His Paris Affair (The Albury Affairs) (9 page)

She nodded, finally understanding the whole Albury sibling
dynamic. She hadn’t wanted to seem nosey asking how he was older than Riana by
two years and younger than Reno by the same. Riana herself didn’t know how that
happened!

“Cora was pregnant again and he wanted his new child to be
born in the same luxury I was, that Reno wasn’t.”

“Did their mom—Cora—know about this?”

He shrugged. “My mom says she did, that they planned the
whole thing together but I’m not so sure. There is no straight story yet about
Reno Sr. and Cora’s relationship—Riana and Reno’s stories aren’t quite the same
but Reno probably knows better, though he was just four then. But do you see a
woman who runs from the love of her life to protect her children to be the same
one who plots against the mother of her children’s brother?”

Melody shook her head. The woman who’d raised Reno and Riana
couldn’t possibly be that heartless and devious, but people always surprised
her. Jeb, Loraine’s bodyguard since childhood, no one pegged him as Loraine’s
psycho stalker.

“Did she know you existed?”

Ruiz nodded. “She wrote to my mom, wanted us kids to get to
know each other without the contempt and ills that, the threesome carried, but
my mom wanted nothing to do with her or her children. I stumbled on the letter
Cora wrote to my mom after our dad died.” He shook his head. “It was balled up
and tossed in the trash like it meant nothing. She’d poured her heart and soul
into it and all my mom was fixated on was how I was screwed out of an
inheritance.”

“Then you planned to take it away from Reno.”

He stared into her eyes in earnest. “You need to understand…I
grew up angry. I was nothing but a nuisance to my mother’s boyfriends and
husbands’ who wanted a trophy wife who was once Argentina’s revered model. And
I was my mother’s burden, a hitch in her otherwise perfect life and it was all
my father’s fault. A man I never knew nor met because he didn’t want me. That
hurt only grew when I found out he didn’t want me because he had another
family, another wife he loved more, and another son he wanted more. I just
fitted well in his plans that one time then I was no longer useful to him.”

She placed her hand over his tattoo of a skull with a sword
through it and a snake wrapped around the hilt, on his shoulder. Once, she’d
asked him what it meant and with an embarrassed smile, he told her it was a
gang tattoo. ‘One day, I’ll tell you all about it’ he’d said before quickly
changing the topic. She thought he was joking and was going to press the issue
but something in his eyes, in his rigid frame dissuaded her.

“And the gang?”

“They wanted me. My whole teen life I spent it being some
strangers nightmare, but some time in juvenile detention straightened my ass
out. I decided I liked living more than being wanted by someone.”

Melody hugged him, wishing she could somehow take his hurt
away. No child should grow up like that. And if she didn’t find a solution
soon, Esme would be just like her father.

She felt his breath at her neck as he exhaled. “She keeps
calling, pressuring me to get the resort back even after it’s been swallowed up
by Red Roses. I’ve already paid her back, with interest but all she wants is to
hurt Cora even in her grave.”

“Because she was the one he picked.”

“Because he wanted Cora’s children more than he did hers.” He
shook his head. “What hurt her most was that they were never truly married.”

Melody stiffened. “What?”

“He was legally married to Cora. My mom’s marriage was
nothing but a sham, a practical joke. He hired actors to officiate over it and
the license, something he printed off the internet.”

A tremble shook her.
Married
to two women, god, all this is too close to home.

“He hurt them both terribly. And us the kids who had to grow
up watching, me listening to the hatred…he had no idea the damage he caused.”

Hiding her own pain, Melody sat back, taking his face in her
hands she said, “Well, we already agreed the man was an idiot and a rotten
bastard. The only good thing he ever did was have three awesome kids.”

He smiled faintly at her. “I just wish my mom had let me get
to know them. Growing up with Reno would have kept me on the straight and
narrow. I wouldn’t have this gang stamp on my shoulder…but it’s a good reminder
of the person I don’t want to be anymore, of a life I never want to go back
to.”

