The Ceo’s Accidental Bride

Ten

The next afternoon, Kaitlin struggled to forget the entire weekend. If she chalked up her experience on Serenity Island to yet another childish fantasy where she found a family and lived happily ever after, she could cope with the way Zach had systematically and deliberately ripped her heart out.

It wasn’t real.

It had never been real.

Working from her apartment, she’d gone back to her original renovation designs, ignoring the twinges of guilt when she thought about Ginny and Sadie and what they might think of what she was doing to the Harpers’ Manhattan building.

This wasn’t about Sadie, nor was it about the Harper and Gilby families. This was about Kaitlin, and her career, and her ability to stand on her own two feet and take care of herself every second of every day for the rest of her life.

So despite the knowledge that Sadie was unlikely to approve of the three extra floors, the five-story lobby, the saltwater aquarium and the palm trees, those features were staying, every single one of them. And she’d added a helipad. Who knew when Dylan would want to drop in?

She’d even thought about replacing the fountains in the lobby with a two-story waterfall. In fact, she was still considering it.

It was halfway through the afternoon, and her legs were starting to cramp. She rose from her computer, crossing the living room to the kitchen, snagging her second Sugar Bob’s doughnut. She knew they were becoming an addiction. But she promised herself she’d add an extra half hour at the gym every day, and she’d kick the habit completely just as soon as the Harper building renovation was complete.

A woman could only handle so many things at once. She took a big bite.

There was a rap on her door, so she ditched the doughnut in the box and tossed the box back into her cupboard, wiping the powdered sugar from her lips.

For a split second she wondered if it might be Zach. Then, just as quickly, she promised herself she wouldn’t open the door if it was.

She wouldn’t.

She had absolutely nothing left to say to the man.

But when she checked through the peephole, it was Lindsay standing in the hallway. Kaitlin opened the door to find her friend balancing a large Agapitos pizza box on one hand and holding a bottle of tequila in the other.

“Pepperoni and sausage,” Lindsay said without preamble, walking forward as Kaitlin opened the door up wide and shifted out of the way. “I hope you have limes.”

It was only three-thirty. Somewhat early to start in on margaritas, but the day was already a nutritional bust, so what the hell?

“How are you holding up?” asked Lindsay as she crossed to the small kitchen table while Kaitlin shut and latched the apartment door.

“I am absolutely fine,” said Kaitlin, her determination putting a spring in her step as she squared her shoulders.

“You are a terrible liar,” Lindsay countered.

That was true enough. But Kaitlin also knew that if she said something loud enough and often enough, sometimes it started to feel true.

Kaitlin headed for the fridge, reciting the words she’d rehearsed in her mind. “So it turned out to be a con. It wasn’t like we didn’t expect it to be one. Zach was fighting to save money. I was fighting for my career. Our positions were incompatible from the get-go.” She paused, taking a moment to regroup her emotions. “Though I have to admit, I didn’t expect him to be quite so good.”

She tugged open the fridge door, fighting to keep her voice even, but not doing a particularly good job. “Still, I was colossally stupid to have fallen for his act. I mean, didn’t you and I call it almost to the detail before we left?”

“I never thought he’d take it as far as he did,” Lindsay ventured from behind her.

“I did,” said Kaitlin with a decisive nod as she bent to scoop a couple of limes from the crisper drawer. “He was trying to use sex as an advantage all along.”

She’d known that. And she had no idea why she’d let herself sink so far into a ridiculous fantasy. She’d figured it out, yet in four short days he had her convinced to do exactly what he’d wanted with the renovations, and she was romping wantonly in his bed every night to boot.

Stupid move.

She snagged the limes.

Yesterday she’d been angry.

This morning she’d been heartbroken.

Right now, she was more embarrassed than anything.

“What about you?” she asked Lindsay, making up her mind to quit talking about it as she closed the fridge.

“What about me?” Lindsay had perched herself on one of the stools at the small breakfast bar with the pizza box in front of her.

