Sweetened With a Kiss (16 page)

A few minutes later, he stood in the passenger doorway of his Range Rover and waited for her to clip her seat belt. She turned back to him when she realized he wasn’t moving. Her breath caught on the cool, flinty-eyed look he was giving her.

“You going to keep playing this game with me?” he asked, his voice scarily quiet again.

She licked her lips, noticing how his eyes riveted to that movement. “I think so,” she admitted, wondering why she was determined to provoke him at every opportunity. She knew it was crazy but she couldn’t seem to help herself. It was too delicious.

He took a deep breath. “The hippie tell you I was after your stock?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Of course not.”

“You came up with that all on your on?” he asked.

“It makes sense,” she insisted. “I’m not an idiot.”

His mouth flattened into a grim line, and he just shook his head and slammed her door.

“I already vote your stock and control your trust,” he reminded her when he slid behind the wheel.

She crossed her arms and turned her face away from him. “You demonstrated that when you just wrote a check and didn’t bother to negotiate.”

He laughed, but it wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I didn’t write that out of your account. Happy late Birthday.”

She swung back around at him. “You can’t buy me a car for my birthday.”

“Just did.”

“Stefan, you can’t just...”

“What?” he demanded sharply, turning suddenly in his seat when he braked at a red light. “Buy a hot car for my smoking hot fiancée so I can pin her to the hood while she wears her fuck-me shoes and black stockings with bows?”

“Stefan,” she gasped, ribbons of heat streaming through her central nervous system without warning.

“Stop playing games with me,” he warned. “You’ll lose.”

He pulled back into traffic and Jen stared out the window watching the city rush by. Wait. Had he just called her smoking hot?

“Jen, I don’t have to marry you to get control of your trust fund. I just have to make sure you don’t marry anyone else.”

“I told you I’d sign whatever I have to sign.”

“Good, then you’ll have no trouble signing our marriage license.”

“Why do you even want to marry me? I just don’t understand.”

“I really hate that for you, Jen. I do. I might have spelled it out for you this morning, but now, you’re on your own. When you figure it out, let me know.”

She decided to regroup. Tactical retreat. She wasn’t going to give him any excuses, but she wasn’t going to let him win either. And she definitely wasn’t going to feel all warm and gooey because he’d called her smoking hot. He couldn’t have meant it. Except he hadn’t sounded sarcastic about that part.

“You think I’m smoking hot?” she asked out of the blue, not even beginning to understand how she’d said it out loud.

She let herself glance at him when he didn’t answer. She smothered a laugh. He didn’t know what to say. He actually didn’t know what to say to her. He was having to think about it, and for once he wasn’t thinking fast enough.

His phone rang, saving him, and he answered it before it could ring twice. Jen bit back the laughter bubbling up in her as she let herself feel just a little warm and gooey.

“I’m dropping you at the house,” he said gruffly, when he ended the call. “I’ve got to meet Rogan at a job site.”

“Fine.” Definitely warm and gooey.

Jim wasted no time delivering her new car. She slid behind the wheel and just sat in the driveway unable to actually get back out and go inside. She thought about driving out to the lake house to show Lizzie. Lizzie would absolutely die.

Her phone rang and the caller ID had her grinning from ear to ear. “Jared,” she nearly screamed into the phone. “I really need you to come home, so I can kill you.”

He snickered on the other end of the line. “In Atlanta about to board my flight,” he said, sounding smug and proud of himself but she was so relieved she didn’t care.

“You’re almost home? Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

“I got a standby flight. Didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. Can you pick me up in a couple of hours?”

“Absolutely,” she said.

“Gonna need a place to crash until my apartment is ready,” he said.

“Stefan bought a house. It’s huge. Wait ’til you see the kitchen.”

“A house?” Jared asked.

“On St. Charles Street.”

Jared snickered again. “I guess all those business dinners really paid off.”

“If I weren’t so glad you were coming home, I’d leave your butt at the airport. You have no idea how wrong you were about that dress.”

Two and half hours later, she watched her rock god come gliding through the airport. She smiled at the women who watched, biting their lips and fanning themselves as he passed by. He had his guitar slung over his shoulder, he hadn’t shaved, and his wavy black hair was all over the place. He was totally lapping up the attention, but not a soul could tell that but Jen. He was the picture of bored casual. Until he spotted Jen. Then his face split into a grin, and he lifted her off her feet and spun her around. She kissed him on the forehead and hugged him tight. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she said, holding him much tighter than usual.

When he set her down, he caught her hand. “What the hell?” he demanded, taking a long look at her engagement ring. “He didn’t waste any time, did he?”

Jen pulled her hand back. “I just...”

“Hey,” Jared cut her off. “You want to marry him, marry him. It’s all good.  Maybe you'll get the asshole out of your system.”

“I got a car,” she said, changing the subject before she got all emotional. 

He whistled when they reached her new car. “Keys,” he demanded holding out his hand for them, waving his fingers impatiently.

“I never said you could drive.”

“You really think I’m not driving this cherry, you are crazy. Keys!” Then he grinned that devil grin at her and she caved, tossing the keys at him. He caught them easily, stowed his guitar and bag in the back, then vaulted over the driver’s side door.

“Be careful, it’s her first day out,” Jen warned him.

“I’ll be gentle.” He grinned shamelessly, turned the key in the ignition, and groaned with pleasure as the engine roared to life. He cranked up the radio and screeched out of the parking garage.

“We need to stop for groceries. There’s nothing at Stefan’s but protein powder and boiled eggs.”

Jared shivered. “Are you sure he’s human?”

