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

  “You okay?” he murmured. Maybe she was nuts, but she thought his voice was husky and slightly breathless.

  “Yeah.”

  The rain suddenly became a deluge. Jade let out a gasp and put her hands above her head, wishing she was wearing her own hat. Jesse took her hand firmly with his own, and they carefully navigated the steps down through the deluge of rain. They made it down the first few flights of steps and came to a landing of sorts where numerous trees gave them some shelter. Walking to a wooden platform, they caught their first glimpse of the lower waterfall through the sheets of rain. Jesse took his backpack off and held it above her head.

  “Thanks.” Jade glanced up at him. “Teach me to not wear my own hat and sunglasses.”

  His lips curved in a smile. “They do come in handy.”

  He looked really good, even though she couldn’t see his eyes. His shirt was drenched and his muscles bulged as he held the backpack over her. She edged in closer and was rewarded with his chest muscles brushing against her shoulder. Feeling protected by his backpack and his body close by, she gazed out over the waterfall. Some people were swimming, but others were getting out and scrambling for their clothes, hurrying to get out of the rain.

  This waterfall was much taller than yesterday’s, probably over sixty feet, and it was certainly wider. Water cascaded down over gray rock, and the edges were framed with greenery. The pool below was a deep, inviting green, and Jade could hardly wait to swim in it.

  The rain gradually slowed, and when it was a drizzle, Jesse lowered the backpack and strapped it back on. “You ready?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  The rain had scared a few people away, so there were only about a dozen milling around and a few swimming as they made their way down the slick stairs and finally to the waterfall. Jade’s clothes were already soaked, so she didn’t care much as she dropped her backpack and slipped out of her tank top, shorts, and Keens.

  Jesse was grinning at her as he offered his hand. “The coolest thing about this one is you can also jump.” He pointed to a spot to the right, where some teenage boys were making their way along the rocks and then jumping about twenty feet into the water.

  “Oh my goodness!” Jade cried out. She was terrified of heights, but she would never admit that. She’d fallen out of a forty-foot treehouse at ten and broken her arm. Since then, she froze when she was on top of anything too high, but she could handle twenty feet. She’d forced herself to do that a few times, and it wasn’t awful. “This is a dream come true, baby,” she lied.

  Jesse chuckled and helped her over the uneven rocks until they both plunged into the cool water. They swam around for a little bit, getting close to the waterfall and enjoying the spray on their faces as the rain drizzled to next to nothing. “It’s running a lot higher than last time I was here,” Jesse said. “Maybe because of the rain.”

  “Are you trying to wimp out of jumping?” she asked, actually hoping he would.

  He grinned. “No, ma’am. You ready?”

  Her gut tightened with apprehension, but Jade had never been one to back down from a challenge or destroy her image as a chill chick. “Let’s do this!”

  They swam to the rocks, and Jade scrambled up out of the water. It was slick, but she could do it without any assistance.

  Jesse climbed up next to her. “Do you want to follow me?”

  “Yes, please.”

  She matched his steps as he climbed higher and then shimmied along the rocks to the right side of the falls. It was slippery, and her stomach clenched a few times as she almost lost her footing. She probably would’ve just ended up in the pool, but there were some jagged rocks she might’ve hit. What was she doing? Dang her pride.

  They finally made it to the spot where she’d seen the teenagers jump. Jesse grinned over at her as he straightened. “Ladies before gentlemen?” he asked.

  “Together,” she declared, not letting herself look down. Logically, she knew it wasn’t very high, and she could force herself to do it if she just didn’t look down.

  Jesse extended his hand. Jade clasped it, loving the rush of feeling that shot through her, a thrill more exciting than jumping off this small cliff would be. Maybe if she got very lucky, he’d lose his hat and sunglasses.

  He grasped his hat and sunglasses firmly with the other hand. Her neck tightened, and her heart thudded faster. “Now!” she cried before she wimped out.

