MILLIONAIRE'S SHOT: Second Chance Romance (17 page)

He glanced over her head, checking that Grace wasn’t watching, but already Cassie pushed at his chest. He dropped his arms and let her twist away, and they both pretended absorption with Grace hitting the ball. And he couldn’t think of a single damn thing to say.

“I brought lunch,” he said.

“No, thanks. I’ll grab a sandwich from the house. You’re a better shot than me anyway. You can give Grace some pointers.”

“But I’m paying you.”

“Don’t do that,” she said. “Please.”

“All right.” He gave a casual shrug, but hated his sense of panic. She was in total control here. Just her simple ‘please’ was enough to turn him to jelly. It always had been.

He’d cut an important meeting short, bullied some business partners into submission, just for the chance to sit on the grass and hear her laugh. And he didn’t want her toiling in an airless kitchen, worrying about preparing meals for her grandfather after she’d worked so hard teaching his daughter. All he’d ever wanted was to look after her, to be a part of her life, and those old feelings had returned in full force.

He scooped up the lunch cooler, pretending to stagger from its weight.

“Tons of good food here,” he said. “Some freshly baked bread your grandfather would like…when he wakes up from his nap. Also some smoked salmon, chocolate éclairs and even some white wine.”

She tilted her head, and he could see her weighing the uphill walk back to the house along with the knowledge that she’d have to tiptoe around the kitchen so as not to wake her sleeping grandfather.

“Those are some of my favorites,” she admitted.

“Indeed.” He quickly opened the cooler. “What a coincidence.”

Cassie stretched out beneath the shade of an oak tree, eyes closed, drowsy from the food and wine. The smoked salmon was a delicious surprise and this spot had always been the perfect place to steal a nap. Far from the endless chores that accompanied the privilege of horse ownership.

The chirping of birds mingled with the muted sound of Alex’s and Grace’s voices and the occasional crack of a ball against a mallet. Everything felt normal, and so right.

Like Gramps, she also felt more secure when Alex was around. She let herself drift away, content that for now everything in her world was perfect.

A persistent fly tickled her cheek. She reached up, vainly trying to brush it away. And heard Alex’s low laugh.

Groaning, she opened her eyes. “You always were a tease. Never letting me sneak naps down here.”

He grinned, dropped the blade of grass and stretched out beside her, so close his arm brushed her shoulder. She knew she should keep more space between them but she was too content, too sleepy…too happy. She’d probably eaten too much for lunch. She definitely had enjoyed her share of wine.

“Grace wants to hit some more balls,” he said. “And you looked too peaceful lying here alone.”

“She might have a sore arm if she keeps practicing.”

“I showed her a few other drills. But she’s reluctant to follow my advice. Doesn’t seem to think I’m qualified enough.”

Cassie laughed. Alex was a much better player than she’d ever been. Polo players were graded on an international scale, and he was a four-goal handicap, as opposed to her minus one. Even a professional like Santiago was only ranked two goals higher than Alex. And she didn’t want to ask questions, didn’t like her growing interest in his life, but the words spilled out anyway. “Why in the world did you stop playing?” she asked.

“It was no fun without you.”

She twisted, guessing he was joking. But he wasn’t smiling. His chiseled face looked more thoughtful than anything.

“And I despised the Club’s elitist direction,” he added. “It’s become very exclusive.”

“Maybe you’ll play again.” She flattened her head back against the grass and closed her eyes. “Now that Grace is interested. You, Rachel and Grace can even play in the family tournament.” She waited, hoping to hear him say he’d never want anything to do with Rachel.

“I have to find Grace a horse first,” he said.

She was glad her eyes were closed. Relieved he wouldn’t see her disappointment. Because against all reason, she’d dared to hope. Obviously there was a good explanation why he’d never called. He simply didn’t care enough.

“I had a message from my boss,” she said, her voice completely level. “He has a gelding that might be suitable. Was used for some polo scenes last year and knows the game. He was also a stand-in on a couple movies and short films. Might be a good horse for Grace…and Santiago could teach her.”

“Horses actually have stand-ins?” Alex’s chuckle was quick and amused, and he totally ignored her comment about Santiago.

