Under the Boss’s Mistletoe

by Jessica Hart

  On the other hand, she was here, lying next to Jake, and Natasha wasn’t.

  She would have to keep her fantasies firmly under control for once, Cassie vowed. There was no point in getting carried away like she usually did. She wasn’t Jake’s dream, and she never would be. Best to face it now.

  But she didn’t have to think about the future yet. She had the here and now. Cassie rested her palm over Jake’s heart and felt it beating steadily. For now that was enough.

  ‘We’d better get on.’ Cassie sighed and stretched reluctantly. November had dawned dark and dank, and she would have loved to stay snuggled up to Jake’s warm, solid body all day. ‘There’s lots to do.’

  Lazily, Jake slid his hand from the curve of her hip to her breast, and she caught her breath at the heart-stopping intimacy of the gesture. ‘Like what?’ he asked, pulling her closer.

  ‘Like getting married,’ she reminded him, and laughed as he froze for a moment. ‘I can’t believe you’ve forgotten that Tina and Rob are coming tonight for another photo session!’

  ‘I’ve had other things on my mind,’ said Jake, rolling her beneath him, lips hot and wicked against her breast, making her arch beneath his hands. ‘More important things-like reminding you what you’ve been waiting ten years for…’

  Here and now, Cassie told herself as desire flooded her. Jake was right. What was more important than that?

  It was much later when she finally forced herself out of bed, and nearly had a fit when she saw the time. ‘There’s so much to do!’

  Fortunately the caterers had cleared up most of the debris from the party the night before, but they still had to take down the Allantide decorations and make the great hall look as if it was Christmas instead.

  ‘Why don’t we leave it until it is Christmas?’ asked Jake as Cassie ran around putting up fairy lights and piling pine cones into bowls.

  ‘Because I was trying to get everything over as soon as possible,’ she said. ‘I thought it made sense to do all the photos at once. Rob said he took some good ones last night, which we can use on the website, and I’ve arranged for him to come back tonight since you’d be down here anyway. I didn’t think you’d want to come down more than you had to.’

  ‘I don’t mind,’ said Jake, who couldn’t quite remember now why he had been so resistant to the idea. He couldn’t remember much about anything this morning except how warm, sweet and exciting Cassie had been the night before.

  He felt as if he were walking along the edge of a cliff, knowing that a false step would send him tumbling out of control. Jake wasn’t sure how he had got himself there, but he couldn’t turn round and go back now. He had to keep going and not look down to see how far it was to fall.

  They hadn’t talked about the future at all, and Jake was glad. He had a feeling that even thinking about a future that accommodated Cassie, and the chaos she took with her wherever she went, would send his careful life slipping over the edge of that cliff.

  The sensible thing, of course, would have been to remember that before he had made love to her. But he was here now, and Cassie’s bright presence was lighting up the great hall. He could be sensible again when he got back to London.

  ‘If we left it until December, you could have a Christmas tree,’ he pointed out.

  Cassie hesitated, picturing a tall tree in the corner by the staircase. ‘It would look lovely,’ she admitted. ‘But everything else is ready now. I’ve got my dress on loan, as it’s just going to be used for photographs, and Rob and Tina are all sorted too. We might as well go ahead,’ she decided reluctantly. A Christmas tree would have been the perfect finishing touch.

  She was setting a round table as if for a reception, and Jake was astounded by the detail. She seemed to have thought of everything, from carefully designed place-card holders to tiny Christmas puddings on each plate. A stunning dried-flower arrangement with oranges and berries in the centre of the table held candles, wine glasses were filled with white rose-petals, and silver crackers added a festive touch.

  ‘How on earth did you think of all this?’ he asked. He would have thrown on a tablecloth, and might have risen to a candle or two, but that was where his inspiration would have run out.

  ‘Oh, it was easy,’ said Cassie, straightening the last cracker and standing back to survey the table with satisfaction. ‘This is my job, remember? Besides, all I had to do in this case was act out a fantasy I’ve had for years,’ she went on cheerfully. ‘I always wanted a Christmas wedding, and in my fantasy it was here at the Hall, so I didn’t really have to think of anything. I knew exactly what I wanted.’

