by Karen Booth
Sawyer raked his hands through his hair. “I’m so sorry, Lily. If I would’ve known it was going to get this out of control, I never would’ve allowed this in the first place.”
“Hold on a minute.” The anger in Noah’s voice was so unfamiliar Lily wouldn’t have believed it had come from his mouth if she hadn’t seen him utter the words. “You allowed this? I seem to remember that this was ultimately my call, along with Lily. We knew what we were getting into. No, it’s not what either of us would’ve planned, and it’s certainly less than ideal, but we have it under control.”
Seeing and hearing Noah be firm with Sawyer created a pleasant flutter in her chest. She loved the idea of them as a unified front. He’d been so right two days ago on the dock. They were in this together. “Sawyer, it’s fine. We did what we had to do to make the deal work. We’re a team.”
Sawyer shook his head in dismay. “I hope you two know what you’re doing.”
“We do.”
The fax machine on Lily’s desk sprang to life. She only needed to see a few inches of the letterhead to know who it was from. “We’re getting something from Lyle.”
Noah and Sawyer stepped closer. They all watched the machine chug out the first page. Lily swiped it from the paper tray. Subject: Deal Memo.
“This is it.” Noah leaned into Lily, subtly enough that Sawyer would never notice, but close enough for his body heat to make her tingly from head to toe. Between Noah and the anticipation of the official offer, this was almost too much to take. “We don’t look until every page comes out.”
“Fine,” Sawyer said. “I’ll be in my office. Let me know when it’s all here.”
Lily and Noah stood sentry over the fax machine until all twelve pages arrived. She collected them in her hands and handed them over to Noah. This was his deal now as far as she was concerned. He’d been in it from the beginning, he’d yanked it back from the precipice every time it was in danger of falling apart.
Noah took a step away from her desk and turned back to her. “Coming?” That flash of his eyes turned her knees to rubber.
Lily was so excited and scared she didn’t know what to think. She swiped her notepad from her desk. “Yep. Coming.”
A short ten minutes later, they were all still in shock. Sawyer looked out the window. Noah sat back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling. Lily was unsure of the appropriate reaction from her, so she sat perfectly still. This was her first time in on a big deal. She had to tamp down her desire to leap out of her seat and dance around the room. Her nest egg was about to be a lot bigger than first thought.
“We still need to have the lawyers look everything over,” Noah said. “And run everything by Charlotte. She should be able to come by the office this afternoon.”
“Yes. Of course.” Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just... I knew Lyle was excited about this deal. But I’ll be honest, I never thought the offer would end up being two times the number we started at.”
“It’s amazing,” Lily offered, still feeling out of her element.
“It really is.”
“We should go out and celebrate, don’t you think?” Noah asked.
Sawyer dropped down into his seat. “Sure. A drink after work? Kendall is still feeling a bit under the weather, so I’m probably not good for much else.”
“Six o’clock?” Noah asked.
“Perfect.” Sawyer picked up his phone.
Noah and Lily took that as their cue to leave. As they reached her desk, Noah put his hand on her shoulder. “This wouldn’t have been possible without you. I want you to know that. And it’s more than the stuff that’s happened over the last week. It’s everything you’ve done for us over two years. We’re both happy to have you here, but I’m especially happy about it.”
Lily didn’t want his words to make her feel the way she was feeling right now—soft and mushy on the inside. It contradicted the strength she needed to convey in business situations. Still, she so appreciated the kind words. “Thank you very much.”
“No problem.” He patted her on the shoulder, almost as confirmation that their relationship had returned to being only about business, exactly what she’d wanted. “Now let’s get to work.”
Lily sat at her desk, a ridiculous smile on her face, and got busy on the hundreds of things that had been pushed aside on Friday. They ordered lunch in and Lily devoured a Cobb salad while poring over spreadsheets and construction schedules. She had calls with two contractors, scheduled meetings for Noah and Sawyer. Six o’clock arrived in no time.
