Tempted by the Tycoon's Proposal

by Rachael Stewart

  ‘You and me both,’ Sophia admitted truthfully. ‘But you know the weather is set to turn. There’s another storm on the way and the hotel is already preparing for it. If we don’t leave now, we might get stuck.’

  ‘I wouldn’t mind being stuck,’ she said, looking up at her and taking hold of her hand.

  Sophia gave her hand a little squeeze. ‘I bet.’

  ‘Do you think we could build another snowman before we go?’

  ‘If we have time after breakfast, I’m sure we—’

  ‘No, now. Just me and you.’

  ‘I don’t know, Lily...’ She looked back towards the bedroom then the clock on the wall. It wasn’t the dead of night, but it was hardly breakfast time either, and what if Jack woke and they weren’t here?

  ‘We could leave a note on the pillow; that way Daddy’ll know where we are,’ she said, guessing at the cause of Sophia’s hesitation. ‘And we don’t want to wake him. He needs his sleep. He doesn’t sleep enough.’

  Sophia shook her head. ‘When did you get so grown-up?’

  She shrugged. ‘He works too hard and travels too much...but hopefully that will all be different now.’

  Her words chimed with Sophia’s own hope for the future, for everything they’d yet to discuss but she felt in her heart would happen.

  ‘I hope so too.’

  ‘So can we? One last snowman and maybe a small walk, just to the lake?’ Her eyes were wide and pleading and she couldn’t say no, she just couldn’t.

  ‘Okay, get yourself dressed in warm clothing. I’ll go and write the note.’

  Lily gave a silent squeal, her hands tight on Sophia’s, and then she was running, her tiny feet silent against the wooden floor as she made for her bedroom to get dressed.

  Sophia shook her head, her smile so indulgent and full of love. If she could bottle happiness, she’d bottle this right now and make millions.

  Only her man already had his own wealth, the happiness and the money and the love.

  She shook her head some more as she made her way to the desk to seek out some paper and a pen.

  She’d just finished placing the note on her pillow when she heard Lily’s soft approach. She looked up to see her in the doorway, hat and gloves in hand, hair still ruffled from sleep. She smiled and placed a finger over her lips, gesturing to a sleeping Jack as she passed by the bed. Lily grinned and nodded.

  She paused at the door and gave him one last loving look. ‘Back soon, sleepyhead.’

  They pulled on their hats and gloves and zipped their coats high as they made their way to the ground floor, passing the skeleton staff on the way with a respectful greeting and a smile. It did feel a little weird to be wandering around before sunrise, but she figured with a skyline like Iceland’s they must be used to people heading out at all hours, looking to enjoy the view.

  When they reached the main exit, Lily slipped her hand in hers. ‘This is really exciting!’

  ‘It is, isn’t it.’

  And it really was—her tummy danced with it. She wasn’t sure whether it was the early hour, the magic of the lights continuing to ripple through the sky or the after-effects of last night, but she could feel it too. The butterflies, the excitement, the thrill of what was to come.

  * * *

  Jack woke to nothing. No noise. No Sophia. Nothing.

  Instead of her warm, pliant body, he had her pillow clutched to his chest, her scent still there but no residual heat, no her. How long had she been gone?

  He shoved it away, blinking against the chilling grey light that peeped through the gap in the blind, and the feeling of unease grew. The sun was up and yet there was no sound from Lily, no sound at all. She wouldn’t sleep this late, even when jet-lagged; she was always up at the crack of dawn.

  He raked a hand through his hair and over his face. He felt drugged, his head thick with too much sleep and it didn’t help his unease. He threw back the covers and rose up, his head spinning with the speed of the move. One glass of wine and he felt like this...though it wasn’t the wine. It wasn’t even the persistent jet lag. It was the fact she had gone. That after the night they had shared she’d sneaked out without so much as a wake-up kiss.

  But maybe he was wrong, maybe his ears were deceiving him, maybe she was in the living area keeping quiet to let him sleep. She knew how tired he’d been and it was just the sort of caring thing she would do.

