For Business...Or Marriage? (3 page)

His office door flew open, followed by his once even-tempered assistant. No sign of tears now. Her
eyes held a bit more fire than moments ago. As if she needed to look sexier.

“I will be staying here while you go look for a honeymoon destination.”

She stood in his doorway with her hands on her hips. Because she’d shed her baby-blue jacket that matched her knee-length skirt, her white button-up shirt pulled against her chest. He had to keep his eyes focused on her vibrant green eyes and not the simple outline of her plain white bra.

Damn. He wouldn’t be looking at or even thinking of her undergarments if he could get that damn image of her riding that bull out of his head.

“You will go and you will do your job as you always have.” He paused, daring her to say a word. “End of discussion.”

“What I have to say doesn’t matter?”

Her slightly raised tone shocked him. “That’s not what I said. What I said was you will do the job I am paying you to do.”

“And what will you tell Mona?”

“There’s nothing to tell.” Because he didn’t want the control to slip from his grasp, Cade came to his feet and rounded his desk. “We’re going on a business trip. I’ll be working, as will you. Surely you’ve assisted previous clients with their honeymoon getaways?”

“Of course, but this is different.”

“Why? You work for me, in not one but two settings now. I will need your input on real estate
business and honeymoon planning. If you can’t handle the pressure, just say so.”

She opened her mouth and then closed it. The tension in the room mounted and Cade wondered what she was thinking. He knew that bit about her not handling the pressure would get her. She hated to be thought of as incapable—not that he’d ever thought of her that way.

He crossed his arms, leaned against his mahogany desk and waited her out. Not that he minded staring at her, but he hoped she said something soon before he made a fool of himself and crossed the line of professionalism, doing something completely insane. Like grabbing her and kissing her.

“We’re leaving Friday morning,” she said through clenched teeth. “Seven sharp.”

She spun on her heel and slammed his door behind her.

Cade didn’t know whether to laugh or groan. He wasn’t sure if he was going to make it to the aisle. First he had to survive this trip.

A
bby settled into her plush, leather seat aboard Cade’s private jet and buckled her seat belt. Under normal circumstances she would be ecstatic to be flying off to Jamaica, Cozumel and Cancún, but these were far from normal circumstances. And in just a few hours, they’d be on the pristine, sandy beaches of Cancún.

As Cade came through from the cockpit, Abby booted up her laptop and set her file folder in the vacant seat next to her. Might as well work on the wedding planning. The sooner she got all the details perfected, the sooner she could get on with her life…alone.

“What are you working on?” Cade plucked the
folders from the seat, tucked them in the side pocket of his chair and eased in beside her.

“Wedding plans.”

He clicked his seat belt into place and continued to stare down at her computer screen. Did he have to be so close? Smell so good? Torture her on a daily basis?

Hopefully once they reached their destinations, they would go their separate ways, only meeting up for dinner and to discuss business like they did on any other trip.

“Are those the flowers Mona chose?” he asked, referring to the simple, elegant calla lilies on her screen.

“These are the ones I like. She told me to do what I wanted.”

“Why do you like those? Why not go for something traditional, like roses?”

Abby glanced over, only to find those dark, haunting eyes roaming over her face. “Because they add grace to any wedding. Just a few here and there will really make the arrangements seem softer, more romantic.”

“And you know all about how to create romance for other people. Right?”

Was he mocking her?

“I’d say you’re pretty knowledgeable in the romance department, as well.” Abby smiled, trying to get him to open up, to see if he had any genuine feelings for the woman he was about to marry. “That was quite an impressive rock on Mona’s hand.”

He shrugged, crossing his ankles and lacing his hands over his abdomen. “I wouldn’t know. She picked it out.”

Appalled, Abby cocked her head, turning even more to face him. “You’re not serious? You didn’t even pick out your fiancée’s engagement ring?”

“No. I sent her an e-mail and told her to get what she wanted and send the bill to me.”

Her heart actually froze from the iciness of that statement. “I speak for women everywhere when I say that is the worst way to start a marriage and the tackiest proposal I’ve ever heard.”

