Harlequin Desire September 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: ClaimedMaid for a MagnateOnly on His Terms

by Tracy Wolff

  With his back resting against the sofa, he lifted his knee and wrapped his arm around it. “I have a variety of cheese, salmon, baguettes, a tangy salad my chef makes that will make you weep and for dessert...”

  He reached over and pulled the silver lid from the dish. “Your favorite.”

  Catalina gasped as she stared at the pineapple upside-down cheesecake. “You remembered?”

  “Of course I did.” He set the lid back down. “There’s not a detail about you that I’ve forgotten, Cat.”

  When she glanced over at him, she found his eyes locked on hers and a small smile dancing around his lips. “I remembered how much you love strawberries and that you will always pick a fruity dessert over a chocolate one. I also recall how much you love salmon, so I tried to incorporate all of your favorites into this lunch.”

  Strawberry in hand, she froze. “But you just asked me last night. How did you get all of this together?”

  Will shrugged and made up a plate for her. “I knew I wanted to take you out on my yacht at some point. I was hoping for soon, but it wasn’t until yesterday that I realized how hard you’ve been working.”

  He passed her the plate with a napkin. “You need this break and I want to be the one to give it to you. Besides, there’s a lot I can do with a few hours and the right connections.”

  Catalina smiled as she picked up a cube of cheese. “I’m sure your chef was making the cheesecake before the crack of dawn this morning.”

  Will shrugged. “Maybe. He did have nearly everything else done by the time I headed out to James and Bella’s house this morning.”

  “You visited James already, too?”

  Will settled back with his own plate and forked up a bite of salmon before answering. “I wanted to see Maisey before James heads back out on the road for football. I haven’t really bonded with her much, especially with the strain on my relationship with James. But we’re getting there and I wanted to see my niece. I’m sure she and Bella will accompany James on the road when they can.”

  Something inside Catalina warmed at the image of Will playing the doting, spoiling uncle. A family was definitely in her future plans, but knowing Will was taking an active part in little Maisey’s life awakened something in her she hadn’t yet uncovered.

  But no. Will couldn’t be father material. He wasn’t even husband material. No matter how much, at one time, she’d wished he was. Will was a career-minded, power-driven man who valued family, but he didn’t scream minivan and family portraits.

  “How did the bonding go?” she asked, trying to concentrate on her food and not the fact that the image had been placed in her head of Will with a baby. Was there anything sexier than a big, powerful man holding an innocent child?

  “She seemed to like the doll I brought her.”

  Of course he’d brought a doll. Now his “aww” level just exploded. Why did the man have to be so appealing on every single level? She didn’t want to find him even more irresistible. She couldn’t afford to let her heart get tangled up with him again.

  Catalina couldn’t handle the struggle within her. “You took her a doll? Did your assistant or someone on your staff go buy it?”

  Will glanced at her, brows drawn in. “No, I bought it the other day when I was out and just got the chance to take it to her this morning. Why?”

  The man was gaining ground and scaling that wall of defenses she’d so carefully erected. And in unexpected ways. He’d wanted to have a special moment with his niece, which had nothing to do with Catalina. Yet here she sat, on his boat, eating her favorite foods that he’d remembered while listening to him talk of his love for his baby niece.

  Why was she keeping him at a distance again?

  Oh, yeah. That broken heart four years ago.

  They ate the rest of their lunch in silence, except when she groaned like a starved woman as she inhaled her piece of cheesecake. As promised, Will cleaned up the mess and took everything back down to the galley. Once he returned, he extended his hand to her.

  “Ready to go for a walk?” he asked.

  Catalina placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up. “I’m not sure I can walk after that, but I can waddle. I’m pretty stuffed.”

  Will laughed as he led her from the boat. Once they stepped off the wooden dock, Catalina slipped out of her sandals to walk on the warm, sandy beach. The sand wasn’t too hot to burn her feet and as the soft grains shifted beneath her, she found herself smiling. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done absolutely nothing by way of working in one form or another.

  “I hope that smile has something to do with me,” Will stated, again slipping his hand into hers as they walked along the shoreline.

  “I’m just happy today. I needed a break and I guess I didn’t realize it.”

  “From one workaholic to another, I recognized the signs.”

  His confession had her focusing on the words and not how powerful and wonderful his fingers felt laced with hers.

  “I never thought you took a break,” she replied.

  Catalina looked at all the tiny seashells lining the shore and made a mental note to find some beautiful ones to take back with her.

  “I’ve had breaks,” he replied. “Not many, mind you, but I know when I need to step back so I don’t get burnt out.”

  Catalina turned her face toward the ocean. She’d been burnt out on cleaning since she started. But sewing and designing, she could never imagine falling out of love with her passion.

  They walked along in silence and Catalina let her thoughts run wild. What would’ve happened between them had Will not succumbed to his father’s demands that he drop her? Would they have these romantic moments often? Would he make her take breaks from life and put work on hold for her?

  She really couldn’t see any of that, to be honest. Will was still under his father’s thumb, whether he admitted it or not. He’d been at the house most mornings going over Rowling Energy stuff, which Catalina assumed was really just Will checking in.

