Manhattan Holiday

by Linda Engman

  April winced at the sound of the music, knowing she would have to dance with Roman. Is there a gracious way for a fake bride to excuse herself from dancing at her counterfeit wedding? With no plan, she reluctantly followed Roman across the patio with her hand firmly held in his.

  She felt as if a million eyes were watching them while he put his arm around her waist and gently pulled her to him, tucking her up against his hard body in a fashion that would have bordered on obscene back in her small hometown of Bernie, Ohio. She decided to give up and just go with the flow, placing one hand on his broad shoulder as he clasped her other and turned her with him to the sensual Salsa music. His magnetic gaze focused on her the whole time, which unnerved her all the more.

  “I think I should warn you that I have no ability to dance whatsoever and I get dizzy just turning in my desk chair,” she related, wishing he would stop looking so groom-like with that smoldering expression.

  He seemed to be working to hide a grin, obviously realizing she wasn’t kidding. She felt stiff as a board in his arms, and the poor guy had to practically steer her around to the music.

  “Latin music is very easy to dance to,” he told her. “Let go and feel the beat. April, loosen up a little. You feel as if you’re moving under protest.”

  She gritted her teeth, then remembered where she was and quickly softened her expression, trying hard to remember she was supposed to be enamored with the man. “What do you expect? I told you I can’t dance,” she whispered.

  He lowered his head in order to hear her softly spoken words, his fresh-shaved cheek brushing against hers ever so lightly. All around her was Roman Vasquez; his strong arms encircling her, his broad chest tight against her sensitive breasts, his muscled long legs bumping intimately against hers. The heat of his body radiated off him and engulfed her with a manly scent that was uniquely Roman.

  “You smell really good tonight,” he whispered, his words raspy and thick.

  “Oh…thank you,” she said stiffly, astounded since she was thinking the same thing about him.

  “And you look really beautiful. But then I thought you looked beautiful at work in your black skirts and white blouses. Still, this dress you’re wearing tonight makes every man wish he were me.”

  She was stunned. Caught off-guard by his admission that he not only thought she was beautiful tonight and liked her dress, but he’d actually found her attractive in the law office when he occasionally came in. “Your mother has absolutely outdone herself with this wedding.” She blatantly changed the subject and single-mindedly tried to stick by the rules of the contract they’d both signed. “I should go thank her for all the trouble she’s gone to.”

  He sighted heavily. “For some reason, the subject of my mother doesn’t seem like the kind of thing a newly married couple in love should be discussing.”

  “Oh really?” Clearly he wasn’t happy with the turn the conversation had taken. “Then would you like to talk about the new contract on the Kinnard acquisition and how it’s coming at work? We should have that contract just about worked out for you when the holidays are over.”

  He turned her around to the music in another searing, body hugging move, before answering. “Not really,” he bit out between clenched teeth. “I want to talk about you and how your skin looks like warm honey and how your eyes look like crystal pansies.”

  Not daring to raise her eyes to his, she felt her breath catch in her throat at his silky words. “Very good, but no one can hear what you’re saying to me. So you might as well save it for a more opportune moment when others are around to hear you.” Her sassy comment only got her a low growl from him.

  “Well everyone can see this,” he warned, lowering his mouth unto hers, to give her a heart-rushing kiss that immediately lit her on fire. Flames of pure desire licked her insides, while her heart pounded wildly in her breast. He surprised her once again by switching up the kiss and deepening it, making it achingly sweet like he had down at the beach that morning. Before she could totally lose herself in him, he pulled back and nuzzled his nose against the side of hers, his heavy breath caressing her check while she tried to remember they had an audience.

  Confused and on a rush of newfound feelings, she stamped down her desire for a repeat and lowered her face into his suit jacket.

