mouth.
“—about the three mil to save your corporation was a cover. A con. A front,” she accused. “You wanted to get to him, and I became your decoy.”
She blinked, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed her features. A splinter of hope zinged through him. But the bleak look in her eyes, the emptiness in her voice … the hopelessness doused it.
“As if all those years in exile weren’t enough for him and moth—”
Her voice cracked. She pressed her hand to her mouth, and he almost missed. “And me.”
He rubbed a fist across the groove carved on his forehead. Unable to connect the dots of her tirade, frustration fizzed through his brain. Cade always could put a puzzle together.
Except when it came to her.
“You had me in your sights twenty-four seven,” she rambled, and he let her, thinking he might catch a clue to fit the pieces in sync. In a few hours, he ’d have his answers from the VIP, his uncle. He smirked. He suspected his uncle had controlled the situation from the get go, and Cade had a hunch he hadn’t been alone. His lungs compressed, then he inhaled, filling his chest with oxygen . Soon, he’d know the who and the why.
A gust of air shot from his mouth. Right now, he had to shake Nina from her self-inflicted trance and spark some color in her face.
He reached for her.
“Don’t touch me.” Nina shriveled away from him and collapsed on the chair, tucking her legs beneath her.
“Okay.” He raised his hands above his head, his biceps bulging, and his eyes drilling into hers.
“Okay?” Nina squinted at him, her heart hammering and her body betraying her mind.
Barefoot, he stood tall with his jeans gaping open at the waist, his sex pressing against the half open zipper. She gulped. God help her. She still wanted him, wanted to—but sheballedthe paper in her hand and snapped out of it. “How could anything be okay, when you’ve been hunting m-my father?”
“Your father?”
She leaped from the chair and hurled the paper missile disclosing the damning evidence at him. “You had me investigated, you plotted,” –she swept up the file, pointing it at him— “you schemed to use me to—to—destroy him.“
“I didn’t know he was your fath—”
All of a sudden the fight went out of her and she slumped back in the chair,tears stinging her eyelids. But she would not give him the satisfaction of weeping in front of him.
“Nina, you have to listen.” He jammed his fingers through his hair, pacing to and fro, finally stopping within a foot of her. “If I’m guilty, then you’re right there with me for having done the same. Maybe worse.”
She lifted her head, her eyes empty. “Wha-at?”
“You hooked me, pilfered my money, and jetted to Florence until you located him.” He snapped his fingers, the puzzle locking into place. “You thought he was there, that’s why you stole away the morning after our wedding.” His lip curled. “You had your own agenda.”
Her sharp intake of breath, a cyclone ripping between them.
“Your excuse for jumping ship?” He guffawed. “Eavesdropping— on my phone call to—”
“No.” The one word a whiz of sound from her mouth. She gripped the chair’s arms so hard, her knuckles whitened, and words snagged in her throat.
“Overheard—more palatable to you?” He shrugged, his shoulder blades tensing. “My negotiating the sale of one of Century’s yachts.” A pause, and his words crackled with scorn. “When your…er…father, wasn’t in Florence, the boutique became your cover.” A gale blasted from his mouth, whipping her face. “Cyprus became a pleasant—”
“For whom?”
“—if unexpected diversion,” he continued like she hadn’t spoken, and that had her fuming. “My euros financed your search and kept you in style until I tracked you down.”
“I said I’d pay you back.”
A pulsing beat, and—
“Then come back to bed.”
A split second of silence, deep and foreboding.
Deliberately, she
“—about the three mil to save your corporation was a cover. A con. A front,” she accused. “You wanted to get to him, and I became your decoy.”
She blinked, and a flicker of uncertainty crossed her features. A splinter of hope zinged through him. But the bleak look in her eyes, the emptiness in her voice … the hopelessness doused it.
“As if all those years in exile weren’t enough for him and moth—”
Her voice cracked. She pressed her hand to her mouth, and he almost missed. “And me.”
He rubbed a fist across the groove carved on his forehead. Unable to connect the dots of her tirade, frustration fizzed through his brain. Cade always could put a puzzle together.
Except when it came to her.
“You had me in your sights twenty-four seven,” she rambled, and he let her, thinking he might catch a clue to fit the pieces in sync. In a few hours, he ’d have his answers from the VIP, his uncle. He smirked. He suspected his uncle had controlled the situation from the get go, and Cade had a hunch he hadn’t been alone. His lungs compressed, then he inhaled, filling his chest with oxygen . Soon, he’d know the who and the why.
A gust of air shot from his mouth. Right now, he had to shake Nina from her self-inflicted trance and spark some color in her face.
He reached for her.
“Don’t touch me.” Nina shriveled away from him and collapsed on the chair, tucking her legs beneath her.
“Okay.” He raised his hands above his head, his biceps bulging, and his eyes drilling into hers.
“Okay?” Nina squinted at him, her heart hammering and her body betraying her mind.
Barefoot, he stood tall with his jeans gaping open at the waist, his sex pressing against the half open zipper. She gulped. God help her. She still wanted him, wanted to—but sheballedthe paper in her hand and snapped out of it. “How could anything be okay, when you’ve been hunting m-my father?”
“Your father?”
She leaped from the chair and hurled the paper missile disclosing the damning evidence at him. “You had me investigated, you plotted,” –she swept up the file, pointing it at him— “you schemed to use me to—to—destroy him.“
“I didn’t know he was your fath—”
All of a sudden the fight went out of her and she slumped back in the chair,tears stinging her eyelids. But she would not give him the satisfaction of weeping in front of him.
“Nina, you have to listen.” He jammed his fingers through his hair, pacing to and fro, finally stopping within a foot of her. “If I’m guilty, then you’re right there with me for having done the same. Maybe worse.”
She lifted her head, her eyes empty. “Wha-at?”
“You hooked me, pilfered my money, and jetted to Florence until you located him.” He snapped his fingers, the puzzle locking into place. “You thought he was there, that’s why you stole away the morning after our wedding.” His lip curled. “You had your own agenda.”
Her sharp intake of breath, a cyclone ripping between them.
“Your excuse for jumping ship?” He guffawed. “Eavesdropping— on my phone call to—”
“No.” The one word a whiz of sound from her mouth. She gripped the chair’s arms so hard, her knuckles whitened, and words snagged in her throat.
“Overheard—more palatable to you?” He shrugged, his shoulder blades tensing. “My negotiating the sale of one of Century’s yachts.” A pause, and his words crackled with scorn. “When your…er…father, wasn’t in Florence, the boutique became your cover.” A gale blasted from his mouth, whipping her face. “Cyprus became a pleasant—”
“For whom?”
“—if unexpected diversion,” he continued like she hadn’t spoken, and that had her fuming. “My euros financed your search and kept you in style until I tracked you down.”
“I said I’d pay you back.”
A pulsing beat, and—
“Then come back to bed.”
A split second of silence, deep and foreboding.
Deliberately, she
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