Sinfully Summer (13 page)

Ric knew he owed her an apology. He almost stripped her naked then rejected her. Where the control had come from to stop, he had no idea. The look on her face haunted him all week but he didn’t know whether bringing it up again would rock the boat.

When he walked past her room, he hesitated. His hand itched to twist the knob and enter but he knew after Wednesday that he wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off her if he found her less than dressed. The angry words she’d thrown at him and the talk of sleeping with other men had jealousy crashing through him and all he’d wanted to do was show her that she belonged to him, no one else.

He made his way to his own room and showered. Alexa didn’t belong to him and he didn’t want her to, but his primal instinct, the attraction he felt toward her mixed with the tension vibrating through the air between them had made him lose control. Something he didn’t wish to do again.

Control had been his lifeline since the Castillos took him off the streets. There was a time in his late teens when he needed to feel something other than all the nothingness, and thought partying and dangerous sports were the answer. He soon realised then that adrenaline wasn’t the thing he longed to feel. Years on he still hadn’t figured out why he felt so empty.

Once changed, he made his way to the kitchen for a drink. Alexa perched on one of the stools by the table. A floor length purple gown encased her beautiful body. There wasn’t a hint of leg or even cleavage, the dress cut across her collarbone demurely. With her wild bob tamed into smooth curls, she looked like a different woman. He swallowed.

‘Hi,’ she greeted him, her expression wary.

‘You look…’ He couldn’t find the words.

She smiled. ‘Sensible?’

‘Beautiful.’

Alexa turned back to the steaming cup on the table. ‘Thank you.’ She picked up the mug and sipped.

He noticed the dress cut down her back, but not as deep as the gold one had. The teaser of bronzed skin heated his blood more than the one which exposed more of her body. He wondered why she chose this dress, one so much more conservative than the last, but thought it was better not to ask. Chances were she’d picked it so he wouldn’t pounce on her again. A stab of disappointment hit him.

‘Are you ready to go?’

Alexa nodded and then rose. She picked a clutch bag from the table and waited until he gestured for her to leave first. His mind whirred as he wondered what she was doing. Where had the woman gone who did what she liked when she wanted to? Where was the woman who irritated him so much he wanted to strangle her? And got him so hot he kissed her like an animal, even pushed her up against metal surfaces?

She was quiet in the car on the way over, only offering information when asked about work or the charity ball. The air was thick with her discomfort, and he wanted more than anything to take it away. Since he’d opted to drive rather than have his driver take them, he couldn’t read her face properly.

Ric escorted her into the club. It was notoriously a club for rich men to drink scotch and smoke cigars, but tonight they held one of their rare events when wives were permitted to join their husbands and the chat extended further than acquisitions, shares or the economy.

He remembered Antonio bringing him years ago and the feeling he didn’t quite fit in hadn’t left with time. Everyone there then and now came from old money. Ric didn’t know what he came from, but he doubted he’d be greeted with warm welcomes if they knew what he’d done before the Castillos had taken him in.

By the time he’d introduced Alexa to a dozen or so couples, he wondered where she had disappeared to. The woman he knew had been replaced with a polite, warm stranger who was the pinnacle of class. Coupled with the dress and her family name, she fitted in. If it wasn’t for the stiff muscles in her back and the discomfort she still exuded, Ric would have sworn she was a different person.

He remembered the first time they’d met, when she’d told him her father dragged her to functions like this all the time. He could tell then she’d hated them, maybe even hated her father a little for it and he wished he could understand why. Maybe then he could understand why she acted differently tonight than she had at the first function.

When Mr Santos crossed the room without his wife and beamed at Alexa, Ric’s suspicions rose.

‘Alexa, how lovely to see you.’

She offered her hand to him. ‘Pablo, the pleasure’s all mine.’

Pablo? When had she started calling him that?

‘And Ric, always a pleasure. You should come here more often.’

Stumped, Ric shook Santos’ extended hand. He eyed Alexa for an explanation but she looked away so quickly he wondered if he’d imagined the guilt in her expression. His stomach took a dive.

