The Bride Tamer

by Ann Major

  You too.

  “A thrill a minute,” she agreed, almost hating herself because it was true.

  “So, you’re conceited about your immense sex appeal?” His voice was harsh.

  “Not really. My car has a tendency to fly off the track—and you know what happens to cars that fly?”

  He met her eyes with frank curiosity.

  “Gravity,” she whispered. “It’s always fatal.”

  “Every time I look at you, I want to devour you,” he said, and she heard the hunger in his low, angry tone. “Since the moment I saw you. Before that, even. Since the moment I felt you.”

  “Felt me?”

  “When I stood under your balcony last night.”

  “I was up there…hiding.”

  “Just looking at you now makes me feel like I’m melting. What the hell’s wrong with me? Nothing like this has ever happened to me before— Hell, I’m even repeating myself.”

  “Well, it’s happened to me. Trust me, this is the best part of the ride—the first kiss. The thrill lasts for a while. Then the car flies into the ground and smashes you all to bits. It’s not pretty. The aftermath lasts a lot longer than the thrills.”

  “That’s what happened to you and Julio?”

  “To me, anyway. Julio just hopped in a brand-new car. I’m not like that—but being a man, you probably are. History has a way of repeating itself. I’m no good at picking men.”

  “I’m not Julio.”

  “Lucky you. Lucky Julio. He walked away without a scratch. But not me. And you know what I think? I think you’re way more dangerous than Julio. Way, way worse—at least for me. And me is who I have to protect.”

  “What?” The hurt tone in his deep voice as well as the anguish in his dark eyes crushed her.

  “You belong to Isabela.”

  “Do I? Maybe you don’t know everything. Maybe you just think you do.”

  “I know all I need to know. So, here’s what we’re going to do,” she began.

  “How come you get to call the shots? This has thrown me for a loop too.”

  “Because I’m experienced at this lust at first sight or love at first sight, and you’re not!” She squared her shoulders. “I for one want to be more than a sex object. I want to be a real person to the next man I get involved with. So, you’re going back to Isabela. You two belong together. Like should marry like.”

  “Like should marry like?”

  “Yes. So, you’re going to the beach house just as you planned. Then I’m taking Miguelito to the park the way we always do. From now on, you and I—we don’t see each other or talk to each other until you’re gone.”

  “All right, on one condition. First, you have coffee with me in one of those puestos on the square. We’ll talk this out like normal human beings,” he said. “We’ll make our plan. Then—and only then—I’ll agree to avoid you.”

  “No—”

  “If you don’t agree, I’ll hop in your car and kiss you again and make your car fly off the track.” The corner of his mouth lifted.

  “I don’t care. My life’s already smashed to pieces. I’ve got nothing to lose. A kiss, I can handle.”

  “Can you?” he whispered.

  “Watch!” She moved toward him. When she puckered her lips, he jumped back. “See, maybe you can’t either.”

  “You’re dangerous,” he muttered.

  “So are you. But not to me. I’m a big girl now. I know better than to go for roller-coaster rides.” She tossed her head back, put her hands on her hips and tried to look like she had confidence in what she was saying.

  “Coffee, tea—or me?” he murmured in her ear, his breath so warm that she tingled all over.

  “That’s an old line.” She jumped away.

  “Whatever works.”

  She laughed and then pointed to Huicho, who was holding five smashed hats. “I think your size-fifteen shoes flattened a lot of hats.”

  “Size twelve,” he muttered rather defensively, studying his feet.

  “Buy them…and I’ll have that drink of coffee on the square with you.”

  “You’re easy.”

  She blushed. “Which is why we’re in this mess. But, if I’m easy, you—Mr. Big Shot Big-Footed Famous Architect—you aren’t exactly playing hard-to-get yourself.”

  To her astonishment, he flushed as deeply as she would have had he said that to her. And he was cute—too cute—when he blushed.

