The Billionaire's Forbidden Desire (24 page)

She flushed. “I’m not doing this to hurt you.”

“I know, I know.” He waved his hand. “I just thought it was…funny.” He sobered. “It’s going to be a fairly fancy affair despite what Hilary thinks is going to happen. Got anything you can wear?”

“Well, ah…now that you mention it…”

“Why don’t you let me outfit you, then?” Salazar smiled. “It’ll be my pleasure.”

Dane drove to his family’s orange grove, where Mark and Hillary were having their wedding. Amazing that they wanted to get married there. It had been the scene of their first date, but that date hadn’t turned out particularly well as he remembered.

However, Mark had been able to salvage things. Dane would never fix his situation with Sophia unless someone invented a time machine.

The memory of her trembling lips and tear-filled eyes gnawed at him, and he felt like his gut was full of broken glass.

His phone buzzed.
Vanessa
.

“Has the wedding been cancelled?” he said into the Bluetooth headset.

“Why would it be cancelled?”

“Why else would you be calling?”

She huffed. “The wedding is not being cancelled. I just wanted to know if you’re bringing a date.”

“What if I am?”

“I just wanted to gird myself. You always have the habit of dating the most unsuitable women. Like that blonde who called Hilary fat.”

He drew a blank. “Who?”

“I don’t know her name. But remember that time when Hilary and I went over to your place, and your plastic bimbo called her fat?”

“Vaguely,” he lied. He didn’t remember anything those girls did, and it annoyed him that Vanessa would put any weight on something one of them had said. Who gave a damn about those women anyway? “But you can relax; I’m dateless today. Are you already at the grove?”

“Uh-huh. I got here last night to help out with a few things.”

“Amazing that Justin managed to find a flatbed big enough to cart you over on such short notice.” He hung up.

Vanessa had spent entirely too much time and energy on Mark and Hilary’s wedding. Maybe she wanted to live vicariously through them, since she herself had eloped. If she wanted, she could have a ceremony as grand as she desired. Her immensely rich husband Justin was whipped—for the time being, at least—and the curmudgeonly Barron Sterling, patriarch of that family, would give her anything she wanted because she was carrying his great-grandnephew.

Dane finally reached the grove. It’d been in his family for a few generations. Not because anybody farmed, but one of his ancestors had married a farmer’s daughter and wanted to indulge her. Apparently he’d loved her.

Amazing that a Pryce man was capable of love.

Dane got out of the car and inhaled fresh air heavy with the scent of citrus. He looked over at the huge brick house that had originally come with the orchard. It stood like a monolith, blocky and imposing.

Salazar and Ceinlys had modified all their properties so that the master bedroom suite in each had a separate bedchamber for the mistress of the house. Dane didn’t know why they’d bothered. It would’ve been easier just to get separated—certainly cheaper than going through all the renovation and re-furnishing.

Iain came out of the house, brows pinched and jaw tight. Dane shook his head inwardly. Iain didn’t like conflict or getting involved in emotionally tense situations, and he should’ve stayed home if he’d wanted peace. Dane already regretted having come, even though he’d promised Hilary he’d attend. Eating takeout, drinking scotch and running would’ve been a more satisfying use of his time.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, against his better judgment.

“Dude, everything.” Iain took a long calming breath while pressing his fingertips together—some sort of yoga intervention, no doubt. “Mom’s here.”

“Obviously. Mark is her favorite.”

“Aunt Geraldine, too.”

“She was invited. Why is this a problem? Did she forget to RSVP?” That wouldn’t surprise Dane one bit. Their aunt was notoriously flaky and self-absorbed at times.

“And
she
’s here.”

Dane raised his eyebrows and waited.

“Dad’s date.” Iain gestured at the house. “
Sophia Reed
. Aunt Geraldine almost passed out at the sight of her.”

Dane pressed his lips together, fighting not to betray a reaction. What the
hell
was Sophia doing there as Salazar’s date? Was this some kind of fucked up revenge for the night before and the morning? “Is he drunk?”

“Nope. And Mom’s being super extra-gracious. It’s like they’re back to their old selves—nice and polite to each other while…doing what they do best.”

A spot behind Dane’s right eyeball began to throb. “Where are they?”

Iain pointed at the house. “In the tea room. Man, I’m outta here. I need to…” He did the breathing thing again. “I gotta take a walk.”

Dane took a moment for patience and control, then made his way to the tea room, which was ridiculously named since no one ever drank tea there—just various alcohols mixed with freshly squeezed orange juice.