  “I’m sorry, April,” he said gruffly, sounding tortured as he released a long, ragged breath from his chest. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

  “You didn’t,” she whispered, fighting tears as they threatened to fall, her heart breaking with each passing minute. She wanted so badly to confess to him that she hadn’t minded in the least…that his kisses made her world complete…made her feel wanted for the first time in her life. But she knew the cold, stark reality of real life was going to set in sooner or later—and then where would she be? Back to mending my heart all over again. “Don’t worry about it. People expect us to kiss. So it really doesn’t matter.”

  She felt him swallow hard and noticed his Adam’s apple bob with effort as he cleared his throat and nodded before answering. “Yes, it does matter. Everything about you matters to me.”

  She kept her head lowered still, not daring to get lost in his warm dark eyes again, wishing with all her heart she couldn’t hear the gruff, sincere tone in his whispered voice. It was making her think of what could be if they let this pull of attraction between them ignite.

  As the music continued, the dance area filled quickly with other couples, all more than eager to move to the spicy tones and vibrations of the live music. No longer the subject of interest, she pulled away from him. “I think I’ll go and get something to eat. I’m sort of hungry,” she lied, knowing she couldn’t eat a bite, only wanting to be desperately away from him and the way she felt around him.

  “Good, I’m starving,” he agreed amicably, once again capturing her hand in his to gently pull her through the throngs of dancers over to where the food and dining tables were set up.

  She fumed inwardly, her evasive plan of action thwarted once again. Absolutely oblivious to her hostile glances, he took a plate and politely inquired what she would like. Giving in, she shrugged with defeat. “Ah….a piece of that lobster and some of those little shrimp things,” she requested, trying not to sound too put out as he did his best to be civil to her.

  He picked up one of the appetizers she’d mentioned and held it out for her to sample in true groom fashion. “Here, open up and taste,” he ordered, looking very much the arrogant male she now knew him to be. In New York he was the ultimate suave metropolitan man. For some reason, down here in Miami he was all Latin, primitive, and macho beyond belief.

  She stifled a groan and opened her mouth as he tempted her with the morsel of shrimp wrapped in something that looked like seaweed. She bit into half of the tasty morsel and ate, watching as he put the remainder in his mouth and devoured it, his strong jaw muscles working. All the while, his smoldering brown gaze held tightly on to hers.

  For a split second, no one else existed as a thread of white heat passed between them: pure, uncensored, and scouring hot. She tore her eyes away from his and hid a hysterical giggle that threatened to erupt. The situation was becoming impossible. The more time she spent with him, the more she found herself strongly attracted to him and in turn, the more she came to despise him and the lethal Puerto Rican charm that seemed to ooze from him under the moonlight.

  Charm? Don’t forget the abs and devilish smile—and the fact you’re now legally married to the hunk.

  Peeved, she took her plate from him and plunked some fruit on it while he filled a plate for himself. He followed her to a table, pulled a chair close to hers, and proceeded to consume everything while she only picked at her food. Occasionally she found him staring at her and she hastily looked away, not wanting to get trapped in his heated gaze again.

  “Dance with me?”

  Rafael Quintero stealthily whispered in her ear with his thick accent, making her jump. She hadn’t heard him approa
ch. “Uh, yes. That would be nice,” she faltered, noticing Roman didn’t look pleased in the least with his friend’s idea.

  Before leaving the table, Rafael said something in rapid Spanish to Roman, laughing with a trace of malice at the deadly glare Roman gave him in return. Not to be out done, her new husband quickly stood to help her with her chair but Rafael interceded, gallantly helping before leading her off to the dance area of the patio. He took her into his arms gently, welcomingly, and totally like a Spanish gentlemen.

  They didn’t converse but rather simply enjoyed the music. April caught a few glimpses of Roman as he now stood and talked to guests, his gaze moving over her briefly before turning away. She worked to keep up with Rafael and the complicated salsa steps, finally breathing in relief when he realized she wasn’t a very good dancer and adjusted his style to something basic she could follow.

  After two dances she pulled away from him, deciding she’d had enough. Rafael followed her back to where her food still sat untouched, motioning for a waiter to take it way and get her a fresh drink of sparkling water.

