Cade’s heart swelled with satisfaction. She’d walked right into the trap he’d set for her, and he’d bet she hadn’t even seen it coming.
“That’s why after your meeting with the lawyer tomorrow we’re flying to Canada. While Rosa and Adam are on their honeymoon, and the lawyer checks the facts, you and I will take advantage of the time available, and I will show you first hand why a West Hotel is the best option for Isola dei Fiori.”
Chapter Ten
“How are you holding up? We can stop for the night at the Le Château Frontenac, or take another flight and be in my hotel after an hour more flying.” Cade rolled his shoulders and bent his head to the left, stretching out the muscles of his neck. “Even these first class seats are too small.”
Melo pulled the light caramel fleece blanket up. They had been flying for hours. First the helicopter flight to Rome, then the never-ending flight to Quebec. When she finally fell into bed, she wanted to sleep forever. The thought of climbing aboard another plane after a scant few hours rest held no appeal whatsoever.
“I just want to get there.” She slanted a peek at Cade. How could he still look so good when she was sure her rumpled hair and creased clothes made her look like a bag-lady? “Will there be much of a wait between flights?”
“I have a light aircraft on standby. It’s a private flight, so we can be on our way again within the hour after landing.” He glanced at his watch. “Which should be happening soon.”
A disembodied voice over the intercom told everyone to put on their seatbelts, confirming his guess.
“We’ll keep traveling then.” Cade leaned closer and gazed out of the window, so close Melo could almost reach out and brush his stubbled cheek with her fingertips. She breathed in his familiar scent, and closed her eyes for a moment.
He’d been such a perfect gentleman, her irritation had dissolved like coffee grounds in boiling water, and somewhere over the ocean she’d finally weakened and let excitement at their trip take her over. In the hours in the air, he’d relented and told her more about the hotel they were visiting, deep in the Rocky Mountains, and her curiosity was piqued—it sounded so different.
By the time they returned to Isola dei Fiori, they’d have an answer one way or the other about Paradise Beach, but right now exhaustion draped over Melo like a cloak, and all she wanted to do was sleep.
****
“Hi Pierre.” Cade strode toward the lanky driver waiting next to the limousine and shook his hand. “Long time, no see.”
“Good to see you, Cade.” Pierre opened the door for Melo, then stowed their luggage.
“I thought we were going on to your hotel?” Melo asked. She must be tired but she didn’t look it as she glanced out of the window at the unfamiliar surroundings.
Cade felt his eyeballs had been rolled in sand, and his body ached from the close confines of the cabin.
“We are.” He poured two glasses of champagne from the limousine’s bar, and handed her one. “We’re on our way to the seaport where the sea-plane is waiting.”
“We’ll be taking off from the water?” Melo’s eyes sparkled, and her radiant smile was like the sun coming out on a dark winter day.
Cade nodded.
“That’s amazing!” she said, her voice high and breathy.
Cade’s gaze fixed on the curve of Melo’s smile. Traveling for him was just a means to an end. A necessary evil to be tolerated in the quest to get to his properties around the world. It took Melo’s delight in every minuscule aspect of this trip to reveal how jaded he’d become.
He reached for her hand. “We land on the water too.”
Flying over the majestic mountains and finally catching a glimpse of the perfect silver circle of water was the most perfect introduction to The Hidden Lake Hotel, his first and most private West hotel. Somewhere along the way, he’d let the wonder bleed away, but Melo’s enthusiasm infected him like a particularly virulent virus, and he felt the leap of anticipation drive his tiredness away. He should despise her for putting her family’s future in jeopardy. When his father had gambled away his home, he’d been devastated, but now faced with a woman who had recklessly gambled with her family’s future he couldn’t even summon up disgust. He was under Melo’s influence, dazzled by her. And it annoyed the hell out of him.
They pulled up to the dock where the tiny plane bobbed on the water, and waited while Pierre transferred the luggage, and chatted to the pilot.
