by Nana Malone
“God, that’s so cruel.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed the bitter bile that rose up. I told myself that I’d gotten over it a long time ago, but, oh God, that acid still burned. “Sebastian, he stepped in. He helped me pay for my mom’s funeral. I mean, he really didn’t need to. My tuition was met and taken care of, so I could have taken her meager savings and buried her, but he insisted, you know. He did the kind of thing that no fifteen-year-old should have to help a friend with. Picking a casket and that sort of thing. He didn’t just pay for it, he walked me through it, asked me the questions and took care of it. He made sure I didn’t have to do or deal with anything I didn’t want to.”
“Wow, he truly is your brother.”
“Yeah, it sure feels that way. I would protect him with my life.”
“I see why now. Was he always like that?”
“That open and giving? Yeah, he is. Kind of a pain in the ass, but he is family.”
She was silent for so long I thought maybe she’d fallen asleep. Then in the quiet of the darkness, she whispered, “Thank you for telling me the truth.”
“I won’t lie to you. Not anymore. You might not like it, but I’ll tell you the truth.”
“That’s good to know. Roone?”
“Yeah, princess.”
“I have a feeling I might regret that.”
I chuckled low, and she curled into me. I held her tight, pretending that she was mine. Even if she wasn’t entirely mine yet, we were getting there. I just had to take it slow and not rush her. Because once she was really mine, I was going to keep her forever.
14
Jessa
When I woke up, Roone’s side of the bed was still warm. It took everything I had in me not to crawl onto his pillow, hold it tight and inhale deeply.
Okay, who am I kidding? That’s exactly what I did. Well, first I checked to make sure he wasn’t in my shower or bathroom, and then I went ahead on with my inhaling. Sue me, the man smelled like a dream.
It was only after I’d had a shower that I realized he wasn’t in the flat at all.
My phone chimed to let me know I’d received messages. And sure enough, there was one from Roone.
Roone: Went across the hall to shower. We’ll leave for work at 8:30 as usual.
He’d saved me from the early-morning awkwards. So what if I’d asked him to stay, to hold me? I’d had a nightmare, but I was fine in the bright light of morning.
You’re an idiot.
Because there would be no getting over him now. No getting over the fact that he’d tucked me into his side and held me tight, rocking me and chasing off the scary dreams. I’d slept like the dead after he joined me in bed.
That should tell you something.
I hated what it was telling me. That I liked being in his arms. That I wanted to stay there. It would do me good.
But the best part about having Roone stay here was that there was always food. While he was still storing his things in the flat across the hall and he went there to shower and dress, everything else was here. Here, we were pretty much always together, which meant I had my own personal live-in chef and I was taking full advantage of it.
Under a warming plate, he’d left eggs for me. None of that nonsensical runny-egg English stuff either. Real eggs. Scrambled with some cheese and pepper. Instead of toast, there were crumpets with jelly and clotted cream. God, I really could get used to being spoiled.
Another text came in.
Roone: Don’t get used to being spoiled.
My lips twitched. God, it was like the man lived in my head.
Well, he sort of does.
There was a knock at my door. Still holding my jelly-covered crumpet and tea-filled sassy mug, I ran to the door. For some reason I assumed it would be Roone, so I stumbled slightly when I saw Evan on the other side. “Oh my God, Evan.” I mumbled around a bite of crumpet.
“Jessa. I’d heard you were back.”
I frowned, slightly suspicious. “Well yes, I did email the team that I’d be returning to work today. But how did you know I was home?”
“Well, security. You still do live in the company flat.”
“Yes. I do.” And maybe I would have to change that because what the hell was Evan doing here on my doorstep? He’d never been here before. “So, is there something I can help you with?”
He looked over my shoulder and glanced around. “Can I come in?”
Ugh, there was no easy way to do this. I prayed to God, whatever mechanism Roone was using to check on me, he was looking now, because there was no way I could refuse Evan. “Ah, sure. Come on in.”
“Glad to see you’re well, considering the way that you left so abruptly.”
“I apologized. And I am still so sorry. It couldn’t be helped. I really needed to go. But I’m back now, rejuvenated and ready to get back to work.”
He pursed his lips and slid a glance over me. “Jessa, look, if you have a boyfriend, it’s fine, we can work something out. You can’t just pretend you were off sick.”
I’d been sick in a way. “I’m not pretending.”
“If you say so.”
“Is there a reason you’re here?”
As if Evan suddenly realized how close he was to me, he backed away. “Well yes, I came to tell you that I will be joining you on the Meet Cute meeting.”
I lifted a brow. “Okay. You could have just texted me.”
“Well, I wanted to see for myself that you were back safe and sound. Prodigal daughter returned.”
“Is that how you see me? A prodigal daughter?”
“You know what I mean. I’m also relieved to see that you’re not with Roone.”
My brows went up with that. “What?”
“Come on. It’s not a secret, and you two aren’t hiding it very well. Your relationship, the secret looks. I know he was supposedly on London Lords business, but it was awfully convenient.”
