by Kathryn Shay
“You wanted to open a bookstore.”
“Yes. And I wanted to make my own way. Like the girls did. They knew Richard would have control over their welfare if they joined the firm, and they weren’t willing to give it to him.”
“But you were? To achieve your dreams?”
“Temporarily, yes. Dad and I got along better than he did with the girls. But it wasn’t even that. We have trust fund shares in Reynolds Publishing, left by my grandfather who started the business. My father controls the shares. When he demanded we all work for him to get them, the girls told him no and went their own ways. So did I for a while, but when I lost my life’s savings, I saw that inheritance as a way to get something I wanted—to open a bookstore.”
“You’re all over thirty. How does he still have control over your trust fund? Mine kicked in when I turned twenty-one.”
“Because Dad wrote the terms of the will for my grandparents. My guess is my grandpa didn’t even know that my father retained the rights to decide when we’d get our shares.”
“That’s despicable.” She remembered all too well the strictures Papá had put on the girls, and how his actions had torn the family apart. “I do understand the control part though. My father did some similar things to us.”
“Someday you might tell me about that.”
Fear and insecurity stirred inside her, but she quelled both. She had to keep a clear head. “Finish your story.”
“I came to publishing and found I had a knack for choosing good books and editing them. I worked in three different genres and had one more to get the sales quota stated in the agreement.”
“You have a written agreement with him?”
“I didn’t trust my father. I had the terms put in a legal document.”
“Tell me the truth, Ryder. Was I just your ticket to getting the money?”
“Don’t put it that way.”
She held up her hand. “No, actually, that would be okay. You didn’t know me then. I was your client, and you’d have a right to chase your dreams by buying my book.”
“Thank God you understand.”
“I do, honestly. I understand that part.” But not the rest. Certainly not the rest. She felt her throat close and her eyes moisten but she forged on. “Did you think you had to seduce me to keep me on board?”
“Of course not!”
“You could have faked your feelings for me—”
He slapped his hand on the arm of the chair. “I did not fake my feelings! They’re real.”
“Then why did you fight how you felt about me?”
“I told you why. Because a relationship with you is unprofessional.”
“Or was it because you didn’t want to jeopardize sales? If we did have a relationship, and it fizzled out, I might have breached the contract, or been uncooperative.”
“Seriously? Do you think that little of me after we were so close, so intimate?”
A truth came to Alexandra. You couldn’t call yourself a fair person if your scruples were never put to a test. So she said, “I’m not saying I do. I’m saying that’s a possibility. I need some time to think this through.” She stood. “I’m leaving now. I’ll be back in touch.”
“Back in touch? You’ll brush me off this easily?”
“I’m not brushing you off. But I need time.” She started toward the door.
He closed the distance between them and grasped her arm. “Stay, please. Let’s work through this together.”
“For God’s sake, Ryder. Give me this afternoon and I’ll see you tonight. I’ll come to your place at seven.”
“Promise me you will.”
“I promise.”
* * *
“I found something.” Richard strode into Ryder’s office at five. “On Alexandra.”
Briefly, Ryder closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath. “You investigated her?”
“Are you kidding? After all this crap about the other books, we need to know what she’s keeping from us. We need more ammunition with Killian.”
“I don’t want to know any more than I do now. Besides, we wrote into her contract we wouldn’t pressure her to reveal her background or have her investigated.”
“There’s also language in the fine print that says we have a right to protect ourselves from liability. In any case, she’s a descendent of the founders of Doctors Without Borders. I assume she didn’t want us to use the humanitarian background.”
“Dad, I knew that before I met her. I did a cursory search of her early on like I do all my authors.”
“Don’t you see? It’s a starting point. I’m going to hire an investigator to look further.”
“Please don’t do that. It would be a real betrayal on our part.”
“Betrayal? That’s a romantic word. You don’t have feelings for her, do you?”
Fuck it. “Yeah, Dad I do.”
* * *
At seven exactly, she materialized at the condo’s door. She was like a spring daisy in a yellow coat, her hair a dark waterfall down her back.
“Hi, there.”
“Hi.” She came in and he took her wrap. The dress she wore matched its color.
Still in the foyer, she waited until he hung up her coat and turned back around. She looped her arms around his neck, hugged him tight.
He hugged back. “Hmm. I needed this.”
“Me, too. And more.” She drew away. “Take me to bed, Ryder.”
She didn’t need to ask twice. After what happened today, he had a driving need to be close. His hand in hers, he led her to the bedroom. They disrobed in the dimly lit room, climbed into bed and came together, like lost lovers finding their way back to each other after a long separation.
They touched as they always had, but something was different this time. He suckled her breasts, kissed her abdomen and luxuriated in her. She ran her hands over his pecs, down to his groin and massaged him. They joined with her on top, and he held her hips, both setting the pace. They came simultaneously, in long slow swells that didn’t stop for a long time.
