Mad for you in Madrid (Building Love Book 3) Read online

  Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a camera’s flash go off. He turned his head to see Sophia standing against his property’s iron posts.

  “I knew it,” Sophia spat. “Now everyone will know you’re sleeping with your brother’s fiancée. Let’s see how the notorious Vega family handles this scandal.”

  He reached out to grab her camera. Instead, he grasped air. Sophia jumped into a car that was waiting for her. She slammed the car door so quickly she almost severed her long blond hair. In a second she, and her camera, were gone.

  “That bitch,” he ground out. “Wait ’til I . . .” His words died when he saw Lori’s ashen expression. Her pale skin matched the color of his shirt. “Lori, relax. I will handle this.”

  “My mother’s going to kill me.”

  He drew her against him. “Remember what we just talked about. I will fix this. In the meantime, let’s enjoy our time together.”

  “Okay,” she said, her eyes round with trust. “You are right. I guess it’s my turn to overreact.”

  He kissed her lips, not giving a damn who saw them. “Come, let me feed you. Then I’ve got to go back to the hotel. The renovation work has to be kept on track.” Along with my heart.

  Chapter 23

  Daniel worked on his hotel for hours, fully absorbed in his work. The day had been productive. Design plans solidified. Quotes from subcontractors obtained. Best of all, the project’s timeframe shortened and his hotel would be ready in short order.

  The public relations firm he hired, Cayne Corporate Communications, Inc., was undoubtedly moving forward at a rapid pace, too. The sooner he got his marketing message in place, the sooner his hotel would fill up with paying guests. Once he banked a boatload of profit, he would move on to the next project. Pounce on the next opportunity. A lion on an antelope. The image in his mind shifted to having Lori firmly in his grasp instead.

  Daniel glanced out a cracked window observing the darkening sky. Soon the lobby’s antique wall clock would chime eight o’clock. Hiring someone to fix the meter-long, round timepiece had been one of his better ideas. After decades of disuse, the gold-gilded clock with mother-of-pearl face worked again. A real showstopper in what would be his best hotel yet. Daniel heard the clock’s loud chimes ring out. He pulled out his smartphone to check that it rang exactly on time. Satisfied, he smiled. He deserved to take a break. Going out to dinner with Lori was priority number one.

  Oddly, he hadn’t heard a word from her all day. She enjoys working as much as I do. He sent her a text. “Care to join me for dinner?” No response immediately came. He held the phone, waiting. For a man who had previously dated and ditched, his transformation was remarkable.

  Someone knocked on the door of his makeshift office a minute later. The interruption was unexpected. As far as he knew, everybody had gone back to the corporate office or gone home. “Come in.”

  Lori opened the door, dressed professionally in a black skirt suit made of soft-looking fabric. “Hi,” she said, blushing.

  He wondered how it was possible for her shyness to return. Given all they had done together in bed last night, that likelihood would normally be limited. That was, if the woman in front of him was anyone except Lori.

  “I asked one of the construction people where you were working,” she explained. “When you texted me, I figured I had enough permission to enter.”

  “I love it when you explore.”

  “Ha ha.” The rosy tint of her skin increased. “I’m trying to act professional. You’re paying good money to my mother’s firm. I want to earn it.”

  “I’d like you to earn it. Really earn it.”

  “Is that another sexual innuendo?”

  “Yup.”

  “You’re incorrigible.”

  “I’m also a horrible distraction. How can you get any work done when you’ve got all this gorgeousness standing right in front of you?” Fighting the urge to laugh, he swept his arms across his chest and struck a model’s pose.

  Her eyes crinkled. “Are you done yet, Mr. Hot?”

  “That depends on you. Things can get much hotter. We are all alone, you know.”

  “I’m here to work, Mister,” she pretended to chide. “I have a few ideas about the public relations campaign, if you want to hear them.” Her smile faltered. “My mother would be annoyed since I haven’t run them by her. If you’re uncomfortable listening, you can pass.”

