Тесса Рэдли – The Kincaids: Private Mergers: One Dance with the Sheikh (страница 8)
Under the force of her family’s combined interrogation, Laurel gave in. “Okay, he’s invited me to go to Vegas.”
“To Vegas?” It was a chorus.
“Hush, not so loud!”
“You’re going, right?” That was Kara again.
“I don’t know….”
“But you must.”
“Or are you too busy at work?” asked Lily.
“Laurel can’t use work as an excuse,” piped Kara. “I know for a fact that her honeymoon was booked for the two weeks after her wedding, and I know she left those weeks open—even after the wedding was called off. There’s nothing that can’t be cleared from her calendar.”
“I needed a break. It’s been a busy few months.” Laurel avoided Lily’s keen eyes. She’d planned to take some time after the wedding to assess what she wanted from life. Now it looked like she was going to spend some of that time with Rakin. A dart of anticipation shafted through her. It would be fun. But what about her mother? “I promised Mom I would call Detective McDonough and arrange a meeting with him later in the wee—”
“I can do that, darling,” her mother said quickly. “Don’t let that stop you.”
“No, I’ll do it,” said Brooke.
Laurel exchanged a long look with her future sister-in-law and saw the plea in her eyes. If it made Brooke feel like she was helping, that would be worth it. “That’s a good idea, Brooke. Nikki Thomas might be able to help—you may want to give her a call, too.”
Susannah put a hand on Laurel’s arm and bowed her head close to say softly, “I know you’ve been carrying a lot of the stress of the past few months, more than we probably realize. I remember it was you who called to let Matt know Elizabeth had been taken into custody.”
“All of us have been under strain,” Laurel responded in a low voice, so that her mother didn’t hear. “I know that Matt has been incredibly worried about—generating new business to stanch the losses Jack Sinclair caused.”
Susannah shrugged. “There are rumors of fresh defections all the time. But they can only be dealt with one at a time. Nothing you can do right now. You’ve done your bit. I know that like RJ, you’ve kept in close touch with the police and kept us all informed of developments. You need a break.”
Then her mother was beside her. “I heard the end of that—and I agree with Susannah. Take some time off. It’s your life…. Live it.” Elizabeth directed a private smile to Laurel. “You deserve some fun.”
“Ah, Mom.” In gratitude of her mother’s unexpected understanding, Laurel flung her arms around the older woman. Coming from the always correct Elizabeth, the words meant a great deal. “Thank you!”
At the back of her mind had been the thought that her mother would need her. With her other daughters now married, Laurel was the obvious choice to cosset her after her traumatic arrest for Reginald’s murder. But her sisters—and Susannah and Brooke—had relieved her of the responsibility. The final—and most weighty—mental block had been removed. There was no reason for Laurel to decline Rakin’s invitation.
“Now you have no excuse,” Kara said with satisfaction—and Laurel didn’t even try to stop the laughter that overflowed as her sister’s words echoed her own thoughts.
Instead she said, “I should be mad at you. But how can I be? It’s your wedding day—and you’re matchmaking as many of us as you can.”
Kara looked mystified at that. “What do you mean?”
“You can take all the credit—since you talked Eli into introducing Rakin to me.”
But Kara was shaking her head. “Honestly, it wasn’t me.”
Her sister’s reply left Laurel lost for words.
Laurel came toward him, her step light and buoyant, causing the silver-gray fabric of her dress to swirl around her long legs. Her lips were curved up and her face alight with what Rakin could only describe as happiness. It gave her an inner glow, and accentuated her beauty … and his heart missed a beat.
“Excuse me.” Without a backward look to the group he’d been conversing with about the state of the shipping industry, he went to meet her. “Would you like to dance?”
She nodded.
A hand clapped his shoulder; then Matt’s voice broke in. “Rakin, we’ll catch up again, I’d like to find out more about some of those Diyafan market players.”
For once, money and business were not at the forefront of Rakin’s mind. He said something to Matt that must have satisfied the other man, but he didn’t take his eyes off Laurel.
He sensed he was walking a thin line.
