by Lisa Jackson
Stewart wasn’t so obvious, yet there was something akin to pity in his eyes when he hoisted his glass and said, “Valerie, lovely as always.”
An embarrassing blush crept over Valerie’s face. Beside her, Hale stiffened, the muscles in his arm becoming rigid as he helped her into her chair.
William poured drinks and settled into the captain’s chair at the head of the table. He winked at Valerie. “Your man here drives a hard bargain.”
“Oh, I know,” Valerie replied as the salad was served.
“Doesn’t miss a trick. I swear, if I didn’t know better, I’d think he was trying to wrest this company away from me just so he could sell it to someone else at a higher price.”
I wouldn’t put it past him, Valerie thought, but sipped her wine instead.
“Now that’s an interesting concept,” Stewart cut in, waving his fork in his father’s direction. “If that’s the case, why don’t you just cut out the middle man and sell directly to Donovan’s buyer?”
“I’m not planning to sell Stowell Investments,” Hale said.
Stewart persisted. “You have a history of buying cash-poor companies, turning them around and selling them for a profit.”
“Your father’s company isn’t cash poor.”
“No, but still—”
Hale’s gaze landed full force on Stewart. “Yes, you’re right. I could. If I had a buyer and if I wasn’t personally interested in keeping the investment firm as part of Donovan Enterprises. Once I buy the company from your father I can do anything I damn well please with it.”
Tension fairly crackled in the air. Valerie laid a staying hand on Hale’s arm, but he didn’t notice.
Stewart, rebuked, attacked his salad with a vengeance, while Beth tried to steer the conversation to safer territory. “Let’s not talk business,” she said. “It’s all so boring, and really, I’d think you two would just about be talked out.”
“Never,” her husband replied, but added, “Miserable weather, isn’t it?”
“The worst!” Regina rolled her eyes. “I told you we should have headed south.”
“Your father and I wanted to see something different this year,” Beth said pointedly, “though I don’t know that it matters whether it rains or shines when you’re cooped up in a den discussinging business.”
“These things take time,” William assured her as the salad plates were whisked away and the main course served.
Beth poured more wine into her glass. “Yes, I’m sure they do, but I know they won’t interfere with going ashore when we dock.”
“Of course not,” William replied, his round face brightening. “After all, this is a vacation.”
“Some vacation,” Regina grumbled under her breath. “This trip is about as exciting as a case of poison oak.”
Beth clamped her mouth shut, and for the rest of the meal conversation lagged.
After dinner they again took coffee in the main salon, but William and Beth retired early. “Have to be on my toes tomorrow, you know,” William said with a broad wink as he drained his cup. “I don’t want Donovan to pull any fast ones.”
Hale shrugged.
“Oh, William, come on,” Beth said, wrapping one arm around her husband’s. “You and I both know Hale Donovan’s as honest as the day is long.”
Stewart snorted in disbelief.
Valerie felt Hale bristle, but he held his tongue.
After quick good-nights, Beth dragged William down the hall toward their stateroom.
Stewart poured himself another brandy. “Anyone else?” he asked, his gaze meeting Valerie’s in the mirror over the bar. His eyes were friendly, and he lifted his mouth into an inviting smile. “Valerie?”
“No, thanks.”
“How about you, Donovan?”
“Not tonight.”
“I’ll have one later,” Regina put in.
“Well, I hate to drink alone, but when pressed . . .” Stewart grinned widely and shrugged.
Regina closed the bar. “You drink too much.”
Stewart raised his brows. “Probably,” he agreed amiably.
“Don’t you even care?” Regina snapped.
“Do you?”
“No,” Regina said. “I guess it doesn’t matter to me if you drink yourself to an early grave.”
“And does it matter to you that our father intends to sell his business to Donovan here?”
Regina shook her head, then ran her fingers through her lustrous dark mane. “I couldn’t care less.” She slid a knowing glance in Hale’s direction, and a small, secret smile touched the corners of her mouth.