  He rolled his eyes. “You’re killing me.”

  “All right, sorry. This is what I’ve been thinking. I’ve seen the hotel’s entrance, and the design plans. Your hotel’s going to have high-end elegance while capturing a sense of history. It will be a real standout among the usual tourist options.” She paused, clearly gauging his reaction.

  ~ ~ ~

  Lori’s stomach clenched from stress. Nevertheless, she plowed on. He has faith in me. Don’t toss in the towel. “Madrid offers hidden gems because the city itself is a hidden gem. If an American opts for the typical European capitals, like London, Paris, and Rome, they would be missing out on Madrid’s unique blend. Americans can’t get the combination of Madrid’s history, style, culture, culinary, and elegance anywhere else. Your hotel captures this. A microcosm of Madrid.”

  She breathed deeply before continuing. “Your hotel is also a dual immersion into the past and present. Your publicity campaign can hone in on this concept.” She swallowed hard. “How’s this: Hotel Vega Madrid. Where modern elegance meets living history.” Her heart pounded. “If you like it, you can build on it. Expand by adding elements later on, like you would for one of your ongoing building projects.” When a smile spread across his face her stomach unclenched. “You like it?” she asked, eyes round with hope.

  “I like it very much. Your concept will serve the hotel well.” He extended both his arms out to her.

  She stepped into his arms. Emotionally and physically warmed by his embrace. Pleasure coursed through her. “I’m thrilled you like the concept. I worked hard to come up with it. Telling you my idea was even harder. I’m feeling a lot more confident.”

  “Damn, I’m good.”

  “Yes. Let me prove it.” She placed her hands lightly on his chest. He looked mouthwatering in his collared shirt. He’d look better without it. Be confident.

  She lifted the bottom of his shirt from his pants. Then she opened each button. She touched his bare skin, and her fingertips traced over a nipple. He shivered. “I’m learning to assert myself. Go after what I want.” She placed her mouth where her fingers had been.

  He groaned, a deep, guttural sound.

  “I’m not afraid. Not anymore.” Her hands slipped down his pants, feeling his instant reaction. She held his hard length. Teasing him. “I want to make love to you, Mr. High And Mighty Daniel Vega, and I’m not the kind of woman who takes no for an answer.”

  “Don’t even know the word.”

  They hurried to undress each other. Naked, he carried her toward an old, beat-up desk and sat her on top of it. His hands explored her body everywhere, sending tendrils of fire with every touch. The erotic sensation grabbed hold of her body and mind, a powerful drug. Under its influence, it was hard to pull away.

  “I’m in charge, remember?” she said, holding him back. She stroked his penis until it pulsed with need. Scooting off the desk, she got on her knees. She took him into her mouth, and her tongue traveled over him until he groaned.

  “Lori,” he warned. “I’m close.”

  “Spoilsport. Got a condom?”

  “Pants pocket.”

  “Ooh, a man prepared.” A foil square had tumbled out from the pocket of his discarded pants. In a second, she ripped the condom open and ran her hands seductively over his length while she rolled it on him.

  “The best thing about a relationship,” he said, “is when
both parties are comfortable giving the other one power. My turn?”

  “I can be persuaded to give up power. A limited, one-time opportunity.”

  He lifted her up and kissed her mouth. Presumably to stop her giggles. When he placed her ass on the desk, desire darkened his bright blue eyes. She leaned back and parted her legs. He entered her. The feel of him was slick and smooth.

  The tantalizing rhythm of his slow strokes soon became hard thrusts. The change in rhythm made her stomach muscles clench in the most pleasurable way. Tremors took hold. She dissolved into a sea of bliss. When he shuddered inside her, she quaked again.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, his voice gentle and warm.

  “Yes,” she said, giving him a half-truth. After meeting Daniel, she would never be the same again.

  Chapter 24

  Lori and Daniel left the hotel, holding hands, laughing despite the sudden downpour of heavy rain. The tapas bar located a block away wasn’t fancy. They were soaked by the time they arrived.

