Wishful Sinful (Rock Royalty Book 5) (26 page)

He’d convince her, he decided, every instinct insisting that he had to have her. That he had to get Honey on board as his permanent co-signer today, if not sooner.

Gah! She’d never believe him because he didn’t have a romantic bone in his body. Even in his own head he talked about marriage in corporate terms. Wait…marriage?

Marriage.

But, hell, she’d never say yes.

He recalled York’s advice in the conference room.
Persistence pays off.

No. That implied multiple attempts and he was going to get it—get her—in one.

In the busy restaurant, Honey thanked the fast food counterperson for the cup of coffee and the hamburger.

“No fries with that?” the older woman asked. “You look like you could use a treat.”

“No, thanks,” Honey said. She didn’t know if she could choke down the burger even.

Jeb and Lucy were going to be long-distance hugs away instead of easy to see whenever she wanted. But it was a positive move for them—and her own idea to boot. Her father’s parents, Pop and Nan, were more than willing to help them through this rough patch.

That was good. The twins would have loving surrogate parents, and they’d have each other.

As to who Honey would have…

She dropped onto a molded plastic seat and listlessly unwrapped the sandwich. Pop and Nan had taken one look at her wan face and encouraged her to stay with them, at least for a few days. It had been tempting.

What was holding her back from making a new start there?

But Jeb and Lucy deserved to have a chance to make their own lives without Big Sister right in their faces at all times. They’d had enough of that.

And she had to return to MadSci, anyway. Deal with Walsh, if just to help him transition to a new admin.

That sounded like fun. She felt a hot pressure behind her eyes.

“Hey,” a voice said, then a body slid into the seat opposite hers. Long legs bumped into her own. “How are you doing, darling?”

Darling.

That sounded like Walsh’s voice. That looked like Walsh, elegant in a gray suit, pale blue shirt, and striped tie.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me?” She glanced over the heads of the other patrons and out the plate-glass windows. This part of the freeway was not known for its plethora of stopping places, but she was still a long way from home. Her hand rushed to her throat.

“What’s the matter? What’s gone wrong?” She reached for her purse, scrambling through it for her phone. “Did the twins change their mind?”

Walsh grabbed her wrist, then took her hand in his. “There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

Still concerned, she gripped his fingers and studied his face. “Then why’d you find me? And again, how?”

“Well…” He reached out to tuck her curls behind an ear.

She batted his hand away and gave him her fiercest frown. “Answer the question.”

“Remember we put those tracking apps on our phones?”

“We did?”

“Actually, I let Jeb do it because he was writing a story for his English class that involved one as a crucial plot point. Lucy wouldn’t let him touch her cell, so one day I let him play around with ours.”

“Oh.” She had a vague memory of it. “You’ve always been nice like that to the twins. I… Well, thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

He squeezed her hand, and she realized he was still holding it. When she tried to pull away, his clasp only got tighter.

“That’s the how of it,” he said. “As to the why…” His gaze circled the restaurant as if he seeking the nearest exit.

Alarm tightened her stomach again. “Walsh—”

“I needed to talk to you. In person.”

“Then why didn’t you just wait until I got home?” She felt a guilty flush crawl up her neck. “I saw that you’ve been calling, but I’ve been pretty wrapped up.”

He nodded. “I know. I wish I could have been there to help you last night and be there when you drove Jeb and Lucy to your grandparents today.”

“You couldn’t. You have that meeting with York—” She broke off. “You’re supposed to be meeting with York!”

“Yep.” Walsh shrugged.

“What do you mean, ‘yep’?” She glared at him. “You’ve been wanting this for a long time. Did you screw it up?”

A little smile curved his mouth.

“What am I saying? Of course you wouldn’t screw up an important business deal. You must have finished early.”

“Actually, I don’t even know if we have a business deal anymore.”

Honey’s eyes went wide. “What?”

“I walked out on him. Left him there with Nancy and the Nerf Battalion for company. I hope they don’t drag the blasters out with the boss and his so-valuable admin out for the day.”

“I’m out forever, Walsh.”

“See, I’m hoping I can change your mind about that.” Looking down, he toyed with her fingers. “I walked out on York Featherstone because I realized something important.”

“What’s that?” she asked, wary.

He glanced up. “Well, the
most
important thing I didn’t realize until I was talking to the drunk who was sleeping it off on your couch.”

“Brody.” She made a face. “I think he’s in a bad place.”

Walsh released a low laugh. “It’s a place I’m coming to be familiar with.”

“You’re usually not this cryptic,” Honey said, narrowing her eyes.

“I’m stalling,” he confessed. “This restaurant’s more crowded than I expected.” He hauled in a breath. “I left York at MadSci because I couldn’t stand the idea of you going through the situation with Jeb and Lucy alone.”

“Oh.” She blinked. “As I said, you’ve always been nice when it came to the twins.”

“I like them, Honey, that’s true, but the things I do for them…it’s mostly for you.”

Her mouth went dry, and the intense look in his dark eyes knocked her off balance. “Walsh—”

“You need to hear me out.”

Confusion infused with a dose of panic churned her stomach. “But Walsh—”

“Shh.” He squeezed her fingers. “Listen.”

“I…okay.” She closed her eyes for a brief instant and told herself to calm. “I’m listening.”

“Today I left the biggest deal of my life on the table. For you. I jumped in my Karmann Ghia—a car I bought, well, for you, because you once said you liked the Type 34s.”

“Then how come I never get to drive it?” she demanded.

He laughed again. “Now I think
you’re
stalling.”

Her heart was pounding and her stomach was still roiling. What was this about? she wondered, trying to make sense of the situation. It felt as if it could all go horribly wrong.

“I’m afraid of what you’re going to say,” she admitted.

