Free Wicked Heat by Nicola Marsh Page B

self-doubts, his background…
    Yeah, she could lend a helping hand without him knowing and he’d be none the wiser.
    If she lost the pitch to him or someone else, he wouldn’t know they’d been rivals
     and they could part on friendly terms, maybe even keep in touch. If she won the pitch…well,
     she’d tell him then, before they returned to their respective countries. It would
     be easier having him mad at her with an ocean between them than on the same island.
     On the island where they could use each other for decompressing and de-stressing.
    “So basically you need to land this deal or…?”
    “I’m finished.” He frowned. “Landing Kaluna will reinstate my reputation in a cutthroat
     industry and be a huge incentive for other clients to take a chance on my new company.”
     He swiped a hand over his face but it did little to erase the tension. “With the added
     bonus of proving to my dad I’m not a lousy waste of space.”
    Wow, and she thought she had it bad with her folks.
    “Does it help if I say at least he acknowledges you exist?”
    He studied her with interest. “So your folks wouldn’t win any Parents of the Year
     awards either, huh?”
    “My folks are the most narcissistic people on the planet.” Allegra clasped his hand,
     hoping to convey how much she understood of his situation. “Beverly Hills socialites
     who assumed their positions rather than earning them. Dad serves on the boards of
     various companies, Mom does the charity circle. I was a mistake they shipped off to
     boarding school as soon as I could walk.”
    “Ouch.” He squeezed her hand in return. “In my case, boarding school was to teach
     me discipline, manners, and a well-rounded education leading into law.”
    “Ah…so that’s why your dad’s not keen on advertising.”
    He nodded. “That waste-of-space comment was his response the day I opened the agency.”
    “Harsh.”
    “Yep.”
    She glimpsed the depth of his pain before he deliberately blinked, eradicating it,
     as she wished she could hold him tight. “What do your folks think of your aborted
     wedding?”
    “They think I’m nuts for not marrying some pompous ass the Third and spending my days
     shopping on Rodeo and my nights at movie premieres.”
    He searched her face, before continuing. “You almost did have that life. Is that why
     you were getting hitched to that old fart?”
    “How do you know about Flint—”
    “Google.” He managed to look sheepish, apologetic and cute at the same time. “I wanted
     to see what kind of an idiot would let a woman like you slip away.”
    Secretly thrilled by his comment, she pretended to preen. “And what kind of woman
     is that?”
    “Intelligent. Witty. Beautiful.” His fingertip traced the curve of her cheek. “If
     I can see that in the space of twenty-four hours, the guy must be a total dickhead
     to dump you.”
    “It’s not his fault.”
    Jett stiffened at her instant defense of Flint.
    “Sometimes you tumble into a situation without having the guts to stop it. Momentum
     keeps it going and it builds into something monumental and then it’s too late to avoid
     it.” She scanned his face for any clue he understood her convoluted explanation, relieved
     to see a spark of acknowledgement in his jade eyes. “I actually admire Flint for pulling
     the pin on our wedding before it was too late, for acknowledging we were making a
     mistake.”
    “The bastard cheated on you,” he blurted, immediately clamping his lips into a thin,
     unimpressed line.
    Not many people knew the truth about her breakup with Flint—her folks and Zoe being
     the exceptions—yet she found herself wanting to tell Jett. Out of loyalty to Flint
     for taking the fall? Maybe. Or perhaps there was something about the way Jet had opened
     up to her about his dad, his upbringing, that strengthened their connection.
    “Flint didn’t cheat on me.” She shook her head. “Press he orchestrated to take the
     fall.” Her