Evidence of Desire Read online

  “I haven’t crammed this hard since I took my SATs!” Azure said, massaging her throbbing temples. Since they sat down at the kitchen table with their containers of Greek takeout, Harper had been filling her in on his childhood, his hobbies and his day-to-day life, and Azure, the dutiful student, had been taking precise notes. “I never imagined pulling off a publicity stunt like this would require so much work.”

  “And we still have a lot of ground to cover,” Harper said, consulting the to-do list he’d made that afternoon. “I haven’t given you the backstory on my brothers yet, and there are some relatives in town I need to tell you about, as well.”

  “I know we’ve only been at this for an hour, but I’m beat!”

  Chuckling, Harper reached out, took her hand in his and gave it an affectionate squeeze. “You’re doing great, Azure, and after we finish up with this I promise to get out of your hair. I know you have an article to write, and I’ve already taken up enough of your time.”

  Azure couldn’t speak. His touch had rendered her speechless, and Azure feared if she opened her mouth she’d babble like a six-month-old baby. Needing a moment to gather herself, she stared down at her iPad and carefully reviewed the information she’d jotted down about Harper. He was passionate about giving back to the community, loved Greek cuisine and played basketball every second Saturday with his

  brothers and cousins at his uncle’s estate, Integrity. Azure knew Harper’s likes and dislikes, and everything in between, and found herself hanging on to every word that came out of his delicious-looking mouth.

  “One last thing about my parents. My mom will invite you to call her by her first name, but don’t,” he advised. “Always address her as Mrs. Hamilton, and my father, too.”

  “Got it. No cute names for the in-laws.” Recalling that Mrs. Hamilton had been absent from the interview she did last month at his uncle’s Integrity estate, Azure questioned Harper about his mother’s thriving business. “Your mom’s fall collection had received rave reviews from fashion industry experts, so I’m guessing she’s probably insanely busy these days. Do you see her much, or is she out of town a lot?”

  “My mom has always put family first, but ever since she worked on the Sex and the City 2 movie, her phone has been ringing off the hook. She’s ditched us for Hollywood. Sad, huh?”

  He gave a hearty chuckle, one that brought a smile to Azure’s lips. Azure loved his laugh. Loved how rich and full it was, and how his eyes twinkled when he was amused.

  “I’m proud of my mom, and I’m happy that her clothing line is such a hit. It’s time she lived her dream and poured her passion and energy into doing what she loves.”

  “How did your parents meet?”

  “Friends introduced them. My mom said the only thing she liked about my dad was his Porsche, and Dad said he fell in love with Mom the first time he tasted her gumbo!”

  Laughing, Azure made a note on her file. “I think I got everything. Anything else?”

  “No, that’s all for now. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

  “It’s too late for that!”

  Harper chuckled.

  “Well, I know what I’ll be doing this weekend,” Azure quipped, tapping a finger on her iPad. “Memorizing my notes on Harper 101.”

  “About that,” he began, straightening in his chair. “As I said before, there’s been a slight change of plans.”

  “Oh, okay, what is it? Changed your mind about having the ceremony at the Fountain?”

  “No. We’re going to get hitched on October ninth.”

  Azure’s lips parted and a shriek flew out. “October ninth?” she repeated, in a shrill, high-pitched voice she didn’t recognize. “But that’s in three days!”

  “I know, but my mom returns from New York tomorrow morning, only to leave again at the end of the week for Paris. She’s hard at work promoting her latest collection, so there’s no telling how long she’ll be gone. And if I get married while she’s away, she’ll kill me, and I have a lot of living left to do!”

  Azure sat there, fidgeting with her utensils, staring off into space.

  “I’ve already applied for our wedding license, and as long as there isn’t a backlog at the magistrate’s office, it should be issued within the next forty-eight hours.”

  “Harper, are you sure about all this? I’ve done a lot of impulsive things in my life, but I’ve never done anything this crazy.”

  “I’m sure. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything. Tomorrow, we’ll meet with the event planner at the Fountain, and after we select the menu, you’ll go shopping for your wedding gown. And don’t worry about your expenses. I’ll cover everything. Your dress, your shoes and anything else you need for our big day.”

  Azure gulped. Things were happening too fast.

  “You have a great sense of fashion, and I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t offend you, but please don’t buy a long, poufy wedding dress.” He added, “And no lace. It’s old-

  fashioned.”

  “Okay, Mr. Fashionista,” she teased, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably, “what do you think I should wear?”

  “Something sleek and sophisticated and timeless,” he told her, his voice strong and earnest. “I want you to wow me, Azure. Knock my socks off.”

  “I think I can do that.”

  “Oh, I know you can.”

  Something about his tone aroused her. His eyes moved slowly over her scalding-hot flesh, and his broad, megawatt smile thrilled her.

  “We have to keep our wedding plans a secret from our friends and family if we want maximum publicity and exposure,” Harper said.

  Azure frowned. “How are we going to get everyone to the Fountain without tipping them off?”

  Harper thought a moment. “I’ll call a family meeting. That should work.”

  “I’m not sure what I’ll tell my boss, and Maggie, but I’ll think of something between now and then.”

