The Billionaire's Kiss (The Sherbrookes of Newport Book 14)

by Christina Tetreault

  “I knew some people in college like that.”

  Of course, she also knew how they’d gotten in, and it’d been because of who they were related to. Rather than share that tidbit of information, she picked up her beer and took a sip while waiting for Aaron to continue. She wasn’t much of a beer drinker; instead, she preferred fruity cocktails with little umbrellas in them or wine, especially French wine. But the lounge at the bowling alley had several beers on tap from local New Hampshire breweries, and when the bartender asked what she wanted, she’d ordered the same as Aaron rather than inquire about the selection of wines available. As far as beers went, what she had was the tastiest she’d ever tried.

  Aaron took a gulp from his glass before he continued. “Like you, Jim had never bowled before, and he had a few beers before we even got there. After his second or third turn, Jim left to use the restroom, and my roommate decided to switch Jim’s bowling ball with a different one. When he returned and tried to use it, his fingers wouldn’t fit in the holes. Lee told him that sometimes the first time you bowled your fingers swelled up because they weren’t used to it. Lee suggested he go run them under cold water so the swelling would go down. While Jim was doing that, Lee switched the bowling balls again, so he had the one he started the night using. Of course, his fingers fit on his next turn. Lee did that to him two or three more times.”

  “He never caught on?” She could imagine someone falling for the trick once, but multiple times? It seemed like a person would at least get suspicious and wonder if something odd was going on.

  “Nope. He just kept going back to the restroom and running his hands under cold water each time. Maybe if he hadn’t been drinking, he would’ve figured it out. I don’t know.”

  “Did anyone ever tell him what happened that night?”

  Shaking his head, he lifted the glass toward his mouth again. “Not that I know of.”

  “So you’re telling me either I shouldn’t use the ladies’ room while we’re here or if I do, I need to bring my bowling ball with me.”

  Aaron set his glass down and moved closer, his knees bumping against her leg as heat replaced the humor in his eyes. “You’re safe from practical jokes with me.” He brushed his fingers across her cheek before cupping the back of her head. “I’d rather spend our time together doing things we’ll both enjoy.” His lips touched hers. The feel of them moving back and forth across hers blocked out the sounds and smells around her—a remarkable feat, considering where they were.

  Unlike when they kissed outside his house, Aaron pulled back first. “We should finish our game.”

  She agreed. While she was having fun despite the uncomfortable footwear, she’d like to spend some time alone away from prying eyes before they parted for the night. “It’s your turn.”

  He traced his fingertips along her jaw one last time before standing and walking to the ball return, and her eyes followed him every step of the way. He moved with a nonchalant grace. And his jeans and sweater accentuated rather than hid the muscled body they covered.

  Far too preoccupied with staring at Aaron and his jean-covered butt, she didn’t notice the two women approaching until one of them spoke.

  “Excuse me,” a female voice said.

  Juliette pulled her eyes away from the pleasant view and found two women around her age standing near the seat Aaron vacated.

  “Did you graduate from Ashford High School?” one of the women asked.

  “Sorry, no, I didn’t.”

  “I told you she didn’t go to school with us, Noella,” the woman’s companion said. “But you do look really familiar. Do you belong to the Ashford Athletic Club? We both go there.”

  If she told them her name, they’d figure out quickly why she looked familiar. She didn’t intend to do that. At the same time, if they came right out and asked if she were Juliette Belmont, she wouldn’t lie either.

  “No, I don’t go to that gym. I’m new to the area.”

  Done with his turn, Aaron sat down next to her. “Hi, Sandy,” he said. “How have you been?”

  “Not too bad. Do you remember my cousin Noella?” She nodded toward the woman who’d first spoken when they approached Juliette.

  With a nod, he rested his arm on the back of her seat. “It’s nice to see you again,” he said before looking in Juliette’s direction. “Sandy used to teach at Dance Dynamics with Candace. Now they do classes through the parks and rec department together.”

  This was Candace’s friend Sandy. The one who used to teach acro. She’d heard a lot about her from Tiegan. If she went ahead with her plan to open a dance studio in town, Sandy might be someone she’d want teaching there. She already planned to ask Candace to join her, but the two of them couldn’t teach all the classes.

  “Sandy, Noella, this is my—” Aaron paused for a split second before he finished his sentence. “—friend Juliette.”

  Evidently, he didn’t know where they stood either. Before the evening ended, she’d wanted that cleared up between them.

  Juliette held her breath while Sandy’s eyes searched her face as if suddenly the answer to why she looked familiar would appear written on her skin. “I know I’ve seen you somewhere, Juliette. I just can’t put my finger on where.” Finally, she nudged her companion with her elbow. “We should go, Noella. Dennis and Vince are probably wondering what happened to us. I’ll see you later, Aaron. Juliette, it was nice meeting you.”

  She watched the two women walk away. “I can’t take you anywhere without running into people who know you,” she said teasingly.

  “Hey, they came over here because you looked familiar, not to say hello to me.”

