The Billionaire's Convenient Bride: A BWWM Billionaire Love Story (12 page)

     He leaned back against the swing and pushed it with his feet, rocking them both. “Did you know that Nelson and Peter are planning a ball for the campaign?”

     She smiled when he said it. “No, I didn’t know that! That sounds like fun, when will that be?”

     Tristan continued to push the swing, “In about two weeks.” He saw the look of panic on Emmaline’s face and she gasped.

     “What’s the matter?” he asked in concern.

     “That’s too soon!” she whispered, her warm brown eyes wide.

     He furrowed his brow. “Why is that?”

     Emmaline looked away from him and said quietly, “I don’t know how to dance. I’m going to have to learn between now and then and two weeks isn’t enough time.” The panic was evident all over her face.

     Tristan laughed out loud and let his head fall back a bit in his mirth, and then he touched her shoulder lightly. “I’ll teach you how to dance. We’ll start right now.” He took her book from her lap and set it on the swing, then stood up and held his hand out to her. She was shy for a moment, but then she saw his inviting smile and she slipped her hand into his.

     “Alright, but there isn’t any music playing.” She stood up and he pulled his cell phone from his pocket.

     “I’ve got this,” he said. He touched the screen and in no time at all, violins were surrounding them in a forest of notes and sweet moments. He placed his hand on her waist and held his other hand up for her, and she giggled nervously and took it.

     “It’s just walking gracefully to the notes. I’ve seen you walk and you will have this down in no time. Step with your right foot, and place it here.” He showed her, and she got the first few steps, but then she stepped on his foot and he pretended to be in tremendous pain, falling to the ground, squinting his eyes, and she gasped again, but he laughed at her and stood up to take her into his arms again.

     “I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist. You’re easy to tease and I just love to joke around,” he said with a wink. She remembered the list she had rattled off to Peter. She mentally checked off a good sense of humor.

     He took her in his arms again and took her a step at a time through the dance until she felt more confident about it, then they stopped and he hugged her, and sat down with her again.

     “We’ll practice again tomorrow, okay?” he asked. “I’ll make sure you are the belle of the ball. I promise. Just save me a dance when we get there, alright?”

     She sighed in relief. “That’s a deal! Thank you so much.”

     “Now you just have one thing to worry about,” he said with a wink.

     She looked confused. “What’s that?”

     “You have to find a dress that makes you look as stunning as you did on your wedding day. There aren’t many dresses out there that would be pretty enough to be worn by you, you see, you’d outshine them too much.” He smiled and touched her cheek, then stood up and pushed his fingers into his jean pockets.

     Emmaline laughed and looked at him. “Well, thank you,” she said with a bright grin. He made her feel so good that she was sure it showed on the outside of her.

     “Don’t forget, we’re having dinner in a bit.” He waved and walked back into the house. She watched him go and shook her head, laughing and wondering how it was possible that this beautiful, sweet, funny, charming man had fallen right out of the clear blue sky and landed in her life. Of course he had landed in it right when she had married someone else. The timing of his appearance could not have been more ironic.

     She walked into the house and headed for her room. She did not see that Peter had been watching her from the window. He’d been standing there watching her when she was alone, reading her book. He’d been struggling with his feelings for her, wrestling with them, denying them, clinging to his independent and single lifestyle, wishing it was enough for him, but somehow, somewhere deep in him, that belief was beginning to falter, and the more he was around Emmaline, the more he watched her and listened to her and saw her ways, the more he wanted to be closer to her.

     He was sitting at the window watching her when he saw Tristan walk out and sit with her, talking to her. He saw Tristan hug her around the shoulders and then make her laugh. He was watching when he saw Tristan stand up and take her hand in his, and then place his hand on her waist and teach her how to dance. He saw Tristan pretend to fall and stand back up, dancing with Emma for a while longer, and then he watched him leave, and all the while, he wished it was him. At the same time, he was glad that it wasn’t. He was torn right down the middle about her. He wanted her so badly, but it was a physical lust, a longing to be near her, to touch her, to kiss her, to make love to her, and his heart had begun to bleed into it bit by bit, particularly on his wedding day when he kissed her and then sat out with her underneath the stars as they sailed onto the ocean.

