The Academic Bride: Billionaire Marriage Brokers Book One Page 12

  As he stared at the calendar, a cell filled in with purple. Janel had something going tonight. Nick pulled the phone closer to his face. Her post said she had a dinner appointment.

  That was strange. Janel never scheduled appointments in the evening. He clicked on the slot to see if there was more information, but the comments section was empty.

  She wouldn’t be meeting another man; their prenup specified no dating other people while they were married. Up to this point, Janel had lived not only by the letter of the law, but by the spirit of the prenup. She’d been his dedicated wife in so many ways that he couldn’t imagine she would change now. Besides, who would she meet? Nick’s stomach tightened like a fist. He had no idea who she would meet up with, but it was highly possible that there were dozens of men on campus lining up to take her out.

  What if one of her professors asked her to dinner to discuss her project? Would that be considered a date, or would it get around the prenup? He ran his hands through his hair, and the feel of Janel threading her way through his hair and pulling him closer rushed over him.

  He needed to figure out where she was going.

  He could text her. She always answered his texts. He stared at his phone.

  A text wouldn’t tell him what he really wanted to know. If he hurried he could see her before she left. He wouldn’t have gotten to this point in life if he couldn’t spot a lie from a mile away.

  Grabbing his jacket, he hurried out the door. Brenda waved as he passed her desk. At every red light, he checked the clock on the dash. Janel’s dinner was scheduled for seven; if he didn’t get there before she left, then he’d be forced to wait up for the answers he was determined to get.

  What kind of a creep asked out another man’s wife? Maybe Janel didn’t wear her ring to school. He’d seen her leave with it on the day she borrowed his car. She could have slipped it off before she got to campus. He squeezed the steering wheel. Wasn’t she the one who asked for a smaller, less conspicuous ring? If she was cheating on him, it was not going to end well for the guy.

  Rushing through the front door, Nick barely had time to register the smell of fresh-baked brownies before he stormed up the stairs. “Janel?” he called halfway up. “Janel.”

  “I’m down here.”

  Nick reversed directions and headed for the kitchen. Janel met him in the gathering room, wearing an apron over a pair of tight fitting leggings and a loose shirt that hung off one shoulder. Her hair was straight and hung in those big curls he loved, and she had a spatula smeared with chocolate frosting in one hand.

  “You made it.” She smiled and beckoned him to follow her.

  “What are you doing? I thought you had a dinner appointment,” he said as they made their way into the kitchen.

  Janel ducked her head. She used the spatula to lift out a perfect brownie and set it on a square plate. “I do.”

  Nick looked around the kitchen and saw dirty pans in the sink and the table set for two. “Are you hosting?”

  Janel kept her head down as she placed another brownie on a different plate and then took them both over to the table. “I am inviting someone to dinner.”

  Nick rubbed his hand over his stomach, where it felt like someone had just punched a hole. He watched as Janel pulled out her phone and typed a quick text. The thought of Janel with another man made him want to throw something, but standing here, facing the reality that she wanted a man that wasn’t him made him sick. His phone chirped and he pulled it out of his pocket.

  Would you like to have dinner with me?

  Nick looked up, but Janel was busy untying her apron. He looked again at the table. She’d laid out a dark tablecloth and set each place with care. She’d made a salad with dark greens, strawberries, and red onions, and there was a platter of flavored rice and salmon. It was all warm, so she must have just barely finished up. He was touched that she went to so much effort on his part. He looked at her again.

  Maybe she wanted to clear the air and discuss their parents. That could be beneficial. Or maybe her parents had talked her into ending their marriage. He had no idea what type of people they were. For all he knew, Janel’s mother was just was protective as his. That could be bad, but it wasn’t anything they couldn’t overcome if they worked together. He glanced at the table. She wouldn’t have gone to so much trouble if she were going to break things off.

  He typed back. Yes

  Janel’s phone chirped. She glanced at it, and then up at him. Her cheeks colored, but she smiled and went to the table.

