Beautiful Secret takes place in London and New York, so to celebrate, we’re giving away some incredible prizes.<\/p>\n
Round 1<\/strong> Round\u00a02<\/strong> Daily Giveaways – 5 daily (!!)<\/strong> Thanks you guys! Now, here’s chapter 2 and good luck!!!<\/p>\n N<\/em>i<\/em>a<\/em>l<\/em>l<\/em><\/p>\n I adjusted the phone so I could hold it between my ear and shoulder and tapped a stack of papers together, placing it neatly in front of me. \u201cI see.\u201d<\/p>\n Static vibrated across the quiet line.<\/p>\n \u201cYou see<\/em>?\u201d Portia repeated in a voice that had grown tight and thin. \u201cAre you even bloody listening?\u201d<\/p>\n Had she always sounded so impatient with me? Sadly, I think the answer to that was yes.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, I\u2019m listening. You\u2019ve told me you\u2019re stuck. But I don\u2019t see what I can do about it, Porsh.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s what we agreed, Niall. You agreed to let me keep the dog if I <\/em>agreed to let you watch him when I went on holiday. I am going on holiday and need you to watch him. But if it\u2019s a bother <\/em>. . .\u201d Portia\u2019s voice trailed off but the echo sizzled across the phone line like acid dripped on metal.<\/p>\n \u201cUnder normal circumstances, taking Davey is no bother,\u201d I answered calmly. Always calm, always patient, even when we were discussing who should care for her pet while she went to Majorca for a week to recover from the\u00a0stress of our divorce being finalized. \u201cThe issue is simply that I will be out of the country<\/em>, love.\u201d<\/p>\n I swallowed back a curse, wincing.<\/p>\n Lo<\/em>v<\/em>e<\/em>.<\/p>\n After nearly sixteen years together, some habits died hard.<\/p>\n Her answering silence was weighted, dense. Two years ago, the quiet ticking across the telephone line would have had me in a panic. A year ago it would have made my stomach sour and tight.<\/p>\n Now, nine months after I\u2019d moved out of the home we\u2019d shared together, her angry silence simply made me weary.<\/p>\n I looked up, at the load of emails in my inbox, at the stacks of contracts on my desk, and then at the clock, which told me it was long past time to head home. Out- side, the sky had gone dark. Once I returned home tonight I would need to start packing for New York and would barely make a dent in the work in front of me before then.<\/p>\n \u201cPortia. I\u2019m sorry. I really must go. I\u2019m sorry about the dog but I can\u2019t make it work next week.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cRight,\u201d she sighed. \u201cGet stuffed<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n I stared at my desk for several seconds after she\u2019d hung up, feeling faintly sick, before setting my mobile down. I had only two breaths to recover before the door to my office flew open and Tony stepped in.<\/p>\n \u201cBad news, mate.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked up, lifting my brow in silent question.<\/p>\n \u201cThe wife\u2019s gone and started contractions.\u201d<\/p>\n My siblings had enough children for me to know that Tony\u2019s wife wasn\u2019t far enough along for this. \u201cShe\u2019s all right?\u201d<\/p>\n He shrugged. \u201cSentenced to bed till the kid is here. Hence: I\u2019m staying in London.\u201d<\/p>\n Relief spread through my blood. Tony was a decent colleague, but a business trip with him usually meant nightly visits to strip clubs, and it was honestly the last thing I wanted to do for a month in New York. \u201cSo I\u2019ll go it alone, then,\u201d I said, my tone already lighter than it had been only a moment ago.<\/p>\n Tony shook his head. \u201cI\u2019m sending Ruby.\u201d<\/p>\n It took a couple of ticks for me to place who he meant. Richardson-Corbett wasn\u2019t a large firm, but Tony hired as many pretty young interns as his budget allowed. There were a few on his team now and I could never quite keep them sorted. \u201cShe the brunette from Essex?\u201d<\/p>\n His expression of disappointed envy was so pronounced it was nearly audible. \u201cNo. The delectable bit from California.\u201d<\/p>\n O<\/em>h<\/em>. I knew which one he meant. The one who came to my rescue today when I\u2019d experienced an uncharacteristic stumble.<\/p>\n Ironically, I\u2019d been flustered over the sight of her. She was lovely<\/em>.<\/p>\n Alas . . . \u201cShe\u2019s the one who seemed concerned you were leaving for a month?\u201d<\/p>\n I could practically see Tony\u2019s head growing, and he smiled proudly. \u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIs it really necessary to send someone, though?\u201d I asked. \u201cMost of the meetings will be logistics anyway. Engineering was only going to advise.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAw, ya prat. I\u2019m sure you can get her to go to the titty bars with you.