     He fought hard to keep his feelings for her as impersonal as he could, but they had begun to become friends, and that was harder to deal with than he thought. He could be closer to her, but not close enough to have her. It was like walking the razor’s edge and he wasn’t sure where to go with it, or how to do it. He sat there wondering about it, when he felt a touch on his arm, and when he turned to look, she was standing there beside him.

     Peter jumped and stood up from his seat on the windowsill. He smiled at her and hugged her in greeting.

     “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” she said with a smile. “What were you looking at?” She leaned around him to look out of the window in a move to share his view.

     “Oh, nothing, I thought I heard a noise, and I was just looking to see what it was. How are you doing?” he asked, thinking to himself that she must be doing very well if she was just coming from dancing in the garden.

     “I’m good, but I’m a little surprised,” she said. “Tristan just told me that you and Nelson are planning a ball!”

     He nodded. “Yes, it’s in the works. Two weeks from tomorrow.” He felt as though he was giving her cold responses, but he was afraid that if he opened himself up to her too much, he would let his guard down further than he could control, and then he couldn’t stop himself from falling further for her. He was sure that it was better to remain cool with her.

     “I was just surprised. I don’t know how to dance and it doesn’t give me much time to learn,” she said with a shy smile.

     He kept his thoughts to himself, as he cried out in his mind that she seemed to be picking it up pretty quickly with Tristan out in the garden. “Well, maybe you can find someone to give you lessons between now and then,” he said, looking down at his desk.

     “Maybe. The other thing is that I will need to find a dress to wear, and I wanted to match what you are wearing, so I thought I would ask you to go shopping with me tomorrow, and we could find something to wear together.” She stepped near to him, looking at him with her warm brown eyes, and he felt his heart tighten in his chest. She reached her hand to him and laid it on his shoulder.

     Peter couldn’t breathe. She was so close to him. He could smell the floral scent of her, feel her warmth, and his body responded to her touch. He felt his desire for her growing and it made him flush slightly. He felt like he was a teenager in middle school, unable to control himself. He turned away from her and sat at his desk, moving his chair in close to it. It pained him to admit he couldn’t go. “I’m sorry, Emma. I can’t go tomorrow. I’m going out of town on personal leave for a few days. Please feel free to get whatever you like, and I will just find something to match it when I get back.”

     She felt a cold sadness creep up inside her. He was leaving her again for mysterious women in other places. She frowned a little. “Well, I can wait until you get back. What about that?”

     He shook his head, not wanting to make her frown even more but knowing he had to be practical. “No, that’s alright, go ahead and find something for yourself. I’ll shop when I return.”

     Emmaline felt her heart pinching inside her, and she nodded. “Alright. I’m sure I can find something on my own. Thanks anyway.” She turned and began to walk out, but Peter called out to her.

     “Emma!” He looked at her earnestly. “I’m really sorry I can’t come. I wish that I could. I would like to do that with you, but I just don’t want you to have to wait for me. Have a good time tomorrow.” He smiled at her and she brightened and smiled back at him.

     An hour later, she sat down to a pasta dinner with Tristan. He had prepared all of it and she felt as though she need to say something about that to him.

     “You know, Tristan, you don’t have to cook every meal. Please don’t feel obligated to do that.” She winked at him, as he so often did to her.

     He nodded. “I know, but I like to cook. It’s a creative outlet for me. It lets me try out new things and make mistakes and learn and grow. It’s good for me. Speaking of mistakes, did I put too much basil in this?”

     She laughed at him and shook her head. “No, it doesn’t have too much basil, but I like basil, so if you think this might be too much, you might want to be careful about who you feed this to in the future.”

