“I missed you too.”
I cupped her face and kissed her, letting my mouth show her just how much I missed her. I never masturbated to anything besides porn, but Prudence was different. She was a real fantasy.
She pulled away and smiled at me. “You really missed me.”
“Baby, you have no idea.”
“It’s been a long time,” she said with a chuckle.
“And I never want it to be longer than that.” Cash, shut your mouth. Why the hell did I just say that? I guess because I meant it.
Her eyes softened then she pulled away.
Someone cleared their throat. I turned to see the man from the audience. My guess was right. It was her brother.
I extended my hand. “I’m Cash. It’s nice to meet you.”
He looked me square in the eye as he shook my hand. He had a firm grip and a precise shake. I could tell he was a businessman by the sheer fluidity of his movements. He had a lot of practice. “Jeremy.”
Prudence eyed our interaction, watching her brother’s reaction.
A tension set in the air and I wasn’t sure where it came from. “Can I take the two of you out to dinner? I think that performance was too good to go without a celebration.”
Prudence smiled. “I’d love to.”
Jeremy didn’t seem as excited. “Sure.”
“Great.”
When we left the theatre, I grabbed Prudence’s hand and was just as affectionate with her as I usually was. Scott opened the backdoor of the limo as we approached. Since I wanted to impress her brother, I went all out.
Jeremy eyed it. “A limo?”
“I hate driving in traffic.” I tried to brush it off and seem as humble as possible.
We got into the backseat and I placed my arm around Prudence’s shoulders. “You were amazing tonight, baby.”
“You always say that.”
“Because you’re always amazing.” I meant it.
She rested her hand on my thigh and smiled.
Damn, that smile got me every time.
When I looked up, Jeremy was watching me. I looked away and pretended not to notice. Her brother was quiet and calm, but he was like a hawk—surveying everything. Intelligence ran in the family.
We arrived at the restaurant and walked inside. I was a perfect gentleman and pulled out Prudence’s chair. After she sat down, I pushed her chair in then gave her a quick kiss on the head. Jeremy sat across from her and watched me.
“What would you like to drink?” I asked.
“You pick.” She handed me the wine list.
I already knew what we were ordering. I put the menu at the end of the table and leaned back, trying to be as casual as possible. My hand was resting on Prudence’s thigh. Touching her made me think of what I did last night. The smell automatically came back to me. I cringed when I realized I wouldn’t be with her tonight.
Jeremy eyed me. “I was surprised when my sister told me she was seeing someone.” It wasn’t a question, and barely a statement. I wasn’t sure what he was implying. I knew he was assessing me, watching my reaction to everything. He was a shark looking for a piece of meat to bite. And he was making sure I was good enough for his little sister. I didn’t take it personally. I couldn’t count the number of times I did the same to McKenzie’s boyfriends. She hated it.
“Our romance is fairly new, but full of trust, love, and friendship.” That was an extremely vague response. But he didn’t give me a lot to work with.
“Cash, right?”
“Yeah.” I knew he knew my name. He just like having control, and using my name was a good way to go about it. I could tell I didn’t want to fuck with this guy. But he shouldn’t fuck with me either.
“What do you do for a living?”
Prudence sighed. “Don’t grill him, Jeremy.”
I held up my hand. “It’s what brothers do, baby.”
Jeremy gave me a slight look of approval. That’s one point for me. “I’m a business investor. I work for Hillberg in Burbank. I’ve been doing it for five years.” I hated lying around Prudence, but I still wasn’t breaking her rule. I was lying to her brother, not her.
He eyed me. “Interesting…”
Why was that interesting? Did I say something?
“I had a meeting with Hillberg. And I don’t remember seeing you.”
Shit.
“Because I don’t work in that office—at least right now.”
Prudence eyed me but didn’t react.
“Really?” Jeremy was onto me. “Then what do you do, exactly?”
Fuck. I needed to pull something out of my ass. Quick. “I don’t like talking about this, but I don’t have an option at this point.”
Jeremy’s eyes narrowed.
“I’m the owner of Hillberg.”
His eyes widened. “You own all of them? The entire company?”
“Yes.” I was lying through my teeth but I was pulling it off.
“Now I know why you’re so rich,” Prudence said.
That seemed to convince Jeremy too. “You’re very fortunate.”
Phew. Crisis averted.
“I never take it for granted. I’m grateful for everything I have.”
Jeremy nodded. “Being humble is always the smart way to go.”
Prudence smiled at me affectionately then squeezed my hand.
“How long have you lived here?” Jeremy asked.
“Born and raised.”
“It’s a lot different than London—not nearly as cold.” Jeremy chuckled at his own joke. When he smiled, his face reminded me of Prudence’s. Their eyes were identical.
“You’re okay dating a musician?” Jeremy asked.
“It’s why I fell in love with her.”
He studied my face, waiting for me to continue. I felt Prudence’s gaze on me.
“I went to one of her shows because a friend forced me. I was actually set up on a blind date. But when I saw Prudence sing, I was immediately smitten. I stared at her, hypnotized by her voice. I knew I was going to stop at nothing until I had her.” I turned to Prudence and looked into her eyes. “And I didn’t.”
She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “You’re so sweet.”
“Only to you.”
“You better be.” She rubbed her nose against mine, making me melt. She was so playful and adorable, but sexy as hell at the same time. No one else could pull that off but her. No one.