Merger to Marriage (Boardrooms and Billi - By Addison Fox Page 0,48

to hold out any longer than that.

…

The darkened restaurant seemed to envelop them as Mayson and Holt walked through the interior. Teddy had reserved a private room at the back, and as they followed the maître d’, she couldn’t ignore the jingle of nerves that lit her up like a slot machine. Nor could she stop the surreptitious glances at the ring that winked on the third finger of her left hand.

How could the excitement and confidence she’d felt when they went up to Hands, Hearts and Hugs—and after, when they made love—just vanish so completely?

She knew he must think her moods mercurial and hormonal at best, but something had fractured when she stood in the fashion closet at the office. And then it had broken clean through when she got the call from Sarah, blithely discussing their plans for dinner.

He’d acted without consulting with her. Worse, he’d put her in a position of lying about their perfect romance to some of her family’s oldest friends, an act she was only exacerbating with their performance this evening.

That wasn’t love, or even genuine affection.

It was a business arrangement.

Holt leaned down and whispered in her ear. “You okay?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“You look like you’re walking to a firing squad, not a five-star dinner.” His voice—deep and reassuring in her ear—set off a sudden attack of nerves. Heat flooded her system, and her body betrayed her with its entirely inappropriate reaction to the man.

“I’m ready to have this over.”

A bleak glaze hovered in his eyes, their normally vivid irises dull and lifeless. “I’m sorry this evening feels like such a chore.”

“Don’t worry. I’m more than up for the task.” She took his hand in a tight grip and pasted a smile on her face. “I’m a better actress than my mother. They’ll never know I’m just here as window dressing.”

Holt pulled them up short, outside the doorway to the private dining room. “What is that supposed to mean?”

“You tell me. You’re the one who set up dinner.”

He didn’t reply. Instead, he leaned in and vanquished. Despite the inappropriate location, he had his mouth fastened to hers and his hands on her waist, pulling her close, in less time than it took for her heart to take a beat.

The ire that had fueled her thoughts since their showdown in his office faded in the face of what she wanted so desperately to believe in. With that foremost in her mind, she lifted a hand to the back of his head and pulled him close. The kiss spun out, hard and fast, dragging them both to the edge of want, need, desire, and a whole host of emotions she knew there wasn’t time to dissect at the moment.

But later…

He lifted his head, and for the first time since he’d picked her up, she took an easy breath. Whether she liked it or not, they would do this.

Together.

…

Holt still struggled to get the taste of her off his tongue an hour later as they ate their salads. The uncomfortable need for her—a need that refused to be sated—had hit the flashover point, and he’d have given his eye-teeth to be anywhere but at this damn dinner.

For their part, Teddy and Sarah Craddick couldn’t be happier Mayson was there. She’d already been subject to wedding horror stories, grandbaby photos, and social gossip. To her credit, Mayson not only took it in stride, but she gave as good as she got. She suggested a florist and a seamstress to help fix some of the wedding drama, cooed sufficiently over photos, and smiled politely through the name-dropping. She was incredible. And she was an asset. Holt knew it was true, even as he knew it wasn’t the real reason he’d wanted her along.

He just wanted her.

“I want to hear all about how Holt proposed,” Sarah said, her gaze bright and her voice dreamy.

Mayson kept the details to a minimum, assuring Sarah it was a very new development. Holt peppered in his share of comments, explaining his impulsive need to be with her and how it just came over him to pop the question. He took the good-natured ribbing that he needed to get over impulse and plan something romantic, but since Sarah was already oohing and aahing over the engagement ring, they managed to skip over the most probing questions.

He couldn’t have scripted a more perfect evening.

Even if the slightest twinge lingered in his gut at the lie that was their engagement.

He’d lived by one credo in his professional life,