Harlequin Romance April 2021 Box Set

by Rebecca Winters

  She could so easily fall in love with this man.

  But Eloise did not want to fall in love with a man she scarcely knew. She had to slam down hard on that inner voice that cajoled, You’ve known him long enough. She’d listened to that voice before with disastrous consequences. Right now, however, she wasn’t going to fight it, just ignore it. Josh had suggested they relax, have fun and enjoy the party, and that was exactly what she intended to do.

  The guests flocked around the bride and groom. Eloise and Josh waited their turn. Congratulations were said. Introductions were made. And Josh played the doting fiancé to perfection. ‘You deserve someone like Josh,’ murmured Becca. ‘Well done for opening your heart again to love.’

  Only of course she hadn’t and her heart was still shut down to love. Everything about her and Josh being together was a sham. She was pretending to be in love to save her bridal business. How hypocritical of her was that? And he... She wasn’t really sure why he had offered to help her. Could it be simply because he enjoyed exacting revenge for revenge’s sake? Even when it was someone else’s revenge? In spite of the ruthlessness he’d demonstrated, she couldn’t bring herself to believe that of Josh. Not the Josh who was so sweet to Daisy and had been so kind to her. She had to tell herself it was because of a gentlemanly instinct. And she was just so glad he was here with her.

  The bride and groom disappeared for more photos. The guests were directed into the large conservatory where first cocktails and then a sit-down dinner were to be served. Eloise was greeted by some women she knew quite well, and some she didn’t know so well. Congratulations on her engagement flowed and Josh was given appraising and approving looks. She was gratified by people’s happiness for her and dreaded how uncomfortable it would be to say, a few months down the track, that her long-distance engagement had, as it happened, not worked out.

  But right now, she and Josh had their answers ready.

  ‘Yes, a November wedding, we think,’ she said.

  ‘Boston is home for me, but then, it used to be home for Ellie too, so we’re keeping our options open.’

  ‘I have no intention of closing my business—never, ever. Oh, you’re on my waiting list? Don’t worry, I won’t be too distracted by my own wedding to design you a fabulous wedding gown.’

  ‘Yes, I knew she was “the one” straight away. How? I...uh...just knew.’

  ‘You know I dressed Roxee and her wedding party? Josh and I first met when I was in Los Angeles for the wedding.’

  ‘Yes, we have kept it quiet,’ Josh said. ‘We wanted to be sure.’

  ‘Thank you. You’re very kind to say we look like we’re made for each other.’

  ‘No, I don’t have a brother just like me back home in Boston.’

  ‘Oh, yes, Josh is a keeper.’

  ‘Ellie is a keeper for sure.’

  She found it emotionally draining to keep up the act and not slip and was glad when they were asked to head to their assigned tables for the speeches and dinner.

  They were nearly at their table, when Eloise clutched Josh’s arm. ‘Don’t look now but she’s over there...@lindytheblonde.’

  ‘Is she watching us?’

  ‘If looks could kill...’

  Josh pulled her close to him and looked deeply into her eyes, smoothing a wisp of hair that had tugged free from her updo as only a lover would do. ‘Do I look suitably smitten?’ he said in a voice only she could hear.

  ‘I thought you said you were a terrible actor?’ she murmured. ‘Because you’re being very convincing.’

  He came closer, so close she felt giddy from his scent, weak at the knees from the contact. ‘Maybe it’s because I’m not acting,’ he said, in a voice so low she wasn’t sure she heard him correctly.

  She didn’t have a chance to ask him to repeat it because suddenly the influencer was at her elbow. ‘I hear congratulations are in order,’ she said with an insincere smile from her trout mouth’s inflated lips that didn’t reach her eyes.

  ‘Yes,’ Eloise said simply. She introduced her to Josh and the woman’s eyes narrowed at the same time she mouthed platitudes. Josh acted the proud, loving fiancé as if he’d been born to it.