  Of course, in her fantasy Rupert would probably have been the groom, Jake thought jealously.

  Cassie was chattering on. ‘Naturally, there would be lots more tables if this was a real wedding. I’m hoping Rob will be able to take some pictures of us that will give the impression that hundreds of guests are milling around in the background. We’ll feel complete prats, I know, but it’s all in a good cause, and if Rob can get some good shots of details the Hall should look wonderful in that article.’

  Ah yes, the article. Jake had almost forgotten why they were doing this.

  ‘It does look surprisingly Christmassy,’ he said, looking around. He wasn’t sure how Cassie had done it. There were no snowmen or reindeer, no Santa Claus climbing down the chimney. Instead she had created a subtle effect with colour and light.

  ‘Wait till we’ve lit the fire and the candles,’ said Cassie. ‘I’ve made some mince pies too, and some mulled wine to offer our guests as they come in from the cold. Rob can take a still-life shot and then we might as well enjoy them to get us in the mood.’

  ‘All you need is some mistletoe,’ said Jake.

  ‘It’s too early, unfortunately, but don’t think I haven’t tried to get some!’

  ‘Let’s pretend it’s hanging right here,’ he said, pointing above their heads and drawing Cassie to him with his other arm. ‘Then I can kiss you right underneath it.’

  Dizzy with delight, Cassie melted in to him and wound her arms around his neck to kiss him back.

  ‘When are Tina and Rob coming?’ Jake’s voice was thick as he nuzzled her throat, making her shiver with anticipation.

  Cassie opened her mouth, but before she could say anything the old-fashioned door-bell jangled.

  Jake sighed. ‘Now?’

  ‘I’m afraid so.’

  Tina gasped at the transformation Cassie had wrought on the great hall. ‘It feels like Christmas already! I can feel a carol coming on…O come, all ye faithful,’ she warbled tunelessly.

  They left Rob taking photos of the table and decorations while they went to change. Tina had bought a black-evening dress, which they had decided would be suitable for a bridesmaid, and she helped Cassie into the borrowed wedding-dress. Made of satin and organza, it was fitted underneath with a floaty outer layer that was fixed at the waist with a diamond detail.

  ‘Oh Cassie, you look beautiful,’ Tina said tearfully as she fastened a simple tiara into Cassie’s hair. The curls didn’t lend themselves to a sophisticated up-do, and in the end Cassie had decided to leave her hair as it was and save on the expense of a hairdresser.

  ‘Hey, I’m not really getting married,’ she reminded Tina, but her expression was wistful as she studied her reflection. It was her dream dress, and it was impossible not to wish that she was wearing it for real.

  Jake waited in the great hall with Rob as she and Tina headed down the grand staircase. Without the bother of make-up, it hadn’t taken him long to change into his tuxedo again. He stood at the bottom of the stairs watching Cassie coming down, and looking so devastating. Her knees felt weak and her mind spun with the longing to throw herself into his arms.

  And then she almost did as she missed a step and lurched to one side. She would have fallen if Tina hadn’t grabbed her and hauled her upright. ‘God, you’re such a klutz, Cassie,’ her friend scolded. ‘It won’t make much of a photo with you lying a
t the bottom of the stairs with a broken neck!’

  Then Cassie was all fingers and thumbs as she attempted to pin a white-rose buttonhole on Jake. ‘I’ll do it,’ he said in the end, and she turned away to pick up the bouquet she had ordered, only to fumble that too. Jake caught it just before it hit the ground, and shook his head. ‘You’re hopeless,’ he said, but he was smiling.

  Get a grip, Cassie, she told herself sternly.

  ‘So, what’s the idea?’ said Tina, getting down to business. ‘Are you having the wedding here too?’

  ‘No, just the reception,’ said Cassie who had managed to pull herself together. ‘We’ve been married in Portrevick church, and we’ve just arrived in a horse and carriage.’

  Jake made a face. ‘A car would be much more sensible. It’s a steep hill up from the village.’

  ‘Yes, well, this is a fantasy,’ said Cassie a little crossly. ‘Who wants a sensible fantasy? It was a horse and carriage,’ she insisted. ‘A white horse, in fact. Or possibly two.’

