The Texas Millionaire's Runaway Wife (16 page)

Cassie felt tired of their games. The brothers with their blondes, Stephen with his head bent listening to everything they said, Charles judging her without even knowing her.

“I do.” She turned her eyes to him, downing the rest of her scotch. The bitter taste at the end gave her fuel for what she had to say. “I don’t care about your money, Mr. Sands. I don’t want anything from Stephen. You could take away his money tomorrow, his business even, and I’d take care of him. We’d move into my apartment, I’d support us both with my bakery and we’d live a happy life.” She set her glass down and stepped away from the bar. “The problem with you all is that you’ve had money so long you don’t remember what it’s like to just be a normal person. Normal people don’t care about having a mansion with empty rooms or more cars than we can drive.

“And furthermore,” she continued, “Stephen doesn’t need your money. I happen to think he’d be a much happier person without it, even. So I might have been a fool to not look, but it doesn’t matter to me. It shouldn’t matter to you, or your other sons either. I feel sorry for you.”

Charles held up his hands. “Whoa there, I don’t know where all this is coming from but your source is mistaken. Stephen’s money is his own. He’s earned it. And when I said you were a fool, it was because no one should sign anything without reading it first.”

Cassie felt exhausted. She’d only been at Travis for about an hour, but there was no part of her that wanted to stay. “I’m sorry if I’m not what you expected for Stephen. Or if you think I should have wanted him for his money, but that isn’t who I am. I hope in time you’re able to see that on your own, but frankly, Mr. Sands, if you don’t, that isn’t my problem.”

With that, she walked away.

****

“Look at her over there, walking away from Dad, I’m telling you, she’s a gold digger.” Daniel’s insistence on Cassie’s intentions toward Stephen had grown stronger with every downed shot of whisky.

Stephen knew if someone didn’t cut him off soon, his younger brother would make a fool out of them all. As it was, his brothers wanted to out Cassie.

After what happened with Jordan Giles, Stephen didn’t feel the least protective, either. Sure, she looked beautiful in that flowy green dress with her auburn curls pinned loosely all over her head. And the way her hips swayed as she walked away from their father. But he couldn’t think about that.

Or the fire he’d seen in her green eyes as she’d looked over at them. All he could think about was Abigail handing Cassie that phone.

Giles. Stephen still didn’t know the details of their relationship, but he couldn’t imagine it to be coincidental.

“So it’s settled then,” Andrew finished.

Stephen had been too caught up in his own thoughts and missed what his brothers settled on. “What’s the plan?”

William rolled his eyes. “Next weekend we’re throwing a party for you and Cassie. That’ll give us a week to figure out what’s really going on and then we’ll out her in front of Dad. That will get you out of this marriage, will show her as the conniving bitch she really is and will let you get the revenge you deserve.”

It sounded perfect.

Cassie had stepped out into the garden area and stood next to the railing. A gust of wind blew and she pulled her wrap tighter around her shoulders. He wished like hell he didn’t want to go out there and pull her into his arms, block the wind.

Revenge.

That’s what this whole thing had been about. Revenge for what she’d made him feel. For breaking his heart after he’d given it, only to come back into his life demanding more from him.

“Let’s do this,” he said, finally. “She deserves everything she’s got coming.” His brothers nodded in agreement as they set about making their plans.

Out of the corner of his eye, Stephen saw Jordan Giles enter the room.

Dammit to hell! The man’s eyes settled on Stephen’s, then searched until they spotted Cassie. A snake-like smile slithered across his face as the man took a few steps toward her.

“Sonovabitch!” Stephen hissed as he jumped from his chair. The chair knocked over onto the floor and the whole room looked in his direction, waiting to see what would happen next.

Stephen didn’t care. He knew the plan. He knew they were supposed to out Cassie at the party, but if Giles thought he could come into the Travis Building, of all places, and make a fool of Stephen, he had another think coming.

Crossing the room in a few short strides, he reached Jordan Giles at the entrance to the garden. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked in a low, threatening tone.