“Four horses played Reckless in the racing movie,” she said. “Dan said this gelding is adaptable so they kept him around thinking they could use him on another polo movie. But he doesn’t have enough speed.”

“Grace would be ecstatic to have a horse that was in a movie,” Alex said. “Do you think he’s quiet enough?”

“He worked on movie sets so he’s used to commotion. But if he’s trained to rear or do other stunts, he could be dangerous.”

“Can we look at him? Where’s the horse now?”

“At the Three Brooks Equine Center in West Virginia. Too far. I can’t leave Gramps that long.” She gave a little shrug. She’d love to visit her old workplace and the horse might be perfect, but it was over a thousand miles away. And while she wanted to help Grace and Alex, her grandfather took precedence.

“No problem,” Alex said. “We can take my plane.”

He spoke about taking his plane like most people talked about taking their car. But his parents had always owned a private jet. Naturally he had one too. “Sometimes I forget how wealthy you are,” she admitted.

“One of the many things I love about you, Cass.”

His voice sounded odd and she tilted her head, checking his expression. His face was mere inches away and he was looking at her so tenderly it made her breath stall. His gaze dropped to her mouth and the color of his eyes changed, darkened. The air crackled. Even the birds silenced as if alarmed by his intensity.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. Could only feel.

His masculine scent surrounded her, leaving every inch of her skin tingling. Her tender nipples jutted against her shirt. Her brain screamed warnings but her traitorous body arched toward him. Even her lips felt thick, full, parting in invitation…

“Dad!”

She jerked back.

“Dad,” Grace repeated. She rushed toward them, waving her mallet in one hand, the bucket of balls in the other. “I found every ball I hit. Some of them were hard to see because of those white flowers.”

Cassie sat up, her arms clutching her knees. Alex had already risen, his movements unusually stiff for such an athletic man.

“Good job,” he said. “And tomorrow Santiago can give you some pointers.”

“But what about my lessons here? I want Cassie.”

“Everyone wants her,” Alex said. His voice shifted as he glanced over his shoulder, his heated eyes locked on Cassie. “But she’s flying to West Virginia with me tomorrow. We need to look after some long-overdue…business affairs.”

Cassie leaned closer to the curved window, peering down at the fields as the plane gained altitude. Thoroughbred farms had a distinctive appearance from the air with their white fences and oval training tracks. She hoped the pilot would circle to the east, over the vast Sutherland Estate. Then maybe she could pick out Gramps’ tiny farm. However, in seconds a wall of clouds blocked her view.

“Coffee? Fruit?” Alex asked, unclipping his seatbelt. “There are also fresh bagels and muffins.”

She gave an appreciative nod, rose and followed him down the plane’s short aisle. Her grandfather had still been sleeping when Alex picked her up, and she’d barely had time to grain and hay the horses. There certainly had been no time for breakfast.

“This is a beautiful plane.” She glanced around, absorbing the white leather sofa, the surprisingly wide aisle and the spacious food and drink galley. She’d been on chartered flights for her wrangler’s job and had flown into some remote locations, but Alex’s jet reached a different level of luxury. “Do you use it a lot?”

“Definitely.” He opened a gleaming stainless steel fridge and pulled out a tray of fruit. “I do a lot of business up here. A plane saves time and is the one place where privacy is guaranteed.”

His property was gated so she suspected he was talking about getting away from Rachel. Clearly his ex-wife took a keen interest in his activities. Maybe this was where Alex brought his girlfriends. It was obvious he didn’t want any permanent entanglements; his life was devoted to Grace.

But he must be getting sex somewhere. She knew for a fact he was extremely virile. Although maybe he continued to sleep with Rachel. That would explain why she still lived on the estate. And why she was so obsessed about keeping other women away.

Cassie spotted a bed tucked behind a privacy curtain and jerked her gaze away. She didn’t want to think about Alex’s ex-wife or how many other women he might have. And if he did use that back room to check out the talents of his female business associates, it was none of her business.

“A plane makes travel easier,” Alex said, his perceptive eyes on her face. “Less time in airports and a flexible schedule lets me come home every evening. Sometimes Grace flies with me. That bed was added for her,” he added. “It’s not a casting couch.”

