In her 100th book, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Brenda Jackson blends heated sensuality and drama into a dazzling new novel featuring one her most unforgettable Madaris heroes yet…

One by one, Madaris men have surrendered to their grandmother’s matchmaking. But Lee Madaris isn’t letting anyone else control his destiny. He’ll bring a bride of his own choosing to the family’s holiday gathering—if his hotel’s gorgeous new chef will agree to a marriage of convenience.

It’s not just the chance to work at the Strip’s hottest hotel that brought Carly Briggs to Vegas. Witnessing a crime in Miami may have made her a mob target. Though she’s reluctant to complicate their working relationship, Lee’s tempting offer is so hard to resist. And soon, desire is clouding their no-strings arrangement.

The danger that made Carly flee Miami is about to land at their door. So, Carly and Lee must decide who to trust, when to let go—and whether a love they never anticipated is strong enough to pass the ultimate test.

Praise for New York Times bestselling author

“Fans of her tender and forbidden love stories will fall head over heels for Jackson’s newest addition to the saga…sure to tantalize readers with this unforgettable tale of secret love and the unrelenting power of friendship.”

—BookPage on Inseparable

“This deliciously sensual romance ramps up the emotional stakes and the action with a bit of deception and corporate espionage. Short, sexy, and sizzling.”

—Library Journal on Intimate Seduction

“Jackson does not disappoint…first-class page-turner.”

—RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars Top Pick, on A Silken Thread

“Superb storytelling, an original plot and combustible chemistry between the leads will have readers flying through the chapters, desperate to see how Jackson’s tale ends.”

—RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars Top Pick, on Bachelor Unclaimed

“Jackson does a masterful job of drawing readers into the characters’ lives and minds as she unfolds the story of their meeting, romance and happily ever after. A page-turner from start to finish.”

—RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars Top Pick, on Hidden Pleasures

“Brenda Jackson has reached a new pinnacle of literary and commercial excellence.”

—RT Book Reviews, 4½ stars Top Pick, on One Special Moment

A Madaris Bride for Christmas

New York Times Bestselling Author

Brenda Jackson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

It gives me great pleasure to present my 100th book to you.

I would be amiss if I didn’t take this time to thank a number of people who not only made this journey with me, but who inspired me, motivated me, supported me, and made writing each and every book such a memorable experience.

I thank God for giving me the gift to write and who makes all things possible.

To the man who is the love of my life, Gerald Jackson, Sr.

My one and only. Always.

To my sons, Gerald Jr. and Brandon Jackson, who constantly make their mother proud.

To my faithful and loyal readers who motivate me to write love stories that help them escape into a world of love and romance.

I thank you and I appreciate you.

To all my editors—the late Monica Harris, Karen Thomas, Glenda Howard, Monique Patterson, Mavis Allen, Evette Porter, Kelli Martin, Brenda Chin, Stacy Boyd, Valerie Gray, Krista Stroever, Melissa Jeglinski, Joan Marlow Golan and others. Your editorial expertise helped me to present the best stories to my readers.

To my agent, Pattie Steele-Perkins.

Your unwavering support has always been appreciated.

To all the publishers who ever released a Brenda Jackson book.

I thank you for the opportunity you gave me.

To my present publisher, Harlequin. Thank you for your undying support and for always making me feel special.

To my family and friends, whose support I will always appreciate.

To my classmates from Northwestern High School and William M. Raines, Class of 1971, who were my first readers.

Special thanks to Keisha Mennefee for your assistance in my research on chefs.

Special thanks to Angie Lee, Resident Chef and Instructor, for all your information on chefs and culinary schools.

Dear Reader,

I never imagined when I penned my first book, Tonight and Forever—the love story of Justin Madaris and Lorren Jacobs—that eighteen years later I would still be writing about the Madaris family. I am proud that I began my writing career with a Madaris book and that my 100th book is based on that same family.

The Madaris Family is a special family, not just because it was my first family, but because over the years you’ve made them your family. I once said that the Madaris men have become your heroes because they represent those things you desire—men with looks to take your breath away, and who have the ability to make you appreciate the fact that you are a woman.

Over the past few Madaris books, we have seen the matriarch of the family, Mama Laverne, play matchmaker for those single men and women in her family. She feels that it’s now Lee Madaris’s time and she is determined for him to have a Madaris bride for Christmas.

I hope you enjoy reading A Madaris Bride for Christmas, and I hope you add this to your collection of the Madaris Family and Friends series.

All the Best,

Brenda Jackson

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

—Psalms 23:1

Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Epilogue

Prologue

“Are you sure you saw what you think you saw, Carly?”

Instead of answering her best friend, Carly Briggs took a sip of her drink. The liquid nearly scorched her throat going down. Vodka?

“Where did you get this?” she asked, drawing in a cooling breath. As far as she knew, the only alcohol she and Heather Kramer kept in their apartment was wine.

Heather shrugged. “Lori gave it to me. She cleaned house and said it was left over from the New Year’s Eve party she gave three years ago.”

Carly remembered that party. She and Heather had just moved to Miami and into their apartment near South Beach. Lori Cummins, a neighbor who lived in the apartment across the hall, had thrown a party that weekend and invited them.

“Now, let’s not get sidetracked,” Heather said, reclaiming Carly’s attention. “Are you sure you saw—”

“I didn’t see anything,” Carly said, her agitation not yet helped by the alcohol. “It’s what I heard—coming through a vent in the wine room. Several men were arguing in the alley outside the restaurant. They accused this guy of being a traitor. Then I heard a gunshot that seemed to be muffled with a silencer.”

The conversation was something Carly would never forget. The deep, raspy, intimidating voice of one man and the terrifying sound of another man pleading for his life. It was a wonder she hadn’t screamed and given her location away.

Instead, she’d frozen and then her surroundings went black. The next thing she remembered was being awakened by Chef Renaldo, who didn’t want to hear anything she had to say about men and gunshots. Instead, she had been scolded about going over her break time by ten minutes and not pulling her load on a busy night.

Fearing someone was possibly bleeding to death in the alley, she’d talked one of the staff waiters into going outside with her to look around. She’d made up some excuse about hearing a kitten crying. They had checked all over the place and found nothing.

“Maybe you only thought you heard it,” Heather said, looking at her with concern in her eyes. “You even admit that Chef Renaldo woke you up. Maybe you dreamed you heard it.”

Instead of taking another sip of her drink, Carly placed the glass on the table. “Why would I dream such a thing?”

Heather stood and waved off her question. “How would I know? You’ve been working a lot of crazy hours and Chef Renaldo has been getting on your last nerve. Maybe all the stress is catching up with you.”

“Maybe you’re right,” Carly said, although she knew Heather wasn’t right.

She knew what she’d heard, which was why she’d arrived home tonight needing a strong drink, why she had called the police tip line. The tip-line operators promised to scramble callers’ phone numbers so the call couldn’t be traced. She was glad it was anonymous. The last thing she wanted was for anyone to think she was a loony tune.

Carly stood. “I’m going to take a bath and go to bed. The restaurant is opening early tomorrow for a baby shower and I’ll be one of the chefs on duty to help prepare the desserts.”

“But tomorrow is your off day,” Heather reminded her.

“I know, but I can use the money.”

“Now you’re making me feel bad about moving out.”

Carly reached out and grabbed Heather’s hand. “Please don’t feel bad. It’s not every day a woman meets the man of her dreams. I love you, girl, but had it been me, I would have married Joel months ago. He’s the best.”

And she really meant it. The guy Heather had met and fallen in love with last year, Joel Garcia, was CEO of a marketing firm in Spain, where they would make their home. The wedding was planned for next month. A June wedding. And Carly was the maid of honor.

“Don’t forget that you have that job interview with the hotel in Vegas next week,” Heather reminded her, standing too.

Carly nodded. She had gotten a call from one of her instructors from the Parisian culinary school she had attended. He’d advised her that a newly opened hotel in Las Vegas was looking for a pastry chef and he had thought of her. He had wanted her to apply for the job and promised that he would highly recommend her for the position.

That Chef LaPierre would go out of his way to call her and offer her a recommendation was all the encouragement she’d needed. A few weeks later she’d received a letter inviting her to Vegas to be interviewed.

“After last night, I’m going to need the trip.”

“And the job would be nice too,” Heather said, laughing.

“Of course.”

Carly had made the right decision, moving to Miami with Heather three years ago. Heather’s job as program coordinator with a major cruise line had transferred her here, and Carly had just broken up with Nathaniel Knox, the minister she’d met while volunteering to feed the needy, after a serious relationship. At the time, leaving Porter, Connecticut, had been the best thing.

Although Carly liked Miami, there was really nothing to keep her here once Heather married and moved to Spain.

“Yes, the job in Vegas would be nice, but if that doesn’t work out, I’ll be fine here. Rumor has it that Chef Renaldo has his eye on that position opening up at a restaurant in South Beach.”

“And you hope he gets it, right?”

Carly smiled. “It would definitely make my life easier. The man can be simply horrid.”

“Well, I’m hoping something works out with that interview. Moving to Vegas would be good for you.”

Carly chuckled. “Yeah, me and Sin City. If I do get the job, the next time I go home, Aunt Ruthie is sure to pray all over me.” Ruth Briggs was the grand-aunt who’d raised her since she was a baby.

Heather threw her head back and laughed. “Yes, I can see your aunt doing that.”

Carly bade Heather good-night and made her way to her bedroom. Without Heather to distract her, her thoughts shifted back to what she’d heard through the vent earlier that evening.

She had checked the alley for victims. She’d given the police a tip. There was really nothing more she could do. First thing in the morning she would check the newspapers to see if anything was mentioned. If not, she would no longer lose sleep wondering what did or did not happen in the alley.

One week later

In the middle of the night, four men gathered in an empty warehouse near the Miami Beach marina. Even through the steel walls, the sound of waves, remnants of last week’s tropical storm, beat against the sides of the boats docked outside.

“Why was this meeting called, Palmer?” The man’s voice was deep, authoritarian and annoyed. “I thought we wouldn’t meet again until—”

“Some woman called the tip line about Harrison. Wouldn’t give a lot of information, only said she thought someone had been killed in the alley,” Palmer said. “I heard the tip but couldn’t trace the call.”

The room quieted and all gazes turned to another of the men, Addison Bracey. “I got the word earlier today from our inside man. Luckily, he intercepted the tip. He went out himself to make sure you didn’t get clumsy that night, Nash. I wish nothing had been done with Harrison until I got back from Chicago.”

There was a snort and Nash’s deep, raspy voice said, “Couldn’t wait when we found out he was a traitor. I handled it, and I didn’t get clumsy.”

“With no evidence left behind, right, Nash?” the deep authoritarian voice asked.

“No evidence was left behind,” Magnus Nash agreed. “Like I said, the problem was taken care of.”

“And the person who called the tip line?” the authoritarian voice asked.

“No one was in the alley that night, I’d swear it. But if there’s a loose end, I’ll take care of it,” Nash said haughtily.

The others were quiet until the man with the deep voice said, “Make sure that you do. My concentration needs to be on expanding the business, not on taking care of traitors. That’s your job. This meeting is adjourned.”

Chapter 1

Four months later

Lee Madaris glanced at the clock on his wall before rubbing away the tension forming in the back of his neck. Although it was nearing midnight, he was still in his office working. It was imperative that he do so.