A stab of envy cut through Valerie—not that there was anything about which to be envious, she reminded herself. But that smile, intimating that Regina and Hale shared a private memory, wounded her nonetheless. You’re being childish, she silently told herself, but she felt a hot stab of jealousy just the same.
“I think I’ll turn in, too,” Valerie said.
“And ruin the party?” Stewart was astounded. “It’s early.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“Correction—a boring day!” Regina said, pouting.
Hale smothered a smile, and taking Valerie’s hand in his, said, “Maybe tomorrow’ll be better.” His gaze held hers for a breathless second, and she saw his pupils dilate suggestively. Her throat closed, and she heard her heartbeat thunder in her ears.
Regina poured herself a drink and cast Valerie a scathing glare. “We can only hope,” she said.
“Come on, it’s time for bed,” Hale whispered loud enough that Stewart and Regina couldn’t help but overhear. Tugging on Valerie’s hand, he flashed her a positively indecent smile.
Valerie, despite the drumming of her heart, was consumed with an overwhelming urge to slap that crooked grin off his handsome face.
“I can find the way myself,” she said evenly.
“I’m sure you can,” he taunted.
Fists clenched, Valerie turned on her heel, then marched stiffly out of the room. The nerve of the man! Acting as if all he had to do was say the word and she’d throw herself at his feet and plead with him to make love to her. What ego!
He caught up with her at the door to her stateroom.
“Good night, Hale!”
“Good night, Valerie,” he whispered, then took her into his arms and kissed her long and hard, closing his arms around her.
“Hey . . .” she whispered, drawing back.
He ducked past her into her cabin! “What do you think you’re doing?” she demanded. “Get out!”
“I will.”
“Now!”
“In a minute.” To her annoyance, he locked the door behind him and grinned like a Cheshire cat.
“I thought you were leaving.”
“I am. Don’t worry.” He cast her an amused glance. “Do I bother you that much?”
“You bother me a lot.”
He smiled crookedly. “Then you must be starting to like me.”
“Is that it? And all this time I was sure I loathed you!”
His grin widened. “You didn’t loathe me last night.”
“Last night?”
“On the deck. Remember?”
How could she forget? “I was acting.”
“Like hell.”
Feeling cornered, she crossed her arms under her breasts. “I’m a very good actress, Hale. Just ask the producers of Life’s Golden Sands, or better yet, the actor who played my lover!”
He eyed her thoughtfully and tugged at his tie, loosening the tight knot. “Oh, I don’t doubt that you can act,” he drawled, “but give me some credit, will you?” Though he didn’t move closer, his gaze locked with hers and his smile all but disappeared. His eyes darkened a shade, and he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Valerie, I know when a woman is pretending and when she’s responding. There’s something about the glaze in her eyes, the way her knees sag and her weight falls against me that tips it off.”
“I’m not going
to argue with you,” she said, ignoring the accelerated rate of her pulse. “Believe what you want. If you insist on deluding yourself that I’m half in love with you, go right ahead! If it eases your conscience to think that I really would want to marry you, that’s your prerogative. But if you’re interested in the facts, Mr. Donovan, then believe me, kissing you has no effect on me whatsoever.” She was lying through her teeth—what was it about him that made her pride cover her true emotions? And why did she yearn to knock him down a couple of pegs? Pretending interest in her fingernails, she added, “You’re just a man, Hale. My employer, nothing more. And by the way, last night—and just now—those kisses? They weren’t so great.”
“Oh, no?”
“ No.”
“Then maybe I’d better try to improve.”
Chuckling, he kissed her again, and it took all her willpower not to respond to the quick, wet flicks of his tongue, the pressure of his hands on her back, the persuasion of his parted mouth against hers.
When he lifted his head, he quirked one side of his mouth. “Face it, Valerie. You’re beginning to fall for me.”
She nearly choked. “You have the biggest male ego I’ve ever seen,” she challenged, wishing she didn’t feel the telltale flush on her skin. “And I would never, never come close to caring for a man like you!”
“And what kind of a man is that?”
“A man who wants gold for his mistress!” she said, unable to hold back the words. “You have a heart of stone. All you care about is money!”
