interpret as he wanted to keep pulling the wool over th
e paparazzi’s eyes.

  Probably why she’d said ‘we’ll see’ instead of jumped in his lap for another lovemaking session filled with promises neither knew if they wanted to keep.

  Maybe slower was better in this case. One more night of pap-fooling and leave it at that.

  Only it wasn’t what he wanted. Sometime between meeting Nina, his sister’s pop psychology and getting soaked on the beach yesterday he’d fallen for the dark-haired, business-minded beauty.

  Hard.

  Chase rubbed his hand over his face. He’d made it to twenty-eight without falling for anyone. Now a single week with a woman and he couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day.

  God, it was a great, terrible feeling.

  He looked around the velvet-walled interior with intimate four-seater tables. Nate and the guys were tuning up on stage, checking mic levels with the venue producer. He should be up there with them, listening for any stray pops or jack snaps but here he was, waiting at the door for Nina.

  Lily ducked inside the door and waved toward the stage before raising an eyebrow at his location. “Shouldn’t you be micromanaging the stage crew and the band right about now?”

  “Can it, kid. They know the drill.”

  “Wow. So, either you spilled your love-struck guts to the new girl and she turned you down or you’re eaten up inside with the same unsaid words.”

  “Sorry, Lil. I’m a little distracted.”

  She linked her arm with his and leaned her head on his shoulder. “Which is it?”

  “I’ll tell you after the show. Go distract the star, he’s nervous about a few of the new songs.”

  “And you’re not?”

  “Surprisingly…no. Nate’s fans love him and the music is great. Tonight is going to launch Anthem even farther into outer space. You sure you’re ready for that?”

  Lily shrugged. “Surprisingly…yes.” She echoed his phrase. “I love my job on Star Power. I love Nate. Things are good.” She reached up to kiss his cheek. “I hope things are good for you, too, once the show’s over.”

  Chase tried to play off his anxiety. “Whatever will be, will be.”

  “Lord, if this doesn’t work out we’re going to have to get you therapy. ‘Que Sera Sera?’ Really?” She elbowed him. “I’ll find you after,” she said and disappeared into the building as the first wave of guests arrived.

  Twenty long minutes later the small club was packed and Nina was still absent. Chase was losing his mind. He’d broken his own no-texting rule and texted her a few minutes before but Nina didn’t reply. Which probably meant the board meeting with her father didn’t go well. And that didn’t bode well for his suggestion at breakfast.

  The lights dimmed and the club owner took the stage. The hostess appeared beside him.

  “I’m sorry. We have to lock the doors, club rules.”

  Chase knew the rules. He’d helped the owner write them out and enforce them when the club opened the year he and Nate first took the band on the road. “I know. Everyone who’s coming is already here.”

  And he had his answer.

  An incredibly silent, resounding “No” from Nina Wright. No to the last night of their plan, which had been a huge success so far. No to his proposition that they keep seeing each other.

  Damn it.

  Nate caught his eye, grinning like a maniac from the wings as the club owner welcomed everyone to the show. Lily must have worked her magic on him because earlier this evening he’d been practically certifiable. Chase made his way down the side of the venue and took a seat beside his sister, trying to ignore the empty seat on his other side.

  Lily offered him a soft smile and squeezed his hand.

  Nate and the guys took the stage and Benj, the lead guitarist, started in on a familiar riff that didn’t belong to the band. Chase tried to get Nate’s attention, but the singer was looking everywhere except the left side of the stage where Chase sat.

  “I didn’t know they were covering—”

  “They’re not. I have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Hey, everyone, thanks for coming out tonight!” Nate grabbed his mic off the stand and began to rev up the crowd. “I know you all came out tonight to hear some new music from the guys and me. We’ll get to that. But before we do, I received a special request just before the show tonight. A very special guest has a special song she’d like to send out to the crowd.” Finally he looked to the side of the stage and grinned maniacally at Chase and Lily.

  The rest of the band joined in the riff as the crowd began buzzing around them.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, Nina Wright.”

  Nina strutted from the wings, the flared skirt of her black halter dress bouncing as she made her way to center stage, mic in hand. She gave a little wave, her cheeks flaming under the hot lights. Or maybe from…

  No, he wasn’t going there. Didn’t matter that he knew this song by heart. That he’d practically quoted it to her in the laundry room the day before. Nina focused on a spot at the back of the club as the band circled back to the beginning of Keith Richards’s most famous riff. And then she took a breath.

