“We could get married.”

If Violet had nailed him with a cattle prod, JT couldn’t have been more stunned.”Married?”

“In name only, of course.” She offered him a cheeky grin.”There’s nothing in my uncle’s will that prevents me from marrying the shares away.”

“Since he knew we’d never get married, it probably never crossed his mind.”

She cocked her head and regarded him solemnly.”And how did he know something like that?”

“I told him I had no intention of starting anything up with you. It was an easy promise to make. You really aren’t my type.”

She stared at him for several seconds. But then her hand stole across his leg, midthigh, and lingered.

“You aren’t my type either.” But her husky tone and the come-get-me-big-boy look in her eyes said the exact opposite.”So that should make an in-name-only marriage between us a snap.”

* * *

A Merger by Marriage is part of the Las Vegas Nights trilogy: Where love is the biggest gamble of all!

A Merger

by Marriage

Cat Schield

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CAT SCHIELD has been reading and writing romance since high school. Although she graduated from college with a BA in business, her idea of a perfect career was writing books for Mills & Boon. And now, after winning the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart Award for series contemporary romance, that dream has come true. Cat lives in Minnesota with her daughter, Emily, and their Burmese cat. When she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Mills & Boon® Desire™, she can be found sailing with friends on the St Croix River, or in more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe. She loves to hear from readers. Find her at www.catschield.com. Follow her on Twitter, @catschield.

For Kevan Lyon, my fabulous agent.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Extract

One

With his arm stretched across the back of the black leather couch, JT Stone sipped one of Rick’s signature cocktails and brooded over a woman.

Tonight Violet Fontaine wore a black, skin-tight mini with long sleeves and a neckline that concealed her delicate collarbones. Despite the snug fit, the dress looked modest when viewed from the front. But the back of the dress. Oh, the back. A wide V bared an expanse of golden skin, crisscrossed by spaghetti thin straps from her nape to the indent of her waist. As he suspected the design intended, his gaze was drawn to the curve of her tight, round backside.

His fingers twitched as he imagined holding those luscious curves in his hands. Before he’d met Violet six years ago he’d been a diehard breast and thigh man. These days he was on a mission to find a butt better than hers. To date he hadn’t found one. Good thing she had no idea what she did to him or he might lose something more irreplaceable than his favorite bartender.

The resident mixologist of Fontaine Chic’s lobby bar Baccarat, Rick was a genius when it came to creating unique cocktails. Tonight JT was having Rick’s version of a dirty martini in the lounge. His excuse for showing up six nights a week was that he was wooing Rick back to Titanium where he belonged.

JT finished the last of his drink. Who was he kidding? In the year since Rick had switched employers, JT was here most nights because Violet swung through on her rounds at exactly eleven-fifteen and lingered to chat with the clientele. As the proprietor of the Fontaine Chic, she was very hands-on.

“Another drink, JT?” The waitress cocked her head and smiled warmly at him.

“Sure.” Why not? He nodded toward Violet. “And whatever she’s drinking.”

Charlene followed his gaze. “You know she doesn’t drink when she’s working.”

“Maybe tonight she’ll make an exception for me.”

“Maybe.” But Charlene’s tone said something completely different.

“Would you send her over?”

The nightly ritual made the waitress’s lips curve in wry humor. “Sure.”

Violet herself brought his drink over, setting it before him with practiced ease. “Rick said this is what you’re drinking tonight.”

“Will you join me?”

When she shook her head, the diamond drops dangling from her earlobes swayed seductively. “I’m working.”

“And I’m your best customer.”

“You’re a fan of Rick’s, not Fontaine Chic.”

“I’m a fan of you,” he murmured and her eyes widened briefly as if startled by his admission. Was it possible she was oblivious to his interest? Not one of the waitresses thought he came here every night just to drink.

It did no good to remind himself that he liked his women curvy, blonde and agreeable. That with her long lean frame inherited from her showgirl mother and her father’s wavy brown hair, she was not his type. Or that her strong-willed personality had been cultivated by his estranged uncle, Tiberius Stone, her surrogate father. A man who blamed JT’s father for orchestrating his disinheritance.

“You can take a couple minutes,” he said, gesturing to the empty space beside him.

Her eyebrow arched at his implied command, but she settled sideways on the couch and crossed her long legs. She’d fastened her waist-length hair into a high, sleek ponytail. The look was both modern and retro and showed off her large brown eyes and bold cheekbones to great advantage.

With the toe of her black stiletto a mere inch from his pant leg, she propped her elbow on the back of the couch, rested her cheek on her palm and waited for him to speak. Quick to smile, she was the most upbeat, optimistic person he’d ever met. She was sunlight to his shadow. Forever close, always untouchable.

He sipped his drink and surveyed her over the rim. The dark circles beneath her eyes told him she was working harder than ever since Tiberius had been murdered several weeks ago.

“You should take some time off,” he said, aware that what she did was none of his business.

“And do what? Sit around and grieve?” She must have heard the edge in her tone because after a long sigh, she continued on a milder note. “I know it’s what most people do when they lose a parent, but I can’t think of a better way to honor Tiberius’s memory than to work.”

JT nodded in understanding. “I’m sure he’d approve.”

Although he’d been given the middle name, Tiberius, after his mother’s younger brother, until the last few months JT had never had the chance to know his uncle by anything other than reputation. JT had been raised in Miami where Stone Properties had their headquarters. Tiberius rarely left Vegas. And the bad blood between Tiberius and his brother-in-law and JT’s father, Preston Rhodes, made any chance of a relationship between JT and his uncle impossible.

The hard feelings between Tiberius and Preston went back twenty-five years. According to what JT had gleaned from family friends, Preston had accused Tiberius of embezzling from Stone Properties and had convinced James Stone to fire his son. Then, five years later, James had died and JT’s father had used his influence over his wife, Fiona Stone—bowing to pressure from her father, she’d never taken her husband’s last name—to get the board of directors to vote in favor of making him chairman and CEO.

“Thanks for coming to the memorial service this morning,” Violet said. “I know you and Tiberius weren’t close, but lately he’d talked a lot about how he regretted all the years he kept you out of his life and how he wished he’d gotten to know you.”

Regret tightened in his chest. “I had no idea Tiberius felt that way.” JT sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

When he’d arrived in Las Vegas to run the local family operations, his opinion of his uncle had been formed by what he knew about Tiberius from his father and grandfather. Although relations between him and his uncle stayed tense for many years, after seeing how much Violet admired Tiberius, plus all the positive things said about his uncle by other Las Vegas businessmen, JT had begun to suspect that if Tiberius had done what his father had accused him of, there’d been a good reason.

“When it came to your family, he could be hard-headed,” Violet said with a faint smile. “And he really hated your dad.”

“The feeling was definitely mutual.”

Violet remained lost in thought for a moment. “Lately he’d mentioned quite a few times that he thought you’d do a terrific job running Stone Properties.”

The compliment landed a direct hit in his gut. He wished he’d had a chance to get to know his uncle the way Violet did. Now it was too late. “I’m leaving the company.”

JT heard himself say the words and wondered at his impromptu disclosure. He hadn’t divulged his inner thoughts to anyone. Not even his cousin, Brent, and they were as close as brothers. JT peered into his drink. Had Rick infused some sort of truth serum into the cocktail? JT set the glass down. When he looked up, he caught Violet staring at him in surprise.

“Why would you do that?”

“When I turned thirty two months ago, I gained control of my trust fund and the thirty percent of Stone Properties shares my mother left to me when she died. This enabled me to dig into the finances and see what my father has been doing lately.”

“And?”

