The Deal

by Becca Steele

  “Shall we eat our ice cream on the sofa in the window?” Avery eyed me hopefully.

  If she’d asked me that question a month ago, my answer may have been different. “Let’s do it. Just—”

  “Be careful not to spill any on your sofa?” she finished for me, smirking.

  “Yeah. That. Sorry.”

  “Hey, don’t be sorry.” She stood and crossed over to my seat, putting her arms around my waist. “You’re you, and I wouldn’t change you for anything. You’re amazing, just the way you are, Ethan Barrett.”

  “Did you just quote Bruno Mars to me?” I raised a brow, trying and failing to stop the smile spreading across my face.

  “It works.” She shrugged. “And it’s true. Ethan…I…” Her voice trailed off, and she buried her head in my chest as I stroked up and down her back.

  “You what, sweetheart?” My voice was soft.

  “Nothing. I’m just so happy to be here with you,” she mumbled. “Let’s get that ice cream.” I let it go, because whatever it was she wanted to say, she wasn’t ready to say it.

  She padded over to the freezer, but before she could reach it, I was up, out of my seat, spinning her around and slanting my mouth across hers.

  “Ice cream later,” I said hoarsely, when we came up for air, walking her backwards until she was up against the kitchen island.

  She reached down to undo my belt. “I’m in complete agreement.”

  Our kisses became heated, urgent, and we lost ourselves in each other.

  “Remember our first time?” Avery’s words were whispered, her breathing slowly returning to normal as I slid out of her, completely spent.

  “How could I forget? I think I knew, even then. I was just denying it to myself.”

  “Knew what?” She looked up at me, and I saw everything I was feeling reflected in her eyes.

  “How we were meant to be together. How much you’d come to mean to me.” I wanted to say more, but there was a lump in my throat that wouldn’t go away. I never had problems articulating myself, but this woman had turned my world on its head, and I was still coming to terms with it. I took a step back, emotion overwhelming me. “I’m going to, uh, clean up.”

  Avery nodded, understanding clear in her expression. “I’ll get the ice cream.”

  When I walked back into the room, I stopped dead. She’d turned off the lights, and she was curled up on the sofa in the window, a full tub of cookies-and-cream ice cream in her hand. Wearing my shirt. And nothing else.

  I strode over to her, and she looked up at me with a smile, holding out the spoon.

  “Ice cream?”

  “You,” I growled, crawling over to her. She fumbled with the ice cream tub and the spoon, managing to place them on the floor, and then my lips were on hers.

  When we broke apart, both breathless, I brushed her hair back from her face, my eyes meeting hers. “You taste delicious.”

  She smiled against my lips. “It’s the ice cream.” Unwinding her arms from around me, she lay back, resting her head against the arm of the sofa. “Go on, I know you’re dying to do it.”

  “How did you know?” I sat up and leaned over the edge of the sofa to pick up the tub from the floor, carefully placing it on the coffee table.

  “Because I know you.” She lay still for a moment, just staring up at me with a smile on her face, before propping herself up on her elbows and reaching across to the coffee table. She grabbed the tub and dug the spoon into the melting ice cream.

  “Open wide.” I opened my mouth, and she placed the spoonful of creamy goodness on my tongue. Putting the tub back down, she crawled into my lap, grasping my face and kissing me, sliding her tongue into my mouth. She moaned and kissed me harder.

  “You taste amazing.”

  “It’s the ice cream.” I repeated her earlier words.

  “Want some more?”

  “Yes.”

  We finished the entire tub.

  Later that night, as she lay wrapped in my arms, fast asleep, I looked around my room, illuminated by the soft glow of the city lights, at her clothes strewn over various surfaces, her shoes piled in a heap by the door, the bedside table on her side of the bed piled with books and theatre programs. I smiled to myself as I stroked my fingers through her hair, my eyes drifting shut. My world had been turned upside down by this woman, and I didn’t regret a thing. She’d changed me for the better, and now? I couldn’t imagine a life without Avery in it.

  Epilogue

  AVERY

  Two months later…

  I cuddled up to Ethan in the back of the yellow taxi cab, watching the Manhattan skyline out of the window. “I can’t believe we’re really here.”

  He pulled me closer. “Believe it.”

  “You’re amazing. I can’t believe you arranged all this.”

