The Most Expensive Lie of All

by Michelle Conder

  But he didn’t say that. Instead he threw his conscience to the wind and said, ‘I’ll pick you up at seven in the morning.’

  There was enough of a silence on the other end of the line for him to wonder if he hadn’t been mistaken, but then Aspen’s husky tones sounded in his ear.

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Because I’m flying back to Mexico first thing in the morning.’

  She cleared her throat. ‘I can wait until you’re next in Boston.’

  She might be able to. He couldn’t.

  ‘You need that money by Monday, don’t you?’

  Again there was a pause long enough to fill the Grand Canyon. He waited for her to tell him to go to hell.

  ‘Yes,’ she said as if she was grinding nails.

  ‘I’ll see you tomorrow, then.’

  He hung up before she could say anything else and stood staring at the telephone. He didn’t know what shocked him more: the fact that he hadn’t rescinded his ludicrous offer or the fact that he had made it in the first place. What didn’t shock him was the fact that she had accepted.

  He waited for a sense of satisfaction to kick in because he had finally come up with a way to stop her going after anyone else for the money. Instead he felt a sense of impending doom. Like a man who had bitten off more than he could chew. Because he had no intention of lending her the money and he didn’t like what that said about him.

  Maybe that he needed more tequila.

  ‘Just have a shower, imbecil, and get some sleep,’ he told himself.

  Come Saturday The Rodriquez Polo Club would run the biggest polo tournament in Mexico for the second year and he had a Chinese delegation coming over to view the proceedings. They had some notion that he could form a partnership with them to introduce polo into China via a specialised hotel in Beijing. So he had to be on site for the next three days and be at his charming best.

  ‘Better get rid of the chica, then,’ he told his reflection grimly as he stripped off and stepped into the shower. Because watching Aspen flick her hair and flirt with everything in pants was not, he already knew, conducive to putting him in a good mood.

  Ah, hell, maybe he should just forget the whole thing. Forget buying Ocean Haven. Yes, it was an exceptional piece of land, with those rolling hills and the bluff that looked out over the North Atlantic Ocean. But there were plenty of beautiful spots in the world. What did he really want it for anyway?

  He squirted shampoo over his head and rubbed vigorously.

  The fact was eight years ago Aspen Carmichael had set him up so that her over-indulged fiancé could take his place on the dream team without batting a pretty eyelash. She’d walked up to him and shyly put her arms around his neck and, like a fool who had fantasised about her for too long, he’d lost control. He would have done anything for her back then because, if he was honest, he’d liked her a little bit himself. Liked her a lot, in fact, and he hated knowing that she’d so easily fooled him.

  But not this time. This time he would be the one holding all the cards. He relaxed for the first time that night. And why not? Why not take what she had offered him eight years ago? She was older now, and obviously still prepared to use her delectable body to get what she wanted. So, okay—game on, Ms Carmichael. Game on.

  And if a small voice in his head said that he was wrong about her—well, he couldn’t see how.

  So what that she had loved the horses and been kind to everyone she came into contact with? So what if her apology earlier had seemed genuine? She knew how to play the game, that was all that said about her, but in the end she’d used him for her own ends just like everyone else in his life had done.

  So, no, he didn’t owe Aspen-damned-Carmichael any-damned-thing. And if this was fate’s way of evening the score between them then, hell, who was he to argue?

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ASPEN WAS PACKED and ready by six the following morning. She’d told Mrs Randall, their long-time housekeeper, that she was going to Mexico to look over Cruz’s horses for future growth opportunities. It was the best explanation she could come up with at short notice, especially when Mrs Randall had looked so pleased at the mention of Cruz’s name.

  ‘He missed his family terribly, that boy. Of course he was too proud to show it, but I suppose that was why he left so suddenly when he was a young man. He wanted to get back to them.’

  Aspen would have liked to believe that homesickness had contributed to Cruz leaving The Farm eight years ago, but she suspected it was more because she had put him in an untenable situation.

  Guilt ate at her, and all the confusing emotions she’d experienced at that time came rushing back. Her desperate need for approval from her grandfather, her fear of the future, her confusing feelings for Chad and the amazing pull she’d always felt towards Cruz.

  Fortunately Mrs Randall was doing her Thursday morning market shopping when Cruz drove up in a mean black sports car, because Aspen was sure her confused state would have been on display for the wily older woman to see and that would have only added to her anxiety. Especially when she had decided that the best way to approach the situation was to be optimistic and positive. Treat it as the business transaction it was.

  Shielded by the velvet drapes in the living room, she watched as Cruz climbed out of the car and literally prowled towards the front steps of the house, breathtakingly handsome in worn jeans that clung to his muscular thighs and a fitted latte-coloured T-shirt that set off his olive skin tone and black hair to perfection.

  Not wanting him to think she was nervous at the prospect of seeing him, Aspen waited a few minutes after he’d pressed the bell before opening the door; glad that just last week she had given the front door a fresh lick of white paint and cleaned down the stone façade of the portico with an industrial hose.

  ‘Good morning.’ She hoped he hadn’t heard her voice quaver and told herself that if she was really going to go through with this she needed to do better than she was now. ‘Did you want coffee or tea?’

