“Okay, then. Show me your talents,” Peyton said, sitting up on her lounger and turning her back to him.
“Now, there’s an invitation I don’t get every day,” he said, his voice dropping an octave.
She couldn’t help it; her body reacted with a shimmer of desire. She had no words to describe it, this stupid reaction to a tone of voice, but suddenly she was hyperaware of the man as he moved closer behind her. She dug into her beach bag for her hairbrush.
“You might want to use this first,” she said, passing it back to him. “There’s a hair tie on the handle, too.”
He took the hairbrush, and the next moment his fingers were working their way through her hair, touching her scalp and skimming the back of her neck as he eased the hairbrush through the knots. She’d never in her life believed that having her hair brushed by a stranger could feel erotic. But there was something deeply sensual about the way Galen followed each stroke of the brush with the touch of his fingers on her scalp. It made her want to sigh with pleasure.
When he was done, she was on the verge of becoming putty in his hands. She felt a moment’s relief that she was facing away from him so he couldn’t see the way her nipples had become taut peaks against the thin fabric of her one-piece swimsuit in response to this most innocent of touches. But then he started to run his fingers through her hair again and every muscle in her body clenched.
“You okay? I’m not hurting you, am I?” Galen asked.
He was so close she felt his breath on her shoulder and shivered a little.
“I’m fine,” she said in a voice that was tight with control.
He was simply doing her hair, for goodness’ sake. Not seducing her. How this normal, everyday act could be playing such havoc with her senses was beyond her but she needed to get herself under control. She focused her gaze on Ellie and for a moment envied her the freedom of not caring who she was or what she looked like or what hurts had been visited upon her. Instead, she could just be carefree and in the moment. Industrious one minute, lying flat out on the sand the next, then laughing as she got to her feet and plunged into the water to wash off the sand five seconds later.
Galen began sectioning her hair.
“Do you want under or over?” he asked.
“I beg your pardon?”
“Your braid. Under, so it sits flat, or over, so it sits on top?”
“I never knew there was a difference.”
“Your mom never did this for you?”
“My mom was sick for a long time, and my dad, well, let’s just say he didn’t have the benefit of online videos when I was growing up.”
She swallowed against the surprising wave of emotion that choked her. There’d been days when her mom could meet her at the front door of their rented home with a smile and then there’d been others when she couldn’t even raise a hand to wipe a tear from her cheek. The disease that had plagued her had taken its toll on everyone, and the fiercely guarded memories of those times always shook Peyton to the core.
“Anyway, does it matter?” she said a little more sharply than she’d intended.
“Over it is. And tomorrow we can go into the intricacies of the herringbone braid. Now, be still. I need to concentrate on this.”
He fell silent as he worked. When it was over, he rested his hands on top of her shoulders. His palms were warm and his fingers gentle, but to her they felt like brands on her bare skin.
“Admiring your handiwork?” she asked with a note of sarcasm.
“Something like that. Did you know that you have these really soft curls of baby hair that grow at the nape of your neck?”
She shivered as he touched them, winding one around a finger. His knuckle brushed the back of her neck, sending her body into sensation overload. Who knew the back of her neck was so sensitive? Then her whole body went into shock as she felt the imprint of his lips right there at her nape. She bolted up from her lounger in an instinctive attempt to create more distance between them and adjusted her sunglasses on her face as she turned around and looked down on him.
Galen looked up at her unashamedly. “Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”
He flashed her another of those devil-may-care grins and rose from his lounger before jogging along the beach to where Ellie was fashioning a turtle sand sculpture. Peyton watched him join his ward with an enthusiasm she envied. Even in the short time she’d begun to get to know him, she recognized he had a knack for making everything look so uncomplicated. No doubt he was the life and soul of every party he attended, she thought with a touch of venom. The charmed billionaire who never had a care in his privileged world. He’d never had to come from school to a quiet house and wonder if today would be the day that he’d discover his mom dead in her bed. Or that the next knock on the door was from the sheriff to evict them from another home.
And then again, he’d known loss, she reminded herself with an effort to be fair. Ellie’s parents’ deaths had obviously affected him, and her research had uncovered he’d lost his own father when he was in his early teens. That must have been hard. Maybe his carefree act was just that. An act. She shrugged, picked up her sarong and knotted it at her hip before pushing her feet into a pair of crystal-studded thongs and walking along the beach to supervise the sculpting. Whether it was an act or not, it didn’t matter to her because she wasn’t here to enjoy Galen Horvath’s company. She was here to do a job and she needed to remember that.
* * *
It was midnight, and Galen was mentally worn out and physically uncomfortable. There ought to be a law against suits and ties in tropical climates, he thought as he unknotted his tie and entered the villa that was home for the duration of their honeymoon.
“Good of you to come back.” An acerbic voice came from the depths of the overstuffed couch facing the moonlit water. “I was beginning to wonder if you’d left us for good.”
“Did you miss me?” Galen said, refusing to rise to Peyton’s bait.
