25 Cora
Cora had to admit she had been wrong about a lot of things.
Jax wasn’t the villain she’d thought him to be.
Apparently dating apps weren’t as bogus as she’d once claimed.
And it was possible to fall in love in less than three weeks.
Turns out, Jane Austen was onto something, after all.
She let herself get lost in the kiss. The way his arm felt wrapped around her, holding her close. The way her fingers felt
laced through his hair. The way she was trying not to spill her champagne but had zero focus left to worry about keeping the
glass upright. She wanted to stay just like this, in his arms, lost in this moment forever.
And she might’ve, if it weren’t for the incessant buzzing happening between them.
Not the emotional kind. The physical kind. From some sort of electronics.
Without adding any more space between them than necessary, she looked into his eyes. “I hate to ruin the moment, but what
is that?”
He gave her a sheepish grin. “My phone.” He let go of her waist and pulled the buzzing device out of his jacket pocket. He
held it up as if proving his point, then flipped it over so he could read the screen.
She stepped back to give him room and took a sip of her champagne, trying to recenter herself with the physical world around
her.
“They need me in the ballroom.” He typed something on his phone, then looked over at her. “Sorry. I have to, um...” He
nodded at the door but there was hesitation there, like he didn’t want to go.
She didn’t blame him. She didn’t want to go, either. Being here with him, in the moonlight, felt magical. Almost like a dream. She didn’t want it to end.
She was so practical and controlled ninety-nine percent of the time that she’d forgotten what this felt like. She’d forgotten
what it was like to let go and let herself fall in love. To let herself be loved. And now that she remembered, she wanted
to stay here, in his arms. Something about being here with him in the soft light of the moon made her feel safe. It was like
they were separated from reality. The dangers of the real world couldn’t affect them, and she could allow herself to let go.
Although maybe it wasn’t the Moon Deck that gave her a feeling of security. Maybe it was Jax.
The thought both excited her and scared her.
“Is this the announcement? Are we finally going to have a legit reason to celebrate?”
He slid his hand around her waist again and pulled her into his strong chest. “As I recall, we were celebrating a perfectly
legit reason. Us.”
“Us,” she repeated, letting the word echo through her. In the past it would have made her want to sprint away from here. The
farther and faster, the better.
But not tonight. Tonight the possibility—the reality—of “us” made her want to stay. It made her excited not just to be in
this moment but to see what the future held.
He pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss. “I hate to say this, but, shall we?”
“If we must.” Reluctantly, she untangled herself from his embrace, and they made their way from the magic of the Moon Deck
back to the real world.
Cora had to blink against the harsh lights as they reentered the hotel. As they cruised down the hall toward civilization,
she ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to look less disheveled. Next to her, Jax did the same thing, although she
had to admit he looked as confident and in control as ever. He laced his fingers through hers.
When they got to the ballroom, most of the guests were already seated at the round banquet tables. A woman with a two-way radio headset and an iPad met them at the door.
She gave a quick glance at Cora, then ushered Jax around the perimeter of the room to the stage set up on the other side.
A well-dressed, distinguished woman was already on the stage giving a greeting.
Cora wondered for a moment if she should follow them, but decided against it. Headset Lady looked like the kind of person
who would’ve told Cora if she wanted her to follow, and she probably had zero patience for people who were where they didn’t
need to be. Besides, Cora had a better view of the stage from here, anyway.
She leaned against the back wall and halfway listened to the opening remarks, cherishing the warm glow of being in love.
The room was full of people sitting at tables draped in crisp white tablecloths and decorated with towering centerpieces.
Guests dressed in tuxedos and sparkling dresses shimmered in the light. The clink of crystal and the happy hum of conversation
provided the background to the formal remarks from the stage. Cora couldn’t help but be swept up in the magic of the moment.
The woman onstage introduced CEO Anders Padua, and the room broke into applause as Jax’s uncle took the stage.
“You must be the one.” A young woman about her age in a low-cut, sparkling dress sidled up to Cora in the midst of the applause.
“I’m sorry?”
“Jax’s new love interest.” There was a hint of scandal in her whispered voice, and perhaps a little jealousy. Cora figured
she was probably someone on the very long list of women Jax had dated. She was most likely here to give Cora yet another warning
about what a heartbreaker he was.
