Kate Jane barely made it through the car ride from the airport to the hotel. We were around the corner when she started turning a delicate shade of green that had me silently praying she didn’t redecorate the interior of our luxury SUV. “I’m so glamorous,” she murmured weakly when we finally walked into the lobby, her fingers tight around Alex’s arm. “You’re glamorous,” he insisted, completely serious. He guided her to the private elevator like she was made of glass while Nate went to the rec eption desk to check in. “You’re glowing.” “I’m glowing because I’m about to either pass out or vomit,” she r eplied. “It’s called breaking out in a sweat.” “You’re still gorgeous.” Alex steadied her when she swayed slightly on her feet and I had to admit, seeing him with her like this redeemed him a little in my eyes. Only a tiny bit, but he clearly wasn’t the heartless bastard I’d initially thought. I didn’t say anything while we waited for Nate to meet us at the elevator bank, just watching her lean into Alex like he wasn’t partially responsible for making her feel this way. My heart stuttered when Nate appeared around the corner, his blond hair perfectly styled and those blue eyes serious but also soft when they met mine. He wore a navy suit with a white button-down underneath, his broad shoulders filling out the jacket in ways that made me remember holding on to them when he’d kissed me, my nails digging into the fabric. I felt my cheeks flush at the memory. My body tingled as he glanced at me once we were in the elevator. Alex and Jane talked quietly behind us, but Nate ignored them completely. His gaze alternated between looking at me beside him and looking at me in the faint reflection of us in the elevator doors. Electricity thrummed between us, making me supremely aware of every shift and every movement either of us made. When the doors slid open, d epositing us on floor where Nate had booked a two-bedroom suite for us two, it was a relief as well as a disappointment. We spilled out of the elevator. Jane grabbed the key from Nate and rushed ahead, Alex hot on her heels. Nate didn’t say a word to me, but I was still so aware of him that I had to bite my lip to ke ep from either moaning quietly or saying something stupid.
I mean, what are you supposed to say to your arranged fiancé the day after he gave you the best orgasm of your life? We walked into the massive suite together, but he left me in the sprawling living area while he darted after his brother and his sister-in-law. I went over to the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan. Home. Shit. So much in my life had changed since I’d last been here, but instead of feeling comforted by the view of the familiar skyline, I was too attuned to the sounds of Nate, Alex, and Jane to really enjoy it. “I’m so sorry,” I heard her groan after Alex had gotten her settled on the bed. “Kate! I swear, I’m normally a lot more fun than this.” I chuckled, immediately abandoning my quiet moment and the view to head over to the bedroom. Since I didn’t really want to intrude, I hovered in the doorway, smiling when I saw her already curled up on her side. “Don’t you dare apologize. You’re growing a human. You get a lifetime hall pass.” She gave me a weak smile while Alex hovered, pacing, checking the thermostat, adjusting pillows, and asking if she needed crackers, water, ginger ale, even a priest. Finally, Nate dragged him out by the shoulder. “Come on, man. Let her rest. She’ll be fine.” He glanced at me for the first time since we’d walked in. “Kate will check on her while we’re gone.” I nodded immediately, even though I hadn’t known they would be going anywhere, but clearly, Nate needed Alex for whatever they were going to do and I didn’t mind ke eping an eye on Jane. “Absolutely. If she needs anything at all, I’ll make sure she gets it.” “We’re just going to check in with Harrison at the satellite office,” Nate said, his voice gentler than usual as he glanced between Jane and me. “We’ll be back before the party.” Jane waved them off without opening her eyes, but Alex still hesitated like he was physically rooted to the carpet. “She’ll be fine,” I promised, pr epared to shove him out the door if I had to. “How about this? We let her nap and I’ll text you as soon as she wakes up.” He gave me a long look before he blew out a breath and nodded. “Yeah. Okay. That sounds good. Thanks, Kate.” A hint of a smile appeared on Nate’s lips when he looked at me again. His gaze sw ept across my face, making my knees a little weak. God, I really need to get a grip. It was one orgasm, Katherine. He didn’t buy you a pony.
