Kiwi Bride: Volume 1 (Kiwi Bride Series Book 3) Read online

  Kelly went through the many dresses that were hung along one side of the wall. “Which one?” she muttered to herself as she expertly inspected each one in turn. “You’re smaller than I am, so I don’t know if there’s anything. But of course I do sometimes wear a size smaller than I am. What size are you anyway?” She turned to look at Alex. “And don’t just stand there. Come here and help me pick.”

  Alex hesitated. She didn’t want to mess up Kelly’s perfectly arranged clothing, even though she wanted to explore.

  Kelly shook her head at Alex’s lack of response. She grabbed Alex by the wrist and said, “Wherever you’re from and whatever your relationship with my brother is, I don’t care. I’m going to dress you up, and that is that.”

  Alex’s heart did a startled kick. “What do you mean?”

  Kelly bit her lip for saying too much. Damn! “Nothing,” she said quickly. “If I guess rightly, you’re a size zero.”

  “What? I’m not a size zero. I’m a size eight.”

  “No, you’re not. You’re a size zero.”

  “Eight.”

  “Zero. Look at you. You’re so slim. You’re a zero.”

  Alex cocked her head to one side. A size zero? That was truly ludicrous. Unless they had a different size system here in America. That made sense, then.

  “Okay, I’m whatever size you’re saying.” She agreed.

  Kelly nodded in satisfaction and turned to pick a green day dress. She brought it out and showed it to Alex.

  “What do you think?”

  Alex touched the silk fabric. It was smooth and soft under her fingers. She loved the tiny frills and the pleats that gathered to one side of the shoulder. It reminded her of a Greek Empire dress, only this one had less fabric, was shorter, and in a pale leaf green instead of pure white or gold. She was already falling in love with it. She could never afford anything this elegant.

  “I can tell you really like it.”

  Alex glanced at Kelly. “Are you sure you don’t mind? But what are you going to wear?”

  Kelly laughed out loud at that remark. “You silly girl, I have hundreds of dresses I can wear. Now, try it on.”

  “Now?”

  “Of course now,” Kelly demanded, striding out the door. “Hurry up. We don’t have much time. We have to do your makeup as well.” She closed the wardrobe door.

  Alex quickly undressed herself and put on the dress. Once done, she hesitantly scrambled to the full-length mirror and stared at herself.

  “Oh my God,” she breathed. This is me? She looked different. She looked pretty.

  “Are you ready yet?” Kelly burst in.

  Alex turned to look at the laughing intruder.

  “Well, well. You know, I never look good in that dress. But on you, you’re a different story altogether. Jay’s going to love this. I hope he knows how to breathe properly when he sees a pretty woman.”

  “Why would he love this?” Alex asked.

  Kelly laughed as she dragged her back into the bedroom. “Time for your makeup.”

  “Oh, right,” Alex responded as she was gently pushed into the seat in front of the mirror.

  * * * * *

  Jayden never thought Beth would interrogate Alex as though she were a suspect in a murder case. Alex kept looking at him for guidance every time Beth fired a question at her. As if any of that were important, Jay thought gloomily. He rested his head against the back of the sofa and closed his eyes. He could feel a headache coming.

  “Heard your girlfriend has finally arrived,” a voice said at the door.

  Jay flashed his eyes open to see his dad, Tom McCartney, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his trousers. Tall, brown hair, and grey eyes—and right then dressed in a Zegna suit—he looked handsome and powerful. He must have just returned from the McCartney Hotel.

  “Hey, Dad,” he greeted. “Yeah, Alex is here.”

  Tom came to sit beside his son. “You don’t look too happy.”

  Jay thought his dad could say that again. “Beth.”

  “Ah, Beth,” Tom said as if that explained everything. “Has she mentioned Britney yet?”

  “Yeah. I hope she realizes it’s not going to happen.”

  “Don’t you mind Beth. She’s only watching out for your future. A perfect granddaughter-in-law means everything to her. And you know how much she wants great-grandchildren.”

