A Hollywood Bride (Billionaires' Brides of Convenience Book 2) (22 page)

“We talked a bit about it, but…no. I didn’t.”

“The contract he offered is very fair, much better terms, and the other guy backed off without a fight.”

Mira can be headstrong, but she can’t win against Ryder. Not only is he her client, but underneath that carefree playboy façade lies steel.

“Anyway, I just thought I should mention it and thank you. I know you had something to do with it.”

“Not at all.” Her gratitude is misdirected; she only became a target because of me. She needs to know, so I tell her how Mira used the trust to get to her, in order to use her as leverage against me.

“Are you
kidding?
What a…witch!” Bethany says in outrage.

“Yup. I’m sure she’ll leave you alone now, though.”

“More importantly, she better leave
you
alone. You aren’t some puppet she can control!”

“I know. I’m sure she’s learned her lesson,” I say.

A text comes in. I pause for a second. “Can you hold?” My heart pounding, I check it.
Maybe it’s Ryder…
Disappointment crashes through me when I see that it’s from Renni. I click on it, just in case it’s something urgent. Although Mira’s backed off from my stepsister, she also threatened my best friend.

I thought I should send you this before you see it on the Internet
.
Apparently Ryder’s been staying here
.

She’s attached a photo of a hotel I’m familiar with. It’s the place Ryder had that orgy the night before his cousin’s rehearsal dinner. He’s coming out of the building in the picture, eyes hidden behind a huge pair of sunglasses.

The usual assholes are saying you guys broke up
,
but I don’t buy it
.
Argh
.
Maybe we should sue them for defamation or something
,
no?

I return to my call with Bethany. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Of course. Take care of yourself. And no matter what happens, just remember you’re awesome and I love you.”

“Love you, too, Bethany.”

I go back to the picture. Then I type,
When?

Yesterday according to the
“
news
,” Renni responds.

Thank you!

After throwing on a clean tunic and skirt, I grab my purse and car keys. It’s time I go track down my fiancé and tell him how I feel.

* * *

There is a sense of déjà vu as I walk through the main entrance to the lobby. Chandeliers hang from the high, golden ceiling, and my shoes click with every step.

A young woman in a black suit stands behind the front desk, and she gives me a smooth professional smile. “Good evening, ma’am. How can I help you?”

“Can I speak to the manager on duty, please?”

“May I inquire what this is in regards to?”

“Just tell him Paige Johnson is here.”

She frowns slightly, but says, “Please have a seat.” She gestures at the empty couches behind me. “I’ll be right back.”

I sit and wait. The orchids on the table look exceptionally white and elegant. Thin but sturdy wires hold the stems in place.

Soon, the manager comes out. This time he doesn’t come with security. I give him a small, friendly smile.

“Paige. What a surprise,” he says, his words lightly accented.

“Hello, Patrik.” I stand up. “I’m here to see Ryder. I understand he’s staying here.”

“Oh, terribly sorry, but Mr. Reed checked out just an hour ago.”

“He did?” I say almost stupidly.

Patrik looks sympathetically devastated. “If I’d only known you were coming…”

Suddenly I’m tired. “Do I need to settle the account?”

His palms jump up between us. “No, not at all. Everything’s been taken care of.”

“He might’ve left something behind. Would you mind if I check?”

There’s something that looks suspiciously like pity in his kind blue eyes. “Of course. Let me grab a keycard, and we can go up together.”

We take an empty elevator. I keep my chin up and back straight even though I want to collapse in a corner and cry. Down the hall, we hit the same suite where Ryder had his wild party with naked women and empty bottles of booze and the hazy smoke of burnt pot.

Housekeeping hasn’t had a chance to clean the suite yet. I turn to Patrik. “You don’t have to stay. It may take a while.”

He nods and steps back a pace. “Take your time.”

The door closes behind him with a soft click.

I look around. No signs of wild partying or womanizing. Just rumpled sheets and a shower that’s been used. A couple of towels on the bathroom floor. I kneel on the side of the bed and bury my face in the pillows.

They smell like Ryder—the clean soap and that indefinable man scent that never fails to send hot jitters of longing thorough my whole being. The pain of not having him with me is almost physical, a knife piercing my heart. I press a tight fist against my chest and swallow a sob.

