Still Mr. And Mrs. (2 page)

Nothing at all.

She turned around, and their gazes locked. Her eyes seemed to convey a thousand messages. All of them confusing and conflicting.

But then that was Reb. And with her anything was possible.

There had been times when he’d sensed she was holding back. He knew there was something in her past that had affected her greatly. He’d often wondered if that was the reason behind her less than cautious attitude, the reason she was so adventurous.

He glanced over the top of her head and concentrated on the bubbling waterfall at the far end of the pool, the lush, green-landscaped grounds of the estate. He tried to focus on anything but the scent of Reb, or the soft curves he knew lay beneath the cotton towel.

“You look good, Gabe.”

He took a step back. He knew keeping a firm distance from her was the best thing to do.

The only thing to do.

“So do you.” He took in the long silk of her red hair, the twinkle in her green eyes.

“Six months is a long time for a husband and wife not to see each other,” she said softly.

He tried to stop the wry smile that crept to his lips. But he couldn’t. “You should have
thought about that before you left. And don’t forget, thanks to our quickie divorce, we have only two weeks more as husband and wife.”

“I haven’t forgotten. Do you remember when Evelyn first introduced us?” She changed the subject, as though talking about their divorce was as uncomfortable for her as it was for him.

He nodded. At first he’d thought it was the silliest thing he’d ever allowed Evelyn to do, to drag him into White Water Escapades, a mountain climbing and sports shop in Phoenix, Arizona. That was until he’d laid eyes on Reb.

Then it wasn’t silly at all.

“And do you remember the first time we made love?” she asked.

He paused, the words stuck at the back of his throat. How could he ever forget?

“Remember how we sneaked into that tiny back room of the shop while Linda and Jim were doing inventory?”

“I … remember.”

Rebecca laughed. She reached up to loosen his tie.

Fire sparked at her touch. The skin at his neck burned and tingled. He grasped her hand in his and slowly brought it down to her side. “Reb.”

He wanted to tell her to stop what she was doing, but that was like telling himself to stop breathing.

It’d been too long since he’d seen her, felt her touch, heard her voice. She’d captured his heart in an instant with her sweet vitality and love of life. He knew within minutes of meeting her that he’d never love a woman as he did her. She was such a contrast to his very calm and controlled life.

Even now.

“And remember how we tried to be quiet but Linda kept saying to Jim, ‘there’s that noise again’?”

He couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips. Sweetness was all he could think of. “I remember.”

“I do too,” she said.

Her eyes seemed to cloud over as though the memories hurt her as much as they hurt him. Reb had always been so nonchalant. Everything seemed to roll off her back.

But not now, he thought as a sharp pain pierced his heart. Right now he could see a softer, more vulnerable side to her as that old familiar protective urge hit him. Maybe he’d been a fool to let her go.

“Did you change your mind, Gabe?” She extended herself up on her toes, then down again. “Is that the reason behind the desperate phone call? Do you want to call off our divorce?”

He continued to grasp her hand in his. Heat flamed between them. He tried to ignore the blazing warmth that seeped through his skin to his bones.

Then he let her go.

“This little trip down memory lane is wonderful,” he said, his voice a little rougher than he wanted it to be. “But that’s not why I called you here.”

He let out a deep breath and paused, considering his words carefully. “This isn’t about stopping the divorce. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.”

“Oh.”

He couldn’t help but notice the sudden sadness that skirted across her features, the slight slump of her slender shoulders.

She walked toward a chaise lounge and proceeded to lay out another towel, but remained standing.

Gabe hesitated, then pulled up another chair, but didn’t sit down.

“Is Evelyn all right?” Rebecca asked. “She’s feeling okay, isn’t she?”

“Yes, she’s fine,” he said quickly.

“She wanted to take a tour with me. In fact we talked about it a couple of months ago.”

“My grandmother is going to be seventy-six years old in two months. She’s too old to be shooting the rapids.”

“She’d argue that point with you,” Rebecca said, wryly. “And don’t forget, Gabe, that she’s my grandmother too. Even after we’re divorced, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for her.”

“I know. Evelyn would feel the same way.” He knew Rebecca was telling the truth. She’d always had a great fondness for his grandmother.

“So why did you have me drop everything? I canceled a big tour. I could have made a lot of money on that one.”

Gabe took a deep breath. “I don’t know why you continue to take on those tours, Reb. I told you after the divorce there’ll always be more than enough money for you. I promised you that.”

She smiled. “I know. But that’s not good enough for me, Gabe. I want to stand on my own. I want to open my own business.”

“Well then,” he said with deceptive quietness. “I have a business proposition for you.”

Something in his voice stopped Rebecca cold.

She let her gaze skim the full length of him, just as she had when she swam across the pool to greet him. Remembering every bit of him down to the tiniest detail. The sculpted muscles, the rock-hard legs, the warmth and the gentleness of his hands. Every single inch of his six-foot-three frame.

And with that all the memories came flooding back in one quick motion. Her search for a stable home life, including children, his strong desire to pursue his career at the expense of everything else. A sense of loneliness and emptiness filled her. As much as she tried to stop it, an image of candlelit rooms, soft music, and entwined bodies came to her.

Although the desert heat wrapped around her like a vise, she shivered. She pulled the terry-cloth towel over her shoulder, squeezing her fingers together as she tried to redirect her thoughts.

She knew it had been futile to try to banish Gabe from her heart. Seeing him now only reinforced it.

And only after months of telling herself she
didn’t care, didn’t love him anymore did she realize the lies she’d been telling herself.

“So what’s this proposition you’re talking about?” she asked as lightly as she could. “You sound so mysterious.”

