Authors: Ruth Cardello
“He’ll put it inside the trunk for you,” Charles assured her.
Melanie held it tighter beneath her arm. “I don’t mind carrying it.” The driver opened the rear door to the town car and Melanie slid in, not stopping until she was sitting on the opposite end of the seat. Charles kindly made no mention of the large space her action left between them.
“Where are you staying?” Charles asked.
Information that Melanie had memorized earlier flew out of her head. She swung her backpack around and opened the front pocket. A ticket. Lip gloss. A napkin she thought she might need later. No itinerary. She unzipped the second pocket. A magazine. A phone. More napkins. Some wet wipes.
God, I’m such a mother. Shit.
“I know where I’m staying,” she said angrily.
Charles watched her wordlessly.
“I have it all written out on an itinerary: the reservation number, the address. Everything.” Her hands shook and fumbled with one of the fastenings.
How the hell am I going to find Jace’s father if I can’t even fucking find my hotel? Stop. Breathe.
“It’s in this bag somewhere.”
He placed a hand on her thigh and she nearly shot through the roof of the car. Her eyes whipped up from her backpack and riveted to his. “Take your time,” he said smoothly. “No rush.”
His voice was husky and deep. Melanie’s breath caught in her throat. She felt her cheeks warm with a raging blush that was half embarrassment and half a heated response to his touch. She shifted away from him and turned her attention back to her search. A moment later, in the third section she opened, she found the piece of paper with the hotel address on it.
Charles took the paper from her hands. “Would you like t
o . . .
”
“I can’t stay with you,” Melanie said in a rush. “I’m not staying with you.”
Both of his gorgeous eyebrows rose, but his tone remained neutral. “I was going to ask if you wanted to stop anywhere for anything you might have forgotten.”
Melanie sank into the leather seat and covered her face with one hand, wishing she were anywhere but there. “Thank you, no. I have everything I need.”
Charles told the driver the name of her hotel and they pulled out into traffic. As they drove into the heart of the city, the streets were crowded with people. If she had been there for any other reason, Melanie would have appreciated the differences between the rural lifestyle sh
e’d
been raised in and the bustle of the city streets.
But New York didn’t matter.
The man beside her didn’t, either.
There was too much at stake to worry about what Charles thought of her. “Sarah said this is your first trip to New York City.”
Melanie nodded but didn’t turn away from the window.
“How long will you be here?” he asked.
“Maybe a day. Maybe a week.”
“Is there anything yo
u’d
like to see while you’re here? A play perhaps? I could have my secretary procure tickets to almost anywhere. It doesn’t matter if the event says it’s sold out. Everyone keeps some tickets on the side.”
For just the briefest moment, she imagined he was offering to go with her, but quickly decided not to make a fool of herself yet again and simply shook her head no.
“Normally I would offer to take you to dinner this evening, but I didn’t know you were coming. I have plans that are, unfortunately, impossible to change.”
How polite. How utterly civilized and the polar opposite of the way h
e’d
been in Texas. She thought back to the first time they met. H
e’d
been furious with the idea that his sister was shacking up for the summer with the cowboy. H
e’d
walked onto Tony Carlton’s ranch like h
e’d
owned it and gone head-to-head with a man most wouldn’t have had the nerve to tangle with. H
e’d
been cold and dismissive—and more than a little insulting even to her. At least until she had thrown a glass of lemonade in his face and told him what she thought of him and how he was treating his sister.
Sarah said that, despite how he appeared, Charles would do anything for his family. Well, he was certainly proving her right. For Sarah’s sake, his attempts to make Melanie feel welcome were unwavering.
And I’m being rude by not even looking at him while he makes polite conversation with me. Why? Because despite how tough I look on the outside, I am not. I’m scared, and I don’t want him to see it in my eyes.
The car pulled up in front of her hotel. The driver opened the door. Charles stepped out and offered a hand to Melanie, but she ignored it. The less she touched him, the better. Her body wasn’t on the same page as her brain for this trip. It wanted to fling itself into his arms and beg him to come inside with her. Lust and loneliness were a powerful combination.
If I threw myself at him, would his rejection be as polite and awkward as our conversation has been?