‘Alexa’s told me all about the ball you’re hosting Ric, and I have to say I’m impressed with the attendance you’ve managed to secure. Most couples here tonight will come solely for the networking opportunities and I’m sure you will be able to squeeze a lot from their wallets for your charity.’

Ric gaped at Santos.
What had Alexa done?

‘My father and his associates are looking forward to making your acquaintance,’ Alexa told the old man.

To anyone else, she appeared to be simply stating a fact. If every muscle hadn’t tensed under his palm, Ric might have believed her father’s attendance didn’t worry her.

‘He must be extremely proud to have a daughter like you,’ Santos added.

Her shoulder’s stiffened but she smiled warmly.

‘I’ll let you two mingle,’ Santos said. ‘I’ll see you soon,
novio
. Ric.’

He nodded farewell to the older man then turned to Alexa. She looked around the room, everywhere but directly at him.

‘Come.’ He steered her toward an empty table and held out a chair.

She slid into it, never meeting his gaze. ‘Thank you.’

Ric took the seat across from her, forcing her to look at him. ‘Dare I ask how you pulled that off?’ He was half-joking but he was obviously missing something important.

Alexa swallowed, only increasing his unease. ‘I asked him to meet me this afternoon so I could apologise. Show him I wasn’t the girl the media loves to paint as the wild child.’

‘And he just believed you?’

Her eyes blazed and he caught a glimpse of the Alexa he knew beneath the polished facade. Ric smiled.

‘Yes,’ she ground out through clenched teeth. ‘Because that’s not who I am any more.’

Ric almost laughed. She was still wild; a fancy dress and her demure appearance wouldn’t change that. But he didn’t. He remembered the first night he caught her coming back with her friends. She hadn’t been drunk, not even giddy. And again when he found her with Daniel outside Beaches. She had switched to water and sobered up by the time he reached her. Maybe she had grown up and maybe the media did exaggerate for the most part.

Ric decided to change the subject. ‘Why did you invite your father?’

Her whole body froze before him and her expression shuttered. ‘He has friends in high places.’ She shrugged, the movement too jerky to be blasé.

‘Why don’t you get along with him?’

A woman hired for the evening began to sing in a quiet undertone, relaxing the atmosphere, but it did nothing to ease the built up tension in Alexa. She didn’t answer for a long moment and he wondered if she would when the second verse of the song began.

‘He sees me as something he owns. A pretty face to have on his arm after my mother died.’ Alexa stared at the table. ‘He wants me to marry into money, into class. He wants me to marry a man like him, but I won’t. I don’t want to end up like my mother. I’d rather be single and free.’

Understanding dawned and his chest swelled painfully. Her father used her, just as Ric had allowed himself to be used through his teenage years. Now he could understand her rebellion, the refusal to do what was asked of her if it wasn’t something she wanted to do.

He realised with horror that he was doing exactly the same. He’d given her no choice and was using her to help organise the ball. How could she ask her father and his friends to come after the way Ric treated her? It seemed now he had two things to make up for.

‘Ric, dear,’ his adopted mother, Maria placed a hand on his shoulder, halting his questions.

Alexa lifted her gaze to smile at the woman.

‘Hello, Alexa.’ She slid into the chair next to Ric.

He forced himself to smile at Maria as Alexa had. It wasn’t easy, not when the only person who knew the things he’d done, the things he’d had to do to survive, still looked at him without any disgust whatsoever.

‘I wanted to say hello before you disappeared, I know you don’t like these events.’ She placed a hand on his arm. His chest warmed at the touch and the fact she spoke in English in case Alexa couldn’t speak their tongue made his smile more real.

‘No, I don’t.’

Maria’s eyes filled with compassion and he felt Alexa’s gaze burn a hole in the side of his head.

‘A beautiful girlfriend deserves to be taken out more often. You should bring Alexa over for dinner.’

His eyes widened at her assumption, but before he could correct Maria, Alexa beat him to it. ‘Ric and I aren’t involved, Mrs Castillo.’

‘Alexa is helping me organise the ball at the end of the month,’ he added.

Maria studied his face. She shook her head, a smile curved her lips. She said in Spanish, ‘You can’t fool an old fool.’

