Marrying Cade (10 page)

“The family is very lucky to have such beautiful daughters.” Sylvia’s fingers lightly stroked the little vase of flowers. “I suppose Melo must be promised to someone here too.”

Cade’s heart tightened. “No, Melo is still unattached.”

“Well, the way she looks today she won’t be for long. She’s totally gorgeous!”

Cade resisted the urge to look over. He’d have to lean forward to look down the long table, and watching her wasn’t enough. He wanted to hold her. Look into her eyes and talk to her. Unfortunately Melo has shown no such desire. Since their talk outside the church, she was avoiding him like the plague. When he’d stood to deliver the best man’s speech he’d glanced her direction, but unlike the entire room full of people with faces angled toward him, she’d stared down at her plate.

The band started to play.

“Oh! Their first dance!” Sylvia clasped her hands together, her excitement palpable as her son and his bride pushed back their chairs and made their way onto the dance-floor.

Adam held Rosa close, his cheek brushing hers as his hand pressed into the small of her back.

“Now, everyone, join the happy couple on the dance floor,” intoned the bandleader.

Cade rose and walked to Melo. “I believe it is tradition for the bridesmaid to dance with the best man?” His mouth pulled into a tight smile. She couldn’t refuse. Not in front of all these people.

“I don’t want to dance with you,” she hissed under her breath. “You know I don’t.”

“Yes, I know you don’t. But you have no option. Not unless you want to cause a scene.” His eyebrows raised.

Melo glanced out at the wedding guests, some of whom were watching their exchange with great interest. Her bottom lip pouted, then she plastered on a false smile. “You win.” She pushed back the chair and walked around the table to join him, reluctantly allowing him to pull her into his arms.

She was so tense her body was stiff and unyielding. Cade rested his hand on the small of her back and tugged her closer.

Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened and closed as if she wanted to say something but had decided against it. Cade breathed in her perfume. Her breasts were pushed up against the hardness of his chest, and her feet moved automatically, matching his steps perfectly. Her smooth cheek was flushed with faint pink, and she was biting on her bottom lip with her small white teeth.

One disagreement wasn’t enough to toss what they had aside. She needed to listen to him. He wasn’t going to stop until she
did
listen to him.

“I saw you talking to your father earlier,” he muttered softly. “Were you having an argument?”

“My father is determined I put up no barriers to you buying Paradise Beach,” she muttered. “He’s angry with me for daring to voice my opinion. He’s talked my mother around too. Thanks to you, I’m getting the silent treatment.”

“I’m sorry.” Cade smoothed the back of her dress, feeling her body’s warmth.

“Like hell you are.” Melo tilted her head up to his. There was a veil of shimmering tears threatening her expressive eyes. She was so involved with her family, being put under pressure was upsetting her.

Cade’s arm tightened.

“Don’t hate me for something that’s not my fault,” Cade said. He’d already told her he didn’t know of her claim, and wasn’t about to repeat it. There were only so many times a man could try to make amends, and he’d exceeded his lifetime quota. “Your parents will cool down. Once the lawyer has judged the veracity of your claim, this matter of your rebellion will be water under the bridge.”

“Until then I’ve got to live with their disapproval. It would be easier with Rosa here; at least she is on my side. But once she goes on honeymoon…”

Cade wanted to run his lips down the smooth curve of Melo’s neck. He wanted to kiss her, make her admit the attraction that had her trembling in his arms. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The eyes of the room were on them. It would be impossible to relax here on the island after the wedding. With Marco pressuring Melo and everyone watching their every move. Now was the time to make his move.

Cade’s heart swelled with satisfaction. She’d walked right into the trap he’d set for her, and he’d bet she hadn’t even seen it coming.

“That’s why after your meeting with the lawyer tomorrow we’re flying to Canada. While Rosa and Adam are on their honeymoon, and the lawyer checks the facts, you and I will take advantage of the time available, and I will show you first hand why a West Hotel is the best option for Isola dei Fiori.”

Chapter Ten

“How are you holding up? We can stop for the night at the Le Château Frontenac, or take another flight and be in my hotel after an hour more flying.” Cade rolled his shoulders and bent his head to the left, stretching out the muscles of his neck. “Even these first class seats are too small.”

