Blackmailed by the Billionaire Brewer (12 page)

“Matt, it’s
a
place, not
your
place. It’s not your home. I don’t know how you can stand it, moving around all the
time.”

“I don’t have to worry about cleaning,” he said wryly as he looked around her living
room. “Or clutter.”

“Once I’ve cleaned up, it’ll stay that way now that Sophie’s moved out. But y’know,
some of us like clutter, stuff that holds memories to comfort us, to help us remember
good times.”

“And bad times? Do you keep stuff that reminds you of all the shitty things that happen?”
He picked up Stanley’s empty beer can, crushed it, and looked her hard in the eye.
“It’s hard enough to forget some of the shit in my life as it is. Reminders I do not
need.”

She didn’t want to go any further with this. Even though she ached to know what had
made this man so averse to putting down roots or forming ties, she sensed it would
pull her more into his orbit. She couldn’t risk taking a glimpse of this tortured
hero’s past history. It would be like following Alice down the rabbit hole and she
only had ten days to find her way out.

“We’re very different, you and I,” she murmured and cast her eye over the piles of
magazines, junk mail, and pens lying about the place. “You must think I’m crazy, too.”

“I think you’re amazing and beautiful and…” He pulled a crochet blanket off the back
of the sofa and wrapped it around her shoulders. “And you’re worth so much more than
all this.”

Piper made a snorting noise. “I must also be delirious. You’ll never guess what I
thought I just heard you say.”

“Huh?”

“Amazing and beautiful. I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me before.”

“You must have only dated jerks before in that case.” He squeezed her shoulders through
the blanket. “Are you sure you won’t let me stay and look after you? I’ll take the
sofa.”

She shook her head. “I’ll be fine, really, and I’d prefer to be alone right now. This
is my home, and it’s kind of sacred right now, a place for just me and Aspen to live
in. Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “All right, but someone will be watching this place until I’m convinced
you’re safe. At least until that police report is filed.”

“Okay, I know there’s no point in arguing with you, and I need some sleep.”

“You can sleep after tonight?”

“I’m exhausted, I need to try. So should you.” She closed her eyes as he kissed her
on the cheek. “I need to be alone now, Matt.”

And within seconds, she actually was. When she opened her eyes, Matt DeLeo had left
as surprisingly as he had arrived and had taken a crushed beer can with him.

Chapter Twelve

“You look amazing,” Matt said two days later, as Piper slid into the backseat of the
luxurious limousine that had been waiting outside her apartment for ten minutes. “I’m
sorry we’re starting a little earlier than planned, but I need to talk to you about
something before we get to the wedding.”

They were heading to the wedding of the year in a vehicle with blacked-out windows
and Piper was dreading it. “Is that why your driver isn’t actually driving and is
propped up against wall smoking a cigarette? I have this sudden sinking feeling…”

“Did you file that police report?”

Piper sighed. “Yes, boss, I filed the police report just like I said I would. They’re
doing what they need to do.”

Matt nodded stiffly. “And if they want to speak to me or Frank—”

“They have your number, don’t worry.”

“Good.” Matt glanced at the chauffeur outside for a second and then gave her all his
attention. “I’ve been thinking things over in the last couple of days. Longer than
that. The thing is…” He stared at her and she was sure she saw a spark of something
in the chestnut depths of his eyes, like the fizz of a comet in the night sky, gone
before you even knew it was there. “Piper, the chemistry between us is off the scale.
Look what happened in the elevator two nights ago and how close it came to happening
in the cabin during the storm. This isn’t a one-sided infatuation we’re dealing with
here.”

Infatuation? Is that what he had once thought it was?

“I wasn’t expecting that.” She raised her eyebrows with surprise. “I don’t really
know what to say—”

“Don’t say anything yet, just listen.” His face became animated. “I have a new proposal
for you.”

“Oh God, no.”

“Listen to me, hear me out for just a minute.”

She was tired and cranky, but she knew by now he wasn’t the kind of person who ever
gave up, so she might as well listen. “Go on.”

“I’ll release you from all future engagements, even the spring beer launch party at
the mayor’s mansion if you like, if we can agree to find a way to burn this thing
out between us. A fling, let’s call it that. Lots of fun, no stress, maybe some no-strings
sex, just enough to get Piper and Matt out of our systems. The strain of this will
kill me otherwise.”

She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”

But the really scary thing was that she secretly agreed with him. She hadn’t been
able to get him out of her mind since they’d last been together, in spite of what
Stanley had done. As the shock of the assault faded, the tenderness Matt had shown
her, the caring gestures, and his protectiveness had a deep effect. She wanted to
be near him in spite of everything, and the way her hormones were now going wild…
He was right, they had to do something, but she needed to guard her heart.

