The Boyfriend Arrangement

“I can imagine. I wouldn’t be surprised if the two of you did nothing but sleep when a wedding event wasn’t taking place.” Sebastian hadn’t noticed any children on the flight but Violet and Aidan’s toddler, so he presumed they were all back in New York with their nannies and their grandparents. Sounded like the perfect getaway to relax, nap and have some alone time together.

And yet he was downstairs with Sebastian instead.

“Lucy is actually napping right now. I told her not to because it would screw up her sleep, but she told me to mind my own business and go downstairs.” Oliver chuckled and sipped at his drink. “They’re a sassy group of women, my sister included. I never thought I’d be roped into all of it, and yet here I am. Do

you know what you’re getting yourself into, Sebastian?”

He smiled. He was pretty sure he was in over his head when he’d agreed to go on this trip and she’d kissed him in the department store. “If I didn’t, I’m getting a good feel for it on this trip,” he said. “It’s been quite the experience so far and it’s only the first day here. Being the odd man out allows me to sort of observe from the fringes, which is fine by me. To be honest, I don’t spend a lot of time with people. Certainly not like this. My business partner, Finn Solomon, is the outward face of our company. I spend most of my time sketching out plans or tinkering with my latest ideas in the lab at work.”

“I used to be that way. When I inherited Orion from my father, the company was a mess. Apple was king and PCs weren’t cool anymore. Especially those old tower dinosaurs everyone had at work or in their closets. I sacrificed a lot of my personal life sitting with my engineers, trying to brainstorm new computer products that would make us competitive again. Now, of course, we’re back on our feet and I’m able to shift my focus to other more important things, like Lucy and the twins. Say, have you been married before?”

Let the prying begin. Nice segue. “I haven’t. I suppose I’ve been more focused on building our company, so I’ve never married or had any children.”

Oliver nodded thoughtfully. “You know, all of Harper’s friends have recently settled down and had children. After Violet and Aidan get married this weekend, Harper will be the only single one left.”

“She’s mentioned that.”

“I suppose she feels some pressure to follow suit.”

Sebastian narrowed his gaze at Oliver. “You’re asking if Harper is barking up the wrong tree with me since I’m a thirty-eight-year-old workaholic bachelor?”

Oliver simply shrugged and sipped his drink. “Is she?”

“I suppose I’m getting to the age where I need to take the idea of a family more seriously, but until Harper, it hadn’t really crossed my mind. I’m not opposed to it, no, but it simply hasn’t been in the cards for me yet.”

Her brother listened thoughtfully and nodded. “I was the same way until Lucy blew through my life like a hurricane. I didn’t think I was ready for marriage or children, either, but she changed everything. It was like my eyes were suddenly opened and all I could see was her and our future together. Is it like that with you and my sister?”

That was something Sebastian didn’t think he could lie about. It was easy to pretend to date and to be attracted to Harper because he was attracted to her. But to love her? To envision their future together? That was different and he had no doubt her brother could spot it if he fibbed. “It’s only been a few months, but I think we’re definitely getting to a more serious place. I care for your sister,” he said.

And he did. He didn’t want to see her get hurt, be it by him or Quentin or whomever that sleazy blackmailer was. That meant he cared a little, even for a woman he hardly knew. It was hard not to when he’d been drawn into her world and her problems so quickly. If Lucy was a hurricane, perhaps Harper was a tornado, plucking him from a wheat field and sucking him up into the swirling drama of her life.

“Listen, I don’t want to do that stereotypical brother thing where I threaten you not to hurt my sister and wave around my shotgun. It’s kind of cliché and not that effective, if Quentin is any evidence of that. I also don’t own a shotgun. But I will say that you’re the first man my sister has seriously dated in quite a while. I’m happy for you both, but I’m also nervous. She’s kept this relationship quiet and the fact that she’s suddenly announcing it to the world means she’s feeling more comfortable with her feelings for you, whatever they may be. My sister is all sarcasm and sass on the outside, but all that is there as a barrier to protect the fact that she’s really a marshmallow on the inside. She gets hurt easily.”

Sebastian listened carefully. Even though he knew this relationship wasn’t real, he took her brother’s words to heart. He’d already been a witness to Harper’s softer side—the side that was nervous about what other people thought of her and the part that was tied in knots over her secrets being exposed. She definitely had a soft underbelly. To be honest, seeing that part of her had endeared her to him more than he realized. She wasn’t just the snarky single friend living the footloose and fancy-free life in Manhattan. She was more than that. Much more. And it made Sebastian curious to unearth more of her hidden layers.

Oliver glanced down at his watch and sighed before finishing off his drink. “Well, I’m glad we could have this little chat. I’d better head upstairs and wake Lucy so she has time to freshen up before dinner. I’ll see you and Harper there in a little while.”

“We’ll see you later,” Sebastian said with a wave. He watched Oliver disappear from the lobby and glanced back over at the hotel front desk. He hadn’t been watching it for at least fifteen or twenty minutes. Anyone looking for the package of blackmail money could’ve come and gone and he’d missed it while chatting with Oliver.

Frustrated, he folded up the newspaper and decided to follow Oliver’s suit. It was almost time for the welcome dinner in the great hall and he could use some time to change. With a sigh, he picked up his notebook and headed for the staircase to find Harper to report on what he’d seen, carefully leaving out her brother’s little chat.

As far as he was concerned, Quentin should be at the top of the suspect list and he was going to keep an eye on him.

Five

Since everyone was tired, the welcome dinner was short and, for that, Harper was relieved. Aidan and Violet said a few words, thanked everyone for coming, and every couple was given a gift bag. Inside were some useful essentials: a schedule of activities, a map of the property and some authentic Irish chocolates.

Harper had difficulty focusing on any of the food or conversation. Her eyes kept running over each guest, wondering which one was expecting to be a hundred grand richer before bedtime. No one was watching her, no one was acting odd, and yet she could feel someone’s eyes on her. Her gaze flicked over to Quentin. He seemed a little out of sorts tonight. He fidgeted with his food and didn’t engage anyone, even his fiancée, in conversation.

After Sebastian had mentioned seeing her ex go by the front desk, it had confirmed her suspicions that he might be behind this. He was the only one who made sense. He knew a little about her situation, or he had back when they dated. The question was whether or not he needed money badly enough to use it against her. She didn’t know. A hundred grand wasn’t a lot in the scheme of things. All she knew was that she hated being in the same room with him. She wanted to escape upstairs as soon as she could.

At the same time, as they got up to leave the great hall, Harper realized she was also dreading going back to the suite with Sebastian. When he’d returned to the room before dinner, she had thankfully already dressed for the evening. She’d been in the process of curling her hair in the bathroom as he’d entered their room. He’d gone about changing his clothes, paying no attention to the fact that Harper was in the next room with the door wide open.

She’d tried not to stare in the mirror at him as he’d walked around in his navy boxer briefs, laying out his outfit. She’d told herself that it was surprise, not desire, that had caused her to study his mostly naked body so closely. She’d expected the mad scientist to be soft through the middle from long hours at the lab and less-than-ideal eating habits, but he wasn’t. His body was long and lean with hard muscles that twitched beneath tanned skin that extended far below his collar line.

How did he get a body like that working in his lab for long stretches of time?

“Ye-ouch!” she’d hollered, pulling her attention back to the blazing-hot curling iron where it belonged. She’d sucked at her burned finger and focused on finishing her hair, even when he’d come into the bathroom still in his underwear. He’d bent over the sink to splash water on his face and beard, then combed his hair back and was done. Men had it so easy.