Bidding on the Billionaire (18 page)

Hannah touched his shoulder, her hand warm and alluring. “You know, apologies go a long way. Even if you aren't wrong, it often soothes the wound.”

Cade shook his head and sighed.

“I've apologized. More than once. He hasn't decided to forgive me yet. I'm afraid there's too much water under that bridge. He's right. I hit him. It was a knee-jerk reaction, and it ended in us yelling things at each other. He and I both said things we can't take back.” He released the pent-up regret seated in his stomach and turned his head, finally meeting her gaze. “I'm glad you came. Does this mean what I hope it does?”

Hannah studied him for a moment, eyes anxious and darting over his face. Finally, she pulled her shoulders back. “I want what we agreed on. Two weeks. No more, no less.”

He studied her for a long moment. There were two ways he could play this. He could continue to try being patient, or he could stop being polite and stake his claim. Right now, he needed her to be straight with him. Whatever it meant. Conflict warred with the fear dancing in the depths of her eyes, telling him she held her cards close to her chest. If it were the last thing he did, he'd break through her walls.

Deciding to call her bluff, he arched a brow. “The pulse at the base of your neck gives you away, baby. So does your breathing. Your chest is rising and falling at a rapid pace, and your eyes are everywhere but on me.”

Her breathing ramped up another notch. When he took a step toward her, she took a step back.

Cade caught her around the waist, stopping her retreat, and leaned his head beside her ear. “Tell me something, baby. How damp are your panties right now?”

He forced himself to pull back enough to see her face—because if he didn't, his mouth would attach itself to hers, right there in front of everyone.

Heat flared in the depths of her eyes, but her chin jutted at a defiant angle. “Who says I'm wearing any?”

Those words from her mouth were his breaking point. In two seconds flat, she had him imagining her bare bottom beneath her dress. It would be so easy to hike up the hem and sink into her velvet heat. He'd spent three days without her.

His cock hardened behind his fly. He picked up her hand and pivoted, tugging her behind him as he strode from the ballroom in search of a space, any space, where a hundred pairs of eyes weren't watching his every damn move. He moved out of the ballroom into the hallway beyond; his gaze landed on the stairwell doorway at the end, and he turned toward it.

Halfway down the hallway, Hannah tugged on his arm. “Cade. Heels and short legs. Please slow down.”

He slowed his pace a fraction but didn't stop. He didn't trust himself. If he stopped, he'd be fucking her against the nearest wall. His balls ached with the desperate need to bury himself to the hilt in her slippery heat. He wanted to be as close to her as humanly possible, to convince her he wasn't the enemy. He needed the connection to her like he needed to draw his next breath. It had him shaking.

He hit the door leading to the stairwell at full stride. Once out beyond the crowd of people, the silence of the space washed over him. The door clicked shut, the thud echoing up the stairwell.

He leaned over the railing, checking to be sure they were alone, then turned and pressed her back against the wall. His hands had a mind of their own, wandering over her curves as he trailed his lips over the exposed skin of her neck and shoulders. He sucked, licked, and nibbled his way across the hard line of her stubborn jaw and down the supple softness of her neck. It didn't escape his notice that she didn't protest but melted against him.

“You shouldn't tease me right now, baby. I haven't seen you in three days.” He pressed his aching cock into the softness of her belly. All the while the words pent up in his chest kept leaving his mouth, on a desperate need to convince her following their hearts was a good thing. “Feel that? That's what you do to me. All I have to do is think about you and my body rises to yours. Christ, the way I need you scares the hell out of me.”

“Cade, please…” Despite her plea, her hips pushed back, rocking against him, and her hands closed around the lapels of his jacket.

Too afraid he really would hike her dress around her waist and take her right there, Cade forced himself to release her enough to meet her gaze. “If that's the way you felt, why did you even come tonight?”

The seconds ticked out as he waited. Hannah stared at him, wide-eyed and stunned. Her chest rose and fell at an increased pace.

From out in the hallway, an announcement came over the speakers in the ballroom down the hall, a dull hum from this distance, but he knew what it meant.

So did Hannah, for she turned away from him, stepping sideways to slip past him. “They're starting. We need to get back.”

