The Tycoon's Defiant Southern Belle (16 page)

He looked at her warily.  “What did you have in mind?” he asked. 

She laughed softly.  “Oh, I don’t know.  Maybe six or seven kids.  All of them boys
looking as handsome and rugged as you are.”

“Six or seven?” he repeated, astounded. 

She grinned enticingly.  “We’ll have to practice a great deal in order to have that
many kids,” she said and her fingers moved to the buttons on his shirt, slipping one
out of the buttonhole. 

Angelo’s hands captured her fingers, stopping their teasing.  He could only take so
much, he thought.  “Jade, Dave is probably the better…”

She covered his mouth with her own, stopping him from saying those horrible words. 
When he was silent, she pulled back and looked at him.  “Dave is a weak, conniving
little snake with no morals and even less compassion for anyone other than himself. 
Please don’t ever compare yourself to him.  He’s pathetic and I’m ashamed that I ever
considered him as someone I would spend the rest of my life with.  And I have you
to thank for getting me out of what would eventually be a heart breaking situation.”

Angelo wasn’t sure what to say to that.  Her words were so impassioned, but then everything
Jade did was filled with life and passion and she tackled everything with a gusto
that he admired.  “He told you all about me?”

She nodded her head. 

“And you still think you’re in love with me?” he asked, but it sounded more disbelieving
than anything else spoken in the last few minutes.

She smiled and leaned against his chest.  “I know I’m in love with you.”  She wiggled
her bottom against his groin.  “And if you don’t take me into your bedroom and make
love to me, I’ll be forced to do something very drastic.”

Angelo chuckled, liking the new and demanding Jade.  “What would you consider drastic?”
he asked, his voice deepening as his body hardened underneath her.  He shifted her
slightly so he could see her face and almost laughed at the blush stealing up her
beautiful cheeks. 

“Oh, I can be very drastic,” she said softly, the promise of creative things she could
think up shining through in her eyes. 

Angelo threw back his head and laughed, but his eyes caught on the plastic container
behind her.  “What’s that?” he asked, tilting his head towards the large, white object.

Jade’s head spun around and then she turned back to him.  “That’s your birthday cake,”
she said happily.  She picked up the container and started to open it, then realized
that it had completely tipped over and most of the cream cheese frosting was now mashed
up against the side.  “Okay, well, it used to look pretty good,” she said with a grimace. 

Angelo swallowed painfully, his eyes staring at the odd object.  “You bought me a
birthday cake?” he asked, stunned. 

“I made you a birthday cake,” she explained.  She looked down at the mess.  “But maybe
I should go out and buy you one instead.  This one is a mess.”

Angelo stood up and took the container from her hands.  “Let’s see it,” he said and
started to lift the cover off.

Jade didn’t want him to see the mess and tried to take it out of his arms, but he
simply lifted it higher, out of her reach.  “I want to see it,” he countered, wrapping
an arm around her waist and pulling her close again. 

She sighed and looked up at him.  “Okay, you can look at it under one condition.”

Angelo considered her ultimatum, knowing that he was stronger and taller.  He could
easily have his way but he decided to give in.  “Fine.  What’s the condition?”

She poked him in the side.  “You have to marry me.  You have to eventually tell me
that you love me.  And you have to come back home with me because it’s too darn, cold
up here!” she explained.  She barely had time to state the last condition before his
mouth swooped down and covered her own. 

When she was breathless, he lifted his head and looked down at her.  “I can’t guarantee
that I’ll always be the nice guy.”

She laughed and hugged him, feeling elated now that victory was so close at hand. 
“You’ve never been nice!” she replied, delighted. 

“I thought you just said I was all of those things.”

She laughed even more.  “I said you were kind and gentle and smart.  Never would I
describe you as a nice guy.  In fact, you’re driving me crazy right now,” she said
and glanced over his shoulder where he was still holding the cake out of her reach. 

“You really made me a birthday cake?” he asked, a smile growing over his handsome
features. 

“Yes!” she replied, exasperated.  “So would you please get that out of the air and
look at it so we can go out and get you a proper birthday cake instead?”

