Marrying Cade (11 page)

“They are all by the same artist. She’s a local,” Cade said. “Each room has art by a different local artist. They’re a talented lot around here.”

Melo wandered over to another picture. “And this one is of the lake.” The painted water shimmered in mute reflection of the view outside the window.

Cade stepped close.

Melo’s body reacted to his nearness, soaking it in like a cold traveler close to a fire.

“I commissioned the artist, Margie, to paint pictures of this area after I bought the first one of the bear in the forest. All of the artists were handpicked, and they have a gallery in the hotel where guests can purchase more of their work. A lot of guests like to have something to take home with them. An echo of Hidden Lake to remind them of their vacation.”

“There can’t be many other places to sell around here, either,” Melo said. If she reached out a hand, she could touch him. Her hands curled into fists.

“One of the guests owns a gallery in New York, and Margie’s working on an exhibition.” There was pride in his smile. “She deserves it, she’s a wonderful woman.”

“Did you and Margie…” Melo’s voice trailed off. What right did she have to question his relationships with other women?

A knock on the door broke the mood, and he strode across to open it to a waiter balancing a tray of tea and coffee. “Ah, thank you, Joe.”

The waiter smiled warmly. “It’s good to see you back, sir.” The young man carefully put the tray down on the low coffee table.

“How’s everything going?” Cade questioned.

“Going great,” the waiter answered, sneaking a glance at Melo.

“I’ll catch up with you later.” Cade patted Joe’s arm, and then they were alone together again.

“You know all your employees?” It didn’t fit with the image of a solitary man, jetting from hotel to hotel.

“Not all of them.” Cade poured tea in a thin stream into the delicate china teacup, and added a swirl of milk, just the way she liked it. “But Joe…” he grinned, “Joe was very much like me when I was younger. Angry. He’s Bette’s little brother. He got in with a wrong crowd in Anchorage a while back. When he ended up spending a night in prison for drunk and disorderly behavior she bailed him out and brought him home. Their parents are dead—it’s just him and Bette, so I offered him a job.”

“And now?”

“Well, he’s been here six months. I’ll get the feedback when I meet with Ben.” He tossed back the last mouthful of his coffee. “Let me show you your room. You can have a bath, change and rest. You must be exhausted after the journey.”

Two doors led off the central sitting room. Cade pushed open the door on the right. “This is your room.”

A four-poster bed with full-length filmy curtains was backed up against pale yellow striped wallpaper, and another large window faced out onto the lake, painting the room with light. Unlike the sitting room, the room was fully carpeted with a deep cream carpet. Melo’s case lay on a small table at the end of the bed.

“There’s a bathroom.” Cade pointed to an open doorway close to the bed. “And you should have everything you need in there.” He stepped closer and ran a finger over her cheek. “I’m going to take a shower then check in with Ben.” He glanced at his watch. “We’ll go down for dinner in a couple of hours.”

Melo breathed him in. The faint stubble suited him, and it was all she could do not to reach out and touch him as he had done to her. She clenched her hands by her sides. Swiped her tongue across her lips, then stilled as his gaze locked on the tiny movement and darkened to forest green.

His Adam’s apple jerked as he swallowed then stepped away—out of temptation’s reach.

****

“Good to see you,” Ben said, crossing the compact office as Cade walked in. “How was your trip?”

“Uneventful.” Cade clasped his friend’s hand, and simultaneously thumped Ben’s upper arm. Ben had been his manager since the hotel opened, and what had begun as a business relationship had over the years expanded into friendship.

Cade sat into the battered leather chair he refused to upgrade because, despite its appearance, it was damned comfortable. Cade kept a desk available at all of his hotels but this one felt most like home.

Ben sank into the chair opposite.

“So, how’s Joe working out?”

There was no better way to find out exactly what was going on than to spend the scant time he was at each hotel right in the heart of things. Being a remote hands-off employer wasn’t for him. When he was a kid his father had run the ranch the same way, before his addiction spiraled out of control.

