by Violet Paige
He chuckled. “We’re not green-headed monsters. We have hearts, despite all your pre-conceived ideas.”
“My pre-conceived ideas are based on the reality of my situation.”
“I’ll give you that.”
She paused. “Ok. So I’m supposed to design the artwork for a children’s foundation that does what exactly?”
She had started to take notes.
“We don’t want to narrow our focus too much, or make it too broad. Tyler would like to make sure we’re giving as many educational opportunities as possible to young children through high school.”
“And you? Do you have a different focus?”
Lee nodded. “I love his idea, but I want to make sure that kids stay healthy. That they get the chance to live out that educational dream of his. So, my end is more children’s health. Helping families pay medical bills. That kind of thing.”
Brooke’s jaw dropped. “You are fucking with me right now, aren’t you?”
“Excuse me?”
She shook the blond curls from her shoulders. “You seriously want me to believe that you are both so enthralled with the livelihood and well-being of children that you’re setting up a foundation?”
“That’s exactly what we’ve done. After our mountain break, we are announcing it to our shareholders and to the public. We are anticipating a high media presence. They are going to expect us to roll out a new product, but instead they are going to get this. And we hope the foundation gets a lot of support. What better way to kick off a campaign?”
“And for you two to make your re-entrance into civilization.”
“Something like that.” He didn’t like the public relations side of it, but the timing wasn’t a coincidence. It was the one thing the two of them had to agree to work on outside of Denver.
“I really don’t know what to say.”
“Do you think you have enough information to start the design work? You’re running on a short time table. The other artists we have consulted certainly have a head start on you.”
“Th-this is huge,” Brooke stuttered.
“Are you up for it?”
She nodded. “I-I have to be, don’t I?”
He smiled. “That’s up to you. You don’t have to take the assignment, Brooke. Tyler’s not going to be easy on you. He has an art background. He knows his stuff. He has the final say. It’s not up to me.”
“And if I don’t then I sit around the cabin all day while you two chop wood and burn stuff?”
“I didn’t say that. I’m sure we could find something else for you to do here. This was your negation. It was your idea,” he reminded her. “You can sit up here and knit sweaters if you want. Read. Sleep. Or just paint. You don’t have to do any of the Dreams with Wings work.”
She sat back in her chair. For a moment, he thought she might reconsider. She might pull her offer to design the brand.
“I want the job.” She pulled her shoulders back. “If there is one thing I know, it’s how much children need a foundation like this. I’m going to produce the winning design.”
“Good.” He pushed off from the chair. “I can’t wait to see what you come up with.”
“I’m going to have this.”
Lee paused in the doorway. He could see the determination in her eyes. Feel the defiance dripping off her. She was beautiful and smart. And every time he saw her she was getting under his skin more and more. He wanted to clear everything off her desk and kiss her until she screamed his name. Brooke was more than he ever could have imagined.
“If it is, then I guess we won’t have much time together.” He said the words slowly. He didn’t want that to happen. But he wanted her to win. He wanted her to feel that kind of satisfaction from proving her work and her art.
He was torn, wanting to keep her, and wanting her to be successful enough she could free herself.
“Then we still have a deal.” She grinned triumphantly. “Thank you for the information, Lee. I know what I need to do now.”
“Glad I could help.” He tapped the doorframe. “I’ll see you at dinner tonight.”
“Right. Dinner.”
He walked out of Brooke’s office.
Thirteen
Brooke
Lee walked out of her office and Brooke still didn’t know how to take what he had told her. All this time she thought she was going to design their latest million-dollar product, when in fact they were trying to launch the most amazing foundation she had ever heard of. It was going to change lives. Make families whole. Help children and parents when they needed it most.
Who were these men?
She tapped her pen on the desk. She didn’t want to think she had pegged them wrong. That they gave because maybe they were generous, not because they were trying to seduce her. Maybe they gave because that’s how they showed they cared. They gave because it made them feel good.
She twisted her lips together, confused more than before Lee’s visit. What if there was something good about Lee and Tyler buried underneath their sexy exteriors? What if they were capable of caring beyond their global domination? What if they were good men and she had judged them because of something stupid Niall did?
Her head spun with the possibilities. But Brooke did what she always did when things were complicated. She walked to the new design table and picked up a charcoal pencil. There was one place where she could get lost. One place where everything else faded away and nothing else mattered. Her art.
A few nights later Brooke decided to venture downstairs after a long day of designing. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs when she saw Tyler in the front living room. His back was toward her. He held a glass of whiskey in his hand while he stared at the roaring flames in the fireplace.
She started to twirl and run up the stairs, but he saw her.
“You don’t have to run, Brooke. Have a drink with me.” Tyler watched her hesitate.
Brooke bit the inside of her cheek. “It’s late.”
“You’ve been working late the last few nights. I have barely seen you.”
She sighed. “I take my work seriously. And my freedom,” she added.
