The Fearless King (The Kings #2)(16)
It was all about the bottom line.
Sure it is.
Frank changed tactics. “I need information.” At her questioning look, he clarified. “The sex might be fantastic, but if I don’t know a damn thing about you, no one in your family is going to believe we’ve been dating long enough to make your introducing me to them believable.”
She opened her mouth, seemed to reconsider, and shut it. “That seems…reasonable.”
“I think you’ll find that I can be more than reasonable.” He sank enough heat into the sentence to set fire to the room, enjoying the way she flushed in response.
Journey took a sip of her iced tea. “What do you want to know?”
He could pick up most trivial information through a background check, so he skipped over into the more intimate details. “How long have we been dating?”
“The first meeting.” She answered without hesitation, no evidence of guile on her face. “We went out for drinks afterward and one thing led to another. Since my mother wouldn’t be a fan and you didn’t want to potentially damage your reputation while we worked on that real estate deal, we kept it a secret.”
He remembered exactly how she’d looked at that first meeting. Journey wore a pair of gray tailored slacks, a white blouse, and fuck-me-red heels. The combination of buttoned up and risqué had intrigued him. It still intrigued him. As often as he thought he had a read on her, he realized he didn’t know the first thing about her. Frank wouldn’t have to fake his attraction, because if she was anyone else, the first time they met would have played out exactly as she described. “Good.”
She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Let’s see—I cook when I’m stressed. I run and lift weights in my home gym. I like catchy pop songs, but I’m a big fan of jazz, especially when I want to relax. I like audiobooks. My favorite color is turquoise, though I prefer it in my jewelry to my clothing.” Journey narrowed her eyes. “I think that’s enough to start with.”
He wanted to know more, but he knew better than to push her now. Frank needed her centered and focused, and while stoking her temper might help with that, pushing too far would only create distance between them that they couldn’t afford. “I’ll leave it up to you if you want to tell Samara the truth or not.”
“Not.” She sat back and reached for her purse again. “If I tell her I’m fake dating you, then I have to explain why, and I’m not prepared to do that. I’d appreciate it if you gave me the same courtesy with Beckett.”
What are you hiding that you don’t want your friend and cousin to know about?
This wasn’t just about Kingdom Corp. If it was, bringing in Samara Mallick was one of the better plays Journey could make. Up until a few months ago, her friend had worked side by side with her on a formidable team that even Frank would have reconsidered going against. Even though Samara had made the jump to Beckett’s company, she still felt a degree of loyalty to Kingdom Corp—more importantly, to Journey.
I’m missing an important piece of information.
She stood. “I’ll call you later and we’ll get the next move set up. In the meantime, I wasn’t joking about having work.” Journey took one step away from the table and paused. “And, Frank…I do appreciate this. I know I’m not being as graceful about everything as I should be, and I’m sorry for that.” She made a face. “I can’t promise it will get better, though.”
“If there’s a way to get Elliott out of both the company and Houston, I’ll find it.”
She gave a jerky nod. “Thanks.”
Mira barely waited for the front door to close behind Journey to approach the table. “Be careful with that one, Frank.” He raised his eyebrows and waited. She huffed. “Don’t give me that look. You know as well as I do that once you get past that sharp exterior, she’s easily bruised. I’ve seen girls like her before. You be careful or you’ll harm her.”
“It’s just business.”
Mira snorted. “Whatever you have to tell yourself.” She made a shooing motion. “If you leave through the kitchen, there’s a plate of cookies my oldest dropped by this morning. Grab a few.”
He obeyed because he knew it would make her happy. Frank paused for a few seconds in the kitchen and let himself enjoy the changes the years had brought this place. The front hadn’t been altered beyond a much-needed face-lift, but as the investments had paid off, they’d upgraded every appliance back here. Mira always had liked her gadgets. He grabbed two cookies from the plate nestled next to the fridge and ducked out the back door.
Journey needed time to come to terms with their agreement. He understood that. He had his own brand of research to do before he saw her again.
Frank needed a plan of attack.
Elliott Bancroft would never see him coming.
Chapter Five
Eliza King stepped out from the private jet and glared at the sun beating down on her. “I hate Texas.” The heat, the humidity, the people. In the seven years since her first modeling contract, she’d been back only a handful of times—and only under duress.
Everything had changed now, though.
She maneuvered herself down the metal stairs with ease despite her sky-high heels and wished she’d thought to bring a hat. She had a photo shoot in two weeks, and showing up with a sunburn would only piss off both the photographer and her agent.