A Marriage of Anything but Convenience Read online

  “Yes. Soft.” Derek shoved him back in her face.

  Her hiccups subsided as they arrived at their resort. As they walked into the lobby, they found Kay on a ladder, reaching for the gold star on the top of the Christmas tree. She startled and yelped, teetering on the ladder. Derek rushed to steady the ladder. “Do you need help?”

  Kay laughed. “I guess I do. Do you two mind?”

  Nara snorted. “I can help with the bottom branches. But if you think I’m going to be any help up there, you’re mistaken.” She tossed Larry onto a chair.

  Kay descended down the ladder. “We can leave the top for your husband, don’t you think?” She winked, and it made Nara laugh.

  “Yes. He’s plenty tall, even without the ladder.”

  As Nara plucked ornaments off the lower branches, Kay grabbed the string of tinsel and began unwinding it from the tree. “Did you have fun today?”

  “Absolutely,” Nara said as she carefully placed the ornaments in the box. “This is a great place to vacation.”

  “Where did you go?”

  “The Queen Elizabeth the Second Botanic Gardens.”

  Kay’s smile widened as she gathered the tinsel in her arms. “I love it there. It’s so beautiful.”

  “And tonight we found a street fair.”

  A puzzled look came over Kay’s face. “You did? I don’t remember anything like that going on right now.”

  Derek made a grunting noise as he reached for a particularly high ornament. “It was for children.”

  “Oh, I know which one you mean. They do a week-long kid’s fair each January. I think all the money they make goes to help the Children’s hospital.” Kay squinted at her. “You found something to do there?”

  “She made me ride the tiny Ferris wheel with her.”

  Kay peered up at Derek, then snickered. “You didn’t.”

  Nara pressed her lips together and nodded, the thought of Derek squeezed into one of those miniature seats making her want to giggle. “I did.”

  “I bet that was fun.”

  Derek made a noise that was part snort, and part exhale. “Fun for whom?”

  Nara leaned a little closer to Kay. “He’s still upset about the dart game,” she said, her voice low.

  “I’m right here. I can hear you.” Derek tossed her an annoyed look, but she could see the beginnings of his subtle smile behind his mask.

  Kay looked between the two of them. “Dart game?”

  “Don’t ask,” Derek said.

  Nara ignored him. “You know the one where you have to pop balloons? I wanted him to win me a unicorn.”

  Kay pointed to the chair. “Oh, there it is. He must have succeeded.”

  “Yes. I succeeded. End of story.” Derek leaned over to deposit his ornaments into the box. They clinked together as they settled. He wiped his hands together, dusting them off. “I certainly did not throw a million darts, missing each time, then with a stroke of luck hit two in a row only to miss the balloons and hit a woman’s backside with my last dart.”

  Kay’s eyes grew wide, and then a hearty laugh escaped her. Nara couldn’t help but join in. Derek even sported his not-so-obvious smile.

  “How did you get the unicorn, then?”

  Derek’s shoulders slumped. “I had to beg the man to let me buy him.”

  “Oh, my. That’s a story to tell the kids someday,” Kay said, wiping at her eyes.

  Derek stiffened, and the mood in the room instantly cooled. He evaded Kay’s probing gaze and shrugged. “Yeah. For sure.”

  “Oh, no,” Nara said, trying to pull back the lighthearted mood they had from just a few seconds ago. “I can tell right now, this is where that story ends. I can’t even imagine what would happen if I let details from tonight slip.” She tried to get Derek to bring back his almost-smile, but he just gave her a slight nod as he unhooked the last ornament.

  Kay must have noticed the shift, as she forced a smile while depositing the tinsel into the box. “Well, what are you two doing tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure,” Nara said, feeling Derek out. “We have a lot of choices.”

  “Maybe we can look at the pamphlets after we get this tree down,” Derek said standing back and surveying the size of the thing.