Cade set his hand on the wall beside her side head, stopping her retreat before she'd gotten more than a step away. He had one chance at this. He wouldn't ruin it by holding back now.

He leaned his mouth to her ear. “This might have started out as a fling, baby, but I want more, and I think you do, too. I think that's what scares you so much. I'm not giving up on you, because I think you expect me to. I'm not like those other jerks in your life, and I
will
prove it.”

Having no desire to hear her rebuttal, he turned and left the stairwell. He had every intention of laying his heart on the line but this wasn't the time or the place. If only she'd hold on long enough to see him through this damn obligation.

H
annah exited the stairwell and made a beeline for the bathroom, not stopping until she had her hands on the cool tile of the sink's edge. She drew in deep gulping breaths and stared at her reflection in the mirror, attempting to calm the fierce pounding of her heart. Coming to this auction had been a bad idea. Cade was right. He terrified her, and letting him have this date would give her a reason to end the insanity waging a war in her head.

Cade had staked his claim. His words and the dark expression on his face had said that loud and clear. She had to admit his speech had threatened to melt her right out of her dress.

Long distance never worked. Eventually, he'd grow tired of her. They all did. She couldn't wait around for the time to come, for her heart to get broken. So why stay?

Because the thought of him with someone else made her chest tighten to painful proportions. She sighed, dropped her head, and closed her eyes. She might only have six days left with him, but she wanted every single one.

The bathroom door creaked open, interrupting her train of thought, and Hannah opened her eyes. A tall, very pregnant blonde sashayed in. In an ankle-length gown that caressed the expanse of her stomach, the woman strode to the sinks with a confident stride, her low heels clicking soundly on the coffee-colored floor tiles. As she stepped up to the sink, her gaze flicked over Hannah, her mouth pursing in disapproval before she turned to her reflection.

The woman pulled lip gloss out of her small clutch purse. “He'll never be yours, you know.”

Hannah froze, watching the other woman in the mirror. “I'm sorry, do I know you?”

The blonde didn't even have the courage to turn and meet her gaze but ran a hand over her stomach and turned sideways in order to lean toward the mirror instead. She dabbed the tip of her fourth finger into the gloss, then smoothed it across full, plump lips.

“My name is Amelia Prescott. Seven months ago, I was you. This baby? Is Caden's. A word of warning, honey. Caden McKenzie will never marry a woman outside his own class. You can put on a pretty dress and expensive-looking shoes, but you'll never be one of them. You're a toy to him, something to fill his time while he's here on business.”

An eerie chill ran the length of her spine. Cade's ex, and she was pregnant. The thought had every uncertainty rising like a typhoon over her head and filled her with questions. Cade hadn't mentioned this aspect of his relationship with his ex. Was the baby really his? Or was this all an act for her benefit?

Determined not to let the woman unseat her, Hannah let out a scoffing laugh and began washing her hands for something innocuous to do. “And I should believe you why? The way I heard it, you slept with his best friend.”

Amelia straightened away from the sink, irritation forming deep grooves between her brows. “Look, I'm trying to save you the heartache, because you seem like a nice girl. You're right. I screwed up, and I slept with Sebastian. I told Cade I was pregnant and he denied it. Go ahead. Ask him. I was hurt and I did something stupid for revenge. Tell me you've never made a mistake you wished you could take back?”

Hannah laughed. “Not that kind of mistake, no.
I
have a sense of morality.”

Amelia drew up straight, her expression one of instant disapproval. “You can hate me all you want, sweetheart, but the cold truth is Caden McKenzie plays with girls like you and me. He doesn't marry them. Did he tell you he has a son?”

“Yes, he did.” Hannah moved to the paper towel dispenser, yanked out two, and dried her hands as fast as she could. She wanted out of this bathroom and away from this nutcase.

“Did he tell you he gave the baby up for adoption?” Amelia stuffed her lip gloss back into her clutch and touched a hand to her oversprayed hairdo. “His girlfriend at the time was a girl like you and me, from the wrong side of the tracks. A nobody his parents didn't approve of. I'd hasten to guess you haven't met the parents yet? I've known Caden since primary school. My family's not part of their world either. My father worked two jobs to put me through private school, but his mother didn't approve. Do you see the pattern, sweetie? Get out while you can.”