  Lori surveyed the restaurant. It was small and informal. Ten tables of various sizes crowded the bar on the right-hand side. An unlit fireplace dominated the left. Warmth from the fire would have done her good. The chill in the air gave her goosebumps. Her shirt clung tightly to her cold skin. No matter how hard she pulled, the wet material sucked itself back into place. “Another block and I would have drowned.”

  “I’m soaked too.” Water dripped off his hair and shirt collar. Droplets hit the wood table in a steady pattern.

  Tying her hair in a bun before leaving his hotel had been a good idea. Only a little bit of water trickled down her neck.

  “They call this type of place a gastro-pub,” Daniel explained. “Don’t let the informal atmosphere fool you. The quality of food can stand up to the finest restaurant. I eat here when I’m in town. I would have picked someplace ritzier, but given the weather . . .”

  “Intimate is nice,” she remarked, casting her eyes around. “I’m not a fancy person.”

  “Yes, an intimate setting is nice, isn’t it? Rather appropriate, given our recent activities.” He picked up her hand and gave her a slow, sensuous kiss.

  The effect heated her from the inside. Who needs a fireplace? Daniel is hot enough.

  “Is there anything you don’t eat?” he asked. “Or anything special that you do want? Considering how reluctant you are to use your Spanish, I thought I’d take the liberty of ordering for us.”

  “Surprise me. I’m happy to try any typical Spanish food.”

  A waiter wearing a red apron appeared. Daniel rattled off their order to the bald, tan-skinned man in Spanish. The waiter nodded and scurried off to the kitchen.

  “Great. Thanks,” she said. “The seafood dish sounded especially interesting. Lightly battered pan-fried fish in an olive oil and garlic sauce. Yum.”

  “You understand Spanish exceptionally well. Why are afraid to use it? Spaniards are kind people. No one will laugh at you. People always appreciate when tourists make the effort.” She felt him clasp her hand tighter. It gave her a shot of warmth. “Be brave.”

  “I try so hard to please everyone. I’m afraid to disappoint people. Especially my mother. My mom comes across as super confident. Her employees think she’s a steamroller. Some of their perception is right. Mom is very strong. The other part, the one people can’t see, is that she’s also extremely fragile. Since my dad left, her concrete shell has turned to glass. I don’t want to be the one responsible for shattering her.” Lori swallowed hard. “Until I met you, I hadn’t realized I needed to balance my needs against her needs. I wasn’t letting myself live by constantly catering.”

  “Your mom is lucky to have you as a daughter.”

  She shook her head. “No, not lucky. I’ve managed to hurt both of us. My mother isn’t the only one who strained our relationship. I’m equally responsible. The trick will be my finding an equilibrium. For both of our sakes.”

  “Building love is way harder than building a hotel. Either way, if it can’t stand on its own, everything will crash down.”

  “Valid point. An apt expression for a man in the construction industry.”

  Their waiter interrupted them. The man placed platters of olives, cheeses, and fresh breads in front of them before hustling back to the kitchen.

  The smell of crispy bread, garlic, and olive oil wafted in her nose. She inhaled deeply, relishing the savory scents. She picked up a piece of bread, ready to pop it into her mouth. “You’ve changed my perspective on life. Because of you, I am going to finally stretch my wings. Focus on myself. I know it won’t be easy. I might fall on my face.”

  The waiter suddenly returned, asking Daniel whether they wanted to order drinks. Before Daniel could answer, Lori answered the waiter instead. In perfect Spanish, she ordered Madeira for them both, and then asked the location of the bathroom. After the waiter answered her and left to get their drinks, Lori tilted the chair on its back legs, clasped her hands behind her head, and smiled.

  “Aren’t you going to the ladies’ room?” Daniel asked.