“I didn’t think that.” She fumbled with a bagel. “Not really.”

“Yes, you did,” he said quietly. “Maybe you’ve been in the movie industry too long. Have you ever thought about training and teaching back here?”

“Gramps would like that.”

“So would I,” he said. He passed her a plate. “Do you still like mango? There’s some here. Kiwi as well.”

She took the serving spoon he pressed into her fingers, barely listening as he teased about how dubious she’d been the first time she’d tasted mango. But her mind was whirling.
He wants me to move back!
That was the first time he’d actually said it. And he certainly wasn’t the type to say things he didn’t mean.

Her chest swelled with an airy hope and she felt light enough to fly. Didn’t need this beautiful plane. She scooped some fruit on her plate, picked up some cream cheese for her bagel and even remembered to add a splash of milk to her coffee. But she was on auto pilot now, her mind whirling.

They’d always been good together, enjoying the same things and making each other feel whole. Already it seemed like they’d never been apart. Alex even looked younger, and the lines around his mouth had smoothed.

He’d seated himself beside her on the sofa, his arm brushing against her while he ate. And it felt so right.

“We don’t have much time,” he said, almost apologetically. “The plane will be landing in twenty minutes so we need to eat fast.”

She was too happy to have much of an appetite so that wasn’t an issue. She nibbled at her fruit then took another sip of coffee. She needed to put his words away for now and focus on the real reason they were flying to South Virginia—to find Grace a horse. It needed to be a quick trip. She didn’t want Gramps doing any barn chores.

“The equine center is a half hour from the Three Brooks airport,” she said. “And the airport is small. So it would save time if we call ahead and book a taxi.”

“We’re landing at a private strip,” he said. “A driver will be waiting on the tarmac.”

She nodded, not really surprised that he had already made arrangements or that they were using a private strip. But even Derek Burke, owner of the Center, relied on public planes. When she was young, she’d been accustomed to Alex’s wealth—the expensive horses and fancy cars—but now he had even bigger toys.

“You’ve done well with Sutherland Holdings,” she said quietly. “Managing all those investments. I gather you didn’t wreck its net worth.”

“Doubled it,” he said.

She almost spilled her coffee. Then she gave his fingers a congratulatory squeeze. “That’s wonderful.” Her voice rang with pride. “Remember those reporters saying a playboy like you would fritter it all away? That the only thing you knew was polo. I wish your father could see what you’ve done.”

“So do I. Maybe he would have been happy about it but I don’t know. I’ve changed some strategies. Our management team is investing more in the Pacific Rim now, not so much in Europe. ”

“He would have been very proud,” she said.

Alex looked skeptical, his expression reminding her of all the times he’d tried to please his parents, only to be disappointed. They’d been so aloof, letting him grow up thinking he was undeserving, barely noticing his considerable accomplishments. Certainly never acknowledging them.

“You were always so good at sports, at school, everything,” she said, remembering how he’d tutored her in math when Gramps had thrown up his hands in despair. “I think they were always proud of you. They just weren’t good at showing it.”

His spontaneous chuckle made her grin, and they both smiled at each other, because the thought of Alex’s parents showing any kind of approval was frankly quite ludicrous. He reached up and cupped her face. “Damn, I missed you, Cass.”

His thumb skimmed her cheek, then caressed the top of her lip, his eyes holding hers. Her breath leaked out. She didn’t want to tell him to stop, even if she were capable of speech—which she wasn’t. Merely breathing was hard enough. Her entire body quivered with desire, his very closeness filling her with anticipation.

Then his mouth replaced the pad of his thumb and her lips automatically parted. Pleasure shot through her as his tongue linked with hers, and he kissed her with a hungry intensity. By the time he lifted his head, she clutched his shoulders with both hands, her breath reduced to gasps. A warning sounded on the intercom above her head, and she heard Alex’s regretful groan.

“We’re landing in ten minutes,” he said, his mouth pressed against the side of her neck. And it was obvious that his breathing was every bit as ragged as hers. “We need to move back to our seats and belt in.”