  “Yeah,” Jay replied. He suddenly felt guilt mounting in his chest. Beth wanted great-grandchildren. It was his pleasure to provide her some. He loved her despite her controlling ways.

  “There you are,” Gracie said from the door. “The two most important men in my life.” She waltzed into the room and kissed her husband smack on the lips. “I’ve missed you today.”

  “I’ve missed you, too,” Tom replied.

  “The guests are arriving.”

  “Already?” Jay muttered. He wondered if he should’ve cancelled the welcoming party. He knew Alex wasn’t prepared for this. After all, she was hardly prepared for Granny Beth’s spiteful ways.

  “Don’t worry, honey. Everything is in order,” Gracie said. “Come along.” She dragged Tom by the arm and led him to the door.

  Jay groaned and stood up. He thought he’d better go up and see how Alex was getting on.

  As he came out, he saw many guests mingling at the foyer. The men were dressed in suits and the women in their lovely designer dresses. The hallway was in a chaotic state of guests greeting.

  “Ah, Jayden, how are you?” Mrs. Greenwood said, a rather large woman with fiery red hair, large green eyes, and Irish skin that tended to get red at the slightest of irritation—emotional irritation. She strolled toward him elegantly, and her red dress that didn’t quite suit her complexion hung about her body like a tent. She grabbed his hands and smiled widely, showing her snow-white teeth that would have taken the dentist many times to get to perfection.

  “Where is this girlfriend of yours? I can’t believe she’s from New Zealand, so your grandmother told me. Where is New Zealand, anyway? A state in the US? I’ve never heard of it. Or is it some small town in the UK or France?”

  “How are you, Mrs. Greenwood? How is your husband doing? And no, New Zealand is not a state in the US, nor is it a small town in the UK or France. New Zealand is a country of its own.”

  “Really now? Why, your grandmother said it is such a ghastly place to have met a girl. A plain place for a plain girl. She wonders why you went there in the first place,” she said, chuckling away enthusiastically.

  “Excuse me.”

  “Oh, all right. We’ll chat again at dinner, yes?”

  “Of course,” Jay replied. Then he struggled his way through the throng of guests who one by one stopped him with their polite greeting. When finally he managed to reach his intended destination, which was the stairs, Beth elegantly stepped in front of him with a big smile on her face.

  “Jayden, you must come along and meet Britney,” she said. Without giving him any choice on the matter, she led him to the drawing room.

  “You’ll love her, Jay. Britney is such a darling,” she said excitedly. “Britney, darling, you remember Jayden, don’t you?”

  Jayden noticed a slim woman in a sexy red designer dress. She was talking to a young man with light-blond hair and grey eyes. Ted Wilson was his name. His family was extremely well off. They just moved into the neighborhood of the Upper East Side a year ago.

  Britney Marcelo turned slowly and smiled brightly at him, showing her perfect, white teeth as though she practiced that bit many times to perfection. She had dark-brown hair that curled into loose waves about her shoulders, bright-green eyes, and full ruby-red lips that any man would want to kiss.

  Britney was one hot chick. And from the look of adoration from young Ted standing next to her, she wasn’t one to be missed.

  “Jayden,” she said, her voice smooth and sweet like melting chocolate. She touched his arm and moved her face closer to him, which caused Ted to glare at Jay
den.

  “Britney, long time no see,” he said, managing a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. He saw Beth nodding her head furiously, her smile bright with glee. He knew she was up to her matchmaking tricks again.

  Still dressed in his casual clothing, Jayden found himself being dragged along with Beth and Britney to greet other guests that had just arrived. And before he knew what was going on, it was dinnertime.

  They were just passing the hallway into the dining room along with their fifty or so guests, when Jayden saw Kelly descend the grand stairs. She was fetching in her yellow sundress. But he didn’t notice her for too long because he glimpsed someone directly behind her. Jay couldn’t make out who it was because it looked as though the woman were hiding and trying hard not to draw attention to herself. He noticed that Kelly had a smirk on her face. He knew she was up to one of her mischievous plans again. He wondered what it was.

  Kelly cleared her throat loudly so everyone turned to look at her in some sort of expectation. Standing there atop the stairs, she said, “Evening, everyone.”

