A Sweet Deal (Crimson Romance) (6 page)

“It was a pretty miserable year, and if I had my choice I certainly wouldn’t choose to go through it again, but the cancer really is part of who I am. It brought me closer to my family, and it gave me a great deal of perspective at an early age.” Her cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment were far enough in her past that she had made her peace with the experience. “It’s made me appreciate the things I have and what I can accomplish, in a way that having a normal childhood might not have.”

“I’ve heard similar things from other cancer survivors. Sounds like you turned a terrible situation into a positive.” He pulled her close again and kissed her gently as she snuggled against him, marveling at the perfect fit.

“It hasn’t always been easy. The treatment changed my life forever, and not always in a good way. Nobody ever complained or resented me, but I know it was so hard for the whole family. The treatment took forever and was incredibly expensive, even with insurance, and my parents were strapped financially. My poor sister was the one always stuck sitting with me during chemo, and I wasn’t exactly easy to get along with. She was so good about trying to entertain me while we sat in the treatment room for hours, but I didn’t exactly appreciate her sacrifice. She was fifteen and would’ve definitely rather have been at the mall with her friends.”

“I’m sure she was happy to be with you. I have a younger brother, and we never went through anything like that, but I would do the same for him. She was probably scared out of her mind that they’d lose you.”

“After a while, it became our family’s normal. My doctors were great about managing my treatment schedule so I had my worst days on weekends and I hardly ever missed school. If it hadn’t been for my bad days and the constant insomnia, we probably could’ve pretended that everything was fine.”

“So, business as usual at the Cruz house?”

“Yeah, after a while I gave up on playing the cancer card.” She laughed, remembering. “At first, I got out of a lot of housework and chores, even got away with treating the family badly, but it wasn’t long before they started calling me out on my behavior again. Especially my sister.”

“Siblings will do that.” His chest rumbled under her cheek.

Yvette shifted next to him. “She was the one who finally told me that cancer was no excuse for being a jerk. As soon as she said it, I could tell that she wished she could take it back. Our parents were always on her case to help me out, to watch over me, to take care of me. She was so shocked that it came out of her mouth that we just cracked up. It was such a relief to be with her after that, to have at least one person see me for who I was and not something that could break at the slightest touch.”

“I have a hard time thinking of you as fragile.”

“Having cancer can teach you a lot. A lot of people feel like they have a new lease on life, or think life is precious and it needs to be appreciated. Well, it taught me that there’s no excuse big enough to stop me.”

His laughter rumbled. “I can definitely see that.”

“It was good to be reminded that I was more than a cancer patient. My sister was right to call me out on my behavior.” Everyone else had been too afraid to upset her, would’ve let her do whatever she wanted as long as they could ignore what was happening to her. “I knew she was worried for me, though. She’d sit up with me a lot of the time when I couldn’t sleep, watching bad television and getting me candy since that’s the only thing I could tolerate. That’s probably when I started my love affair with confections.”

“Candy has certainly treated you well.”

“Oh yeah. I wish everything that came from the cancer was as satisfying.”

“You still have lingering effects?”

“Not symptoms or anything, no. I don’t worry about the cancer returning, not after being in remission so long at least, but the doctor said the radiation effectively destroyed my chances of ever having children. I’ve made my peace with that, more or less, but it’s been a lot to take.”

Made her peace was a deliberate overstatement. Yvette understood that she wouldn’t be a mother—not biologically at least—but she’d never been okay with it. Nurturing her career like the child she’d never have had filled the void in a way, but the desire to have a family, a real family, had never been satisfied.

So few people in her adult life knew about the cancer, and fewer still knew about her infertility. Her relationships were generally superficial, never drifting into deeper territory than when and where they’d meet for drinks or dinner. Talking about it with Richard was strangely soothing, as though she could share without judgment.

“I think that’s something I’ve always taken for granted, probably because I’ve never given a lot of thought to whether or not I want to be a father.” Richard tilted his head to the side, his reaction more thoughtful than she would’ve anticipated.

