A Madaris Bride for Christmas

by Brenda Jackson

  Carly had to hide her smile. “What she’s doing is funny in a way and kind of sweet. She just wants her legacy to go on.”

  “And it will. To arrest what I think might be your fears, my great-grandmother, my parents, siblings and numerous cousins will like you. We’re a big happy bunch and we welcome new family members with open arms.”

  She thought about his words and knew there were families who did do that. Heather’s was one of them. Her best friend had invited her home one year during spring break. Just remembering the love they’d shown her still gave her goose bumps.

  “So will you marry me?” Lee’s deep-timbred voice cut into the momentary silence.

  Every muscle in her body tensed when she looked at him. Traffic was at a standstill and his gaze told her that his proposal was real. But she needed more time to think about his offer and what it entailed. “I’m not ready to give you an answer yet.”

  He nodded. “Okay, but fair warning. I plan to wear out your resistance, and if that means seducing you into saying yes, then I have no problem doing that.”

  Carly didn’t say anything. Instead, she leaned back against the car seat as the two of them slipped into comfortable silence. She knew Lee meant what he said, but it still seemed unreal that someone like Lee could want her. That someone like him could understand her, especially her fears.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Lee said.

  She glanced over at him, almost too afraid to ask. “What?”

  “Go dancing with me tonight.”

  “Dancing?”

  “Yes. There’s a club—”

  “Not on the Strip.”

  “No, not on the Strip.”

  He must have heard the panic in her voice. Although he might not agree with her way of thinking, he knew she wasn’t ready to be seen out in public with him yet.

  “It’s a place not far from here. You can rest up and I’ll come pick you up around seven.”

  The warmth of his voice touched her. “Will you have me back home by midnight?”

  “Not if I really don’t have to.”

  She bit her lips to hold back a grin. “I do have to work tomorrow.”

  “But not until tomorrow night, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then you can’t use that as an excuse. So will you go dancing with me?”

  She was discovering that Lee was a man it was hard to say no to. “Yes, I’ll go dancing with you.”

  Chapter 9

  Walking Carly to her door and not asking to join her inside was one of the hardest things Lee had ever done.

  Strolling off the elevator into his suite, he thought about how much he’d enjoyed today and how much he was looking forward to tonight. He’d made the necessary calls on his way back to the hotel and the evening had been planned. He had given her fair warning. They would go dancing for the first part of the evening and then later...

  Lee was jerked out of his thoughts at the sound of his phone. He pulled it out of his jacket and smiled as he clicked it on. “Alex, what’s going on? I understand congratulations are in order for you and Christy again.”

  “Yes, Christy’s pregnant,” Alex said, and Lee could hear the joy in his words. “The doctor says she’ll deliver sometime in the spring.”

  “I’m happy for you two. I’m sure Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Marilyn are happy to become grandparents again.”

  “Yes, I’m sure they are. Look, I don’t want to take up a lot of your time, but I need to fly out to Vegas and talk to you about something. And it would be good if Angelo could be there too.”

  Lee lifted a brow. “Sounds important.”

  “It is. How about I fly in two weeks from now, on a Monday? I would do it sooner but I need to finalize this case I’m working on.”

  Lee flipped screens on his phone to show his calendar. “Two Mondays from now is good and it just so happens that Angelo will be flying in on the Saturday before. Let me know what works best for you, morning or evening.”

  “Let’s schedule it for that morning. That way I can fly right back to Texas after the meeting. There will be two gentlemen with me, and I think you need to hear what they have to say.”

  Lee lifted a brow again. “Okay. Give Christy and the kids my love.”

  “I will. Take care, Lee.”

  “You do the same.”

  Lee hung up. What could this meeting with Alex be about? And who were the men that would be coming with him?

  * * *

  After stepping out of the shower and drying off, Carly applied lotion all over her body, loving the feel of it on her skin. But not as much as she enjoyed the feel of Lee’s hands on her, she thought as shivers of anticipation spread through her.

  She drew in a deep breath as her mind relived the time she’d spent in his arms two nights ago. She remembered all he’d done, and everything she had done. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she could behave in such a way with a man. She had been bold, provocative and wild. How he managed to get her to such a point was still a mystery to her.

  And she knew without a doubt more of the same was in store for her tonight. She was ready. The dress she would be wearing was one she had bought on a shopping spree in New York last year. It was multiprint with a high-low hem, a flirty V-neck and ruffles at both the empire waist and hem. It was the perfect dress to go dancing in...and an easy dress to slip out of later.

  She went completely still at how easily that naughty thought had entered her mind. And this from a woman who had always considered herself a prude.

  Why did she crave things from him that she had never even thought about with other men? And why did she feel as if she was experiencing real lovemaking for the first time in her life when she slept with him?

  She had never been this hot and ready for Nathaniel, so maybe he’d been right about her all along...at least as far as their relationship was concerned. Because of Nathaniel’s profession, she’d thought a man like him wouldn’t want a woman who was too loose in the bedroom. But she had a feeling that even if he’d wanted her to be loose, she would not have been. For one thing, he had never brought out her passionate side.

