To Catch a Man (In 30 Days or Less) (The BAD BOY BILLIONAIRES Series) (12 page)

Stone was already there, tall and
impressive in a black dinner jacket and snow-white shirt open at the collar to
reveal his strong tanned neck.  As he approached he gave her a sexy smile. 
“Exquisite,” he whispered and took her hand then leaned forward to give her a
light kiss on the cheek.

So far so good.  He was saying all
the right things, making all the right moves.  Now if he could only follow
through right to the end she’d be a happy camper.  And so would all the kids
she planned to help with the fourteen million dollars.

As they walked out the front door a
long black limousine pulled up in front and the uniformed chauffeur hopped out
and opened the door for Indie.  Stone got in behind and as soon as they’d made
themselves comfortable, the car pulled away from the curb and merged into the traffic.

“Where are we going?”  Indie asked.

“You’ll see,” Stone said, giving
her a mysterious look.

She decided not to even think about
what would come later.  With a sigh she relaxed into the white leather seat and
enjoyed the view of the city of Johannesburg at night.

It wasn’t long before they pulled
up in front of a building that made Indie’s eyes widen and her jaw go slack. 
The place looked like a palace, like one of those castles in Versailles.  But
she hadn’t died and gone to France, had she?

Stone leaned toward her.  “Le
Chateau de la Riviere,” he said in a low voice.  “They serve the best French
cuisine in the country."

Indie nodded, still speechless, as
she peered out the window at the majestic columns and the elegant statues that
adorned the entrance.  This was like no restaurant she’d ever seen before. 
Although it had lost its weight due to slang, the only word she could think of
to describe it was 'awesome'.

Stone exited the limousine first
then he held out his hand and helped her down.  She felt like Cinderella being
escorted by her prince.

He led her up the wide stone steps
and into an immense marble-tiled lobby.  They were immediately greeted by a
black-uniformed host who seemed to have been expecting them.

“We have a private dining room.” 
Stone explained as they were led down an adjacent hallway and then toward an
elegant staircase.  At the top they were ushered into an intimate room,
ornately decorated with a statuette in the corner, elegant paintings on the
walls and a rug with such an intricate design that it almost looked handmade. 
And in the middle of that rug stood a small round table set for two, a bouquet
of white roses in the middle of it, and flower-shaped candles glowing softly
around the vase.

Indie expelled her breath slowly,
only then realizing she’d been holding it.  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“Glad you like it.”  Stone cupped
her elbow and they walked over to the specially set table then as he helped her
into her chair the host stepped forward.  Stone quickly placed the orders and
as soon as they were alone he reached over and took her hand in his.  “I can’t
stop telling you how beautiful you look tonight.”

Indie dropped her gaze, feeling the
first flush of embarrassment.  She wasn’t used to receiving so much attention –
and praise – from a man.

“You’re one of the most beautiful
women I’ve ever met,” he said, “both inside and out.”  Then he gave a low,
throaty laugh.  “But I’m sure you hear that all the time.”

No, not really, like...never.
 
Indie said nothing.  She just gave him a soft smile in response.

“As I told you, Indie, there’s
something I want to…have to say to you and I wanted to do this somewhere
special.”  He looked down at their hands and then began to stroke her fingers
with his thumb.  “I was planning to wait until after dinner but…I can’t keep
this inside any longer.  Indie, I…” He fell silent again.

Indie’s heart lurched.  Her palms
grew damp and her breath caught in her throat. 
Come on, say it.  I can’t
breathe till you say the words
.

“I know you’ll think this is
crazy…”

No, I won’t
. 

“…and you’ll wonder how this is
possible in such a short time…”

It’s possible.  It’s possible
.

“…but I’ve fallen in love with you,
Indie.”

He looked up at her then, deep into
her eyes, and then he gave her hands a gentle squeeze.  “I know this comes as a
shock to you but I couldn’t go another day without telling you how I feel.”

He sighed and in his eyes was an
earnestness that made Indie’s heart soar.  “What I’m saying is I want…” He
looked down at their hands again and shook his head.  “I can’t believe I’m
doing this to you.”