His nostrils flared indignantly, and the cords in his neck stretched tight. He flexed his fingers for several heart-stopping seconds, and she knew instinctively that she’d pushed him too far. Good. He deserved it. She wasn’t about to back down.
But his voice when he spoke was amazingly calm. “And you, Ms. Pryce, are a liar.”
“Pardon me?”
“Just who’s kidding whom here?” he wondered aloud, a small, wicked smile toying with his thin lips. Lightning quick, he snatched her wrist and with a quick tug slammed her body against his. She nearly fell, but he caught her and in the blink of an eye lowered his head and captured her lips with his in a kiss that was as punishing as it was passionate.
She tried to pull back, but he held her close. As his fury gave way to pleasure, he moved his mouth gently over hers and splayed his hands possessively against her back.
No! she thought, forcing herself not to respond. This was her chance to prove he had no effect on her whatsoever. But her traitorous body didn’t heed her head. Her breath started coming in shallow bursts, and a wondrous warm sensation swirled deep inside her, heating her in gentle, pulsing waves.
She closed her eyes and pressed her palms against the smooth fabric of his jacket. Gradually she wrapped her fingers around the back of his neck. The feel of the hairs of his nape, the heat of his skin against her fingertips—it seemed as though she couldn’t get enough of him.
Hale finally lifted his head, and to Valerie’s humiliation, his eyes were as clear as crystal. He hadn’t felt a thing! He had been acting! “I guess that proves my point,” he said.
“Or mine,” she responded. Thankfully her voice was as steady as his. Though her fingers shook slightly, she brushed back the unruly strands of her hair and smiled confidently. “Now, I think you know what you can do with all your chauvinistic philosophy on lovemaking. Good night, Mr. Donovan.”
With a superior smile, she unlatched the connecting door and held it open, hoping beyond hope that Hale couldn’t see her pulse twitching violently in her throat.
“Good night,” he said, pausing at the threshold and saying again, “You don’t fool me, you know,” then slamming the door shut behind him.
A second later she heard the lock slide into place—from his side of the door! As if he expected her to try to get to him! Of all the egotistical, arrogant nerve! Closing her eyes, she let out the breath she’d been holding and wished she could scream or kick or slap the infuriating man. Instead she satisfied herself by kicking off her shoes and muttering a list of oaths a mile long about the particular lack of sensitivity in the male of the species!
CHAPTER 8
Rain continued to pound The Regina’s teak deck for nearly three days. Valerie barely saw Hale, and when she did, he seemed distant and brooding. Regina pouted, Stewart grew sullen and even Beth was cranky.
“Some vacation this has turned out to be,” Regina growled, eyeing her reflection in the mirrored bar and adjusting the collar of her sweater. She turned her head side to side, and lines formed over her eyebrows. “My tan’s fading!” She pulled her mouth together as if it had drawstrings attached to it.
“You’ll survive,” Stewart predicted.
Valerie, who had read three books, visited Hans before every meal and worked out to an exercise tape each morning, glanced out the window. Streaks of sunlight pierced through thick gray clouds. The sea, though still choppy, was calmer than it had been. “At least the rain’s stopped.”
“But for how long?” Regina wanted to know. “I’ve heard that it rains all the time in Oregon!”
“Not all the time,” her mother corrected.
Restless, Valerie made her way up to the deck, which, though still damp, was no longer slick with rain. Fresh air misted against her cheeks, and the breeze tangled her hair. The Oregon shoreline was visible. Craggy, fir-laden cliffs jutted upward from an angry storm-ravaged sea.
She heard someone on the stairs, and her breath caught in her throat at the thought that Hale might join her. He hadn’t so much as said ten sentences to her since their argument the other night, and she looked forward to the chance to clear the air. Though she hadn’t been in the wrong, she hadn’t been honest, either. Hale Donovan and his damned kisses affected her as nothing ever had.
“Is it safe?” Stewart asked, smiling as he climbed the stairs and crossed the deck. The wind caught his shirt-tail, and it flapped noisily.