The woman had been so intent on keeping her distance from him that he’d almost begun to wonder if she’d even miss him when he had to work. Of course, working on honeymoon was not ideal, but the resort was on the verge of signing an agreement for a major expansion with an overseas partner, and certain things needed to be dealt with right here, right now.
“Ellie missed you,” Peyton said, rising from the couch and facing him with her hands on her hips.
Galen’s throat went dry as he took her in. She was silhouetted in the light behind her, exposing the slim, lean lines of her body beneath the sheer cream on the lemon-patterned sundress she wore. He’d seen her in her swimsuit and, yes, she was incredible to look at. But like this? She was mystery and mayhem all in one package. The sharp sound of her voice dragged him into reality.
“I was beginning to wonder if you’d married me just so you could have a babysitter. I have to say, if that’s your parenting style, I feel sorry for Ellie because she deserves better than that.”
Deserved better than him, too, perhaps? Galen felt his anger rise but, as ever, he pushed a lid down firmly on it and deflected her words with a smile. “Ellie knew I would be tied up all day.”
“It doesn’t mean she didn’t miss you. She gets really anxious when you’re not around. Did you know that?”
A shaft of guilt struck him in the chest. The last thing on earth he ever wanted to do was cause Ellie any distress. “What do you mean exactly?”
“She sounded tense at dinnertime, asking when you’d be back. I tried to distract her. Let her beat me at cards.”
“Let her?” He cocked a half grin. The kid was a demon at cards.
“Okay, so she thrashed me. But when you weren’t home by bedtime she got really upset. She was terrified something had happened to you, no matter what I said.”
Galen nodded, accepting that he should have reached out to let her know he wouldn’t be home un
til very late. Even though she’d been in his care for several months now, he was still adjusting to the responsibility. But they’d already been here on Maui for three days and Ellie had seemed equally happy to be with Peyton as with him—he’d been certain she’d be okay. Clearly, he’d been wrong.
“I’m sorry. I’ll talk to her about it tomorrow.”
“Would that be before or after your next business meeting?”
A kernel of warmth sparked to life deep inside him. Peyton might be angry at him but she was very firmly in Ellie’s corner and that was what he’d hoped for all along—that he’d marry a woman who’d be comfortable in a maternal role with Ellie.
“There won’t be any more business meetings. I promise. Not while we’re on honeymoon, anyway.”
“Until the next emergency arises and you need to offload your responsibilities again?”
He fought to keep his features neutral as he replied. “I don’t make a habit of offloading anything. I’m sorry if caring for Ellie was such a burden to you.”
Color flamed in her cheeks and her eyes grew bright. She looked like she was about to light off like a firecracker. Before she could respond, he put up a hand.
“Look, I’m sorry—that was uncalled for. I shouldn’t have assumed that you’d look after Ellie when I couldn’t.”
“You don’t even know me,” Peyton said, a grimace twisting her beautiful face.
Galen walked closer to her and took one of her hands. “You’re right. I don’t know you, yet. I do, however, know you’re trustworthy. We wouldn’t have been matched if you weren’t.”
Peyton nodded ever so slightly. “She was upset tonight, Galen. I hated it.”
Compassion flooded him and he squeezed her hand gently. “You feel so helpless, don’t you?”
The anger that had been holding her rigid dropped out of her just like that.
“Yes, and I didn’t like it. I’m sorry I took it out on you. But don’t think I’m letting you off the hook.”
“I know, and I’ll make it up to both of you. I am a man of my word, Peyton. No more business on this vacation.”
“Thank you.”
She pulled her hand free and started to gather up her things, including some handwritten notes and a laptop computer.
“You were working?” he asked.
“Not until Ellie went to bed, which was only a couple of hours ago because she was so upset.”
“I didn’t mean it like that—no need to be defensive.”
She raised her brows at him.
“I didn’t. I’m merely interested. Is this a new article you’re working on?”
“I don’t discuss my work until it’s published.”
Peyton hugged her things to her as if hiding them from his gaze. Fair enough, but she was making it very difficult for them to find common ground for discussion and to get to know one another. So far both family and her work were off-limits. So what did that leave them? Not a lot.
“I can respect that. Your work is sensitive, then?”
“Usually, and this is particularly so. I’m not being obstructive. It’s just the way I work. Okay?”
“Like I said, no problem. Hey, would you like to put your things away where my prying eyes can’t see them and come and join me on the patio for a nightcap?”
She hesitated. He was beginning to brace himself for a flat no, when she nodded and said she’d be right back. Galen shrugged out of his jacket and yanked the tail of his tie through his collar. Valentin had been right. This marriage thing wasn’t easy, especially when you were married to a stranger.
The other day, brushing her hair, he’d felt as though they’d reached a new level of closeness. But apparently going to work today had thrown all of that out the window and he was back to square one. He had to make this work, for Ellie. He felt a pang of guilt as he threw his things on a chair and went down the hallway toward Ellie’s bedroom.
Since her parents’ accident she’d been sleeping with a night-light and her door slightly ajar. He entered her room and settled gently on the edge of her bed. Ellie’s eyes flashed wide open in an instant.