“The properties are overleveraged. My father’s been borrowing too much trying to expand and with each property that gets built, our resources are stretched closer to their breaking point.” In his gut was a ball of frustration that had been growing steadily these last sixty days.

“I had no idea.” Sympathy made her voice soft. She felt sorry for him and he hated it. “Have you shared your concerns with your father?”

It wasn’t like him to disclose his difficulties to anyone, least of all someone as tightly connected to the competition as Violet. But then, she wasn’t just anyone. She was special. Through her he was linked to a part of his family he’d never known and just being around her made him feel less alone.

JT picked up his drink once more. “He won’t listen and since he controls the majority of the shares, I don’t have leverage to affect current policy.”

“If you leave Stone Properties, what are you planning to do?”

He’d never been one to show his cards, but Violet’s attentiveness made her easy to confide in. She acted as if she had all the time in the world to listen to what ailed him and offer sensible feedback. He’d be a fool not to listen to her opinion as a businesswoman. But it was her friendship he craved. And if he was honest with himself, her body he longed to devour.

“I’ve been cultivating some investors,” he said. “I’m going out on my own. My uncle didn’t need the family business to be successful and neither do I.”

“Are you sure that’s the best idea? Tiberius let your father drive him out of the business and never stopped regretting it.”

“No one drove him out,” JT corrected her. “Tiberius was caught stealing from the company and was fired.”

Her disappointment in him was like clouds passing in front of the sun. “He was framed.” She truly believed that. “By your father.”

JT sat perfectly still beneath the weight of her accusation while his thought raced. A normal person would rush to defend their father against such slander, but JT had seen the company’s financials for himself and knew his father was not telling the stockholders everything. That made him a liar in JT’s books. Nor would he ever champion his father after the way Preston had treated JT’s mother.

But he wasn’t ready to jump on the bash-Preston bandwagon either. As conflicted as JT was about his father, he put a high value on loyalty.

“If that’s true,” he said, his tone neutral, “all the more reason to break with the company and my father.”

Determination flared in her eyes. “Or you could stay and fight for what’s yours.”

While JT appreciated her spirited defense of his inheritance, he’d been contemplating the wisdom of staying with Stone Properties for a couple years. It was worse now that he had seen the company’s financials.

“I hate being powerless to stop him from taking apart all that my grandfather built.”

“I can understand that.” Without warning her gaze sharpened. “These plans of yours, do they mean you’re leaving Las Vegas?”

Was she hoping he wouldn’t? The thought of not seeing her every day made him grim. Did it bother her as well?

JT searched her eyes for answers, but saw only curiosity. With Violet, what you saw was what you got. Her openness fascinated him. She never seemed to worry about guarding herself against hurt or disappointment.

It was a major factor in why he’d never pursued her.

Not long after he’d arrived in Las Vegas, he’d run into his uncle and Violet at a charity event. Despite his instant attraction to the twenty-three-year-old, he knew better than to act on his interest. The bad blood between her adopted father and his biological one was a significant barrier. So was JT’s playboy lifestyle.

Before he’d moved to Las Vegas, JT had made quite a name for himself in Miami’s social scene. Going at life at a reckless pace whether it was fast boats, expensive cars or unavailable women, he hadn’t cared whom he hurt as long as he displeased his father.

He liked Violet too much to subject her to his unhealthy family dynamic. Besides, she wasn’t a good choice for him. Unlike the women he usually pursued, she would expect things from him. Things he couldn’t give her. Openness. Joy. Trust. In order to be with her he’d have to surrender the defenses that muffled his emotions and protected him from pain and disillusionment. She’d lure him out of his comfortable dark cave and require him to find happiness. How was he supposed to do that when his childhood hadn’t given him the tools?

His father believed anything that got in the way of business was bad. As a kid, JT had had that philosophy hammered into his head. His mother had been weakened by her hunger for love. Being ignored by the domineering husband she adored had made her life hell, and she’d started retreating into drugs and alcohol around the time that Tiberius left town. By the time he turned twelve, JT was used to being ignored by his parents, forgotten by his grandfather and alienated from his uncle. Nor was there any family on his father’s side. The only person who’d showed any interest in him was his grandmother and she split her time between Miami, Virginia and Kentucky.

Traditional family. Love. JT had never grown up with these things.

Being around Violet gave him a glimpse of what a normal personal life could be. The love she had for her sisters, her mother and Tiberius made him long to be included in her circle. But he couldn’t take the steps needed to put himself there. Nor could he leave well enough alone either. The need to connect remained. A tantalizing temptation. One of his deep, dark secrets.

So he visited Fontaine Chic night after night and sat in the bar. He craved a relationship with Violet, but had no idea how to go about having one. In casino terms, he was betting the minimum. He’d never win big, but he wasn’t going to lose everything either. Playing without risk was not how he lived. He got a rush from flinging his body into danger, but gambling with his heart was something else entirely.

“I don’t know what the future holds,” he responded at last. “Will you miss me if I go?”

The question caught her off guard. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, but no words came out. Usually their exchanges hovered on the verge of personal without either of them crossing that line. Tonight, he’d changed the game by giving her a glimpse into what was bothering him, by trusting her with his plans for the future.

“I’ll miss your business,” she retorted with a wry smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. She uncrossed her legs, signaling their conversation was at an end.

“Violet.” He caught her hand before she could rise. The casual contact created a complex chain reaction in JT’s gut. He wanted her. That had never been in doubt. But what lay below the lust was dangerous beyond belief. “I’m really sorry about Tiberius.”

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and released her. It rattled him how hard it was to relax his fingers and set her free. What he wanted to do was draw her into his arms and let her soak the shoulder of his suit coat with her tears. He knew it was impossible. They didn’t share that level of intimacy. The fact both relieved and frustrated him.

“Thank you.” Two polite words, but her tone carried a wealth of emotion. She dabbed at the corner of her eye, catching teardrops on her knuckles. “I’m such a mess.”

“I think you’re beautiful.”

* * *

Such a simple statement from such a complicated man. Unvarnished and without subtext, the words shook her. Needing a second to compose herself, Violet made quick apologies and headed for the bar to snag a couple of drink napkins to soak up her tears. Feeling steady once more, she returned to where JT now stood.

“Are you okay?”

The hard, unyielding businessman was back. As Violet nodded in response to his question, she breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever glimpse she’d had behind the curtain, however brief, made JT that much more interesting. And that was problematic.

Long ago she’d accepted that one look from him set her hormones off like Roman candles. Lust she could handle. She was a modern girl with a healthy appetite for sex. Maybe she didn’t indulge often, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t interested. Just cautious.

It was the way her heart sped up whenever she spotted JT that concerned her. Getting romantic notions about a man as emotionally unavailable as JT would only lead to heartbreak. And she’d seen the effects of that sort of misery up close. Violet’s mother had been abandoned by her married lover and left with a baby to support. Ross Fontaine had taken everything Lucille Allen had to give and moved on without a backward glance. Yet despite her heart being a shattered mess, Violet’s mother still loved Ross and would to her dying day.

No. Violet was way too smart to end up like her mother. The instant the uncharitable thought surfaced, Violet regretted it. She loved her mom like crazy. It was just that being Lucille’s daughter had forced Violet to grow up too fast. If not for Tiberius, she’d have had no childhood at all.

He’d adored Lucille. Taken on the responsibility for her and her daughter. They’d been his family. Not legally, of course, because even though he loved Lucille and wanted to marry her, she refused to give up on the hope that one day Ross Fontaine would return to her.

When Violet gave her heart, it would be to someone available, emotionally as well as legally. His reputation as a smart, fair businessman impressed the hell out of her, but when it came to personal relationships, he never went all in.

