Kristi Gold - Hotel Marchand 04 (13 page)

“Then you’re not even going to deny you slammed into the car last night.”

“I would be careful about throwing around unfounded accusations if I were you.”

Not exactly a denial, but not a confirmation, either. “If I find out you did have something to do with that wreck, then you and your brother are going down.”

Another long pause. “And if we go down, then you do, too.”

Luc had an idea what that entailed—a threat on his personal safety, and maybe others’. “If I keep up this charade, I have to have your assurance that innocent people won’t get hurt.”

“Now, Luc, our tactics haven’t changed. Destroy the hotel’s reputation with whatever means necessary, then buy the hotel right out from under them. And you should keep in mind that if—when—we’re successful, you’ll finally have what’s rightfully yours. But only if you keep sight of your goal and force the Marchands to sell.”

And in doing so, Luc would be entering into a permanent pact with not one devil, but two. Regardless of what he decided to do, right now he had no choice but to play their game, or at least pretend to play, until he figured out a plan. “Look, I have to go.”

“Only two more weeks, Luc. If the Marchands aren’t cooperating by that time, then Richard and I will make certain they do. In the meantime, stay focused.”

Luc couldn’t focus on anything but his dilemma, and the nagging feeling that he’d set a course of destruction.

“W
HAT ARE YOU UP TO
?”

Only Pete’s deep voice floating through the phone line could create such a sense of warmth in Renee. Only thoughts of Pete could keep her distracted and fully awake, despite her exhaustion. “I’m in bed, reading.” She’d basically been staring at the same page for over an hour. “How’s Adam?”

“He’s okay. He’s been sleeping on and off all day. So have I.”

Renee only wished she’d been so lucky. Even after her lack of sleep the night before, she couldn’t seem to settle down. Especially now. “I’m glad to hear you’re both getting rest.”

His rough sigh filtered through the line. “About this morning…”

“Really, it’s okay Pete. You don’t have to explain.”

“I need to explain. I want you to know I’m not blaming you or your family for the accident. You’re right. Things happen that we can’t control. I also want you to understand why I need to spend the next few days with him.”

“Of course I understand that, Pete. You’re entitled to consider your nephew’s well-being after all you’ve been through with him.”

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be with you, even if it’s only on the phone.”

Renee tossed the book aside, scooted down onto her pillow and grasped the phone tightly in her hand. “What exactly do you have in mind?”

“Some adult conversation would help. Very adult conversation. I’d expand on my thoughts, but Adam’s asleep on the couch beside me. I wouldn’t want him to wake up and hear me, then report to his mother I was talking dirty to someone on the phone.”

Renee could imagine what he might say. She’d heard him say those things before when he’d made love to her. “Just how suggestive did you plan to get?”

“As suggestive as you’d like, babe.”

“Now you definitely have my curiosity piqued.” Among other things. “But you’re right, Adam shouldn’t hear that sort of thing at his age. I suppose I’ll simply have to use my imagination.”

“Then again, that’s why they invented cordless phones. Hang on a minute.”

When Renee heard the sound of a door opening and closing, she asked, “What are you doing, Pete?”

“I’ve gone outside onto the veranda where I can still see Adam through the part in the curtains, but he can’t hear me.”

Then he proceeded to tell her exactly how he would make love to her if he were there, in great detail, right down to the strategic placement of his hands and where he would use his mouth. He ended by saying, “So there you have it, Renee.”

Renee had it all right, a flush on her face, on her body, and a desire for Pete the likes of which she’d never known without being in the same room as him. Suddenly warm—no, hot—she tossed back the covers. “Thanks so much, Pete. How am I supposed to sleep now after that descriptive speech?”

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m going to have the same problem.”

The only thing that would make Renee feel better would be having him back in her bed. “Sorry, but it doesn’t. However, it’s getting late and I’m going to have to try.”

“Before you go, I have one more thing to say.”

She wasn’t sure she could handle one more thing. “As long as it doesn’t have to do with sex.”

“Not exactly, but I do want to see you again before I leave, whether that involves sex or not.”

Before he left, but what about after? Of course “after” didn’t figure into the equation. As she’d told Charlotte that morning, they lived different lives, had different goals. And she needed to remember that. She needed to protect herself from more heartache, even if that meant letting him go now instead of later, at least from an emotional standpoint. “Maybe we should keep it simple. A goodbye dinner. Adam could come with us.”

“And a handshake after that?” His tone radiated sarcasm.