  “I’m not sure that’s the only reason they came over. Sandy couldn’t take her eyes off you once you sat down.” She didn’t know if Sandy was married or not, but she had a thing for Aaron.

  “Candace and Sandy have known each other since they were about Tiegan’s age. They both danced at Dance Dynamics long before they worked there. And more than once, Candace has attempted to set us up.”

  She’d fixed her cousin Alec up with Holly, and they’d gone out and had some fun together, but she’d never tried to get her brother together with one of her friends. While she adored her friends, she’d always known they were all wrong for Scott.

  “But I made the mistake of going out with one of my sister’s friends when we were in high school. Even if Sandy was my type, which she isn’t, I wouldn’t get involved with her, because she and Candace are so close.”

  She respected his decision. Not that her brother knew it, but one of his friends had approached her last year. Although she liked him as a person and found him handsome, she’d turned him down rather than risk hurting her brother’s friendship.

  “She might call my sister later and ask about you. If she does, Candace will tell her you’re a guest at the campground. You don’t have anything to worry about.”

  She hadn’t known the Wrights long, but she trusted them. “I’m not worried. And if Sandy realizes why I look familiar, oh well. There’s not much I can do about it.”

  They hadn’t been keeping score, but they had been keeping track of how many frames they played, and they were about to start their tenth. “If we leave after this frame, you can come down to the cottage and have a drink or two and still be home by midnight.” After venturing into Gorham’s Shop and Save earlier in the day to restock her kitchen, she’d popped into the liquor store next door and purchased a few bottles of both red and white wine.

  “I’ll do whatever you want tonight.”

  Chapter 12

  Aaron followed Juliette into the cottage and immediately noticed the bright orange sacks of firewood near the woodstove. Either she’d gone to the supermarket today, or Mrs. Lambert had made another delivery because Gorham’s Shop and Save was the only place in town that sold those cords of wood. And usually, only tourists bought them, because per piece it was far more expensive than what Valley Landscaping sold.

  “I don’t
think you need to worry about another power outage.” He gestured toward the wood while removing his jacket and putting it on the back of a chair. “What happened over the weekend isn’t common.”

  She hung her jacket on a kitchen chair before getting two wineglasses from a cabinet—glasses she must have either purchased or brought with her because while the kitchen came equipped with a lot of items, wineglasses were not among them. “I want to be prepared just in case. And if I don’t use it in here, I thought we could use it in the firepit outside. We could roast marshmallows and make s’mores. I don’t even remember the last time I did that.”

  She’d said we could use it, not I can use it. Aaron liked the sound of that. He also liked the fact he’d at least popped into her thoughts today. Especially since thoughts of her had distracted him so much.

  “I was going to open the merlot, but if you’d rather, I have a bottle of pinot grigio.”

  When it came to red wine, he’d never been a fan of merlot. He much preferred zinfandel. “I’m more in the mood for white wine, but if you want merlot, I’ll drink it.”

  Juliette returned the red wine glasses to the cabinet and took out some intended for white wine. At least when it came to wine, no one would say she wasn’t prepared. “Nope. I’m happy with the pinot.”

  He watched her leave the glasses on the counter and move to the refrigerator. Although perhaps move didn’t do justice to her body in motion. Every one of her movements had a graceful element to it, making her a walking piece of art. Even if she hadn’t told him she’d danced most of her life, he would’ve guessed it.

  “Do you want a snack? I picked up all kinds of fruit today and some cheeses.” She filled the two glasses as she spoke. Even while she did that, she’d had an elegance about her he’d never seen before.

  He’d been hungry for the past forty minutes. If he’d been at home, he would have either raided the refrigerator for any leftovers or rummaged through the cabinets for something quick and easy. “Only if you’re having something.”

  Rather than join him, she set about preparing them a snack. “Sometime soon, we should check out the indoor skydiving place Tiegan mentioned. It sounds like an interesting place.”

  He’d learned to scuba dive, although he only managed to do it once or twice a year, and he often went mountain climbing. But he’d never tried skydiving. Even when his buddy Robby tried it a few years ago and invited him along, he’d passed. No doubt, indoor skydiving was worlds apart from the jumping out of an airplane type. “I’m willing to give it a try. Tiegan didn’t stop talking about it after she went to the party there.”

  “Tiegan kept talking? I don’t believe it.” Pressing a hand against her chest, she feigned a shocked expression.

  “I know it’s hard to believe. The girl barely speaks.”

  “If you ask my mom, she’d say I was a lot like Tiegan at her age.” She set a tray down on the small coffee table and handed him a wineglass before picking up the second and sitting down.

  “She’s probably going to ask you about going surfing there. You don’t have to take her.” Juliette carrying on a conversation with his niece while they ate dinner was one thing, but an all-day outing was another.

  “As long as it’s okay with your sister, I’d love to take her. I think it’ll be fun. Or we can take her together. Maybe we could try both the surfing and the skydiving while we’re there.”

  The three of them going sounded like an excellent idea. Not that he didn’t trust Juliette alone with his niece, but in case of an emergency, he’d rather Tiegan have either her mom, nana, or him close by. And while emergencies probably didn’t occur often, they could happen. “I’ll check out Adventure Park’s website tomorrow.”