  “Kelly, darling,” Mrs. Greenwood said. “My, you do look radiant. Heard your fiancé isn’t here tonight. What a shame. Where is he, by the way? And who is that behind you?”

  Kelly politely said, “Yes, it is a shame Sam can’t be here. He is in Hawaii, sorting out business there.” That out of the way, she proceed to move to one side. As she was doing so, she said, “Why, Mrs. Greenwood, it’s Alexandra Stewart, of course.”

  As Kelly stepped aside, Jayden got a good look at Alex, and silence fell into place.

  All Jayden could do was to stare at her as though he were in a trance, lost in another world. Alex looked enchanting in that emerald-green dress, her long hair styled in a loose bun like a Greek princess. He didn’t know he was gawking until Beth nudged him. Britney commented that the green dress was so last year.

  Jay came to his senses and then just realized that his mouth was agape in marvel as he gazed off at his hired girlfriend. He cleared his throat, and it was only then that he saw the nervousness in Alex’s posture. He stepped up the stairs and reached one hand to her. Alex glanced hesitantly at his hands, smiled in relief at him, and then placed her small, cold hand into his large, warm one.

  “So that’s Alexandra from the State of New Zealand,” Mrs. Greenwood stated. “Such a pretty little thing. Not so plain at all.”

  As Alex stepped down the stairs with Jay, she whispered, “Why did Kelly do that?”

  Jay could hear the embarrassment in her voice. He moved his lips to her ear and softly said, “She didn’t mean to embarrass you, darling. But I’m glad she did it.”

  Alex felt his warm breath against her flesh and shivered. “Jay, how could you?” And he just called her darling?

  “How could I what, sweetheart?” This he said loudly so everyone could hear him, and then he kissed her cheek. She turned to him. He smiled and winked at her, then proceed to lead her toward the guests.

  Alex was dazed. Jay was so hot when he smiled and winked at her. Stop, Alex. Jay is gay. Remember that!

  * * * * *

  Chapter 10

  Alex was exhausted. Her feet ached. She just wanted to scream and kick off the shoes. She blamed the four-inch high heels or stilettos or whatever they were called for this because she was unaccustomed to them. Sneakers and slippers were her best friends. When she had no one to talk to during their long dinner party, she dreamt of her thick, fluffy Sylvester the Cat slippers. She dreamt of how warm and cozy and soft they’d be on her feet.

  Her eyes were also irritated because of the dry weather. It was worse when she wore her contacts. She wanted to take them out and put in some eye drops to relieve the irritation.

  At least for the past two hours she found the conversation with Tom McCartney immensely stimulating. They talked about politics, which she knew nothing about. She, however, managed to tell him a little bit about John Key, the prime minister of New Zealand. She also felt quite good when she happened to mention Obama and how smart he was.

  Tom had a pleasant personality, like Jayden, and she liked him immediately. She thought he felt the same way toward her. At least she hoped so. The longer she looked at Tom, the more she was certain Jay inherited most of his father’s traits.

  She glanced over the table at Jay, who was sitting beside Britney. Beth seemed to be egging them on. Then Britney moved closer to Jayden, kind of shoving her generous boobs toward him. Thank God Jay didn’t seem to be paying her any attention, at least the type of attention a man pays to a woman.

  “Tell me about life in New Zealand,” Tom said, picking up his wine glass.

  “Oh, not much to tell, to be honest,” Alex replied, shrugging her shoulders. “I love going to the farmers market, though. I assume you have it here, too? It’s fun. Just out and about, buying fresh veggies from the farmers themselves. Rather entertaining, too.”

  “Ah, yes. I’ve never been to one. Always been too busy,” Tom replied.

  “I find the simplest things I do most enjoyable. I also love to observe people. Like right now,” she said, eyeing Jayden and Britney.

  Tom glanced in that direction.

  “Have they known each other long?”

  “Who?” he replied, pretending ignorance.

  “Them,” Alex said, nodding her head toward Jayden and Britney across the end of the table.