Five potential investors would be arriving tomorrow and spending four days at the Grand MD Vegas hotel. He would be catering to them at a level that was unprecedented. The five men had enough cumulative capital to balance the national budget, if they’d chosen to do so. However, balancing the national budget wasn’t Lee’s goal. His objective was to get them to invest in his next hotel—the Grand MD Paris.

After the success of the Grand MD Dubai, as well as all the attention the hotel in Vegas had received since opening its doors four months ago, a number of investors were ready to provide funds for his next venture. But he didn’t want just anyone; he wanted men willing to take a chance on a hotel that would be astonishingly different from its two predecessors. It would be a hotel of the future.

Both Grand MD hotels had been Madaris–Di Meglio joint ventures—highly successful and breaking sales records. But the third hotel, the one planned for Paris, France, would use state-of-the-art technology while maintaining the rich architectural design Paris was known for.

Lee’s cousin and the architect in the family, Slade Madaris, had designed the first two Grand MDs and would likewise design the one proposed for Paris. Slade’s design was nothing short of a masterpiece and would be unveiled at one of the meetings this week. Slade’s twin brother, Blade, would be the structural engineer. No two Grand MD hotels would look the same. Each would have its own unique architecture and appeal.

Pulling in a deep breath, Lee returned his attention to the documents in front of him—bios on the five men. The name that topped the list was that of his grand-uncle Jake Madaris. Lee didn’t need to read his uncle’s bio.

The man was a walking genius when it came to playing the stock market, and as far back as Lee could remember, Jake had been financial adviser to the entire Madaris family. If it hadn’t been for his uncle’s smart move of establishing a trust fund for all his nieces and nephews when they were still in high school, Lee would not have had the money to partner with his good friend DeAngelo Di Meglio to build their first two hotels.

Jake and another family friend, Mitch Farrell, had been the hotels’ financial backers. Mitch—the second man on the list—and Jake had already confirmed they were on board for the Paris hotel since the last two hotels had been a successful venture for them.

However, the price tag for a Paris hotel was higher than the price of the other two combined, and Jake had suggested bringing in other investors. All were good friends of Jake’s, but his uncle had warned Lee that convincing them to invest would be Lee’s responsibility.

He was ready.

The third person on the list was Kyle Garwood, a multimillionaire who made his primary home in Atlanta. Kyle was married, the father of six. Lee liked Kyle and highly respected him.

The last two men were sheikhs from the Middle East. Sheikh Rasheed Valdemon of Mowaiti had such a close relationship with the Madaris family that he had been named an honorary family member and occasionally went by the name of Monty Madaris when he did business in the United States.

Finally, there was Rasheed’s brother-in-law, Sheikh Jamal Ari Yasir of Tahran. Lee had never met Sheikh Yasir but had heard he was a shrewd businessman, always looking for a good investment. He was married to an American woman, the former Delaney Westmoreland.

Lee would be wining and dining the five men in the Grand MD style. Everything was in place and would be set in motion as soon as they arrived tomorrow morning.

Their visit had been strategically planned down to the last detail. They would be given a tour of the hotel before they were served lunch. Since tomorrow was a traveling day, no meetings had been planned. However, early the following day, Lee’s skilled marketing team would kick things off with several video presentations and meetings. Around three, the men and their wives would be given the chance to rest and relax before a dinner fit for royalty.

Afterward, they would enjoy the nightlife Vegas was famous for—from right inside the Grand MD. The casinos, live shows, state-of-the-art IMAX theater and the exquisite mall on the fifth floor that offered twenty-four-hour shopping all guaranteed that the Grand MD would gain a reputation as the hotel that never closed.

A winning hotel had to have a winning staff. He and Angelo had handpicked all of his executives and managers. Each had hotel experience and had come with sterling résumés and excellent recommendations. He and Angelo were pleased with every staff member, and those who didn’t deliver were quickly replaced. Second-best was not an option at the Grand MD.

Lee moved away from his desk, intending to walk around and get his blood flowing, but the moment he stepped into the executive suite’s lobby he stopped to stare at the huge picture hanging on the wall. It was a portrait of his great-grandmother Felicia Laverne Madaris the First, whom they fondly called Mama Laverne.

She was the matriarch of the Madaris family. Having borne seven sons, his grandfather Lee being one of them, Mama Laverne had raised her sons by herself after her husband, Milton, had died. All her sons were still alive except for Robert, who had been killed in the Vietnam War. Lee’s grand-uncle Jake was Laverne’s baby boy.

Mama Laverne had insisted that Lee hang this particular picture of her right there on that wall. She’d given the same directive to his other cousins. They all had the same framed photograph hanging in the offices of their various businesses. She was dressed in her Sunday best, with a huge dressy hat on her head, and she appeared to be looking directly at the viewer with those shrewd eyes and an all-knowing smile. At least she was smiling. A Mama Laverne frown could make him quake in his boots. She definitely liked giving orders, and she expected them to be carried out.

Lee chuckled. He wished he could say she was getting bossy in her old age, but as far back as he could remember, she’d always been bossy. Besides that, she was a notorious busybody when it came to meddling in the lives of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Even at ninetysomething, he figured she would still be around to meddle with the great-great-grands’ lives as well.

He didn’t want to think of a time when she would no longer be in their midst. Their love for her was the main reason why he and his still-single brothers and cousins overlooked a lot of her shenanigans, especially her determination to marry off each of them.

Closing the door behind him, he walked along the spacious lobby hallway, noting the elegance, style and sophistication that were such integral parts of his Vegas hotel. Besides being the tallest building on the Strip, with seventy-five floors, it had an amusement park on one of its lower levels, making it an ideal place to stay for both adults and families. From the carpeting on the floor to the paintings on the wall, from the furnishings to the hotel’s special amenities, anyone would agree that the hotel deserved the seven-star rating reviewers were giving it.

Sliding back huge glass doors, he stepped out onto the terrace of the executive suite. Normally, he wasn’t one who took the time to appreciate a lot of greenery, but with the quality of the hotel on his mind, he couldn’t help doing so. Various plants had been flown in just for this terrace.

Lee inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of the plants mixed with the September air. He looked beyond the Vegas view to study the looming desert. The rain had lessened the heat and now a sultry breeze stirred the air. The sky overhead looked dark and dreary. There didn’t seem to be a single star. A part of him longed to be back in Houston, gazing up into a Texas night.

Lee shook off the longing. He had too much work to do to be melancholy. He hadn’t been home since last Christmas and another one would be coming up soon, but opening the two Grand MDs had taken up all his time, personally and professionally. Now luring investors for a third hotel would make him even busier.

Just as he turned to go back inside, his gaze landed on a woman standing on the balcony a couple of levels below. His breath was snatched from his lungs. A low groan passed from his lips as a jolt of sexual energy rocked him to the bone.

She was beautiful. Sensually stunning. Picture-perfect.

She stood leaning against the balcony rail, wearing a sexy green dress and chocolate-colored stilettos, her hair blowing in the breeze. From her expression, as she stared down below, he could tell she was fascinated by the bright lights of the Strip.

Was she a guest at the hotel? He scanned the balcony connected to a tri-level observation deck. It appeared she was alone. Something about her pulled at him. She looked happy, peaceful, but lonely.

Lee didn’t know the woman yet he felt as if he could read her perfectly. He stood and watched her, totally mesmerized. A slow heat flowed through him and pooled in his groin—she was arousing him in a way no other woman had. What was there about her that made every muscle in his stomach tie into knots? Made full awareness of her fill his every pore?

Granted, he hadn’t dated in a while because of his stringent work schedule, but still, there was something about this particular woman that had lust rushing through his veins.

Nothing like this had ever happened to him before.

He checked his watch. It was getting late, but he had to meet that woman and find out why he found her so captivating.

Anticipation filled him as he made his way off the terrace and toward the elevator bank.

* * *

She simply loved it here, Carly thought. Bright lights lit the Strip and each hotel seemed to compete to shine the brightest.

It was hard to believe she had gotten the job of pastry chef at the Grand MD’s Peyton’s Place restaurant a little more than a month ago. The hotel had been gracious enough to give her time to resign from her job in Miami and remain in Florida long enough to pack up her things and attend Heather’s wedding.

Initially, she had missed South Beach and wondered if she would ever get acclimated to Vegas’s dry summer heat. But she had discovered that in addition to being a fun city with its infamous Strip, Vegas was also a nice place to live.

Her house was in a residential area of town not far from shopping. Because she had everything she needed right at her fingertips she rarely came into town on her days off.

Except for today.

Today was her twenty-eighth birthday, and she had decided to celebrate with a night on the town. She had even treated herself to a night at the Grand MD. It had to be the most beautiful hotel she had ever seen. Her room on the fiftieth floor was to die for and the service was excellent.

Carly had stumbled across this particular balcony a few weeks ago while on break. She loved the view, and it had become her favorite. There had been several other couples here earlier, enjoying the view as well, but they had departed, leaving her alone. She didn’t mind. It was the story of her life.

Carly forced the depressing thought from her mind. After all, it was her birthday and she intended to have fun. So far it had been a beautiful day. Before leaving home this morning she’d gotten calls from Aunt Ruthie and Heather. They had remembered, and they were the only two people in her life that counted.

There was a party going on in one of the ballrooms upstairs. She could hear the music playing, a Marvin Gaye classic. She felt like dancing. What the heck. It was her birthday and she had every right to be silly if she wanted to.

Turning from the rail, she waltzed across the floor. She closed her eyes and pretended she was at a party, celebrating her birthday in style, dancing around a ballroom filled with tall, dark, handsome men. One would come forward, claim her hand and ask—

“May I have this dance?”

At the sound of the deep, husky voice, Carly’s eyes flew open and she stared into the most gorgeous pair of dark eyes she’d ever seen. And there was a very handsome face to go along with those eyes. Where on earth had he come from? She blinked, wondering if she was still clutched in the throes of her fantasy. She had to be.

“Are you real?” she asked, making sure she hadn’t conjured him up in her mind.

He smiled and the sight of the dimple in his chin nearly brought her to her knees. It definitely caused every hormone in her body to sizzle.

“Yes, I’m real. Now, how about that dance,” he said, taking her hand in his. A different song was playing now, this one by Luther Vandross.

Carly nodded her consent and he pulled her into his arms. The man was a total stranger. Had it not been her birthday, she would not have allowed him to hold her. But she had already decided that it was okay for her to act silly today. And it wasn’t every day that such a good-looking man asked her to dance. Not only was he handsome, but he smelled good too. And to top it off, they danced well together. The way their bodies swayed and moved against each other had her fighting a desire she hadn’t felt in close to four years.

A desire that had never been this strong.

She was reminded how it felt to be held by a man, in powerful arms. Every part of her body tuned in to the solid hardness of his. It was staggering; she was mindful of his every movement, the steady sound of his breathing, the way his arms encircled her waist.

Carly looked up at him to find him staring down at her. His predatory look made her insides simmer. Swallowing deeply, she said softly, “Where did you come from?”

He smiled again and she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. “From my terrace.”

She nodded. He was a guest at the hotel.

“What about you? Are you a guest here?” he asked.

“Yes.” She wasn’t lying. She had checked into the hotel that day. There was no need to tell him she also worked here. “It’s a beautiful hotel.”

“I think so too. I’m Lee, by the way.”

“I’m Carly.”

His smile widened. “Nice meeting you, Carly. Is there a reason you were dancing alone?”

Her face warmed as she wondered if he thought she’d looked ridiculous. “It’s my birthday and—”

“Happy birthday,” he said.

She smiled up at him. “Thanks. I was having my own private party of one.”