  “I don’t have to go. I wanted to show you I’m ready to speak Spanish. Heck, I can ask him further details about the food’s preparation if you want. Even debate different cooking techniques. Discuss how his business is going. You told me to be brave, and I am.” Her smile faltered. “Sort of. I’d need time to really gather more momentum. Everything is easy when I’m on a separate continent from my mom. I’ve got you here, and she’s safely across the Atlantic. It’s the perfect Petri dish to grow success. Let’s see how my experiment goes when I return home.”

  Daniel’s head cocked to the side, as if studying her. Lori wondered what was behind his enigmatic expression. “Tell me what you’re thinking,” she asked.

  “You really don’t get it, do you?” he answered.

  Her forehead creased. “Get what? That I’ve waited too long to fly out of mama bird’s co-dependent nest? Yeah, I got it.”

  “No, you don’t get how much faith I have in you. I know you can do it. Whether or not you have me standing beside you. You can do this on your own.”

  “I wish that were true. I didn’t know how to assert myself before we met. If I’m so capable, why couldn’t I do this earlier?”

  “You only believed you couldn’t. You’re already succeeding. Further involvement from me would only hamper you.”

  “I realize we’ve only known each other for a short while but I’m positive you could never get in the way.” She gave him a lopsided smile. “You’re the X-factor my ego’s been searching for.” As well as my heart.

  “Stop making me out to be more than I am, Lori. The truth is, you don’t need me. Standing solo is what will make you strong.”

  Her smile disappeared, the corner of her lips turned down. Was this his gentle way of dumping her? His way of saying that he was letting her go? Back to Mom? Far away from him?

  Daniel rested his elbows on the restaurant’s dark wood table. “I understand what happens to a person if they are always ordered about by family. Trust me on this. Years ago I found out that becoming my own man was a real challenge. A test of my strength. I rose to that challenge because I had no choice. You haven’t realized yet how strong you can truly be. You’re still young. As soon as you internalize this, you’ll rise to the challenge too.

  Her defensive shield was girding itself back into place. What was he saying now? That she was too young and inexperienced to rise to her own challenge? “Becoming independent is more complicated for me.” She spoke each word carefully, doing her best to keep a neutral tone. Her heart rate, however, abandoned neutrality. An hour ago, her rapid pulse had been caused by passion. Now it was caused by frustration.

  “These kinds of situations are always complicated. It’s never easy,” he countered.

  �
�It’s not a simple matter of my displeasing my mom if I say no. It’s a matter of my suffering from guilt. She takes every no as a personal statement against her and proof I don’t care one iota about her. When I don’t cater to her demands, she claims I am just like my father, who also abandoned her. I know it’s crazy to give in to such emotional blackmail.”

  “Why do you let her?”

  “Because in her mind, I don’t think she sees it as blackmail. She sees it as the truth. It’s put me in a tough spot. I’m trying to be independent from her, not kill her.”

  “Surely the impact could never be that great.”

  “I don’t know,” Lori said slowly. She was doing her best to really listen to his words. Why did she feel like he was minimizing what she was saying? Was he attacking her, and her mother? Or was he really trying to help her? After the intimacy they’d shared, the sense he was distancing himself from her was disturbing. “My mother’s sisters can’t take her abrasive nature either. They know she means well, yet rarely talk to her. My mother feels abandoned by them, too.”

  “What about your grandparents?” he prompted.

  “They both passed on.” The waiter placed two glasses of Madeira before them. Lori picked up her glass and took a sip. The wine cooled her tongue. “I think my mother makes me jump through hoops on purpose. To prove to herself I’m willing to go the distance for her.”

  “She knows you don’t want to disappoint her. That’s why she plays you.”

  Lori’s mouth dropped open. “Wow, that’s harsh. A little bit over the top, don’t you think?”

  “Reality is harsh. I’m trying to get you to see the situation for what it is. This way, when you return home you’ll continue to have the strength to do something about it. Stand up for yourself, on your own two feet.”

  “My two feet?” Lori put the glass down with a thud. Her heart thudded along with it. “You didn’t do anything to stand up to your family last night,” she challenged.