One Long Embrace (Eternal Bachelors Club #5)

“Jay.”


“How dare you interrupt my conversation?” Brad growled. “Do your work and don’t bother me. Don’t you know who I am?” Arrogance dripped from Brad’s voice.

“I don’t care who the fuck you are. Leave Tara alone. She doesn’t want to dance. Not with you, anyway!”

Jay pressed the tray in Brad’s hands and reached for Tara’s arm. “We need to talk.”

Still stunned by his unexpected appearance, she allowed him to drag her through the throng of people in the large living area, navigating to the dance floor that had been created on the terrace. The moment they reached it, Jay pulled her into his arms and led her in a slow foxtrot.

“What are you doing here?” she hissed underneath her breath. “Playing waiter again to snare another unsuspecting woman into your net?”

Jay drew her even closer to him, his grip like a steel vice from which she couldn’t escape. Maybe she should have taken her chances with Brad instead.

“I came to stop you from making a monumental mistake.”

“Like the one I made with you? Don’t worry, I learn from my mistakes. I’m not gonna fall for the same trick twice.”

“It wasn’t a trick,” he gritted between clenched teeth. “But what you’re doing now is a mistake. You shouldn’t be here. This is not where you’ll find the man who’s right for you. Or was it all a lie when you said you didn’t want a rich guy?”

She pulled back, trying to free herself from his arms, but he drew her back without much effort. “You’re one to talk about lying.”

“Then what are you doing here, pandering to your parents’ wishes? Weren’t you the one who wanted independence from them? So you could make your own decisions? I hadn’t expected you to cave so easily.”

Tara glared at him. “How dare you! It’s easy for you to talk about independence and making your own decisions. You don’t have to live off your parents’ money.”

A strange expression passed over his face. “No, I don’t. I never did.”

“Well, then don’t tell me I’m caving easily. You would cave too if you couldn’t get a job to support yourself.”

He scoffed. “You could easily get a job with your skills. I’ve seen your portfolio. You have talent. Your designs stand out from the crowd.”

“What?” Was he actually paying her a compliment?

“You’ll be a wonderful designer if you only set your mind to it.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You bastard! You’re saying this to soften me up, aren’t you? Of all the rotten things you could say, that’s the lowest.”

“I’m not lying. I believe in you. And I’ll prove it to you.”

“Oh yeah, how?” she challenged him.

“I’ll make you a deal.” His gaze drifted past her to the interior of the house. “We don’t have much time. Your admirer is bringing reinforcements. They’ll be throwing me out as soon as they find me.”

He made a quick turn, dancing past another couple. The man was as tall as Jay and would provide some cover, but not for long.

“What deal?”

“Give me four days to prove to you that I’m not like the other rich guys, that I’m just like the guy you met. I’ll prove to you that the man you spent time with on the boat is the real Jay.”

“And how’s that going to prove anything? All you’re gonna do is turn on your charm and get me into bed. It’s not gonna change anything.”

“If at the end of the four days, you’re not convinced that I’m different and want to leave me, I’ll set you up with your own design business and refer you to so many clients that you’ll be busy for the next twenty years.”

She stared at him, her mouth dropping open. The music was still playing, but Jay wasn’t dancing anymore. He was simply holding her in his arms and staring at her.

“Make your decision. They’ve just found us. You have about thirty seconds before they haul me away.”

Tara gazed past him, spotting Brad flanked by two security people. Just behind them, her father reared his head. He’d seen her, too. And he was on his way. He didn’t look pleased. Not only would the Willamotts’ security people forcefully remove Jay, her father would read her the riot act.

“Ah, shit!” she cursed.

“Tara? Your answer.”

“Fine. You’ve got four days.”

As soon as the last word left her lips, Jay pulled her to the opposite side of the dance floor. Then he paved a way through the people crowding around the outside bar and charged past it, dipping through an opening in the tent that covered the bar.

“Where are we going?” Tara asked, a little bit panicked. Had she made the right decision?

“To my boat.”

“And then?”

“We’re going to visit my past.”





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