“Safe from what?” she asked. Disappointed that Stewart, not Hale, had decided to join her, she rubbed the chill from her arms and forced a smile she didn’t really feel.
“Wind and rain for starters, or worse yet, abject idleness and the chance for boredom to set in.”
“I’ve heard it said that boredom is a state of mind.”
“Don’t tell Regina.”
“I wouldn’t.”
He stood next to her at the rail, his shoulder touching hers as he squinted toward the shore. For a few minutes he didn’t say a word. The silence was companionable, the scent of moist salt air bracing. Valerie relaxed until he said, “God, this is a slow cruise. So, how’re you and Donovan getting along?”
“As well as can be expected.”
“You haven’t seen much of him.”
“He’s been busy.”
“So I gathered.” Stewart cocked his head and stared at her. “You know, if you were my fiancée . . .” He let his voice trail off and offered her a shy smile.
“You’d do things differently?” she asked.
“Very differently.” He covered her hand with his, pressing her palm into the railing as he linked his fingers between hers.
“How?” Hale asked loudly as he mounted the stairs. Valerie stiffened. She tried to pull back her hand, but Stewart’s grip was firm.
Hale approached. His brow was furrowed, his lips drawn into a tight line as he skewered Stewart with his angry glare. “Tell me, how would you do things differently?”
Stewart shrugged, but still claimed her hand. “Well, for starters, I wouldn’t ignore her.”
Hale turned to Valerie. “Have you been ignored?”
Valerie swallowed hard. She felt cornered. “Not really.”
“I didn’t think so.” Hale glanced at Valerie’s hand, her diamond visible through the gap between Stewart’s fingers.
Valerie wanted to drop right through the deck, but Stewart seemed to gain strength in the confrontation.
“Give me a break, Donovan. You and Dad have been ho
led up in that study ever since we set sail! Valerie’s had to entertain herself.”
“Except when you decided to step in and help out,” Hale said slowly, his gaze positively glacial.
“Someone should show her a good time.”
“A ‘good time’?” Hale fumed.
“Right. Some people take time to enjoy life, Donovan. Whether you know it or not, there’s more to being alive than buying and selling stock and preparing financial statements or beefing up annual reports or whatever it is you do.”
The wind rushed over the deck, jangling chains, causing Stewart’s shirt to billow, blowing Hale’s raven-black hair over his forehead. The cold sea air felt charged with electricity, but not from the storm. “If I’ve been neglecting Valerie,” Hale said calmly, “I’ll make it up to her. Starting today.”
Valerie couldn’t stand the tension a moment longer. “You don’t have to do anything—”
“Sure I do. Stewart has a point, doesn’t he? We did take this cruise to celebrate our engagement.” He leaned a hip against the rail, and the dimple in his cheek was visible. “Besides, most of the business is concluded. Aside for a few loose ends, the deal’s done.”
Stewart blanched and dropped his hand to his side. “What do you mean? He actually sold to you?”
“We’ll have the lawyers draw up the papers when we get back to San Francisco.”
“Then there’s still time to talk him out of it!”
“I don’t think so.”
Shirt flapping behind him, Stewart strode to the stairs and disappeared from sight.
“You didn’t have to bait him,” Valerie accused.
“I didn’t.”
“Sure.”
“Look, Valerie, Stewart seems to think I’m out to get him by stealing his father’s company. That’s not the way it is. I’m offering Stowell a fair price. If he wants to sell to me, it’s his business—not Stewart’s.”
“Stewart doesn’t see it that way.”
“Unfortunately Stewart’s a fool. He wants everything for nothing. William would have liked nothing better than to increase his only son’s responsibility, groom him for running the investment firm someday, but Stewart wasn’t interested in hard work. Nor was Regina.” Hale studied the mutinous tilt of Valerie’s chin. “So now you and Stewart are friends?” he asked, disgusted with the dark turn of his thoughts. But jealousy stung him. He’d noticed Stewart looking at Valerie in the mirror over the bar last night and had seen his hand resting on hers just a few minutes ago.