Runaway Cinderella Read online

  Besides, it emerged that contrary to her initial suspicions of him brokering the marriage, Matt had reservations about Rob marrying Amie.

  “She is a spoiled girl.”

  “Maybe. But she’s kind and generous, and she loves Rob.”

  Matt sighed. “I hope all will be well. I don’t interfere anymore.”

  “Good.”

  “You have forgiven me, though, for insisting on marriage to Daniel Garren?”

  “I forgave you a long time ago. Only you’d said I wasn’t your daughter.”

  Matt looked old and stricken. His shoulders slumped. “I was stupid, stupid and wrong. And after, I was ashamed. I didn’t think you would forgive me.”

  “It’s all behind us. We are a family again.”

  The trace of sorrow disappeared from his dark eyes, so like her own. “I am glad.” He fidgeted with his tie, then plunged on. “I am thinking of marrying, again.”

  Cate’s chill was irrational but undeniable. She said nothing, only her gaze flew to the photo of her mum hanging on the wall.

  “Do you remember Olivia Channing, our old neighbour?”

  “Aunt Ollie? Yes.” She’d been more than a neighbour. She’d been their mum’s friend. “She was a nurse and she cared for her younger brother. He had…?”

  “Downs Syndrome,” Matt supplied. “Johnny died three years ago. I met Olivia at a garden centre. She was buying herbs. I was buying roses. We got talking, and one thing led to another.”

  “You’re marrying Aunt Ollie? Wonderful.” Cate hugged him, all chill gone. “She’s lovely.”

  Her dad adjusted his tie, embarrassed but happy. “When I told Olivia of my attempt to marry you off and how you’d run away, she said you should have gone to her. She’d have boxed my ears.”

  Cate laughed. “It sounds like she has your measure.”

  “Yes. She is a good woman, a smart woman.” He swallowed. “When Patricia died, I was so scared I’d fail you. Even more than Rob, I wondered how I would look after you. Daughters need their mums. It’s why I tried to marry you off. I wanted you safe. Instead, I failed you, and your mum’s memory.”

  “I understand, Dad, and although I’ve missed you, maybe this had its upside. I’ve learned about life. I don’t think anyone could accuse me of being a spoiled rich girl.”

  “No.” Matt looked outraged at the mere idea. “You are beautiful and intelligent and compassionate.”

  “Thanks, Dad.”

  “It is true, but ‘rich’ reminds me. There is money for you in a bank account. Everything I have given Rob, I have put equal in this bank account. It is yours.”

  “But—”

  “Yours.” Matt dropped his thundering tone and appealed to her. “Please, let me do this for you. You are my daughter. Money can’t substitute for love and caring, but it can give freedom and security, a chance to follow dreams. I want to give this to you. It is not a guilt payment for six years ago and the dreams I stole from you then. It is a gift for the future.”

  She couldn’t resist his concern and entreaty. Did she really want to assert her independence by rejecting his caring? “Thank you, Dad.”

  He sighed. “That is good. You must meet Olivia. She will be happy we are reconciled.”

  “Tonight?” Cate shook her head, then blushed. She had instinctively protected her time with Daniel, but it wasn’t a prior appointment she cared to explain to her dad! “Tonight is fine. I’ll be glad to see Olivia again.”

  “You have plans?” Matt smiled. “If you have plans, you must keep them. No, I insist. I must learn not to demand too much. It is your life. Olivia and I will see you tomorrow, yes?”

  “Yes.” Cate smiled, although tears pricked her eyes. Her dad wanted this reunion to work as much as she did. If only Rob and Amie could sort out their differences, then they would all be happy. They would be a family.

  “Are you staying with Rob?”

  She hesitated. She didn’t want to tell her dad she was staying with Daniel, but nor would she lie. Fortunately, sometimes one truth could hide another.

  “Rob and Amie had a fight last night. I’m hoping they clear things up, today, so I’m staying out of their way.”

  “So that is why Rob is bad-tempered.” Matt struck the desk with an open palm. “That girl is no good. Today is important for Rob’s business, for his future. She should have understood.”

