Their relationship could be more than a business arrangement. He would see she really did care about him, and it wasn’t just about his money. She didn’t need his money anymore. She needed him.
After breakfast, she made her way out to the beach, took off her shoes, and strolled along the shoreline with the warm, tropical water lapping at her toes. She found a beach chair and took off her dress, letting the hot sun kiss her winter-pale skin. She wandered down to the water and stepped in, letting the soft waves roll over her legs.
She walked deeper into the crystal-blue ocean, seeing the tropical fish dart around her. She saw a dolphin jump through the air in the distance and splash into the ocean. Mina was giddy with satisfaction. As the water rose around her hips, enveloping her in liquid warmth, she thought about Spencer and his kiss.
* * *
Spencer watched Mina from the window of his executive office. The sun glowed down on her curves, and he had to loosen his tie. That woman would be the death of him, the death of him as a man who could ignore his feelings and wrap himself up in work. He realized now that this stirring need inside him was exactly what his grandfather had wanted.
Spencer placed his hand against the window, imagining he was down on the beach beside her, holding her gorgeous body close to his, adoring her sweet face and that lovely, open heart of hers that seemed only to want to be seen by him.
He pressed his eyes closed and gritted his teeth. Feelings twisted around his heart, prying open the iron lock he used to keep it closed. Tendrils of emotion twisted inside him like a thief’s lock picks, poking and prodding until the lock finally clicked open. It fell away.
The flood of passion he’d been holding back poured through, drowning him in desperate feelings he’d been constraining for so long. He backed away from the window, his chest throbbing with pain. A tear formed in the corner of his eye. What had she done to him?
Spencer had kept his world tidy, cold, and perfectly arranged. As the floodgates opened and the emotions overtook him, he knew he could never go back to the comfortable life he’d led before. Everything was messy now, toppled over with unrestrained emotion.
He wanted to blame her for it—hate her for it. But he couldn’t. He didn’t feel any of that. All he felt was a desperate, yearning need for her, a need to feel her in his arms, to hold her tight, to let her warmth flow through him and open him up to her. To let her in and keep her close. Wanted to kiss her, touch her, and let her love him for the rest of his life.
Chapter 14
Mina went back to her room and shuffled through all her clothing, trying to find the perfect outfit for her date with Spencer tonight. Was it a date? Could you go on a date with a man you were married to who insisted that the whole marriage was just a business contract?
Mina shoved those thoughts aside. She was going on a date with Spencer. She would see him, laugh with him, and tease him until the corners of his serious mouth quirked up with a resigned smile. She giggled thinking about it.
Mina finally chose a sleeveless taffeta dress with a sweetheart neckline and a fitted bodice with a belted waist. The flared skirt had a black background and red, yellow, and blue flowers in a bold, tropical print across the shiny fabric.
She twirled, watching the flowers dance around her. She put her hair up in a loose bun and fresh, summery makeup to match her new tan. She felt good, looked good, and couldn’t wait for her dinner with Spencer. She grabbed her purse and left the suite, heading down to the dining room to meet her husband.
Yes, her husband. She wanted him to be her husband, and she wanted all the things that came with that. She wanted more than anything to let herself love him.
The host took her to her table, and she sat under the sparkly lights on the patio where the tropical barbecue wafted the scent of sweet tropical sauce through the warm night. The wine steward brought her champagne and French bread to snack on while she waited for Spencer.
Mina kept thinking about how she was going to tell him about her publishing contract. After waiting for fifteen minutes, she checked her phone. There were no messages from Spencer, and it was already after eight. Spencer was usually the height of punctuality. She sent him a text, asking him where he was, but he didn’t respond.
The waiter returned at eight thirty and asked her if she was ready to order. She decided to have a plate of barbecue. There was no point in waiting to eat if Spencer was going to be late. The waiter returned with her meal, and she devoured it, hungry after a long day of frolicking in the sun. She drank another glass of champagne and checked her clock again, seeing it was already nine.
She ordered dessert, a tropical sorbet that arrived at her table at nine fifteen. She ate it slowly, hoping that at any moment, Spencer would arrive. She’d already sent him about ten text messages asking him where he was. He hadn’t sent her a single response. When Mina finished with her sorbet, she ordered another.
By now it was already forty-five after nine. She finished her sorbet at ten and waited another half an hour, drinking two more glasses of champagne. At ten thirty, she was a little drunk and more than a little angry. It was Spencer’s idea to meet, but he didn’t show up, he didn’t bother to tell her he couldn’t come, and didn’t respond to a single one of her texts.
As she stood from her table, tipsy from the champagne, she grabbed her phone and sent one final message. “You’re an asshole.” She pressed send and stormed out of the dining room.
Up in her bedroom, she collapsed on the bed, still wearing her taffeta dress. She would have an angry hangover in the morning. Mina rarely drank this much. Her head was swimming and dizzy. She was so furious at Spencer she could spit. Why had he gotten her hopes up?
