Chapter 2
Ethan
“What do you mean getting married to Nelly?” Tom asks and strides over to me to stop me from moving any closer to Nelly. “You said you were willing to merge with no strings attached. You told me you wanted to help!”
“I know what I said,” I say to Tom. “And I mean it when I said I want to help Sunny Aerospace. You two are family to me, and I can’t let your parents’ company go under when I can help, but I’ll need this in return.”
Nelly laughs again and interrupts anything else I’m about to say and I turn to find her clutching her sides, laughter quaking through her.
“Me and you?” She points a finger at me. “You and me? Married? That’s insane.”
“Not that insane,” I answer, combing my fingers through my hair and letting out a deep sigh. Nelly erupts in a sarcastic laugh, and the sound creates a tingle inside me, sparking something alive. The sensation is one I’ve never felt before.
I haven’t seen Nelly in five years, and she looks different—better than I remember. Her blonde hair is longer, cascading down her back in waves that make my fingers itch to touch it.
The Nelly I remember was beautiful, but this one is stunning. The navy blue dress she’s wearing flatters her curves and stresses her hips in the right way. I love how it rides slightly above her knees, accentuating her long legs.
Her lips are painted a rosy red shade. It’s sultry, and the look suits her creamy skin, and those brown, alluring eyes make her look captivating. Another shudder sparks through me, but Tom’s hand on my shoulder pulls me out of my thoughts.
“What’s this all about? Last time I checked, you wanted nothing to do with love, let alone getting married.”
I scoff and face my best friend. “Trust me, if I had my way, I wouldn’t get married, ever, but Grandpops thinks I need to get more serious with life and give him an heir.”
“Isn’t that a bit old-fashioned?” Nelly folds her arms over her chest. “Forcing your kid to marry if they’re going to inherit your wealth? This isn’t the Middle Ages.”
“That’s what I said too, but you met my grandpops. The man thinks his way is right all the time. He never bends for anything and he always gets what he wants.”
“Now, I’m his target. He wants me to find a woman to marry, settle down, love her, and do the right thing, or I lose my shot at being the CEO of the company, and he gives the seat to someone who has served him loyally for many years, keeping me as a manager in the company. How do I help Sunny Aerospace if that happens?”
“Those are just threats,” Nelly interrupts. “He won’t really do that, would he?”
“Grandpops will, if he thinks I’m out of control.”
Tom releases a frustrated growl and turns away from us. He mumbles something under his breath, and I can tell they’re both tense.
“So, get a wife? Why rope me in?” Nelly asks and makes a tiny hand gesture. “Because if you help me, I’ll be indebted to you, right?”
“No, because you’re the best person for the job.”
“Job?”
“Come on, Nelly, you know what I mean. It’s going to be a contract marriage, strictly on paper, and Grandpops will believe it because you’re like family. If I tell him I’ve had a thing for you for years, it will sit right because we’ve known each other a long time.”
She inhales sharply, and I see a blush creep up her neck to her cheeks. There’s something delectable about watching her now. In the past, I paid little attention to Nelly because she was off-limits.
Once or twice, I noticed how beautiful she was, but I never let my thoughts go down that trail. Ever.
“Your grandpops would see through that pretense in an instant. He knows you—I know you. Everyone who knows you also knows you’re not the kind of guy to settle down and marry anyone.”
Nelly tilts her head to one side and adds in a stiff tone. “Besides, how do we sell it to your media-hungry fans? And the models you’re so used to having around you? You’ve got quite the reputation, Casanova.”
Her use of the media nickname stings a little. “Ouch,” I reply and put a hand on my chest to show my hurt. “You wound me, Nelly.”
She arches a brow, and I sigh. “The media’s not a problem. They believe what I sell to them. I just need us to agree … All three of us …”
I turn to Tom, and his cautious eyes are on me. Tommy Sinclair, skilled prosecutor at the district attorney’s office, always gives nothing away with his expression.
His gaze is stern and I fear he’ll disapprove of my request.
“I don’t want to strong-arm you.” I lift both hands in surrender before adjusting the lapel of my Armani suit. “If you don’t want to do this, I’ll find someone else to help and pay them off, but it might not work because Grandpops will see right through it.”
“He wants me to do it the right way and quickly, too. He said, ‘Meet a woman, take her out to dinner and dates and whatever, and find things in common to build a family.’ You two know me. I don’t fancy all those kinds of conversations. With women, it has to be simple and mutual every time.”
“And that’s the problem right there,” Nelly says. “You’re not capable of loving anyone.”
Her words are like a punch to the face and I inhale sharply once they are out of her lips.
Nelly pales and her eyes widen. “Oh, my goodness, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it that way, I just … I meant to say that …,” she rambles quickly and steps towards me.
Once again, her words sting a little. Five years ago, I avoided her when I realized my feelings for her were growing more intense. The second I realized it, I began dating some blonde woman I met during one of my trips to NYC to see Tom.