Cade laughed. “Maybe so, but you have to remember, Mona and I aren’t going into this for love or any other personal reason. We want to build our companies up to the best of their abilities. Once we create this merger, the impact of going global will be nothing short of perfect.”

Shocked, though she supposed she shouldn’t be, Abby knew “merger” really referred to the marriage. Her heart broke a little at the fact that this beautiful, powerful man was lowering himself this way. If he could just open up to the idea of loving his mate, he would be an amazing husband. He gave his all in everything he set his mind to. His wife would be the most fortunate woman.

“I can’t get my work done if I’m chatting about non-existent romance with you,” she told him abruptly, drawing her attention back to the screen. “Besides, I’m sure you have something you should be doing.”

Cade’s rich, robust laugh filled the cabin. “You sounded just like my mother.”

Ouch. That was not something a woman wanted to hear out of the mouth of the man she’d fallen in love with.

“She used to shoo me away when she wanted alone time,” he went on. “Brady and I would purposely aggravate her just to get her riled up.”

Abby had no problem imagining the Stone boys getting into mischief. “You must miss her.”

His wide smile dropped some. “Every day. It’s harder now, too, with Dad gone.”

“There’s nothing worse than the death of a parent.”

“The few times you’ve mentioned your parents, it was in past tense.” Cade shifted in his seat as the plane taxied down the runway. “How long have they been gone?”

Great. Now he wanted to get to know her personal side. After nearly a year of working for him and his brother, and just a brief time with their father, he wanted to know more.

“My father’s never really been part of my life. He left when I was two, so I don’t remember him.” Abby concentrated on clicking through sample floral arrangements instead of the empty, aching hole in her chest. “My mother passed away right before I came to work for you. I took care of her until she passed. It was the hardest time of my life.”

“You’re a strong woman.”

Cade’s words washed over her, touching her in
areas she shouldn’t allow. But she couldn’t stop the emotions from taking over any more than she could stop him from marrying Mona. The fact that someone like Cade—a powerful, courageous CEO—thought she was strong, really boosted her self-confidence.

“I don’t know about that,” she replied, trying to stay on topic. “At the time I did what I had to do, what she needed me to do. I didn’t even think about my needs. I wanted to devote every moment and ounce of energy to making her as happy as possible and making memories while she was still here.”

“So that explains why there’s no man in your life.”

Her fingers stilled over the keyboard as the plane lurched into the sky. “Excuse me?”

“You’ve never mentioned a man, never mentioned dating at all in the whole time you’ve been working for me. Now I understand why there wasn’t someone. Your time was limited.”

Limited. Yeah, that’s the only reason she didn’t date. Had she really not dated in a year? God, how pathetic was that?

“So you spent years planning weddings, creating an aura of romance for other people but there was no one to romance you,” Cade added, as if talking his way through her analysis.

“Don’t make it sound so glum.” She spared him a glance, but quickly looked away when she saw how he was practically dissecting her. “I enjoy seeing other people happy and knowing I helped make the most important day of their life even more memorable.”

“Surely you’ve had prospects, gentlemen who wanted to date you, get to know you on a personal level.”

Abby shrugged. “A few. I’m picky.”

“You should be,” he agreed. “If marriage is something you want, and love is truly something you believe in, you shouldn’t settle for anything less than the best.”

Turning to face him, Abby quirked a brow. “Aren’t you settling?”

His smiled widened. “Not at all. This business arrangement is perfect for all parties involved.” His tone softened as he laid a hand on her arm. “People don’t always marry for love, Abby.”

Looking into his mesmerizing, dark, inky eyes, she spoke from her heart. “They should.”

“So you’re holding out for the real thing?” he asked, sliding his hand from her arm.

She offered him her sweetest smile. “Didn’t you just tell me not to settle?”

And that comment right there gave her the ammunition, the courage, and the knowledge to hold on to what she wanted.

And she wanted Cade Stone.

Hadn’t he fought for everything he’d ever wanted? That was how he’d gotten to the prestigious position he was in today. So, he should appreciate a woman who didn’t just turn her cheek and let her desires pass her by. Besides, if she didn’t at least try to open up, let Cade see the personal side of her, she’d never know what could have been.

