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

  Jay swallowed the wine in his mouth loudly.

  “Oh, you’re still here?” she said, her face going quite red.

  Jay didn’t know how to reply to that. This was his bedroom, after all. Was he supposed to sleep in the kitchen when bedtime came?

  “I forgot my cream,” she said and then rushed to the wardrobe.

  Jay watched her little bottom as she ran, his mind reeling with ungodly thoughts. The next second, she rushed back out, her lips clamping and her eyes downcast as she raced into the bathroom.

  Jay took another mouthful of his wine and then placed the glass down on the table. He waited. Then a full ten minutes later, she reappeared, fully dressed in her decent pajamas. They were light pink with little pictures of Tweety Bird everywhere.

  “So, um, aren’t you going to go to your own room?” she asked. “Oh, right. You want to make sure I feel comfortable first. Okay, I’m comfortable, and my head doesn’t ache at all despite the fact that my eyes are really, really sore. Happy?”

  “Yeah, I suppose. Just make yourself at home,” he said and strolled into the bathroom.

  Alex cocked her head to one side, wondering why he was going into her bathroom. She shrugged her shoulders and jumped on the bed. She giggled and made herself comfortable.

  Sitting cross-legged and with the gigantic LCD TV on, she began to stroke her long, wet hair. When five minutes later he still hadn’t come out, she wondered if he was all right in there. She was about to go and knock when she heard the shower going.

  “Huh?” She scratched her head. Why would he want to shower in her bathroom? But of course she couldn’t very well go and knock on the door and tell him to get out.

  She continued to stroke the strands of her hair and watch TV when ten minutes later he came back out, dressed in nothing but a small white towel about his waist.

  Alex nearly flipped and her mouth nearly dropped down to her lap, if that were at all possible. Why did Jay have to present himself to her in such a way? She couldn’t help herself, and she just stared at the handsome man. She loved his toned muscles, not to mention the droplets of water on his tan, smooth skin. He looked like some ultra-hot model in an advertising poster, maybe for a perfume or something, half naked. She was pretty sure all the women would drool if they saw him right now.

  Alex wanted to purr like a cat, leap on him, and kiss him silly.

  Jay winked at her and then stroked his fingers through his short hair.

  Alex cleared her throat and said, “Why did you shower in there?”

  “Because I was stuffy and needed a good shower. I feel better now, thank you.” He ended his reply with a smile and then strolled into the walk-in wardrobe. At the door, he paused. “Forgot.” He returned to the bed, picked up his pajamas, and then began to pull on the T-shirt.

  Alex just stared at him, wondering if he had just gone mad. “Why are you getting dressed in here?”

  Jay popped his head out of the shirt and said, “Because I brought my clothes here.”

  “Right.”

  When he put his hands to his waist and was about to pull the towel, Alex screamed. “Don’t! Please don’t.”

  Jay laughed. “Sorry.” After grabbing for his trousers, he went into the bathroom.

  Alex placed her palm on the left side of her chest. She could feel her heart pumping hard and fast. “It’s okay now, Alex. Calm down. He’s going to go to his room when he’s out,” she whispered to herself. “He’s just being a very nice host,” she murmured. “Too nice for my liking.”

  She lay down and stared up at the chandelier, taking in deep, slow breaths. “When he’s gone, I’ll be able to sleep until morning in this wonderful bed.” With that thought in mind, she began to roll about like a puppy in a mud puddle.

  “I see you’re really comfortable there.”

  Her rolling came to a complete stop. She saw he was fully dressed now—very decently, too. She smirked at him and said, “I love the bed.”

  Jay came around and sat on the side of the bed. “I do, too.” Then he got in between the sheets.

  Alex shoved herself back, shocked. “What are you still doing here?” She couldn’t help herself. She knew it was rude to ask him.

  Jay raised his brows. Then he laughed.

  “Hey, what’s so funny?”

  Once he had managed to stop his laughter, he said, “This is my bedroom. Where do you suppose I go to sleep? The dining room? The long dining table as my bed? It’s a bit hard, but I suppose—”

  Alex gasped. “Your bedroom?”