Melo pulled the light caramel fleece blanket up. They had been flying for hours. First the helicopter flight to Rome, then the never-ending flight to Quebec. When she finally fell into bed, she wanted to sleep forever. The thought of climbing aboard another plane after a scant few hours rest held no appeal whatsoever.

“I just want to get there.” She slanted a peek at Cade. How could he still look so good when she was sure her rumpled hair and creased clothes made her look like a bag-lady? “Will there be much of a wait between flights?”

“I have a light aircraft on standby. It’s a private flight, so we can be on our way again within the hour after landing.” He glanced at his watch. “Which should be happening soon.”

A disembodied voice over the intercom told everyone to put on their seatbelts, confirming his guess.

“We’ll keep traveling then.” Cade leaned closer and gazed out of the window, so close Melo could almost reach out and brush his stubbled cheek with her fingertips. She breathed in his familiar scent, and closed her eyes for a moment.

He’d been such a perfect gentleman, her irritation had dissolved like coffee grounds in boiling water, and somewhere over the ocean she’d finally weakened and let excitement at their trip take her over. In the hours in the air, he’d relented and told her more about the hotel they were visiting, deep in the Rocky Mountains, and her curiosity was piqued—it sounded so different.

By the time they returned to Isola dei Fiori, they’d have an answer one way or the other about Paradise Beach, but right now exhaustion draped over Melo like a cloak, and all she wanted to do was sleep.

****

“Hi Pierre.” Cade strode toward the lanky driver waiting next to the limousine and shook his hand. “Long time, no see.”

“Good to see you, Cade.” Pierre opened the door for Melo, then stowed their luggage.

“I thought we were going on to your hotel?” Melo asked. She must be tired but she didn’t look it as she glanced out of the window at the unfamiliar surroundings.

Cade felt his eyeballs had been rolled in sand, and his body ached from the close confines of the cabin.

“We are.” He poured two glasses of champagne from the limousine’s bar, and handed her one. “We’re on our way to the seaport where the sea-plane is waiting.”

“We’ll be taking off from the water?” Melo’s eyes sparkled, and her radiant smile was like the sun coming out on a dark winter day.

Cade nodded.

“That’s amazing!” she said, her voice high and breathy.

Cade’s gaze fixed on the curve of Melo’s smile. Traveling for him was just a means to an end. A necessary evil to be tolerated in the quest to get to his properties around the world. It took Melo’s delight in every minuscule aspect of this trip to reveal how jaded he’d become.

He reached for her hand. “We land on the water too.”

Flying over the majestic mountains and finally catching a glimpse of the perfect silver circle of water was the most perfect introduction to The Hidden Lake Hotel, his first and most private West hotel. Somewhere along the way, he’d let the wonder bleed away, but Melo’s enthusiasm infected him like a particularly virulent virus, and he felt the leap of anticipation drive his tiredness away. He should despise her for putting her family’s future in jeopardy. When his father had gambled away his home, he’d been devastated, but now faced with a woman who had recklessly gambled with her family’s future he couldn’t even summon up disgust. He was under Melo’s influence, dazzled by her. And it annoyed the hell out of him.

They pulled up to the dock where the tiny plane bobbed on the water, and waited while Pierre transferred the luggage, and chatted to the pilot.

“It’s very small.” Melo bit at her bottom lip and a tiny crease appeared between her eyebrows as she gazed at the plane.

“A lot bigger than the helicopter,” Cade answered. She’d been fine on the flight to Rome; it must just be the novelty that had her crossing her arms around her torso and eyeing the plane with nervousness. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you.”

“I’m not worried.” Melo’s chin lifted and when her gaze collided with his their blue depths were tinged with a seriousness that stunned him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“For what?”

“For this trip; for getting me away from the family. I couldn’t have taken one more minute of my parents’ disapproval.” Melo’s gaze fell, and she twisted her hands together.

With one sweep of his fingers, Cade tilted her chin up, and brushed his lips across hers lightly. “You’re more than welcome,” he replied, feeling her stiffen before he pulled back. “Now let’s board.”