  “No need,” Kay said, making a shooing motion with her hands. “The maintenance man will put it away in the morning. This thing is way too heavy for us. Thank you so much for all your help with the decorations. Go get back to your room. You should soak in the jacuzzi or something.” She wiggled her eyebrows.

  Derek’s ears turned red, and Nara quickly grabbed his arm, dragging him over to the chair to get Larry so he wouldn’t be so embarrassed. “Sounds good,” she called to Kay.

  After they arrived in their room, Derek exhaled. “Well, that was uncomfortable.”

  “See?” Nara tossed Larry on the bed and put her hands on her hips. “This is what I mean by we need to practice being a married couple. You got all flustered in there when Kay started talking about kids, and jacuzzi tubs. These are normal married couple things. If we’re going to fool the board of directors, we need to be more comfortable with these things.”

  Derek sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “You’re right.” He strode to the closet and opened the door, taking off his sandals. “I’ll try to not be so awkward.”

  “You’re not awkward. We just don’t act like we’re in love. It’s not a big thing. It’s the little things.”

  He rummaged through the closet, then moaned, leaning his head against the door. “Great.”

  “What?”

  “They took away the spare blanket.” He turned his gaze onto her. “That’s what I was using to sleep on the floor.”

  Chapter 13

  The look on Nara’s face was unreadable. Derek slipped back into his sandals. “I’ll go ask for more blankets.”

  “Wait,” Nara said, putting her hand out. “Let’s think about this.”

  He stared at her, sure he had a blank look on his face. “What’s there to think about? I’m not sleeping on the floor with no blanket.”

  “I know. But look. The bed is huge.” She pointed, motioning to all the room on it. “It’s plenty big enough for both of us. And this might help us not look so unmarried around each other.”

  Derek stared at the bed. Then his gaze traveled to Nara. Why was he always confused about what Nara wanted? Surely she wasn’t saying what it sounded like she was saying. “You want to sleep together?”

  “Yeah, not in that way, but just in the same bed. There’s enough room. I doubt we’d even touch.” She took a step toward him. “We need to learn to be more comfortable with each other. I’m sure that’s why my dad insisted on this trip anyway.”

  Derek was sure of it as well. But still, he swallowed, thinking about what Nara was wanting him to do. He knew she didn’t want a physical relationship. But he was a man, and she was a woman. And he was in love with her. How could he sleep next to her, knowing she was inches away?

  He must have looked indecisive because Nara let out a breath and went into the kitchen. “It’s no big deal,” she said, opening the fridge and pulling out a Diet Coke.

  Right. No big deal for her. He, on the other hand, would have a terrible time getting to sleep. But what could he do? Insist on sleeping on the floor? He didn’t want to look like he was being a jerk to her, or offend her by not wanting to be near her.

  This was a terrible suggestion, he just knew it. But what could he do? He had no choice. Finally, he nodded, resigning himself to tossing and turning next to her all night. “All right.”

  “I’m going to get in the jacuzzi like Kay suggested. Want to join me?”

  The blood drained from Derek’s face and he stammered, “Uh, what?”

  Nara made a face. “With my swimsuit on, you perv. Come on. It will feel nice with the jets going.”

  Sitting in a jacuzzi did sound nice. Maybe it would help his back feel better. His muscles still weren’t over the two night
s he’d spent on the floor. The tub looked large enough for both of them, without crowding them together, and he’d already been swimming with her. This was no different, right? “Okay.”

  Nara gulped down half her soda, then screwed on the lid and set it down on the side of the tub. “I’ll start the water. You go get changed first.”

  By the time Derek came out of the bathroom, Nara had the tub halfway filled. She’d also dumped something in it, because the room now smelled like lilacs. Nara jumped up and grabbed her bikini. “My turn.”

  He climbed into the tub and claimed his side. The tub was heart-shaped, so they could sit beside each other. Once the water was high enough, he started up the jets. It felt amazing on his back, and he sank deeper into the pool. He didn’t even care that his legs had to be scrunched up so they wouldn’t cross over Nara’s. It still felt wonderful.

