Do Marry Your Billionaire Boss (Jewel Family Romance Book 1) Page 8

  Walking down some crumbling concrete steps, she jumped off at the end into gloriously soft sand. It was almost as soft as the beach on Puerto Rico, where she’d met Jesse. She sighed. If only Jesse were here. Maybe he is. She pushed that voice away. She’d been humiliated yesterday, insisting that Joshua was Jesse. She couldn’t let herself get caught up in that illusion or pine away for Jesse. She was here on this cruise, and even if she was alone, she would enjoy it.

  Jade didn’t stop at the pretty beach where a couple were sunbathing nude in some beach chairs, or jump in the blue water that reminded her of Joshua’s incredible eyes; she kept walking, climbing over some rocks and down into the small cave where Stetson had found Teal. The cave was shaded, and luckily, it was empty at the moment. She glanced around and smiled. It was perfect. Easing out of her backpack, she set it on a rock where it wouldn’t chance getting wet. She took a drink of water and munched on an apple as she just savored the peace and beauty of this small cave, listening to the waves roll and crash and thanking the good Lord for this beautiful spot, for her sister, and for the man who had claimed Teal’s heart. She replayed the story of Stetson coming for Teal, and how Teal, who only painted scenery, had shown him how she’d been painting him from memory. This place was so beautiful.

  Finishing her apple, she hurled it into the ocean and then pulled out her phone. She hit a FaceTime call to her sister and grinned as Tempting Teal’s beautiful face filled the screen. “Sis! How are you?”

  “So good,” Teal said. “Painting away.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Texas, where else?” She smirked. Stetson was playing for the Texas Titans, so Teal had been trying to stay close by. Teal panned the phone around and showed Jade an incredible view: a half-cavern with a soft-looking sheet of water coming down from the rocks above her. The water below was jade green, and there were red rocks and green trees in the view.

  “That’s incredible! Where is it?”

  “Just west of Austin. It’s called Hamilton Pool Preserve.”

  “I love it! I can’t wait to see the finished product.”

  “Thanks. Where are you?”

  “You’ll never believe it.” Jade slowly turned the camera around to take in the cave, and she heard Teal scream.

  “You found it!” Teal looked like she was tearing up. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

  “So pretty, sis. I was just reliving your moment.”

  “Give me a minute to relive it. I am so making Stetson take me there after football season.”

  “You do that.” Tempting Teal wouldn’t be alone here like Jaded Jade was. No. She wouldn’t think of herself as that. Jesse wanted to be with her next week, and she didn’t give a flying flip what Joshua Jewel thought.

  “How’s the trip?”

  “Honestly, kind of lonely since I left Jesse.”

  “He sounded like an interesting keeper.”

  “For sure.” She gave a heavy sigh. “The ship is incredible, though, and the food is delicious. I’m going to make it a great week exploring a new island each day.”

  “I know you’ll make it fun. I just wish you weren’t alone.”

  Jade couldn’t argue with that. She saw the shadow of a person coming her way. She turned to see who was intruding on her spot. A tall, fit body navigated the rocks through the bright sun, and then he straightened. She gasped, and his eyes widened. “Joshua?” she breathed.

  He looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “I didn’t … uh …”

  Jade would’ve thought it was adorable to see this handsome, successful man be so disconcerted, but she felt the awkwardness of yesterday all over again, added to the accusations that Joshua probably believed about her stealing from his company. “Teal,” she said shortly, “I’m going to have to let you go.”

  “What? No!” her sister protested.

  “Sorry, sis.” Jade disconnected the call and slid her phone into her bag.

  Joshua had frozen at the bottom of the rocks, but he slowly made his way into the cave, looking either scared of her or worried because he’d been caught. He stopped a few feet away, and that bothered her. Jade stepped up to him, wanting to make him smile and see that dimple, and wanting to slug him for making her so feel so mixed up.

  “Are you following me?” she demanded.

  “Um, I …” He pushed a hand through his hair, and his biceps flexed so beautifully that her mouth went dry. “I wanted to make sure you were safe.”

