Love And Money (Love Series - Book 2)

by K. L. Prince

  “Wow, you look beautiful in that dress. Stunning,” he says when he is inside the apartment.

  “Thank you. You don’t look so bad yourself,” she says, feeling herself blush.

  “I try,” he says and hugs her.

  The feeling of his arms tightly around her feels amazing. The warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne turns her on. She starts to wonder what lies beneath his clothes and is almost going to suggest that they skip the charity event and have a night in when she remembers what he told her about his father insisting that he attend events. She decides that even if she suggested it, he would probably refuse anyway. She bites her tongue and keeps her thoughts to herself. She starts to wonder about what could happen post charity event, but she brushes the thoughts aside. She is probably getting ahead of herself anyway. She wishes that she could stay in his arms when they break away from each other.

  “Wow, you really have a nice apartment. That spiral staircase is pretty amazing,” Caden says, scanning the apartment.

  “Thanks. Shall we go?” she asks, quickly changing the subject. The less that she has to speak about the apartment, the better.

  “Yeah, let’s go and have some fun,” he says and smiles. He grabs her coat that is hanging from the coat rack and helps her into it. She thanks Olivia in her mind for letting her borrow the coat, as well as the dress that Caden seems to like very much. “After you,” he says after opening the door to the apartment.

  When they are in the hallway, Caden offers her his arm. She smiles at the courteous gesture. She happily accepts his offer and slides her hand into the crook of his arm. They walk arm-in-arm to the elevator. She likes how they move down the hallway as one unit with every step taken in unison. They are in sync and it feels really nice.

  Caden pushes the button to the elevator and she snuggles closer to him. She really likes being close to him and she will take every opportunity that she gets to do so. She wants to spend this evening being as physically close to Caden as she can, but most importantly, she also wants to get personally close. She wants this evening to be an evening of getting closer to Caden and growing and strengthening the bond that they have between them. She wants to end the evening knowing each other even better.

  “So, what is this charity event about?” she asks as they ride the elevator to the ground floor.

  “It’s for the children’s ward at University Hospital. Attending this event isn’t really about the business side of my life, which is usually the case when I attend these types of event. I kind of lied to you before when I told you it was going to be a boring night because helping the children’s ward at University is a cause that I’m passionate about in my personal life. I had a childhood friend pass away from cancer and ever since I’ve been interested in finding a cure and helping children that have been affected by the disease. All I really have to offer is money, but sometimes I volunteer my time. I do whatever I can to help and I will never stop helping and doing as much as I can for as long as I can. I never miss this event every year. Attending is an absolute priority and I never let anything stand in my way. I get to this event come hell or high water.”

  “Really?” she asks, surprised.

  “You sound surprised,” he replies and looks at her.

  “I am to be honest. All I’m used to seeing is greed these days. From what I can tell there are few wealthy people that actually care about charity and helping those in need. It seems to me that if giving to a charitable cause doesn’t mean a hefty tax break, they could care less.”

  “Unfortunately, what you say is true. My father is exactly like that. He gives to many charities, but it’s not because he actually cares about helping. Giving for him is strictly about how much money he can save when the tax man comes calling every year.”

  “Well, it’s nice to know that everyone is not like your father and I mean that in the nicest way possible,” she says and squeezes Caden’s arm.

  “No offense taken. The facts are the facts. My father can be a very greedy and selfish man. I liken him to the father on that old show Duck Tales. If he could, he would swim around in his huge vault of money, like the father did on that television show.”

  “Oh my gosh! I’ve seen that show,” she says and chuckles, remembering the cartoon.

  “Yep. That’s my father,” he says and covers her hand that is in the crook of his arm with his.

  When the elevator reaches the ground level, Caden leads her through the lobby. The same security guard that initially let her into the building nods and says, “Ms. Bailey,” as they walk by the desk. She returns the nod and smiles back at him.

  She is happy for the security guard’s acknowledgement because it helps the lie that she has told Caden hold water. She believes that the security guard knowing her name helps to solidify that she is the resident of the apartment upstairs in Caden’s mind. She believes that Caden has no reason to question whether or not she belongs in the building and that makes her feel more comfortable that her lie won’t be uncovered - at least for the time being.

  Caden leads her outside to a waiting car. The driver opens the door for them and they quickly get inside. She feels like Cinderella being escorted to the ball. Only she already has her Prince Charming. He sits right next to her and holds her hand. The glass slipper has already been put onto her foot.

  When they start to drive, Caden says, “I usually just drive myself to these events, but since you have come with me, I thought I would push the boat out. Mainly, I just want to be able to focus all of my attention on you and not have to worry about driving.”

  “I appreciate what you’ve done for me, but you really didn’t have to do anything special for me. I’m just happy to be attending this event with you. It doesn’t really matter to me how we get there,” she says and admires Caden’s handsome face and his perfect smile. She starts to wonder if his lips will feel soft against hers. She resists the urge to lean over and kiss him. She wants him to make the first move.