As she drifted into blackness, she had to admit to herself that he hadn’t gotten her hopes up. She’d done that all on her own. He wanted to meet to discuss their business arrangement. Maybe he considered it a low-priority meeting since their agreement was already secured. She really didn’t mean that much to him.
He shouldn’t mean anything to her. Now that she had a publishing contract secured, she didn’t need his money or his help. And she certainly didn’t need his love.
A tear streamed down her cheek as she passed out, still wearing her dress and heels. In that moment of despair, Mina decided she would never have feelings for Spencer again.
* * *
“What do you mean, we can’t open tomorrow?” Spencer demanded.
“The Tahiti government is questioning your licenses,” his COO, Douglas Byers, told him.
“How is that possible? We’ve had those licenses secured for months.”
“We going to have to go down to the local offices and deal with this tonight. Otherwise, they’ll shut us down.”
Spencer slammed his fist into his desk, glaring at Douglas.
“This was your responsibility,” he barked. “I should fire you for this.”
“No one could have foreseen this turn of events.”
“Whatever they want, we’re going to have to give it to them.”
“We have to play this subtly. It could take all night.”
“The sooner we deal with this, the better. I want all my lawyers on site tomorrow after the deal is closed. Wake them up and get them on planes. I will not have my investment destroyed before we even open the doors.”
“Yes sir.”
Spencer stood from his desk, buttoning his suit jacket. It was going to be a long night of renegotiation.
* * *
Mina woke the next morning with her head pounding. She sat up in bed with a groan and cupped her throbbing temples in her palms. “Note to self: don’t drink because you’re angry with a man.”
Mina slipped out of her taffeta dress and into a bathrobe. She trudged into the living room to find coffee but instead found Spencer sitting at the dining room table reading his briefings and drinking a green smoothie.
She narrowed her eyes at him, and he looked up at her over the green drink. Without a word, she walked into the
kitchen and poured her coffee. Her emotions boiling, she couldn’t decide if she wanted to yell at him, slap him, or ignore him. She finally settled on sitting at the other end of the table and glaring at him.
“Where were you last night?” she asked.
He had gone back to reading his briefings and was completely ignoring her.
“Oh, yes.” He checked his watch. “I was at the local government offices defending my licenses. I had to have my lawyers flown in for the occasion.”
“I sent you about twenty-five texts last night when you didn’t show up to dinner.”
“I didn’t see those until this morning.”
“I waited for you for hours.”
“You should have just gone home.”
“I thought we were going to meet.” She cupped the warm mug in her hands.
“It was a low priority. We can have our meeting tomorrow. Today, I will be extremely busy. I should be gone already. The resort is opening in a few hours. You need to make yourself presentable.” He rose from the table.
“I got a publishing contract,” she blurted out.
This hadn’t been how she’d wanted to share this information. But she was so angry she could burst. She’d been beginning to believe he cared about her, but it had all been in her head. He didn’t care at all. Now that she had a publishing contract, she didn’t need him.
“How nice for you.” He shoved his papers in his briefcase.
“They’ve offered me a five-hundred-thousand-dollar advance on my book, so I won’t be needing this marriage anymore,” she said to his back as he headed to the door.
Spencer turned slowly and gave her a confused look. Standing there stunned for several moments, he stared at her as if he didn’t understand what she’d said. If she left the marriage, she got nothing from him. But she would rather leave than continue to torture herself with his lack of care.
“But our existing contract goes until the end of the year,” he said finally.
“Only if I want a million dollars. If I break the contract, it’s void. No one owes anyone anything. You got your inheritance. That’s all this was ever about.”
“Mina, I…”
“I know you wanted to use me to extend your business influence. However, since this was only ever about money, I don’t need you anymore.”
“Very well.” He drew himself up. “I’ll have my lawyers draw up the annulment as soon as we return to Los Angeles.”
“Great. Then I can finally be done with you.”
He nodded sharply once then turned to leave. The door slammed behind him. Tears slid from the corners of her eyes, and she buried her head in her hands.
Mina wept, feeling as if something was being torn away from her, something she desperately needed. She couldn’t live like this. She needed to be loved, and if Spencer treated her as though she didn’t mean anything to him, it would tear her apart.
She slowly made her way to her bedroom to shower and change. The grand opening was in a few hours. She had to make an appearance there. Perhaps this would be the last time she and Spencer appeared in public together. Not that she cared. That was all Spencer’s thing. She would do him this one final favor and be done with it. She never wanted to feel this way again.
She dressed in a breezy white dress with a thin black stripe pattern, a gold necklace, and her big fat diamond wedding ring. She looked down at the ring. It should have been a symbol of their undying love, the promise of the future, their commitment to each other. But it was none of those things.
It was merely an example of Spencer trying to buy her. All he ever wanted was the inheritance of Camden International, so he could continue with what he really loved: his work. He was incapable of loving her or anyone else. All he cared about was his next deal. She tried not to cry as she brushed on her mascara and finished curling her hair.