  She wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes. “It’s not your responsibility to make sure I’m safe.” Folding her arms across her chest, she gave him a challenging look. Yet there was a part of her, hopefully a small part, that was flattered and grateful that he wanted to watch out for her. Teal had said that while this was a safe island, you had to be careful on all the islands, as you never knew who might want to swindle you or get a little too friendly with a beautiful tourist.

  “Well, maybe it is.” His confidence seemed restored, and his blue eyes gleamed with a challenge. “I paid for your trip.”

  Ooh, that ticked her off. “Don’t you dare throw that at me. I earned this trip. Next you’re going to be claiming I ‘owe you,’” she said, making air quotes, “because you paid for it.” She’d been around stupid men who’d tried similar tactics until she gave them the slap down. “I didn’t figure you for another rich man-whore.”

  His eyes narrowed at that. “Did you just call me a man-whore?”

  “Yeah, I did. What are you going to do about it?” She jutted out her chin. The emotions this man evoked in her were not good. She was attracted to him and ticked off by him. Why couldn’t he be Jesse? Why couldn’t Jesse be here? Jesse might tease her, but he wouldn’t tick her off. Her priest from last night would just quietly listen as she talked and then share something about himself. Not Joshua. He was a closed-off, pompous jerk who thought she was a swindler.

  “You don’t even know me,” he threw at her. “I haven’t dated more than a handful of women over the last ten years, and I have behaved above reproach with all of them.”

  “Says you. I know what you ‘king of the world’ types are like.” She was being spiteful, but he seemed to bring out the worst in her.

  He stepped closer. She held her ground, barely. Looking up into his handsome face, she felt a thrill at the fire shooting from those too-blue eyes. This man was powerful and intriguing, and he wasn’t going to take her accusations lying down.

  “You have no idea what I’m like,” he said. “I came here to keep you safe, and you accuse me of unsavory actions and immoral behavior. My family is strictly religious, and I would never hurt or persuade a woman to do something inappropriate.”

  Jade figured he was telling the truth. She wasn’t worried about him doing anything unsavory. Yet there were other issues between them. “I believe you,” she admitted.

  His eyes softened, and he eased back a little bit.

  “But why won’t you believe I would never steal from anyone, least of all my boss?”

  “Says you,” he said quietly.

  “Excuse me?” She reared up again. “I just said I believed you, and now you accuse me of lying?”

  “If you would tell me the story, as I asked at least three times, I might know what to think.”

  Jade startled. He really wasn’t Jesse, or if he was, he was the best liar she knew. “I don’t know what to think either, honestly. Curtis came to my suite at your resort in Puerto Rico and claimed that I’d embezzled from the company. He believes that because the thief donated money to a charity I support, that points the finger at me. Which is stupid, in my opinion. Why would anyone be so obvious? Someone is setting me up. Maybe Curtis. Maybe one of the other guys. Maybe someone not even in our office.”

  Joshua’s expression flitted from concern to disbelief and back to concern. He said in a controlled voice, “Our investigators are trying to get to the bottom of the story, but it’s proving almost impossible to associate a name with the money trail.”r />
  “Curtis had no right to point the finger at me.”

  He shrugged.

  “You don’t believe I’m innocent?” Her voice was full of righteous anger.

  “The honest truth is that everyone on this trip is under suspicion. The thief donated that money to Health for All several months ago and has been skimming from the hotel fees and taxes for thirteen months. I don’t think whoever it is planned on ever getting caught. Only because of a training meeting with all of our accountants where they were specifically looking at those fees did they realize the discrepancy and the insane amount that had disappeared.” He took a breath. “I wish I could I just take your word that you’re not the culprit, but I don’t know you and I really can’t simply trust you.”

  She was stunned, hurt, yet she could sort of understand his reluctance to trust anyone who might have access to doctor those funds. Still, some crazy part of her had felt this intense connection to Joshua Jewel, and if he felt even an inkling of that, he’d have to trust her simply on instinct. Maybe a man like him didn’t use instinct but had to rely on cold, hard, proven facts.