     He laughed back at her and they enjoyed their dinner together. As they were cleaning the dishes together, he looked at her and said, “I have to go shopping for something to wear to the ball, because, of course, I didn’t travel here with formal wear. I was going to ask Nelson and Peter if they were going anytime soon, but Nelson said that Peter will be gone for the next three or four days. Would you like to come with me, and perhaps we can find a dress for you?”

     She remembered what he said about her not finding a dress pretty enough for her to wear, and she smiled to herself. “I suppose it would be helpful to have you there for an opinion. You can tell me what is good enough for me to go home with.”

     He gave her a sidelong glance and an earnest look. “There’s not a dress out there that is good enough to be worn by you, but we’ll find something that comes close.”

     He handed her the towel to dry her hands and she walked down the hall with him toward their bedrooms. They said good night to each other and she slipped into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, her heart fluttering in her chest, as she thought of Tristan. He seemed fun and edgy, unafraid and easy going. He was nice to be around, and as her head touched the pillow and dreams stole her away, thoughts of him stayed with her through the night.

Chapter7

Emmaline told Tristan that they were going out for breakfast, but they had a coffee together at the house, and then they set out together and headed into the city to go shopping for formal wear. He took her to breakfast at a little café and she loved it. They talked and joked and then he said, “We need to get my tux first, because I’ll be able to find something quickly and easily. Shopping for you is going to take a while, and with my duds out of the way, we can focus on what you want to wear, which is infinitely more important than what I’m wearing, because everyone will be looking at you, as the potentially new Governor’s wife, and my dear, you need to look the part.” He touched her cheek and lowered his hand, smiling at her.

     She hadn’t thought of it, but he was right. Everyone would be looking at her, the cameras and lights would be on her, and she would indeed need to look the part. Nothing could be out of place, and everything had to flow perfectly. Her nerves began to burn and she drew her breath in, but Tristan saw her reaction and he took her hand and held it.

     “It’s going to be okay, Emmaline, you’ll be brilliant. You are an intelligent, beautiful, well-spoken woman who loves this city and the people who live in it, and you will shine like the sun before all of them. If Peter wins this election, it will be because you were by his side.” He squeezed her hand, and a calmness flowed through her.

     She looked at him and smiled in relief. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I would do without you.” She meant it, his words had brought her back from the ledge she thought she was on.

     Tristan was right; they found his tuxedo in no time at all, and when he walked out of the dressing room and turned slowly for her, she raised her eyebrows at him and grinned. “You shine up pretty nicely!” She didn’t want to tell him how beautiful she really thought he looked. He walked up next to her and took her over to the mirror, looking at the two of them side by side, him in his black tuxedo, her in her soft blue sundress.

     “Now if I could just find someone even half as incredible as you to have on my arm, I’d be dressed to the nines,” he said sweetly.  He hugged her shoulder, then let her go and headed back to the dressing room. He emerged in his jeans and button down shirt and she couldn’t decide which look she liked better on him, and it made her blush to realize it.

     They went to the first dress shop and he looked through the dresses with her, but couldn’t find anything he thought she ought to try on. She was curious to know what he thought might work for her, so she let him lead. Two dress stores later, he found a few dresses that he thought might work. He sat by the dressing rooms while she tried them each on in turn and when she walked out, he looked at her from head to toe and examined each dress as though he were searching for the most important thing in the world. The first was a sky blue dress that floated around her like it was made of clouds, the second was a dark green dress that fit all of her curves and flared slightly at the ankles, and the last was a black dress that shimmered when she moved, and was a bit daring in the cut.

     She wore each one for him twice as she turned and walked in them, and finally he said, “Would you please put the green dress back on?” She did, and when she walked out, he handed her a pair of shoes that went perfectly with it. “Here, see if these feel alright for you.”

     She tried them on and they, like her dress, fit like a glove that was made for her. She looked in the mirror and stared. She had never looked more glamorous in her life, but it was a classy glamour, not a flashy glamour. The dark green satin hugged her body and made her skin glow beautifully. It was like she was wearing an emerald.

