Her father scowled. “Colt Banyon is a drifter. He wanders from stable to stable. You don’t know anything about him or his credentials.”
“I know I trust him. And he comes with impeccable credentials. Cliff wouldn’t hire anyone with anything less.”
“I could fire him.”
A surge of fury rose up inside her. “You fire him and I’ll withdraw from the Geneva event.”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Try me.”
“Dammit, Cecily,” her father bellowed. “See some sense here.”
“I am seeing some. Finally.” She bit the inside of her mouth, deciding to go for broke now that she was knee deep. “What were you and Mama arguing about the day she died?”
Her father frowned. “What does that have to do with this?”
“Nothing. I just want to know.”
A stony expression consumed his face. “Nothing that concerns you. It was a private matter between your mother and I.”
“After which she broke the cardinal rule and went riding by herself?” Her lips set in a tight line. “She knew better than that, Daddy. Isabella said she looked knocked sideways after you left. What happened between you two?”
He shook his head. “It’s ancient history. Let it go.”
“I’ve tried. It hasn’t worked.” She fixed her gaze on his. “You pretend you don’t miss her, but you do. You pretend it never happened, but it did.” She pushed a stray hair out of her face with a trembling hand. “I’ll never stop wondering what happened that day. What made her do something so stupid. And I’ll never stop missing her. Because, apparently, I’m the only one in this family who has a heart.”
Spinning on her heel, she stalked to the door.
“Cecily.”
She wrenched the door open, walked through it and slammed it shut. Kay and the Hendersons gave her a bemused look as she stalked through the salon and headed for her room. She ignored them all.
* * *
“You ready to go?”
Colt opened the door to his cabin to find Tommy, decked out in a checked shirt and jeans, lounging against the doorframe, a pink Kentucky sunset staining the sky behind him.
He shook his head. “I was thinking I might skip it.”
Tommy waved his hat at him. “You can’t skip it. It’s the social event of the season. All you can drink beer and beautiful women... What’s not to like?”
The fact that one gorgeous woman in particular was finding her way beneath his skin—a woman he couldn’t have. That he was a day away from completing this challenge of Sebastien’s. He wasn’t about to blow it now.
Antonio’s phone call this morning appealing for a stay on his private island as the paparazzi chased his family for photos amidst a scandal cemented the need to get out of here unscathed. He’d given the Italian the green light to spend his honeymoon on the island and counted his lucky stars it wasn’t him.
He rolled his shoulders. “I pulled a muscle carrying that beam today. Think I’ll hole up here and read a book.”
“Oh, come on, Hollywood.” Tommy flashed him a yellow-toothed grin. “You’re tougher than that. Get your boots on and let’s go. We’ll find you a gorgeous woman to work that shoulder of yours out.”
Deciding resistance was futile, Alejandro pulled on the new blue shirt and jeans he’d bought in town, applied some aftershave and tugged on his boots.
The party was in full swing when they arrived at one of the bigger thoroughbred barns that wasn’t in use. The cavernous space had been done up for the occasion with fairy lights strung from the vaulted ceiling, a bar in one corner and a well-known country band playing in another. High cruiser tables scattered about the space offered the hundreds of guests a lounging spot to enjoy the food and drink being circulated as they enjoyed a lazy, exceedingly warm Kentucky night.
True to Tommy’s promise, there were dozens of beautiful women in attendance, clad in pretty summer dresses. Alejandro had always appreciated a southern woman’s charms—the big hair, the ultra-feminine way they dressed, the soft, seductive voices—he found it sexy as hell. But tonight only one of those women caught his eye and it was the one who could flay a man’s skin with her razor sharp tongue one minute, then slay him with a husky, vulnerable drawl the next.
Cecily wore a burnt orange dress that seemed to have been painted on, its short skirt ending at mid-thigh, exposing smooth, toned legs he couldn’t take his eyes off. When he finally managed to, a plunging V-neckline revealed more delectable curves. It took very little of his imagination to imagine what the rest of her would look like without clothes. Utterly sensational.
He pulled his gaze away from temptation and up to her face. Unfortunately, there was more of it there. Her hair set in big, loose curls, a smoky eye makeup and vivid red lip color making her look less angelic tonight and more irresistible siren, she was jaw-droppingly beautiful.
She turned her head, as if sensing his perusal. A charge vibrated the air between them, sizzling his blood in his veins in a hot, restless purr. He sucked in a breath, the need to have, to possess something that was off limits to him an experience he was unused to having.
He wanted her. Up against a wall would be nice, those fabulous legs wrapped around his waist, his mouth buried in her silky hair while he gave her everything he had. But, really, he was fairly certain any position would do.
“Pretty boy’s back,” Tommy murmured. “Wonder when he’s finally going to get the message she isn’t interested.”
Alejandro didn’t respond. He was too busy sizing up the tall, muscular male at Cecily’s side. His dark blond hair slicked back from his handsome face, an air of supreme confidence surrounding him, Knox Henderson wore the look of a man who knew what he wanted: the woman standing beside him in a very sexy red dress whose smile was not at all right.
Not my problem, he told himself. You can’t have her. He’d been telling himself that all week.
