RULES OF LOVE (A Navy SEALs Romance) (33 page)

He took a shower, dressed in white linen pants and shirt and went outside to join Zia. Several of his staff greeted him as he passed them.

"Hey, Zia," he called, kissing his sister on both cheeks.

"What is this I hear about the limo picking some girl up for the party?"

Nick looked at her, wondering how to handle her. If he blew her off and she discovered Sara at the party, she could cause a scene. "Do you need the limo?"

"No, I have my own," she smirked. “You’re evading my question.”

"Why are you so concerned with what I'm doing with my limo?"

"Because you've never sent the limo to pick up a girl. Is she the one that's got you all flustered? The one I said to fuck and get over?”

Nick looked around and noticed some of his staff looking at them. They pretended to be working, but he knew they were listening. He didn't want rumors spreading about Sara before she even met him as Nick Saunders. And Zia using words like fuck, even though it didn’t bother him, sort of undermined Sara, and he desperately wanted to protect her reputation.

"Zia, people are paying attention," Nick said as he pulled her to the side.

"She's the one that's got you flustered, isn't she?"

"I like her," Nick finally admitted to his sister, his lip curled. “But she’s none of your business.”

"You don't sound too pleased. If you like her, you should look happier," Zia said, looking him up and down. “Besides, any girl that comes into your life is my business. And you should know that.”

"I’m not angry. Sometimes you can be so self-absorbed. You think everything is about you." Nick sighed, exasperated.

“It’s not all about me?” Zia said, laughing. “I’ve been delusional.”

“Z, you’re a piece of work. One day you’re going to really put your foot in your mouth.”

"But you’ll be around the corner to save my butt if that were to ever happen.”

"I can't do it forever, you know," Nick said. “Save your butt.”

"Whatever. So, who is she? Wait, don't tell me. She's that Sara somebody on our guest list, isn't she?"

Nick nodded. There was no point denying what his sister would find out in a couple of hours. What did it matter at that point anyway? Sara was coming and that's all that mattered.

"Have I met her?" Zia asked, more relaxed now.

"No."

"Where did you meet her?"

"It's a long story," Nick said.

"Well, lucky for you, I have time to listen to my brother tell me about the love of his life."

"It’s not like that. She doesn't even know me, at least not the way you think."

Zia looked at Nick. "Okay, Nick Saunders, you better start talking. You’re sending a limo to get some girl you don’t know. Start talking.”

"Maybe later."

"No, right now," Zia said as she pulled his hand and started walking to one of their private gazebos. “You need to tell me what is going on.”

Nick spent the next hour telling Zia how he met Sara and how he had sent her the diamond necklace.

"So she doesn't know the necklace and invitation are from the same guy in the café?”

"No."

"How do you suppose you'll connect with her today? Walk up to her and lay on the charm?”

"That's what I've always done."

"And it's worked for those sluts you've dated. This one sounds like a tough nut to crack. Wouldn't be surprised if she were a virgin."

Nick blushed at the thought of a virgin mate. Could Sara really be a virgin? Rob, his private investigator, hadn't mentioned that in his report, which was good. That would have been creepy.

Zia looked at him and started laughing. "You know what virgins are, right? I know you've never seen one."

Nick playfully smacked her hand. "Are you saying you're a slut?"

"Hey there, brother, watch your mouth," Zia said and looked around to make sure no one was looking at them. “Or I’ll take your virgin bride off the list.”

Nick looked at his sister and laughed. "You better not mess with her.”

"I take it Ms. Nolles will not be donating ten million at this event."

"Highly unlikely,” Nick said.

"You will be making a donation for her." It wasn't a question. It was a fact. Nick nodded. "That's coming out of your pocket money, Nick Saunders, not the company’s."

"Of course," Nick said. He wouldn’t have it any other way. He had already planned to make a donation on Sara’s behalf, except he hadn’t yet figured out how he could do it without embarrassing her.

"She better be one good piece of ass! Ten-million-dollar ass. And if she’s a skinny bitch, I swear, I'll disown you." Zia left her brother and went back to the party planning.

Nick smiled. From what he remembered of Sara, she was far from bony. Nick had always wanted a woman with extra meat, and Sara was curvy all right. He smiled at his sister, who had moved on to throwing out commands at the staff. He almost wanted to tell Zia to take a break and let the party planner they had hired take care of things, but he changed his mind when he saw the young woman who looked like she was straight out of college standing in the corner, shaking and probably wondering why she had been hired as a planner in the first place.

SARA

A few hours later, I felt like a princess. My black hair was pinned up with a couple of loose curls purposefully escaping the sides. My nails had been painted, and Amy was doing my makeup much better than I expected. Initially, she had hired a makeup artist, but I had convinced her to cancel the appointment and make me up herself. Amy was good at it, and since she knew me better than anyone else, I knew she would do an amazing job of making me feel pretty.

"Done," she said as she stepped aside to admire her work.

"How do I look?" I asked, smacking my lips and tasting the strawberry-flavored lip liner she had used on my lips.

"Don't mess up your lipstick!" I smacked my lips again and made a face at her. "Gosh, sometimes I wonder if you're really an adult." I could see a faint smile on her lips.

I got up and walked to my dresser mirror. My eyes popped as I looked at myself. My hair, usually untamable, was sitting perfectly on top of my head, curls cascading down to the side in a controlled but sexy way. My lips were a deep shade of red, a color I'd never have used on myself. My glasses were gone, and in their place were my neutral contacts, which brought out my hazel eye color. Amy had accentuated my eyes with mascara and eye liner, making them bigger than I remembered.

