Effortless: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance

  Alastair regarded me curiously. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  There really was no delicate way to bring this up. “A bunch of reporters were at the spa when I left. One of them said something about you dissolving the music division and that there’s a rumor about embezzlement.”

  His brows furrowed in frustration. “They asked you about that?”

  I nodded. “Is it true?”

  He stared at me impassively. Great. “One of the lower level executives in the music division was caught stealing from the royalties department. He’s since been fired but it wasn’t a major blow to the finances. And no, I’m not dissolving the label.”

  “Oh. Okay.” I paused. “So what was that stuff you signed yesterday?”

  He smirked. “Trying to get an exclusive for Julian?”

  “No,” I said, horrified he would think that.

  “I’m teasing you.”

  “Not cool, Holden.”

  He put the documents down and leaned forward. “You look good behind that desk.”

  “Oh no, no, no. You’re not seducing me into silence.”

  “I’m not trying to.” He came over and perched on the edge of his desk. “We’re moving forward with the plans for a production company in Los Angeles. I’ve made Jason the president of that division since it’s what he’s wanted for ages. The call I was on before—” he grinned “—had to do with our on-demand subscription service that we’re launching online for people to stream movies and television programs. The formal announcement for both won’t be made until next week.”

  “So you are taking over the world one media outlet at a time.”

  Kneeling in front of me for the second time in less than an hour, he held my hands. “I’ve told you before. I’m not interested in taking over the whole world. Just yours.”

  “Charmer.” I smiled, looking away. “You’re making me blush and you know how I don’t like to do that.”

  He stood up, pulling me to my feet. “I like it,” he whispered, leaning his cheek to mine.

  “Can I ask you one more thing?”

  I felt his chest rise and fall.

  “Yes, kitten, you can.”

  “Why were you so angry with your uncle on the phone last night?”

  He looked at me, confused. “Jason? I wasn’t on the phone with him.”

  “But I thought— I heard you yelling at someone about signing something and—”

  “Lia,” he said, holding my face. “That wasn’t my uncle.” He shook his head and chuckled. “Always the investigative reporter, aren’t you?”

  “Well, you sounded really pissed off. I just assumed.”

  “I know my relationship with him is strained and we’ve had our share of blowouts but—” He caught himself, swallowing hard. “I’m trying to do what you suggested. I’m trying to let them in. It’s slow going at the moment but it’s something.”

  My heart swelled with pride. He traced his fingers over the diamond encrusted ‘A’ on the necklace he’d given me.

  “I like that you wear this all the time,” he said.

  “It’s my favorite.”

  Disbelief ghosted through his eyes like smoke. “You never cease to amaze me, Amelia Meyers.”

  “And you never cease to be the best boyfriend on the planet.”

  A flash of white appeared when his brilliant smile lit up the office. “Head home. I’ll finish up here and be with you no later than six.”

  “Do you feel like doing something tonight? I might want to treat you to a date to say thank you for the spa treatment.”

  “I thought I was flying you somewhere far away.”

  “Another time.” I squeezed his hand. “I want to do this for you.”

  “What did you have in mind?”

  A huge smile bloomed on my lips. “I’m not telling.”

  “Wow.” He laughed. “The smart mouth returns.”

  “It never left,” I said dryly. “Now do you want to have a date with me tonight or not?”

  “Not sure.”

  I folded my arms and gave him a look. “What do you want?”

  He grinned. “I’ll agree to your date night proposal if you let me take care of dessert.”

  “Okay. You have control over dessert but I decide on where we eat it.”

  “If it’s on you, I’m in.”

  I shoved him. “Stop it. I’m still on hiatus.”

  “That won’t last, love.” His smoldering eyes burned a deep, forest green.

  “Alastair,” I said with a pout. “Don’t hijack my date night.”

  Brushing his thumb on my lip, he smiled. “Fair enough. I promise I won’t do it intentionally.”

  “I suppose that’ll have to do.”

