Stranger In His Bed
Page 8
The full smile on her face was breathtaking.
Wade cleared his throat and seated her at the little table. Victoria simply could not keep the smile off her face. “Thank you, Wade. I mean that.”
He shrugged. “You did all the work. You selected the table and chairs.”
“Actually, Curtis did. We picked them out together from a catalog, and he placed the order. Even the tree.”
“Bless him for that,” Wade said, straight-faced but slightly sarcastic. “Well, whoever was responsible for getting them here did good. And this is hands down better than eating in the formal dining room.” He sat back in his chair. “And I’m going to enjoy the view as well as the meal.”
He looked directly at Victoria, and she lowered her head, refusing to meet his glance. Not the normal response for Victoria, who sought out any and all attention whenever she could find it.
“But the next time you redecorate, remember to put up some signs warning of construction.”
She nodded her agreement. “And turn on some lights for through traffic.”
Jacob chose that moment to approach the table. “Are we ready to dine, sir?”
Wade nodded. “I believe we are.”
The old butler disappeared for a few minutes and returned holding two large flat boxes. He set both in the center of the table. “Here we have a meat lover’s with pepperoni and sausage.” He moved it to the side and opened the other box. “Here we have a sampling of meats and vegetables. I believe this is a Supreme. No jalapeños or anchovies.”
Victoria burst into laughter.
“Thanks, Jacob,” Wade said, grinning.
“You are most welcome.” He turned to Victoria. “I’ll be right back with your salads. Uh...dig in.”
Surreal. She’d even had a positive effect on the staff.
She grabbed one slice of each pizza and placed them on her plate. Picking up the pepperoni and sausage slice, she took a sizable bite and rolled her eyes, muttering, “Oh man! That is so good.”
Wade helped himself as he continued to watch his wife enjoy her meal. In the past, she’d rarely shown such enthusiasm, even for a filet mignon prepared by a world-renowned chef accompanied by a rare wine that cost thousands per bottle. Who knew she would have been content with a pizza from Domino’s and a Diet Dr Pepper?
“Do you have any plans in the coming weeks?”
“Me? Plans?” She took a sip of her beverage. “I’ll have to check my social calendar,” she said, then grinned. “What did you have in mind?”
“I thought you might like a small vacation.”
“Really? Where?”
“Let it be a surprise.”
* * *
After lunch, Wade excused himself and returned to his office, saying he needed to make some phone calls. Victoria walked with him partway; when he turned left down another corridor, she got onto the elevator. But instead of selecting the second floor, she leaned on the hold button. She didn’t want to go back to her room; she wanted to be outside. The late-afternoon sun was still shining, and the memory of the tranquil blue-green water of the pool was a heady invitation. Without further thought, she stepped back out of the elevator and headed to the pool.
Towels were kept in a cabinet, along with sunscreen and sunglasses and a few other items. She grabbed one of the towels and walked to the edge of the enormous pool. It was shaped like a lagoon and was surrounded with tropical plants. The waterfall at the far end was too tempting. She quickly shed her blouse and jeans to reveal the yellow bikini underneath. Without testing the water, she dropped the towel on top of her clothes on a chair, moved to an area where the water was deeper and dived in. So cool and refreshing! She loved to swim. She loved the water. Both were things she hadn’t considered yet. Maybe some of her memory was coming back.
She turned onto her back, partially floating, partially paddling the water with her hands, each stroke taking her closer to the falls. The giant boulders flanking each side had natural indentations where ivy and other cascading plants grew. The falls fell from a height of fifteen feet or more above the water and were just as wide.
She dived under the falls, came up on the other side and found herself at the opening of a huge cavern. The water gradually grew more shallow until she was walking up a wide set of stairs leading into an aboveground cave. The space would easily hold a dozen people. It had heavy wooden beams across the top and a skylight set into the center. There were reclining chairs, a sofa, a table for four and a small bar. It even had a large flat-screen television. The cave was made entirely of rock. The cream-colored floor was smooth alabaster laced with the brown color of the cave walls. Lit from beneath, it cast a soft glow over the space, giving it a feeling of solitude where the busy world could not break in. A fire pit lay ready and waiting, extending up from the center of the wide steps. She could hear soft music being piped in over the sound of the falling water.
It was amazing. Without any thought of should she or shouldn’t she? Victoria climbed the four steps and stepped onto the translucent stone panels, which melded perfectly into the softly glowing floor. The bar top was made of the same smooth material and was the highlight of that area. She roamed around, amazed that from the outside, the hill covered in tropical plants and flowers was in fact a cover-up for a cavern complete with furniture and a big screen.
“What are you doing in here?” Wade’s voice cut into the tranquility.
She spun around to face him. “I... Nothing. I was just looking around. This is incredible.” She felt the blood drain from her face as she perceived this to be yet another area of this colossal house that was off-limits. Wade wasn’t smiling.
He climbed the steps without seeming to move at all, dressed in a pair of trunks that left very little to the imagination. Heat pooled in her lower abdomen, and her mouth became dry. The closer he got, the better she could see his expression. He didn’t look angry so much as amazed. “More to the point, how did you get in here?”
