55

C H A P T E R 1 2
J E N N A
Stay calm, I ordered myself. Just stay calm.
It seemed like an impossible task. For one thing, I’d just
zipped myself into my bridesmaid dress. Jessica had chosen royal purple with pink accents for her wedding colors, and while that might have made her feel like a princess, it made me feel tacky as hell. The idea of standing up in front of my entire family in this dress was enough to make me want to get back into my pajamas and spend the day in bed.
Combine that with the prospect of spending the day with Noah, and my stomach was all aflutter.
I glanced out my bedroom window. His car wasn’t there yet, so I had a minute. I would have splashed some water on my face if my makeup hadn’t already been done. Just thinking of him made me feel hot all over. I would have expected that introducing a man to my family would be the most stressful part of the day—they weren’t likely to handle it with any kind of subtlety or tact—but now that I was facing it, I was a lot more worried about how I would manage to spend the whole day in his company without losing my composure and jumping him.
I would just have to put that out of my mind and stay calm. This was just a performance, an act. I was bringing Noah to the wedding so my mother could give Jessica the perfect fairy tale wedding she wanted, so the photos would be evenly balanced, and all the bridesmaids would have handsome men by their sides. That’s what this was about. It was about living up to my family’s expectations so I could claim my inheritance from Grandma Susie. This is what she’d want me to do, I reminded myself. She would want me to have my studio. She would be proud of me for pursuing my dream.
It was just about the studio.
It definitely wasn’t about Noah’s big hands, the taste of his lips, the masterful way he seemed to dominate me when we’d kissed, and how that dominance might translate to the bedroom—
Christ, Jenna! Stop it! Stay calm!
I looked out the window again. The car had arrived. I grabbed my things and hurried downstairs. He was waiting at the curb to open the door for me. His eyes scanned me from head to toe, a smoldering gaze that increased the heat in my veins.
“Nice dress.”
I darted a look at his face to see whether he was making fun of me, but he didn’t seem to be. “It’s a bit much.”
“You wear it well, though,” he complimented.
I felt myself flush. He closed the door and meandered around the car. He looked so hot in his tuxedo, I thought I might melt. I was already worked up, and all I’d done was sit down next to him. How were we going to get through a whole wedding together? There would be touching and dancing and lots of wine…
Suddenly I had a whole new reason for wanting to take my dress off.
“WHO IS HE?”
I jumped. Jessica had snuck up behind me. It seemed impossible that she should be able to sneak anywhere in her decadent white ball gown, but I’d been watching Noah at the bar grabbing us another round of drinks, and I wasn’t exactly hyper-aware of my surroundings. The way he looked in his tux was sinful.
I fixed my attention on my sister. “Hey, Jess,” I said, nudging Noah’s vacated seat out with my toe. “Have a seat. It was a really beautiful ceremony. You look amazing.”
She dropped into the chair and waved a hand dismissively, as if she was tired of hearing how beautiful she looked. “Who is that guy?” she asked, pointing.
“That’s my date,” I said. “You brought a date?”
“You...wanted me to bring a date,” I replied. “Remember?”
She watched Noah with narrowed eyes. “He’s really hot,” she announced.
“He’s just a friend,” I said. “I had to find someone on short notice, so I asked him. His name is Noah.”
“Noah.” She sounded like she was tasting the name, rolling it around and seeing how it felt in her mouth. On one hand, I couldn’t judge too harshly, because I’d done the same thing
myself more than once. But on the other hand… “Jess, you
just got married!” “Huh?” she blinked. “Never mind.” I laughed.
The band began to play a slower song as Noah returned to the table with our drinks and smiled at my sister. I made quick introductions after he set our drinks on the table.
He smiled at my sister, turned, and held out a hand to me. “Dance?”
“I’m going to dance,” I told my sister, who eyeballed my date like he was on the menu.
I rose and crossed the room with Noah’s hand in mine. He twirled me expertly and pulled me flush against his chest. Immediately, I felt full of heat, lit up from within. I melted into him, and he began to lead me carefully through the steps of a dance.
“So,” he said.
“So.”
“You were awfully quiet in the car on the way here.” “I was thinking about my stupid dress.”
“It’s really not that bad,” he assured.
“It has puffy sleeves and a bow on the butt, Noah.”
He grinned down at me, and my stomach clenched. “Okay,” he allowed. “It isn’t great. But it’s nice of you to wear it for your sister. Are you guys close?”
“Not really. She just wants the fairy tale, you know? Prince Charming. Ladies in waiting.”
“And that’s where you come in?”
“That’s where you come in, really. I wouldn’t be a perfect lady in waiting if I didn’t have a perfect escort, would I?”
“And I’m just an escort?
I looked up at him with a question in my eyes. “Yes. You’re a client. I don’t cross that line with clients.”
“I won’t always be a client,” he pondered. “And you did ask me to your sister’s wedding. Do you do that with clients?”
“That’s different.” “Why is that different?”
“It’s strictly a business deal. We agreed. Remember? That was your condition, not mine.”
“I think it might be too late for that,” Noah murmured, his green eyes staring with intention into mine.
I felt a shiver crawl through me. How easy it would be to give in to him, and how delicious! But I had to stay in control. Something told me that giving my heart to Noah would end badly. “You can’t change the terms of our agreement on the fly like this,” I warned. “We’re here so I can show my mother that I brought a date like she requested and so you can get a recommendation for Tess to get into the school she really wants to go to. Nothing else.”
