All That I Desire (3 page)

Sierra, sitting at the end of the table, patted Skylar gently on the back. “Are you
all right?”

Embarrassed, she tucked her head and mumbled, “Yes.”

“What time are you leaving again, Blade?” Mrs. Grayson asked.

Skylar sent the woman a look of appreciation for getting the conversation started
again. She’d better pay more attention to what she was doing than to the silent man
beside her.

“Around nine tomorrow morning.” Blade braced his forearms on the table. “The plane
is scheduled to leave at nine forty-five from the airport. We’ll refuel in Atlanta
and continue on to the island.”

“We’re taking the chef and Blade’s houseman with us.” Sierra sipped her sparkling
water. “But don’t worry, Skylar, the house manager will be here as usual. One of the
downstairs maids will take over cooking duties.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Sierra.” Skylar placed her glass on the table. She
might get to eat with Rio again. “Thank you. And I’ll keep you informed as to how
the bidding goes. The Web site will start accepting bids at midnight tonight. I expect
a flurry of interest for the offerings from your relatives and friends. They were
extremely generous and accommodating.”

Ruth nodded and looked at Paige. “One of the board of regents told me, if her granddaughter
doesn’t win the bid to meet your brother and sit in on a recording session with him,
her life was over.”

Paige beamed with pride. “Who would have ever thought when Zachary was learning to
play all those instruments and driving me and Mother crazy, he’d be so famous and
popular?”

Skylar smiled. “Rolling Deep, aka Zachary Albright Wilder, is the top music producer
in the country. He’s even more sought after since his and his wife’s album,
A Father’s Love,
went triple platinum. Laurel’s solo performance on the violin will also be a hot
item.”

“Zachary’s desire to produce Laurel’s next album is what brought them together,” Paige
told them.

“But it wasn’t easy for them,” Shane said.

Paige turned to him and cupped his cheek with her palm. “Nor for us, but love found
a way for them and for us.”

“Add our names to that list.” Sierra tipped her head and lifted her glass toward Blade.

He lifted his glass to her. “Sometimes there’s only one chance, one choice.”

Skylar couldn’t help glancing at Rio. He was calmly eating his prime rib as if all
the talk of love and devotion meant nothing to him.

“I’m blessed to be surrounded by talented and loving people.” Ruth looked at Rio.
“Everyone deserves that special someone their heart can’t refuse or deny.”

Rio lifted his head to meet her gaze, then placed his knife and fork on his plate.
“If you’ll excuse me.”

Skylar masked her disappointment that he was leaving by cautiously drinking her water.
The man couldn’t even take time to finish his meal. Was he that against love?

“Rio needs to take time to have a little fun.” Sierra made a face. “He knows he has
competent men, but he personally checks the perimeter of the house nightly before
he allows himself to go to bed.”

“He’s a man who takes his responsibilities seriously,” Blade said. “I’m glad to have
him.”

“I’ll always be thankful to him, and to you, Shane, as well,” Mrs. Grayson said softly.

Shane tipped his head.

Skylar got the feeling that she was missing something, but then Blade’s chef entered
the room rolling a glass-topped silver cart. She felt worse on seeing huge slices
of lemon pie, probably as delicious as they looked. The meringue was at least six
inches high. Rio had missed his dessert. She didn’t like the idea of him going without.
She’d just have to do something about it.

*   *   *

Two hours after he’d left the dining room, Rio entered the house again. He’d checked
with each sentry posted on the grounds, those in the guardhouse, and the ones by the
drawbridge that was always down.

Rio’s foot hit the bottom step of the stairs. He stopped, sensing more than seeing
a small figure going up the stairs. Even in the dim light from the wall sconce at
the top of the flight, he recognized the tantalizing shape of the woman he’d been
trying to forget.

“What are you doing?”

Skylar shrieked, whirled around, and lost her balance. He quickly covered the distance
and caught her by the arm to keep her from falling. She stared up at him with wide,
frightened eyes. He tried not to notice the heat of her tempting body burning though
her thin pink robe and gown, and failed miserably.

“I asked you a question.”

She moved the cloth-covered plate closer to his face. “It’s lemon pie. You—you didn’t
eat dessert. I—I thought you might be hungry. I was going to leave it outside your
door.”