“If I never had the treatment, I probably wouldn’t have given it much thought either. Growing up, especially in a family like mine, I just assumed I’d be a mother some day. I don’t know if I would’ve changed my mind as I got older, but I would’ve liked to have had the choice, you know?”

They drifted into silence, lost in thought, as she wondered at the wisdom of divulging so much intensely personal information. Especially to a man she hardly knew. Still, it didn’t feel that way any longer. Richard’s breath was hot against her skin, and for the briefest moment, she thought about what a life with him would be like. She gave herself a mental shake. This was one night, and one night only. In fact, it might be far wiser to end this before reality settled in. Was she going to spend the whole night in bed beside him? Surely retreating to her hotel room would be far wiser, and for all she knew he was waiting politely for her to make her exit. Though her body protested at every movement, she pulled herself up, carefully extricating herself from his embrace. As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, he caught her and playfully pinned her beneath him.

“Going somewhere?” His lips were hot on her neck, over her collarbone, leaving goose bumps in their path. His hands held her wrists, gently but firmly, and suddenly the idea of leaving this bed seemed very far away.

“Did you have something else in mind?” Her lips twisted into a saucy grin as she rolled back towards him in bed, ready to move away from the serious direction their conversation had taken and more than willing to see what else he had to offer.

Richard awoke the next morning to find the pillow next to his empty, then stretched and turned over onto his back as he heard the faint sound of the shower. Yvette was still here. A satisfied smile spread across his face as he thought of her lush body lying beneath him last night, the sweet taste of her, how her kisses burned a trail on his skin. That smooth, soft neck. The gentle, desperate sound of her voice in the darkness, as they’d indulged their desire for one another throughout the night. He felt his body respond, harden, as he imagined her standing in the shower, steam floating around her, water cascading over her curves, her slim waist giving way to soft rounded hips. He eased himself out of bed and padded across the suite to the bathroom.

Richard hesitated outside the closed bathroom door and considered himself in the mirror. He had to laugh as he pictured her reaction to seeing him appear in her shower, naked and disheveled from sleep. His hair stuck out all about his head, a light stubble covered his face, and pillow marks were still visible across his forehead. His appearance wouldn’t stop him, though. Their agreement had only been for one night, and while he had certainly made good use of his time, he had to go to her again before she left. Richard’s desire for Yvette had been awoken with a vengeance, and he couldn’t wait to sate it. Quietly opening the door, he peeked inside the steam-filled bathroom and quickly crossed the room to join her in the shower.

• • •

Richard wandered into the dining room of the suite, dressed in lounge pants and a T-shirt, unable to wipe the satisfied smile from his face. Yvette was sitting at the suite’s desk, poring over the room service menu. She was professionally dressed; her overnight bag was packed and zipped closed, waiting in the sitting area. Clearly, she was ready to move on. Was he the only one who wanted to prolong their time together? Surely after the night they’d spent together, having breakfast wouldn’t be a stretch.

“What looks good?”

“Hmm. I was just thinking coffee.” She yawned. “Could use a little pick me up before the long flight home.”

He had to laugh at that. “I guess we didn’t get much sleep last night. You won’t sleep on the plane?”

“I’ve never been able to relax enough. Even on international flights, I have a hard time getting quality rest and usually don’t sleep until I pass out from exhaustion.”

“Let’s get you some caffeine, then.” He picked up the menu and scanned the choices. “And a little breakfast? You’ve got to eat.”

She agreed, and he called down to have food sent up. Had it been anyone else, it would’ve been awkward to sit in the suite, waiting for room service, after the night—and morning—they’d experienced. He wanted breakfast with her, and then some. Getting even a small glimpse into who Yvette was and forgetting for a night that she was his biggest corporate threat made him want to prolong their time together. If he had to marry in order to gain control over the confections division, he’d want it to be to someone like her. Or that there was a way that it could be her. An engagement to Yvette would effectively eliminate the trouble of their divergent professional goals, leaving him with everything that he wanted. It was intriguing, but ridiculous. She’d never agree to it.