  So if she was this passionate being that Lee painted her to be, it was because Lee had the ability to bring it out of her. Something no other man had been capable of doing.

  She had just finished dabbing perfume behind her ears when her cell phone rang. She picked it up, checked caller ID and frowned. Nathaniel? Speak of the devil or, considering his profession, the pretended saint.

  Why was he calling her when he hadn’t done so in the three years since they had broken up?

  Deciding to see what he could possibly want after all this time, she answered. “Hello.”

  “Carly? This is Nathaniel. I’m in Miami, and I’d love to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “Why?” he repeated as if there was an echo.

  “Yes, why? If I recall, we broke up three years ago and I haven’t spoken to you since then.”

  “For old times’ sake. I’m here for a convention.”

  Carly frowned. “I have no reason to see you. Besides, I’m no longer living in Miami. I live in Vegas now.”

  “Vegas? Not that sinful, unholy city. A place where prostitution is legal,” he said in a shocked tone.

  Carly’s anger rose. Even her aunt, who was deeply rooted in her religion, hadn’t criticized where Carly lived.

  “The only sinful, unholy thing I know about, Nathaniel, is not a place but a person. You. You are nothing more than a hypocrite. You had no problem sleeping with me before marriage and promising your love to me while you were screwing someone else. You should take a look in the mirror because you definitely aren’t who you claim to be. Now I suggest you delete my number from your contact list. Goodbye.”

  She drew in a deep breath after hanging up the phone. She refused to let Nathaniel ruin what she hoped would be a wonderful evening with Lee. In a way, she felt good about what she’d just said. Nathaniel was a part of he
r past. Now she wanted to get ready for the man who’d asked her to be a part of his future.

  * * *

  “I’m ready.”

  The moment Carly opened the door blood shot through Lee’s veins. He was certain his heart missed a beat. He stood in her doorway, letting his gaze roam up and down her outfit several times before locking on her eyes.

  “I’m ready as well.”

  He meant it. If the purpose of her outfit had been to spike his libido, then she had succeeded. Not that it needed much spiking around her.

  She stepped out on her porch and locked the door behind her. Taking her hand in his, he immediately felt what was becoming quite common between them: a passion so arousing his knees almost buckled while leading her over to his car.

  “I meant to tell you earlier today how much I like your car,” she said when he opened the door for her.

  “Thanks. I’m glad you do,” he said of the sporty candy-apple-red Lexus two-seater.

  “Got many speeding tickets?” she asked.

  Lee watched how easily she’d slid into his leather interior, thinking her body was made for his ride. He met her gaze and smiled. “I’ll never tell.”

  Going around the front of the car, he studied her through the windshield. Yes, she belonged in his car.

  “Why did you do that?” she asked when he opened the driver’s door and got inside, buckling his seat belt.

  “What?”

  “Stop and look at me.”

  He had no reason not to be honest with her. “I like the way you look in my car.”

  “Oh.”

  “And I like the way you look in that dress. But then you always look beautiful,” he added.

  “Thanks. Why are you always doing that?”

  He lifted a brow as he started the ignition. “Doing what?”

  “Giving me compliments.”

  “You deserve them.”

  “Thank you.”

  He couldn’t help but wonder if Knox had been stingy with his compliments. If so, then he’d never deserved her love. But Lee had pretty much made that decision when she’d said the man betrayed her.

  Lee wanted to let the car’s top down to see her hair flying in the wind but decided she might not appreciate it. She had it styled perfectly around her face. When she had opened her front door, he’d thought she looked like an enchantress.

  “So where are we going?”

  They had come to a traffic light. He looked over at her, at her lips glazed with gloss and then her eyes. “Dancing.”

  She smiled. “I know that, but where?”

  He returned her smile. “It’s a surprise. So for now, just relax and enjoy the ride.”

  He would try to do the same, but he wasn’t sure how relaxed he could get. Certain parts of him were begging him to turn the car around and head back to her place, and he was finding it hard not to do so. He hadn’t realized just how abundant his sexual needs were until he’d met her.

  He made a turn into the entrance of the airport. “Why are we here?” she asked.

  He smiled over at her. “This is my surprise. I’m taking you away tonight on a short trip.”

  “B-but I go to work tomorrow. I didn’t pack anything. I didn’t—”

  “It’s okay,” he said softly, interrupting her nervous exchange. “We’ll be back later tonight. I promise. Trust me.”

  * * *

  Carly drew in a deep, slow breath. Her gaze held his and it was then that she noticed he had brought the car to a stop in front of a beautiful silver-and-blue jetliner.

  “This is my company’s plane and I’m taking you dancing in Phoenix, an hour flight from here. I’ve made arrangements at a club there and they are expecting us.”

  Carly moved her gaze from Lee to look back at the jetliner. She’d never dated a man who had such a luxury. To be whisked away to another city just for a night of dancing was simply unheard of for her. “You didn’t have to do all this, Lee.”

  The way the corners of his lips curved when he smiled at her sent sensuous shivers up her spine. “No, but I wanted to. And don’t worry about dinner. We’re eating on board my jet.”

  She blinked. “We are?”

  “Yes, and I believe you will enjoy the meal that’s been prepared.”