“Joe’s working out fine. You were right to give him a chance,” Ben slipped off his black rimmed glasses, and rubbed his nose. “Tell me about you, how did the wedding go?”

“Good,” Cade answered.

“Bette tells me you have a guest staying?” Ben’s voice sounded nonchalant, but his curiosity was obvious.

“Melo Bellucci, Adam’s new sister-in-law.” Cade didn’t want to talk about Melo. The fact he couldn’t define the shifting relationship between them had him on edge, and his voice was curt as he told Ben all he was willing to. “She’s an old friend.”

Chapter Eleven

A menu carrying waiter showed them to their table in a quiet area at the back of the dining room. Thick burgundy curtains blocked out the darkness outside. The room was lit with low lamps, lending an air of intimacy despite the presence of other diners. Crystal, china and gleaming silverware graced the table atop pristine white linen, and a small votive burned in a crystal holder in the center of the table.

Cade looked the perfect picture of vibrant health in his dark suit and tie, while Melo was so tired she struggled to keep her eyes open.

The waiter handed them menus, then they were alone.

“Did you manage to get some sleep?” Melo asked, playing with the strand of pearls around her neck.

“No.” His mouth curved into a smile. “I had work to do, and I decided to get it out of the way early so I could spend tomorrow with you.”

“I’m so tired, I doubt I’ll be up to much in the morning,” she confessed, scanning the menu. “In fact, I’m having trouble choosing what to eat.”

“I’ll order for you.” Cade called the waiter over and ordered. “My favorite is pasta with salmon in a dill sauce. It’s light yet filling. We won’t stay long.” He smiled slowly. “Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?”

Her heart flipped over. Resisting Cade was too hard. He looked beautiful too and for once she was too tired to consider the wisdom of telling him so.

“You look pretty wonderful yourself,” Melo heard the huskiness of her voice and watched his eyes darken to jade.

“You and I…” He paused, reached for her hand. “We have such a history between us. In one way you know me more than anyone, and yet in another…”

“In another we know each other barely at all,” Melo admitted. “A lot of things have happened in our lives over the past few years. You’ve been in love.”

“I thought I was once.” He pulled his hand away as pain flickered in his eyes. “But she wasn’t what I thought she was. I was looking for something that doesn’t exist. Luckily I found out the truth before we married.”

“What were you looking for?”

The arrival of the waiter with their food lent a natural pause to the conversation. Melo thought perhaps Cade would change the subject once they were alone again, but to her relief he didn’t.

“I’ve never spoken of the engagement to anyone, but I guess it’s natural to talk to you about it, I always told you all my secrets, didn’t I?” He speared a piece of salmon, as though capturing it from the lake. “I was looking for someone to be my companion through life, I guess. Someone who would understand me; someone I could rely on. Instead, I almost tied myself to a woman who was more interested in getting high. I tried to get her help for her addiction, took her to all the best doctors. She told me she wanted my time, my attention rather than what I could buy for her. She wasn’t willing to change.”

“I’m sorry.” Melo reached out to touch him, even though she’d been delighted his relationship with another woman had hit the skids, she couldn’t stand to see the pain still lurking behind his eyes. “You must have loved her very much.”

“I thought I did.” Cade’s finger’s curled around hers. “But in hindsight it was a lucky escape. We didn’t really understand each other.”

He was a kind and caring man. And once again, despite her protestations of keeping Paradise Beach, the only real solution to her family’s problems lay in Cade’s capable hands. Once he’d bought the beach, the relationship between them would be built on a different foundation. With Cade once again providing the finance. Pain stabbed at Melo’s temples.

“Tell me about you,” Cade said. “There must have been some men in the years since we were teenagers.”

“Some,” Melo admitted. “But no one serious.”

“Sebastiano?” Cade’s voice was dark as he growled the name.

“Only for a little while, when I was a teenager. But he was much more interested in getting close to Rosa.” She smiled at the memory, which had no further ability to hurt. “Men are always trying to get close to Rosa. Adam will have to watch out for that.”