“Through the falls. I don’t know of another way in. Is there one?”
“What are you even doing in the pool?”
“Swimming. What, am I not allowed in here either? Is there a silent alarm here, too?” She could hear the frustration in her voice. She had reached her limit of being told where she could go and couldn’t go, what she could and couldn’t do.
“Victoria.” He gripped her upper arms and gave her a small shake. “Dammit. You don’t know how to swim!”
Seven
“Apparently I do,” she replied. “Actually, I love the water. I think. And this grotto behind the falls is awesome. I’ve never seen anything like it—that I can remember. I didn’t hurt or damage anything.”
“It never occurred to me that you would. I was merely concerned for your safety.” Still looking at her as though he didn’t believe a word she said, he finally nodded his head and released her arms but refused to let her out of his sight. “I need a drink. What would you like?” he asked over his shoulder as he turned and walked to the bar. “I used to keep this pretty well stocked, but there hasn’t been anyone using these facilities in a couple of years.”
“Not even you when you are at home?”
“No time. What will you have?”
“I haven’t got a clue.”
“Okay, well, you used to like rosé, so let us find out.” He walked over to a large wine rack and selected a bottle.
“This is Château d’Esclans ‘Garrus’ Rosé from Provence, France, 2010. They produce only six barrels per year. I was lucky.” His fluent, near perfect French was seductive.
“How many languages do you speak?”
“Six. A seventh if you want to count just getting by. Why do you ask?”
Victoria shrugged. “Just curious. You speak French beautifully. It sounds sexy. I can’t help but wonder if I speak other languages. Probably not.”
“I think we need a toast,” Victoria said after he had poured each of them a glass of the sparkling rosé. “To your project in Belize. May it be amazing.”
“I’d prefer a different toast. Here’s to my wife not drowning today.”
She laughed and touched her glass to his. “I’ll definitely drink to that.” She took her first sip. “Oh, my gosh, this is delicious!” she said as she swallowed another. “Oh, my gosh, Wade.”
“Glad you still like it. It’s what I usually prefer when I’m out here near the pool.”
“Wade, I really do know how to swim.” She was determined to make him believe her. “I enjoy doing so. Either you misunderstood me, or—”
“Or you lied to me before.” He looked at her straight on, but she met his eyes without flinching.
“Why would I do that?”
“I don’t have the slightest idea, but it happens. Quite often, actually.” He sat down on the edge of the couch and turned to face her. “How did you know you could swim?”
“I don’t know. I enjoyed the pool while you were in New York and wanted to come back. It’s amazing.” She took another sip of her wine. Was that why they weren’t together? Did she get caught in a lie? Her instincts were screaming no!
“You do know that if you’d been wrong and couldn’t swim, you would have been in trouble with no one around to help you.”
She shrugged. “Maybe. But as soon as I got in the water, it felt okay.”
Wade ran a hand across his lower face. “Victoria, I don’t want you coming out here unless you have someone with you. Someone who knows how to swim.”
“I know how to swim,” she countered.
“Maybe. Maybe not.”
Victoria set her glass on an end table. “How do you think I got here?”
“Probably because you can swim a little, but a percentage of that could have been luck.”
Victoria knew what he was saying, and she felt her heart speed up because he apparently cared. “I appreciate the sentiments. I do. But I assure you nothing about me swimming to this grotto was luck. Why do you think I can’t swim?”
“Because you’ve always been very nervous around the water. You told me you never learned to swim and didn’t care to try. You avoided pool parties at all costs. You lived off Dramamine the few times I got you on board the yacht.”
“We have a yacht?”
“The point is I don’t want you taking unnecessary chances.”
“I...” She didn’t know what to say. She wouldn’t have said such a thing to him, would she? Either he mistook something she said, or she had lied to Wade. According to Wade, lying was a common practice for her before her accident. That thought made her very uncomfortable.
“I’m going back to the house.” Before he could try to stop her, she ran down the steps, dived into the deeper water under the falls and kept swimming. By the time Wade caught up with her, she was out of the pool and grabbing a towel.
“Victoria, wait,” Wade called behind her. His request was ignored. She wanted to go back to the house. She needed to be alone. She had to have time to sort this out. What had happened between them? She didn’t feel as though she was one who would lie to her husband, especially about something as trivial as knowing how to swim.
She scooted through the back door and headed down the hall toward the elevator and pushed the call button.
“Victoria, I need you to listen to me.”
“Why? So you can accuse me of telling more lies?” She shook her head and glared at him. “You have the winning hand and refuse to give me a chance. Something is wrong between us. I felt it the day we came home from the hospital. If you won’t tell me what happened, then I can do nothing to fix it.” She pushed the button again. “If this is the way our marriage was, I don’t care to continue. Two people who are married are supposed to love each other. I feel no love coming from you, Wade. Only brief glimpses of sympathy.”
The door opened, and she stepped into the elevator. Unfortunately, Wade followed her inside.
“I won’t stay in a house where I’m not wanted, and clearly that’s the case. Give me a couple of days to make some arrangements, and I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Victoria, you can’t leave.”