Amelia tucked her purse in the crook of her arm and strode from the room with a swirl of skirts.

When the bathroom door fell shut again, Hannah turned and sagged back against the cool tile wall. She dragged in gulping breaths in an effort to quell the panic rising behind her breastbone. She couldn't deny it anymore. The truth stared her in the face like a blinking neon sign. Amelia might be a self-righteous bitch with an underhanded motive, but even Hannah couldn't deny the truth of what she'd said. She and Cade were from two different worlds, and she didn't fit into his. Nothing had proven that to her more than being here, at this stupid auction. She felt out of place amidst all these rich women and over her head.

Sooner or later, Cade would get bored with her. They all did, including Dane, who'd sworn when they started dating she was the kind of woman he wanted. The question was, how much of her heart would be left when Cade came to his senses and realized she wasn't what he wanted either?

By the time she returned to the ballroom, she was shaking. The beginnings of panic clawed its way up her limbs to her throat, and her knees wobbled as she made her way to her seat. When she plopped down with a little less finesse than intended, Maddie glanced at her.

Brow furrowed, Maddie leaned toward her, whispering, “You okay? You're a little pale.”

Hannah closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath in an attempt to calm her trembling nerves. She had to make the best of this. Damned if she'd let Amelia's cruel words get to her, to allow one more person's lack of humanity crush her spirit.

A bit calmer, she opened her eyes and leaned toward Maddie, whispering back, “His ex cornered me in the bathroom. I think she tried to intimidate me.”

Maddie's eyes narrowed to thin slits, her mouth forming a thin line. “Oooh, honey, you can't let her win.”

Hannah sat straighter in her seat, her bid number clutched tightly in her hand. She swallowed past the rising fear. “I don't intend to.”

Waiting for Cade's turn to creep up, however, took forever. Over an hour passed before they moved through the first ten bachelors. They seemed to be saving the best for last, for each bachelor got a higher and higher bid. Sebastian's turn came eleventh in line and one before Cade. By the time he took his place beside Christina and the auctioneer at the podium, Hannah's stomach had tied itself into sickening knots.

Christina stepped up to the microphone, her smile bright and gracious. “All right, ladies, our next bachelor is someone I've known for most of my life. Sebastian Blake is thirty-one. He has a cat named Spike—”

Someone meowed, and Christina lost track of her sentence, her smile faltering as she looked out at the audience again. Hurt flashed in the depths of her eyes, there and gone as Christina flashed a bright smile. “I see we have cat lovers among us tonight.”

Laughter rolled through the audience, and Christina looked back to her note cards.

“His favorite ice cream flavor is rocky road. He plays the guitar…” She glanced up at this and winked. “And well, I might add. He also works out religiously.”

A loud, appreciative whistle pierced the room from somewhere in the audience behind Hannah. Sebastian grinned, made a show of taking off his jacket and cocked an arm, flexing one beefy bicep. Several enthusiastic whoops came from the back of the room.

The same woman who, three days ago, barged into her brother's hotel room faltered. Christina's expression fell. She went silent, staring at something in the back of the room. After a long, awkward moment, she let out a laugh that to Hannah's ears sounded forced, and shook her head.

“Always the class clown, Baz.” She winked. “Ladies, it's never a dull moment with this one. You're sure to have a great time. Sebastian is the CEO of Blake Hotels and Resorts, which means that in addition to an evening with him, the package also includes a weekend of being pampered.”

As the auctioneer started the bidding, three women put in bids, each one higher than the last. One woman, a tall blonde in her forties, ended the war by making an outrageous bid of two million dollars.

As Sebastian exited the stage to greet and no doubt thank the winner, Christina's bright expression fell. Something flashed in her gaze. It was there and gone in the blink of an eye. A deep breath later, she squared her shoulders and put on another easy smile, clapping and congratulating the woman who'd won. Hannah had felt the emotion enough times to recognize it in someone else: hurt. Hannah's heart went out to her. Christina looked about how Hannah felt right then, like she was on the verge of losing something, or in this case, some
one
, important to her.

Hannah's heart sank into her toes. She shifted her gaze to Cade. Christina introduced him as the next bachelor, and he moved from his place in line, crossing the stage to come to stand beside his sister. Hannah's heart became a knot in her throat. A chest-crushing ache settled deep inside. She couldn't do this. Promises or no promises, she had no desire to bid for his attention. If someone did to her what that woman had done with Sebastian and outbid her, it would crush her.