He tilted his head. “That’s no fun. A beautiful woman should never party alone.”

He was smooth, she thought. As smooth as he was handsome. And she’d noticed he wasn’t wearing a ring. She knew some men didn’t cherish the sanctity of marriage vows, but she did.

“For me that’s no problem. I’m a loner anyway,” she said.

“Why?”

She doubted he wanted to listen to her sob story. She had few friends and had learned early on that the only person she could truly trust was herself. “I prefer things that way. What about you?”

“A loner?” He shrugged. “I couldn’t be a loner even if I wanted to. My family’s too big.”

“Really?” she asked. She couldn’t help but envy anyone who belonged to a large family.

“Yes, really.”

The Luther Vandross song ended and they slowly parted. “You’re an excellent dancer,” he said.

“So are you.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late and—”

“You’re calling it an early night on your birthday?”

She chuckled. “Afraid so. I’m checking out of the hotel in the morning.”

“I see. Well, thanks for the dance.”

“No, I should be thanking you. It was nice meeting you. I hope you continue to enjoy the Grand MD.”

His smile widened. “Oh, I’m sure that I will.”

Carly’s gaze held his. She wasn’t sure why she did what she did next. It could have been his scent surrounding her or his overpowering masculinity or his handsomeness—any of them could have been responsible for obliterating any semblance of her common sense.

Before she could talk herself out of doing so, she leaned up on her tiptoes. She only intended to plant a light kiss on his lips, but the moment their mouths touched they were caught in a barrage of desires they could no longer downplay. He pulled her into his arms. Her body pressed against his, and she felt every single inch of him. She moaned at the feel of his arousal against her.

She was surprised by how easily she was stimulated. She was usually in total control of her emotions, which was why, her ex-boyfriend had claimed, he’d sought out another woman. He’d said she was cold and passionless. If that was true, then what was happening here?

It could be the way Lee had taken control of her mouth, kissing her with a hunger she hadn’t known was possible, cupping the back of her head to make sure their mouths stayed locked the way he wanted.

She knew if he kept this up she would beg him to take her to his room or she would be hauling him off to hers. Acting silly on your birthday was one thing, but going all-out loco was another.

While she still could, she broke off the kiss, drew in a deep breath, smiled and stepped back. “It was nice meeting you, Lee.”

She watched him lick his lips as if he had enjoyed the taste of her. “It was nice meeting you as well, Carly.”

She turned to leave and made it to the sliding glass door before he said, “It’s a minute before midnight. Leave one of your shoes behind, and I bet I’ll find you.”

Carly threw her head back and laughed. “I’m a loner, remember?”

“And what about that kiss?”

Good question. “I was tempted, and since it was my birthday, I yielded,” she said honestly.

He shoved his hands into his pockets, a sensuous smile spread across his lips. “When it comes to me, you can yield to temptation anytime.”

“I’ll remember that.”

And before he could say anything else, she slipped through the glass door, refusing to yield to temptation by looking back.

Long moments after Carly left, Lee continued to stare at the door she had slipped through. What the hell had just happened? The woman had blown his mind with a kiss he was convinced would remain in his memory forever.

He licked his lips again. Her taste was still there. How? Why? And what had sent him flying across the terrace to catch two elevators to meet this woman who had taken his breath away from a distance?

Her name is Carly.

At least that was the name she’d given. Even without knowing her last name, he could track her down, if he took a mind to do so. But as much as he was tempted by that thought, now was not the time. He had too much on his plate to get caught up in romantic entanglements.

He was putting together the biggest deal of his life. When Carly checked out of the hotel tomorrow he would never see her again. And maybe that was for the best. She had warned him that she was a loner, although he couldn’t help but be curious about why.

There had been something about her—other than her ingrained sexiness—that had touched him. A woman of her beauty should not be alone, especially not on her birthday. He was glad that he had shared a part of it with her.

When he had stepped out on the balcony and had seen her waltzing with her eyes closed, he had stood and stared. There might have been a dark, moonless sky overhead but she had looked totally enchanting beneath it. Her hair had tumbled around a beautiful cocoa-colored face. She had high cheekbones, beautifully arched brows and a mouth so sensuous his body had hardened just looking at it.

And that dress. It had clung to her hips, showing off curves and a great pair of legs. It had also revealed enough cleavage to tantalize and enough thighs to entice. He had found himself moving toward her and asking for a dance. When she had snapped her eyes open and he gazed down at her, he’d fallen under her spell. A spell that hadn’t broken, even now.

The kiss had been the sinker. He hadn’t expected it, but damn, had he enjoyed it. Heat burned his insides remembering how easily his tongue had slid inside her mouth. For the first time in a long time, he had felt unrestrained passion and an unexplained connection for a woman.

As he walked toward the door, he consoled himself with the knowledge that once he finalized the financing on hotel number three he would have plenty of time to date. Maybe he’d even think about settling down, starting a family that could share the wealth he was creating.

His mind returned to the work waiting for him in his office and he pushed all thoughts of Carly aside.

Chapter 2

She had kissed a stranger.

The intensity of that bizarre action weighed heavily on Carly’s mind the next day as she folded laundry. She could claim the “birthday silliness” defense all she wanted, but the bottom line was that it was so unlike her that the excuse didn’t pass muster. And then there was the undeniable fact she couldn’t let go of.

She had enjoyed it.

Carly would even admit that she had enjoyed it so much she hadn’t thought of anything else since. Even when she’d gone back to her hotel room and dressed for bed, a part of her had wondered what would have happened had she left one of her shoes behind. Would he have tried to find her?

She frowned at her thoughts. She wasn’t Cinderella and he wasn’t a prince...although he had certainly been dashing. However, she didn’t deal with fairy tales. This was the real world, and in the real world men like Lee whatever-his-last-name-was probably preyed on women nutty enough to act silly on their birthdays. There was no doubt in her mind that had she invited him up to her room he would have accepted the invitation. After they parted ways, he’d probably wandered around the hotel looking for another woman to pick up. With his looks, there was no doubt he would have been successful.

So why couldn’t she put the kiss behind her?

She knew the answer. The reason she couldn’t forget it was because it had been just that—unforgettable. Never had she been kissed that way, so intensely, so thoroughly. French-kissing a woman undoubtedly came naturally to Lee; he obviously had a lot of experience.

Last night that expert kiss had invaded her sleep. She had dreamed they hadn’t stopped with the kiss, that he had followed her back to her hotel room, that he had undressed her, undressed himself and then pulled her down on the bed. She had awakened more than once from her own loud moans as she’d envisioned him taking her nipples into his mouth and sucking hard on them, envisioned his hand slipping between her legs.

Then, when he had replaced his hand with his mouth, detonating an explosion of passion through her, she had screamed out in her sleep.

Her dream had gone way too far. Really? An orgasm? She could only imagine what the people in the hotel room next to her thought.

She’d heard of women’s dreams feeling so real they climaxed, but she’d never experienced such a thing for herself. Heck, nothing of that magnitude had even happened to her in real life, definitely not with Nathaniel.

Even with all of her dreams, she had quickly dressed and packed after waking up. Since her hotel bill had been prepaid, she’d skipped the checkout desk and gone straight to the parking garage, where she got into her car and drove off.

Carly was glad that she didn’t have to go back to work until tomorrow night. And since she worked in the restaurant’s kitchen and was never seen by patrons, she didn’t have to worry about her path crossing with Lee’s. In fact, she was confident she would never see him again. She fought off the disappointment of that thought, knowing it was for the best. The man tempted her to do things she wouldn’t ordinarily do. That was the last thing she needed.

She wanted to concentrate on her new job and be the best pastry chef she could be. There were a lot of opportunities at the Grand MD and she figured hard work would bring her closer to her dream of one day owning her own café. Ever since she’d moved to town, she’d been eyeing a piece of land within fifteen minutes of where she lived, not far from the mall. She could definitely see a restaurant with her name on it sitting right on that spot. The price was more than she could afford with all the student loans she was still paying back. But within a year she would have saved enough for a down payment, and she was hoping the property would still be available.

Leaving the laundry room, she planned out the few chores she needed to finish before she went shopping. Her aunt and Heather had sent her gift cards with instructions to buy something nice for herself. She smiled at their thoughtfulness and brushed aside the hurt that her mother hadn’t bothered to call. She never did.

Carly had long ago accepted the fact that Gail Briggs Thrasher believed Carly to be a mistake she’d made at sixteen that she wanted to forget. With Aunt Ruthie’s help, Carly’s mother had not only finished high school but had gone off to college as well. Only thing was, Gail eventually decided she didn’t want to be a mother to her illegitimate child. Knowing she was never wanted had bothered Carly while growing up, but she had stopped letting it be the downer it once was.

Her aunt Ruthie was a very religious woman and she believed that one day Carly would get all the happiness that had ever been missing from her life. A part of Carly hoped her aunt was right.

A few hours later, Carly sat down to the computer at her desk and pulled up the online copy of the Miami Herald. She’d promised herself she’d forget about what she’d heard that night in the alley four months ago, but she hadn’t been able to stop checking periodically for any mention of what she thought had happened. So far, Carly hadn’t connected any reports of missing people to the events she’d heard. Heather was convinced Carly had dreamed the entire thing, and now a part of Carly wondered if perhaps Heather was right.

But she couldn’t eradicate the memory of that man’s deep, raspy voice. Even if she never saw the man she believed had pulled the trigger, she was convinced she would recognize his voice.

If she continued to check the internet for another month or so and nothing appeared in the online newspaper then maybe she could finally let it go.

* * *

Lee stepped out of his shower thinking that so far the day had gone just the way he’d planned. His five important guests had arrived and were checked into the guest suites on the seventieth floor, which had an exclusive elevator for privacy.

The sheikhs and their wives had flown into Texas, spending a few days at Jake’s Whispering Pines Ranch. The women had been left behind with Jake’s wife, Diamond, to fly to Los Angeles to shop. They would be joining their husbands in Vegas tomorrow. The three men had arrived this morning in Jake’s private plane. Kyle and his wife, Kimara, had been the first to arrive at eight that morning, and Mitch Farrell and his wife, Gina, had arrived within an hour or so of the Garwoods.

The Garwoods and Farrells had visited the hotel before, when they’d attended the Grand MD’s Vegas grand opening, but Lee could tell from the looks on their faces that they were still impressed with what they’d seen during this visit. Of course Jake had been to the hotel several times since they’d opened their doors, but it was the sheikhs’ first time at the Grand MD in Vegas. Although they had visited the hotel in Dubai, they had already commented several times on how beautiful the Vegas hotel was.

Both sheikhs had attended college in the United States and had been visitors to Vegas a number of times before, staying at several of the other hotels on the Strip. Lee had overheard Sheikh Yasir whisper to Jake just how magnificent he thought the Grand MD was. The design, different from the one in Dubai, was impressive.

So much so that Lee and Angelo owned private residences on the seventy-third floor of the hotel. Both were huge and provided all the comforts of home, including their own private pools and entertainment rooms for parties. Their balconies provided a panoramic view of the city and beyond.

Although Lee would always have a deep affinity for Houston and he still got homesick at times, he would be the first to admit that Las Vegas had grown on him. He loved the Strip and enjoyed mingling with the millions of people who visited the city every year with plenty of money to spend. His job was to make sure some of that spending cash came the way of the Grand MD.

He had entertainers lined up three years in advance, including stand-up comedians, musicians and magicians. All the shows were sold out until the middle of next year. Since the Grand MD was the new kid on the Strip and had something for everyone, the shows had helped the hotel receive record-breaking reservations.

