22. Wade

"Come on, baby, you've got to wake up," I mumbled, gently patting Ray's cheek as I held her face in my hands. She sat beneath me on the bed, all dressed up in a dark blue, velvet dress that came all the way up her neck. Probably a good thing considering how many times I'd sucked at the skin there last night.

"I'm just so tired," she whined.

"I know," I sighed. I pressed a kiss on her forehead and patted her cheek again, coaxing her lazy eyes to open fully. "I'm sorry, but we're going to be late if we wait much longer."

My stomach churned at the idea. Tonight was important—I'd be meeting Dom's parents for the first time, as would Ray—and I needed things to go smoothly. Being late was not an option. My supposed girlfriend falling asleep at the table was not an option. Sure, my mother, sister, stepfather, and stepbrother would be in attendance, as well, and could take some of the attention off of us, but I needed that attention.

I needed that damn investment.

"Let's just stay here." She blinked the sleep away and looked up at me, lips parted, perfectly colored with lipstick. She looked beautiful, and if I had half a brain and didn't have an important dinner to attend with her, I'd say fuck yes. "We can do whatever you want."

Christ. She was more than I deserved. "Don't tempt me, Raven."

Her lower lip jutted out.

Before she could react, I snaked an arm around her waist, hoisting her up onto her heeled feet with her chest against mine. Holding her, touching her, felt too damn natural at this point and I wondered if it was something she was feeling and wanting, too. Or maybe it was all part of the performance.

But last night didn't feel like a performance. Not when we were alone together. The true Ray was there, not the version of herself she was putting on for my family.

I softly pressed my lips to hers then pulled away before she had a chance to convince me to stay in the room with her all evening. "Come on," I chuckled. "We've got to go."

Her answering glare made me question whether she wanted to stay so she could sleep or to fuck me.

————

Ray looked like she was about two seconds from passing out in her plate of food. Across the table, Dom's parents chatted idly with my mother and Chloe, Ray and I seated opposite of them. I was starting to wonder if that might have been a mistake as I watched Ray's half-lidded eyes stare blankly at her fork full of mashed potatoes.

The pressure was on tonight. The most important thing was convincing Dom's parents that I wasn't a playboy like my father, and with Ray looking like she'd rather be in bed, that wasn't exactly helping things. Granted, that was entirely my fault.

"Hey," I said quietly, placing my hand gently on her knee. "You okay?"

Sluggishly, as if everything was in slow motion, she turned her head to me as the mashed potatoes fell off her fork and onto her plate. "Huh? Oh. Yeah, I'm just tired."

Grabbing the cloth napkin from my lap, I wiped my mouth before kissing her on the temple. "I'll go get you a coffee."

She looked up at me with wide, thankful eyes as I pushed my chair out, pulling my suit jacket down and into place before standing. "Thank you," she said, but the way it came out was as if I was offering to save her from some wicked demon hell-bent on dragging her to hell.

It was just coffee.

"Are you heading to the bar, Wade?" Dom's father, Alec, asked. His brows rose, confusion settling in from my less-than-professional attitude. Normally, at a gathering like this, especially one where talks of money and investing were on the table, I would have announced myself.

"Yes, sir. Just getting my girl a coffee," I chuckled. "She's a little too relaxed after her massage this morning."

"I'll join you." He set down the glass of wine he clutched between his fingers and stood, his small beer belly bumping against the table. "It'll be good to talk. Chloe said you wanted to chat with me, anyway."

Shit. Okay. It's happening now. "Sounds great."

I went over the numbers in my head for the hundredth time that day as we made our way through the dining area toward the bar. Pitching was hard on its own, and although I'd done it hundreds of times and listened to thousands of them, it was still nerve-wracking. I needed this investment. Without him and his expertise, the project would be dead in the water.

"So, Wade," Alec started, his gruff voice almost hard to hear over the live classical musicians. "You're looking for an investor, I hear."

Time to put on the charm. I chuckled, giving him my best smile as I leaned onto the polished wood adorning the top of the bar. "You're not going to let me buy you a drink first?"

"It's not really buying if you already own it." He shot me a wink, one graying eyebrow lowering.

"Fair enough."

"One old fashioned," Alec ordered, snapping his fingers to get the attention of the bartender. The temptation to tell him to knock it off and not be rude was quick and sudden, but I merely gritted my teeth, offering the woman behind the bar an apologetic glance.

"On the house, Erin," I added. "And one latte with an extra shot." She nodded and scurried off to the other side of the circular bar. I turned back to Alec, his short form somehow feeling intimidating, and decided now was better than never. "Chloe was right. I am looking for an investor."

"For what, exactly?" he asked, his mouth pressed into a thin line as if he were assessing me, assessing the damage I could do to his wallet. "I'm sure Chloe told you I can be a bit of a tough sell. But I'm willing to hear you out."

I nodded. "Sure. So, I'm looking to buy the land that borders the east side of this property," I explained. "The land itself is about fifty-one million for four-and-a-half thousand acres. The idea is to turn it into a mountain biking haven, and considering our land borders it, it would be a good way to get more use out of the main facilities here during the summer."

Alec stared at me, his eyes unblinking, as a familiar sense of unease snaked its way up my spine.

"One of our ski lifts is right by the border, so we could use that at the beginning to get cyclists up the mountain. Later on, we could ideally build a couple more to open up more trails," I said. Over-explaining had never hurt anyone, right? "There's also an abandoned resort on the land though much smaller than the one here. I figured if we renovate and expand it, we can offer it as accommodations in addition to the other amenities."

