Carrera's Bride

“I haven’t slept,” she choked, lost in his eyes.

“Neither have I,” he replied curtly. He studied her perfect complexion, the faint flush on her cheeks a dead giveaway of her turmoil. “Where’s your sister?”

“On her way to Miami with Barney. Some sort of crisis. And Fred’s gone there, too,” she added breathlessly.

“To Miami?” He looked thoughtful.

“So Barney said. God knows why, Barney says he’s got no business interests there.”

“None that Barney knows about, maybe,” Marcus mused. He seemed distant for a moment. Then he blinked and smiled down at Delia. “I’ve got a big day planned for us. Let’s go.”

“Okay,” she said softly.

He didn’t ask any questions and she didn’t tell him about Barb’s warning about him. She was going to pretend that there were no complications. She was going to pretend she didn’t know who he was, too. This was one day she was simply going to enjoy. It might be the only one she had with him. She wasn’t going to waste it in worry.

They walked out the front door holding hands, but Mr. Smith and the limo were nowhere in sight. A cab was waiting at the entrance instead.

“I didn’t want to raise eyebrows, in case your sister had told you something about me,” he murmured.

“What would she have told me about you?” she wondered, pretending innocence.

His expression was priceless. He looked relieved. “What did you tell her?”

“That Fred assaulted me and the head of security at the hotel brought me home,” she said simply.

“Not my name?” he persisted.

She grimaced. “I didn’t think of it until it was too late…”

“Don’t think of it,” he said tersely. “I’ll explain later.”