Reservations from guests like the woman he’d met last night.

Not only had Carly been on his mind this morning but she had remained on his mind all last night...even while he slept. To think this much about a woman was unlike him. He didn’t have the reputation his cousins Blade and Clayton had acquired prior to getting married, but he had dated enough women to suit him. Beautiful women. Stunning women.

None had been as unforgettable as Carly.

Memories kept invading his mind. Their dance. Their kiss. Why had he been tempted to go down to the lobby and wait for her to check out today just to see her again? Doing so would have been a mistake and he’d talked himself out of it, but it hadn’t been easy. Why did the thought of their paths never crossing again bother him?

Slipping into a pair of sweats, Lee had just pulled a T-shirt over his head when the suite’s doorbell rang. He pushed a button to check the video camera and saw it was Angelo. He spoke into the speaker. “Enter your code and come on in.”

By the time Lee walked out of his bedroom Angelo was walking through the door.

He and DeAngelo Di Meglio had met years ago when a close Madaris friend, Colonel Ashton Sinclair, had introduced everyone to his cousin MacKenzie Standfield, an attorney living in Oklahoma. Mac, as she was often called, was partner in a law firm with two other women—Samari Di Meglio and Peyton Mahoney.

Mac had married Lee’s cousin Luke a few years back; Samari, who was Angelo’s sister, was married to Lee’s cousin Blade, and almost two years ago Angelo had married Peyton. Half American and half Italian, Angelo and Samari came from a family dynasty of attorneys in New York.

“Looks like everyone has settled in,” Angelo said, sitting down in a nearby chair. “That’s good. Tomorrow is going to be one hell of a busy day.”

Lee knew that to be true. Their breakfast meeting was scheduled for nine and would include an in-depth presentation and video. They would break for lunch at noon before resuming the meeting at one. Dinner would be a private gathering tomorrow night at the hotel’s most elegant restaurant.

“I understand you chose Peyton’s Place for our dinner party tomorrow night,” Angelo said, smiling.

“I figured you’d like that,” Lee said, grinning. Angelo had named the hotel’s elegant restaurant after his wife. “Diamond suggested it, and I agreed it would be perfect. By the way, did Peyton come with you?”

“Yes, and so did Sam,” he said of his sister. “Blade will join her here tomorrow. Sam and Peyton went shopping,” he said of his sister and wife. Angelo chuckled. “Let me rephrase that. Sam went shopping and dragged Peyton along.”

Lee nodded, smiling. Everyone knew how much Peyton hated going shopping, especially with Sam. He was glad to hear Blade would be making a visit to the hotel.

“Want something to drink?” he asked Angelo.

“Yes, I’ll take a beer if you have one.”

“I do,” Lee said, heading for the kitchen that he rarely used. There was no need to cook when there were eight restaurants and six cafés in the hotel. He would be the first to admit that room service was spoiling him. To counter all those calories, he worked out at the gym every morning and, in some instances, again at night. “Here you go.”

Angelo followed him and slid onto the stool at the counter that separated the kitchen from the living room. “Thanks,” he said, twisting off the bottle cap at the same time as Lee twisted off his. Both men took a long drink. “Good stuff.”

Lee agreed. He leaned back against his refrigerator. “I need to ask you something.”

“What?”

“Have you ever met a woman you became attracted to immediately?”

Angelo smiled. “Yes. Peyton. When Sam brought her home from college for a visit. I wanted her bad.”

Lee laughed. “That’s too much information, man.”

“You asked.” Angelo took another sip of his beer. “Why do you want to know? Is there a woman you saw that you wanted?”

Had he wanted Carly or was he just intrigued by her? Lee knew the truth without really thinking about it. “Yes. I met a woman last night I was extremely attracted to. It was kind of scary, in a way.”

Angelo nodded. “I understand.”

Lee raised a brow. “Do you?”

“Yes, I think so. You ever heard of fate?”

Lee smiled. “Only Justin’s version.”

Justin Madaris was one of Lee’s older cousins. After Justin’s wife died, Justin believed one day he would find someone else to love—a woman who would be his fate. Miraculously, it had happened just the way Justin had predicted. He had met Lorren and the two had been married for quite a few years now.

“Well, I guess I’m like Justin and believe in such a thing,” Angelo said. “That’s one of the reasons I didn’t give up on Peyton when she didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”

Lee remembered that time. “But things did work out.”

“Yes,” Angelo said as a huge smile spread across his lips. “Things did work out. Like I said. Fate. Might be the same for you.”

Lee shook his head. “I doubt it. The woman in question checked out of the hotel today and chances are I’ll never see her again.”

Saying the words made Lee realize just what a downer that was. He finished off the rest of his beer before placing the bottle on the counter. “I’m off to the gym. Want to join me?”

Angelo stood. “No. When you’re married you come up with other ways to burn off calories.”

Lee shook his head and grinned. “Again, man, that’s too much information.”

* * *

“Isn’t that exciting?”

Carly smiled over at her coworker, a chef assistant by the name of Jodie Wrangler. Jodie, who’d begun working at the hotel a week before Carly, had just finished explaining that Peyton’s Place would be closed tonight for a private party. It was rumored that the two owners of the hotel had invited important guests they were trying to impress. There was even a rumor that Oscar-winning actress Diamond Swain was included in the group.

She’d missed the head chef’s announcement while she’d been off work for her birthday, and Carly had wondered what the flurry was about when she’d returned to work today. The kitchen seemed busier than usual and everyone was bustling about with enthusiasm.

“Yes, that’s exciting,” Carly said to Jodie, but in her mind she didn’t truly think it was. She had worked in restaurants where they’d closed their doors for private parties. In most cases, the kitchen staff was reduced since everyone wouldn’t be needed. That meant less pay in somebody’s paycheck.

“Chef Blanchard wants to see you. He’s probably going to tell you about the party tonight, so act surprised.”

Carly put down the cake pan to head over to Chef Blanchard’s office. Chances were, since she was one of the newest chefs, she would be one of those sent home for the evening. She knocked on the closed door.

“Come in.”

She entered the office that resembled a mini-kitchen with a desk in the center. Pots lined the wall, along with numerous trophies and plaques. Dr. Blanchard was a renowned chef, and she’d heard his name a number of times in culinary school both in the States and in France.

“I understand you wanted to see me, Chef Blanchard.”

“Yes, yes,” he said, smiling. “Come on in and have a seat.”

“Thanks,” she said, taking a chair in front of his desk. The man was totally different from Chef Renaldo in both looks and temperament. Chef Renaldo had been short, stocky and had a mean attitude most of the time, where Chef Blanchard was tall, thin and had a pleasing personality.

“I have good news for you, Carly.”

She wondered if he thought informing her that she had another day off was good news. “And what is the good news?”

He leaned back in his chair with a huge smile on his lips. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now that our two owners, Mr. Madaris and Mr. Di Meglio, have important guests here at the hotel, and they have requested a private party. That means the restaurant will be closing to anyone except the group of thirteen who will be dining here tonight.”

She’d never met the two owners but had heard several whispered comments around the kitchen by the women who had. Both Mr. Madaris and Mr. Di Meglio were rumored to be eye candy of the most serious kind.

“I see.”

“I’m putting you in charge of desserts.”

Carly blinked, certain she had heard wrong. “You’re putting me in charge of desserts?”

“Yes. That dish you made during your interview will be perfect. Two of the gentlemen are from the Middle East and I know they will love your Pi-Sky as much as I did.”

Carly was speechless. Seldom did a head chef deviate from a restaurant’s menu.

“Thank you, sir. For the vote of confidence,” she said, beginning to feel that excitement Jodie had alluded to earlier.

“You’re welcome. I believe you’ll find all the ingredients in the hotel’s kitchen store, including King Arthur flour.”

Because of the number of restaurants and cafés in the hotel, each one used the same kitchen supplies. To keep things simple, the hotel hired a shopper whose job was to make sure any and every item the cooks needed was on the premises.

“That’s great. Thanks again.”

“Don’t mention it. These guests are important and we all want to make a good impression.”

“Yes, sir. We will.” She left the chef’s office smiling.

* * *

Lee glanced around Peyton’s Place, the only rotating restaurant on the Strip. It was the most popular of all the hotel’s restaurants and always in demand. It seemed everyone was fascinated by the slow rotation offering a breathtaking view of the Strip and the Mojave Desert.

There would be no business discussions tonight. They had done enough of that during the day. Now it was time to eat and unwind. All five men had invited their wives to join them, and Angelo had invited Peyton as well. All seemed to be in a festive mood, and Lee was glad of that. It was a good way to end such a busy day.

He couldn’t help noticing that all six men were married to what he considered to be smart and beautiful women. Over dinner, he had discovered Sheikh Yasir’s wife, Delaney, was the sister of motorcycle builder and racer Thorn Westmoreland and also the sister of bestselling author Rock Mason, aka Stone Westmoreland.

Johari Valdemon, who was married to Sheikh Valdemon and was Sheikh Yasir’s sister, enlightened everyone over dinner with the story of how she and her husband had been promised to each other at birth and yet she hadn’t set eyes on him until she was twenty-four. They’d met here in the States. While in college, Johari had intentionally gone missing, not ready to return to her country, do her duty and marry. Rasheed had gone looking for her and had found his intended bride dancing on the tables of some club in New York. That tale got a lot of rousing laughter from everyone.

Jake joked about Kyle and Kimara’s six offspring and how, for years, everyone wondered if they would stop having more children. The couple did admit they enjoyed making babies, and that their fertility had something to do with a vacation cabin they owned in the North Carolina Mountains called Special K.

Because Mitch’s wife, Gina, grew up with a lot of his older cousins, Lee knew her well. Her brother Trevor was best friend to one of his older cousins, Dex; and for years Trevor had been foreman at Dex’s land-exploration company. Lee liked Gina, always had, and thought she was down-to-earth. It was obvious that Mitch adored his wife.

“I understand your oldest son left this month for college.” Angelo broke into Lee’s thoughts when he addressed a question to Kyle and Kimara Garwood.

Kimara smiled lovingly at her husband before gazing at Angelo. “Yes, and I miss Kyle VI already. He’s attending Harvard.”

“An excellent university,” both sheikhs chimed in to say with huge smiles. Both had degrees from Harvard.

“I agree,” Lee said. He was a proud Harvard alum as well.

“I take it you couldn’t persuade Blade and Sam to join us,” Mitch said, smiling.

Lee chuckled. “No. They drove to Los Angeles. Sam was determined to get some more shopping in.” He glanced over at Peyton. “How did shopping go yesterday?”

Peyton rolled her eyes. “Don’t ask.”

The waiters removed their plates and everyone agreed that dinner had been absolutely delicious and they were all ready for dessert.

“Thirteen is an unlucky number, Lee. Why didn’t you bring a date?” Diamond Swain Madaris asked.

Lee glanced across the dinner table and smiled at the woman who’d made his uncle a very happy man. “The reason I didn’t bring a date is because there isn’t a woman I’m interested in at the moment.”

“Better not say that too loud,” Jake said, chuckling. “Word might get back to Mom. She’ll find you a bride and start planning a wedding.”

Not if I find one first, Lee thought, as the waiter poured more coffee into his cup. He wasn’t interested in finding a bride, and he wouldn’t appreciate his great-grandmother shoving one down his throat either. She was known to try such tactics.

