Romancing the Billionaire

  “Yes, he looks quite miserable,” she said in a droll voice. “I’m sure he’s quick to blame me for all of this.”

  “Actually, no. He blames himself.” Cade glanced at her, then down the hall. “He’s pretty sure he’s destroyed his own life and ruined yours, and places responsibility for his actions squarely on his own doorstep.”

  She felt a twinge of pity at that. “Well, you can assure him I’m just fine.”

  “I would if I could get a word in edgewise.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean he’s constantly quoting poetry at me. Watch.” Cade stepped into the hall a few paces. “Jonathan? Ready to go upstairs?”

  “‘I was a child and she was a child,’” singsonged the drunk voice down the hall. “‘In this kingdom by the sea. But we loved with a love that was more than love—I and my Annabel Lee!’”

  Someone in the next room banged on the wall in response.

  Violet pressed her fingertips to her mouth to keep from laughing. It wasn’t funny. It wasn’t. “Is that Edgar Allan Poe?”

  “Is that what it is?” Cade grimaced. “It’s godawful.”

  “I think so. I took some poetry classes in college and it sounds familiar.” She’d been majorly into poetry back when she’d started college. She hadn’t known that Jonathan knew poetry. Was this another facet of him that had cropped up in the last ten years, or had it always been there and she’d never noticed? “So you couldn’t get him to stop drinking?”

  “He was already wrecked, so I figured it wouldn’t hurt to get a few more details out of him before I implement my plan.”

  She tilted her head at him, curious. “Your plan?”

  “Yes.” He grinned and rubbed his hands together, looking so utterly boyish that she wanted to smile back. “Phase one—glean information. Phase two—strategy. Phase three—execution.”

  “It all sounds very corporate.”

  “It does, doesn’t it?” He seemed rather pleased with himself.

  Down the hall, Jonathan began to drunkenly ramble again, voice singsonging another poem that he was slurring too much for her to make out.

  She glanced down the hall at him, and played with the high neck of her robe. “Should you, um, stop him?”

  “Nah. I’m going to let him get it all out of his system. As of tomorrow morning, he’s not going to want another drink.”

  “You sound very confident.”

  “Trust me. I know what makes Jonathan tick. I just need your word that you’ll go along with everything I throw at you.”

  “Me? What’s my part in this?”

  “Just that. I’ll come get you for breakfast, and anything I suggest to you, just agree with it. We’ll get Jonathan out of his funk and back on the road with you in a heartbeat.”

  She wasn’t sure if that was the case, but Cade seemed awfully confident. “If you say so.”

  “Great. See you then. I’ll get that one off to bed.” He gestured at Jonathan, then walked away.

  “Wait!” When he turned, Violet couldn’t help but ask, “So what did he tell you?”

  Cade smiled mysteriously, but his words were blunt. “That he’s still madly in love with you and regrets that he’s lost you forever.”

  For some reason, those words made her feel a sharp, unhappy little stab in her heart. He’s lost you forever. Of course she knew that was what this was about, right? Still, hearing the words spoken aloud made her feel anxious and a little unhappy. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be lost forever. “I’m fine with being friends with him,” she confessed. “I just can’t trust him with more.”

  “I understand,” Cade said. “And I’m not judging. See you in the morning, Violet.” He gave her a nod and walked away. A moment later, she heard him moving to Jonathan’s side, encouraging the drunk man to get out of his chair and back to his room.

  As she shut the door on them, Violet caught a few more lines of Jonathan’s drunken poetry spouting. “‘And this maiden,’” he rambled, “‘she lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.’”

  “Come on,” Cade murmured, and then they were silent.

  But Violet had the words ringing through her head for a long time afterward. She lived with no other thought than to love and be loved by me.

  The “Annabel Lee” poem had a wretched ending, if she remembered correctly.

  —

  The next morning, promptly at nine, someone knocked at Violet’s door.

