“When I first started Wonderland, I needed some backing. I stumbled across a woman who was confident she could help my little theme park take off. She showered me with praise and carried out every promise she’d made. Soon enough, we found out we had more than a business interest in one another.
“Ruby and I started dating, and our relationship was really great for a while. But she was constantly talking about money, about investments, about all the things we could do by expanding and building new theme parks across the U.S.
“I didn’t want that. I’d built Wonderland for my mother, and one park was enough for me. I’d also made plenty of money—I didn’t need to go seeking for more. But I thought I was in love with her, and I wanted to support her dreams as well as my own.
“Ruby started pooling money into other places, claiming it would be best for the park. But a lot of the risks she took ended up falling out from underneath me. It caused a strain in our relationship and not only that, with my attention so focused elsewhere, Wonderland’s appeal started to plummet too. Profits weren’t what they were. Ruby had access to all my accounts and saw everything. And before I knew it, she ended our engagement.”
Adelie stroked his forearm, fumbling for words. Her initial reaction was to sympathize with his heartache, but she wasn’t exactly sorry Ruby had ended things with him.
“Do you still love her?” she asked.
“No,” he said without hesitating.
For some reason, she couldn’t allow herself to believe him. She didn’t suppose anyone stopped loving someone else. Not really. Not when you felt enough for another person to want to marry them the right way instead of the rushed, fake way. That made this situation all the worse.
He continued stroking her hand. “I didn’t want her to be a part of our trip, Adelie. That’s why I was trying to ignore her phone calls. She’s been hounding me since she saw the rebrand. I wanted to keep her from finding out about you, but she’s relentless and persistent. It’s what makes her so successful, I guess. She’s not going to give up until I give in and let her meet you.”
Adelie was caught short. Her spine straightened. “She wants to meet me? Why?”
“She tends to try and predict success. Sounds like she thinks I’m onto something with you.”
Just what kind of success was he talking about here? If it had anything to do with modeling, that had been a one-time thing. She wasn’t about to put herself in a similar situation ever again.
Considering Adelie’s earlier suspicion, that there had been something more between Maddox and Ruby before Adelie came along, another suspicion filtered in. Adelie had been ripe with jealousy after one stupid phone call featuring Ruby’s pretty face on Maddox’s screen.
Had the sight of Adelie’s face on Maddox’s theme park had the same effect on Ruby? Was that why she was doing this?
“She knows I’m your model, but does she—does she know you married me?”
He lowered his head, allowing her hand to slip free from his so he could rake his hands through his hair. “No. I haven’t known how to tell her.”
“I see.”
The answer was enough. They’d been engaged. There had been something between them. If he was hiding Adelie from Ruby, perhaps there was still something between them.
With her hand free, Adelie stood. She couldn’t be close to him any longer. She was already growing too attached as it was. He was going to be hard to walk away from, so the sooner she did so, the better.
Maddox’s jaw set. “What do you mean?”
“I see,” she repeated. “Why you wanted to go to France. To keep me from her.”
“Adelie,” he said. “I wanted to go to France with you because you’re my wife.”
The declaration stung the corners of her eyes. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him. He said it so tenderly. So straightforward.
“I just…”
“What? You don’t believe me?”
“I want to,” she said, sniffing. “But—”
“But what?”
Tears blurred her vision. Her throat closed. She hated the way crying affected her. It was such a stupid thing. She couldn’t bring herself to say it.
He rose to his feet and cradled her face with his hand. “But what? Tell me. Please.”
“I am your wife,” she said through her tears. He wiped a stray bead from her cheek. She wished he wouldn’t be so attentive right now. Then again, if he wasn’t, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to say what she needed to. “But it’s only a piece of paper.”
“How can you say that?” The sorrow in his tone was too raw.
She persisted. “Because it’s true. You didn’t even kiss me.”
Light flickered in his eyes, joined with comprehension. The air between them shifted, thickening and filling with heat.
“Is that what this is about?” he said softly. “You want to be kissed?”
She wanted to retreat. She couldn’t, not with the way he held her face in his hands.
“Marriage should be sealed with a kiss.” Adelie fought her trembling lower lip.
He tilted in, taking a step and enclosing his arm around her in a single motion. Pressed to his body, her heartbeat ratcheted the way it did when she’d been on one of his roller coasters, trekking up the slow, building climb that would lead to the sudden plunge into speed and exhilaration, to a ride she had no power to stop.
She’d never had the sensation of a man’s lips pressed to her own, and this wasn’t just any man. This was Maddox Hatter, the man who’d spun her like a top since the moment they’d met.
His lashes brushed his cheeks. His lips hovered inches from hers, and his breath stroked her skin. She waited, aching,