  He tugged on a pair of lounge pants, his feet heavy as he made for the doorway, and breathed in deep, his arms stretching out. Yes, she would be here, and if not here, maybe back in her own room getting ready for breakfast.

  He looked through the gap in Lily’s door. Her quilt was thrown back, her bed empty. He opened the door further. No sign. He carried on through the suite.

  ‘Hello?’

  Nothing.

  ‘Lily... Sophia...’

  Nothing.

  A chill shot through him, his pace picking up. He got to the living area. Nothing. He turned and checked the bathrooms, the bedrooms again, every last possible space. Nothing.

  Where were they?

  Breakfast. Maybe they’d gone down to breakfast... Without you?

  He tried to slow his stride, tried to calm his pulse. There was no need to panic. No need at all.

  His mind travelled back three years, to his house all empty, to the plates on the table untouched, to the deathly sound of silence... He shook his head, shaking off the memory, and his voice was gruff as he sought to fill the quiet. ‘You’re overreacting.’

  And still his skin prickled up, nausea swelling with the haunting past. He pulled on his clothes, his hands trembling with the sickening fear and slowing his progress.

  ‘Just take it easy.’

  Finally clothed, he grabbed his mobile, the room card and left, his pace picking up once more as he headed for Sophia’s room. Maybe she’d taken Lily with her while he slept. Maybe she’d wanted to make sure he was undisturbed. Yes, perfectly reasonable.

  He knocked on her door. He knocked again. Nothing.

  Breakfast. They must be at breakfast.

  He made his way downstairs, noting the staff rushing around, a stream of guests flooding the foyer.

  ‘What’s happening?’ he asked one of the men, who was shucking his coat and shaking it out.

  ‘Our tour had to turn back. The storm’s heading this way and it’s pretty nasty. Even managed to blow rocks into the car in front of us. Took it right off the road. Luckily no one was hurt.’

  He saw the TV screen in the lobby showing the news report with the snowstorm warning, and the hotel staff were putting up signs warning guests against venturing out.

  He swallowed. They wouldn’t be out there. They’d be in the restaurant.

  But the niggle inside wouldn’t quit.

  He looked through the glass to the looming skies fast approaching.

  ‘Believe me, it’s as nasty as it looks,’ the guy said, spying his focus.

  ‘Yeah,’ Jack said, his voice sounding distant even to his own ears as his blood pounded over it. He turned away and headed to the restaurant, almost running.

  Please be there, please, please...

  * * *

  ‘Just one more snowball?’ Lily pleaded, her eyes alive with laughter, making Sophia shake her head indulgently.

  ‘Just one, please.’

  Just one...one more push...

  Sophia clutched her stomach as it rolled with the memory. So vivid, so real, as if she was there now and it wasn’t Lily she was seeing, it was Amy, begging her for that last sleigh ride, the last...

  She swallowed and closed her eyes as if it would somehow push the image away.

  Amy is gone—you can’t change that. It wasn’t your fault—it wasn’t.

  It was Jack’s voice talking to her, soothing her, telling her to put the pa
st to bed, and she felt his comfort as though he were there with her.

  ‘Sphea? Sphea?’

  She opened her eyes. Poor Lily’s eyes were narrowed, concerned, her gloved hand reaching up to cover her own. ‘What’s wrong?’

  She slipped her hand over Lily’s and gave her a smile. ‘Nothing, darling. I was just a little sad for a second.’

  ‘We don’t have to throw more snowballs.’

  Sophia gave a soft laugh. ‘It’s not that, but we do need to be getting back. We don’t want your dad worrying about where we’ve got to, especially with the weather already on the turn.’

  It was true that the wind was whipping up, the sky hinting at the approaching storm, but as she looked from it to Lily she could see she wasn’t reassured.

  ‘You looked sad, Sphea. Really sad.’

  ‘It was a sad memory that came back to me.’