“It’s very small.” Melo bit at her bottom lip and a tiny crease appeared between her eyebrows as she gazed at the plane.
“A lot bigger than the helicopter,” Cade answered. She’d been fine on the flight to Rome; it must just be the novelty that had her crossing her arms around her torso and eyeing the plane with nervousness. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there with you.”
“I’m not worried.” Melo’s chin lifted and when her gaze collided with his their blue depths were tinged with a seriousness that stunned him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For this trip; for getting me away from the family. I couldn’t have taken one more minute of my parents’ disapproval.” Melo’s gaze fell, and she twisted her hands together.
With one sweep of his fingers, Cade tilted her chin up, and brushed his lips across hers lightly. “You’re more than welcome,” he replied, feeling her stiffen before he pulled back. “Now let’s board.”
Melo’s jaw was clenched tight as the tiny craft set off from the water. Her hands were clasped in her lap, and she angled her knees away from Cade. Every molecule of her body rejected him in a potent non-verbal “hands off.” Her shoulders were tense, and she gazed out of the tiny window and gasped aloud as the plane lifted into the clear blue sky. He wanted to hold her hand and reassure her, but after her response to his kiss, didn’t dare. The peace between them was so tenuous he was loathe to shatter it, and one move too far would be all it would take.
Cade pushed his hair back with an impatient hand. He wasn’t used to waiting. Wasn’t used to putting someone else first, but Melo had been under such strain he couldn’t push it. When they were in bed together, all the issues between them disappeared, and his body ached for her in a way it had never done for another.
Her chestnut hair brushed against her cheek, and the soft curve of her mouth tempted. In the close confines of the plane, he breathed in her distinctive flowery perfume and bit back a groan.
“Why did you decide to build this hotel?” He could only just hear Melo over the engine noise so he leaned forward. To his relief she didn’t shrink away, just stared into his eyes.
Cade rejected his usual stock responses. He could say it was because Hidden Lake was one of the most beautiful locations on the planet, and one in need of exploitation. That it was a sound business decision. “I love it here,” he murmured. “It’s magical, unspoiled. I wanted somewhere I could come to.”
“Somewhere you could come to?” Melo’s eyes widened. “I thought you lived in New York.”
“I don’t really live anywhere,” Cade stated flatly. “I have penthouse suites in all my hotels, and I live between them.”
Melo’s mouth breathed open, “What do you mean—surely you have an apartment, a house?”
“No.”
It was a bone of contention with his mother and his sisters. Something he hadn’t felt the need to explain to anyone. Buying a house and filling it with all his possessions felt too much like permanence. He’d invested all his emotion in a future that hadn’t happened. Had dreamed of one day living in the ranch, and when it had all fallen apart had made a vow he wouldn’t ever invest so much emotion in one place ever again. But Melo was waiting for an answer, so for the first time in years he tried to put his feelings into words.
“Living in my hotels gives me the best of both worlds. The penthouses are reserved for my use whenever I need them, and I have clothes and personal effects in all of them. I don’t have any need for anything else more permanent.”
“But…” Melo struggled for words, “don’t you want to have somewhere to see your family? Somewhere to kick back with your friends?”
“My mother visits the penthouse of my London hotel when I’m in England. My friends are perfectly happy to join me there. Food is always available at a much better standard than I could cook it myself, and all my hotels cater to the guest’s every need. I really don’t need to have a place that is exclusively mine.”
He glanced out of the window. She probably couldn’t understand. After all, Melo had always been a home bird, with her roots firmly in the soil of Isola dei Fiori. This was her first international trip, wasn’t it? To someone who felt one little piece of the earth was home, his wandering lifestyle must be an anathema.
Cade pulled in a deep breath and pointed out of the window. “Look.” The sunlight sparkled in the snowy tops of the mountains as the plane banked. They were close enough to see the stands of pine clustered on the mountainside, and in a moment they would be landing. “The lake is coming up.” Cade reached for her hand, and to his relief she let her hand rest in his. “There.”