“He really was an idiot, but you’re lucky. You have Reno,
Riana their beautiful babies and spouses and Matthew and his family by
extension. See? You got lucky! Not everyone makes good with ill intentions.
God, I can’t believe Loraine is pregnant—”

“And you,” he said softly cutting her off.

“What?”

“You, I have you. Or don’t I?”

Melody was locked in place by his searching eyes. Everything
inside her wanted to scream yes, but god she couldn’t do that! She wanted to
tell him he had his own family, his own daughter who kept her heart beating
even when she wished it didn’t, but she couldn’t, not yet.

She climbed off him. “I need to go.”

 
“Melody, what
was this?” he half yelled.

She shook her head, gathering her clothes as she unbuttoned
Ruiz’s shirt.

He stood, dogging her movements around the room as she
dressed. “I’d rather we be lovers than nothing at all. I love you that much!
It’s clear you don’t let Antonio lay a finger on you!”

It seemed he didn’t know that part of his family story. Cora
had been ready to let things lie, to let him have his cake and eat it too until
she found out she was going to have a daughter. She wouldn’t survive having
Ruiz part time and she knew no matter what he said now, he wouldn’t either.
They craved each other too much for that kind of relationship. It was all or
nothing with them.

 
She shook her
head. “This isn’t going to happen again. It’s too painful.”

“Then leave him!” She heard the hope in his voice saw it in
his eyes and it broke her heart.

“I can’t,” her voice broke with a sob.

“Why the hell not!” he demanded.

She shook her head, tears falling freely down her cheeks as
she hurriedly dressed. As she reached down to grab her shoes, he grabbed her
arms and pulled her back up.

 
“What aren’t you
telling me? Whatever it is, we can face it together. Just tell me so I can fix
it and have you back in my life!” His voice poured out the desperation he felt
making her cry.

Her vision blurred she stared up at him and begged. “Ruiz
please, just let it go. I’m with Antonio now and there is nothing that can
change that.”

She pulled away from him, grabbed her shoes and rushed to
the door.

“Does he know you’re married to me,
still
married to me?”

Hand on the knob, Melody froze. Did she really believe he
would never bring that up? That he would never remember that winter day at the
Jardin du Luxembourg
when it filled her
thoughts each time she looked at her daughter? She’d always thought she’d rub
her marriage to Antonio in his face when she’d done it, make him see that he
was very much replaceable. Though married to Antonio under France laws, she
never thought how her American marriage would impact it, but what did it matter
now? They were in France, not America.

Without a word, she opened the door and ran out, foregoing
the elevator and using the steps. She didn’t stop not even for a breath until
she was safely in her room. There, with only Jackie and Esme to see, she broke
down, sinking to the ground in body wracking sobs.

She felt Jackie’s arms around her and leaned into them.
“Hush child, it’s all going to turn out well.”

“He loves me, Jackie. He wants to be with me. How could I
screw everything up so badly?”

“He loves you? Then that’s all the courage you need.”

“For what?”

She took Melody’s chin in her hand and turned her head to
look up at her. “To finally take your life and Esmeralda’s into your own
hands.”

Melody sniffed. “Is it truly so simple?”

Jackie clucked her tongue flicking Melody’s nose. “You’ve
grown up having your parents or your brother take care of all your obstacles—”

“But I’m trying to fix my problems myself!” Melody
interrupted.

Jackie shook her head with motherly smile. “And mucked
everything up even worse. It’s time to let your husband, your
true husband
help you. That is what
marriage is, a partnership. You said the vows didn’t you?”

She nodded. Jackie was right. Accepting Antonio’s proposal
to get back at Ruiz had been stupid, but she’d fixed that by breaking the
engagement off and Antonio had come back with a threat against Allan and his
family. She caved; marrying him and all that fixed was ruining Red Roses Paris.

“But he can’t—we can’t go into it blind. It scares me how
much Antonio knows about my family. He’s up to something and that scares me
even more.”

“I’ve always wanted to be a detective,” Jackie said, making
Melody smile. The woman was a blessing in her life. She didn’t want to think of
what she would have done without Jackie.