When it was over, they cuddled together under the duvet he pulled up so she wouldn’t get chilled. He said simply, “What brought this on?”
“The last few hours I’ve been thinking about us. Playing in my mind what’s transpired. I’m not very sophisticated in the romantic arena, but I reached the conclusion that you couldn’t have faked what we’ve had these last few days.”
“I didn’t, I swear.”
“You have to promise me, though, that you’ll be honest about everything with me now. Everything that happens with your father and the books. And more.”
“I promise.” He quelled the notion that his words were hollow, that he knew his father had betrayed their promise to her. He just couldn’t ruin the moment. Besides, she hadn’t come clean with him.
“Start now,” she said.
“Meaning?”
“You must have talked to Richard today. What did he say?”
“He accused me of putting your welfare over the firm’s. Because I’m involved with you.”
“How did he know about us?”
“I told him.”
She rose up and placed her elbows on his chest. “Was that wise?”
“Probably not. But I’m sick of being dishonest.”
“Thank you for sharing all that with me.”
“I feel bad about this newest thing, too.” He brushed back her hair. “So it’s your turn.”
“What do you mean?”
He had no idea why he was going to push this, but suddenly, he needed to know. “Tell me what you’re keeping from me. I swear it won’t get out. I won’t tell my father. But I need you to be honest. Because I don’t want secrets between me and my wife.”
“Your wife?”
“Yes. I want to get married.”
Her eyes had widened, and her jaw went slack.
“Do you?”
“Oh, Ryder. Yes. Yes, I do.”
* * *
Lexy’s heart soared at his proposal. She’d never expected it, but she knew when he said the words that she wanted to hear them. She smiled down at him. She could trust a man soon to be her husband with everything. “I’ll tell you about me. Please try not to get mad, though.”
His dark blond brows formed a vee. “Why would I be mad?”
“Because what I’m going to tell you would make a big difference in selling the books.”
“Then why haven’t you told me before?”
“I don’t want to succeed on my background. But it’s more than that. Any publicity about this detail will hurt two of my sisters.”
“I swear, love, I won’t get mad.”
“The truth is, I’m a princess. A real princess. I’m from Casarina, an island off the coast of Italy. My father is the king, my mother the queen. I have six sisters who are also princesses, but two of them don’t use our father’s name either. They use my mother’s, Marcello, which is legal too. And it’s vital to their careers that they keep their situation private.”
“What’s your name?”
She hesitated.
“Honey, I could find out easily now.”
“I guess. I’m Princess Alexandra Marcello Gentileschi.”
Chapter 13
“So,” Ryder said looking down at her with crystal-clear blue eyes sparkling with joy. “Ready for this?”
“I am.” Lexy nodded to the storefront she was only familiar with through its mention in television and books. Now they stood on a street in New York, staring up at the real thing.
He laughed. “Tiffany’s façade is rather unprepossessing.”
“Understatement works for me.”
He gave her a once-over. “You aren’t flashy either, in how you dress, your whole demeanor. I like it.” He kissed her nose. “I like you.”
She giggled. She’d been doing a lot of that in the three days since they’d decided to get married. She even regretted having to leave today to go to Maryland because her mother was heading back to Casarina tomorrow, and the family was having a send-off. She wished she could bring Ryder to the gathering, but that was unwise, given their vow to keep the relationship a secret.
The atmosphere inside the magnificent store was hushed. On the first floor, they bypassed long cabinets full of gold jewelry until they came to the elevator. Riding it to the second, they found the engagement ring section not far down the aisle. At the counter, he smiled at the clerk across from them. “Hi. We have an appointment at nine.”
“Ah, yes, Mr. Reynolds.” She smiled at Alexandra. “Ms.?”
“Ms. Marcello.”
“Would you like to browse for a bit? Or I can show you something if you have an idea of what you want.”
“I’m partial to platinum.” Her father had bought all his daughters expensive jewelry. When Raven left, and Brie and Frankie said they wouldn’t come back, then Calla had all her issues, he’d lavished material things on Lexy. Evvie had graciously declined, because she chose to live a simpler life.
“Follow me.” The woman moved down to another cabinet, unlocked it and took out two trays. “Here are some of our best diamonds set in platinum.”
The tray held an assortment of huge stones, jutting up from gleaming bands. “These are too fussy for me,” Alexandra said.
The woman seemed taken aback. “What did you have in mind for the stone?”
“Maybe smaller diamonds set uniquely.”
“Ah, well, we have channel rings you might be interested in.” She brought out another tray filled with rings which glistened in the red velvet nest.
Alexandra scanned them and her eye caught on one. A platinum band embedded with smaller brilliant diamonds. “I’d like to see this one.”
The woman’s eyes gleamed. “Ah, a wonderful choice. This band has fifteen diamonds inset between thick platinum. It’s one of the few where the diamonds go around the band. There’s also a demure wedding band to go with it.”
