Million-Dollar Amnesia Scandal (13 page)

“April, you can stop.”

His arms tightened around her, making it difficult to draw in air, but she wanted those arms there, holding her in one piece.

Despite the pain in reliving the horror, part of her was glad to be able to give this to him. He deserved the knowledge. She arched back to look him deep in the eyes.
“Seth, his last act was to take the brunt of the impact and protect me.”

“Thank you,” he rasped, eyes swimming with emotion for the brother he'd never see again, then he pressed a kiss into her hair.

They lay entwined for long minutes, and her pulse gradually slowed, her lungs didn't have to labor to draw breath, and she felt the same easing in Seth's body.

“Tell me how you met him,” he said, his voice quiet and low.

She thought back to that fateful night when she'd been so full of optimism about the future and let out a sigh. “We sat beside each other at a dinner party held by a friend we had in common. We both talked about wanting to change careers, and by the end of the night we'd hatched this plan. It seemed like too much of a coincidence to ignore, that we both wanted something new. A perfect opportunity. The second time we met face-to-face was the day we signed the contracts. The day he died.”

A sad, ironic smile curved only the very edges of his mouth. “You weren't involved with him after all.”

“I barely knew him,” she said softly. “You know, I don't have any siblings, but if I did, I think I would have enjoyed a brother like him. He seemed fun.”

Seth rolled back, shoulders against the headboard, looking up at the ceiling, but one arm still held her firmly. “He
was
fun, but most of the time I didn't appreciate that about him.”

“Families can be hard,” she said, thinking of her messy relationship with her mother. But she snuggled in closer to Seth, banishing the problem of what to do about her mother until another day.

“I've lost my father and brother in the space of months,” he said with quiet desperation. “There's been too much
death.” He stroked a fingertip down her cheek. “You're the only thing that feels like life.”

The combination of his words and the finger on her cheek sent a quiver through her body. “Until I met you, performing on stage was the most exhilarated I'd felt. But lying in your arms brings me alive like nothing else.”

He placed a whisper-soft kiss on one eyelid then the other. “Stay here with me tonight. Delay your return one more night.”

There was only one possible answer. “Yes,” she said and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging him down.

When his lips touched hers, the intensity of the morning—regaining her memories and telling Seth about his brother's final hours—mingled with her insatiable hunger for him, and the combination was almost unbearably powerful. Their kiss became stronger, hungrier, and she moved sideways to lie on top of his reclining form, the arch in her back making her pelvis press into his. She gloried in the magnificence of the hard masculine body beneath her—he was everything. Everything. She couldn't imagine ever
not
wanting him.

Without breaking the kiss, Seth reached for her thighs, tugging them apart and forward so she straddled him, and the extra pressure against her core almost had her swooning. She bit his bottom lip, urging, giving,
needing.

Then he wrenched his mouth away and pushed her upright gently. Confused, she blinked her eyes open, but he was already undoing the buttons of her blouse. He drew her back to him, filling his mouth with the side of her breast and the satin fabric that covered it, sucking, gently biting, leaving her helpless to do more than grind her hips against his erection.

He struggled to draw breath as he leaned back against the headboard and held her face firmly in his hands. “I
dream about you at night,” he said on a rough whisper. The words soaked through her body, resonating with the same truth inside her, and she trembled. She leaned down and pressed her open lips against his, meeting his tongue, sucking it into her mouth.

He rolled her onto her back and slowly, so very slowly, he removed her clothes, piece by piece. And on each new section of skin he uncovered, he placed a kiss. Her heart melted at the beauty of the action and her blood heated with erotic anticipation.

When every last bit of clothing was gone and she lay there naked before him, he smiled into her eyes. “You're perfect. From the top of your head—” he placed an open-mouth kiss on her forehead “—to the tips of your toes…” Hand under her knee, he drew her leg up to kiss the front of her middle toe. “And all the places in between.” He settled between her legs, his heavy warm breath feathering across the apex of her thighs.

When he bent and nuzzled, she whimpered. Then his tongue parted her, and she was undone. She cried out his name and writhed beneath his mouth. It was too much—the sensation, that it was Seth causing it. The only thing keeping her anchored was his hands on her hips, holding her in the world. Before she could leave reality entirely, he kissed his way over her belly, up her chest, devoting extra attention to her budded nipples, and she blinked her eyes open, coming back to the present, wanting more.

Rolling to her side, she slithered down the bed and snaked her hand along to grasp him—so hard, yet silky—and a deep sound rumbled in his chest. The intimacy of holding him, of having the power to make him groan, was an addictive aphrodisiac, and she lowered her mouth to take him inside, to take the intimacy a step further and put him completely at her mercy. As she tasted his salty essence,
he gasped her name and contorted on the bunched sheets. Smiling, she stroked his ridged abdomen, across the line of dark hair that led to the sensitive skin she kissed.