  “What about your parents?”

  Azure shrugged, and didn’t bother offering an excuse for why she wasn’t going to invite her mom and dad. The less her parents knew about her arrangement with Harper, the better. If her mother knew she was marrying for fun, to save her job and garner free publicity, she’d be livid. Not because it was morally wrong, but because she hadn’t been the one to plan and execute her dream wedding.

  “I’ll make sure your boss has a seat right out front. That should make him happy.”

  “I doubt it,” Azure quipped, making a face. “Just make sure there’s a lot of free booze!”

  The pair chuckled.

  “Have you ever been engaged?” Harper asked, eying her over the rim of his wineglass. “Any old fiancés or bitter, scorned lovers I need to know about?”

  “Nope, never. I’m antimarriage, remember? What about you?”

  “I’m wedded to my career, remember?”

  Azure stuck out her tongue. “Smart-ass.”

  Harper belted out a laugh. “And I thought you were still that quiet, painfully shy girl who wouldn’t give me the time of day in high school.”

  “Oh, is that the story you plan to tell your family? That I rejected you when we were in Willingham Prep, and you captured my heart the second time around?”

  “Definitely.” Grinning, his eyes bright with mischief, he gave a firm nod of his head. “Everyone loves an underdog, and my story will get me the sympathy vote, and—”

  “Even more female attention than you’re getting now!” Azure poked his shoulder. “That’s not fair. When you dump me, you’ll have your choice of any woman you want, and I’ll be stuck fighting off the same crazy, loudmouth Philly guys.”

  His expression turned serious, somber, as if he were about to deliver the eulogy at his best friend’s funeral. “I’ve never been a player, Azur
e. I don’t have it in me to hurt or mistreat women, and my last relationship ended because she cheated, not me.”

  “That must have been hard.”

  “Not for the reasons you think. I liked her, but I wasn’t madly in love or anything.” Harper thrust his chin forward, straightened his shoulders. “I was more embarrassed about being cheated on than anything else.”

  Curiosity pushed Azure to ask the question, “Did you catch her in the act?”

  “No, nothing that scandalous happened.”

  Harper took a gulp of wine. “She was in L.A. on business, so I flew in on Valentine’s Day to surprise her. I showed up to the album release party her record company was throwing, with flowers and candy, and I found her…” He stumbled over his words, then cleared his throat. “I found her in the VIP section, wasted, topless and hanging all over one of the label’s hit rappers.”

  Azure studied Harper closely. His face looked as hard as stone, and anger crimped the corners of his mouth. “Did you confront her?”

  “I made sure she saw me. That was enough.”

  “How long has it been since you broke up?”

  “A while.”

  “Did your parents like her?”

  “My dad did, but my mom didn’t think her motives were pure. It turned out she was right. My ex was a club hopper, masquerading as the girl next door, and I’m better off without her.”

  Azure had a lot more questions about his ex, but instead of interrogating him like a felon on the witness stand, she said, “Your friends and family are going to think I’m a rebound.”

  “I don’t care what they think,” he snapped, a hard edge in his tone. “I’m going to milk our wedding publicity for all it’s worth, and use my newfound fame to take my career to the next level. Soon, everyone in this city will know who Harper Hamilton is.”

  “Won’t your parents be disappointed when they discover our marriage was a sham?”

  “I’m not going to tell them, are you?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Speaking of parents, do you have any pictures of yours around? I’m curious to see what my in-laws-to-be look like.”

  Azure laughed. “You’re taking this phony marriage thing a little too seriously.”

  “Anything worth doing is worth doing well,” he said, his tone smooth, self-assured. “I want everyone at our wedding to believe we’re hopelessly and desperately in love, and to do that, I need to know as much as possible about you and your family.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Standing, Azure cleared the kitchen table of their food containers and cutlery. Seconds later, she returned, carrying an armload of photo albums. She placed them in front of Harper, and when he opened the largest one and began flipping through pictures taken when she was a plump, pimply-faced teen, shame infected Azure’s body.

  “You’ve lost weight, but you really haven’t changed all that much since high school.”

  “You’re kidding, right? I look completely different!”

  “No, you don’t. You still have the same gorgeous, almond-shaped eyes, and the prettiest, brightest smile I have ever seen in my life.”

  Azure didn’t touch his comment, but inside she was doing the happy dance. Another compliment. That was the third one tonight, and they hadn’t even had dessert yet. “I wish The Biggest Loser had been around when I was in high school, because a complete makeover is exactly what I needed. I had no friends, and since no one asked me to the prom, my mom forced me to attend a Weight Watchers meeting.”

  “Don’t worry, Azure, you didn’t miss anything. Prom was boring and uneventful.”

  “It still would have been nice to go. I dreamed of wearing the perfect dress, a pretty pink corsage and slow-dancing to ’N Sync, and not going was a huge letdown.”

  “At least your friends didn’t secretly record you getting busy with your date.”

  Azure touched a hand to her mouth. “No way! They didn’t!”

  “Yup, and they showed the video to my brothers. Striking out was humiliating enough without having an audience, and my brothers still rib me about it to this day!”

