Do Marry Your Billionaire Boss (Jewel Family Romance Book 1) Read online

  “Like you just touched me?”

  “That was incidental, an accident.”

  He smiled slightly. “I’ll try not to have too many ‘accidents.’”

  “See that you don’t. And absolutely no kissing.”

  Joshua’s eyes deepened again along with his voice. Dang, he was good. “I won’t kiss you, but I’ll bet that you’ll kiss me before the end of the week.”

  Jade gasped and glared at him. “I’ll take that bet. I’m not kissing you.”

  He tilted his head slightly. “Great. How much are we betting?”

  “Money means nothing to you.” Well, maybe that wasn’t true. He seemed pretty upset about the embezzling. Yet she wondered if that was another trust issue. It probably hurt to have an employee you thought you trusted stealing from you. “What could we possibly bet?”

  “If you kiss me by the end of the week, then I get to kiss you.”

  “That’s stupid,” she said. “I’ll have already kissed you.”

  “Yes, you will.” His eyes trailed over her lips and his gaze got all smoky. “And I’ll enjoy every second of it, but then I’ll get to show you exactly how it feels to be kissed by me.”

  Fire raced through Jade’s body. She could imagine exactly how it would feel to be kissed by him, and she wanted it more than she wanted anything she could even think of.

  “What do you want?” he asked softly.

  What did she want? Him. Oh, no! Heavens no. She tried to think back to her normal life. What would she want if she wasn’t in this distorted reality with him? Her name cleared, but Joshua already knew that.

  “I want to interview you for my celebrity blog.”

  He took a step back and his eyes hooded. “You have a celebrity blog?”

  She nodded. “Does that bother you?”

  “It does. I try to stay out of the public eye.”

  “Well then try everything you can to get me to kiss you this week.”

  He smiled slightly, but his eyes and mouth were still tight. The celebrity blog obviously bothered him, a lot. Yet she was proving that she trusted him by sharing it.

  “We’ll see how it goes,” he said noncommittally.

  “Okay.” She didn’t want to push him but she had to say. “I’m very nice to the celebrities I interview. I just tell their story, sometimes show their house, stuff like that.”

  He nodded but she could tell he didn’t like it.

  Joshua forced himself to push Jade’s celebrity blog from his mind and simply enjoy being with her. He was glad she’d admitted it to him, but it still terrified him to think of being exposed to the world. He loathed that kind of attention and only wanted to work and enjoy his family. No, that wasn’t all he wanted now. He wanted one Jade Jardine by his side. He wanted to somehow get her to kiss him. He actually loved that she still felt committed to “Jesse.” Now he was worried about that though. She was big on trust, had told him about her blog, and here he was not trusting her about the embezzlement but also basically lying to her about Jesse and her priest. The more he got to know her, the more he prayed she wouldn’t be the thief, but he had to wait and see how it played out. Once he got to know her better, he could hopefully discover the truth and share the truth about who he really was with her. With all the fingers still pointing to her as the embezzler, staying close to her throughout the next week was a good idea, no matter the outcome.

  He was afraid this entire situation was not going to end well, but he was on this path now and he couldn’t resist spending time with Jade. To him she was the perfect woman: fun, feisty, smart, determined, and beautiful. The rest of the day on St. Kitts was fun. They went back to town and walked around. Jade talked him into getting pedicures, which he actually enjoyed. It was basically a foot massage, and the ladies in the shop had a great time teasing about the “tough guy” getting a pedicure.

  After buying her some chocolate, they wandered back to the ship and spent some time swimming in the chilly adults-only pool then soaking in the hot tub. He loved being with her. He walked her to her room and said, “Can I come pick you up for dinner at six?”

  She smiled. “Sure. I’ll be right here.”

  “Sounds good.” He lifted his chin up. “I’ll go shower up there, but I’ll be back for you.”

  “Oh sure.” She laughed easily. “You’re up on your ivory tower and I’m down here in my lowly suite.”

