Cinderella Busted (The Cinderella Romances #1) (9 page)

This woman was different from all the other women in his life. He could feel it in his blood. Out of a sense of self-preservation, Rhett had long ago relegated women to two useful purposes, sex and social engagements, or both if things happened to work out well. He’d never needed women for anything else. His life had been too busy for the complication of a relationship—nor had he wanted one—and so he made a point of telling every woman he dated exactly that. But the thought of a relationship with Lily made his heart beat faster and sent his blood singing through his veins. The thought of taking her to bed made his mouth go dry.

He’d been incredibly patient this week, he thought. Five days and nights in New York, and he still hadn’t taken Lily to bed. She had given no indication she was ready to take their relationship to the next level, and damned if he hadn’t promised to let her make the first move in that direction.

Standing in the foyer and holding Lily in his arms, he suddenly felt like a high-school boy with his first real crush. He ate corporate CEOs for lunch, and this little slip of a girl had brought him to his knees—and he felt fantastic. He grinned.

“What?” She smiled up at him.

“Did you have a good time tonight?”

Her eyes went wide. “Are you kidding me?
Beauty and the Beast
on Broadway? Tonight was fabulous, and that was exactly the show I would have picked. Your little Disney freak, remember?”

“A mighty pretty freak,” he said and brushed his lips gently against hers.

She gazed up at him, her blue eyes luminous. Her lashes fluttered. “You are so tender,” she whispered.

The innocent, trusting look in her eyes was genuine. Lily played no games with him. He’d been with women who tried the innocent game, and they had never succeeded. Not with him. But what lay behind Lily’s innocence? Inexperience maybe? A relationship that had turned out badly? She had a
girl-next-door
aura that made Rhett feel like a knight in shining armor. Him, of all people.

His heart lurched in his chest, and his breathing grew labored. No woman made him feel like this one did—like he was king of the world, a conqueror to protect her against all evil. Those primal thoughts sent the blood rushing away from his head to mobilize elsewhere for one dramatic and, on this evening, very necessary purpose. He wanted her more than any woman he had ever met, and he was kicking himself now for that promise he’d made to her. Seduction ran heavy on his mind.

“I’m only tender through immense strength of will,” he said hoarsely.

Her incredible blue eyes widened with curiosity and only served to feed his impression of innocence.

“I’m thirty-five years old, Lily,” he said, “and when I’m with you, I feel like I’m eighteen again. And I act like it.”

Hell, he didn’t want to frighten her, but his body was reacting as though it had a will of its own tonight.

“Is that so bad?” she asked softly.

Definitely innocent or she wouldn’t ask me that
.

“It makes
not
grabbing you and taking you to bed difficult indeed, hence the necessary strength of will.”

She glanced away. “I’m sorry.”

He tilted her chin back up and brushed a kiss across her lips that heated his own to the point he almost growled. “Don’t be sorry, please. You’re . . . refreshing.”

“I hope that was a compliment.”

“It was. You’re unlike any woman I’ve ever met.”

She was so close he could feel her breath against his neck. Her scent aroused an almost painful need in him. Holding back became exquisite torture.

“Damn,” he muttered under his breath. “I promised you time, but I want you. I can’t help it.”

Startled, she fixed those enormous blue eyes on his face, and he pulled her in, lowered his lips to claim the last kiss he would allow himself tonight. Any move ahead now must be her decision. He would keep his end of their bargain, even if he died of sensual torture.

Rhett muttered something under his breath that Lily couldn’t quite make out as he pulled her against his chest, and she felt an electrified jolt on contact. His lips settled over hers with increasing pressure. The tip of his tongue teased her lips, which she willingly opened to him and prayed she wouldn’t gasp. His touch ignited nerve endings on her cheeks, her neck, even her hair. One large hand swept down her back while the other cupped her hip and gently pulled her against him.