His mind shifted to the woman he’d met a couple of nights ago. He wondered where she was and what she was doing. Why was he still thinking about her? Why had thoughts of her infiltrated his mind all day? When he should have been concentrating on the business at hand he’d instead recalled their dance, their kiss, her scent. Why had she made such a lasting impression on him?

His thoughts were disrupted when waiters came out carrying several plates. Dessert had arrived.

* * *

“Oh, I bet your dessert is a big hit with everyone, Carly.”

Carly smiled. Jodie was definitely a confidence booster, which was really refreshing. During her years at culinary schools and working in various restaurants, Carly had discovered that most chefs were competitive by nature and very few gave compliments to other chefs. In contrast, Jodie didn’t mind bestowing a compliment and she was always in a good mood. That was probably one of the reasons Carly liked her.

“Thanks. We’ll see.”

“I saw one of the owners today when he was showing a group of men around. All the men were extremely handsome but Mr. Madaris stood out,” Jodie was saying.

Carly glanced over at her. “In what way?”

“Where everybody else got an A, in my book he got an A-plus.”

Carly couldn’t help but chuckle. “An A-plus?”

“Yes, doubly so.”

Carly shrugged, not imagining any man looking that good...except that guy she had danced with on the balcony two nights ago. She wondered if he’d checked out of the hotel by now. And that wasn’t the only thing she wondered about him. What was he doing in Vegas alone? Where was he from? She had picked up on a Southern accent.

Did he have a girl back home? Now was a fine time to think about that—after she’d plastered a kiss on him. But then he had plastered one on her as well. He had been the one to take the kiss to another level, not her. But still...

“Your dessert is really good,” Jodie said, interrupting Carly’s thoughts.

Carly glanced over to where Jodie was sitting on a stool at a counter, stuffing her face with Pi-Sky. Carly smiled. “Thanks.”

Chef Blanchard had put a lot of faith in her, and more than anything she didn’t want to disappoint him.

* * *

“Sweet Allah, that was the best pie I’ve ever eaten,” exclaimed Sheikh Rasheed Valdemon.

“Evidently,” his wife, Johari, said, smiling. “You ate three slices. If you eat any more you’ll gain too much to get on the plane.”

Everyone around the table chuckled, but Lee agreed with Rasheed. Even he had asked for seconds. The entire meal had been tremendous, but what topped it off was the excellent dessert. Rasheed and Lee weren’t the only ones who thought so. Others at the table were singing its praises too.

“Who is the chef for this restaurant?” Sheikh Jamal Yasir asked Lee and Angelo. “I’m tempted to sweep him or her off to my country to work in the palace.”

Lee laughed. “Then maybe we need to keep Chef Blanchard under lock and key for the rest of your visit. But it’s only fair for you to meet him.”

He then said to a waiter standing nearby, “Please tell Chef Blanchard that my dinner party would like to meet him.” The waiter nodded before quickly walking off. Lee was glad that things were going so well and that his potential investors were impressed.

Everyone looked up when the tall, lanky man wearing a huge white chef toque and chef jacket approached their table. Lee stood. “Everyone, this is Chef Blanchard, the person responsible for our very delicious meal as well as the outstanding service we received.”

Compliments were bestowed upon the man who beamed at all the accolades. “Thank you all. I’m glad you enjoyed everything. I have an excellent staff whose goal tonight was to make sure your dining experience at Peyton’s Place was first-class.”

“It was,” Rasheed said. “And that dessert...Pi-Sky it was called? It was simply superb. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. It reminds me of Australia’s pavlova, but the meringue and whipped cream are different, somewhat lighter, with a different taste. And the crust—my goodness. You used King Arthur flour. It’s what the cooks use all the time at the palace in my country.”

Chef Blanchard continued to beam. “I can’t take any credit for the dessert. It was prepared by my pastry chef. It’s her own secret recipe. It’s quite delicious, and I asked her to prepare it just for tonight.”

“Thank you for having her do that,” Mitch Farrell said, grinning. Like Rasheed, he had eaten three slices. Lee figured he would have asked for a fourth if Gina hadn’t slid his plate away. Most likely all the men, including him, would be hitting the gym in the morning.

“Is she still here? Your pastry chef?” Diamond asked. “We would like to thank her personally.”

Chef Blanchard’s smile spread even more. “Yes, yes, most certainly. I think she would like that. She has only been with us for a little over a month.”

“As long as she keeps making desserts like this,” Lee said with a grin, “I can assure you that she’ll be here for a very long time.”

Chef Blanchard turned to one of the waiters. “Please ask Chef Briggs to step out here for a minute.”

* * *

Carly was wrapping up the leftover dessert. It would be served tomorrow morning at the poolside café as a midmorning treat. Not much remained and that was a sign that Pi-Sky had been a big hit tonight.

Several of the sous chefs had joined Jodie at the counter to get a taste of the dessert that Jodie was moaning over with each bite she slid into her mouth. “Thanks to you, I’ll have to get up and go walking in the morning,” Jodie said.

Since she didn’t sound too bothered by the prospect, Carly gave Jodie only a quick glance as she continued what she was doing. “No one is twisting your arm to eat that pie, you know.”

“Yes. I know,” Jodie said, inhaling deeply between each bite. “The only thing missing is a nice glass of wine. I think I will—”

“Excuse me.” Mickey, one of the waiters, interrupted them. “Chef Blanchard wants you out front, Chef Briggs. Everyone loved your dessert and wants to meet you personally.”

Carly noticed the kitchen got quiet. All the other chefs had stopped what they were doing to stare at her. And she knew why. Typically, when dinner guests had compliments for the cooks, thanking the executive chef would suffice since preparing a delicious meal was a collective effort. To be singled out was definitely a feather in her cap.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Jodie said with a huge grin on her face. “Get going. And smile prettily at the owner...the one that’s single. And if you can pull Diamond Swain aside, please tell her that I’ve seen every single movie she’s made but my favorite is still Black Butterfly. And that I would love for her and Sterling Hamilton to make another movie together, and that I am one of her biggest fans.”

Carly smiled at Jodie as she straightened the toque on her head and smoothed down her jacket, grateful there weren’t any chocolate stains on it tonight. “I wouldn’t know the owners from anyone else. Besides, I doubt I’ll get the chance to say anything and you know it,” Carly said.

She drew in a deep breath as she followed Mickey out of the kitchen. When they rounded the corner she saw that the guests were all standing around, chatting and shaking hands. She knew that meant the dinner party was ending. The women were dressed in outfits as beautiful as they were. Chef Blanchard was standing tall, but he wasn’t as tall as several of the other men.

Carly recognized Diamond Swain immediately. The woman was simply gorgeous. Carly tried not to stare too hard at the handsome man standing by the movie actress’s side with his arm around her waist.

Suddenly the crowd shifted and Carly’s breath caught. She almost stumbled. She could only see the man’s profile but she knew it was him. She would recognize those broad masculine shoulders anywhere.

What is Lee doing here?

Everyone must have heard her approach since they all turned around. Her gaze connected with Lee’s. And when it did, her heart pounded, a tingling sensation swirled around in her stomach and a rush of intense heat swept through her.

It was all she could do to continue walking toward the group knowing his eyes were on her every step.

Chapter 3

“Chef Briggs, I asked you to come out because our dinner guests were quite taken with the dessert you made.”

Lee watched the woman who’d been on his mind since he’d seen her two nights ago. She was a chef? Here? At his hotel? She hadn’t mentioned anything about it that night—in fact she’d claimed to be a guest at the Grand MD. Why had she lied?

Even dressed in her chef garb she looked beautiful. After making initial eye contact, she refused to look at him. But he was definitely looking at her. Her features were exquisite.

He heard Diamond, Jake, Rasheed and others give her compliment after compliment, and somehow he could tell that she wasn’t used to getting such praise. Since he knew the others expected him to say something complimentary as well, he extended his hand to her.

“I’m Lee Madaris. The dessert was delicious.” He made the introduction for the benefit of the others who had no idea of his and Carly’s prior encounter. It was better if no one knew until the two of them could talk.

Following his lead, she shook his hand. Immediately a surge of warmth filled him. “Thanks, Mr. Madaris.”

Had she actually placed emphasis on his name or had he just imagined it? With nothing more to be said, she returned to the kitchen. Lee watched her retreat. If she thought for one minute this was the end of things, then she was mistaken.

As far as he was concerned, Carly Briggs had a lot of explaining to do.

* * *

“Good night, Carly. See you tomorrow.”

“Good night, Jodie.” Carly watched as Jodie met up with her boyfriend, Jerome Mathis, who worked as a bellman for the hotel, before walking quickly to the elevator that would take her to the parking garage.

How she’d made it through the rest of the night, Carly wasn’t sure. She’d concentrated on cleaning the kitchen. Going home was her top priority. She just couldn’t get out of her mind the fact that the man she’d met a few nights ago was actually L. C. Madaris, one of the owners of the hotel. That meant that technically he was her boss.

And she had kissed him.

She waited for the elevator and when the door opened she barely glanced at the person getting on the elevator with her. When she did, she probably looked as thunderstruck as she felt. It was him...again. Where had he come from?

“We need to talk, don’t you think, Carly?”

Apparently, he thought so. She stepped back against the elevator wall. In the confines of the small space she became even more aware of his captivating presence.

“What do we need to talk about?”

His chuckle sounded like a low growl in his throat. “I think you know.”

Carly had a pretty good idea. He held a key card to the scanner and a new set of numbers appeared on the keypad. She watched as he punched one.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To my suite.”

“Your suite?” Blood pounded in her temples.

“Yes, my suite.”

She tightened her grip on her purse. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Neither am I, but that’s the only place I know where we can have absolute privacy.”

She didn’t want privacy. She didn’t want to talk at all. Now that she knew who he was, she could make a promise that she would keep the other night to herself. Nothing like it would happen again. She liked working here. And more than anything, she needed her job.

She was about to speak when the back wall of the elevator slid open. She hadn’t expected it and would have tumbled out into a beautiful living room had Lee not reached out and caught her hand.

She wished he hadn’t done that. Immediately, a sensation she couldn’t describe flowed through her from his touch.

“You okay?” he asked with concern in his eyes.

She nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

She was in full control of her balance...although she was questioning her senses.... She stepped off the elevator, which had opened directly into his suite. The place was simply gorgeous. But she shouldn’t be surprised. He owned one of the most elegant hotels on the Vegas Strip; anything was possible.

“Make yourself at home. Would you care for something to drink?”

She watched him remove his jacket and toss it on the back of a chair before heading toward the kitchen. “No, thank you.”

“I hope you don’t mind if I do. A beer sounds pretty good right now.”

She watched him open the refrigerator before what he’d said sank in.

Make yourself at home.

There was no way she could do that. “You wanted to talk.”

“Yes,” he said, returning from the kitchen with his beer to find her still standing. “We are definitely going to talk. How about if we sit down first?”

She preferred standing, but she sat down on a plush sofa and he did too.

“That night on the balcony,” he began. “Did you know who I was?”

She met his gaze, surprised by his question. “Of course not. Had I known who you were, I would not have...” She swallowed. There was no need to remind him of what she had done that night.

“Initiated a kiss between us?”

Why had he gone there and done the very thing she hadn’t wanted him to do? Since he had reminded them both of what had happened, she said, “No, I would not have initiated it.”

He held her gaze for a long time, slowly sipping his beer right from the bottle. “Why did you tell me you were a guest here at the hotel when you’re an employee?”

Carly nervously gnawed her bottom lip. “Because that night I was a guest here. It was my birthday, and I wanted to do something special, so I booked a room in the hotel for one night.”