Shit. I had no protocol for this, so I held firm with the lie. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“So you’re telling me that you’re not dating Roone?”
“No. I’m not dating Roone.” That, at least, was the truth.
I was grateful that I could say it with a level of conviction that he would have no choice but to believe.
He relaxed then. I could almost see the tension roll off his shoulders. “Oh, well then, perhaps I was wrong.”
“So you came all this way before I even get back to work to ask me if I’m dating Roone?”
“Well, no. I said I was coming to check if you were okay. And you are.”
“Yeah, and I just have thirty minutes before I have to leave for work. So if you don’t mind,” I marched to the door and opened it for him. There was no way that he could try and force ‘the two of us together’ scenario. Although, I guess he could try to force the ‘let me drive you’ option. How had I not seen some of these symptoms earlier?
You saw what you wanted to see.
He followed me to the door. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you at the office. I look forward to hearing what you have come up with for Meet Cute. I recognize you’re a man short, so I’ll be helping out.”
“Evan, when I want your help, I’ll ask for it. I don’t need it right now. So, if you want to observe the process, great, but I don’t want the impression around the office to be that I can’t work without my boss looking over my shoulder.”
“Everyone knows how capable you are. I’m just making sure that all T’s are crossed and I’s are dotted.”
Sure he was. “Okay then, see you at the office.”
The moment he was out the door, I breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed, sliding to the floor. There was no way I was going to survive this. None. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. And maybe he wasn’t a legitimate stalker, but Evan had veered directly into creepy-man territory.
Jessa
True to London form, the fog permeated the morning air but not enough to actually get us wet
on the walk to the office. “I’m not making that up, right? That was weird.”
Roone’s walk was brisk by my side, his gaze swinging around. I knew the other team members were following us, I just didn’t know where they were. It was a bit unnerving to have someone on our tail all the time, but I supposed it was necessary.
“Yeah, that was beyond weird. Which is why we need to be more careful.”
“Part of me still thinks it makes more sense for someone else to be posted inside my flat. Ariel?”
“I’d like to accommodate you, but that’s not going to happen.”
You’ve gotten used to him, anyway. And you want him there.
I clamped my mouth shut before the truth could spill from it. “It’s just… that was close today. You could have been in the flat.”
His chuckle was low as he directed me to make a left. “Oh, don’t worry. I can see through you. I know you like having me around.”
Arrogant ass.
“Did I say that? I barely tolerate you.”
“Oh yeah, that’s obvious from way you were wrapped around me like a boa constrictor last night. I tried to get up more than once, but you were clinging on like a baby koala for dear life.”
“I was not.”
We took another sharp right, and I frowned. “This isn’t the way in to work.”
“Yeah, I know.”
We walked three more blocks, made another left, hooked a right and then doubled back along the main street. It was far more crowded now. Some of the shops had started to open. “Roone, what’s going on?”
He tapped his com. “A few blocks back I picked up someone following us. The team spotted him too, but I don’t think he knows about the team so we’re at an advantage for once. Right now, the word is it doesn’t look like Millston.”
“It shouldn’t be. I sent him packing over thirty minutes ago.”
“Yeah, it shouldn’t be him following you to work. And not if he actually wants to make it to that Meet Cute meeting that he keeps going on about.”
Prickles of anxiety hit me in that same kind of scatter-spray pattern that the stupid misting rain did. Not enough to be real so I could pinpoint it and correct it, but just enough to be annoying. “What are we going to do?”
He took my hand and squeezed it. “We’re going to act like a couple in love and jump in here.”
Roone tugged me into a nearby coffee shop, pulling me close to him, wrapping my body with his. Surprise! His body was just what I needed to quell my anxiety. I stared up at him. “What is going on?”
He glanced down at me. He smiled broadly, dimples showing, teeth perfect, and a lock of hair fell into his face. That hit me like a gut punch. Jesus Lord, he was incredible to look at. And with his arms wrapped around me like this, I felt tiny. Super petite. Taken care of. Safe. “Roone?”
He grinned down at me. “Relax, princess. This is just for show. Anyone looking will report two people madly in love, not two people about to double back. We’re going to see if we can catch whoever is following us.”
“We’re all going to turn around and follow him?”
He nodded slowly. “If you’re up to it. We have time before you’re due at work.”
“Oh wow. I didn’t think I’d be—"
“If you’re scared, we won’t do it. I’ll leave the team to try and chase him down. But this way, we get to cast the net.”
“Yes, let’s do it. If we can catch this asshole, my life goes back to normal, and I’m in for that.”
He chuckled. “Of course you’re in.” With a quick press of his lips to my forehead, he took my hand again and we went back out, headed back the way we’d come.
Our pace was brisker. He kept tapping his coms, quietly talking. We headed back the way we came, but instead of going left the way we’d come from, we went right. Then he pulled me into a little alcove close to a boutique. “I thought we were trying to—"
He pressed his finger on my lips and shook his head. Instantly, he counted, one, two, three, and then pulled me back out. The two people meeting us were the two Royal Guards who had been posted across the hall.