  Together they plunged off the rock, her stomach feeling like it launched itself into her throat as she screamed. His hand was ripped from hers as they hit the water. Jade plunged down into the cool liquid, hit the bottom very softly, and then pushed up to the top.

  Jesse was already up. His hat and sunglasses were still in place. Dang.

  “You liked it?” he asked.

  “Again!” It had actually been fun, and she was super proud of herself for doing it. Maybe she would conquer her fear of heights.

  Jesse chuckled and tilted his head to the side. “I like your crazy side.”

  “I like you,” she admitted. Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. She quickly swam back to the spot to climb out, and luckily, he didn’t reference her slip of the tongue as they jumped off several more times.

  Chapter Four

  Joshua thought Jade was amazing, and the only duplicity he sensed in her was when she’d lied about not being afraid to jump off the small cliff at the waterfall. Her hand had been trembling in his and he’d seen the terror in her eyes, but she’d still jumped, not once but three times. She was impressive, fun, smart, and beautiful.

  He was even more conflicted about the accusations against her. They’d spent almost an hour in the lower and upper pool of the falls, and then they’d found a roadside shack for lunch before making their way through a few different sea caves that were nearby the falls. She took everything in with a sense of awe and innocence he found refreshing. His family was impressive and he loved them all, but they’d grown up with money, traveling and seeing the wonders of the world. They all would’ve enjoyed the waterfall and sea caves, but none of them besides Paisley would’ve been very impressed with today, because they’d seen the same sites numerous times. His sisters would claim that today had been enjoyable because Jade was a gorgeous member of the opposite sex. He might just be lonely. Yet he thought Jade could be very special—if she wasn’t the one stealing money from his company.

  He and Jade were planning to meet for dinner at the Japanese restaurant at his resort tonight. He was half tempted to take off his hat and sunglasses and kiss Jade good night, but when he got back to his room and read his emails, all the doubts and worries crept back in.

  He now had numerous questions that would make it hard for him to trust her. All the basic reports on Jade were great. There were no issues, and she was well-liked and hard-working. He was finding more and more that he wanted Jade to be genuine. The problem was that none of the other people who worked closely with Curtis had any bad reports either. He was supposed to spend the next week on a cruise with Curtis and his closest staff; hopefully, he’d find out the truth then.

  The other, just as worrisome item was that he’d asked his personal assistant to look into Jade Jardine. He hated himself for being paranoid, but that was him, and he didn’t know how to change it until someone proved they could be trusted. Before he’d even showered from the day’s adventures, he’d read his assistant’s email response, which showed that everything Jade had revealed about herself was the truth. She’d gotten an MBA from Stanford, had grown up in Colorado with only one sister, and worked up in his company until she was Curtis’s assistant. She’d simply forgotten to share one huge part of her life: a blog and related social media called Cream the Celebrity.

  Joshua recognized the hypocrisy in being upset that she’d hidden her side job from him when he was lying about who he was, but the name of her site alone worried him enough that he wasn’t sure if he’d turn up for dinner. He took a long shower and then let hi
mself open up his laptop and read through her blog, watching a few snippets of the videos. She was adorable and completely herself as she interviewed well-known and obscure celebrities. Her “about me” on the site explained that at Stanford, she’d made several close friends who came from celebrity families or who themselves went on to be celebrities. They all wanted their true stories shared with the world. That led to other contacts and other interviews. She only posted about one a month, and it looked like it had been going for several years.

  Jade was professional and honestly rarely “creamed” anyone, but it all had his gut and neck feeling tight. Did she know who he was and was flirting with him and being so adorable so she could reveal to the world who he was? He loved his anonymity and his privacy. Oddly enough, she hadn’t tried to take even a selfie with him. He was much too enthralled with this woman he’d only spent two days with. He should walk away now, before either of them got invested.