\u201d<\/p>\n I groaned inwardly. \u201cThat isn\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd besides,\u201d he interrupted, \u201cshe\u2019s fit as all fuck. You may not need a girly bar if you\u2019re getting a leg over on Ruby. All legs, good tits, bloody fantastic <\/em>face.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTony,\u201d I said with steady calm, \u201cI\u2019m not going to \u2018get a leg over\u2019 on an intern.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe you should. If I wasn\u2019t tied down, I sure as fuck would pull that.\u201d He let the silence bounce around the room, and I tried to hide my disgust that he seemed more disappointed that he was unable to shag Ruby than worried that his wife had gone into labor early. \u201cHow long since you\u2019ve been out?\u201d<\/p>\n I blinked away from his challenging expression, looking down at my desk. I hadn\u2019t dated since the divorce and, except for the drunken grope I\u2019d received at the pub a few weeks back, hadn\u2019t been close to a woman in what felt like forever.<\/p>\n \u201cRight, so you\u2019re staying here,\u201d I deflected, \u201cand Ruby is coming along to New York. Have you gone over the agenda with her?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI told her the agenda is you get there, hit the bars, get pissed, get a leg over.\u201d<\/p>\n I wiped a hand over my face, groaning. \u201cBloody hell.\u201d<\/p>\n He laughed, turning and walking to my door. \u201cOf course I gave her the agenda. I\u2019m just taking the piss. She\u2019s a good one, Niall. She may even impress the likes of you.\u201d<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n I was alone in the lift, heading out for the night, when Ruby stepped in just as the doors were closing. Our eyes met, I coughed harshly, her breath caught . . . and descending in the weighted silence became immediately dreadful.<\/p>\n The lift moved too slowly. The quiet felt enormous.<\/p>\n We were going on a business trip together, and glancing at her now\u2014young and energetic and, admittedly, unbelievably beautiful\u2014I registered we would be required to chat and get on, and there were few things I was worse at than talking up women.<\/p>\n She opened her mouth to speak, and then stopped, falling back into silence. When she looked at me and I looked over, she blinked away. Just as the doors opened in the lobby, I gestured for her to lead us out, and instead of moving, she nearly shouted, \u201cLooks like we\u2019re going away together!\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToo right,\u201d I said, but my smile felt stiff.<\/p>\n T<\/em>r<\/em>y<\/em>, Niall. Try to get it out of robot mode for at least one<\/em> conversation<\/em>.<\/p>\n Nothing. My brain felt like a sieve, completely void of social pleasantries. And she still didn\u2019t exit the lift.<\/p>\n The moment needed to end. I was bloody awful at small\u00a0talk, and close up, she was even more attractive than I\u2019d expected. Several inches shorter than I, but by no means short, Ruby was willowy and toned, with short, playfully mussed golden hair, sun-kissed cheeks . . . and a truly perfect mouth.<\/p>\n Ruby was rather exquisite. On some strange instinct, I held my breath.<\/p>\n She shrugged a little, smiling. \u201cI\u2019m from the States but I\u2019ve never been to New York. I\u2019m really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAh. Well . . .\u201d I searched for a good response, looking around the small space before eventually settling on \u201cThat\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n I groaned inwardly. That was bad, even for me.<\/p>\n Her eyes were enormous, green and so clear I registered with one glance down at them that she was unlikely to be a very good liar: her entire world spilled out her through those eyes, and right now she was an anxious heap.<\/p>\n I was a VP at the firm. Of course she was nervous around me.<\/p>\n \u201cWill we meet at the airport on Monday morning?\u201d she asked, looking back up. Her tongue slipped out to wet her lips and I fixed my attention to the middle of her forehead.<\/p>\n \u201cYes, I believe so,\u201d I began and then stopped. Was I meant to arrange a car for the two of us? Dear God, if three minutes in a lift was this bad, I couldn\u2019t fathom how claustrophobic the forty-five-minute commute to Heathrow would feel. \u201cUnless\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh, sorry,\u201d she said, cheeks bright. \u201cI interrupted you. Go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n I sighed. \u201cPlease, go ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n This was abysmal. I longed for her to move aside to simply let me pass. Or, for the ground to open up, swallow me whole.<\/p>\n \u201cI can just meet you at the airport.