Angelo laughed and brought the container lower.  He reluctantly released her so he
could remove the top.  Looking back, he noticed that Jade had both arms crossed and
she was looking mainly at the floor. 

He lifted the top and was amazed at the huge mess underneath the lid.  “You’re right,”
he said with a grim expression.  “This is a mess.”  But then he stuck a finger into
the moist cake and icing, then lifted a taste to his lips.  “But it’s incredibly delicious,”
he said.  He moved closer to her, taking another bite and offering her a taste as
well from his finger.  She took the icing and smiled, feeling her stomach quiver as
his finger stroked her lips. 

“There’s only one problem,” he said and bent to gently kiss her lips, licking a small
spot of icing off the corner. 

“What’s that?” she asked, slightly breathless from just that small touch.

“My birthday is in February,” he said with a sly grin.

Jade froze, her eyes widened and she looked at him.  “Are you kidding me?” she asked. 

He shook his head and she could tell that he wasn’t joking.  “What day?” she asked.

“February twenty-first.”

After a stunned moment, she threw back her head and laughed.  “Oh my,” she said when
she finally got herself under control.  “What a waste!  Dave told me it was three
days ago,” she explained, chuckling a bit more as she surveyed the horrible looking,
crumbled mess.  “And I’ve been carrying that thing all day long.”

He brought her close and kissed the top of her head.  “I think it was very sweet of
you to make this cake for me.  Even if you are six months off on the date.”  His voice
turned gruff as he said, “No one has made me a birthday cake since my parents passed
away.  Thank you.”

She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his chest.  “You’re welcome.  But I don’t
know what kind of cake you actually like.  If you tell me now, I can try again in
February.”  She looked up at him hopefully. 

He shrugged his massive shoulders.  “Right now, I think I like carrot cake the best.” 
And with that, he lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hallway towards
what a laughing Jade hoped was his bedroom. 

When they were standing beside the bed, he reached into his pocket and pulled something
out.  Holding it in front of her, he held the ring with two fingers.  “If you really
believe that you’re in love with me, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
he asked.

Jade heard the heavy emotions in his voice and her heart ached to bring him all the
happiness he’d missed out on as a child.  “I would be honored.  But you still need
to tell me that you love me too.  I know it, but I’d really like to…”

“I love you, crazy woman!” he said, lifting her up into his arms and kissing her with
all of the love he was feeling. 

Jade took a deep breath and opened the door.  As soon as she stepped out, there were
several gasps from the group of women standing in the master bedroom.

“Oh, Jade!” Sydney gasped, holding her baby in her arms as she looked at her new friend. 
“You look absolutely lovely!”

“Definitely the belle of the ball,” Ella agreed.  One graceful hand covering her very
pregnant belly while the other hand held onto, Max, her six year old son. 

Jade smiled gratefully and looked down at Max, the little man was the light of his
father’s eyes.  “What do you think Your Highness?” she teased the small man who was
trying to look very important and cool while amid so many women.

Max’s dark eyes surveyed the woman in the lovely white wedding dress, then finally
nodded.  “I think Mr. Angelo will like you.”

The three women laughed and Jade wanted to bend low and kiss the little man for his
approval but didn’t want to embarrass him.  “Well, I guess that puts the final approval
on the dress then,” she said, smoothing the draping silk tulle over her body.  The
bodice was covered with silvery flowers but then the empire waist fell directly to
the floor with delicate lines of more silver flowers flowing down slightly.  Because
the dress was so elaborate, she’d chosen a simple veil with no embellishments and
simple makeup, just like Angelo preferred. 

“Goodness, I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she whispered with excitement. 
“Is he really here?” she asked nervously. 

Sydney laughed softly and nodded.  “Both Dominic and Zayn are currently driving him
nuts but he’s here.  He might punch out the two best men, but the wedding is definitely
going to happen.”

Jade’s eyes looked worried.  “Is he okay?”

Ella waddled over to her new friend.  “He’s more than okay.  Just anxious to get you
down the aisle.  Are you ready?  It’s time,” she said with more than a little bit
of excitement herself. 