I liked the way I looked. My makeup looked natural, almost invisible, yet it hid the few blemishes on my skin. I twirled around like a little girl admiring myself.

“Nice,” I said, hugging my best friend for life.

“I told you you’d look great,” she said, smiling at me.

I spun around a couple more times, laughing. Placing my hands on my hips, I smoothed the dress around my waist and over my abdomen. The redness of the dress complemented me. The only problem I had with the dress was that it was too revealing around my neckline. I tried to pull the top up so my boobs were better hidden, but to no avail. The neckline was cut too low. I pulled a couple more times until Amy noticed what I was doing and scowled at me.

"A little boob show won’t kill you, girl," she said, smacking my hands away from my dress and pulling the dress down so that whatever little decency I had managed to achieve was gone.

"But I don't want to look like a slut," I whined as I tugged on the dress.

"You are already a slut. You know what's going to happen tonight, right?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

“Did you really expect the billionaire boy to let you go home untouched? Don't you think he might want something out of all this?"

I stared at Amy, my eyes widening as her words played in my head. I hadn’t even considered that Nick Saunders wanted anything from me. He didn't know me, and the invitation was just by error. But what if he was expecting some sort of reward from the real Sara that I couldn't give? I gasped at the realization that I hadn't thought the whole thing through, very much unlike me.

"You’re scaring me, Amy," I blurted out. If she hadn't insisted I go to the party, none of this would have come up.

"Relax, Sara. He probably won't notice you. With the number of rich women throwing themselves at him at their stupid ball, I doubt he's going to do more than say hello to you.”

"You confuse me! Just make up your mind what he’ll do to me! But I hope you're right," I said to Amy as I slipped my feet into my heels.

"I am always right. The only person you'll have to watch out for will be his twin sister."

"He has a twin?"

"Didn't you read any of those articles I sent you on him?" Amy had sent me an email a few days ago with a bunch of articles on Nick. I had glanced at them but hadn’t really read them.

"Well, I started to..."

"You didn't read them, did you? You should have read them so you have an idea what you are getting into.”

"It's too late now. So what's up with his sister?" I asked.

Just as she started to explain, the doorbell rang. She walked over to the window and looked out. "Your ride awaits, royal slut," she joked as she handed me my clutch and practically marched me out of my house.

“So what’s up with the sister?”

“Oh, nothing much, except she is overprotective of Nick. I hear she vets every girl that comes around him. But I’m sure you’ll be okay.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but she wouldn't give me answers. Damn, I should have taken more interest in the email she had sent me. I guess I could research his sister on my phone as we drove. It was probably a good idea knowing what I was getting into before I got there. Or maybe I would just deal with things as they happened.

The driver of the limo stepped out of the car as I approached him and promptly opened the door. I smiled at him while trying to control my excitement. I had to pretend like riding in a limo was no big deal. The limo was impressive. Black on the outside and dark brown on the inside.

"Hello, David," I said, remembering him from the last time he delivered the card to me. “Good to see you again.”

"Good evening, Ms. Nolles. The pleasure is all mine,” he said as he held the door for me. I got into the car and he was back in the driver seat. "Ms. Nolles, can I offer you anything to drink? Water, wine, or juice?"

"No, thank you," I said, chuckling. It felt weird to be addressed so formally. As the car pulled out of the neighborhood, navigating through the narrow roads and potholes, I felt like I was in a different world.

NICK

Nick knew his guests would be arriving soon, but he was too wound up to stay put. Instead, he decided to go for a walk on his property. He would be back before the first guests arrived. Taking walks on his land was one of the things he enjoyed most about having money, and he hoped to share some of his pastimes with Sara, once she got to know him.

He put on some shorts and a tee and stepped out of the house and away from where the party was going to happen. As he breathed in the cool, fresh air, he felt himself begin to relax. The expanse of greenery had a way of helping him relax. The first time he had seen the land before he bought it, it had reminded him so much of what nature was meant to be - lush trees, hidden water paths, rocks, dandelions and all the other stupid little things that made him feel alive. He had instantly fallen in love with the land and quickly bought it and constructed his house without messing up the natural landscape.

During the construction, he had built a secret retreat in the middle of it all, and now, as he walked away from the noise and music, his feet took the sure path he knew so well. He relaxed and let his senses direct him. Once he was far from prying eyes, he sat on a huge stone. He had been so stressed with thoughts of Sara. Granted, he had just met her, but she was already taking over his life, pushing him past his comfort zone.

Lately, he had begun to question himself, making little stupid errors he knew better than to make. He had to be careful because Zia was already on him, noticing the little things he did wrong. It was weird how a girl he just met could make him lose control so quickly. He got up and kept walking.

As he strolled past a winding stream, he took off his shoes and waded into the water. It was beautiful and warm in the afternoon sun, just like he remembered Sara's face. He tried to imagine how she’d look at the party but couldn’t imagine her in anything other than the waitress outfit she made look so sexy. The thought of her body clad in that outfit aroused him. He needed to strip a couple of layers of clothes to cool off. He looked around to make sure no one was following him and took off his shirt; he wasn’t expecting anyone since no one came to that part of his property except him and his family. The staff never asked questions; they just knew not to venture to this part of the estate. If anyone ever wondered what they did in those forests, no one ever asked.

The beauty of being a billionaire is that you can buy privacy, as well as get a girl you really like to come to a party without speaking to her. He chuckled at the anticipation of seeing Sara's face again, staring into her eyes like he had the last time he had seen her, touching her, even if it was just a hug, and smelling her essence if she would let him. He sounded like a creepy stalker, and that was not what he wanted to project. He had to be careful he didn’t come across as an asshole or a weirdo.