Not that he’d given her any reason to believe he thought of her as anything other than a competitor who’d stolen his favorite bartender. Tonight that had changed. Tonight he’d asked if she’d miss him if he left Las Vegas and made her believe his next heartbeat hinged on her saying that she would.

Violet brushed away her fanciful thoughts, but she couldn’t ignore how her pulse had hitched at the gentle strength of his hand on hers. This was just simple desire. Nothing more. The man was six-feet, one-inch of rock solid male. Handsome with his black hair and bold eyebrows. The slight downturn of his chiseled lips. The fathomless ocean blue of his eyes.

Her instincts said he was a man who could use some help and she was a girl who loved cheering on her teammates. Only he wasn’t on her team or even part of her circle. She would be wise to mind her own business where he was concerned. If she became too invested in offering him help that he did not want, she’d end up getting burned.

“I’d better get going or I’ll be completely off schedule,” she said, but couldn’t bring her feet to move. Something had changed between them tonight and walking away from JT was proving difficult.

“I’d better get going as well,” he told her, glancing at his watch. “If you need anything I hope you’ll call.”

More surprises. “Sure.” She couldn’t imagine what sort of help she’d turn to him for. Most of the time she was pretty self-sufficient. She’d had to be. Her mother was too easily overwhelmed by the least difficulty. Violet had learned to take care of herself from an early age, even when life had grown less challenging after they’d moved in with Tiberius when Violet was six. “That’s nice of you.”

For a brief moment his eyes softened. Before she could draw an unsteady breath he’d retreated behind his reserve once more.

“It’s not being nice,” he said, neutral and polite. “We’re family.”

His declaration was the cherry on top of a triple scoop sundae of surprises. “How do you figure?”

“It might not be the most traditional connection, but you were my uncle’s daughter.”

“Not legally.” Violet wasn’t sure how to cope with a connection of this sort with JT. If things became affectionate between them she might just step out of the neutral zone and into treacherous territory.

“Do you really think that mattered to Tiberius?”

“No.” Violet cocked her head and regarded him. “But I would have thought it mattered to you.”

“Why?”

Violet floundered. Confronting people didn’t come naturally to her. It was a skill she’d worked hard to develop during her years in management positions and when she did speak her mind, it was after careful preparation.

But JT had flustered her tonight and she’d spoken without thought.

“The truth is I really don’t know.”

“But you had a reason to say it,” he persisted, his interest laser-sharp.

Admitting her flaws wasn’t something she did often, but Violet felt she owed JT an explanation after he’d been so kind to her tonight. “I didn’t like growing up the bastard daughter of Ross Fontaine,” she explained. “Being treated as if I didn’t exist by the entire Fontaine family gave me a huge chip on my shoulder.”

“That’s changed now. Henry Fontaine not only welcomed you as his granddaughter, he gave you a hotel to run and a shot at becoming CEO of the family business.”

Violet nodded. “And most days that amazes me. But sometimes I regress to that eleven-year-old girl who was ridiculed by her classmates for bragging that I was Ross Fontaine’s daughter when everyone could tell he wanted nothing to do with me.”

“I can see where that would be hard.”

She had a difficult time believing JT could sympathize with her situation. The sole heir to Stone Properties, he’d grown up knowing who he was and where he belonged. Maybe things hadn’t been perfect with his parents and maybe the company was struggling with his father at the helm, but that could be turned around with the right moves.

“So, you think we’re family,” she said, aiming for a warm smile. She could tell by JT’s expression that she missed the mark.

“I didn’t have a chance to know my uncle,” he explained. “I think I missed a lot. You knew him better than anyone. I feel connected to him through you.”

It took a second for Violet to register that JT was reaching out to her. All of a sudden she felt a little giddy. “Your uncle was my father in all ways but legally.” She sounded a tad breathless as she finished, “I suppose that makes us cousins.”

JT cocked his head and regarded her. “I suppose it does. Good night, Violet.”

He departed Baccarat without touching her again and Violet was dismayed by her disappointment. She could get used to having his hands on her. Was that creepy now that they’d agreed to consider each other cousins?

Violet continued on her rounds, and contemplated what her sisters would make of her conversation with JT. With her traditional upbringing and ambitious professional goals, Harper would give her sensible and conservative advice. Younger than Violet by a few months, Harper was nonetheless the voice of pragmatism. She would encourage Violet to keep her distance from a complicated man in a tricky family situation. Violet’s relationship with Tiberius had made her by extension an enemy of Preston Rhodes, JT’s father. If she and JT became friendly, it would only complicate what she sensed was a strained relationship with his father.

While Harper’s rational arguments would appeal to Violet’s head, Scarlett’s opinion would go to work on her heart. A few weeks ago Scarlet had pointed out that there was more to JT’s nightly appearance at Baccarat than simply that he missed Rick’s mixology expertise. Scarlett would encourage Violet to get to know JT better; she was convinced that something would ignite between them. Shock waves pummeled Violet’s midsection as her thoughts ventured down that path.

Sex with JT would be explosive. Tonight when he’d squeezed her hand, she’d been hard-pressed not to lean over and plant a very uncousinly kiss on his well-shaped lips. Her skin tingled at the thought and she gave her head a vigorous shake. She couldn’t go there. Shouldn’t even think about going there. Trouble was when she was around JT, she had a hard time thinking clearly.

Angst and passion simmered beneath his expensive suits and professional demeanor. During the six years she’d known him she’d occasionally caught glimpses of deep pain, and her instinct had been to offer comfort or help. But JT was a man who stubbornly resisted admitting to any vulnerability or weakness. From Tiberius, Violet knew JT’s childhood hadn’t been ideal. His father was a ruthless businessman who’d manipulated his father-in-law into disowning his only son. His drive for power had caused him to neglect his wife.

JT’s mother had not taken the banishment of her brother well. She’d retreated into alcohol and pills. Tiberius had kept tabs on her through friends, but he’d been unable to do more than stand by and watch her fade away. What Violet had never understood is why she’d never divorced Preston. She might have had a chance at happiness if she had.

Violet finished her rounds and returned to her large executive office. Even though it was three in the morning, she didn’t expect to sleep. Reports awaited her attention.

The hotel’s management offices occupied a small chunk of the third floor. She spent little time here, preferring to be on the floor, eyes on the action taking place in her hotel.

It’s what she’d learned from shadowing Tiberius around the Lucky Heart. Her throat closed as she stared down the Las Vegas strip to where the small hotel and casino sat. Built in the sixties, it lacked the amenities of the modern hotels and casinos: five-star restaurants, extravagant décor and luxury suites. The ceilings were low. The carpet needed replacing. And the clientele came in for the cheap bar drinks and stayed for the loose slots. But for Violet it would always be home.

Which is why she’d been surprised how Tiberius had reacted when Henry Fontaine approached her about coming to work for him. She’d expected Tiberius to discourage her from joining the family business. Quite the opposite. Tiberius knew how hard it had been for her to be Ross Fontaine’s bastard daughter. Unlike Scarlett, Ross’s other illegitimate daughter, Violet had grown up in Las Vegas within the long shadow of the gorgeous hotels and casinos that were owned by the Fontaine dynasty.

The older she got, the more being an outsider frustrated her. Without Tiberius as her champion, constantly making as if she was the smartest, most capable person he’d ever known, she might never have accepted that she didn’t need approval from the Fontaines to make her happy.

Maybe that’s why she sympathized with JT. If his grandfather hadn’t died when JT was ten, Preston would never have taken over Stone Properties and ousted his brother-in-law. The company would have stayed in Stone hands. First Tiberius’s, then JT’s.

