Читать книгу Mills & Boon Stars Collection: Seductive Nights: A Deal with Alejandro - Майя Блейк - Страница 18
ОглавлениеSHE WAS STILL set on resisting him.
Alejandro knew this from the small frown knotting her brow. She wouldn’t succeed. Having Elise Jameson in his bed had swept beyond a lustful, persistent want, into a primeval need. One he didn’t intend to deny himself.
The subject of her virginity—if it was true—unsettled him somewhat. Then again, everything about Elise was turning out to be uncharted territory for him.
She got under his skin in the most disturbing way, but not enough for him to step back from the clamouring desire raging through his blood. Perhaps, once he’d had her, she would cease to have this peculiar power over him.
He would have her.
But for now he had other matters to deal with.
‘My grandmother received your flowers,’ Elise said. Her frown momentarily disappeared, a hint of the smile that toyed with his breathing when in full bloom curving her lightly glossed lips. ‘She called when I was getting dressed. She wanted to thank you. She says to tell you they’re the most beautiful flowers she’s ever received.’
His own mouth curved. ‘She was the perfect absent hostess and she ensured our invitation to Kenzo Ishikawa’s birthday party. It was the least I could do.’
Her smile widened. ‘She did say you owe her big, though. And that she might call in her chips when you least expect it.’
‘I look forwarding to meeting her one day. She sounds formidable.’
Pride propelled her nod. ‘She’s one of the strongest people I know. She’s the product of a Pearl Harbour love story that almost didn’t happen.’ Her smile slipped a little. ‘Her childhood was rough. When it was her turn to become a mother, she tried to shield my mother as much as possible. She believes she overcompensated by spoiling my mother, which is why...’ She shook her head and stopped.
Alejandro reached for her hand. It was an unfamiliar offer of comfort, and yet it felt right. ‘You reminded me that the apple sometimes does fall far enough from the tree to seek its own roots and light. Your mother may have been spoilt as a child, but I doubt the grandmother who encouraged you to follow your dreams also encouraged your mother to take the particular path she’s taken. I bet they disagree on a few things?’
‘They disagree on everything! They fought constantly about the way she was bringing me up. My grandmother couldn’t bear it any longer, which is why she moved back to Hawaii. Surprisingly, they have a better relationship now they’re thousands of miles apart.’
‘Distance provides clarity. Sometimes.’
She eyed him, and Alejandro knew what was coming. ‘Did it do that for you?’ she asked.
Surprisingly, her question didn’t grate on him. Although the chafing layer of disquiet closely resembling guilt and regret that had manifested when Gael visited him in his office intensified.
He shifted in his seat. ‘It taught me that I never wanted to be in that situation. I’ve seen the wedding pictures. I’ve heard the stories of how they met. My parents married believing they were happy. For some reason, that changed very soon afterwards. They took pleasure in hurting one another until they were locked so fully into their macabre roles they couldn’t see anything or anyone else, not even their son. I knew very early, I wanted nothing to do with that level of emotional turbulence.’
She looked pensive. ‘True compatibility in any relationship is hard to find, I know, but just because that happened to them doesn’t mean it’ll happen to you.’
‘It didn’t just happen to me. It happened to Gael. It happened to his mother. It happened to everyone my parents came into contact with. The Aguilar brain may be good for business, but there’s no heart there to sustain meaningful relationships. I accepted that a long time ago.’
Her eyes shadowed, her face losing colour.
‘What’s wrong?’ he asked.
She averted her face sharply towards the window. ‘Nothing. I’m fine.’
Alejandro let it go, but he wondered if his declaration had been too harsh.
But the truth often was. Realising his parents had no room in their life for him had hurt for a long time. Time and distance had dulled the pain. Increasingly fleeting liaisons, which proved he wasn’t built for relationships, had only confirmed his suspicions.
He was more than content to accept the status quo.
Except the regret continues to chafe...