Pleasure was threatening to overwhelm business. It would do him well to take care and not to confuse his priorities. Then he came to his senses. He was Rakin Whitcomb Abdellah. He controlled a billion-dollar business empire. His grandfather ruled Diyafa. He’d never been the kind of man to let his heart rule his head. Never.
Laurel Kincaid was business. He would not forget that.
“Let’s dance,” he said gruffly, and swept the most beautiful woman he’d ever met into his arms.
The rhythm of the jazz was rich and deep, smoldering with the passions of the South.
Laurel’s body brushed against his, and involuntarily Rakin’s arms tightened. She was so soft and lush and incredibly feminine. A man could forget his resolve.
She stiffened, and he instantly eased his hold.
“What’s Flynn doing on the dance floor?”
She’d come to a standstill, and Rakin followed her gaze. He might’ve been considering letting pleasure overwhelm him, but Laurel clearly had her feet firmly on the ground. The ring bearer from the wedding ceremony was weaving his way determinedly through the dancing guests. It hadn’t been his close hold that had caused her to stiffen, Rakin realized with relief. It was the child. Wearing a pair of sky-blue summer pajamas with his dark hair slicked down, Rakin suspected the kid was supposed to be tucked up in bed.
“Hey!” Laurel slipped out of his arms in a whisper of silver satin, and caught the youngster’s hand.
The boy’s face lit up. “Aunt Laurel, you didn’t catch the flowers Aunt Kara threw at you.”
“You were watching?”
“When’s Aunt Kara going to cut the cake? She said I could have some.”
“This handsome rapscallion is Matt’s son, my nephew, Flynn.” Laurel told Rakin. Then she turned her attention back to the little boy. “I don’t think they’ll be cutting the cake for a while. Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
He nodded, his blue eyes round with innocence. “Pamela told me a bedtime story.”
“Mom’s housekeeper,” Laurel explained to Rakin. To Flynn, she said, “You should be asleep.”
“I was excited … and I want some cake.”
“So you escaped.” Laurel grinned at him conspiratorially. “I tell you what, you can have one dance with us, then I’ll take you back to bed. I promise I’ll save you a ginormous piece of cake and give it to you in the morning. Deal?”
Flynn looked uncertain.
“Take it,” Rakin advised. “You won’t get a better offer tonight.”
He held out a hand at a height Flynn could reach. Flynn’s eyes lit up as he recognized the game. “High five,” he crowed and slapped Rakin’s hand.
“Deal,” said Rakin.
Rakin watched with amusement as Flynn started to gyrate his limbs alongside them. He had the lack of inhibitions of the very young and threw his heart into every move. But, by the time the melody had faded, he looked exhausted.
A short, silver-haired woman hurried up to claim him.
“He gave me the slip,” she told Laurel, after passing a lightning-swift glance over Rakin. “I’ll put him back to bed.”
As Flynn gave them a wave over his shoulder, the music struck up again. Rakin moved forward and gathered Laurel back into his arms. She didn’t protest.
“Pamela, I take it?”
Laurel nodded. “Sorry, I should’ve introduced you, but I imagined she wanted to get Flynn off to bed before Susannah starts to worry about him.”
The rapid once-over the housekeeper had given him had told Rakin that she was clearly an established part of the Kincaid family. It wasn’t only Flynn and Susannah she was looking out for—there’d been a warning in that glance:
Against his shoulder, Laurel murmured, “It’s wonderful to see Flynn looking so much better, even though he’s still thin.”
Spinning her deftly around to avoid colliding with a couple who had come to a standstill in the midst of dancers, Rakin said, “He’s been ill?”
“Very. For the past two months Matt and Susannah have had to be careful about allowing him out—to limit his exposure to germs. But he’s had the green flag—he’s well on his way to full recovery. Tonight is the biggest crowd he’s been in since he got ill.”
“No wonder he’s excited. He’s a great kid.”
“I think so.” Laurel laughed up at him. “We all do.”
Her green eyes sparkled like precious gems. Emeralds. A sultan’s prize. Rakin dismissed the fanciful notion. “Your nephew was right—you didn’t catch the bridal bouquet.”