Melo’s jaw was clenched tight as the tiny craft set off from the water. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she angled her knees away from Cade. Every molecule of her body rejected him in a potent non-verbal “hands off.” Her shoulders were tense, and she gazed out of the tiny window and gasped aloud as the plane lifted into the clear blue sky. He wanted to hold her hand and reassure her, but after her response to his kiss, didn’t dare. The peace between them was so tenuous he was loathe to shatter it, and one move too far would be all it would take.

Cade pushed his hair back with an impatient hand. He wasn’t used to waiting. Wasn’t used to putting someone else first, but Melo had been under such strain he couldn’t push it. When they were in bed together, all the issues between them disappeared, and his body ached for her in a way it had never done for another.

Her chestnut hair brushed against her cheek, and the soft curve of her mouth tempted. In the close confines of the plane, he breathed in her distinctive flowery perfume and bit back a groan.

“Why did you decide to build this hotel?” He could only just hear Melo over the engine noise so he leaned forward. To his relief she didn’t shrink away, just stared into his eyes.

Cade rejected his usual stock responses. He could say it was because Hidden Lake was one of the most beautiful locations on the planet, and one in need of exploitation. That it was a sound business decision. “I love it here,” he murmured. “It’s magical, unspoiled. I wanted somewhere I could come to.”

“Somewhere you could come to?” Melo’s eyes widened. “I thought you lived in New York.”

“I don’t really live anywhere,” Cade stated flatly. “I have penthouse suites in all my hotels, and I live between them.”

Melo’s mouth breathed open, “What do you mean—surely you have an apartment, a house?”

“No.”

It was a bone of contention with his mother and his sisters. Something he hadn’t felt the need to explain to anyone. Buying a house and filling it with all his possessions felt too much like permanence. He’d invested all his emotion in a future that hadn’t happened. Had dreamed of one day living in the ranch, and when it had all fallen apart had made a vow he wouldn’t ever invest so much emotion in one place ever again. But Melo was waiting for an answer, so for the first time in years he tried to put his feelings into words.

“Living in my hotels gives me the best of both worlds. The penthouses are reserved for my use whenever I need them, and I have clothes and personal effects in all of them. I don’t have any need for anything else more permanent.”

“But…” Melo struggled for words, “don’t you want to have somewhere to see your family? Somewhere to kick back with your friends?”

“My mother visits the penthouse of my London hotel when I’m in England. My friends are perfectly happy to join me there. Food is always available at a much better standard than I could cook it myself, and all my hotels cater to the guest’s every need. I really don’t need to have a place that is exclusively mine.”

He glanced out of the window. She probably couldn’t understand. After all, Melo had always been a home bird, with her roots firmly in the soil of Isola dei Fiori. This was her first international trip, wasn’t it? To someone who felt one little piece of the earth was home, his wandering lifestyle must be an anathema.

Cade pulled in a deep breath and pointed out of the window. “Look.” The sunlight sparkled in the snowy tops of the mountains as the plane banked. They were close enough to see the stands of pine clustered on the mountainside, and in a moment they would be landing. “The lake is coming up.” Cade reached for her hand, and to his relief she let her hand rest in his. “There.”

The mirrored surface of the lake could only truly be appreciated from the air, yet so many times making this flight Cade had let the moment escape, reading through contracts or studying spec sheets as the pilot brought the plane in to land. When he first saw Hidden Lake, he fell in love with its spectacular beauty, and somehow after time, he’d forgotten his real reason for building the hotel in the first place. With Melo’s hand in his and the delight shining in her eyes as she peered out of the window, he saw it all through new eyes.

“It’s so beautiful.” She turned, and her smile knocked every thought clean out of his head. Apart from one. The urge to kiss her.

Her eyes darkened and she edged her chin upwards. Her lips parted. Damn it all, not kissing her was tying him in knots.

Cade gave in and slanted his lips over hers.

With a tiny sigh Melo kissed him back, sliding a hand up into his hair and stroking his scalp. When she pulled away her breathing was fast and as uneven as his.

She felt it too, this passion that blazed between them. And later, they’d be alone.

