A Merger by Marriage (6 page)

Take him for example. She expected him to stick to their understanding that this wasn’t a real marriage. Which meant hands off. And the best—no, only—way he could think of to honor their agreement was to stay as far away from her as possible.

“Ready when you are,” she said, as descended the stairs. She was a feminine marvel in a pastel floral dress with thin straps that bared her delicate shoulders and a full skirt that flirted with her knees. Pink sandals with three-inch heels drew attention to her spectacular calves and her hair was swept up into a loose top-knot. She made his mouth water.

With a slight bounce, she stepped from the stairs onto the foyer’s marble floor and crossed to where he stood by the front door, tongue-tied, his hormones in an uproar. As she neared, he snagged her luggage and opened the door.

“I don’t think we should live together,” he stated, his voice short and clipped.

“How are people going to believe we are married if we don’t?”

“We both work a lot. No one will notice.”

Her lips thinned. “That’s not going to work.”

“We’ll talk about it when I return to town.”

She eyed the second overnight bag he held. “Where are you going?”

“As soon as I drop you off, I’m heading to North Carolina.” The sooner he secured the necessary shares of Stone Properties, the sooner he could replace his father as CEO. And the sooner he could be free of this marriage-in-name-only before he did something to change their relationship forever.

“Who’s there?”

“My cousin Brent. His dad’s Alzheimer’s has made it necessary for him to take charge of the finances in the last few months. He has several thousand shares. It’s not all that I need, but every bit helps.”

“I don’t recall seeing him in Tiberius’s files.”

JT held the passenger door open and gritted his teeth against the sweet seduction of her perfume as she brushed past him and slid into the car. Damn, but she was a tempting armful. Resisting the impulse to reprise last night’s kiss actually caused a dull ache in his gut. When he’d agreed to marry her, he’d underestimated just how challenging it would be to keep his hands to himself.

“He’s not.” After depositing their bags in the trunk, JT got behind the wheel and started the BMW. “I don’t know why Tiberius didn’t include him.”

The car picked up speed as he drove down his long driveway toward the highway and JT noticed that the airflow in the open convertible whipped Violet’s skirt into a frenzy of dancing flowers and bared a whole lot of lean, toned thigh. He daydreamed about sliding his hands along the soft, smooth length of her leg and finding her hot and wet and eager for him. It wasn’t until a truck flashed past on a perpendicular course that he realized they’d reached the end of his driveway. JT slammed on his brakes and the BMW skidded to a halt.

“Are you okay?” he asked, glancing her way.

She regarded him curiously. “I’m fine. Are you?”

Not even close. “I think we’ll be more comfortable with the top up.” He hit the button that raised the convertible top and while it was closing, stared at his grandfather’s ring on his left hand.

Yeah, staying as far from her as possible for the next couple months was the only way he was going to survive this marriage with his heart intact.

On the thirty-minute ride to Las Vegas, he kept his eyes to himself and his thoughts on the trip ahead. Violet seemed to understand his need to plan because she kept her gaze on the passing landscape, only occasionally glancing down at her ever-vibrating smartphone.

Finally, JT had to ask, “Is it always this way for you?”

“I’m sorry?” She blinked as if she had a hard time refocusing her attention on him.

“Your phone. It’s been going off non-stop since we got in the car.”

A wry smile curved her lips. “It’s my sisters. I’m not usually off the grid for twelve hours.”

Envy stabbed at JT. What would it be like to have someone fret about your wellbeing? Nice? Smothering? “They must be worried about you. Why don’t you answer them?”

“I sent them a text last night. They know I’m safe.” Her smile developed sharp edges. “I told them I was with you.”

JT ignored the way his pulse leapt at the challenge in her manner. She would take any opening he gave her to provoke him; what she didn’t realize was that once unleashed, his emotions would overwhelm them both.

“Did you explain that we got married?”

“I didn’t want to do that in a text.”

“Then what do they think you are doing with me?” His body tensed, but the sensation was pleasurable rather than distressing.