  He leaned closer, placing a hand on the wall next to her head. She smiled up at him so sweet and appealing. How was he going to resist kissing her over the next six days? How was he going to resist spilling the truth? “Sometimes I get lonely in my ivory tower.” He lowered his voice. “Lonely for you.”

  Her eyelashes fluttered so appealingly. “That must be hard for you.”

  “It is.”

  She smiled. “Sadly I don’t know how to climb towers.”

  “Would you want to learn?”

  “I’m afraid of heights. Fell out of a forty-foot tree when I was ten. I’ve been terrified since.”

  He thought she was telling the truth because he’d sensed her unease when they’d jumped off the twenty-foot cliffs in Puerto Rico. Of course he’d been Jesse then so he couldn’t call her out about it. He wished he could get over his trust issues and trust her completely. “Oh. So we won’t be using the rock-climbing wall?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. You might be able to talk me into it.”

  Joshua’s pulse was suddenly racing. “Could I talk you into …” His voice dropped. “Other things?”

  Jade’s green eyes glowed so appealingly and her lips softened. She shoved at his chest and Joshua stuttered back, lifting his hands in surprise. “Hey.”

  Jade laughed. “You stop. You can’t coerce me into kissing you.”

  “Hey.” He held his hands up innocently. “You can’t blame me for trying.”

  “That’s what you think.” She pulled her key card out of her backpack and slid it through the door. “See you at six.” She disappeared.

  Joshua stood there for a few seconds. He hurried into the suite next door. Things with Jade were unsettled, crazy, exciting. He felt like he was teetering at the edge of a cliff, and he wanted to fall no matter the consequences. Even though he wasn’t afraid of heights this fall was scary. He wished he could throw caution to the wind and tell her who he was, but he was on this path until he got the proof that she wasn’t the thief. Please, please don’t let her be the thief.

  Chapter Ten

  Jade went through the next few days in a happy fog. Somehow Joshua made her forget about all the issues between them, kept her away from Curtis and crew, though he did have to have dinner with them one night and spend a little time on a training one afternoon. The thing she didn’t like was he made her forget about Jesse. The thing she shouldn’t like was he made her want to kiss him. It was horrible to refrain.

  She had to call him out several times on accidentally touching her. He’d just smile and promise to do better.

  They rode four-wheelers through St. John’s, Antigua, to an incredible beach where they snorkeled and relaxed. Jade had never felt such soft sand or enjoyed relaxing and flirting quite so much.

  On the way back, they stopped at a little restaurant and ate some delicious and spicy chicken mati, then they toured a church and graveyard that had been wrecked by the recent hurricane. The damage made her sick, and she thought it was so sweet when Joshua dropped a couple of hundred-dollar bills into the restoration fund. She noticed that he didn’t flaunt his money, but he was quick to pay for everything and then smoothly tell her she could get the next thing. Yet he never let her. She appreciated a gentleman and she knew his net worth was insane, but she was used to being independent, and there was still the fact he thought she’d stolen his money, so it rubbed her the wrong way.

  The next day they were on St. Lucia. A friendly taxi driver took them on a far too long drive to the volcano, telling them how Pirates of the Caribbean had filmed some scenes here. She wasn’t su
rprised. The scenery was absolutely exquisite, as lush and pretty as the rain forest in Puerto Rico, but she was tired of sitting on the hard bench and more than ready to get out of the vehicle at the volcano. They toured the volcano. It stunk horribly of rotten eggs making Jade certain she couldn’t handle the mud baths that were being touted to take twenty years off your skin. Joshua teased her about her sensitive nose. She simply smiled and eased closer to him so she could smell his delicious scent.

  They went to a beautiful waterfall next, laughing as the pool was obviously manmade and only knee deep. When Joshua pulled her under the spray with him, she had to remember to focus on the pounding water on her head and not the incredible feel of his arms around her. She’d asked another tourist to take a picture of them, but the look of concern on Joshua’s face had her retracting her request. She would love a picture with him, but she could respect that he liked his privacy.