  “My Lia.” He draped an arm over my shoulder and escorted me to the door. “I’m sure whatever you have planned will be lovely.”

  Simone was on her feet the second Alastair and I walked out of his office. “Your two o’clock just arrived downstairs. I’ve got the conference room almost all set up.” She grabbed a stack of files and went down the hall.

  “She thinks you’re going to fire her,” I said while Alastair pushed the elevator call button.

  “Why?”

  “Because she didn’t tell Paxton to stall me.”

  Smoothing down his tie, he moved closer to me. “Don’t tell her but that’s not quite a fireable offense. Annoying, but not fireable.”

  A tone sounded signaling the elevator’s arrival. Alastair walked in far enough to trigger the sensors so the doors wouldn’t close right away. “Date night, then?”

  “Yes.” I smiled.

  “Do I have a shot at getting lucky at the end of the night?”

  “You don’t ever stop do you?”

  “No. And I generally don’t hear any complaints out of you about it.”

  “I’m not complaining. I’m trying to take command of the situation, which you like, by the way.”

  My knees almost buckled when he ran his finger along his mouth. I wanted to bite him.

  “Challenge accepted, kitten.”

  “Good. If you behave, I might revisit your request to get lucky.”

  “Looking forward to your final decision.” He laughed, backing out. I kept my eyes glued to his handsome, happy face until the doors closed.

  * * *

  I spread all the ingredients out on the counter and set to work. Alastair should be home in less than an hour and I wanted this dinner to be perfect. My plan was to cook for him and then take a nighttime drive along the coast. I know it was cold outside but I missed spending time by the ocean and figured we could just park somewhere scenic and stay in the car. Whatever dessert he had in mind would have to be mobile. Or we could just save it for when we returned home.

  I’d turned on some music and had my own little concert in the kitchen while preparing the food. I wasn’t as polished in the kitchen as my sister was but I knew how to make a few dishes and tonight’s was something I’d been craving so badly that I could almost taste it; steak with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus.

  An old Spice Girls song came on and I fully threw myself into the singing and dancing. It was a production for the ages enjoyed only by the stove and refrigerator.

  “I’d no idea I was marrying a pop star.”

  Startled, I spun around with the spoon poised in front of my mouth like a microphone.

  “You’re home early.”

  Alastair smiled and leaned against the counter with his arms behind his back. “Don’t let me stop you.”

  I eyed him curiously while placing the spoon down. He’d changed his clothes, which meant he’d been lurking. I narrowed my eyes. “When did you get home?”

  “Just in time.” He swiped some of the mashed potatoes on his finger. “Tastes good,” he said after licking it off. “What else do you have?”

  “Don’t put your fingers in the food,” I scolded. “God knows where they’ve been.”

  He raised
both eyebrows and gave me a look.

  “Don’t say it,” I laughed, turning my attention to the asparagus. I seasoned them and placed them in the oven. When I faced Alastair again, he’d seated himself at the breakfast bar with a long-stemmed white rose in hand.

  “Flowers?”

  “Well, this is a date and I’m a gentleman, so yes.”

  I scooted around the counter and hugged him. “Thanks, chief.” I put the rose down and finished preparing our meal. Alastair proved helpful by pouring us both some wine. I shooed him off to sit at the table so I could put the finishing garnishes on the steaks when they were done. I presented our meal on a pretty silver tray that I’d found in one of the cupboards. It looked like it had never been used before so I figured why not.

  Alastair kissed my hand when I walked by to take my seat.

  “What else do you have planned for our date tonight?” he asked between mouthfuls. He was clearly enjoying the food and hadn’t uttered a word until now. I had to pat myself on the back. These steaks were phenomenal.

  “I thought we could take a ride to the coast and park somewhere. Maybe look at the stars.”

  “The stars, huh?” A smile played on his lips. “I think I can make that happen. Are you driving?”

  “Um, no.”

  “Why not? You did such a good job with my sexy little car that time I gave you lessons.”

