Chapter 29
NOLAN
“Ican’t believe you’ve never had chiles rellenos before. You’ve even been to Mexico,” Val said.
I didn’t usually eat at hole-in-the-wall restaurants, but Val had insisted the Mexican place in downtown Hale’s Peak was as authentic as they came. I had to admit, it was delicious.
After the past week of nonstop resort activities with Val, chasing down the truth about my mother’s death, and actually running an entire company, we finally got to spend last night together in bed—not sleeping.
My appetite for Val was insatiable. I’d wanted to hide away with her all day, but her stomach had other ideas and I was finding there was nothing I would deny her—even venturing out into the cold for some food when I’d much rather stay in and devour her instead.
“Last time I was in Mexico City, I was stuck in work meetings,” I admitted. “Had to live off of room service and coffee runs.”
“Boring,” she said, giving me a playful kick under the table. “You need to get out more.”
I smiled and finished off my dinner. “After this next meeting, I’m at your disposal.”
Her cheeks colored and she hid her smile behind her bite of food.
I loved seeing this side of Val, the carefree and relaxed woman who took her time walking in the winter sunshine and eating a delicious, messy meal.
In the months we’d spent together, this was the most at ease I’d ever seen her.
I didn’t want to be arrogant and think it was because of our relationship, but a small part of me hoped that I could have this kind of effect on her.
“Want to stop somewhere for a drink?” I asked.
“I have some time before I need to get back.” I had a call with some potential investors to fund my new project, and I had less than a month to convince them before my big proposal to the board.
As long as it fit in the budget, I might be able to sway them to approve renovations for Hale’s Peak instead of selling it.
But I was still in the exploratory stages, so I hadn’t told Val yet.
If this worked, I could push through the renovations like she and everyone else thought was the original plan anyway.
No harm, no foul. Yeah, she’ll definitely see it that way.
Val would be pissed if she ever found out the truth, but it would never come to that. I was fixing it.
The cold air swept through us as we went to the bar next door and slid into the two remaining seats.
It was after dinner and prime time for après-ski.
Townsfolk and tourists alike gathered to sip drinks and chat over bar food.
When the bartender approached us with an expectant look, I opened my mouth to order a scotch, but Val interrupted me.
“We’ll take two of your Golden Peach beers, please. ”
“What in the entire hell is that?”
“Delicious, is what it is. Trust me.”
I did trust her—and not just with my drink choice.
The things I feel for this woman… It had me seriously thinking about what a future with her could look like—a future where I wasn’t married to Cressida.
And those were reckless thoughts to be having about a relationship with a countdown timer.
We had one month of the ski season left before we’d have to either break up or figure out what to do, so I set it aside. Plenty of time to deal with it later.
The bartender plopped two pint glasses brimming with cloudy orange-ish beer in front of us, and I took a sip. It was, in fact, delicious.
“Aha! See, I told you,” Val said.
My lips ticked up and I took another drink. “Don’t tell anyone about this. It will ruin my image.”
“Speaking of that…” Val drew her finger around the rim of her glass. “We’re still in the clear with the tabloids?”
“Seems like it,” I said. “Although you can never be too sure about these things.”
“And it’s okay for us to be out like this?” She darted a nervous glance around the room, as if paparazzi would be crouching behind the potted plants or hiding under the menus. Beneath the shadows of the bar top, I slid my hand up her thigh and smiled when she shivered under my touch.
“As far as anyone can tell, we’re on a business meeting. I’m just another suited man in a sea of other suited men,” I said. “I blend in here well enough.”
“You’re not just another suited man to me,” she said, her eyes darkening to honey brown. I tightened my hand on her leg.
“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll give you what your eyes are asking for.”
Brushing her fingers across mine, she said, “Patience,” throwing my words from our first night together back at me. A flood of sexual imagery raced through me and my cock twitched to attention. “Any updates on your mystery pen pal investigation?”
That killed my boner real quick.
I took a long pull from my fruity beer, then filled her in about Tess’s letters, the affair, and some of my suspicions.
As I spoke, tension I didn’t even know I’d been holding loosened its grip.
It felt good to talk to someone—no, it felt good to talk to Val.