  ‘OK,’ said Rob, breaking into the discussion. ‘I’ve taken as many details as I can. Let’s have the bride and groom looking into each other’s eyes.’

  He posed them by some candles Cassie had lit, and while he fiddled with his camera Cassie adjusted Jake’s bow tie. ‘You look very nice,’ she said approvingly.

  ‘And you look beautiful,’ said Jake.

  A jolt had shot through him as he had looked up to see her coming down the staircase, and he was feeling jarred, as if it was still reverberating through him. The dress was white and elegantly floaty. She looked glamorous and sexy and, yes, beautiful.

  And then she had stumbled, and he hadn’t been able to resist smiling, pleased to see that it was Cassie after all and not some elegant stranger.

  Unable to resist touching her, he ran his hands up her bare arms. ‘It’s Christmas Eve. Weren’t you a bit chilly in that carriage?’ he said, trying to lighten the atmosphere, trying to loosen whatever it was that had taken such a tight grip on his heart when he had looked up to see Cassie as a bride.

  ‘I had a faux fur stole to wear when we came out of the church,’ she explained.

  ‘And a muff, I hope?’ said Jake, remembering Michelle at the wedding fair, and they both started to laugh at the same time.

  They had forgotten Tina and Rob, who was snapping away. They had forgotten the article, forgotten why they were dressed up as a bride and groom. They had forgotten everything except the warmth and the laughter-then somehow they weren’t laughing any more, but were staring hungrily at each other.

  ‘That’s great,’ called Rob from behind his camera. ‘Now, what about a…?’

  He tailed off, realising that Cassie and Jake weren’t even listening.

  ‘A kiss,’ he finished, but they were already there. Cassie was locked in Jake’s arms, and they were kissing in a way that would have raised a few eyebrows at a real wedding, where kisses for the camera were usually sweet and chaste. There was nothing sweet or chaste about this kiss.

  Rob looked at Tina, who rolled her eyes. ‘Guys? Guys!’ she shouted, startling Jake and Cassie apart at last. ‘You’re embarrassing Rob,’ she said with a grin as they looked at her with identically disorientated expressions. ‘These photos are supposed to be for a brides’ magazine, not something they keep on the top shelf! They don’t want pictures of the wedding night, just a sweet little peck on the lips so the readers can all go “aah”.’

  ‘Sorry, yes, I suppose we got a bit carried away,’ said Cassie, flustered.

  ‘A bit? We didn’t know where to look, did we, Rob?’

  ‘It must have been all the time shut up in that carriage,’ muttered Jake, alarmed at how easily he lost control the moment he laid hands on Cassie.

  They posed for a whole ream of photographs, but at last Rob decided that he had enough. ‘I’ll send you the link so that you can look at them online,’ he told Cassie. ‘And then you can pick a selection of the best to send to Wedding Belles after Christmas.’

  Jake couldn’t wait for Rob and Tina to be gone. He closed the door after them with relief and turned back to Cassie, who was blowing out the candles.

  ‘Now, where was that mistletoe again?’ he said, and she beckoned him over so that she could put her arms around his neck and kiss him.

  ‘Right here,’ she said.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‘I’VE got to go back to London this afternoon,’ said Jake the next morning as they lay in bed. Realising how reluctant he was to go sent him teetering perilously on the edge of that sheer drop again, though, and he shied away from the thought. He smoothed the curls back from Cassie’s face. ‘Do you want a lift?’

  Keep it light, he told himself. Offering a lift back to London wasn’t the same as suggesting that she move in with him, have his baby or anything that smacked remotely of commitment. It was just saving a train fare.

  ‘I can’t,’ sighed Cassie. ‘I promised to meet one of the contractors tomorrow to talk about electrics. Now that the hall is done, we need to start work on the kitchens and bathrooms. There’s still a long way to go before we can open as a venue. I really need to stay another couple of days.’

