by Kaye, Nikky
“I think there’s dinner planned for later. Pretty low-key.” She shrugged nonchalantly as I checked my watch.
“Okay. How about we meet at three o’clock?”
“Um, sure?”
I tilted my head. “You don’t seem sure.”
She flushed. “It’s just that I wanted to, um, maybe take a nap,” she confessed.
A nap sounded good.
A nap with Audrey sounded great.
“How about two o’clock, and then you can nap afterwards?” With me.
The way her eyes darkened made me wonder if she was thinking the same thing. “Where do you want to meet?”
Hmmm. “The pool,” I decided, figuring it would be harder for her to escape me while wearing a bikini. And to be perfectly honest, showing off my own assets wouldn’t exactly hurt my negotiating position.
“The one with water?”
“You brought a swimsuit, right?”
Our gazes lapped up and down each other’s bodies, as though we were both imagining the near future without clothes.
It wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last.
“Yeah,” she said faintly.
I pulled out the panty-dropping smile. “Be prepared to get wet.”
* * *
In my supreme arrogance, I hadn’t considered the basic problem with a poolside chat—it was very, very public.
It was a typical scene—buckets of beer, striped towels, and women whose sunglasses were bigger than their bikini bottoms. Whispers and stares followed me as I made my way through the gauntlet of lounge chairs and gleaming bodies.
Don’t make eye contact with anyone, I reminded myself, thankful that my sunglasses were dark. Thankfully, nobody approached me.
I scanned the deck for Audrey, my gaze lingering over a few curves to make sure I wasn’t overlooking her. Some curves hastily re-arranged themselves to get my attention, but I forced myself to look over them and focus on the horizon like I was trying to avoid getting seasick.
Had she bailed on me? I swung a towel over my shoulder and searched again until I spotted her in the pool.
The sheen of water glinted off her chest and shoulders as she bobbed up and down gently by the far wall.
Watching me.
Shrouded in the one shady part of the pool, Audrey had shoved her sunglasses up on her head and now waved her arms back and forth in the water idly. Her dark hair was clipped into a loose topknot, one rogue tendril plastered to the nape of her neck.
She was a mermaid, beckoning me over. Brett’s little sister was a Siren, and I only heard the smacking of my flip-flops as I stalked toward my fate.
Well, I also overheard someone mutter “Lucky bitch,” but I ignored it.
Dropping the towel on the deck, I slipped into the pool and made my way over to her. Her gaze moved up and down as easily as her body did, wavering between my face and my chest as I approached her.
“Isn’t this refreshing?” I asked lightly.
She hummed, stretching her arms in front of her. “It felt good to take my clothes off and jump in.”
The straps on her shoulders were black and judging from the shadows under the water she wore a one-piece suit. No tiny triangle, string bikini for Audrey. I wasn’t sure if I was pleased or disappointed.
“They’re watching you,” she said, looking over my shoulder. I didn’t bother turning around.
“How do you know they’re not watching you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Please. Dev Sharp is half-naked in the pool. I’m surprised all the water in here hasn’t turned to steam yet.”
No, just the water between us. “Well, if a hundred and twenty degrees in the sun won’t do it, then what chance do I have?”
She glanced around, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. “They’re not coming over, for once. Weird. I’m kind of surprised you’re not being scuttled by a bunch of women with big…” She made some kind of gesture with her hands.
“Pool floats?”
Another eye roll.
“Maybe,” I suggested as gentle ripples pushed me closer to her—close enough for our legs to touch, “they’re giving me and my new fiancée some privacy.”
Her lips parted. “Me?”
“You. Haven’t you heard? I got engaged today.”
Audrey squinted at me. “Poor bastard.”
“I just heard someone call you a ‘lucky bitch.’”
“Where? Who?” Her eyes narrowed as she scanned the pool area.
“Calm down,” I said as I wrapped my hand around her slender wrist.
She stared at my tan hand on her pale skin. Shivered a little. “Is that the proposal you wanted to discuss? It was a misunderstanding, a joke. People can’t actually think it was—hey, my eyes are up here!”
I dragged my gaze from her nipples poking through her simple black swimsuit, trying to look abashed. Mostly.
“That’s the thing,” I said. “Believe it or not, that spectacular moment of romance got me a multimillion-dollar contract.”
Her mouth gaped open. Then she shoved me. Hard. “The fuck you say!”
“It’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened to me.” Acting cool about it was difficult, when I was jittery with excitement.
“Oh my god! Congratulations!” Audrey squealed and impulsively hugged me.
Soft. Wet. Naked. Slick. Firm.
I swallowed hard. Her embrace stilled when she felt my, uh, jitters of excitement. “Audrey…”
“Oh.” She drew back, pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to fling myself at you.” As soon as she heard her own words, she covered her mouth.
“Yeah, about that… I wanted to propose upgrading your fling idea.”
With her sunglasses covering her eyes, her expression was infuriatingly impassive. “I’m not marrying you.” She looked away, her shoulders squaring off. “I mean, I just… I can’t—”
Reaching out, I smoothed my hands down her arms. Ignored the twinge of her rejection. “Hey, relax. I know, I know. I wasn’t asking… that.”