  “Right. But that was during the day on an empty road. This is, you know, night and highways.”

  He laughed. “You’ll be used to driving on the wrong side of the road in no time. Trust me.”

  I sipped the wine and watched him finish his dinner. All the drama that we’d trudged through this week felt miles away all because of the glow that now lit up his eyes and the smile on his lips. This was my Alastair and I would stop at nothing to keep him this way for the rest of my life.

  “You have that look again,” he said. “I’m beginning to think all your talk of being on a hiatus was just for show.”

  “Well, when you look this hot and this happy I can’t control my facial expressions.”

  Locking me in a sultry, flirtatious stare he leaned forward. “Maybe we should take the SUV so there’s more room for us to play in the backseat.”

  I dropped my fork in the mashed potatoes. He had me right where he wanted me and he knew it.

  “Then again, my car is much cozier.”

  I swallowed, regaining some of my composure. “You still need a warning label.”

  “So do you.”

  He helped me clear the table and clean the kitchen even though I protested and told him to go relax on the couch, mostly because his unrelenting flirting was clouding my brain. Every time I passed by him he’d reach out and tickle me or stop me for a kiss. I don’t know how long this phase of domestic bliss would last once we were old and married but I planned to enjoy it for as long as I could.

  “Are you going to put this in water?” he asked, holding up the rose.

  “Sure.” I reached for it and noticed a white ribbon tied to the stem. COME FLY WITH ME was written on it. I looked at Alastair. “What does this mean?”

  “It means what it says.”

  “Fly with you where?” My heart started pounding.

  “Follow the rose and you’ll find out.”

  “You’re hijacking my date night, Holden,” I said with a grin. “I wanted to sit under the stars with you by the ocean.”

  “Then that’s what we’ll do. You call the shots, kitten.”

  “Good. I’m going to grab a sweater and then we’ll go to the beach.” Throwing a suspicious look in his direction, I went to the bedroom and opened the closet. He was up to something, as usual, and was using my insatiable curiosity against me. The last time I ‘followed the rose’ I ended up in Paris. I wrapped a gray cardigan around myself and went back out to find my scheming fiancé. The rose was now in a vase, staring at me from the kitchen counter.

  I unraveled the ribbon and read it again. He did say he wanted to fly me somewhere beautiful for the weekend.

  Flipping through a magazine without a care in the world, he glanced at me when I walked into the living room carrying the flower. “Ready?”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To look at the stars.” He held out his hand. I drank in his very essence, astounded by how relaxed and at peace he appeared. Not one trace of his wall remained. I took his outstretched hand, absorbing the jolt of electricity from his touch.

  “I love you,” I whispered, standing close to him. The unrelenting force that fused us together felt stronger.

  “I love you, too,” he said, staring at me with fervor.

  My soul soared. “This—” I held up the rose “—is where I want to go.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  The flight was relatively short, wherever it was that we’d landed. I looked out the window and saw nothing but an onyx sky dotted with stars. There wasn’t a mask or anything to prevent me seeing where we’d gone. I didn’t have a clue anyway. It was so dark outside he could have flown us to the North Pole for all I knew.

  I followed Alastair off the plane to a waiting horse and carriage. I stopped short. What the…?

  “Did we go through a time portal or something?” I asked.

  “No, love. This is the only way to get around here.”

  Alastair extended his hand and helped me onto the carriage. The driver nodded and tipped his hat in my direction. I honestly felt like I’d been transported back to the 1800s.

  “And where exactly is here?”

  The horse neighed and started walking. I snuggled closer to Alastair when he tucked me under his arm.

  “Just enjoy the ride and the view,” he requested, kissing the top of my head.

  Excited by the prospect of the unknown for the first time in my life, I rested my head on his shoulder and listened to the slow rhythm of the horse’s footsteps on loose gravel. Not too far from where we were, I could hear the ocean pounding against the shore. I smiled, burrowing closer into Alastair’s side. If not for the cold air and horse-drawn carriage I’d have thought we’d flown back to Orlando and were sitting on the beach.