Sydney poked Ella’s arm slightly.  “Remember your own wedding?” she asked, obviously
reminiscing about her wedding to Dominic.  “I think I was about to throw up right
before I walked down the aisle.”

“Well, you were three months pregnant, weren’t you?”

“Yes,” she nodded.  “And Dominic was the most horrid groom around.  The man actually
tried to order me to hurry up!”

Both women laughed and even Max shook his head.  “What did you do?”

Sydney shrugged her shoulder delicately.  “I punched his arm, then hurried to the
bathroom and threw up.”  She waited until their laughter died down before she asked,
“What about your wedding?” she asked Ella.

Ella waved her hand away.  “I don’t even remember my first wedding.  It was done in
a frantic hurry around midnight right after I’d discovered that Zayn was a sheik instead
of just an ordinary guy.”  She looked at Sydney with a grimace.  “I wish I’d known
you then.  I would have taken a page out of your book and punched the jerk.” 

Max piped up at that point.  “You love him,” he corrected, rolling his eyes exactly
like his father did whenever Ella said something Zayn disagreed with.  To the other
two women he said, “But she liked her next one.”

Ella nodded.  “The next wedding was pretty nice,” she smiled with the memory.  “I
was probably already pregnant then as well, but didn’t know it.”  She patted her tummy
with her six month pregnant belly.  “Zayn helped make up for the first one.  But the
press were brutal!  I think we were up to about five or six interviews a day until
Zayn finally put a stop to all of that.”

“The press are here,” Sydney cautioned.  “Dominic and Zayn both have their security
details along with Angelo’s, keeping the paparazzi out of the way.  But this wedding
is pretty big news.  Everyone wants to see who captured the dangerous Angelo Donati,”
she said. 

Jade rolled her eyes just as Max had done a moment ago.  “Angelo is not dangerous,”
she said with absolute conviction.  “He’s a pussy cat.”

Max was horrified.  “He is not!” he almost yelled.  “Men are not cats!  We’re lions
maybe but not cats!”

The three women looked down at the sweet little guy and laughed.  “You’re absolutely
right, Your Highness,” Jade said, bending low to give him a kiss. 

“I have to go,” Max said, puffing up with importance.  “Dad just sent me up here to
check on what was going on.”  With that, he rushed out of the room and down the stairs,
apparently eager to report that he’d defended their masculinity, horrified at the
idea of being compared to a house cat. 

Jade took a deep breath.  “I guess we’d better hurry as well,” she said.

All three women walked down the stairs of the beautifully renovated and dramatically
decorated house Jade had finished only three weeks ago.  There were flowers on every
surface and champagne chilling in preparation of their wedding toast.  A gorgeous,
four tiered wedding cake topped with white roses was in a corner of the great room
with tables set up for an elaborate dinner, just waiting for the end of the ceremony. 

Jade stepped out behind Sydney and Ella onto the mosaic tiles of the new lanai and
stared in wonder at the man at the end of the aisle.  She couldn’t believe she was
actually marrying Angelo Donati.  He was the most spectacular, amazing and incredibly
wonderful man on earth and she was so in love with him she often felt like she was
going to burst with the feeling. 

The music started and Jade waited for Sydney and Ella to walk down the aisle first. 
Then Max stepped out, his basket of rose petals in his hand.  He did well all the
way until the end of the aisle when he threw the petals up into the air then giggled
as he watched them float down around his head.  Jade had to laugh when Zayn rolled
his eyes, chuckling at his son’s antics as he stepped forward and pulled the little
prince back towards him.

And then it was her turn!  She took a deep breath, unaware of the crowd standing up
as she stepped down to make her way towards the minister.  She thought perhaps she
was dreaming, this fantastical fantasy that couldn’t be real. 

But then she placed her hand in Angelo’s and that incredible, shocking heat stole
through her whole body, just like it had that first time.  And she suddenly knew that
she wasn’t dreaming.  He was real.  He was hers.  And he was incredible. 

“I love you,” she whispered, looking up into his handsome, black eyes. 

“I love you too,” he came right back, a soft smile on his dangerously handsome face. 
“Let’s get married.”

Her smile widened and her eyes lit with excitement.  “Let’s do it,” she replied with
enthusiasm.