by Joanna Blake
He was grinning as he turned me over to kiss me.
"I should have brought more. Unless you are feeling lucky?"
He looked so hopeful. As if I would risk pregnancy with a man I had just met. I could barely meet his eyes as I reached for my clothing. He had shaken me to my core.
I felt devastated. Exposed. Vulnerable.
He didn't seem to notice as he pulled his clothes on regretfully. His eyes were on my body. I turned around so I didn't have to see the smug look of satisfaction on his handsome face. He'd bested me again. And I'd let him. I could not continue this way. He was dangerous to me. Dangerous to my fragile sense of hard won independence.
He stood behind me and untangled my hair gently. His lips found my neck and I leaned back against him like a stable cat, desperate for a good scratch. But inside, my mind was reeling.
One thing was clear.
I had to get away from Daniel Delancey.
Chapter Seven
Daniel
"I need to get cleaned up."
I grinned at the gorgeous pink of Francesca's cheeks. She was embarrassed. Damn if that wasn't adorable.
My feisty Italian Heiress was embarrassed by the off the charts sex we'd just had. Twice.
She better get used to it, and fast. This was just the beginning. I had plans for her. Dirty, filthy plans.
"I'll join you."
She shook that beautiful head of hers, biting her lower lip.
"No, Daniel I... I need to go into the city for lunch. For business."
I followed her out of the stall.
"I won't distract you. Much."
She tossed her hair and gave me an imperious look. She really did act like royalty sometimes. Not when I was on top of her though.
"Another time Daniel."
I frowned, watching her round ass and long legs stride away from me. Something was wrong. She was still angry with me.
I just had no idea why.
I ran my hand through my hair and went to shower. I felt good, drained and relaxed. I couldn't complain about that.
But I wanted more.
Much, much more.
I walked into the dining room where lunch was set up buffet style. Usually I just went into the kitchen and asked Suzy for a sandwich, but when clients were around Jackson made sure the estate was full service. And then some.
I piled my plate high. Francesca was keeping me busy and I was sure I would need my energy later on. I planned to spend the night in her bed. And on the floor. And the shower.
Maybe bent over that chair again...
I stared out the window and froze. For a second I could not believe my eyes. Francesca was outside, dressed in a cream colored suit. She held her briefcase as she climbed into a limo. The chauffeur was loading her luggage into the back. I was about to run outside and grab her but the driver took off before I could even react.
"Where the hell is she going?"
Jackson chose that moment to appear behind me.
"She said she had to check in to a hotel for a few days. Something about a business meeting."
Anger sliced through me.
I had a strong suspicion she wasn't going to a meeting.
She wanted to get away from me.
Or she wanted to replace me.
That was even worse.
"Which hotel?"
"She didn't say."
"Fuck."
Jackson gave me a look.
"Something going on I should know about Daniel?"
"Something is going on. But it's none of your damn business!"
He raised his hands. He knew better than to tangle with me. I was known as the nice brother, but on the rare occasion that I lost my temper, I was way, way more dangerous than both of them put together.
They knew it too. Growing up they called me the sleeping giant. Or big, mean and green.
I felt that anger rising in me, along with the disbelief. I picked up my phone to peck out a text.
You better get your ass back here Francesca.
I paced back and forth as I waited to hear back. Nothing. Finally, I sat down and tried to eat. My mind was racing to come up with an answer but there was only one.
She was running from me.
From this.
Fuck that. She'd started it. And she was going to finish it. She hadn't even said goodbye. That just wasn't going to cut it. I stared at my phone as I forced down my food. Still no response.
You aren't going to like what happens when I find you. And I will find you.
Maybe not the most subtle of messages but there it was. I was pissed. And I was going to track her ass down. I just needed a little help to do it.
It was just a matter of time until I did.
I walked over to the bar and poured myself a stiff drink.
Francesca
I stared at my phone. Daniel was texting me again. He was angry. I'd expected that. I hadn't expected him to come after me.
Most men would just give up and move on to the next thing.
I was quite familiar with that pattern unfortunately.
Daniel seemed to be a different breed all together. He was determined. That much was obvious. He also seemed to want something more than a fling. That was not going to happen. I'd gotten what I wanted. He had gotten what he wanted too. That was just going to have to be good enough for him.
I frowned, staring out the window.
My phone beeped again and I glanced down.
I'm going to take my time with you next time.
Another ping.
I want to put my mouth on you.
I swallowed nervously. Ping.
You are going to beg me to let you come.
A shiver ran down my spine and I squirmed in my seat. He had done that to me yesterday, using his tongue and fingers to make me come. I'd loved it. No one had ever been that... thorough before.
I shook my head. No matter. I wasn't getting involved, even if there were some delightfully naughty benefits. I belonged to no man. I could sense that Daniel wanted to own me.