The hand within his grip moved. He gripped it tighter. As he stared down at their entwined hands something moved through him. Something numinous that had nothing to do with the electric heat of their touching palms.
The emotion further unsettled him. So much so, when the limo driving them to Ishikawa’s party drew to a stop at the top of a small hill, relief poured through him. Alighting, he took a deep, sustaining gulp of the cool evening air.
All around cherry blossoms flowered in pinks, reds and whites. Spring in Kyoto was breathtaking. But nothing surpassed the beauty of the woman who stepped out beside him a second later.
His gaze moved over her, quiet satisfaction eroding some of the tumult.
He’d called in a stylist when she’d asked for time off to go shopping. Her clear embarrassment and distress had made him probe deeper, which had led to the discovery that she hadn’t packed adequately due to a visit from her mother.
She hadn’t needed to go into great detail for him to know her mother was the reason she’d boarded his plane with shadows under her eyes. Those shadows were gone now. He paused to appreciate her feminine form in a red gown that bared her shoulders and warmed her complexion, the lightly made-up face and elegantly styled hair.
Alejandro decided then and there that he would encourage her to wear more red. Especially in bed. Drawing back from anticipatory carnal pleasures before he succumbed to the urge to hustle her back into the car and to their hotel room, he offered his arm.
She readily accepted it, a fact that pleased him greatly.
Kenzo Ishikawa’s birthday party was being held in a converted Japanese temple on the grounds of the Ishikawa private estate. The structure was a replica of the world-renowned Golden Pavilion, and, like its namesake, golden light poured from wide windows and spilled onto the man-made lake surrounding the structure.
Alejandro escorted Elise across a wooden bridge and they were met with barefooted geishas, serving champagne and canapés. He handed her a glass and took one for himself, but Alejandro wasn’t interested in drinking.
He spotted his brother from across the room and acknowledged Gael’s stiff greeting with one of his own. Then a well-dressed old man with a walking stick heading their way drew his attention.
Setting his glass down, he held out his hand. ‘Mr Ishikawa-san, thank you for inviting us to your party,’ Alejandro said. ‘Allow me to introduce you—’
‘No introduction needed, Mr Aguilar. Elise’s grandmother is a good friend of mine, and is quite adept at twisting my arm when it suits her,’ Kenzo replied dryly, his shrewd eyes lingering on Elise for a moment before returning to Alejandro.
‘We’re honoured to be here,’ Elise replied, her smile warm as she gave a small bow. She handed over the oblong ribbon-tied present. ‘A gift from my grandmother.’
The old man’s snowy brows lifted. ‘More gifts? I received yours this afternoon, Mr Aguilar. Along with your note.’
Alejandro nodded. ‘Twenty minutes of your time later, if you would be so kind.’
Kenzo’s dark eyes regarded him steadily. ‘That is twice longer than your brother requested.’
Alejandro’s kept his expression neutral. ‘Then between us we won’t take up too much of your time.’
The old man watched him with eyes that saw too much. ‘Did you not consider it expedient to speak to me together?’ he replied.
The chafing reasserted itself, rubbing harsh and relentless. ‘The timing isn’t quite right.’
Kenzo nodded, his expression holding an understanding that jarred Alejandro. ‘Of course. Timing. The one thing we all wish we were experts at.’ Before Alejandro could respond, he turned to Elise. ‘Would you accompany me to my seat, my dear? I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to since I last spoke to your grandmother.’
Elise sent Alejandro a wary glance. He didn’t want to let her go. The realisation wasn’t surprising. After all, hadn’t the days since the incident on his plane been revelatory in many ways? He desired her. But he was drawn to her in other ways besides sexually. He wasn’t quite ready yet to explore those other emotions. But somewhere along the way an acceptance of his suddenly possessive disposition had settled in.
‘Alejandro?’
He focused on her stunning face, realised he was still holding on to her and released her. ‘Sí. Of course. I’ll see you later.’
Her wariness didn’t abate, but she nodded. Vowing to address it at the first opportunity, he watched her walk away, her revived smile luminescent enough to draw glances as she made her way through the crowded room.
