Ain't Misbehaving (6 page)

“I thought we might play tourists today,” Justin said.

“Sounds great.” And it did. With Andrew and previous boyfriends it had been about parties and business dinners. Serious stuff where the lawyers made contacts and good behavior remained necessary, at least until the boss departed for the evening.

After breakfast they visited the aquarium on the Auckland waterfront and did the snowmobile ride through the Antarctic exhibition. The penguins fascinated Pearl but her favorites were the seahorses who swam about in matched pairs, their tails twined. Pearl wanted that sort of togetherness for herself, wanted it so badly her heart ached.

Justin reached for her hand, threading their fingers together as if he recognized her longing. They wandered through the large transparent tubes, pointing out huge sharks and stingrays to each other, laughing at the antics of a curious fish staring them in the eye.

“Justin. Good to see you’re having a day off for a change,” a man said. He stopped to speak with Justin for a few moments and introduced his wife and child.

“This is Pearl,” Justin said without hesitation. He didn’t ignore her in favor of speaking business, even though it was obvious that was where the two men had met, and he retained his gentle clasp on her hand. Slowly Pearl relaxed enough to chat to the man’s wife and admire their toddler.

“See you next week,” the man said, and with a wave he left.

“I’m not ashamed of you, Pearl. Unlike Dickins, I’m happy to introduce you to my friends. We’ve known each other for a long time.”

Her mind writhed in a mass of confusion. By holding her hand and introducing her, he’d shown more acceptance and friendship than Andrew ever had. She blinked and swallowed with difficulty.

He shot her an impassive glance. “Are you ashamed of being seen with me?”

“No!” Her reply was fast. Instinctive. Her words held the ring of truth and his broad shoulders relaxed. She drew a sharp breath and plunged ahead. “I was wondering if you saw this as a one-time thing.”

“Let’s get out of here. We’ll go to Mission Bay and sit on the beach.”

He hadn’t answered her question.

Pearl nodded acquiescence, but inside she shriveled, ice spreading through her chest. Did he think she’d make a scene when he told her he wanted to go back to friends? Or maybe he didn’t want to see her again after today? Maybe he thought sex between them had spoiled things. Yes, it would bloody hurt, but she knew the right way to behave. She’d suck it up and smile, holding everything inside until she reached the privacy of her apartment. She’d go back to her plan and maybe this time she’d start from scratch in another city, the South Island. Christchurch or Queenstown, or maybe she could start over in Australia.

In silence they left the aquarium, but Justin continued to hold her hand, his warmth going some way to dissipate the chill and lethargy engulfing her body. In the car park another of Justin’s acquaintances said hello. Once again, Justin introduced her to the elderly man and his wife, retaining his hold on her hand. This wasn’t the behavior of a man intent on ending a friendship, but her mind still worried about what might happen tomorrow or in the next week. Gnawed at his every action and word, trying to understand what he wanted from her. Sex between them had confused her so much she didn’t know what to do or think.

One-night stands weren’t her. She wanted—needed—security.

The drive along the waterfront took place in silence. Pearl stared at the yachts flitting across the blue water, the ferry crossing from the inner city to Devonport on the other side of the harbor and the cyclists pedaling along the cycle path. Absently, she noted it wouldn’t be long until the pohutukawa trees bloomed and wondered if she’d still be in Auckland to witness the blaze of scarlet flowers.

Justin parked and they climbed out of his SUV. He grabbed a blanket from the back and waved at a young couple, but this time they didn’t stop to speak.

“You know a lot of people.”

Justin took possession of her hand and led her toward the sandy beach. “Mostly through work.”

Pearl supposed mechanics did meet a lot of people in the course of their job. What was unusual was the way they all genuinely seemed to like Justin, respect him. With Andrew and his fellow lawyers there was a lot of backstabbing and insults. It was easy to tell they held no mutual respect for each other.

Justin spread out the blanket on the sand and helped Pearl sit. A pair of gulls begged for food from a family eating fish and chips over to their right. The soft swish of the waves should have soothed her, but nerves assailed her again, playing with her confidence and allowing self-doubt to creep in and thump her over the head. What did she want? Until yesterday she would have said marriage to Andrew and continuing to follow her plan. She didn’t want to worry about money. Security. Was that too much to ask?