She’d quickly inserted herself into my life as my confidante, even more so than Daphne or Cressida.
As she listened to my updates, her eyes grew wide.
“So Tess was right? There really was foul play?”
I finished off my beer and toyed with the empty glass.
“Yes. I’m still working on proving it.” I didn’t tell her about the damning words Tess had heard the man say or that I was very close to putting all the pieces together.
I needed to keep that information close to the chest until I figured out how to handle it, and I didn’t want Val getting caught in the crossfire.
“If there’s anything I can do to help, tell me.”
I swept my fingers across her knuckles. This was as close as she was getting to this mess. “Thank you. But don’t worry about me. I have my best people on it.” As I smoothed my suit, Val’s eyes scraped over me in a way that had me looking for a shadowy hallway for us to sneak off to.
But then both of our phones pinged at the same time, interrupting the moment. I glanced at the screen, and the bold letters of the headline shouted an accusation at me.
Fuck.
Not now.
When Val’s eyes met mine, wide with horror, I knew I was inches from losing her forever.
VAL
Ever since the gala, I’d had a pit in my stomach the size of a bowling ball.
Cressida had assured me that the tabloids were under control and she’d silenced Erica.
But even so, that feeling of dread had not abated.
So when my phone pinged with a Google news alert, quickly followed by a text from Cressida, I knew what it would say.
But I still nearly fainted when I read the headline.
FORMER PLAYBOY BILLIONAIRE BACK AT IT WITH NEW PLAYMATE
A picture of Nolan and me dancing at the gala, followed by a grainy cell phone photo of me descending the lobby stairs with my hair in disarray, my makeup smeared.
There was only one person who could have taken that photo. So no, I wasn’t surprised. I was angry, upset, embarrassed, violated. And above all, heartbroken.
We are ruined.
We’re over.
Because how could I live with myself, with any of this, knowing that Nolan’s entanglement with me ruined his life, Cressida’s life, wrecked his business plans, and cost him his job?
In a daze, I was vaguely aware of Nolan ushering me outside and into the awaiting Escalade to take us back up to the resort.
Once inside the car, Nolan’s hands found my face and pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. His earnest expression brought tears to my eyes. “Val, this changes nothing between us. Do you hear me? Nothing. I will fix this. I will take care of you. I promise.”
As the barrage of self-blame coursed through me, I could only nod.
The whole ride to his house, Nolan never let go of my hand.
After he got me settled in a fuzzy blanket on the couch, Cressida exploded into the entryway, yelling into her phone.
“I’ll have your head for this, you bastard.
” She hung up with a vicious jab, then turned to face us.
“Editor of Star News Now is a fucking piece of work. I’ll do my best to stifle this, but other outlets are already picking it up.
Erica, the little snake, must have told Stefan.
The Daily Gab was the first to break the story.
She was probably sitting on it to make it worse and more shocking for us.
The rotten wench adores psychological warfare. ”
“You can’t reel it in?” Nolan asked, pulling me against him as if he could physically shield me from the blowback.
“I can, to an extent. But the Alistairs own The Daily Gab, a direct competitor to my father’s Sun Reporter, and they’re eating this shit up and blasting it out to other piddly little blogs. Dear old Dad has been blowing up my phone about it.”
The pit in my stomach got deeper. “I’m sorry.
” My voice came out much smaller and weaker than I wanted it to.
That night at the gala, I’d been silly. Selfish.
Only thinking of what I wanted,and not how this would affect Cressida if it ever got out—“Cressida, oh my god. Are you in trouble? Your family’s blackmail? ”
Cressida grasped my shoulder in a firm hand. When she spoke, her expression was resolute. Determined. “Crisis management was my full-time job before I became my family’s prize show pony. I have this handled.”
I nodded but didn’t feel good about it. That got the problem-solving gears of my mind turning.
I couldn’t let her shoulder all of the responsibility for our mistakes.
Glancing at Nolan, he looked to be of the same mind, his face as cold and hard as a statue as he flicked through the headlines on his phone.
It was late, but the resort bar would still be open, and I could use a drink—and I had some calls to make. Turning to Nolan, I said, “I might have an idea for how to help with this, but I need some time to work it out. And I…need to clear my head. I’ll be back soon.”