     He walked up to her and held his hand out for her. “Care to take that dress for a test drive?” he asked with a gleam in his eye.

     Emmaline laughed and looked around. No one was watching them. She slid her hand into his and he pulled her closer to him than he had the day before. He began to lead her in a dance, and at first she was self-conscious of the goings on in the store, but in mere moments, she had forgotten everything around her except the feel of him so close to her. She could feel his heat and his body through the fabric of her dress, and it made her catch her breath. Tristan lowered his cheek to meet hers, and his breath caressed her skin. She closed her eyes and breathed in the moment, the feel of him against her and his arms and hands on her. The song playing over the speaker in the store changed and he let her go and stepped away from her.

     He was short of breath, but he looked at her and smiled. “That dress is the winner. Do you like it?” he asked, staring at her intensely.

     She looked away from him and glanced back into the mirrors. She didn’t even feel like it was herself that she was looking back at. “Yes, it’s really beautiful.”

     “Good. Go put your sundress back on and hand this one to me over the door. I’ll have them wrap it up for you.” He waited as she went back into her dressing room. She took a deep breath and settled the butterflies in her, and then changed back into her sundress.

     When she walked to the front of the store, he was waiting for her with bags in his hands and a smile on his face. She tried to pay the clerk and the clerk smiled and shook her head. “It’s already taken care of, ma’am,” she said with a smile.

     Emmaline looked at Tristan and gaped in surprise. “Tristan, you don’t need to do that!” He just smiled at her and held the door for her. “Let’s get lunch. I know we’ve both worked up and appetite.”

     She thanked him, and they put the bags in the car and walked through the French Quarter as she took him to her favorite place for lunch. They talked and ate, enjoying themselves again as they indulged in true Cajun food. Two hours later, they returned to the house and she took the boxes to her room to put her dress and shoes away, but when she opened the boxes, she discovered that he had bought all three dresses for her, and shoes to go with them. She cried a few tears at his incredible generosity, and in her mind, she checked several more things off of her perfect man list. It was becoming clear to her that he was the best fit for her of any man she had even considered.

     Emmaline walked through the house looking for him, but she couldn’t find him. She texted him to find out where he was, and he texted her back and told her she had a dance lesson to come to.

     She smiled widely to herself and walked out to the garden, only to find herself in complete amazement. The trellises and columns were all wound through with white fairy lights, as were all the bushes and trees. It was like she had walked into an enchanted land. She saw him by the swing, and he stood up and walked toward her, holding a single red rose in his hands. Her heart pounded in her chest and she walked toward him.

     He handed her the rose and held out his hand to her. She shook her head. “You are too much. I can’t believe you bought all three dresses for me! I thought we were just getting the green one!”

     He slipped his hand around her waist and pulled her close to him again, and looked down at her. “Oh, you need to wear the green one to the ball, but the other two look so beautiful on you that we couldn’t leave them behind.”

     She laughed and looked up at him. “Well, thank you, and what happened out here?” She turned and looked in amazement.

     “Do you like it?” he asked earnestly.

     She nodded. “I love it. I love it so much.” Her eyes were shining as she looked at all of the lights and then looked at him. “You are so amazing. Thank you.”

     He pressed her to him and smiled. “Just like you, so amazing. More than I could ever have guessed. Every time I’m with you, it just seems like I learn more about you that makes me…” He paused and looked down at her. She looked up into his face and he shook his head in wonder and then leaned down to her and pressed his lips softly to hers, kissing her with a tender sweetness that felt like it flooded her with light. His arms both closed around her and his hands closed on her back.

     He moved his mouth over hers slowly, softly, taking his time and tasting her, one kiss after another, as though he were savoring every single moment of it, and she felt as though she were made entirely of air, as if the butterflies had finally broken free of their cage inside her and had taken flight, and taken her with them. She moaned softly and his kiss deepened in response, wanting more of her. Tristan held her and kissed her for a long while before he finally let her go and they took a deep breath.