“I’m crazy?” he said. “So is this thing going on between us. We can’t risk another
event where we have to have sex in a public place. It’s only a matter of time before
we get caught.”

Remember, it’s just great sex, nothing more.

She let out a laugh. “You could blame it on the pink beer.”

She could tell by his expression that he was genuinely considering the idea. “Maybe
my excellent beer helps things along, but I still can’t get you out of my head. I’m
crazy about you.”

Those were strong words, and maybe she should feel scared by his admission, too much
too soon, an infatuation on his part driven by the amazing sex they had shared. This
was probably just a guy thinking with his dick and saying what she wanted to hear
to get her in the sack. But wasn’t she crazy about him too? For real?

She was also reluctantly impressed by how far he was prepared to go for her. Trashing
his precious PR campaign at this late stage to get what he wanted was a serious sacrifice,
she knew that. Maybe his suggestion was a good way to move forward, a clinical solution
to the physical symptoms they were experiencing. She didn’t need any more hassle and
stress, but…

“I need to think about this.”

“Sure.”

“What if I say no?”

“Then we’ll be back where we started: me blackmailing you with black lacy panties
behind the bar, a big beer launch, and inevitable sex in awkward places.” He shrugged.
“You have forty-five minutes before we get to the wedding of the year. Is that long
enough? I won’t interrupt your thoughts, I promise.”

True to his word, he didn’t utter a word as they sped through the Colorado landscape.
Piper stared blankly out at the blur of ragged mountains, snow, pines, and rock. Her
body wanted her to say yes to his proposal—heck, so did her brain if it meant she
could avoid more events like the gallery opening—but she couldn’t bring herself to
open her mouth and commit. None of this seemed right. Or maybe it all seemed too easy.

“We’re almost there.” His palm rested on her leg and a bolt of awareness rocketed
straight between her thighs. “So, what’s your answer?”

Her heart felt too large for her chest as it pulsed with adrenaline. She had to say
something. “Matt, I’m just not sure.”

He sighed and pressed a button on his armrest to activate the privacy screen between
them and the driver. “Then I’m going to have to prove something to you.”

His arm snaked over her waist and, before she could protest, his mouth was down on
hers, kissing her without restraint. She wriggled and squealed with protest for a
second or two, held firm by the seat belt and by his other determined hand holding
her jaw steady. But as his tongue probed and explored her mouth, she crumbled and
melted into him like she always did. It was so unfair that her body refused to obey
her brain and that hormones were so unbelievably potent, like a narcotic drug for
which there was no effective antidote except orgasm. It was insane—just one touch
from this man and she was like an animal in heat.

His hand slid up between her thighs and she felt his thumb press against her through
the silk of her panties. Then he began to circle slowly. She arched her back, instinctively
seeking more, either the length of his fingers inside her or the feel of him on her
breasts. She couldn’t believe how responsive her body was to him. Just the flick of
his finger and she was his. It felt wonderful…

He broke the kiss, but his lips were just inches from hers. “You see? It’s still there,
this wildfire attraction, and it’s not going away unless we feed it and let it burn
itself out.”

She moaned and closed her eyes as he continued to work between her legs. “Don’t…”

His finger moved under the elastic of her underwear. “Don’t stop? Or don’t do this?”

He slipped inside her slick heat and ran his finger up and down slowly until she began
to pant and squirm against his hand. “Yes,” she gasped.

Her eyes flew open as he suddenly withdrew, leaving her feeling cold and frustrated.
“What?”

“Sexual blackmail this time, Piper. No more orgasms until I get the answer I want.”

“Douchebag.”

He shrugged the insult off and arched a dark eyebrow at her. “Whatever label you put
on it, we’re having that fling anyway. It’s unstoppable, so you might as well give
in and agree. We’ll still call it quits after launch day on the fifteenth.”

She stared at him as he sucked his finger into his mouth. It hurt that he was so confident
he’d have had enough of her by then, but…what was she thinking? It had always been
about sex, just sex for both of them. Straight up. There was never going to be any
future for them. They wanted different things. “Midnight on the fifteenth and it’s
all over? And I don’t have to go to the beer launch if I don’t want to?”

“Nope.” He ran his hand through his hair. “But it’ll be a great party. Everyone who
is anyone in the Passion Creek business world will be there if they can. I’d like
to have you there if you have nothing else planned.”

She laughed bitterly as she pulled down her dress. “I have nothing planned, believe
it or not.”

“So it’s a deal? And a date?”

“It’s a fine example of your control freakery all over again. You’re scheduling me
and making crazy deals and I should resist you with my last breath. But okay, I’ll
go to the party.”

