A Man's Promise (19 page)

His voice had broken, and he was quiet for a moment as he leaned back in his chair. “She also told me that she didn’t want me to go through the rest of my life alone and had the nerve to suggest that one day I should marry again. She said I had a lot of love to share, and that one day I would meet a woman who needed the kind of love that only Ben Bradford could give. I didn’t want to believe it or accept what she was saying. I
didn’t
accept what she said. I went through the years believing that my job and raising my girls were enough. Then my girls suddenly had lives of their own and, although at times I was lonely, I couldn’t allow myself to open up a heart that still belonged to your mom. Until the day I saw Mona.”

He drew in a deep breath. “I saw her that day, and it was then that I remembered your mother’s words...that one day I would meet a woman who needed the kind of love she believed I could share. Mona is that woman. I will always love your mother, but Mona has carved out a special place in my heart, as well.”

Jules didn’t say anything for a moment as she fought back tears. She reached out and took her father’s hand in hers. “Now I understand, Dad. And I am truly happy for you. You were the best dad ever for Shana and me, and we want you to be happy.”

He nodded slowly. “Thank you. Hearing you say that means a lot. As far as Mona ever being able to see again, the doctors haven’t given up on her, but they aren’t making any promises, either. We take one day at a time and can only hope and pray.”

He then stood. “And you better get going if you want to make your seven-o’clock appointment.”

She blinked. “I never said I was going to try to make it.”

Ben chuckled. “No, you didn’t. But you’re acting anxious about it, though at the same time, you’re undecided. Not sure whether you want to keep it or not. And if it involves a man, I have all the faith in the world you can handle it. Maybe too well for your own good.”

“Dad!”

“Well, it’s true.”

“You don’t know this guy.”
And neither do I,
she thought to herself.

“I don’t have to know him. I know my daughter,” Ben said, grinning. “And I can hope that one day you’ll get to meet a nice guy, settle down and give me grandkids like Shana is.”

Jules laughed. “Release the pressure, will you, Dad? First of all, I don’t have a steady boyfriend, I seldom have time to date, and my tolerance level is low when it comes to the B.S. a lot of the guys put out. They don’t make many Ben Bradfords anymore.”

He chuckled. “The man for you is out there somewhere. And you’ll know it when you meet him, although knowing you, you’ll probably fight against it like hell.”

She smiled as she stood. “You’re probably right. I’ll help you with those dishes.”

“All I’m going to do is load them in the dishwasher, Jules. I think I can manage that without you, but thanks for the offer. What you need to do is decide what you’re going to do about that seven-o’clock appointment.”

Thirty-One

“T
hanks for dinner, Caden,” Shiloh said, looking up at him. “Sure you don’t want to come in and stay awhile?”

“You’re too much temptation,” he said, leaning down and placing a kiss on her temple. “And I have a stack of documents I need to read for a departmental meeting early in the morning.”

“You don’t have to explain. I understand. Your work is important.”

But nothing was more important in his life than she was, and he proceeded to tell her so. Afterward, he tightened his arms around her and held her for a while before leaning back to look down at her face again. A beautiful face that he would never tire of seeing.

“With Cal Arrington indicted for trade-secrets violations, we can turn our concentration to reclaiming the company’s position in aerospace technology. I’m working to make sure that happens.”

After they’d made love on Saturday night, he had told her about the deathbed promise he and his brothers had made to their grandfather.

He leaned down and kissed her, needing the taste of her tongue mingling with his, mating hungrily, greedily. And when he deepened the kiss, she moaned, and the sound electrified everything within him. He loved her so damned much, and he intended to spend the rest of his life proving it. “Go away with me this weekend.”

She lifted a brow. “To where?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She chuckled. “Then how will I know how to pack?”

“Don’t. I’ll buy everything you need when we get there.”

She shook her head. “Caden, be serious.”

“Sweetheart, I
am
serious. Just be ready when I pick you up Saturday morning around seven. Will you?”

She looked up at him. “I’ll have to give Tess and the others notice that I’ll be away, but I know they’ll be able to handle things at the shop in my absence. They’ve done it before when I left on wine-buying trips, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“So, will you go away with me?” he asked, seeing the curiosity in her eyes. She had questions he wouldn’t answer yet. And then, above all else, he saw trust in her gaze, and it touched him deeply. After all he had put her through, she could still trust him.