  Cate smiled wryly. Of course her dad saw Rob’s side. Their own mum had been totally supportive of Matt’s career. Cate would have liked to point out that it takes two to argue, but her innate fairness acknowledged that Amie had directly challenged Rob’s business responsibilities—and had admitted she’d been unfair to do so.

  “I’ll give you my mobile number.” Cate wrote it on a notebook from Matt’s desk. “Then we can always keep in touch.”

  “That is good.” Her dad took one of his business cards and scrawled his home address and phone number on the back. “And any time you can call me. I have missed you so much, Cate. Any time you need me, you call. Call just to say, hi.”

  “I will, Dad.” She blinked away tears. It felt so good not to be alone any longer.

  The secretary knocked at the door. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but the Middle Eastern delegation will be here in five minutes.”

  Matt looked at Cate.

  “It’s okay, Dad. I’ll see you and Olivia tomorrow night.” She hugged him. “I’m so happy.”

  She had learned that the courage to risk emotional vulnerability could bring a sweet reward.

  Tonight, she hoped it would bring her Daniel.

  Chapter Six

  Cate laid out the few clothes she’d brought with her or bought in Perth, and couldn’t see anything suitable for a seduction scene, although her satin robe had worked brilliantly this morning. But it wouldn’t do to repeat herself.

  She smiled, half in disbelief. Had it really been her who stood naked in Daniel’s kitchen?

  Her flesh tingled at the memory of his business suit abrading her tenderness. She’d been wanton.

  He hadn’t minded.

  She smoothed her fingers over the satin robe. It had slipped so easily from her body. It would slide as easily if he pushed it aside with kisses, discovering and revealing her desire.

  But wearing it tonight might be a mistake.

  What if Daniel didn’t intend a seduction scene? If he got home tired and aggravated would he really want to be confronted by a bed-ready woman? Maybe he intended to take things slower, to book a table at a romantic restaurant, to woo her?

  “I hope not,” she whispered. She’d be too nervous to eat. Already her tummy tightened with tension. She wanted him, but the longer she waited, the more doubts crept in.

  Her fingers tightened on the satin robe, creasing it as her warm, trembling excitement was pushed aside by the coldness of nerves.

  She was such a novice at seduction, what if she did something wrong? What if having sex for the first time hurt? What if this was a huge mistake?

  What if…what if Daniel intended to make love to her because he felt guilty about six years ago? Had that been why he’d suspected her of wanting to use him for revenge last night?

  The dark thought stabbed her. She sat down on the bed, heedless of the clothes she crushed.

  What if he thought that her virginity was the result of the trauma of the attempted arranged marriage six years ago? Now that he knew the truth of her running away, did he feel responsible? Did he feel he had to make things right, heal some sexual hang-up he thought she had?

  No. She wouldn’t believe it.

  But he had believed she might be using him for revenge, using him to regain her sexual freedom. Was that how he saw sex between them, as a way for her to move on?

  He was wrong, if he did. Sex wouldn’t be so casual for her. She was old enough, and had seen enough, to know that sex wasn’t a game.

  So why was she so eager to try it with Daniel?

  “Because it’s time,” she said out lou
d. She was dealing with all her demons.

  The satin robe twisted between her hands.

  The issue wasn’t Daniel. The issue was her.

  She said she was brave and independent. Well, now was the time to prove it. She could handle an adult relationship, couldn’t she?

  Her reunion with her dad had exceeded all her expectations. She had a family again. Slowly, her trust and commitment to them would rebuild. Already she was happy at the thought of meeting Olivia, her future stepmother.

  Having sex with Daniel would signal her willingness to accept and surrender to healthy, natural desire. She would know that she was strong enough to take anything life offered.

  “And I am.”

  So, did it matter if Daniel was simply being kind in having sex with her, and not overcome with desire?

  Yes. Just the idea of it shrivelled her confidence. She released the robe and it slid to the floor. She remembered how twice he’d brought her to climax, without taking his own pleasure. It undermined her belief in her own feminine desirability.

