“Her engagement is over. He’s going back to his ex-wife. Which is devastating to her for more than just the obvious reasons.”
Nick leaned closer so that no one else around them could hear. “Does this have anything to do with that brochure?”
“Remember what you offered us when you found it? Well, we’re not the ones that need the offer.”
Nick’s head spun as the implication of what she was saying hit him. Raina needs a sperm donor? He opened his mouth to say something else but Ridley put her hand over his mouth.
“I can’t tell you anything else, Nick. She’ll kill me if she finds out I said this much. But I will say that after all this time of chasing Raina, it looks like you finally have something my sister wants.”
She turned around and was immediately enfolded in Jackson’s arms. His thoughts were spinning in a million different directions. It was almost unbelievable, but it seemed that Ridley was on his side if she was telling him that Raina’s desire to have a baby might be his key to getting through to her. He snorted under his breath. He finally had something she wanted, indeed.
“Is it true, Raina?”
“Who’s the lucky guy?”
“Is there any truth to the rumor that you’re dating a married man? Is that why you won’t discuss your personal life?”
Nick looked up sharply at the question. Raina looked like she was on the verge of running off the stage. He’d only seen her look like that once before. Nick looked back at Ridley.
She nodded at him. He wasn’t sure what she was telling him, but he suddenly knew what he wanted to do. He pushed through the crowd until he got to the stage. The big, beefy guy standing there narrowed his eyes at him.
“Sam, right?” Nick held out his hand. The other guy stared at it before shaking it, reluctantly. “I’m Nick Alexander—”
“I know who you are,” the big guy said, interrupting him. “I hope you have a plan. Because this is getting ugly.”
Nick sighed. “I have a plan, but Raina probably isn’t going to like it.”
Sam moved aside. “Anything is better than this.”
Nick walked across the stage until he stood next to Raina. “Okay, folks. Sorry I’m late.”
He was glad he’d come straight from work. If he was going to be photographed, at least he knew he looked good.
Armani didn’t have a bad side.
The crowd quieted for a moment, then flashbulbs started popping again. Nick wasn’t famous like Jackson, but he was well-known in Virginia as both a businessman and a philanthropist. He’d been named as one of the Virginia Chronicle’s most eligible bachelors for the past three years in a row.
“Mr. Alexander! Mr. Alexander! Is your family going to be involved in the reality show now that your siblings are engaged?”
“Nick. What are you doing up here?” Raina whispered. Her voice came out husky. Nick couldn’t help comparing it to the last time it had sounded like that. The night they’d spent together was as fresh in his mind as if it had happened yesterday instead of months ago. She’d cried out his name so many times she’d gone hoarse. Her voice had sounded much as it did now.
He straightened his tie and flashed the crowd a grin. “Whatever I say in the next few minutes, just go with it,” he whispered back.
Raina tensed when he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. He turned to the photographer who’d yelled the question.
“Actually, I’m just here to support Raina. You kept asking her about her fiancé, so I figured we might as well not try to hide it any longer. Right, baby?”
As flashbulbs exploded around them, Nick could hear people calling out questions but it was all a blur. All he could see was Raina’s confused expression as he dipped his head to whisper in her ear.
“W
e might as well give them something to talk about.”
Then he yanked her against him and covered her lips with his.
* * * * *
“WHAT THE HELL was that?”