She couldn’t eat but had another cup of coffee before it was time to go down to the grand opening of the Camden Tahiti resort. It would be a big party, and the last thing Mina was in the mood for was a party. What she really wanted to do was throw Spencer’s green smoothie right in his face.
Chapter 15
Spencer supervised the arrangement of the final details of the grand opening. The band had arrived. The caterers were in place. The guests were served champagne. Everything was coming together perfectly. He couldn’t have asked for a better premier. All the problems he’d faced in opening this resort had been resolved. It was zero hour—the moment of truth.
He was supremely confident that this resort would go off as well as his last several openings. Now that he had the controlling share of the company, the sky was the limit. He had plans for six more resorts in the next three years. Tahiti would be his flagship and his standard of excellence. He looked at his watch as the band tuned up on the front patio under the shade of the entry arch.
He was dressed in a light-gray suit, perfect for the weather, a tropical flower on his lapel. The guests gathered on the front steps, holding their champagne flutes. The tropical breeze blew through the air, and Spencer trotted up the stairs to the podium as the band played. A red ribbon had been strung across the entryway, waiting to be cut. Everyone applauded as he stood behind the mic to give his opening address to his guests.
“Camden Tahiti has been a dream of mine for quite some time. The crew at Camden Resorts worked tirelessly to bring this dream to fruition. It is our great hope that you will find rest, recuperation, and luxury that not only meet your standards but to take your tropical vacation to a whole new level. Camden Tahiti is officially opened for business. Welcome, everyone.”
Mina held the huge gold scissors meant to cut the ribbon. The crowd cheered when they saw his new bride stepping forward in her pretty dress. She was lovely and smiled brightly at his guests who showed their approval with their cheers and applause. He cringed, thinking how much her presence had already benefited him. And now she was talking about leaving without taking a cent of his money.
He had to brush that aside right now. Mina and all the issues that accompanied her were unimportant. All that mattered was cutting that ribbon and opening the doors to his new five-star resort. She sliced the ribbon in half with the giant scissors. The crowd cheered, and everyone moved up the steps to the lobby.
Out on the back patio, the real party began. Everyone had already been checked in to their rooms, the ribbon-cutting simply a formality. Now they could relax with champagne and hors d’oeuvres around the pool with a view of the ocean.
He saw Mina with his mother, surrounded by guests. The guests chatted animatedly with Mina as if seeking her approval. The girl who’d been a waitress and a recent college graduate was now the toast of the town.
He loosened his collar, feeling choked up and uncomfortable as he looked at her across the pool. The light reflected on the water and glowed on her newly tanned legs. She glanced over her bare shoulder, meeting his gaze. Her smile faded, and her lips pursed in a thin, tight line before she went back to her pleasant conversation. He let out a ragged breath and ran his hand over his head.
She was angry with him. But what was he supposed to do about it? He’d had important business to take care of last night. Discussing their arrangement was a low priority and could be done at any time. If she didn’t understand that, then the sooner he got her out of his life the better. There would be many nights like that, and as his relationship partner, she would have to accept it.
Clearly, she couldn’t, so she had to go. That was her choice. She didn’t want their partnership and she didn’t want his money. There was nothing he could do about it. His inner dragon blew flames across the backs of his eyes, nearly forcing a shift.
Spencer regained control. But he knew deep down that he didn’t want to lose her. His inner dragon was driving him mad about this girl. She affected him in ways he’d never anticipated and never wanted to feel again. Spencer prided himself on being logical, rational, and emotionally reticent. That was what made him a good businessman. Mina
brought out a side of him he did not like, the side that wanted love and affection and approval. It made him feel vulnerable, like a child, waiting for his father to come home. And he’d never come.
He didn’t need to be reminded of what it meant to need other people. His father and grandfather before him had both taught him that such needs were weakness. But on his deathbed, his grandfather had tried to reverse all of that. Well, he couldn’t change Spencer’s core nature. But was it his core nature? His inner dragon screamed.
Spencer took a sip of champagne and looked out at the ocean. He had been taught to suppress his emotions, suppress the needs of his inner beast and his heart. To be a good businessman and captain of industry, a shifter had to learn to use his drive and intelligence but hold down his animal nature. Relationships were distractions.
These were the principles that had been drummed into his mind from his earliest memories. He couldn’t suddenly change that, nor did he want to.
He checked his watch, knowing it was time to get on his private jet and head back to Los Angeles. He had business to attend to back at Camden International headquarters. The trip to Tahiti was only for the grand opening of the resort, not a vacation, certainly not a honeymoon, as his mother had suggested.
Once he got Mina back to LA, they could arrange for the annulment and get this whole debacle taken care of. She had played her role, and now it was over.
He strode across the patio to where she stood with his mother. He smiled, showing his teeth and trying to present an air of civility.
“Good to see you, Mother.”
“The resort is lovely, dear—almost as lovely as your bride.”
“Thank you, Mother. Mina darling…” He took her arm. “It’s time for us to go. The jet is scheduled for wheels up in twenty minutes.”
“It was so good to see you, Tisha.” Mina kissed his mother’s cheeks.