I should be grateful he’s not attracted to me. This trip is already complicated enough.
The bellman took her bag. Charles stepped aside for a moment to speak with someone in the lobby while Melanie checked in.
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” Charles said when he returned. His deep voice sent ripples of pleasure through her.
Melanie’s breath caught in her throat.
Is there anything about him that isn’t above average?
Her eyes dropped to his crotch instinctively and she blushed.
Stop. I don’t even like men in suits.
Well, not most men.
Charles had an air of power that made his clothing choice irrelevant. Men and women alike stopped to watch him, and not only because he was a classically handsome man with broad shoulders and a square chin. No, he had what her friends back home would call the “don’t-fuck-with-me” attitude. It gave his polished exterior an edge. People stopped and stared at him, sensing he was important even if they weren’t sure who he was.
“You don’t have to call me.” Melanie looked down at her worn jeans and hugged her backpack tighter. “I may not even still be here.”
He took out his card and wrote on the back of it before handing it to her. “If you need anything, this is my cell phone number.”
Melanie stashed it in her backpack, then raised her eyes to meet his. Her heart beat double time in her chest. She had no intention of calling him.
He waited for her to say something. Melanie shifted her feet awkwardly and buried her hands in her front pockets. “Thank you for the ride.”
He glanced at his watch and swore. “I hate to leave, but I’m late. Do you have everything you need?”
Melanie nodded even though nothing could’ve been further from the truth. She fought back the desire to call out his name when he turned and strode across the foyer and back out to his car.
As he walked away, Melanie sank into one of the chairs in the lobby and covered her face with her hands. In a moment she would head up to her room, put a huge smile on her face, and video chat with her son. She would thank Sarah for sending someone to meet her and tell her again how grateful she was for everything.
Yes, she would look brave, happy, and appreciative.
In a minute.
She took a deep breath and kept her hands over her face.
Or maybe two.
Charles navigated the award ceremony on autopilot. Despite this one being held in Manhattan, many of these events were reruns of prior ones. The same people. The same conversations. People came to them either because they cared about the cause or they wanted people to think they did. He didn’t waste his time trying to sort out which category any of them fell into. He supported the causes the same way he supported his family—financially and from a distance.
He smiled graciously as he received the award and posed for the cameras. He shook hands with all the right people, inquired about their families, and walked away from them, instantly forgetting each interaction as soon as it ended.
He was debating how soon he could leave the event, even while the mayor was telling him about his last golfing trip and some mishap that was supposed to be amusing. Charles listened just enough to smile at the right times, but couldn’t have been farther away in his head.
Just before h
e’d
exited the hotel, h
e’d
made the mistake of glancing back at Melanie. The sight of her with her hands over her face in despair haunted him.
I should have stayed with her.
And then what?
She needed a friend, not a lover. And Charles didn’t do friendships with women.
He didn’t get involved.
His cock countered with an opinion of its own. It didn’t care why sh
e’d
come to New York. Just the thought of having her in the same city was enough to keep it in a constant, throbbing state of arousal.
Stand down, nothing is going to happen. She’s not my problem. She’ll call Sarah if she needs a sympathetic ear.
Still, he couldn’t shake the image of her in the hotel foyer. What had brought her to New York and why was she so sad?
If she wanted my help she would have asked for it.
I was right to leave.
I don’t get involved with women who have children.
I don’t date them.
I don’t fuck them.
Children have always been and will always be a deal breaker.
Sarah often called Charles overprotective, but in reality, when it had counted, he had failed to protect the one who had most needed him.
And that was something he could never forgive himself for.
Something h
e’d
never put himself in a position to do again.
“Charles, if I can have a moment?” Mason broke in to the conversation between Charles and the mayor and pulled his friend away. Together they walked to a small landing that looked out over the throngs gathered for the event.
Frowning, Charles asked, “What do you need?”
“Me? Nothing. You need to stop smiling while the mayor tells you about the issues he’s having with getting funding for his latest project.”
“Shit, I wasn’t paying attention.” Charles looked back at the mayor, who was talking to his wife and waving his hands around as if reenacting their conversation. “I thought he was still talking about his golf trip.”
Mason’s eyebrows snapped together in consternation. “Hey, I can cancel my plans for tonight. Let’s go for a drink. You look like you need one.”
