Fiance by Fate (8 page)

Jack stared at her over his menu. The smile that had been hanging on his lips slowly faded. “Is that it?” he asked.

“For your information, it was very romantic.”

“Yep,” he said, amusement lighting his eyes. “They don’t write romances like that anymore.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Playboy-of-the-Month, but David was sweet and generous. Traits that are hard to find in
some
people.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” He leaned in as the corners of his mouth lifted. “Take out the office mishaps we’ve had, and you might think I was pretty sweet and generous too.”

“I doubt that. You wouldn’t know a thing about putting someone other than yourself first. Not even your own father.”

He frowned. “My own father?”

“Yes. I mean, really, Jack, how could you?”

Jack looked stunned at her outburst, but she couldn’t help herself. All the feelings she had pent up over how callously he treated his family brewed to the surface and bubbled over. “Family should be the most important thing in your life. It would be to me. When your dad was in the hospital last month, he needed you. I know because I was there and visited him. And where were you? In Los Angeles with your latest Tabloid
Tallulah
. You should have been there for him. It was despicable for you not to come home.”

Jack’s blue eyes turned to ice, and for a second she almost became fearful of the change in them.

“
You
,” he said carefully and slowly as if he was using every ounce of control he had not to lunge across the table at her, “know nothing about my family or my relationship with my father—or
me
, for that matter. You’re right that family is important, and you’re also right that I should have been there. But you don’t know any of the circumstances that kept me away, so don’t for one second try to pretend you do.”

She stilled. “Circumstances?”

“Yes,” he said between clenched teeth. “I don’t know why I even feel the need to explain myself, but I can see that if I don’t, these issues are only going to sprout up again, so we might as well clear the air. Yes, I took some time off and went to California to see my girlfriend, who was participating in her first runway event for charity. It was important to her I be there. In fact, so important, she erased the messages I’d received about my father’s hospitalization. She didn’t think it was serious enough for me to leave, but—unlike you—knew I would. It wasn’t until my dad was about to be released that my sister managed to get ahold of me.”

“Oh.” The heat on her cheeks sprung up as fast as a slap in the face. She dropped her chin to her chest and mumbled, “I didn’t know that.”

“Obviously.”

“I’m sorry, Jack.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “Whatever.”

“No, really, I am. I had no right to judge you like that.”

“It goes with the territory. The stockholders probably thought the same thing. Why should you be any different?”

She bit her lip. No, she wasn’t any different from them or anyone else, but the fact that Jack thought that about her made her feel small. “I’ll make it up to you.”

“You don’t have to. However, if you insist, I think I might like where this is going,” he said with a small grin.

She squelched a laugh, relieved that the tension between them had lifted. “I meant, I’ll do my best to help change public opinion of you.”

Something in those blue eyes of his shifted as his gaze captured hers. “Actually, I hadn’t expected anything less than the very best from you.”

Her cheeks heated, feeling unexpectedly touched by his words. “Thanks.”

“You really are loyal to my dad, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am.” She didn’t hesitate in answering.

“Even though he passed you over for a senior position?”

“Well, I was a little surprised at first, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I can’t fault him for preferring his own son over me.” As much as she admired and respected the man, she knew blood was thicker than water. But it still hurt because he’d been like a father figure to her up until that point.

Jack sat back, his eyebrows lifting. “Ah. I took the job you wanted. And here lies the real reason for the animosity you have toward me.”

“Perhaps. Although your personality might have a little to do with it,” she said, hiding a smile. “On the other hand, your father has always treated me kindly, almost like a daughter.”

Jack’s brows creased together in a dark
V
as he took a large bite of a roll and chewed. “I know my dad is great—there’s no denying that—but what about your own father?”

She pensively ran a hand through her hair and glanced over her shoulder. She hated answering questions about her parents. Even after all these years, the wound still stung deep. No one could understand how much it hurt to lose them so suddenly and find herself so alone. She certainly didn’t want to share that information or anything else about herself with Jack. It was too personal, and she wanted to keep things between them as businesslike as she could. Thankfully, she was saved from answering when she saw David and the redhead enter the restaurant.

