well. Best to put him from her mind and continue her search. If she wasn’t successful in finding a man to father her child on the island, she might have to broaden her parameters.
Never again would she allow lust to overrule reason. Too much was riding on this for her to make another mistake.
* * *
Up until the moment the sultry temptress bolted, Ryan Howard hadn’t been entirely sure what to think of Maria’s declaration of ignorance. In his experience, ever since his face had been plastered over numerous magazines and television interviews, women had been dreaming up increasingly inventive ways to get into his bed. There were, according to his research, only 513 billionaires in the United States. He figured he was part of a tiny percentage of them who were single. Women, usually attracted by his money, flocked to him. He’d grown so weary of the tall tales they told to get close, he’d begun to use the quality of the story as a criterion to send the woman away.
Maria’s beauty combined with her lack of guile had ignited a slow burning fire inside him. He’d actually allowed himself to think that once, just once, he could enjoy a casual relationship with a woman without artifice or deviousness.
When she’d recoiled at the sight of his face on the cover of Persons Magazine, he’d realized she’d been telling the truth. She really hadn’t known who he was. She’d based her decision to leave the bar with him on something else, and the idea so astounded him that he understood how truly jaded he’d become.
He’d known immediately from her aura her true nature as Shape-shifter, though he hadn’t been able to tell what kind. All he knew was that whatever she might be, she wasn’t Pack. When the flashbulbs had gone off, for a split second she’d fought her inner beast to keep from shifting. Watching her instead of the paparazzi, he’d been curious to see what manner of creature she’d reveal.
At the last minute she’d gotten herself under control, of course. This mechanism was one of the first things all Shape-shifters learned as soon as they were able to change. Living among humans, secrecy had become paramount. The last thing any of them needed was to be caught on television morphing into something else. In fact, to do so was a sentence punishable by a swift and violent death.
Shaking his head, he drained the last of his water and picked up her still-full bottle. Why had she run away? What exactly had scared her the most—who he was or the attention he garnered?
Briefly, he considered going after her, but the knowledge that the reporter-wannabes would have a field day stopped him.
Hopefully, once she’d gotten over the shock and calmed down, everything would be okay. He definitely planned to give her a call. Because, despite the mind-blowing sex they’d shared the night before, he still wanted her. Craved her, in fact. The knowledge that she’d wanted him, too, until the paparazzi had ruined it, made his blood boil with frustrated desire. They could have gone to breakfast and then returned here. Right now, they should have been wrapped in each other’s arms, making love again.
Instead, he found himself alone in his new vacation house, a virtual prisoner of the paparazzi.
Which meant he’d either need to get used to it or find another place, which would be stupid since he’d just paid cash for this one. So he’d adjust, like he always did. Still, being located so quickly was pretty damn disappointing.
When he’d bought this house, he’d been careful. Everything had been done under the name of an LLC he’d formed for real estate investments. Only he or his personal assistant Timothy had dealt with the Realtor and title company. Accordingly, he’d been pretty confident he could live here for a few weeks completely under the radar. He still had no idea how they’d found him.
Walking into that nightclub with the cool name—the Sea Dragon—might have been a mistake. Since he’d been recognized there, someone must have alerted the media. He and Maria had one peaceful night. Those damn flashbulbs and video cameras had been waiting here in the morning. Pacing the length of the living room, he considered how they’d found him. His office only knew he’d gone to vacation at the coast—he hadn’t even told them what city. The only person who knew the details, his personal assistant, was someone Ryan trusted with his life. Timothy had worked for him since the beginning. These days, Ryan made sure Timothy was well compensated for keeping his life running smoothly.
He cursed. That meant there were now two mysteries to be solved. He called Timothy, even though the clock showed it wasn’t yet eight, and filled him in on what had happened. A sleepy sounding Timothy promised to take care of everything that morning once he got to the office. Ryan knew he would.
Satisfied, after ending the call, Ryan focused on deciding what he wanted to do about Maria. Ever since his meteoric rise to fame, there had always been women wanting something from him. Maria Miranda was the first one who’d taken off as soon as she learned who he was. This was unusual enough to give him pause.
Why? Why had she run away? One thing he knew for sure. He would find out. He knew her name and she’d told him she owned a wedding chapel here in Galveston. It wouldn’t be that difficult to find her.
After getting another water and aching for coffee, he clicked on the TV and tried to relax. But he couldn’t stop thinking about her. Puzzles had always intrigued him. Figuring out where the pieces fit had enabled him to develop the software company that had made him rich. The apps and games his talented designers developed had made his business into a billion-dollar enterprise, especially when his company had gone global. Recently he’d turned down offers from both Microsoft and Apple. Even Google had approached him, especially once he’d branched out to Europe and Australia. But he’d refused to even consider selling. He loved his company, had a great staff, and wouldn’t know what to do without it if he sold. Plus, he had enough money. What would he do with even more?
Though he’d planned this extended vacation with the thought that he’d do as little as possible besides relax and unwind, the prospect of untangling the mysterious Maria’s secrets filled him with exhilaration and a fresh sense of purpose. He hadn’t felt this excited about anything in a long, long time.
First up, though, he needed to hit the grocery store. What good was a beach house without the basic amenities like coffee and food? Once he’d gotten the necessities taken care of, he’d turn his attention to the delectable beauty.
“We’ll figure this out,” he vowed, out loud, even though no one else could hear him. He wasn’t giving up on her, not yet.
* * *
Wedding Chapel Near the Sea. Just the name made Maria smile. Even if she hadn’t been able to manage an ocean view, the salty scent of the waves permeated the air. She loved her business and had spent long hours restoring the old Victorian house until she had it exactly the way she’d envisioned. Romantic, nostalgic and tranquil.
And it worked. Even catching sight of the pale peach paint with beige trim made her happy. Every morning she drove to work and went inside with a smile on her face. Today would be no different. She refused to let what had just happened ruin her day.
“You’re way too chipper for this early,” her receptionist, Kathleen, groused, her usual response to Maria’s cheerful “Good morning.”
Maria merely smiled, just as she always did, and continued on into her tiny office. She’d painted the walls bright yellow, just because the color reminded her of sunshine, and decorated with pictures and statues of pigs, because they made her laugh.
“What do we have on the schedule today?” she asked.
“The Thompson wedding is coming by to talk dates.” Kathleen appeared in the doorway, reading from a ledger. “They’ll be here at ten. And the Woodards are bringing the balance of their deposit at two and will want to go over the final details.”
“Anything else?”
Kathleen started to shake her head, but turned when the front door opened. “Can I help you?” she asked, heading toward the reception area. “Are you here to discuss planning a wedding?”
At that