The Million Dollar Catch Bundle

by Susan Mallery

  “You should.” He looked her up and down. “It’s for company, not dates. I don’t usually bring women here, remember?”

  “But your car is a little small for the wild thing.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You’re mighty curious about my personal life.”

  “Men love to talk about themselves.”

  “We usually go to her place.”

  “I see. That makes it easier to escape when you feel the need and doesn’t push the money thing into their face.”

  “Exactly.”

  The kettle began to whistle. At the same time, bread popped out of the toaster.

  “Dishes?” she asked.

  He pointed to a row of cabinets. It only took her two tries to find small plates. She put the toast on a plate and popped in two more slices, while Todd poured water into a teapot. She glanced over his shoulder and saw fresh tea leaves in a little basket.

  “Very fancy,” she said. “Yours?”

  “Apparently. I e-mailed my housekeeper last night and asked her if I had any tea. She said I did and told me where to find everything.”

  Imagine having so much stuff, you didn’t know what you owned or where it was. Different worlds, Marina thought. Very different worlds.

  They sat at the round table by the large window. She nibbled on a piece of toast, then took the mug of tea he offered.

  “Interesting house,” she said after she’d sipped the steaming liquid. “Kind of intimidating.”

  “It does leave an impression.”

  She looked at his face, at the dark stubble shadowing his cheeks and jaw. “How do you know it’s ever about you?” she asked. “Nothing about your life is normal. How can you be sure?”

  “I’m not. Even you agreed to go out with me after your grandmother offered you a million dollars.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. You know that’s just a joke. Although it is fascinating that she does think she has to pay someone to marry you. What does she know that I don’t?”

  “I’m ignoring the question,” he told her.

  Marina took another bite of toast and chewed slowly. So far her stomach was staying pretty settled, but she wasn’t ready to get wild for a few more hours.

  “You have to have been sure sometime,” she said. “There have to be some women you trust.”

  “You don’t want to talk about this.”

  “Are you asking me or telling me?”

  His dark gaze settled on her face. “I went to an all-guys boarding school for high school. Ryan and I both did. My first serious girlfriend was a scholarship student at the all-girl school next door. We met at a dance and I fell for her in seconds. She was smart, funny and totally into me.”

  Marina didn’t doubt that for a minute. She had a feeling he’d been the kind of guy a lot of girls would have been totally into.

  “Her mother was barely making it, working in an office somewhere. Jenny told her about me. We were each other’s first time.” His face tightened. “Jenny’s mom went to my parents and said that either they would pay her two hundred and fifty thousand dollars or she would bring me up on rape charges. Jenny was only sixteen, so there was a chance the charges would stick.”

  Marina felt sick again, although this time it had nothing to do with food poisoning. “I can’t believe that. How horrible. How old were you?”

  “Sixteen. But that didn’t matter. My parents paid her off and I learned an important lesson.”

  She wanted to tell him that he’d learned the wrong thing, that people weren’t like that, except she thought for him, maybe they were.

  “What did Jenny have to say?” she asked.

  “She was upset, or so she said. The week after we broke up, her mother bought her a car. That seemed to help.”

  He sounded bored and cynical, but talking about the past had to be hurting him. That sort of experience would leave a scar.

  “Another woman I was dating came to me and said she was pregnant. I was always careful, but I had no reason to think she was lying. I did the right thing and asked her to marry me. She’d always talked about a big wedding, so I suggested we wait until after the baby was born, so the plans weren’t rushed. She freaked at that.”

  Marina slumped back in her seat and closed her eyes. “Let me guess. She wasn’t really pregnant?”

  “No. She had a friend who peed on the stick and that’s what she showed me. Apparently her plan was to try to get pregnant right away and if that didn’t work, to ‘lose’ the baby right before the wedding. We would both be so devastated by the tragedy that we’d get married anyway.”

  “I hate that there are people like her in the world,” she said. “I know the money makes it difficult, but you have to have had some good experiences with women.”

  “Some. A few. But I’m never sure. One way or another, I’m waiting for each one to finally admit it’s all about the money.”

  She leaned toward him. “Todd, you’re a great guy. You’re smart and funny and charming and not half-bad looking.”

  He smiled. “Wait. I need a moment to bask in the ‘not half-bad looking’ compliment.”

  She laughed. “You know what I mean. It’s not always about the money. It can’t be. There aren’t that many horrible people in the world.”

  “Before Ryan fell for your sister, he was dating a single mom with an adorable little girl. Ryan was convinced he’d found the perfect woman. He was crazy about the kid, wanted them both in his life and proposed. Then I overheard her talking to a friend about how she’d hated having a baby until she realized that most young, rich guys are suckers for a cute little girl. That she planned to stay married to Ryan for a couple of years, then divorce him and live on the child support he would offer to pay.”

  Her heart ached for Todd. “So what do you do? Never trust? Never care too much? Never put yourself out there?”

  “It’s working so far.”

  “But that’s so lonely. Don’t you want to be in love?”