Alexandra reached out her hand. All the Gentileschi sisters had long, full-bodied fingers. Taking the ring from the clerk, he slid it on the fourth finger of her left hand. “Ah, a beautiful fit.”
“Oh, wow, sweetheart,” Ryder said, using the endearment easily. “The ring was made for you.”
“I know. This is it,” she told him.
The woman beamed. “I’ll order it for you today.”
“Oh, can’t I have this one? I feel a connection with it.”
“Of course.”
“That’s it, then.” Ryder grinned broadly. “Show us the matching band and one in the same platinum for me.”
* * *
Ryder was still smiling when he arrived at his office after his morning with Alexandra. He couldn’t believe she’d agreed to marry him. He sat down at the computer, thinking about the fact that his future wife was a princess. That still threw him.
The door burst open and his father hurtled in, red-faced and drawn. “Son of a bitch.”
Alarm shot through him. “What’s wrong, Dad?”
“I am so fucking angry.”
Apoplectic was the word Ryder would use to describe his father’s condition. It hit him that such a state wasn’t good for a seventy-year-old man. “Sit down and tell me what’s wrong.”
Richard didn’t sit. He held the paper up, then thrust it at Ryder.
After scanning the document Ryder swore. “Seriously? An injunction? I thought they were hard to get these days.”
“Apparently not.” He plucked the offending document back. “It’s only for fifteen days, but during that time, they have to prove that the Marcello work will irreparably damage Killian’s reputation, sales and brand.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I think I heard Marks’s brother was a judge. Maybe he helped get this foolish thing.”
“Did you call Jim Mason?”
“Yes, he’s coming over as soon as he can get free.”
Pacing the room, Richard rambled. “These books have been a problem since we bought them. They’ve caused us nothing but grief. Maybe we should take them out of the lineup this year, even let the series go. If we don’t publish anything in twenty-four months, Alexandra gets the rights back.”
“That’s a terrible idea!”
“Why?”
“Because she didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Well, a judge thought there was reason to issue this.” He waved the papers in Ryder’s face. When he stopped, Ryder noticed his hand was shaking. “I’m killing the contract.”
“I won’t let you do that.”
“You won’t let me?” Richard’s voice rose to a shout.
“I won’t allow it.”
“How do you expect to stop me?”
Ryder made a life-altering decision in a split second. “If you insist on cutting the books loose, I’ll quit. And remove you from my life like the girls have.”
If possible, his father’s face got even redder.
He clutched his chest.
He gasped for breath.
Then broke out into a cold sweat...
...and toppled to the floor.
* * *
Lexy rode the train to Maryland with a bursting heart. She kept staring down at the ring, touching it, thinking of Ryder’s face when he put it on her hand.
What would her family think? She’d only known him for seven weeks. But she remembered something Mamá had told her when Lexy asked about her and her father....
How long did you know Papá before you decided to get married?
Her mother’s eyes gleamed. I’m afraid not very long. Maybe a month. But I had requirements, so our marriage took place a while later.
Wow.
Sometimes, you know right away, sweetheart. But not always. Be careful who you give your heart to....
So Mamá would accept her engagement. Instead of taking out her laptop to read the draft she’d been working on for the second book, Alexandra simply basked in the glow surrounding her.
* *
*
Ryder rode in the ambulance with his father who’d not regained consciousness. It sped to Mount Helen’s, which had the best cardiac unit in New York. The paramedics whisked him out of the back, onto a gurney and inside in seconds. Ryder followed. The nurses scurried around and took him right into the treatment area as soon the medics reached them as Richard was experiencing a heart issue.
Relegated to the waiting room, Ryder stood alone as the doors closed. Amidst the phones ringing at the reception desk, and the moans of hurting people, he was consumed with guilt.
This was his fault.
He’d threatened his father with what he knew would be a horrible blow, and now the old man would probably die. Emotions threatened to burst out of him like a runaway train.
He didn’t know how long after he sat down that he heard, “Ryder?”
He looked up to see Suzanne. He’d called her on the trip here and she said she’d let the others know what happened. “Suzie.” He stood and grasped her shoulders. “I think Dad had a heart attack.”
Her eyes rounded. “He’s invincible.”
“Apparently not.” Ryder felt his eyes moisten. “I...”
“What is it, Ry?”
“This is all my fault. We were arguing vehemently about something and I threatened to cut him out of my life like you girls have. That’s when he clutched his chest. Fell to the ground. Because of me.”
“No, you aren’t at fault. He’s responsible for his own health. For all we know, he has a weak heart and hasn’t taken care of himself.”
“You think so?”
“It would be just like him. But, Ry, you can’t cause anybody to have a heart attack by fighting with him.”
Feeling marginally better, he sat down with her. “Are Millie and Rina joining us?”
“Only if you need them here.”
