Page 28 of The Business of Love Box Set 1: Books 1 - 4

VANESSA

I set the last stack of dried plates in the cupboard above the toaster oven as my mother rinsed the sink out with hot water after doing the dishes.

“That sure was unexpected.”

I licked my lips and picked up my wine. How many had I had over the course of the evening? Three? Four?

It didn’t matter.

“What was?” I asked.

“Rhys. The pair of you.” She rested her hip against the counter and gave me that motherly, I know there’s more to this than you’re letting on look. “That kiss.”

“Right. Sorry about that. I know it was kind of inappropriate at the dinner table and all but—”

“Don’t apologize. I’m happy for you. Rhys is a good man. Complicated. But good.”

Guilt rose up inside me. I was already holding back from Rhys when it came to my radio show alter ego. I didn’t want to hide things from my mother, too. Or bend the truth all because of Nannie. She deserved to know the truth.

“We’re not actually together, Mom.”

“Sorry?”

“Rhys and I. He only kissed me and said all those things to get Nannie off my back.”

“I’m confused.”

I sighed. And then I broke it all down for her.

I told her about the reunion and how Rhys had proposed he come as my fake fiancé.

I told her because of that deal, he and I had been spending a lot of time together.

And in that time, I’d begun to actually like him.

And there was something there. Something I couldn’t quite put my finger on and wasn’t ready to define because it was messy and confusing and I was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“What if it doesn’t drop?” my mother asked.

“It will. It always does. And don’t try to convince me a man like him is ever going to settle for a girl like me. It’s not realistic. As soon as the reunion is over and we aren’t forced to spend time together, he’ll move on to the next best thing.”

My mother shook her head at me. “I hate when you talk so badly about yourself. You’re an amazing woman, Vanessa.

And I think Rhys knows it. Sure, he might have lied about the pair of you dating.

But that kiss spoke more than a thousand words.

That was real. The whole room could feel it. I think he truly cares about you.”

I waved her off dismissively. “Don’t be silly. This is just me helping him get his mind off his ex. I’m filling a need for him just like he is for me. Everything will go back to normal after the reunion next Saturday.”

My mother shrugged. “If you say so.”

We joined Rhys and my dad in the living room and I gave my father a kiss on the cheek and a hug to wish him goodnight.

He and my mother walked Rhys and me to the door, where Rhys plucked my jacket from where he’d hung it on the hook at the beginning of the night.

He held it up for me and I slid my arms into it.

“How are you getting home?” Rhys asked.

“I was going to drive. I had a few glasses but they were spread out over the night. I’m fine.”

“I’ll drive you.”

“Honestly. I’m perfectly fine to—”

My father interjected. “Let Rhys drive you home. You can come pick up your car in the morning.”

This was an argument I knew I would lose, so I let it lie, gave my mother a hug, and followed Rhys out to his Porsche.

He opened the door for me before walking around to his side and getting in.

The engine purred and rumbled as he pulled out of the drive.

I waved goodbye to my parents, who stood in the light of the open front door and waved back, and then we pulled away and headed into the city.

“You didn’t have to come to my rescue, you know.” I fiddled with the strap of my purse and picked at a piece of peeling faux leather. “No doubt Chris is plotting your murder as we speak.”

“Let him.”

“I told my Mom it wasn’t true.”

“I thought you might.”

I could have been wrong but he sounded disappointed.

I licked my lips. “What did you and my dad talk about while we were doing dishes?”

“Football stuff.” He took a right turn and came to a stop at a red light. Then he looked over at me. “He’s a good man, your father. He loves you very much.”

“I know.”

The rest of the drive was quiet. No music played.

We sat in silence, winding down the city streets while we both thought about how the evening had unfolded.

It was unexpected, to say the least. I hadn’t ever dreamed Rhys would kiss me—let alone kiss me like he’d been dreaming about it for a lifetime in front of my entire family.