Attending his uncle’s memorial service today must have really upset him. She had no other explanation for why he’d shared with her his concerns regarding Stone Properties. They’d known each other for six years and as much as he made her pulse dance, he’d always just treated her like a business acquaintance. Was it any wonder his behavior tonight had thrown her off balance? Did he regret telling her about his worries for his family’s company? It just wasn’t like him to be so...forthcoming.

She smirked as she imagined him kicking himself the entire way back to Titanium.

It was a spectacular property. He’d spent his first two years in Vegas rebuilding the hotel and casino. It was larger than both Fontaine Chic and Richesse combined, with a huge convention facility and an eighteen-hole golf course in the back. Admiring the hotel’s style, she’d used the same design company to bring to life her vision for Fontaine Chic.

What would happen to Stone Properties if JT left? As hurt as Tiberius had been that his father believed Preston’s lies and disinherited him, Tiberius’s biggest concern had always been for the company beneath Preston’s stewardship. He would be worried that JT was quitting.

“Not my problem,” she muttered, but already the wheels were turning in her mind.

Tiberius would have wanted her to help JT. Despite all the years they’d been estranged, right before his death, Tiberius had started reaching out to his nephew.

And Violet was confident she could keep her head screwed on straight and her hormones in check long enough to figure out a way to help JT save Stone Properties. With the decision made, Violet headed to her suite for a hot shower and a good night’s sleep.

Two

Violet stared at the shelves of law books that covered the walls of the lawyer’s office, her eyes gritty and dry. In contrast, her mother sat beside her, weeping softly. In the weeks since Tiberius’s death, Lucille had gone through a dozen boxes of tissues.

A part of Violet was ashamed that she’d moved swiftly through the five stages of grief while her mother had gone straight to stage four—depression—and stayed there.

“That takes us to the Lucky Heart,” John Malcolm, Tiberius’s lawyer continued. “As you probably know, the casino is deep in debt.”

Violet nodded, absently squeezing her mother’s hand in comfort, relieved that Tiberius had invested his personal fortune wisely and set aside enough for Lucille to never have to worry about money. “I don’t understand why. The entire time I worked there, it always operated in the black. Nor has business fallen off in the last five years. Tiberius was too savvy to let that happen. So where did the debt come from?”

“He was mortgaging the Lucky Heart in order to buy stock.”

“Stock?” That didn’t sound like Tiberius at all. “Why would he do that? He didn’t trust Wall Street. Said it was a sucker’s bet.”

“He was buying private stock.”

Even more curious. A rhythmic ache had manifested in Violet’s temples. She rubbed to ease the pain. “So can we sell the stock and get the Lucky Heart out of debt?”

“Unfortunately, you’re not going to be able to do that.”

“Why not?” Making bad business decisions was something Tiberius had never done. “What sort of stock was he buying?”

“Stone Properties stock.”

Violet leaned forward. Had she heard the gray-haired lawyer correctly? “Why would he do that?”

John’s solemn blue eyes were the gatekeepers of a thousand clients’ secrets. “He had his reasons.”

Her thoughts rushed through a dozen scenarios as to why Tiberius had kept something this huge from her. Then she contemplated her conversation with JT a few days earlier. “How much stock did he have?”

“In the three months before his death he’d managed to get eighteen percent.”

Violet’s curiosity spiked. Did his purchase of Stone Properties stock have anything to do with why he’d been reestablishing his relationship with JT? Together they would’ve controlled forty-eight percent of Stone Properties, not enough to take over and force Preston out, but if they could secure another three percent...

Is that what Tiberius had been up to?

“Did he leave the stock to JT?”

John Malcolm looked surprised. “No. He left it to you.”

Any normal person who’d just inherited eighteen percent of a multi-billion dollar company might be dancing around the lawyer’s office or at the very least grinning. Violet had no desire to celebrate. The price tag for her windfall was too high. She’d lost the man who’d been her father in heart and soul if not by blood or marriage.

“Why me and not my mom?”

“Because he trusted you’d know what to do with it.”

“First Scarlett inherits a warehouse full of secret files and now this,” she muttered, thinking about all the private information Tiberius had gathered over the years on acquaintances and family. “What other surprises does Tiberius plan to unleash on the Fontaine sisters?”

“Now, as to the conditions of the inheritance.”

“And there it is,” Violet grumbled. She loved Tiberius, but he was a cagey bastard.

John Malcolm ignored her outburst. “You can’t sell the stock, donate it or give it away.” The lawyer smiled ironically as he said this last bit, if he couldn’t understand why anyone could part with that much money and expect nothing in return. “Until the death of Preston Rhodes.”

Obviously Tiberius wanted to make sure his brother-in-law never got his hands on the stock.

“Chances are it won’t be worth anything by the time that happens,” she murmured.

“And there’s one other issue,” John Malcolm continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “You can’t vote the shares because you’re not family.”

Violet sat back in her chair and regarded the lawyer in utter bafflement. Why hadn’t Tiberius just left the shares to JT? The answer occurred to her an instant after the question had formed. Because his relationship with JT hadn’t reached that level of trust yet. Tiberius probably thought he had months to get to know his nephew. It wasn’t like he was planning on getting murdered.

“Thank you for all your help,” Violet said, standing to shake hands with the lawyer.

“Yes,” Lucille echoed. “Thank you. I know you were a good friend to Tiberius all these years.”

“Sometimes I felt more like a co-conspirator,” John Malcolm with a wry smile. “But it was my pleasure to call him both friend and client.”

Violet and her mother left the lawyer’s office and headed to the parking lot.

“I can’t believe Tiberius left you all that stock,” Lucille said, “without there being anything you can do with it.”

“Did he talk to you about what he was up to?”

Lucille’s beautiful smile was always a little bit sad, but since Tiberius’s death it had become downright melancholy. “You know he didn’t talk business with me.”

No. Tiberius had always made it his mission to bring all things joyful and fun to his conversations with Lucille. He’d loved when her eyes sparkled. Discussing something as upsetting as staging a coup against Preston Rhodes would never have happened.

“Maybe I’ll check his office when I drop you off,” Violet said.

“There might be something in his files.”

When they arrived at the house Lucille had shared with Tiberius for years, Violet discovered that her mother was right. There were ten files pertaining to the stock acquisition. Two contained the paperwork for the stock Tiberius had purchased. The other eight contained information on family members he hadn’t yet contacted. Her interest rose as she read through Tiberius’s notes. Gaining another three percent wouldn’t be easy, but she had a notion of how it could be done. Not that it did her any good. She owned eighteen percent of a stock she could neither get rid of nor vote.

So, what the hell was she supposed to do with it? Better to ask, what would Tiberius want her to do with it?

The thought of becoming embroiled in the intrigue surrounding Stone Properties gave Violet a bad taste in her mouth. She was quite content with her own piece of the Las Vegas strip. From the second she’d been put in charge of Fontaine Chic, she’d known complete happiness. It was all she needed. She didn’t care if she won the contest their grandfather had created to decide which of the three Fontaine sisters would succeed him as CEO. Violet was realistic about her chances. With Harper’s education and hotel training, it was her contest hands down. Besides, it was her birthright. Just like Stone Properties was JT’s.

If only there was something Violet could do to make it so he could claim his rightful place. Not that he wanted her help. She dismissed that as insignificant. She needed to focus on keeping alive Tiberius’s plan to reclaim his family’s company. But how?

When the answer came, she was stunned by its simplicity and foolhardiness. She couldn’t. The idea was crazy. On the other hand, maybe crazy was what the situation called for.

And there was only one way she was going to know for sure.

* * *

JT was about to leave his usual spot in Baccarat and head back to his hotel when he spotted Violet approaching the bar. Tension he’d not been aware of released its grip on his muscles. He relaxed his clenched teeth and felt a scowl melt from his forehead.