\u201d She hitched her satchel higher over her shoulder, gesturing inexplicably behind her. \u201cAt the gate, I mean. It\u2019ll be really early, you don\u2019t need to\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t. That is, I wouldn\u2019t<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n She blinked, understandably confused. I\u2019d completely lost track of what we were even talking about. \u201cOkay. Good. Of course, you . . . wouldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked over her shoulder to the blessed freedom beyond and then back to her. \u201cThat\u2019ll be fine.\u201d<\/p>\n The door to the lift began to buzz in warning as I continued to hold it ajar, a shrill soundtrack to what had to be one of the most awkward encounters ever.<\/p>\n \u201cSo I\u2019ll see you Monday.\u201d Her voice wavered with nerves, and I felt a cold sweat prick at the back of my neck. \u201cI\u2019m really looking forward to it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cRight. Good.\u201d<\/p>\n With a little tilt of her head, and a final blush that exploded rather sweetly across her cheeks, she stepped off the lift.<\/p>\n Without really intending to, my eyes drifted to her backside as she went. It was round, high, perfectly shaped in her smooth, dark skirt. I could imagine the curve of it in my palm, could still smell the whiff of rose water she left in her wake.<\/p>\n I stepped out into the dark lobby and followed her toward the exit. Without effort, my mind drifted to thoughts of how her breasts would fill my hands, the feel of her mouth on me, my palms on her backside. I wasn\u2019t rubbish in bed, was I? And even though Portia had generally treated sex as a favor to me, she had never once failed to enjoy\u2014<\/p>\n This unconscious flash of interest was quashed when Tony emerged from the stairwell, giving me a wink and a little wiggle of his brow, murmuring, \u201cShagfest,\u201d as Ruby rounded the corner. Left in its place was a sour twinge of shame for letting his earlier suggestion worm its way into my head.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Growing up with twelve people in the house, air travel simply didn\u2019t happen often, and when it did\u2014the odd puddle jumper with a few kids to Ireland and once, when it was only me and Rebecca left at home, Mum and Dad took us to Rome to see the pope\u2014it put the entire house in an uproar of preparation. We had regular Sunday clothes that weren\u2019t as posh as our Christmas mass kits, and even those were yards below our air travel outfits. It was a hard habit to break, even when dressing before the sun rose, but this history dictated why I found myself at Heathrow, wearing a suit at four thirty on Monday morning.<\/p>\n By contrast, Ruby sprinted in just at my panic point\u2014 when the flight was boarding\u2014in a zipfront pink hoodie, black workout pants, and bright blue trainers. I saw the response to her pass through the crowd in a quiet ripple. I couldn\u2019t tell if Ruby noticed or not, but nearly every set of male eyes\u2014and many female as well\u2014followed her as she made her way toward our gate.<\/p>\n She looked casual but fresh, her cheeks flushed from her run and her full, pink lips parted as she caught her breath.<\/p>\n She stopped short when she found me in the crowd, her eyes going wide as saucers.<\/p>\n \u201cShit.\u201d She slapped a hand over her mouth. \u201cI mean, c<\/em>r<\/em>a<\/em>p<\/em>,\u201d she mumbled from behind it. \u201cDo we have a meeting right when we land?\u201d She began searching through her phone. \u201cI memorized the schedule and I could have sworn\u2014\u201d I felt my brows pull together. \u201cNo . . . ?\u201d She\u2019d memorized our schedule?<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cI . . . you look really <\/em>dressed up for the plane. I feel like a hobo in comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t sure whether I was meant to feel insulted or praised. \u201cYou don\u2019t look like a hobo.\u201d<\/p>\n She groaned, covering her face. \u201cIt\u2019s a long flight. I thought we were going to sleep<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n I smiled politely, though the thought of sleeping next to her on a flight created an anxious, gnawing sensation in my gut. \u201cI\u2019ve a few work things to do before we arrive. Feel better dressed for the occasion, that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n I wasn\u2019t actually sure which one of us had misjudged, but looking at the attire on most of the boarding passengers around us, I was beginning to understand it was me.<\/p>\n With one last wary glance at my suit, she turned and made her way down the jetway to board and stowed her tote in the overhead above our seats. I made every effort to not look at her backside again . . . and failed.<\/p>\n S<\/em>w<\/em>eet Lord. It was unbelievable<\/em>.