She loved the feel of his strong muscular body against her. His roving hands spread butterfly sensations along every nerve until she felt as though she would fly apart in all directions. She anchored her hands in the curls at his nape and crushed his lips to hers, wanting the kiss to go on forever and wanting to be something more than just
refreshing
.

Her sensual elevation was not lost on Rhett, and with a growl low in his throat, he deepened his kiss into rhythmic assaults and pulled her hard up against him until her feet left the ground. The weightless sensation only fevered her wild emotions, and she tugged at him, trying to get closer still and all the while knowing she played with fire.

The arm holding her hip swept down behind her knees and pulled her up into his arms. The movement hammered a vestige of sense into her wild and out-of-control emotions.

Realizing he had taken a step toward her room, she pulled back and gasped, “Wait!”

Her arms clutched around his neck, and she prayed her heart would slow down so she could think. She felt him tremble as he struggled to get his breath, and in that tender moment, she almost gave in. She glanced out over the enormous suite, almost as large as her cottage at the nursery, and she suffered a tight wave of panic.

This suite wasn’t real.

Rhett wasn’t real.

This was one big fairy tale.

Her Prince Charming operated under preconceived notions of how their relationship would work, but she wasn’t who he believed her to be. Somehow, she knew if she slept with him now, her deception would hurt him badly. Her instincts made her certain of that. Oh, why hadn’t she told him about the nursery this week? If she gave in and slept with him tonight, her deception would become even more cruel, would hurt him worse. He had to know who she really was before she took that step with Rhett.

And what if he was so angry about her deception, he walked away? Where would she be then if she slept with him now? If he moved on to the next datable socialite or supermodel, it wouldn’t just break her heart. Rhett walking away after making love to her would shred her heart into a million irreparable pieces. If she just disappeared like the real Cinderella, she could enjoy the memories of her brief time with him and nurse her heart back to health.

His eyes looked almost black, and they pinned her with a steely gaze. “You’re thinking about this way too hard and way too long, Lily,” he said, his voice husky with desire.

She laid her palm against his cheek and held it there for a long moment. As he’d done repeatedly since they met, Rhett read her mind.

“Don’t say it,” he said. “Don’t say it’s too soon. That implies the event to be far into the future.” He turned his faced and kissed her palm. “Just say not yet.”

“Thank you for understanding, Rhett,” she said softly.

“I’m not sure I do, but I’m trying.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Can I at least carry you into your room? You feel too good in my arms to put you down just yet.”

She nodded, and he carried her into her suite. She tucked her head against his neck and relished the feel of his strong arms supporting her. He hesitated at the edge of the bed, and she raised her head to peer in his eyes. Strangely, he looked bewildered. This jet-setting bachelor extraordinaire looked unsure, and in a flash, the look was gone. The sudden intensity of his gaze pounded the blood through her veins, and she held her breath.

Would he try to change her mind? If he did, could she hold out? She had to. She had to wait until he knew the whole truth about her. She couldn’t risk him walking away
after
. . .

He sat on the edge of the bed and cradled her on his lap. Her heart beat wildly as she settled against him, fully aware of his aroused state. He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, forcing a tiny gasp from her throat. She felt him smile against her lips, and her cheeks flooded with embarrassing warmth. He increased the pressure and teased her lips apart with his tongue. His hand caressed her cheek, his touch so gentle and sensuous she felt a scorched path in its wake as the hand swept down her throat and around her nape.

Lily felt herself melting into him, wishing she could diffuse herself right through his skin and into his soul. His tongue began a soft erotic rhythm, pressing in and pulling back. She felt her eyes roll back in her head, and her hands grasped the curls at his nape, trying to pull his face and mouth closer.

Abruptly, Rhett ended the kiss and pressed his forehead to hers. “Perhaps this was a mistake to try to tuck you in,” he said hoarsely, his voice unsteady. “I thought I would have more control.” He gave a gruff-sounding laugh. “I
always
have more control.” He leaned back to stare into her eyes, his pupils almost black. “But not with you. I look at you, and I have to kiss you. You drive me wild, Lily.”