“So it was your birthday?”

Had he doubted her? “Yes. Would you like to see my driver’s license?”

He shook his head. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

She had a question of her own. “Why did you lead me to believe you were a businessman passing through?”

“Did I lead you to believe that?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He took another sip of his beer. When had watching a man drink beer from a bottle become so sensual? And why did he have to have such beautiful eyes? They were the same eyes that had haunted her dreams two nights in a row.

“I don’t recall misleading you,” he said, breaking into her close perusal of him. “I answered each of your inquiries truthfully. You asked where I came from and I told you my terrace. There was no need to explain that it was the terrace on the executive floor. You also commented about this being a beautiful hotel and I agreed.”

He stretched his legs out in front of him. “Now tell me, when did I mislead you?”

She shifted in her seat and noticed the way his gaze adjusted to the movement of her body. She drew in a deep breath when she saw heat in his eyes. “Okay, you didn’t mislead me per se, but you weren’t completely forthcoming either. You didn’t tell me you owned the hotel.”

He smiled. “That’s something I don’t share with a lot of people. Those who need to know already do.”

“Okay, now I know too,” she said, standing.

He stood as well and she wished her gaze hadn’t been drawn to the way his pants stretched across masculine thighs when he did so. “Well, I’m glad we got that all cleared up,” he said.

In a way, she was too. She hoped that was his way of letting her know she could keep her job. “I’m glad too. We can both admit it was a mistake.”

He lifted a brow. “What was?”

“That night. On the balcony.” The kiss, she thought.

“On the contrary, Carly. That night. On the balcony. Was not a mistake.” He’d emphasized each statement.

And then he stunned her even more when he said, “In fact, I think we should pick up where we left off.”

* * *

Lee saw the shocked look on Carly’s face and wished he could kiss her. He drew in a long, deep breath. She smelled good. She looked good. Gone were the toque and chef jacket, replaced by a cute purple blouse and a pair of snug-fitting jeans. He knew just how snug they were since he’d walked behind her a minute or two without being detected when she was heading for the elevator. She had some serious curves and the best-looking backside he’d ever seen.

“We can’t pick up where we left off,” she said.

“I don’t see why not,” he countered, finishing off his beer and placing the empty bottle on the table. “I’d like to get to know you.”

She actually looked stunned. “Why?”

He could give her several reasons, but he stated the one that made the most sense. “Because I’m a man and you are a woman. A very beautiful and desirable woman.”

Lee fathomed from her expression that she didn’t believe him. Surely she was aware of just how striking she was. High cheekbones, skin a perfect shade of brown, an exquisite pair of lips; he could go on...so he did. She had a gorgeous pair of legs that looked damn good in stilettos, and he liked the way her firm breasts pressed against her blouse, showing the tips of her nipples.

He was getting aroused just looking at her. Surely some man, probably several, had told her how heart-stoppingly attractive she was.

“Mr. Madaris.”

He lifted a brow. Mr. Madaris? “I’m Lee, remember.”

She lifted her chin. “That was before I found out you were my boss.”

He smiled. “Chef Blanchard is your boss. I just happen to be one of the guys who owns the hotel.”

She took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. He figured she was trying to regroup. “Lee. Remember the one thing I told you about me? The reason I was celebrating my birthday alone?”

Yes, he remembered, and he had an idea where she was going with this. But he refused to go there with her. There was a strong attraction between them, and it was just as resilient now as it had been that night. It was sexual, hot, and something he refused to put a lid on or walk away from. Maybe his cousin Justin was right about fate; there was a reason Lee’s path had crossed with Carly’s again.

“I remember what you told me, Carly,” he said. “You’re a loner.”

And just as he had that night, he couldn’t help wondering why. Women who looked like her usually dated often, so what was up with this “loner” story? Had some man broken her heart and she was trying to protect herself from future heartache?

“So you know what that means, right?” she asked.

He moved around the hassock to stand in front of her. “Yes, that means you were a loner because you hadn’t met me.”

* * *

Carly blinked. She’d met arrogant men before, but Lee Madaris’s arrogance felt more like confidence. Too bad it was a wasted effort as far as she was concerned.

Her decision to be a loner had nothing to do with him being a man and her being a woman. It had everything to do with protecting herself from ever being hurt again by anyone—family, friend or boyfriend. Aunt Ruthie was all the family she needed...all the family she had; Heather was the epitome of what a best friend should be and she didn’t need another. And as far as a boyfriend was concerned—been there, done that. She’d decided that having another boyfriend at this stage in her life was too much work. She could do badly all by herself.

“Excuse me for saying so, Lee, but meeting you does not make a difference.”

“I believe otherwise.”

“Trust me, it doesn’t,” she said.

“I beg to differ.”

The man was too much, and he looked too damn good. He was temptation a-plenty but regardless, like she told him, whether he accepted it or not, meeting him did not make a difference.

“It won’t work.”

“How do you know?” he countered.

“Because I know me,” she said.

He took her hand in his and immediately felt a response. The same heat stirring inside of him stirred inside of her. Holding her gaze, he said, “Then let me get to know you, Carly.”

“Why? We have nothing in common. You’re a man of the world. You’re wealthy. You dine with sheikhs and movie stars. You own the hotel I work for. You—”

Firming his grip, he gently tugged her closer. The corners of his lips curved into a challenging smile when he whispered, “I am totally and utterly attracted to you.” He moved even closer. “So tell me, after this kiss, that we don’t have anything in common.”

And then he closed his mouth over hers.

Carly’s heart pounded in her chest the moment Lee’s lips touched hers. She thought of pulling back but instead let out a breathless moan. That was when he slid his tongue inside her mouth.

She instantly became lost.

He claimed her mouth with a hunger that sent sensuous chills through her body. The kiss two nights ago had shattered her relatively calm world, but this kiss was sending that same world into a tailspin.

Never had a man kissed her so thoroughly. A surge of unadulterated pleasure ripped through her. She felt inflamed everywhere his tongue touched. The way her body was plastered against him, she felt every one of his hard muscles.

Every lick of his tongue made it hard to remember her concern about getting to know him, made it hard to remember what they didn’t have in common. Instead, all she felt was the burning desire and aching need he stirred within her. All she could do was savor the moment.

“I don’t think I’m asking for too much, Carly,” he whispered in a husky tone, while plying her lips with a series of slow, feathery kisses.

She drew in a deep breath, bringing his scent into her nostrils. She needed to think and couldn’t, not while he was still kissing her. Carly knew she had to get a grip on her senses. “I need to think about this, Lee.”

He touched his finger to her moist lips. “Why think about it? You want me and I want you.”

She took a step back, frustrated that she’d weakened with him. “You have no idea what I want, Lee.”

He stared at her with a look of determination on his face. She found the sensuality of his features unnerving; he had the ability to weaken her defenses if she allowed him to.

He cupped her chin. “Then tell me what you want, Carly.”

“There’s nothing I want. I love my life just the way it is.”

“Then let me tell you what I want,” he said, dropping his hand from her chin. “I want to get to know you, and I want you to get to know me. How about dinner? This weekend. It will be my treat and I’ll prepare it here.”

She raised a brow. “You can cook?”

The smile that curved the corners of his lips sent her pulse racing. “I might not be able to throw down as well as you, but I can hold my own. My great-grandmother forced cooking lessons on all her grands and great-grands. No one was exempted. When she gives an order, we all obey.”

“She sounds like quite a character.”

“Trust me, she is. So how about letting me show you what I can do?”

Carly nibbled her bottom lip. She figured she was just a novelty with Lee. No doubt he’d had his share of models and actresses and now he wanted to try a chef.

She had to admit she was curious about what he could do in the kitchen, but she needed to know what his expectations would be. “I’ll get dinner out of this. What do you get?”

His smile carried a sensual undertone when he said, “A chance for you to get to know me.”

Carly still wasn’t sure why he would want that, and she did not plan to let her curiosity weaken her resolve, but she found herself saying, “Okay, but not here. I prefer dinner at my place. I live on the outskirts of town.” She felt the need to be on her own turf.

“Okay, what about tomorrow?”

She shook her head. “I work tomorrow. I’m off Wednesday and Thursday every week.”

“I’m leaving town Wednesday for a trip to Dubai. I won’t return until the following week, on Thursday morning. Will that Thursday evening work?”

“The same day you get back? Will you be up to cooking anything?”

He chuckled. “Yes, I’ll be up to it.”

“Okay, then. Thursday evening is fine.”

She hoped she was not making a mistake.

His smile widened. “Great.” He checked his watch. “It’s after midnight. If you want to leave your car here tonight, I can have my driver take you home and he can pick you up tomorrow and bring you to work.”

Carly could just imagine the kitchen gossip if that were to happen. “No, thanks, I’ll be fine. I’ve worked past midnight plenty of times.”

“Then I’m walking you down.”

She started to tell him not to bother but he’d already reached for his jacket. “Allergies to any food?” he asked her.

She watched how easily he slid his jacket over a powerful pair of shoulders. “No allergies.”

“Favorite foods?”

It was considerate of him to ask. “I like practically everything, but if I had a choice it would be pasta and seafood.”

He smiled at her. “The choices are unlimited. What’s your address?” he asked, pulling a smartphone out of his pocket.

She rattled it off to him and he coded it into the phone. “And your phone number?” he asked. “Just in case I’m detained.”

She gave her number to him as well.

“Six o’clock on that Thursday okay?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He put the phone back into his jacket. “Ready to go down?”

“Yes, but you don’t have to walk with me.”

“The first thing you need to know about me is that I always try to be a gentleman,” he said, his fingers gently pressing into the center of her back as he led her to the elevator. “I know a shortcut.”

As they left the elevator and walked toward her car, she was aware of his firm strength and his determination. Did he think she would be his flavor of the week? Was she letting him think she was an easy target?

“This is my car,” she said, coming to a stop. “Thanks for taking the time to walk me down here.”

“No problem. I’ll see you next Thursday. At six.”

She nodded as she opened the car door and slid inside. He stepped back as she closed the door and buckled her seat belt. She rolled down her window. “Good night, Lee.”

“Good night.” He moved closer to the car. “I’m looking forward to us getting to know each other better.”

Carly gasped in surprise when he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips through the open window. He smiled at the astonished look on her face and stepped back, leaving heat searing through her body. Heat that she didn’t want to feel.

She was tempted to cancel Thursday but when she looked at him something stopped her. Her insides tingled. For the first time in a long while she felt a rush of excitement for something—someone.

She broke eye contact with him, pulled out of the parking space and drove away without looking back.

* * *

Lee couldn’t sleep. He should not have brought Carly to his suite. Her scent lingered everywhere, even in his bedroom and she hadn’t set foot in here. He was finding it hard to sleep without dreaming about her—and the dreams had been scorching hot.

Easing out of bed, he went into the kitchen. As he passed through the living room, her scent hit him with even more force. No other woman’s scent had ever impacted him this way before. But then he’d never stayed awake thinking about a kiss before either.

He pulled out a bottled water, uncapped it and tilted it to his lips. After taking a full gulp, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and leaned against the counter.

So, okay, he was fiercely attracted to a woman. There had to be a reason he had allowed her to get under his skin, a reason why he wanted to get to know her, a reason why he had thought about her constantly since seeing her that night on the balcony.

There was so much about her he didn’t know...but the one thing he did know was that he wanted her, in his bed, and he had no problem going through the initial getting-to-know-you stage of things to get to that point. She was leery of him, he could tell. He could only assume that some man had hurt her, made her distrustful, but he wouldn’t let that be a deterrent. She was the first woman whose taste he couldn’t forget, whose scent seemed embedded in his nostrils, who’d inspired dreams so hot, he’d awakened aroused.