“Come with me. I want to show you something before you hide away upstairs again.” Tyler led her to his study. Lee had one on the opposite side of the house.
Brooke reluctantly followed him. Everything inside her told her she should climb the massive staircase, but her curiosity won out.
Tyler stood in front of the bar. He poured a glass of wine for her.
She clutched the glass as he handed it to her.
“How is the project coming along?” he asked.
She took a sip. It was soothing. The glass was probably worth more than her entire apartment.
“I don’t think I should discuss it with you.”
His eyebrows rose. “Afraid it may sway my decision?”
“Something like that.”
She sat on the leather sofa. The fireplace was lit. It was hard to ignore how warm and comforting the room was. The shelves were lined with books about art. Tyler’s collection was amazing. She could stare at the pieces he had in here for hours.
He sat next to her on the couch, the leather bowing under his heavy frame. He was more relaxed than usual. His sleeves were rolled to his elbows. She could smell the masculine scent of his cologne.
She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It had to be the wine, but she was seconds away from leaning her head on his shoulder. Instead she scooted closer to the edge of the couch.
“Something wrong?” he asked.
“You realize I can’t leave this house. And if I tried to, I’d freeze outside in the blizzard. And here we are having a glass of wine, surrounded by art and literature. It’s like a horrible fairytale I read as a child.”
“Yes. I think I know the one. Something about a beast?”
She stared at him. “It doesn’t make any sense. Nothing in this house makes sense.”
“Brooke.” He looked
at her. She felt his eyes heavy on her lips.
She had to get out of here. She placed the wine on the coffee table.
“I’m going to bed. I have work to do. Early.”
She walked to the doorway.
“Stay and finish the bottle with me,” he urged. “We can tell bedtime stories. Maybe revise that terrible beast story,” he teased.
She closed her eyes. She hated that the draw to him was so strong.
“Good night, Tyler.” She walked away, knowing something inside her was shifting and there was nothing she could do about it.
It took ten days. A grueling ten days of working on the Dreams with Wings design. Brooke had never loved a project more than this. She wasn’t sure she was ready to admit it openly, but it was true. She awoke in the massive cabin each morning, eager to get to work on the latest ideas that came to her overnight.
There were some nights she stayed up late, designing and creating. She felt as if part of her soul were invested in it. It had to be the most beautiful creation she had made.
Today was it. Tyler and Lee would receive the final submissions from the other artists. Brooke’s fingers tingled with nerves. It was hard to decide what made her more nervous—wanting the design to be chosen because she loved it, or wanting it to be chosen to give her the freedom she had sought.
Today could be the day she’d leave the cabin forever. This could be it.
Either way, it was enough to keep her stomach in knots. She skipped her cup of coffee Lee offered in the kitchen.
“Can I get you something else?” he asked. “You seem nervous, Brooke.”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can eat.”
Tyler rested his tablet next to him at the table. “Is there a reason you have no appetite today?” He smirked.
She wanted to slap that beautiful smile off his face. It was irritating how sexy he was.
“I think you know exactly what is at stake today.”
Lee smiled. “I’m sure your design is going to be chosen. Ty has excellent taste. How could he not pick yours?”
Brooke exhaled and smiled at him. He had a way of calming her when she least expected it. “Thank you. I guess I’ll know this afternoon, won’t I?”
“Whatever happens, we appreciate that you’ve worked hard for the foundation.”
“Thank you.” She folded her napkin in her lap. There was no way she could eat the omelet Lee placed in front of her.
Tyler poured a cup of coffee. He was relaxed and cocky as usual.
“Maybe I should go for a walk,” she suggested, waiting for one of them to protest.
The men looked between each other and shrugged.
“You’re serious?” She stared at them. “You aren’t going to tell me you have to walk with me? Or that you’re worried I’ll run?”
Lee smiled. “I’ve kept the hiking path clear. You should have no trouble finding your way back to the house on your own, but if you want company, you know I’ll go with you.”
“This is for real? I can leave the cabin?”
He nodded. “Brooke, this day is huge for you. I think the woods and snow will do you some good.”
“Oh my God. Thank you.” She hopped from the table before they could change their minds.
She rushed from the dining room and climbed the stairs to the second story. She had tried to stay away from the guys’ bedrooms, but she had no doubt where each one of them slept.
Sometimes at night she thought she heard one or both of them pause outside her door, but she was never sure. They had respected her boundaries. Over the last two weeks she had begun to trust them, even when she didn’t want to.
They had never touched her. Never hurt her. They had only put limitations on leaving the cabin. Sometimes she had to remind herself why she was angry she was kept in a gorgeous house, given designer clothes and shoes, fed amazing meals, and treated like a princess but two gorgeous men. She had to be going crazy.
As she walked past Tyler’s room she noticed the door was cracked. She paused, noticing the pictures tucked into the mirror.
