Chapter 20

Dayton

When she swept into the lobby on New Year's Eve, I thought I had finally lost my mind. Jessa was wearing a flowing off-the-shoulder ball gown that swept out in gentle billows as she moved. There seemed to be a twinkling light around her, and I blinked then stared again.

"I think those are called diamonds," Mike said. "Those shiny things? I heard Vera Wang made the dress for her special."

"Well, that's because she really is something special," I said.

Mike clapped me on the shoulder, hard, shoving me in Jessa's direction but I resisted. She'd skyrocketed into the headlines just days before when she solved the mystery of her father's stolen software.

Her recording of Robert Duncan confessing the scheme had been enough to put both his and her mother's reputations into the toilet. There wasn't enough evidence to link the theft and the new patent to their competitor, so the press had a field day with the family angle.

Out of the chaos, Jessa had emerged like a saving angel. She'd cleared my name, saved her father's company, and shed the weight of her parents' bad decisions as well as her own.

Jessa Lauren was now an icon of honesty, integrity, and she was the new face of Lauren Corp. A fashionable woman on top of her industry.

I watched her in awe.

It was my building's grand reopening, and my first soiree since re-entering society, but I only had eyes for her. Me and every other man in the vicinity.

Jessa Lauren was also, quite infamously, single after dumping Robert Duncan for the second time.

I couldn't quite bring myself to go talk to her. It still seemed so unreal: the official apology the SFPD had issued me; the flood of interest in my historic building; and the relief at knowing Jessa was no longer tied to a man not worth her spit.

Instead, I wandered my party and enjoyed the awkward 'mystery man' vibe my part in the story had cultivated. After being 'outed' as the heir to the Miller fortune, all of my office spaces had rented, and a flood of interested offers for renovations had come in. It seemed like the world was ready to welcome a wealthy yet hard-working man.

And yet I hesitated to be seen near Jessa.

She didn't need any more disparaging headlines, and I still had a criminal past to contend with.

"There you are," Jessa said.

She'd caught me scowling at the elevator gates as I fought the urge to find her. "Sorry. Hi. I'm surprised to see you," I spluttered.

Jessa smiled and looped her arm through mine. "Your building is quite amazing."

"Because of your touches," I said. It was intoxicating to have Jessa so near.

I wanted to lean down and nuzzle her bare neck, but Jessa was an important woman now. All I could do was smile, be a gentleman, and hope I'd see her again.

"Speaking of my family's connection with this building; Do you think I could steal you away to talk business? We have a lease to straighten out," Jessa winked.

She pressed the elevator button and blinked up at me. I swallowed hard and kept myself very still as we rode arm in arm up to the penthouse offices.

Jessa squeezed my arm as we walked onto the top floor. "So, tell me. How much would it cost for an exclusive renovation of this floor?"

My arm went lax, and I stumbled back. "You want to stay?"

"Why would I think of going anywhere else?" Jessa asked. "What would people say?"

I laughed. "You know what they should say? They should say that this was all just a tangled romance and that finally, you found happiness."

Jessa came forward and took my hand. "Business first."

She led me through every square inch of her father's office, and we sketched out extensive changes. The layout would go back to the original with built-ins recreated and glass artists employed. I was entranced.

And then Jessa branched out into her plans for the business itself. The way her mind grasped the bigger picture and found ways to elevate it had me speechless.

It was no wonder I felt she was out of my league.

I stopped, feeling my rebellion rise up again. I could never turn away from a challenge. And Jessa was worth it.

"You are absolutely amazing," I said, not being able to rip my eyes away from her face.

Jessa stuttered to a stop and pressed an embarrassed hand to her mouth. "Stop. I promised myself I would be professional. We have business."

"And then unfinished business?" I asked.

Jessa gave a slight nod and then straightened her shoulders. "Now how about I agree to let the architectural magazine of your dreams document every part of the transformation in return for a reduced fee?"

I couldn't stop smiling. "Ms. Lauren, you drive a solid bargain, but I have an addendum."

She raised an elegant eyebrow at me.

"You have to sign on as my consultant. I need your expert eye for the finishes," I said.

Her cheeks colored and she sent a nervous eye to the corner of the ceiling. Jessa was worried about Marcus and the security cameras. She was a celebrity now, tied into scandal and shot to success. Everyone was waiting to see every inch of her life.

"How about we go to my office and sign the papers right now?" Jessa asked. "The office is one place I've already started renovations myself."

Jessa led the way into her father's office. I was only two steps in the door when she turned and threw herself into my arms.

I laughed. "You had the cameras removed?"

"I like my privacy. Especially nowadays," Jessa reassured. She slid out of the hug and stepped nervously back.

"And what was the hug for?"

"I'm sorry for everything that happened. Your name being dragged through the mud and the investigation—"

I stopped her with a kiss. I couldn't help myself. Jessa was all that I had thought about, all that I had wanted.

And the feeling of her melting in my arms, responding to my kiss, flooded me with such heat that I stiffened. "We should go," I said.

"Oh, but I just need a minute to breathe," Jessa smiled.

I laughed. "They'll gossip about the time spent in here. Time to go, Ms. Lauren. You have a newly-minted reputation to think about."

Jessa was quiet on the elevator ride down, and I fought the urge to hit the emergency button and wrap her in another tight kiss. Had I said something wrong? I had tried so hard to do the right thing; I was struggling that second to do the right thing.

Jessa Lauren needed to get on with her life. The sky-high trajectory of her career meant that I would just get in her way.

As we got down closer to the lobby, I caught her hand and kissed it. "I hope you find happiness, Jessa."

The elevator bobbed to a stop, and the sleek metal of Jessa's art deco gate hissed open. I stepped away, to make sure everything looked proper and then the doors started to open.

Jessa turned and caught me by the collar, crushing her sweet petal lips to mine.

The elevator doors opened wide, and we struck quite a pose within the swirling scrollwork and gleaming metal of the lobby. There was a sudden hush of surprise then flashes from camera’s and then applause.

Jessa smiled. "I've decided," she whispered, "Ms. Lauren isn't afraid to go after what she wants."

I kissed her again and then took her arm. It was so wonderfully relaxing to see Jessa take the lead. I had always fended for myself, lead the crew, and fought for everyone else. Now I had her, and she was far fiercer than me.

Jessa navigated the crowded New Year's party with a deft and calculating compass. She schmoozed with my new renters and found possible collaborations like a shark scenting blood three miles away. It was absolutely exhilarating.

It wasn't until we were halfway under the glittering chandelier that doubt swept across my mind. What if Jessa was using me? I couldn't help but see the ways that our now-documented romance would boost her social appeal. We had had a rocky road before so how did I know I could trust her?

Power like she suddenly had could go to a person's head.

It was as if Jessa could feel my hesitation. She stopped and turned into my arms. "The count-down will be happening soon. This is the perfect spot, don't you think?"

"Wait, what? New Year's." I took a breath. "Jessa, what exactly are you doing?"

She blinked. "Dayton, it's me. I'm trying really hard not to change, and I realized my best bet was you. I loved you before, and I love you now. I need you to help me keep my head on straight."

The crowd around us started to count down, and I couldn't stop smiling. We left together in the wee hours of the New Year and started the best years of our lives.