“I can’t see why men would be more interested in your sister.” Cade brought her hand to his lips, and kissed it slowly, eyes never leaving hers. “You’re by far the more interesting sister.”

A shiver traveled the length of Melo’s spine at the sincerity in his tone. Desire was evident in his face as their eyes met and held, and the cloak of tiredness was dashed away in the flare of heat that passed between them.

“Cade!” An elderly woman waved from across the room, and got to her feet, making her way toward them slowly.

Cade pushed back his chair and stood.

“Darling, how lovely! I didn’t know you were coming.” The woman beamed as she reached the table. Cade quickly pulled up a chair from an empty table and helped her into it.

“Melo, this is Margie. Margie, meet Melo.” Cade made the introductions, then kissed Margie on the cheek. “Margie is the artist we were speaking of earlier,” he said to Melo before turning his attention back to the older woman. “We were admiring your paintings in the penthouse—as usual.”

“Oh, you sweet boy.” Margie’s cheeks colored.

“They’re wonderful,” Melo agreed. “Cade tells me you’re working on an exhibition?”

“Thanks to him.” Margie patted Cade’s hand as if patting a small dog. “I bet he didn’t tell you he arranged for a friend of his to visit and look at the paintings, did he?”

Melo’s gaze flickered to Cade. “No, he neglected to mention it.”

Margie nodded. “He would. He’s altogether too modest. If it hadn’t been for Cade here, I wouldn’t have sold a thing. He saw a painting I did for a charity sale, paid way more than the asking price for it, and commissioned a whole series.” She shook her head as Cade tried to pour her a glass of wine. “No, I won’t disturb your evening. I’m here with my family. I just wanted to say hello.” Her gaze held Melo’s. “And meet your lady.”

Melo’s mouth opened, then closed when she didn’t know whether or not she could be described as Cade’s lady, and anyway, the old lady looked so delighted at the prospect it seemed a shame to disillusion her.

“He’s a wonderful man,” Margie whispered. “Look after him.” With those pearls of advice, Margie stood, kissed Cade on both cheeks, and headed back to her table.

“Well, you’ve got a fan there,” Melo’s voice trailed into silence at the intensely serious expression on Cade’s face.

His green eyes held a hint of sadness.

“All I did for Margie was buy a couple of paintings and introduce her to someone who’d buy more,” he admitted.

“I wish this beach wasn’t lying between us like an unexploded bomb,” he muttered deeply, and his mouth twisted. “I miss the…the honesty between us.” He must have read the “it’s your fault” expression on her face, because his hands clenched on the tablecloth’s smooth surface. “I know, I destroyed it by not telling you about my deal with your father, but I had no choice, Melo.”

“I know.”

After all, hadn’t she too held a secret from the people she held most dear at her father’s urging? She couldn’t really blame Cade for it, defying Marco’s edicts was darn near impossible. And with his health so compromised… She puffed out a breath. “My father is a difficult man to say no to.”

Cade’s expression lightened, and he reached across the table to clasp her hand. “All I’ve thought about since that night is being with you again.”

Melo’s heart leapt. No matter how she’d tried to block out the need for him, it flooded her anew with his deeply spoken words.

She trailed her tongue over her top lip, watching as his eyes focused on the tiny movement. Resisting him was too difficult. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and feel his strong body next to hers. Could they start again? Could she trust him?

“We could…” As her gaze met his she almost lost her nerve. Was she really ready for this?

He waited, passion flaring in his eyes.

“There’s nothing we can do about Paradise until we hear from the lawyer. Let’s enjoy the time we have together,” she forced out huskily.

“You won’t regret it,” Cade said. And heaven help her, her heart pounded fit to burst.

****

Melo was giving him a chance to start again, and this time he’d make sure not to screw it up. She was so open, so giving, even now, after he’d shattered her trust by staying silent about Paradise Beach. Revealing his past disastrous relationship had been hard, but through it all her caring attention had urged him on, had made him face the fact that he’d closed himself off from the possibility of loving someone. Of having a relationship, instead of an affair.

