A Madaris Bride for Christmas. Brenda Jackson

great-grandmother, Syneda was one of the old gal’s partners in crime. Rumor had it that Syneda assisted Mama Laverne with ending Blade’s bachelor days.

      Syneda looked at him curiously before giving him a hug. “You sure it’s nothing?”

      He smiled at his cousin-in-law. “I’m positive.”

      He then gave Lorren and Caitlin hugs as well. He was still smiling when he sat back down.

      He’d finally come up with an idea to outsmart his great-grandmother.

      * * *

      Carly had never been this nervous in her life, but there was no denying that she was nervous now. And all because of one man. Lee Madaris.

      She played back everything in her mind, from their first kiss on the balcony to their second kiss in his suite. That kiss had thrown her into a world of confusion, conflicting emotions and primitive yearning. Before that night had ended she had agreed to have dinner with him.

      She glanced at the clock on her wall. That dinner, which he would prepare, was to commence in a little less than four hours. She hadn’t heard from Lee since the food was delivered. She could only assume nothing had changed and he had returned from Dubai today.

      Carly hadn’t been sure what to wear tonight. She had decided on a maxi dress, with spaghetti straps at the shoulders and a ribbed band at the waist. She liked the mix of mauve, beige and green, and her feet felt comfortable in beige-colored flats.

      When her cell phone rang, she picked it up off her nightstand and smiled. It was Aunt Ruthie.

      “Hello.”

      “You okay, Baby-Girl?”

      She smiled. That had always been her aunt’s nickname for her. “Aunt Ruthie, yes, I’m okay. What about you?”

      “Fine. Did my grocery shopping today and ran into Harriet. Her husband had a heart attack last week and he’s still in the hospital.”

      Unlike Carly, her aunt had tons of friends. “I don’t recall Ms. Harriet, but is her husband okay?”

      “Yes, he’ll be okay. But he’ll have to change his diet. And knowing Harriet, she’ll make sure he does. How are things going in Vegas?”

      Carly hadn’t expected her aunt to be crazy about the idea of her moving to Las Vegas for work, but surprisingly Aunt Ruthie had been fine with it.

      “Things are going great. The restaurant has been busy.”

      “But busy is good, right?” her aunt asked.

      Carly chuckled. “Yes, busy is good.”

      A few minutes later, Carly ended her conversation with her aunt and warm emotions flowed through her. Her aunt had always been there for her, even when Carly’s mother hadn’t. Carly had given up on the hope that one day things would change. Her mother’s husband was a big-time businessman with an image to keep and a family to protect...from her. The man saw her as a threat to his and his family’s way of life, and until that changed, nothing else would.

      Carly glanced at her watch. Since she had time, and wanted to get her mind off her nerves, she pulled up the Miami Herald to see what was in the news.

      * * *

      Lee was glad to be back in Vegas. He smiled as he tossed his luggage on the bed. Usually, he did not feel that way after returning from a business trip. But this time was different. In less than three hours he would be dining with a beautiful woman. A woman he hadn’t been able to get off his mind even thousands of miles away.

      Visiting with his cousins and their wives had been enjoyable, but he’d been ready to leave them to their own devices. The Grand MD Dubai had a lot to offer and they would be there for seven more days to take it all in.

      Now Lee would shower and get dressed for tonight. He’d prepare dinner and make sure they had a pleasurable evening. Then he would unveil his plan, the one he had come up with to outsmart his grandmother. He grinned just thinking about it. Mama Laverne would think twice before planning another wedding for one of her great-grands.

      But to make it work he had to bring Carly on board with his idea. They barely knew each other. She didn’t love him, and he didn’t love her. He wasn’t even sure they had anything in common. However, what he did know was that he craved her. Her, and no other woman.

      He stripped off his clothes as he moved toward the bathroom. His dreams had gotten hotter than ever. Several times while in Dubai he’d taken cold showers. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d done that. He stepped into the shower now and a rush of warm water streamed over him. He was filled with excitement about the evening ahead.

      Damn, it had been a week and he’d missed Carly. He had no idea why a woman he’d seen only twice would make such an impact on him. In the beginning, he hadn’t liked her hold on him, but now she was the answer to his problem.

      If she accepted his marriage proposal, she would need to understand that their marriage would be based on respect and on passion, not on love. That was good enough for him and he hoped it would be good enough for her.

      Lee considered himself a pretty good businessman; he had done his homework. He had contacted Alex, who was married to Christy—Justin, Dex and Clayton’s baby sister. Alex was a top-notch private investigator and a former FBI agent. Lee had given him Carly’s name and that was all Alex had needed. Before leaving Dubai, Alex had electronically delivered a detailed report, which proved to be interesting reading on the eighteen-hour flight back to the States.

      Carly’s grandmother had died before she was born and her grandmother’s only child, Gail, had been raised by Gail’s aunt, Ruth Briggs, a widow. Gail got pregnant with Carly in her senior year of high school. Ruth agreed to take care of Carly while Gail went to college. There were a few recorded visits from Gail, but not many.

      Lee shook his head as he stepped out of the shower to dry off. From what he’d read, Gail met a man from a prominent family while at college and she married him, conveniently not telling him she’d had a child out of wedlock.

      According to the report, when Sidney Thrasher, a successful businessman in Los Angeles, discovered the truth, he didn’t divorce his wife but he had no problem ostracizing her child. In fact, he demanded that Gail do the same if she wanted to save her marriage. It seemed the Thrashers’ two kids knew Carly only as a distant cousin. Now Lee understood why she considered herself a loner.

      He couldn’t imagine a mother deserting her child that way, leaving her for someone else to raise and then turning her back on the child. That was unacceptable. It made him appreciate his family all the more. Even a great-grandmother who was determined to run his personal life.

      One thing was for certain: if she said yes to his proposal, she’d become part of his big family. Carly would have no reason to feel like a loner ever again. He had his game plan, which was more or less a business strategy. He would give her all the pluses and strike down any minuses she tried to present one by one.

      Beginning tonight, it was Operation Carly Briggs.

      * * *

      Carly heard a car door close and knew Lee had arrived. He was right on time. She drew in a deep breath as she looked out the window and watched him walk toward her front door. Was he taking stock of her yard, her neighborhood? He was probably wondering how she could afford to live here on her salary as a chef.

      It wasn’t that she lived in a huge house, but her community was a nice one. Some would even view it as one of the most prestigious residential areas in Las Vegas. He didn’t have to know that the house was really owned by Heather and Joel and had been purchased as investment property.

      Heather hadn’t wanted Carly to live alone in an apartment. So she had talked Joel into buying this nice house with a yard as an investment that they leased to Carly.

      Carly opened the door upon hearing his knock. Lee leaned in the doorway, bigger than life—definitely a man designed purely for feminine enjoyment.