“I really need to get back to work,” she told him. “My boss is a slave driver.”
She chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for him to reply, but his eyes were on her mouth.
“The last thing the boss is thinking about right now is work.”
Abby closed her eyes, and, God help her, she leaned into his hand. “Cade, you can’t say things like that to me.”
He stroked her cheek. “I can’t help what I think sometimes.”
Opening her eyes, she saw something in his eyes she’d wanted to see for so long. Desire. Need.
“Don’t kiss me.”
He smiled. “I’m not, though God knows I want to.”
“You’re engaged to another woman,” she reminded him.
“I am.”
“We can’t do this.”
His smile widened. “We’re not doing anything. I won’t compromise my merger or you. But I’ve got to say, you’re making me crazy lately and I don’t know why.”
Abby knew why—she’d been trying to drive him crazy—but she kept her thoughts to herself.
Perhaps Cade was coming to his senses. Perhaps he did want her.
But were his feelings ever going to be strong enough to override business? And if so, would he even take the risk?
Seven
Puerto Vallarta was just as Abby had envisioned, and she was glad they’d added the stop. Bright, tropical, exotic. Beautiful people everywhere she turned, wearing anything from a simple maxi dress to string bikinis. The casual look was definitely in style.
Street vendors sold their goods along the roadside. Anything she wanted could be found here from beads to dresses to handmade purses and hats. She’d have to purchase something little to remind her of this excursion…as if she could forget hopping from destination to destination with Cade.
The backward C-shaped town may be bustling with tourists, but it wasn’t all that big. Abby only hoped that word hadn’t gotten around about the hot spot they were on their way to look over. Even though she had been promised that Stone Enterprises would have first dibs, the real estate world was ruthless.
When the driver pulled in front of a white four-story resort, Abby knew Cade’s mind was already in motion. She could tell by the way he flexed his fingers and drew them in over and over. He may not show how eager he was to purchase his first piece of property outside the US, but inside, Abby knew he was jumping up and down like a little kid on Christmas morning.
The grounds were immaculate with bougainvilleas and hibiscus, and vines of greenery darting in every direction on anything and everything stationary. The bright, vibrant blossoms of the flowers really made the landscaping pop.
Three wide, arched doorways opened to the lobby. No doors were to be found. Fresh, breezy air flowed through the front of the lobby and out the back. The open layout feel had the same look as their Kauai resort. And Abby knew how much that resort meant to Cade and Brady.
There was no way Cade would let this property go.
When the driver opened the door, Cade exited and extended a hand to assist her.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered with her hand still in his.
“Don’t look so eager,” he whispered back.
How could Abby not glow right now? Between the precious stolen moment they’d had on his plane and the beauty of the city, Abby had to practically hold herself back from skipping.
Cade kept a hold on her hand as he led her across the terra-cotta tile. She wasn’t a bit surprised that even though he didn’t say a word, the staff working the desk magically knew who he was.
Within two minutes of their arrival, a tall, native-looking man in a well-tailored cream suit greeted them and led them into a long, narrow meeting room. Abby took a seat beside Cade, who sat adjacent to the owner of the property.
The meeting took less than an hour and by the time they walked out to their waiting car, Cade and his brother Brady were the proud owners of their first property outside the US. Abby tried her best to keep her comments to herself, but once they were secluded in the back of the Jaguar and heading toward their own accommodations, she turned to Cade.
“Are you sure Brady is going to be okay with this?” she asked.
“He’ll be fine.”
Cade had already shed his cobalt tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and was now rolling up his sleeves to reveal some nice, tan forearms.
“You’re sure?”
He shrugged. “I’ll call him tonight and tell him we need to talk. I’d rather discuss this in person, though. We also need to talk about changing the name of the resort.”
Drawing her knee up in the leather seat, Abby shifted even more to face him. “He didn’t know you were coming here?”
He threw her a glance, one that said it was none of her business, but she didn’t back down.
“Cade,” she began in a soft, understanding tone. “I know how important this is to you, this moving into other countries, but your father left this legacy to you and Brady. He has a right to know sooner rather than later.”
He wasn’t listening. Abby watched his eyes wander to her bent knee in the seat and she jerked it back down. Lord, she’d completely forgotten she was wearing a sundress. Granted, it wasn’t short, but the hemline did hit right at her knees, so he’d seen her bare thigh.
Had the driver forgotten to turn the air on?
“Where are we staying?” she asked, praying to God he took the hint and didn’t try to kiss her or anything else inappropriate while in public. Because, heaven help her, if he offered, she’d concede.
His dark gaze traveled back up her heated body. “I booked us at a little bed-and-breakfast down the way. They are few and far between anymore and I figured you’d like the change of scenery, so I cancelled the reservations you had previously made.”
Abby smiled at the idea he’d thought of her. “Thank you.”
“It’s the least I could do,” he smiled. “After all, you found this deal of a lifetime for me. I intend to take you to a nice dinner tonight to celebrate.”
Dinner? Alone with Cade? Oh, God. Who was doing the seducing here? And was he really just thanking her for stumbling across the diamond-in-the-rough piece of property or was he starting to have feelings for her?