Thankfully, the Westwood brothers left and Jane was already asle ep before the door had even closed behind them, so I didn’t have to explain why I just stood there for a moment, my cheeks heating and my heartbeat too fast. Alone again, I inhaled a de ep breath and wandered back to the windows, the party tonight looming like a ticking clock in the back of my mind. Hinds’ retirement was the official celebration of everything changing. Tonight, my engagement stopped being a rumor and became a spectacle. As I looked out at Manhattan, I realized I was glad it was happening here. On my home turf. But knowing that the eyes of the city—if not the nation—would be on me was still a damn intimidating prospect. As I moved toward the second bedroom to start getting ready, I tried not to wonder if Nate and I would be sharing this bed tonight. A small ripple of nerves ran through me. If he and I were going to be sle eping in the same room behind a closed door, I honestly wasn’t sure I would be able to ke ep my hands to myself, but I shoved those worries aside. There were bigger things to deal with right now. Like the fact that I hadn’t packed anything even remotely appropriate for a high-profile party thrown by a billionaire. Mostly because I hadn’t taken anything like that with me to Chicago to begin with. I opened my suitcase anyway, rifling through my options with dwindling optimism. Business chic. Corporate cocktail. All of them polished and expensive outfits, but still utterly wrong for a party like this. I can always run across town to my apartment. It wasn’t far. I had some dresses there, still nothing really fancy enough, but it was worth a try. Worst case, I’d stop somewhere for a fresh blowout and maybe find a boutique. Slipping into my heels with the intention to do just that, I was balancing against the edge of the bed while I fastened the strap when a sharp knock echoed through the suite. I froze, but there was no sound of Jane stirring. Another knock followed, firm but polite, and I abandoned my heels to dart across the suite before the knocking woke her. A hotel staff member stood on the other side of the door, smiling professionally as he motioned to the rolling cart in front of him. “Delivery for Ms. Vanderhaul,” he said. “Oh.” I frowned. “I, uh, thank you?” When I st epped out of the way, he pushed the cart inside and placed a bottle of red wine on the marble counter in the living area, along with a glass and some snacks. Next, a large, elegant dress box appeared from under the tablecloth covering the cart, a satin ribbon wrapped around it.
The man placed that next to the wine and then nodded, slipping back out and quietly shutting the door behind him. Meanwhile, I just stared at the box. Before I’d even touched it, my heart kicked into a higher gear. I took a st ep closer and eyed the ribbon for a moment before I finally convinced myself it was okay to open it. The guy had said this was for me, so I gave it a gentle tug and the bow slid free with a soft whisper of fabric. The lid lifted easily beneath my hands. The gown inside stole the air straight from my lungs. Light blue silk was pooled in careful folds, the color luminous and soft. I knew without even having to put it on that the shade would make my hair pop and my eyes look brighter. The neckline was elegant without being showy. The structure of the dress itself was absolutely flawless. The longer I stared at it, the more I realized that this was expensive in that real expensive way, the kind that didn’t need logos or labels to announce itself. Something warm and disorienting bloomed between my ribs as I reached for the card tucked neatly beneath the tissue paper. Nate’s handwriting was clean and crisp, almost annoying in how neat it was for a man. I think this is your size. See you soon. That was it. There was no romance to it. Nothing that should’ve made my heart go as wild as it suddenly did, but it was just so Nate that I could help it. He really is a man of few words, even if they’re written, it seems. When did he even have time to sign this? A laugh es caped me, but I pressed the card against my chest as I looked back at the gown. He noticed things, alright, but he did it quietly and without asking or turning it into a moment that demanded attention or gratitude. I traced the edge of the silk with my fingertips and my stomach fluttered. As soon as my mind drifted to wondering whether he would be taking this dress off me tonight, I poured myself a glass of the wine to calm the heck down. After filling the glass just a touch more than halfway, I took a slow sip, letting the warmth of the liquid sliding down my throat settle my nerves. The shower I took after helped too, the hot water working wonders on the tension I’d been carrying around in my shoulders all day. By the time I was done and my wine was back in my hand, I felt steadier. Functional, at least. I plugged in the hair dryer I’d packed, eyeing my reflection as my damp hair began to frizz and curl in uneven spirals around my face and shoulders. Normally, this was where I’d wage war, my weapons an army of products, heat tools, and sheer stubbornness, but I paused as I lifted the dryer. Then I lowered it slowly back