  When Eloise had first read the influencer’s mean social media posts, calculated to ruin her business, she had lain awake planning exactly what she’d say to this woman if she got the chance. Now she kept her mouth shut. Josh had, instead, offered her a way to defuse her accusations. Then @lindytheblonde introduced her and Josh to her fiancé.

  Immediately, Eloise recognised his name. One of her clients had cancelled her wedding when she’d discovered both his cheating and his over-active interest in her wealthy father’s bank balance. A schoolfriend had also dated him and could only say he was bad news. Perhaps it was karma, perhaps the influencer and her fiancé had met their match. But Eloise decided she’d be the better person and graciously accepted her congratulations while giving congratulations of her own.

  ‘What was that about?’ Josh said in an undertone when the influencer had gone. ‘I was looking forward to watching you stick the knife into that awful, supercilious woman and twist it.’

  ‘Because, darling Josh, sometimes karma takes hold of the knife and twists it for you. I’d rather have one night of being your pretend fiancée than a lifetime of being a wife to that guy. I almost feel sorry for her. Almost.’

  ‘You’ll have to explain that one to me later,’ he said. ‘It doesn’t sound enough like revenge to me.’ He looked so puzzled she had to kiss him again.

  ‘Thank you, thank you...’ she murmured against his mouth.

  All the while she couldn’t stop wondering if she had correctly heard Josh. Had he really said he wasn’t acting? And if so, what could he have meant by it?

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  JOSH USUALLY WENT out of his way to avoid weddings. A generous cheque and an apology for his inability to attend was his stock response to an invitation. But to his surprise he found himself enjoying this wedding. The other guests on the table were pleasant company. The meal was superb. The speeches, usually interminable, were short, warm and witty. Just the kind of speeches he would like to have at his own wedding. He pulled up his thoughts. When had he started thinking there might actually be a wedding for him one day in the distant future, instead of never?

  The answer was sitting next to him. Eloise. Enchanting, funny, gorgeous Eloise. He was getting in deeper every minute he spent in her company. Maybe he’d imbibed one too many toasts to the bride and groom with the plentiful French vintage champagne. Or the excellent Australian red wine with dinner before that. But the more he pretended to be in love with Eloise, the more he started to wonder what was stopping him from considering the actual possibility. Not of a real-life engagement. Of course not. But of somehow seeing more of her. Long-distance dating, even. Because he was thoroughly enjoying every minute of her company. And he dreaded having to say goodbye. A life without Eloise in it seemed somehow unacceptable.

  She excused herself to go to the powder room in the company of one of the other women at the table. Immediately after she left her chair, he felt bereft. He watched that delightful sway of her hips as she walked away, the way she leaned down to smile at something her companion was saying. He could not keep his eyes off her.

  Hurry back to me, Ellie.

  Again he had that surreal feeling that, since he’d been in Australia, the foundations of his life were shifting on ground that had suddenly become unstable. His rules against a serious relationship were self-imposed. But then, he’d always been perfectly satisfied without a committed, meaningful connection with a woman.

  Eloise had commented that his life was motivated by bitterness and revenge. He had proudly owned the truth of it. But spending time with Eloise was making him question that truth. Had the time passed for focusing his entire life on the relentless pursuit of extreme wealth to prove he was
worthy of the old life of his childhood? Was he letting the cruelty of his father cut him off from what Eloise called ‘the kinder side of life’?

  His rules had been forged when he was sixteen, bewildered and hurting from the out-of-the-blue total rejection of his father. Now, four months away from the age of thirty, a new thought was percolating through: the best revenge against that cold-hearted man might be a life well lived. Personal fulfilment could be a fine shield against cruelty and rejection. What was stopping him?

  Only his own old fears.

  Perhaps it was time to flick the switch, to think forward to how he might treat his own son or daughter one day rather than back on how his father had treated him. Kids? He was thinking kids? He shook his head. That took reconsidering his life too far. There’d been some funny, teasing speeches about babies directed at the newlyweds. That must be where the thought had come from. He shoved it right back.