Since finding out what his father had been up to with Stone Properties, he’d been frustrated and in great need of a confidante he could trust. He trusted Violet. Sharing his problems with her had eased his mind.

For the last five days she’d been absent from the lounge. Either she’d been detained by hotel business or she’d been avoiding him. Thinking she might be avoiding him had been a bitter pill to swallow.

He’d stepped across the line at their last meeting. Claiming her as family had pushed their association past the boundaries of casual acquaintances. But no matter how much it worried him that he might become dependent on her, he couldn’t stop craving her support.

To his unreasonable delight, the instant she entered the bar, her gaze sought his and she immediately headed his way. As she drew near, the spicy scent of her perfume preceded her and he had just enough time to draw a heady lungful before she sat beside him. Tonight’s black dress was a knee-length sheath with a deep scoop neckline that showed off the upper curves of her breasts. Keeping his attention on her face proved challenging as she gathered a deep breath before speaking.

“I’m glad you’re here tonight,” she said, her voice brisk, expression resolute.

He resisted the urge to remind her that he was here every night. She already had him eating out of the palm of her hand. Why give her more power?

“You look beautiful,” he told her, letting his gaze drift over her.

His compliment caused her to blink. “Thank you.” For a moment she looked as if she’d lost her train of thought.

Despite the bar’s low light, he spied a rush of color in her cheeks and noticed an uneven hitch to her breath. In that instant he realized she’d felt the impact of his attraction for her, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.

The revelation inspired a rush of longing to touch her smooth skin, to pull her body tight to his and hear her sigh beneath his lips. He imagined sweeping his tongue across her breasts and hearing her cry out. Not seeing her these last few days had fueled his hunger for her. He’d spent far too much time pondering exactly how he would make love to her.

“JT, are you listening to me?”

He shook his head and dispelled the evocative images lingering there. “Sorry. I was distracted. Is that a new perfume you’re wearing?”

“It’s something Tiberius gave to my mother last Christmas. Since his death she can’t bear to wear it, but I love the scent so she gave me the bottle.”

“It’s nice,” he murmured.

“Thank you.” She paused and regarded him through narrowed eyes. “We went to Tiberius’s lawyer for the reading of his will a couple days ago.”

JT wrestled his libido back under control as her words registered. “And he left everything to you and your mother.”

“Yes.” She scowled at him as if he was supposed to comprehend a deeper meaning to what she’d said. “But it’s what he left that caught me by surprise.”

“His house, bank accounts, the hotel.” JT ticked the items off on his fingers. “What else?”

A smug grin bloomed on her full lips. “How about eighteen percent of Stone Properties stock.”

The news dealt him a sturdy blow. “How did he get it?”

“He mortgaged the Lucky Heart and bought every share he could.”

“But why?”

“To take on your father?”

“Eighteen percent wouldn’t do him any good. When my mother died she left my father thirty percent of the company. Combined with the rest of what my family owns, he has enough votes to control the company.”

“Until two months ago when you turned thirty. Your father controlled your trust fund until then, didn’t he?”

“Yes.” JT didn’t know what to make of what he was hearing. “You think my uncle wanted us to join forces?” He recalled the dinners Tiberius had invited him to. “He never said anything of the sort.”

“I think he wanted to get to know you before he committed to anything.”

For the first time in years JT felt a flutter of excitement. Combining what he’d inherited with Violet’s shares left him three percent away from taking the company back from his father and repairing all the damage that had been done.

“How much do you want for your stock?”

Violet had been watching him closely, grinning at his reaction to her news, but now delight drained from her expression. “That’s where things get a little tricky.”

Suspicion flared before JT remembered that this was Violet he was dealing with. She was loyal and a team player. She wasn’t here to get something from him. She honestly wanted to help. But none of his trust reflected in his tone as he asked, “Tricky how?”

“The terms of Tiberius’s will don’t allow me to sell, trade or donate the shares in any way.” She looked as if she expected him to explode in frustration. “Otherwise you have to know, I’d let you have them.”

Although disappointed by his uncle’s unorthodox terms, JT knew there was a way he could work this to his advantage. “But you can give me your proxy vote.” Of course, he only had eighteen percent, but if Tiberius had convinced several of their family members to part with the stock, surely that meant JT could do the same. He only needed three percent more.

“That’s the other problem,” she said, apology in her tone. “The way your grandfather set up the stock, only family members by blood or by marriage can vote. Since, I’m not family, my votes can’t count.”

JT exhaled in exasperation. “So we’re back to square one. With your votes voided, my father remains in control of the majority of the stock.”

But Tiberius’s plan was still a viable option. JT and his father each had thirty percent of the shares. With Violet’s eighteen percent excluded, that left twenty-two percent up for grabs. If he could buy twelve percent of the shares belonging to the rest of the family or failing that, convince them to swing their votes his way, he could take the company back.

“Not back to square one,” Violet said, interrupting his train of thought. “If I was family, I could vote the shares.”

“If you were family, yes,” JT agreed, his gaze fixed on the lights racing around above the bar. “But you’re not.”

“I could be.”

Something in her tone caught his attention. A tentative smile trembled at the corners of her lips. She was trying to tell him something, but his mind was darting in too many directions to grasp the nuances of her meaning.

“How?”

“We could get married.”

If she’d nailed him with a cattle prod he couldn’t have been more stunned. “Married?”

“In name only, of course.” She offered him a cheeky grin that didn’t reach her eyes. “There’s nothing in my uncle’s will that prevents me from marrying the shares away.”

“Since he knew we’d never get married, it probably never crossed his mind.”

She cocked her head and regarded him solemnly. “And how did he know something like that?”

“I told him I had no intention of starting anything up with you.”

Violet sat up very straight. Her eyes narrowed. “You two talked about me?”

JT nodded. “When I first arrived in town. Tiberius had heard about my activities in Miami and was worried that if I pursued you, you might get hurt. I agreed to keep my distance.”

“How noble.” Her tone dripped with scorn.

“Not that noble,” he retorted, deciding if they were going to consider her wild scheme, she might as well hear the whole truth. “It was an easy promise to make. You really aren’t my type.”

Mouth tight, she stared at him for several seconds. But then her hand stole across his leg, mid-thigh, and lingered.

“You aren’t my type either.” But her husky tone and the come-get-me-big-boy look in her eyes said the exact opposite. “So that should make a marriage in-name-only a snap.”

JT kept his expression bland. No need for her to learn the truth. He’d promised himself that nothing would happen between them. He needed her in his corner far more than he needed her naked in his bed. He wasn’t about to ruin their fledgling connection over something as fleeting as lust.

“It should.” But he didn’t feel as confident as he sounded. “And it isn’t forever.”

“Right. We only need to be married long enough for me to vote my shares at the annual meeting. It’s at the end of August, right?”

“August twenty-fifth.”

“That’s only six weeks away.”

JT had another thought. “Your family isn’t going to be happy if you marry me without some sort of a prenup.”

“At the moment I’m not worth more than the stock I inherited from Tiberius and what I’ve saved towards retirement. We can sign a simple agreement that states we leave the marriage with what we arrived with.”

She made everything sound so reasonable. So why was he resisting?

Sure, marriage wasn’t on his to-do list. He enjoyed playing the part of confirmed bachelor. Las Vegas was the perfect place to find attractive, single women looking for a little fun. They came in for a weekend and he gave them the royal treatment. Then they were gone. No fuss. No muss.

Violet was a whole different package. She was in Vegas to stay. Getting involved with her would be complicated and undoubtedly end in heartbreak. His.

But it wasn’t as if they were getting married for real. He just needed to remember that.

“So are we going to do this?” She’d plucked her palm from his thigh, leaving behind a distracting tingle.