  She answered it, her brain full of whirling, uneasy questions. She’d had a sleepless night, filled with more dreams of Jonathan and lovemaking, and it made her restless. There was a rational reason she kept dreaming about his mouth on her skin, she told herself. She hadn’t had sex in well over a year, and now she was hanging out with an ex-lover. It made plenty of sense.

  Sensible explanation or not, she was still waking up aching and full of need every morning, and today was no different.

  She’d dressed conservatively, though, since she didn’t know what Cade’s great plan was to get Jonathan out of his funk. She’d worn slacks and flats, along with a plain black boatneck sweater. It would be serviceable clothing for just about any situation. Still, when she answered the door and saw Cade standing there in another impeccable gray suit, she wondered if she was underdressed.

  “Violet,” he greeted her cheerfully. “You look lovely this morning.”

  “Thank you,” she murmured, stepping out of her room and making sure the door was locked behind her. She didn’t see Jonathan, and strangely enough, she was disappointed. “Are we alone?”

  “No—” Cade began.

  “Why? Did you want to be?” From around the corner, Jonathan walked slowly toward them, sunglasses covering his eyes. He scowled at Cade, who only gave her an oblivious smile.

  “Why, no,” Violet said, surprised. “I was just curious. What crawled up your ass and died?”

  “Everything, if my brain is any judge of things,” Jonathan said bluntly. “My head is fucking killing me.”

  “That’s your own fault.” She couldn’t stop staring at his hair. It was an absolute disaster, and several days’ worth of beard growth was lining his jaw. He looked like a mess. A deeply, deeply hungover mess. So she increased the volume of her voice. “I’m starving. Shall we go down and eat?”

  Cade offered her his arm with a smile, and she took it.

  Jonathan just scowled at both of them.

  When they got to the hotel dining room, Cade insisted on pulling her chair out for her so she could sit down. That earned him a sharp word from Jonathan. What was Cade’s game? He seemed unruffled by Jonathan’s increasingly sour mood, but it had to be an act of some kind. She spread her napkin on her lap, curious, and watched the men.

  Jonathan more or less slumped in his chair and put a hand to his forehead. It was clear he was feeling his drinks. Cade, however, seemed cheerful and alert.

  When the waitress came over, Jonathan ordered whiskey.

  “Um, I’m n-not sure we s-serve it this early,” the girl stammered, looking at him with alarm.

  Cade frowned at him. “Are you sure you want to do that? We need you sober.”

  “Fuck off,” Jonathan told him and then pointed at the waitress. “Whiskey. Hundred-dollar tip for you if you bring it in the next two minutes.”

  “Yes, sir,” said, flushing. “Can I get anyone else a drink?”

  “Orange juice,” Cade told her.

  “Same,” Violet said, opening her menu.

  “Now, Violet, remember, breakfast is on me,” Cade told her, and reached over to pat her arm. He smiled at her and clasped her hand, giving it an encouraging squeeze.

  Jonathan frowned at the two of them. He ripped his sunglasses off and glared at her over her menu, his eyes bloodshot. Then, he stared at Cade. “Why is breakfast on you???
?

  This was a good question, but Violet was going to play along with it. “Thank you, Cade. I appreciate it.” She pulled her hand from his and pretended to consider the menu.

  But Cade remained cheerful. “I told Violet that since I was taking the reins on this project, I’d also handle her expenses.”

  Jonathan’s eyes narrowed even as the waitress brought his drink over and placed it carefully in front of him. He ignored her, his eyes still fixed on Cade. “What do you mean, you’re taking over this project?”

  And now she understood Cade’s plan. He was going to make Jonathan jealous.

  Part of her wanted to throw her napkin on the table and smack both of the men silly for acting like this. After all, she wasn’t an object for them to fight over, and making Jonathan jealous wouldn’t establish anything other than prodding an already irritated bull. And what did it accomplish, really? So he was jealous? So what? It wasn’t like she was going to launch herself at Cade or Jonathan. She just wanted to go home and pick up the reins of her quiet little life.