“Reb, sit down.”

She took an even breath and settled onto the chaise lounge. She crossed her ankles, fully aware that his attraction for her was still there. She knew he wanted to touch her, just as he’d done so many times in the past. If only those feelings went to his heart.

“Okay, I’m sitting.”

Somehow he seemed taller, his shoulders broader, and his hair was longer than the last time she’d seen him. She decided the length suited him. His eyes were guarded and distant.

His message on her answering machine a few days before had been pretty vague. He’d asked her to come to Palm Springs as soon as possible, and said it had something to do with their divorce. Something about a favor.

At first she’d thought maybe he’d changed his mind. But one look into his dark brown eyes had told her that he wasn’t interested in any sort of a reconciliation. The emotional walls had always
been there in the past, hiding his heart from her. And she suspected the barriers were still there.

Only now they seemed stronger than ever.

He turned the patio chair around and straddled it. He was close enough for her to detect the warm, heady scent of his aftershave. It reminded her of intimate embraces and soft-spoken words whispered on the edge of lovemaking. And how much he had promised to love her forever …

So much had changed. And not for the better, either.

She shuddered.

“Evelyn knows about the divorce,” he said.

Rebecca bit her bottom lip. “I’m surprised she hadn’t learned about it before now.”

“She knew. Except now she’s decided to voice her opinion.”

Rebecca felt a smile tugging on the corners of her mouth. “Oh? So what did she say?”

Gabe playfully tapped her under her chin, sending a shiver down her neck and arms. “Don’t get any crazy ideas about a conspiracy between you and my grandmother, Reb. I still have a mind of my own. And I’m not planning on a reconciliation.”

She twisted a wet curl around her finger.
“Okay, so if the panic isn’t about our divorce or a reconciliation, then what gives?”

He cleared his throat and she had to smile to herself, thinking this was a first. He was nervous.

“Tomorrow the board of directors from The Toy Factory is arriving from Chicago.”

Rebecca pursed her lips. “Oh, I remember some of those people.”

“And they remember you too.”

She could feel a blush stain her cheeks.

“Some other people are coming from a company called Chapman and Fox. They have an exclusive chain of toy stores in England and throughout Europe. You remember Jonathan Fox?”

She nodded.

He clasped his hands in front of him. “We want to expand overseas, and Chapman and Fox want to hit the major cities in the U.S. To put it simply, Reb, The Toy Factory and Chapman and Fox want to put together a merger.”

“There’s a catch, right?” she asked.

He hesitated. “Yes, there is.”

“And the catch is?”

“Evelyn thought it would be best if you were here by my side as my wife.”

Rebecca stood and walked to where he sat. “Is that so?”

“It’s not what you think,” he said. “Evelyn pointed out that in order to pull off this merger we should put on the front of a happily married couple.”

She sank into the cushioned lawn chair, her gaze focusing on the fancy brickwork at her feet. “Oh, I see.”

The sudden pain of confusion and disappointment filtered through her. It wasn’t as though she wanted a reconciliation either. She’d already learned her lesson, and Gabe was a good teacher. It hurt, though, that he didn’t even want to try. But she was determined not to let him see what she was feeling.

“It’ll be for the next ten days, Reb. Then you can get on with your life just as though I never called you. And I can get on with mine.”

Under the shade of darkness, she glanced at him. “Is this what Evelyn wants?”

“Yes.”

“What do you get out of this, Gabe?”

When he hesitated, she knew he didn’t like any of this. In fact, she was willing to bet he regretted calling her.

“Well, for starters, my career. My position as
CEO of The Toy Factory. I’ve worked very hard for the past five years, and if I can pull off this merger I believe The Toy Factory will continue to grow. I want this to work. And so, I’m in complete agreement with Evelyn.”

“So you want me to act as though we’re still madly in love with each other. Is that it so far?”

“We can skip the madly-in-love-with-each-other part.”

She frowned. “Oh, and I thought this was going to be fun.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“That’s funny coming from a man whose whole career is centered around toys and games.”

“You charmed Jonathan Fox,” he said. “He’s looking forward to meeting you again. Jonathan is the key to this entire merger. I know he’d be terribly disappointed if you weren’t here.”

She couldn’t help the grin that slid across her face. “Okay, if I decide to go along with this charade, that’s what it’s going to be, right? Just a charade.”

He nodded. “Nothing more. Our divorce is still going to be final in about—”

“Two weeks.”

“Well,” he paused. “I have to admit the timing isn’t the best.”

“If I play the loyal, loving wife for you in front of the board members and Chapman and Fox, what do I get in return? I have to believe that, being the businessman you are, you wouldn’t dare ask this of me without an offer in the works. Am I right?”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

This could turn to her advantage, she thought as wild ideas started to go through her mind. Maybe she could get what she always wanted. And Gabe was the only one who could give it to her. He was a businessman. He was used to dealing.

Only now, he was in for the deal of his life.

“I could be a hard sell, you know,” she said.

It was his turn to smile at her, his eyes softening as he gazed at her.

“What do you want?” he asked.

“You may not be able to afford it.”

He laughed, and she couldn’t help but laugh with him.

“Try me,” he said. “I’m a wealthy man.”

“It doesn’t concern money.”

He leveled his gaze at her. “Tell me.”

“I want you. Or rather a part of you.”

He shook his head. “I told you I’m not interested in a reconciliation. It didn’t work before.
We have different wants, different needs. We’re not compatible.”

“I didn’t say I wanted a reconciliation.”

She knew she couldn’t allow him into her heart again. It hurt too much. And she’d had plenty of that to last a lifetime.