“You’re sure you want to marry me?” His heart thumped hard against his ribs as he reminded himself this was a business deal.

“Want to marry you? Absolutely not.” Her lighthearted laugh had a slightly wicked edge. “But I feel like I owe it to Tiberius to finish what he started. And I’d like to see you take back your family’s company.”

He scrutinized her lovely features, finding only altruism in her expression. Her self-sacrifice made him uncomfortable.

“I get that you feel an obligation to Tiberius, but I’m not sure this is the best idea.”

“I don’t feel obligated.”

From her earnest expression he could tell she didn’t. And that’s what worried JT the most.

“Okay, but you’re also looking for a way to make your shares pay off too, right?”

She cocked her head and regarded him in silence for several seconds. “You yourself said the company isn’t doing well with your father at the helm. If he continues, the shares will lose value. Maybe even become worthless. I know you’ll make a much better CEO. I’m protecting myself the best way I can.”

Her answer rang with conviction. JT’s resistance eased minutely. Still, he should refuse. The only way this wasn’t going to backfire on them both was if he turned down her help. But the idea of getting that much closer to Violet was a temptation of the hard-to-resist variety.

But marriage? Was the opportunity to rescue Stone Properties from his father’s clutches worth the danger of getting too attached to Violet? He already liked her far too much for his own good. Watching her walk into the lounge was enough to make his day. What if he started to rely on spending lots of time with her? He knew himself well enough to know that just being friends wouldn’t cut it. He wanted her. Badly. It was only a matter of time before he did something about it.

After a fast and furious debate, JT kicked self-preservation to the curb.

“Then I’m in.” He was on the verge of getting on one knee and proposing to her properly when she spoke up.

“I think we should do this sooner rather than later. Before either one of us comes to our senses.”

“How soon?” She’d saved him from going all romantic—even if it was just for show—and making an ass out of himself. “Like Saturday?”

“What about now?” Seeing his shock, she rushed on. “Too fast?”

“A little.” But what the hell. If they waited, the anticipation might prompt him to do something stupid. Like let her see how badly he needed her. “But it’s doable. Your chapel or mine?”

“How about someplace neutral. The Tunnel of Love Chapel?”

Some of JT’s tension faded. She really was approaching this as a business arrangement and he needed to do so as well. But ignoring her effect on him was easier said than done.

“Positively romantic,” he said, his tone dry.

“Good.” She glanced at her phone. “I booked it for midnight.”

“You were feeling pretty confident I’d say yes.”

She shrugged. “It made perfect business sense that you would.”

But business was the furthest thing from his thoughts at the moment. He was contemplating all the delightful things a husband did with his brand-new wife. “Are you going to leave the booking of the honeymoon suite to me?”

She looked positively horrified. “Perhaps I wasn’t very clear. A marriage in name only means no sex.”

“Not even on our wedding night?” he couldn’t resist asking. She was so delightfully earnest. It made teasing her a pleasure.

“I thought I wasn’t your type.” Her voice lacked any trace of amusement.

“Since you’re going to be my wife,” he said, “I figured I should make an exception just this once.”

“It’s a lovely thought but we should really keep this all business between us.”

“Whatever you say.”

“It will make things easier.”

She was oh so wrong about that. Nothing about being married to Violet was going to be easy. In fact, he’d better brace himself because things were about to get a whole lot harder.

Three

On her way across Fontaine Chic’s lobby, Violet decided it was okay if a bride felt excited and slightly terrified on her wedding day. Especially if the groom was sexy and enigmatic and the decision to marry was somewhere between logically conceived and wildly impulsive.

Wearing an off-white lace dress she’d bought on impulse that morning from one of the hotel’s shops, Violet’s heart double-timed to each click of her heels on the black marble floor. She clutched an overnight bag and a briefcase filled with Tiberius’s files on the holders of Stone Properties stock. Against her better judgment, she’d let JT talk her into spending their wedding night together at his house. In separate bedrooms, of course.

She wasn’t worried that he’d take advantage of her. He’d already pointed out that she wasn’t his type. That declaration still stung. With his reputation as a player, she hadn’t suspected he had a type beyond female, single and young. She was all those. So what about her didn’t appeal to him?

Was she the wrong height? Too thin? Too fat? Not pretty enough? Not sexy?

Violet slammed the door on curiosity. It didn’t matter if she was his type or not. Their marriage was a business arrangement. She needed to remember that. And to guard against demonstrating the way her body came alive whenever he drew near.

A bright blue BMW convertible stood at the ready in the hotel’s circular driveway. JT leaned against the car’s hood, wearing a dark gray, almost black suit and white shirt with a blush-colored tie that emphasized his potent charisma. He hadn’t spotted her yet so she had a private moment to observe his relaxed posture and utter gorgeousness as he joked with one of her bellhops. Thanks to anxiety, her muscles hadn’t been responding properly to the signals from her brain for the last hour; now they were positively spastic.

He was still laughing when their gazes met. The power of his smile knocked the breath from her lungs. Wanting his eyes to light up with pleasure at seeing her, she was crushed at how fast he sobered.

“Right on time, I see.” He stepped forward to take her bags.

Was he used to waiting for the women he dated? They probably took longer to primp and fuss than she had. In truth, her nerves had prevented her from applying eyeliner with a steady hand so she’d just dusted her lids with neutral eye shadow, buffed her cheekbones with blush and used a little powder to keep down the shine. It didn’t occur to her that she hadn’t applied lipstick until his gaze locked on her mouth.

A bride shouldn’t attend her wedding in such a state. She dug in her purse, but all she found was some lip balm. “Damn,” she muttered. “I don’t have any lipstick.”

“You don’t need any.” He opened the passenger door for her and gave her plenty of room to get by him. It was almost as if he was avoiding her. But why would he need to do that?

“I’m not sure I feel completely dressed without it.”

“I assure you, you’re completely dressed.”

Was that humor she saw in his expression? Oh how she wished she could read his mind. It would be nice to know how the man she was about to marry thought, but it wasn’t likely to happen now, or ever. He would make certain of that.

“I wonder what else I forgot to pack,” she mused, her brain on autopilot. “I had some last-minute things to take care of with my assistant. I was afraid I was going to be late.”

“And that I might change my mind?”

“The thought occurred to me.” She slid into her seat and watched him circle the car. “What about you? Did you think I might chicken out?”

“No. I think you are the most dependable person I know.” His statement made it sound as if he knew more about her than their limited association had led her to believe. He slipped behind the wheel and started the engine.

Violet regarded his strong profile, admiring the precise cut of his jaw and his ridiculously long eyelashes. “What makes you say that?”

“From your reputation around town. Whenever you make a commitment to a cause or a promise to a friend you come through. No matter what.”

As the car rolled toward South Las Vegas Boulevard, Violet put her hands to her cheeks and found them hot with embarrassment. “I don’t do more than anyone else.”

“And then you rarely take credit for all the good things you do.” The light turned green as they approached it and JT was able to turn onto the strip without stopping. “It causes people to take advantage of your generosity.”

Was he trying to warn her that this is what he was doing? If he was, it was too late. She was already committed to their goal.

“You make me sound like a sap.”

“I was trying to pay you a compliment.”

“A backhanded one, maybe. You’re a dependable doormat.” She made a face. “That’s a fine way to talk about your bride-to-be.”

An impatient sound erupted from him. “In the future I’ll remember that flattery makes you prickly.”

“See that you do. I prefer honesty to sweet talk.” She stared at him in silence until he’d stopped at a light and looked her way. “Are you going to have a problem with that?”

“Not at all.”

“Good. Just think of me as a fellow businessperson and we’ll get along just fine.”

JT merely nodded his agreement.