The long hall to the room had numerous windows that faced south, opening onto the neat rows of citrus trees. There were a few limited-edition prints on the walls between them. Thankfully, Dane thought as he strode past, none of them were paintings Salazar had chosen.

As Dane got closer, he could hear his aunt’s voice.

“I thought tonight’s dinner was family only,” Geraldine said loudly.

“You’re mistaken. Even if you weren’t, she
is
family,” came Salazar’s voice.

Dane stood by the open door and watched the scene unfold.

Despite her age, Geraldine was still stunning with her long jet-black hair and dark blue eyes. A flimsy sundress showed off her perfectly tanned-and-toned body as she crossed her arms in front of Salazar. Nobody would believe she was the mother of three grown-up children.

For his part, Salazar was dapper in a custom-tailored silk shirt and slacks. Sophia stood beside him, her back straight. A modest cream sheath dress and ballet flats made her look even younger and more radiant.

I shouldn’t want her
, Dane thought. Salazar was right. Dane had ruined everything she’d worked for, and there was nothing he could ever do to make up for that. Still, he couldn’t keep himself from desiring her. His senses heightened until he thought he could almost smell her sweet feminine scent from the distance. What a stupid delusion. Obviously he needed some scotch.

Salazar put a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. Dane clenched his jaw, stomping on an urge to rip the offending hand off Salazar’s wrist. “Even if she weren’t, it doesn’t matter. She’s here as my guest.”

Geraldine gasped. “How can she be your
guest?
I thought you hadn’t signed the papers yet. You’re still a married man.”

“Watch it, sis.” The smile on his face cooled several degrees. “I’m not discussing my personal life with you.”

“But you could be more sensitive.”

“Could be, but why? I’m sure Ceinlys brought one of her man-toys. She seems to have one for every occasion.”

“Salazar!”

Just then Sophia turned and her gaze locked with Dane’s. It pulled at him like the current in a rushing river. A sizzle went down his spine. He hated himself for feeling it.

“Who’s upsetting my favorite aunt?” he said, ensuring that his voice was casual but cold.

“Them.” Geraldine gestured at Sophia and Salazar. “Did you know?”

“Yes. I would’ve told you, but I didn’t think you were coming.”

“I wasn’t sure I would, but why not? Istanbul’s really just a few connections from here—and I wanted to see everyone.”

“Good.” Dane put a hand on the small of Geraldine’s back. “So don’t let them ruin your time here.”

“Fine, you’re right. Let’s eat. I’m starving,” Geraldine said. “I hear the cook’s outdone himself.”

The cook always made a game effort, although Dane didn’t know why. The man had seen how things unfolded at enough family gatherings. Nobody was going to eat. And even if they did, they wouldn’t taste anything.

On the way to the dining room, he spotted his cousins Blake and Elizabeth. Blake mouthed,
Where’s the liquor?
while Elizabeth pasted on a determined smile.

Even the start of the dinner was inauspicious. Salazar seated Sophia next to him. They were wearing matching cream-colored outfits. Ceinlys, on the other hand, had chosen a gray dress that was almost black and sat at the opposite end of the long table with Vanessa and Justin, who had also put on dark formal wear. If Dane hadn’t known better, he would’ve thought they’d called ahead to color coordinate for maximum effect.

Justin’s great-uncle Barron Sterling had showed up—and invited himself to the dinner, knowing full well nobody would deny him. The staff had already placed tea and a plate of freshly baked sugar cookies—his favorite—at his seat. Apparently oblivious to the tension, he beamed at the very pregnant Vanessa, while munching on the cookies.

At least somebody was happy. Perhaps everyone should start with dessert. See if that helped, since alcohol wasn’t likely to.

The rest of the family spread out, and Dane ended up next to Sophia and across from Shane, who looked like he could use something stronger than wine. Shane’s fiancée Ginger Maxwell had started drinking already. Smart woman.

Mark’s best friend and best man Gavin Lloyd had an expression that reminded Dane of a wild tiger tossed into a cage. His dark hair was neat now, but it wouldn’t be long before he’d start running his hands through it.

Dane had scotch and pretended not to see or hear Salazar and Sophia, which was damn impossible because his father wouldn’t keep his mouth shut. Geraldine looked daggers at Sophia, which bothered the shit out of Dane, but he ignored that too. Sophia wasn’t his problem—she was Salazar’s date.