  “But Daniel wanted me.” She had seen and felt the evidence of his arousal. That couldn’t be faked.

  “Tonight, he won’t stop,” she vowed. She would watch him shatter. She would hold him.

  How would it feel to have him inside her?

  Cate trembled as her body reacted to the question. It would be wonderful, terrifying, life changing.

  She pressed her hands over her tummy, finally acknowledging that she was scared.

  Intimacy, whether physical or emotional, was terrifying. It was such a huge risk. How did anyone dare it? Was it hormones or loneliness that gave them the impetus to jump?

  If only Daniel were here. Illogical or not, when he touched her, her doubts and fears vanished. She wished he could be here to hug her, kiss her, soothe her. She needed him to chase away her thoughts. Too much thinking might drive a woman mad.

  The entry intercom buzzed.

  “Ms Trapani?”

  “Yes?” She stood alertly. Who beyond her family knew she was here?

  “Could you come down and sign? I have flowers for you.”

  Flowers? Daniel!

  She raced for the elevator, and stabbed its call button impatiently.

  “Come on, come on.” She tapped the side of the lift as it travelled slowly down. Flowers! No one had sent her flowers before.

  The young florist delivery agent smiled at Cate, his dark eyes admiring. “We were asked to deliver this at three o’clock exactly.”

  “This” was a bouquet of wildflowers. White daisies and blush pink carnations, starred with blue cornflowers, stirred Cate’s heart as more traditional red roses never would. She inhaled the delicate scent of the carnations and loved the feathery delicacy of baby’s breath.

  It wasn’t an empty romantic gesture, but a salute to new beginnings.

  “Thank you.” She smiled at the courier as she signed his delivery gizmo.

  “Have a nice day,” he said in reply. Then he grinned. “And night.”

  It was cheeky, but she laughed and returned to the penthouse with the lovely floral arrangement. Happiness bubbled inside her. How had Daniel guessed she’d be suffering from mid-afternoon anxieties?

  And how wonderful of him to give this reassurance.

  She placed the flowers on the low coffee table in the living area and stood for ten minutes staring at it and letting her thoughts drift. Daniel’s love making would be as tender and personal as this gift.

  He would treasure and delight in her beauty as she treasured these flowers.

  Suddenly, happy anticipation outweighed her doubts. She took a long, hot bath and then smoothed body lotion into her skin. Vanilla scented. She wanted him to feast on her.

  For her clothes, she settled on jeans and a chambray shirt, deeply unbuttoned and worn without a bra. That way she wouldn’t embarrass herself by looking as if she was trying too hard, but he could guess at how much she wanted his touch. She wanted the support of his hand, not a bra. Her hair she wore loose, and kept her make up to a simple berry lip gloss. Excitement gave her all the colour she needed.

  She tried to concentrate on reading a magazine, but kept glancing compulsively at the clock. Finally, she simply put a collection of classical music on, and lay back on the sofa to listen to it. The dreamy notes flowed over her like a lover’s touch.

  She stretched and smiled. She knew now how a lover’s touch felt. It felt good. It gave and took and completed.

  “Cate?” Daniel stood a few metres away.

  “I didn’t hear you come in.” She glimpsed a fleeting uncertainty in his expression.

  He wasn’t sure of her decision, of her. He waited for a sign if she had changed her mind, or if she still wanted…him.

  His uncertainty gave her the confidence to shed her own inhibitions. She scrambled up and flung herself at him, and he caught and held her close. She tilted her face for his kiss, and he took her mouth with fierce possessiveness.

  Under her hand, his heart beat fast and hard. The heat of him scalded her, branding her with his desire. She pressed into him. She’d waited for him all day and his hunger satisfied some of that pain.

  “I have to shower, change,” he muttered. He rubbed his beard-roughened cheek against her temple. “You smell like heaven.”

  “Vanilla.” She smiled against his throat as she cuddled into him. “I thought you’d like the taste.” She tipped her head back and saw the smile that tilted the corners of his mouth.