“Probably what most of the women do when they spend the night at your house.”

Damn her sass. “Why would you want your sisters to think we slept together?”

She didn’t answer him immediately, and when she did speak, all amusement had fled her voice. “I suppose that’s something else we should discuss.”

“Aren’t we already discussing it?” Her change of topic made him feel as if he was spinning in place.

“Do you intend to bring women home while we’re married?”

Her question sparked a ridiculous urge to snatch her into his arms and kiss her silly. He wasn’t allowed to make love to her, but she didn’t want him having sex with anyone else? “I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“I know our marriage isn’t real, but I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from dating other women until we can get divorced.”

“I think I can last a couple months.”

“What if you can’t get the shares or the votes you need in time for the annual stockholders’ meeting?”

“What are you asking?”

“Our goal was to make you CEO,” she said, her manner matter-of-fact. “If that doesn’t happen in the next few months it’s because we didn’t have enough time. You aren’t horrible to be married to. I could see sticking it out for another year.”

A year of being married to Violet with the temptation of making love to her eating him alive? JT recoiled from the thought. “We’ll get divorced in the fall regardless.”

Her expression was inscrutable as she nodded. “Then we’ll get divorced.”

Conversation dried up after their exchange. Fortunately they’d reached the city limits and traffic wasn’t as backed up as usual, so their journey to her hotel was accomplished quickly. He swung the BMW into Fontaine Chic’s circular driveway and stopped the car by the lobby doors. Before he could shut off the car, Violet put a hand on his arm.

“If you just open the trunk, I’ll grab my bag.”

In that instant, JT realized the last thing he wanted to do was fly off and leave his brand-new wife to her own devices. What an idiotic notion. They weren’t really married. It wasn’t as if they’d shared a grand night of passion he couldn’t wait to duplicate. But she was already far more important to him than a casual acquaintance, which—their connection to Tiberius aside—was all they were.

“I’ll call you and let you know how things went in North Carolina.” He slipped the garage remote off the visor and extended it to her. “Here.”

Her brows came together briefly. “Why would you give me that?”

Because he liked the idea of her sleeping—and skinny-dipping—in his home.

“Our house,” he corrected her. “I might need some information from Tiberius’s files. It would be useful if you could get to them.”

“Let me get this straight.” A playful light glinted in her eyes. “You’re going to let me help and you’re going to trust me alone in
our
house?”

“Are you planning on digging through my underwear drawer?”

She leaned close and whispered, “Is that where you keep your secrets?”

No, those were all locked up in his head. “Please feel free to investigate and see.”

“It doesn’t bother you to have me snooping?”

To his surprise, it didn’t. “What do you think you’ll find?”

“I don’t know.” She plucked the opener from his grasp. “But everything about you is such a closed book I’m sure I’ll find the most mundane of things utterly fascinating.”

With a sassy wink she slipped from the car and collected her bag. JT watched until she’d sashayed through the lobby door before shifting into drive. He’d been married to her for less than twenty-four hours and already he was noticing cracks in his defenses. Sunshine was seeping in, illuminating emotions that hadn’t seen the light of day in over eighteen years. He felt lighter, more optimistic as if her positive outlook was contagious.

It took all his determination to put aside thoughts of his new wife and her unsettling effect on him, but by the time JT reached long-term parking, he’d managed to focus his attention on the trip ahead. Earlier that morning he’d had his assistant book a flight from Vegas to Charlotte. He’d decided to fly commercial instead of borrowing the company jet. He didn’t want his father to start questioning why he was traveling all over the East Coast.

After parking his car, he headed to the terminal. An email message arrived on his phone as he exited security. His secretary had forwarded his itinerary for the coming week. He was booked from Charlotte to Atlanta to Louisville and finally up to New York City. Four cities in six days. He hoped like hell it would be a profitable trip.