Noah had reserved a corner booth and had champagne waiting at a bar a few blocks from the office. It was a hot spot on weeknights for the after-work crowd, and the place was bustling with people. Lily, Noah and Sawyer were getting settled just as Charlotte joined them.
“I’m only here for a minute.” She plopped down her enormous handbag and took the seat next to Lily, who was left shoulder-to-shoulder with Noah. “It’s too depressing for me to be around people drinking right now. I would kill for a glass of wine.”
Lily laughed. “I bet. Only a few more months to go, though, right?” Pregnancy was a life event that seemed so far off for Lily that it might as well be her retirement.
Charlotte smoothed her hands over her belly. “Yes. And it’s all worth it. Doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy making others pity me.”
“Not gonna happen tonight, Charlotte. There’s too much to be happy about. We ordered you a glass of ginger ale. Hopefully the thought of all that money will make it tolerable,” Noah said.
Right on time, the waiter delivered Charlotte’s drink. She raised the champagne flute. “To Locke and Locke. And Lily. And Lyle Hannafort. That’s entirely too many L names for one toast, but I couldn’t care less.” She grinned as glasses clinked and they took their celebratory sips.
“Well, that’s it for me.” Charlotte pushed her drink to the center of the table.
“I thought you were kidding,” Noah replied.
“I have a super-hot husband waiting for me at home and he’s ordering a pizza. No offense to you guys, but that’s way more tempting.” Charlotte popped up from her seat and hooked her handbag on her arm.
Sawyer finished his drink. “Hold on. I’ll see you out. I need to go meet Kendall.”
“Bye,” Noah said, seeming annoyed.
Charlotte leaned over the table, looking both Noah and Lily directly in the eye. “If you’re staying, be sure to put on the Lily-and-Noah show. You’re out in public, and it’s only a matter of time before news of the big wedding gets out. If anyone has loose lips, it’s Marcy Hannafort.”
“Yep. Of course.” Lily watched as Noah slipped his hand on top of hers. Lord help her, she would never get accustomed to his touch. His skin against hers would always awaken every nerve ending in her body.
“We’re big kids, Charlotte. We’ve got it under control. You can go now.” Noah took another sip of his drink.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. “Bye.”
“Do you ever get tired of taking orders?” Noah asked. “Because I do.”
“Your sister has a very defined idea of the way things should be done. I get that. I’m the same way.”
“It’s not just Charlotte. Sawyer does it to me all the time.”
“So tell them to stop.”
Noah shrugged. “The thing is, most of the time they aren’t wrong. And if I had told them to stop when they suggested our engagement...” He cleared his throat. “I wouldn’t have had nearly as much fun at the wedding.”
Fun. Was that what Lily was to him? It was hard to imagine she was anything more. Not that she had any right to be disappointed about it. She’d eagerly grabbed her chance to be with Noah, to have that heavenly taste of him, no strings attached. “It was fun, wasn’t it?” She drew her finger around the rim of her glass. She knew her voice shouldn’t be so flirtatious, but now that s
he’d finished her first glass of champagne, she had no need for defenses. Not with Noah. They’d had major good news today. He was in a great mood. She had her nest egg secured.
“My favorite kind of fun.” He put his hand on hers again. His fingers slipped between hers, gently spreading them apart. Down and back he rubbed, going deeper with his touch on every pass. Lily stared at their hands and nearly gasped from ecstasy. “I know we said Florida was the end of it, but maybe we should try to get everything we can out of our arrangement.” He turned toward her, dropped his chin and nuzzled the spot behind her ear with his nose. His warm breath skimmed the length of her neck. The scruff on his cheek scratched at her skin.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked.
He laughed quietly in response, but she didn’t think it was that funny. She wanted to hear him say the words. “This.” He kissed the delicate skin beneath her ear. It took every ounce of self-control not to push him back against the booth, straddle his lap and pop the buttons off his shirt. He kissed her cheek, then moved to the corner of her mouth. The anticipation was killing her. “And this.”