  His thoughtfulness touched her. “Thank you, Rafael, for asking me to dance. It’s so nice to meet you. Emily told me you’ve been friends with Roman since you were children.”

  “Sí…children,” he said, obviously concentrating on his English as he spoke slowly and deliberately. “Roman…he is…like a brother to me. When he first told me he is to be married…I don’t believe it. But I can see what he told me is true. He is in love. You are beautiful and have captured his corazon,” he spoke, motioning to his heart when he noticed her confusion.

  She felt breathless while she listened to Roman’s tall, impressive friend. “I think you’re mistaken. I don’t think someone like Roman could ever really love someone.”

  Rafael smiled secretively and leaned closer. “April…Roman would not be looking at me right now as if he wanted to put a…what is the word? Sí…a dagger in my heart if he was not in love with you,” he stated, his eyes never leaving hers as he spoke.

  April felt herself blush and smiled reluctantly, willing herself not to turn and look for Roman. Obviously Rafael Quintero was playing with her while trying to rile his friend. “I see,” she said skeptically.

  “No, you must believe me. Roman has many girlfriends in the past but never jealous in his life. He is an easy-come easy-go kind of guy when it comes to women. But this…this is different,” he warned with a sexy smile, thoroughly enjoying himself at Roman’s expense, while at the same time sounding very sure of himself. “Sí, very different, mi mariposa.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Roman Vasquez, jealous? Absolutely not. Not in a million years. It was more likely the man was worried Rafael would reveal some deep, dark secret about him. Or that she would let it slip that his adoring wife had to be practically hog-tied, blackmailed and fast-talked into marrying him.

  “Mi mariposa?” she asked.

  Rafael laughed. “My butterfly,” he translated, giving her another dangerously wicked gaze she was sure Roman was witnessing.

  “Oh, right. That’s…ah…interesting. Will you excuse me Rafael? I need to go and talk to Lana,” she quickly stated, not wanting to play with fire anymore. Instead she slipped away with a sigh of relief to find her new motherin-law. She scanned the crowd and found Lana talking to her neighbors from the house next door, whom April had met earlier.

  As soon as she reached Lana’s side, the neighbors gave her their best wishes and said they were leaving since it was late, almost midnight. The elderly couple walked away, and Lana turned to smile at her new daughter-in-law. “Oh, everything went so well tonight, April. Thank you for letting me arrange this wedding for you and Roman. You look so beautiful. I’m so proud to have you as my daughter-in-law.”

  “I feel the same.” April smiled down at the sweet woman, finding she was becoming attached to Lana Vasquez and her homey mothering ways after only two days. “But you shouldn’t thank me. I actually came over to thank you for making everything so wonderful. I couldn’t imagine a better wedding. You’ve outdone yourself with the beautiful setting, flowers, candles, food. Lana, I don’t know any other motherin-law who would be able to supply a bride with the wedding of her dreams.”

  Roman’s mother laughed easily. “You made it so easy; you liked everything I suggested, agreed to everything, and let me be in charge. Plus, I have to confess I’ve had everything in the works for a while now with that ridiculous clause my father-in-law put in his will.”

  April was taken aback. “You know about that?”

  Lana Vasquez nodded firmly with a sly grin. “Of course, even though Roman thinks I don’t. A few months ago he was talking about needing money for something important. I believe it was a children’s hospital. Knowing how kindhearted my son is, I suspected he might honor his grandfather’s wishes and get married in order to get the trust fund. I’ve been on pins and needles this whole time, worrying who his bride would turn out to be. But it’s no matter now, since he found you in time and is happily married. It all worked out perfectly.” Her wide smile vanished, replaced with a look of concern. “I only wish you had some family here tonight, dear.”

  Flummoxed from the realization Roman’s mother was up to speed on the legalities—yet still thought she was perfect for her son—April tried to pull herself together. “Oh, well my sister June, who I mentioned last night at dinner, she’s really my only family. Both my parents passed away some time ago. The only other relations I have are a few cousins back in Ohio. It was nice that Emily was here, and Jake. We’ve become good friends over the past year.”