“Yes, I’ll go away for the weekend with you.”

* * *

Jules’s cell phone rang the moment she walked into her house. Recognizing her sister’s ringtone, she said, “Yes, Shana?”

“Jace’s brother and Shiloh have agreed to talk to you about Saturday night.”

She made her way into the kitchen to put the leftovers her father had sent her home with in the refrigerator. “Okay. I can do it on Wednesday. Tomorrow is already booked pretty solid, starting with a dental appointment at nine and ending with a day of beauty at the spa. I intend to get the works.”

“Sounds like it. How did your day go today?”

“Not too badly,” she said, going into the living room, where she kicked off her shoes and dropped down on her sofa. “I had to finalize documents like I usually do at the end of a case. And I had dinner with Dad.”

“He told me. He called to see if Jace and I were free, but we’d already made plans to meet with a wedding planner and decided to grab something while we were out.”

“Wedding planner? You’re hiring a wedding planner when you’re only inviting fifty people?”

“I would hire a wedding planner for ten people. Neither Jace nor I want the headache. If it were up to us, we would fly to Vegas and get it over with.”

“And Dad would die at being cheated out of the opportunity to give you away,” Jules said and laughed.

“Don’t you know it,” Shana replied, sharing her sister’s amusement.

Jules’s humor faded when she glanced over at the clock. It was a little after six. She gritted her teeth. Why was she letting sexual tension get the best of her?

“You okay?”

Good grief, had she made a sound? “Not really.”

“What’s wrong, Jules?”

She heard the concern in Shana’s voice and drew in a deep breath. “He found me.”

“Who found you?”

“That man I told you about weeks ago.”

“The one you met at that nightclub when you were working undercover?” Shana asked. “How did he find you?”

“Not sure. But he did. Imagine my shock when I looked up and he was standing in the doorway of my office today.”

“Your office? How did he get past Manning?”

“Manning left early today for a doctor’s appointment and didn’t lock the door. So the man came in.”

“What did he say?”

“Stood there gloating that he’d found me. Then suggested I meet him tonight at that same club at seven.”

“I take it that you’re not planning to do that.”

“No. Just who does he think he is?”

Shana chuckled. “The man evidently went to a lot of trouble to find you. And if I remember correctly, at the time when you told me about him, you said if he were to find you it meant he was truly interested.”

Jules nibbled on her lower lip. She had said that, hadn’t she? He was truly interested...but in one thing. Her body. “Well, I’ve changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“I just have.”

“Bull. You would not have changed your mind unless you had a reason, and I think I know what it is. I have a feeling you know he’s a man you can’t handle.”

Jules frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Come on, Jules. You like being in control, and I have a feeling this guy is probably aggressive, arrogant and overconfident. Sounds a lot like you, kiddo.”

Jules’s frown deepened. “I don’t like him.”

“Why? Because you finally met a man who sounds like your equal? I have a feeling you find him intriguing but won’t admit it.”

“Okay, I find him intriguing. Big deal.”

“But not intriguing enough to meet him at seven?”

Shana’s words infuriated her. “Look, Shana. I need to get laid, in a bad way. But I’ll be damned if I’ll give this guy the honor. He’s so damned conceited that he had the nerve to tell me his name was Dick.”

Shana burst out laughing.

“Glad I could bring humor to your day again,” Jules said curtly.

“Sorry. But I bet he assumes your name is J. B. Sweet.”

“What of it?”

“Then the both of you are playing an interesting game that can backfire.”

Jules rolled her eyes. “He knows that’s not my real name, which is why he told me his was Dick.”

She quieted for a couple of seconds before asking, “And you honestly think I should meet him tonight, Shana?”

“All kidding aside, I think you should do what feels right for you. Evidently, this guy bothers you on a lot of levels, so if I were you, I would go with my gut feelings. And if those feelings are telling you not to go, then don’t. Look, I have to run. Jace is taking me to a movie tonight.”

“Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks. No matter what decision you make about that guy, I’m sure it will be the right one. Goodbye.”