Cade's gaze shifted to her, and for a moment, she let herself wallow in the tenderness there. The truth stared her in the face, like a ten-foot neon sign, lit up and blinking. She couldn't deny it anymore. She was here, fighting for what little time she had left with him, fighting so hard to keep her distance from him, because the inevitable had already happened.

She'd gone and done what she'd sworn to herself she wouldn't. She'd fallen in love with him. Admitting the truth to herself didn't feel like a bold epiphany, either, as she'd expected. Rather, it came as a soft acceptance of what some part of her had already known. Along with it, a heaviness settled into her chest. The finality of what she had to do weighed on her like an anchor, dragging her to the bottom of the ocean.

She couldn't deny it anymore. Deep down, she yearned for a real relationship. Not for two weeks, but for forever. With a man who wanted her the way she was, scars, fears, and all. Was Cade that man? Could he be?

She didn't know, but she couldn't stay at this auction. It was a selfish position to put him in, but she couldn't do it. She couldn't sit around and wait to lose him. Which meant this would end one of two ways. If Cade truly wanted her, he'd follow. If he didn't…well, then she'd know where she really stood.

Decision made, heart seated in her throat, Hannah rose from her seat and left the room.

Cade watched, helpless for a moment, as Hannah strode up the center aisle like she couldn't get away fast enough. The pain written in her eyes had a hard knot forming where his heart ought to be and panic closed his throat. Gut instinct said he had about thirty seconds at most before she walked out of his life.

He dragged his hands through his hair. Something had gone wrong. This wasn't the way it should've happened. He hadn't planned it this way, damn it. She was supposed to bid. She was supposed to win. He had the entire weekend planned out, right down to the gifts, but somewhere along the way he'd screwed up, because there she went.

He darted a panicked glance at Maddie, still seated in the front row, hoping for a clue. Her eyes narrowed, shooting daggers at him. She mouthed the words,
“Do something!”
then launched out of her seat and ran up the aisle after Hannah.

Silence settled over the room as all eyes focused on him.

Chris touched his elbow. “Caden? Is everything all right?”

He jerked his gaze to hers and shook his head.

“No.” Helpless and flailing like a fish out of water, he tossed a hand in Hannah's direction. “She's leaving.”

He hadn't the foggiest idea what to do. He'd never felt this helpless in his life. No one woman had ever mattered this much to him.

Chris blinked, studying him for the span of a heartbeat. “You love her.”

He dropped his hands, shoulders rounding as the truth of the words sank over him. He'd been fighting the emotion since he arrived in town. “Yes.”

Chris shoved the microphone at him. “Then stop her.”

As his gaze followed Hannah to the back of the room, a pair of familiar blue eyes stood out from the audience. Dread sank over him. Amelia. Seated in the back row, she smiled, smug and self-satisfied, and it hit him why Hannah had likely left. He'd failed to share one vital detail about his past with her. Amelia had obviously gotten to her, and whatever she'd said, Hannah had clearly bought every word. The self-satisfied glint in her eye said Amelia knew it, too. Damn it.

He took the microphone from Christina and sent up a silent prayer. “Forgive the interruption, ladies. I'm sorry to have to back out on a promise, but I'm afraid this auction is going to be one bachelor short. My heart and my future just walked out that door, and I can't let her go. This fund-raiser is one my family believes in. We've lost more than our fair share to this cruel disease, so I'll make you a deal. We're all here for the same reason…to find a cure. For the next five minutes, whoever donates will receive the prize package that should have come with me. I'll also match your donations.”

An older woman in the back of the room stood. Wrinkled brow furrowed, she shook her head. “Son, for heaven's sake, put the microphone down and run. She's bound to be out in the parking lot by now.”

He laughed and handed the microphone back to Chris.

She gave him a soft smile. “Go get her, little brother.”

He jumped off the stage and jogged down the aisle, ready to burst into a full-on sprint the second he hit the hallway beyond. As he rounded the corner, however, he came up short. Turned out, he didn't have to go far. Hannah and Maddie stood halfway down the hallway.