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She forced herself not to let her usual fear of rejection overwhelm her, though. Brandon Cade wasn’t like her father. Maybe he didn’t trust her yet. But, after seeing him with Ruby today, after feeling his eyes on her throughout the ceremony and reception, she was not about to give up hope.
She’d made a mistake five years ago. But she couldn’t keep apologising for it for ever. This honeymoon would give them a chance to move past it. And she was determined not to squander the opportunity.
Brandon stood at the steps of the helicopter twenty minutes later and watched his new wife walk across the dark lawn towards him—the emotions he’d kept on a tight leash for five unending hours beginning to break their bounds. Wearing jeans, a T-shirt and a long jacket to guard against the evening’s spring chill, she looked no less stunning than she had that morning when he’d turned to see her heading down the aisle of the small chapel on the mansion’s grounds. Her sister and his daughter had been following behind her in matching gowns, the crowd enchanted by the antics of the little girl and the puppy she was trying to control on its leash, while his heart had jumped into his throat and remained there most of the day.
But all his attention was now focussed on the woman. She had her sister Milly by her side again, still dressed in her maid-of-honour gown.
The two women embraced and Milly sent him a wave.
He waved back before Milly turned to go back into the house, where the reception banquet had given way to a dance set by a famous DJ several hours ago.
Putting her head down, Lacey picked her way across the grass towards him, gripping the small backpack she had slung over her shoulder. The rest of her honeymoon luggage had been loaded on the chopper ten minutes ago.
He’d felt her nerves all through the day—from the moment he’d lifted her veil and seen the sheen of emotion and determination in her eyes.
However much of a formality this marriage was supposed to be, to give Ruby the full protection of his name and his wealth, however much of a damage limitation exercise it was to shore up his reputation after the media furore of the past three weeks around the disclosure of his ‘secret child’, it now felt startlingly real.
He couldn’t give her his heart and, more to the point, he didn’t want to give her his heart, because the need for love had once made him weak.
But as she made her way towards him, her steps slowing, the wary tension in her body building, he recalled the stunned emotion piercing his chest when his daughter had called him Daddy for the first time.
Okay, maybe he did have a heart. The fierce pride and protectiveness he felt for Ruby was surely something close to love—or as close to love as he was ever likely to get?
But loving his child was very different from loving her mother. And he needed to remember that. Because loving his child did not hold the risks that came with loving Lacey. He steeled himself against the emotion squeezing his ribs as Lacey reached him and he welcomed the swift spurt of arousal.
This wasn’t love, it was simply lust.
The chopper’s blades accelerated as the pilot prepared for take-off, the engine noise whipping away any possibility of conversation.
But, as she stopped in front of him, he lifted her chin to take her lips in a harsh kiss, his tongue plundering her mouth. So what if this wasn’t a love match? He wanted her to know she was his now, in every way that mattered.
Her palms flattened against his abdomen.
He tore his lips away, refusing to take the kiss deeper, determined to maintain control.
He’d waited for three weeks, the hunger building each time he’d seen her on the video link, going a little nuts when she had been beside him while they’d exchanged their vows and later as she’d sat next to him during the never-ending wedding banquet.
But there was something about seeing her with Ruby...withhischild...that only made him want her more... And he wanted her too damn much already.
She’d played the part of the eager bride well during the day. But he knew the stunned desire in her gaze was entirely genuine. Good, because he planned to make her wait now, even if it killed him.
He refused to allow this fierce desire to put him at a disadvantage again.
Leading her into the chopper without a word, he watched her strap herself in with trembling fingers.
He was glad she had agreed to honeymoon with him alone. As much as he adored Ruby’s company, adored getting to know all the fascinating facets of his child, he also needed to ensure he took the edge off his desire for her mother. He didn’t want his physical needs to detract from what this marriage was meant to achieve.
His feelings for Lacey were far more complex than they should be. He’d already told her much more than he’d ever told any woman about his past, his miserable childhood. He couldn’t afford to let Lacey get any closer or he could fall into the trap of wanting more from her. And that would give her a power over him he had never allowed any woman to have.
As the helicopter lifted into the night, he caught a whiff of her scent—that tantalising mix of citrus soap and rose perfume which had beguiled him in the past.
Fierce need dug into his guts as he forced himself to look out into the night. The lights of the mansion glittered as guests milled around the gardens and the terrace and waved at the retreating chopper.
He wouldn’t consummate their marriage tonight. They had an eight-hour plane journey on the Cade jet once they got to Heathrow, then a two-hour boat transfer to the island.
He’d arranged for them to have separate bungalows, as per his original promise—which would give him as much time as he needed to get this incessant hunger under control while ensuring that any wayward emotions remained on a tight leash at all times too. So, when he finally took his new bride, he intended it to be on his terms—and at a time of his choosing.
CHAPTER TWELVE