“Oi, what the hell? I thought you had him.”
Trevor, the taller of the two, ran a hand through his hair as he muttered expletives. “We fucking did. There was a crowd around the last corner, and we freaking lost him. He must have spotted us.”
I glanced up at Roone, and he reassuringly squeezed my hand. “Not today then, but soon. It’ll be over soon, I promise.”
I just wished I could believe him.
15
Jessa
I was shaking from the morning’s adventure. After Evan’s impromptu visit, it was the last thing I needed. And from the looks of it, the day wasn’t going to get any better. Evan was in one hell of a mood.
When I walked into the conference room, I expected to see Roone. But he was nowhere to be found.
It seemed Ariel wanted to know what the hell had happened to him too. She glanced around. “What happened to Roone?” Ariel had followed two days behind us to London. Roone hadn’t been forthcoming with where she was, but she’d probably been following a lead.
Evan didn’t even bat an eyelash. “I’ve reassigned him. He’s only working on London Lords. Since it’s a large account, Jessa, you’re still primary on that account as well with oversite from me. But I’ll be working with you more hands-on, on Meet Cute.”
Hell. I’d gone straight from the planning meeting with Evan to a debrief with Chloe. Then I’d come to this meeting, so I hadn’t had a moment to connect with Roone.
Ariel crossed her arms. “I just feel like since it’s my project, that’s something you should have discussed with me first.”
Evan gave her a smile that was all teeth. “Well, it’s my company.”
Rick lifted a brow and interjected, “Our company? I think that I would have liked some notice too.”
Chloe and I both kept our gazes down and let the grownups fight. I felt like a little kid whose parents were about to get a divorce and I was caught in the middle. The Evans were having some side-eye.
Ariel, though she was obviously hip to the scenario, was jumping into the fray.
All I could do was watch. A week ago, I was willing to fight tooth and nail for this job. It was everything. My anchor. But things were different now. How had I gone from loving this job and everything about it to wanting nothing to do with this place, nothing to do with being here?”
Because you’ve been home now.
I shoved that thought aside. The Winston Isles, while beautiful, were not home. London was my home… for now.
At some point, you have to stop running.
I inhaled a deep breath and cleared my throat. “Look, Ariel, I’m sorry. I promise you, I’m perfectly capable of handling the account with Chloe. You’ll be covered with everything you need.”
Ariel lifted a brow, and her lips twitched. Obviously, she knew I was bullshitting and showing off my ability to defuse a situation.
Then I turned to Rick. “I’m sure you and Evan will sort out whatever is happening now, but in the meantime, can we get back to the clients so that Chloe and I can do our jobs?”
Rick visibly hrmphed and then settled in. “Fair enough. Let’s discuss the marketing plan. Ms. Scott, how are you feeling about the—"
Evan interrupted. “Actually, before we get started, I’m first going to say that from this point forward, everyone needs to stop using the app.”
I blinked. “What?”
Rick laughed. “What are you talking about? We should all use the product.”
Evan worked his jaw. “Well, I will no longer require my employees to use it for dating.”
Chloe asked softly. “Well, if we like using it, can we?”
Evan frowned. “Well, given that it’s a premium option, anyone who wants to keep using it will have to pay for it on their own. No more company funds.”
Ariel coughed. “I’m sitting right here. If Evans PR no longer beli
eves in my product, then what am I doing here?”
Evan started to walk his decision back a little. “What I’m saying is, the purpose was for everyone to see how the app worked. We’ve all done that and been on multiple dates. I think it’s important that we no longer require anyone to use it. Everyone is past their second or third date now. It gets into touchy territory to force them to continue using it.”
“Is there something that you’re not telling me, Mr. Millston? Mr. Evans? I was so excited when your team had an opening, but now I’m feeling as if you really don’t want my business as a client.”
Chloe flicked me with her pen as if she was silently begging me to stop mommy and daddy from fighting again.
Evan continued to walk it back then. “No, we value you as a client, Ms. Scott. I’m just saying I’m no longer requiring my employees to use your app.”
Ariel gave him a beatific smile. “Fair enough.” She turned to Chloe and to me. “You guys can have access to the app, free of charge, as a show of good will.”
Evan glowered at her, and she just smiled back.
I jumped back into the fray. “Okay, like I was saying, I think bolder colors work. More youthful, happy. Think shades in the Easter egg family; the teals, the purples, the bright, happy, sunny yellows.”
Ariel smiled. “I like that. That works with my brand coloring which is that lilac-purple, so I like that the marketing matches that. Obviously, I’d love to use women for imagery. But not just sexy young women, women of all ages, beauty at all ages, peppered in with, obviously, some handsome men. But no one too good-looking, because men who are too good-looking scare people off. And no super models. I want real people.”
Chloe furiously took notes. I didn’t bother, because, well, it wasn’t a real app.
Rick asked a few questions which Ariel answered easily. I still couldn’t believe this whole app of hers, all the work it had taken to program it, was simply for this job. So that they would have a cover, an in. That was an awful lot of work, and it just demonstrated how brilliant Ariel was.