  Nick pulled out her chair and waited until she was situated before taking his seat. She offered grace before taking some salad and passing him the bowl.

  “I wanted to say thank you for loaning me your car. It’s been a lifesaver.”

  Oh, so this was a thank-you dinner. He felt the tension between his shoulder blades evaporate. “No problem. It’s good for the engines to run every so often, and I don’t drive either of them enough.”

  “Then why do you have them?”

  “Because it’s nice to know that when I want to take a lazy drive up the coast I can do it in a convertible; or, if I need a four-wheel drive vehicle, I have it.”

  Janel shrugged and took a bite of her salad. “Thanks for sending Gerry over, too. He was a huge help.”

  “Did you get everything turned in?”

  “Barely. But, thanks to you, we’re back on schedule.”

  “Good.” Nick tucked in, determined to show her he enjoyed her cooking. As he tasted the salmon, which was really quite good, he wondered at his earlier fit of jealousy. He should have trusted her more. He took a sip of water and wiped his mouth with his napkin before asking, “Have you told people at school that you’re married?”

  Janel picked at her food, keeping her head down as she talked. “I didn’t go around showing off my ring when school started, if that’s what you mean. Most everyone is aware of it by now. My students don’t know the difference because I teach entry level classes and get new ones each semester.” She took a sip of water. “Professor Ford was surprised. He’s my advisor. I’ve worked pretty closely with him for the past two years and I think he was offended that he wasn’t invited to the wedding. I told him we eloped and he relaxed a bit. Why do you ask?”

  “I realized that you’ve met a lot of the people I work with, and my mother, but I haven’t met anyone in your life.”

  She looked up and met his gaze. “Do you want to?”

  Nick scratched his chin. Did he want to, or was it just his insecurities spurring him on? He tried to picture what she did, and the only images he had were of her in the ball gown or here at home. There was a whole other side to her that he had yet to discover. “Yeah, it would be great to see where you work and what you’re working on.”

  “In that case, I’d be happy to show you around.”

  Fidgeting, Nick wondered if it were wise to bring up their parents. Turned out, he didn’t have to.

  Janel placed her hand on top of his. “I haven’t heard how things went with your mother, er, Rebecca.”

  Nick leaned back. “They went as good as could be expected.”

  “Is she angry?”

  “More at me than at you.” He rubbed his chin. “I should have been honest. I didn’t plan on things getting—” He broke off. What was he supposed to say? That he didn’t plan on falling in love with his wife? That sounded stupid.

  “Deep?” Janel offered.

  “Yeah.” Nick met her gaze and he saw something there he hadn’t seen before. Or perhaps it had been there, and he’d not paid attention or tried to talk himself out of believing it.

  Capturing her hand, Nick felt a slow burn start up his arm. “The important thing with Mother is for us to show unwavering conviction.”

  Janel’s eyes flicked to their hands. She licked her lips and asked, “How do we do that?”

  Nick enjoyed having her talk about “we” and “us.” It was another sign that she wanted in this relationship. Maybe not as
much as he did—she might need some time for her feelings to develop—but it was a start. “We’ll start by taking her to dinner tomorrow night.”

  Janel smiled as if she actually liked the idea. “Sounds good.” She played with her napkin.

  “Did you talk to your parents?”

  “Not yet. I’m having dinner with them on Sunday. I feel bad. They were so excited that I’d be there. We used to have dinner every Sunday.”

  “You can again. We can have them over here.”

  Janel considered this. “I would like that. I haven’t cooked for them since I was an undergrad.”

  “Then it’s settled. A week from this Sunday—and every week after that, if you want.”

  “Thank you.” Janel gave his arm a squeeze before taking another bite of her dinner.

  Nick slid his dinner plate out of the way and pulled his brownie closer. Janel was still working on her salmon, and he had no desire to hurry away. “Tell me about your trip to Guatemala.”

