The Billionaire's Forbidden Desire (28 page)

Sophia looked up at the man. His dark hair was slicked back, making him look roguish. Despite his keen gaze, the affable warmth on his finely chiseled face rendered him friendly.

“You know how to dance, don’t you?”

“Of course I do.” She’d taken ballet and hip-hop lessons to help with her skating.

“Great then.” He put his hands on her and began to lead expertly.

Awfully presumptuous of him, but Sophia didn’t argue. Dane would intimidate almost every guest at the wedding, but not Justin. Not only was he Vanessa’s husband, but he was Barron Sterling’s hand-picked heir. As ignorant of the business world as Sophia was, she’d still heard of Barron in conversations her father and George used to have.

At the thought of George, tension crept into her muscles. She forced herself to relax. He wasn’t going to ruin her mood.

“Enjoying yourself?” Justin asked.

She nodded. “Too bad Vanessa can’t dance.”

“We danced until our feet hurt at our reception.”

“I thought you eloped?”

“We did, but then we had a reception for family and friends.”

Probably for the people on his side, since Sophia couldn’t imagine anybody from the Pryces wanting another awkward family get-together. “I’m surprised you asked me to dance,” she said, noticing Vanessa in her peripheral vision. The stunning redhead watched them over the rim of her OJ glass with a small frown. “I could’ve sworn she didn’t like me.”

Justin smiled, his eyes crinkling. Disarming—charming even—but there was a steel core in there that she could feel was dangerous. “She’s over-protective at times and suspicious by nature. Makes her a great lawyer, but people often mistake it for hostility.”

Diplomatically stated, but Sophia wasn’t in the mood. “Which worries her more? That I might marry her father or date her brother?”

His eyes widened slightly…maybe at her bluntness. People probably minced words around him all the time. “All her brothers are taken.”

“Dane’s not.”

He almost missed a step. “Dane? Are you kidding?”

“What’s so incredible about that?”

“He doesn’t like anybody.”

Justin was wrong. Dane flipped between hot and cold too often for people to figure him out.

A thoughtful pause. “Vanessa doesn’t know what to make of you. I, on the other hand, think you’re all right.”

“Is that so?”

“I like people who speak frankly.”

“Then Dane must be your best friend.”

Justin chuckled. “He’s not bad for a brother-in-law, but I like my friendships a tad warmer.”

The song ended, and the quartet started another. Before Justin and Sophia could part ways, Dane tapped Justin’s shoulder and arched an eyebrow. “You’ve monopolized her long enough.”

Sophia willed Justin to stay. The last thing she wanted was to dance with Dane.

But Vanessa’s husband was apparently satisfied with the information he’d gathered so far; Sophia wasn’t dumb enough to think he’d danced with her for no reason. He made a “be my guest” gesture with an open hand, smiled at her in a slightly conspiratorial way, and left.

Bastard.

As Dane put a hand around her waist, she pulled back. “Sorry. My hip’s starting to hurt.”

“Then I’ll carry you to a chair.” He bent, about to hook an arm behind her knees.

She made a small turn, deftly moving out of the way. “What are you doing?”

“Trying to carry you to a chair, unless you prefer to dance. I only need a few minutes of your time.”

“Don’t go out of your way on my account. I’m sure there are other women who are dying to dance with you.”

He ignored her and put one hand on her hip and another around her hand. Sensations buzzed inside her, and she swallowed.
Cling to your anger
,
Sophia
. There was no way she was making another mistake with this man.

It was just one dance. Given how cold Dane was, he probably didn’t know how to move. He’d drag her around in an attempt to lead—

But he was excellent.

She should’ve known. There seemed to be very little he didn’t do well. He didn’t try to hold her too close, signaled her perfectly with small pressures at the small of her back… Everything was textbook perfect.

She didn’t want to dance like a corpse, so she followed. But her body stayed tense. It wasn’t that difficult so long as she held on to her humiliation from the night before. “If you think this will change anything,” she said in a low voice, “forget it. You cheapened what I offered and wanted from you.”

“I’m sorry.”

She blinked. For a moment, hesitation softened her posture, but then the tension came back, and her spine snapped straight. “Apology accepted. Now lead me off the floor.”