Ten minutes later, they swung into the Tunnel of Love Chapel. It wasn’t Violet’s first trip through the tunnel. Her best friend from high school had tied the knot here the day after graduation and two short months before baby Cory was born. JT, however, looked like he’d never seen anything like the blue ceiling adorned with cupids and stars.

He stopped the car before a booth with a sign that read “The Little White Wedding Chapel Drive Thru Window,” and they filled out the paperwork for the marriage license. Getting married in Las Vegas was a simple matter. Maybe too simple? Time for second thoughts came and went in the blink of an eye. As the opening words of the wedding ceremony began, a strange buzzing filled her ears.

Was she really marrying JT Stone? Violet glanced from the man framed by the booth window to JT. Her lips twitched uncontrollably. As first JT then she repeated the vows spoken by the minister, Violet was overwhelmed by the dreamlike aspect of her wedding. She didn’t feel attached to the body sitting in the car beside JT. And she didn’t recognize her voice promising to love and honor him. It wasn’t until JT pulled out two platinum rings and she felt the cold metal slide onto her finger that she crashed back to earth.

She had only a second to scrutinize her ring’s antique setting. The setting was square, the diamond round, the corners filled in with ornate filigree. Violet guessed the stone to be over two and a half carats. Smaller round diamonds flanked the center stone. He slipped the ring on her left hand. The instant she realized it fit, all her agitation disappeared and she was struck by the rightness of what she was doing.

The minister interrupted her thoughts. “Now the bride.”

JT handed her the other ring, this one embossed with waves and swirls. Repeating the vows that symbolized love and commitment, Violet slipped the ring onto JT’s finger. She couldn’t look him in the eye. Her wild idea to marry JT so she could use her stock to put him in charge of his family’s company was on the verge of becoming legally and morally binding.

“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the minister proclaimed.

Violet’s heart had been erratic since JT had agreed to marry her. Now it was positively aflutter. They’d done it. For good or for bad, there was no going back.

“You may kiss the bride.”

Mouth dry, Violet waited for her first kiss from JT. Her stomach had been in knots for the last several hours since they’d agreed to get married. How would he kiss her? Would it be passionate? Romantic? Would he sweep her into his arms and steal her breath or would he woo her with slow, sensual kisses? Either way, she knew it would be perfect.

She’d never dreamed he’d catch her chin in his fingers and plant a quick kiss at the corner of her lips. Lost in a fog of disappointment, she automatically went through the formalities that followed and accepted the congratulations of the witnesses with a heavy heart.

And then the car was rolling out of the Tunnel of Love Chapel and emerging into the noise and lights of Las Vegas once more. While JT negotiated the traffic on his way to the freeway, Violet stared at the ring on her hand. How had he gotten a set of wedding rings on such short notice? And such unique ones at that.

“It’s my grandmother’s,” JT said as if reading her mind. “And this is my grandfather’s.” He held up his left hand. “I drove to the ranch before picking you up.”

Rendered speechless at the significance of wearing a family heirloom, Violet gaped at him. Harper would laugh at her for believing that jewelry held the energy of the wearer, but what else could explain the tranquility that came over her the instant she’d put on his grandmother’s ring? They’d married without love. She didn’t deserve to be wearing something so dear.

“Is something wrong?” he prompted.

“We could have bought rings at the chapel.”

“Why, when these were collecting dust in my safe?”

“But it’s your grandmother’s ring.”

He eyed her. “And I trust that as soon as it’s no longer necessary, you’ll return it.”

“Of course.” It was beginning to annoy her that he wasn’t getting the significance of the jewelry he’d just pledged his troth with. Heaving a sigh, Violet decided to let it drop. In a few months it would be back in his safe where it belonged.

As the car streaked through the Nevada night, the adrenaline rush she’d been riding for the last two days began to fade. Her confidence waned as well. She was now married to a man who was for all intents and purposes a virtual stranger. And with the strength of his deflector shields, he was likely to stay that way no matter how delicately she probed. Which she really shouldn’t do.

What she had to remember was that despite the marriage vows they’d just exchanged, theirs was a union of expediency. Mutual benefit. JT got the chance to reclaim his family’s business. She would finish what Tiberius had started and preserve the stock’s value.

It was a business arrangement. He would resist her efforts to dig around in his private thoughts in an attempt to get to know him better.

“Now what’s bothering you?” JT quizzed.

“Nothing, why?”

For the last half hour they’d been heading north out of town on I-25. His sixty-acre ranch sat just beyond the outskirts of the city. At first she’d resisted being away from the hotel on such short notice, but since Tiberius’s death, she’d been working herself hard and could really use a night off.

“You haven’t said a word in fifteen minutes,” JT said. “It’s not like you.”

“Was it crazy, what we just did?”

“Completely.” He exited the freeway and turned left onto a two-lane highway. “Have you changed your mind?”

“No.” And she was surprised at how strongly she felt about staying the course. “It’s all going to work out. We just need to get the last three percent Tiberius had been working on before the next stockholders’ meeting.”

JT nodded. “One way or another, we can be divorced before fall.”

Her stomach fell at his eagerness to be rid of her and she chided herself for reacting so foolishly. That was the deal they’d made. She had no right to wish for something else.

“Then we’d better get to work immediately,” she said. “I brought all the files from his desk at the house. He was about to approach eight more shareholders. Four of the leads look promising.”

“I’ll look at them first thing in the morning.”

His use of first person singular wasn’t lost on her. Before she returned to Fontaine Chic tomorrow, she was determined to make him understand that this undertaking was going to be a team effort. She’d married him and was determined he would not do battle with his father alone.

“This is going to work, you know.”

He shot her a dour look. “Are you always this optimistic?”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.”

“It’s not bad, but I’m not sure it’s realistic. Don’t you ever worry?”

“Not about the future.” She lifted her face to the wind streaming off the windshield. “Why bother? It’s a blank slate, full of possibilities.”

He didn’t reply and she tried to be comfortable in the silence that filled the space between them once more. But the unfinished conversation itched like a case of hives.

“All the brooding you do in the bar every night. Tell me what good it does you to worry about things that haven’t happened?”

“It’s not the future that concerns me, but the past. Things I’d like to take back, do differently, but can’t.”

Delighted that JT was on the verge of a revelation, she prompted, “Such as?”

“Nothing I feel like talking about.”

And just like that she was shut down. Violet heaved a sigh and lapsed into silence. What a puzzle he was. She knew his childhood hadn’t been one to brag about. His father’s ambition. His mother’s retreat into alcohol and drugs. Emotional injuries he’d suffered at a fragile age had turned him into a wild teenager. When JT had first arrived in Las Vegas, Tiberius had warned her to stay away from him. He was not a bird with a broken wing or a kitten who’d been struck by a car. He was a grown man who only knew how to use people and cast them aside.

Tiberius’s initial opinion of his nephew had been right on, but Violet suspected it wasn’t the whole picture. Curious about the Stone family, she’d conducted an internet search and discovered what sorts of trouble a party boy from Miami could get into. Although her contact with him had been limited these last six years, she didn’t think he was the type to act out without cause. But whatever motivated him was locked deep inside and given the firm set of his jaw, likely to remain so.

“So you have a hard time letting go,” she said. “How can you think that’s good for you?”

“Reliving past events helps me avoid similar situations in my future.”

When Violet considered her life, she decided she could probably spend a little time learning from her experiences. How many men had she dated who’d needed her to be their cheerleader or their psychologist or their financial advisor or their life coach? Too many. And here she was doing it again. Only this time she’d gone too far and had actually married someone.

