Yours Completely: A Cinderella Love Story (Billionaires and Brides #1) (20 page)

It still rang.

“On three?” Ella offered. Jace nodded. “One, two, three.”

Neither one moved.

“That didn't work as well as I was hoping,” Jace murmured. “You go first. You're on top of me.”

“Not fair,” Ella replied. She took a deep breath in and out. “Give me a push.”

Again, neither of them moved. There was no push. The phone stopped and Ella held her breath, hoping it wouldn't start. But it did.

“On three again,” Jace said. “One, two, three.”

This time they both stood up. She was cold without him pressed against her. She shivered, and hurried over to her dress, quickly putting on her things and wishing the whole time that she could just go back to that chair.

Jace picked up his pants, pulled out the phone, and then glared at it. Ella just watched him, enjoying looking at Jace without his clothes on and committing everything to memory. He was such a gorgeous specimen of man that it was hard not to stare. He slipped on his shirt, oblivious to her stares.

“Okay.” Ella tugged her dress back into place and smoothed her hair back in place. “We should probably get going. I'm sure the winery wants this room back and it looks like there's things that you need to get done.”

“Unfortunately.” Jace's face darkened. “I'm sorry, Ella. I wish we could just stay here for the rest of the day. The rest of the month, really.”

Ella walked over and kissed his cheek. She loved the way his face softened when she did that. It wasn't much, but a shift in his lips to a slight smile made her feel like she made a difference to his world. “It's okay. Promise. I should get back and make sure that the inn hasn't burned down.”

“Come here,” Jace commanded, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to him. He threaded his hand behind her neck, drawing her into his lips for a core-shaking kiss. Ella melted, falling into the him and letting her body take over. Her body knew that Jace was the right man for her, even if her head was trying to tell her to be cautious. Ella's world spun on Jace's axis for a moment, and she forgot how to stand or even to breathe.

“Wow,” she whispered as he let her go. “Many more of those and I won't be able to walk out of here.”

Jace grinned, cocky and pleased with himself. “That's kind of my plan.”

***

E
lla paused before getting back on the helicopter. Knowing what was coming, she wasn't sure how much she wanted to get back on the flying death machine. It wasn't like she had much of a choice though. It was a several hour long car ride back to the inn from here and she didn't have a car. Ella had no doubt that Jace would get her one, but she didn't want to go without him.

A warm hand slid into hers, sending her strength. “Don't worry. It gets easier each time,” Jace promised her.

She nodded. He helped her into the luxurious helicopter and sat down beside her. His phone buzzed.

“I'm just getting on the helicopter,” he informed the person on the other side. “I'll take care of it once I'm in front of my computer. I can't do anything until I see the numbers.”

“Sounds fun,” Ella remarked once he hung up. “Something wrong?”

“The problem with running a conglomerate business is that there's always something going wrong somewhere.” Jace shook his head. “It's my job to put out the fires and keep investors happy, no matter what industry they are in.”

The helicopter's blades started whirring overhead. Ella closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Jace laced his fingers between hers without being asked.

“Sounds awful,” Ella replied, doing her best to ignore the lift off sensation as they left the ground. “I'm guessing that it's going to take your evening away tonight, though.”

Jace smiled sadly and nodded. “Unfortunately. I wish it wouldn't, but...”

“You run a business,” Ella responded. “I get it. The inn doesn't stop running just because I want a day off. I'm just glad I got today with you.”

“Me too,” Jace said. His eyes grew soft and he brought her hand to his lips. The fluttering in Ella's stomach had nothing to do with the helicopter. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

“I have to work. There's another wedding coming in next weekend and I need to get everything reset. I don't know how much free time I'll have.” Or how much trouble she was in. Delores was bound to be pissed that Ella spent the day off cavorting with Jace instead of slaving away at the inn. “Why? How long are you staying?”

“My sister leaves for her honeymoon in Belize tonight, but I leave in the morning.” Jace frowned. “I would much rather spend it with you than dealing with this latest crisis.”

