The hum of the engines and the heavy breathing in his ear were the noises in the cabin as his body came down from its high.
Nigel eased up, glancing at Roslyn who had the widest smile on her face, her eyes completely locked onto him.
“If you were trying to distract me from flying, you did a hell of a job.”
Nigel laughed and pulled away from her, taking her hands to bring her up to his side.
“Well, since we have several more hours, I say we take this to the back bedroom so I can make sure you are completely relaxed.”
Roslyn came to her feet and held out her hand. “Show me the way.”
Eleven
Cumbria, England, was exactly like Sophie had imagined. Rolling snow-covered hills and little cottages dotted the landscape alongside the curvy road. The entire trip from the airstrip toward the Townshend estate was picturesque and she couldn’t keep her eyes off the scenery. It was like being transported back into another time. One where life was simple and carefree. Much like the life she enjoyed back in Royal.
Perhaps she and Nigel weren’t so different after all. He’d admitted how protective he was of his family, and he was clearly going to great lengths to please them...something she could totally relate to.
More and more she was seeing how compatible they were.
After that memorable plane ride, it was a wonder she could focus on anything but her tingling body. She couldn’t stop herself from a constant replay of every single arousing touch. Those hours only pulled her in deeper to his world, making her want more, making her wish things were different.
Nigel reached over to take her hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “Nothing to worry about. My family will love you. We just have to pretend like we’re in love.”
She didn’t even know how to unpack that whole statement, but she should at least attempt.
Nervous? She had far surpassed nervous when it came to meeting his family. His grandmother went by Dame for crying out loud.
And pretend? Yeah, she’d gotten that down pat and honestly deserved some Oscar for her performance.
Love? No, there was no love here. A good healthy dose of lust and sex, but not love. She couldn’t allow herself to think along those lines because she was already falling, and at some point, she’d have to guard her heart from tumbling completely out of her control. She just didn’t know where to draw the boundary lines.
“Do you want to talk about what happened on the plane?” she asked as she turned from the postcard-worthy view to face him.
He steered the car around another sharp turn before flashing her a grin. “What do you want to talk about? I had a great time. Best flight of my life.”
She wondered how many times he’d used that bedroom for other women he whisked off around the world. Jealousy had no place here, after all she was lying to him and they’d made no promises to each other. Still, she couldn’t help where her mind wandered.
“Maybe I should have brought you on my plane sooner,” he joked.
Sophie got a nasty pit in her belly. “Do you seduce many women on your private jet?”
“Don’t go there,” he growled. “I’m not a playboy like the tabloids want people to believe and I certainly don’t seduce women in my jet.”
“You had my clothes off before we reached cruising altitude,” she countered. “You seemed pretty experienced.”
“I haven’t been a monk, but I swear that I have not taken any other woman to bed on my plane.”
He sounded so sincere and Sophie really had no reason to disbelieve him. But the whens and wheres of his former affairs weren’t really the issue here. Of course, he’d had women and relationships before her. He was a sexy, powerful man. Good grief, they weren’t even in a relationship and she already had the unhealthy girlfriend mentality. They’d had sex and she was his pretend girlfriend for the rest of the week. Sounded simple enough, right?
But nothing was simple about her emotions or sex. If she’d thought she was falling for him before, the intimacy on the plane had only exacerbated the issue. Now she didn’t know if her feelings stemmed from the man she finally gave herself to or if they came from the fact he truly was a genuine guy and not the playboy the media played him out to be.
Any other thoughts or words died in her throat as Nigel turned into a long drive where the grounds were surrounded with tall evergreens covered with a blanket of crisp white snow.
As he turned the last curve of the drive, the trees opened up to reveal a vast two-story brick-and-stone home. There seemed to be windows everywhere and juts of bay windows on both floors. Sophie imagined many reading nooks in those bays.
The home looked old, but not unkempt. The estate went right along with her original impression of the town—everything about this place was like she’d stepped back in time. She couldn’t wait to explore the inside, get inspired for even more future designs, and learn of the history behind such a manor.
A large pond sat in front of the home and she could only imagine summertime here with the grounds blooming with colorful flowers. But even with the freshly fallen snow, the estate was breathtaking.
She’d uploaded some old material to her YouTube channel for the next month so she didn’t have to worry about keeping up while she was undercover. But she would certainly be taking mental notes from this place for ways to incorporate new and old into any living area.
“Welcome to Shrewsbury Hall,” Nigel told her as he circled the drive and pulled to the front entrance.
She’d heard him say that name before, but seeing the vast home made her realize it was certainly worthy of such an upstanding title. And she’d thought her family had money. This place could hold three of her own French provincial home. The mansion also made her father’s ranch estate seem small.
A man in a wool coat and hat immediately came out and opened her door. Sophie pulled her coat around her chest and thanked him.
Nigel came around the car and shook the man’s hand. “Thank you, William.”
“Glad to have you back home, Sir Nigel.”
Sir. Of course, he’d be addressed as such.
“It’s good to be here.” Nigel nodded toward the home. “Is everyone inside?”