  But she couldn’t help but peek through her lashes at Jonathan to see how he’d react. And she couldn’t help the weird, excited little flutter in her belly when he glared at Cade as if he wanted to rip the man’s head off.

  Which was ridiculous. Why did she care that it bothered Jonathan?

  Perhaps there was some sort of girly bone in her body that enjoyed seeing a guy go all alpha-male caveman on her. But she couldn’t resist prodding the situation. So she pretended to consider her menu a bit longer, and then gave Cade a brilliant smile. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Why,” Jonathan growled, his voice gravel in his throat, “the fuck is he sweet? What’s he doing?”

  “Violet told me about her situation,” Cade said, smiling at the waitress when she set orange juice down in front of him. “That she wants to return to her school but she’s obligated to remain at your side until the mystery is solved. And since you’re indisposed and determined to remain here, I thought I’d step in and assist her.”

  That got a response from Jonathan. The whites of his eyes showed, and his nostrils flared. “Cade,” he gritted. “Back. Off.”

  “Why?” Cade wouldn’t be deterred. He gestured at Jonathan’s drink. “It’s clear what your plans are.”

  “Back. Off,” Jonathan repeated, clearly furious.

  “He’s just trying to help me out, Jonathan,” Violet interjected, unable to resist rubbing salt in the wound. “I asked him to come. You’ve been impossible to talk to the last few days.” To her horror, a knot formed in her throat and she had to blink repeatedly to keep from weeping like an idiot. She hadn’t realized how stressed she was until she said it aloud. “I didn’t know what to do. All you do is drink and yell at me.”

  The look Jonathan gave her was utterly tortured. “Violet, please—”

  “No,” she said, and her voice wobbled. She got to her feet. “I can’t do this, all right? I can’t stay here forever, not when I’m needed at the school. And I can’t sit here and watch you drink yourself into a coma like my mother did. You forced me to do this stupid scavenger hunt when all I wanted to do was forget that my father existed. So now I’m here, and you need to decide what it is you want, because either we finish this or I get to go home.” She threw her napkin down on the table, her appetite gone. “I’ll be in my room.”

  As she stormed away, she heard Jonathan’s low voice behind her. “Damn you, Cade.”

  —

  A half hour later, Violet had neatly repacked her luggage and brushed her teeth again, and now sat in her room, waiting for the phone to ring so someone could tell her what was going on. When a knock came at the door, she was relieved; being in limbo was emotionally exhausting.

  When she opened the door, though, Jonathan was standing there. He leaned heavily against the doorjamb as if it were the only thing keeping him upright. If it was even possible, his hair looked worse than before. He gazed at her solemnly.

  She considered him for a long moment. “Hi.”

  “Can we talk?” he asked.

  “Sure.”

  He pushed off of the doorjamb and headed into her room without waiting for an invite. When he sat on the edge of her bed, she put her foot down. “Don’t sit there.” For some reason, having Jonathan on her bed in any sort of manner felt entirely too personal.

  Without missing a beat, he slid forward and thumped onto the carpet, legs sprawled out in front of him, his back resting against the bed. “This better?”

  “I suppose.” Violet glanced through the doorway but there was no sign of Cade. “Is your friend coming?”

  Jonathan snorted. “Some friend. I told him to go fuck off. He just laughed in my face.” He shook his head and rubbed his brow. “Fucker knows he’s right about everything, too. I’m glad you called him here.”

  Violet shut the door and tentatively stepped toward Jonathan. Okay, this was a good sign. She sat on the foot of the bed, and then, after a moment’s indecision, slid until she was sitting on the carpet next to him. “So,” she said softly. “Let’s talk.”

  “Can we start over?” He extended his hand to her. “Hi. I’m Jonathan Lyons. I make cars and have pissloads of money and I’m apparently pretty shitty at reading people.”

  Her mouth quirked with amusement and she placed her hand in his. “Violet DeWitt. Schoolteacher and known to hold a grudge—no matter how petty—for a very long time.”