Was it too much to hope that Cade might see just how well they blended together? How could he overlook the fact that they made a great team? What one didn’t think of, the other did.
“There’s no need to thank me,” she told him, righting her skirt over her knees. “I’m part of this company, too. I want to see it thrive just like your father intended.”
Cade smiled, reached for her hand and squeezed. “When he hired you, he kept telling Brady and me what an asset you’d be.”
Shocked that Mr. Stone had said that about her, Abby returned Cade’s smile. “That’s quite a compliment coming from such a prominent businessman. I’m just sorry I didn’t get to know him better before he passed.”
“Me, too. He was the greatest man I’ve ever known.”
Because she didn’t want him dwelling on hardship, she turned the topic back around. “So, where are we going for dinner?”
“I have a little something planned,” he assured her. “Trust me, though. You’ll like it.”
Trust him? A flutter of excitement and giddiness flooded through her. She trusted Cade with every fiber of her being. Even her heart. Especially her heart.
He had no clue just how much of a hold he had over her. Even though Abby prided herself on being independent and strong, she knew she’d crumble at the first sign Cade had indeed turned his feelings toward something more personal, more intimate.
Fifteen minutes later the driver pulled up in front of a two-story white stucco home with vines and greenery darting up each side of the doorway.
Abby loved the fact Cade knew her well enough to pick something so laid-back and simple. Even with his life of leisure and jet-setting, he had never acted like he was too good for anything or any
one.
But even if Cade Stone was a janitor at a high school or earning minimum wage, Abby would still want to spend the rest of her life with him. She’d never had much money, but she didn’t even consider his bank account one of his characteristics.
No, in her mind money was only a small part of Cade’s life. He wouldn’t even have that money if he wasn’t powerful, hardworking, driven to take what he wanted…and Abby could only pray that he’d want her as much as she wanted him.
An elderly woman wearing an apron over her peach button-down dress, a loose bun in her hair and a bright smile greeted them. Once she showed them to their rooms, directly across the hall from one another, she informed them breakfast would be served at precisely 8 a.m. and then she shuffled back down the curved staircase.
Cade glanced at his watch. “Can you be ready in an hour?”
“I can be ready in fifteen minutes.”
“Really?” His brows lifted. “I’ve never known a woman to get ready in fifteen minutes.”
Abby laid a hand on his arm—an arm she wished would wrap around her and lead her toward a bed. “You obviously aren’t dating the right women. But seeing as how you’re used to beautiful women, maybe I should take more time. I’ve just never fussed with my hair or makeup, so I really wouldn’t know what else to do.”
Those charcoal eyes darted down to her hand, then back to her face. “You’ve never been anything less than beautiful. No more fuss is necessary.”
His tone was low, his eyes hot and heavy-lidded. The warmth of his breath tickled her cheek, sending shivers throughout her already heated body.
“I don’t know about beautiful—”
He took her chin between his thumb and index finger, made sure she was focused on him and repeated, “Beautiful.”
Abby swallowed, still looking him in his eyes. “I—I don’t know how to handle compliments.”
“You’re embarrassed?” he asked with a lift of his brows. His hand moved to cup her cheek, his thumb sliding against her skin. “I’ll agree that you don’t wear all the makeup and your hair is simpler than most women’s, but that’s what makes you extraordinary. Why mess with such beauty by covering it up with artificial products?”
The whole time he spoke, his hand caressed her cheek. Abby didn’t know if she wanted him to stop until he figured out his true feelings or if she wanted him to continue, not caring he was engaged to another woman.
God, was she a home wrecker? No. There couldn’t be a home wrecker, when there wasn’t really a home to wreck.
She swallowed hard. “I need to get ready for dinner.”
She spun away from his hand and into her room, closing the door between them. Abby rested against the wood, hand to her heart.
Was Cade just responding to sexual attraction or was he actually wanting her in an intimate, more personal way?
Abby didn’t know, but she wasn’t going to act on her feelings until she was positive that Cade understood where she stood and she was positive he wouldn’t marry another woman. She had to be sure she was the only one in his life.
No way would she make Mona feel like “the other woman.”
And Abby, too, refused to be put in second place.
Eight
Cade didn’t know what the hell kept coming over him when he was alone with Abby. He’d traveled with her before on business and had never felt the urge to drag her back to his room for endless days and nights of love-making.
But his mind kept betraying him and taking him back a week to when she was jerking and gyrating against the back of that mechanical bull. Lucky bull.
But that was purely physical. On a more intimate level, he couldn’t get the image of the hurt in her eyes out of his head. Each time she’d mentioned her mother, a veil of remorse cast over her green eyes.
Maybe dinner was a bad idea. Maybe he shouldn’t be keeping his time all tied up in Abby.
There was just something about her that was niggling at him, though. The more he was around her, the further and further his upcoming wedding was from his mind.
But he had to forget the feeling of dread he got when images of him standing in his tux and Mona in a white gown came to mind. His thoughts had to fast-forward to the business aspect and how prosperous they would be after the nuptials.