‘Madre de Dios. If beauty like hers could be bottled, I’d be a hell of a lot richer than I am right now,’ Gael drawled from beside him. ‘Things are still platonic between you two, right? So you won’t mind if I ask her out—’
‘She’s off limits to you, Gael,’ Alejandro snarled. The icy fury that scoured through him at the very thought of Gael with Elise was shocking in the extreme. ‘For your own sake, don’t make me repeat myself on this subject. Ever.’
Gael held up his hands in mock surrender, a low laugh accompanying the gesture. ‘Okay, okay. Basta de charla!’ Enough said.
Alejandro exhaled, unclenching fists he hadn’t realised he’d balled. When another champagne server approached, he grabbed a glass, just for something to do with his hands.
‘Are you always this wound up? It can’t be good for your health,’ Gael muttered, sipping his own drink.
‘My health is none of your concern,’ he snapped.
Gael’s face closed up. ‘Of course. Trust me, you made that pretty clear in Chicago.’
The emotions eating at him suddenly multiplied, sapping his control. ‘This may be a party, but I’m here for business only. If you’re seeking me out under the misapprehension that it would be anything else, you’re about to be sorely disappointed.’
A grim smile touched Gael’s lips. ‘And does that statement apply to everyone here, or just me?’
‘What are you talking about?’ he demanded, yearning for something, anything to help end this conversation. With an unstoppable compulsion, he sought out Elise.
She was at Kenzo’s table, with the old man and his grandsons surrounding her. Alejandro watched as Jason Ishikawa leaned over and whispered in her ear. She laughed, her face so beautiful. His breath caught.
‘Nothing. Forget it,’ Gael murmured.
Alejandro barely heard him leave. Jealousy pounded, strong and hot through him as he watched her interact with the younger Ishikawa brother.
As if sensing his regard, she lifted her head. Her expression dimmed, escalating his suspicion that something was wrong.
Something he’d said to her in the car had upset her. But what?
Go to her. Find out. Claim her.
No. She needed to be handled with care. If she was as innocent as he was beginning to believe she was, the way he was feeling right now would cause more harm than good. She wasn’t a fragile creature by any means, but neither was she equipped to handle the riotous emotions surging through his veins. She’d already borne the brunt of his jealousy on more than one occasion.
He needed to calm down a little...or a lot, before he tackled anything further with her.
He mingled. He sipped vintage champagne. He forced himself not to react each time Jason whispered in her ear.
Alejandro turned away, knowing he was one heartbeat from ripping Jason Ishikawa from her side. He swallowed his ire, torturously reined in his fraying control, and mingled for an hour until the traditional dinner gong sounded.
‘Alejandro?’
Her voice lanced through him, touched him places he couldn’t quite name. Turning from the female acquaintance who’d sought him out under the pretext of discussing business only to shoot him interest-filled looks the moment they were alone, he glanced at Elise.
‘Are you ready to be seated?’ she asked.
‘Sí. Are you?’ he enquired, refusing to glance in Jason Ishikawa’s direction.
Her eyes skated away from him, but her smile stayed in place. ‘Yes.’
‘Then come.’ Dismissing the acquaintance with a stiff smile, he held out his arm.
She hesitated. Dread snapped up his spine.
‘Something wrong?’ he asked as they neared their table.
‘Is there any reason it should be?’ she tossed back.
‘You’re answering my questions with questions. Is this a prelude to an argument, guapa?’
She swallowed. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking—’
‘Mr Aguilar, my grandfather would be honoured if you and Elise would consider joining us at our table.’
Alejandro faced Jason Ishikawa, every nerve in his body yearning to refuse the invitation. In fact, right then, he wanted to call a halt to everything: the merger that had dominated his life up to only a handful of days ago but was now a load he wanted to shed. The brother whose weighted gaze he could even now feel upon him... Everything, just so he could walk out of the party with Elise.