Dane signaled for more scotch. It was too bad he couldn’t get drunk easily. He would’ve loved nothing more than to be so shit-faced that he didn’t even remember being there.

“So which room is she”—Geraldine pointed at Sophia—“using? All my children are here for the wedding too, you know.”

Blake tuned his mother out—Dane could tell from the way his eyes focused on a spot beyond her.

“All your children? I don’t see Ryder,” Salazar said.

“He’ll be here. Sent his suitcases ahead.” Geraldine made a face. “It’s that worthless assistant of his messing up his calendar, undoubtedly. I told him he needs to get somebody more suitable. She’s too large to be any good for his image.”

Dane gritted his teeth and ignored his aunt’s unfair and offensive assessment of the assistant. Ryder was probably distracted by some easy lay he’d spotted on his way to the grove. Who could blame him? If he was careful, nobody would find out. But that was like wishing turtles could fly. It would be all over the Internet in the next twenty-four hours, if not sooner. Ryder’s exploits were legendary. Dane had heard there was an online support group for women he’d “humped and dumped.”

Geraldine continued, “Anyway, everyone’s going to be here soon. They’re going to need their own suites.”

“Sophia should stay in the mistress’s chamber in the master suite in that case,” Salazar said, taking a sip of wine. “Frees up one of the guest suites.”

Dane coughed as his scotch went down the wrong way. Iain pounded his back with enough force to jar his lungs. Bastard. His brother probably still hadn’t forgotten Dane’s crack about his fiancée being a charity case.

“Not so hard, Iain,” Ceinlys said. “For goodness’s sake, be gentle with your brother.”

“He won’t break,” Iain said, but he stopped.

Dane drew in air. “My back might,” he muttered loud enough that only Iain could hear.

Geraldine plowed on. “That’s ridiculous, Salazar. Consider Ceinlys’s feelings.”

Ceinlys raised an eyebrow. Dane shared the sentiment since Geraldine had always made it clear she’d never liked his sister-in-law.

“That’s unnecessary,” Sophia said. “I don’t mind sharing a room with someone.”

“Who?” Salazar waved his fork at his sons. “Dane’s the only one single, and you don’t want to share his room. He’s an asshole. Just ask anyone.”

“Father!” Vanessa said as Barron patted her hand.

God save him from family drama. Dane was going to need to mainline scotch at this rate. “Maybe Elizabeth can share hers.”

“Absolutely
not!
” Geraldine said before Elizabeth could say a word. “I won’t have
that woman’s
daughter in the same room with mine!”

At the same time, Ceinlys said, “Stop this nonsense. I agree with Salazar,” drawing a gasp from Vanessa.

Dane stared at his mother. “You do?”

“This is about Mark and Hilary’s wedding. There’s no point in creating inconvenience over appearances.”

“Oh no, we can’t have that,” Salazar said, his eyes on Ceinlys, who smiled serenely at him.

“Don’t be ridiculous. A hotel is perfectly acceptable for Sophia,” Geraldine announced.

“I completely disagree.” Salazar shook his head. “Logistical annoyance. What’s wrong with the mistress’s room anyway? It’s totally separate from my bedroom.”

“Except for the connecting door. And the fact that you’ll be sharing a bathroom,” Mark muttered under his breath as he reached for his drink. He’d barely touched his appetizer.

Thank you
, Dane thought. “Just spit it out,” he said, finally tired of the bullshit. “Are you signaling to everyone that she’s going to replace Mom?”

Leave her a rich
,
young widow
… That was the goal, or so Salazar had claimed.

Intellectually Dane knew that wasn’t a horrible outcome for Sophia. She would never fulfill her Olympic dream, but she would have everything else she could want with the Pryce name and fortune. And Salazar hadn’t been the one to ruin her lifelong dream, so even if she ever found out, it would be more palatable. Besides, he’d likely be dead by then.

But the idea of her and Salazar together turned Dane’s stomach. The fact that he couldn’t do anything about it made it a hundred times worse.

Much to his petty satisfaction, Salazar choked on his drink, while Sophia turned crimson. Hilary, Jane and Ginger looked like they wanted to be anywhere but there, except… Couldn’t go anywhere, could they? Hilary’s best friend and maid of honor Josephine just stared with unblinking brown eyes. Barron ate his soup, his attention entirely on the food. Vanessa buried her face in Justin’s shoulder, while he downed his fourth drink. Elizabeth upgraded from wine to vodka.