  And she sang Mick Jagger’s immortal words about starting a relationship—or a one night stand, depending on when you asked him—in a rich alto that that was the right amount of strong and breathy. Every eye in the crowd was trained on her, watching her every move as she strutted around the stage in sky-high stilettos that wrapped around her ankles and up her calves with leather tassels playing along her legs as she sang.

  Chase couldn’t hold back the grin. For a reserved, analytical kind of girl, she knew how to make a scene when the situation called for it.

  Lily leaned across the seat. “I think you have your answer. Is it the one you want?”

  He couldn’t answer. Nina finally turned in his direction and her voice faltered on that famous chorus. She froze for a second, the color draining from her face. Her hands clutched the mic and panic edged into her eyes. Chase stood but Nate was quicker.

  He stepped into the song, not missing a beat. Nina shot him a grateful glance and then sped off the stage. Chase didn’t wait. He hurried through a side door into the wings, following the route he thought Nina took off the stage.

  And he found her, bent over at the waist, trying to catch her breath, at the end of a short hall leading to the dressing rooms. Chase placed a hand on her lower back. She stiffened for a split second and then stood and launched herself into his arms.

  “I am never doing that again.”

  “And here I thought I’d found a completely new act at a surprisingly good showcase,” he whispered in her ear.

  “I think I shaved about five years off my lifetime just in the walk to center stage.”

  “You didn’t show it.”

  She nuzzled her head against his neck and then stepped away from him. “Nate told me to pick a spot on the back wall and sing to it. So that’s what I did.”

  He watched her clenching and unclenching her hands. Standing on one foot and then the other. Looking like she still might take off, even though she was off the stage. Maybe going back to their plan was a good place to start. “How was the board meeting?”

  “They voted to divest and sell to me.”

  Chase grinned. “So you did it. You have your company”

  “All afternoon, all I could think about was you. Talking with you. Having dinner with you. I thought getting Wright Attraction back would be the icing but it was the flour. What you said this morning, that was the icing on my personal victory cake today.”

  Relief washed through him. “We’ve had some fun this week, huh?” She only nodded so he continued, needing to know if the song and her cake analogy meant exactly what he thought it meant. As certain as he had been when she’d started singing, he was just as uncertain now that they were face-to-face, without the crowd as a buffer. “I texted you.”

  “I know. Couldn’t answer.” She took a deep breath and sat on a stack of boxes lining the wall. “After you
drove me home… No, it was before. It was Monday morning.” She looked at him, and he thought this must be how she’d looked at her parents on that first day of school, when they left her at the classroom door. “When I thought you were using me to get at Jillian, I knew what to do. How to act. I didn’t like it, but I understood it. And then you kissed me outside the restaurant and it got harder to deny that I liked you.” Chase sat beside her. “I’m better with paper and graphs and spreadsheets than I am with the emotional part of matchmaking. I believe in love. Whole-hearted, spine-tingling passion. Deep and abiding love for another person. I believe in it. But I couldn’t let myself believe, not when you first said it, that you might want me. Not even for a little while. And then I had a little heart-to-heart with myself this afternoon about what I want.”

  “And what is it you want?”

  “You. My business. Mostly you, but—”

  Chase put his finger to her lips, stopping her. “You scare the bejesus out of me, Nina. You make me want to give you things I don’t know that I can give.”

  She nodded against his shoulder and hiccupped. “Okay.”

  “That isn’t me blowing you off. It’s me warning you.” He pushed her away from him. “You didn’t get it wrong, Nina. My life comes with tabloid stories and we’ll have to work hard to maintain our privacy, but that’s what I want—to drive three hours out of our way to have a quiet dinner, and I want to whisper silly things in your ear when we hit a red carpet. I want you for as long as I can have you, Nina.”

  Hands shaking, she pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “That’s what I want, too.” Her words were barely a whisper and meant so much more than her belting out the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.” Nina threw her arms around his neck and maneuvered herself into his lap. Back on stage, Nate segued into one of the new songs and the crowd went wild.

  Chase lowered his head, taking her mouth with his. Her lips were firm against his, her hands gentle at the back of his neck. Chase stood, picking her up, and stepped across the hall to the dressing room. He ducked inside and shut the door behind them.