Cade swept a hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face as the reality of the path his thoughts had taken struck him like a thunderbolt. A relationship? Was this where this strange fascination with Melo was heading? When Margie had called Melo “his lady” he’d wanted it to be true with a fierce longing that had blindsided him.

He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since they met. Had been furious when Sebastiano made a move on her. He’d never felt such a surge of territorial possessiveness before. With Melo he felt uneasy, out of control. It wasn’t a sensation he was happy with, but it sure wasn’t something he could brush away.

Adrenalin flooded him as he took that second chance.

His hand rested on the small of her back in the elevator, feeling her body’s warmth through the soft jersey fabric that clung to every curve. The discreet camera in the upper corner was always monitored, so he resisted his body’s urging to pull her closer and show her just how her nearness affected him. Instead, he breathed in the fragrance drifting from her hair, and watched the numbers counting up on the brushed steel display with mounting impatience.

As the doors slid open, he strode into the darkened penthouse, not bothering to flick on a light but instead letting the gleam of the full moon that flooded the room light their way to his bedroom.

When he turned, she was instantly there. And, as his hands speared through her hair she sighed and leaned into his kiss. When their lips met, tension flowed out of him like a river reaching the sea. Her lips parted, and his tongue slipped inside, tangling with hers in a sensuous dance which heated his blood. One hand slipped to her nape, and his fingers found the tab of her zip and slid it slowly down. She moaned softly into his mouth, and his body tightened instantly at the tiny sound.

Her skin was soft, silky, irresistible. She shivered as his fingers traced her spine, and her breasts pushed against his chest in unspoken invitation. Cade pulled back to ease the soft jersey from her shoulders, revealing a dark navy silk bra with a lace edging. The dress slid over her tanned skin, pooling at her ankles, and she kicked it away with one stiletto clad foot with a confident smile.

The sudden ringing of the telephone shot through his senses like a fire alarm.

Melo’s gaze darted to the phone.

“Ignore it,” Cade murmured, trailing his fingers down her arm, watching in rapt amazement as the tiny hairs stood up in response to his touch.

“It could be home…” Melo glanced back, worry evident as she stepped to the phone. “It could be bad news.” She answered it, listening then cupping the handset to whisper, “The operator says it’s my sister, and it’s urgent.”

She sank down onto the silk quilt.

Cade sat on the bed next to her.

“Rosa?” The sound of Rosa’s weeping bled through the line.

Melo’s hand reached for Cade’s, holding on with a death grip. “Rosa, tell me what happened.”

Even under stress, Melo managed to hold it together, and Cade’s admiration for her grew.

“Rosa. Is it Dad?” she asked sharply at her sister’s incoherent ramblings. At Rosa’s response, Melo shook her head at Cade. “You’ve what?” She struggled to understand Rosa. “You’ve had a fight with Adam?”

She glanced at Cade, a look of total despair on her face. “No, of course your marriage isn’t over. Calm down and tell me what happened.”

She put her hand over the receiver and mouthed “sorry” as her shoulders rose in apology.

“It’s not your problem,” Cade whispered. “Tell her to handle it herself.”

Melo shook her head.

“Calm down, Rosa,” she said into the receiver.

Anger swept through Cade in a heated wave. Ever since he’d known Melo she’d put her spoiled, demanding sister first. She’d been the same as a teenager, always bowing to what was expected, no—
demanded
of her. And now, once again, her family was calling the shots, and she was falling into line, as usual. The fact she was so willing to put herself second burned. How could he have a relationship with a woman who cared so little for herself?

Maybe he should just stride out of there and get a drink. One look at her face, and another idea took form.

Melo’s eyes were closed. A frown creased between her eyebrows, and she rubbed her forehead wearily.

Cade brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. Her eyes flew open. Good, he had her attention at last. He turned her hand over and pressed his lips to her palm.

Her body shivered, but she didn’t pull away.

A flush of satisfaction swept through him as his lips trailed up the inner curve of her wrist toward the inner crease of her elbow.

Rosa’s call could wait.