  “Why did you give up on us before?” she asked before she could think better of it.

  Will stopped, causing Catalina to stop as well. She dropped his hand and turned to fully face him.

  “Never mind,” she said, shaking her head. “It doesn’t matter now.”

  The muscle in Will’s jaw ticked as he stared back at her. “It does matter. Our breakup damaged both of us.”

  Catalina pushed her hair behind her ears, which was useless as the wind kept whipping it out. “I’m pretty sure you weren’t damaged, seeing as how ending our relationship was your decision.”

  When she started to walk on, Will gripped her elbow. “You think seeing you move on and dating another man wasn’t crushing to me? You think knowing you were in another man’s arms, maybe even in his bed, didn’t tear me up?”

  She’d tried not to think about Will when she threw herself into another relationship to mask the hurt. From the angst in his tone and the fire in his eyes, though...had Will been hurt over the breakup? How could that be when he was the one who had ultimately ended things? Did he not want the split? Was he doing it to appease his father? If that was the case then she was doubly angry that he hadn’t fought for them.

  “You thought I’d sit around and cry myself to sleep over you?” she retorted, refusing to feel guilt over a decision he’d made for both of them.

  And so what if she’d shed tears over him? Many tears, in fact, but there was no way she’d admit such a thing. As far as he knew she was made of steel and stronger than her emotions.

  “Besides, you had moved on quite nicely. You ended up in a relationship with a Montoro princess.”

  Dammit. She hadn’t meant for that little green monster to slip out. Catalina knew just how much Bella and James loved each other, yet there was that sliver of jea
lousy at the fact that Will had been all ready to put a ring on Bella’s finger first.

  Will laughed. “That fake engagement was a mistake from all angles. James and Bella have found something she never would’ve had with me.”

  “But you would’ve married her.”

  And that fact still bothered Catalina. She hated the jealousy she’d experienced when she’d discovered Will was engaged. Not that she ever thought she stood a chance, but how could anyone compete with someone as beautiful and sexy as Bella Montoro? She was not only royalty, she was a humanitarian with a good heart.

  On a sigh, Catalina started walking again, concentrating on the shells lining the shore. “It doesn’t matter, honestly. I shouldn’t have brought it up.”

  She reached down to pick up an iridescent shell, smoothing her finger over the surface to swipe away the wet sand. Catalina slid the shell into the small hidden pocket on the side of her dress and kept walking, very much aware of Will at her side. He was a smart man not to deny her last statement. They both knew he would’ve married Bella because that’s what his father had wanted. Joining the fortunes of the two dynamic families was Patrick’s dream...the wrong son had fallen for the beauty, though.

  They walked a good bit down the deserted beach. Catalina had no idea how Will had managed to find such a perfect place with total privacy, but he had no doubt planned this for a while. On occasion he would stop and find a shell for her, wordlessly handing it to her as they walked on. The tension was heavier now that she’d opened up the can of worms. She wished she’d kept her feelings to herself.

  What did it matter if he was going to marry Bella? What man wouldn’t want to spend his life with her? Not only that, had Catalina truly thought Will would remain single? Had she believed he was so exclusively focused on work that he wouldn’t want to settle down and start the next generation of Rowling heirs?

  The warm sun disappeared behind a dark cloud as the wind kicked into high gear. Catalina looked up and suppressed a groan. Of course a dark cloud would hover over her. The ominous sky was starting to match her mood.

  “Should we head back to the yacht?” she asked, trying to tuck her wayward strands of hair behind her ears as she fought against the wind.

  “I don’t think it’s going to do anything major. The forecast didn’t show rain.”

  That nasty cloud seemed to indicate otherwise, but she wasn’t going to argue. They already had enough on their plate.

  Catalina glanced through the foliage, squinting as something caught her eye. “What’s that?”

  Will stopped and looked in the direction she’d indicated. “Looks like a cabin of sorts. I’ve not come this far inland before. Let’s check it out.”

  Without waiting for her, Will took off toward the small building. Catalina followed, stepping over a piece of driftwood and trailing through the lush plants that had nearly overtaken the property.

  “I wonder who had this cabin built,” he muttered as he examined the old wood shack. “The island belongs to Alma from what I could tell when I first started coming here.”

  The covered porch leaned to one side, the old tin roof had certainly seen better days and some of the wood around the door and single window had warped. But the place had charm and someone had once cared enough to put it here. A private getaway for a couple in love? A hideout for someone seeking refuge from life? There was a story behind this place.

  Will pushed on the door and eased inside. Catalina couldn’t resist following him. The musty smell wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, but the place was rather dusty. Only a bit of light from outside crept in through the single window, but even that wasn’t bright because of the dark cloud covering.

  “Careful,” he cautioned when she stepped in. “Some of those boards feel loose.”

  There was enough dim light coming in the front window for them to see a few tarps, buckets and one old chair sitting against the wall.

  “Looks like someone was working on this and it was forgotten,” Catalina said as she walked around the room. “It’s actually quite cozy.”