JT turned down a long driveway bordered by landscape lighting and stopped the car in front of a massive stucco-and-stone prairie-style house. Curved planting beds held desert plants and tropical flowers. Their round lines softened the home’s square architecture.

“This is definitely worth the commute,” Violet said as she exited the car. The covered walkway to the front door was flanked by pillars covered in square stone and lighted by sconces. The effect was elegant and welcoming. “I can’t get over how quiet it is.” For a girl who’d practically grown up on the strip, the silence was a bit unnerving.

“Wait until morning. The view from the living room is what sold me on the property.” He collected her bag from the trunk and gestured for her to precede him toward the front door.

The house continued to impress Violet as JT gave her a quick tour. From the expansive two-story foyer he led her into the combination living room-dining room. Such large spaces could seem cold and uninviting, but the coved ceilings, inset lighting and desert tones made it very homey. In the living room, sliding glass walls opened out onto a wide patio. The gourmet kitchen was almost as large as her suite at the hotel and contained all restaurant-quality appliances as well as a large wine chiller.

“I wish I knew how to cook,” Violet said, gliding her palm along the center island’s cool granite.

“You don’t?” JT had fetched a bottle of champagne and a couple of glasses. He popped the cork and filled both flutes.

Violet accepted the champagne he handed her. “Just the basics. Not well enough to do justice to all this.” She was proud of herself for standing her ground as JT stepped into her space and held up his glass.

Finding out that Tiberius had left her the stock. Her wild proposition to JT. The quick drive-through wedding that followed. And now, being alone with JT in his house. So much had happened. She was feeling a little exposed and emotional. Primed to do something stupid like demand a far better kiss than the one he’d deposited on her in the Tunnel of Love.

“To our successful merger,” JT declared, touching his flute to hers. Crystal chimed in the large room.

“To getting Stone Properties away from your father.” Violet drank sparingly. The man before her was a heady concoction. She didn’t need to add alcohol to the mix.

“It’s after one. Do you want me to show you to your room?”

“So I can do what?” Violet quizzed, walking toward the breakfast nook’s bay windows. “Pace for hours? I don’t know about you, but I rarely get to bed before three.” She spied a turquoise pool behind the house. “Can I use that?”

“As of twelve-fifteen the house became half yours. You don’t need to ask.”

Violet gasped, all thoughts of a moonlit swim forgotten. “Oh, no. That’s not what we agreed to. And when we get divorced, we’ll just go our separate ways—I don’t want half of your house.”

“Maybe we should renegotiate our deal. I might need to demand alimony in the divorce settlement.”

“Why would you need alimony?”

“Because if our plan fails my father will surely kick me out of the family business and the way he’s running things, the stock won’t be worth much.” He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “While you will be worth millions as Fontaine’s CEO.”

Because she couldn’t tell if he was poking fun at her or not, Violet refrained from commenting on her chances of winning her grandfather’s contest. “I never imagined that I would end up supporting you,” she replied. “Perhaps we should get an annulment—”

“While we still can?” JT interrupted, his silky voice spreading shivers along her skin.

“Stop kidding around.” She tried for lightness, but a hint of anxiety crept into her tone. “Just because we’re married and alone in this house on our wedding night...” Violet trailed off. What point was she trying to make?

“Doesn’t mean that we’ll fall prey to our basic urges,” JT finished.

“Exactly.”

“Even if those urges are fueled by champagne and curiosity?”

Violet set her glass down and dismay sparked when she realized it was empty. “I think it’s time you show me the bedroom. My bedroom,” she corrected, feeling her cheeks heat. “Where I’m going to sleep. Alone.”

JT picked up her bag and gestured back the way they’d come. “It’s upstairs.”

Violet attributed her lightheadedness to the champagne, refusing to believe that she was overwhelmed by the thought of spending the night alone with JT in his house. Was his room way down the hall from hers or a convenient few steps away?

Get a grip. You’re not a virgin at your first frat party. You’re a successful businesswoman and this man is a colleague. Keep your head and everything will be fine.

“Here you are.” JT opened a door and gestured her inside. The large room contained a queen-size bed with matching cherry nightstands, a triple dresser, and a small seating area in front of a gas fireplace. He set her overnight bag on the bed and returned to where she stood just inside the bedroom door.

“This is nice. Thank you.”

“I’m the one who should be thanking you. If this wild idea of yours works, I’ll be able to save my family’s company. And that’s a debt I can’t repay.” JT leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek. “Good night, Violet. I’ll make sure I have green tea ready for you in the morning.”

He knew that she didn’t drink coffee? She vaguely recalled having a tea versus coffee discussion with him long ago. And he’d remembered.

“That’s nice of you. And one more thing.” Before she considered the wisdom of her actions, Violet lifted on tiptoe and coasted her palms along JT’s massive shoulders. Shoving aside rational thought, she tunneled her fingers into his hair and murmured, “You didn’t give me a proper kiss at our wedding.”

“Then let me rectify that right now.” He lowered his lips to hers.

Her breath stopped. Every nerve in her body screamed to life. Newly sensitized, her skin prickled at the slide of his cotton shirt against her bare arm as he cupped the side of her head to hold her in place. His lips were firm, but softer than she’d expected. The friction of his mouth on hers dragged a moan from her chest.

The sound spurred him to intensify the pressure of his kiss, but he retreated before she could act on her rising passion. His teeth caught at her tender flesh and gently tugged. She arched her back, seeking closer contact. This was so much better than she’d ever imagined.

He flattened his palm against her back, locking her in place before treating her to the first delicious lick of his tongue. A slow thrust followed. Warm. Wet. Skilled. He claimed her mouth as if he’d done it a thousand times. Taking his time, he explored every corner of her mouth, tantalizing her with his leashed passion. What happened if his control snapped? Violet was fast losing her wits. Much longer and her stance on a sexless marriage would topple.

Anticipation built as his hands coasted over her ribs, thumbs whisking provocatively over the outside curves of her breasts. She pulsed with need, craving his possession, and shifted restlessly against him to ease the ache.

JT tore his lips from hers and gulped air into his lungs. “Better?”

Better? Glorious was more like it.

Chest heaving, knees like pudding, she blinked to clear her vision and was startled to see they hadn’t moved from the doorway. How was that possible when he’d turned her entire world upside down?

“Now I feel married,” she said.

“You’d feel even more so after a proper wedding night,” he murmured, letting his lips graze temptingly close to hers once more.

Unsure whether he was serious or merely taunting her, Violet clutched at his strong shoulders and leaned back in order to survey his expression. With eyes that glittered, JT probed her gaze. His compelling curiosity alarmed her. What was he looking for? Proof that his kisses rendered her insensible?

He swept his hands down her spine, fanned his fingers against the small of her back. Ever so slowly he pressed her hips forward, easing her against the hard length of him. Violet’s legs trembled. She wanted nothing more than to be filled by him. To lose herself in his evocative touch.

Damn. She never should have asked for that kiss. If she’d just ignored the tension building between them, her body wouldn’t be throbbing with unfulfilled longing nor would she be fighting temptation at the idea of one night with him. One incredible, mind-blowing night.

“JT, I...”

Before she figured out what she intended to say, shutters dropped over his gaze and she was left staring at an insurmountable wall. The speed with which he’d shut her out acted like a bucket of ice water on her overheated hormones.

“You don’t need to explain.” He relaxed his hold on her and stepped away. A sardonic smile tugged at his lips. “I know our marriage is only for show.”

And she’d been seconds away from forgetting that fact. Humiliation chased away any lingering traces of desire. No question, she’d just dodged a bullet. So why was she so miserable about it?

“It’s not that,” she began and then frowned. “Well, it’s mostly that, but the truth is, I don’t know you very well and I’m not in the habit of falling into bed with a man this quickly.”

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