Five

A
s soon as Violet entered Fontaine Chic, she headed straight for her office. Since no one had called her in a panic, she assumed nothing earthshaking had happened in the last twelve hours, but she wanted to touch base with her assistant. Patty brought Violet a cup of tea and the previous day’s report. Violet crossed to the seating area near the window and sat down on the couch. A quick scan assured Violet that her hotel continued to run smoothly in her absence. Now to address the problem of convincing her sisters that marrying JT didn’t mean she’d lost her marbles.

I’m back.

She sent the text to both Scarlett and Harper and wasn’t surprised how fast the responses came.

I’m on my way.
From Scarlett.

Give me twenty minutes and don’t tell Scarlett a thing until I get there.
From Harper.

With a fatalistic sigh, Violet set the phone down on the coffee table. Exhaustion washed over her as her night of little sleep caught up to her. She let her muscles relax. Her head fell back against the comfortable leather couch. Almost immediately she was besieged by hysterical amusement. Had she seriously just married JT? Demanded that he give her a proper kiss? Not that there was anything proper in the way his tongue had coasted against hers. She shivered as the memory swept over her.

“I demand to hear every last detail immediately,” Scarlett proclaimed from the doorway.

Violet’s eyes flew open. She hadn’t even realized she’d closed them. “Harper said to wait.”

“You don’t seriously think I’m going to sit here in suspense for twenty minutes, do you?” Scarlett flopped onto the couch beside Violet and pinned her with a steely glare. “Spill.”

Now that the moment had arrived, Violet decided it was harder to justify her actions than she’d imagined. “I really think we should wait. I don’t want to explain myself twice.”

She wasn’t sure she wanted to explain herself
once
.

Scarlett waved Violet’s objection away. “What’s there to explain? You finally gave in to the chemistry between you and JT. Was it fabulous? Is he an intense lover? He has such great hands and those lips...”

Violet choked back a laugh. “Scarlett!”

“What? Harper will want to lecture you on moving too fast. I won’t get to hear any of the hot stuff once she shows up.”

“There is no hot stuff.”

“Really?” Scarlett’s face reflected disappointment. “I would have thought there’d be major fireworks between you.”

“It wasn’t like that.”

“Then why are you blushing?”

Violet put her hands to her cheeks and found them on fire. “He caught me skinny-dipping in his pool.”

“And...?” Scarlett leaned forward, her eyes wide and encouraging.

“He handed me a bikini and told me to wear it next time I wanted to take a swim.”

Scarlett sat back and regarded her sister in absolute confusion. Violet had never seen her so utterly baffled.

“I thought your text said you spent the night with JT.”

“I did. Only not the way your naughty mind thinks. I slept at his house.”

Before Scarlett could reply, Harper breezed into the room. She was slightly out of breath as she demanded, “What did I miss?”

“Not a darned thing,” Scarlett muttered in disgust. “Apparently there’s nothing for her to tell.”

“What about that?” Harper settled next to Scarlett and reached across her to point at Violet’s left hand.

Scarlett snatched up the hand and stared at the ring. “You’re engaged?”

“Not exactly,” Violet murmured.

“That looks like an engagement ring.”

“Actually it’s a wedding ring. JT and I got married last night at the Tunnel of Love Chapel.”

“Married?” Scarlett gaped at her sister.

“JT Stone?” Harper shook her head. “Have you told Grandfather? Are you at all worried how he’ll react when he finds out you’re married to the competition?”

“I’m going to call him in a little while.” Violet was all prepared with a rational explanation for her actions. “He’ll understand when I explain what happened.”

“What did happen?” Scarlett asked. “The last time I mentioned him being interested in you, I got the distinct impression you had no intention of letting anything develop.”

“It hasn’t exactly developed the way you think,” Violet said.

“You’re married,” Harper pointed out. “Something had to happen between you.”

“It’s all a little complicated.”

“Did Rick slip something special into one of his signature cocktails?” Scarlett narrowed her eyes. “By that I mean, were you drunk?”

“I was perfectly sober.” Violet rushed to answer the question in Harper’s eyes. “So was he.”

“So, you didn’t just spend the night at JT’s house,” Harper clarified. “You spent the night with JT?”