<\/p>\n Oblivious, Ruby turned and I pulled my gaze up to her face just as she gestured to the two seats. \u201cDo you want the aisle or window?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n \u201cEither is fine.\u201d<\/p>\n I removed my suit coat and handed it to the flight attendant, watching as Ruby slid into the window seat and tucked away her iPad and book, keeping a small notebook with her.<\/p>\n Seated beside her, and even with the rest of the passengers still boarding, a heavy silence descended between us. C<\/em>h<\/em>rist<\/em>. Not only did we have six hours on the flight today, but then nearly four weeks in New York together for the summit.<\/p>\n F<\/em>ou<\/em>r weeks<\/em>. I felt mildly ill.<\/p>\n I suppose I could ask her how she liked Richardson-Corbett or how long she\u2019d lived in London. She wasn\u2019t under my charge, but working for Tony, I was sure her time there had been . . . eventful. I could ask her where she grew up\u2014 though I knew from Tony it was California. At least it might break the ice a little.<\/p>\n But then we would be required to keep talking, and that definitely didn\u2019t seem to be going well. Best to just leave it.<\/p>\n \u201cCan I offer you a beverage before we lift off?\u201d the flight attendant asked before setting a napkin down in front of me. I deferred to Ruby, and she leaned closer to speak to the woman over the din of travelers boarding the plane. Her breast pressed to the arm of my shirt, and I felt my entire body go stiff, careful to not seem to lean into . . . it<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ll have some champagne,\u201d Ruby said.<\/p>\n The flight attendant smiled uncomfortably as she nodded\u2014no doubt it wasn\u2019t something they generally poured before five in the morning\u2014and turned to me.<\/p>\n \u201cI . . .\u201d I began, haltingly. Should I order champagne, too, so it wasn\u2019t odd for her to do it? Or should I set the example for professional decorum and order the grapefruit juice I\u2019d planned for? \u201cWell, I suppose if it\u2019s not too much trouble, I could also\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n Ruby held up a hand. \u201cI\u2019m totally kidding, by the way. Sorry. Joke bomb! I mean no! Not a bomb, I\u2019d never joke about . . . that.\u201d She closed her eyes and groaned. \u201cI\u2019ll just have some OJ.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked up, sharing a brief, confused expression with the flight attendant. \u201cI\u2019ll take grapefruit juice, please.\u201d<\/p>\n With our orders noted, the flight attendant left and Ruby turned to me. Something about her face, the unguarded honesty in her eyes . . . it triggered a tender protectiveness in me I was wholly unaccustomed to.<\/p>\n She blinked away, moving to stare so hard at her tray I was afraid she would crack it through sheer intensity.<\/p>\n \u201cAll right?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n \u201cJust\u2014sorry about that. And yes. I\u2014\u201d She paused and then tried again. \u201cI wasn\u2019t going to order champagne. Did you really think that?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWell.\u201d She had <\/em>ordered it, even if only in jest. \u201cNo?\u201d I hoped that was the right answer.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that whole bomb thing,\u201d she whispered, waving a hand in front of her as if to push the thought away. \u201cI am such an idiot around you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cJust me?\u201d<\/p>\n She slumped and I realized how it had sounded.<\/p>\n \u201cNo. I . . . that is, I take issue with what you\u2019re saying: I\u2019ve never seen you act like an idiot around me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe elevator?\u201d<\/p>\n Smiling, I conceded this. \u201cWell.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAnd right now?\u201d<\/p>\n This twisted something inside me. \u201cIs there anything I can do?\u201d<\/p>\n She blinked up to my face and gazed at me with a familiar sort of fondness.<\/p>\n And then she blinked, shaking her head once, and it was gone. \u201cI\u2019ll be fine. Just nervous about a trip with the director of planning and blah blah<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Wanting to put her more at ease, I asked, \u201cWhere did you do your undergraduate work?\u201d<\/p>\n She took a deep breath, and then turned to face me fully. \u201cUC San Diego.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEngineering?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes. With Emil Santorini.\u201d<\/p>\n I acknowledged this with a small lift of my brow. \u201cHe\u2019s tough.\u201d<\/p>\n She grinned. \u201cHe\u2019s amazing<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n A sharp curl of interest spiked through me. \u201cOnly the brilliant ones come out feeling that way.