The mirrored surface of the lake could only truly be appreciated from the air, yet so many times making this flight Cade had let the moment escape, reading through contracts or studying spec sheets as the pilot brought the plane in to land. When he first saw Hidden Lake, he fell in love with its spectacular beauty, and somehow after time, he’d forgotten his real reason for building the hotel in the first place. With Melo’s hand in his and the delight shining in her eyes as she peered out of the window, he saw it all through new eyes.
“It’s so beautiful.” She turned, and her smile knocked every thought clean out of his head. Apart from one. The urge to kiss her.
Her eyes darkened and she edged her chin upwards. Her lips parted. Damn it all, not kissing her was tying him in knots.
Cade gave in and slanted his lips over hers.
With a tiny sigh Melo kissed him back, sliding a hand up into his hair and stroking his scalp. When she pulled away her breathing was fast and as uneven as his.
She felt it too, this passion that blazed between them. And later, they’d be alone.
****
Melo’s heart thumped in an irregular rhythm, and she touched her lips with shaking fingers as Cade stood and gathered their coats from the overhead rack. She hadn’t meant to kiss him, but when he leaned closer and looked at her as if he needed to kiss her like a starving man needs food, a wave of longing had overwhelmed her, and she’d been unable to deny herself the pleasure.
She stood and brushed nervous fingers down her jeans. For the next week they would be spending every moment together. The thought made her stomach clench with nerves as she considered the very real possibility she was out of her depth with this man who seemed to still have the ability to force reason from her mind with just a smile or a look that turned her insides to water.
She’d decided to make the trip for a variety of reasons. The first was she needed to get away from her father’s disapproving presence while the lawyer, Aldo Renda, assessed her claim. She wasn’t giving up without a fight, but as she’d already informed her clients she’d be taking time away from the office, heading back to Florence had seemed a fruitless exercise. The second reason she’d decided to join Cade in Canada was curiosity. The Cade of old was a boy full of impenetrable secrets. He’d opened up to her more than he had to anyone, but so much about his childhood was a mystery.
When he revealed he preferred to live in his hotels rather than build a home for himself, she hadn’t been able to understand it. Her apartment in Florence was rented, but it was still home. A place to retreat to when the world got too much. A safe haven where she could kick back and do whatever she wanted without the unwelcome attentions of strangers. The thought of not being able to cook herself dinner, or invite her friends over for a night drinking wine and sharing confidences was an alien one. No luxury could compare with that. Even twenty-four hour room service.
Cade reached for her hand.
The heat of his fingers curling around hers was echoed by fingers of warmth curling around her heart. Her fascination with Cade was dangerous. And for the first time she wondered if coming here with him was the right decision.
After a short car ride, they arrived at the hotel.
“We’ll say hello, and then I’ll take you up to the penthouse.” Cade’s deep voice near her ear sent a flurry of shivers through her, and she breathed in deeply to steady herself. Her legs felt shaky as they pushed open the door into the hotel and walked across the smooth wooden floor to the reception desk.
“Mr. West, welcome back.” The receptionist’s face lit up at the sight of Cade.
Jealousy stabbed at Melo’s chest. The other woman was small and pretty and looking at Cade as though he was a birthday present she was dying to unwrap.
Cade’s hand tightened in hers.
“Hello, Bette. Good to see you.” Cade tugged Melo’s hand under his elbow, wrapped her fingers around his bicep and gripped down, making sure she couldn’t pull away. “This is my friend, Melo Bellucci; sign us in, will you?”
“I’ll call the manager,” Bette reached for the phone, but Cade stopped her.
“Not now, Bette. I want to take Melo up to the suite—we’ve had a hell of a trip. I’ll check in with Ben in an hour, after I’ve had a shower and unpacked. You could let him know I’ve arrived and I’ll meet him in the office for a rundown then.”