  “Sí, Emily. She told me about her nice friend April in New York and that she’d invited you for the weekend. Again I must say when we were first introduced, I didn’t think you were Emily’s friend. Since I never guessed you would show up with Roman this weekend instead of with her,” she joked, hugging April’s arm as she spoke.

  “Yes, it is strange how everything worked out. I would have never guessed Emily and Roman were related. But seeing them together now, I can easily see the resemblance,” she stated, glancing to where brother and sister stood talking to one another, both dark and very good looking.

  “Now, I hope you can come to visit often,” Roman’s mother replied, pulling her attention away from him.

  “Yes, that would be nice. I know this weekend was too much of a whirlwind for us to spend much time together,” she apologized, wishing she didn’t have to fib to Roman’s mother. She doubted she would ever be back once they left tonight. The thought made her ache with regret and pierced her eyes with hot tears.

  Lana waved her hands in the air, as if to push her concerns away. “Oh, don’t worry, dear. There will be plenty of time to get to know one another, especially when the babies come. You won’t be working, and I would love to come and help as much as possible. We will have lots of time to get to know one another. Still, I wait and wait for Emily and Jake to give me some grandchildren, but maybe you and Roman will be first, sí?”

  She felt as if the wind had suddenly been taken out of her sails. Babies? A wave of hysteria was setting in. Babies definitely hadn’t been in the contract. “Uhh…well…I don’t know about children. I mean, I love the idea of having children, but Roman’s not big on kids,” she stated, trying to say it as gently so as possible as not to hurt Lana’s feelings.

  As if it was the most natural thing to do, he came up from behind her and slipped a possessive arm around her waist, obviously having heard her last comment. “I could be persuaded—with the right woman.”

  She turned to look at him, feeling faint at his cruel words. Words that gave her hope only to pull it away. What she wanted most in the world within her reach, only to have it slid out of her fingers at the whim of one man. She would be darned if she was going to let him see how much his words had hurt her. “And where are you going to put all these children? In your one-bedroom loft?” she inquired. “Maybe you should start with a cat first and see how it goes.�
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  She watched as he simmered for a moment before beaming a sexy grin upon her. “It’s New Year’s Eve and almost midnight. So you know what that means.”

  “It’s almost January first?” she quipped.

  Lana Vasquez laughed and excused herself to talk to some more guests.

  He ignored her attempts at riling him further. “It’s traditional to have someone lined up to kiss at midnight. Since it’s our wedding night, New Year’s Eve, and my birthday in a few minutes—I thought you would be my first choice.”

  “All out of socialites and supermodels at the moment?”

  He grinned. “Totally out. And for the record, I’ve never dated a model, super or otherwise.”

  “Thanks for the info.”

  “So…about that kiss?”

  “Well, I did sign the contract, so I guess I’m contractually obligated,” she stated, not letting him forget she was doing this for only one reason—the hospital wing—and not because she wanted to be with him. Oh, cough it up already…you’re into the man. Okay, but that doesn’t mean I have to lose my head and become a simpering female around the guy.

  His good humor finally dissipated. “Can we just do this and get it over with?”

  “Another one of the smooth lines you tell your women? I can see why they flock to you as they do.”

  “April,” he warned, sounding like he either wanted to strangle her on the spot or throw her over his shoulder and carry her off somewhere private.

  She hid her feelings behind a sassy comeback. “All right. Where do you want me?”

  He grabbed her hand in his and tugged her through the crowd, the music continuing, while the throng of guests prepared to ring in the New Year. Hats and horns were handed out, and everyone started the countdown.

  Roman continued to pull her across the crowded patio, down to the dew-laden lawn and onto the still warm beach where the moon shone brightly, illuminating the silky darkness. He stopped, bent down and pulled off her dainty high-heeled sandals, then his own shoes before capturing her hand in his once again. This time, he didn’t stop until their feet were splashing in the moonlit water as gentle waves lapped the sandy beach.