“Ivy Grant, you have my undivided attention for the rest of the evening.”
Chapter 9
The song ended and Ivy froze. A fairy danced in the lemon tree behind Carter’s left shoulder. A chorus of voices rose up on the other side of the branches. But on this side, with her back to the ballroom wall and his to the potted plants, it was just the two of them.
And she had Carter Burke’s undivided attention. She needed to make her case. She had to find a way to convince him.
Kiss him.
Her hormones issued the demand. But she silenced them with a shake of her head. They were here for science. Just because her body’s chemical messaging system wished to follow the Marchesa’s lead and win kisses instead of fighting for her lab didn’t mean she had to listen to them.
“I don’t believe your interest in medical research is purely for the profits,” she said as the orchestra began a slow number.
He held her close, guiding her into a gentle sway behind the trees. “Calling my bluff?”
“Tell me why.” She held her body away from his. “You made a fortune from your other companies. Why did you invest in labs and research?”
He turned her slowly until her dress brushed the branches. A fairy shook loose from the tree and fell at her feet. She stopped and stared down at the decoration.
“While serving in the Army, I was deployed to the Middle East.” He released his hold on her. “We were evacuating the civilians from a city ravaged by war and there was this girl, about seven or eight. She had leukemia and had to be carried out. She was so weak. I held her in my arms for eight hours.”
He knelt down and picked up the fallen fairy. Then he stood and held it out to her. “The whole time I had her in my arms I kept thinking, if she’d been in the US, if she’d had modern medical care…”
“She would still have cancer.” She took the slip of decorative paper from his hand. Looking down at it, she realized the smiling winged creature was printed, not painted or drawn, onto the paper. She felt a tinge of disappointment. She’d known they weren’t real fairies, of course. Fairies didn’t exist. But she’d fallen under the illusion the paper decorations were tiny works of art decorating the trees, handcrafted to cast a spell over the gala. In reality, they were probably generic images found online.
“Yes.” He placed his hands on her hips and guided her back into a dance. “I couldn’t do a damn thing for her then. I still can’t. The girl died not long after we pulled out of her village. I hated letting that child down.”
She lowered her hand holding the paper fairy and stared up at Carter Burke, the billionaire former soldier. Sorrow shone in his eyes. The tension in his jaw suggested he’d held on to the frustration from the day he held that sick child.
Oh, Carter.
She lived and breathed science. Her world was built from facts. She didn’t make room for fairies and miracles. They simply didn’t exist. But looking at his expression, she wished that the girl had been been granted a medical miracle.
I wish my father had received one, too, she thought.
“I get it,” she said softly. “You couldn’t take care of her, but you can fund cancer research.” She understood. She’d lost the father who raised her after her mother left. She’d lost him to a disease without a cure. But fighting because of a family member’s memory wasn’t quite the same. Carter Burke had invested his fortune because he couldn’t stand to see one little girl, a stranger, lose her battle with cancer.
He guided them out of the trees. She still clutched the paper fairy in her hand, running her fingers over the smooth surface as her arm draped over his shoulder. Other couples moved around them as he drew her deeper and deeper into the sea of beautiful gowns and tuxedos.
“Somewhere beyond the glitzy makeovers and silly one-liners, beyond the profits and business maneuvers, somewhere deep down, you have a heart,” she murmured.
“Disappointed?”
“No.” She released the paper fairy and watched as it floated over to the dance floor. A pair of golden heels trampled the wings. She looked up at Carter. “Relieved. It means you’re just an ordinary man.”
He raised an eyebrow and the curl fell across his forehead again.
Who is also a gorgeous billionaire…
She stopped in the middle of the dance floor and stepped back. She bumped into a woman twice her age and offered a quick apology. Other couples glanced over at her.
“Come with me.” She took his hand and led him through the maze of curious men and women. Well, mostly the ladies stopped to stare at their hasty retreat. Or maybe they merely wanted a glimpse of Carter Burke.
They reached the edge of the ballroom. She cast one more look at the lights twinkling in the trees as she pushed through the double doors.
“May I ask where we’re going?” he said once they were in the hall and heading for the elevator banks.
“To show you my idea of a fairy tale.” She hit the elevator button and the doors opened. Releasing his hand, she stepped inside and spun to face him. “Are you ready for a night filled with scientific adventure?”