“Pearl, what’s wrong?” Justin sank onto the blanket and cupped her jaw, gently forcing her to face him. His eyes were full of concern, kindness, while his mouth was set in a firm slash. Her stomach flipped in a cartwheel of panic, and she glanced away to stare at a couple paddling in the shallow water.

“I don’t understand what you want from me,” she blurted, risking another look. “I’m afraid. My plan… I’m scared,” she whispered, her eyes misting so much she knew a tear would escape if she dared to blink.

The harsh lines of Justin’s face relaxed and a tiny smile played on his sensual lips. Pearl stared, her heart thudding in three strong staccato beats. She loved his smiles and the way they lit up his face, his eyes. She loved…

A gasp escaped, her jumbled feelings crystallizing into something solid. Pearl didn’t realize when it had happened or how, but she realized she loved Justin. Maybe she’d always loved him, which was why she’d kept up their friendship during all these years.

His eyes narrowed and he searched her face intently. “Problem?”

“No. No problem.” God, she couldn’t blurt out that she loved him. That would be too much, leaving herself wide open to pain. She might as well ask him to kick her in the gut.

Justin moved closer, his larger body crowding her. He smoothed a lock of hair from her face, ran his hand over the curve of her skull and traced the whorl of her ear. Pearl inhaled sharply, the gentleness of his touch tying her emotions into knots. Her body ached pleasantly from their lovemaking and she admitted to herself, she wanted to repeat last night all over again.

“I want you, Pearl.”

For a moment she thought the words were inside her head, the words she wanted to hear so badly. A glance at his expression told her otherwise. “Me? More sex?”

He laughed, a sharp bark of amusement before he traced her lips with his forefinger. “More sex would be good, but no, that’s not all. I understand you have your plan and all, how you want marriage to a wealthy man, but I want you to marry me.”

“Marry?” All she could do was stupidly parrot him while her brain worked at the speed of a sluggish snail. “You want to marry me?”

“I’ve loved you for a long time, Pearl.”

“But you’ve never given any indication, never said anything.” This had to be a joke, fate playing another cruel trick at her expense.

“You weren’t ready to hear me. You had your plan and you seemed determined to follow it to the letter. You wanted a man with money—”

“Stop.” She pressed her fingertips to his mouth, shivering a little at his warm breath. “If you’re sure, I’ll marry you. I love you so much, and besides, it’s not as if my grand plan is working. I haven’t caught a rich man. We both have jobs and apartments. Maybe we won’t be rich, but we can be happy.”

Justin regarded her quizzically. “Is love and happiness enough for you? Are you sure money won’t become an issue?”

Pearl snorted. “I have more fun with you than any other man. I love spending time with you and you make my body sing.” A blush suffused her face when he chuckled. “With you I feel important. Treasured.”

“I do treasure you.” He kissed her lightly on the lips. “My Pearl. Are you mine?”

“Yeah, I’m your Pearl,” she said. She’d wondered if she’d feel panic but there wasn’t a trace of fear or anxiety. “I love you.” Liberty and happiness came with the declaration.

“That’s good, babe, because I want to marry you, but I need to tell you something first.”

The panic returned with vengeance. “I’m not dreaming, am I? This is real?”

He smiled and it lit up his beautiful eyes. “Very real. I need to tell you about my job.”

“Did you lose your job?” Oh god. It was happening already. She’d fallen in love with a charming wastrel, just like her mother. The beginning of the end.

“No, nothing like that, but I haven’t been entirely truthful with you. I don’t work for Bellcamp Industries. I own the company.”

“But Bellcamp Industries has garages all over Auckland.”

“Yes.” His gaze remained watchful but he didn’t add anything.

“So…so…” Pearl trailed off, frightened to say what she thought this might mean.

“So I have more money than Andrew,” Justin said with distinct satisfaction.

Confusion hit her square in the chest. “But you live in an apartment. You wear jeans and T-shirts.”

“I like wearing jeans and T-shirts. Babe, you can’t judge by appearances. It’s the inside stuff that counts.” He pulled her against his chest, cuddling her tight before letting her ease away.

Pearl’s forehead furrowed. “I don’t judge by appearances.”