Charles shook his head. “No. I have work waiting for me. And a long day tomorrow.”
“Something is bothering you. I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Like what?” Charles asked impatiently.
“Guilty?” Mason said slowly. “Like you’re holding in a secret that’s eating at you. You didn’t embezzle money or anything, did you? Is that why your company has been doing so well lately?”
“Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
“We’ve been friends long enough you can be honest with me. I know some awesome lawyers.”
“I didn’t steal anything.” When Mason looked like he was going to ask another question, Charles said, “I didn’t kill anyone, either.”
Mason took a flute of champagne from a passing server and downed it. He made a face and handed the glass to the next server who walked past them. “I’ll never understand why they can’t serve good beer at these events. Now, spill. What’s going on?”
“It’s been a long day. I rushed from work to pick up someone at the airport, then came straight here. I’m tired, not guilty.”
Mason winked at a woman across the room and then continued, unconvinced. “Who flew in?”
“Melanie.”
Mason choked, gasped for air, and asked, “
The
Melanie? She’s in New York?”
Charles nodded, then looked away.
“No wonder you can’t concentrate. What the fuck are you doing here?”
“I couldn’t not show. I was the main speaker.”
“But you could leave now.”
“I told you, there is nothing between us. My sister asked me to meet her at the airport when she landed and I did. That’s all that happened. That’s all that is going to happen. There is no reason for me to see her again before she leaves.”
Mason put a hand on his shoulder. “This is so pathetic it’s adorable. I may have to hug you.”
Charles shrugged his touch off. “You’ve spent way too much time in California with your touchy-feely friends. Keep your damn hands to yourself.”
Mason laughed. “Hopefully, that’s not what my date will tell me tonight.”
Charles looked at his friend and gave him a reluctant smile. “She will if she has any sense.”
With a shameless grin, Mason said, “I can’t help it if women lust for me. It would be wrong for me to deny them what they crave. I’m not cruel like that.”
“Are you ever going to grow up?” Charles asked.
“Not unless I find a good reason to.” He covered his heart with one hand dramatically. “Maybe someday I’ll meet my Melanie and reform my ways. But tonight it’s Danielle and maybe Tina if they’re interested in that possibility.”
Charles rolled his eyes.
Mason laughed again. “You’re such a prude. Is it the cold weather that does it? Makes you all uptight out here? You’ve got to learn to relax.”
“You
relax
enough for both of us.”
They stood shoulder to shoulder watching the crowd below. Suddenly serious, Mason said, “I can’t believe the woman you have the hots for is in New York and you’re going to piss away the opportunity.”
Charles frowned. He saw her in his mind again as vividly as if she were sitting before him. “I suppose I should call to confirm that she settled in okay.”
Clapping a hand on his friend’s back, Mason said, “Whatever you need to tell yourself, Charlie.”
Chapter Three
T
ucked into her hotel bed, Melanie closed her eyes with relief when the local news station finally began to highlight the weather. She was used to sleeping to the quiet country sounds of nature and had been a light sleeper since the day sh
e’d
brought Jace home from the hospital. The walls of her hotel were thin enough that she heard the occasional conversation and one woman’s repeated high-pitched laugh. Sh
e’d
turned on the television hoping the noise would help her sleep better.
That didn’t happen
.
Sh
e’d
just finished watching clips of Charles receiving an award for his philanthropic donations to a long list of charities. Sound bites of his speech aired again and again along with images of him shaking hands with prominent members of government and visiting famous people.
In his tuxedo, he looked every bit who he was—a member of New York’s wealthy elite. She cringed as she remembered how h
e’d
held her in the airport. No doubt shuttling his sister’s friend around was the last thing he wanted to be doing before his big event. A weepy hot mess of a friend at that.
She flipped off the television and rolled over onto her side.
Stop thinking about what doesn’t matter. Tomorrow is going to be tough enough without losing sleep over someone who has probably already forgotten I’m here.
She closed her eyes, but her mind raced in circles, preventing sleep. At least Jace was happy. When sh
e’d
called him earlier, h
e’d
excitedly told her about his day. Between Sarah, Tony, and David, the
y’d
kept him so busy he didn’t have time to miss her. Thankfully, h
e’d
forgotten about the cookies, so her plan to pass off store-bought ones as his had been unnecessary.