Lemon pie wasn’t what he wanted. Looking into her beautiful eyes that had gone from
frightened to needy, he realized he wouldn’t even have to ask. She was his for the
taking.

He took the pie from her unsteady hands. “Go to bed. Now.”

Skylar turned and ran up the stairs. He didn’t move until he heard her door open and
slam shut.
That’s right, keep running for both our sakes.

*   *   *

In her room, her back pressed against the door, Skylar’s breathing was as off kilter
as her heart rate. She hadn’t expected to see Rio. As she’d told him, her plan had
been to leave the pie by his door.

Initially he’d scared her. She’d quickly become embarrassed because she’d been in
her thin nightgown and robe. However, as he held her against his strong, coiled body,
fear and embarrassment had turned to a growing need to press closer to his arousing
warmth.

She gulped.

Just before he’d taken the pie from her and told her to go to bed, she’d finally seen
emotions swirling in Rio’s dark eyes, a fiercely burning desire that made her shiver,
her skin heat. Yearn.

She shivered again. She might have taken on more than she could handle.

*   *   *

The next morning, Skylar wasn’t surprised not to see Rio at breakfast. She was almost
glad. She wasn’t sure she was ready to see him again. She was still a bit unsteady
from the night before. If the man could shake her that much with a look, what would
happen if he kissed her?

“Skylar, are you all right?”

Skylar jumped and stared at Sierra, who stood by the open back passenger door of the
SUV that would take them to the airport to board their private jet. From the odd way
Sierra was staring at Skylar, she must have zoned out. “Sorry, I have a lot on my
mind.”

Sierra glanced behind her. “I’ll say.”

“Call me when you finish the recon,” Rio said.

Skylar’s gaze snapped back to Sierra, but she was already getting in the SUV with
Paige. Blade and Shane were talking with Rio a short distance away. Had Sierra meant
Rio? Skylar felt her face heat. Had she been that obvious?

“The house will run as smoothly as if you were here,” Eli, the house manager, said.
“Don’t worry about the auction merchandise. The staff won’t reveal anything.”

Skylar breathed easier. Sierra had meant the auction. Her secret was safe.

“I know, Eli,” Blade assured the older man. “Let’s go, Shane. Rio, I’m depending on
you. You’ve never let me down.”

“And I never will,” Rio replied.

Skylar stepped back as Blade and Shane got into the SUV with the tinted windows. She
waved good-bye. Behind their vehicle was another identical black SUV. She watched
until the first one started across the drawbridge, then she turned for the house.
She wanted to look at the Web site again. As she’d expected, bids were already coming
in when she’d checked it after getting out of bed. The regent’s granddaughter might
be disappointed. Rolling Deep’s bid was already at twenty-five hundred dollars.

“Ms. Dupree, I need to see you.”

Skylar was so annoyed at Rio for still being so formal with her after scorching her
with his eyes last night that she didn’t let her mind think he meant anything but
business when he said
need.
She faced him with cool eyes and a cooler voice. “Yes.”

He held out a key and inclined his head toward a black BMW SUV in front of the nine-bay
garage. “You’ll need transportation.”

“Thank you.” She took the key and continued into the house, wishing she could look
back and see his face. Two could play his game.

*   *   *

Shortly after twelve, Skylar was on her way to meet with the president and board of
regents of St. John’s College along with Mrs. Grayson, the chair of her Music Department,
and other professors in that department. Thankfully, the BMW had an excellent GPS
system. Twenty-five minutes later she waved at Ruth standing on the sidewalk in front
of the music building and continued to the parking lot across the street.

As she drove in, a young man waved and beckoned. Skylar parked in the spot he indicated,
directly across from the music building. She climbed out and extended her hand to
the smiling man. “Hi, that’s what I call service. Skylar Dupree.”

He blinked, stared. Skylar kept her hand extended. She got that look sometimes from
men because of her hazel eyes. If she was all that, as her sorority would say, she
wouldn’t have so much trouble getting Rio’s attention.

“I believe they’re waiting for us,” Skylar said, trying to get things moving.

“Oh.” He flushed and grasped her hand, pumping it a couple of times before releasing
it. “Ah, I’m Greg Harris, I’m to escort you to Professor Grayson.”