He opened his mouth to insist she had it wrong but she gave him a look that said she could see right through him, and maybe she could. Whatever pulled him toward Alexa had only grown stronger the last few days.

Maria rose and kissed his cheek. ‘I’ll let you two sneak away now.’ After bidding Alexa a warm goodnight and throwing Ric an expectant look, she left them.

Alexa’s gaze focused intently on his face. ‘Why does she make you so uncomfortable?’

She watched as every muscle in his body tensed beneath the penguin suit. His face morphed into an emotionless mask. Maybe she’d pushed him too far with the question, but if he was going to make her talk about Robert the least he could do was give a little back.

‘Instead of thanking them for adopting me, I wasted my allowance on wild nights out and as many dangerous sports as I could.’

‘That’s why you work so hard for them. You feel like you let them down.’ She could understand that. After all, she’d let her father down more than once.

Ric frowned. ‘I think we’ve spoken to everyone we need to. Let’s go.’

Her curiosity burned but she let him escort her out of the club. He’d said his life was none of her business. On the way back to the hotel, Alexa wondered why he couldn’t see that it didn’t matter to Maria what he did. After all, he was making up for his mistakes now and Maria obviously cared about him. Love had filled her eyes as soon as she’d looked at Ric.

Back at the penthouse, Ric walked straight to the kitchen and she heard the familiar thud of a bottle hitting the counter. She went to her room, intent on letting it go, but she couldn’t ignore the sound of his pained sigh and her feet carried her through to him.

With his broad back to her, his hands rested on the counter and he stared at the glass in front of him. Her heart thudded painfully. She crossed the room and went to reach out but lowered her hand before she could touch him. He’d rejected her already. If he pulled away now, she was sure she’d form that complex.

Alexa swallowed against the lump of emotion lodged in her throat. ‘Are you going to drink all that yourself?’

He turned, half his mouth curved and he silently handed her his glass. He pulled another from the cupboard and filled it with whiskey. She didn’t drink the stuff, it always burned her throat, but after tonight she knew the tension in her body and the discomfort she felt at the party wouldn’t be cured by a hot bath or a good night’s sleep. Nor would the dread of having her father in Spain, judging and assessing her every move and taking control of her.

She slid onto one of the stools, took a sip of the fiery liquid and made a face as it burned her throat on the way down.

Ric laughed. ‘It’s an acquired taste.’ He joined her at the table and set his glass down next to hers. ‘But helps when there are things you want to forget about.’ He circled the rim with his forefinger, his gaze fixed on the brown liquid.

‘Alcohol isn’t the answer.’ She’d learned that in her late teens. It made her father angry, not attentive or loving. Alexa doubted anything would.

He chuckled again, but it sounded forced. ‘I never thought you would be the one to lecture me on alcohol.’

The words should have offended her, but when he looked up she saw the smile he wore hadn’t reached his eyes. They were open now, showing the pain he’d suffered and she wished she could take it away.

He ran a hand through his hair and then downed the last of the whiskey in his glass. The pain fled his expression so quickly Alexa wondered if she’d imagined it, but she knew she hadn’t. He was just good at hiding it.

‘I suppose we better have an early night if we want to beat the traffic in the morning.’

She didn’t have a clue what he was on about. ‘The morning?’

His smile this time warmed his eyes and made her long for melted chocolate. ‘I never back out of a bet.’

With that, he left her perched at the table, gaping at his retreating form. She’d forgotten about the bet and was shocked he was paying his dues. There’d been so much to do this week, between organising the party, keeping up with her role as his PA and her own business, she didn’t realise how stressed she truly was until he’d mentioned the trip to Water World. A spark of giddy excitement lightened her mood instantly. Tomorrow she’d show Ric the fun he’d missed out on when he was young.

Chapter Nine

‘Ric you’d think it was hell I dragged you to, not a water park.’

Alexa pulled open a locker and stuffed the huge beach bag into it. She’d packed the thing this morning with so much stuff, Ric wondered what she’d need it all for. She grabbed a bottle of sun cream and a pair of shades.

He frowned at her back. ‘It’s far too early in the morning to listen to children screaming.’ Surely there was a better way to make it up to her than this.