  A velvet kiss stirred me from my thoughts. I looked up and was greeted by Alastair’s beautiful face.

  “Come with me.”

  What those three words did to me. I stepped off the carriage onto the soft earth. A gorgeous two-story stone house sat in front of us. Mesmerized by its old world charm I stared for a few seconds.

  “Alastair, where are we?”

  Smiling, he tucked my hair behind my ears. “We are at the place where it all begins.”

  Spurred on by a healthy dose of curiosity I followed him into the house. The cozy interior gave me the same at home feeling as his cottage. A bottle of champagne and a bouquet of white roses sat on a small end table by the couch.

  “Did you fly me here for more cake?” I joked.

  He tipped up my chin and gazed at me with the purest love I’d ever seen. “If that’s what you want.”

  “I can hear the ocean,” I said, touching his cheek. “Can we go outside and look at the stars now?”

  “Yes, of course.” He kissed me. “You should go up and change first. It’s a bit chilly outside.” He brushed his fingers down my arm. “And then meet me out in the backyard.”

  “Change? I’m already in a sweater and—”

  “Just do it.” He grinned, tilting his head to the side. “You’ll thank me later.”

  Watching him stroll out of the room rustled a few butterflies in my stomach.

  I trotted up the stairs, amused and puzzled about what this night had in store for me now. A trail of white rose petals led toward what I assumed was the master bedroom. When did he have time to do all this? I walked into the room and inhaled sharply. Hanging from an armoire was an ivory silk cocktail length dress. The sleeveless, v-neck bodice was intricately woven with lace and shimmered in the light. My crystal encrusted Louboutin shoes sat beneath it on the floor. r />
  “Oh my God,” I whispered, touching the material and admiring its mix of simple and sexy. “A wedding dress?”

  Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as I went to the window and peered out into the yard. I couldn’t see anything. Turning back, I noticed a vanity filled with makeup and hair accessories. I sat in front of the mirror trying to calm the ferocious beating of my heart. I surveyed the arrayed of products and took a deep breath.

  “Here we go,” I muttered, applying some lip gloss and blush. My skin was still sun kissed from all the Florida sunshine so I didn’t need to add much.

  I left my hair down in loose waves, just the way Alastair liked it. Taking another deep breath, I turned toward the armoire. Fixing my hair and putting on make-up was one thing. A wedding dress was something completely different. I stood up and focused on it, memorizing every last detail.

  My hands shook as I took the dress off its hanger. So many emotions swirled through me as I slipped it on. The elegant silk hemline skimmed my knees. I stared at myself in the mirror, disbelieving what was about to happen.

  Dozens of thoughts rushed through my brain. Am I ready? Is he ready? Are we rushing into this?

  The girl staring back at me glowed. Her eyes were alight with joy, not self-doubt or any doubt for that matter. I am ready. Composing myself, I slipped on my shoes and went downstairs.

  “Hey, kiddo.”

  I stopped short, stunned to see my father. “Dad,” I exclaimed, breathless. I ran over and wrapped my arms around him. “What are you— How is—”

  “Your fiancé takes all the credit. I was just told to be on a plane.” He smiled, his eyes shining with pride. “You look beautiful. Shall we?”

  I nodded as he looped my arm though his and led me out the back door. My knees went weak.

  Alastair waited for me in the center of the yard. He’d changed into a dark gray suit, sans tie, leaving the collar of his white shirt unbuttoned. My heart raced a little faster when he smiled. That was my smile, the one he saved only for me.

  A muffled sob tore my attention away from him. It was my mother. She stood in the yard next to my sister Dayna. My heart beat faster and faster as I took in my surroundings. Andrew was also there, along with Darren. Tears welled in my eyes when I looked to my right and saw Katherine, Jason and Samuel. He wanted his family here, too.