  “Harper, you are nothing like the women that I’m used to dating. Most of the women that I’ve dated would expect a driver, and if they didn’t get it, they would throw a fit, but not you. You seem different and I like that. It seems to me, and if it’s true, it will be a breath of fresh air to know that the things that I do for you will be appreciated and not expected. It’s nice to have the things you do for someone be appreciated, you know what I mean?”

  “I do know what you mean,” she replies. She plans to make sure that Caden knows that what he does for her will always be appreciated and will never taken for granted. It has always been her intention. Letting Caden know how much he means to her will always be paramount.

  “I want you to know that this just the beginning of all the special things that I am going to do for you, and you can be assured, there will be many.”

  “Well, I look forward to them,” she says and scoots closer to him.

  “Let’s have a toast,” Caden says and reaches over to the chilling bottle of Champagne. He pops off the cork, pours them each a glass, and hands her one of the half-filled glasses. “To a wonderful night and to wonderful beginnings,” he says and raises his glass.

  She clinks her glass against his and says, “To a wonderful night with more to come in the future.”

  “I will definitely drink to that,” he says and drinks the glass of champagne.

  She finishes her glass and Caden pours them another. She starts to feel the warmth of the liquid and she starts to relax. She is sure that the words of their toast will come true. She is sure that the night ahead will be wonderful. How could it be otherwise? She is spending the evening with a man, who gets more wonderful by the minute. Everything that he says and does draws her closer to him. She feels like there is absolutely nothing that could happen that could turn their evening together into a nightmare. At this point, Caden is doing everything right.

  When they arrive at the venue and Caden helps her out the car, she feels proud to be on his arm. She feels proud
to be at his side, and as people look at them together, she can’t help but smile. She secretly hopes that some of the women that see them together are jealous and wish they were in her shoes. Tonight the world will see that Caden Mason is officially off the market. She has snatched him up and she isn’t letting him go without a fight. This is their coming out party and she is going to make sure that everyone at the charity event knows it.

  She can’t help but feel a little bit possessive of the man that stands at her side. She is well aware that she has caught a good man and she is sure that others think the way she does about Caden. Caden is the whole package. He’s handsome, thoughtful, caring, and rich. She would be naïve to think that other women wouldn’t want a piece of him. He is like prime real estate and she knows it.

  She doesn’t believe for a second that there is a woman alive that wouldn’t want a little Caden Mason action. She can’t believe that she initially turned him away. She is happy that she ran into him at the garage. She sees now that brushing him off was a mistake. She doesn’t know what she was thinking. She must have been completely out of her mind. She is glad for the second chance.

  They check their coats and he introduces her to a few people. She is thrilled when he introduces her as his girlfriend. His introduction of her makes her feel secure in her place in his life. He has claimed her and she is happy to be his.

  Caden leads her to their table and he introduces her to everyone. He seems to know all of the faces that surround the table and they all seem happy to see him. As she listens to him speak to others at the table, she comes to realize that he wasn’t lying about his involvement with the children’s ward at University Hospital. It becomes apparent that he is very much an active donor and the cause is something that truly is dear to his heart.

  The realization that Caden cares so much about the plight of sick children makes her heart melt. She realizes that there are so many layers to Caden Mason and it makes her even more curious to find out what lies beneath the surface of Caden’s sexy exterior.

  As she listens to him speak to a man sitting beside them about the concerns he has about the sick children that fill the ward at the hospital, the need and the want to delve deep into the heart of Caden intensifies for her. As she listens to Caden speak, the want to know everything about him grows inside of her. She vows to find out what makes Caden tick. She wants to figure everything out about him. She wants to learn how to make him happy and keep him happy.

  A man at the front of the venue interrupts the conversations at the table. He announces that the auction is about to begin. She watches Caden pick up the stick with a number on it to bid in the auction. She wonders what he will bid on and she hopes that it will give her another clue to help her in deciphering Caden’s personality and his likes and dislikes.

  Several items pass by and Caden’s hand doesn’t go up. When the auctioneer announces that a trip to Hawaii is next up to be auctioned, Caden turns and smiles at her. “This one is mine,” he says and sits up in his seat. She admires the steely look of determination that now resides on his face. She likes seeing this fighter side of him. There is no doubt in her mind that he is going to win the auction and capture the trip to Hawaii.

  When the auctioneer starts the bidding, Caden immediately puts up his stick. She is disappointed when a couple of other people also bid on the trip, but it doesn’t seem to faze Caden. She bites her lip as the bid for the trip gets higher and higher and no one drops out of the race. She calculates in her mind about how much a trip to Hawaii would cost if purchased through a travel agency. As the bidding surpasses what she believes the trip would cost, she can’t help but think that people would be crazy to pay the price that they will end up paying at the end of the bidding. She can’t stop the spendthrift side of herself from rearing its head. She has to remind herself that the people bidding on the trip are more than likely very rich and the bid for the trip is probably mere pocket change to them.

