The Consequence of Seduction
She was breathing hard, her eyes filled with tears. Gently, I wiped them away with my thumbs. “You told me you liked capes.”
Jordan nodded. Damn, she was beautiful. Her white dress looked exactly like the one Christine wore in the movie.
“You aren’t really a shrew. You never were.” I sighed. “Just like you’ve never been invisible, not to me. You’re vibrant.” I swallowed the emotion in my throat. “Just like this red rose, you stand out among the rest. And I’m sorry for not telling you that sooner. I’m sorry for trying to keep my feelings private. I’m sorry that I never got the chance to tell you how desperately I need you in my life. I think it’s finally time to tell the truth.”
“Reid, wait!” She gripped my hand.
I addressed the crowd and looked directly at Max, who held the phone higher. “It was never Jordan that needed taming. It was me. It’s always been me. She turned me from a man who was afraid of commitment, who thought that roses were the way to a girl’s heart, into a man who’d be willing to do anything, even sacrifice his own career . . . in order to tell a girl he loves her.”
She gasped.
The crowd simultaneously ahhed.
“I’m the shrew.” I smiled wide. “But I’m happy to say this woman here has turned me into a man no longer afraid to take that big step. But a man who can’t wait to leap.”
Tears streamed down her face as I lifted her into my arms. “I wanted to buy you roses, lots and lots of roses, but someone said roses are lame.”
“I love roses,” she blurted. “I’ve always loved them.” Big tears streamed down her cheeks, meeting her lips.
“Well,” I chuckled. “I figured since I gave you a rose in the Phantom costume, you’d give me a free pass.”
“I think the Phantom costume counts as a free pass for anything,” a woman shouted from the crowd.
“I never meant for you to misunderstand my intentions.” I kissed her softly on the lips. “I moved your furniture into storage because I want you to stay with me. But I did tell Max to keep it a secret, since he has a big mouth and apparently a blog with over five million followers.”
“Huh.” Jordan’s eyebrows knit together. “You mean you weren’t kicking me out?”
“NO.” I chuckled. “The exact opposite.”
“But Max said—”
“Exactly.” I shook my head. “Though, had he actually told you last night, we wouldn’t be here now, making PR history, hmm?”
“So is it all about the PR?” Her eyes narrowed.
I dipped her back, kissing her soundly. “No, you should know by now. It’s all about you. You deserved the big gesture. Screw the media.”
Jordan burst out laughing as she fingered the cape. “Batman, my ass.”
“Shh.” I kissed her cheek. “It was all I could come up with, otherwise you would have known my plan.”
“Your plan to seduce me by song and cape?”
“Did it work?”
She grinned. “I don’t know. You may have to bring the cape back to the apartment.”
“Still rolling.” Max coughed. “Wrap it up, kids.”
“Wrap this.” I flipped him off.
Max gasped while the crowd chuckled.
“You should know,” Jordan sighed in my arms, “I’m a terrible cook. That’s why I make you fix breakfast. I can do coffee. And I can buy pastries. That’s the extent of my cooking.”
“I know.”
“And I’m messy.”
I laughed. “Believe me, I know that too.”
“And I hate turning off lights!”
“My power bill is very much aware of this sad reality.”
“Still want me?” She smiled shyly.
“Hell, yes.” I kissed her soundly, twirling her in the air, my cape fluttering in the wind, making me feel more Batman than Phantom.
“Anything I should know about you?” she asked once I set her on her feet again. “You know, other than your sad fascination with Star Wars, your inability to seduce without using those aqua eyes, and your aversion to asparagus?”
“Just one thing.” I grinned.
“Hmm?”
I licked my lips, then whispered gruffly in her ear, “I’m Batman.”
EPILOGUE
JASON
I stared down at my phone and tried really hard not to panic. I’d taken a week off work to attend Max’s wedding, thankful that he was finally going to be distracted enough not to meddle in my life like he had everyone else’s. At least now his focus would solely be on his new wife and he’d forget I was even in the picture. During his bachelor party he’d drunkenly pointed a finger in my direction and slurred, “You’re next.”
I prayed to God that the burning sensation I felt in my chest was heartburn and not an actual curse taking root. My friends and family might allow Max his . . . control, but I kept a wide berth and wanted to keep it that way.
My text alert went off for the third time during the reception. When I finally read it, I nearly fell into my cake.
She’s back.
Two simple words.
Words that should have absolutely zero effect on me.
But they did.
Because I knew exactly who she was.
And she, as far as I was concerned, could go to hell.
“Everything okay, man?” Colt slapped me on the back, then took a long swig of beer, his gaze falling on the waves as they crashed against the beach. We were in Bora Bora for the destination wedding, and I should be relaxing, not having a panic attack that felt a hell of a lot like a premature heart attack.