“Look, Pete, you need to take care of Adam, and I need to take care of business. But I’d be glad to see you both off at the airport on Friday if you’d prefer not to have dinner.”

“Fine. If that’s what you want.”

It wasn’t what she wanted at all, but it was for the best. “It is what I want, and you should want that, too. A clean break between friends.”

A short silence followed before he said, “Is this your idea of getting back at me? ‘So long, Pete, it’s been great. Now get lost.’”

“Pete, I—”

“Never mind. It doesn’t matter. You’re right. A clean break between friends works better. No complications. No expectations. Take care, Renee.”

The line went dead, and Renee’s remorse came to life. She wanted things to be different. She wanted to believe that perhaps a future could exist between them. But too many things stood in their way, the least of which was distance. And her own fear of opening her heart and soul to him, only to have the door closed when he came to the conclusion that she wasn’t what he wanted after all.

She turned off the light, but she couldn’t turn off her mind, or thoughts of Pete. But as she had before, she would survive losing him again. After all, she couldn’t really lose something she’d never really had.

W
HEN HE HEARD
the rapid knock on the door, Pete practically shot off the sofa like he’d been hurled out of a cannon. Three days had passed since Renee had told him she wanted a clean break. He’d spoken to her one other time, a tense conversation that had revolved around Adam’s health. So much still needed to be said, and he hoped when he opened the door, he would be granted a second chance.

But Anne Marchand, not Renee, stood on the other side of the threshold. “It’s good to see you, Mrs. Marchand.” He worried his disappointment resounded in his tone, but if Anne’s bright smile was any indication, she hadn’t noticed.

“It’s good to see you, too, Pete, and what’s this ‘Mrs. Marchand’ business? It’s Anne. You’re practically family now.”

Pete would bet his lucky boots that Renee would argue the point. “Come in.”

He stepped aside, allowing Anne to enter, and after he closed the door, she stood in the middle of the room and looked around. “Where’s our boy?”

Pete pointed to his left. “In the bedroom, watching some horse-racing movie for about the fifth time. He’s not too happy I’ve kept him inside for the past few days, but I didn’t want to encounter any more problems.”

Anne frowned. “Problems as in those photographers Renee told me about?”

Photographers that Pete would delight in getting alone in a dark alley. “Yeah. I have a feeling they could’ve had something to do with the accident, but we’ll probably never know.”

“Probably not.” Anne sighed. “I’m so thankful it wasn’t worse. Adam is doing all right, isn’t he?”

He gave her a reassuring smile. “It hasn’t slowed him down a bit. He’d run the streets of New Orleans if I let him.”

“I’m glad he’s okay,” Anne said. “I was afraid the children might have suffered some serious emotional trauma, but that doesn’t appear to be the case, at least with Daisy Rose. Both Luc and Melanie are still having a hard time with it, but I suppose children truly are much more resilient than adults.”

Pete couldn’t agree more. “Adam doesn’t seem to remember much about it. In fact, I think he’s enjoying the cast on his arm, even if he has problems doing things, like brushing his teeth. Can’t say that he’s minded that at all.”

Anne laughed. “I suppose not.” She paused a moment before continuing. “Actually, I’m here to make an offer, if you’re willing. Daisy Rose is downstairs right now and we plan to spend the evening here in the hotel. She would really like to have Adam come and visit. The staff will be dropping by to say hello and we wouldn’t go out at all, so you wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“You’ve already done enough, Anne. You’ve got to be tired taking care of one preschooler, much less two.”

“Believe me, Pete, it’s my pleasure. I enjoy having them to fill in the lonely hours.”

Pete could relate to that kind of loneliness, and Adam had saved him from it on more than one occasion. “Renee did tell me you had a health scare a few months back.”

Anne frowned. “I keep telling everyone I’m fine, and I am. I refuse to get old before my time. Besides, you’ll be doing me a favor. Adam and Daisy Rose play so well together that I don’t have to find ways to entertain my granddaughter. And it would be a shame not to let them have one more play date.”

Pete could probably use the break, but because Adam would be leaving tomorrow, he preferred to be with him for the evening. Then again, it would be totally selfish on his part if he didn’t at least ask Adam what he wanted. “Let me go get him and see what he thinks about the idea.”

He crossed the room and opened the bedroom door. “Hey, kiddo, someone’s here to see you.”

Lying on his belly, Adam turned his attention from the television. “Is it Renee?”

Unfortunately for Pete, no. “Why don’t you come see for yourself?”

