The Billionaire’s Bidding

Twelve

Alex was going to make things right. And he was going to make Clive Murdoch regret the day he even considered crossing Alex Garrison.

He slapped the envelope down on Murdoch’s desk.

“What’s this?” the old man asked, glancing from the envelope to Alex.

“Our counteroffer.”

Murdoch’s eyes narrowed.

Alex plopped down in one of the guest chairs. “To bring you up to speed. David Cranston’s authority to negotiate for McKinley’s has been revoked.”

Murdoch’s face went from pasty to ruddy. “That’s-”

“He’s lucky he’s not in jail. You’re lucky-”

“He has a duly executed power of attorney.”

“Had. I’m the man you have to deal with now.”

Murdoch snatched up the envelope. “We’d already agreed on a price.”

Alex nodded. “That you had. And I’m willing to stick to that price, provided you agree to the in-kind contribution McKinley’s requesting.”

Murdoch peeled away the envelope and stared at the first page of the contract. Then he stared bug-eyed over the page at Alex, and his ruddy complexion turned near purple.

For a second, Alex worried the man was going to have a heart attack.

“Free staffing?”

“For all McKinley properties, around the globe, into perpetuity.”

“That’s-”

“Perfectly legal, according to my, and your former, legal team. You are, of course, free to turn it down.”

Murdoch opened his mouth, but nothing emerged except a damp squeaking sound. It took him a few seconds to recover the power of speech. “This is outrageous.”

“This is business,” said Alex, clamping his jaw. “I told you to deal with me and me alone. What’s more, I told you nothing of McKinley’s was for sale.”

“Because you wanted it for yourself.”

“That’s true,” saidAlex. “And I got it.” But things had changed.

Murdoch’s mouth twisted in an ugly sneer. “I sure hope it was worth the mercy screw.”

Alex was out of his chair in a flash, reaching across the desk and grabbing Murdoch by the collar, Ryan’s warning obliterated from his mind. “Don’t you ever dare-”

“You trying to tell me this is something other than a media-palatable land grab? Don’t waste your breath, Garrison. You know as well as I do that this deal suits nobody but you. You screwed her in more ways than one.”

Alex’s fist clenched. He wanted nothing more than to smash the self-satisfied smirk from Murdoch’s face.

Trouble was, Murdoch was right.

Alex had screwed Emma. He’d used her, and he’d lied to her. And what he’d won was a half-billion-dollar property, a ridiculous prenup that forced her to stay with a man she probably hated, and half of her business, when she could have bailed herself out financially if he’d only been honest with her.

He got what he’d set out to win. But he’d lost so much more in the process.

He slowly let Murdoch go, then sank back into his chair.

How exactly was he different than Murdoch, or even David for that matter? If Alex could go back in time, he’d tell Emma all about Kayven Island, wait for her to sell it, then romance her, no strings attached.

He almost laughed at the absurdity.

He wanted Emma more than he wanted the island, more than he wanted the money, more than he wanted anything, really. All he wanted was for Emma to redecorate his house so they could throw party after party and fill that mausoleum with life and laughter.

Well, he couldn’t have that. Not anymore. But he didn’t have to take Emma down with him.

He took a deep breath. “I’ll sell it to you,” he said to Murdoch.

“Not with free staffing, you won’t.”

“I’ll sell it to you for double the agreed-upon price, no staffing, no other conditions.”

Murdoch’s eyes narrowed.

“That’s the only offer I’m making,” said Alex. “Take it or leave it.”

He could give Emma the money, and give her back McKinley. She could bail the company out of debt, and his partners…Well, his partners would just have to learn to live with it. Worst they could do is gang up and fire him as CEO.

If they did, he’d live with it. Just as long as he’d done right by Emma.

After two days and four pints of caramel pecan dream, Emma swore to herself that she was through with grieving. She had lost, and Alex had won. And that’s the way it happened in the big bad world.

At least she still had half her company. And she and Katie could still work toward buying him out. Someday, anyway. For now, he was her partner. She wouldn’t allow herself to think of him as anything more.

She wouldn’t divorce him, but she wouldn’t live with him either. If he wanted to talk to her, he could do it at the office. Her door was always open to all of her business associates.

An associate.

Yes. She liked that term.

In fact, she almost looked forward to seeing him again. She wanted him to know she was over him, that she’d picked herself up, learned from the experience and carried on.

Katie appeared in the bedroom doorway.

“This just came for you,” she said, entering the room, holding out a cardboard envelope.

“From downstairs?” asked Emma, coming briskly to her feet. It was time to get back down to the office anyway.

“Crosstown courier,” said Katie.

Emma took the envelope and tugged on the tab. The Garrison offices return address jumped out, but she refused to let it rattle her. There’d be plenty of correspondence between her and Alex from here on in. She could handle it.

“What is it?” asked Katie as Emma’s gaze focused on the letter.

Emma read the brief paragraphs then shook her head and started over again.

“What?” Katie repeated.

The message finally sorted itself into some kind of order inside Emma’s brain. “He sold Kayven Island.”

“What?”