  Nara joined him a minute later, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. She drank another swig of her soda and then laid her head back on the tub. “This feels great.”

  “Agreed.”

  “So relaxing.”

  He closed his eyes, letting the jet sprays massage his back. Even though it would be massively uncomfortable to sleep next to Nara, he did appreciate that he would no longer be on the hard floor.

  “Can I ask you about something?” Nara said, a minute later.

  He opened his eyes. “Sure.”

  “You know my father well.” She fiddled with the cap on her Diet Coke, like she wasn’t too interested in the conversation, but there was a tension in her shoulders that told a different story.

  “Yeah.” He leaned a little closer to her, because it was hard to hear her over the noise of the jets.

  “Does money really mean more to him than anything?”

  The question blindsided Derek, and he could see the emotions under the surface of her face. The ones she never showed. The ones she still wasn’t showing all the way. He chose his words carefully. He didn’t want to say the wrong thing. “He went through a lot when your mom left. When you lose someone like he did…something happens inside.”

  Nara blinked, her fingers tightening on her Diet Coke. “He’s not the only one that got hurt by that,” she said quietly.

  Dear heavens. He’d screwed up already. He reached his hand out and touched her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean…I know you went through a lot as well when she left. That had to have been devastating.”

  Nara raised her chin a fraction. “I learned to cope. But it would have been nice had my own father been there for me. Instead, he decided that making money was more important.”

  “No. Not more important than you, Nara.” Never more important than her. Her father just couldn’t deal with the situation. So, he buried himself at work.

  “Of course money was more important. You give your attention to what you love the most, don’t you? And my father loves money.” Her words had a bitter edge.

  “He made mistakes. He didn’t handle things well.” Derek nudged closer to her. “But he has many regrets.”

  “Regrets.” She frowned. “How nice for him. I’m sure that makes him feel better.”

  Derek sighed. It pained him to see Nara so angry with her father. Richard was someone he looked up to. He was the man who took him in under his wing after his parent’s died. He owed a lot to him.

  He knew she needed to talk about it. She was the one who brought it up, for heaven’s sake. But he had no words to make things better. “He’s not the monster you think he is.”

  “No?” Her face flushed and she blinked back tears. She set her Diet Coke on the side of the tub. “He left me, at the time when I needed him most. I was only six years old, Derek. Six. I still thought I would be a fairy princess when I grew up. I believed in magic. I believed that my mom wouldn’t disappear, and my dad wouldn’t go to work and never come back.” Her voice cracked and she turned away from him.

  She was crying, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Would it be awkward to ignore it? The thought made him balk. He couldn’t sit there and not comfort her. But he didn’t want to try to pull her to him if she didn’t want that.

  What should he do? He debated for a moment before reaching out and putting his arm around her. He couldn’t let her cry, and not do anything. Fortunately, she turned and snuggled into him, putting her head on his shoulder. She sniffed and wiped at her face.

  “He didn’t mean to leave you alone.” It broke Derek’s heart to hear her choke back a sob. He pulled her closer, ignoring the tingles that came from touching her skin. He only wanted to help her. To ease some of her pain. “He thought your grandmother would be able to comfort you.”

  “She did. She was the one who got me through it all.” Her voice broke again, and Derek’s heart shattered.

  He reached up and trailed a finger down her cheek. “I’m glad you had her as long as you did.” It was only last year that her grandmother had passed away.

  “It wasn’t nearly long enough.”

  “I know.”

  His heartbeat picked up speed as Nara placed her hand on his chest. Her nails were well manicured. He’d never noticed before. “I shouldn’t have gone to New York.”

  “What? Don’t say that. You loved living in New York.”

  She pulled back from him. Her face was filled with regret. “I wasn’t there when she passed.”

  “You were out living your dream.”

  She sighed, her gaze dipping. “I was getting coffee for people living their dream.”

  Sadness pooled in his stomach and weighed heavy on his chest. “Don’t do this to yourself. You were allowed to leave home. To pursue what you wanted to do. You had no idea when she was going to pass.”