     “I’m not going to apologize for that,” he said in a whisper. “I’ve wanted to kiss you since you tried to tell Nelson and Peter your idea and he called you a waitress. There is just so much strength in you. There is more beauty in you than I have ever seen in any woman, and it should be cherished, not bought, not bartered, not taken, nor sold. It should only be given, and only to those whom you choose to give it to. For those reasons, I will not apologize. I know you are married, but in your heart, you are free, and if you want to kiss anyone, then you should be able to. You shouldn’t be kept in a cage where you are not able to love when you want to, or when you need to.” He lowered his arms from their hold on her and she took another deep breath and stepped back from him.

     “I loved your kiss,” she said softly. “I haven’t ever felt like this with anyone, and it’s incredible; you make me feel so good, but I am contracted to Peter. I am married to Peter, and I need to talk with him about what’s happening between us. You’re his business partner, and I have to respect that. I have to balance my priorities between the three of us. I have to be careful with this, as you know. Everyone outside of this house needs to believe that Peter and I are married and in love, and that cover can’t be lost, or we will all lose everything we have sacrificed to get as far as we have. I just need a little time, I need to try to work this out.”

     “I can give you all the time you want. I would wait any amount of time for you. Only let me kiss you once more before you go,” he said, placing his hands on her cheeks and lifting her face to his. She slid her arms around him and hugged him back as he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her once more, sending heat and light through her, making her melt into his arms and wish that she could make her time with him at that moment last forever. His soft lips pressed against hers and opened her mouth, tasting her ever so lightly, teasing her, touching her, making her want just a little more of him, as he held her tightly, his hands moving from her face to her waist and her back, holding her against him. He felt so solid, so good pressed to her body, and her mind let her imagine that this kiss could last without end, that she would never have to let him go and feel her lips without his touching them, moving over them, making her want him to never let go.

     He did let her go, though, after a long while, and she touched his cheek and turned, walking into the house without a word, leaving him standing in the fairy lights, watching her walk away. She saw him several times over the following days and he was friendly with her, tender and close with her, holding her, hugging her, kissing her cheek, but he told her that he respected what she had asked for, that he knew that there needed to be some semblance to what was happening between them, and that she needed to talk to Peter to figure it all out.

     He told her he would wait, and she was so glad to hear it.

***

     Peter came home from his time out of town and Emmaline walked into his office to talk with him later in the afternoon of his first day back. He smiled widely when he saw her come in and he hugged her tightly when she walked to him to greet him.

     “Did you find a dress?” he asked. “I felt bad that I couldn’t go with you.”

     She nodded and grinned at him. “Yes! Tristan took me shopping and we found a really beautiful gown.”

     He felt ill when she said that Tristan had taken her, but he hid it so she wouldn’t see his jealousy, and instead he said, “Well, would you please put it on and show it to me, so that I can get a good idea of what I should wear so that I look half as good as you will when I stand beside you at that party?” He smiled at her, and she nodded and went to her room, put the dress and shoes on, and then walked back into his office. He looked up at her and his heart stopped in his chest. She was right. It was a beautiful dress.

     She saw by the expression on his face that she had affected him, and it warmed her somewhere deep in her stomach to know that. He walked around his desk to her and shook his head.

     “You look stunning,” he whispered.

     She smiled at him and turned in a circle. He walked toward her and held his hand out for her to take. She was surprised, but she slipped her hand into his and he placed his hand on her back, drawing her toward him, and he began to dance with her. She felt the smile slip slightly from her face as he held her so close. His breath touched her cheek and her neck and it heated her in a way that she had never felt before. She felt butterflies with Tristan when she was in his arms, but Peter’s embrace sent white heat through her, and it shortened her breath and made her heart almost pound out of her chest. He leaned down and kissed her cheek softly, letting his lips linger on her skin for a long moment before he stepped away from her and went immediately back to his desk and sat again.

     His body had reacted to her again and he could not let her see or feel his solid desire for her. He moved his chair closer to his desk and looked at her with an uncomfortable smile. “That is a truly lovely dress. You have excellent taste.”