them down another hallway. He unlocked a door, flicked on a light switch, and ushered them inside.
“This is my office. There’s a couch over there.” The older gentleman led them to the couch and watched as Ryan settled Jenna on the burgundy leather sofa. “I’ll get some water. Would you like me to call an ambulance?”
Ryan’s face drained of blood, leaving it a ghostly white. “No, Mr. Deluse,” Cindy jumped in. She rested her hand on Ryan’s arm. “She’ll be fine.”
She said it more to Ryan than to the other man, her tone reassuring. Ryan looked at her like a drowning man might at a lifeline thrown his way. She nodded, then turned back to Mr. Deluse.
“We just need to get her away from the excitement for a bit. Please just bring the water, and maybe a couple of drinks for Ryan and Jake.”
“Of course.” He rushed out the door, closing it behind him. Ryan turned back to Jake, the storm flaring in his eyes again.
“Why in hell were you kissing my woman?” Ryan demanded. Jake almost snapped back that he loved her and she loved him and he had every right to kiss her, but he stopped himself. Remembering their first time together and how she had told him her fantasy was to have sex with a stranger, he realized that she had believed he was Ryan all along. When she’d told him she loved him yesterday, she’d thought she’d been saying it to Ryan.
Jake’s heart broke right on the spot, and the devastating pain seared every nerve in his body. He drew in a deep breath, then sighed.
“I told you. I didn’t know she was your fiancee.” He kept his voice calm and steady, even though he felt anything but. “I thought she was a woman I’ve been . . . seeing.” Cindy stared from one man to the other, her green eyes wide. Ryan scoffed. “You’re trying to tell me Jenna has an exact double in Montreal and you just happen to be dating her?” “No, I met her here.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at his brother. “When, exactly?”
“Two months ago. The day I flew down to meet with you before the meeting with Bryer Associates.”
Cindy made a choking noise. She’d obviously figured it out. Ryan’s expression turned as dark as a thunderstorm. Jake fully expected lightning to flash from his eyes. Jake raked his hand through his hair. Damn, this was a total mess. The woman he wanted to marry more than anything in the world actually loved his brother, and would be marrying him tomorrow. The fact that Jake was brokenhearted didn‘t mean his brother should suffer.
Good God, how can I tell Ryan I slept with his fiancee?
Their relationship might never recover from this.
“Where did you meet her?”
“In this hotel. She was at a wedding.” He nodded toward Aurora’s—Jenna’s—friend. “She was with Cindy here.” Cindy’s eyes widened even more and her head shook back and forth.
“How many times have you seen her?” Ryan demanded.
“Just that one time . . . and again yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Ryan roared.
Cindy pressed her fist to her mouth, as though watching a disaster in action.
“I told you, I didn’t know—“
“What the hell difference does that make?” Ryan bellowed. Cindy grasped Ryan’s wrist. “Calm down. This isn’t helping anything.” She stroked his arm in a soothing manner. “Look, Ryan, why don’t you go to housekeeping and get a towel or something so we can put a damp cloth on her forehead?” He sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. “You’re right.
That’s a good idea.”
Jake stared at the unconscious woman lying on the couch.
The woman he loved. His brother’s fiancee.
She looked so fragile and pale lying there against the dark burgundy leather. This whole situation had certainly been a shock to all of them, but Jenna didn’t strike him as the fainting type.
“I wonder why she
“This is my office. There’s a couch over there.” The older gentleman led them to the couch and watched as Ryan settled Jenna on the burgundy leather sofa. “I’ll get some water. Would you like me to call an ambulance?”
Ryan’s face drained of blood, leaving it a ghostly white. “No, Mr. Deluse,” Cindy jumped in. She rested her hand on Ryan’s arm. “She’ll be fine.”
She said it more to Ryan than to the other man, her tone reassuring. Ryan looked at her like a drowning man might at a lifeline thrown his way. She nodded, then turned back to Mr. Deluse.
“We just need to get her away from the excitement for a bit. Please just bring the water, and maybe a couple of drinks for Ryan and Jake.”
“Of course.” He rushed out the door, closing it behind him. Ryan turned back to Jake, the storm flaring in his eyes again.
“Why in hell were you kissing my woman?” Ryan demanded. Jake almost snapped back that he loved her and she loved him and he had every right to kiss her, but he stopped himself. Remembering their first time together and how she had told him her fantasy was to have sex with a stranger, he realized that she had believed he was Ryan all along. When she’d told him she loved him yesterday, she’d thought she’d been saying it to Ryan.
Jake’s heart broke right on the spot, and the devastating pain seared every nerve in his body. He drew in a deep breath, then sighed.
“I told you. I didn’t know she was your fiancee.” He kept his voice calm and steady, even though he felt anything but. “I thought she was a woman I’ve been . . . seeing.” Cindy stared from one man to the other, her green eyes wide. Ryan scoffed. “You’re trying to tell me Jenna has an exact double in Montreal and you just happen to be dating her?” “No, I met her here.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks. His eyes narrowed as he stared intently at his brother. “When, exactly?”
“Two months ago. The day I flew down to meet with you before the meeting with Bryer Associates.”
Cindy made a choking noise. She’d obviously figured it out. Ryan’s expression turned as dark as a thunderstorm. Jake fully expected lightning to flash from his eyes. Jake raked his hand through his hair. Damn, this was a total mess. The woman he wanted to marry more than anything in the world actually loved his brother, and would be marrying him tomorrow. The fact that Jake was brokenhearted didn‘t mean his brother should suffer.
Good God, how can I tell Ryan I slept with his fiancee?
Their relationship might never recover from this.
“Where did you meet her?”
“In this hotel. She was at a wedding.” He nodded toward Aurora’s—Jenna’s—friend. “She was with Cindy here.” Cindy’s eyes widened even more and her head shook back and forth.
“How many times have you seen her?” Ryan demanded.
“Just that one time . . . and again yesterday.”
“Yesterday?” Ryan roared.
Cindy pressed her fist to her mouth, as though watching a disaster in action.
“I told you, I didn’t know—“
“What the hell difference does that make?” Ryan bellowed. Cindy grasped Ryan’s wrist. “Calm down. This isn’t helping anything.” She stroked his arm in a soothing manner. “Look, Ryan, why don’t you go to housekeeping and get a towel or something so we can put a damp cloth on her forehead?” He sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. “You’re right.
That’s a good idea.”
Jake stared at the unconscious woman lying on the couch.
The woman he loved. His brother’s fiancee.
She looked so fragile and pale lying there against the dark burgundy leather. This whole situation had certainly been a shock to all of them, but Jenna didn’t strike him as the fainting type.
“I wonder why she
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