Possess me.
Whether he stuck around after was a moot point. I wasn't going to beg him. I wasn't going to even get close enough for him to try and temp me again with his good looks and charm.
Or his sheer animal magnetism. He had more than his fair share of that. It was too bad... he was almost worth risking my heart again.
Almost.
I sighed, leaning back. I would treat myself to a nice spa day. Maybe two spa days. Maybe a week.
The only trouble with that was controlling my own mind. My own desires. If I was going to truly relax I needed to erase him completely.
I closed my eyes and focused. I could put Daniel into a locked box with all the other things I wanted to forget. I would not think about him again.
Not until I came to collect my horse.
I opened my eyes.
He was in the box.
I just hoped he would stay there.
Forty minutes later I was checked into the Starline Hotel. It was five stars of course, but newer, younger. I doubted he would find me here. Supposedly it catered to a European crowd.
I glanced around the lobby at the oversized doll heads.
A hipster hotel.
I sighed and went up to my room. I could always change hotels tomorrow...
The suite was enormous and sterile white. Bright neon colors were here and there scattered about the room. A strange shaped chair sat by the window. I frowned. Not relaxing. Or luxurious.
This would not do at all.
I picked up my phone and called the oldest and finest hotel in Nashville. Then I checked out of the Starline. As I climbed back into my limo I heard my phone ring again.
I was sure it was Daniel.
It was not. I sighed and answered it. I knew he would not stop calling if I did not.
"What do you want, Philipe?"
Chapter Eight
Daniel
I tilted my head back, letting the
bourbon slip down my throat. It had been hours since Francesca ran out on me. It was clear by now that she was not coming back on her own. I'd already hired a private detective. Now all I had to do was wait.
I hated waiting.
Especially when I could still feel her body beneath my hands. Her lips. Her... everything.
I groaned.
"Still up?"
Jake stood in the doorway to the study, a crooked smile on his lips.
"Jake, come here brother. How was LA?"
I forced myself to stand and hug my younger brother. He'd been gone for years after graduating military school, always so wild and unpredictable. Now look at us. I was drunk and wallowing and he was the sober one, with a fiancé to boot.
"Whoa, man, you reek."
I slumped back into my seat.
"Want one?"
He nodded and I poured us each a glass of bourbon. A big glass. Jake said nothing, but his eyebrow went up. At least he was less judgmental than Jackson. We clinked glasses and sipped.
Well, he sipped.
I slugged.
"What's going on Daniel?"
I scowled.
"I don't want to talk about her."
Jake laughed.
"What's her name?"
"Francesca Duarte."
Even her name sounded erotic to me. I felt a familiar heaviness in my groin from the sound of it. I was starting to throb.
"Wait, the Italian chick?"
My head swiveled away from the fire at last.
"You know her?"
"No man, she's all over the papers and those gossip magazines."
"You read that trash?"
"No but it's kind of hard to avoid seeing it. I just came from the airport remember?"
I stared into the fire, not wanting to talk about it. Not wanting to talk at all. I just wanted her back here, where I could get my hands on her. Jake waited me out though. Finally I gave up.
"I spent the last 48 hours fucking her brains out."
I took another slug.
"Fucking my brains out too, apparently."
"She's that good, huh?"
"She's a nightmare. A stunning, beautiful, hot as hell pain in the ass nightmare. And now she's gone"
Jake poured us each another drink. I glared at him. Bastard was laughing at me.
"You got it bad, Daniel."
"Why the fuck are you laughing?"
He grinned at me.
"I have no doubt you will get her back. If you still want her."
"Want is the understatement of the century."
"So go get her. But wait until you are sober."
"She could have someone else in her bed right now."
"She's playing the field? After what happened to her I don't blame her."
"No. She doesn't like guys with money. She could be fucking a waiter for all I know."
Jake said nothing. He just poured me another drink.
"Maybe she doesn't know what she wants. Maybe you have to show her."
He winked at me.
"I had to chase my woman down. Trust me, it was worth it."
I stared at him. I hadn't heard this story. I loved my future sister-in-law to pieces. Elle was spunky and kept Jake on his toes.
She'd settled him somehow. He was calmer than he'd ever been, which was no small feat. He was making it work and even look easy. Out of the three brothers I would have said he would be the last to get hitched. But he'd found love and he wasn't letting go.
So if he had any tactics he wanted to share, I was eager to hear them.
"What did you do?"
"It's not for the faint of heart, brother."
I lifted my glass, clinking in with his.
"Oh, now you have to tell me."
He leaned back, his eyes closed.
"Well you are going to need something to tie her up with..."
Francesca
It was day four of my exile. So far I'd shopped and spent well over a thousand dollars at the hotel spa. I was bored. And worse than that, I was restless and unsatisfied.