  After lunch at a great beach restaurant overlooking a quaint harbor, they drove back to a beach closer to the ship and relaxed. That night Joshua was scheduled to have dinner with Curtis and crew. She hadn’t asked him about what his investigator was finding out and hated the thought that maybe he was just with her to try to expose her, but he never treated her like that. He treated her like he thought she was amazing and he was loving every minute of being together.

  The next day they were on Barbados. They went snorkeling and saw lots of turtles and then just enjoyed the gorgeous beach, drinking strawberry daquiris, and swimming in the ocean. It was a nice, relaxing day.

  Every night she talked with Priest over the barrier and recounted her day. He sometimes shared snippets of his but mostly listened, and sometimes counseled her through her confusion over how she was falling for Joshua when she knew she shouldn’t and how she was committed to get back to Jesse and see where that went. She liked Priest, a lot. She sure hoped she wasn’t falling for him also as Joshua and Jesse were more than enough competition in her brain.

  Friday night was their second to last night on the ship and Jade had very conflicting feelings. She couldn’t believe how much she’d loved this time with Joshua and how she’d been able to put the ugliness of the accusations or embezzlement from her mind, and simply enjoy Joshua. He was an impressive, fun, and smart man. She could almost admit to herself that she was falling hard for him. If she didn’t still feel that loyalty and tug to Jesse, she’d be in huge trouble. Who was she kidding? She was in huge trouble.

  She got ready for dinner carefully, dressing in the same fitted black evening dress and jade jewelry she’d worn the night she’d kissed Jesse. Ah, Jesse. Why hadn’t he shown her his face? Why had he been so incredible yet she was having a hard time remembering the time spent with him in light of the appealing presence of the charming and irresistible Joshua Jewel.

  A soft rap came on her door. She slid into her strappy heels, stuck her key card in her bra, and hurried to get the door. Flinging it open, she had to lean against the wall.

  “Whoa,” she grunted out. “You look fabulous.”

  “Hey, that’s my line.” Joshua pushed a hand through his wavy chestnut-brown hair, grinning at her. He looked incredible in a navy-blue suit that fit his body perfectly and made his blue eyes deeper. With that irresistible grin and his dimple so pronounced she wondered if it would count as her kissing him if she simply kissed the dimple. Her stomach heated up.

  “Oh yeah? Why didn’t you use it immediately then?” She arched an imperious eyebrow and tried to stay sassy when inside she was crumbling. This man was everything she’d ever dreamt of, not just physically but emotionally, mentally, spiritually. He was the complete package. She could almost admit it: she wanted him more than she wanted Jesse and she could wait to resolve their other issues. She wasn’t in any hurry. Except how badly she wanted to kiss him.

  “Okay, I will. Actually, I’ve got a better line.” Joshua stepped in closer and his lovely cologne infiltrated her nostrils. He tenderly took her hand in his and said, “Jade Jardine, you are exquisitely beautiful. You take my breath away. Will you please go to dinner with me?”

  Jade wanted to just throw her arms around his neck and kiss him, forget eating. Instead she squeezed his hand and said, “I would love to.”

  Joshua tucked her hand through his arm and escorted her down the stairs to the dining room. He treated her like a queen and she loved being close to him.

  Dinner was fun as they teased and laughed together about some of their day excursions then shared stories of family. She wanted to meet his family, all of them. It was interesting that Teal had married into a huge family. The Strong Family reminded her of the Jewel Family as Joshua described them. Would Jade marry into a large, amazing family as well? That thought made the salmon stick in her throat instead of melt like it had been doing.

  They finished dinner and thanked the assistant waiter, the regular waiter, and the head waiter. These people were great and they knew how to spoil somebody.

  The other nights they’d gone to some of the shows or walked the deck. Tonight, Jade wanted Joshua all to herself, but she was still uncertain. The issues between them hadn’t disappeared, and as days went by, she wondered if Joshua was just going to try to sweep the embezzlement under the rug. That didn’t seem like the Joshua she knew, but she also knew he was in a quandary regarding her quitting and the entire nightmare. A million dollars was a lot of money, and he couldn’t just allow somebody to steal from his company. She wished the real thief would be caught.