“You’re home!” She sat bolt upright and her little arms wrapped around his neck.
His heart squeezed tight and he hugged her back. “Yeah, I’m home, so no more worrying, okay? I thought we had a deal. You’re supposed to talk to me about the things that make you feel upset.”
“I know,” she said softly as she pulled away. “It’s just hard when you’re not here.”
“I’m sorry I was gone so long today. It won’t happen again while we’re on vacation, I promise, but it will probably happen again when we’re home. But I promise you this, too. I’ll make sure you’re never alone and you can always get whoever is with you to text me at any time.”
“Even when you’re in an important meeting?”
“Even then. Nothing and no one is more important to me than you, Ellie. I’m here for you. Always.”
“Okay,” she said on a yawn.
“Now, back to sleep, young lady. Tomorrow is a new day.”
“Thanks, Galen. I love you.”
“I love you, too, kiddo.”
Galen pressed one more kiss to her forehead and then rose from the bed. She was already asleep by the time he got to the door. He looked back on her, his heart so full of love for this little girl it sometimes took his breath away. Moments like this reaffirmed he had done the right thing in marrying Peyton. Ellie had endured more upheaval than any child her age should have to bear. She deserved a family that could love and support her through life. He only hoped that Peyton’s defensiveness on Ellie’s behalf this evening showed she felt exactly the same way.
Four
Peyton slipped back into her room, worried that she might be caught eavesdropping on the tender exchange between Galen and Ellie. She hadn’t expected it of him, and that shocked her a little.
She reached for a tissue and brushed away her tears. Theirs appeared to be a very special relationship and for some stupid reason it left her feeling as if she was very much an outsider. That had never bothered her before. She’d always been an outsider after the shame of her father’s dismissal from Horvath Corporation. Then in the new town they eventually settled in on the Oregon coast, she hadn’t fit in, either. She’d had city girl written all over her in the tight-knit community where fishing and tourism were the main industries. Even when she’d gone to Washington for college she’d been an outsider, a fact that had worked in her favor when she’d hidden her pregnancy and subsequent adoption of her baby. Being an outsider came naturally to her now. It afforded her powers of observation she wouldn’t have enjoyed otherwise. She even preferred it, she told herself as she reapplied her lipstick before returning to meet Galen for that drink.
But then why did it still have the capacity to hurt so much? Was it that her own child would be around Ellie’s age? Was it because each day she was facing all that she’d given away? Peyton slammed a lid on those thoughts before they could drive her crazy. She’d made her choice, the best one she could for her child at the time. Even in the years immediately after the adoption there was no way she could have supported a child. Things had changed now, of course. Her work had paid extremely well at times. And the payday from the exposé on Alice Horvath would be huge, too. Horvath Corporation was global, but the company itself had never been her target. Just Alice. She’d been the one to arbitrarily destroy Peyton’s father’s career and, consequently, everything about Peyton’s life that she’d held dear.
Keep focused, she told herself, sealing away her emotions behind the virtual locked door she always kept them in. She didn’t have time to dwell on the child she’d given away; she didn’t have time to dwell on the sense of living on the outside edge of everything she’d thought she’d wanted as a child. She had a job to do and she was going to do it. She straightene
d her shoulders and gave herself a brief nod in the mirror. She had this.
The night air out on the patio was balmy and redolent with the scent of frangipani. Peyton inhaled deeply and sighed out loud.
“Is it always this blissful here?” she asked.
“Yes. Even in the worst weather there’s a raw beauty about the place that always gets to me and soothes me deep inside. It’s my refuge when life gets too crazy.”
“I had no idea you needed one,” she commented as she lowered herself into a rattan chair and stared out at the dark purple and midnight blue sea.
“Everyone does from time to time. It’s all about having a coping mechanism.”
“Then you’re luckier than most to have this.” She flung her arm out to encapsulate the view beyond them. “I’m sorry about before,” she said, deciding to take the bull by the horns. “For implying you were derelict in your duty toward Ellie.”
“Apology accepted.”
“I was pissy because I missed you, too.”
Where the heck had that come from? Peyton swallowed hard, barely able to believe the words she’d just spoken. But she knew they were true. She hated realizing that she’d come to look forward to seeing his sunny smile. The man was addictive and she now totally understood his popularity with her sex. It didn’t mean she wanted to jump his bones, but she’d be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she found him attractive.
Okay, she was lying to herself that she didn’t want to jump his bones. If their circumstances had been different, a brief fling with Galen Horvath would have been an amusing breath of fresh air. But that wasn’t possible and she needed to keep her mind on the game.
“I’m flattered,” Galen responded with a slight duck of his head.
Was that a flush of color on his cheeks she discerned in the gentle patio lighting? Surely, she hadn’t embarrassed him with her unexpected honesty. Definitely time for a subject change. “So, what do you recommend for a nightcap?”
Vengeful Vows (Marriage At First Sight Book 3) Page 3