Emma squeezed her eyes shut, then refocused on the bank draft clipped to the top of the letter. “Alex sold Kayven Island to Murdoch.”

Katie moved closer. “I thought the whole point was to not sell Kayven Island to Murdoch. How much…” She peered over Emma’s shoulder. “Holy crap!”

Katie tried to read the letter, but Emma’s hand was shaking too hard. So Katie had to still it.

“He’s giving it back?” asked Katie.

Emma reread the words. “He says we should use Murdoch’s money-” Her gaze went involuntarily to the amount on the bank draft. Holy crap indeed. “-to pay off McKinley’s debts. And then it’s ours. A hundred percent. Free and clear.”

“He’s tearing up the prenup,” said Katie as she continued reading. “What’s this about redecorating his house?”

“It’s a joke.” Emma laughed weakly. “When we were goofing around on Kayven…” When they were goofing around on Kayven, all her dreams were coming true. She’d dared to hope. Now, her eyes stung with the need to give him another chance. Was Alex truly that sweet, funny, sexy man? Or was that man a fraud, contrived to distract her? And which one of them had written the letter.

How would she ever know for sure?

Katie stared at her. “You do know what this means?”

Emma nodded. It definitely meant one thing. “We own our company again.”

Katie elbowed her in the arm. “It means he wants you to redecorate his house.”

Emma scrambled to keep her emotions out of it. She had to thank logically. “That was just a joke.”

“A joke? A guy who’s giving up this many million dollars doesn’t make jokes for the sake of a joke. He wants you. He probably loves you.”

“Then why is he tearing up the prenup? Without the prenup, I can divorce him.” Her voice caught. “He wants me to divorce him.”

Katie squealed in frustration. “He wants you to come to him. Because you want to. Without coercion. He gave you back your money.” She stared at the draft. “And then some. He gave you your freedom. But at the same time he mentions redecorating? Earth to Emma.”

Emma’s mouth went dry, and her heart thudded in her chest. Could Katie be right? Did she have the guts to find out?

“Go to him,” said Katie. “Thank him. Redecorate him for God’s sake. And do it now.”

Emma bit her bottom lip. She wanted this, desperately wanted this. But if Katie was wrong…“You really think-”

“Go! I’m going to the bank.” Katie glanced down again. “Holy crap.”

Emma swung the mansion’s big oak door wide open and strode into the foyer.

“Mrs. Garrison. So good to see you.”

“Good to see you, too, Mrs. Nash. Is Alex in?”

If she was wrong, Emma had already decided to pretend it was all a joke. She’d pretend she’d only stopped by to thank him for his gentlemanly, yet fair, behavior. And the rest was just a big joke.

No hard feelings. No harm done.

Mrs. Nash stepped back, a wry smile on her lips. “He’s out back. Oh, have you had lunch? I can bring out some tea or sandwiches? Philippe has this great-”

“Philippe is here?”

Mrs. Nash laughed, and her cheeks turned slightly pink. “Oh, no. Of course not. Not at the moment.”

Despite herself, Emma grinned. “Is it fair to say he’d be willing to help with future parties?”

Mrs. Nash nodded. “I think that would be fair to say.”

Okay. That was a happy outcome.

Emma would cling to that.

She made her way past Hamilton and the other Garrison portraits, her chest tightening and her pulse increasing.

Oh, please let Katie be right.

Emma cut through the breakfast room, onto the deck, then down the stairs to the pool.

Alex was at an umbrella table, reading the Times. He glanced up at the sound of her footsteps.

“Emma.” He was on his feet in an instant.

She slowed to a stop in front of him, not sure any more what she should say. The moment took on a surrealistic quality and her bravado evaporated. “Hello, Alex.”

The sea breeze whispered through the aspen trees while they stared at each other.

“You got my letter?” he finally asked, his expression giving nothing away.

Emma nodded stiffly. “Thank you.”

He moved forward. “It was just business, you know.”

Her heart sank slowly in her chest, her palm going slick against the briefcase. He wasn’t going to buy that it was a joke. This was definitely going to be embarrassing. “I know.”

“It was nothing personal.”

She flinched. “Of course not.”

“I knew what I knew, and you knew what you knew, and I made the best deal possible for my company.”

She’d been a fool to come here. A fool to think…“So you said.”

“There was no reason to tell you up front.” He gave a harsh laugh. “A guy wouldn’t get very far telling his competition his secrets, would he?”

“Right.” She’d only hoped she could get out of here in time. “Well, I just-”

“But then…” Alex’s tone softened, and the harsh slate look went out of his eyes. “Then I proposed to you. And maybe, maybe that was when the rules changed.”

Emma stood frozen to the ground.

“And then I married you. And that definitely meant the rules had changed. And then…” He took her left hand, rubbing his thumb over the Tudor diamond. “Then I fell in love with you, and any right I’d ever had to treat you as a business adversary was gone.”

The aspen trees rustled into the silence.

“Emma?”

She couldn’t help smiling. It was going to be okay. It was really going to be okay. “You fell in love with me?”

“Yeah, I fell in love with you. What did you think I meant by ‘saying it’?”

