And those eyes that made me feel like I’d stepped into the middle of a fantasy novel.
But my amazement only lasted a millisecond before the pain started. Hot, intense burning that spread from my lap to my thighs and my knees before I could even scream. Leaping out of my chair, I grabbed the edge of the desk and howled in agony.
Jack rushed forward. “Beth? Oh my god,” he said quickly, taking me in his arms as my legs buckled below me.
I couldn’t believe it. I’d found him again – against all odds, I’d found Jack. The realization of my discovery – not to mention the intense burning pain on my legs – was enough to make my eyes roll back in my head and I passed out.
I was barely aware of Jack carrying me outside of the office, into the elevator, and into the cold, Boston street. Snow was blowing wildly through the air as Jack waved his hand and shouted for a cab. When a yellow cab pulled up, Jack flung open the backseat door and carried me inside. He barked the name of the nearest hospital and cradled me in his arms as the car pulled away.
“So,” Jack said weakly. “We meet again, I see.”
I flushed hotly. The pain was becoming unbearable, even worse than it had been before, and when I closed my eyes, I saw stars. I was afraid to look down at my legs – the coffee had soaked through my skirt and tights, and I didn’t want to see the damage.
“You’re going to be okay,” Jack said. He took my hand in his. Despite the pain and the shock, a little electric pulse leapt from Jack’s body to mine when he squeezed my fingers with his own.
“I hope so,” I muttered.
“So, you’re my new secretary?” Jack smirked. “How did you manage that?”
“I frowned. “When I was interviewed, they said I’d be working for someone named James West.”
Jack cleared his throat. “About that,” he said slowly.
Suddenly, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Jack was James West. He’d lied about his name – just like I’d done.
“You’re James,” I said slowly. “James West…the richest man in Boston.” I stared at him for a long moment, wondering how I was ever going to get used to replacing the Jack in my head with the James that was sitting beside me, holding me tight.
“I am,” James said. He coughed.
“So, you lied about your name,” I said softly. The pain in my lap was still throbbing, but pushing it aside was easier now that I had James’s gorgeous face to focus on. If anything, he looked even hotter than he had when we’d met the previous year.
“I did,” James said in a matter-of-fact voice. “And I think you can guess why.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Not really,” I said, wondering how I was going to confess to the same “crime.” “Why?”
“Because, if you’d recognized me, well…” James trailed off. He took his hand from mine and ran it through his unruly dark hair and sighed. “I didn’t want you to like me for my money, Beth.”
I cringed.
“What?” James narrowed his eyes. “I think you can understand that.”
I did understand – of course, I did. But I wasn’t able to face him and tell him that I’d made the same lie…albeit for a terrible, selfish reason.
Before I could open my mouth, the cab pulled up to the hospital. James reached into his back pocket and pulled out his leather wallet, flipping it open and handing the driver a wad of cash that looked like far too much for our short cab trip.
“Come on,” James said. He climbed out of the cab and scooped me into his arms.
“I can walk,” I protested, squirming in his arms and trying to free myself. But James held on tightly, and I relaxed against his muscular chest as he carried me into the Emergency Room entrance.
As soon as we were inside, James flagged down a nurse. “Excuse me,” he said with a charming smile. “My friend here – she’s badly burned.”
The nurse took one look at James’s handsome face, lingering on his sculpted features for what felt like ages before turning her attention to me. With a meek expression, I pointed to my lap.
“I dropped coffee,” I said softly.
The nurse rolled her eyes and I felt a flicker of annoyance. But to my surprise, she didn’t send us to wait in the hellish, crowded room filled with coughing, bleeding people. The nurse jerked her head to the side and led us down a long hallway, into a large room with beds partitioned off with curtains and mesh sheets.
“Wait here,” she said. “The doctor will be with you shortly.”
I nodded. “Thank you,” I said. The nurse drew the curtain between James and myself, leaving us alone.
“What were you going to tell me in the car?” James asked, cocking his head to the side. “In the car. Before we got here.”
I sighed. I knew it was now or never – I couldn’t expect him to go on thinking my name was really Beth forever, especially not now that I was technically his employee. But I knew this would be the end of anything between us. James wouldn’t want to be involved with a woman who lied…even if it was about something as innocuous as my name.
“Tell me,” James urged. “Come on,” he added with a smirk as he reached for my hand again. “I bet we’ll only be here for an hour before the doctor shows up.”
I flushed hotly. It’s now or never, I told myself. And if he doesn’t like me anymore, well, then, I probably deserve it.
“It’s my name,” I said slowly. “It’s not really Beth.”
James’s jaw dropped and he gave me a strange look. “You’re kidding,” he said, narrowing his eyes.
“I wish,” I said lamely.
“So,” James asked, raising an eyebrow and smirking. “Why? Are you some secret billionaire, too, wanting to protect yourself from gold-digging men?”
I flushed. “No. Sorry to disappoint,” I added, still feeling lame. “I shouldn’t have done it – I regretted it as soon as the words were out of my mouth.”
“Why, then?”
“Because,” I said softly. “That party, where we met? Well, I wasn’t invited. In fact, I wasn’t even a part of the wedding. My friend Danielle was a bridesmaid, and she convinced me to come along with her at the last second, since it wasn’t like I’d need to pay for a hotel room on my own.”
“So, you gatecrashed a party?” James smirked.
“I did,” I said, feeling profoundly embarrassed and childish. “And I had a feeling that if you knew, well, I don’t know – I guess I thought it would make you think I didn’t deserve to be there.”
To my surprise, James burst out laughing.
“What?” I asked nervously. “What is it?”
“That’s great,” James said, shaking his head. “And trust me – most of those people shouldn’t have been there, either. You saw the jerks who were trying to fuck your friend. It was a nightmare. I’m glad I met you.”
I blinked. “You mean…you’re not angry?”
“No,” James said. “God, no! Why would I be? I found you again, didn’t I?” He gave me a triumphant smirk. Inside my chest, I felt my heart begin to melt.
Before I could reply, the mesh curtain was abruptly yanked back. A young doctor stood there in green scrubs, blinking down at a chart.