confrontation in the Sloan and Sloan boardroom . Cade flexed his shoulder blades, and refused to dwell in the past, preferring to stand grounded in the present.
“Hardheaded as ever,” his uncle muttered, then grinned, following his line of vision.
Cade ignored the bait, and watched the stranger waltz Nina out to the terrace. A battering ram struck center of his solar plexus, and he tautened every muscle in his body to offset the unwelcome reaction. Nina, his wife, his—he nearly gagged, but managed to siphon a gallon of oxygen into his lungs—dancing away with this man—his suspect.
“My, these Greeks do enjoy life…
kefi
, they call it.”His uncle tossed back his drink, placed the tumbler on a passing waiter’s tray and reached for another.
“Yeah.” Cade straightened the cuffs of his jacket sleeves and made to stride past him. “If you’ll excuse me,
uncle
.”
A feather-light touch on his forearm halted him.
“Come, introduce me to your lovely bride.” A woman in her fifties looped her arm with his uncle’s, her words almost a query.
Cade barely glanced at her, but he caught the wobble in her voice.
A memory nicked his thoughts. He was unable to grasp it, and it dissolved, leaving in its wake a gaping hole. Instinctively, he knew some day he’d have to find out what caused it, but it wouldn’t be today.
“Some other time,” he said, his words gruff. A shard of ice poked his chest.Shaking his head at the unexpected jab, he strode onto the terrace and at the sight of Nina, the ice melted.
She was alone.
Relief blasted through him, then a myriad of other feelings. Not wanting to plow through the reason his heart thudded like a sledgehammer on steel girders, he pushed them aside. She was leaning against the banister, staring out to sea, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her; toss her over his shoulder and march to his lair, to keep her close, feeling her against him, to—
Caveman tactics would not work here, Cade
.
A raw sound burst from him, and he stepped nearer.
She spun around and practically choking the champagne flute between her fingers, made to sidestep him.
“Running away already?” he challenged.
She laughed, a brittle sound. “Hardly, with your hounds on the prowl.”
He didn’t pretend not to understand what she referred to. “Just ensuring my asset stays intact…er…stays put.” He tempered his words with a grin, but his unyielding tone didn’t go amiss.
“I did not break the deal.” Once more, she made to push past him but he stepped up at the same moment so her breasts bumped his chest.
She drew in a sharp breath.
He expelled his in force.
“You did,” she accused.
He lifted a brow in query.
“Don’t play the innocent,” Nina fired, attacking the enemy. “I heard you on the phone the day of our wedding.”
He shook his head. “That was over a year ago.”
“Let me refresh your memory.” Her mouth felt dry and her pulse raced. But she didn’t care. She was out to let rip what she’d been holding in for far too long. She licked her lips.
His brows knitted, and a cyclone brewed in his eyes.
Danger crackled in the air.
“Then it’s true,” he baited, his hips touching hers.
“What?” The word a breath of sound, the ocean breeze a balm to her tattered nerves.
She’d sensed him the moment he stepped up behind her; the subtle scent of his cologne a trigger to her emotions. Prickles erupted on her spine and spread all over her body. Her stomach did funny things, her lungs ached for oxygen and her palms dampened. A droplet slid between her breasts, seeping into her bra. She wanted to both lean back into his powerful frame and run from him.
“That women don’t forget a thing.”
“You’re the expert.”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Your mug was plastered on the front page of practically every New York magazine with your latest conquest.”
“Media’s out to sell copy. Scandal sells.” He grazed his cheek with the back of
“Hardheaded as ever,” his uncle muttered, then grinned, following his line of vision.
Cade ignored the bait, and watched the stranger waltz Nina out to the terrace. A battering ram struck center of his solar plexus, and he tautened every muscle in his body to offset the unwelcome reaction. Nina, his wife, his—he nearly gagged, but managed to siphon a gallon of oxygen into his lungs—dancing away with this man—his suspect.
“My, these Greeks do enjoy life…
kefi
, they call it.”His uncle tossed back his drink, placed the tumbler on a passing waiter’s tray and reached for another.
“Yeah.” Cade straightened the cuffs of his jacket sleeves and made to stride past him. “If you’ll excuse me,
uncle
.”
A feather-light touch on his forearm halted him.
“Come, introduce me to your lovely bride.” A woman in her fifties looped her arm with his uncle’s, her words almost a query.
Cade barely glanced at her, but he caught the wobble in her voice.
A memory nicked his thoughts. He was unable to grasp it, and it dissolved, leaving in its wake a gaping hole. Instinctively, he knew some day he’d have to find out what caused it, but it wouldn’t be today.
“Some other time,” he said, his words gruff. A shard of ice poked his chest.Shaking his head at the unexpected jab, he strode onto the terrace and at the sight of Nina, the ice melted.
She was alone.
Relief blasted through him, then a myriad of other feelings. Not wanting to plow through the reason his heart thudded like a sledgehammer on steel girders, he pushed them aside. She was leaning against the banister, staring out to sea, and he wanted to wrap his arms around her; toss her over his shoulder and march to his lair, to keep her close, feeling her against him, to—
Caveman tactics would not work here, Cade
.
A raw sound burst from him, and he stepped nearer.
She spun around and practically choking the champagne flute between her fingers, made to sidestep him.
“Running away already?” he challenged.
She laughed, a brittle sound. “Hardly, with your hounds on the prowl.”
He didn’t pretend not to understand what she referred to. “Just ensuring my asset stays intact…er…stays put.” He tempered his words with a grin, but his unyielding tone didn’t go amiss.
“I did not break the deal.” Once more, she made to push past him but he stepped up at the same moment so her breasts bumped his chest.
She drew in a sharp breath.
He expelled his in force.
“You did,” she accused.
He lifted a brow in query.
“Don’t play the innocent,” Nina fired, attacking the enemy. “I heard you on the phone the day of our wedding.”
He shook his head. “That was over a year ago.”
“Let me refresh your memory.” Her mouth felt dry and her pulse raced. But she didn’t care. She was out to let rip what she’d been holding in for far too long. She licked her lips.
His brows knitted, and a cyclone brewed in his eyes.
Danger crackled in the air.
“Then it’s true,” he baited, his hips touching hers.
“What?” The word a breath of sound, the ocean breeze a balm to her tattered nerves.
She’d sensed him the moment he stepped up behind her; the subtle scent of his cologne a trigger to her emotions. Prickles erupted on her spine and spread all over her body. Her stomach did funny things, her lungs ached for oxygen and her palms dampened. A droplet slid between her breasts, seeping into her bra. She wanted to both lean back into his powerful frame and run from him.
“That women don’t forget a thing.”
“You’re the expert.”
He cocked his head to the side.
“Your mug was plastered on the front page of practically every New York magazine with your latest conquest.”
“Media’s out to sell copy. Scandal sells.” He grazed his cheek with the back of
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