Manhattan Millionaire’s Cinderella: HarperImpulse Contemporary Romance Read Free Page B

without a hitch, and then he’d be off with Century Corp intact, pockets full and little Nina would be history.
    “So, lie back and enjoy the ride Mrs…uh…Sloan,” he muttered, doing just that.
    ******
    Nina had endured the remainder of the flight, and had actually snoozed for a couple of hours while they flew over the Atlantic Ocean.
    Then before she realized it, they were descending over the Mediterranean and toward the seaside Larnaca International Airport on the island of Cyprus. The jolt of the jet’s wheels on the landing strip jostled her awake, and by the time she reoriented herself, they were disembarking.
    A blast of heat had smacked her face, and she stepped back, bumping into her husband’s iron-hard chest. He took her elbow to guide her down the stairs, and shivers shot up her arm. She faltered in her step, and the strap of her sandal snapped loose.
    “Steady there.” He spanned her waist, his touch an electric charge to her nervous system, and lifted her over the last three steps of the aircraft’s ladder. Just before he set her on her feet, his temple brushed hers and she glanced up, so close, she could see the brown tint of his lashes, smell. He glanced down, and she tumbled into his golden-brown gaze.
    She held her breath, her heart pounding.
    He shuttered his eyes, and let her go. “Okay now?”
    “Mmm.” She stepped onto the tarmac and mindless of the heat penetrating the soles of her shoes,gazed at the priceless view of ocean and sky. Salt tang in the air tickled her nose. A lone seagull squawked, and she lifted her head, the evening sun still bright enough to make her squint. She heard Cade’s intake of breath as he filled his lungs with sea air, then grew quiet. Just for a moment, she allowed herself to imagine this was real, that she and Cade—
    The surf crashed upon the rocks, shattering her fantasy and the fragile connection between them.
    “Come on.” He grabbed her wrist, dragging her through Customs, luggage claim and then to the limousine waiting outside the airport.
    She’d managed the limo ride to Century Blue, one of his oceanfront properties in Ayia Napa, the playground of Western Europe, andthe elevator ascent to the penthouse bridal suite. But by the time the bellman deposited their luggage in the foyer, accepted the generous tip from Cade and made his exit, she was a frazzled heap of nerves.
    She felt it, and for sure must look it, what with her cotton shift wrinkled, her sandal flopping and her mussed hair sticking to her temples.
    She flung an arm across her eyes, trying to forget her lackluster appearance—hardly the look of a glowing bride. Digging her toes beneath the cushions, she gulped down the whimper vibrating in her throat.
    When Cade had shut the door behind the bellman, she started to panic.
    Would he pounce? Would she let him? After all, she made a bargain…a high-end deal with the mogul of Manhattan. A hysterical sound bubbled in her chest and burst from her mouth in a muffled sound.
    The sun had turned the horizon into a blaze of color, and the Mediterranean Sea into liquid gold.
    “Hungry?” Cade asked, just as his cell beeped.
    Relief flooded through her when the cell call had cornered his attention.
    Nina gave him a wan smile and a wave of her hand, but by then, he had stepped onto the balcony. That suited her fine, giving her some breathing space to rest up and regroup. She wobbled on her feet and eyed the bed before her gaze skittered to him now in earnest conversation. She opted for the couch. Tossing her purse on one end, she kicked off her sandals and collapsed on the cushions.
    A sea breeze sailed towards her from the half open balcony doors.
    It was balmy, sensual and soothing.
    “You can use the bathroom first,” Cade mouthed over the cell’s mouthpiece.
    She shook her head. A big mistake. The vibrations shot to her toes and back up to her belly, making her stomach heave. She closed her eyes.
    She heard him pacing, his words floating to