“Breakfast, then?” Ella tried to smile, but she could feel him already leaving her.

“That would be great,” Jace replied. His phone rang and he cursed. Ella smiled and motioned for him to take it, closing her eyes and pretending she was simply napping in a car and not floating on the wind in a windup toy.

She tried to imagine breakfast tomorrow. What would they talk about? Was it even a good idea? He was leaving and she wasn't. As much fun as they had this weekend, as strong as their connection appeared to be, their time together was over. Jace would go back to his life as the CEO and she would go back to trying to save the inn.

“You have that deep thought look again,” Jace said, pulling her from her thoughts. He took her hand again. “What are you thinking about this time?”

Ella chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before answering. She needed to know. They couldn't put this conversation off any longer. “What happens next?”

She hated the way he froze, his breath halting in mid inhale. Yet, he didn't let go of her hand or make any other movement. If she hadn't been touching him, it would have been difficult to notice any reaction from him at all. She held her breath while she waited for him to answer.

There were two possible outcomes. One, was that he would say that nothing happened next. That this was a wonderful, fun, and energizing fling, but that's all it was. That he was going to go back to his exciting life and she would go back to her dull one. Thanks for the memories.

Or... or he would say he wanted more. That she was everything he'd ever wanted in a woman and that he needed her to run away with him right now. They could be on his private jet by this evening and he would rescue her from her evil stepmother.

Three heartbeats turned into four, and into ten. She stared at his hand holding hers.

“I don't know what happens next,” he said after far too long. Ella didn't dare raise her head. That was closer to the 'nothing happens next' outcome than the 'run away with me' one.

“It's fine,” she said, saying the lie that all women tell men when it really isn't. She hoped he couldn't see the tear trickling out of her eye.

“Ella, it isn't fine.” His voice was low and deep, reverberating through her entire body. “I don't want to leave, but I never planned on meeting someone like you.”

She nodded, letting go of his hand and pretending to brush her hair from her face but really wiping away the tear. “I understand.”

“Ella-” He shifted his body and put his hand on her cheek, gently forcing her to look at him. “Ella, I haven't been this happy in a very long time. I don't want to lose this, but...”

“But it's only been a weekend,” Ella finished for him. “You don't want to run away with me only to find the magic doesn't last.”

Jace nodded. His blue eyes were dark and solemn. Ella stared into them, knowing his words were reasonable and honest, yet somehow they cut her to the core. She felt something with him, something she firmly believed would never go away. Yet, she'd seen enough marriage ceremonies to know that instant love didn't always mean perma-love. They needed to be careful.

She smile and squared her shoulders. She would be strong through this. It was only a weekend. Her heart would survive.

“I mean it when I say I haven't been this happy in a long time. You make me happier than I thought I ever could be.” Jace's blue eyes threatened to absorb her completely. She warmed slightly. He meant every word, and her head knew it was perfectly reasonable.

“Me too.” She took back his hand. “What if we just take it slow? You know where I live. Maybe you can take a long weekend sometime soon?”

The lines of worry faded from Jace's face and a handsome grin replaced them. “I think I have some vacation days coming up.”

“You mean you didn't use them all up on your sister's wedding?” Ella teased. Wind rocked the helicopter but she ignored it. She was getting better at this already.

“I'm the boss,” Jace replied. “I get as many days off as I want.”

“Then why not just take them all off?” Ella asked, leaning back. She was glad they weren't talking about “them” anymore. It hurt more than she had expected.

“Because I do have at least pretend to do work,” Jace teased. As if to accentuate his words, his phone started to ring again.

“Better get pretending, then,” Ella told him. Her mouth smiled and she decided to pretend herself. She could pretend that everything was fine. She didn't need Jace. She'd been on her own for years and he'd only been here for a couple of days. In a week, everything would be back to normal and she would just look back on this weekend and smile.

At least, that's what she told herself.