Kaitlin set the limes down on the countertop and pulled a long, sharp knife out of the wooden block. “What about you and Dylan?”

“There is no me and Dylan.”

“There was yesterday.”

Lindsay gave her blond hair a quick toss. “He’s dead to me.”

“I like that,” Kaitlin said defiantly, slicing into a lime. It sounded so unemotional and final.

“Have you heard anything from Zach?” Lindsay asked.

Kaitlin squeezed half a lime into the blender as she shook her head. “If I see his number, I’ll hang up. And if he drops by, I won’t answer the door.”

“What about the renovation?”

Kaitlin emphasized her words by pointing the knife tip to her computer on the dining table. “I am doing my full-blown design. I’m adding a helipad and a waterfall. It’ll be fabulous. I’ll probably win an award.”

Lindsay flipped open the cardboard box, folding it back to reveal the gooey, fragrant pizza. “I can’t believe they turned out to be such rats.”

“Dead-to-us rats,” Kaitlin stated, fighting to keep her emotions in check over the thought of never seeing Zach again.

Why had she let herself trust him? Did she think he’d love her, really marry her, have babies with her and turn her life into some fantasy?

She was Kaitlin Saville, penniless orphan. Things like that didn’t happen to her.

Lindsay tore a bite from one of the pizza slices and popped it into her mouth. “You thought he was the one?” she ventured softly.

Suddenly exhausted, Kaitlin set down the knife. “Stupid of me, I know.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s all my fault.”

“He played you.”

“And I let him. I encouraged him. I helped him. And now all I have left is revenge.”

“Revenge can be satisfying,” said Lindsay. “Especially when it’s going to save your career.”

“I don’t want revenge,” Kaitlin responded with blunt honesty, turning to squeeze the other half of the lime into the blender. “I hate revenge. I feel like I’m getting revenge against Sadie instead of Zach.” She dropped the lime peel and braced herself against the countertop.

She knew she couldn’t do it.

She couldn’t spend Harper money on a design she knew Sadie would hate. Her laugh sounded more like a cry.

“Katie?” Lindsay was up and rounding the breakfast bar.

“I’m fine,” Kaitlin sniffed. But she wasn’t fine. She was about to give up her career and her future for a family that wasn’t even hers.

“Don’t you love it when you know you’ve been a jerk?” Dylan asked, cupping his hands behind his head and stretching back in the padded chair next to Zach’s office window.

Zach was standing, too restless to sit down while his mind struggled to settle on a course of action.

“I mean,” Dylan continued, “sometimes you’re not sure. But other times, like this, you’re positive you’ve been a complete ass.”

Zach folded his arms across his chest, watching the clouds streak across the sky far away over the Jersey shore. “Are you talking about me or you?”

“I’m talking about both of us.”

Zach turned. He didn’t know about Dylan’s behavior, but he maintained that he’d been put in an untenable position. He never set out to hurt anyone. He was only trying to do right by his company and his family.

“And what should I have done differently?” he demanded.

Dylan grinned at Zach’s upset. “I don’t know. Maybe you shouldn’t have pretended you were married.”

“I am married.”

“I’m guessing not for long.”

Zach shook his head. “She’s not going to divorce me. It’s her leverage.”

At least he hoped Kaitlin wasn’t going to divorce him yet. He wasn’t ready for that.

Dylan crossed an ankle over one knee. “Conning her into scaling back the renovation was one thing. But you’re not a heartless bastard, Zach. Why’d you mess with her emotions like that?”

Zach felt his anger rise. What he’d done with Kaitlin was none of Dylan’s business. It was between him and Kaitlin. It was… They were…

“And what about you?” he queried, deflecting the question. “You slept with Lindsay.”

“That was a simple fling.”

“And what do you think I had?”

Dylan sat up straight. “I don’t know, Zach. You tell me.” His gaze moved meaningfully to the package of papers on the table between them.

“That’s nothing,” Zach denied. That was simply him being a decent human being, something which Dylan didn’t seem to believe was possible.