  She stepped around him, headed for her backpack. He’d ruined this beautiful spot for her.

  Reaching out, he wrapped his palm around her arm. The touch of his skin on hers brought pinpricks of awareness and a desire she had to ignore. Please help me ignore these feelings, she begged the good Lord above. It made her feel like she was betraying Jesse, and she couldn’t let herself be attracted to a man who couldn’t trust her. You trust hardly anyone, a little voice reminded her, definitely not the holy spirit talking. She pushed the devilish thoughts away and held on to her indignation.

  “I wish it could be different,” he said in a low, husky voice that made her blood heat up.

  Jade looked up at him. “Trust has to be earned, and you are in no way earning mine. Please let me go.”

  He released her, and his blue eyes became darker and hooded. He didn’t say anything as she hurried for her backpack, slung it on, picked up her flip-flops, and climbed out of the cave. She looked back once, and he was watching her. She wanted to go back and give him another chance. No. There was a small part of her that could understand why he couldn’t instinctively let himself trust her. It didn’t make it hurt any less.

  Joshua watched Jade go, feeling like a jerk again. The conversation had not gone well at all. He’d felt she deserved to know that they were trying everything to get to the bottom of this mess, but she was still the prime suspect.

  Had she really called him a “man-whore”? No one had ever been so derogatory to him. It ticked him off, and at the same time, it actually kind of made him laugh. If any of his brothers heard that, they would be rolling around in the sand laughing until they cried. His more sensitive sister, Eve, would be sad that anyone could think that of him. His feisty sister, Rachel, would tell him that he obviously liked Jade and maybe he should try to prove her wrong.

  He thought about it, and he decided he liked Rachel’s hypothetical advice. He climbed over the rocks, across the beach, and up to his four-wheeler. Jade’s four-wheeler was still there, unless another tourist had rented a white Suzuki quad with a blue seat.

  Joshua turned back to the stairs and eased down them. Halfway down, he saw Jade out in the ocean treading water, chatting with an older couple. She glanced up at him and gave him a challenging look as if to say, “Come on and fight for me.” He hoped. Spending time with the men from her office and two of their wives last night made it hard to believe that any of them could be the culprit, but people hid things well. He should know. Look what he was hiding from Jade right now.

  He wished he could tell Jade that he believed she was innocent. He hadn’t been around a woman like her, maybe ever. He liked her. He could at least admit that much to himself. The last woman he’d fallen for had filleted him, but Jade couldn’t be anything like the manipulative Amber. Could she?

  Dropping his backpack and shedding his shirt, he was rewarded by Jade staring at him with her mouth slightly open. He grinned, forgetting that he shouldn’t because it would make her realize he was Jesse. She smiled back and then looked away, as if embarrassed to be caught, or possibly mad at herself for smiling at him. She was a feisty one; that was for sure.

  He trod through the soft sand and into the lukewarm water. It felt great. Jade and the couple were chatting easily as he swam to them. He edged closer to Jade, treading water, and greeted the couple. “Hi.”

  “Hey.” They welcomed him without question, as fellow tourists often did. They started chatting, asking where he was from, if he was staying on the island or on a cruise, if had he been to the island before, etc., etc.

  He answered their questions but kept sneaking glances at Jade. The sun was bright when he wasn’t wearing a hat or sunglasses, so he had to squint at her, but she looked so beautiful with her dark hair streaming around her and her green eyes either flashing fire at him or looking intrigued by him. He asked questions of his own to the couple. They were from Chicago, they came to the island every year for a couple of weeks since they’d retired six years ago, they had ten grandchildren, etc., etc.

  “Well, that’s enough exercise for me,” the man declared, winking at his wife.

  “Oh you.” She pushed a hand through the water at him.

  Joshua caught a glimpse of the top of the woman’s bare boob. He quickly averted his eyes. Jade was smiling at him as if she’d seen what he’d seen and felt his discomfort.

  The couple said their goodbyes and swam away. He concentrated on Jade, not wanting to see them get out if that lady really wasn’t wearing a top.

