Chapter 26
Jameson
“So what’s the purpose of this dinner?” Graysen inquires. “You want to break it to us that you’ve failed your challenge while we all have full stomachs?”
I’m dressed for dinner and waiting for Megan in the foyer outside my home office when I decide to call my oldest brother. I’m now wondering if that was a mistake.
“I used to like you, Graysen. It’s a shame that’s changing.”
He gives a harsh sigh that says I don’t have time for this. “It’s been a tough year, little brother.”
It has been. Losing Granddad, and transitioning to running the whole Vance empire without him at the helm, has been hard on all of us. It’s Graysen, though, who carries most of the burden of taking over at the helm, aka working twenty-four seven.
But even he needs to eat, hence my idea to do this over dinner. It’s the only way—other than starring in some scandal in the press—that I can claim his full attention for any length of time.
I force the words out because I’ve decided it will be better if I give him a heads-up. “I just want to share the happy news of my engagement with my beloved siblings face-to-face.”
Graysen’s silence is long. “Engagement?”
“Yes. I took your advice, if you could call it that.” I refuse to acknowledge that he gave me an order and I followed it. “Cole Hudson’s sister is now my fiancée. I wanted to prepare you beforehand. So you can back me up in front of the others.”
“This is sudden.”
“No more sudden than your engagement. How long did you romance Sonia before you popped the question?”
He doesn’t even bother answering that because he didn’t romance his fiancée at all.
Instead, he says wearily, “And how do I know you’re not sleeping with her?”
“I am sleeping with her. I want it to look real for the staff. But I’m not having sex with her. You can trust me.”
“Can I?” His tone reminds me that he won’t be babysitting me on this. That it’s up to me to deliver on this, like the man I am. The man he helped raise.
“You saw us together,” I say dryly. “We have zero chemistry.”
I hear his almost inaudible sigh of surrender. “I hope you know what you’re doing, Jamie.”
“I’m doing exactly what you said you wanted me to do. So you’d better back me up tonight. I have to go.” I hang up on him as Megan appears. She pauses at the top of the stairs, meeting my eyes.
She’s goddamn stunning.
The dress she’s wearing is fitted, hitting just above the knee, with long sleeves and a dipping neckline. The sheen of the glittery fabric highlights every curve. I can’t help wondering if she chose it because it goes so well with the ring.
She’s wearing that, too.
I can see it on her finger, glittering, as she descends the stairs. The dress sparkles, flowing with the movements of her body, the silken waves of her hair looking soft and strokable.
Her sparkling amber eyes are goddamn otherworldly.
“Hi,” she says, those eyes drifting over me in my charcoal-gray three-piece suit and tie. I’ve never felt more like a man than when she looks at me like that. The result is a shot of pure testosterone to the spine.
I swear I stand up straighter without even meaning to as I extend a hand to her.
After the slightest hesitation, she slips her hand into mine. It’s small and warm, unbelievably soft.
“You look beautiful,” I say roughly. Stunning, incredible, fucking divine would’ve been more accurate. But I’m trying to keep myself in check here.
Especially after staring at her over breakfast for way too long without even telling her she was falling out of her bra. Still can’t believe I handled that like such an adolescent.
“Thank you. And thank you for the dress.” She finishes her perusal of my suit and smiles at me, her sweet face lighting up.
My heart squeezes, because my body knows that I’m already in over my head, even if I’m too stubborn to admit it to myself.
* * *
In the limo on the way to dinner, I offer Megan a drink, but she declines, saying she’s too anxious.
“I’d really like to tell you there’s no need to be anxious, but I’m aware my family can be intimidating.”
She laughs nervously. “Yeah, I asked Cole about them, and he didn’t exactly put me at ease.”
“He’s not a huge fan,” I admit.
“Of anyone in the Vance family?” She raises an eyebrow.
I know what she’s thinking.
Cole wasn’t much of a fan of me this afternoon.
He didn’t tell me he was flying back from California to confront me. I came home to find him waiting in my living room, pacing, pissed that I’d gotten engaged to his sister without asking him first.
I should’ve known what a sore spot that would be. Maybe I chose to try to convince myself it would all be okay, because I was so fixated on getting that yes out of Megan. But I know he blames himself for failing to protect her from her ex over the years.
So, as soon as he saw me, he started yelling at me. I half expected him to take a swing at me, but he didn’t. The situation was quickly defused, and we smoothed things over with a drink and a conversation that ended in a hug.
Cole couldn’t be mad at me for long, so there was that. But Megan had really done the heavy lifting. Apparently, they’d already had a chat and she’d talked him down. Defended me, even, according to him.
She’s already proving a loyal fiancée.
Makes me want to reward her. Wrap all that silken hair around my fist and tug her head back, seal my mouth over hers as I slide my other hand between her legs and?—
I clear my throat. “He’s never really clicked with any of my brothers.”