Which made her grateful and, selfishly, a little sad at the same time.
Although she wanted him to be happy, his acceptance of the situation fed into her greatest fear that he would one day leave her.
Jace was all she had.
What if Todd wanted to see him often? Would he sue for partial custody? Would they become a family of scheduled sharing?
Will he want Jace to stay with him in New York?
Just the idea of letting Jace go off with anyone, even a man who was biologically his father, was terrifying. H
e’d
be a complete stranger to Jace.
To me, too.
No one stayed the same. Todd wouldn’t be the young man sh
e’d
slept with. What kind of person had he become? He likely had a career by now, maybe a wife, and possibly children.
Would that woman welcome or resent Jace?
Once I do this, it can’t be undone. Everything might change once Todd knows about Jace. Am I ready for that?
No matter how much
I’d
like to, I can’t pretend Jace doesn’t have a father.
And Todd deserves to know that he has a son.
The ring of her cell phone startled her. Anxious something might have happened with her son, she scrambled in the darkness for the phone and answered it in a breathless rush. “Yes?”
“Melanie, it’s Charles. I hope it’s not too late to call you.”
“Oh,” she said and sagged with relief into the bed. “No. I was still awake.”
“I wanted to make sure you settled in okay.”
“I did.”
After a pause, Charles said, “Come to dinner with me tomorrow.”
Because Sarah doesn’t want me to be alone or because you want to see me?
Melanie hated that she cared what his answer to that question would be, but she didn’t let herself ask it. She wasn’t sure she could handle either possibility. “I have plans, but thank you.”
“Lunch, then?”
“That’s not necessary. I’m sure you’re busy.”
“I’m beginning to think you don’t like me,” he said softly. The purr in his voice sent a shiver of need down her spine.
If you only knew.
“I know Sarah asked you to check in with me while I’m here, and I really appreciate that you have. Especially considering the night you’ve had. I was just watching you on the news. I feel awful that you rushed off to meet me before something like that.”
“I’m glad you saw the news clip. If I hadn’t been the main speaker, I would have skipped the event an
d . . .
” He didn’t say what he would have done. “Why are you in New York, Melanie? Is it something I can help you with?”
Melanie wondered what Charles would say if she asked him to find the father of her child.
Could he ever understand why I kept the truth to myself for so long?
He didn’t look like a man who feared anyone or anything.
How could I ever begin to explain to him the weight of regret and a shame that only grew the longer I denied it?
Until I felt trapped by both.
I had so many opportunities to do the right thing.
I should have called Todd when I first found out I was carrying his child. I could have told him when Jace was born. I did this to myself.
“Thank you, Charles, but this is something I have to do on my own.” She cleared her throat. “You’ve done more than enough for me already. Sarah’s lucky to have a brother like you.” When he didn’t comment, she continued. “I’m sorry. It’s late and I’m tired. Thanks again for calling.”
She went to hang up, but he said, “Melani
e . . .
”
She put the phone back to her ear. “Yes?”
After a long pause, he said, “Good night.”
She let out a shaky sigh. “Good night.” She hung up and tucked the phone beneath her pillow. It would have been so easy to agree to meet Charles. And would it have been wrong? Since the moment Jace was born, Melanie had put aside what she wanted for what he needed.
She didn’t regret a moment of it, but stepping outside of that life to go to New York made her realize how profoundly lonely she had become. It had been almost six years since sh
e’d
kissed a man. Todd hadn’t been her first, but h
e’d
been her last.
Did Charles want more than dinner?
Melanie allowed herself to imagine what it would be like if he did. Did he have a sense of humor beneath his serious exterior? How did he feel about children? What would a first kiss be like with a powerful man like Charles? Would he hold her as he did in the airport and gently explore her lips, or would he take her mouth with a boldness that would leave her shaking in her cowboy boots?
She closed her eyes and pulled the blankets up around her.
It doesn’t matter because I’m never going to find out.
Frustrated, Charles threw his tuxedo jacket on the back of a chair as he walked through his apartment. He wasn’t a vain man, but he also wasn’t used to being brushed off by a woman. Especially not by one he wanted.