“Hi, Greg. Thanks for meeting me.”

“My pleasure.” Greg grinned. “All I can say is I’m glad I’m a music major.”

“I’m sure she’s glad to have you as a student as well,” Skylar replied and took the
paved path across to the street, then crossed to meet Ruth. She was dressed in a beautiful
dove-gray suit with silver earrings and high heels instead of her casual clothes.
She’d been dressed similarly when she’d visited Skylar and asked for her help. She
could be as fashionable as her daughter when she wanted.

Skylar extended both hands and hugged the other woman. “You look fabulous.”

“Sierra, Morgan, and Pierce’s doing. They think I have to have as many outfits as
they do.” Mrs. Grayson leaned closer. “Days like this are the only time I need them.”

Skylar lifted a brow. “A tough crowd?”

Mrs. Grayson hooked her arm through Skylar’s. “Not in the least. It’s just good to
remind them that I could always run with the big dogs, even before my children married
well.”

Skylar chuckled. “No wonder Sierra is so outspoken and independent. My mother and
grandmothers are the same way. You’ll meet my maternal grandparents at the auction.
My paternal grandparents are in Europe on an extended holiday, but both are very interested
in bidding on your daughter-in-law Phoenix’s sculpture.”

“That’s good to hear. You’ve worked very hard on this,” Ruth said. “You’ll be rewarded
in more ways than you can imagine.”

Skylar glanced at Mrs. Grayson, thinking once again that she’d missed something.

The women walked through the door Greg held open, nodding their thanks. He passed
them and continued down a long hallway. Students clutching books, cell phones, and
backpacks passed them.

“This brings backs memories.” Skylar gazed at the pictures on the wall, stopping at
one with Sabra Raineau Grayson surrounded by smiling young people. “Your daughter-in-law
is a beautiful and talented woman. The bid to sit in the front row on the opening
night of her new Broadway play and have dinner with her later has already reached
over a thousand dollars.”

“Probably Pierce. My son trusts Sabra, but not the man who might take her out.” Mrs.
Grayson tsked. “It took some hard talking on her part to get him to leave his name
off the dinner engagement.”

“I understand Sierra met Blade when she took Sabra’s place at another auction because
she had recently married Pierce.” Skylar continued down the hall. “Isn’t it wonderful
how a chance meeting can lead to love?”

“Isn’t it.” Ruth stopped a couple of feet from where Greg stood in front of double
doors. “But there’s something also to be said for allowing love to grow over time.”

Skylar jerked her head around to stare at Ruth, but she’d already released her arm
and continued to Greg. When she looked back at Skylar, she wore the same warm, friendly
expression she always did. Skylar chastised herself for being overly sensitive about
Rio. She had to stop this. Sierra, and now Ruth.

Just because Ruth had said
No man should walk alone
didn’t mean she knew Skylar had the hots for Rio. Yet as she entered the room full
of people waiting for her, she couldn’t quite be sure.

*   *   *

Skylar pulled away from St. John’s College two hours later, a full hour longer than
had been scheduled for her to explain the auction. Everyone there had been excited
and grateful. She thought the reasons for the lengthy meeting were mostly to do with
the delicious food that Brandon Grayson, owner of the renowned Red Cactus restaurant,
had unexpectedly showed up with, and the regents and other teachers angling for invitations
to the auction.

Ruth became the woman of the decade when she passed out the coveted invitations to
the regents and to her staff. Rio had cleared all of them weeks ago. For a moment
Skylar and Brandon thought they would hoist his mother into the air.

Ruth had been right about one thing: Those were some very big dogs there. The regent
whose granddaughter wanted to win the bid for Rolling Deep was the president of one
of the largest banks in the area. The silver-haired woman had topped the bid to three
thousand dollars. Her eyes had been narrowed at the time. Skylar and Ruth had shared
a smile. The woman didn’t plan to lose.

Skylar’s contentment with the event faded in the slow traffic out of Santa Fe. The
new cook said she’d serve at six. It wasn’t likely Rio would show up for the dinner.
And if he did, he’d ignore her as usual.

But he hadn’t last night, a small voice said. So what? He could have reacted that
way to any woman in her nightgown; it didn’t mean his reaction had been for her. This
morning when she saw him on the castle grounds, he’d been his stoic self.