“Wait,” he rasped, then reached for his bedside drawer, and within seconds he'd sheathed himself and rolled above her.

He hovered for endless, excruciating moments, until she said, “Seth, I want you inside me.”

His nostrils flared. “I'll never stop wanting you,” he ground out. He entered her slowly, but once they were joined, he seemed to be overtaken by the frenzied need that was never far when they touched, and she grasped at his back, bucking her hips, meeting his thrusts, driving them beyond endurance.

When she thought she couldn't take any more, she climbed higher still—higher until she crested the thundering wave, and it crashed over her, leaving her floating in the endless blue abyss. Soon after she felt Seth shudder in her arms and follow, joining her in the abyss, and she sighed because the world was just as it should be.

 

April lay in Seth's arms, his heart thudding below her ear. She wished the world would go away, that things could be simple and they could just be two people who wanted each other.

But they couldn't.

Because she'd remembered everything, including her plans for her future. And Seth deserved to know.

She stroked his arm, up over his relaxed biceps to his shoulder. His skin, his form, his masculinity was so beautiful. “Seth?”

“Mmm?” he said, and pulled her closer.

“I know why I want the Lighthouse Hotel.”

He stilled. “Why's that?”

“Before the accident,” she began softly, then found a stronger voice to continue, “I was leaving my recording career. You know I'd already fired my agent and that Jesse's plan seemed like fate knocking on my door. I'd planned to live on the grounds here and be involved in the day-today running of the hotel. I could perform at night in the ballroom for guests if I felt like it, but I wouldn't be obliged to.”

“Sounds nice,” he said, his voice noncommittal.

The vision of that life shone in her mind and filled her with a warm glow. “It's the perfect solution for me. A new career where I can be hands-on and find the pleasure in singing again. If I want to, I can let myself be booked for a concert once a year, or more often if it suits me, but my life would be here. Where my father first invited me onstage. Where I can be myself.”

There was an extended moment of silence while she waited for his reaction. Finally he brushed her hair off her face and met her gaze. “Thank you for sharing,” he murmured.

She relaxed a fraction and snuggled back down beside him. “I wanted you to understand why I'm fighting for this.”

He placed a kiss in her hair and she lost herself in plans and dreams for her new life in Queensport. His breathing gradually changed into the slow, steady breath of sleep but she was too wrapped up in thoughts of her future.

Seth would survive. He'd live on to fight another round with his half brother and struggle for control of the board. Bramson Holdings might even make a go of her recording label—they had the capital to invest and pull in some major stars.

All she wanted was this one hotel. To live here. Work here. Make her life here.

She'd stay this extra night, while he assimilated the information about his brother's death, but she had to go in the morning. Because now that she'd remembered why she wanted the hotel, she was even more determined to fight Seth Kentrell to keep it.

S
eth lay with April in his arms, feeling totally content. They'd ordered lunch from room service then made love again, and now she dozed, her sated body pressed to his. A lazy smile spread across his face. He could get used to this.

His cell rang from the bedside table and, as he reached for it, April stirred and blinked her eyes open. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and thumbed the talk button.

“Kentrell,” he said, eyes still on her sleep-rumpled face.

“Mr. Kentrell, it's Angus Jackson.”

Giving April a last lingering look, Seth gently extricated himself from her limbs and swung his legs to the floor. He always liked to be alert when he took a call from the head of his legal team. “Go ahead.”

“I have some news. We've received further legal advice, and based on that and our own assessments, we're confident that our initial advice concerning the Lighthouse Hotel was
correct. The contract between Jesse and April Fairchild won't stand up in court. In fact, I'd be very surprised if it made it as far as court. Jesse didn't have the authority to sign a contract that large on behalf of Bramson Holdings.”

A tight coil of tension in his gut began to unwind and he breathed out a sigh of relief. He was safe. As soon as the truce with Ryder was over, he'd be clear to take a run at the chairman of the board. His blood pumped with the electricity of the challenge. “Good work, Angus.”

“Would you like me to contact Ms. Fairchild and inform her? Perhaps we can head this off before it begins.”

He looked down at April's lush body in his bed. “No need. I'll let her know.”

He hung up, but kept the phone in his palm. There were more calls he needed to make—he could finally move forward. But first he needed to tell April. A twinge in his belly made him pause. Losing the hotel would be a blow for her, he knew, but she must be expecting it—he'd told her several times it would end this way. And he'd ease it for her as much as he could.

She was watching him with those large chestnut-brown eyes. “What's wrong?”

Uneasiness clogging his throat, he coughed. “I have some news.” He frowned and sat on the edge of the bed. Delivering the detail was surprisingly difficult. Perhaps doing it quickly would be best for both of them, like diving into icy water. “That was my legal team. They've determined that Jesse couldn't act for Bramson Holdings with regards to the document you signed. They've had outside advice, as well.” He softened his voice. “April, it won't stand up in court.”