  Eloise slid back into her chair beside him just as the band struck up. She held on to his shoulder as she settled into her chair. He reached up to hold her hand and she squeezed it. She was just playing her part as fake fiancée. He knew that. Yet with it came a thrill of possession as she left her hand in his.

  The bride and groom danced their first dance together as husband and wife. Gradually the ballroom—cleared now of chairs—filled up with couples dancing. Josh turned to Eloise and saw that she was swaying in time to the music. He asked her to dance and they joined the other couples on the floor.

  ‘You can waltz,’ she said.

  ‘So can you.’

  ‘My grandmother said it was a desirable skill for a young lady. She taught me. It felt very strange when I first waltzed with a boy instead of an old lady.’

  He laughed. How often had he laughed since he’d met her? More than in the previous six months, he felt sure. Laughter was meant to release feel-good endorphins. Maybe that was what was making him start to re-evaluate his life strategy. It couldn’t be that other word starting with L. ‘Your grandmother sounds like an interesting woman.’

  ‘She was; we were very close—she and my mother too.’ Eloise’s glance went to the ruby ring. ‘Where did you learn to dance?’

  ‘At my old private school. Very unwillingly, I might add.’

  She laughed and he whirled her around the dance floor. Perhaps because of his avoidance of weddings, where old-fashioned dancing still seemed to hold sway, he had forgotten how intimate a waltz could be. As intimate and exciting as an embrace.

  He was intensely aware of where his body connected with Eloise’s, of her warmth and curves. His arm around her waist held her close, her hand rested on his shoulder, her cheek felt smooth and cool against his cheek. Her scent was already familiar, rich and sweet and intoxicating. Other couples danced around them but he was scarcely aware of their presence—he was too lost in the rhythm of his private dance with Eloise.

  It was part of wedding protocol that the bride and groom made their way around the dance floor to dance in turn with each of their guests. Josh smiled when they broke in on his dance with Eloise but in truth he felt like growling. He didn’t want to let her go.

  Eloise waltzed away with Simon, and Josh took his turn to dance with Becca. He held her at a polite distance. Even for a duty dance he did not want another woman in his arms, even a bride so obviously crazy about her new husband. ‘A great wedding,’ he said. ‘The best I’ve ever been to, in fact.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Becca said. ‘We’re so glad you were able to come with lovely Eloise. What a gem of a woman she is, in every way.’

  ‘Yes,’ he said. ‘She is that.’

  Becca laughed. ‘You don’t have to try to chat.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You haven’t taken your eyes off her since you relinquished her to Simon. You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?’

  It? He remembered his role as fake fiancé. ‘Yes, I have. I...uh...had a crush on her the moment I met her.’ And just maybe that wasn’t a fib. But a crush was just a crush.

  Becca smiled. ‘You can’t hide how you feel about her. I can see it in your eyes. Love is hard to find and to be cherished. Simon and I wish you both the kind of happiness we’ve found.’

  Josh was too stupefied to find an answer for her. Thankfully he didn’t have to, as Simon waltzed Eloise back to him. ‘I’m returning your beautiful fiancée into your care,’ he said.

  Josh gladly took her back into his arms but he was too shaken by what Becca had said to think straight. He just held Eloise close and kept on waltzing.

  * * *

  Dancing with Josh was utter bliss. From the waltz, to the classic rock, to the crazy group dances that only half the guests knew the steps of, Josh had rhythm. He had rhythm, he had energy, he had the moves. And they moved well together. Not only was he hot, but also he was fun. There were times Eloise forgot their engagement was fake, and that the relationship was staged, his mock affection seemed so real. And that was dangerous. Although she suspected he felt the same physical attraction she felt for him. That was more difficult to fake.

  Early on in the evening, she’d gone past being on edge, worrying he or she might trip up on an answer about their engagement or wedding plans. However, people asked basically the same questions and the answers almost came by rote. They didn’t trip up once.