  He nodded.

  “But I thought—”

  “You thought what?”

  “That it’s my bedroom.”

  “Actually, this is your bedroom, too.”

  “No, what I mean is—”

  “What do you mean?” He looked at her curiously, folding his arms across his chest.

  “I thought we’d have separate rooms.”

  Jay shook his head in the negative. He reached out his hand for her. “Come here, missy.”

  “Why?”

  “Come here,” he said, signaling with his hand.

  Alex reluctantly came to sit beside him on the bed. Jay wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “We are supposed to be a couple. We are in a serious relationship. A relationship so serious that we are, in fact, telling everyone here that we are going to get engaged and then married and then have children together soon.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Since our relationship is so serious, what do you think people would say if we slept in separate rooms?”

  Alex understood then. “Oh, you’re right.”

  “Are we cool?”

  “Yeah.”

  Jay smiled and then lay back. Alex watched as he made himself comfortable.

  “Well, aren’t you getting in?”

  “Yeah, sure,” she responded.

  “Come on, let me help you.” He pulled the duvet back for her and patted the spot beside him. When she still hesitantly and uncomfortably looked at him as though he were an ogre ready to devour her, he shook his head and grabbed her by the arm.

  His action was so fast that Alex had no time to respond. She was in his arms and her face merely inches from his. She could feel his warm breath against her skin. She gazed into his blue eyes, lost in their glorious depths.

  He smirked at her and then tucked her in beside him. He even had one arm under her head. “Comfortable?” he whispered into her ear.

  Alex managed to nod.

  “Good.” Then he proceeded to make himself comfortable again and snuggled even closer to her. “Good night, Alex.”

  She nodded, wondering how in the world she came to be here, sleeping in Jay’s arms. Only he was gay, so lying there beside him didn’t mean anything to him at all. That was the reason he was so comfortable with her. But goddamn it! She wasn’t comfortable with him. She did try to make her heart slow its furious beating, but it wouldn’t listen to her. Why did he have to be so warm and cozy and manly?

  “Jay?” she squeaked.

  “Hum?”

  “I don’t feel comfortable.”

  Jayden opened his eyes. “Why not? Am I squishing you?”

  “Well, kind of.” She lied.

  “Oh, sorry.” He moved away from her just a bit. “Better now?”

  “Well, no.”

  “A bit more?”

  “Yes, please.”

  Jay moved a bit more to the left.

  “Maybe a little bit more?” she suggested, indicating with her hand as though she were shooing him away.

  Jay did her bidding. Then finally he asked her, “Is this good?”

  Alex turned her head to one side and then smiled. “Yes, that’s good.”

  Jay nodded, a half smile on his face. He turned slightly and glanced behind him. He saw the floor was not far off. His back was half in the air and half on the bed. He wondered how he would be able to sleep like that all night.

  Alex saw his dilemma and sighed. “S
orry, Jay. I’m not used to sharing a bed with a stranger, you know.”

  Jay sat up and put his feet on the floor. “So I’m a stranger to you, eh?” Then he grabbed his pillow.

  “Oh, no. Now you’re upset with me. Jay, I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, Alex. I understand.”

  “No, you don’t. What I mean is I’ve never shared a bed with anyone before. I’ve always slept alone.”

  “I know, Alex. I understand,” he said, walking away.

  “What are you doing?”

  He went over to the sofa near the window and lay on it, resting his head on the pillow. “Making myself comfortable.”

  “Jay, please don’t do that. This is your room, after all. You sleep on the bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

  “Don’t be silly. Now, go to sleep.”

  “But, Jay.”

  “Hush, missy. I’m a man. I sleep on the sofa. Do you want to damage my manhood?”

  Alex couldn’t help but laugh at his comment. She wanted to say to him, “Your manhood has already been damaged, Mr. McCartney, in my eyes anyway.”

  Jay raised one brow. “What’s so funny?” He was, in fact, smiling himself.

  “Nothing. Are you sure you’re comfortable on that lovely bed of yours?”