“Oh.”
I figure she’s wondering why, and if my siblings are anything like me.
Most women I date know everything there is to know about my family before we even meet. Though it’s not like she’d find much about my siblings online, even if she looked for it. Just the occasional, unsubstantiated gossip article.
But Megan Hudson isn’t most women. She’s so down-to-earth, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’s never read a celebrity gossip article in her life.
“I know you don’t want to get married,” she says, instead of prying about my family. “But have you ever been in a serious, longterm relationship? You already know about my one and only.”
“No. Nothing serious, or longterm.”
“Then I guess I’ll be the first.” She smiles halfway. “I mean, if you consider a fake, one-year engagement serious and longterm.”
“You really don’t know much about me?”
“Just what you’ve told me. I never looked up your relationship history online or anything.” She fiddles with her new ring. “Full disclosure, though, my friend Nicole did. I guess most of what came up were all the salacious headlines about your dating life.”
“That’s unfortunate.” I grimace. “But like I told you, that’s all marketing.”
She sassily raises an eyebrow. “All?”
“Most. And like I told you, much of marketing is an illusion.”
“Hmm.” She presses her soft lips together in exaggerated disbelief, like she’s calling my bullshit.
However, I’m not bullshitting her.
I’ve been with a generous amount of women, sure, but I haven’t screwed ninety percent of the women I’ve been photographed with. I may be a “playboy” and a bachelor, and I do love sex, but I’m not that promiscuous. The social juggling act I’d have to perform to keep that many women on the line is mind bending. I suppose it’s some sort of backhanded compliment that anyone thinks I’m that much of a lothario?
But the way I see it, it’s just good publicity for our brands—our hotels and resorts, our nightclubs, our liquor companies—for me to be seen in the right places with the right people, living a certain kind of life.
At least, usually it’s good publicity.
But tell that to Graysen.
It’s bad enough he buys into all the shit he sees about me online, as soon as he feels it’s a net negative for him. Now my fiancée’s falling for it? And giving me static about it?
No.
That’s not how this rolls.
And I need her to know it.
We may not be fucking, but for the next year, the deal is I’m her man. That means she gets her information about me from me, not the fucking internet.
I drop my voice low. “Do you enjoy spankings, Megan?”
Her response is almost comically delayed. Then her eyes go wide. “Pardon me?”
“Spankings. Do you like it when your lover puts you over his knee and spanks you when you’ve sassed him? Or do you prefer that he gets down on his knees and grovels for your approval like a puppy?”
Her mouth drops open.
Then her eyes narrow, sparking amber fire. “Why, Jameson? Do you like spankings?”
“Giving, yes. Very much, under the right circumstances.”
Her cheeks are turning pink. Much like her ass cheeks will, when I spank them. “And what would those circumstances be?”
“Maybe we’ll find out. In the future.”
Her whole face flushes pink. I can practically feel her pulse racing from here.
And now my cock is hard.
You’re playing with fire. Stop.
“Is that a threat?”
“Absolutely not. We’re getting to know one another, remember?”
“Are we? So, we’re listing off our favorite kinks now? You go first.”
Shit. She’s a spitfire underneath all the sweetness.
My cock is pulsing and I need to defuse this bomb before I grab her by the neck and slam my mouth down on hers just so I can feel her nails scratching down my body.
“We’re not talking about kinks.” My voice is flooded with heat and lust that I really need to tamp down. “I was simply asking if you like your man to take control when you’re using your smart mouth. Is it foreplay for you? Are you trying to dominate him? Or are you looking for a fight?”
“What if it’s none of the above?”
“I assure you, it is.”
She stares at me, lips parted, her chest moving as she breathes, heavily. I’m not even sure if she’s more angry or turned on.
You don’t want to know. Move on.
“I don’t want to upset you before dinner.” Especially when I can’t fix it with my mouth between your legs. “Let’s talk about something else.”
“You’re playing games with me.”
“I don’t play games with women. Every relationship has a balance of power, and we’ll find ours.”
She’s still staring at me, floored, like she’s trying to decide if she wants to slap me or suck me off first. “Yes. I suppose we will.”
I look away, out the window, breaking the spell. “My family, however, are another matter. They love to play games.”
She doesn’t seem to know how to take that, or the rapid shifts in conversation.
“Well… my brother plays games, literally, for a living. I can handle players.” There’s fire on her words yet, and I wonder if she means me, and/or my family.
Still, it feels only right to warn her.
“Your brother’s never played for stakes like these.”
“Like what?”