The room service attendant arrived and set their order on the dining room table while Richard signed for the expenses. Yvette poured coffee for both of them, and he sneaked a glance at the domestic scene while he ushered the attendant out. Once he started thinking of them having a future, it was easy to picture her at home, pouring coffee, eating breakfast, living a normal life. As the door closed behind him, he swept the foolish daydream from his mind and joined her at the table. She pushed a cup of coffee towards him, and he sipped, sighing gratefully as the caffeine entered his system.

“Perfect, thank you.” He filled a plate with eggs and fruit while she did the same. They ate in companionable silence for a bit, until Yvette pushed her plate away and rose. “Leaving already?”

“I’ve got a few things to wrap up before I catch my flight. I’ll see you around?” Without waiting for an answer, she hoisted her bag’s strap over her shoulder and headed for the door.

“Wait!” His voice stopped her in her tracks.

She hesitated, one hand on the door, and turned back to face him. “Yes?”

“Just because our agreement was for one night doesn’t mean you have to run out of here at the first opportunity.” He held out a hand, beckoning her.

“I’m not running out,” she said, though she looked back towards the door as she said it, before slowly making her way back towards him. “It’s just time for me to go.”

“Maybe you could stay for a few more minutes? Once you leave, it’s over.” Richard’s voice dropped as she reached him, and he smoothed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m not sure I’m ready for it to be over. I don’t know why I thought I’d be able to forget you if we spent the night together. What was I thinking?”

Worry lines creased her forehead. “Do you regret it?”

He laughed, a deep rumbling in his chest. “I don’t regret a single moment of our time together. I just expected to feel ready to move on, and instead I want you more.”

He was surprised at his own confession, but amazingly he didn’t regret telling her how he truly felt. Richard pulled her into his arms and leaned in, their lips meeting in a kiss seared with longing. But too soon, Yvette pulled away.

“I’ve got to go. Goodbye, Richard.” Without meeting his eyes, she picked up her bag and let herself out of his suite.

• • •

Yvette sipped her spicy bloody Mary and settled back in her seat, ready for her flight home to Philadelphia and glad that Saffron had sent her first class. She was exhausted, hungry, and emotional. A seat in coach wouldn’t cut it today. She popped a few warm almonds in her mouth and snuggled underneath her plush throw blanket while she contemplated watching a movie or reading a book instead of catching up on work.

None of the options sounded appealing however. She was too consumed by the memories of their final kiss. The way he’d enveloped her in his embrace, surrounding her with his warmth and the clean scent of the soap he’d just used. It had overcome her, the emotions too much, and she’d practically dashed out of his room. He probably thought she was nuts.

The cocktail was slowly loosening her limbs, but suddenly a faint tension strummed within her and the energy in the cabin shifted. Afraid she already knew what she would find, she leaned around the seat beside hers and found her face inches away from Richard’s hip as he stuffed items in the overhead bin.

She hated how her body responded so easily at the mere sight of him. Proximity to this man shouldn’t turn her into a puddle, but when he looked down at her, his lips curled into a sexy smile and she warmed from head to toe. She shifted back until she was upright in her own seat and composed herself.

“Hi, Richard,” she said in greeting, her tone chagrined and bemused. Of course they’d have the same flight back. She was pleased that even though her insides wobbled at the sight of him, her voice was clear and steady.

“Hi, Yvette,” he said with a nod, an amused look on his gorgeous face, too. Just hearing her name on his lips sent a frisson of electricity straight to her core. He had to see how he affected her. He took his seat next to hers and settled in. “So, this is cozy, you and me, together on the long flight home.”

“Who knew you flew commercial? I would think Richard Morgan only traveled by private jet.” She teased, hoping to dispel the tension that was threatening to strangle her.

He accepted his snack and a drink from the flight attendant and laughed indulgently. It was a deep, throaty laugh, low enough that it was just for her. “My jet is in the shop, and besides, I had airline miles that were about to expire.”