“You put nine private investigators on the case.”

“So?” Zach had wanted something fast. More men, better speed.

“So how did that benefit you?”

“It wasn’t supposed to benefit me.” It was meant to benefit Kaitlin, to put a smile on her face, to banish the haunted look that came into her eyes every time the subject of his family came up, which was nearly every second they were on Serenity Island.

But the effort had pretty much been a failure. Despite the high-end manpower, all he’d found of Kaitlin’s heritage was a grainy old newspaper photo showing her grandparents and her mother as a young girl. The family home had burned down, killing the grandparents and destroying all of the family possessions when Kaitlin’s mother was sixteen, two years before Kaitlin was born.

The picture, two names and a gravesite were all Zach had turned up.

“You still going to give them to her?” asked Dylan.

“Sure,” said Zach, with a shrug, pretending it was no big deal. “Maybe I’ll mail them over.”

“Mail them?”

“Mail them.”

“You don’t want to see her in person?”

Zach bristled. “To do what? To say what? To let her yell at me again?” Truth was, he’d give anything to see Kaitlin again, even if it was only to hear her yell. But what was the point? He’d chewed up her trust and spit it out, over and over again.

“You could tell her you sold the ship.”

“Big deal.” So Zach had come up with seventy-five million dollars. It wasn’t as if he had a choice. Kaitlin would be full steam ahead on the renovation again, and the only way he was going to get his company back was to give her the carte blanche she’d demanded. The only way to do that was to sell an asset. So he’d sold an asset. She wouldn’t give him brownie points for doing that. “You think an old newspaper photo and money I had to give her all along are going to make a difference?”

“You gotta try, Zach.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You’re in love with her.”

“No, I’m not.”

Dylan coughed out a cold laugh and came to his feet. “You sorry son-of-a-”

“I am not in love with Kaitlin.”

He liked Kaitlin. Sure, he liked Kaitlin. What was not to like?

And, yeah, he’d have stayed with her for the foreseeable future. He’d have woken up next to her for as long as she’d let him. And maybe for a few days there he’d entertained fantasies about what could happen between them long term.

But those were just fantasies. They had nothing to do with the real world.

In the real world, he and Kaitlin were adversaries. She’d wanted to save her career, and he’d wanted to keep his company intact. She’d won. He’d lost. Nothing to be done about it now but mop up after the fallout.

“I saw your face when she walked out,” Dylan offered. “I’ve known you your whole life, Zach.”

Zach turned on him. “You know nothing.”

“You’re going to lie to me? That’s your next big plan?”

“I don’t have a next big plan.”

“Well, you’d better come up with one. Or you’re going to lose Kaitlin forever.”

The words felt like a stake in Zach’s heart.

He didn’t love Kaitlin. He couldn’t love Kaitlin. It would be a disaster to love Kaitlin.

He swallowed.

“What about you?” he asked Dylan.

“I already have a plan,” Dylan stated with smug satisfaction. “And I don’t even love Lindsay. I’m just not ready to let her go yet.”

“That’s how it starts,” said Zach.

Dylan’s brows shot up. “And you know this because…?”

“What’s your plan?” Zach countered.

Okay, maybe he did love Kaitlin just a little bit. But he’d get over it.

“I’m kidnapping Lindsay. She wanted a pirate, she’s getting a pirate. Can I borrow your yacht?”

“You can’t kidnap her.”

“Watch me.”

Zach took in the determination in Dylan’s eyes. And for a second there, he wished he could simply kidnap Kaitlin. If he could get her on board his yacht, he could probably keep her there for a few days, maybe even a few weeks. By the end of it, like Lyndall, he might be able to win her over.

On the other hand, she might have him arrested. Or she might throw him overboard. Or she might decide the Harper building needed to be a hundred stories high and truly bankrupt him.

Kidnapping was not a real option.

Instead, he’d give her the money. He’d give her the news clipping and the photo. Then, like the gentleman he’d once been, he’d step out of her life forever.