  His gaze swept over her face and lingered on her chin, and when he unconsciously rubbed his jaw she knew he had noticed the mark—his mark—that she had made a futile effort to cover with concealer. Involuntarily her own eyes dropped to his mouth and heat coursed through her; she was mortified and embarrassed when his lips tightened with dismissal and he turned abruptly to scan the rest of the hallway.

  ‘No. My plane’s on standby. Let’s go.’

  Great. She wasn’t even going to have the benefit of other commuters to ease the journey.

  Turning to pick up her keys from the hallway table, she spotted the document she had spent half the night drafting. She couldn’t believe she’d forgotten it. But then rational thinking and Cruz Rodriguez didn’t seem to go together for her very well.

  ‘I’d like you to sign this first.’

  He looked at it dubiously. ‘What is it?’

  It was a document stipulating a condition she hoped he’d agree to and also preventing him from reneging on their deal if he found himself dissatisfied with the outcome of their temporary liaison. Which he undoubtedly would. But since this was a business arrangement Aspen wanted to make sure that when their physical relationship failed he was still bound to invest in Ocean Haven.

  ‘Read it. I think it’s clear enough.’

  He took it from her and the paper snapped in the quiet room. The antique grandfather clock gauged time like a marksman.

  It wasn’t long before he glanced back at her, and Aspen swallowed as he laughed out loud.

  Her mouth tightened as she waited for him to collect himself. She’d had an idea that he might have some objections to her demands but she hadn’t expected that he find them comical.

  ‘Once?’ His eyes were full of amusement. ‘Are you’re kidding me?’

  She wasn’t. Once, she was sure,
was going to be more than enough for both of them.

  ‘No.’

  When he looked as if he might start laughing again Aspen felt her nerves give way to temper.

  ‘I don’t see what’s so funny?’

  ‘That’s because you’re not paying the money.’

  He circled behind her as if she was some slave girl on an auction block and he was checking her over.

  She swung around to face him. ‘If you read the whole document it says that I’m planning to pay you back the money anyway, so technically it’s free.’

  ‘With what?’

  He unnerved her by circling her again, but this time she stood stock-still. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘What are you intending to pay me back with?’ he murmured from behind her.

  ‘The profits from The Farm.’

  He scoffed, facing her. ‘This place will be lucky to break even in a booming market.’

  His eyes held hers and the chemistry that was as strong as carbon links every time they got within two feet of each other flared hotly. Aspen took a careful breath in. He was pure Alpha male right now, and his self-satisfied smile let her know that he knew the effect he was having on her.

  Not that it would help either one of them in the long run. But she had to concentrate. If she didn’t there was a chance she’d end up with nothing. Less than nothing. Because she’d lose the only tie she had left to her mother.

  ‘That’s your opinion. It’s not mine.’

  He studied her and she didn’t know how she managed not to squirm under that penetrating gaze.

  ‘It would want to be a damned good once, gatita.’

  Aspen raised her chin. It was going to be horrible.

  ‘It’s a good deal.’ She repeated what she’d said to Billy Smyth and so many others before him. ‘Take it or leave it.’

  He regarded her steadily, his eyes hooded. ‘I tell you what. You make it one night and I’ll agree.’

  One night?

  ‘As in the whole night?’

  His slow smile sent a burst of electrical activity straight to her core. ‘What a good idea, gatita. Yes, the whole night.’

  Bastard.

  ‘What is that you’re calling me?’ she fumed.

  His smile was full of sex. ‘Kitten. You remind me of a spitting kitten who needs to be stroked.’

  ‘Fine.’ Aspen picked up the pen but didn’t see a thing in front of her.

  ‘Wait. Before you make your changes I want to know what this is.’ Cruz stabbed his finger at her second point—the one that said he had to pay no matter what happened or didn’t happen between them. ‘Is this your way of telling me you’re going to welsh on me?’

  She frowned. ‘Welsh on you?’

  ‘Renege. Back out. Break your word.’

  ‘I know what it means,’ she snapped, wondering if he wasn’t having a go at her character. ‘And rest assured I am fully prepared to uphold my end of the bargain. I just want to make sure you do as well.’

  Her throat bobbed as he continued to watch her and Cruz wondered if she had guessed that he was stringing her along.

  Once!

  He nearly laughed again. But he had to hand it to her. The document she had crafted was legally sound and would probably hold up well enough in a court of law.

  Something about the way she stood before him, all innocently defiant, like a lamb to the slaughter, snagged on his conscience like an annoying burr in a sock, which you’d thought you’d removed only to have it poke at you again.

  He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t let her go into this blind. ‘There’s something you should know.’

  Her eyes turned wary. ‘Like what?’

  ‘I own Trimex Holdings.’

  Aspen frowned. ‘If that’s supposed to mean something to me it doesn’t.’

  ‘Trimex Holdings is currently the highest bidder for Ocean Haven.’

  He watched a myriad of emotions flit across her expressive face as the information set in. Shock. Disbelief. Anger. Uncertainty.