But it happened. I could still feel the soft press of his lips against mine when I closed my eyes. It was maddening.

So was the wetness in my panties. My little turquoise vibrator was awaiting my return home in my nightstand drawer. There was no way I was going to get any sleep without a little help from my nonjudgmental friend. We’d work our way up to level five and I’d pretend it was Rhys’s tongue as I came.

Oh yes. I was very much looking forward to that.

Rhys pulled up to the curb outside my building and took the keys out of his ignition. He leaned against the steering wheel to peer out the windshield up at the building. “Why isn’t there a light on at your front door?”

“It went out last week. Maintenance hasn’t gotten around to fixing it. They’re a bit slow moving.”

“Let me walk you.”

It would have been easy to say no, but I didn’t.

I nodded. We got out of the car and walked down the path lined in hydrangea bushes.

Rhys had his hands in his pockets and I had my nose in my purse as I sought out my keys.

We stopped at the front door, shrouded in darkness, while I continued looking for them.

Rhys peered inside. “It’s pretty poorly lit in there, too. What’s the deal?”

“They don’t run all the lights to save on energy costs.

Don’t ask. Me and the other girls who live alone in the building have talked to management to get them to turn them all on and just leave them off during the day, but they’re stubborn assholes.

Ah. Here we go.” I pulled out my keys and held them up, victorious.

“What floor are you on?”

“Third. Why?”

“Let me walk you up.”

“Why?”

“So I can see you inside safely. To ease my own mind. Not yours.”

Liar.

I unlocked the door, stepped inside, and let him follow.

What are you doing, Vanessa? Tell him to go back to his car. Your building is perfectly safe.

I didn’t say a word. We got on the elevator. Rhys pushed the button for floor three. The doors slid closed and the elevator groaned as it lurched up a couple of inches before rising smoothly to my floor. We stepped out and Rhys followed me down the hall to my corner unit.

“Well, thanks for this,” I said.

Rhys nodded. His hands were still in his pockets. “You’re welcome. Hey. I hope I didn’t screw everything up tonight by kissing you. I didn’t mean to put you in a bad spot. But I think I would —”

“Rhys.”

He looked down. Was he ashamed? Did he regret kissing me?

I reached out and put a hand on his forearm. “I appreciate what you did.”

“You do?”

“Yes. I mean, sure, the kiss was a little much. And I think Nannie might have more ammo to use against me now. I’m sure she’ll be calling me a slutbag within the week.

But that’s not the point. The point is you were the only one to step in and actually do something.

Nobody has bothered to try to put a stop to her tyranny in years.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is thank you. You saved—”

I never got to finish my sentence.

Rhys grabbed me by my waist, pulled me forward, and pressed his lips to mine.

I stood paralyzed as he wrapped his arms around me.

The swell of his chest was firm against me as his hands worked up to cup my cheeks and then plunge into my hair.

My breath caught in my throat as his tongue slipped between my teeth.

He explored my mouth with an eagerness that rivaled the desire swirling to life inside me.

I pressed my hands flat to his chest and pushed.

He held me firmly. He wouldn’t give me the space. My fingers curled into fists in his shirt and I breathed in his smell, citrus and pine and red wine. He tasted like birthday cake and sex and it was all I could do to stay on my feet.

Finally, I found my resolve and pushed hard. He released me and I stumbled back into my door, my shoulder blades pressed flat to its surface as I stared wide-eyed up at him. “What are you doing?”

“I need you, Vanny.”

“No you don’t.” This wasn’t happening. He didn’t need a girl like me. He needed a skinny girl in sexy lingerie with confidence. He needed a girl who would know what to do with him and all his masculine charms.

That girl was not me.

I wanted to run.

He moved forward and braced himself against the door with one hand planted firmly above my head. “You don’t get to tell me what I need. I’ve wanted to kiss you for weeks. Just being around you drives me fucking crazy, Vanny. Now tell me something.”

My voice quivered. “What?”

“Are you going to let me in or not?”