He should have stayed away tonight just like he’d planned. Should have listened to his instincts.
* * *
Cecily swallowed hard as she stared at Colt. Knox could have told her one of his oil wells was spouting twenty-four-carat gold and it still wouldn’t have penetrated her brain. Her skin shimmered with an awareness that seemed layers deep, her pulse ratcheted up a notch and her breath lodged in her throat as she took in the man she’d told herself she hadn’t been waiting for.
Dressed in a pair of dark jeans and a light blue shirt rolled up at the sleeves, the color a perfect foil for his dark, dreamy good looks, Colt was God’s gift to women and that was all. But it was the unguarded look on his face that had her complete attention.
Open and direct, hot, he’d forgotten to assume that mask he always wore. The horse was most definitely out of the barn and it sent a shiver up her spine.
“We should dance,” Knox murmured in her ear. “I haven’t managed one with you yet.”
Because she didn’t want to lead him on. Because he’d already knocked back a couple of stiff bourbons and Knox got handsy when he drank. Because the only person she wanted to dance with was Colt.
Knox, however, was already setting his empty glass on a cruiser table and pulling her onto the dance floor. To compound her problem, the band launched into a slow tune, allowing him to pull her close.
“Why do you play hard to get?” he murmured. “Come on Cecily, give me a break. What do I have to do?”
She tipped her head back to look up at him. “I am hard to get. I’ve told you more than once, I can’t see us together, Knox. It just isn’t there.”
“Why not?”
“It isn’t the kind of thing I can explain. It just is or isn’t.”
“You won’t even try.” His hand dropped lower on her hip, dangerously close to her bottom. “You wear a dress like this, what
am I supposed to do? Name your price, sugar. You want a stable full of the best horses in the world? They’re yours. A place in the south of France? I’ll give it to you. Some extra money for upkeep? It’ll be in your bank account.”
She eyed him. “Upkeep?”
“Well you know, most women I know like to do a nip or a tuck here or there. Keep up appearances.” He shrugged. “I’m good with that. It’s like tuning up a car every once in a while. I’d consider it part of the maintenance budget.”
Her jaw dropped. “I’m twenty-five, Knox. What kind of maintenance do you think I need?”
“I didn’t say you needed it. I said the option was there if you wanted it.”
Lord have mercy. This was going to get ugly if she didn’t keep her mouth shut. Chin lifting at a defiant angle, she eyed his handsome, superior face. “The fact is... I’m interested in someone else.”
A glimmer entered his blue gaze. “Who?”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Sure it does. I am more than a bit curious to see who’s penetrated that frigid exterior of yours. I was starting to think it an impossible feat.”
Her insides contracted at the direct hit. It was her Achilles’ heel that no one would ever want her for who she truly was. Her biggest fear that she would only ever be valuable for the legacy she carried. Davis had made sure of that.
She gave him an unflinching look. “Quit acting ugly, Knox. Bow out gracefully.”
His mouth twisted. “You could have bowed out gracefully. I flew hundreds of miles to see you, Cecily. I blew off a client to be here. You could have at least given me a heads-up.”
Damn Kay and her meddling. A tense silence fell between them as the song dragged on. The near bullet she’d dodged became vividly clear. As Knox’s wife she would have been a high-priced possession, bought for her looks and poise. Another ornament to add to his mantelpiece. He would never have understood her like Colt did.
She searched for him in the crowd. Found him in a group of stable hands who were fraternizing with some of the locals. Sharp knives of jealousy lanced through her as a beautiful brunette who lived in town pulled him onto the dance floor.
Slim with stunning green eyes, her mother would have called her a tall drink of water. The brunette said something to Colt that made him laugh as he drew her into his arms, a lazy, sexy laugh she’d never heard him utter before.
Her skin stung. The old Cecily would have pretended she didn’t care. Would have continued to deny how she felt—closed herself off behind her walls. The new Cecily found she couldn’t.
* * *
Alejandro threw back a long, cool beer after a few sets on the dance floor, the brunette glued to his side. She was stunning, absolutely his type, but he abhorred meaningless chatter, the only kind, it seemed, she knew.
A scan of the space determined Cecily was still missing. Had been for the better part of a half-hour. Her smile, the not quite right one he’d been trying to ignore, flashed through his head.
“Will you excuse me?” he drawled to the brunette, setting his bottle down on a table. “I need some fresh air.”
Winding his way through the crowd before she could invite herself along, which he was sure she would, he exited the barn. It was deserted outside, the faint sound of music and chatter spilling out into a sultry, warm Kentucky night.
He almost missed Cecily. He caught her on his second scan, arms folded over the top of the fence, face lifted to a star-blanketed sky. His steps soundless, he joined her, slinging his elbows over the fence.
She turned a storm-tossed gaze on him. “Leave your fan club inside?”
He ignored the jibe. “You going to tell me what’s wrong?”
She sighed. Pushed a hand through her hair. “I had a fight with Daddy. A good one. Then Knox and I tangled just now.”
“About?”
“I told him it’s never happening between us.” Her mouth tightened. “He’s not good with taking no for an answer.”
“In what way?”
“He was angry. He wasn’t very nice about it.”