Cade took his phone from his pocket and called Mona’s father.
“Tremane International,” the chipper receptionist answered.
“Cade Stone for Mr. Tremane.”
“Just one minute, Mr. Stone.”
Within ten seconds, Phillip answered. “Cade, good to hear from you.”
“I just wanted to inform you that I purchased a resort in Puerto Vallarta. It’s on the brink of closing, but I think with some major renovations and updating, we could make this resort into the best in town.”
Phillip’s robust laughter filtered through the phone. “Don’t waste any time, do you? I assume you’re there now?”
“I am,” Cade confirmed with a bit of pride.
“When you get a chance, send me the information on the new property. Pictures if you have any.”
As Cade got ready for his date—no, his business dinner—with Abby, he went over the specifics with Phillip. The price he’d paid, the number of rooms in the resort, his ideas for updating.
“Sounds like you’ve thought of everything,” Phillip confirmed. “What’s your brother think?”
A bit of guilt crept up. “I haven’t talked to him yet.”
Cade knew Brady also wanted to go global, but he had no idea he was marrying Mona Tremane to do so. He wasn’t quite ready to break that little announcement just yet. Though Brady would have to be informed soon that Phillip Tremane was putting up the capital for them to go global. Amazingly he’d kept the engagement out of the press so far, in part to Abby’s discreet work ethic. He’d announce the plans when it was time—after he’d talked to Brady. Which he really needed to do soon, since the wedding was less than a month away.
“We’ll all meet when you get back from your honeymoon,” Phillip went on. “Keep me posted.”
Cade disconnected the call.
Why was his first call to his soon-to-be father-in-law instead of his brother?
Because after that encounter with Abby in the hallway, he’d needed to remind himself he was engaged and he needed to hear Phillip’s voice to affirm he was going in the right direction.
But how “right” was it when he excluded his best friend and business partner? Second-guessing his actions had never happened before, but Cade was having second and third thoughts on what he’d gotten into.
Taking a deep breath, Cade pocketed his cell and his room key and went across the hall to get Abby. He only prayed she didn’t have another of those sheer dresses on.
When he knocked, she was quick to answer.
Be careful what you wish for.
She stood there with her hair in some low bun, swept away from her face, a bit of pink gloss on her lips, a strapless pale yellow dress that hit her just at the knee and a pair of gold heeled sandals with straps all over the top of her dainty feet and going on up her ankle and calf.
“Is something wrong?” she asked, dropping her hand from the door.
He forced his eyes back up. “I reiterate my previous statement about your beauty. You’re stunning.”
And she’d been ready in the fifteen minutes as promised. Amazing.
She slipped her room key into her small, gold clutch, stepped out and shut the door. “I am going to start getting a big ego if you keep complimenting me.”
He hadn’t stepped back when she’d come out, so now they stood toe to toe and Cade couldn’t comprehend a single sane thought. How could he? Her glossy lips begged to be kissed; her eyes held so much passion he couldn’t believe they had ever gone unnoticed. And her signature floral scent surrounded him, drawing him deeper under her spell.
And the most amazing fact about Abby and her hypnotic ways was she had no clue the power she possessed.
Hell, he’d had no clue until a week ago.
Had she always been so spellbinding?
“Are you ready?” she asked, looking up at him with those big, sparkling green eyes.
To slide that dress down her body? Yes. To take her back into his room—or hers, it didn’t matter—and lose himself in her sweetness? Yes.
To lose a multi-billion-dollar deal? A week ago he’d have said no. Now…well, he wasn’t sure anymore.
He held out a hand, gesturing her ahead of him to the steps. “Let’s go.”
Distance. He needed to maintain distance, at least on a personal level. Keeping the topics on business and how his wedding plans were going was the safest thing he could do.
Except, he didn’t want to discuss wedding plans. He wanted to learn more about Abby and what made her, well…Abby. How did this humble, yet dynamite woman land in his father’s office? What really made her seek a different career after her mother’s death? And why the hell hadn’t some man taken one look at her and gotten down on bended knee?
By the time he stepped outside, he was perspiring and the beads of sweat trickling down his neck had absolutely nothing to do with the ninety-degree heat and everything to do with the ray of sunshine smiling over her shoulder at him.
“Are we walking?” she asked.
“We’re not going far.”
Because she had on killer heels, he took hold of her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm to assist her. The gesture had nothing whatsoever to do with the fact he wanted to touch her smooth skin. Really, it didn’t.
He escorted her around the side of the house beneath a canopy of lattice work, vines and blooming flowers. And, just as he’d requested, there was a table for two set up in the corner, nestled against a backdrop of bright pink bougainvilleas and a trickling waterfall that spilled into a small pond, complete with lily pads.
“We’re eating here?”
Cade smiled at the surprise in her tone. “I know how you love simplicity and I wanted to do something you liked to show you just how grateful I am to you for discovering that resort at such a great price.”
She waved a hand. “Oh, Cade, I was just doing my job. I’ve told you that. But I do appreciate the gesture.”
For Business...Or Marriage? Page 6