“Don’t you? You only go out with men who dress well, have good jobs and the latest car.”

“I—” The need to defend her actions trembled on the tip of her tongue. The terrible thing—he was right. Guilty as charged. “I just wanted to protect myself,” she whispered.

“I know.”

“I do love you.”

His face softened and he stroked her cheek. “I know you do.”

“That’s why I can’t marry you. I don’t want you to think I’m marrying you for your money.” Pearl stood and walked away, her back stiff. Oh boy. She bit down on the cushion of her bottom lip to stop the fall of tears. Now she’d done it. Pride wouldn’t keep her warm at night, but at least she had her dignity.

Chapter Four

“Well, hell,” Justin muttered, staring after Pearl as she walked away. He hadn’t seen that coming. Leaning back on the blanket, he watched the feminine sway of her hips, the tense, straight shoulders before she climbed into a cab. Damn, she wasn’t getting away that easily.

Justin sprang to his feet, grabbed the blanket and sprinted to his SUV. Fifteen minutes later he thumped on Pearl’s apartment door. It opened half an inch, wide enough to glimpse her sexy eyes and mouth.

“Are you going to let me in?”

“There’s no point.”

“You used me for sex,” he said in a loud voice.

“Not so loud.” The door flew open and Pearl grasped his forearm, dragging him into her apartment. “I did not use you for sex.”

He shrugged, fighting the impulse to grin with all he had. “It sure feels like it. You walked away after I asked you to marry me.”

Her nose lifted into the air and she sniffed. “It wasn’t a very good proposal.”

“But it was a proposal. I want to marry you. I will marry you.” With each word he stalked closer and she edged away until the wall at her back stopped her retreat.

She speared him with a glare, a figurative stomping of her foot. “You can’t make me.”

“I thought you loved me.”

“I do.”

“But not enough to marry me,” he said. “That makes me feel used.”

Pearl snorted. “You didn’t seem to have a problem with that last night. I didn’t hear a single protest.”

He tugged on a lock of her hair, winding it around his finger with quiet concentration. “Things have changed this morning.”

“I hate games and I won’t marry you.”

“Liar. What the hell do you think you’ve been doing all this time?”

“No. I…I…” she trailed off, her mouth opening and closing until she resembled a fish.

“I love you, Pearl. I’ve loved you for a long time and I would like to marry you. If you don’t want to marry me, fine, but don’t expect me to walk away with my tail between my legs. I fight for what I want.”

When she didn’t move, didn’t reply, he started to worry about misjudging her. He placed a fingertip beneath her chin and gently exerted force so he could watch her eyes, see her emotions. His breath caught when he met her tear-filled gaze. A faint tremor worked through her body, and he swallowed in an attempt to force his alarm aside. His fingers flexed on her upper arms while he tried to force himself to move, to step back and release her.

“I want children.”

It took him a while to focus, to discern her words. “Children?”

She nodded. “At least three. And a puppy. I want a puppy as well.”

Justin’s mouth quirked in the beginnings of a smile. It was possible they had a child on the way already. “We’ll need a bigger house then. Anything else?”

“I want to be an equal partner.”

“I wouldn’t expect anything less. Is that all?”

Pearl leaned into him. “One more thing. I don’t ever want you to give me pearls and we’re not giving our children any ‘gem’ names.”

“Done. When will you marry me?”

Pearl relaxed and twinkled up at him, worry sliding away to let her love show. “Whenever you want.”

“Tomorrow.”
Thank you, God.
He’d be a good husband, better than she’d ever imagined because he understood her fears. He understood her. Together they’d be a powerful force. No way did he intend to give her a chance to change her mind. “We’ll put things in motion straight away.” He dipped his head to claim a kiss, savoring the warm armful of woman. His woman.

When Justin finally lifted his head, his breath came in rasps. Pearl wasn’t much better.

He lifted his brows. “Bedroom?”

“Too far. Couch.”

“I love the way you think.” Justin tugged her shirt over her head, desperate to have her right now, to cement their love. He flicked open the clasp on her bra and drew the lacy lingerie down her arms.

Laughing, she kicked off her sandals, shimmied out of her jeans and leapt at him, curling her bare legs around his waist and clinging. “Someone is lagging behind.”