“Dame Claire is waiting on you with bourbon and some snacks. She figured you’d be hungry after your flight and would need to relax with a drink.”
“You mean she’s ready to grill my girlfriend and me?” Nigel asked.
“That, too, sir.”
Sophie was still reeling from the girlfriend comment when Nigel took her hand and led her up the stone steps to the front entrance. The architecture alone was drool-worthy and Sophie couldn’t wait to see the interior. She could only imagine the videos she could shoot from here...if she were actually here as herself and had the opportunity to do such things.
She missed her design shoots, but since going undercover, she’d had to back off just a bit. She still replied to comments and answered her DMs on her social media accounts, but she was itching to get back to new material...and Shrewsbury Hall was the absolute perfect backdrop.
Too bad she wasn’t here as Sophie Blackwood, interior designer.
Hell, she wasn’t even here as Roslyn Andrews, consultant. She was here as an imposter of an imposter. Good grief. It would be a miracle if she didn’t need therapy after this entire ordeal.
And after the hit to her mental state—and, inevitably, to her heart—she had better find some seriously juicy dirt on Miranda once she returned to New York.
“From what you’ve said before, I wouldn’t have taken your grandmother for the bourbon type,” Sophie muttered as they reached the door. “I assumed tea and cookies, or biscuits as you call them.”
Nigel laughed. “Don’t try to stereotype her. You’ll never find a box that fits the personality of Dame Claire Worthington.”
Sophie didn’t know
whether to be afraid or amused, but before she could decide, Nigel opened the double doors and swept her inside.
All air caught in her lungs as Sophie took in the magnificent foyer that extended up to the second floor. Straight ahead was a fountain with a curved staircase flanking either side.
The chandelier’s beaming lights bounced off the marble floor, the fresh floral arrangements at the base of each staircase were perfectly placed in large marble urns. Not only was the entrance something from a royal magazine but the fragrant aroma from the wintery mix smelled so inviting.
This setting could have easily been ripped out of a fairy tale and Roslyn wished more than anything she could let herself get swept away into this fantasy life.
“There’s my city boy.”
Sophie turned her attention to a tall striking woman with a stylish pixie cut. The silver-haired lady had on a pair of jeans and a bright green sweater paired with little silver sneakers. Not at all the image Sophie had had in her mind of the Dame. But her relaxed style did put Sophie a little more at ease.
Nigel’s grandmother came up and wrapped her arms around him before easing back and turning her focus, and affection, to Sophie. She found herself enveloped in a strong embrace and caught Nigel’s smirk and smile over the shoulder of Dame Claire.
“Welcome, welcome,” she greeted, pulling away from Sophie. “I’m Claire.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Dame Worthington. I’m Roslyn Andrews.”
Nigel’s grandmother waved a hand and shook her head. “None of this Dame nonsense. Those titles are so archaic. Call me Claire. And while you’re at it, tell me how you managed to capture my workaholic grandson’s attention to get him to bring you here.”
“Can we at least take our coats off and get settled before you start grilling her?” Nigel asked. “And you ordered me to bring a date, so don’t pretend to be surprised.”
“As if you ever listen to me,” Claire muttered. “You’ve never brought a woman here in your life, so I’m already impressed with this one.”
Sophie removed her coat and handed it to a man who seemed to appear out of nowhere, along with two others, to take their things.
Nigel had never brought a lady home? That was rather interesting. Did he mean it when he said he just wanted her here as a guise or did he actually want to spend alone time with her and have her meet his family?
Sophie didn’t know what all the answers were and she couldn’t wrap her mind around it now. If there was a chance that Nigel had truly wanted to share more of his life with her, then she feared the guilt would consume her. She wished she could go back and tell him everything, wished she could start fresh. Maybe then what they shared could actually be real.
But she couldn’t go back and she definitely couldn’t tell him the truth now.
“William said you had bourbon,” Nigel said after the staff took their things.
“Your favorite,” Claire replied with a wink.
“Oh, please. You introduced me to that brand when I turned eighteen and told me not to settle for anything less.”
Claire laughed. “Guilty. So come on in and let’s chat.”
She wedged herself between Nigel and Sophie, looping her arms between them, and led them into another massive room with high ceilings. The fireplace on the far wall crackled with a warm fire and a tray of fruit, cheese, cookies, and other finger foods was set out on the table between the large leather sofas.
“Is Ellen here?” Nigel asked.
“She’ll be along later. Your sister is very eager to see who you brought home.”
Sophie settled onto the sofa next to Nigel and across from Claire. She hadn’t realized she’d be this nervous to meet his family, but after their romp on the plane, she was a bundle of mixed emotions.
“Now, tell me how you met,” Claire said, clasping her hands like a proud grandmother.
“At the office,” Nigel piped in. “You know I have a policy about not dating employees, but Roselyn changed all of that.”
They’d discussed their story and decided to keep it as close to the truth as possible.
Claire’s eyes darted between them, then landed back on Nigel. “Do you always work? Wait, don’t answer that. I know you do. Do you at least take this poor girl out to dinner?”