  Trading jokes and swapping embarrassing tales from their high school days made Azure feel closer to Harper and made her realize she wasn’t the only one who’d had it rough at Willingham Prep. Azure matched Harper quip for quip, and by the time she served the cupcakes and ice cream for dessert, her jaw ached from laughing. She still had some serious reservations about their marriage of convenience, but sharing her doubts with Harper made Azure feel better. As Harper said, it was a win-win for the both of them, a publicity stunt for the ages, one that was guaranteed to bolster both of their careers.

  “I never knew you had a sister,” Harper said, staring quizzically at the photograph in front of him. “Are you older?”

  Nodding, Azure helped herself to a cupcake and took a healthy bite. “I’m five years older than Eden. She’s been modeling in Europe since she was a teenager, and since her husband hates the States, they only visit at Christmastime.”

  Thinking about Eden and her glamorous, jet-setting life made Azure feel a twinge of envy. It always did. She loved working for Eminence magazine, and had dreamed of being a writer since she was a child, but she’d gladly trade places with her sister. Eden and Renault traveled to fabulous places, stayed at the best hotels and had a storybook marriage filled with love, romance and enough passion for all of the disgruntled couples who aired their dirty laundry on Dr. Phil.

  “You two could pass for twins.”

  Azure scoffed. “Right, and I’m going to be in the Victoria’s Secret holiday show!”

  “I’m serious. Your sister has lighter hair and she’s a few inches taller than you, but aside from that you look identical—” Harper broke off speaking, watched Azure’s face crumble and her temperament change right before his very eyes. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Shaking her head, she softly cleared her throat. “No, it’s just that no one’s ever compared me to Eden before, and your words took me by surprise.”

  “They shouldn’t. I’m telling the truth.”

  Concern touched his features, and his expression was one of compassion.

  “I take it you and your sister don’t get along.”

  “Growing up, Eden was always the gorgeous, glamorous girl everyone fawned over, and I was the smart one who was ridiculed and teased,” Azure explained, pushing her spoon around her ice cream bowl. “My mom put me on dozens of fad diets, but the more I tried to lose weight, the more I gained. I don’t blame her for being hard on me, though. I was a hot mess back then.”

  Harper slammed the album shut.

  Azure stared at him, eyebrows raised, and when he reached out and took her hand, she felt a charge, a dizzying rush of pleasure, an invisible spark that couldn’t be seen, only felt.

  “I don’t ever want to hear you put yourself down like that, Azure. It’s hard to take.”

  “But it’s the truth.”

  “It couldn’t be. I knew you back in the day. You were quiet, but kind, and your smile was a thing of beauty. Still is.” His eyes bore into her, moved over her flesh like an intimate caress. “I look forward to meeting your parents so I can tell them they raised the smartest, most vivacious woman I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.”

  A smile overwhelmed Azure’s mouth and exploded across her face.

  “Do your parents live in Philly?”

  “Nope. They’re happily retired and living in Florida.”

  “Will I get to meet them the next time they’re in town?”

  Her smile morphed into a smirk. “Sure, right after we have a couple of fake kids.”

  “Are you always this sarcastic?” Harper asked, enjoying their verbal sparring match. Azure laughed at all of his jokes—even the bad ones�
�and she was so chill, so easy to be around, he didn’t want the night to end. “I have a feeling I’m going to have my hands full with you.”

  “It’s not too late for you to find another trophy wife, you know....” Azure trailed off, pointed her spoon at the oversize wall clock above the flat-screen TV. “Table 13 is filled with debutantes and socialites every night of the week, and oh, look, it’s almost happy hour....”

  “I don’t want anyone else but you.”

  Her stomach flip-flopped, churned with fear and apprehension. Azure didn’t know if she could go through with their bogus wedding. It was all too much. The teasing, the flirting, Harper’s blinding, megawatt smile. If I can’t make it through a single meal without getting hot and bothered, how the hell am I going to survive living with him for three months? “I—I—I know I agreed to marry you,” she began, the truth gushing out of her mouth, “but I don’t think I can go through with this. You’re right, Harper. I am a handful.”

  His grin widened. “I’m not worried.”

  “But I’m sarcastic and stubborn, and I’m a horrible cook. My ex said my spaghetti Bolognese was so dry and overcooked the homeless wouldn’t eat it!”

  Harper cracked up. “I just love your sense of humor.”

  “That’s just it. I’m not kidding. That’s what he said. Word for word.”

  He laughed some more.

  “I think you’ll make a great trophy wife and be a nice addition to the Hamilton family, as well. You’re fun and saucy and you’re not afraid to speak your mind. And we have a lot in common. You said so yourself.”

  Azure silently agreed. He was right. She did say that. And unfortunately, it was true. They were both hard workers, devoted to their careers and families, and die-hard Lauryn Hill fans. If they had any more in common they’d be Siamese twins.

  “And besides, it’s not like we’re marrying for love,” Harper said. He snapped his fingers. “Three months will go by like that, and before you know it, you’ll be back at your apartment, hanging out with Maggie and cooking your tasty spaghetti Bolognese!”

  Azure rolled her eyes to the ceiling. “Ha, ha, you’re a riot. You should take your show on the road, Mr. Funny Pants.”