  The other thing he’d seen on the blog was that she donated most of her money to Health for All, a worldwide children’s charity. Curtis had explained earlier that Jade Jardine was passionate about Health for All, and she’d asked that they donate the proceeds of their last charity auction to it. Nobody had thought much about it, until the embezzlement came to light and they’d found that part of the money had been donated to Health for All. Here was another indicator that all was not what he hoped with Jade. Unless she was being set up.

  Pacing his suite, he glanced at the time. Five minutes after seven. He was supposed to meet her at seven. He headed to the balcony and rubbed at his neck. Should he reveal who he was, keep his hat and sunglasses on, or simply stay away? Jade was a smart girl. If he didn’t turn up, she’d get the message. She’d survive. His stomach went from tight to squeamish. Would he?

  Jade got more dolled up than she probably should’ve for dinner that night, wearing a black fitted dress that she’d brought for the formal night of the cruise. She added some color with a jade pendant necklace, a bracelet, and earrings to match, and she took extra care with her makeup and hair. She got to the restaurant at five to seven and told the maître d’ she was waiting for someone. He escorted her to the bar, and the young, flirtatious bartender immediately started teasing her about looking so beautiful but being alone and only wanting a water with lemon.

  “Somebody as gorgeous as you should let her hair down. Try my Mai Tai. It’s almost as delicious as you.”

  Jade simply grinned and let him tease, casting her eyes toward the opening to the restaurant every twenty seconds or so. She finished her water but declined more. She crossed and uncrossed her legs several times, then took to twisting the bracelet on her wrist.

  At ten minutes past seven, the bartender leaned across the bar and said, “I either need to give you a Mai Tai or drink one myself so I don’t level this guy for showing up late.”

  Jade’s smile was forced. “Unfortunately, I don’t drink, so you might have to drink it for me.”

  His smile looked equally stilted. “If he stands you up, I’ll take a break, okay?”

  “Thank you.” She appreciated the kindness behind his offer.

  Movement at the entryway caught her eye, and she turned quickly. Jesse strode into the restaurant, looking powerful, confident, and in charge of the whole world. He wore a tailored navy-blue suit that fit his body perfectly with a crisp, white shirt underneath open at the collar with no tie. And as she’d grown accustomed to, he was wearing sunglasses and a gray fedora that looked great with his suit. At least it wasn’t a baseball cap, but dang, she’d been hoping for no hat tonight, and she was moments from ripping off those sunglasses.

  Jesse’s head turned toward her, and Jade stood, noting the appreciative smile on his lips and hating that she couldn’t see his eyes. He started her direction.

  The bartender cursed behind her and then muttered, “That’s who you were waiting for?”

  “Yes.” Jade couldn’t tear her eyes from Jesse, but she managed to ask, “Why?”

  “Have a good night, ma’am,” was all she got before he disappeared behind the bar.

  Jesse reached her, and behind the glasses, he seemed to be carefully looking her over. “You look amazing,” he finally murmured in a husky voice.

  “You look amazing, and hilarious,” she shot back. “Sunglasses inside at night, really?”

  Jesse gave her a slight grin, but it seemed tight, definitely not his natural smile. “It’s a new fashion statement I’m working on. Shall I start singing, ‘I wear my sunglasses at night’?”

  “Oh, please don’t. Let’s try the outfit without the hat and sunglasses and I might find you completely irresistible,” she suggested.

  Instead of laughing, his lips pressed thinner and he offered his hand. “Dinner?”

  “I’m starving. Waiting on some guy.”

  “Forgive me,” he apologized. “Catching up on work.”

  “Work, work, work, all the time, eh?”

  He led her to a table and pulled out her chair. The waiter immediately filled their water glasses, took their drink orders, offered them menus, and made his suggestions; then he scurried away.

  “What about you?” It looked like Jesse was watching her over the top of his menu.

  “Me?”

  “Do you work nonstop too?”

  “I used to. Between …” She almost told him about her celebrity blog, but she held back. It wasn’t something she just volunteered, especially since she didn’t know if he was a celebrity or not. “The job for Jewel Enterprises was demanding, and you know … exercise, church, family, life,” she finished lamely.