  ‘So...’ She frowned harder. ‘This isn’t real?’

  How much he wanted her? Unfortunately, yes.

  He tried not to let his gaze drop once again to the spot on her chin. He’d obviously grazed her with his stubble the day before and, although he’d hate to think that he’d hurt her, there was a part of him that was pretty pleased to see her wearing his mark. The moronic part.

  Oh, yeah, it was real enough. But he knew that wasn’t what she was referring to.

  ‘My offer?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It’s real.’

  ‘That doesn’t make sense. Why would you lend me money to buy a property you are trying to buy for yourself?’

  ‘Because I believe I’ll win.’ And he had just decided to instruct Lauren to keep upping his offer until it was so ludicrously tempting Joe Carmichael would see stars.

  Aspen shook her head. ‘You won’t. Joe is very loyal to me.’

  All families were loyal until money was involved. ‘Care to back yourself?’

  She looked at him as one might a maggot on a pork chop. ‘I never realised how absolutely ruthless you are.’

  ‘I’m absolutely successful. For a reason.’

  She shook her head. ‘You’re not going to be this time. But can I trust you?’

  The fact that she questioned his integrity annoyed him. ‘I didn’t have to tell you this, did I?’

  ‘Fine,’ she snapped, pacing away from him to the other side of the neat sitting room. She glared at him. Shook her head. Then paced back. Picked up the pen. ‘It’s not like I have a better option right now.’

  Her fingers shook ever so slightly as she put pen to paper and something squeezed inside his chest.

  ‘I’ll do it.’

  Impatient for this to be finalised, he grabbed the pen and replaced ‘once’ with ‘one night’. Then he scrawled the date and his signature on the bottom of the page.

  His gaze drifted down over her neat summer tunic which showed the delicate hollows either side of her collarbones and hinted at her firm breasts before it skimmed the tops of her feminine thighs. She’d been soft and firm pressed up against him yesterday. Svelte, he decided, glancing at her fitted jeans and ankle boots.

  His body reacted predictably and he told himself it was past time to stop looking at her.

  * * *

  The flight from East Hampton to Acapulco took five hours. It might as well have been five days. Cruz had barely uttered a word to her since leaving The Farm—not much more than ‘This way’, ‘Mind your step’ and ‘Buckle up; we’re about to take off’. And Aspen was glad. She didn’t think she’d be able to hold a decent conversation with the man right now. He wasn’t a rat, she decided. He was a shark. A great white that hunted and killed without compunction.

  And she was playing the game of her life against him.

  Thank heavens she had her uncle on her side. But could she trust Cruz to give her the money? He’d looked startled and not a little angry when she had questioned his integrity. Yes, she was pretty sure she could trust him. His pride alone would mean that he upheld his end of the deal.

  The deal. She had just made a bargain to sleep with the devil. She shuddered, glancing across the aisle to where Cruz was seated in a matching plush leather chair and buried in paperwork. It was beyond her comprehension that she should still want him. Which was scary in itself when she considered that she didn’t even like sex. And, yes, she’d enjoyed kissing him, but that wasn’t sex. She knew if they’d been anywhere near a bed she would have clammed up.

  Urgh... She hated the thought of embarrassing herself in front of him. He was so confident. So arrogant. She hated that he just had to look at her and she had to concentrate ex
tra hard to think logically. His touching her made her want to do stupid things. Things she couldn’t trust.

  And she particularly hated the thought of being vulnerable to him. Especially now. Now when he had made it clear that he’d win anyway. That she was doing this for nothing. It just made her more determined that he wouldn’t.

  Aspen pulled out her textbook. Questioning whether she had done the right thing in coming with him wouldn’t change anything now. She’d signed the document she herself had drafted and she’d assured him that she wouldn’t ‘welsh’ on him.

  It would mean that her beloved home was hers. It would mean she would have the chance to put all the naysayers who didn’t believe that a girl on her own could run a property the size of Ocean Haven in their places. And it would mean that for the first time in her life she would be free and clear of a dominating man controlling her future. That alone would be worth a little embarrassment with the Latin bad boy she had once fantasised about.

  It was a thought that wasn’t easy to hold onto when the plane landed on a private airstrip and a blast of hot, humid air swept across her face.

  Cruz’s long, loose-limbed strides ate up the tarmac as if the humid air hadn’t just hit him like a furnace. He stopped by a waiting four-by-four and Aspen kept her eyes anywhere but on him as she climbed inside, doing her best to ease the kinks out of shoulders aching with tension.

  Still, she noticed when he put on a pair of aviator sunglasses and clasped another man’s hands in a display of macho camaraderie before taking the keys from him.

  He was just so self-assured, she thought enviously, and she hated him. Hated him and everything he represented. Yesterday she’d been willing to greet him as a friend, had felt sorry for the part she had played in his leaving The Farm. Now she wished her grandfather had horsewhipped him. It was the least he deserved.

  But did he?

  Just because he wanted to buy her farm it didn’t make him a bad guy, did it? No, not necessarily bad—but ruthless. And arrogant. And so handsome it hurt to look at him.

  ‘You know I hate you, don’t you?’ she said without thinking.