  Back when Ethan had surprised me with the envelope in his office, I’d been blown away by his generosity in booking this trip—and the fact he’d told me it came with no strings attached. There was no one else I’d rather share this experience with, though, and I couldn’t wait to immerse myself in the sights and sounds of New York City with the man that I’d fallen for.

  “I wanted you to know how much you mean to me.”

  “Thank you,” I whispered. “I honestly have no words.”

  “Seeing how happy you are is enough for me.”

  How did I get so lucky?

  The day continued to get better and better. Once we’d checked into our boutique hotel, I perched on the edge of the bed as I described to Ethan all the things I wanted to see. His face grew decidedly more amused as I talked and talked, and when I paused for breath, he held up a finger.

  “Hang on for one minute.”

  I gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, I’m just excited.”

  “I know you are. Come here.” I crossed the room and stepped into his arms, and he kissed me. “Listen, I have an itinerary here. This is what we’re going to do.”

  “An itinerary? Really?” I raised a brow at him. “Won’t that take the fun out of it?”

  “I don’t think it will. Have a look.”

  He handed me his phone, and I scrolled down the neatly typed list, then turned to him in shock.

  “This is everything I’ve just been talking about.”

  “I know,” he smirked, gently extracting his phone from my hand. “I thought to myself, what would Avery like to do, here in New York? And I took the liberty of putting together a list, so I could make sure we didn’t miss anything.”

  “I love you.” I couldn’t hold back the words anymore. I’d been wanting to say them for so long, and I wanted him to hear them, to know the depth of my feelings for him.

  His eyes widened as he stared down at me, and then a huge grin spread across his face. “Say it again.”

  “I love you. I. Love. You.” My smile was as wide as his. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same yet.”

  He held my gaze. “Avery, I love you. I’ve loved you for longer than you realise. Longer than I even realised, probably. You mean everything to me.”

  “I feel the same.” I sighed and wrapped my arms around him, leaning my head on his chest. “If this is a dream, don’t wake me up.”

  He chuckled. “It’s definitely not a dream. And if you want further proof of my love for you, check the list again. I wouldn’t suffer through that for anyone else.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Have a look.” Holding up his phone so I could see it, he scrolled down the list, all the way to the following day, and pointed to an item that simply said, “7:15 p.m. – H (starts 8 p.m.).”

  “H?” I stared at him; my brow furrowed.

  “Do you want me to give you a clue?”

  “No, not yet. Let me think about this. H. Hmm.” I tapped my lip, deep in thought. “Starts at eight.”

  Ethan grinned at me. “Are you sure you don’t want a clue?”

  “No. Actually, yes. Go on, then.”

  “Okay.
Think Broadway.”

  “Broadway? Broadway?” My voice grew high-pitched in my excitement. “Ethan! Have you booked us tickets to Hamilton?” My mouth dropped open.

  “I have. Best seats in the house.”

  “We’re going to see Hamilton!” My screech was loud enough to be heard all over Manhattan. “This is the best day of my life. I love you.”

  “I take it you’re pleased with my choice?”

  “I’m blown away. You. Are. Incredible.”

  “I thought you’d like it.” Still grinning, clearly pleased with himself, he glanced at his watch. “We need to get ready to leave. We have a private sightseeing tour booked, and the car will be here to pick us up in twenty minutes.”

  “I can’t wait. I’m just going to text Liv to tell her about Hamilton before we go so I can give my full attention to the tour.” Over the past two months, Olivia and I had grown closer, and I now considered her my best friend. I had to share this news with her.

  Me: Guess what?

  Olivia replied straight away, even though according to the time difference it was 9:10 a.m. back in London, and by all accounts she should have been working. I’d hazard a guess that while Ethan was away, my colleagues were taking a more relaxed attitude to work.

  Olivia: What? Tell me! BTW Luke is getting on my last nerve.

  Me: Already? You’ve only been there ten minutes LOL

  Olivia: Yep. It’s a record. Anyway tell me your news!

  Me: Ethan got us Hamilton tickets! And he planned out this whole list of stuff for us to do while we’re here, all the things I wanted to do.

  Olivia: *heart eyes emoji* Aww, I’m legit swooning here

  Me: Also…something else happened…

  Olivia: What?

  Me: I told him I love him, and he said the same to me.

  Olivia: Aves, I’m SO happy for you both.

  Me: Me too. I had to tell you! But I’d better go now, got a sightseeing tour booked.

