Considering that Zach was a billionaire, it wasn’t as important to him as to someone of lesser means. And the truth was, the several hundred dollars the man had made off with wouldn’t have made a dent in her bank account now—not after Emerald’s trust fund to do with as she pleased.
But old habits died hard. From the time she’d graduated college, she’d made her own way on her preschool teacher’s salary and that meant sometimes living paycheck to paycheck. She’d learned to stretch a dollar as far as it would go and until a few months ago, the amount of money Zach had lost to the nefarious man would have represented a month’s rent for her.
“Things like that happen,” he observed, shrugging as if he wasn’t bothered by the incident. “I’m more concerned that it caused you to lose your appetite for the ice cream cone I promised you.”
When the driver stopped the car in front of the Forsythe Resort and Golf Course north of Dallas, she waited for Zach to exit the car, then help her out. “I was too angry to worry about eating ice cream,” she responded as he closed the car door.
When they started toward the entrance, he stopped in front of the lobby’s ornate double doors. Turning to face her, he placed his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t want you giving any more thought to the ring, the money or the man who took off with both, darlin’. I didn’t lose that much. And if it’s the ring you’re upset about, I’ll buy you another one.”
“No, it’s not the ring or the amount of money,” she said truthfully. “It’s the principle.”
He leaned down and briefly pressed his lips to hers. “Let’s forget about it and go inside. I want to show you around and get your opinion on something.”
When he took her hand and placed it in the crook of his arm, Arielle decided to do as he suggested and drop the matter. If he didn’t care about being duped, then she probably shouldn’t, either.
The doorman held open one of the doors, and Zach escorted her into the opulent lobby. Her breath caught at the beauty of the hotel. From the black marble counter of the reception desk, to the cream-colored Italian marble floor tiles and the expensive paintings decorating the walls, everything was coordinated perfectly. And, although lavish, the lobby still had a comfortable, welcoming feel to it.
“Zach, this is absolutely amazing,” she gasped, taking it all in. “I can’t believe this was your first resort.”
He looked extremely pleased by her compliment. “I really can’t take all of the credit. My sister had a big hand in the choice of colors and artwork.”
“Well, you both did a wonderful job,” Arielle commented, meaning it. “Does your sister help decorate all of your resorts?”
Nodding, he steered her down a wide corridor toward a set of decorative white French doors. “I come up with the theme, layout of the grounds and services we’ll be offering at the resort, then Lana goes to work doing her thing with color choices and decorations.” When they reached the doors, he stepped forward to open them and ushered her into a small indoor courtyard. “But this is where I need your opinion. What do you think of this room?”
As she took in the bubbling fountain in the center of the glass-enclosed area, the lush green plants and shrubs ringing the marble-tiled floor and impressive stone terrace, she didn’t think she’d seen anything more beautiful. “This is breathtaking, Zach.”
“Originally, it was my intention to make it a sitting area for guests of the resort.” He took her elbow to steady her as they descended the terrace steps and walked over to the fountain. “But it’s rare for someone to venture in here and I’m thinking about using it for other purposes.”
“I think your golf course adjoining the resort property might have something to do with your guests’ lack of interest.” She smiled. “I would imagine many of them are bypassing this in favor of getting in a few rounds.”
“You’re probably right.” He glanced around. “One of my employees recently suggested that it could be rented out for small parties and receptions. What do you think? Good idea or not?”
“I think it’s an excellent idea,” she agreed, nodding. “The white wrought-iron benches and patio tables could be arranged for whatever the occasion dictates.” She turned to look back at the terrace with it’s ornately carved granite railing. “I could easily see this being used for something like garden club meetings, as well as family anniversary parties and wedding receptions.”
“You think so?” He frowned as if giving it serious thought. “I guess it could be used for someone wanting one of those family-and-extremely-close-friends-only affairs.”
When he brushed back the sides of his black dinner jacket to stuff his hands in the front pockets of his pants as he looked around the room, he looked more than handsome. He hadn’t bothered to put on a tie, instead preferring to wear his white shirt open at the collar. Some fashion magazines might call it the casually chic look, whereas she thought it was just plain sexy.
“I don’t suppose it would hurt to give it a try,” he acknowledged, walking over to take her into his arms. “Who knows? It just might turn out to be a hit.”
“I’m sure it will become quite popular among the Dallas elite for all of their…intimate gatherings,” she described, suddenly feeling quite breathless.
His wicked grin sent her blood pressure soaring as he raised her arms to encircle his neck. Wrapping his arms back around her, he pulled her against him. “I’ve always liked intimate, but it’s not a word I’ve ever associated with more than two people.”
“R-really?”
He nodded. “My definition of intimate is you…” His lips brushed hers. “And me…” He kissed her again. “Alone…” Using his index finger, he raised her chin until their gazes met. “Making love, Arielle.”
The spark of need in the depths of his dark green eyes and the husky quality to his deep baritone sent desire through her. “Zach?”
His mouth came down on hers with urgency and she returned his kiss with just as much enthusiasm. His tongue mated with hers, demanding that she respond in kind. Meeting him stroke for stroke, the feel of his body against her caused a thrill of feminine power to skip along her nerves.
No matter how often she reminded herself that giving in to temptation again would be foolish, Arielle still wanted him with a ferocity that erased all logic.