And I hadn't even come close to erasing Daniel from my mind.
When I closed my eyes, all I could see was a sweaty American Cowboy leaning over me. Taking me. Making me shiver.
But in my ears... all I could hear was Philipe. His phone call had taken me off guard. Mostly because he was so clearly bat shit crazy. Crazy enough to think I would ever come back to him.
It would be a cold day in hell before that happened.
Come back to me Francesca.
I've changed Francesca.
I love you Francesca.
He said all that and more. It was laughable that he would profess his love to me when it was obvious he'd been bedding half of Europe. I snorted. I was not interested or impressed. He was a liar, like all men.
Or most men... 99% at least.
At the moment I wasn't entirely sure what to believe when it came to the male sex. It seemed wrong to lump Daniel in with a cretin like Philipe. But they were both men and not to be trusted.
I sighed, arching my back. I felt good, relaxed even. Probably because my phone had been silent all day. I glanced at it. For the first time since I'd left the Delancey Estate, he hadn't tried to get in touch with me.
Had Daniel given up already? I was almost disappointed. I'd thought he was more determined than that.
I told myself firmly that it was for the best. He would move on. My horse would be bred. I'd find a new, less tempting place to settle. The one place I was not going, was home.
I lifted my gaze to the handsome bartender. He'd been more than attentive since I'd checked in. In fact, all I had to do was glance at him and he was over by my side pouring me another whiskey. Neat. He had dropped several hints each night about what time he got off.
So far I hadn't taken the bait. He was handsome but I had a strange certainty that he would fall short. Make me want Daniel instead of washing his memory away. To be honest, my heart was not in it. I could still feel Daniel's touch. I wasn't ready to leap frog into another man's bed.
Even though that was what I'd done to get over Philipe when I jumped into bed with Daniel. That was different though. That had worked.
My phone pinged and I glanced at it, expecting to see another text from Daniel. So far he'd been aggressive and seductive. I was fascinated to see what he would do next.
But it wasn't Daniel.
It wasn't even a text. It was an alert I'd set up to go off ages ago. It notified me when my name appeared in the press.
Ping.
Ping. Ping. Ping. Ping.
That was not good. A flurry of alerts were lining up on my phone. Gossip magazines but also the Sun, in London. Newspapers in my own county. France. Spain. Asia. The States.
Philipe's new fiancé, my ex best friend, was spilling our dirty laundry. I sneered. He'd neglected to mention his new arrangement with Veronica. She was letting me know that he was her's now, in no uncertain terms. She had always been adept at manipulating the press to her best advantage.
Before I'd found it amusing, watching her topple her enemies one by one.
But now she was taking aim at me. It wasn't enough to ruin my marriage before it had even begun. Now she wanted to cast me as the rejected party.
I opened an article, my stomach clenching as I read.
It included details of our recent phone call, twisted to make me appear desperate. She must have overheard him calling me and gotten jealous. I closed my eyes. Everything they posted was true. But it had been him who begged me. I felt lightheaded as I scrolled through the articles. Photos of the three of us from happier times. How ridiculously secure I looked. Surrounded by those who 'loved' me.
No, not happier. More ignorant times. When I had played the fool.
Three years. Three fucking years he'd stolen from me. Well, he wouldn't get another second of my attention.
Not even a millisecond.
I took a deep drink of my whisky. In an instant, my gla
ss was refilled. I would simply get drunk and leave. Sleep in. Then tomorrow I would go far away, where newspapers would not find me.
Perhaps the Maldives.
I could come back for Athena later. She would be in good hands here. I knew I could trust Daniel with that at the very least.
A second drink appeared before me.
"From the gentleman."
The bartender did his best to catch my eye, but I was distracted by a feeling of being watched from behind. I felt a shiver up and down my spine. Goosebumps broke out all over my skin. For the past three evenings I'd sat at this bar. Men had approached me. I hadn't so much as spoken to one of them.
But I knew without turning that this was something else entirely.
I glanced over my shoulder. All the dread I'd been feeling disappeared in an instant, replaced with something else.
Lust.
Daniel Delancey was smiling at me as he held up his drink from across the room.
Chapter Nine
Daniel
Francesca's eyes were hot as she stared at me over her shoulder. I knew where to find her. I'd been watching her sit there for over an hour before I'd sent over the drink.
I was tired of playing games.
So was she apparently.
She methodically finished her drink and then stood and left without a backward glance.
A moment later the bartender brought over my check. I looked at him. I'd already paid.
"Open it."
I glanced at him before opening the leather folder.
A room key was inside with the room number scrawled on a napkin.
"You're one lucky son of a bitch."
"Yes, I am."
I smiled to myself. Leave it to Francesca to invite and entice without lifting a finger. I lifted my club soda and sipped it, smiling.