  “Very sure, mademoiselle,” he said and then closed his eyes. “Good night.”

  “All right, then. Good night, Jay,” she replied. She turned over and made herself comfortable. She peeked at him and saw that he looked as though he were asleep. She should do the same. She closed her eyes and then drifted off to a sound sleep.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 11

  Jayden listened to Alex’s rhythmic breathing as she slept. Oddly enough, he found it comforting, and soon he, too, fell asleep. When he woke up the next morning, it was to the smell of strong, black coffee and freshly baked bread. Chef Leon must have just finished baking that wonderful French bread he so enjoyed. He breathed in deeply as though he were inhaling fresh air into his lungs, enjoying the delightful aroma.

  He stretched his body. Damn, his neck felt stiff. Apparently, the sofa didn’t make such a comfortable bed after all.

  He sat up and started to massage his aching muscles. He turned his neck left and right as he groaned. Then he turned his neck too far to the right and it cracked, making a loud noise.

  “Shit!” he muttered at the sharp pain erupting throughout his body. He stopped short when he saw Alex watching him, a pretty smile on her lips.

  “Good morning, Mr. McCartney. Good sleep last night?” she asked sarcastically.

  Jay saw the mischievousness in her glowing eyes and relaxed back. Though his body was still sore, he’d be damned if he’d show her his weakness. So he leaned back on the sofa, his arms crossed behind his head. “Yeah, wonderful sleep,” he said, staring up at the chandelier, watching the color spectra of rainbows forming as light hit the crystals.

  Alex laughed, shaking her head. “Really? Well, from what I saw just moments before, you don’t look as though you had a good sleep at all, Jay.”

  Jayden narrowed his eyes at her. His lips formed a thin line as he said, “Well, that may be—”

  “You know what?”

  “What?” he asked, eyeing her.

  “I’ll sleep on the sofa tonight. I’m smaller.”

  “Don’t be silly.” He scoffed, liking the glow of light playing on her person.

  “I’m not being silly. I used to sleep on the floor with just a thin mattress when I fruit-picked at the farm,” she said, watching the muscle of his arms. She suddenly wondered what it felt like under her touch. Would it be hard and smooth as she suspected it would be?

  “What was it like? Fruit picking?” he asked, sitting up.

  “Hard work,” she commented. Now she could see his seminude chest where it was exposed beneath his white nightshirt. Smooth, hard, muscular.

  “You’ve been working hard all your life, haven’t you?”

  Alex shrugged her shoulders, casting her eyes down to look at her small hands instead. Gosh, what was she doing? Wanting to touch a gay man? Jay’d think she was a loon.

  “Nothing to it,” she said. “It was rather fun at times. The fresh air, the warm sun, the sweet smells of ripe strawberries.”

  “Sounds heavenly,” he commented, watching her, wondering if her hair would be as soft under his fingers as he imagined it to be.

  “Kind of.” She chuckled. “So, like, I was just wondering—”

  “Hmm?”

  “Do I get to go on a tour about New York or anything? I mean come on. This is my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Can I please go sightseeing?” She managed to flutter her eyes a few times at him so he’d know she was begging him to show her around.

  Jayden chuckled once he saw her bright eyes full of enthusiasm. “That’s true.”

  “Can we go to Central Park? And the Central Park Zoo? They are in one place, right? And the Empire State Building? And can we go shopping? Not that I’m going to shop, just window-shopping, you know. I mean I don’t even have the money to shop. Gosh, everything must be frightfully expensive here.”

  Jayden laughed.

  “What?” She frowned, folding her arms across her chest. “What’s so funny? Okay. All right. Fine. Just because you’ve lived here all your life and no doubt everything seems exceedingly lame to you here now doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it.”

  Jay managed to stop and shook his head. “No, of course not. New York is never lame. Although, I must admit I don’t like it much here.”

  “So you don’t like living here?” Alex was astounded. Everyone wanted to live in New York City, especially on the Upper East Side where all the rich and famous live.

  Jayden shook his head.

  “Why not?”