“It’s nothing that doesn’t come straight from my heart.” Now he gathered both her hands in his and stared straight into her eyes. “Honey Brooks, I’m in love with you.”

She jerked back, but he had a firm hold of her. “You…you don’t want to be in love.”

“Mmm, true.” He smiled a little. “Except when it comes to you. I’m happy to be in love with you.”

“But…but…” Could she believe him? Her pulse was ricocheting around her body and there wasn’t enough air in her lungs.

“Oh, you’re going to make me pay, aren’t you?” There was humor glinting in those dark eyes. “Make me pay for every jaded and wrongheaded idea I had on the subject.”

“I should,” she said faintly.
He’s in love with me?

“There’s no woman I’m closer to, Honey, and no woman I trust more. You’ll see, as I’m about to make a fool of myself and I have faith you won’t bring this up hourly for the rest of our lives.”

He’s in love with me?
“What are you talking about?”

He reached to his side and brought up a fat plastic bag with the name of a discount chain store on the front.

“To help with your bad day,” he said, then dumped out a bajillion candy bars onto the table in front of her, all kinds in all colors of packaging.

“‛If there’s been a disappointment, a loving spouse will be there with a sympathetic ear or maybe a favorite candy bar,’” he continued, quoting her.

She looked down at the treasure trove then up at him. “You remembered.”

“Just about every second from our weekend in Mexico.”

Then he set another plastic bag on the table and from it drew an instrument. She had no idea what to call the small, almost toddler-size keyboard, each key a different primary color.

“Trust, remember,” he warned, and with another glance around the crowded room, he started poking out a tune and singing in his low, deep voice.

Both were a bit off-key.

At the last note, the customers in the restaurant broke into an awkward applause. Walsh’s expression turned sheepish and Honey’s eyes began to sting.

“It’s not my birthday,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, well, I didn’t have a lot of time to learn how to play it, so the effort’s symbolic.” He put the instrument down to take up her hands again, the four of them resting on Snickers and Reese’s and Baby Ruths. “I want to share with you everything that’s inside me, Honey. Music, laughter, passion, and most of all…love.”

A tear spilled over. Her elegant, intelligent, all-business boss had tracked her down in a fast-food restaurant—while leaving a deal on the table—to admit his feelings.

He was in love with her.

And suddenly—he’d left a deal on the table!—she believed him.

“This is the most romantic moment ever,” she whispered.

Walsh smiled, starting a fire in her belly. “No, baby,
this
is the most romantic moment ever.”

And, sliding from his seat, the man in the expensive, sophisticated suit got down on one knee on the sticky floor. Then he presented her with the most garish bubble gum ring that she’d ever seen.

“Another symbol,” he murmured. Then he raised his voice. “Honey Brooks, will you marry me?”

And to the squeals and claps and whistles of her fellow fast food patrons, Honey launched herself at her boss. Laughing and crying at the same time, she let him slip the oversized bauble on her left ring finger.

“Is that a yes?” he asked, rising and pulling her into his arms.

She looked into his face, knowing her eyes were shining with love for him. “Is that the best deal you have to offer? Marriage?”

“Okay, okay,” he pretended to grumble. “I’ll throw in a happy-ever-after, too.”

“Done!” she said, tugging his head down for a kiss.

Happy-ever-after
, she thought, as his mouth ravished hers.
A lifetime of seeing monkeys.

Yes.

The End

Dear Reader:

Thanks for reading! Walsh and Honey have found the perfect partnership. The trust they have in each other allows them to share their hearts and dreams. This is the fifth book in the Rock Royalty series and I am so enjoying writing these emotional and sexy stories.

Interested in sharing your thoughts with other readers? I hope you leave a review for the book
here
.

The Rock Royalty rock on in the next in the series, Wild Child. “Good twin” Brody Maddox has a mysterious woman’s photo on his phone—what does the haunting beauty mean to him?

Currently available in the series:

Light My Fire
(Rock Royalty 1)

Love Her Madly
(Rock Royalty 2)

Break on Through
(Rock Royalty 3)

Touch Me
(Rock Royalty 4)

Wishful Sinful
(Rock Royalty 5)

Wild Child (Rock Royalty 6)
Coming soon!

Read on for an excerpt from
TAKE ME TENDER
, the first book in my Billionaire’s Beach series.

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Enjoy!

Christie Ridgway

Billionaire’s Beach Book 1

© Copyright 2015 Christie Ridgway

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Sabrina fair

Listen where thou art sitting

Under the glassie, cool, translucent wave,

In twisted braids of Lillies knitting

The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair…

—JOHN MILTON, COMUS: A MASQUE

One

A good cook is like a sorceress who dispenses happiness.

—ELSA SCHIAPARELLI, FASHION DESIGNER

Slowly threading through the tables of the darkened restaurant, Nikki Carmichael refused to let a single tear fall. No, she wasn’t going to cry, though the night’s last entree had been plated and served two hours before and the last patron escorted out the door thirty minutes ago. For the final time, she’d heard the clear-bell clink of the wineglasses greeting their partners as they were slid into their nightly resting place in the rack over the bar. The kitchen’s enormous stock-pots that had simmered broth all through the dinner service were now clean, their steam no longer able to corkscrew the baby hairs that escaped her braids.

Pausing beside a table, she tweaked a white linen napkin already folded in the signature Fleming’s twist, ready for the next day’s dinner rush.

The dinner rush Nikki wouldn’t be here to see, sweat over, or even swear about, as from now on a different sous-chef was responsible for the production of the restaurant’s elegant meals.

Still, she wasn’t going to cry.

After all, she’d been the one to turn in her resignation. And she’d had plenty of time to accustom herself to the idea of leaving the place where she’d worked since cooking school.