His lips brushed hers and she went in for one of Noah’s mind-bending kisses—where constructs like time and place mean nothing. They pressed against each other, her hand dug into his hair. She was only vaguely aware of what was going on around them. People milled about, but she didn’t care. They were engaged, dammit, and if people couldn’t handle a public display of affection, that was too bad.
Noah pulled back, his mouth sexily slack. “We need to slow down or I won’t be able to walk out of here without embarrassing myself.”
She loved having that effect on him. It was not only a total turn-on, it made her want to give him the night of his life. “Why don’t you get your driver to bring your car around? So we can go to your place.”
* * *
Noah had never heard sweeter words. He’d been certain she was determined to keep things as they’d been before Florida, but apparently not. Unfortunately, he saw trouble out of the corner of his eye—tall and gorgeous and for the life of him, he couldn’t remember her name. Whatever it was, she was definitely a woman he’d dated and she was zeroing in on him like a heat-seeking missile.
“Noah Locke, you are a royal jerk.” The woman swished her long brown hair over her shoulder.
“I’m sorry?” It was the only thing he could think to say. The look of horror on Lily’s face was making it hard to think straight.
“Was I not clear? You’re a jerk. I saw the pictures in the tabloids. We went out two weeks ago and now you’re engaged to be married? So what was I? A little something on the side?” The woman directed her sights at Lily. “I hope that ring is worth it, because I’m not sure he is. Unless you want to be treated as if you’re disposable.”
Lily sat a little straighter, but didn’t say a thing. She merely cocked an eyebrow at Noah.
Noah scooted out of the booth and stood. “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. My fiancée and I are trying to enjoy ourselves.”
“I’m sure you’re not used to women calling you out on your crap, but somebody needs to do it. I hope the marriage works out, because I think you’ve run out of single women in Manhattan anyway.” With that, she stormed off.
Noah plopped down, unsure of what had just happened, but certain that was his pride she’d ground into the floor. “I’m so sorry. That has never happened. Well, almost never.”
“You certainly increase your odds when you go out with enough women to warrant a tabloid video.”
“You know that’s not me.”
“I do know that. It still doesn’t make what just happened any better.”
“She was terrible, wasn’t she?”
Lily squinted at him. “What? No. That’s not what I was saying. She felt used, Noah. No woman should feel like that. Do you have any idea how many times I’ve been that woman?”
“Approaching a former boyfriend in a bar and making a scene?”
“No. The spurned lover. The woman who gets dumped by the handsome guy who can have whatever and whomever he wants. I’ve been in her shoes and it’s not fun. I nearly made room for her to sit and offered to buy her a drink. Or at least tell her that our engagement isn’t what it appears to be.”
“It’s not my fault if other guys treated you badly.”
“This is not about me. But for the record, I have several of those. It’s not fun to be yanked around.”
“Hey. I didn’t yank her around. I don’t do that. I’m always up-front. I’m always clear it’s not serious. Sawyer practically drilled that into my head.”
A breathy laugh left Lily’s lips. “And you’re going to keep walking in Sawyer’s footsteps? He managed to figure out that wasn’t the way to live his life.”
Noah felt as though Lily had plunged a dagger into his heart. Yes, he looked up to Sawyer. How could he not? Sawyer was the one positive male role model in his life. So, yes, they’d shared the same attitude toward women—don’t get involved, don’t buy into that moment when everything is new and it’s easy to get swept away. Their dad had made an embarrassing habit of that, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake.
“I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me, especially not on this topic. There’s plenty you don’t know.”
“Seriously? I’ve had to spend the last two years hearing you sweet-talk women over the phone or even worse, bring them by the office. I know exactly what your modus operandi is.” She grabbed her purse and coat and scooted out of the booth. “I’m just going to take a cab home. Good night, Noah.”