  Jade was grinning from ear to ear. “Oh my,” she said. “You have to look.”

  Joshua shook his head determinedly. “No way. The guy I rented the four-wheelers from explained that the nude beaches weren’t like most of the movies, more like Jurassic Park.”

  She giggled, then burst into full-on laughter. “Oh my, that’s perfect.” She focused on Joshua. “I can’t believe you were too wimpy to look. Who doesn’t want to see two seventy-year-old people stark naked?”

  “No!” He stayed facing Jade; no way was he looking at that train wreck. “No clothes at all?” He faked a British accent. “Completely starkers?”

  When she’d managed to catch her breath from laughing, she confirmed, “None. Oh, that was awful. I can’t even imagine my parents doing that.”

  “Stop,” he begged. “I don’t even want to imagine my parents doing that.”

  She starting laughing again.

  He grinned and splashed some water at her.

  “Oh, you did not just do that.” Dragging her arm through the surf, she flung sea water at him.

  Joshua closed his eyes, but his face was drenched. Wiping his eyes clean, he tasted the salt on his lips, then spit and said, “You’re going to regret that.”

  Jade laughed and tried to swim farther out, away from him. Joshua crossed the distance with quick strokes, grabbed her around the waist, and dunked her under the water. He lifted her up quickly, and she was sputtering and grinning. She wrapped her hands around his neck and tried to tug his head under.

  Joshua just laughed at her as she couldn’t budge him. He was treading water with only his legs, holding on to her as she clung to him and tried to dunk him.

  “Argh!” she cried out. “Stop being so tough.”

  Joshua laughed harder, and she joined him, finally stopping trying to dunk him. She kicked her legs as well to help them stay afloat, but she didn’t let go of his neck.

  He felt the exact instant that the mood changed. One moment they were both grinning, and the next he was staring deeply into her green eyes, wondering how he was going to resist kissing her. Her trim body felt incredible pressed against his. Her face was so beautiful, and her lips were so appealing. He really loved being around her. Why resist?

  He started to lean closer as she said, “You’re a lot of fun.”

  He smiled and said, “Don’t act so surprised.
”

  “Well, I am. Earlier …” She paused and looked a little horrified about whatever she was going to say. She released her grip on his neck.

  Joshua hated to let her go, but he released his hold on her waist. She floated half a foot away. They both treaded water for a few seconds; then he prompted, “Earlier?”

  He could see her throat bob as she swallowed. She glanced toward the beach and then met his gaze again, “I thought you were a jerk who didn’t care about me and believes I could be the thief.”

  Joshua’s stomach tightened. “I can understand why you feel that way. We need time to get to the bottom of it.”

  “Why can’t you just trust me?”

  “I really can’t trust anyone until they find the culprit.”

  Fire shot from her eyes. She swam quickly toward the shore.

  Joshua followed her. He didn’t want to keep fighting, but he felt she needed to know. “Jade.”

  She didn’t even slow.

  He raised his voice. “I’ve hired an outside investigator as well as internal. Curtis shouldn’t have confronted you until we knew more. The others in your office are under investigation as well, but they don’t know about it.” His feet touched sand and he pushed forward, still talking to her back and wishing she’d look at him. “I promise you I will get to the bottom of this, but it’s going to take some time.”

  She was knee deep in the water, and he was a little ways behind her, up to his waist. Looking over her shoulder, she said, “Well, good luck to you on figuring out the truth. Stay away from me until you do.” She flipped back around and stormed up the beach. Grabbing her backpack and flip-flops, she climbed the concrete stairs, still dripping.

  Joshua watched her go. He had this crazy feeling that Jade Jardine could be the woman for him. The problem was that he’d had that feeling ten years before, and even now, he had a hard time trusting himself in a relationship. His youngest sister, Eve, had fancied herself in love as well. The man had taken her to Vegas, married her, and when he’d found out she had no access to her inheritance until she was twenty-five, he’d ditched her. Now she had an adorable three-year-old daughter and bigger trust issues than Joshua had.