  Jesse didn’t seem to like her answer, but the waiter came and took their orders, and shortly after that, the chef came and started cooking in front of them and laughing and teasing with them. They didn’t get to talk much, but Jesse visibly relaxed. Jade wondered what had happened with work that had made him withdraw a little bit, or if it was something she’d said.

  The chef threw a cooked shrimp at Jesse, and he easily caught it in his mouth. All three of them cheered. When the chef threw one at Jade, it hit her neck and tumbled down the front of her dress. She cried out in surprise, squirming until she got the hot piece of shrimp out. Jesse and the chef both laughed, and she couldn’t help but join them. The chef finished with a flourish, putting the salmon and steak on their plates to complement the veggies and fried rice. He bowed and thanked them as they applauded for him.

  After he left, they ate in silence for a few minutes. The food was delicious, seasoned perfectly, and Jade loved the savory vegetables, the rice, and the heartier steak and flaky salmon.

  “How is everything?” Jesse asked.

  “Great.” She patted at her mouth with her cloth napkin to blot the sauce that may have been left from her latest bite salmon. “How are you? You seem a little … on edge.”

  Jesse’s gaze darted to her. Well, as near as she could tell. His head and sunglasses turned to her. She was very interested in him, but this was getting old. “I apologize if I’m not good company.” His voice was stiff, and it sounded as if he was testing her.

  “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed being at dinner with you,” she retorted, “but you haven’t been as relaxed as you were today or yesterday.”

  He bowed his head slightly. “You’re right. There are some issues with work I’m not sure how to deal with.”

  “Anything I can do to help?”

  He took a bite of veggies, and when he’d swallowed, his lips pursed. “If there was a conflict between two high-level employees, would you trust the employee you didn’t know very well, or trust the employee who’d been faithful to your company for a really long time?”

  Her eyebrows rose. “I take it this isn’t hypothetical?”

  “Unfortunately not.”

  She ate a bite of the flavorful salmon and then a sip of water before saying, “I’d think you’d have to research it and have multiple sources to believe someone you don’t know very well over a long-time, faithful
employee.”

  He didn’t say anything. His face was turned toward her. She would give a lot to get those sunglasses off. The hat did make him kind of dapper. “Hmm,” he finally said noncommittally.

  They picked at their respective dinners; then he tilted his head to her. “Are you finished?”

  “Yes.”

  Jesse left an extra tip for the chef and waiter. The resort was all-inclusive and that was supposed to include tips, but she’d noticed him leaving extra wherever they went.

  They walked together out of the restaurant and into one of the open areas of the resort. A water feature trickled nearby. Stopping, they turned to face each other. He opened his mouth, but she preempted him.

  “Would you like to walk on the beach?” she asked bravely, afraid that he was going to end their night early like he had last night and she might never see him again. He never had asked for her phone number so he could text her the name of the waterfall. She didn’t like being the needy woman, at all, but Jesse was mysterious, handsome, intriguing, and fun. She’d had a great couple of days with him, even if he wouldn’t let her see his eyes.

  Jesse hesitated, and her stomach plunged. Something was wrong with him tonight, and she feared it had more to do with her than with some employee. What had she done wrong? Maybe he really was a famous celebrity and he had found out about her blog. Her name was on it. If he Googled her, the page and her social media would come up. She didn’t really care about losing an interview at the moment. She was very interested in him and wanted to spend more time with him.

  “Okay,” he finally said.

  “I don’t want to force you.” She put one hand on her hip and tossed her long hair.

  Jesse chuckled. “I don’t know about that. You’re feisty enough you’d probably pin my arm behind my back and drag me across the sand if I said no.”

  “Ah,” she gasped. “Even if I was tough enough to manhandle you, I wouldn’t force you to be with me.” Whirling on her heel, she headed toward the south side of the resort and the bank of elevators that went to her room. She had had a fun time with him, but she wasn’t going to “drag him.”