He was still catching up with what she’d said. Had he hurt her by letting her witness glimpses of his love life? “Lily, wait. My driver can drop you off at your place. We can talk about this.”
She took off and Noah had no choice but to wind his way through the throng of people in the bustling bar. He followed her out onto the busy sidewalk. Dozens of people walked past, some filing in and out of the bar. The sun had set and the air held a chill.
“You and I both know what happens the minute we get in the back of that car, Noah,” Lily muttered while tugging on her coat. “We can’t keep our hands off each other. But we have to. That’s the only way I get out of this ridiculous situation with my pride and job intact. Those are both supremely important to me.”
“So you’ve said.”
Anger blazed in her blue eyes. “Don’t you dare fault me for putting my career first. A man does that and nobody bats an eye. I’m going now. See you tomorrow. At work.”
Noah looked around. There were people everywhere and Charlotte had been clear that they had to remember the show they were putting on. They were so close with the Hannafort deal. “No kiss goodbye? We’re supposed to be getting married.”
Lily sidestepped to the curb and thrust her hand up in the air. A cab zipped right over. “Nobody’s watching. We’re fine.” She opened the door and climbed inside without another word.
Noah stood there feeling like an idiot. He’d been so stupid to think that a little role-play with Lily would be harmless. He felt as if his entire sense of self was dissolving, and he knew he’d played a huge role in that. Why did it have to be that the allure of Lily was so great, and she was the one person who could send this all tumbling down?
Ten
At the office the next morning, a number came up on Noah’s caller ID that made his stomach lurch—his dad. He picked up, slumping back in his office chair and preemptively kneading his forehead. “Dad. Hi.”
“You don’t have to sound so excited to talk to me.”
Last night at the bar had nearly killed Noah, kissing Lily’s neck and having it all blow up in his face. Now this. It was going to be a brutal day. “Trust me. I’m thrilled.”
“I was hoping this would be a happy phone call, but after seeing the papers this morning, it looks as
though this engagement of yours isn’t going to stick. I’m sorry to see that.”
Papers? Noah had no idea what his dad was talking about. He cradled the phone between his shoulder and cheek, typing his own name into the search bar on his computer. It only took a fraction of a second for the story to come up. Trouble in Locke Paradise. Beneath the headline was the photographic evidence of his argument with Lily in front of the bar. This would’ve been a very different article if she had just listened to him.
“It’s the tabloids. This is what they do. It’s nothing.” His words might have sounded cool and collected, but Noah was feeling anything but that on the inside.
“Pictures don’t lie. I really was hoping you’d finally get your act together. You can’t always let Sawyer be the perfect son.”
The perfect son. This was a classic example of their father’s cruel ways. He’d never seen Sawyer as the perfect son. If anything, their dad put more effort and attention into sabotaging Sawyer than he did Noah. But he liked to tell Noah that his older brother was the perfect son merely to get under his skin.
“My engagement to Lily is great. Thanks for calling to congratulate us, by the way.”
“Thank you for calling to tell me about it.”
Touché. “I would’ve gotten around to it eventually. Work has been incredibly busy.” The instant the words were out of his mouth, he regretted them. Giving his dad any inkling of what was going on with their business was always a bad idea.
“So I gather. I understand that you attended Lyle Hannafort’s daughter’s wedding. There isn’t something brewing between your little company and Hannafort, is there? That would be a real slap in the face to everything I’ve worked so hard for. You know I despise Lyle. The man is a self-righteous blowhard and a terrible businessman.”
Noah’s pulse thundered in his ears. He and Sawyer had long suspected that somebody was feeding their dad information on the Locke and Locke business dealings. Noah couldn’t take the chance that his dad would get wind of the Hannafort deal. He and Sawyer had taken great pains to keep everything under wraps. “For a terrible businessman, he’s got quite the empire.”
