Meddling with a Millionaire (Case Brothers 1)

“I can’t afford to.”

“Why not?”

It was time to explain what was really going on. “Last February, Daddy cut me off from my trust fund and gave me a hundred thousand to live on for the year.”

“Why a hundred thousand?”

Emma grimaced. “It’s what I spent on shoes the year before.” Seeing the grin tugging at Nathan’s lips, she rushed on. “New Year’s Eve, Daddy and I made a deal. If I replace the hundred thousand in my account by Valentine’s Day, he’s promised to sign over my money and I don’t have to marry you.” She loaded the last bit with enough satisfaction to wipe the amusement off his face, but her smug words had no effect.

“Let me guess how much you have to replace.” He cocked an eyebrow. “Fifty thousand?”

“Thirty-five.”

His smirk made her blood boil. Why had she told him about the deal with her father? Over the years, Cody had probably regaled Nathan with assorted tales of her spending sprees. But she wasn’t the same frivolous girl she’d been ten months ago. She’d learned to budget. She’d spent long hours designing and making her jewelry. And she’d figured out the best way to market it.

“The earrings you took. I need them back.”

“Are you planning on selling them?”

“As a matter of fact, I am. I’ve started a business. I design fine jewelry. Expensive, original, one-of-a-kind pieces.”

Except her father didn’t take what she did seriously. And from the look on Nathan’s face, he didn’t, either. The harder she worked, the more she wanted her father to recognize her talent. How could you claim to love someone and not get them? Replacing the hundred thousand had become as much about proving to her father that she was great at something as it was about getting her trust fund back.

“I’m going to put the money back in my account,” she said.

Instead of appearing concerned that she might succeed, he shrugged. “You don’t seriously think you can do that in five weeks.”

He sounded just like her father. When he looked at her, he saw only failure. Wouldn’t he be surprised when she demonstrated just how capable she was? “I have a big art and design show coming up. I’ll make more than enough money.”

Naturally, she left out the part about lacking inventory to sell and how buying the supplies she needed would mean dipping back into the account she was trying desperately to replenish.

“I’m sure you make very nice jewelry,” he told her in a patronizing manner that made her grind her teeth. “But you don’t seriously expect to make enough money at some craft fair.”

“I can do it,” she declared, annoyed with him for echoing her own doubts about her plan. “You’ll see.”

“In the meantime, you can move into my condo while your bathroom is fixed.”

“Move…” In with him? Emma stared at Nathan. “Absolutely not.”

“Well, I’m not going to let you stay here,” Nathan retorted, brisk with impatience. “I’ll find someone to come in and take care of the mold and get your bathroom working again. It shouldn’t take more than a couple weeks. In the meantime, you can stay with me.”

“I’d appreciate your help with a contractor, but I’m not staying with you.”

A sly smile softened his sculpted lips. “Afraid you might like it too much to leave?”

His question aroused memories of New Year’s Eve, reminding her how close she had come to succumbing to his charms. She began to tingle beneath the molten steel in his eyes. As he watched her struggle for an answer, his eyebrows lifted.

“I’m not afraid,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. Oh, but she was.

She craved his hands on her, his mouth claiming hers, and it robbed her of sanity, just as his knowing grin stole her breath. What would it be like to fall asleep sheltered by his arms each night? To be awakened every morning by the sensual slide of his naked muscles against her skin? Just thinking about it nudged her into the realm of an addict. If she let herself fall into his trap of seduction, she’d never be able to escape.

He shook his head. “I think you are.” His eyebrows dropped back into their customary position, his lips curved ironically and he peered at her askance. “What are you fighting so hard to prove? You and I both know you aren’t the independent sort. You’ll be happier once you’re married and have someone to take care of you. Your father knows it, too. That’s why he’s so determined to see you settled.”

Growing up, whenever Emma had played with her dolls, she imagined they were falling in love and living happily ever after. By eighteen, she had her life all planned out, something her college friends had teased her about incessantly. She would get married shortly after college, to a man who adored her. She would be pregnant with her first child three years later. Between socializing with her friends, dinner parties with her husband’s business associates and charity events, she would be blissfully happy. But her ex-fiancé, Jackson, had spoiled her innocent dreams.

Having to guard herself so vigilantly against making another mistake in love while longing to let go and take the plunge was a tug-of-war that took its toll. And the longer she fought, the more resistant she became to the trust she needed in order to let herself fall in love. Surrendering to her emotions became a thing of her past. Until Nathan Case had reentered her life.

“I thought you understood that I’m not going to marry you because of some business deal.” Finishing the last of the tea, she leaned over the breakfast bar and put the cup in the sink. She fixed a steady gaze on Nathan as he moved out of the kitchen in her direction. “Someday I will marry, but on my terms—not my father’s.”