“No. It’s not that kind of marriage.”

Harper regarded her gravely. “What sort of marriage is it?”

“It’s strictly a business arrangement.”

“But not funny business obviously,” Scarlett groused.

Violet ignored her. “Mom and I went to the lawyer a few days ago and it turns out Tiberius had been purchasing Stone Properties stock from other family members.”

“I thought he didn’t want anything to do with the company after what Preston did to him,” Scarlett said.

“I think it was more a matter of not being able to do anything to get his brother-in-law removed as CEO. Preston controlled the shares he inherited on his wife’s death as well as the ones that were in JT’s trust. Shares that JT took control of on his thirtieth birthday two months ago.”

“How much stock had Tiberius managed to buy?” Harper asked, her keen business mind catching on quickly.

“Eighteen percent.”

“And how much was in JT’s trust?”

“Thirty percent. Preston owns thirty and the other twenty-two percent is split up among the family.”

“So what does this have to do with why you and JT got married?” Scarlett asked, returning the conversation to what she was interested in.

“Obviously Tiberius left her his shares,” Harper said.

Scarlett shot her sister a pained look. “I get that, but why marry JT when she could sell him the shares?”

“Because according to Tiberius’s will, I have to keep the stock until Preston dies.”

“You know you didn’t have to marry JT,” Harper pointed out. “You could have just thrown your support behind him.”

Violet felt her features take on the same injured expression Scarlett had just worn. Once in a while she wished Harper would acknowledge that she wasn’t always the smartest one in the room.

“Only family can vote the shares,” she explained.

Scarlett clapped her hands in delight. “So, now you’re family. That’s brilliant.”

“Thank you.” Violet appreciated having Scarlett’s support because she could see that Harper wasn’t done with her objections.

“But with your eighteen percent and JT’s thirty—”

Violet interrupted. “We still need three percent to control the vote.” She glanced at the clock on her phone and realized JT was probably boarding his flight to Charlotte. “He’s heading out to talk to some of his relatives, hoping he can persuade enough of them to either sell or throw their vote his way so he can take control of Stone Properties and get his father out.”

“And you found out about this a few days ago?” Harper frowned. “Aren’t you moving a little quick? I would think you’d both want to protect yourselves before getting married.”

“You haven’t seen the way JT looks at her,” Scarlett interjected. “I don’t think that man has the patience to last any longer.”

To Violet’s intense dismay, she felt her cheeks heating again. “It’s not like that between us,” she protested. “And we signed an agreement that we’d walk away with what we came into the marriage with. Really, it’s just a business deal. A marriage in name only.”

“How long do think that’s going to last?” Scarlett’s lips wore a lusty smile. “The two of you share the same house night after night. Him just down the hall? I give you a week tops before you crack. JT...” She cocked her head and considered. “Maybe three days.”

“We’re not going to live together,” Violet explained, growing lightheaded as she remembered how hard it had been to fall asleep the previous night after kissing JT. But in the future there would be no more such kisses, passion-drenched or otherwise. They’d both agreed on that.

“You’re not?” Scarlett looked scandalized at the thought.

“Lots of married couple don’t,” Harper said. “My parents being one of them.”

And their marital separation was what had led to Ross’s numerous affairs and the two daughters he’d never acknowledged. Or maybe his affairs had led to his estrangement from his wife. Violet had never asked Harper what she thought. As close as the three girls had become in the last five years, some topics remained uncomfortable.

“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Harper continued. “I mean, how well do you know JT?”

“Not as well as she’s going to get to know him,” Scarlett put in slyly.

Violet shot her a repressive look. “I don’t know how to explain it, but he feels like family. I know until recently that Tiberius refused to have anything to do with him, but he talked so much about his sister and what life was like for JT as a kid, I feel as if I know him.” She regarded each of her sisters, trying to gauge if she was making sense.

“I get how sometimes you can feel as if you know a person even though you’ve never met,” Harper said, a note of tension in her voice. “But often the reality is very different and you have to be careful.”