  Guilt surged in Derek, for not saying anything about her father. But he didn’t really know anything for sure. All he knew was what he’d observed. Richard didn’t want to admit he was sick, and it wasn’t really his place to tell Nara his suspicions, was it?

  “I know,” she said quietly. “I was just so close with her. And now I’m left with a father who much prefers spending his time at work than with his daughter.”

  “Do you want me to talk to him?”

  Nara jerked back, shaking her head. “Oh, my word, no. A thousand times, no. I don’t want to spend time with him. He made his choice a long time ago. I’d rather get this marriage over with and go back to New York.”

  Derek flinched, and Nara’s eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Geesh, I’m sorry.”

  “I know what you meant.” She meant just what she said, but he held that part in. She was only doing this for her grandmother’s inheritance. Her father strong-armed her. That’s all this was to her. Fulfill his wishes, and then go back to her normal life.

  Her gaze softened and she scooted closer to him. “You’ve been so kind to listen to me. I’m sorry I got all weird. I don’t know what got into me. I swear my father doesn’t even bother me anymore. I don’t know where that came from.”

  He gently touched her arm. She cared, even if she didn’t want to admit it. And it hurt him to see the rift between her and Mr. Claymore. “You can talk to me about anything.”

  Her lips lifted into a tiny smile. “You know, I really feel that way right now. Thanks for listening. And being so…nice.” She tucked her legs under her, moving closer.

  He didn’t know what to say to that, so he didn’t say anything, he simply gazed into her large, brown eyes. They had a tenderness to them he hadn’t seen before. Was she looking at him differently? She inched closer. Time got all wonky. Slow. Her face was only millimeters from his. He looked at her lips, which seemed like they were still coming at him.

  What was she doing? Was she moving toward him, or was he moving toward her? He froze, worried he was going to close the distance and do what he’d dreamed about for years. Claim her lips with his. But even though he was positive he wasn’t moving any more, she continued to get closer.

  His phone rang, a loud screeching ringtone he’d
chosen so he could hear it in his pocket. She jumped back. Derek cursed his phone, whoever was calling, and the cell tower that brought the call. He wanted to stop time, rewind just a few seconds, and redo that moment. But he couldn’t.

  Nara stood. “I’ll get it for you.” She probably wanted the loud screeching to stop.

  “No, I can get it,” he said, standing.

  He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around him, and climbed out of the tub. Nara shut off the jets and grabbed a towel herself. “That’s okay. I was ready to get out anyway. I’m really tired now.”

  Of course she was. He grabbed his phone and stabbed at the button to answer it. A robotic voice came through the line. “You have been pre-approved for a line of credit.”

  He grit his teeth and hung up. Just perfect. There was a fraction of a possibility that Nara would have kissed him had they not been interrupted. Now that possibility was gone.

  Regret made his muscles tense as he grabbed his pajamas. He should have closed the distance. If he had, nothing would have pulled him away from that kiss. His phone could have rung for a hundred years. He knew he wouldn’t have heard it.

  Chapter 14

  Nara climbed into bed, a sudden nervous energy making her want to wiggle her legs. Or run a marathon. What was wrong with her? The sound of the sink going in the bathroom carried out to her. Derek was brushing his teeth for quite a long time. Why was it taking so long? And why was she so anxious? Maybe she was just nervous to be close to him tonight.

  She huffed and dismissed that thought. That certainly wasn’t it. She liked Derek, but why would she be nervous about sleeping next to him? That’s ridiculous. It wasn’t like she expected to snuggle with him or anything. Geesh. She wasn’t in love with him. Sure, she might have a crush on him. But that was all.

  Still, when he came out of the bathroom wearing his blue pajamas, her heart did a tiny leap. “You ready for bed?” she asked, then cringed. Dumb question. He was standing there in his PJ’s. Did all of her brain cells suddenly leave? Is there a brain cell party somewhere down the hallway?