“’Bye.” Jules clicked off the phone. It was twenty past six. She frowned as she recalled parts of her conversation with Shana. Then she stood and began stripping off her clothes as she headed toward her bedroom. She would take a shower, get dressed and go meet
Dick.
Shana was wrong about her not being able to handle him. And when she finished
handling him,
he was going to wish he hadn’t found her.

* * *

Dalton glanced at his watch. It was seven o’clock on the dot, and J. B. Sweet wasn’t here. He tried to make light of it and figured she was running late like women had a tendency to do at times. Surely she wouldn’t stand him up.

But what if she did?

He refused to consider that possibility. He was a man who knew women, and it was obvious there was sexual chemistry between them. Strong. Sizzling. Hot. And at her office today, he had recognized that look he’d seen in her eyes. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her.

He glanced at his watch again before looking at the door. He had chosen this particular table so he could see her when she came in, and so she could see him. Now it was a waiting game. And if she didn’t show up...

Hell, he refused to consider that possibility. Instead, he glanced around. The place wasn’t packed, but there were a lot of single women there. Most were openly checking him out. But he wasn’t interested. The only woman who interested him was the one he’d hired a private investigator to find. The look on her face when she’d seen him had been priceless.

He could recall the defiant look in her eyes when he’d told her to meet him here at seven. She hadn’t liked it. Would her anger overrule her desire for him?

Dalton was about to check his watch again when he heard the door to the nightclub open. He glanced toward the entrance and almost fell out of his chair. Holy shit! It was her and what in the world was she wearing?

If he thought the last outfit was a heart-stopper, an erection-maker, then this one should be outlawed from public display. It reminded him of one of those skimpy dance outfits Beyoncé wore while performing. One that could tantalize the senses and invigorate your testosterone way beyond a normal level.

The short dress was made of skin-tone lace that left it hard to tell what was fabric and what was skin. It hugged her curves, cuddled her hips and embraced her small waist in a way that had every man in the club’s jaw dropping and eyes bulging. Was she even wearing underwear?

And the high-heeled leather boots that went past her knees made her look like a sexy cowgirl, ready to ride. And he was more than willing to let her. The only thing missing was a hat. And she didn’t need it. He preferred nothing covering up the mass of hair flowing over her shoulders.

After his eyes traveled the length of her once more, they retraced their way back up to her face. She angled her chin and stared at him. He tried to read her mood through the haze of desire clouding his senses and found doing so difficult.

And when she began walking toward his table, a jolt of sexual hunger shook him to the bone with every step she took. She was holding his gaze, and he couldn’t look away even if he wanted to.

When she took the chair across from him, he let out a whoosh of air. If it was her goal to get attention, she had succeeded. All eyes were on her...and him. He swallowed and found his voice. “We’re stirring up too much interest. I suggest we leave and go somewhere that will afford us more privacy.”

She shook her head. “I only came here to give you some advice.”

He frowned, not liking the sound of that. Advice wasn’t what he wanted. “What kind of advice?”

She leaned closer over the table, and he got a whiff of her aroma. Damn, she smelled good. Her perfume was doing a number on him. His attention latched on to her lips, and his gut twisted. He couldn’t wait to taste them.

“Forget you found me,” she whispered.

“Afraid I can’t do that” was his quick comeback.

“
Dick,
you don’t have a choice.”

A smile touched the corners of his lips, although he found none of what she was saying amusing. “So you want to play hard to get, is that it?”

She lifted her chin a notch. “I don’t want to play at all. At least not with you. You’re conceited, arrogant and overconfident.”

“Why? Because I went after something I want?”

Her gaze narrowed. “No, because you’re egotistical enough to assume you will get it. And that’s where you’re wrong.”

“You’re certain about that?”

“Positive.”

Blood pounded at his temples, and it was taking all his control to keep his rising anger at bay. “And you came all the way over here to tell me that?”

“Yes. I wanted to make sure you heard it from my own lips. Figured it would be worth the trip. I hope that we now understand each other.”

She eased out of her chair and turned to leave, but he grabbed her arm, probably with a little more force than he’d intended. He could feel the way her muscles tensed under his touch. But at the moment he didn’t care. No woman acted as if he were yesterday’s garbage. Just who the hell did she think she was? “I
won’t
come looking for you again.”

She cracked a smile. “Trust me. I don’t want it any other way.” Then she strutted out of the club.