  “Loan me a couple of twenties,” he said.

  “What?”

  “I’m afraid I gave all my money to the beggars….” He broke off sheepishly.

  This was bad. Really bad.

  Rich guys weren’t supposed to have big hearts.

  Seven

  “We’d like a table away from the crowd,” Cash told the white-coated waiter, who rushed to greet them with a big smile and menus at the entrance of the sidewalk café.

  “No.”

  The last thing Vivian wanted was to be alone with him, but before she could protest, a loud wolf whistle behind her made her turn beet red and whirl around furiously.

  A parrot in a giant cage flapped his wings flirtatiously at her as every male customer turned to stare and smirk.

  “Somebody besides me thinks you’re a very sexy lady,” Cash murmured. “I’ve got a birdbrained rival.” Then he saw the other men and returned their glances coldly. “Too many rivals.”

  “This is Mexico.” She laughed nervously and leaned toward the bird’s cage. The parrot had forgotten her and was pecking at a pinto bean.

  “Pretty boy, you’ve clearly been around too many macho males.”

  The bird dropped his bean. “Sexy lady. Sexy lady,” he repeated.

  “Demanding creature,” Cash said as they sat down at a small corner table under a massive stone archway.

  “He was cute.”

  “I bet you wouldn’t say that if I whistled like that.”

  “You did far worse.” She blushed.

  “All right, may I apologize, then? Will you ever forgive me?”

  She froze. “I think it’s safer if I stay mad.”

  “It’s not like I committed murder. All I did was kiss you.” He shot her a look that made her shiver.

  She squeezed her hands together and put them in her lap. “I guess I can try.”

  “That’s very generous of you. Thanks.”

  She picked up her purse and pulled her cell phone out.

  “Expecting a call?”

  She turned it off. “No. Avoiding one.”

  “Julio?”

  She nodded. Then she tried to sit straight and stiff and keep her hands in her lap, but Cash was so big and so close that she squirmed and scooted back in her seat in an effort to put some distance between them. But when she did, her bare legs brushed Cash’s denim jeans underneath the table. He readjusted his long legs to avoid hers, and they banged legs again.

  “Sorry—long legs,” he said.

  She laughed awkwardly and wished she were anywhere in the whole world but here with him.

  She stared up at the ceiling fan that whisked warm air overhead. Then she looked down and became fascinated by the way the air stirred Cash’s longish black hair that fell against his collar. That hair. Those eyes. That big male body.

  Listen to the music—do anything but think about him!

  The background music swung from Madame Butterfly to heavy metal. The caged parrot squawked at every new customer.

  “No other lady’s rated a wolf whistle except you, sexy lady,” Cash said. “I’ve been watching the entrance.”

  She neither looked at him nor commented.

  The waiter came, and they ordered. When he brought some of their food, Vivian felt better because she could munch on a little log of her favorite leche quemada, a sinful, unique recipe found only in this restaurant consisting of caramelized milk, ground almonds, cinnamon, and sherry. Cash guzzled his coffee. At least she had something to do with her hands and mouth, and the candy was so d
elicious, maybe it would distract her from how appealing he was. But still, his dark good looks struck her. Even though he was behaving like a gentleman, his warmth and charm made her sizzle.

  They sat in silence for a while, and just when she was beginning to think she might survive their attempt to act like two normal human beings around each other, he leaned across the table and tipped his new Panama hat toward her at a rakish angle.

  “Does this hat make me look young and sexy?” he said, his green eyes dancing in a way that made her heart do an absurd flip.

  “You ask a lot of a hat,” she retorted, licking at her candy with the tip of her tongue.

  When he watched her tongue flick, she grew self-conscious and tossed her candy on the plate. “What did you want to tell me?”

  “Better off or on? What do you think?”

  “P-l-e-e-ase,” she drawled, staring up at the ceiling fan. “We had a reason for coming here.”