Chapter Five

“You’ve been in a bad mood this week
Monsieur
Albury.”

“I asked you not to call me that. Ruiz is just fine,” he
grumbled standing and moving to the coffee tray. He’d much rather have
something stronger but he couldn’t be sloshed on the first day of firing
employees. He took a deep swallow of the dark strong liquid.

He hadn’t touched a drop the entire week or the need for him
to be in Paris would amount to nothing. So he went with the first plan he came
up with when he landed, he buried himself in work. It helped until he came up
for air, then all he could do was stare at the spot he’d made love to Melody reliving
each moment with aching clarity. He’d gone through all five boxes entering the
information in his laptop. Some things, all legal, didn’t make much sense to
him and he’d had to depend on Jon Luc’s expertise. He had no answer yet, seeing
as how Ruiz had given him that information that morning, but no one could blame
him. He needed to work to keep himself busy, but the things he needed Jon Luc
to sort out had him at a standstill.

“Ruiz, I know you hired me to give you my legal expertise
and nothing else but wars have been started over women for centuries. Don’t you
think you should start your own little war?”

Ruiz shook his head in wonder, smiling for the first time in
a week. “Why don’t you just say I should fight for my wife?”

Damn!
Ruiz knew
he’d said something wrong when Jon Luc’s eyes bulged out.

“
Votre femme! O la la!
That’s why
you asked me about our laws on bigamy.”

“Sshh! Keep your voice down!”

Jon Luc shook his head a silly smile on his face. He was
clearly amused by something and whatever it was, it annoyed Ruiz.

“What?” Ruiz growled.

“How did you lose her to that toad?” he asked laughingly.

Ruiz glared at him as he moved back to the desk, flooded
with employee files. “We’re not talking about that.”

“Ruiz—”

“No!” Ruiz barked, his hand tightening around the mug of
coffee until it shook, sloshing some drops. If it was glass, it would have
broken in his grip and it would have been blood and not coffee dripping off his
fingers.

Jon Luc shook his head muttering something in French. “Fine.
There is something important we need to discuss. The auditors found some
irregularities that quite frankly have them very confused.”

Ruiz ran his free hand over his face in frustration. He knew
he shouldn’t have gotten out of bed that morning. “What is it?”

The door swung open, drawing their attention to it to see
Melody step in. “Am I late?”

Ruiz stared at her and his anger quickly vanished. His heart
pounded a mile a minute under his ribcage. His throat felt like he’d just
downed a swallow of course sand not coffee. She stood there in black pumps,
black skirt that lay smoothly over her curves from knee to waist. It even
complemented the little bump of her belly and her white long sleeved shirt...
all he could say was he envied the fabric that stretched over her ample chest.
Completely unlike her though, her face was void of makeup except for the cherry
lip gloss that gave a little shine to her lips—he knew it was cherry because he
could still taste it on his tongue after devouring her lips last night—and her
hair was that of a schoolmarm held back in a severe bun.

He knew what she was trying to convey. She was here for
business and was going to say that what happened last night was an anomaly
never to be repeated—but she was dead wrong. As her husband, her
legal one
, he had rights to her and he
was going to exercise every one of them until he got her out of the clutches of
that fake Cuban—Italian. Ruiz was sure that toad was holding something over
her, something that’s got her scared and willing to stay with him. Otherwise,
if she was truly committed to Antonio, she would never have permitted Ruiz to
have her. And she would be having sex with Antonio—something Ruiz was very
happy she was not having.

As she stood there, looking all business like, all he could
see was pink skin, raven black hair that fell around her bouncing in sync with
her breasts as she rode him and the feel of her hot skin on the palm of his
hands as he held onto her hips. Ruiz rubbed his fingers over his palms. He
could still feel her skin in his hands as the rest of him that was pressed
against her, chest to calf and his body was awoken by the sensation, wanting,
needing to feel more of her.

“
Non madame
,
you’re just in time. We’re about to start, aren’t we Ruiz?”