He arched an eyebrow as though he couldn’t believe what she’d said. If he’d assumed she’d roll over after what he’d done, he was in for a rude awakening. “I didn’t realize you interpreted what I did as ‘cheapening.’ I had to go.”

“Yes, because men do that all the time. Leave in the middle of sex without coming,” she hissed in a voice only he could hear.

“I’m sorry for leaving you. I’m an asshole, Sophia, and I often do asshole things. I’m going to lay down what the future will hold if we do what you want.” His voice held very little inflection, though something like pain was darkening his eyes. “If we stay together, one day I’ll end up hurting you, and you’ll hate me.”

When he didn’t continue, she said, “Aren’t you also going to say you don’t want me with Salazar? That’s what everyone seems worried about.”

“I’ve discovered that I’m a possessive bastard. The idea of somebody else having you makes me…” His hand tightened. “Let’s just say it’s a singularly ugly feeling. One I’ve never known before. You could be with Blake, who’s my best friend, and I’d still feel it.”

“But if you think you’re going to end up hurting me—”

“Some selfish part of me thinks maybe…just maybe…I won’t.” His mouth closed in a line tighter than a clam’s.

He wasn’t telling her everything, but she knew this was as much as she’d get from him. “You’ve already hurt me, Dane,” she said. “There are no guarantees in life. Have you ever considered that I might be the one to hurt you?”

He gazed into her eyes, holding the look for what seemed like forever. She felt like he was reaching inside and reading the book of her soul. “No. You would never do that on purpose.”

“And you won’t either.”

He stroked her cheek, the touch feather-light and uncharacteristically tender. Her anger lost a bit of its steam as caramel-sugary warmth spread all over her. He pulled her closer now, and she let him. He dipped his head so he could whisper into her ear. “I don’t just want sex. I want to take care of you, but…that’s also selfish of me.”

“You have it all wrong. It’s sweet.” Sighing, she laid her head on his chest. It felt perfect under her cheek, like it was made just for her. “Is it because of what Salazar said to you? I heard him say how things would’ve been better if you hadn’t been born.”

The muscles underneath her grew tight. “He’s right.”

“No.” She lifted her face to look him in the eye. “It’s unfair for him to blame his marital issues on you. Your parents’ problems started before you were ever born.”

He flexed his hands around her. “It’s much more than that.”

“Whatever.
I’m
glad you’re here. But if we’re going to do this, promise me you’ll never shut me out like that again. I want you to be open and honest with me.”

Old memories darkened his eyes. Probably all the bad ones he’d had with his father. Still, his voice was firm when he said, “All right. I promise.”

* * *

Sophia had no idea. And coward that he was, Dane couldn’t tell her even as he promised. He didn’t want her to find out. Ever.

If he kept his mouth shut, she wouldn’t. The only other people who knew were Salazar—who wouldn’t speak of it, given his role in maintaining the silence—and Henry, who would deflect her just as he’d deflected Dane.

After the dance, he took her to an empty seat so she could sit down and rest her hip. Guilt burned a hole in his heart like acid. Shirley had complained of pain in her pelvis, but she’d been in her sixties when the pain started. Sophia wasn’t even thirty.

She grasped his hand. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

“What?”

“You were frowning.”

He looked at the crowd. Overflowing champagne and excellent food were keeping things lively. One thing Mark knew better than anybody was great food. “I was thinking we should leave after this.” He turned to her, then added, “Unless you have other plans.”

“We can go.” She squeezed his hand. “I don’t mind.”

They went inside the house, into their separate rooms to pack.

Dane tossed everything into his suitcase with little care. If he missed something the housekeeper would forward it to him. He also texted Al to send all of Sophia’s things to his penthouse, adding,
We’re leaving now
.
Make sure to have them at my place ASAP
.

“Taking Sophia with you?” Salazar was leaning against the door, half-empty glass in one hand.

Dane looked away. The last thing he wanted to do was discuss things with his father.

“Did you tell her?”

“No.”

Salazar nodded and took a drink. “She’ll probably figure it out one day, you know.”

It was suddenly hard to drag in air. It felt like there was a big, tight fist around his throat. Dane swung his gaze toward Sazalar. “Not unless you say something, she won’t.”

Salazar chuckled. “True. If I hadn’t said anything, you would’ve never found out.”