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPush through or break,\u201d she said, shrugging as she accepted her orange juice from the flight attendant with a bright smile. \u201cThat\u2019s what he said the first week in the lab. He wasn\u2019t wrong. Three of us started in there at the same time. I was the only one still there by Christmas our first year.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy are you in London?\u201d I asked, though I suspected I already knew.<\/p>\n \u201cHoping to make it into the Civil program. I\u2019m already in the engineering general but haven\u2019t heard from Margaret Sheffield yet whether I\u2019m in her group.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cShe doesn\u2019t decide until just before the term starts. Makes the students completely barking mad, if memory serves.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe engineers like our calendars and spreadsheets and plans. Not the most patient bunch, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n I smiled. \u201cLike I said. Barking mad.\u201d<\/p>\n She pulled the corner of her lip into her mouth and smiled back. \u201cYou didn\u2019t study with her.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNot officially, but she was more a mentor to me than my own mentor was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHow long after you finished did Petersen retire?\u201d<\/p>\n I felt my eyes widen. How much did she know about my old department? About me? \u201cI suspect you already know the answer to that question.\u201d<\/p>\n She sipped her juice and apologized quietly after swallowing. \u201cI knew you were his last student but I guess I was curious to hear how bad it was.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt was abysmal,\u201d I admitted. \u201cHe was a drunk and more than that\u2014a ruddy awful person. But that was nearly ten years ago. You were a child. How do you know all of this?\u201d<\/p>\n She pursed her lips slightly and I felt my skin flush warm.<\/p>\n C<\/em>h<\/em>rist<\/em>. She was so beautiful.<\/p>\n \u201cOne answer,\u201d she started with a small smile, \u201cis that I learned about Maggie Sheffield\u2019s work when I was a sophomore and we toured the Stately building. I grew kind of obsessed with getting to study under her before she retired. When I asked Emil about her, he also shared some of the history of your old department.\u201d Shrugging, she said, \u201cI heard a few stories about Petersen.\u201d<\/p>\n I tilted my head, wondering which ones still floated around.<\/p>\n \u201cHe threw a bottle at a student?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n A<\/em>h<\/em>. The one story that would never die. \u201cHe did, but it wasn\u2019t me. The worst I ever got from him was a verbal berating . . . or ten.\u201d<\/p>\n Ruby nodded, looking relieved.<\/p>\n She\u2019d said one <\/em>answer was this. \u201cAnd the other answer?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n She looked out the window for a few breaths before saying, \u201cI joined R-C and found out you\u2019d studied at Oxford, and wondered if you\u2019d been in Maggie\u2019s program. You hadn\u2019t but . . . I learned a bit about you anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n There seemed to be an extra layer to what she was saying, and I thought for a beat I understood the look of fond familiarity she\u2019d given me only a moment before. But then she turned back, wearing a sweetly devious grin. \u201cYou\u2019d be amazed how much you can pick up just by paying attention.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEnlighten me.\u201d<\/p>\n Sitting up in her seat, she said, \u201cYou came over from your position at the London Underground to start up an urban planning division. You went to Cambridge for undergraduate, Oxford for graduate school, and were the youngest executive in the history of the Tube.\u201d Ruby gave me a shy smile. \u201cYou nearly moved to New York to work for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority but turned the job down to come to R-C.\u201d<\/p>\n Lifting a brow, I murmured, \u201cImpressive. What else do you know?\u201d<\/p>\n She looked away, blushing further. \u201cYou grew up in Leeds. You were a star on the Cambridge football club while you were there.\u201d<\/p>\n Had she looked any of this up last night? Or had she known all of this about me before this trip? And which answer did I want to hear? I suspected I knew which would make this small thrill in my stomach grow more intense. \u201cWhat else?\u201d<\/p>\n Hesitating, she said, \u201cYou own a Ford Fiesta, which I find endlessly amusing given that you probably make more money than the queen and are known to be a staunch public transportation advocate, so you never use it. An aside? I have no idea how you would even fit in a Ford Fiesta. Also, you\u2019re recently divorced.