Her head spun back around. “He’s here,” she said eagerly.

Jack peered over her head and let out a low whistle. “Huh, your fiancé sure has some taste in women. First you, now her. Yet for some reason,
I’m
the one who always gets demonized. If that’s not media bias, I don’t know what is.”

She looked at him incredulously. “Once again it’s all about you. Are you this way all the time or is this strictly for my benefit?”

He chuckled. “I aim to please.”

“Well, aim it elsewhere. You’re not helping matters.”

“Okay, calm down and act as if you’re enjoying my witty banter,” he said, looking back out into the dining room. “They’re walking this way.”

“Oh, dear,” she moaned. She wasn’t sure she could confront David. She was such a wimp. What was she going to say? She’d have to play it light and breezy. Pretend it was a total coincidence she and Jack ended up at the same restaurant on the same night.

She took a deep breath. It was time to put up or shut up if she wanted him back. With all the muscle force in her face, she summoned up what she hoped was her most captivating smile—then said a quick prayer she didn’t have lipstick on her teeth.

“Save it,” Jack told her. “They’re walking the other way now.”

Her face immediately fell, and she let out a huge rush of air. “Where are they? I’m afraid to look.”

“They’re sitting diagonally from us, across the room.”

“Can they see us?”

He looked at her. “I can see them, can’t I?”

“You know what I mean.”

He peered back up and nodded. “Your doctor can see us if he decides to look left.”

Their waiter approached and they gave their orders. Jack ordered the filet mignon and she decided on the spinach quiche. Her stomach was in knots. She was sure she wouldn’t be able to eat a crumb, but she didn’t want it to appear as though she and Jack were there for any other reason than dinner.

After the waiter walked away, Jack lifted his chair and slid closer to her. “We better look cozy,” he explained, when she slanted him a look.

She remained silent and took a sip of ice water to calm her nerves. This was a mistake. She felt so pathetic. Why had she let Jack talk her into this whole scheme in the first place?

What would her parents think about her sitting in a lovely romantic restaurant attempting to make her ex-fiancé jealous? Not only that, but with a man who was practically a stranger.

She should accept her fate the way it was dealt, cancel her dinner order, and leave with her dignity still intact. With the kind of luck she’d been having, David wouldn’t even know she was there anyway.

Resigned to throw in the towel and finally act like an adult, she turned to inform Jack she’d changed her mind. But before she could get the beginning of a syllable out, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. She panicked, afraid he was about to kiss her, and shoved him away. Hard.

“What is your problem?” Jack asked, rubbing where her fist slammed into his chest. “You want David to be jealous.
Remember
?”

“Making out in a public place is not what I had in mind,” she snapped. Although she was more angry with her own lack of control than anything Jack had done.

Good Lord. She held a hand to her forehead and tried to regain some composure. It wound her up more than it should have to be held in Jack’s arms. Obviously, she hadn’t thought this thing all the way through. She’d told him she didn’t want to kiss him, but she hadn’t counted on having any real contact with Jack either—or him smelling so incredible.

“Sheesh, I had no idea I was fake dating such a prude.”

She slapped her hand on the table. “I am
not
a prude.”

Jack held up his hands. “Hey, take it easy now. I’m just saying that it would have been nice to know ahead of time. I’m not knocking it, if that’s how you are. After all, different strokes for different folks.”

The way Jack’s eyebrows lifted in challenge told her he was deliberately baiting her, but she couldn’t let it go. Her anxiety was through the roof and now mixed with her temper, it made for a bad combination.

Without hesitation, she grabbed him by his Herculean shoulders and pulled him in. “How’s this for different strokes,” she fumed, then planted her mouth directly on top of his.

