A Madaris Bride for Christmas

“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?”