“That you were in love with me.” At least that was how it had seemed in the moment.

“Damn straight.”

“Or that it might only be part of the game.” She had to admit, the thought had crossed her mind.

“You thought our time on the beach was a game?”

She shook her head, her chest tightening with joy. “No. Not the beach.”

On the beach, she’d believed him. On the beach, she’d dared to hope they were starting a glorious life together. Kind of like she did now.

“The beach was real,” he rumbled. “That beach was the most real moment of my life.”

Emma’s, too. Oh, Emma’s, too. She felt moisture heat the insides of her eyelids.

“I love you, Emma,” Alex whispered, lifting her hand to place a gentle kiss on her knuckles.

Her mouth curved into a relieved smile.

Alex loved her.

He loved her.

“Well?” he asked.

“What?”

“Do I have to make you say it?”

She gazed into his dark eyes, her smile turning impish. “Yeah.”

“Later,” he whispered with a nod to where Mrs. Nash emerged onto the deck. A stream of people trailed out behind her.

“Hello?” Alex’s brow shot up.

“I hope Mrs. Nash doesn’t have anything against Italian decorators,” said Emma, as the troop rounded the sun umbrella.

There was an unmistakable grin in Alex’s voice. “We’re redecorating?”

“I took a chance,” she admitted. “And I mentioned your name. They have swatches and flooring samples.”

He chuckled and he shook his head. “In that case, you don’t have to say it.”

“Why not?”

He took the case from her hand. “Because you just proved it.”

She playfully elbowed him in the ribs. “Oh, make me say it anyway.”

Alex leaned down and kissed her mouth. It was a warm, tender kiss, full of love, full of hope, full of the promise of a lifetime.

“I love you,” she whispered on a sigh.

He drew back only slightly. “See, that was way too easy.”

She leaned her cheek against his chest, enjoying the feel of his strong arms around her. “When it comes to you,” she crooned, “I’m always easy.”

He snorted his disbelief. But his fingertips sent a different message, trailing lightly along her spine. “You know, we have a honeymoon to finish.”

“I guess we do.”

“The Island Countess leaves for Fiji tonight.” He paused. “And I know a guy who can get us a suite.”

She pulled back. “I’ve seen those suites. They’re fabulous.”

“I have fond memories of them myself.”

By the time the Island Countess blew her horn and pulled away from the dock, Emma was naked and wrapped tight in Alex’s arms. The sounds of the late-night launch party tinkled up from the aft sundeck pool.

She buried her face in the crook of Alex’s neck and inhaled his masculine scent. “I love you,” she sighed.

He kissed the top of her head. “Wonder what else I can make you do.”

“Pretty much anything at the moment. As long as it doesn’t require movement. Or thinking. Or staying awake, actually.” She stifled a yawn.

“You hungry?”

She shook her head. “Not hungry.”

“Thirsty?”

“I’m fully satisfied, thank you.”

He chuckled against her hair. “That’s what I like to hear from my wife.”

She smiled.

The phone on the bedside rang.

“Uh-oh,” she said.

“Nothing else can go wrong,” he assured her.

Then he picked it up. “Garrison here.”

He listened for a moment. “So it’s done?”

Another pause.

“It’ll be public?”

Emma came up on her elbow to watch his expression.

He smiled. “Yeah. Thanks. I owe you one.”

Then he hung up the phone.

She waited.

“So, who was it?” she asked.

Alex closed his eyes. “Nathaniel.”

“Oh.” She waited again. “Well?”

He opened one eye. “What?”

“Is it a secret?”

“No.” He opened the other eye and a smug grin took over his face. “Turns out, when the local government heard Kessex Cruise Lines had some concerns with the Kayven Island dock, they decided to move it.”

Emma sat up. “What?”

“To another island, about five hundred miles east.”

“You didn’t.”

“I didn’t do a thing.”

Emma leaned in closer, pasting Alex with an openly skeptical look. “You just told Nathaniel you owed him.”

“Oh, that.” Alex wave a hand. “That was-” He grinned. “Yeah. I did it. Murdoch needed to learn not to mess with us.”

Emma tried hard not to be happy about getting revenge. “Remind me not to mess with you.”

Alex pulled her into a hug. “You, woman, can mess with me any old time you like.”

She pulled back and batted her eyelashes. “Like now?”

“I thought you were tired.”

“I changed my mind. Apparently you vengeful types turn me on.”

He slipped his hand across her hip and snuggled her up tight against his body. “Better not be any other vengeful types onboard.”

“Better keep a close eye on me. Just in case.”

He kissed her then. “You bet I will.” Then he drew back. “By the way. I made an investment on behalf of McKinley.”

She studied his eyes. “What did you do?”

“Bought a piece of property. Little bed-and-breakfast on Tannis Island. That’s about five hundred miles east of Kayven. Not much to look at really. But I think it’s going to be extremely valuable by the end of the week.”

Emma fought a smile of astonishment. “You didn’t.”

His eyes softened, and he gazed at her with a love that sizzled through every fiber of her being. “You can bet I did.”