  “Not bad enough to get taken. I can get a woman whenever I want. If I need another heartbeat in the house, I’ll get a dog.”

  Sadness nearly overwhelmed her. On the surface, Todd had everything, but in truth, there were big holes in his life. He was powerful and in charge—the sort of man who thrived on doing. He was also surprisingly kind and caring. And he would never trust a woman enough to truly give his heart.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “That we’re both seriously twisted. You can’t trust anyone else and I can’t trust myself.”

  “I don’t believe that,” he told her. “You have it all together. Don’t you date nerdy guys who are going to change the world?”

  “Most of the time. They’re brilliant and interesting and…” She bit her lower lip. They were supposed to be talking about him, not her.

  “And safe?” he asked, his voice low.

  “Maybe. Sometimes. I just…” She took a sip of the tea. “My mom fell in love with my dad the second she saw him. She was seventeen and to this day, she still adores him. My dad isn’t a bad person, but he’s not the greatest husband and father. He leaves. He just up and disappears for months at a time. We never know when he’s going or how long he’ll be gone. Every time he walks out, her heart breaks. But she won’t tell him he can’t come back. She won’t let herself love anyone else. She lives a half-life, only truly happy when he’s with her.”

  “You’re not like that,” he told her. “You’re tough.”

  “You don’t know that and neither do I. I’m terrified I’m just like her. That I’ll fall for a guy who’ll break my heart and I’ll let him. I’ll say it’s okay. Falling in love, really falling in love, seems too much like handing over control of my life. It’s not on my to-do list anytime soon.”

  “So instead of taking a chance, you date guys you’re not at risk of falling in love with.”

  She looked at him. “Do you really want to spend much time pointing out my flaws, because I think you’re in
kind of dangerous territory.”

  “I’m willing to risk it. Am I right?”

  “Maybe.”

  “You’re always the object of affection, never the one at emotional risk.”

  “You’re making me sound mean and I’m not. I just don’t want to fall for anybody until I’m sure I won’t be destroyed.”

  “You can never be sure.”

  “I refuse to believe that,” she said. “One day I’ll take a chance.”

  “Will you?”

  She wanted to believe she would. That one man would be worth her step of faith.

  “Obviously we both need therapy,” she said. “Maybe we could get a group rate.”

  He laughed. The sound made her feel good inside. Then she yawned.

  “Sorry,” she said as she covered her mouth. “I didn’t get enough sleep last night.”

  “Me, either.” He rose. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”

  She stared at him. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind. Bed? With him? As in sex? She wanted to be shocked and insulted. She wanted to stand up and slap him. But as images of them together, naked, touching, filled her brain, she found herself just as interested in saying yes.

  Todd held up both hands. “Sorry. Poor word choice. Let me start over. Let’s go upstairs where we can each sleep in our own beds. Better?”

  She nodded, because that was what he expected, but inside, she felt a sharp stab of disappointment. What was up with that?

  He waited until she’d risen, then put a hand on the small of her back and guided her out of the kitchen.

  “We’ll meet up later,” he said cheerfully, “and figure out if we ever want food again.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  At the top of the stairs, they each went their separate way. But as she closed the door of the guest room she couldn’t help thinking how much she was wishing he’d meant what he said the first time.

  Later that afternoon, Marina stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel. Todd might not invite a lot of lady friends to his place, but he kept the guest room well stocked. In addition to the toothbrush and toothpaste she’d found earlier, there was also shampoo, conditioner, body wash and an assortment of moisturizers.

  After slathering on a yummy citrus-scented lotion, she dressed, gave her hair a halfhearted blow-dry and headed downstairs.

  She was starving and tea and toast wasn’t going to cut it. She figured she could do drive-through on her way home. But first she had to find her host and thank him for everything.

  The kitchen was empty, as was the family room. She heard a faint noise, like someone typing on a keyboard and headed in that direction. She located Todd in a panel-lined study that looked like a set out of Masterpiece Theater. He was dressed, as well, and looked just as good as he had that morning.

  Little tingles broke out all through her body. She felt a distinct flicker of heat and several other unwelcome physical responses.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked when she walked into the room.

  “Good. I slept more and now I’m starving.”

  “Me, too. So we both survived our food poisoning.”

  “Looks that way.”

  He stood and walked around the desk. “You ready to head home?”

  She nodded, even though what she actually wanted to do was throw herself into his arms and beg him to take her. Obviously she was still suffering the ill effects of the bad food.

  “Big date tonight?” he asked.

  “Not really.”

  He picked up a folded piece of paper from his desk and offered it to her. “Because I remember you saying you loved Mexican food and there’s a great place nearby that delivers. Want to have something to eat before you go?”

  She hesitated. Her head told her to get out while she was emotionally in one piece. The rest of her body—especially the exquisitely female bits—suggested she stick around and see how this might play out.

  “We could watch a movie,” he said. “I’ll even let you pick.”

  She grinned. “How can I resist that kind of an invitation? What are the odds we’ll agree on any movie?”