“Oh,” she said faintly, looking suddenly lost.

If she knew anything about him, she had to know he wouldn't leave her out in the cold. He took her hands and
held them together between his. “I know the sentimental value this hotel has for you—I'll arrange something with Oscar so you can come and stay anytime. And the piano is yours. Take it with you.”

She blinked and blinked again. Then she withdrew her hands and sat up straighter, regally, clutching the sheet to her chest, face composed. “Thank you for telling me.”

Chest expanding, his heart filled with pride. It had been a shock, sure, but his April was an amazing woman. Strong. He liked that about her. “Do you want to order something else from room service? I need to make a few calls.”

“I'll be fine.” She tilted her head to the phone in his hand. “You make your calls.”

Relieved at how well she was taking the news, he brushed a kiss on her cheek, then grabbed his pants and dialed his personal assistant. “Therese, I need you to set up meetings with Anderson, Marx and Seymour for tonight or tomorrow.”

“Any time frames you'd prefer?” his assistant asked.

“Just whatever you can arrange. See if you can get appointments with the rest of the board members as well, but slot those three in first.” The board members who hadn't yet agreed to vote in a block with him were the first priority. The moment his truce with Ryder was done, he'd be primed to pounce.

“I'll set them up and email you the times. Anything else?”

“Not at the moment, but I'll be in the office in a few hours, and I'll update you then.”

“I'll see you soon, Mr. Kentrell,” she said, and he disconnected.

He pulled his pants up and zipped them, noticing April sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed. “I thought you had a truce with Ryder?” she said softly.

“Only until we've dealt with JT Hartley.” He slid his arms through the sleeves of his shirt and retrieved his cell. “And the second that happens, I'll be ready.”

 

April listened as Seth made call after call, planning, plotting, and turning back into the consummate businessman. And her heart broke into a thousand shards.

He'd asked her to extend her stay, to spend an extra night with him, but hadn't even consulted her when he'd told his assistant he'd be back in the office within the hour. Hadn't even thought to mention he was breaking his invitation when he'd spoken to her. Hot tears pushed at the edges of her eyes but she wouldn't let them fall.

Everything she'd suspected was true—the moment he thought he had what he wanted, he was back to being the Seth she'd met in the hospital. The Seth she'd seen with his half brother yesterday. Oh, she didn't doubt his desire for her was real, was honest, and she hadn't expected they'd sail off into the sunset.

Yet watching his transformation from the man who'd made love to her into the one who couldn't get out of the bed fast enough when he believed he'd won, made her want to curl into a ball.

But it shouldn't hurt so much. Shouldn't cause her world to come crashing down, pinning her crumpled soul to the spot, not when she'd known this was a possibility. Unless…

She loved him.

Stomach in freefall, she squeezed her eyes shut and tried to deny it, but couldn't.

How utterly stupid.
She'd fallen in love with the one man she knew she shouldn't. And the feeling obviously wasn't mutual—he'd barely spared her a second thought once he had what he wanted.

Of course, he didn't have any loyalty to his half brother either, already plotting to outmaneuver him. Perhaps Macy was right—their father had really done a number on all the brothers, and Seth wasn't capable of anything more than he'd already shown her.

She stood—not wanting to be on the bed they'd made love in so recently—and searched for her shoes. She had to get out, return to the life she'd remembered.

Alone.

She'd planned to do this by herself, but, knowing she loved him,
alone
now had a whole new level of meaning.

And she needed to consult her legal team about the challenge to her contract for the hotel. She'd fight on, no question. Leave it to the courts to decide, not Seth's lawyers. This hotel was too important.

Seth strode back into the bedroom, phone wedged between shoulder and ear, pulled a suitcase from the cupboard and began to throw clothes in from the drawers and shelves.

Unsure whether to wait or go now, she edged toward the door. Her bags were already packed. The concierge had brought them up earlier, so all she needed to do was have them call her a cab.

Seth finished the call and threw the phone down on the bed beside the suitcase, then rested his hands on his hips and met her gaze. “I have to go.”

She found an understanding smile for him as she folded her arms under her breasts. It wasn't his fault she'd fallen in love. “I guessed.”

“I'm sorry for rushing off,” he said, thrusting his long fingers through his hair. “I asked you to stay the night.”

“You have a lot to do now.”

He came to her, reached for her hands and interlaced their fingers. “April, this doesn't have to affect us.”

She seized the moment, one of their last, drinking him in, creating a memory—of his face, of the intensity in his dark blue eyes—that could sustain her. Then she took a breath, and stepped back, unlacing their fingers. “We're both leaving. Going back to the lives we had before I was in that accident.”