Adam scampered from the bed, rushed past Pete and practically hurled himself into Anne’s arms. “Hi, G-mama! Where’ve you been?”

She gave him a long hug and a pat on the head. “I’ve been moving a few things back to the hotel because I’m going to live here again. And that’s why I’ve come to see you. Would you like to play with Daisy Rose this evening here at the hotel? And if it’s okay with your uncle, you could spend the night, too.”

Adam raised his left fist in the air and shouted, “Yeah!” before looking up at Pete. “Is that okay, Uncle Pete?”

He should have known Adam would choose a pretty little redhead over him. “Why don’t you play with Daisy Rose for a while, and then we’ll see about the overnight thing.”

“But I didn’t get to spend the night the last time. I had to stay in that hospital, remember? Can I spend the night this time? Please?”

Pete didn’t have the heart to tell him no, even if it was their last night together for a long time. And maybe, as it had been with Renee, this was Adam’s way of letting go. “If that’s what you want to do, kiddo.”

He nodded his head with a jerk. “Uh-huh. Daisy Rose can write on my cast, and we can eat popcorn and ice cream.”

“Whoa, buddy,” Pete said. “Why don’t you let Daisy Rose help with the planning?”

“She likes popcorn and ice cream,” he said. “And she likes me, too. Can I go get my clothes now?”

“Sure. Put a few things in your backpack. And don’t forget your toothbrush.”

Pete had barely delivered the directive before Adam had hurried back into the bedroom. “Have a seat,” he said to Anne, indicating the sofa while he took the chair opposite.

Once they were settled in, he told her, “I appreciate this. He’s been bored out of his mind. But if he acts up, call me and I’ll bring him back to the suite.”

She folded her hands primly in her lap. “He’s not a problem at all. In fact, he seems to calm Daisy Rose down quite a bit. I also thought it might give you the opportunity to visit with Renee before you leave tomorrow.”

After their last conversation, Pete wasn’t sure Renee would be willing to see him again, even for that goodbye dinner. “I’ll give her a call later.”

“Actually, she’s in the restaurant right now with Melanie. Why don’t you stop by and see her in person?”

And provide her with the opportunity to have him ejected if she didn’t like what he had to say. He probably deserved that. “Unfortunately, the last time we talked at length, she wasn’t too keen on seeing me again.”

Anne’s expression turned suddenly serious. “There’s a few things you need to know about Renee, Pete. First of all, people have always been drawn to her. And it’s not only because she’s physically attractive, or beautiful, some would say.”

“I’d have to say that.”

She smiled. “So would I, even if she is my daughter. She’s tough, but she has a remarkable way about her. I’ve watched her basically tell someone to go to Hades, and she does it in such a way, they’re none the wiser. But I also believe she feels things very deeply, even though she’s learned to cover her emotions well.”

Pete wasn’t sure why Anne felt the need to disclose this information, particularly since he already knew all of it. “She is hard to read,” he said. “At times I’ve had to press her to get her to open up.” And he could relate to that because, in this case, they were much the same.

“Maybe you need to press her a little more. She might push back at first, but something tells me you’re the one man who can get through to her.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, but we might both end up disappointed.”

“I trust you’ll give it your best shot. I also trust that you’ll do everything in your power not to hurt her.”

He already had hurt her, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t make amends. When they went their separate ways this time, he wanted to be sure there was some “good” in their goodbye. “I’d never intentionally hurt her, Anne.”

Anne walked from the sofa to the chair, leaned over and gave Pete a hug. “I know you wouldn’t. And it’s been a pleasure meeting you. I do hope you come and see us again sometime.”

When Anne stepped back, he stood. “If I shoot the movie here, I told Renee I’d like the hotel to house my crew.”

Her expression brightened. “That would be wonderful. Then you think you will be back in the near future?”

“Unless the studio execs have a problem with it, yeah, I’ll be back. It might be several months, though.”

Again she smiled. “You know what they say about absence making the heart grow fonder.”

Pete had decided long ago “they” had been right. Renee’s absence from his life had hurt like hell, even if he hadn’t been willing to admit it then. And when he left again tomorrow, he doubted any of that would change, at least the part about missing her. Maybe the time had come to make that admission, as well as a few more equally important ones.

What did he have to lose?

W
HEN
R
ENEE WALKED OUT
of Chez Remy, she nearly ran headlong into Pete, who appeared extremely determined and somewhat agitated.