She had never thought before about what kinds of things mattered to Tyler. She had been too busy either hating him, or trying to keep her distance from his smoldering stare. The last two weeks of work had given her an escape.
But now, she absorbed the photos he had saved.
He had his arm around a woman with wisps of gray in her hair. It must be his mother. There was a picture of him and Lee. She stared at the collection of art museum shots. He had been to every impressive collection in the world. She couldn’t believe it.
Brooke fought the burning interest in her belly. Today Tyler wasn’t a hot sexy man who might have a side she’d like to get to know. No, that couldn’t happen. Today, Tyler was the man who decided her fate. That was all that mattered.
She walked to her room and found the heaviest coat, scarf, and gloves and dressed for the bitter cold.
Fourteen
Tyler
He took a look at the three leading portfolios in front of him. Tyler pushed away from his desk and walked to the bar to pour a drink. He filled the rocks glass with bourbon and leaned his heavy frame against the marble surface.
He knocked back the first swallow. If he chose Brooke’s design, she would be free. He took another sip.
It was the last thing he or Lee wanted. Two weeks with her had changed him. He didn’t know how to admit it, or face it, but it was the fucking truth.
She had a smile that could bring him to his knees. She had a smart mouth that he wanted to kiss every morning and every night. Her voice. Her laugh. She had invaded every part of him when he wasn’t looking. The thought of letting her go was ludicrous.
But he had made a deal and he wasn’t going to break his word, even if it cost him the one thing he wanted more than anything.
He heard a knock on the door and Lee stepped inside.
“Have you made a decision yet?” he asked.
Tyler shook his head. “No. I haven’t even opened them.” He nodded at the presentations on his desk. “The messenger brought them an hour ago. I told the poor bastard to warm up before he headed back on the road.”
“You know Brooke is a nervous wreck waiting on your answer. She’s back from the woods and pacing upstairs.”
Tyler frowned. His brows almost touched with the scowl.
“I know. There’s a lot riding on this.”
“Which part? The foundation? Or Brooke?”
Tyler exhaled. “Both. I don’t want to fuck up either. Our return to StarCon hinges on this. This.” He pushed his finger into the desk.
“It’s going to crush her if you don’t choose her design, man.”
“You don’t think I know that?” He shot a look at his best friend. “I want hers to be the one, just as much as I don’t.” He took a seat behind his desk. “This is the one time I wish I didn’t know a damn thing about art.”
“I could go through them if you like,” Lee offered. “I know absolutely shit about art.”
“No.” He shook his head. “This is my fucking responsibility. She’s counting on me to get it right.”
“By right, do you mean granting her freedom?”
Tyler felt his scowl deepen. He clenched his fist. “Yeah. I guess so.”
“I don’t want her to leave the cabin.”
“Neither do I.” Tyler glanced at the travel package on the corner of his desk. “We’re unveiling the foundation soon. Dreams with Wings needs me to do the right thing. And so does Brooke. But I’ve been thinking about something.”
“Yeah? What are your thoughts?” Lee shoved his hands in his pockets.
“I think it’s important that whoever our designer is, attends the event.” He smiled.
Lee grinned. “I think that’s part of the agreement with our artists, isn’t it?”
Tyler nodded. “Standard. Even if it means we take the smelly French guy with us.”
Lee laughed. “Son of a bitch. We w
ould see her again.”
Tyler felt the burden lift. It wasn’t much, but if he did choose Brooke’s design she would have to debut it at the conference. If he didn’t, she was required to be their cabin companion for the remaining six weeks. It was a win-win.
“Get out of here and let me study these proposals. I’ll let you know the finalist.”
Lee nodded. “I’ll wait. Maybe I’ll go check on her.” He stepped in the hallway and disappeared.
Tyler opened the flap to the first design. He sat back in his chair and studied the lines. This might be one of the biggest decisions he made, but at least he knew he had one more weekend to spend with Brooke. One more weekend to convince her to become theirs. One last chance to make her realize she was where she needed to be.
Fifteen
Brooke
She paced back and forth in front of the large windows in her suite. She tried to focus on the snowcapped mountains in the distance. This was agonizing. She had delivered her design over three hours ago. How long was it going to take Tyler to make a decision? What if he already had and she wasn’t the choice? He had gone with someone else and she had six more weeks with the bachelors.
She closed her eyes, exhaling a long breath. The past two weeks had changed her. She hadn’t had any contact with Niall. She had a new kind of freedom, even though it was under the constraints Tyler and Lee set.
She felt free from the McIntosh world. No more doing Niall’s bidding. No more schemes to make money. She didn’t like to think about the ways she had helped him over the years. Something about her two weeks with Tyler and Lee had taught her the past could really be the past.
She had moved into a new home. Was given a new office. Had a new career, using her passion for art. And every night she dined with the sexiest most eligible bachelors in Denver in their secret fantasy retreat. As much as she had hated how it came to be, she had started to wake up with a smile on her face.