He followed her step. “Meet me when you're back in New York. Tomorrow night.”

“Seth—”

“I won't give you up, April,” he warned with a raised eyebrow. “Not after this morning. We can continue seeing each other there, just as easily as here.”

Seeing each other? She looked pointedly at the rumpled bed. “You mean sleeping together.”

He cocked his head to the side. “You won't share my bed because I won our tussle for the hotel?”

It sounded childish when he put it like that, but he had to know this was about so much more. He'd told her once that nothing good ever came from love and commitment. What else could he want from her besides a sleeping partner?

Though it hurt to ask, she had to know. “Explain to me what you're looking for in continuing to see me.”

“We enjoy each other,” he said with a trace of the earlier heat in his eyes.

“Seth, I understand your relationship with Bramson Holdings.” How he'd dropped her like a hot potato not ten minutes ago when the company needed him, despite already asking her to stay. How he was planning to keep a man who could be his brother from their father's legacy. “Bramson Holdings is your wife. If we keep seeing each other back in New York, you'd want me as a mistress. Someone you see on the side.”

He scowled at her. “That's a hell of a thing to say.”

Inside she cringed from his accusation, but the truth
was the only time she'd had one hundred percent of his focus was when she was an obstacle to gaining control of the Bramson Holdings board, or when they were in bed. There had been slivers of time—laughing, holding her hand, kissing—when she could have believed he might feel more for her, but she'd been deluding herself.

So she straightened her spine and didn't hold back. “Tell me you're looking for more than a body to warm your bed when you have spare moments. Someone who understands your priorities are all about the family business. A woman who'll fit around your career. Tell me you want more than that and I'll listen.”

Seth's eyes widened. “You're asking for a commitment?”

“No, I'm well aware of how you feel about commitments—‘nothing good can come of them,'” she said, paraphrasing his words. “But I won't get involved with someone with a closed heart—start something that has no chance of going anywhere.”

“We're long past
starting
something, April,” he said, jaw clenched.

And that was precisely the problem—she was already in love with him. She winced as the knowledge lanced a new wound in her heart, but she met his gaze. “Just be straight with me.”

“You want to know what I really think?” Every muscle in his body seemed to tense in turn. “People in love are less than themselves. They make bad decisions, do things they know they shouldn't, humiliate themselves. I refuse to be love's fool.”

She covered her mouth with her hand, horrified at the depth of his hard-hearted beliefs. “You really believe that?”

“I've seen it firsthand all my life. I watched my mother humiliate herself by accepting my father while he was still
married to Ryder's mother. I heard the snide comments people made behind their backs when we went out. I saw men proposition her when my father wasn't around because they thought she was easy.” His face paled and his eyes squinted almost shut at the memory. “Jesse had women chasing him for what they could get. He didn't care—he was happy to be used because it was in the name of
love.
”

Faced with his anguish, April swayed on her feet—she could feel it radiating from him in waves, a living thing. What chance did he have of happiness in the face of so much pain? “So you'll never commit to someone. Marry?” she whispered. “Have a family?”

Cupping the side of her face with his palm, he pinned her with an angst-ridden gaze. “I can't offer you forever, but we're good together, April. Why not just enjoy what we can have?”

A ball of emotion pressed hard on her throat and she pushed her fingertips against it to try and ease the ache. But nothing could ease the ache in her heart.

She loved him.

He wanted a mistress.

Needing space to think, to breathe, she took another step back, finding the wall behind her. “I think we should go back to our lives. I need to start over, find out who I am. I have decisions about my career to make.”

He stepped in, crowding her, eyes serious. “I'll call you when we get back.”

There was no purpose in extending this conversation—she placed her palms on his chest and pushed lightly. He moved enough to let her wriggle past, and she slipped on the shoes she'd found. She swallowed hard, wishing it was as easy to find the composure she needed to end this with any kind of dignity.

She straightened slowly. “Please don't call me, Seth.”

A procession of emotions crossed his face, each replaced by the next before she could identify them. Then he pulled her into a fierce hug. “I refuse to believe this is goodbye,” he said over her head.

After several heartbeats, she turned to rest her cheek against his shoulder. “You have a company to win from one brother and another potential brother to deal with. I have to decide what I want from my career, and possibly go through my mother to get there. Then pick up all the pieces of my life that I've let go while I've been here. And I'll be pressing on with my claim for this hotel, regardless of your legal team's opinion. We'll both be far too busy for anything else.”

He tugged her face up and kissed her roughly, claiming her mouth, and she wrapped her arms behind his neck, pulling him closer, wanting everything he had to give in this, their last kiss.

Then she drew back. “I have to go.” He didn't release her. “Seth, I have to go, and so do you. You're expected back at your office in a few hours.”