  “There has to be at least one. Something funny.”

  “But smart, not silly.”

  “I have that.”

  “I never thought I’d eat again,” Marina admitted three hours later as she stretched out on Todd’s sectional sofa in his media room. “But I’m kinda hungry.”

  Todd sat slumped down with his stocking feet propped up on the suede covered ottoman in front of the sofa.

  The fabric on the furniture and the carpeting were the only things soft about this high-tech space. There was a screen that looked as if it belonged in a movie theater, enough speakers to levitate a house, players and recorders and a collection of movies that had made her mouth water. It was man toy heaven.

  “A taco, two enchiladas, chips, salsa and a salad weren’t enough for you?” he asked as he glanced at her.

  She grinned. “Apparently not. I’m kind of in the mood for dessert.”

  “Then let’s go see what’s in the kitchen.”

  He stood and stretched. They were both casually dressed—her in the clothes she’d worn the previous day, him in jeans and a loose T-shirt. As he raised his arms above his head, the hem of his T-shirt crept above the waistband of his jeans, exposing a sliver of skin and his belly button.

  It shouldn’t have been the least bit erotic. They’d spent the whole night throwing up and doing other disgusting things only a few dozen yards apart from each other. Yet as she watched him, she felt more than a little bit of wanting deep inside.

  “You ate a bunch, too,” she said as he led the way out of the media room and toward the staircase. “More than me.”

  “Feeling defensive about your very unladylike appetite?”

  “Maybe. I was hungry.”

  “I won’t tell anyone.”

  She elbowed him in the side. “It’s not like I ate with my hands or anything.”

  He looked at her and raised his eyebrows. “You had tacos. Of course you ate with your hands.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  At the bottom of the stairs, she forgot where the kitchen was and went right. He went left and they slammed into each other.

  “Sorry,” she said as she took a step back.

  He grabbed her upper arms and held her steady. “You feeling all right?”

  “I’m fine. Just a lousy sense of direction.”

  His eyes stared into hers. She suddenly felt both vulnerable and incredibly alive. She wanted him to move those hands, to touch her everywhere. Even as her brain screamed out that this was potentially dangerous, she found herself taking a step closer.

  She saw the exact moment he felt it, too. There was a sharpening of his features, a subtle tension in his body. Hunger darkened his eyes.

  He dropped his hands and stepped back. “Dessert,” he said. “We were going to get you some dessert.”

  “Right. Anything but ice cream.”

  He groaned. “We’re scarred for life.”

  “I don’t think so. I will bravely overcome my fear of cream anything to indulge in chocolate chocolate chip again. It’s just the kind of person I am.”

  He led the way to the kitchen. So neither of them was willing to act on the attraction. Smart, she thought, even as she wrestled with disappointment. Still, there were complications. They were practically related and it wasn’t as if he would disappear from her life once the wedding was over. Did she really want to spend the next fifty years sitting at the same table as Todd and have a single night of passion between them? Talk about awkward.

  So she ignored the way he moved as he opened the freezer and pulled out an assortment of goodies. There were individual slices of cake, a pie that only needed to be defrosted, then heated, and brownies. In the pantry they found boxes of cookies and some chocolate chips that could work in a pinch.

  “What will it be?” he asked.

  “Brown
ies. I’ll be putting frosting on mine. I noticed a can in the pantry.”

  “Because there’s not enough sugar in a regular brownie?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Women,” he muttered as he pulled the tray of brownies out of the freezer. “We’re going to have to microwave these to defrost them.”

  “I’m an expert at that sort of thing.”

  She reached for the brownies as he handed them over. But their timing was off and the plastic-wrapped tray slipped through her fingers to crash onto the floor. They both bent over at the same time and bumped heads. Marina slipped and landed on her butt.

  “We’re a hazard together,” she said as she started to laugh. “A complete disaster. I thought both of us getting food poisoning was the worst of it, but apparently not.”

  He laughed, then sank down next to her on the floor. “You’re not like other women.”

  “I could work on a charming European accent if you want.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Let it go.”

  “Never.”

  He reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I never thought getting as sick as we did would be fun, but this has been. You don’t need to rush home tonight if you don’t want to. You could stay.”

  She knew how he meant the invitation. She could stay in the guest room. It was a polite and well-meaning invitation.

  “A sleepover,” she teased.

  She looked at him, expecting to see an answering smile. Instead she found heat, desire and a need that made her weak. Then he blinked and it was gone.

  Her insides clenched, her heart began to beat faster and her throat when dry. “Todd?”

  “I’m trying to be smart here, Marina. I can come up with a hundred reasons why this isn’t a good idea.”

  She pressed her lips together. “A hundred. Wow. I can only come up with about eight.”

  “I might have been exaggerating.” He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. We’ll defrost brownies and lose ourselves in the sugar.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  She put her fingers against his palm and allowed him to pull her to her feet. When she was standing, she found they were really close together. She would have stepped back, but he didn’t let go of her.