He brushed a swift kiss across her lips and set her beside him. “I better go.” He strode for the door and shut it quietly behind him without looking back.

Chapter 4

Lily awoke to sunlight streaming through the window of her suite. Her sleep had been so sound, she needed several seconds to gain her bearings. She was not at home in the nursery cottage where she woke almost every day of her life, but in a heavenly soft bed covered by a down comforter in the Waldorf Astoria suite of Rhett Buchanan.

She snuggled down under the covers and released a huge sigh of contentment. If she were a cat, she would purr. Her stomach fluttered with delicious butterflies when she remembered Rhett’s sensual—and yes, rambunctious—kisses the night before. The best of the butterflies she reserved for the tantalizing and very romantic way Rhett had carried her to her bed, intending to tuck her in and kissing her senseless instead.

She grinned. He had said he always had control, but not with her. That had to be good, right? He
had
to care about her.

His feverish words delivered in that husky voice made her skin tingle, even now. She could not believe the depth of the man’s understanding. Last night with Rhett, she had crossed the temptation line—fairly sprinted across the line—and then balked with fear at the last moment. Yet he hadn’t cried
foul
. Instead, he had been tender and sensitive and blamed himself for a lack of control.

She felt certain she’d done the right thing. Though she cared enough to consider taking the step to the next level, sleeping with Rhett under the guise of deception would have destroyed them. If not now, then later when he found out the truth about her.

A painful thought intruded. Would he cry foul today, now that he’d had time to ponder the events of last evening? Would he think her ridiculous in the light of day? Or worse yet, a tease? Her cheeks flamed, and she threw off the comforter.

Was Rhett up? Should she wander out to the parlor or wait until he knocked? Better to get out there now and get it over with, rather than sit in here and worry. She scurried to the bathroom to wash her face and a run a brush through her hair, then grabbed the thick terrycloth robe off the door.

Last night, Rhett had made her feel beautiful and desirable and
definitely
aroused, and he had made her heart beat so hard she had trouble catching her breath. She
loved
that feeling, and she didn’t want to give it up. Ever. After one deep, calming breath, she marched out to the parlor, cinching the belt of the robe tight.

Turning the corner, she froze. Not only was Rhett up, but he was dressed and seated at the breakfast table. Obviously, room service had come and gone while she slept. He rose when he saw her, his gaze traveled from her head to her bare toes and back again and sent a fine tremor up her spine. He looked absolutely delicious first thing in the morning, the curls on his neck still damp from his morning shower.

“I was just about to come get you,” he said, his voice holding that funny hoarseness it had the night before. He cleared his throat. “I took the liberty of ordering breakfast for us.”

“Did I oversleep?” she asked worriedly.

“No, I have a meeting in an hour.” His expression looked unreadable, but his eyes stared with electrifying intensity.

She couldn’t seem to put one foot in front of the other and suddenly felt exposed and out of place. “Is everything all right?” she asked, hating that her voice sounded so tiny.

He stared for several more seconds. “The robe—” he started, then paused.

She glanced down. The robe was still tightly cinched. She looked at him and raised her brows.

“I didn’t expect . . . I mean . . .” He swallowed hard. “It was hard to sleep last night after tucking you in, knowing you were right next door.”

His eyes darkened, and she suddenly realized the implication of coming to breakfast in her nightgown and robe. “I’m sorry. Would you rather I got dressed?”

“No!” He grimaced and glanced away, then back. “No,” he repeated in a much softer tone, “I’m doing it again.”

“Again?”

“Acting like that high-school boy again.” He shook his head and pulled out her chair. “Please come have some breakfast, and I’ll try to find some dignity.”

This was good, right? He hadn’t cried foul
.

She padded over warily. His intense gaze followed each step. As she reached the proffered chair, she looked him full in the eyes, now black with desire.