  Instead of suggesting they go for a walk on the front part of deck thirteen, where it would be dark and quiet and he would know exactly what she wanted to do, she said, “Karaoke?”

  “No.” He laughed easily. “Dancing.”

  “Okay.” That was almost as good as kissing, almost. She wasn’t losing that bet. While she wanted him to “show her exactly how it felt to be kissed by him,” she also still wanted to interview him for her site. Even more so now that she knew how incredible he was.

  They walked down to deck four, where a small area had a singer with Latin music playing. Jade loved to dance. She started moving and swiveling and just letting go with the beat. Joshua danced comfortably, flowing easily with the beat but he mostly just stared at her, as if drinking her in.

  “What are you staring at?” she asked, easing in closer to him.

  He bent down and murmured in her ear, “Perfection.”

  Jade laughed, but heat was tracing through her. He wrapped one hand securely around her waist and grasped her other hand, tugging her in close to his chest. Jade’s breath rushed out. It felt too good to be held by him.

  He said in her ear, “Is it okay if I hold you while we dance, or is that breaking our initial rules?”

  Jade was more than ready to break some rules. She smiled up at him. “I’ll give you a pass, this time.”

  “That’s kind of you.” He gave her a meaningful smile.

  Heat filled her as their bodies moved in synchrony to the music and each other. The beat was fast at first but that didn’t diminish how romantic and all-encompassing dancing with him was. The song ended and a sultry, slow beat came on.

  Joshua held her tightly as they danced fluidly. Jade rested her head in the crook of his neck and savored each incredible sensation. She inhaled his musky cologne and loved the strength in his body and his hands as they held her. He’d told her at the first of the week that he hadn’t felt a connection like this in a long time. Had she ever felt a connection like this?

  The song ended and the answer reverberated in her head. Jesse. Oh my. She was forgetting all about Jesse. She’d planned to be with Jesse by Sunday afternoon. Was she a flaky woman to have pushed the connection and joy of Jesse from her mind or was Joshua the one she was meant to be with?

  Luckily, or unluckily, the next song was a crazy fast beat. Jade danced like a wild woman. Joshua laughed with her, and at her, then he grabbed her and did some spin moves and threw her around his body and over his head. She was laughing and screaming ou
t at times in surprise, hoping her dress wasn’t clear over her head like it felt. A crowd gathered around them, cheering them on. Joshua was a crazy fun dancer.

  They danced for a while longer then got drinks from one of the cafes and found some comfortable chairs to sit in.

  Jade reluctantly admitted, “I’d better get to bed.”

  “Big plans tomorrow?” he asked.

  She smiled. “I don’t know. What are our plans tomorrow?”

  He grinned as if she handed him a gift. She was going to enjoy this time. Soon Joshua’s investigators would find the thief. On Sunday she’d see how it went with Jesse. And then maybe she could make a more rational decision. She looked over Joshua’s grinning face and realized there was nothing rational about her thoughts or behavior around him.

  “We can take it easy, do the Flow Rider again, swim, drink pina coladas.”

  “Sounds fun,” she agreed. “How about the rock climbing wall?”

  He gazed sharply at her. “You’re ready to learn to climb to the ivory tower?”

  She laughed, she hoped easily. Her heart was thumping madly at the thought of climbing to him. They hadn’t talked about anything serious for a while and though she hated the accusations still hanging over her head she didn’t want to interrupt this time with him discussing something they couldn’t fix until the perpetrator was found. Yet she still felt like he should instinctively trust her. Oh, how she wished he could, or would.

  “Don’t get ahead of yourself, my friend,” she said. “Practicing is all.”

  “I’ll take it.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips. The warmth of his lips on her knuckles sent a current through her. She was falling far too fast for him. “Will you go to the gym in the morning?”

  “Yeah. You?”

  He nodded. “I’ve been going at five a.m. so I haven’t seen you there, but you said you liked the—”