  Jake was horrified by how disappointed he was at the prospect of three nights without her, but perhaps a few days apart wasn’t a bad thing. It would give him a chance to get himself under control and start thinking clearly again. He wasn’t himself when Cassie was right there, warm, soft and desperately distracting. It was too easy to lose control, too easy to forget what he risked by letting go of his careful, ordered life.

  So when Cassie said that she would be back in London on Wednesday he made himself hold back. He didn’t offer to meet her at the station, take her out to dinner or take her back to his apartment to see how she looked amongst his furniture, the way he really wanted to do. ‘Give me a ring when you’re back,’ was all he said.

  Right. Not ‘I’ll miss you’. Not ‘I love you’. Not even ‘I’ll call you’, thought Cassie. But what had she expected? Jake was a careful man nowadays. He might have made love to her with a heart-stopping tenderness and passion, but he wasn’t about to rush into a relationship with her.

  And quite right too, Cassie reminded herself. She had decided that the here and now was enough for her, and it was obviously enough for Jake as well. So she smiled as she kissed him goodbye after lunch and waved him off to London.

  She ought to be happy, she thought as she went back inside and began the dreary task of taking down the Christmas decorations. She had had the most wonderful weekend. OK, so Jake hadn’t said that he wanted to see her again, but he hadn’t said that he didn’t want to, either. He couldn’t have made love to her like that if he didn’t feel anything, could he?

  They had all the photos they needed for the article, so there was no real need for him to come down to Portrevick again. But he might need her to be his fiancée again in London. It would look suspicious if they broke off their supposed engagement just yet. They had agreed that they would keep the pretence going until after Christmas, and that was still weeks away, Cassie reassured herself. It was only the beginning of November. Anything could happen in that time.

  Just because Jake hadn’t talked about the future didn’t mean they couldn’t have one.

  Still, Cassie couldn’t help feeling bereft now that he had gone. She wandered disconsolately around the great hall, taking down the fairy lights and dismantling the table she had laid so carefully the day before.

  When the bell jangled, she hurried to open the massive front door, relieved at the distraction. She hoped it would be Tina, who had promised to come and give her a lift back to the village. A good chat with her old friend was just what she needed. But when she threw the door open wide, the smile was wiped from her face. It wasn’t Tina who stood there.

  It was Natasha.

  ‘Oh!’

  Natasha smiled a little hesitantly. ‘Hi,’ she said.

  ‘I’m afraid Jake isn’t here,’ said Cassie, unable
to think of any other reason Natasha would be here on her own. ‘He’s gone back to London.’

  ‘Actually, it was you I was hoping to see. Have you got a moment?’

  The last person Cassie wanted to talk to right then was Natasha, but she couldn’t think of a polite way to refuse. ‘Sure,’ she said reluctantly, and stood back. ‘Come in.’

  Gracefully, Natasha stepped into the hall. Swathed in a fabulous cream cashmere pashmina, she stood looking beautiful and making everything around her seem faintly shabby in comparison.

  Including Cassie.

  There was an awkward silence. ‘Would you like some tea?’ Cassie found herself asking to her own disgust.

  ‘That would be nice, thank you.’

  ‘We’ll go to the kitchen. It’s warmer there.’

  Cursing her mother’s training, which meant that you always had to be polite whatever the cost, Cassie led the way to the kitchen.

  Natasha sat at the table, unwinding her pashmina to reveal an exquisite pale-blue jumper, also cashmere by the look of it, and Cassie sighed as she filled the kettle. If she tried to wear a top that colour, she would spill something down it and ruin it two seconds after she had put it on, but Natasha looked as if she had stepped out of the pages of a magazine.

  Switching on the kettle, she turned and leant back against the worktop and folded her arms. ‘What did you want to talk to me about?’

  ‘About Jake,’ said Natasha.

  Cassie stiffened. ‘What about him?’

  ‘I just wanted to know…how he is.’ Natasha moistened her lips. ‘I’d hoped to see him at the ball the other night, but I couldn’t find him.’

  Cassie thought about what Jake had been doing while Natasha had been looking for him, and her toes curled. ‘He’s fine,’ she said shortly.

  ‘I see,’ whispered Natasha, and to Cassie’s horror the green eyes filled with tears. ‘I’d hoped…I’d hoped…’