  For the next half hour, Janel outlined Ancient Mayan burial practices and explained her theory regarding the placement of bodies and what they said about Mayan beliefs in life after death. Her eyes danced as she talked about the Mayans, how they themselves new names at certain milestones and how they recorded their genealogy fastidiously. As she talked, he slid her brownie over and ate it too. She didn’t notice until she paused to take a drink and realized the spot was empty.

  “You!” She playfully shoved his shoulder.

  Nick pointed at the counter. “You have a whole pan full.”

  “Those are for Brenda.”

  “Brenda?”

  Janel piled her silverware on her empty plate and set her napkin on top. “I made her a deal. If she got you an evening off, I would make her brownies.”

  Nick softly thumped his chest. “I’ve been ambushed and I didn’t even see it coming.”

  Janel laughed. “That’s kind of the point of an ambush.”

  Letting the sound of her laughter wash over him, Nick enjoyed the happy bubbles floating inside his chest and finally let go of the jealousy and mistrust completely. Janel wanted to be with him. In fact, she’d gone to a lot of trouble to make this dinner happen, and it struck a chord of hope that she might feel at least a fraction of the way he felt towards her. “True,” he conceded.

  Dinner was over, and Nick was nowhere near ready to let Janel go. After using his napkin one last time, he asked, “What else did you have in mind for tonight?”

  Janel stood up and took her plate to the sink. “What, a home-cooked meal and one ill-begotten brownie aren’t enough for you?”

  Nick lifted one eyebrow. “You didn’t plan anything else, did you?”

  Janel bit her lip. “To be honest, I wasn’t sure I’d get you to sit down at the table, much less stay for a whole meal.”

  He mentally cringed. Had he been so callous toward her that she thought him cold? His feelings toward Janel were anything but chilly. How could he be with her and not express how he felt, even with the smallest gesture or touch, without making her uncomfortable? But she’d planned the meal. She’d even enlisted Brenda in her scheme. If he was reading the signals correctly, she wanted to be with him. “Well, you did make my favorite brownies.” He winked, and Janel laughed.

  “Speaking of which, I’m going to have to hide these, aren’t I?” She pulled the tinfoil out of a drawer and covered the pan. “Close your eyes.”

  “Why?”

  “So I can hide the brownies.”

  “You’re kidding.”

  “Nope. If you’ll steal mine right out from under my nose, then an unattended pan doesn’t stand a chance. Close ‘em.”

  Nick sighed dramatically. “Fine.” He closed his eyes and waited for Janel to hide the brownies. As if she could mask their scent. He’d have them sniffed out in no time. She may win this battle, but he’d win the brownie war. And if he was careful and didn’t frighten her away by moving too quickly, he might win much more than brownies this evening.

  Chapter 25

  Janel had no idea where she could put the pan so that Nick wouldn’t find it by rummaging around. “No peeking,” she called over her shoulder as she opened the freezer and shut it again. She finally settled on storing it behind the oatmeal in the pantry in the hopes that he wouldn’t look past the first thing on the shelf.

  “Okay, you can open your eyes.”

  “Am I allowed to look for them now or do I have to wait for you to fall asleep?”

  Janel put her hand on her hip. “Those aren’t for you. Let’s do something to take your mind off of chocolate. Do you want to play pool?”

  Nick considered it. “Naw. How about a video game?”

  Janel made a face.

  Snapping his fingers, Nick smiled. “Movie?”

  Janel pulled out her phone as Nick placed his dishes in the sink. “I can check show times. I’ll bet we can catch a nine o’clock showing.”

  Nick took her phone and set it on the bar above the sink. “I have something better.”

  He set his phone next to hers and grabbed her hand. It was such a natural extension of their easy conversation over dinner and light teasing over brownies that she didn’t think much of it until he gave her a little squeeze. Then she had a hard time focusing on anything except the thrill of being close to him once again. Before she knew it, they were in the home theater room under the garage, and Nick flipped on the stage lights.