onto the counter. I’m just going to let it do its thing. If this goes badly, it’s Nate’s fault anyway. Instead of all the fuss, I worked a little styling cream through my hair and let it air dry while I finished my makeup, pinning sections back into a deliberately messy bun once the curls settled into their usual chaotic, bouncy compromise between straight and wavy. Somehow, I didn’t hate it. In fact, there was a fraction of excitement in my chest over how Nate would react when he saw me like this. He did say he wanted to see my natural curls. I was slipping on my heels when I heard the other bedroom’s door creak open. When I turned, the smile that had already been forming on my lips disappeared instantly. Jane looked like death warmed over, her face pale and her skin slightly gray. Her hair stuck to her temples. Her eyes were glassy with exhaustion. “Oh my God,” I said, crossing the room toward her immediately. “I’m calling Alex. You’re not okay.” “You can call him, but only because you promised you would and he’ll never forgive either of us if you don’t. I’ll be fine but there’s still no universe in which I can go to this party tonight.” As if to prove the statement, she suddenly slapped a hand over her mouth and bolted for the bathroom. I winced at the unmistakable sounds that followed and grabbed my phone, dialing Nate instead of Alex. He answered almost immediately. “Hey, is everything—” “Jane is really sick,” I said quickly. “Like, really sick, Nate. She only just woke up, but neither of us think she’s going to be able to make it to the party tonight.” There was a muffled shuffle on his end. Alex’s voice burst through the speaker, loud and panicked. “What? What do you mean she’s really sick?” “I mean she’s currently in the bathroom and it doesn’t sound like she’s going to be coming out anytime soon,” I said dryly. “She’s pretty green around the gills.” “I’m on my way,” Alex said, sounding like he was already moving. “We’re coming back right now. Can you try to get her back to our suite? It’s the one next door to yours.” The call ended in a rush of overlapping voices and what sounded suspiciously like Nate telling Alex to try not to die of a heart attack on the spot. It brought a slight smile to my lips, hearing him with his brother when he was unguarded, thinking they were alone, but the call cut off when Alex started cursing at him to hurry.
Once things quieted, I went over to the bathroom and rapped my knuckles gently on the door. “Are you okay in there?” “Yeah. You can come in.” I opened the door just a crack, seeing Jane leaning against the counter, breathing like she’d just run a marathon. Relieved that I hadn’t interrupted her in a position she might’ve felt embarrassed about, I went inside and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s get you horizontal before your husband murders me for neglecting my duties.” She groaned but didn’t argue. The trek to the door and the few st eps down the corridor to their hotel room felt like a mile even to me. We reached their suite and I eased her onto the bed. Then I remembered the emergency stash in my clutch and I pulled out the small pack of pretzels I’d stolen from the private jet. “Try one,” I said, offering her the bag. “I will throw that at you,” she mumbled, her eyes already fluttering closed. “No, you will eat it,” I countered, tearing open the bag and holding one out toward her. “You need to soak up all that churning stomach acid.” Her eyes snapped open and she glared at me. “Please don’t mention my churning stomach acid. It’ll make me sick all over again.” “Sorry,” I said. “Have a pretzel as a peace offering. Now you have to acc ept it.” Jane shook her head with a little laugh and finally took the pretzel from me. She eyed it reluctantly before finally popping it into her mouth. A small noise of satisfaction came out of her. She glanced at me and held out her hand. I fed her like a toddler, handing her pretzels one by one, waiting between bites until the color in her face shifted from alarming to merely miserable. By the time she’d swallowed the last one, she curled onto her side and smiled up at me. “Thanks. That was a good idea.” Her eyes were just shutting again when the door into their suite burst open. Alex rushed in like he was fleeing a natural disaster, his focus entirely locked on Jane. He dropped to the edge of the bed, brushing hair from her forehead and murmuring her name like it was the only word he knew. Behind him, Nate st epped into the suite, but then stopped, openly staring at me. Gawking, really. It wasn’t a glance or a polite acknowledgment. His gaze dragged slowly from my pinned curls to the neckline of the gown, down the length of it, then back to my face. Several seconds ticked by before he cleared his throat and shifted his attention to his brother and Jane. “Are you guys going to be okay here?”
“Yeah,” Alex said quietly, glancing at Nate over his shoulder. “Go. I think it’s safe to say that it’s just going to be the two of you tonight. Sorry.” Nate shook his head at him. “Nothing to be sorry about. We’ll be fine. Just ke ep my little niece or n ephew safe.” “Thank you,” Jane said, while Alex nodded. Nate inhaled a breath de ep enough to make his chest rise, then turned to me. “I just need to change into my tux and then we should get going.” I nodded, murmuring a goodbye to the others before following him back down the hall. Nathaniel Westwood in a tux was going to be the death of me —but as long as I got to see it before I went, I had a feeling I would die happy.