Three margaritas later, Kaitlin splashed cold water on her face in the small bathroom of her apartment. She and Lindsay had started to giggle about half an hour back, but now she found herself fighting tears.

It didn’t seem to matter that Zach had played her for a fool. She’d fallen in love with him, and no matter how many times she told herself it was all a lie, she couldn’t stop wanting the man she’d known on Serenity Island.

She dried her face and ran a comb through her hair, gathering her frayed emotions. Much as she wished she could drink herself into oblivion today, it was time to stop wallowing in self-pity and get her equilibrium back.

Her career in New York was over. Truthfully, she might as well walk away from the Harper project altogether. What Sadie and Zach would want wouldn’t do a thing to save Kaitlin’s career.

At least most of her boxes were still packed.

Another tear leaked out, and she impatiently swiped it away. She told herself she was tough, and she was strong, and she was independent. And she would salvage her life or die trying.

She left the bathroom at a determined pace, rounding the bedroom door into the living room. There, her steps staggered to a stop.

Zach stood in the middle of her apartment, large as life and twice as sexy.

She was too stunned to shriek, too stunned to cry, too stunned to do anything, but let her jaw drop open.

“Hello, Kaitlin.”

She still didn’t have her bearings. “Huh?”

“I came to apologize.”

She glanced swiftly around the apartment. “Where’s Lindsay? How did you-?”

“Lindsay left with Dylan.”

Kaitlin gave her head a little shake, but she wasn’t delusional. That really was Zach standing there. “Why would she do that?”

“He kidnapped her,” said Zach. “I wouldn’t expect to see her for a few days.”

“He can’t do that.”

“That’s what I said,” Zach agreed. “But I don’t think those two have ever cared much about the rules.”

“Lindsay’s a lawyer.” Of course she cared about the rules. She was passionate about the rules.

Zach seemed to ponder that fact for a few moments. “Yeah,” he conceded. “Dylan may have a bit of a problem with that when he brings her back.”

“Is that a joke?” Was Lindsay about to jump out of the closet?

Instead of answering, Zach took a few steps forward. Her heart rate increased. Her chest went tight. And a low buzz started in the base of her belly.

She knew she should fight the reaction, but she had no idea how to turn it off.

“He took my yacht,” said Zach, moving closer still, his gaze locked with hers every step of the way.

“So you’re an accessory to kidnapping?” Her shock at the sight of him was starting to wear off, replaced by amazement that he was actually standing here in front of her. She could feel herself sink reluctantly back into the fantasy.

“Dylan told me she wanted a pirate, so she was getting a pirate.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she asked. “To help Dylan?”

“No.”

“Then why?”

“Because I have something for you.”

She forced herself to go cold and demanding. “I hope it’s a big check.” She knew she’d given up, abandoned the renovation, but Zach didn’t need to know that yet.

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

“Good.” She gave a decisive nod, marveling at her own ability to hold her composure. The urge to throw herself into Zach’s arms grew more powerful by the second.

“Seventy-five million dollars,” he told her.

It took a few seconds for his words to sink in.

“What?” She took a reflexive step back.

“I sold a ship.”

“What?”

“I’m giving you seventy-five million dollars for the renovation.”

Kaitlin blinked at him.

“But that’s not the real reason I’m here.”

For a split second, hope flared within her. But she squelched it. Zach couldn’t be trusted. She’d learned that the hard way half a dozen times over.

He handed her an envelope. “I’m here to give you this. It’s not much.”

Watching him warily, Kaitlin lifted the flap. She slid out a laminated picture. It showed a twentysomething couple with a young, blonde girl at the beach. The caption was Holiday Travelers Enjoy Fourth of July Celebrations.

She didn’t understand.

“Phillipe and Aimee Saville,” Zach said softly, and it felt as if Kaitlin’s heart stopped.

“It was the best I could do,” he continued. “There was a house fire in 1983. None of their possessions were saved. But the private investigators found this in the archives of a New Jersey newspaper. The little girl is your mother.”

Kaitlin was completely speechless.