T
he helicopter landed just as smoothly as it did the time before. Ella didn't even make a noise this time. This time she even managed to smile. Granted, it didn't touch her eyes and the falseness of it hurt her jaw, but she did smile. There was hope for her helicopter flying days yet.

Jace held her hand as they stepped out of the helicopter and hurried away from the noise of the blades. It was amazing to Ella just how noisy the machine was. As soon as they were clear of the landing zone, the helicopter took off again to return to the hanger, leaving them on the edge of the inn's property.

“I'm afraid I have to go to work,” Jace informed her as soon as the helicopter was gone.

“It's okay,” Ella quickly told him before he could say that he was sorry. She understood that he was a busy businessman and that he hadn't planned on taking today off at all. Despite his fine words that he was the boss, she could only imagine how many of his CEO strings he had to pull just to get the time off he did. “Today has been the best day I think I've ever had.”

Jace's expression softened slightly. “I'm glad. Can I at least walk you home?”

Ella giggled. “I am home.” She motioned to the inn. “I live here, remember?”

“Right.” Jace managed to look slightly bashful, which was a good look on him.

“But, you can walk me to the barn,” Ella offered. “I want to check on Captain and Commander after their big day yesterday.”

Jace grinned and offered her his arm. From there, he escorted her across the property as if they were in some sort of 18
^th
century romance novel. Ella loved it. It felt romantic and sweet, yet simple. She could see the two of them doing this everyday. The thought sent a pang of hope and regret through her heart. Hope that it could happen, and regret that it would take time.

“Well, m'lady,” Jace said when they reached the open barn door. “I must take my leave of you here.”

“Why, thank you, kind sir,” Ella replied just as elegantly. She curtsied. “It was most kind of you.”

Jace pulled her from the curtsy and directly into a kiss. His lips pressed into hers as if he couldn't bear to let her go. His tongue caressed hers as he pulled her deeper into himself, stealing a part of her away to be his forever.

She in turn, closed her eyes and memorized every sensation. The softness of his hair in her fingers, the strength of his arms, the gentle smell of manly cedar, even the slight scratch of his five-o'clock shadow. Everything was committed to memory.

His phone buzzed against her leg, reminding them that he couldn't stay. Slowly, regretfully, they both pulled away.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” Jace said. It wasn't a question. He was going to see her tomorrow.

“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” Ella replied, still breathless from the kiss.

She almost added,
I love you
, but that felt too soon. She'd only known him for a couple of days, and he was on vacation after all. Better to just stay quiet than risk freaking him out with saying the L-word too soon.

“Bye,” he whispered. He kissed her forehead one last time before walking away. She could see in the set of his shoulders how hard it was for him. They were up around his ears and his feet dragged as he walked.

She watched him for a moment, appreciating how wonderful his ass looked in his dark blue pants. She didn't mean to bite her lip, but she couldn't stop herself from chewing on it. He just looked so damn good.

With a sigh, she turned and headed into the barn. Captain's head popped over the stall first, followed quickly by Commander's.

“Hello, handsomes,” she greeted them. They both huffed a hello and flicked their tails. “Who wants to go first?”

She didn't really expect an answer as she picked up the curry comb. She would work on Captain first and then move onto Commander. When she was done, she knew there were a couple of apples stashed away that both horses would enjoy as a treat.

Captain pushed his head against her chest in greeting as she entered the stall. She pat him on the neck twice before moving to start the brushing. The motion was soothing and mindless, allowing her thoughts to run free.

I love him.
Her stomach fluttered at the thought.
Three days and I'm head over heels for this guy. Good lord, what would happen if I spent a full week with him?

She shook her head, but smiled. The thought of a full week with Jace made her heart pump and her insides heat. She knew it wasn't just the sex that excited her. It was him. It was the way he looked at her like she mattered. It was how his eyes followed her across the room, even when she wasn't doing anything important.

He was everything she could ever want in a man. She had to tell him that tomorrow. That she didn't want this to end. That just the few days meant the world to her. She wasn't about to just let him leave without telling him that she was falling hard.