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A perfect setting for seduction by a skilled playboy. Her imagination created a special image of herself—lounging on a floatie in his pool at night, a drink in hand, watching the boats sail by, Rick’s head coming closer, his lips tantalizing her.
Her breath caught in her chest.Not going to happen, girl.
“Next time you come, bring a bathing suit.”
Jaw sagging, she spun toward him. “Seriously?” Had he read her mind? Was he planning to invite her again?
Without answering, he held her elbow and led her to a swing. “Have a seat.”
She lowered herself onto the swinging sofa and sipped her amaretto. She wasn’t a shy person, and her job as a flight attendant had trained her to talk to all sorts of people, but this man had the power to intimidate her.
Why had he chosen this darkened area of the patio? Her pulse racing, she admired the dazzling view, and wondered how to react if ...
Chapter Four
From the corner of her eye, Madison glanced at her companion who dropped down next to her. His glass in one hand, he spread his other arm over the back of the swing—behind her back but not touching it, at least not yet. Bracing for what would come, she swallowed the rest of her drink.
She heard him exhale.
“I spent last night awake, wondering if my mother would be happy here. The loss of her locket messed up our arrival and put her in a lousy mood. Thanks to you, things improved. Now, your excitement about this place reassures me.”
Not the opening conducive to a romantic interlude. She shrugged. “Don’t worry. I’m sure she’s going to love living here.”
Who wouldn’t? But why would a single, gorgeous bachelor live with his mother? And why did he worry so much about his mom’s feelings?
Tapping his fingers on his thigh, he said, “It’s important that she gets used to this house and Fort Lauderdale before the children arrive.”
“The children?” Startled, she arched her eyebrows.
“I’m a widower. My two boys will be here before Halloween. I hope they’ll like the place and stay.”
Oh wow! He had two children. No wonder he needed his mother around.
“Where are your children now?”
“At boarding school in Switzerland. When their mother died, they were two and four. I hired nannies to care for them, but I traveled a lot for my business and couldn’t leave them alone with nannies. My friends in Dubai suggested this great school in the mountains that their own children attend. Mark and Michael were happy to be with their friends.”
Her heart ached for the kids she’d never met ... spending their lives away from loving parents. “I assume they were home for the summer?”
“Not for the entire time. They went to camp in the south of France. I call them every day at noon and speak to each one for fifteen minutes. That’s all the boarding school allows.”
“When do they see you?” she blurted.
“At Christmas, Easter, and in the summer. I take them to vacation resorts skiing in Austria or to the seashore in Italy.”
What kind of a father was this man? Locking his children away all year? She bit her tongue, not to scream her frustration, but didn’t dance around the issue.
“Expensive fancy vacations don’t replace a family atmosphere,” she chastised.
“I agree.” He frowned slightly. “They never seem happier than when they stay with their friends in Dubai.”
“Their friends have a mother?”
“Yes, apparently a lovely woman and great mother, although I’ve never met her. Mark and Michael love theirOmmy.”
“Ommy... Isn’t thatmotherin Arabic?”
“Exactly. She’s the mother of their friends Aly and Tarek, and the third wife of Prince Feisal. Her friends call her Om Aly or Mother of Aly, as is the custom there. When they’re in Dubai, my kids often stay with their friends. They have a lot of fun at the prince’s palace and are well taken care of, but ...” He sighed. “They act like their friends, like arrogant little princes—which they are not.”