  ‘What was it?’

  Lily’s frown persisted, her loving eyes determined to get the truth out of her.

  ‘It’s a long story.’

  ‘I like stories.’

  ‘Not this one, darling.’

  ‘I can take it. I’m a big girl!’

  She pulled Lily in for a hug, more for her own reassurance than Lily’s. ‘I know you are...’

  She inhaled softly, her mind remembering Amy in all her young and determined vibrancy, much like Lily’s, and she tried to work out a way to tell her that was child-friendly and not too upsetting. She knew part of the battle was dealing with her own upset and not relaying that onto Lily more than she already had done.

  And you should talk about Amy. You loved her. She was your sister. She doesn’t deserve to be pushed out.

  Her lips lifted a little with the thought. It was the most rational, most loving reason in the world to talk about her sister, and it had taken Jack talking sense into her for her to realise it.

  The accident had been tragic, and she needed to tell Lily that she’d lost her, but she could also tell Lily just how amazing her sister had been, how special to her she was...

  ‘I had a sister and her name was Amy...’

  * * *

  They weren’t there. They weren’t anywhere.

  And he knew, even before he went to Reception to make enquiries, that they were outside somewhere, heaven knew where.

  The receptionist who’d been on the desk to check them in the previous day smiled up at him as he approached, her smile morphing into a frown by the time he stood over her and she could read the worry in his face.

  ‘Have you seen my daughter and...and...’ What did he say? His girlfriend—the woman who had taken it upon herself to go out with a storm approaching, taking his daughter with her? ‘The woman who travelled with us?’

  ‘I’m afraid I haven’t, sir. I’ve only just started my shift. Let me check with my colleagues.’

  He nodded swiftly. ‘Thank you.’

  She moved from behind the desk and walked into a room behind Reception. He turned on the spot, scanning all the people, outside and in. People bustled about, prepping for the storm, guests milled about, working out revised plans for the day, but no Lily, no Sophia.

  The receptionist returned. ‘It seems they went out about an hour or so ago.’

  ‘Out?’ His throat tightened around the word as his worst fears were confirmed and he had to swallow to ask, ‘Did they say where they were heading?’

  ‘I’m afraid not, sir, but...well, no one asked.’

  Of course they hadn’t. Why would they? He raked his hands through his hair, took a steadying breath—think, think...

  ‘Did anyone see which way they went?’

  Her frown deepened, her head shaking. ‘But I’m sure they will be back very soon. The storm is picking up and—’

  ‘Cameras? Do you have cameras out front?’

  ‘Well, yes...’

  ‘Can you check the footage, tell me which way they headed?’

  ‘Of course, sir. I’ll ask Security right away, but I don’t think you should be—’

  ‘Thank you,’ he said over her. He wasn’t interested in her advice. No one, no storm, would stop him looking for them.

  He looked to the glass, to the wind whipping through the trees, the snowfall starting to build and adding to the thick layer already down. Despite the staff’s best efforts, even the path out front, the drive to it too, were no longer visible between the high banks of snow.

  He started to pace. He couldn’t take this much longer. He needed to get out there, start looking. What if the worst were to happen? What if it already had?

  ‘Sir?’

  His eyes shot to the desk, to the woman looking up at him, apprehensive now. ‘They headed towards the lake.’

  ‘The lake?’ he choked out.

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  The lake was through the woods, down a steep bank. It would be slippery, iced over... He was already striding for it.

  ‘Sir, you shouldn’t. You—’

  He wasn’t listening. Instinct fired in his blood, drove his limbs, his mind... He couldn’t go through this again—he couldn’t.

  * * *

  As they cleared the bank and the woods the snowstorm really made itself known, the trees no longer sparing them the worst of it.

  ‘It’s lucky we left when we did!’ she yelled over the wind at Lily, whose hand was clutched in hers.

  Lily nodded but said nothing. It was hard to talk with the snow lashing against their faces, biting into the band of skin left exposed between their hats and scarves, their eyes struggling to stay open.