I fumble through my purse until I find my phone. I dial Ryder’s number. He used to always answer me, but now…

This time is no exception. After what feels like forever, I get voice mail.

“You have reached…” a soulless mechanical voice drones on until a sharp beep cuts it off.

“Ryder, it’s me. Paige. I don’t know where you are…or how angry you still are with me, but I want you to know I miss you and I want you back. You remember how you said I was looking forward to the end of one year? Well, you were wrong. I was afraid. I just couldn’t believe you could ever love me, and I didn’t want to be that cliché—an assistant who falls for her boss. But…” I drag in a shuddery breath. Hot tears thicken in my throat, and I compose myself so I can actually talk rather than start blubbering like an idiot. “I’m in love with you, Ryder. Crazy, stupid in love. It hurts to be away from you, and I hope it’s not too late for us. Just come back. I’m so sorry about everything. I—”

The voice mail beeps again, ending the recording. My hand clenches around my phone. And this time I can’t stop the flow of tears or the sounds of sorrow and loss being dragged out from deep inside me.

By the time I leave the suite, the pillows are soaked through.

Paige

I do not want to get up the next morning. Nor do I want to go downstairs and sit at the counter with Elizabeth and pretend to be okay.

The mirror presents a horror show. Red rims my swollen eyes, and my complexion is blotchy. If it weren’t for being pregnant, I’d just stay in bed. But I have to think about the baby.

With a sigh, I put on a t-shirt and a pair of gray sweats and drag myself downstairs. Sue, the housekeeper, puts sunny yellow daisies in the living room and dining room…maybe to counteract my mood. I’m not exactly good at masking my emotions.

Elizabeth, of course, looks perfect. She’s at the counter, outfitted impeccably in a blue designer dress, sipping her coffee as usual. Her eyes go dark with concern and worry as she looks at me. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah.” My voice is a rasp, and I wince.

“I’m such an idiot. Of course you aren’t okay. When he comes back, I’m going to kill him. Then handcuff him to you.” She gestures at the counter. “The chef made some eggs, bacon and pancakes. If you’d rather have something else—”

“No, it’s fine.” The chef could offer me a gold-plated, Michelin three-star pancake, and I still wouldn’t want it. I’m only eating for the baby.

We sit in silence as I mechanically shovel food into my mouth. I don’t want to be rude, but I also don’t want to go on and on about Ryder to his sister. She doesn’t seem to know what topic to safely broach either.

Maybe I should go home to Sweet Hope…or take a short trip to someplace nobody knows me…

Sue bustles in. Her face is flushed, and excitement glitters in her eyes. “It’s him!”

“Who?” Elizabeth says.

“Mr. Reed!”

I jump to my feet. “He’s here?”

“No. He sent a car for you.” She flings her arm behind her. “You’re supposed to pack a few things and go with the driver as soon as possible.”

I don’t even bother to hear the rest of what she has to say. Food forgotten, I rush to my suite and start packing. Since I have no idea how long it’s going to be or anything, I toss fistfuls of everything into a suitcase.

Elizabeth comes in a few minutes later. “Make sure you take your passport as well,” she says. “And only your lightest clothes.”

“Why?” I ask, not stopping.

“Because.” Her smile reaches her eyes, and their corners crinkle. “The driver told me you’re going to Thailand.”

That stops me. “
Thailand?
”

“Uh-huh. Our family—on the Pryce side, I mean—has a vacation home there. Very private.” She shakes her head. “That must be where he is, although I have no idea why. It’s so far away.”

“I don’t care how far it is. I’m going! Now!”

She laughs at my enthusiasm. “Okay, okay.” She removes a pair of sweats from my suitcase, along with two long-sleeved shirts. “Don’t forget to send a postcard.”

I scurry around, gathering all my shorts and light tops and hurling them into the suitcase. One of the men who maintain the garden at the mansion comes up, takes my bag downstairs and loads it into the waiting Mercedes.

Finally! I’ll see Ryder in a few hours.

The ride to the airport feels interminable. I clasp my hands together, then let them go, and squirm around. Sitting still like a grown-up is impossible. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve.

Ryder’s pristine white jet is waiting. I walk up the steps to board, then step inside the cabin. There’s an attendant…but that’s it.