\u201d<\/p>\n My jaw grew tight as any amusement regarding her research endeavors was quickly extinguished. \u201cOne would think that detail wouldn\u2019t be discussed at work, nor available by easy online search.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d Ruby said, wincing, and I watched as she shrank a little more into her seat. \u201cI forget not everyone was raised by two psychologists. We aren\u2019t all open books.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m tempted to ask how you knew about my divorce, but\u00a0I suppose the office chatter . . .\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI think it was all wrapping up when I started so people were talking . . .\u201d She straightened and looked at me with wide, apologetic eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s not an ongoing topic, I promise.\u201d<\/p>\n I could only imagine my dark mood at the time Ruby had joined the firm. By that point I was so put off by Portia\u2019s dramatics I\u2019d have happily resided inside a pint. I decided to change the subject. \u201cDo you have siblings, or was it you\u00a0alone with the shrinks?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne brother,\u201d she said and then took a sip of her juice. \u201cWhat about you?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2014you\u2019re telling me you don\u2019t already know?\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed, but still looked a bit embarrassed. \u201cIf I took the time to find that out . . . that might have veered into stalker territory.\u201d<\/p>\n With a little wink, I murmured, \u201cMight <\/em>have.\u201d<\/p>\n She watched me expectantly and as the plane began to accelerate, I noted the way her hands gripped the armrests. She was shaking.<\/p>\n Waffling on to distract her seemed like a rather good idea. \u201cI have nine siblings, actually,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n She leaned in, jaw dropping. \u201cNine?<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n I\u2019d become so accustomed to this reaction that I barely blinked anymore. \u201cSeven sisters and two brothers, with me the second youngest.\u201d<\/p>\n Her brow creased as she thought about this some more. \u201cMy house was so quiet and calm. I . . . I can\u2019t even imagine your childhood.\u201d<\/p>\n Laughing, I said, \u201cTrust me, it\u2019s true. You can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEight older siblings,\u201d she said to herself. \u201cI bet at times that felt like having eight parents.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes,\u201d I admitted. \u201cMy oldest brother, Daniel, was the peacekeeper,\u201d I told her. \u201cReally, he kept us in line. I think it helped that there were more girls than boys; as a general rule our lot was pretty well-behaved. The brother just older than me, Max, was usually the one pulling pranks, and he got away with it because he was charming. At least that\u2019s how he describes it. I was quiet, and studious. Rather boring, really.\u201d<\/p>\n She grew still for a moment, watching me, and then said, \u201cTell me more?\u201d<\/p>\n I leaned my head back against the seat, inhaling deeply, calming. It had been years <\/em>since I\u2019d so casually spoken with a woman other than Portia, a sibling, or the wife of a friend. Her interest was genuine and gave me a sense of confidence I hadn\u2019t felt in a very long time.<\/p>\n \u201cMost of our adventures were taken on together. Forming a brass band. Deciding to write a picture book. Once we painted the side of our house with finger paints.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI honestly can\u2019t imagine you with paint on your hands.\u201d I gave a dramatic shudder and smiled at her delighted\u00a0laugh. There was something there, some relief in her eyes, just beneath the surface that made me feel quite tender toward her.<\/p>\n I prattled on, completely out of character, but she listened with rapt attention, asking questions about Max, about my sister Rebecca, about our parents. She asked about my life outside of work, and so when I said with a teasing grin that she already knew about the divorce, she asked how my ex-wife and I met. Surprisingly, it didn\u2019t feel strange to tell her how Portia and I met when we were ten, fell in love when we were fourteen, and kissed at sixteen.<\/p>\n I didn\u2019t admit that the magic began to die only three years later, on our wedding day.<\/p>\n \u201cIt must be weird to have been with someone for so long and then see it end,\u201d she said quietly, turning to look out the window. \u201cI can\u2019t even imagine.\u201d Her fringe fell over one eye; a small diamond earring decorated the delicate lobe of her ear. When she looked back, she said, \u201cI\u2019m sorry people\u00a0were talking about it in the office. It must feel like such an invasion of privacy.