  If I can eat it. The thought of dining with him on his jet over ten thousand feet in the sky had her stomach turning over. She tried to downplay her excitement but was finding it hard to do. “I’m sure I will.”

  “Good.” He got out of the car and came around to open the door for her. He reached out his hand. “Come. Let our night begin.”

  * * *

  Lee watched Carly’s expression as she stepped on board his jet. He could tell she was impressed. Most people were when they came on board. He and Angelo had specifically designed the plane for their comfort when they discovered how often they would need to fly between Dubai and Las Vegas.

  “This is simply exquisite. Way too much. Absolutely beautiful,” Carly said all in one breath.

  He chuckled softly and walked over to her, placing his arms around her waist. “You say that only because you haven’t seen the jet owned by my uncle Jake. That is one striking plane.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  He tightened his arms around her. “Then I’m going to have to ask Uncle Jake to let me borrow it one day to show you.”

  “Borrow it?”

  “Yes, just for you. I used to be his pilot at one time.”

  She looked surprised. “You can fly?”

  “Yes. It became mandatory for some of us in the family.”

  “Why?”

  He smiled. “Come on. I’ll tell you why as I show you around.”

  While leading her up a stairway he told her how his uncle Jake had taught his cousin Christy to fly. If it hadn’t been for those lessons, Christy and her husband both would have died when Alex had gotten injured and passed out while flying a plane and Christy had to take over. After that incident, their uncle Jake had decided all his nieces and nephews should get their pilot licenses and most had earned their flying hours as his pilot.

  He stopped talking at the sound of Carly’s breath catching. Her gaze was leveled on the table set for two.

  Carly could only stare. The upper level had opened into a short foyer with seats made out of rich leather. And beyond that was a table set for two, with what appeared to be lit candles on the table.

  She glanced up at Lee. “B-but how?”

  “They aren’t real candles,” Lee said. “Battery operated to make them appear real.”

  And they did. The lighting was low and the burning candles gave the room a romantic effect. The illusion he had created was perfect.

  “Come on. Let’s continue the tour.”

  “There’s more?”

  He chuckled. “Yes, there is more.”

  He led her past the table and to a kitchenette with maple cabinets, a small sitting bar and a wine rack. Beyond that was a spiral staircase. They walked up the stairs to a set of doors that opened once he placed his palm in front of it. “It scanned my hand for identification purposes,” he explained.

  Carly barely heard what he said. She was looking past him into a beautiful bedroom surrounded by windows with sliding shades. The room had a spacious bed, built-in cabinets, a flat-screen television and a sound system. Another door led to a separate bathroom fit for royalty and another to a room with a desk that he probably used as an office. All the comforts of home while flying between countries.

  “So what do you think?”

  She glanced up at Lee and smiled. “Impressive. I like it.”

  He seemed pleased with her response. “Good.” He leaned close to her and brushed a kiss across her forehead. “The pilot is ready to leave, so we need to go downstairs and buckle in. Once the plane has leveled off, the waiter will serve dinner.”

  * * *

  Lee was enjoying this, seeing the smile on Carly’s face and the excitement shining in her eyes. Her expression
told him she found everything on his jet fascinating.

  When he had seated her at a table with beautiful china, elegant silver and the best crystal, she smiled up at him. After he’d taken his seat and the waiter carried out silver trays of food—the aroma of which was so mouth-watering he had to fight from licking his lips—he leaned back in his chair to take it all in.

  To take her in.

  Fierce possessiveness rammed through him. He wanted to be the only man to put that look of excitement in her eyes. That ray of hope on her face. He wanted her as his woman. To have. To hold. Forever. He would protect her against any further hurt. She would never have a reason to feel lonely again. He felt things for her he’d never felt for any other woman. That was a start. Some married couples didn’t have that much.

  “This looks so good and smells wonderful.”

  Her words recaptured his attention. “Then let’s enjoy it,” he said as the waiter poured champagne into their glasses. “But first a toast,” he said, holding his glass high. “To what I know will be a beautiful night.”

  “Yes,” she said, holding her glass up as well. “To a beautiful night.”

  Their glasses clinked and then they each took a sip. She smiled at him when she placed her glass back down beside her plate. “That’s delicious,” she said, licking her lips.

  The gesture caused his groin to tighten. “Only the best for you, Carly.”

  And he truly meant it. He could tell she wasn’t used to such extravagancies and he intended to make sure she had more of them. As his wife she would have anything she wanted.

  Over dinner they talked more about his family. He told her about his twin cousins, Blade and Slade, and how their construction company had built his two hotels and would soon be building a third in Paris. When he shared the news that all the investors he needed were on board, he believed the look of happiness shining in her eyes for him was genuine.

  After dinner the waiter cleared off the table and Lee took her hand and led her to the seats. He surprised her when he sat down and pulled her onto his lap.

  She tried to wiggle free. “The waiter. Your pilot.”

  “Both will give us privacy.”

  And then he kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth on her breathless moan. It wasn’t a short kiss. It wasn’t intended to be. Instead, he took her mouth at his leisure, ravishing it with all the passion he felt. All the passion she stirred within him. He was consumed with a feverish need and felt like kissing her forever.