“You are so damn beautiful in the morning,” he said hoarsely. “I apologize for my behavior. It’s just seeing you in that robe and wondering—”

Her heart slammed against her ribs, and she fought back the urge to run her fingers into his damp curls and pull his lips down to hers. The atmosphere crackled between them. If she grabbed him now, she knew in her soul there would be no turning back. She couldn’t move, couldn’t quite pull in a breath.

His hands still grasped the chair, his eyes chained to hers. Her emotions flared with intensity. Her mind warred with her heart, and in her soul, she somehow knew he held back—with steely determination—to see what she would do.

Words tumbled breathlessly from her lips before she could think to stop them. “You make me feel so beautiful when you look at me like that.”

She heard his sudden intake of breath, and her sensations whirled into a vortex that almost blinded her. She reached for the chair to steady her balance, and her hand landed against his. The sudden feel of his warm, hard knuckles in her palm jolted like an electric shock. She gasped.

Rhett growled low in his throat, and his hand snaked around her nape as his mouth closed over hers. She could feel both his restraint and the increased pressure of his lips as his need fought his steely determination for control. Her heart turned over at the knowledge she could create such turmoil in this enormous, self-confident genius of a man.

Her arms flew around his neck, and she hung on, riding the successive waves of emotions he created as his tongue trespassed where he’d promised not to go and hungrily teased her tongue into playing his game with a rhythmic sexuality. She felt as though she made love to him through this one mind-blowing kiss, and she never wanted it to end. His hand slipped from her neck to her cheek, and she shuddered from the explosion of sensations.

Rhett pulled back and palmed both cheeks. “You drive me crazy.”

Lily could only stare in mute silence as his darkened gaze held hers. She truly had fallen in love with this man at first sight, just like her dad had with her mother. She knew that now, and here she stood, fearful that all the love in her heart gleamed revealingly in her eyes. She couldn’t do anything to prevent it though she drew a shred of satisfaction from the knowledge his breathing sounded as labored as hers.

“What am I going to do with you, my delicate little flower?”

She winced at the word
flower
, a swift reminder of her deception. His gaze focused for several seconds, then he took a deep breath and slowly released it, almost like a soft sigh. She couldn’t breathe at all.

Tell him who you are.

“My precious Lily,” Rhett said at long last.

The phone rang and startled them both. He hesitated for a moment, then crossed the room and snatched up the receiver. After a few short sentences so low Lily couldn’t hear them, he stepped out onto the balcony with the phone and closed the French doors behind him.

Lily worked at getting her heart and lungs back under control after the sensual pummeling she’d sustained in the scant few minutes since she’d entered the room. She took a seat, poured a cup of coffee, and sipped slowly while waiting for Rhett to return and have breakfast.

Ten minutes elapsed before he came back inside, and his expression looked ominous. Lily gulped and waited. Had someone called and told Rhett about her? He set the phone back in its cradle and stalked to the table.

“There’s been a change of plans,” he said gruffly and took a seat.

She nodded and waited for the boot to drop.

“I have to fly to London today. We have some problems there I need to reconcile.” He took a sip of coffee. “I’m sorry, Lily, but we’ll have to cut this trip short a couple days. I don’t know how long I’ll have to stay overseas, but I’ve talked to my pilot, and he will fly you home whenever you’re ready.”

He took another sip of coffee, but kept his gaze averted. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you want. Use the suite. It’s reserved until Wednesday. You should go do some shopping and see more of New York. Charge everything to the room. I have an account here.”

He paused, and a wave of relief flooded through her, so strong she felt lightheaded. She had been granted a reprieve. He didn’t know who she was. Yet. He finally looked up and waited for her to say something.

“You’re very kind, but I think I’ll just go home,” she said and smiled. “I wouldn’t want to stay here without you.”

He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. A slight frown came and went. “You’re not mad?”

“Of course not. You couldn’t help it.” She saw a mirror of her own relief in his expression. “How could I be angry with a man so wonderful he took me to see
Beauty and the Beast
?” she said impulsively, feeling like a prisoner just given parole.