Good heavens, man, just say the
words.  I’m running out of air
.  Indie could feel the smile on her face
calcifying, she’d been holding that smile so long.

He drew in a deep breath.  “Indie,
I want-”

“To marry me?” she blurted.  She
just couldn’t wait.  She’d begun to grow faint from holding her breath that
long.

He expelled his breath in a whoosh
and on his face was a look of relief.  “Yes.  That’s exactly what I was trying
to say.  I don’t know why it wouldn’t come out.”  He shook his head and gave a
wry smile.  “Probably because I was worried you’d think I’d gone round the
bend.”

Then his face turned serious. 
“So…what’s your answer, Indie?  I want you in my life.  Always.  Will you say
yes?”

“Yes, yes, yes,” she said, her eyes
filling with tears.  “Yes, Stone Hudson, I’ll marry you.  Tonight if you want. 
I love you, Stone, I really do.”

“Sweetheart.”  The word was a soft
whisper, then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it, almost with an air
of reverence.  Then he got up and pulled her up and into his arms and his kiss
told her that the love he’d expressed was real.  All his feelings and raw
emotions were in that kiss.

When he finally released her Indie
stared up at him, her heart brimming over with love.  Then she whispered up at
him, “When?”

He gave her a confused smile. 
“When?”

“Yes,” she said as she stroked his
arm.  “How soon can we get married?  I’m available now.”

He laughed at that. “Well, I hadn’t
thought that far ahead but maybe we could make it a spring wedding.  Or what
about June?  That's a popular time for weddings.”

“That’s too far away,” she said
with a little pout.  “I can’t wait that long to have you.  What about now?”

He looked even more confused. 
“Now, as in tonight?”

She decided to back off a little so
she wouldn’t come off as crazy.  “Well, maybe not tonight but my birthday is
coming up soon and I thought…getting married to you on my birthday would be the
best present I could ever have.”  Then she said cheekily, “Or maybe even the
day before, just to be on the safe side.”

He cocked an eyebrow.  “The safe
side?”

She shrugged.  “Well, you know, in
lots of cultures it’s thought that the day begins at sundown of the previous
day.  I would love to get married as the sun sets on the eve of my birthday. 
That way I could wake up on my birthday as your wife.”

He shook his head and gave her a
loving smile.  “You are something else, and that’s why I love you so much.  Who
else would have thought of something so beautiful and so meaningful?”

She slid her arms around his waist
and smiled up at him.  “So we’ll do it?”

“We’ll do it,” he said with a firm
nod.  “An eve-of- birthday wedding.  Perfect.”  Then he bent his head to kiss
her forehead.  “And I hope you’re not expecting any additional presents from
me, young lady.”

She laughed and swatted his arm. 
“Of course, I am.  What do you take me for?”

He laughed, too.  “Darling, I’ll
shower you with presents till you won’t know what to do with them.  It will be
my greatest joy.”

And then he bent his head and
kissed her again, but this time it was no peck on the forehead.  It was a real
kiss, a passionate kiss that had her toes curling.

And as they kissed Indie thought
life could not have been more perfect.  Because more than anything, even more
than the good she’d be able to do, she would be spending her life with the man
of her heart.  And she could hardly wait.

CHAPTER
TEN

Life was hectic when you had a
wedding to plan in just nine days.  Indie and Stone had returned home after
three days in Johannesburg and then she'd started planning.  She was more than
grateful that when she’d mentioned her best friend Stone had immediately
offered to fly Tessa to South Africa to help her and to be her chief
bridesmaid.  She’d be arriving day after tomorrow, just seven days before the
wedding.

The wedding would be held right
there in the compound.  Jenna and Kirk, Cook, and the staff at the boys’ home,
they’d all be there.  And, of course, the boys.  Everyone would share in the
celebration.  Stone’s parents, his brother and sister and their families, and a
few of his closest friends would be flying into Johannesburg and then would be
coming to the compound on the morning of the wedding.  The minister would drive
in from a nearby township and Cook had identified a catering company who would
supply all the food and drinks they’d need.  It would take a lot of
coordinating.  Indie couldn’t wait for Tessa to arrive.  This sort of thing was
her cup of tea.