****

Melo’s heart thumped in an irregular rhythm, and she touched her lips with shaking fingers as Cade stood and gathered their coats from the overhead rack. She hadn’t meant to kiss him, but when he leaned closer and looked at her as if he needed to kiss her like a starving man needs food, a wave of longing had overwhelmed her, and she’d been unable to deny herself the pleasure.

She stood and brushed nervous fingers down her jeans. For the next week they would be spending every moment together. The thought made her stomach clench with nerves as she considered the very real possibility she was out of her depth with this man who seemed to still have the ability to force reason from her mind with just a smile or a look that turned her insides to water.

She’d decided to make the trip for a variety of reasons. The first was she needed to get away from her father’s disapproving presence while the lawyer, Aldo Renda, assessed her claim. She wasn’t giving up without a fight, but as she’d already informed her clients she’d be taking time away from the office, heading back to Florence had seemed a fruitless exercise. The second reason she’d decided to join Cade in Canada was curiosity. The Cade of old was a boy full of impenetrable secrets. He’d opened up to her more than he had to anyone, but so much about his childhood was a mystery.

When he revealed he preferred to live in his hotels rather than build a home for himself, she hadn’t been able to understand it. Her apartment in Florence was rented, but it was still home. A place to retreat to when the world got too much. A safe haven where she could kick back and do whatever she wanted without the unwelcome attentions of strangers. The thought of not being able to cook herself dinner, or invite her friends over for a night drinking wine and sharing confidences was an alien one. No luxury could compare with that. Even twenty-four hour room service.

Cade reached for her hand.

The heat of his fingers curling around hers was echoed by fingers of warmth curling around her heart. Her fascination with Cade was dangerous. And for the first time she wondered if coming here with him was the right decision.

After a short car ride, they arrived at the hotel.

“We’ll say hello, and then I’ll take you up to the penthouse.” Cade’s deep voice near her ear sent a flurry of shivers through her, and she breathed in deeply to steady herself. Her legs felt shaky as they pushed open the door into the hotel and walked across the smooth wooden floor to the reception desk.

“Mr. West, welcome back.” The receptionist’s face lit up at the sight of Cade.

Jealousy stabbed at Melo’s chest. The other woman was small and pretty and looking at Cade as though he was a birthday present she was dying to unwrap.

Cade’s hand tightened in hers.

“Hello, Bette. Good to see you.” Cade tugged Melo’s hand under his elbow, wrapped her fingers around his bicep and gripped down, making sure she couldn’t pull away. “This is my friend, Melo Bellucci; sign us in, will you?”

“I’ll call the manager,” Bette reached for the phone, but Cade stopped her.

“Not now, Bette. I want to take Melo up to the suite—we’ve had a hell of a trip. I’ll check in with Ben in an hour, after I’ve had a shower and unpacked. You could let him know I’ve arrived and I’ll meet him in the office for a rundown then.”

“Yes, sir.” Bette nodded, “Your suite is all ready for you, would you like me to send up some coffee?”

Cade slanted a glance at Melo. “Yes, coffee for me. Would you prefer tea?”

If she drank any more coffee she’d start hallucinating. “Tea would be good,” Melo replied.

“Anything to eat?” Belle jotted the details on a notepad.

“We’ll be down for dinner, so nothing right now, thanks.” With a smile Cade effectively terminated their conversation and steered Melo toward the lift.

Cade punched in a code, then pushed open the door to the suite. Melo’s breath caught in surprise. The large room had long picture windows showcasing a heartbreakingly beautiful view of the lake with the snow-capped mountains beyond. A pair of cream leather sofas faced each other in front of a wide fireplace where a fire made from heavy logs blazed and crackled. Between the sofas was a simple rug in shades of red and teal, and across the backs of each sofa were throws of rust red and mustard yellow. The entire effect was warm and welcoming, not like a hotel room at all.

“This is beautiful.” Melo gazed at the large paintings on each wall, and wandered over to the nearest one. It was a picture of deep dark forest—brown black trunks of trees and the dark emerald green of pine needles were so finely painted it drew the watcher in. She gazed closer, making out the figure of a black bear standing on a bed of dropped pine needles.