  She’d only been in here once before, when she’d explored the house on their wedding day. Several rows of theater seats were placed on risers so that each seat had a clear view of the screen that took up the entire far wall. The final row wasn’t seats, but a long black leather couch. Instead of the traditional theater décor, the room was decorated like a pirate ship, with heavy timber, thick ropes, and a ceiling that looked like the night sky dotted with a thousand stars.

  Nick opened a cupboard on the wall opposite the screen to reveal an impressive collection of movies. “Do you have a preference?”

  “Um, I’m not a big fan of horror, but I don’t mind action/adventure.” She looked over the titles and pulled out one that was still in the wrapper. “I haven’t seen this yet.”

  Nick opened another door to reveal a laptop computer, a Blu-ray player, and several other black boxes all connected with a hundred different wires. “Okay. While I get this calibrated, will you pop some popcorn and bring in some drinks?”

  “Sure.” Janel slipped out, grateful that Nick could figure out all the techno stuff and all she had to do was work the microwave. She could do computers, but she preferred trowels and shaker screens. By the time she got back, Nick was sitting on the couch with a pad.

  “What’s that?” She plopped the bowl of popcorn between them so it wouldn’t tip over, and set their drinks in the cup holders on the back of the chairs in front of them.

  “The whole system can be operated from this pad.” Nick touched a picture of a light, and a slide bar popped up. He slid it to the right and the lights brightened; he slid it to the left and they were plunged into darkness.

  Next, he touched the movie icon and then tapped play. As the disk loaded, sound blasted from the speakers. Janel pressed her hand to her chest, wondering if that’s what it felt like to break the sound barrier. Nick hurriedly pressed a few icons, and the roar came down to a reasonable level.

  He looked at her and they burst out laughing.

  “I should have checked that first,” he said.

  “What?” Janel cupped her hand around her ear. “Movie techs are the worst?”

  Nick smirked and threw a piece of popcorn at her. She threw one back, and he grabbed a handful.

  Janel grabbed his wrist. “Wait, wait, the cleaning service will kill me if we get popcorn all over. Truce?”

  Nick tipped his head to the side and lifted one corner of his mouth. “Okay, but only for the maid’s sake.”

  Janel tucked her feet up on the couch, which wasn’t hard to do. The seat was as
wide as a bed and just as soft. She concentrated on the popcorn and tried to ignore the thoughts of beds and Nick that continually distracted her from the movie.

  Before long, their shoulders touched and the popcorn was half-gone. Janel ignored her cold feet for as long as she could. She tried to tuck them closer, but it wasn’t helping. After fidgeting for a few minutes, Nick asked her if she was okay.

  “I always freeze at the movies. Aren’t you cold?”

  “Hang on a sec.” Nick went to the pirate chest at the end of their row and pulled out a blanket made with some type of fur on one side and flannel on the other.

  Janel put the popcorn bowl on the floor.

  Nick sat close and threw the blanket over both of them. Then he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “Your arms are like ice.”

  Chuckling, Janel said, “It’s just like a real theater.”

  Nick rubbed his hand up and down her arm to warm her skin. As he did, she remembered him brushing her arms as they kissed in the kitchen. She felt heat flood her face, and she leaned against his chest so he wouldn’t see her flush.

  Nick adjusted so he could slightly recline into the corner of the couch, not letting go as he moved. Janel found a spot to rest just under his chin that was extremely comfortable.

  Being with Nick, relaxed and close, was easy and right in a way that she’d never found with any other man. Her earlier worries that he would hide away from her or brush her off seemed ridiculous. Instead, he teased, flirted, and even looked for a way to extend their time together.

  Being wrapped up in Nick’s arms made trying to watch the movie as difficult for Janel as doing geometry while patting her head and rubbing her stomach. She couldn’t figure out why the alien soldiers were planning an attack on Washington, and she stopped caring when Nick’s fingers trailed up and down her arm leaving waves of heat on her skin.