Finally the day dawned when Tessa
would come.  Indie knew what time the flight was scheduled to arrive and she
estimated how long it would take her friend to check through and then be
transported out to the compound.  She kept running to the cottage door to check
if she saw the Jeep in the distance.  At last, a distant cloud of dust appeared
and then she heard the truck as it got closer and closer to the compound.

When Tessa finally arrived and
hopped out the friends hugged and kissed and laughed at being together again.

“I missed you a lot,” Tessa said,
stepping back to look Indie up and down.  “And you’ve changed since I saw you. 
You’re glowing.”

“I feel like I’m glowing,” Indie
said with a grin.  “I’ve never been so happy in my life.”

Tessa smiled at her and there were
tears in her eyes.  “I’m happy for you, Indie.  So happy.”

Indie got Tessa settled in her
cottage then she took her for a tour of the compound.  Then she looked at her
watch.  “Stone should be back by now.  He’d gone with some of the men to check
out a new pipeline they were running.  Come on, let’s go over to his place.”

Stone was indeed there.  He
received Tessa warmly and even complimented her on her choice of friends.

Indie leaned over to Tessa.  “He’s
biased,” she said in a staged whisper that drew a laugh from both Stone and Tessa. 

And as Indie laughed with them she
could only give thanks that with her were the two people she loved most in the
world.  She was blessed.

******

Stone decided he hated weddings. 
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married.  That went without saying.  He
wanted Indie as his wife.  There was no question about that.

What he hated was all this planning
and organizing and rushing around.  He liked order in his life.  Regular,
boring days, not this running around like a chicken without a head.  Indie was
forever giving him tasks, things to do with the wedding, and as much as he
loved her he couldn’t help wishing it was all over and done with.  She and Tessa
were excited, having endless meetings with decorators, but he wasn’t cut out
for this sort of thing.  Now he was heading over to Indie’s cottage to get an
explanation on the note she’d left him.  This was the day before the wedding
and he wanted all his tasks over and done with so that he could relax.  Unlike
the fairer sex which seemed to thrive on turmoil, he was looking forward to a
day of rest and recuperation before all the celebrations began.

Stone was surprised when he got to
Indie’s cottage and found the door wide open.  He frowned but then he shrugged.
They’d probably gone out onto the back porch for some fresh air.  The days had
gotten a bit muggy lately.

He stepped into the living room
and, not surprisingly, there was no sign of them there.  The back porch it was,
then. 

He was heading through the living
room on his way to the back when he heard Tessa's high-pitched laugh and then
Indie’s lower-pitched one, and the sounds were coming from the bedroom.  He
smiled and changed direction, heading there instead.  Women and their girl
talk, he could bet.

He opened his mouth and was just
about to call out to Indie when her words stopped him in his tracks.

“I’m finally going to get the
money.  Can you believe it, Tessa?  Who would have known that l’il ole me could
have gotten a man to propose in less than a month?  With all that money I can
do whatever I want.  Isn’t it great?”

What the hell?  Stone felt like a
wrecking ball had just slammed into his gut.  Gotten him to propose?  All that
money?  If they cut him right then no blood would flow.  Everything inside him
had turned to ice.

Indiana Lane, the woman to whom
he’d declared his love, had seduced him so she could marry him for his money.

Stone’s shock turned to hurt.  And
then it turned to a rage that crept up his entire body.  He clenched his teeth
and his nostrils flared.  He’d gone down that road with a woman before, but
never again.  He would throw Indie out on her rear before he let her use him
like that.

He marched over to the bedroom
where the door stood slightly ajar.  He pushed it open and stood in the
doorway.

The women jumped and turned toward
him.  “Stone,” Indie said, her eyes wide and her voice breathless, “when did
you get here?”

“I just got here,” he said through
clenched teeth, “just in time to hear you planning how you’re going to spend
all my money.”

“What?”  Indie had been lying
across the bed but now she raised up and stared at him.   “What are you talking
about?”