  “I’ve been thinking of the taste of you all day. All day.” His hands moved over her, caressing her denim-covered butt. “You feel like heaven.” He sighed and slowly let her go. “I have to shower.”

  “Okay.” She wet her lips, swollen from the pressure of their shared hunger.

  He groaned. “I’ll hurry.”

  He did, but he also took enough time to shave before returning to the living area. Like her, he wore jeans and a cotton shirt, but the shirt hung unbuttoned from his broad shoulders and the tab of his jeans gaped unsnapped.

  Cate followed the vanishing line of his dark blonde body hair, then looked back up to his face.

  He was waiting, enjoying her appreciation of him.

  She walked forward and ran her hand over his smooth-shaven cheek. “For me?”

  “I didn’t want to scratch you.” His blue eyes blazed. “You’ll be tender some places.”

  She took a deep breath. “Show me.”

  “Here.” He touched the faintly flushed skin at the base of her throat. His hand drifted downwards, dismissing buttons. “And here. I’m glad you’re not wearing a bra.”

  “Me, too.” She loved the feeling of his hands cupping and shaping her breasts.

  “So tender.” He brushed aside her unbuttoned shirt and stared at her breasts as they filled his hands and displayed her arousal. He rubbed his thumbs meditatively over her nipples. “But not the tenderest place.”

  She curled her hands into his shirt as his hands drifted lower yet.

  He unzipped her jeans. “Do you know where I want to taste you, Caty?”

  “Ye-es.” She trembled at the thought, her legs losing all muscular strength.

  He scooped her up. “In bed for your first time.”

  “I want to taste you, too,” she said, desperate that he know her as his equal in desire, if not experience.

  His arms tightened. “You will.”

  In his room, he slowly lowered her to her feet, sliding her down his body.

  The friction of his chest hair against her bare breasts was agonising. She wound her arms around his neck and tugged him down for a raw, desperate kiss.

  He shrugged off his shirt.

  She ran her hands over the hard muscle of his back while his lips traced a burning, nerve-tingling path from her mouth to the tender skin under her jaw and down her throat. She shifted restlessly, and he thrust a leg between hers and rocked, giving her the friction she needed, but it only fuelled the flames.

  “I
want…” She gasped as his hand slid into her jeans. “Yes. No.” She caught his hand. “I want you.”

  He breathed in roughly. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes.”

  She watched as he shoved down his jeans and kicked them away. “Will you fit?” Her hand indicated but didn’t touch the proof of his need for her.

  “We’ll go slow,” he promised. “You’ll take all of me inside you, and I’ll take you to heaven.” The cliché didn’t sound clichéd with his voice raw.

  “Promises, promises.” Her teasing faltered under the burning sincerity in his eyes and her own throbbing response. She gripped the waistband of her jeans and began pushing them down her thighs.

  “Let me.” He knelt on one knee to assist her. He kissed her tummy and then lower as her jeans slid down.

  She balanced a hand on his shoulder and stepped out of them.

  He’d left her knickers on.

  She caught a finger in their waistband. “Shouldn’t I…?”

  “I’ll take them off, later.”

  Red silk and lace, they appeared to fascinate him. He traced the outline of them, and Cate trembled. He parted her legs enough that he could brushed his fingers over the silk covered heart of her, and she wilted.

  Daniel caught her and laid her out on the bed.

  “No more teasing,” she pleaded. “Just you.”

  “Yes.”

  She sighed at his promise, lifting her hips as he slid off her knickers.

  “You are so beautiful.” His eyes adored her.

  She smiled up at him and held out her arms. “Love me.”

  He groaned and came down on her, settling his weight with care but feasting on her mouth. “I want you to be ready.”

  “Any more and I’ll explode,” she panted as he teased her breasts and toyed with the hard, aching nipples.

  “I love your explosions.” He licked a nipple, then sucked delicately.

  She writhed beneath him. For a moment she felt the hard tip of him against her and her thighs tightened to grip him, but he pulled away.

  “Condom.”

  She was vaguely comforted to see that his hands shook as he tore the packet.

  Then the entry intercom buzzed.