Giles straightened his back so he stood almost eye to eye with Stephen. “This is a free country, I came for the steak medallions. They’re delicious here, you should give them a try. Juicy, salty, perfect.” As he spoke, he turned from Stephen to Cassie. “Have you been here before, Cassie?”

“Don’t talk to my wife.” Stephen grabbed Giles lapels and shoved him back a foot.

“Stephen! What do you think you’re doing?” Cassie marched over to them and pushed between the two men. “You can’t just go around shoving people around because they talk to me. Dammit, Stephen! What the hell did you think was going to happen? Think he’d screw me right here in the garden, in front of everyone?”

All eyes in the restaurant had turned to the trio at the garden entrance. “Cassie, this isn’t your fight.”

“Like hell it isn’t.” Cassie pushed Stephen. “I didn’t even know this man until I met him at your office yesterday and you’re acting like he’s some big threat to you. Really!” She shoved Stephen a few more feet and then turned. “And you. You have no right to follow me around like some lost puppy dog. I told you earlier I don’t want to talk to you. I don’t know what you thought we had. What moment you thought passed between us during the five whole minutes I talked to you yesterday, but there was nothing. So
Back Off
.”

Each of her words came out punctuated and Stephen felt sudden overwhelming pride toward his wife. She and Giles didn’t have anything going on. He could see that now. He turned his gaze from his wife to Giles. “Mr. Giles, I believe we are through here. I will take out a restraining order if I must to keep you away from Cassie, but understand you will not make our business battle personal. I will put papers in on Monday to finish out the bid for your property so think long and hard this weekend over why you’re choosing to stay. I’ve been more than reasonable and my reason has run out.”

He looked around the restaurant. All eyes still stood riveted on the three. He took Cassie’s hand. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, I’m taking my wife home.”

Jordan Giles face grew blood red but he didn’t argue further. Instead, he spun on heel and left the restaurant.

Pride filled Stephen as he tried to lead Cassie toward the door. Only, she didn’t budge. “What are you doing?” he said under his breath.

“I’m not leaving.”

“Why?”

She looked around. So did he. The restaurant seemed to have grown bored realizing there wouldn’t be a fight, so they’d gone back to their drinks and meals. “I’m here to meet your brothers. I’ve already met your father and I’ve been humiliated enough for tonight. So let’s get the brothers out of the way while we’re at it. That way, I can get all my humiliation in one night. Is that okay with you, Mr. Sands?”

“I don’t understand.”

“Look at this place. I don’t fit in. You knew I wouldn’t and you brought me anyway. So I can only assume you brought me to humiliate me in front of everyone and I’d just as soon get that out of the way, if you don’t mind.”

“Mind?” He took a step back and looked at her. She was serious. “We had an agreement. I didn’t bring you here for any other reason than to show you off as my wife.”

“Well, you’re doing a great job of that spending the entire night with your brothers and leaving me by myself. Which, by the way, is fine. I prefer it that way even, but if your intention was to show me off, you’re doing a piss-poor job. To leave me alone with your father wasn’t fair. Anyone looking can see I don’t belong here. And trust me, they’ve all been looking.” Graciella had told her to talk to him, but Cassie doubted from the dumbfounded look on his face this was what her friend meant.

He shook his head. “I had this dinner set up long before you came back into my life, Cassie. Do I need to remind you that
you’re
the one who contacted me? It isn’t as if I set out to bring you down. You tried to blackmail me.” She rolled her eyes and tried to turn. He grabbed her shoulder. “No. Talk to me.”

“The blondes. The last girl you were with was blonde as well. What is it with your family and those women? I stand out like a sore thumb. Like a big, fat sore thumb. I’m short, and my hair will never be anything other than frizzy. I outweigh those women by at least thirty pounds, maybe more. I’m not your type. Your dad said it. I knew it when I looked you up. I have no doubt your brothers and really everyone here realizes it. What did you want with me? Why did you want to marry me in the first place?”

He guided her deeper into the garden area, away from the prying ears of the tables closest to them. Out of earshot and blocked mostly by foliage, he bent his head and placed a kiss gently on Cassie’s lips.

She pulled away. “Stop that!”

He pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her back. He kissed the top of her head and looking her in the eye said, “I wanted to marry you because I loved you. I was playing make believe pretending to be someone I wasn’t but it felt so nice with you. I didn’t know how to stop pretending. You were the most passionate person I’d ever met.”

She laughed and allowed her head to rest against his chest.

“We really screwed this up, didn’t we?”

He wanted to remind her that she’d been the one to walk out, but now didn’t seem the time. Instead, he thought about the plans he’d made with his brothers. In a week, for good or for bad, this would all be over. No reason not to enjoy the time they had left. She might not be into Giles, but he knew Cassie didn’t love him the way he loved her. How could she? He’d lied to her from the beginning, forced her into an arrangement she didn’t want, basically taken away her freedom and, she was right. She didn’t fit in. And never would.

His father could see it; his brother’s saw it immediately. It was his problem, and his alone that he loved her. He couldn’t force her to love him back. She was the most passionate person he’d ever known. And he wanted to know that passion at least one last time before this all ended for good. “I’m an overachiever,” he said.

Stepping back, she lifted her head up, her brow raised in question.

“Overachiever. If I’m going to screw something up, I want to do it right.”

With that, Cassie let out a low, heartfelt laugh. It tickled his ribs and set a shiver up his spine. “Do you want to go back in?” he asked.

She shook her head.

“Is that a no for now, or a no, not at all?”

“No for now.” She turned so that her back was against him and her bottom pressed against his groin. “Look at that city. It’s so quiet out here. Right now we can pretend as if nothing else exists. As if this whole mess we’re in doesn’t exist. Can you do that with me, Stephen?” She turned her face up to his. Her green eyes pleaded for them to take a moment. A breather.

He leaned down and pressed his fingers lightly against her neck. He kissed her lips softly and then crossed his arms over her chest, pulling her in close. “We can do that.”

The lights from the city filtered up over the garden wall. Somewhere below a street band started playing music, some kind of country, jazzy mix Stephen had never heard before. Cassie swayed to the tune and Stephen found himself swaying with her. He was reminded of how well they fit together. He wanted nothing more than to whisk her away from here and back to his house.

Everything was so screwed up. Stephen knew what he’d told his brothers. The truth, really, but right at that moment he wondered how much it mattered. Cassie, as she leaned into his arms, relaxed against his torso, fit him perfectly.

And no matter what had brought her back, it wasn’t his money. It might have been, at first, but definitely not for the reasons he’d led his brothers to believe. The smell of her shampoo lifted into his nostrils. It was a smell that lingered long after she’d left.

His arms tightened.

“What are you thinking?” she asked.

“About your hair.” He tugged one of her curls loose from its pin. He twirled the silky strand around his finger and brought it up to his nose to smell. “I’ve always loved your hair.”

“It’s a frizzy mess.”

“It’s silky, soft, womanly.” His voice had grown husky. In that moment, nothing else mattered. Reaching up, he let his thumb caress Cassie’s nipple through her dress.

She dragged in a swift breath. “What if someone sees?”

He lowered his mouth and kissed her neck, just above her collarbone. “What if they do?”

“Won’t it bring a scandal?”

“We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

She took another hissing breath as he pinched her nipple through the material. “No, I don’t suppose we would.”

“What do you suggest?” he asked, moving to the other side. He left a trail of kissed that ended at the nape of her neck.

She shivered in his arms. “I happen to know this place that has a great, very soft bed. We could go there.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded and turned. “You know how I told you we wouldn’t be having sex?”

He nodded.

“I lied.”

Chapter Thirteen

They reached the house in record time. Cassie never felt so grateful to have such a large space all to themselves. They shed clothes the entire way up the stairs, landing in the master bedroom. No need for formalities, Stephen lowered his lips to hers as he walked her backwards into the room. He still wore a white undershirt and she pressed her hands against his flanks as she worked it up over his wide shoulders. The heat from his skin radiated against her cool cheek; unable to resist herself, she leaned forward and pressed her cold nose into his collarbone. It gave the desired effect. He shivered as he removed her bra pulling her in tight against him.