“Yes, sir.” Bette nodded, “Your suite is all ready for you, would you like me to send up some coffee?”
Cade slanted a glance at Melo. “Yes, coffee for me. Would you prefer tea?”
If she drank any more coffee she’d start hallucinating. “Tea would be good,” Melo replied.
“Anything to eat?” Belle jotted the details on a notepad.
“We’ll be down for dinner, so nothing right now, thanks.” With a smile Cade effectively terminated their conversation and steered Melo toward the lift.
Cade punched in a code, then pushed open the door to the suite. Melo’s breath caught in surprise. The large room had long picture windows showcasing a heartbreakingly beautiful view of the lake with the snow-capped mountains beyond. A pair of cream leather sofas faced each other in front of a wide fireplace where a fire made from heavy logs blazed and crackled. Between the sofas was a simple rug in shades of red and teal, and across the backs of each sofa were throws of rust red and mustard yellow. The entire effect was warm and welcoming, not like a hotel room at all.
“This is beautiful.” Melo gazed at the large paintings on each wall, and wandered over to the nearest one. It was a picture of deep dark forest—brown black trunks of trees and the dark emerald green of pine needles were so finely painted it drew the watcher in. She gazed closer, making out the figure of a black bear standing on a bed of dropped pine needles.
“They are all by the same artist. She’s a local,” Cade said. “Each room has art by a different local artist. They’re a talented lot around here.”
Melo wandered over to another picture. “And this one is of the lake.” The painted water shimmered in mute reflection of the view outside the window.
Cade stepped close.
Melo’s body reacted to his nearness, soaking it in like a cold traveler close to a fire.
“I commissioned the artist, Margie, to paint pictures of this area after I bought the first one of the bear in the forest. All of the artists were handpicked, and they have a gallery in the hotel where guests can purchase more of their work. A lot of guests like to have something to take home with them. An echo of Hidden Lake to remind them of their vacation.”
“There can’t be many other places to sell around here, either,” Melo said. If she reached out a hand, she could touch him. Her hands curled into fists.
“One of the guests owns a gallery in New York, and Margie’s working on an exhibition.” There was pride in his smile. “She deserves it, she’s a wonderful woman.”
/> “Did you and Margie…” Melo’s voice trailed off. What right did she have to question his relationships with other women?
A knock on the door broke the mood, and he strode across to open it to a waiter balancing a tray of tea and coffee. “Ah, thank you, Joe.”
The waiter smiled warmly. “It’s good to see you back, sir.” The young man carefully put the tray down on the low coffee table.
“How’s everything going?” Cade questioned.
“Going great,” the waiter answered, sneaking a glance at Melo.
“I’ll catch up with you later.” Cade patted Joe’s arm, and then they were alone together again.
“You know all your employees?” It didn’t fit with the image of a solitary man, jetting from hotel to hotel.
“Not all of them.” Cade poured tea in a thin stream into the delicate china teacup, and added a swirl of milk, just the way she liked it. “But Joe…” he grinned, “Joe was very much like me when I was younger. Angry. He’s Bette’s little brother. He got in with a wrong crowd in Anchorage a while back. When he ended up spending a night in prison for drunk and disorderly behavior she bailed him out and brought him home. Their parents are dead—it’s just him and Bette, so I offered him a job.”
“And now?”
“Well, he’s been here six months. I’ll get the feedback when I meet with Ben.” He tossed back the last mouthful of his coffee. “Let me show you your room. You can have a bath, change and rest. You must be exhausted after the journey.”
Two doors led off the central sitting room. Cade pushed open the door on the right. “This is your room.”
A four-poster bed with full-length filmy curtains was backed up against pale yellow striped wallpaper, and another large window faced out onto the lake, painting the room with light. Unlike the sitting room, the room was fully carpeted with a deep cream carpet. Melo’s case lay on a small table at the end of the bed.
Marrying Cade Page 11