Was Harper referring to JT or her own problems with celebrity chef Ashton Croft, whose latest restaurant was supposed to have opened in Harper’s Fontaine Ciel
hotel two weeks earlier? The charismatic executive chef-turned-television sensation was unconventional and passionate about food and adventure. Since starting negotiations with Harper for the restaurant, he’d been a thorn in her side with one outrageous demand after another.

Violet suspected her sister had been a Chef Ashton fan long before the restaurant deal. Harper’s DVR was filled with Croft’s television series,
The Culinary Wanderer
, in which he traveled around the world in search of the perfect meal. Why such an adventurous wanderer appealed to someone as methodical and strategic as Harper, Violet would never understand.

“I’ll admit that what I know of JT is already proving incomplete.” Violet considered what she’d learned over breakfast. He’d opened up to give her a glimpse into his past. A happy moment in what she suspected was a turbulent childhood. “But I don’t think he has any intention of cheating me.” And any heartbreak that happened would be because she’d let it.

Harper shook her head. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“So do I,” Violet muttered. “So do I.”

* * *

JT should have known that letting Violet’s optimism rub off on him was reckless, but he’d been seduced by her earnest smiles and luminous brown eyes. Now, with a tumbler of excellent scotch on his knee, he allowed his gaze to drift around his cousin’s mahogany-paneled study and tried not to let his disappointment show.

“Sorry, JT.” Brent looked as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. “My dad sold the shares to Preston five months ago. You’re welcome to the hundred I received on my eighteenth birthday.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I’d rather you remain a stockholder and help me convince the rest of the family that my dad’s management isn’t doing the company any favors.” No wonder Tiberius hadn’t created a file on Brent’s father. What was the point when the shares were already lost? “Any idea why your father sold the shares to my dad? It’s not as if the two of them got along.”

Brent snorted. “That’s an understatement. My dad hated yours. He blamed Preston for your mom’s death.”

Brent’s father Ted was Tiberius and Fiona’s first cousin. He’d been as close to them as a sibling, but Ted and Fiona’s relationship had grown a bit strained over what had happened to Tiberius When Brent’s dad had told Fiona her husband was out of control, she’d resolutely defended her husband. Preston became a sore spot between them, but their love remained as strong as ever.

“Then why did he sell him the shares?”

“After it happened, he felt horrible. Preston convinced him that your mom wanted more shares for you.”

“Your father didn’t remember that my mom’s been dead for eighteen years?”

Brent grimaced. “I knew then I had to get power of attorney and take over his finances.”

“He’s getting worse faster than you expected, isn’t he?”

“His lucid moments are fewer and fewer.” Father and son had enjoyed a close connection that JT had long envied.

“Sorry,” JT said. “I can’t imagine how hard this is for you.”

“Most people can’t.” Ted had been an intelligent, intuitive businessman. It had to be tearing Brent apart to lose his father this way. To watch him slip away a little more each day, knowing there was no way to ever get him back. “It’s tough watching a clever, bold businessman like my father forget the dog’s name or where the kitchen is in the house.”

The deep throb in Brent’s voice made JT’s chest hurt. “Is there anything you need? Anything I can help with?” He regretted that in his preoccupation with his own troubles, he’d not kept up with his cousin the way a friend should.

Brent cleared his throat. “That’s the worst of it. There’s nothing anyone can do.” He swallowed the last of his scotch. “But I appreciate the offer. You’re not just family, you’re a good friend.”

A year apart in age, they’d spent time together as kids, forming bonds that made them close as adults. Fiona Stone had often traveled to Charlotte to visit her favorite cousin. JT remembered how, in this Neoclassical-style house, built more than a hundred years ago, his mother hadn’t needed drugs or alcohol to cope with her life. She’d smiled all the time and given him big hugs and spoiled him with ice cream sundaes and trips to the zoo and museums. Getting his mother back had been like a miracle. But neither the trip nor his mother’s happiness could last forever.

“So, why don’t you tell me what’s going on. Why you’re suddenly buying up stock.”