His eyes brightened. “Only eight days left. Eight days of no-strings sex, whenever
we want. You like sex with me, I like sex with you. You get to promote your business,
I get laid, you get laid, and we’ll both be very happy.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It is.” He adjusted his jacket as the car passed through the gates of the exclusive
Bosco di Montagne Mountain Chateau, where the wedding was soon to take place. “And
we’re here now, so let’s enjoy ourselves.”

Piper stepped out of the limo and smoothed down the pale aqua silk of her shift dress
over her thighs. The wedding of the year and she’d never had so much couture collateral
clinging to her body. She had discovered to her disgust that you really did get what
you paid for—not only was her outfit stunning, it fit like a second skin, just a whisper
of a garment on her body. It was gorgeous. And her hands were trembling. Even a car
journey with Matt DeLeo turned out to be something much more than she could ever have
anticipated.

“It’s colder than it looks out here.” She crossed her arms as she and Matt joined
the shivering crowd of guests heading for the warmth of the wedding venue’s front
desk. The bright medley of hats and dresses was like a sea of extra-large confetti
bobbing up and down, with excited chatter and laughter bouncing off the still quietness
of the banks of snow that surrounded the estate. This couldn’t be anything other than
a wedding; it reeked of anxiety, oozed with joy, and rustled with designer labels.

“See what I meant about the clothes now?” he said. “There’s a lot of money here today.”

Her heart leaped as she caught a glimpse of Melanie’s head in the distance. She was
busy greeting guests and ushering them into the fleet of horse-drawn sleighs that
would take them to the wedding chapel. Piper smiled as she remembered her buddy’s
excuse for not replying to her texts and emails on the night of the storm. At last
Melanie seemed to be getting a taste of romance, and she sincerely hoped it would
turn out well. It certainly stood a better chance than her own morally questionable,
sex-fest, non-relationship with Matt DeLeo.

Half an hour later, everyone was settled in their beribboned seats, and a hush descended
as the harpist began to play the bride up the aisle. The ceremony itself went off
perfectly, a carefully choreographed occasion adorned with silver lanterns, church
candles, and pink roses set against a natural backdrop of mountains and snow. The
quaint chapel set deep in the foothills was almost magical, with guests still breathless
and excited by their sleigh rides. It was the perfect choice for a wedding at the
tail end of winter. The vows were made, the happy and impossibly handsome couple kissed,
and Piper knew Melanie would still be nervous. She always was until the whole thing
was over, but that was what made her so good at her job. A perfectionist down to the
tiniest detail.

A nudge at her elbow made her look at Matt sitting next to her. He was offering her
a handkerchief. “And?” she said with disdain.

“You’re supposed to be wiping away tears of joy, overwhelmed with the romance of the
ceremony by now.”

“Not me,” she said smartly as the front rows of guests obediently stood to follow
the bride and groom out of the chapel. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I can’t
stand weddings.” She wanted to make a comment about divorce statistics, but stopped
herself just in time as she realized how inappropriate that would be.

He shoved the hankie back in his pocket. “You’re the first woman I’ve ever met who
didn’t become an emotional mess at a wedding.”

“Really? Then you haven’t looked very closely. How many weddings have you been to?”

“A lot. Most of my friends and colleagues are in their thirties, or at least their
girlfriends are.” He winked. “Those darned biological clocks start ticking real loud
about then.”

She sniffed and looked around to see if anyone in their row was making a move. “If
you say so.”

“Dysfunctional relationship? Your mom and dad?”

“No.” She glared at him. “What have they got to do with anything? They’ve been happily
married for thirty years.”

“So what have you got against weddings?”

It was a question she’d never been asked before and it took her a moment to remember
why these occasions made her cringe so much. She blew out a breath of air before replying.
“It just seems like such a huge waste of money.”

Matt’s face crumpled for a second and he appeared to be having a coughing fit.

Other guests were beginning to stare and Piper frantically slapped him on the back
a few times. “Are you okay?” She felt panicky. Had he been chewing gum or something?
“Matt?”

His head fell between his knees and she heard him draw a steadying breath before saying,
“That is one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard.”

“Idiot.” She stood up and shoved her purse under her arm. “I thought you were dying
or something.”

“I might.” He chuckled again before sitting upright. “I’m sorry I lost it there. There’s
something about the way you say stuff sometimes that really cracks me up.”

She frowned down at him, not entirely immune to the laughter lines at the corners
of his deep brown eyes. She took a quick look around them and was relieved to see
that everyone had lost interest in them. She dropped her voice a few decibels just
to make sure she didn’t offend anyone. “So you love this kind of thing? For richer,
for poorer, and all that?”