“Then what are you asking?”
She wrapped her arms around herself protectively, supplanting my hands with her own. I needed to see her eyes for this. They widened as I plucked off her sunglasses and rested them at the side of the pool.
“I’m asking you to play along for a while,” I said, trailing my fingers over the hills and valleys of her neck and shoulders. I wanted to make a map of her, with every direction pointing true north. “Feel free to, uh, fling yourself at me.”
“You want me to fake it?”
She let out a gasp when I hauled her against me to share my jitters. “We have a pretty real attraction, Audrey. I thought we’d established that already when you asked me to fuck you.”
“I never asked you to—”
“Semantics.” Her indignant walk-back was adorable, but it was time to spell it out. “You want a fling. I want you,” I growled. “This company wants me—and my beautiful, charming, innocent—”
“Fuck my life,” she groaned.
I’m trying, Audrey, I’m trying. “—Demure fiancée,” I finished with a chuckle. “It’s ironic that in order to make an honest man out of me, we have to lie our asses off.”
She sighed. “So, what? We post some pictures to social media or something?”
“Not exactly. The CEO invited you to come with me.”
“Where?”
“India.”
“What? I can’t just leave—” Audrey broke off and turned away as she realized that she could just leave.
She had no job, no apartment, nobody waiting at home for her other than her brother and his new bride. The hurt creasing her forehead made me even more determined that it was time for her to stop feeling sorry for herself.
Fuck that noise.
Whatever parts of herself she lost with the break-up of her last relationship, I wanted to give back to her.
“There’s more,” I said softly. “My
agent told me that the company is delighted to present the future Mrs. Sharpe with an engagement gift. It’s a kind of signing bonus,” I explained when her forehead furrowed further. I knew enough about Indian culture to understand that ceremonial gifts came with the territory.
“Do I want to know?”
I put my arms around her waist under the water. Holding her. Supporting her. “It’s a million air miles, Audrey.”
She sunk a little. “Wow. Just… wow.”
“Just think of it. This is the perfect opportunity for you to… I don’t know… travel, explore, spread your wings, experience new things.”
“Like diarrhea?” she replied. “Malaria? Snakes?”
“See, it’s romantic as fuck!”
She laughed, which was my intention.
I tucked my finger under her chin. “You’d have time and space to sort out your life, to do what you want to do. When was the last time you had that?”
“You’re right,” she breathed. Light reflected off the water and onto her face like starry freckles. It sparkled in her eyes when she met my gaze. “It has been a while since I had food poisoning.”
This girl.
My hands moved over her, and I folded her into me so tightly that the only reason we weren’t drowning was because we stood in four feet of water.
“Come with me,” I urged.
Suddenly it was about more than just a job or a dollar sign. It was about her.
“I don’t know…”
Yes! I could tell it was a token protest. She was in.
“Come on, Audrey. Don’t make me get down on one knee again. I’ll drown.”
“Okay, okay!” She sighed dramatically. “I guess it could be fun to be your…” She paused, biting her lip. “Travel buddy.”
“Fuck, yeah!” I pressed a quick, hard kiss to her parted lips, wishing it were longer and softer. And a lot more private.
“Dev, this is crazy. You know that, right?” But her smile was broad as her hands fisted at the small of my back.
It was crazy. And I. Couldn’t. Wait.
Triumphantly, I leered at her. “Now, I’d like to introduce you to the ancient art of snake-charming…”
8
Audrey
“This is crazy. You do know that?”
Brett stood in the doorway to my room with his arms crossed over his chest. We both knew that his reluctance to come in had nothing to do with his attitude, and everything to do with the fact that he was still irked that I’d re-appropriated my old bedroom.
Of all the things that Brett did for me after our parents died, keeping us in the house was probably what I appreciated the most. Turning my room into his home office after I’d moved in with Darren, however, was what I appreciated the least. His computer desk was still there, just squished against the wall beside a sofa bed.
I noted his raised eyebrow for the thirty-seventh time since getting back from Vegas then focused again on the clothes laid out on the mattress. I’d commandeered his desktop to search Pinterest for “packing for India” and ended up down a rabbit hole.
Damn you, Pinterest!
Thankfully, my brother had shown up after I’d stopped searching for “Dev Sharpe.”
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” he said for what seemed like the thousandth time.
“Objection overruled, counselor.”
“It’s just—”
“What are you worried about?” I asked him as I made a pile of tank tops. Wait, no tank tops. Better to keep my shoulders covered.” It’s a great opportunity.”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”
I dropped the leggings I was holding and turned to Brett with my hands on my hips. “Don’t you trust Dev?”
“Of course I do!” When I narrowed my eyes at him, he muttered, “You, not so much.”
“Then what’s the problem? A million air miles, Brett! Come on, it would be stupid not to take advantage of that kind of offer.”
He sighed. “As long as he doesn’t take advantage of you.”
On the contrary, I was counting on it.
It had taken only two breathtaking kisses in the pool before we realized that someone could be—and probably was—filming us. Maybe Dev was used to the spotlight, but I wasn’t crazy about having intimate moments splashed all over social media.