  Olivia: Go have fun with your man and I want to hear all about it when you get back. Take lots of pics :)

  Me: I will, speak soon x

  Olivia: x

  The next two days passed in a blur of sightseeing, eating and drinking, and, of course, Hamilton. Hands down, the best show I’d ever seen. Even Ethan enjoyed it. He’d never admit it, of course. What made it even better was the fact that he hadn’t worked once during the time we were away, not even checking his emails. His out-of-office auto response was on, and he seemed content to let everything go while we were away. He had arranged for us to go from a Friday to a Monday, so he’d only miss two days of work, but Delia had told me privately that it was the first time she could remember him taking time off without taking his work with him.

  As the chauffeur-driven car moved through the city streets, Ethan took my hand, entwining my fingers with his, his other hand holding the newspaper he’d been reading in the hotel lobby.

  We neared the Flatiron Building, and the driver slowed down, ready to stop so I could get out and snap some photos. Ethan put the paper down, turning his full attention to me. “You know, seeing New York through your eyes…you give me a whole new way of looking at the world. Making that deal with you to be my wedding date was the best deal I ever made.”

  “I would have to agree with you there. Your fake girlfriend turned into your real girlfriend.” I smiled happily, squeezing his hand.

  The car pulled over, and I hopped out, turning my phone camera on, and gestured to Ethan, who was still sitting inside, watching me with a smile on his face. He rolled his eyes good-naturedly and joined me.

  “Are you going to insist on a selfie with me at every tourist spot?”

  “Yes.”

  “I thought so. Go on, then.”

  He put his arms around me from behind, and I pulled his face down next to mine. He kissed my cheek while I took the photo, the Flatiron Building standing tall behind us. Truthfully, I don’t think he ever took selfies—he seemed a little uncomfortable posing for them but was happy to humour me. I wanted memories of every moment we spent in New York together. This was turning out to be the most amazing trip of my life.

  Back in the car, Ethan picked up the thread of our previous conversation.

  “Not just my girlfriend.”

  At his softly spoken words, I leaned closer. “What do you mean?”

  “You’re not just my girlfriend. You’re the woman I’ve fallen in love with. The most important person in my life.”

  The sights of New York faded into the background as I looked into his dark eyes, my heart swelling with everything I felt for this man. “I love you, Ethan. I’m so glad we found each other.” Glancing down at the champagne bottle at our feet, nestled in a bucket of ice, I said, “I propose a toast. To us. To the future.”

  “To us. And to many years of happiness to come.”

  “Cheers.” We clinked our glasses together, and I managed not to spill any of my drink.

  I’d call that a win.

  THE END

  Want more?

  You can get Luke and Olivia’s story, The Truce, on Amazon now.

  Interested in finding out what happens to Ethan’s sister, Victoria? Add her novel, The Offer, to your Goodreads TBR.

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  Acknowledgments

  Ahh how do I start thanking people? Firstly, I want to thank you, the reader for taking a chance and choosing to read this.

  Secondly, I have to talk about the amazing people that supported my debut, The Truce. The people who read it and had such encouraging comments, those who stood behind me and promoted the book without any reason to other than you’re just bloody nice people, the incredible bloggers and bookstagrammers who have been so supportive, the authors that have been so kind even though you didn’t have to. I can’t even begin to describe how much it all means to me.

  I need to mention a few names quickly - Sandra, for being a superstar editor, Jeanette for the fabulous cover, Angel for all her blurb help, and Amanda, Claudia, and Stef for your thorough critique and advice. Lilian, for finding me my cover model for this book and for everything else (BTW gimme Ash! I’m getting in there before Claudia does), Brenda and Deborah for your unending support. And to my other friends who have been there for me, love you 3000. The members of Becca’s Book Bar - I appreciate every single one of you.

  Thank you to my family who put up with my ridiculous waking hours (why must my brain only decide to write late at night?!), and thank you Ali, Si, Kev, and Jon for your support (and your sarcasm, but we won’t mention that).

  And last, but not least, to Stef. Ethan is yours, and this story wouldn’t have existed without you.

  Also by Becca Steele

  London Suits Series

  The Deal

  The Truce

  The Offer (coming soon)

  About the Author

  Becca Steele is a contemporary romance author from the south of England, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and various animals.

  When she's not writing, you can find her reading or watching Netflix, usually with a glass of wine in hand.

  Join Becca’s Facebook reader group Becca’s Book Bar or find her via the following links: