“I shouldn’t have assumed the worst and fired you.”
“I’m not a business owner, yet,” she added with a quick smile. “But I imagine you have to daily weigh what’s best for your company versus what’s best for your employees. I don’t blame you for making that decision. In fact, I’m glad you did. It motivated me.”
“To find the money, yes. How did you do that, by the way?”
“Creative financing,” she said, confident that was no lie.
Lacey’s smile was rueful enough that Amanda suggested she knew more than she was letting on. “Give me a few days, and I’ll get back to you.”
Outside of Lacey’s office, Amanda took a minute to lean against the wall and close her eyes with a sigh of relief. This was all so close now. She started to head to the back door, then checked herself. She wasn’t in uniform; in fact, she’d decided to wear a simple, but crazy expensive, polka dot dress the personal shopper had left when she’d delivered clothes for the surprise party. Right now, there was no reason to avoid the lobby, which was a much faster way out.
Opening the door that took her behind the front desk, she froze at the sight of Tori Drake clicking away on one of the computers. That wasn’t unusual; the head housekeeper of the day often used the front computers to monitor checkouts to get the rooms cleaned while they were unoccupied.
But Amanda really didn’t want a run-in with her now. She moved quickly, hoping Tori wouldn’t notice her.
“What are you doing here?” The icy demand made Amanda freeze and swallow a curse.
She turned and smiled. “Seeing old friends.”
The other woman’s gaze dropped over the dress, her lip curling slightly. “You’ve been banned from the property.”
Not true. “Sorry, but you don’t own the place.”
“But I’m about to own housekeeping, and if you think you can come slinking around for your old job, you can—”
“Mandy!”
They both turned to see Zeke strolling across the lobby, his light, loose, linen shirt accentuating his body, his blue eyes locked on Amanda like she was his personal target. He had one hand behind his back and a very sexy smile on his face.
“Well, well, well,” Tori ground out under her breath. “It’s your favorite guest.”
Amanda slipped out from behind the desk to get away from Tori and closer to Zeke.
“How did it go?” he asked, still not noticing Tori.
She nodded. “Good. It was—”
He brought his arm around and presented her with a single long-stemmed red rose. “I’d have brought champagne, but I figure after last night we both need coffee and rest before the party tonight.”
She took the rose, pulling it to her nose to sniff but gave him a warning look, whispering, “Be careful what you say.”
He looked past her, and she could have sworn she saw his lightning-fast brain compute the whole situation. “Excuse me for a second,” he said softly, stepping away to the desk. “Ma’am?”
Tori gave him a sultry smile. “Yes?”
“My villa is ready for cleaning. My girlfriend and I will be out for the day. We’d like fresh sheets and champagne chilled by four. Will that be a problem?”
Her smile drooped like whipped cream thrown against the wall. “Of course not.”
“Thank you.” Then he turned to Amanda and put his arm around her. “Let’s go, Gorgeous.”
As he hugged her close to his side, Amanda looked up. “Why did you do that?”
“Never liked that girl in high school. She made fun of me.”
On the way out, Amanda couldn’t resist one look over her shoulder, expecting to see daggers in Tori’s eyes. But that very second, Lacey stepped out of the management suite and asked Tori to come into her office.
* * *
It was almost midnight when the last of the non-family guests finally left the country club. The band was packing up, the waiters were cleaning, and Mom and Dad were hugging some old friends at the door. It was time; Zeke was ready to make his announcement, but he had to be extremely careful who heard what he had to tell them.
Nothing would be public for a while, but he was ready to tell his family the news. And Mandy, of course. He hoped she’d be as happy as he was.
“I guess she’s lost her touch after all.” Jerry sidled up next to Zeke at the bar, gesturing toward their mother with his glass. “The liedar is broken.”
Zeke threw a look at his brother. “What makes you say that?” Had Mom figured out their ruse? He sure as hell hoped Violet hadn’t cornered her older son to complain that the younger one wasn’t really dating the girl he’d brought.
“You couldn’t tell?” Jerry choked a laugh. “Dad wasn’t surprised in the least when they walked in.”
“I thought he was,” Zeke said. “And Mom thought he was, which was all that mattered.”
Jerry still shook his head. “He’s known for weeks and that whole jaw-dropping, stuttering, and tears? He’s been practicing that for days.”
“And Mom couldn’t tell? Impossible.”
“I’m telling you. Her liedar must have been tied to hormones, and those are gone now.” Jerry grinned, flashing his easy white smile and crinkling eyes as blue as the set that stared at Zeke in the mirror every morning. “Unless she’s just so happy to see you in love that all internal systems went on the blink.”
In love? Was his infatuation with Mandy that obvious? He glanced at the dinner table where Jerry’s wife and Mandy were laughing, the connection between the two women easy and natural from the beginning. Everyone liked her, of course. Even Mom. Mandy had absolutely charmed Mom, of course, reminding him with a whisper during one particularly nice slow dance that she was only doing her job as his imaginary girlfriend.
Except, not one second of this evening had felt “imaginary” to him. And when he made his announcement, all that pretend business would be over. Anticipation and something that felt as close to a happiness more raw than he could ever remember rolled through him.
“So tell me more about Mandy,” Jerry said, interrupting Zeke’s thoughts. “You met her at the resort, you said. I’d love to hear about that.”
“No, I would.” From behind Zeke, their mother stepped between her sons. “I’ve been dying to get you alone, Ezekiel.” She slipped her arm through his. “You see, I have so many mothers and daughters angry at me right now, I’ll be needing you to write a lot of checks to charities to make up for the empty promises I made.”
He smiled down at her. “I told you not to go to that trouble, Mom.”
“Are you really dating her?” she asked. “Because I know she’s divorced and works as a housekeeper, but—”
“Those details don’t make her who she is,” he said defensively.
“I know that,” Mom insisted. “I’m trying to tell you I like her. She’s charming and pretty and...” Mom sneaked a look at the table. “Maybe she won’t insist on going to work so much that she can’t have a baby.”
On the other side, Jerry gave a soft grunt. “Mom, Laura’s the—”
“I know, I know.” She waved a dismissive hand. “I’m putting my hopes on Ezekiel now. Please tell me this is not some short-term fling of the week.”
He easily met her eyes, unafraid of liedar, whether or not it had disappeared with menopause. Because this wasn’t a lie. “It’s not a short-term fling.”
She scrutinized his face with the same distrusting expression she’d wear when he’d tell her he’d gone to bed at eleven but really stayed up until four on his computer. “How can I be sure?”
Just that moment, Mandy looked over her shoulder and caught his eye, sending that same happiness zinging through him. And only a little trepidation. She should be happy about his news.
It was time to find out.
He set his glass on the bar and put an arm around his brother and mother. “I’ll prove it right now. Let’s get Dad and go sit down. I have something I want to share with you.”
His mother’s eyes wide
ned. “Really? Oh, my God, really?”
He didn’t answer as he walked her to the table and Jerry went to retrieve Dad. In a moment, they gathered together, Jerry and Laura, his wife of six years, Mom and Dad, and Zeke and Mandy. It felt so natural, like she belonged in his family.
“I have some news,” he said without preamble.
Jerry and Laura shared a look, and Dad launched a snow-white brow to the north, and Mom beamed like a Christmas tree.
“I love news,” she said.
Next to him, Mandy gave him an uncertain look. “Good news?” she asked.
“Fantastic news.” He gestured them all a little closer, despite the fact that only the wait staff was in hearing distance. But wait staff could talk. “This is family confidential. You cannot breathe a word.”
“Why not?” his father demanded. “If it’s good news, we share it.”
“No,” Zeke said. “We have to handle the announcement very carefully, because this could be a delicate situation.”
Mom’s gaze zeroed in on Mandy’s stomach. “How delicate?”
“No, no.” Zeke waved her off with a laugh, putting an easy hand on Mandy’s back and feeling her stiffen at the implication. “Different kind of good news.”
Mom pressed her hands together under her chin, nearly jumping out of her skin. “Oh, this is so exciting.”
“Yes, it is,” Zeke agreed. “This is something I’ve wanted for a long time.” All five of them looked at him expectantly, and he breathed the words quietly, “My own baseball team.”
“What?” Mom’s and Dad’s simultaneous questions shot like a bullet across the table.
“Really?” Jerry leaned forward. “You’re buying a team?”
He could have sworn he felt Mandy sigh with relief.
“Starting one from scratch,” he said, reaching under the table to find her hand, hoping she liked the important part of his news. “My buddy Garrett Flynn proposed the idea to a few of our friends, and I’ve spent some time this week doing some site selection for a location to build a facility for a minor league team and to possibly use for Major League spring training.”
“Is that what you’ve been doing?” Mandy asked.
“I wanted you to come, but you were so busy with your own business, I couldn’t take you.”
Mom’s face had slowly faded to abject disappointment. “That’s it? That’s your news?”
“No. That’s not the best part.” He squeezed Mandy’s hand. “I’ve found a location after spending a lot of this week searching up and down the west coast of the state.” He turned to Mandy and met her gaze, hoping to see joy in those bright green eyes. “I found about a hundred and fifty acres of undeveloped land right on Mimosa Key in the northeast corner of Barefoot Bay. Which will get me back down here...all the time.”
He felt her gasp more than heard it, nothing but shock and...well, not joy in her eyes.
“Northeast Barefoot?” Dad leaned forward before Zeke could interpret Mandy’s reaction. “There’s nothing up there but an old goat farm.”
“That man died, I heard,” his mother said. “Cardinale. His granddaughter’s been living there since he passed. Is she selling?”
“She’s going to,” he said confidently, turning to Mandy. “Once we put Elliott Becker on the job.”
But she didn’t laugh or even reply, her face pale, her eyes still registering disbelief. Inside, all the excitement numbed as he realized…she wasn’t happy.
Jerry and Laura were throwing questions at him, Dad was adding to the melee, and Mom looked torn between disappointed and hopeful. But all that didn’t really matter because he’d expected Mandy to look thrilled, but she was anything but.
In fact, she barely smiled.
Chapter Eleven
The low-grade panic that had started when Zeke shared his news bubbled up in Amanda’s chest, squeezing everything until she couldn’t breathe. Her heart walloped her ribs, and every once in a while, she got a little dizzy. Somehow, she managed to chatter with everyone else and hold Zeke’s hand as they all left the country club to wait for their cars.
This shouldn’t have happened. She had no right and no desire to fall for someone again. That wasn’t the plan! That wasn’t independence, plus she—
“Here’s our car,” Zeke said as the limo pulled up to the country club entrance. He guided her into the back seat, gave one last wave to family members then slid in next to her. The car smelled rich, like clean leather, the lights barely on, the windows black.
“My girl is upset.” Zeke eased them both to the wide back seat, folding her in his arms. “Isn’t she?”
She let out the breath she’d been holding for a long, long time. “This would be a hell of a lot easier if you’d please be an asshole rich guy I’d like to punch.”
He grinned.
“And it would help if your family weren’t so nice.”
He laughed.
“And if you wouldn’t do things that make me want to…”
“Want to what?”
Break every rule for you. “Kiss you.”
“What did I do that made you want to kiss me?”
“Pretty much just standing, sitting, being, and breathing.”
He let out a soft moan and pulled her into his lap. “The party’s over, sweetheart.”
It sure was.
“Now we are free to…” He dragged her dress up to her thighs, and then eased one of her legs over him, so she was straddling and facing him. “Break the contract.”
“I’m not fr—”
He stopped her with a kiss, pulling her with both hands on her shoulders, situating her right over a mighty erection that pressed hard against her bottom, her pearly pink dress balled up between them.
As he broke the mouth-to-mouth contact, he slid his hands down, over the neckline and onto her breasts, making it impossible to talk or think. She had to feel. His hands erased everything.
He rocked once, making her gasp. She dropped her head back, the blood rushing through her doing exactly what she wanted it to do—clearing her head of any thoughts. Of any rationalizations. Of any truths or fears or problems this was going to lead to.
Instead, she felt the burn of his lips on her skin, the heat of his fingers as they wandered up her thighs, cupping her bottom, and caressing the most tender spot between her legs.
“Zeke…” She couldn’t breathe, her body coiled tight with how much she wanted his fingers on every bit of her skin, his mouth everywhere else, and his whole manhood deep, deep inside her. Just thinking of that made her roll against his hard-on, earning a grunt of pain and pleasure and an intensified sucking against her neck.
The rumble of the causeway under the tires told her they were almost home, and when they got there…
“I want to make love to you,” he rasped into their kiss. “I want every inch of you, Mandy Mitchell.” He slipped a finger into her wet panties, deep enough to know without a doubt that she wanted the same thing. “I will be so gentle,” he promised.
The words tore her heart out. “I know you will, but...”
“Don’t be scared, honey. I will go so slowly.” He stroked her with his thumb. “So soft and sweet and easy.” Sparks ignited between her legs, fueled by the seductive words.
She could barely nod, her breath so twisted in her lungs, fighting the orgasm that already threatened. One more second, one more caress, one more promise, and she’d be gone.
“This is…wrong.”
“It’s going to be all right,” he assured her. “We’re going to tear that contract to shreds. Along with this dress.”
“No, I mean—”
The limo came to a stop in the driveway of his villa. She eased off him, straightening her dress and hair, trying to get her breath. He could tear that paper-towel contract and this dress, and it wouldn’t change anything. She was…who she was.
And she could never be his.
Except…maybe this one night, before he left. One night, one time, one s
weet, sweet night…she could be his. Doug couldn’t steal everything from her. He couldn’t take away this one night.
* * *
Zeke had Mandy in his arms before the lights of the limo disappeared, scooping her right off the ground and carrying her up to the door, her laughter like music as she dropped her head back.
“What are you doing?”
“Sweeping you off your feet. And, shit, the key’s in my pocket.”
She reached her hand between them, going for his pocket but landing on his throbbing hard-on instead. He hissed. “Don’t make me drop you, Mandy.”
She laughed again, giving him a squeeze, then finding her way into the pocket to produce the card key. “Voilà!” She held it up, and he positioned her so she could unlock the door, and he pushed them in.
“Are you going to put me down?”
“On the bed.” He took her straight down the hall to the bedroom, where the efficient staff had followed his secret instructions and left about two dozen hurricane-style candles burning around the whole room.
“Zeke!” she exclaimed as he set her on the bed, kneeling over her. “This is so romantic.”
“I wanted our first time to be perfect for you, Mandy.” He slowly lowered himself to the bed. “As perfect as you are.”
Her eyes fluttered in acknowledgment of that, each breath she took slow and strained.
“I never want to hurt you.” He traced a line along her cheek and jaw, sliding up to her parted lips.
She whispered something he didn’t catch. Pretend end? “What was that?”
Her eyes darkened under a frown. “Zeke, this was only supposed to be for a week.”
He kissed her softly, tracing his lips to her ears. “What is this ‘supposed to’ you speak of?”
She shuddered a little, and he kissed her with every ounce of tenderness a man with a raging boner could manage, letting her warm to the intimacy and relax in his arms. But she seemed more tense.
“Deep breaths, Mandy. I’m not going to hurt you.”
A fine sheen of sweat glistened on her shoulders, so he kissed it, tasting salt and perfume and sweet, sweet Mandy. He lifted her body enough to unzip her dress in the back.
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