ocean and sky. Salt tang in the air tickled her nose. A lone seagull squawked, and she lifted her head, the evening sun still bright enough to make her squint. She heard Cade’s intake of breath as he filled his lungs with sea air, then grew quiet. Just for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine this was real, that she and Cade—
The surf crashed upon the rocks, shattering her fantasy and the fragile connection between them.
“Come on.” He grabbed her wrist, dragging her through Customs, luggage claim and then to the limousine waiting outside the airport.
She’d managed the limo ride to Century Blue, one of his oceanfront properties in Ayia Napa, the playground of Western Europe, and the elevator ascent to the penthouse bridal suite. But by the time the bellman deposited their luggage in the foyer, accepted the generous tip from Cade and made his exit, she was a frazzled heap of nerves.
She felt it, and for sure must look it, what with her cotton shift wrinkled, her sandal flopping and her mussed hair sticking to her temples.
She flung an arm across her eyes, trying to forget her lackluster appearance—hardly the look of a glowing bride. Digging her toes beneath the cushions, she gulped down the whimper vibrating in her throat.
When Cade had shut the door behind the bellman, she started to panic.
Would he pounce? Would she let him? After all, she made a bargain…a high-end deal with the mogul of Manhattan. A hysterical sound bubbled in her chest and burst from her mouth in a muffled sound.
The sun had turned the horizon into a blaze of color, and the Mediterranean Sea into liquid gold.
“Hungry?” Cade asked, just as his cell beeped.
Relief flooded through her when the cell call had cornered his attention.
Nina gave him a wan smile and a wave of her hand, but by then, he had stepped onto the balcony. That suited her fine, giving her some breathing space to rest up and regroup. She wobbled on her feet and eyed the bed before her gaze skittered to him now in earnest conversation. She opted for the couch. Tossing her purse on one end, she kicked off her sandals and collapsed on the cushions.
A sea breeze sailed towards her from the half open balcony doors.
It was balmy, sensual and soothing.
“You can use the bathroom first,” Cade mouthed over the cell’s mouthpiece.
She shook her head. A big mistake. The vibrations shot to her toes and back up to her belly, making her stomach heave. She closed her eyes.
She heard him pacing, his words floating to her on the evening breeze and disintegrating her thoughts.
“I got her.”A muted chuckle. “By nightfall, she’ll be docked, tied and ready to ride—”
A pause.
“She’s not for sale yet.”
In the background, waves pounded the beach, a crescendo of sound in a second of stillness.
“I’ve got dibs on her maiden voyage—”
From the courtyard down below, the Bouzouki musicians tuned up for the evening entertainment, and mouthwatering aromas of souvlaki cooked over an open grill wafted to her. She grabbed her middle; she for one would not be dining under the stars tonight.
The distraction eclipsed his words and she crinkled her brow, trying to make sense of what she heard.
“A costly investment, I’ll be paying—”
Her eyes flew open wide. Me?
The fluttering of curtain allowed her glimpses of the million-dollar ocean view, but her attention was glued on her husband.
“After I break her in, you can have her—”
“How dare you—” Nina made to jump up, jostled her insides, and fell back, closing her eyes, and pressing her mouth tight. She would not be sick. Would not be sick. Not now. Not in front of him.
“—if the price is right.”
Sweat poured from her pores, soaking her wrinkled cotton dress…her wedding dress. What had she gotten herself entangled in?
“I’ll sell—”
Sell her?
“—to the highest bidder.”
She began to pant, then a whiz of sound fizzed between her teeth, and she lifted her lashes a fraction, snaring him in her focus.
Tall, dark and gorgeous…deceptive—dangerous.
Worse than she imagined. Yet, he looked so calm and cool, fresh in his white open necked shirt and denims he wore for their ‘I do’s’ compared to her—a ragged mass of guilt ridden nerves. He whisked her off so quickly after the ceremony at New York City Hall, she’d had no time to change, her one travel bag already in the trunk of the Bentley.
“By midnight she’ll be purring beneath my hands.”
His words iced her skin.
Something was wrong; something was very uncool, but she was too zoned out from the intercontinental flight, the emotional see-saw of the wedding—not what a girl dreamed of—the heat, and her queasy stomach, to figure it out.
“Yeah, I can handle her.” A guffaw. “Should be an easy ride.”
Nina seethed, a flush on her skin making her temperature rise and her ire about to explode.
“Naa.”
An ominous silence.
“If you’re willing to pay, she’ll play—”
A chuckle.
It sent shivers crawling up her spine.
“I’ll guarantee she’ll be a real fine piece of a—”
Nina’s hand flew to her throat, the other to her abdomen, her heart hammering. Dear God, what had she done? This was a snow job on her by none other than the king of con. She’d fallen for his duplicity and been fool enough to marry him. She cringed, gulping down bile rising in her throat. The acid taste curdled her stomach, and she tottered to her feet, weaving her way to the bathroom.
“Hey, you alright?”
The sounds from within must have alerted him, for he was there, knocking on the half open door. And her, with her head half in the toilet.
If the floor caved in and carried her out to sea, she’d be ever so grateful.
No such luck.
He loomed over her, a slight shift of his sneakers visible from her peripheral vision. Could it be that Mr. High and Mighty Sloan was uneasy about something? That gave her a lift, but it was short lived as another wave of nausea assaulted. She waved him back with her outstretched hand. He deserved a tongue-lashing, which she couldn’t give in her present position. She heard the sink faucet running then—
“Here.” He handed her a damp washcloth.
She mumbled her thanks and waved him out. “Go.”
Cade squinted at her bent-over figure, zeroing in on her shapely tush outlined beneath the cotton material of her dress stretched taut and riding high on her slender thighs. A beauty mark teased. He paused, and then made his exit. “Be right here if you want—”
She extended a leg and booted the door shut in his face.
The toilet flushed.
Ten minutes later, Nina stepped from the bath and shrieked, trying to cover her naked body with her hands. “What ’re you doing here?”
“Come ‘ere.” Cade held open a towel for her, his voice sounding gruffer than he intended. “Don’t want you catching cold.”
“Concern for me?” She snatched