  Then he took it off and fanned her with it while he made a funny face. She couldn’t help giggling. He put it back on and tilted it to one side, so that it cast half his carved face in shadow.

  He had broad hands, long fingers, nails that were trimmed just so. Nice hands… They’d felt good too, burningly, deliciously, sinfully good.

  “On or off?” he persisted.

  “Off.”

  He grimaced and took it off, then combed his hands through his hair. She knew he was trying to make her relax.

  “And I had such high expectations.” He stared at the hat rather wistfully and then lifted his gorgeous eyes to hers again and begged her to treat him like a normal human being.

  Those eyes of his. They shredded her heart.

  “High expectations will break your heart,” she whispered as she ripped the hat he’d bought for her off her head and placed it on top of his.

  “Only if they’re wrong.” He lifted his black brows and watched as she shook out her hair. “What if they’re right?”

  “You’re probably a better gambler than I.”

  “There was a crowd in Florence night before last that has me wondering. I built a building that they don’t like.”

  “Is it off with your head, then?” She laughed and sliced a finger across her throat.

  He didn’t laugh. “They wanted to cut off other parts of my anatomy.”

  “Let me guess.” Her eyes drifted down his broad chest, causing him to flush and shift in his chair. “The family jewels?”

  His neck turned purple.

  “Do you regret building it?”

  “Yes and no. I had to push myself. If you don’t push yourself, you go nowhere.” His face darkened. “Isn’t that what you’ve been doing down here for the past seven years?”

  Hastily she bit off more caramelized candy. “Let’s talk about something more interesting than my slow-paced life here.”

  “Sex?” He grinned.

  “Not sex.”

  “And not your life? I’m all out of subjects.”

  She drew in a slow breath. “An architect should have a more active imagination.”

  “You’ve had my imagination working overtime lately,” he murmured, his eyes on her mouth.

  The waiter brought the rest of her order—figs and strawberries. She ate a fig while he watched her teeth tear at the fruit. Something in his intense expression made her feel funny in her stomach.

  To break the tension, she said, “Thank you for buying the hats. Maybe you ruined my reputation with the villagers forever, but you certainly made Huicho’s day.”

  “No more Ugly American?”

  The waiter walked by holding the parrot on a gloved hand. The parrot bellowed, “Ugly American,” and people turned to stare.

  “I don’t much like parrots,” Cash said.

  “Ugly American,” the bird screamed again, and the waiter carried him away.

  “The term definitely doesn’t apply to you.” Her gaze drifted over him assessingly, lingering on his eyes and long, curling lashes and then on his thick, black hair.

  “So, you think I’m handsome?”

  “Maybe just a little.” She felt her cheeks heat at the admission.

  “If you thought I was any more handsome, we’d be back in the market naked, doing it on those damn hats. I’d have had to buy out the entire village.”

  “Wrong subject, remember?” She twisted a red curl around her fingertip so tightly the end of her finger went numb.

  “Right. Your Huicho was beaming like a happy fox after you helped him rip me off.”

  “You’re rich. He’s poor.”

  “The perpetual class war. We rich are constantly under attack—”

  “You wanted to talk…so talk. I need to get back to Miguelito. And away from you,” she finished in a softer tone.

  “Okay, let’s not let a perfectly innocent accident and impulsive reaction, er, action on my part…in the market…ruin our relationship.”

  “Relationship? We don’t have a relationship.”

  “We got naked together and we kissed.”

  “Which is why I told you we have to avoid each other—not sit here together and discuss it. You’re supposed to have a relationship with Isabela.”

  “That was the plan.” His expression darkened.

  “She’s rich and unencumbered by a child. Her father’s a famous architect—your mentor. You know the same people. She’s been wonderful to me.”

  “You don’t have to sell Isabela to me. Marrying her was my bright idea, remember.”

  “What you and I have to do is avoid one another.”

  “So, you think I should go back to Plan A?”

  “Plan A being Isabela?” she asked.