  “Speaking of tomorrow, I’m meeting Caryn Ferguson around three to look at some homes and the old dance studio. If you’re not busy, I’d like you to come with me and give me a second opinion.”

  If he showed up with her, not only would half the town know Juliette Belmont had rented a cottage at the campground by dinnertime, but they’d also be on their way to the altar thanks to Caryn. He’d never cared about rumors before, and he didn’t care now. But Juliette deserved a heads-up.

  “Caryn knows a lot of people, and she’s got a big mouth. If I come with you, everyone’s going to think we’re together. It wouldn’t surprise me if people start saying we’re engaged. Rumors have a way of taking on a life of their own in town.”

  She reached for a strawberry but, at the last minute, snagged a square of cheese off the plate instead. “Are you married?” she asked before popping the cheese in her mouth and leaving him scratching his head.

  “What?”

  “I asked if you are married.”

  Well, at least he didn’t have a problem with his hearing. “No, of course not. What does that have to do with anything?”

  “I don’t care if people know we’re together. But you sound worried, so I wanted to make sure you weren’t hiding a wife up in your attic or something. Been there, done that, and I have no desire to repeat the experience.” She smiled and patted his cheek before getting another piece of cheese.

  “It doesn’t bother me if people know we’re seeing each other. But I thought you wanted to keep as low a profile as possible while you’re here.”

  While she considered his words, he drank his wine. He didn’t know what type she’d purchased, but he tasted a hint of nectarine, not something he associated with any kind of wine.

  “When I first checked in, I did, but the media is already on the hunt for a juicy new story or a celebrity wedding. Yesterday there was only a brief mention of me on the Star Insider and Today Magazine’s websites. I didn’t find anything anywhere else.”

  She’d admitted her primary reason for coming to Avon had been to escape the spotlight. If the media no longer considered her headline material and she decided against purchasing a home here, how much longer would it be before she packed up and headed back to New York City? A scenario he found far more likely than her moving to Avon and opening a business.

  “Hey, I don’t care what Caryn tells people. If you want me to tag along tomorrow and give you my opinion, I will. Where are the houses you’re looking at?” Whether she moved there permanently or left next month, he’d focus on enjoying their time together and not what might happen.

  “Not even eleven o’clock, and you’re home,” Candace greeted when he walked into the living room. “Either Juliette wanted to make sure you didn’t fall asleep while you sat at your computer, or your date didn’t go as well I hoped.”

  “Were you waiting up for me?”

  “Not really. I started this new series last week and turned on the next episode after Tiegan went to bed. One turned into another and another,” she said, reaching for the remote and switching off the television.

  He’d had the same thing happen to him. But he wouldn’t put it past Candace to have turned the series on knowing it would help her stay awake until he came home.

  Although past the time he normally went to bed, if he went up now, he’d stare at the ceiling. A better use of his time would be to sit down and answer whatever questions his sister tossed at him. And if he didn’t answer them tonight, she’d simply ask him tomorrow.

  “I heard you went bowling.” She made her statement before his butt even touched the seat of the armchair. “Sandy called me.”

  Wow, what a shocker. “Before or after she left Silver Lanes?”

  “Probably after. Sandy asked about Juliette, insisting she’d seen her somewhere, and she wanted to know how serious things were between the two of you. Sandy wouldn’t have asked about the status of your relationship with Vince around, and I know she was seeing him tonight.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “The truth. I told her Juliette was renting a cottage here, and I had no idea where things stood between the two of you.”

  He’d known Candace wouldn’t tell Sandy where she’d seen Juliette’s face. More than likely, Sa
ndy would figure it out at some point. She wasn’t stupid.

  “What else did you do besides go bowling?”

  “Dinner at the Stomping Ground before, and afterward, we went back to the cottage for some wine.”

  “Only wine?”

  “Well, we had some fruit and cheese with the wine.” Just because they were both adults didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy giving his baby sister a hard time.

  Candace threw him a dirty look. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

  She never asked about his sex life, and he never brought it up. But he’d answer her questions tonight because he had nothing to hide. “We talked and had some wine. Then she gave me a ride back up.” He told her he could use the flashlight on his cell phone and walk, but she’d insisted.

  Candace made a noise in the back of her throat and pulled her feet up on the sofa. “I’m a little surprised.”

  Did she think he slept with every woman he went out with? He hoped she knew him better than that. “Why?”

  She shrugged. “Just am. But I’m the one asking the questions, remember?”

  How could he forget?

  “Did you have fun?”

  The most fun he’d had in a long time. “Yeah, and we have plans for tomorrow.”

  “That’s awesome. If Sandy asks again, I’ll have to tell her things are getting serious.”

  After their house-hunting expedition, Sandy might hear they were engaged, thanks to the rumor mill.

  “What’s on tomorrow’s agenda?”

  “Caryn Ferguson is showing her homes and the old dance studio. Juliette asked me to come along.”