Marriage Made on Paper(20)
“That’s why you don’t seem the type.”
“I used to dream about the ocean,” she said without thinking. “In Kansas we have seas of cornfields. No ocean. I thought if I could see the ocean … it was like the world would be open to me. Endless possibilities on the horizons.”
As soon as she finished she wished she hadn’t said anything. She’d never told anyone that before, not even any of her friends. Her dreams had always been her own. She had a really nice group of friends, but they kept things casual, not really in depth. And that was how she liked things in general with people. Now she felt horribly exposed, and to Gage of all people, who always seemed like he could see into her, like he knew things about her even she didn’t know.
“It’s a good dream,” he said. “And now you have it.”
She nodded once. “Part of it.”
“You want success.”
“I want unsurpassed success in my field,” she said.
“Something I understand.”
“You have that kind of success, Gage.”
He offered her a partial smile. “Yet, I still want more. It’s never quite enough, that’s the thing about ambition. But that’s what keeps me going, and in business, you have to keep going. Money doesn’t wait for you. If I wasn’t building this resort, someone else would be, and it would be my missed opportunity. As it is, it’s my payday and someone else’s regret.”
“You don’t do regret, do you?” she asked.
“I make sure I never need to.”
They pulled onto a road that was newer than the main highway, the pavement dark and smooth as the road curved around the base of sheer rock face covered with vines and moss. The road led up the mountain and the foliage grew thicker and greener and palm trees and other topical plants grew thick along the roadside.
It certainly hadn’t been overtaken by Forrestation Inc., as some of the environmental groups had feared. With the exception of the road, Lily could barely make out any signs of civilization.
The partially built resort was at the top of the mountain, with a clear view of the crystalline ocean and the white sand beaches. Paths led from the main building and into the trees and, she assumed, to the separate teakwood villas.
The limo came to a halt and Lily got out without waiting for Gage, or the driver, to open her door for her.
“It has a view of the ocean,” Gage said, coming to stand beside her.
She cleared her throat. “Yes, it does.” It bothered her now, that he had that little piece of her. Now he knew what to say, and he knew why this place was so perfect to her. He would know what she was thinking.
She shrugged off the unsettling thought. “So, where am I staying?”
“We are staying in the house I had built for my own personal use.”
The thought of staying with him did not settle well. “Why are we staying together?”
“The board is visiting. That means we have to look as cozy as possible.”
“But it’s a whole house?”
“Yes. More than three thousand square feet. You’ll never have to see me. Unless you want to, of course.”
The look that he gave her was so heated it made her body temperature skyrocket. His meaning wasn’t implied so much as stated. Boldly, explicitly.
“I don’t,” she said, tight-lipped, knowing how uptight she sounded.
He lifted an eyebrow. “What if there’s a business matter we need to discuss?”
“Then I’ll look for you.”
“What did you think I meant, Lily?”
She made a scoffing sound in the back of her throat. “You know perfectly well what … because it’s what you were implying.” He was flustering her. Honestly flustering her. That did not happen. Ever.
He didn’t say anything. Didn’t even try to break the thick silence with a clever comment. He only looked at her, his blue eyes roaming over her body, making her feel like he was undressing her. Like she was already undressed. Like he could see everything. Every flaw, every imperfection, every bit of her.
She looked away, throat dry. “Okay, so where’s the house?”
“Just down the path.”
He surprised her by opening the trunk of the limousine and taking their suitcases out himself before heading down the heavily wooded trail. She followed him, as best she could in her stilettos, which were not made for a natural path, however nicely constructed.
She wobbled and pitched forward, catching herself on his broad shoulders, her breasts crushed against his back. He stopped, his body stiff and strong beneath her weight. Her heart thundered heavily, both from the near fall, and from being so close to him again.