The Billionaire’s Bidding

“He’s working directly for her?”

“Alex.”

Alex crossed the room to stand in front of Emma. “Between the two of us-”

“No,” she barked.

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

Anger rising, she punctuated her words by poking him in the chest with her index finger. “Oh yes I do. And don’t you ever dare suggest that we gang up on my sister. McKinley Inns doesn’t work that way. I don’t care who the hell you are.”

He trapped her hand. “It’s a bad decision.”

“It’s her decision.”

“And you’re just going to stand there and watch her make it.”

“I am. And so are you.”

He moved closer. “I wouldn’t be too quick to tell me what I am and am not going to do.”

Emma paused. She couldn’t force him. But then he couldn’t force her either. And a tie went to the status quo. Which meant the tie went to Katie in this case.

Emma didn’t smile, but she came close.

But then she became aware of Alex’s hand on hers. The warmth of his skin prickled its way into her bloodstream, and those appalling feelings of lust and longing surged to life inside her.

His voice dropped deep and throaty. “We’re going to have to deal with it, you know.”

“With Katie?” she asked in a small voice, clinging to the slim hope that that’s what he meant.

“With the fact that we turn each other on like original sin.”

“We do not,” she lied.

“Want me to prove it?”

She tried to step back, but he kept hold of her hand.

He smiled. “You really need to stop lying to me, you know.”

“You really need to develop some manners.”

“Yeah? Okay, how’s this? Would you care to accompany me to a luau?”

“A luau?” The sudden switch left Emma’s head spinning.

“Kessex Cruise Lines is launching a new ship, the Island Countess, specializing in Polynesian trips. We’re invited to the launch party, and I thought you could wear the ruby-and-diamond choker.”

Emma had already resigned herself to being seen in public with Alex. She’d made a deal, and she was going to stick by it. Besides, being with him in public was quickly becoming a preferable choice to being with him in private.

In public she could pretend she was still pretending. She’d have an excuse to talk to Alex and laugh with Alex and touch Alex without examining the reasons why.

Doing those things in private forced her to admit she liked him. She even liked arguing with him. His self- confidence and strength of purpose made her feel…safe somehow.

And she trusted him. Probably not the smartest move in the world. But she had to trust somebody. And he was learning things about her that nobody else would ever see.

For now, for this moment in time, he was pivotal to her life. Not that she’d admit that to him. And not that she’d make things easy.

“You really think rubies and diamonds will go with orchid print cotton?” she asked.

“Hey, you want to look good or make your future husband happy?”

“Can’t I do both?”

“Not in this case.”

They stared each other down for a long minute.

“Well?” he demanded.

She tilted her head sideways. “Don’t you sometimes wish you’d picked the pretty one?”

“Watch it.”

“Watch what?” She was only joking. Besides, it was an acknowledged fact that Katie was the pretty one.

“Mess with me, and I’ll make you admit I turn you on.”

“How do you plan-”

His eyes darkened and his nostrils flared.

She quickly backtracked. “Never mind.” Then she swallowed and squared her shoulders, voice going unnaturally sweet. “I live to make my future husband happy.”

He smiled and brushed her hair back from her temple. “There. Was that so hard? Friday at seven. And I’ll bring the necklace.”

Climbing the short gangway to the Island Countess, Alex told himself everything was fine. He’d expected Emma to be a knockout in her deep-red, Hawaiian-print dress. And he’d expected the Garrison jewels to look stunning against the smooth honey tone of her throat. He’d even expected the sucker-punch sensation he was coming to associate with being in her presence.

What he hadn’t expected was his burning desire to keep her all to himself.

Tonight was about parading her for the press, letting the other ladies ooh and ahh over the Tudor diamond on her finger, and solidifying their position as a couple with other players in the New York tourism industry, so that when Alex started representing McKinley, no eyebrows would be raised.

Trouble was, Alex couldn’t bring himself to care about any of those things. There was a steel drum band playing by the pool on the aft sundeck, and all he wanted to do was hold Emma in his arms under the stars.

He knew she hated publicity, but she was doing it anyway. She hated deception, but she’d gone along with his scheme. And she probably hated him, but she was smiling up at him, holding his hand, and plastering her body against his for the benefit of photographer after photographer.

Until now, he hadn’t given much thought to how much of a trooper she really was. There was an entire company being saved, her sister, the board, the executives and thousands of jobs. Yet, it was all on Emma’s shoulders.

Had she complained?

Of course she had. But she’d made logical, reasonable arguments. She’d looked for options and solutions that would suit her better. But when she didn’t find them, when Alex had prevented her from finding them, she’d bucked up and done what was needed.

He admired that.

He admired her.

He motioned to the glass elevator that ran up the five stories of the central atrium.

“Ready to go upstairs?” he whispered against her glistening chestnut hair. He inhaled the scent of her shampoo, his gaze darting to the ruby earrings dangling from her delicate lobes.

His earrings.

He closed his hand over hers, letting the diamond press into his palm.

She leaned up to laugh in his ear. “You think they got enough pictures?”

“Absolutely. Besides, there’ll be more photographers on the deck.”

She set her empty champagne glass on a waiter’s tray. “Then, lead on.”

“You’re awfully agreeable tonight.”

She smiled and waved to a cluster of brightly dressed women. “That’s because I live to make you happy.”

“Seriously,” he said. “You’re…” He wasn’t quite sure how to put it into words. He finally came up with, “sparkling.”

“It’s the rubies.”

He took the excuse to run his thumb over the bracelet on her wrist. “They suit you. But that wasn’t what I meant.”

The elevator door opened in front of them, and they moved inside alone.

“Then it’s the champagne,” she said, bracing her hands on the small railing and leaning back against the glass wall.

The posture brought the cotton fabric tight against her breasts, and Alex felt his body involuntarily take note.