  He gave her a soulful look with those dark eyes of his. “I don’t think you’re being petty, Violet.”

  “I know. And I don’t think we can start over fresh. There’s just too much between us to ever clear the waters.” She looked down at her hand in his, but he was still holding it. It occurred to her that she should really pull away.

  But she didn’t.

  “Violet,” he said in a low voice, gazing down at their joined hands. “When I lost you ten years ago, I lost my best friend. All romantic entanglements aside, I really, really miss her.”

  That stupid knot was back in her throat. “I know how you feel.”

  “Can we start over, then? As friends? Whatever we had in the past can’t be forgotten, but I know that you’ve moved on and you’re not interested in me. As much as that hurts, I can live with that. But I’d really like to be your friend again, Violet. Please. You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you.”

  Can’t I? she thought, but didn’t say it aloud. Instead, she mulled over his offer. Friendship, nothing more. Partners in solving the mystery of her father’s envelopes, and then she’d go back to her life minus one really big chip on her shoulder.

  Could she do it?

  She could.

  Ever since she’d lashed out at Jonathan and sent him to his drinking binge, she felt . . . not exactly cleansed, but the wound she’d let fester inside her for so long had been cauterized with the confession. Seeing his response had made her realize that perhaps he wasn’t the evil, horrible villain she’d made him out to be. That Jonathan was just as human as she was after all this time.

  And she couldn’t hate him anymore.

  So she squeezed his hand, still locked in hers. “Friends. I think I can do that.”

  The smile he gave her was brilliant, intense, and so Jonathan that it made her ache all over again. “I don’t suppose friends carry headache meds for my hangover?”

  Violet gave him a smile. “You only get it if you promise not to drink anymore.” Her smile faded and she squeezed his hand again. “You really had me worried, you know. Just because I’ve been angry at you doesn’t mean I wanted to see you hurt yourself.”

  “I know,” he said, staring down at their joined hands. He reached out with his free hand and traced a finger along the back of her hand, gliding over her knuckles. “I just . . . didn’t want to think for a while. It hurt too much.”

  His fingertip brushe
d over her skin, sending tickling sensations through her body. She knew she should drag her hand away, but she couldn’t seem to make herself do it. So she squeezed his hand again. “You weren’t the only one hurt, you know.”

  Again, he gave her that wounded-animal look that seemed to gut her. “I know, Violet. God, I know. That’s part of what’s eating me up inside.”

  And what could she say to that? She pulled her hand from his—trying not to think about the feel of his fingertips on her skin, grazing delicate patterns there—and gestured at her suitcase. “So . . . are we going to start our madcap little journey again?”

  “I’m ready if you are.”

  “Um.” She considered his disheveled, hungover appearance. “Please tell me you’re going to let someone else fly the plane this time?”

  He laughed. “For you, I can do that.”

  She smiled.

  —

  A few hours later, they were buckling themselves into seats inside the private jet that Jonathan had chartered. Violet had taken one of the seats in the back of the plane, and Cade, Jonathan saw, took a seat in the front, most likely so he could give Jonathan and Violet some privacy to chat.

  He decided maybe he wouldn’t kill Cade after all.

  Jonathan slid into a seat across from Violet, pleased when she didn’t flinch or frown as he did so. Instead, she gave him a tentative smile and he returned it.

  It was a fresh start. He was so fucking relieved that they were trying again that he didn’t even care that they’d vowed to be just friends. He’d take any piece of Violet he could get in his life. If he was friend-zoned permanently, then he’d live with that, just as long as she wasn’t glaring at him with hatred any longer.

  Violet fastened her seat belt and tightened it. “Can I just say how happy I am that you’re not flying this plane?”

  He tried not to gaze overlong at the way she smoothed her clothes and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he pulled out his phone and pretended to read something on the screen. “I’ve had hundreds of hours in the cockpit, Violet. I’m a good pilot.”