Taking another gulp of his water, he was leaving the kitchen when his cell phone rang. Glancing around, he tried to remember where he’d left his phone. Moving quickly, he pulled it from his jacket and checked caller ID. It was his cousin Nolan, who stayed up much later than was good for him and often forgot about the two-hour time difference between Texas and Vegas.

Lee and his cousins Reese, Corbin and Nolan had all been born within fifteen months of each other. They were as close as brothers and had been thick as thieves while growing up. Mama Laverne swore her goal was to marry them all off before she took her last breath. They all told her that wouldn’t happen, but then the next thing they knew, Reese had married his best friend Kenna.

Lee knew his great-grandmother had pegged him as her next victim. Catching the garter at Angelo and Peyton’s wedding hadn’t helped matters. It had been then and there that she’d predicted he was living his last year as a single man. He’d boasted to Angelo that he was determined to beat her at her own game, but he still hadn’t come up with a way to do it.

“What’s up, Nolan?”

“You’re up, if Mama Laverne has anything to do with it. I’m her designated driver this week.”

Yes, Lee knew. The six sons had taken their mother’s car away around five years ago, which meant someone had to chauffeur Mama Laverne around to church, church meetings, visits with friends, her weekly bingo games and doctor’s appointments.

Half the year she lived on Whispering Pines Ranch with Jake, Diamond and their family. It seemed her baby boy knew just how to handle his mom. But it was when she had to split the other six months with her remaining sons that the grands and great-grands were pulled into the mix. Each had their week, on a rotating basis, of driving “Miss Daisy.”

“Yes, what of it?” Lee asked.

“Thought I’d alert you that today was her bingo day and she and some other older lady were talking. I pretended not to be listening.”

“And?”

“And they were planning your wedding.”

Lee lifted a brow. “My wedding?”

“Yes, Mama Laverne told the lady your year was long overdue. Angelo and Peyton got married last year on Valentine’s Day, and she’d given you until this Valentine’s Day to find a bride. You haven’t.”

She’d given him until Valentine’s Day? Lee drew in a frustrated breath. Hadn’t he told her in a nice and respectful way...and more than once...that when he married it would be his decision and not because she deemed that was the way it should be?

“So let me guess. This woman that she was talking with has a single granddaughter,” Lee surmised.

“Yes. So be prepared when you come home for Christmas. You might have a bride waiting on you. They claim she’s a real beauty.”

Lee rolled his eyes. “I don’t give a damn if she’s Diamond’s long-lost sister, I refuse to let Mama Laverne pick out a wife for me.”

“Then tell her that. In her good ear,” Nolan said, laughing.

Everyone claimed Mama Laverne had a hearing problem, but Lee and his cousins knew better. She heard just what she wanted to hear. “Laugh all you want, Nolan, but remember that if she succeeds in sticking me with a wife, then you are next.”

Nolan ceased laughing immediately. “I’ll leave the country first,” he threatened. “I won’t be forced into anything.”

Lee knew just how he felt. “I need to come up with a plan. Maybe I shouldn’t even come home for Christmas.”

“Then you know what Mama Laverne will do. She’ll have Jake fly her and your intended bride to Vegas on Jake’s private plane. Either way, whether you like it or not, you’re going to meet this woman. Mama Laverne’s mind is made up. You’re it.”

Lee frowned. No, he wasn’t it.

“Thanks for the heads-up. If anything else develops, let me know. She might have had a hand in finding wives for Luke, Blade and Reese,” he said of his other cousins, “and I even suspect she might have played matchmaker for Angelo and Peyton, but I don’t need her help. I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon.”

Later, long after his phone call with Nolan had ended, Lee headed back toward his bedroom. Like he’d told Nolan, he had to come up with a plan. And like he’d told Angelo when he’d thrown that damn garter at him, he intended to beat his great-grandmother at her own game.

However, he had a feeling that doing so would not be easy.

Chapter 4

“I guess it’s too late to cancel now, Heather,” Carly said as she tucked her phone close to her ear and watched the truck drive away.

She was shocked to get a quick call from Lee that morning from Dubai telling her to expect a delivery around noon. A truck had arrived and the deliveryman had not only unloaded the groceries but had taken the time to put them away. Before leaving he’d handed her a note that said:

Ingredients needed for tomorrow’s dinner.

Lee

“Pretty much sounds like it, but do you really want to cancel?”

Carly nibbled her bottom lip as she thought about Heather’s question. “I really don’t know what I want. Things are happening so fast. First I kiss a guy on the hotel balcony and two days later I discover he owns the hotel. Now he wants an affair.”

“Are you sure? He didn’t ask for one. From what you told me, all he wants to do is get to know you better,” Heather said.

Carly rolled her eyes. “For what purpose? What guy do you know that’s not looking for something?”

Heather chuckled. “If you recall, I thought the same thing about Joel but he proved me wrong. Maybe this guy will prove you wrong. Hey, he’s cooking dinner for you, so he can’t be all bad. And you did say he was good-looking.”

“Too good-looking, which makes me suspicious. Why me when he probably has a slew of others who would die for the chance to get to know him?”

“Why not you? You’re beautiful. Stop putting yourself down. You have just as much to offer as anyone else, maybe more. You’re not a parasite who plans to feed off Lee Madaris’s wealth, and I bet he’s encountered plenty of women like that and sees you as being different.”

Oh, she was different all right, Carly thought. So different that she was brazen enough to kiss him the first night they met. That was probably what he remembered the most. He probably wondered what she would initiate if he had her in the privacy of her own home.

“Well, I plan to keep my guard up. Nathaniel proved that some men can’t be trusted.”

“At least you said some and not all.”

Carly smiled. “Only because your Joel renewed my faith in some men.” And he had. Heather’s fairy-tale courtship had been special. Carly’s best friend had tried resisting Joel but he had been determined to sweep Heather off her feet and had done just that.

“Well, I’ll let you know how things turn out. But don’t be surprised if after Thursday he decides never to bother with me again.”

“What do you plan to do?”

“Be myself. Then he can decide if I’m as boring as Nathaniel claims I am.”

Heather asked how Aunt Ruthie was doing and Carly let her switch the topic, asking Heather about her parents and her brother. Heather told her how beautiful the weather was in Spain, and Carly told her about the garden she had started in her backyard. Those living in Vegas had told her that if she planned to grow anything, now was the time to plant and wish herself luck.

Then Heather said, “I’m still checking the Miami Herald every day online and I assume you’re doing the same.”

“Yes,” Carly said.

Although Heather had doubts about Carly’s story about what she’d heard that night, her friend still checked the paper just in case.

“But so far I haven’t come across anything,” Carly said. “I’ve decided to check for a few more weeks and if nothing comes up then that’s it. It’s going on six months now and I can’t live my life wondering if I’m sane or not.”

“You’re sane, but you might have been slightly confused that night. Remember, you had worked a double the day before.”

Carly remembered, but still, why did the sound of that man’s voice keep resurfacing in her mind? She had not dreamed that, had she?

“You did all you could,” Heather said. “If the police had found anything it would have been in the papers.”

Carly knew Heather was right.

“Call and let me know how tomorrow’s dinner goes. I’m still working on Joel about that trip to Vegas that he promised.”

After ending the call and clicking off the phone, Carly glanced around her kitchen. It seemed that Lee meant business. She couldn’t help lifting her lips in a smile.

“Dinner should be interesting.”

* * *

Lee looked across the table at the three men he’d flown to Dubai to meet. They were older cousins whom he thought of as older brothers. Justin, Dex and Clayton Madaris had already been out of college and working in their chosen professional fields when Lee and his close cousins had become teens. It had meant a lot to be able to ask their older cousins those questions they wouldn’t dare ask their parents. Justin, the oldest, was a doctor; Dex, the middle brother, was a geologist; and Clayton, the youngest brother, was an attorney. All three were happily married with families.

“I’m surprised the three of you could plan to come to Dubai on vacation at the same time,” Lee said, taking a sip of his wine.

Justin chuckled. “Syneda planned it all. That should tell you everything.”

Lee smiled. It did. Syneda was Clayton’s wife and was quite outspoken. She was known for the outlandish. And everyone adored her, as they did Justin’s wife, Lorren, who had been Syneda’s best friend since childhood, and Dex’s wife, Caitlin. All three couples were known to give lavish parties. Visiting them had always been a highlight while growing up.

“You know you didn’t have to come all the way to Dubai to see us,” Dex said, his lips forming a smile. “Houston was closer.”

“Your reluctance to visit home has nothing to do with Mama Laverne’s prophecy, does it?” Clayton asked, his eyes showing amusement.

Lee shook his head. He wished he could find the situation as amusing as Justin, Dex and Clayton did. “Did she find your wives?”

“Nope,” Justin said. “I think she was taking a break during our generation.”

“But she did give me grief at my wedding,” Clayton said, grinning.

“Get the story right, Clayton,” Dex said, taking a sip of his drink. “You were the one causing grief by breaking every rule.”

Lee chuckled. He’d been at the wedding that day but had been too young to know what had been going on behind the scenes. The one thing all of them had known was that Clayton was the rebel in the family, along with one of their other cousins, Felicia Laverne, who’d been named after Mama Laverne.

“To answer your question, Clayton, I’m trying to come up with my game plan before coming home for Christmas. Nolan called a few nights ago and said he heard Mama Laverne planning my wedding to her friend’s granddaughter.”

“Well, she did give you fair warning at Angelo and Peyton’s wedding,” Dex said, shaking his head. “What can you do other than avoid coming home?”

Lee wished he could answer that question. He was saved from having to come up with something when he saw Lorren, Syneda and Caitlin heading for their table. “Here come your beautiful wives.”

He watched the expressions on his three cousins’ faces when they stood, waiting for the ladies’ arrival. It was easy to see they adored the women they’d married. It would be nice if all marriages were like that. Lee had been exposed to enough solid marriages in his family to know they could work if both people were on the same page and in love. His parents’ marriage had lasted close to thirty-five years and long marriages ran in his family.

He had an MBA. He understood business, not this emotion called love. What if there was no love? Could two people marry and become life partners?

He brought his glass to his lips just as he was slammed with a whopper of an idea. “Why didn’t I think of that before?” he said aloud.

“Think of what?” Syneda asked, approaching the table.

“Nothing.” He was well aware that when it came to his great-grandmother, Syneda was one of the old gal’s partners in crime. Rumor had it that Syneda assisted Mama Laverne with ending Blade’s bachelor days.

Syneda looked at him curiously before giving him a hug. “You sure it’s nothing?”

He smiled at his cousin-in-law. “I’m positive.”

He then gave Lorren and Caitlin hugs as well. He was still smiling when he sat back down.

He’d finally come up with an idea to outsmart his great-grandmother.

* * *

Carly had never been this nervous in her life, but there was no denying that she was nervous now. And all because of one man. Lee Madaris.

She played back everything in her mind, from their first kiss on the balcony to their second kiss in his suite. That kiss had thrown her into a world of confusion, conflicting emotions and primitive yearning. Before that night had ended she had agreed to have dinner with him.

She glanced at the clock on her wall. That dinner, which he would prepare, was to commence in a little less than four hours. She hadn’t heard from Lee since the food was delivered. She could only assume nothing had changed and he had returned from Dubai today.