“That would be me.” A memory of the kiss swept through her, making her feel all warm and floaty. She didn’t need another warning
against Jax. At the moment, she felt pretty good about her decision.
“Are you new to town?”
“No, I’m from Houston. I’m only in town for the summer.”
“Ah, that makes a lot more sense.” Gossip Girl settled against the wall, seeming satisfied with the answer.
Although the comment struck Cora as strange. She probably should’ve let it go, but since letting things go wasn’t her strong
suit, she didn’t. “Sorry, what makes sense?”
“We were all wondering how it would work. An out-of-towner makes sense.”
Cora pulled her attention off the stage and focused on Gossip Girl. “How what would work?”
“The deal. You know, the rumor .” She winked at the last word, as if it were an inside secret.
Cora was starting to get annoyed. “And which rumor might that be?”
“The one that Anders Padua would only give his nephew the SVP position if the untamable Jax Verona could figure out a way
to settle down and find a committed relationship. But we figured there would be some kind of arrangement . Jax always finds a way to work the system.”
It took a second for the words to register, but as soon as they did, understanding hit her with the force of a bomb. The rest
of the room faded away, and Cora was standing there fully exposed with Gossip Girl and all her tea.
It was all a bet.
Of course it was. Jax wasn’t in love. He was only with her—had only stayed with her—because he needed her to win some sort
of bet with his uncle.
And Cora had been the fool who’d gone along with it.
“Right.” Cora wasn’t sure if she was agreeing with Gossip Girl’s assessment, her own realization, or the fact that she was
telling her body it had to continue standing despite her mind spinning out of control.
How could she have not seen this?
Gossip Girl leaned in like she was sharing a secret with her new bestie.
“And since you and I both know committing isn’t Jax’s style, we were all wondering how he’d pull it off.
” She shot a side-glance in Cora’s direction, sizing her up.
“But you’re brilliant. We should’ve known Jax would come up with something like this.
Someone from out of town who can silently slip away after the announcement.
No one knows you, so there won’t be a mess when it’s over. ”
“When it’s over.” Cora repeated the phrase.
Gossip Girl must have misinterpreted her tone, because she widened her eyes in an oops expression and covered her mouth with her dainty hand, all while maintaining her sly, knowing smirk. “Oh, we’re still pretending
it’s real, aren’t we? I mean, technically speaking the announcement hasn’t been made yet.” She leaned in again. “But between
us, you’re good. All anyone can talk about is how smitten Jax’s new date is with him. Very convincing.”
“It is my job, after all.” Cora’s voice was flat.
How had she missed the signs? How had she managed to let her walls, her well-constructed, well-justified walls, come down
for the town playboy who needed a fake date?
Gossip Girl brightened. “Oh! Are you an actress? I read this book once where the main character needed a fake boyfriend, and
she hired an out-of-work actor to do the job. It’s kind of smart, actually.”
It was at that exact moment that Anders announced Jax’s name and the whole room broke into applause.
Everyone except for Cora.
After all what was the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. But fool me twice...
Yeah, Cora wasn’t going to let it happen.
Ever. Again.
She turned to Gossip Girl amid the thundering applause. “I’m a commercial photographer from Houston in town for the summer.
Now, if you’ll excuse me.”
“Right.” She winked again as if it were their little secret. But when Cora walked away, Gossip Girl’s expression fell. “Wait,
but you were in on it, right? You knew it was fake?”
Cora didn’t bother to answer. She just kept going.
On her way out the door, she caught sight of Bianca seated at one of the tables in the back. Her expression must have said
it all, because Bianca instantly went from a carefree wave to a look of concern.
Her sister whispered something to Lord Farquaad, and Cora didn’t bother to watch to see what would happen next. She pushed through the door into the lobby.
She stomped out into the now-vacant area, her footsteps echoing off the marble floor. Red-hot anger bubbled up inside her.
She wasn’t sure who was making her more furious: Jax for deceiving her, or herself for falling for him.
Geez! She should know better. This was the exact thing she warned everyone else about. Relationships didn’t work. Men were
selfish and always left. It happened with her dad. It happened with her ex-fiancé. Of course it would happen with Jax.