Free Romance in Dallas - Tycoon! by Nancy Fornataro Page A

read me very well, then," he
said dryly, "I just think people should talk about it first."
    She turned to face him angrily. "I wasn't
about to go all the way with you. I'm in control of myself on that.
Total control."
    He smiled, and thought she'd just
contradicted herself in a very endearing and interesting way.
"Well, I don't. Have control, I mean." His tone softened, "Every
time I look at you, I want you. But every time I want you, I see my
wife's face looking at me accusingly."
    Frowning, she replied, "I didn't know."
    "You lost your Gram. And you think of her
probably every day."
    She nodded.
    Running a hand through his hair, he sighed.
"It's a similar thing, I guess. I don't know how to move on with my
life. I've been struggling with it since the day she died. I just
feel so responsible. If I had just held the steering wheel the way
I should have, instead of so casually, I could have banked left and
away from the speeder in the other car. If I'd had more control at
that minute, in those seconds, she'd be alive today."
    "What was her name?" Jace asked softly.
    "Susan."
    "And the picture on your computer. That's
Susan?"
    "Yes. She was an artist, extremely
successful. Her works were really in demand. They still are.
Critically acclaimed in the art world." Now, his eyes held a far
away look.
    "Let's talk about it," she told him, as she
moved to the captain's chair.
    His haunted turquoise eyes raked over her as
he sat in the opposite chair. "Yes, we'll talk."
     
     

Chapter 8
     
     
    Victoria sat in first class on the airplane,
heading for Nassau, wishing she had her own plane like Ramsey.
After she'd given the stewardess a mouthful of curses and
diatribes, which she really knew the woman deserved, she pulled out
the newspaper article and picture where she'd kissed Ram. How she
remembered his lips, and the enticing scent of his aftershave. Not
to mention how handsome and self-assured he'd been at the fund
raiser.
    She just didn't know where to go from here to
get his attention. She'd told a few members of the ever-present
paparazzi where Ram was headed, after she'd overheard it come from
the pilots lips as he chatted with someone in the coffee shop of
Ram's hotel.
    Smiling now, she thought information was so
easily obtained on Ram. People didn't recognize Victoria as she
donned various wigs and disguises. She did her best lurking that
way, as well as fact finding.
    "Would you like a drink, Miss Halliwell?" the
stewardess asked her.
    "Yes please," Victoria snapped, "champagne,
your finest."
    Of course, she thought, if she were in Ram's
nice jet, he would be serving her, along with bedroom servicing.
She sighed, and let her imagination run wild.
     
    Ramsey's plane landed in Nassau in the wee
hours of the morning. Both he and Jace were exhausted, but he
thought that was due to their extended conversation. They'd spoken
about everything, his loss of Susan, Warren, Natalie, Ann and Lee
her PT partners, some of her most difficult patients, problems at
his hotels, and much more.
    She'd worked on his back, massaged him
eventually and he was grateful for that. He told her it always felt
better after she worked the knots out of his muscles.
    Now, he stroked her hair absentmindedly as
they went through customs.
    "Where is your hotel?" she asked on the taxi
ride.
    "Right on the beach. You'll love it. The
beaches here are really so pristine, a beautiful blue color. You
can frolic and swim while I slave away at umpteen meetings with my
staff."
    He grabbed her hand and kissed it.
    "Sounds like you're feeling sorry for
yourself," she laughed.
    Smiling, he said, "Just save some time for
me."
     
    Jace looked around as she walked with him
into the hotel lobby. The ceilings, she thought, must have been
sixty feet high, and sported painted murals in muted colors.
Gigantic palms were placed around, along with etched marble
columns. A huge sparkling chandelier hung in the middle of the
entranceway. The walls were also murals, and the floor