  The bid for the trip keeps rising and rising. She watches a couple of people drop out of the race, until there is only Caden and another woman vying for the trip. Every time Caden puts up his stick, the woman responds. She cheers Caden on in her mind and she watches the look of determination on his face harden. As soon as the woman responds by raising her stick, Caden is right there with his up in the air. She is sure that the woman bidding against Caden doesn’t know whom she is dealing with. She is sure that Caden is not going to give up and she is right. He keeps raising his stick over and over again. The price of the trip doesn’t seem to matter to him. It seems that he’s gone after the trip and he is not going to give up until it is his.

  After an intense bidding war, the woman across the room gives up and Caden wins the trip. He turns to her and gives her the biggest smile she has ever seen. She can tell that he is overjoyed to have won the bidding war and that the trip is now his. She feels proud of his accomplishment. She admires his resolve and his fight to the finish attitude. She wonders if he would fight for her the way he has just fought for the trip to Hawaii. She hopes so.

  She can’t help but notice that Caden has ended up paying five times what the trip would cost through a travel agency. “That was a lot of money,” she leans over and whispers into his ear. She can’t help but mention the cost because it seems astronomical to her. She would never be able to afford what he will pay for the trip. As soon as she says the words, in her mind, she smacks her spendthrift self. Caden has just done something that he is truly happy about and that will make an actual difference. The last thing that she wants to do is rain on his parade in any way.

  Caden just shrugs at her comment and says, “It’s for a very good cause. I would have paid even more if I had to.”

  “Well, congratulations is in order, then,” she says and pats him on the arm. “A trip to Hawaii will be absolutely awesome, I’m sure.”

  “It definitely will be, because you’re going with me,” he says and smiles at her.

  “Really?” she asks, surprised by the invitation.

  “Absolutely. I can’t imagine going with anyone else. You’re here when I won it and you will be present to enjoy it, too.”

  “Oh my gosh, Caden! Thank you so much for inviting me. I have never been to Hawaii before,” she says and kicks herself immediately after the words have slipped out of her mouth. What person that has money has never been to Hawaii? She can’t take back the words now, so she braces for his response.

  “Well, you’re going to absolutely love it. Hawaii is a beautiful place. You’ll never want to come home.”

  She breathes a sigh of relief. Caden doesn’t seem to think it’s odd that she’s never been to Hawaii before. The wheels start turning in her mind. She starts to wonder when the trip to Hawaii will take place. She doesn’t think that it’s going to happen in the next few weeks. Her lie becomes ever present in her mind. How is she going to pull going on a trip to Hawaii with Caden? She can’t stay in Olivia’s father’s apartment forever. She starts to feel the burden of her lie’s weight heavily upon her shoulders again.

  She is glad that her thoughts are interrupted by the serving of dinner. She immerses herself in the conversations that go on over the meal as a way to distract herself from the burden of her lie that has pushed itself to the forefront of her mind all of a sudden. With each bite of the dinner that has been placed in front of her, she pushes the lie further and further to the back of her mind. She will deal with it later.

  When everyone has finished eating dessert, the lights dim and music starts to play. It is time for mingling and having a good time. The charity event for the hospital has raised an enormous amount of money and has by all accounts been a huge success. Everyone seems happy with the result, but no one is happier than Caden. He is sure that the money that has been raised will be put to good use and will help to end the suffering of countless children stricken with the deadly disease of cancer. She is happy to have been part of something so meaningful. She is grateful to have been invited to the event by Caden.
It will be something that she never forgets.

  “Let’s dance,” he suggests when their dishes have been cleared away.

  “I thought you would never ask,” she says and takes his hand.

  He leads her to the center of the dance floor and pulls her close. The feeling of his fingers wrapped tightly around her waist is wonderful. She feels so safe in his arms. She lays her head on his shoulder as they sway back and forth and move to the music. He lays his head on top of her head and pulls her even closer. She closes her eyes and gets lost in the music. She could stay like this forever. In Caden’s arms is where she wants to stay forever and an eternity.

  When the song has finished, Caden says, “Let’s go get some air on the terrace.” She nods her head and he leads her outside into the chilly air. “Here, take my coat,” he says and takes off his tuxedo jacket and wraps it around her shoulders.

  “Thank you,” she says, appreciative for the warmth of his coat.

  “Come here,” he says and wraps his arms around her. “Are you having a good time?”

  “I’m having an amazing time. Thank you for inviting me.”

  “Your very welcome,” he says and pulls away from her. They lock eyes. “You really look so beautiful tonight. I can barely take my eyes off of you,” he says. He stares deeply into her eyes before leaning down and finally kissing her.

  She is thrilled to finally get to feel his soft lips against hers and they feel exactly how she imagined they would feel – perfect. When she feels his tongue touch hers, she almost loses her breath. His mouth over hers feels so good. She returns his kiss more fervently.

  As their lips move together and Caden kisses her deeply, she feels tingles all over her body. She stands on her tiptoes to get closer to him and he responds by lifting her up by the waist to bring her to him. As the moments pass, their kiss gets deeper and more passionate. They explore each other with their lips and the heat of their kiss intensifies. She doesn’t want to ever stop kissing Caden and it’s evident by the moans that start to escape from her lips.