The Bridesmaid and the Billionaire. Shirley Jump

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      She reached for the sprayer. He feinted to the right. She dodged to the left. They collided, closer. Then again, closer still, and both of them froze.

      A second ticked by on the clock above. Another. Susannah swallowed. Kane leaned forward, the game forgotten, the sprayer falling into the tub, his hands moving to brace on either side of the stainless steel, when the dog, apparently sensing the distraction of the humans in the room, gave a quick shake, bathing all of them in soapy bubbles.

      Kane jerked back. Susannah spun back around and soothed the dog. “We should, ah, get back to work.”

      “Yeah, we should.”

      But he knew—and knew she knew—that as much as they might be pretending to return to all business, there’d been a shift between them from just acquaintances to something a little more.

      “What made you decide to do this for a living?” he asked, changing the subject. Get your mind in the game, Lennox. Or he’d end up covered in dog and suds, possibly ticking off Susannah—which would mean she’d send him home with that spaniel. Definitely not a win-win. “It’s not like dog washing is on the guidance counselor list of career paths.”

      She bristled slightly. Damn. He’d offended her.

      “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

      “No, it’s okay. This is only a temporary gig anyway. I started walking dogs in high school for extra money, and one thing led to another. Before I knew it, I had a business.”

      “You own The Sudsy Dog?”

      She grinned. “All mine, soap bubbles and all.”

      Yet another surprise. His esteem for her raised several notches. “I’m impressed. Seems like you’re doing really well. A one-woman shop and everything. That’s not easy to accomplish.”

      She shrugged. “It’s not much.”

      He reached out, placing a hand on hers, intending only to get her attention, but when his touch slipped against hers because of the soapy water, a zing went up his arm. The charge detonated in his brain, reigniting the sparks from earlier. When was the last time he’d felt that way?

      Seven years ago. Rebecca Nichols, a woman Kane had met in his business-ethics class. Rebecca hadn’t come from old money or new money, or anything other than a normal apple-pie-eating American family. They’d dated for six months—six fast and furious, amazing months. She’d been the first woman he’d dated who hadn’t been handpicked by his father. And Kane had hoped in some crazy way that Elliott would approve. That his father would see his son’s choice in a woman as bold. Unique. Carving out his own path. Exactly the qualities Elliott always preached about to his employees—then seemed to do his best to squash in his son.

      Kane and Rebecca’s relationship had been fun, exciting and perfect—until Elliott Lennox found out his son was dating an “unacceptable” woman and paid Rebecca’s family enough money to convince them their daughter would find a better education abroad.

      Kane had gotten the message. His father didn’t see his son as bold or determined. Simply headstrong and foolish, particularly when it came to women. Stepping out of line with the family plan would cost him. Dearly. The business and the family image came above everything, even personal happiness.

      Kane had been allowed to stay at Northwestern, but only after agreeing to tightly toe the Lennox family line. And the price Kane had to pay? His father sent him a new roommate—to make sure Kane stayed in line.

      Now, here he was, for the first time in forever, feeling a powerful surge of attraction again. Real, honest desire. For a real, honest woman, not the kind who put on social airs. Damn, it felt good. Real good. Kane caught Susannah’s gaze. Had she been affected, like he?

      But no. She gave him a look as blank as a clean slate, waiting for him to speak. Kane tried to refocus, to remind himself he was here for a short vacation, a work reprieve, not a major life departure. He cleared his throat. “It’s a lot, believe me. Up to fifty percent of all new businesses fail within the first five years. You should be proud.”

      Now her gaze narrowed. “How do you know so much about business?”

      Damn. He had yet to learn the keys to a good cover story. Keep your mouth shut and know your lines.

      He couldn’t very well rattle off his real résumé. Kane Lennox: fourth-generation CEO of the largest gem importing company in the world. Kane Lennox, one of the Lennoxes, the family that had been listed in the Forbes 500 issue for as many years as the magazine had been printed. Kane Lennox: the man with enough personal fortune to buy this town ten times over and still have change left over to line the streets with thousand-dollar bills.

      If he told her any of that, she’d look at him just like everyone else did. With awe. With reverence. She’d step back and stop seeing him as just Kane. And for the first time in his life, he wanted to just be—

      Kane.

      Ordinary man. In ordinary clothes. Doing ordinary things.

      With no butlers. No limos. No expectations.

      “I, ah, just like to read business magazines,” he said finally. “When I’m not at work. You know, in the spirit of getting ahead.”

      “That I can understand.” A soft smile of empathy stole across her face. “Working hard for what you want, right?”

      “Exactly.”

      “That’s my personal philosophy, too.” She shot him a grin. “Who’d have thought I would have anything in common with a guy I met on my sister’s lawn?”

      He echoed her grin. “A barefoot guy at that.”

      She laughed. “And here I usually go for the kind who wear shoes.”

      “I’ll keep that in—” The dog wriggled then, shaking off the soapy water, spraying the room, Susannah and Kane with a fine sheen of bubbles. Kane backed up, warding off the foamy onslaught, cursing under his breath. But that only seemed to encourage the golden dog, who shook even more vigorously, her tail becoming a soap-spraying fan.

      “What is wrong with that animal?”

      Susannah laughed. “If you held on to her, she won’t do that.”

      “What do you think I was doing? She’s not cooperating.”

      Susannah arched a brow.

      “Hey, if you think you can do a better job holding—” Kane said, backing up and waving at the dog.

      “Fine. I’ll do your job and you can do mine.”

      “What are you talking about?”

      “You can wash.” She tossed a bottle of shampoo at him and moved away from the dog’s head.

      “No. No, I didn’t mean I’d…” Kane stared at the bottle, then the animal, then Susannah, then the dog again. “There is absolutely no way I can wash this animal.”

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