“Come with me,” he said, his voice an authoritative command. Without giving her the opportunity to protest, he clasped her arm and guided her into the courtyard. Renee could dig in her high heels and refuse to move, or she could go with him quietly and avoid a scene. The second option was preferable, at least until they were alone.

As they passed several tables housing the early dinner crowd, Renee was quite aware of the whispered, “Isn’t that Pete Traynor?” as well as the sound of excited murmurs that began to build with each step they took. Yet none of the patrons addressed him, no one moved to request an autograph, probably because his body language alone said, “Back off.”

Once they arrived in the deserted courtyard, Pete turned Renee to face him, keeping his palms planted firmly on her shoulders. “I have a few things to say to you, and you’re going to listen.”

“I don’t like being bullied, Pete.”

“And I don’t like your attitude. I don’t like you pretending that nothing’s happened between us. You’re really pissing me off.”

“Well, join the club. You’ve pissed me off for the past three years.”

He inclined his head and frowned. “Then you really are into revenge, aren’t you?”

That had been her initial plan, the old love ’em and leave ’em tactic, but for some reason it now seemed foolish, and incredibly immature for a woman nearing forty. “Look, I admit the thought of exacting some revenge crossed my mind initially, but I have other reasons for wanting to end this now.”

“Okay. Name one.”

I’m in love with you
. “It would only complicate things between us.”

“Things are already complicated between us, which is why we need to go somewhere and hash this out.”

She kept focusing on his mouth, that undeniably dazzling mouth. “And what do you expect to accomplish?”

“I want to leave knowing that you don’t hate me.”

She loved him too much to ever hate him, and that was the crux of the problem. “I don’t hate you, Pete.”

He rubbed her arms. “I’m glad. And now that we’ve cleared that up, I see no reason why we can’t spend my last evening in town together. We can start with dinner.”

Okay, they’d begun with dinner, why not end it with dinner? “I wouldn’t mind spending a little time with Adam.”

“Adam won’t be there. Your mother came by and picked him up. He’s spending the evening with her and Daisy Rose in the hotel’s living quarters.”

Renee was outnumbered, and her allies had basically banded with the enemy. But Pete wasn’t the enemy at all, and she would be wrong to view him in that light. Would it be so wrong to spend this last night with him? Not wrong, only unwise.

Although she’d planned to stick to her guns this time, once more Pete had unarmed her. She was tired of fighting him, tired of fighting her feelings. One more night might be all they had together, so why not take advantage of the situation? Why not make another memory or two? After all, she couldn’t fall in love with him any more, or hurt any less when he left, whether she said goodbye now or later.

Renee did know one thing—she didn’t want to spend their last evening in a restaurant full of potential Pete Traynor fans. She didn’t want to share him with anyone, or anything, until she once again had to let him go.

She fisted his shirt lapels and gave them a tug. “Listen up, Mr. Director. Tonight I call the shots. Is that understood?”

He gave her a half smile. “Sure. As long as you go easy on me.”

“You’re tough. You can handle it.”

He rested his hands on her waist. “Just tell me what you have planned. I deserve a little advance warning.”

“First of all, I don’t care to have dinner at the moment, or to discuss the past or the present, for that matter. Secondly, we’re going to your suite.”

He didn’t try to mask his surprise. “When?”

“Right now. Before I change my mind.”

P
ETE GOT
R
ENEE’S MESSAGE
loud and clear, even though many things still remained unspoken. But he couldn’t mistake her goal when, in the crowded elevator, she took his hand and stroked her thumb back and forth over his wrist. Couldn’t ignore the sexual current arcing between them. And any doubts that he might have entertained disappeared when he opened the door to the suite, and she turned into his arms.

When she shoved his jacket from his shoulders and began to tackle the buttons on his shirt, he clasped her wrists to stop her. “We need to talk first, Renee.” Before he lost his nerve, and forgot his goal.

She wrested from his grasp and continued her mission. “I told you, I’m calling the shots, and I don’t want to talk.” She parted the placket on his shirt, ran her hands over his chest. “Not to mention, I’m too distracted right now to have a coherent conversation.” She topped off the comment with a press of her pelvis against him. “And so are you.”

She was right about that. “That’s your fault.”

“I know, and I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it. And by the time I get done with you, you’re going to be speechless.”

That did it. He hooked one hand around her neck and lowered his head to kiss her while he started on the buttons of her jacket. Pete backed her up, stopping only to discard clothing, as they their way to the bedroom. But they didn’t make it to the bedroom before she had him pressed against the wall, her hands roaming all over his body, and his on hers.