  Will laughed. “If you like the rustic, no-indoor-plumbing feel.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, she turned around. “Some of us don’t need to be pampered with amenities. I personally enjoy the basics.”

  “This is basic,” he muttered, glancing around.

  The sudden sound of rain splattering on the tin roof had Catalina freezing in place. “So much for that forecast.”

  Will offered her a wide smile. “Looks like you get to enjoy the basics a bit longer unless you want to run back to the yacht in the rain.”

  Crossing the room, Catalina sank down onto the old, sheet-covered chair. “I’m good right here. Will you be able to handle it?”

  His aqua eyes raked over her, heating her skin just as effectively as if he’d touched her with his bare hands. “Oh, baby, I can handle it.”

  Maybe running back to the yacht was the better option after all. How long would she be stranded in an old shack with Will while waiting out this storm?

  Catalina wasn’t naïve. She knew full well there were only so many things they could talk about and nearly every topic between them circled back to the sexual tension that had seemed to envelop them and bind them together for the past several weeks.

  Her body trembled as she kept her gaze locked onto his.

  There was only one way this day would end.

  Ten

  Will stared out the window at the sheets of rain coming down. He didn’t need to look, though; the pounding on the roof told him how intense this storm was.

  So much for that flawless forecast.

  Still, staying across the room from Cat was best for now. He didn’t need another invisible push in her direction. He glanced over his shoulder toward the woman he ached for. She sat as casual as you please with her legs crossed, one foot bouncing to a silent beat as her flip-flop dangled off her toes. Those bare legs mocked him. The strings of her bikini top peeking out of her dress mocked him as well. Every damn thing about this entire situation mocked him.

  What had he been thinking, inviting her for a day out? Why purposely resurrect all of those old, unresolved feelings? They’d gone four years without bringing up their past, but Will had reached his breaking point. He needed to know if they had a chance at...what? What exactly did he want from her?

  He had no clue, but he did know the need for Cat had never lessened. If anything, the emptiness had grown without her in his life. He’d let her go once to save her, but he should’ve fought for them, fought for what he wanted and found another way to keep her safe. He’d been a coward. As humiliating as that was to admit, there was no sugarcoating the truth of the boy he used to be.

  “You might as well have a seat,” she told him, meeting his gaze. “The way you’re standing across the room is only making the tension worse. You’re making me twitchy.”

  Will laughed. Leave it to Cat to call him on his actions, though he didn’t think the tension could get worse.

  He crossed the room and took a seat on the floor in front of the chair.

  “This reminds me of that time James, you and I were playing hide-and-seek when it started raining,” she said. “You guys were home from school on break and I had come in to work with my mum.”

  Will smiled as the memory flooded his mind. “We were around eight or nine, weren’t we?”

  Cat nodded. “James kept trying to hold my hand when we both ran into the garage to hide and get dry.”

  Will sat up straighter. “You never told me that.”

  “Seriously?” she asked, quirking a brow. “You’re going to get grouchy over the actions of a nine-year-old?”

  “I’m not grouchy. Surprised, but not grouchy.”

  “James was only doing it because he knew I had a thing for you.
”

  The corner of Will’s mouth kicked up. “You had a thing for me when you were that young?”

  Cat shrugged, toying with the edge of her dress. “You were an older man. Practically worldly in all of your knowledge.”

  “It was the Spanish, wasn’t it?” he asked with a grin.

  Cat rolled her eyes and laughed. “James was fluent in Spanish as well. You two both had the same hoity-toity schooling.”

  Will lifted his knee and rested his arm on it as he returned her smile. “Nah. I was better. We would sometimes swap out in class because the teacher couldn’t tell us apart. She just knew a quiet blond boy sat in the back. As long as one of us showed up, she didn’t pay much attention to the fact there were really supposed to be two.”

  “Sneaky boys. But, I bet if I asked James about the Spanish speaking skills he’d say he was better,” she countered.

  “He’d be wrong.”

  Cat tipped her head, shifting in her seat, which only brought her bare legs within touching distance. “You tricked your teachers and got away with it. Makes me wonder how many times you two swapped out when it came to women.”

  Will shook his head. “I’m not answering that.”

  “Well, I know that watch nearly cost James the love of his life,” Cat said, nodding toward the gold timepiece on his wrist.

  “It was unfortunate Bella saw you and me kissing. I truly thought we were secluded.” Will sighed and shifted on the wood floor. “She had every right to think James was kissing someone else because she had no clue about the bet.”

  The rain beat against the window as the wind kicked up. Cat tensed and her eyes widened.

  “Hope this old place holds up,” she said. “Maybe running back to the yacht would have been a better idea.”

  “Too late now.” Will reached over, laying his hand on her knee. “We’re fine. It’s just a pop-up storm. You know these things pass fast.”

  With a subtle nod, she settled deeper into the seat and rested her head on the back cushion. Guilt rolled through Will. He’d planned a day for her, and had been hopeful that seduction would be the outcome. Yet here they sat in some abandoned old shack waiting out some freak storm. Even Mother Nature was mocking him.