  She tugged Lily closer and leaned forward against it, her head bowed.

  ‘Sophia!’

  Jack?

  She lifted her head, blinking as she tried to focus. There was a shape in the distance, coming towards them. The closer they trudged, the more she could see. It was him. And...and he wasn’t even wearing a coat. She cursed inwardly—what on earth?

  A sense of foreboding had the icy chill spreading on the inside now, her skin breaking out in a fevered sweat.

  ‘Lily!’ His yell was harsh, choked even. Oh, no...

  ‘What’s Daddy doing?’ Lily shouted up at her.

  ‘I’ve no idea. Come on.’

  She tried to quicken their pace but the snow had banked fast and it was almost as high as Lily’s legs. She turned into the little girl and picked her up, wrapping her legs right around her as she continued on. But Jack was faster. He was suddenly upon them, his arms reaching out for Lily and pulling her from Sophia.

  She looked up and saw everything she feared looking back at her. His eyes were wide, a terrified sheen covering his dark skin. ‘Jack?’

  He shook his head, his eyes blazing as the snow fell thick and fast around them. ‘Inside. Now.’

  Even Lily knew better than to say anything, but she looked at Sophia over his shoulder, her frown forming anew. She knew something was wrong. Something was very wrong.

  Sophia followed on autopilot, her heart racing in her chest, her gut plummeting. Was this all because she had taken Lily out? Alone? Without him?

  She remembered all the times she had questioned his trust in those around him, his trust in her, and she knew it to be true.

  He’d said he loved her. He’d told her he loved her less than twelve hours ago.

  But if he loved her, truly loved her as she did him, how could he not trust her?

  She followed blindly, her thoughts spiralling out of control, her heart rate too. Everything had been so perfect, so right...and now...now she realised it was all a lie.

  No, not a lie. She’d believed him when he’d said he loved her. But hadn’t he also said he wasn’t capable of loving anyone the way they deserved? And wasn’t that exactly what this proved?

  She’d been a fool. A fool to believe this was possible. A fo
ol to believe she deserved her own happy-ever-after.

  A fool to fall in love and believe she’d be loved in return.

  Because what was love without trust?

  Not enough.

  * * *

  He knew Sophia followed him. He was as attuned to her footfall as he was to Lily’s living, breathing form in his arms, past and present colliding with sickening clarity. Only Lily was bigger, much bigger now, and Sophia...she wasn’t Elena.

  He opened the door to his suite and strode in. Her footsteps ceased. ‘Come in, Sophia.’

  He couldn’t look at her. Instead he headed for Lily’s room; he needed her warm and very, very safe.

  ‘Daddy, why are you mad?’ Lily lifted her head off his shoulder, the concern in her gaze crushing him.

  ‘I’m not mad. I was worried.’

  ‘Because we were gone?’

  He nodded and lowered her to her feet.

  ‘But we left you a note...’

  ‘A note?’

  He crouched, his hands sweeping over her face, her hair, taking off her hat as he kissed her forehead and held her face close.

  ‘Uh-huh.’ She nodded. ‘On the pillow, next to you.’

  He dragged in a breath. So he’d missed the note. It was likely wrapped up in the bed sheets. It didn’t change what had happened, how close they’d been to putting themselves in danger.

  ‘You get yourself into some dry clothes, okay? I’m just going to talk to Sophia.’

  ‘Don’t be mad with her. It was my fault. I begged her to take me out.’

  He closed his eyes and kissed her once more. ‘Off you go.’

  She nodded but he could tell she wanted to say more...so much more...and he didn’t want to hear it. He rose up and closed her door, turning back to see Sophia still on the threshold, her hat and gloves clutched to her chest, her eyes averted and skin pale.

  ‘What did you think you were doing?’

  She started like a frightened rabbit, her eyes coming to him, wide and glinting. ‘She wanted to play in the snow just one last time before...before we left.’