  “Not my kind of scene. I want peace and quiet. I want a place where I can relax and think and not have to get involved with certain types of people.”

  She was curious so she couldn’t help asking, “Then why are you here?”

  Jay shrugged his powerful shoulders. He wasn’t going to tell her he wanted a place like Queenstown and that up until recently he had only stayed in New York because of Sarah.

  “Because of work?” she supplied.

  Jayden changed the topic swiftly. “So you slept well?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “And you’re not tired?”

  Alex cocked her head to one side in serious thought. “Nope. Not at all tired. I feel better now. So, um, no more parties, right?”

  Jay laughed.

  Alex blushed a shade of pink. The richness of his laughter causes her heart to burst with joy. She wondered if that were normal.

  “Good,” he said. “We’ll go sightseeing today.”

  “What? I mean, really?” she asked excitedly, hoping he meant what he said.

  Jay cocked his head to one side as he studied her. Her long hair was in a wild mess, her eyes bright, and her lips red and kissable—enough to tempt a monk. Jayden wasn’t a monk, so…

  “Really?” she said. She was giving him the puppy dog look.

  Jay swallowed and quickly looked away. Shit! This was not good. He had just realized he was attracted to his hired girlfriend.

  “Where should we go first? Oh, I know. I want to go to Central Park. Would that be okay? I mean, I’m not bothering you? I could always go by myself, you know. I’ve got a map. I got it all worked out. We are in the Upper East Side of New York City, right? So…”

  Jayden realized Alex chattered nonstop when she was excited. And he found he liked that. Slowly, he relaxed and studied her as she ticked off with her fingers all the things she could do at Central Park. He loved her unguarded emotions, which clearly show on her face as she talked so animatedly.

  Suddenly, there was a series of knocks at the door. Alex stopped and glanced in that direction.

  “Jayden? Are you up yet?”

  Jay bolted up and fired his gaze at the door. “Shit!”

&nb
sp; “What?” Alex asked, her eyes wide in confusion.

  Jayden didn’t have time to answer. He leaped off the sofa and raced to Alex with the blanket in tow. He hopped in between the sheets, arranged the duvet about them both, and pulled the surprised Alex into his arms. As he was doing so, one of his hands was busy messing up his own hair and then he did the same to Alex.

  Alex just looked at him as though he has just gone mad.

  Jayden stared at her. It seemed as though he couldn’t help himself after all. He cupped her chin and slammed his lips against hers—tasting her soft, sweet mouth. As he deepened the kiss, his fingers dug deep into her thick hair. He pulled her closer, wanting more of her.

  Alex was shocked to the core. She went still as her heart did somersaults. Not to mention her body was soaring into the sky like an eagle. Jay was warm and hard against her. And he was kissing her. Her! Plain Alexandra Stewart from New Zealand!

  The door opened. “Jayden!”

  Jay didn’t want to stop the kiss. But he reluctantly released the dazed Alex and turned to look at his grandmother who, no doubt, was demanding his attention with her stiff voice.

  “Beth?”

  “My God! I can’t believe this,” Beth muttered, her lips thin. She glanced at the disheveled Alex, hummed disapprovingly, and then turned back to Jay. “Please hurry, Jayden. We have an appointment at Vera Wang for Kelly’s final fitting at ten this morning and then lunch with Britney at twelve.” Then she sailed out of the room.

  Once the door was properly closed, Jayden relaxed with a sigh.

  Alex bit her lip. Her heart shattered as she realized Jayden didn’t mean to kiss her. He only did it as a stage show for Beth.

  Jayden turned to look at her. He wanted to kiss her again. She was so soft, warm, and sweet. He realized she hadn’t stopped blushing either. He stroked her tangled-up hair. Yes, it was soft all right.

  Alex loved the way he touched and stroked her hair. But she knew she must stop him because otherwise she’d like it too much, and it’d hurt her in the end when they parted. She caught his hand, stilling his gentle strokes. “You don’t have to act anymore. Beth is gone.”

  Jayden frowned and wondered what was wrong. Alex slowly got out of the bed and went to the bathroom, her shoulders slumped.