Dane froze, then narrowed his eyes. “Don’t make an enemy out of me.”

“Ah, don’t worry. I won’t be the one to tell her. After all, my hands aren’t clean either.” Salazar knocked back the rest of his drink. “But some day she’ll find out, just like you did. And then what are you going to tell her? ‘Sorry’ will be a bit inadequate at that point.” Something that could only be characterized as a smirk twisted his mouth. “Just remember how you reacted. And it wasn’t even you who got hurt.”

He pushed himself off the door and left.

Dane watched his father go. His hands began curling into fis—

Jesus
,
breathe and relax
.

Dane rolled his shoulders and neck, then took a couple of deep breaths. The only reason he’d been able to put the pieces together was because Sophia had revealed the details of her accident, including the type of car that hit her. Unless he did the same, she didn’t have the clues or means to put it together. So he was safe.

But somehow Salazar’s words hung around his neck like a noose.

“So you finally realized you aren’t welcome here?”

Sophia faltered at Geraldine’s derisive words. She stopped, setting her wheeled suitcase upright behind her.

“You should’ve never come here.”

“Salazar asked me to come.”

“
Salazar asked
. My brother has no brain when it comes to pretty young things. You’re just like your mother.”

Sophia felt her go-for-the-throat competitive instincts surface.
Betsy might not be the most maternal woman
,
but she’s still my mother
. She took a half-step forward.

Hands on her hips, Geraldine straightened, her spine tight.

“Aunt, behave,” came Dane’s cold voice.

“I’m not the one misbehaving.” Geraldine gestured at Sophia. “Just look at that trash, trying to insin—”

“
Enough
.”

He didn’t raise his voice, but it was so frigid Sophia couldn’t help but shiver. Geraldine blanched. “How can you take that tone with me?”

“Easily. I’m restraining myself because I promised Grandma I’d be kind to you.” Dane drew himself up to his full height. “
Do not push me
. And most importantly, do not treat Sophia with disrespect or my tone will be the least of your problems.”

Geraldine’s eyes widened, and she opened and closed her mouth a few times. Finally, she said, “You’re going to break a promise to your grandmother over
her?
”

“Yes. Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

He put a hand to the small of Sophia’s back and led her toward the parking lot.

“You didn’t have to step in there. I had that,” Sophia said. “And don’t break your promise on my account.”

“There were other promises. I’ve decided that some of them were more important than the one to be kind to Geraldine.”

She looked around for his Lamborghini. “Where’s your car?”

“Over there.” He gestured at a brand new black Bentley, gleaming in the California sun.

“What happened to the Lamborghini?”

He shrugged. “I got bored with it.” He opened the door. “Get in.”

She climbed in. When he got behind the wheel and started driving, she said, “Nobody gets bored with a Lamborghini.”

“When you have as much money as I do, you do.” He looked straight ahead. “Besides, I know you don’t like it.”

Her heart softened. “Is it because of what I said about the accident?” She laid her hand over his. “You shouldn’t have. It’s been seven years. It doesn’t bother me.” Not entirely true, but… She just couldn’t wrap her mind around the gesture. “What are you going to do with your old car?”

“Don’t know. It’s not important.”

“Not important? It’s an expensive car.”

“What would you do with it if it were yours?”

“I…don’t know.” She’d never had anything that valuable. Her father had liked to live rich, but he hadn’t given her anything
that
extravagant. “Maybe you should sell it and donate the proceeds.”

He snorted. “Have you been hanging around Elizabeth? You sound just like her.” His long, blunt fingers tapped the steering wheel. “All right, what cause is most important to you?”

She grew quiet. What she wanted to do sounded so first-world, and she didn’t want any negative judgment from him. Not when they’d finally moved past the ugliness.

“Well?”

She cleared her throat. “Okay, well… I was thinking…”

He looked over at her. “You asked me to be honest with you. Surely you plan to do the same in return.”

Jeez. He had to hit the fair play button. “If it was my money, I would sponsor a promising young figure skater.” The words tumbled out faster. “I was very lucky that I never had to worry about how to pay for all my training, costumes and skates and travel, but most skaters aren’t rich, and most don’t get rich either. It’s not like football or basketball, you know? I don’t want a talented skater to give up on their dream because of a lack of money.”