I left L.A. for Germany shortly after, so it was easier to stay away from her. Back then, avoiding Nelly was the safest way out of my dilemma. We shared a wonderful summer before I left for Germany, and our time together gradually became something to look forward to. Nelly told me about her dreams and how hard she worked to please her parents.
I began to admire her, and that admiration grew into something else.
Something terrifying enough to make me withdraw.
I feared my feelings would grow out of control and so I had to remind myself that Nelly was off limits.
She had to be! She’s not the kind of woman I’m used to, either. I like simple and easy. Nothing about the brewing passion I saw in Nelly’s eyes, or the storm she created inside me back then would have been easy. And so, I blanked her out.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers again. “This is just too much, all of this.” She shakes her head and turns to her brother. “It’s not what I can handle, Tommy. We’ll need to find some other solution that works. I’ll go over a few banks we can get a loan from to settle our debts. We can find another way.”
Her gaze shifts to me again, and she presses her lips together. “I’m sorry, Ethan, but I can’t help you.”
Her gaze lingers and makes my breath hitch in my throat. I should back off and say I understand, but something about the magnetic pull of her gaze makes my brain frizzle. “I’ll make you change your mind.”
I smirk, and Tommy clears his throat.
“If you two do this, then you should know it has to be based solely on agreed terms and rules. I mean, it could end in a whole mess if one of you gets hurt or one falls for the other, or any of that stuff we see in the Hollywood movies that start out this way.”
Nelly scoffs. “Well, this isn’t a movie and even if I agreed to this stunt, I wouldn’t fall for him.”
The egotistical part of me that likes to tease Nelly swoops in, and I lift a challenging brow. “You think so?” She angles her body towards me as I stride towards her slowly, and her chin hikes up defiantly. “Come on, we both know you’ll melt if I decide I want you.”
Her gaze turns icy, but instead of sending a chill right through me, it burns and shocks me. I drag a finger down her cheek to her chin. I lift it a little, and those lush lips part in a gasp. “You’d melt.”
“In your dreams, Casanova,” she remarks, her eyes never leaving mine, a brief connection of madness.
“Okay, cut it out, you two,” Tom says, and we jerk apart with ease. I suppress a smile as she sharply draws a breath.
She felt something, too.
It felt good to know that the warmth that spread through me when I touched her skin didn’t happen to just me.
“If you decide to do this, Nelly, then you’ll have your terms, and he will have his.”
“You’re considering this?” Nelly asks Tom, then releases an exasperated sigh.
“It’s totally your decision. It has nothing to do with what I think anymore.”
“You say you want to help, but now you give these ridiculous terms?” Nelly shoots at me, and the fire in her eyes burns through the coldest recesses of my heart.
“It’s not a term. I need your help, and you need mine. If you decide you don’t want to help, then I won’t be able to help your company. My position is being threatened. My grandfather is retiring in a month, and if I don't prove to him that I'm serious about getting married by then, I might lose my chance at becoming CEO.”
“He believes that being married and in love is a sign of maturity. In his eyes, marriage would be good for me, so I need to tie the knot within a month. If I don't, he'll cut me off, and I can't let that happen.”
When she still doesn’t say anything, I draw in a deep breath and turn to Tommy. “You both know I’m your best shot here. You can try to find someone else to merge with, but you’ll need to have something solid to back your bargaining. Otherwise, they’ll rip you to shreds and take your company away from you.”
“If you don’t get a good deal, then someone else will buy you out. I’m sure you don’t want a hostile takeover or a shake-down.”
“He’s right,” Nelly mutters. “I hate it when you’re right,” she murmurs, but I hear those words too.
“Think about it, okay?”
When she turns away from me again, I glance at Tommy.
“Should have discussed this with you, buddy, but Grandpops just sprung this on me last night, and I spent the past few hours trying to come up with a solution.”
Tommy sighs calmly. He always maintains a calm exterior, and I suspect it has to do with his job. As a prosecutor, he’s trained to not let people under his skin easily or give away his thoughts through his expressions.
“I understand,” he says to me, then we shake hands. Tom stiffens his hold on mine. “But if Nelly decides to do this to save the company, then you should know that she mustn’t get hurt in all of this. If she does, then you and I will have a lot to contend with, got it? You keep things strictly on paper. I know you well, Ethan, and I don’t trust that you won’t try to charm your way into her heart and then leave her hanging. You keep things strictly on paper and don’t play with my sister’s heart at all, or else you’ll have me to contend with. Got it?”
I gently laugh and shake my head as my friend releases my grip. “I’m not stupid enough to try.” Besides, Nelly’s like ice, and melting her would not be easy.
Even though I would enjoy trying.
Tommy says goodbye to Nelly before the two of us leave her office. I spend the rest of my day thinking about her eyes.
Those hazel eyes leave an unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. It reminds me of innocence and wildness all blended into one. It’s a feeling I can’t explore, so I clamp it down and bury it deep inside, just like I did five years ago.