“Oh, Lily, you are amazing,” he said and leaned across the table to give her a kiss. “Most women would pitch a fit over getting their trip cut short.”

“Not if you told them to stay and shop.”

And not this girl
.
I’m just trying not to lose you too fast
.

He grabbed his coffee cup and rose to his feet. “I have to go pack, so I can catch my plane,” he said sheepishly.

“Go on. You don’t want to be late.” She waved him on.

In what seemed like minutes, he was all packed and stood with his luggage at the door. He wrapped her up in his arms. “I’m going to miss you, and the only thing that will keep me going on this trip is the thought of you in this robe,” he said and kissed her as though it were the last kiss he would ever receive.

When he finally let her go, she smiled. “Don’t let anything happen to you.”

To make you change your mind about me
.

“I won’t.” After a quick hard kiss, he grabbed his luggage and headed for the elevator.

She watched him go and prayed that would be true.

Late Thursday afternoon, Lily stepped into the new shadehouse and found Rob transplanting
Ming auralia
cuttings. Nursery production ran seven days a week during the spring planting season, and she knew she could count on finding her friend hard at work.

“Oh no,” he said, spotting her immediately. “What the hell happened?”

“I brought your Porsche back early,” she said brightly.

“And?”

“And what?” She felt her lip quiver and turned away so Rob wouldn’t see.

“Did he hurt you or force you—”

She started and spun around. “No! Rhett was a perfect gentleman.” She stared up at him. “Perfect.”

“Then what happened?”

“It was me. I think I wanted to finally…you know.”

He leaned back against the potting table. “Geez Louise,” he whispered reverently.

“My sentiments exactly.”

“It’s not the money, is it? I’ve heard that can make guys handsomer and sexier.”

She gave him a
Get real!
look.

“I meant me.” He poked her in the arm. “I was just kidding.”

She turned away. “Please don’t.”

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her back around. “Hey, I’m all ears. You can tell me anything, Lil. We’re best friends.”

She took a deep breath and made eye contact. “I think I love him.”

That Rob obviously hadn’t expected. He gaped at her for several long moments and didn’t move a muscle.

“Say something,” she said softly.

“It’s only been a few days, honey,” he said just as softly, as though a near whisper might lessen the impact.

“I know, and I can’t help it. I feel as though I’ve known Rhett my whole life. We like all the same things and agree on everything. I already can’t imagine my life without him in it, and I’m pretty sure that’s love. That’s what Hank always said anyway.”

“You don’t look happy about this, which means you haven’t told him who you are yet. Have you?”

She averted her gaze.

“Aw geez, Lil! Why the hell not?”

She snapped her gaze back to him, and her temper sparked. “I couldn’t. Okay? The timing was never right, and then Rhett had to take a sudden detour trip to London to fix a business crisis, which is why I’m back so soon.”

“Every day you wait to tell him is going to make the news that much harder for him to hear. And accept.”

“You think I don’t know that!” she cried, feeling tears forming.

He pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry. Don’t be upset. It’ll all work out.”

“If this was a group hug, you forgot me,” Tammy called, stepping into the shadehouse.

Rob and Lily turned, and Lily swiped at the tears trying to escape.

“Honey, what happened?” Tammy surged forward and pulled her into a hug.

“She’s in love,” Rob said matter-of-factly.

Tammy jerked back to stare at Lily. “Is that true?”

Lily nodded. “I think so.”

Tammy crushed her into another hug. “That’s wonderful! I’m so happy for you. Is he in love, too?”

Lily didn’t say anything, and Tammy let her go. “Which
he
are we talking about by the way?”

Lily rewarded Tammy with her best
duh
look.

“Rhett Buchanan?”

“Have I been out with anyone else in the last six months?”

“Okay, so he didn’t say,
I love you
. Did he act like it at least? And what the hell are you doing back in town so soon?”

“Emergency business detour to London,” Rob offered.