They both needed to know each other on a personal level. Nothing could develop further between them otherwise.

God, not only did she get wasted and ride a mechanical bull, now she was thinking of a life she could have with the man of her dreams who was currently engaged to someone else.

Lyrics for a country song, anyone?

But a little spark of hope ignited deep inside Abby.

They were on a honeymoon quest, right? Well, she’d just have to make sure he saw exactly what he’d be getting for his money at these luxurious resorts. Private sauna for two, couple’s massage, candlelit dinners on the beach…

Hey, someone had to research all the couple’s amenities. There was no reason she couldn’t multitask. Mixing business and pleasure may be a no-no to some companies, but she’d never been told it was at Stone Enterprises.

Abby bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from giggling like a school girl. Look out, Cade. You’ve met your match.

He’d told her not to settle for anything less than the best. How could she go against her boss’s command?

Cade wasn’t quite sure what was up with Abby, but something certainly was. She’d been acting weird since last Friday. She’d left the office that day just like any other day, but then after midnight he’d gotten
that damn call to come pick her up at the bar because she was too drunk to drive.

Granted he wasn’t sure what she did in her off time, but he never in his wildest dreams would’ve guessed her to be a barhopping, bull-riding woman.

Damn. There go those thoughts again. Too bad he couldn’t delete that particular file from his mind as easily as he did unwanted documents from his computer.

And now, even though their rooms were side by side, he hadn’t seen Abby since they checked into Cielo Islandés.

Usually on a business trip she would check in with him, let him know his schedule, what needed to be done before they left and what he could expect. But not this time. She’d practically disappeared.

But, in her defense, she was pulling triple duty. Between the planning of the wedding and honeymoon, she was also assisting him with researching potential properties to invest in and purchase.

Cade carefully hung his suits in the closet and shut the white double doors. As always, Abby had requested the suites so he had plenty of room to move about, but now he was antsy. How was he supposed to be thinking of a honeymoon getaway when all he could think of was Abby and this unleashed sexuality that he hadn’t known existed?

Not only that, she seemed to have gotten brazen, stronger. Now she was standing up against him and speaking her mind. And he had to admit he liked this new side of her.

Damn it.

He threw open the glass doors that led onto the balcony and welcomed the fresh, salty Cancún air. The waves of the ocean were soothing to both listen to and observe.

Curling his hands around the wrought iron banister, he watched as the glowing orange sun started to make its descent into the water. The day was coming to an end and still no word from Abby.

She was probably just busy planning his wedding.

His wedding. Words he never thought would enter his mind, much less be put into action. But everything in his career was falling into the perfect place and his upcoming arrangement with Mona was just another step in his intricately laid plan.

He needed to talk with Brady as soon as possible, but he wanted to make sure both the wedding plans and business plans were set in place and ready to go before he broke the news of the merger.

At the knock on his door, Cade turned and headed back through his spacious, tropical suite.

When he opened the door, though, everything in his mind vanished. How could he form a single thought when Abby stood in his doorway wearing…God, what was she wearing? Something wispy and sheer that had been wrapped around her so many times that all he saw was flowing material and creamy skin.

Her shoulders were bare and her hair had a tousled
look. She brought to mind the image of a wanton woman wrapped in her lover’s sheet after making love.

“Throw on something casual and meet me on the beach,” she said through pink glossy lips. “You’ve got five minutes.”

And with that she was gone, leaving Cade to watch the material flowing behind her, beckoning him to follow.

More than curious and, he hated to admit, aroused, he changed from his dress pants and silk shirt to a pair of khakis and a simple white short-sleeved button-up shirt, cursing himself all the while for allowing sexual thoughts to creep into his mind when he was marrying someone else in only a month. Whether he was in love or not wasn’t the issue; he intended to be faithful to Mona.

He grabbed his room key card and headed down to the beach directly in front of the resort. But he came to an abrupt halt when he saw a deserted beach, save for Abby with her flowy material, hair dancing about her bare shoulders and a table for two set complete with candles and flowers.

Oh, boy, was he in trouble.