They stopped off at Whole Foods and immediately forgot that they were in a hurry. Jen went a little nuts in the produce department, while Jared headed straight for the deli where he chose no less than ten different types of cheese. One was a cave cheese and Jen threatened him if he tried to open it inside the house.

“I’m not sure all this will fit in the convertible,” Jen said, as they unloaded the buggy at the checkout line. “I’m not sure it will even go back in the buggy.”

“Should’ve got an SUV,” Jared teased her, winking at the girl scanning their groceries, trying to distract her so she didn’t notice some items didn’t scan. Jen watched her swoon and just shook her head.

“You will never grow up,” Jen said, handing the girl back a ten dollar jar of olives she’d missed. Jared shrugged and started stuffing bags in their buggy.

Then Jared stuffed everything in the trunk and the back seat and they headed for the house on St. Charles. Stefan was sitting on the side porch when they pulled in and the irritated look on his face turned grim when Jared jumped out of the car.

“Hey, Sellers, long time no see,” Jared said, grabbing two handfuls of bags and handing them to him when Stefan reached the driveway. “Dinner’s in an hour.”

Stefan took the bags and headed inside without a word. Jared smirked at her. “Surprise,” he said under his breath and Jen couldn’t help the nervous giggle that escaped. She grabbed a bunch of bags and followed Stefan. She stayed in the kitchen and unloaded all the groceries while Jared and Stefan brought them in.

Then Jared joined her in the kitchen and started seasoning the steaks. “You do eat steak right?” he asked Stefan.

Stefan nodded. “Sure. I’ll be in my office.”

Jen watched him disappear down the hall.

“So, he’s not really happy to see me, is he?” Jared asked.

Jen did laugh then. “Probably not,” she admitted. “But he’ll get over it once he tries your steak.”

Jared raised his eyebrows quickly and grinned. “Where’s that cheese?”

“Don’t you dare open that cheese in my house!” she said, refusing to admit how comfortable she was calling it her house.

About an hour later, she stood outside his office door trying to work up the nerve to knock.  She leaned her forehead against the door wondering if trying to have Stefan and Jared under the same roof would ever be anything other than a bad idea.  She knocked and a second later he growled “Come in.”

“Hey,” she stuck her head around the door. “Dinner’s almost ready.” 

He looked up from his laptop, and watched as she moved into the room.

“Shut the door,” he told her. Then, “Did you know he was coming back today?”

She shook her head. “No, he caught a standby flight. I didn’t find out until he was in Atlanta.”

“Still plenty of time to maybe drop me a text and let me know we’re having company.”

“I didn’t think about it,” Jen said and watched his eyes darken even more. “I’m sorry. I should have.”

Stefan sat back in the leather chair, his eyes frosting over. “I’ve been reading your business plan.”

“And...” she prompted, but already knew by the set of his jaw what was coming.

“It looks good except for the location.”

She closed her eyes briefly and when she opened them again, she faced him straight on. “The location is important.”

He shook his head slowly. “There are some spaces on Magazine Street.”

“Magazine Street?” she repeated. “That isn’t what we’re going for at all.  We want the foot traffic from the French Quarter.”

“Magazine has foot traffic.”

“We want to make small king cakes, Stefan. They're the size of a cinnamon roll or a pretzel.  You can hold it in one hand and eat it.  People are not going to walk down Magazine eating a mini king cake.  But tourists in the French Quarter will.”

He leaned forward and snapped the laptop closed. “If you want me to invest in this, you’ll rethink...”

“I never asked you to invest in this. I asked you to give me
my
money to invest in this.”

“That’s not going to happen.”

“What?” she demanded. “That makes no sense at all.”

“Oh, you think I’m going to let you hand over that much money to your hippie friend? You’ve lost your mind. At least with me on board, he has someone to answer to.”

She opened her mouth and closed it again. She turned away from him before she said something she really regretted and yanked the door open. She paused in the doorway. “Forget I ever asked you about this. I’ll figure something else out.”

Stefan was on his feet before she could leave. “Do not go to Mac with this, Jen.”

She held onto the doorknob to keep from leaping across the room and smacking him. “Stop talking. I don’t want to get any angrier than I already am. Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes.”

“He’s not staying here tonight,” Stefan told her.

She swung around to find herself face to face with the frost giant again. “Why not?”

His expression went even colder and his eyelids were barely open. When he didn’t answer her right away, she realized it was because his lightning quick brain just couldn’t come up with a good answer. She kinda liked that. Twice in one day.

She stepped further into the room, just completely unable to leave it alone. “The bed in the guest room is queen-sized. Plenty of room for both of us.”

Stefan stood up and Jen couldn’t help the instinctive step back she took. “What?” she said, slicking her tongue across her bottom lip. “Did you really think we could afford a two bedroom apartment in Paris?”

“Still playing games with me, Jen?” he whispered.

She nodded. “I can’t seem to help myself.”

“Why do you think that is?” he asked, slowly closing the distance between them.

She shrugged, trying her best to stay calm. “No idea.”

He stopped in front of her, his hand reaching out to slide around her neck as he pulled her forward. “I know why,” he said, his head dipping, and Jen’s toes started to curl.

“Why?” she asked, sounding breathless.

“Because of this,” he said, gliding his tongue across her bottom lip.

“That could be it,” she agreed, letting him press her back against the wall.

He raised his head slowly, smiling as her mouth followed his and she stepped forward. He shook his head. “Oh, no,” he warned her, pressing her away from him despite the tiny, distressed cry that escaped before she could stop it. “You want that, all you have to do is walk down the aisle.”

She closed her eyes and leaned back. “Wanna bet?” she whispered, turning away from him and reaching for the door.

He grabbed her then, and pulled her back up against him. “Absolutely. What are the stakes?”