\u201d<\/p>\n I looked away, not replying. Every potential response I might give felt too honest.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not that weird, and maybe that\u2019s what is weirdest<\/em> a<\/em>b<\/em>o<\/em>ut it.<\/em><\/p>\n I<\/em>\u2019<\/em>v<\/em>e been lonely for a very long time. So why am I acutely<\/em> a<\/em>ware of it only now?<\/em><\/p>\n I never imagined wanting to talk about this again, but here<\/em> w<\/em>e are. You could ask more<\/em>.<\/p>\n But when silence grew, it became awkward. With her attention focused out the window and her body easy and relaxed, however, I registered with relief that it was only awkward for me. The tension from the lift had dissipated, something in her had calmed.<\/p>\n I was surprised to find myself thinking how much I liked being near her.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Eventually, Ruby drifted off to sleep, slowly slanting toward me until her head rested on my shoulder. I turned, telling myself I was glancing out the window, but took the opportunity to inhale the light floral scent of her hair. Up close, her skin was perfect. Pale, with a tiny smattering of freckles across her nose, and a clear, beautiful complexion. Her lips were wet where she\u2019d licked them, eyelashes dark against her cheeks.<\/p>\n In her hand, she held a small Richardson-Corbett notebook and pen. I eased it from her lax grip and\u2014against my better judgment\u2014was propelled by curiosity to open it to the first page of what appeared to be work notes. Our agenda, some resources for engineering firms and projects in the area, a list of people she would meet in New York, and some bulleted thoughts on how she could use this conference to build her thesis proposal for Margaret Sheffield. I could tell she\u2019d meticulously written down everything Tony had passed along to her.<\/p>\n At the bottom, in her neat penmanship, she\u2019d written:<\/p>\n Agenda note # 1: Don\u2019t be an idiot around Niall Stella. Don\u2019t stare, don\u2019t babble, don\u2019t go mute. You can do this. He is human<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Only now did it occur to me that this journal could have been a diary of sorts, rather than a professional ledger. She\u2019d been so anxious to go on a trip with a VP from the firm that she\u2019d written herself up a pep talk.<\/p>\n Easing it back into her grip, I closed my eyes, tilting my head to her as I silently apologized for invading her <\/em>privacy this time.<\/p>\n I dreamt of soft skin resting on my bare chest and kisses tasting of champagne.<\/p>\n **No purchase necessary. Send name, address and why you want to read Beautiful Secret to the address below to be entered. Hey guys! It’s almost time for Beautiful Secret (next Tuesday, April 14th), and as promised, here’s the second chapter!! Have you preordered your copy? Because it’s giveaway time! **No purchase …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2828,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[201,238],"tags":[236,221,452,212,208,476,478,477,470,268],"class_list":["post-2937","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","category-contest","tag-beautiful-player","tag-beautiful-readers","tag-beautiful-secret","tag-beautiful-stranger","tag-giveaway","tag-kate-spade","tag-london","tag-new-york","tag-niall-stella","tag-swoony-boy-alert"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Beautiful-Secret.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2937"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2953,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2937\/revisions\/2953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2828"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nBrand new\u00a0Kate Spade -Maps of New York tote<\/em>, signed copy of Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, Beautiful Player, Beautiful Secret.
\nEnter by clicking here<\/a> and filling out your preorder information.
\nWinner notified via email provided, April 14<\/p>\n
\nBrand new Kate Spade -New York Journal clutch<\/em>, signed copy of Beautiful Bastard, Beautiful Stranger, Beautiful Player, Beautiful Secret.
\nEnter by clicking here <\/a>and filling out your preorder information. Yes, you can enter rounds 1 & 2.
\nWinner notified via email provided, April 21<\/p>\n
\nCopy of Beautiful Secret, media and retailer of your choice
\nWatch for countdown images on twitter<\/a>\/facebook<\/a>\/instagram,<\/a> and retweet, reblog, (check specific post for details). It’s that easy.
\nWinners will be notified end of each day.<\/p>\nTwo<\/h1>\n
\n
![\"signature_laurenandchristina_zps921380ce\"](\"https:\/\/christinalaurenbooks.com\/Clo2\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/02\/signature_laurenandchristina_zps921380ce.png\")
<\/a><\/figure>\n
\nPO Box 835
\nClfd, UT 84015<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"