“Like billions.” I meet her eyes again. “We’re under a lot of pressure, a lot of scrutiny from our business partners since Grandad’s passing. The ones who had a long personal relationship with Granddad, especially. Our future success, or failure, will be heavily affected by the completion of current projects, ones left unfinished by Granddad. Like the Vance Bayshore resort.”
“I see. That is a lot of pressure. I mean, I can only imagine.”
“Then you can imagine that we’re highly scandal averse, right now more than ever. Hence the engagement scenario. As Graysen predicted, I’m sure love and commitment will play much better with our business partners than a wild bachelor lifestyle. Especially an exaggerated one.” I pause, giving her a chance to sass me on that point again.
Her eyes pinch a fraction like she’s considering it, but she doesn’t.
Good girl.
“So, enter my lovely new fiancée. Sweet, well-mannered, and down-to-earth. Not famous, but the sister of a famous hockey player who happens to be my best friend. It’s the kind of thing the press and the public will eat up. As will my family, if we serve it up to them just right.”
“And ‘just right’ would be…?”
“To follow my lead. I know how to talk to my siblings.”
“Okay. I can do that.” She plays with her new ring self-consciously, flashing me a look that suggests I keep the spanking talk to a minimum if I want her to behave.
“Just be yourself,” I tell her, more gently, at war with myself. My instincts are to flirt with her, arouse that fire in her, and of course, fuck her. None of that is going to get me what I really need out of this situation. “We already know you made a good first impression on my brother. The only way you could ruin that tonight is if you mention anything about your life that sounds remotely scandalous.”
“Like telling your family that I ran out on my whole life in Crooks Creek in the night.” She swears savagely, which is incredibly cute on her. “I hate that I did that. I mean, I needed to leave. To end it. But the way I did it, it sounds like I have something to hide.”
“It doesn’t. You left a bad relationship. That’s understandable. But you should know, my family will run a check on you. For security.”
She considers that, but she doesn’t seem offended. “You won’t?”
I would’ve, in the past. If she were anyone other than Cole’s sister.
“I won’t. But they’ll insist upon it, as will our chief of security. And they’ll do it whether I agree to it or not. And they’ll probably find out about your books, and maybe other things you’d prefer to keep private. They’ll find out about Troy, too. About how you left him. So, it’s probably better if you just tell them.”
“Right. Okay.”
“Is there anything else you want me to know, before this dinner? It would be better if we both know going in.”
So I can defend you,I don’t say.
I don’t want her to worry that my family will be that ferocious in protecting me. But they will be.
It’s not just me they’re protecting, it’s all of us. And our grandparents’ legacy. None of us want to see what Granddad built go to shit on our watch.
“Well… I guess they’ll find out that my pen name is my real name, then. Jessica, I mean. That’s my actual first name. Megan is my middle name, but everyone’s always called me Megan, even my family.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I was always more of a Megan? Jessica is more like… my alter ego.” She shrugs. “She’s the badass I want to become. Like, she has the courage to publish my books, even when I don’t.”
“But you do.”
She smiles a little. “That’s just my inner Jessica. But like I told you, I use the pen name Jessica Rivers for privacy, because at the end of the day, there is no Jessica Rivers.”
I’m not sure I agree with that. I’m looking at her right now, and she is badass, in her own way.
Her smile fades, and I realize I’m staring at her again. It’s weirdly impossible not to. “I have nothing to hide, Jameson.”
“Good. People can be merciless.” My family included.
“I’m aware.”
“Also… If my brother Harlan says anything horrifying please don’t hold it against me. We’re just related. I can’t control him.”
“He’s rude?”
“He’s an abomination. Actually, he might not even show up.” One can hope.
Megan studies me for a moment. “I have an older brother,” she says simply. “I understand.”
She doesn’t have a brother like any of mine, though.
* * *
Harlan does show up, and so does everyone else.
I’m not sure if this means Graysen called them all to tell them who I’d be bringing and they didn’t want to miss it or if he threatened them or what, but they’re all gathered in his living room in the owner’s suite at the resort when we arrive.
I can feel the conversation die the split second we walk in.
Interestingly, Graysen’s fiancée, Sonia, isn’t here. Which can only mean he didn’t invite her.
I don’t know if this bodes well for me or not. Either he considers this a family affair and so important it’s siblings only, or he considers it just another of my brief scandals with women and not worthy of wasting his fiancée’s time on.
“This is Megan Hudson.” I introduce the woman at my side immediately, before anyone can speak. Their attention, already, has converged on her. It’s rare that I’ve brought a woman to a family dinner, and that fact really hits me now. “Colton Hudson’s sister.”
They all know who Cole is, of course.
I’m relieved when Savannah gets up to greet her warmly. She offers Megan a drink, showing her over to the bar, while I greet Graysen.
“Happy?” I ask him quietly.
He seems tentatively pleased, yet wary. “I’m not sure yet.”