  “They met when they were young,” Tom replied. “Don’t worry. Jay’s not that stupid.”

  Alex turned to look at him, her eyes questioning. “He isn’t?”

  “Of course not. Britney is wasting her time,” he said, eyeing his son. Jay was studying them and not listening to Britney’s continuous yapping.

  “Yeah, she is,” Alex agreed. Jay will never be turned on by that type of woman—or any other woman for that matter.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity for Alex, dinner was over and the guests slowly thanked Mr. and Mrs. McCartney for the lovely dinner and then left. And, yes, Alex had never felt so much joy as when she saw the door to her bedroom.

  She rushed in, kicked off the stilettos, and threw herself on the large, soft bed. She sighed and simply gazed up at the golden chandelier, marveling at the bright lights. It felt so good to lie there and do nothing. Her pleasure died a quick death when she felt the sting in her eyes starting to play up again, and she knew she had to take out the lenses.

  She rolled off the bed and her knees landed on the floor, her upper body still on the bed. She gave out another loud, weary sigh.

  Jay entered the room at that moment. After closing the door quietly so he wouldn’t disturb her, he leaned his body against it, his hands in the pockets of his trousers. He cocked his head to one side as he studied her. She looked as though she had fallen asleep in her sitting position with her head resting on the bed.

  “I see that you like my dad,” he said.

  “Huh?” Alex popped her head up and looked at him. “He’s very nice, much like you.”

  “Yeah? What are you doing?”

  “Huh?” And then, “Um, trying to make myself get up, I guess.”

  “Sorry.”

  “About what?”

  “All this. You’ve just arrived, and then you have to meet all those people. You need your rest. Promise tomorrow will be a relaxing day for you.”

  “That sounds good, thank you,” she replied, closing her eyes, her head sinking deeper into the cozy duvet. “Do I get to go sightseeing by the way?” she murmured.

  Jay thought she looked like a toddler falling asleep before dinner, with her little bottom up in the air like that. He knew she was about to fall asleep if he didn’t do something fast. In two long strides, he was beside her and scooped her up in his arms.

  Alex flashed her eyes open. “Uh? What are you doing?”

  “You need to take off that lovely dress and shower before you sleep, madam,” he replied and strode to the bathroom.

  Alex wiggled herself in his arms. “Please put m
e down, Jay. I’m not so sleepy anymore. I’ll go and shower now.”

  “You sure you don’t want help?”

  Alex nodded, wondering if he meant carrying her into the bathroom or helping her undress and then shower. The idea brought a delicious shiver down her spine.

  “All right.” Jay reluctantly put her down.

  Alex’s feet landed quietly on the soft carpet. She blushed as she gazed up at him through her thick lashes. Then she rushed to the walk-in wardrobe to find her things.

  “What are you doing?” his voice vibrated from the door.

  “Finding my stuff,” she said, trying to think what this stuff was that she was looking for. Then she remembered it was her pajamas. A few seconds later, she found what she wanted and rushed back to the bedroom. She collided against Jay’s hard body, inconveniently at the doorway. She looked up at him, telling him to please shift so she could pass. He didn’t get her drift and just stood there, gazing down at her, his arms folded across his chest.

  “Have to go and shower.”

  “You do that.”

  Alex squeezed herself between him and the door and rushed to the bathroom. “What a long day this is.”

  “Yeah, totally agree,” he said loudly so she could hear him.

  “Absolutely,” she shouted back. She was just about to close the door when she poked her head back out and said, “’Night,” with a lovely smile.

  Jay grinned. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction when she realized they were sharing a room and a bed.

  A moment later, he heard the shower going and knew she must be having a good time. As he went about retrieving his pajamas, he whistled to himself. Back in the bedroom, he poured himself a glass of red wine and proceeded to drink slowly, enjoying the sweet, aromatic flavor.

  Then he saw her coming back out, her wet hair down her back, her face fresh and clean, and her eyes sparkling. He knew she wasn’t wearing her contact lenses because she was squinting as she went about the room, trying to get her vision to focus. Not to mention the only thing she had on to cover herself was a thin towel.