Her grandparents?

Zach had found grandparents?

Zach had looked for her grandparents?

Her fingers reflexively tightened on the photograph, and she felt herself sway to one side.

Zach’s hand closed around her shoulder, steadying her.

“I’ve had three margaritas,” she told him, embarrassed. She ought to be completely sober for a moment like this.

“That explains why Lindsay went so quietly.”

Kaitlin fought against the sensation of his touch, even as she struggled to make sense of his gesture. “How? Where?” Why had he done this?

“I had some people start looking last week. After you told me.” His hand tightened on her shoulder. “And I couldn’t stand to see the pain in your eyes.”

Her throat closed tighter, and her chest burned with emotion. She had to blink back tears at his thoughtfulness. Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “How am I supposed to hate you?”

He drew a deep breath. Then he closed his eyes for a long second. He reached out and gently smoothed her hair back from her forehead. “You’re not.”

His hand stayed there, resting against her hair. Her nerves tingled where he touched. Her body begged her to sway forward against him, even as her mind ordered her to hold still.

She couldn’t trust him. She didn’t trust him. Oh, my, how she wanted to trust him.

He stroked his way to her cheek, cupping her face, tilting his head at an angle she’d come to recognize, to love.

He was going to kiss her, just like he’d done a hundred times, maybe a thousand. His lips dipped closer, and she moistened her own. She inhaled his scent, and her body relaxed into the exquisite moment.

“You’re not supposed to hate me,” he repeated on a whisper. “You’re supposed to love me.”

Then, he paused with his lips just barely brushing hers. “Because I love you, Katie. I love you so much.”

His mouth captured hers, sending joy cascading through her body. His kiss was deep, sweet and long. His arms wrapped fully around her, hauling her close, pulling her safely into the circle of his embrace.

She clung to him, molding against him, passion and joy making her feel weightless.

After long minutes, he finally drew back. “Renovate anything you want,” he rasped. “I’ll sell half the damn fleet if I have to. Just don’t leave me again. Not ever.”

“I gave up the new design,” she told him.

He drew back. “What? Why?”

“Sadie wouldn’t like it.”

Zach stilled. “Sadie doesn’t matter. The past doesn’t matter. Only the future, Kaitlin. And you’re the future. You’re my future.”

Kaitlin’s heart soared at the thought of a future with Zach-such a loving, thoughtful man.

Her voice quavered as she spoke. “You found my grandparents.”

“I did,” he acknowledged. “I know they were buried in New Jersey.”

“You know where they’re buried?”

“Yes.”

Twin tears rolled from Kaitlin’s eyes at that. “Have I mentioned that I love you?”

“No.” He shook his head. “You hadn’t. And I was getting worried.”

“Well, I do.”

“Thank goodness.” He drew a deep breath, tightening his arms around her. “I told Dylan to give me an hour. Otherwise, you were getting kidnapped, too.”

“You would not.”

“Hell, yes, I would. One way or another, you and I are starting on a whole new generation of Harper pirates.”

Kaitlin smiled at his joke, her body sighing in contentment. “Sadie would be pleased.”

“Yes, she would,” Zach agreed. “She’d also be gloating over the success of her scheme. In fact, I can almost hear her chuckling from here.”

Kaitlin moved her hand to take another look at the picture of her grandparents. Her grandfather was tall. Her grandmother slightly rounded with light, curly hair. And her mother looked bright-eyed and happy with a shovel and pail in her hands. “I can’t believe you did this.”

“We can go visit their graves.” He paused. “I swapped Dylan the yacht for a helicopter. It’s standing by.”

Kaitlin was overwhelmed by this thoughtfulness. But she wasn’t anywhere near ready to leave his arms.

She molded her body to his. “Or maybe we could go in an hour or so?”

He sucked in a breath, lifting the picture from her hand and setting it safely on an end table. Then his eyes darkened, and he bent forward to kiss her thoroughly.

“Maybe in an hour or so,” he agreed and scooped her up to head for her bedroom.