“Stick around. She’s amazing,” is all I tell him. Then I go to get a drink.
“Are you engaged, Megan?” I hear my sister say as I approach the bar. “That’s an incredible ring.”
So, Graysen didn’t tell them.
“Oh. Thank you.” Megan fiddles with the ring and looks to me, ready to follow my lead as I advised her to.
“Megan and I are engaged,” I announce smoothly, loudly enough so everyone hears it, and all eyes converge on her again. “I’ve asked her to be my wife, and she said yes.” I slip my arm around her waist and pull her against me.
Megan’s eyes widen, but she leans into me. She puts on a pretty smile for my family, and she slips her arm around my waist, too.
There’s a long, shocked silence in which I’m sure Harlan is thinking this is some twisted joke and Damian possibly wonders if I’ve lost my mind since he ate lunch with me, only hours ago. Savannah just blinks at me, waiting for more of an explanation.
It’s Graysen who speaks first. “Well, congratulations, you two. It’s about time one of us got married.”
* * *
Over dinner, my siblings gently press me on my new, seemingly serious relationship.
How did we meet? When did we meet? That kind of thing.
I know, by the way they’re looking at me, that they know this whole engagement thing is bullshit.
But none of them say so.
They’ll say it later, when Megan’s not in the room.
Of course they know. My stance on marriage—that being, I’ll never do it—is well-known by my family members.
Whenever I catch Harlan’s gaze or Damian’s, I can tell they’re searching for cracks in my story, even when I’m not saying anything, just like the media will. The fact that I just got engaged to a woman I met two weeks ago obviously invites criticism.
I don’t give a fuck.
Then Graysen and Savannah pepper Megan with casual questions about her life, her move to Vancouver, her family.
She answers them with ease, and she answers them honestly. She even admits to leaving a bad relationship behind when Savannah asks why she came to Vancouver, though she doesn’t get into details and no one pushes for them.
I appreciate that everyone treats her with respect and doesn’t take out their shock on her. It’s not her fault they didn’t know this was coming.
“How’s Cole doing in the off season?” Graysen asks her, though he could ask me anytime and he never does.
“He’s good, I think. He’s in California for a little while and then he goes to Montana to meet with one of his special trainers. I’m not sure what they do.” Megan laughs softly. “I don’t try to keep up.”
She sips her wine as Graysen says, “He had an exceptional season. We think his best year may still be ahead of him, despite his age.”
“I almost forgot that you own the team,” she says.
“We’re a hockey family. None of us played, even recreationally, except Jamie. But our grandfather owned the team, so we grew up going to games.”
“Your grandfather must’ve been such an interesting man.”
“He was.” For the first time in fucking ages, a slight smile etches across Graysen’s features.
Then Harlan goes in for the kill, out of nowhere. “So, you two are in love?”
Of course, he doesn’t believe it.
I wouldn’t either, if our roles were reversed.
“I think it was love at first sight.” The words slide out fast and way too easily as I turn to Megan, seated next to me.
It’s too silent in here. Graysen could really put on some music or something. It’s like a crypt.
I sip my wine to loosen the knot that forms in my throat as Megan stares at me. Maybe she’s stunned by what I just said. But she doesn’t refute it.
And I’m not taking it back.
Because the more I think about it… there was definitely something between us from that first moment in the street. Something that hooked into me and didn’t let go.
Ever since then… everything feels different.
The whole world looks different now that I know she’s in it.
Shit. Maybe I’m drinking too much wine?
“What do you love about her?”
That’s Harlan again. Who else would be so fucking rude?
You can hear forks mentally drop around the table.
“Harlan.” Savi reprimands him. “What is your problem?”
“It’s all right. It’s a fair question. And it’s easy enough to answer.” Megan’s cheeks grow pink as I speak. “She’s got a big, warm heart. She cares about people, even people she’s just met. And people she’s never met,” I add, thinking of Romeo’s wife. “She’s sweet and thoughtful. She has strong core values and she lives by them. She’s so goddamn beautiful. And every time she smiles, it’s the best thing that happened to my day.”
I stop there because she seems embarrassed and my siblings are so dead silent. But I could list Megan’s good qualities all night.
It’s kind of disturbing how well I already know what they are.
* * *
As we finish dinner, my siblings mercifully let it lie that I only met Megan two weeks ago.
Maybe that little speech I gave about her stunned them into silence.
Maybe they’re surprised that I’ve become such a good actor overnight, that I had it so well rehearsed.
But I didn’t rehearse a thing.
I just told the truth.
Harlan, for his part, barely says a dozen more words. But he listens, like they all do.
As dinner’s being cleared away and we’re having a drink, it’s Damian who puts my fiancée on the spot.
“So, Megan, Jameson has told us why he loves you. Tell us, what is it you love about him?”