And that was the heart of the problem—when he spoke to her, nothing mattered except his need to see her again. Distracted, he uncharacteristically dropped his clothing as he walked. He had someone who came during the day a couple of times each week to tidy his apartment, but there wasn’t much for her to do. He was at work most of the day, returning home to sleep. Occasionally June would have his housekeeper leave him something to eat, but typically his refrigerator was as empty as his apartment. Like his living room furniture, his house staff was mostly an unused luxury.
Charles wasn’t a man who fumbled over his words or wavered in the face of a decision. Or he hadn’t been, before Melanie. She had him all tangled up and confused.
He wanted to save her.
Claim her.
He met beautiful women all the time, but they didn’t send his thoughts scattering and his blood rushing wildly downward with just one soulful look.
Only one woman had the power to do that.
Melanie, with her hair wild and free, as natural as the skin she didn’t hide beneath a mask of makeup. He wanted to discover how much of her was tan and taste all the places the sun hadn’t kissed.
Walking naked into the bathroom, Charles turned on the shower. He told himself to forget her. H
e’d
be better off calling any one of the women h
e’d
been with over the past few years, but he couldn’t remember why any of them had appealed to him.
Melanie was a fascinating mixture of grit and vulnerability. His first impression of her had been of a passionate, strong woman who feared nothing and needed no one. However, the woman h
e’d
picked up at the airport earlier had looked lost and alone.
He should have pressed her to explain why sh
e’d
come to New York.
He didn’t like not knowing what was upsetting her.
Liked even less that he couldn’t put her out of his mind.
He called his sister. “Sarah, it’s Charles.”
“Charlie,” Sarah said with happy surprise. “I’m so glad you called. I spoke to Melanie earlier. Thank you so much for picking her up. I feel better knowing that she’s not there alone.”
“About that. Is she in some sort of trouble? What is she doing here?”
His sister was uncharacteristically quiet, and her hesitancy fueled unwelcome curiosity within Charles. He waited, knowing that Sarah wouldn’t be able to hold her silence long. Eventually she said softly, “If she didn’t tell you, I can’t.”
Irritation with himself filled Charles. Melanie was remaining in touch with his sister. She had resources she could call on if she needed someone. He didn’t need to get involved.
He should end it then and there.
Yet he said, “My schedule is flexible this week if she needs something. She can call me if she does.”
“She probably won’t, Charlie,” Sarah said gently, “Melanie is a very private person. She’s built this protective shell around herself that makes her look tougher than she is. She doesn’t like anyone to know when she’s hurting or when she’s scared, but I can tell you that she’s both right now. It’s why I feel better knowing that you’re checking in on her. I should have gone with her.”
His heart thudded heavily in his chest. “Is she ill?”
Sounding a little horrified by the idea, Sarah exclaimed, “Oh no, Charlie, nothing that extreme. I hate not being able to tell you, but I promised her I wouldn’t tell anyone. She’s not sick and she’s not in danger. That’s all I can say.”
That’s not a hell of a lot.
Charles fought down an impulse to charge over to Melanie’s hotel and demand to know everything. The surge of primal protectiveness in him was outside his civilized norm.
Control was his strength. He didn’t debate his strategies with his clients. He wrote his plan for action and gave them a choice to stay or walk away. They stayed because no matter how rich they were, they wanted more and knew he could deliver.
He was the same way with women—in control and detached.
This is what I can offer you. Take it or leave it.
Most stayed. A few walked away. Neither decision affected him for long.
He kept his relationships simple, uncomplicated—everything that Melanie wasn’t. From what Sarah was saying, Melanie needed a friend more than she needed a lover, and that wasn’t what he wanted from her. H
e’d
call her to make sure she was okay, but he needed to stay the hell away from her physically.
He said good night to his sister and hung up before he gave in and asked another question that would betray how his fascination with Melanie was bordering on an obsession. He remembered how Melanie’s voice had been husky, as if h
e’d
woken her when h
e’d
called, and fought the desire to call her to hear it one more time.
Was she sleeping?
Or was she awake and upset?
He reminded himself that either way it was none of his business.