  He nodded.

  “Of course. We already agreed on that. We’ll chalk this…us…up to temporary insanity. Seeing someone naked would make anybody crazy—especially a man.”

  “You didn’t feel a thing?”

  His smile made her shiver deep inside her belly. “I say we stay away from each other. I’ll let Isabela introduce us formally, of course. Maybe over lunch. Then I disappear with Miguelito. In other words, we avoid each other like the plague.”

  “And in a day or two, I should have my car back on the right track, so to speak?”

  “Exactly. You weren’t really flying. You were just up in the air an inch or two.”

  He laughed. “It damn sure felt like flying.”

  “Don’t think about it, then. You’ll get well faster.”

  “Right. So, what’s it like…being down here with a kid?”

  She dropped her gaze to the platter of figs. “I think you and I have everything figured out. I need to go.”

  He was watching her so intently her breath caught. He had a way of seeing too much, and she wondered what she was doing here with him. Feeling more and more at ease with him. When Isabela, beloved Isabela, was at home.

  No way could she relate to him. He had years and years of schooling. He was great at what he did—famous too. He knew who he was, and she still didn’t have a clue who she was.

  She’d dropped out after one year of college. He probably thought she was so far beneath him, they weren’t even on the same planet.

  She swallowed again. “So, what’s it like being rich and famous?”

  “If we’re going to talk, I asked you first. What’s it like for you—here?”

  “As if you care.”

  “You could open up. Sometimes it’s easier to talk to strangers. What do you want? What do you dream about?”

  You. Love. Happily ever after.

  She shook her head. “I was a young, stupid fool. I wanted the perfect love. So, I married a man I didn’t know. I was idealistic. I thought he was someone he could never be. He’s not a bad man. He’s…he’s…just not husband material. Not for me anyway.”

  “And what kind of man would be husband material?”

  “Who would want me? What do I have to offer the kind of man I’d want to marry? I’ve got a kid, no education and no fu
ture. I think I need to fix me first.”

  “If you think you need to have something to offer, why aren’t you busy acquiring the skills and talents you need to get what you want? Go get an education.”

  “Like it’s that easy? I have a kid.”

  “So? He’s cute and friendly. He could be an asset.”

  “I’m flat broke.”

  “Do you intend to stay that way the rest of your life? If you don’t, when are you going to start doing something about it?” he persisted.

  “I let Julio steal my inheritance.”

  “The trouble with you is you’re stuck in the past.”

  “This conversation is getting way too personal. Besides, you’re making me mad.”

  “What are you, twenty-six? Maybe it’s time you grew up and did something to solve your problems.”

  “Twenty-five,” she snapped. “And you know what? You’re clueless. You don’t know me. You don’t know anything. You can’t tell me how to solve my problems. Not when you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth.”

  “Then whine and dream till you die for all I care.”

  “Shut up. Just shut up.”

  “Sorry.” He slid back in his chair. “I was out of line. Way out of line. What I meant was, you should quit feeling sorry for yourself and set some goals. You know a lot of women would just wait for some white knight to show up and rescue them.”

  “Not me. Never again.”

  “You could try playing the sex object. You’re pretty good at it.” He lifted a dark brow.

  “No man’s going to rescue me. There’s no such thing as a hero. I’ve learned that much. Men—all men, including you cause way more problems than they ever solve. Sex makes more trouble than it solves, too.” She got up. “This conversation is getting us nowhere. Thanks for breakfast. I learned a lot. You and I were better off before we talked. Isabela is my sister-in-law. And she’s very jealous. Mérida is a small town. If someone sees us here—”

  “She trusts you completely.”

  “And I want to keep it that way.”

  “Not so fast. You told me your life story, and I gave you free advice.”

  “Which is all it’s worth.”

  “Well, now it’s my turn.”

  “What?”

  “You owe me.” He grabbed one of her figs and began munching, rather loudly.