“I don’t want money,” he said, looking at her hungrily.
“What do you want?”
“A partnership.”
“What about Lawrence Enterprises?”
“I’m resigning. I want to build a corporation step by step, just like your parents did. I was thinking that a tennis camp might be a good place to start.” He put his hands on her waist. “You spoke once about expectations…well, I didn’t expect this either. I can’t seem to stay away from you. I don’t want to stay away from you.”
They were words she had waited a lifetime to hear, but it was the heartrending tenderness of his gaze that melted her remaining defenses.
“I know what it’s like to be frightened of love, Lessa,” he said. “I know what it’s like to close off your heart. I’ve spent years like that. But I also know that true love is damned hard to find. It took me a long time to find you, Lessa. And now that I have, I’m not about to lose you.”
As she looked into his eyes, she was filled with the same sense of desire that had haunted her from the first moment she’d seen him. She moved toward him slowly, and then, standing underneath the mistletoe, she tentatively pressed her lips to his.
He kissed her back, gently and tenderly, a lover’s kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him toward her, knotting her fingers through his thick, wavy hair. “Thank you for my Christmas present,” she said.
“That wasn’t your Christmas present.” He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out a small box. “This is your Christmas present.”
Her heart jumped into her throat as she took it and opened it. Inside, nestled on satin, was an emerald-cut diamond ring.
“I love you, Lessa, and I want to be with you. You make the world a better place.”
She was too excited to speak. She just stood there, staring at the ring, not believing her ears.
“Say you’ll marry me, Lessa,” he whispered. “Give me a reason to like Christmas again.”
“Yes, Rick, I’ll marry you.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him with all her might. When she was finished, she said the three words she had wanted to say for a long, long time. “I love you.”
The wedding was held exactly three months later, on the grounds of their first joint venture, a Florida resort that specialized in tennis. It was intended to be a low-key affair, with only close friends and relatives. For Rick, Lessa discovered, that meant two hundred people, who filled Mara del Ray to capacity. And Lessa loved every moment of it. The entire Parker clan had accepted her and her aunt as welcome additions.
Lessa and Rick were married on a clear, sunny day in the hotel garden. Lessa wore a sleeveless white chiffon gown and walked down a stone path toward the most handsome man she had ever seen.
As Rick watched her walk toward him, he had no doubt that Lessa was the woman he had been waiting for all those years. With her by his side, he knew that anything was possible. She, and she alone, was the treasure for which he had combed the world.
Afterward they celebrated on the beach, complete with blazing tiki lights and a steel drum band. The guests feasted on fresh fish that had been caught that day. It was a fitting celebration for a former pirate. Rick took her hand and kissed it, giving her a smile that made her tingle all the way to her toes.
She and Rick stood at the water’s edge, discussing their honeymoon plans with Susan, Rick’s sister. “What made you decide on the Bahamas?” Susan asked. “After all, you’ve been to so many romantic places. I thought you’d pick something really exotic.”
“Betty suggested it,” Lessa said, nodding toward Rick’s secretary. Instead of retiring, Betty and her husband had moved to Florida a little bit early and Betty now worked for them part-time. In fact, they had received many inquiries from former employees of Lawrence, asking if they might join the new venture.
“There’s a property there we’re interested in,” Lessa added with a smile. In fact, they were considering buying Sabrina’s resort. Sabrina, in fact, was the one’d who suggested it to them. She had decided that being the owner of a large corporation was adversely affecting her love life, and so she had decided to sell her business and embark on a trip around the world with her sailing instructor.
“Rick!” his sister said, swatting him. “It’s your honeymoon!”
“It was my idea,” Lessa said. “It seemed to make sense.” The transition from enemy to beloved had gone as seamlessly as the beginning of their new corporation. Rick and Lessa were both equal shareholders and partners. And although Rick was still the same tough negotiator he had been at Lawrence, as a lover and husband he was unrivaled. There were few grievances. They had melded together in the boardroom as easily as the bedroom. In fact, she was having the time of her life. For once, she had no doubt that she was in the right field, no doubt that this was what she was meant to do.
“Well, that doesn’t sound very romantic to me. A working honeymoon.”
But Lessa knew different. They were simply taking a tour. There would be plenty of time for…other activities.
“Mom,” Susan’s youngest son said, tugging on her dress. “Richard’s swimming in the pool,” he said, referring to his seven-year-old brother.
“It’s okay,” Lessa said. “There’s a lifeguard.”
“But he went swimming with his clothes on.”
As Susan ran off to attend to her son, Lessa saw her aunt sitting under a palm tree. She was fanning herself as she sipped some frothy pink drink with an umbrella.
“I’ll be right back,” Lessa said to Rick.
“What are you thinking about?” she asked her aunt as she sat beside her on the sand.
“I’m just thinking about that mistletoe. See? Aren’t you glad you didn’t throw it out or stick it in the closet?”
“You think this is all due to mistletoe?”
“Well, I certainly got my wish,” Gran said. “And so did you.”
Lessa caught the eyes of the man she loved, and smiled. “And then some. I can’t wait to see what you ask for next year.”
Her aunt nodded toward the beach at the children playing. “It might be nice to have some children around.”
Lessa just laughed. As it turned out, she had been thinking the exact same thing.
After the wedding, she and Rick retired to the private bungalow they had built for their home. The French doors were open and a warm breeze blew the silk sheers. Lessa stepped outside, followed by Rick.
“Gran asked me to give you this,” he said, holding out a small brown paper bag.
Lessa opened the bag and peeked inside. She laughed as she pulled out a sprig of mistletoe. She held it up to the moonlight and said, “My aunt swears that mistletoe is associated with miracles. You simply hold it and make a wish.”
“Should we test it out?” he asked.
She put a hand on her belly. “I should warn you that I have a feeling I know what she’s wishing for next Christmas.”
“Next Christmas?” he asked, flashing her a devilish smile. “Let’s see, April, May, June…” He counted out the remaining months. “Nine months exactly. We better start working on this miracle right away.”
And holding the mistletoe over their heads, he gave her a long, passionate kiss.
MARGARET ALLISON
was raised in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan, and received a B.A. in political science from the University of Michigan. A former marketing executive, she has also worked as a model and actress. The author of several novels, Margaret currently divides her time between her computer, the washing machine and the grocery store. She loves to hear from readers. Please write to her c/o Silhouette Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.