“Let him be angry. You made your decision.”
“I know. It’s just our families are good friends. And—” she bit her lip.
“What?”
“He called me frigid.”
His fingers curled tight around the rail. Now he wanted to kick the guy’s teeth in. Damn good thing it was a surefire way to get his cover blown or he would.
“He’s frustrated,” he rasped. “Forget about him. What were you arguing with your father about?”
“You.” She turned to face him. “Daddy doesn’t want me working with you and Bacchus. I told him too bad, I’m taking charge of my life and career now.”
Cristo. Shining a light on himself was not what he’d had in mind when he’d agreed to help her with her horse.
“You might consider taking baby steps,” he counseled. “Give yourself time to think. Blowing your whole life up right now isn’t a good idea with everything you have on your plate.”
Her lashes lowered. “I just feel like I’ve wasted enough time.”
He shook his head. “You are so young, Cecily. You have your whole life ahead of you.”
The band began to play a new song, the notes wafting along the breeze that rustled the leaves of the aristocratic magnolia tree above. It was their most notable tune—the lead singer’s raspy, deep voice crooning out the plaintive notes of the angsty ballad.
“I love this song,” Cecily said quietly. “It’s about a girl who only ever gets what she doesn’t want. How it’s her curse to walk through this world alone.” She pressed a fist to her chest. “It gets me right here.”
His heart stuttered. She didn’t have to explain why the song affected her so much. It was her.
He held out his hand. “Dance with me then.”
Her beautiful blue eyes fixed on his. Stepping away from the fence, she laced her fingers through his, slid her other hand around his waist and moved into his arms. It was a mistake, he knew it, as he pulled her close. But her damn vulnerability got to him every time.
They danced in the moonlight, in perfect sync, silent as they enjoyed the song. Even the cynic in Alejandro knew it for the rarity it was—to be so in tune with someone, talking was unnecessary.
She drifted closer, eliminating the respectable distance he’d forged between them. Her perfectly proportioned curves brushed the length of his body, her silky hair caressed his jaw, her breath teased the bare skin at the open neck of his shirt—heating his blood in all the most dangerous ways.
“Cecily...” he murmured.
“This isn’t working.”
“What isn’t?”
“Trying to ignore this thing between us.”
His jaw set. “It’s the right thing to do.”
“Why?” Challenging. Provocative.
“I’ve already explained that.”
“You want me,” she said pointedly. “I saw it on your face tonight when you walked in. That kiss we shared was amazing, you know it was.”
“And that’s as far as it goes.”
She stepped even closer, lifting up on tip toe to bring her mouth to his ear. “I can’t concentrate. All I can think about is that kiss. You. The entire time I was dancing with Knox I was thinking about you.”
Blood pounded his temples. He was about to shut it down, to tell her no more kisses were happening when a smooth drawl drifted across the air.
“So this is where you’re getting it from.” Knox Henderson stepped out of the shadows, a puff of round smoke from his cigar rising up in the air. He set his gaze on Cecily. “If I’d known you like to get down and dirty with a stable hand I would have lost the suits along with the kid gloves.”
A cold fire flared in Alejandro’s gut.
He set Cecily away from him, stepped forward and faced the man casually puffing away on the cigar. The glazed look in Henderson’s eyes said he’d had more than a few drinks.
“I think you need to take that back,” Alejandro said quietly, “and go back inside.”
“Oh, but I’m curious,” the other man demurred. “She leads me on, lets me fly down here, only for me to find she’s screwing someone else. Can’t blame me for wanting to check out the competition.”
Alejandro took a step closer, fingers curling into fists at his sides. “Now you have. Accept that she isn’t interested and step inside.”
Henderson lifted a brow. “Accept she wants to bang a stable hand? Sorry if I can’t stomach that. It’s just too much.”
Alejandro moved so quickly, Henderson was still drawing a puff of his cigar when he wrapped a fist around his shirt collar. “I’m giving you one more chance,” he snarled. “Apologize.”
The other man’s mouth curved in a mean smile. “I don’t think so.”
A fist connected with Alejandro’s jaw in a lightning fast punch Alejandro never saw coming. A white-hot sting radiating through his head, he swung his fist in an upper right hook. A fractured cry escaping her throat, Cecily jumped between them, Alejandro barely managing to pull his fist back before it connected with her instead of Henderson.
“Stop it. Both of you. Stop.”
Fury consuming him, Alejandro was almost past the point of listening. Only the panicked look on Cecily’s face pulled him back from the edge.
Cecily glared at Knox. “Inside,” she ordered, pointing toward the barn. “Right now.”
Knox looked down at her, a derisive smile curling his lips. “You know what? You’re right. You aren’t worth it.”
* * *
Cecily escorted Knox back to the party, not trusting him not to instigate something else if she didn’t. Seeing him safely to a group of friends, she took some ice from one of the coolers in the serving area and left via the back entrance.
Taking a circuitous route to the staff accommodations so no one would see her, she knocked on the door to Colt’s cabin. He opened the door a moment later. Her gaze flew to the red mark on his jaw, some swelling already visible in the moonlight.
Salazar's One-Night Heir Page 5