She glared. “Do not tell me what I can and cannot do. Except for my memory, I’m perfectly healthy. Your obligation to bring me here until I healed is over. You won’t have to look at me again or listen to any more lies.”
She was mad, hurt, frustrated; all the emotions that had been building over the past two weeks had reached the surface. Nothing was ever going to change. To remain in a loveless marriage that had no hope of getting better was pointless. She didn’t need her memory to know that.
“Victoria—”
She held up a hand indicating whatever he had to say she didn’t want to hear. The elevator doors opened, and she quickly stepped into the hallway and beat a path for her room.
For the first time, she locked her door behind her. Wade knocked and was rewarded with a clear “Go away.”
After a few more attempts, he must have left. Turning to the shower, she dropped her bathing suit and stepped under the spray. Where would she go? There must be women’s shelters somewhere nearby. Maybe Roe could give her some ideas in the morning. She hated to involve Wade’s staff, but she didn’t know the answers. Maybe she could find the apartment Wade had mentioned she kept in Dallas? Unless he owned it. Oh, God, if only her memory would come back.
* * *
It had been almost a month. Surely Victoria should be getting her memory back by now. Wade was a man, and he knew she wanted him. She needed his body as badly as he needed hers. But she was holding out because she didn’t know anything about their past. He’d considered many times not telling her the whole truth and just saying they had been about to divorce. Then they could work their way through their issues and become a couple. But no. When her memory came back, she would sure as hell know about their past, about the contract. And what actions would she bring in a lawsuit then? Why should he want them to be a couple? He’d never especially cared for her before the accident. He’d never been attracted to her the way he apparently was now. And when her memory returned, there was every likelihood she would revert to the snobbish woman she’d always been. This entire situation was driving him crazy.
What if he told her the truth? What if he told her about the contract? Would that appease her? Would Victoria then understand what kind of marriage this was and accept it? It might even serve to bring back some of her memories. Certainly he wanted her fully healthy. But telling Victoria the truth of their relationship could cause more consternation than she needed at this time in her recovery. Still, did he have an option? He was tired of the half-truths. Tired of kissing her, feeling her body respond to him and having to step away. He knew the time was coming when he wouldn’t be able to stop. Each time he held her, it became more difficult to let go. At least if she knew the truth, she could make the decision knowing all the facts surrounding their relationship. Right now she thought he had stopped loving her. How convoluted was that? He’d only in recent weeks begun to see her in a light that could lead him to start loving her.
Dinner that evening was uncomfortable, and that was an understatement. Even so, the menu was amazing. The main course was filet mignon with white truffle risotto and Italian kimchi-style escarole with anchovies and Calabrian chilies. A dark red rosé accompanied the meal. It no doubt was delicious, but the food stuck in his throat. The coziness he’d previously felt in the new dining room was now oppressive. And it seemed that neither one of them had an appetite.
After a long, uncomfortable silence, he decided to address the elephant in the room. “Victoria, people get married for many di
fferent reasons. It’s not always solely because of love.”
“Are you saying ours was like a marriage of convenience? Or...or...did I get pregnant?”
“No, you didn’t get pregnant. I wish you would just let it go. What was in the past is in the past. Can we not go forward?”
“Forward to where? How can I go forward if I don’t know where I’ve been?”
For a long minute neither moved.
“Come on.” He stood up. “Walk with me.”
He guided her back toward the elevator. When the doors opened, he accompanied her inside and pushed the button for the second floor. Rather than taking her to her room, they went farther down the hall to his. When they were inside, he indicated for her to sit. She chose one of the chairs near the fireplace. He pulled up a chair and sat down facing her.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I agree that keeping the past from you isn’t fair. You have the right to know. Then you can make your own decision whether you want to stay or go. But I won’t try to stop you.”
“Why at times do I get the feeling you hate me?”
He ground his teeth.
“I don’t hate you, Victoria.”
“Try again. It’s like sometimes you want to hold me and make love to me. I feel your desire. I know it. I can tell. Then you push me away, or you walk away like it would be a bad thing. I...I don’t know what I did that was so bad. You claimed that I often lied to you. About what? How am I ever going to make amends if you don’t tell me what it is? I need to know, Wade. Like, about the water. Why would I lie about something so simple? What could possibly be my motivation?”
* * *
She gazed into his eyes. The golden flecks in his brown eyes seemed to glow in the ambient lighting. His masterful lips were held in a straight line, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away.
He released a deep breath. “It’s complicated, Victoria. Until your memory returns, I don’t know how much you will understand.”
“That’s unfair.” She looked at him. “You’re holding something against me that I can’t apologize for. I can’t make it right because I don’t know what it is that I did. I want to know about us.” She stared into his face, not willing to look away or offer him the same option. “I want to know the truth. Since the day I woke up in the hospital after the wreck, I’ve never seen anything more in your eyes than sympathy and, on occasion, the glimmer of arousal, which you effectively snub out. You can give compassion to a homeless person. You can hire a woman if you need sexual release. I want to know why I’m here. Are we honestly even married?”