  She’d only sipped at a flute of champagne for the toasts—just in case there was another encounter with the influencer she wanted to keep a clear head. But @lindytheblonde had steered clear of her. So she couldn’t blame champagne for the recklessness of her rising desire for Josh. She knew their time together was limited and she wanted him. Perhaps she wanted him so badly because their time was limited.

  The band were playing the final set of slow dances. The bride had changed into her going-away dress—designed by Eloise Evans Atelier, of course—and she and her new husband were saying their final farewells to a group of their elderly relatives. Soon the wedding would be over.

  ‘We haven’t talked about what happens after tonight,’ Eloise said in a low murmur.

  ‘Again we stick to something close to the truth. It’s a long-distance engagement. We just keep quiet about it until—’

  ‘Until it becomes too hard, as long-distance relationships tend to do.’

  ‘It quietly fizzles out.’

  ‘Although we tried so hard to make it work.’

  ‘All that,’ he said.

  They both dwindled away to silence. ‘This is too gloomy for words,’ she said. ‘Can we forget about tomorrow when we’ve still got today to enjoy?’

  And tonight ahead of us, she thought, thinking of that big bed with a shiver of anticipation. How would she be able to resist the temptation of having him so close?

  She laid her head on his shoulder and they swayed together to the medley of classic love songs, thigh to thigh, hip to hip as she dreamed silly daydreams about what might be if things were different with Josh. Then the music stopped and they gathered with the other guests to farewell the bride and groom. There was an awkward moment when Becca and Simon had gone and people started to leave as the band announced the final number. Lights were lowered for the last dance.

  ‘Do you know how many women here have asked if my dress is for sale?’ she said. ‘Not this exact one, of course, but one of the same design. Or they’ve asked if I make it in white as a wedding dress. I haven’t been actively looking for business, but it’s come my way. I’m thinking maybe I should branch out with a party dress diffusion line or maybe...’ There was something intent in his eyes that made her falter to a halt.

  ‘It’s a superb dress,’ he said. He lowered his head to hers so only she could hear. ‘It looks sexy as hell on you. But I can’t stop wondering how it would look off you.’

  ‘Oh,’ she said, a tingle of want tightening her nipples and running down her spine.

  ‘I’ve offended y
ou,’ he said. ‘Taken the game too far.’

  ‘No. Not at all,’ she said breathlessly. ‘You didn’t offend me.’

  ‘But I’ve overstepped the mark. I’ll sleep out on the balcony with the plants tonight.’

  ‘It’ll be too cold. It’s several degrees colder here than it is in Sydney.’

  ‘Then I’ll sleep in the car.’

  ‘You won’t fit,’ she said. She wound her arms around his neck and pressed close to him as they swayed to the slow, romantic music in the darkened room. ‘I’m afraid it will have to be the bed for you tonight.’ She pressed her lips to his. Then she couldn’t wait for the band to finish and for the lights to come on, to have to make farewells to the people she knew.

  With a low murmur of invitation, she took his hand and led him from the ballroom.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  ELOISE THREW HER inhibitions away as soon as the ballroom was behind her. Forget her ‘no kissing in private’ rule. Whatever had made her impose that dictate? Kissing Josh was a delicious pastime to be enjoyed whenever she found the opportunity. She wanted Josh and she could see no real reason why she shouldn’t have him. If only just for the night.

  They kissed and laughed and stumbled as they tried to walk at the same time as kiss, all the way back to their room, only stopping when there was another couple waiting for the small lift. Josh made a grand gesture to usher them—Becca’s cousin and his girlfriend—into the lift ahead of them. Who cared if her lipstick was smeared from passionate kissing and she was hanging on to Josh as if she never wanted to let him go? To all intents and purposes they were engaged and acting entirely appropriately.

  Once they reached their room, Josh slammed the door shut behind them. He pushed her against the wall and held her hands above her head with one of his big hands as he kissed her—hard, hungry, urgent. She kissed him back with equal urgency, meeting his tongue with hers, straining her body against his. He ran his other hand down her bare arms, the sides of her breasts, and she trembled at the pleasure of it. She wanted him so much it was a physical ache.