Ha! She had taken him by surprise, all right. His jaw tensed and his arms froze at his sides. She’d show him who the prude was in this fake relationship. She pressed harder, parted her lips, and gave him everything she had.

It didn’t take more than a second for Jack to respond. His hands came up to the sides of her face, holding her steady as he took control of the kiss. There was a dreamy intimacy between their mouths now. His tongue touched hers, then moved, sliding slowly and easily inside her mouth. Seconds went by and—
Oh. My
. The man could kiss. She had been prepared for that, but not how surprisingly gentle his lips were. She was powerless to resist, and with a small sigh, she settled further into them.

This is crazy.
She
was crazy—and in way further over her head than she’d realized. She clung to him, kissing him back, wanting him. Her instinctive response to him was overwhelming. Once again Jack surprised her. For a man who seemed to pride himself on no-nonsense actions in business, he sure took his time when it came to exploring a woman’s mouth. Blindly, her lips continued to follow his, and all thoughts of who she was kissing and even why flew out the window. She could barely remember her own name.

Until she heard it called a short distance away. “Sabrina?”

Her sanity returned, and she pulled away from Jack. Struggling to regain her breath, she closed her eyes, but not before she caught the troubled expression tattooed on Jack’s face.

Well. Good.

“
Sabrina
,” the voice said again.

She blinked up. David stood a foot in front of her. The sight of his annoyed face quickly cut through Jack’s kiss-induced haze and brought her mind back to clear working order.

Oh no.
How long has David been standing there?

Blood pounded in her temples. She tried to look pleasantly surprised, but she would have settled for just plain pleasant. Her feelings were bouncing all over the place, and she forgot how she was supposed to act.

David’s gaze swung to Jack, eyeing him up and down as he spoke. “I’ve been trying to get your attention, Sabrina. I saw you and wanted to come over and say hello. Obviously, your attention was elsewhere.”

Sabrina observed David with interest. He carefully straightened his already perfect tie and twice ran a hand through his fine blond hair. Both things she knew he did when his temper was stirred. However, she didn’t know if she should be doing cartwheels about that or calling it a night.

She licked her lips and involuntarily shivered when she still tasted Jack. “I—”

“Yes, she was occupied,” Jack interrupted. He threw an arm around her as if to drive his point home and gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.

She swallowed hard. “Uh, David,” she began again carefully, “this is…this is…”

What was wrong with her brain?

Jack stuck out a large hand. “Jack Brenner.”

David seemed reluctant but eventually shook his hand. “Brenner?” His already marked frown went farther downhill. “Are you related to the Brenner of Brenner Capital, where Sabrina works?”

“Yes, that’s my father.”

David gave Jack a long, inscrutable look, then turned his back to give Sabrina his full attention. “Darling, may I have a word with you for a moment?”

She blinked.
Darling?

Sabrina wished she had ordered a drink now. David was out with another woman, she had kissed another man, yet she was still “Darling”? She didn’t know what was going on anymore.

“Um, of course.” She pushed back from the table and stood, her legs still feeling like rubber after that kiss. “I’ll be right back,” she told Jack.

Jack reached for her hand. “Don’t be long. I want to pick up right where we left off when you come back,” he said, holding her wrist against his warm lips for an exaggerated length of time.

Her lips felt swollen, and as she remembered the underlying passion of their impromptu kiss, her cheeks ignited. She tugged her hand away and shot him a warning look in return. What was Jack doing? He was laying it on way too thick. And worse, she was halfway to believing it.

David seemed oblivious to her and Jack’s silent argument. Thank goodness. She slipped her arm through his and let him lead her out of the dining room, feeling more than a little relieved to get away from Jack and his all-too-consuming lips. She needed this time away from him to refocus on their plan and what they were doing. Because as much as she knew that kiss between her and Jack was nothing more than anger and wrongly channeled fake emotions, a small part of it had begun to feel real.

And that was something she definitely couldn’t let happen again.

Chapter Six