“Where’s Ryder?” I ask the woman.

“You’re the only passenger.”

My mouth parts. “I am?”

“Yes, ma’am. Please sit down and relax. Would you like anything to drink? Ginger ale? We also have various juices, water…”

“No.” I shake my head, taking a seat. “I’m all right.”

Except I’m not all right. I was so certain Ryder was going to join me. He could’ve left last night, but then why didn’t he take his plane?

For all I know, Ryder may be staying in L.A., and banishing me to the opposite end of the planet. I pull out my phone in case he’s left a text or a voice mail. But there’s nothing.

I don’t even know if he’s heard my message. Sudden fatigue weighs me down, and as the plane starts to taxi I lay my head listlessly against the leather seat and close my eyes.

* * *

Ryder

Dane may be an asshole—no, he
is
an asshole—but he’s an honest one. I inspect the vacation home, making sure it’s perfect. The beach is so clean it looks almost artificial. The water is a perfect shade of aquamarine, and the white sand feels like silk between my bare toes. Not a cloud mars the endless blue of the sky, and the breeze helps cool me down some, although I must admit the humidity is brutal. Having lived in L.A. for so long, the mugginess is killing me.

But it’s a small sacrifice to pay for privacy. I stopped by the market, just as a test, and the locals didn’t pull out their phones to snap photos or start following me around. They checked me out—after all I’m a foreigner—but they left me alone otherwise. And the shop clerks were sweet without fawning over me.

I hate to admit it, but Dane’s suggestion was spot-on. This is exactly the kind of place Paige and I need to spend some time if we want to work out our issues.

The housekeeper, Peeraya, comes out of the house. “Sir, you have message from the airport. Madam’s plane landed,” she says, her lilting accent softening every syllable. “She will come soon.”

“Thank you.” I turn, facing the beach again.

The phone in my pocket seems to grow heavier. I know there’s a new voice mail from Paige, but I’m not going to listen to it. I can’t.

What if she said, “I’m sorry you love me. That was never what I wanted”? Then I’d have to abort this whole mission. But not knowing, I can still cling to hope.

Closing my eyes, I breathe in the ocean air. If she were any other woman, I would’ve known she was sending me a voice mail fawning over me. Perhaps her refusal to be dazzled by my money and fame is what makes Paige so interesting and lovable. I know that even if I lost everything, she wouldn’t treat me any different. To her, I’m always going to be just Ryder.

But I want to be Ryder
the Man She Loves
.

Soon the black SUV shows up. I see a shadow in the back seat.

My heart thumps once, a powerful knock against my ribs, then starts racing. My mouth goes dry.

This is it. The moment I lay down everything.

I go out and open the door for her, while the driver takes her suitcase. In a light white sundress, Paige smells fresh, like soap and floral shampoo; clearly, she used the amenities on the jet. I have to reign myself in from inhaling her and kissing her until we’re both breathless and needy. As awesome as sex is, it’s not going to give me what I really need right now—her heart.

Dark circles show underneath her concealer, and her eyes are slightly puffy. “Was the flight bad?” I ask. She should’ve had a bed to herself to sleep.

“No, it was great. I just, you know…couldn’t really sleep much.” Her gaze roams over me like she can’t believe it. Hopefully she’s not thinking, “I can’t believe he dragged me out here.”

My hand at the small of her back, I escort her to the house. The foyer is airy with a tall ceiling and lots of glass. The living room is the same, and it has a spectacular view of the ocean.

The dining room smells amazing. Peeraya has laid out huge fried prawns and dipping sauces as an appetizer, salads and a shallow pot with two fresh bass simmered in a mild broth spiced with Thai herbs.

“Want something to eat?” I ask.

“Are you hungry?” she says instead.

I realize I am. “Yeah.”

“Then let’s eat.”

She washes her hands and returns to the dining room. I pull out a chair for her, and she sits down.

I take the chair across from her. “Start with the shrimp.”

“I’ve never eaten anything like this before.” She picks one up, looking slightly worried.

“Yeah, it’s not your typical American breaded and fried shrimp.” For one, the prawn is huge, almost the size of Paige’s hand. It’s been wrapped in some kind of thin noodles and fried. The noodle wrapping is dry and crispy, while the shrimp is warm and juicy inside.