Carly hadn’t been sure what to wear tonight. She had decided on a maxi dress, with spaghetti straps at the shoulders and a ribbed band at the waist. She liked the mix of mauve, beige and green, and her feet felt comfortable in beige-colored flats.

When her cell phone rang, she picked it up off her nightstand and smiled. It was Aunt Ruthie.

“Hello.”

“You okay, Baby-Girl?”

She smiled. That had always been her aunt’s nickname for her. “Aunt Ruthie, yes, I’m okay. What about you?”

“Fine. Did my grocery shopping today and ran into Harriet. Her husband had a heart attack last week and he’s still in the hospital.”

Unlike Carly, her aunt had tons of friends. “I don’t recall Ms. Harriet, but is her husband okay?”

“Yes, he’ll be okay. But he’ll have to change his diet. And knowing Harriet, she’ll make sure he does. How are things going in Vegas?”

Carly hadn’t expected her aunt to be crazy about the idea of her moving to Las Vegas for work, but surprisingly Aunt Ruthie had been fine with it.

“Things are going great. The restaurant has been busy.”

“But busy is good, right?” her aunt asked.

Carly chuckled. “Yes, busy is good.”

A few minutes later, Carly ended her conversation with her aunt and warm emotions flowed through her. Her aunt had always been there for her, even when Carly’s mother hadn’t. Carly had given up on the hope that one day things would change. Her mother’s husband was a big-time businessman with an image to keep and a family to protect...from her. The man saw her as a threat to his and his family’s way of life, and until that changed, nothing else would.

Carly glanced at her watch. Since she had time, and wanted to get her mind off her nerves, she pulled up the Miami Herald to see what was in the news.

* * *

Lee was glad to be back in Vegas. He smiled as he tossed his luggage on the bed. Usually, he did not feel that way after returning from a business trip. But this time was different. In less than three hours he would be dining with a beautiful woman. A woman he hadn’t been able to get off his mind even thousands of miles away.

Visiting with his cousins and their wives had been enjoyable, but he’d been ready to leave them to their own devices. The Grand MD Dubai had a lot to offer and they would be there for seven more days to take it all in.

Now Lee would shower and get dressed for tonight. He’d prepare dinner and make sure they had a pleasurable evening. Then he would unveil his plan, the one he had come up with to outsmart his grandmother. He grinned just thinking about it. Mama Laverne would think twice before planning another wedding for one of her great-grands.

But to make it work he had to bring Carly on board with his idea. They barely knew each other. She didn’t love him, and he didn’t love her. He wasn’t even sure they had anything in common. However, what he did know was that he craved her. Her, and no other woman.

He stripped off his clothes as he moved toward the bathroom. His dreams had gotten hotter than ever. Several times while in Dubai he’d taken cold showers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that. He stepped into the shower now and a rush of warm water streamed over him. He was filled with excitement about the evening ahead.

Damn, it had been a week and he’d missed Carly. He had no idea why a woman he’d seen only twice would make such an impact on him. In the beginning, he hadn’t liked her hold on him, but now she was the answer to his problem.

If she accepted his marriage proposal, she would need to understand that their marriage would be based on respect and on passion, not on love. That was good enough for him and he hoped it would be good enough for her.

Lee considered himself a pretty good businessman; he had done his homework. He had contacted Alex, who was married to Christy—Justin, Dex and Clayton’s baby sister. Alex was a top-notch private investigator and a former FBI agent. Lee had given him Carly’s name and that was all Alex had needed. Before leaving Dubai, Alex had electronically delivered a detailed report, which proved to be interesting reading on the eighteen-hour flight back to the States.

Carly’s grandmother had died before she was born and her grandmother’s only child, Gail, had been raised by Gail’s aunt, Ruth Briggs, a widow. Gail got pregnant with Carly in her senior year of high school. Ruth agreed to take care of Carly while Gail went to college. There were a few recorded visits from Gail, but not many.

Lee shook his head as he stepped out of the shower to dry off. From what he’d read, Gail met a man from a prominent family while at college and she married him, conveniently not telling him she’d had a child out of wedlock.

According to the report, when Sidney Thrasher, a successful businessman in Los Angeles, discovered the truth, he didn’t divorce his wife but he had no problem ostracizing her child. In fact, he demanded that Gail do the same if she wanted to save her marriage. It seemed the Thrashers’ two kids knew Carly only as a distant cousin. Now Lee understood why she considered herself a loner.

He couldn’t imagine a mother deserting her child that way, leaving her for someone else to raise and then turning her back on the child. That was unacceptable. It made him appreciate his family all the more. Even a great-grandmother who was determined to run his personal life.

One thing was for certain: if she said yes to his proposal, she’d become part of his big family. Carly would have no reason to feel like a loner ever again. He had his game plan, which was more or less a business strategy. He would give her all the pluses and strike down any minuses she tried to present one by one.

Beginning tonight, it was Operation Carly Briggs.

* * *

Carly heard a car door close and knew Lee had arrived. He was right on time. She drew in a deep breath as she looked out the window and watched him walk toward her front door. Was he taking stock of her yard, her neighborhood? He was probably wondering how she could afford to live here on her salary as a chef.

It wasn’t that she lived in a huge house, but her community was a nice one. Some would even view it as one of the most prestigious residential areas in Las Vegas. He didn’t have to know that the house was really owned by Heather and Joel and had been purchased as investment property.

Heather hadn’t wanted Carly to live alone in an apartment. So she had talked Joel into buying this nice house with a yard as an investment that they leased to Carly.

Carly opened the door upon hearing his knock. Lee leaned in the doorway, bigger than life—definitely a man designed purely for feminine enjoyment.

“Hi, Carly.”

“Lee.” She tried not to take stock of how blatantly sexy he looked in jeans and a solid blue shirt with a jacket covering his broad shoulders. Not noticing, however, was a hard thing. And he smelled good, as if he’d just showered.

“Won’t you come in,” she said, stepping aside.

She watched him walk through the open doorway, thinking the snug jeans fit him too well. He was definitely an amazing specimen of a man.

“I’m sure you want to start cooking, so I’ll take you to the kitchen,” she said.

His gaze gripped hers like a tight fist. “You think that’s what I want to do right off the bat?”

Her thoughts scattered. She could feel herself losing control. Her stomach stirred with lust. She’d never been this sexually drawn to a man before.

“Yes, that’s what I would assume since you offered to prepare dinner.” She wished she wasn’t so fully aware of him.

“If you’ll recall, the reason I offered to prepare dinner was because I wanted to see you again. I wanted to get to know you and for you to get to know me,” he said smoothly. “Since you’re so distrustful of my motives, I suggest that you get to know me first.”

“Is that important to you?”

Did he feel the same magnetic pull that she felt? It made breathing difficult and plagued her with the inability to break eye contact with him.

“Yes. There’s a reason it’s important,” he said in a deep, husky voice.

“Is there, Lee?”

His gaze raked over her seductively before he surprised her by wrapping his arms around her waist.

“We’ll talk about the reason later. You look nice today.”

Heat streamed through her body the moment he touched her. “Thank you. You look nice as well. How was your trip?”

“We’ll talk about my trip later too.”

That was when he kissed her, taking her mouth with a hunger that she enjoyed to an extreme that couldn’t be good for her. But she figured she would worry about that later. Right now all she wanted was to indulge.

Never had her mouth been devoured with such voracious need. Her mouth felt ravaged, raided with an urgency that had her moaning. He could stoke a fire within her so effortlessly. Was it because she’d gone without passion for so long? Passion with Nathaniel had never been like this, where her breasts ached and the area between her legs throbbed.

He shifted, intentionally sliding his jean-clad leg against her. She felt his heat through the material of her dress. She felt something else as well. His erection strained against his zipper, pressing into her and creating a slow burn at the juncture of her thighs.

Lee finally broke off the kiss and pressed his forehead against hers. Their breaths mingled. She closed her eyes briefly and when she reopened them he was staring at her. He kissed her lips again gently, before dropping his hands from her waist and taking a step back.

Drawing in a deep breath, he licked his lips, as if savoring her taste. Smiling at her, he said, “I needed that.”

Carly’s heart pounded deep in her chest. She hadn’t expected the kiss. It left her senses spinning. What she refused to admit was that she’d needed that as well.

He glanced around. “Nice place.”

“Thanks.”

“Now,” he said softly, his smile widening. “You can take me to your kitchen.”

* * *

Sitting at her breakfast bar, Carly watched Lee’s ease and confidence as he moved around her kitchen. Once she’d told him where everything was located, she’d left him alone. She hadn’t wanted him to feel she was scrutinizing his every move, so she had gone outside in the backyard for a while.

When she’d returned, he had invited her to keep him company. She had slid onto the barstool and he’d poured a glass of wine for her and one for himself before going back to the task of preparing dinner.

She had yet to ask what was on the menu. From the groceries delivered yesterday, she had a pretty good idea of what they’d be eating. Lee had asked her what she liked and now he was preparing it. That was thoughtful of him. She had to admit that he’d been pretty thoughtful since the first night they’d met, which made her wonder...

“If you have a question just ask me.”

Was he a mind reader? “What makes you think I have a question?”

He smiled. “The way your forehead bunches up. I noticed that about you.”

Had he? “Well, there is something that has me puzzled.”

“What is it?”

She took a sip of her wine. “Why isn’t there a steady woman in your life? Why aren’t you taken?”

His chuckle was low and throaty. “Should I be?”

Most men who look like you usually are. “I’d think so.”

He paused in the midst of chopping the tails off the shrimps. “I could ask you the same thing. Why aren’t you taken?”

She shrugged. “I have my reasons.”

“Share them with me.”

“I asked you first.”

Lee chuckled again. “So you did.”

He put the knife aside, leaned against the island and leisurely sipped his wine, as if giving a lot of thought to what she’d asked. “One of the main reasons is because I’ve been too busy for an involvement,” he said finally.

“We were barely getting the Grand MD Dubai erected when the opportunity came to build here. It was a miracle that Mitch Farrell got that land on the Strip. And when he approached me and Angelo about building another hotel before the first one was completed, we jumped at the chance, even though we knew doing both would be tough.”

She rested her hands under her chin. “So your busy schedule is just one of the reasons you aren’t involved with anyone. What’s another?”

He looked down into his glass of wine. When he lifted his head his expression was serious. “I’ve never met a woman that I wanted to spend a lot of my time with...whether I was busy or not. In other words, Carly, there has never been a woman I craved. Until you.”

She wished his words didn’t send a surge of desire rippling through her. “Crave?”

“Yes, crave. You know how you get a taste of something, and you aren’t satisfied until you get some more? That’s how it is with me when it comes to you. I taste you, and I want to taste you again. I lust after you. Yearn for you. Ache for you.”

Carly stared at him, not believing he would admit such things. She said nothing as he put his wineglass aside and picked up the knife to finish the shrimp.

He moved around her kitchen, checking on the pasta and the bread baking in the oven. Her gaze traveled over him, appreciating the way the fabric clung to his masculine thighs. He had removed his jacket and rolled up his sleeves, displaying a powerful chest, great abs and wide shoulders. He radiated sensuality that drew her in like a magnet, powerless to resist.

He placed the shrimp in the colander and walked over to the sink to rinse them off. Glancing over his shoulder at her, he said, “You never said why you’re unattached.”

“I didn’t?”

“No.”

She shrugged. “Let’s leave that discussion for another day, okay?”

He held her gaze, nodded and then said, “Okay. We’ll table it, but there will be another day, Carly.”

Carly had no reason to doubt him.

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