“Jenna?”
Speak of the devil. I turned away from Noah. My mother had come up behind us and was standing in the middle of the
dance floor, hands planted on hips, watching as Noah steered me carefully around.
“Hi, Mom,” I said. “The wedding turned out really great.” Maybe all she wanted was a few compliments on all the work she’d put in and she’d move on. The one good thing about today was that Jessica was supposed to be her focus, not me. She wasn’t supposed to have time to critique anything I was doing. Wishful thinking.
“Who’s this young man?” she asked, looking Noah up and down like he was a piece of livestock in a fair.
“This is Noah Clark,” I said. “He’s my date today.” There you go, Mom. I brought a date. Are you going to hold up your end of the deal?
“Enchanté,” my not at all French mother murmured, holding up her hand in a position that made it clear she was requesting that it be kissed. Noah cut his eyes at me briefly, then took my mother’s hand and touched his lips to it. She giggled like a schoolgirl.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Robertson,” Noah said. “Congratulations on the marriage of your daughter. It really is a lovely event.”
“Oh, you’re too kind,” she schmoozed. “What do you do, Noah?”
“Mom!”
“That’s all right,” Noah said quickly. “I’m the CEO of an investment company.”
“Oh, that sounds lucrative.” She waited, clearly expecting an answer as I wished for the floor to open and swallow me whole. Noah just smiled, and after a moment my mother
spoke. “Jenna’s very smart, of course, very well educated, could have done anything she wanted, but…” She hesitated and lowered her voice. “Well, you know how it is.”
“Do I?” Noah asked, his eyes narrowing a tad.
“She wanted to become an artist.” Mom said this as if she was confiding to Noah that I’d wanted to become a heroin addict. “Won’t accept any of our hard-earned money. Too stubborn and prideful.”
“I’m not an artist, Mom,” I grouched. “I’m a designer. And Noah knows that already. We met through work.”
“What business do you have with an investment specialist?” Mom asked curiously. “You don’t have any money.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Jenna is helping me redecorate my daughter’s room,” Noah said. “And it’s going really well. We’re very happy with her work.”
I seized the opportunity to shift the subject away from me. “Noah’s daughter is applying to your school, Mom. Tess Clark is her name. Have you seen her application?”
“Oh, honey, you know we get so many—”
“You should keep an eye out for this one,” I said, cutting her off and flashing her a meaningful look. “She’s really bright and would be a great addition to your school.”
My mother regarded me for a moment. “All right,” she conceded. “Tess Clark.”
“Yes, ma’am. Thank you,” Noah said earnestly.
“I’ll keep an eye out. We may be able to fast track the application.”
“I’d sure appreciate that,” he said with a nod.
My mother gave me a long look, as if there was something more she wanted to say, but someone behind her laid a hand on her arm and she turned to look.
I grabbed Noah’s hand. “Come on.”
He didn’t resist as I pulled him out of the hotel ballroom and into the hallway. “That was ridiculous,” I fumed as soon as we’d escaped the noise. “I’m so sorry.”
“Are you okay?” he countered. “She really let you have it, didn’t she?”
“Oh, that was normal,” I scoffed, waving a hand dismissively.
“Seriously?”
“She’s never thought much of my work,” I revealed with a glance around us. “She wanted me to marry a wealthy man, like Jess did, or get a high-ranking corporate job. Or both, I guess. She says design is a hobby, not a way to actually make a living.”
Noah looked slightly outraged. “Doesn’t she know how good you are at it?”
“No,” I said. “I’ve offered to show her my portfolio, but she always blows me off. Says she’ll look at it later but never does.”
“I can’t imagine the strength it takes to continue reaching for your dreams without any support,” he said, his voice admiring.
“Of course you can,” I told him. “You’re raising Tess on your own, aren’t you?”
He sighed. “I never would have chosen that, though.”
I rested a hand on his arm. “I know. But when that was your only option, you stepped up. And you’re a great father to her.”
He smiled. “Thanks. I appreciate you saying so.” “Do you feel like going back to the party?”
“Do you? It’s your family.”
“I’ve had about enough,” I said with a laugh. “If it’s all the same to you, I think I’m ready to head up to bed.”
He nodded. “I’m glad we decided to book rooms. I’m in no state to drive home.”
“Too much champagne?” “Maybe just a little.”
I felt pleasantly buzzed myself. In fact, when we boarded the elevator and the doors had shut, it took me a minute to realize the little car wouldn’t move until one of us pressed the button. I leaned in at the same time as Noah did and our hands touched.
Heat shot straight up the nerves in my hand along my arm and to my center. Oh, hell.
Our adjoining rooms were on the fourth floor. Noah had been holding the keys—my stupid dress had no pockets, of course
—and now he fished mine out and handed it to me. Our fingertips touched as I reached out to take it.
This time he didn’t let go
And suddenly we moved, lunging for each other, reaching for lips.
“My room?” he asked, his voice hoarse.
A dozen answers played through my head. We can’t. We promised to keep this professional. This was supposed to be a business arrangement. I should really just go to bed.
But I didn’t say any of those things. I nodded. “God, yeah.”