I’d have to get used to it, though—at least for a little while.
With water and self-consciousness between us, we’d finally had the time to catch up. Who knew there would be so much to say to each other, even while strategically leaving stuff out? Thanks to some kind of rip in the time-space continuum, we ended up rushing to our respective rooms to get ready for dinner.
No napping—not even the “active” kind.
Dev and I circled each other at the reception and I honestly thought we’d end up in bed that night. It was what I’d proposed in the first place, right? Every time I thought about it, my heart pounded and my panties dampened.
I had no doubt that it would be amazing, as he promised. But I’d never had amazing. How would I know the difference? Would I be amazing, too?
Oh god.
Nervous and excited, I made toast after toast to my brother and new sister-in-law until I was… well, toasted. When Dev finally took me upstairs, it was after Brett asked him to make sure I got to bed okay.
So. Patronizing.
“Shuuu.” My tongue wasn’t cooperating, but I latched on to Dev’s arm and made a face at my brother. “Don’ worry. I-I’ll get to bed with him.”
My new, super hot fiancé steered me towards the elevator. It was a long walk. Everything in Vegas was a long, fucking walk.
“That wall seems to be very… bouncy,” Dev noticed on our way to my room. If I wasn’t holding on to him, I was careening into the wallpaper like a human pinball. “Where’s your key?”
“Hmmm, seems like we’ve been here before.” Woot! All the words came out in the right order!
He chuckled as took the card from me to open the door. I stumbled inside and sat on the bed as Dev turned on the light.
“Can we be ‘mazing now?” I asked him. Sitting is so much better than standing or walking. Lying down is gonna be awesome.
He ran his hand through his hair. “I’m sorry, Audrey. Not tonight.”
Disappointment added to my dizziness. “Damn.”
“Too much champagne.”
“Pffft!” I waved a hand. “Everyone knows that the alcohol is in the bubbles, and they jus’ pop.” I looked up at him and pursed my lips. “Now you popped my bubble.”
“I’m trying to do the right thing,” he said, his jaw tight.
I grabbed a corner of his jacket and tugged him down. “I’m the right thing.”
His eyes were dark as they searched mine. “I know,” he said in a low voice.
Then he kissed the corner of my mouth—almost politely—and backed away. His tone was light when he reminded me that “There will be other opportunities,” but when I fell back, I saw his fists curled at his side.
“Opportunity” was exactly how Dev had pitched it to my brother the next day.
Brett and Shannon came out of their newlywed cocoon long enough to hear the social media buzz about our “engagement.” They were staying another day, but Dev and I (and Shannon’s friends) all checked out before we went for brunch.
If I’d been worried that Brett would pull the “protective big brother” routine… well, I didn’t need to. When he saw the pictures and the trending #MrsDevSharpe hashtag, he nearly fell over laughing.
It kind of hurt my feelings, actually. When Dev said, “Hey, wanna hear a funny story?” I didn’t think my brother would take it so literally.
Was it so unbelievable that Dev could fall in love with someone like me?
Shannon looked at me carefully while Brett bent over to catch his breath. At first I thought it upset her to discover what had happened to her ring, but then I realized she was searching me for… something. I sch
ooled my expression into one of casual friendliness and sipped my mimosa.
I’d never experienced that kind of… combustibility with someone before. I didn’t think it was possible. My fiancé—sorry, the previous one—had not stoked those kinds of fires in me. Compared to Dev, Darren was more like plugging in a block heater to keep your car engine from freezing.
And Brett… well, he was mostly unaware of the attraction sparking and snapping between his best friend and me. Thank god.
“How long are you going to be gone?” he asked now.
“I don’t know. I’ll be back before Thanksgiving, for sure.” It was only the middle of October now, so I figured that was a fair bet. From what Dev had said, I couldn’t see us staying for more than a couple of weeks.
As he huffed and walked away, I got a text from Dev.
-You all packed?
I looked at the nearly empty suitcase and rolled my eyes. -Almost! Pinterest lists helpful.
-LOL they always forget something
-???
I frowned as I waited for the little dots to stop dancing.
-Condoms
Oh god. Hopefully, I had packed good judgment in an inside pocket somewhere.
* * *
The first part of the trip I made solo, to meet Dev in Los Angeles. He’d booked my flight for me and told me to meet him in the first-class lounge when I arrived. Our Delhi flight was a couple of hours later.
Holy crap.
My travel experience was limited. I had memories of road trips when I was young, plus one magical week in Orlando when I was ten. But by forgoing college after my parents’ death, there were no crazy spring breaks. The trip to Las Vegas was the most exotic place I’d ever been.
Darren had taken me on a ski trip, but that was about it. He’d proposed there, in a steaming hot tub under a cold, starry sky. I should have known then. If a man proposes—with a ring, mind you—in a dimly lit, slippery, bubbly hot tub, then there’s a good chance that the water temperature is higher than his IQ.
No, that wasn’t fair. He was smart. I was the dumb one. In any case, the only reason I had a passport at all was because he wanted to go abroad for our honeymoon. And now I’d finally get to use it.