“Of course,” Nigel replied, reaching for a lemon square. “We’ve had several work dinners.”
“Nigel Phillip Townshend,” she scolded.
He laughed. “I’m kidding. Relax.”
Claire turned her focus to Sophie. “You must be a saint to put up with him. He’s given me every one of my gray hairs, I tell you.”
Sophie settled her hand on Nigel’s knee. “Ignore him. One of the first things he asked when I started working with him was what my favorite food was.”
“For work meetings?” Claire asked, raising one perfectly shaped brow.
“For a real date,” Nigel chimed in. “I knew the second I saw her I wanted her as more than my consultant.”
“Office romance. Well, it’s your company and I think it’s romantic...so long as you keep romance in the relationship and not just in the form of a spreadsheet.”
“I like her,” Sophie laughed, glancing to Nigel. “You had me afraid to come.”
Nigel cringed and Claire let out a burst of laughter. “Did he, now? I’d love to hear what picture he painted of me.”
“I’d like to know what he said about me, too.”
Sophie turned to the entrance of the living area as a beautiful, curvy woman came striding through. Her long dark hair fell in waves over her shoulders and she looked as if she’d just come in from riding a horse given her tight black pants, tall brown boots, and bright red fitted jacket.
“Ellen, you’re just in time.” Claire came to her feet and kissed the woman who had to be her granddaughter on the cheek. “Nigel’s girlfriend was just dishing on workplace romance and what he truly thinks of his family.”
Nigel muttered a curse under his breath and rose to greet his sister. Sophie stood as well, nervous at encountering another family member. Maybe she could knock these little meetings out one by one and not be so nervous come the day of the wedding.
“Workplace romance?” she asked, eyeing Nigel. “Well, aren’t you all candy hearts and bouquets of flowers.”
“Actually, Roslyn doesn’t like bouquets,” he said. “She thinks they’re clichéd.”
She turned to him. “You remembered that?”
His eyes shifted from her eyes to her mouth and back. “I remember everything you’ve ever said to me.”
Sophie’s heart picked up and she knew then, Nigel wasn’t faking a relationship. He meant what he’d said. And she knew in that moment he was getting in just as deep as she was... But did he know? Was he aware of how he looked at her with his emotions in his eyes?
Dread filled her stomach at the thought of Nigel getting hurt in the end. She had never wanted to crush anybody except Miranda. All she’d wanted to do was come to New York, scope out some cutting room floor footage and talk to some crew members. She’d wanted to be in and out in a week’s time.
Yet here she was, spending the next five days in England pretending to be Nigel Townshend’s girlfriend when she really wanted to be his everything in real life.
“Wait a minute,” Ellen said, staring at Sophie. “You look familiar. I think I know you from somewhere.”
Sophie froze as Ellen’s brows drew in and she pursed her lips in thought. Sophie had not come this far to be outed, but her disguise wasn’t foolproof and Ellen was smiling like she might just know Sophie’s dirty little secret.
Twelve
With Nigel out of the country, Lulu was set on getting Fee to agree to the spin-off—or at least the wedding episode for Secret Lives.
“If that’s really what you want to do, I’ll stand behind you,” Lulu
told Fee.
The cameras moved around but Lulu ignored them. She’d gotten more than used to having her entire life filmed. Today she was having lunch with Seraphina as they chatted about Fee’s upcoming move to Texas. While she hated losing her best friend, she understood how much Fee loved Royal and the people there—not just Clint, though the love Fee had for her fiancé was certainly something special.
When the cast and crew had been there for Christmas at Miranda’s estate, they’d all fallen a little in love with the charming town. And after those devastating fires, Lulu more than understood Fee’s need to be with the man she loved in his hometown.
After all, hadn’t they all wanted to land a cowboy?
Unfortunately, the only one who’d caught her eye, and gotten on her last nerve the entire time she was there, was Kace the snarky lawyer... The snarky lawyer who’d shown up at her penthouse just to talk a few days earlier. Sure, like they’d ever just talked. At this point, they couldn’t be alone for two minutes without clothes falling off. Mercy, the things that man could do with his hands.
“Everything okay?” Fee asked, reaching for her water glass.
“What? Oh, yes. Sorry.” Lulu smiled and pushed thoughts of Kace aside. “Just thinking.”
“About anyone I know?”
Fee’s eyes twinkled, her smile all-knowing. Lulu didn’t keep secrets from her best friend, but she wasn’t about to voice anything about Kace on camera. Sure, her admission to her attraction to the sexy Southern attorney would get ratings going, but she wasn’t ready to share her feelings with the world or Kace. There had been enough footage of the two of them bickering during the cleanup from the fires last month. By the time this show aired that they were filming today, who knows where she’d stand with him. Would she tell him her feelings? Would he admit to his?
“Let’s concentrate on you and your new love,” Lulu stated, giving her friend a wink. “I say we throw a big going away party. I’ll host and we’ll do it on my rooftop terrace.”
Fee lifted her glass in a mock toast. “You know I’m always up for a party.”
From Boardroom to Bedroom Page 10