"So, would I be investing in both businesses as one?" he asked. He looked toward Erin, hard at work on the latte I'd asked of her, with irritation.

"No, sir, it would just be the new land and the resort we build. If you want to invest in the Colchester Ski Resort, we can definitely discuss that, but the valuation is going to be much different," I explained. "This business has been going for a long time now with a proven track record. I think I can replicate it over there."

"With half of the guests staying here?" he scoffed. "You realize that increases profits for the business you're not asking me to invest in, correct?"

Shit. Shit. Shit. "I'd be willing to allocate the rooms booked under the mountain biking site to that business. I can dedicate an entire wing of the building to that." He mulled it over for a moment, his eyes following Erin's ass.

You need his investment. Don't blow it.

"How much are you looking for?" Alec asked.

I took a deep breath. "Twenty million for thirty-five percent of the business," I said. His eyes flared as he swung his gaze back to me. "I wouldn't expect too much from you."

"Twenty million isn't muchto you?"

"That's not what I mean. I meant in terms of operation, you wouldn't need to be an active partner. Get me in with some of your connections, and we're golden. That's all I'd ask. I'm willing to give you royalties as well until the twenty is paid back," I promised, the words coming quickly and desperately. "The twenty million would be for revamping the lodge and setting up the trails, clearing out the bits of woodland that we can, and getting everything up and running. I'm more than willing to purchase the land itself with my own money."

"Your old fashioned and the latte," Erin chimed, setting them down on the bar before us.

"Thank you, Erin."

"Look, son," Alec sighed, wrapping his fingers around the crystal glass. "Just because we're about to be family doesn't automatically mean I'm happy to invest in you. I like to know who I'm working with, and all I knew about you before today was that you had a… busy past, if you understand. I don't tend to make deals with people like that."

He had to be kidding. I didn't just go through allof that to get a fucking no.

"But here's what I'll do," he said, and hope flooded back in. Seems I was a rollercoaster on the little bit of sleep, too. "Let me get to know you a bit more. We can see how we get along over the rest of our time here and then I'll consider it. It's not an outright no."

For fucks sake.

————

I pushed open the French doors that led out onto the terrace. Freezing air hit me in an instant, the snow just barely starting to pile up on the railing of the balcony.

"What are you doing out here?" Ray asked, her sleeves pulled fully over her palms as she leaned on the frosty barrier wall. She looked at me over one shoulder, her nose pink, her legs covered in goosebumps.

I crossed the distance, my dress shoes crunching on the snow. "I could ask you the same thing. I was wondering where you'd wandered off to." Shrugging my jacket off my shoulders, I joined her on the balcony and draped my suit jacket around her. With only the muffled sound of the live band and the din of chit-chat inside, it was calm. The moon was just breaking through the thin layer of snow clouds, the woods beyond. I loved that it was just the two of us.

"Thank you," she mumbled, tugging the jacket around her. "I came out for some air. Then I realized the doors locked behind me, and decided hypothermia was my only option."

I glanced back at the doors before turning back to her. "Seriously?"

She grinned and looked away, turning her face up toward the moon. "No, you ass."

Her hair cascaded down her back in perfect spirals, daring me to touch it, play with it, grab a fistful of it. In the moonlight, she looked ethereal, every part of her glowing despite the lack of sleep.

"How was it with Dominic's dad?" she asked, her eyes closing, her breath fogging above her lips. "It looked tense."

I sighed and pushed my hair back, the cold slowly seeping in and making me shiver. "It was a bit awkward. There was some progress, but still awkward. He seemed interested, just not entirely sold."

She peeked at me through mostly-closed eyes, her lips twitching upward. "That's good either way. I truly hope it works out for you, Wade. Really."

Just those words were enough to prove to me that the version of Ray that was ice cold to the touch was nowhere to be found out there on the balcony. I was worried she'd creep back up with no announcement of her arrival, but no, Ice Bunny was long gone, and in her place, I still had the one thing I'd been aching for. Raven. "Thank you," I said, and I fucking meant it.

She opened her eyes and turned to me, little snowflakes dotted across her lashes, her brows, her hair.

"It means we'll need to keep up the act a little bit longer, though," I said, ensuring each word came across as gently as possible. "He's considering it. Once the papers are signed?—"

"Can I ask you something?" she cut in suddenly, those piercing amber eyes boring into my soul. She took a step toward me, the little bit of warmth she still had heating my chest as she placed her hand against it. Every part of me stood on edge. I'd tell her whatever she wanted to know, of course, but it was hard to think straight with her so close.

"Anything," I breathed.

"Is it…" she gulped, "…still an act?"

I swear the world tilted on its axis the second she spoke those words. It was as if everything around me stopped, no sound except our breaths, not a snowflake in the sky, not a gust of wind. It was only us.

I didn't know how to answer. There were two routes I could take: be entirely honest both with myself and with her, something I wasn't sure I had the strength to do; or I could lie, tell her yes, it was still an act, and ensure her that I hadn't been sucked into something I couldn't handle. Both options were terrifying but one had the potential to be exceptionally worse.

I placed my hand on her cheek, and she turned into it, placing a soft kiss against my palm. My heart thudded in my chest, every muscle braced, every neuron firing a green light. Tell her. Tell her now.

I opened my mouth to speak.

"Honey!" Mom called, and Ray and I turned our heads toward the doors. "Jesus, it's freezing out here. Come on, it's time for your speech."