The cold tone must have cracked through his confidence as he immediately released her.
“I just wanted to talk.” His belligerent tone reminded her of the night she found him in bed with another woman.
She walked ahead, resolutely not looking back. “I don’t. And the restraining order I have against you says I don’t have to listen—not to mention the divorce decree.”
The heartfelt sigh did nothing but aggravate her. At one time, she would have tried to placate him out of his pout. Not now.
“I had to close the San Marcos restaurant.”
She paused then slipped the key into the lock. “I’m sorry to hear that.” And sad, although she wouldn’t let him know that. He’d use it against her, as he had in the past. She’d heard the franchise was in big trouble, but she couldn’t let the fact that he ran their dream into the ground influence her.
“I was wondering if you could be convinced to come back.”
His audacity didn’t surprise her. When she found him in bed fucking her cousin Bunny, he seemed to think she should just forget about it, act like it never happened. Then he blamed it on India. It had been one of the lowest points in her life because she almost bought into it.
“I asked you to leave,” she said without turning around.
“I know. I know.” His conciliatory tone rubbed against her already irritated nerves.
She glanced back over her shoulder to see that he still stood at the base of the steps, a frown marring his perfect features.
“I can’t help you. Leave.”
Again, he ignored her. “I borrowed a lot of money.”
“I don’t care.” She did, but not for the reasons he would think. That he ruined all of her hard work in less than two years’ time made her ill. People she knew, many she hired, were now probably out of work. She cared about that, but she would never care about him again.
“I went to Victor.”
Shock had her mouth dropping open. “Victor? What the hell were you thinking?”
He shrugged as if it were no big deal. “I needed cash fast, and Nelson wouldn’t give me any more. Bunny left me.”
She closed her eyes, fighting the urge to help, to fix whatever screw up he created. It was stupid to even have these feelings after everything, but they still lurked beneath the surface. Victor Martinez was Johnny’s best friend from childhood and a leader in the notorious MS-13 gang. He’d kill Johnny if he didn’t pay him back, and it wouldn’t be a quick death. She opened her eyes.
“I’m sorry. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.”
He stepped forward, but she shook her head.
“Don’t mess with me. You already have financial problems, and I know the police can only do so much. But having your name in the San Antonio Express for harassing your ex-wife won’t help.”
Not waiting to see his response, she slipped into her house and shut the door. After sliding the deadbolt home, she leaned against the door holding her breath. A moment later, she heard a muffled curse and his retreating footsteps. It made her feel small, this fear of him, but she had to remember she no longer froze in terror. It was a step up.
It could never be the same, not after he had destroyed everything. Of course, when they first divorced, Johnny had left her alone. The problems cropped up about the same time as the business they built together, The Texicana Grill, started to fail. She knew Johnny had no head for business, and there was a tiny part of her who cheered when it started to fall apart. Still, another part of her died. It had taken them thirteen years to build that name, and within a year, the business was heading toward bankruptcy. The fact that Bunny left him was a bad sign. Her cousin expected to be kept in style, and Johnny was very accommodating to the younger woman.
She dropped her purse and her keys on the table next to the door, kicked off her sandals, and headed for the phone. Time to let her contact at the SAPD know of Johnny’s violation, although it did little good. Once she got it out of the way, she’d sit down and get to work on the plans for Marc and Wade’s party. She’d wasted fourteen years on Johnny, and she refused to let him ruin what had turned out to be a banner day.
* * * *
Marc shifted in his chair and watched the byplay between his best friend and India. He should have never let Wade talk him into lunch, but he caught him at a weak moment. Marc had just finished a phone call with India and had been wanting to see her, touch her. It seemed to be his primary emotion these days. Even talking to her on the phone left him hard. Warmth always filled her tone, comforting him. There was never a time he didn’t hear a smile in her voice, a welcome that did more than turn him on. It made him want her for more than a night and that was dangerous to his peace of mind.
"So, how long before you get your car back?" Wade asked.
"It’s working finally. Barely," she said as she rolled her eyes. "One of these days I'm going to have to buy a new car."
“Why don't you?" Marc asked.
"Everything I have goes back into the business. I needed a reliable van for events, so that is more important. If worse comes to worst, I'll start driving that."
Wade opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. He looked at the caller and grimaced. "Work. I need to take this. Excuse me."
The moment he left the table, an uncomfortable silence filled the air. Marc hadn't been alone with her since that first night. He didn’t count phone calls. He had little to do with her. Wade, on the other hand, had been spending more time with her than Marc thought good.
"So, when did you and Wade decide to start your company?"
It was an easy question, one that many people asked him when making small talk. When India asked, it irritated him. While he wanted to avoid personal questions, he was perversely agitated when she didn’t go in that direction. He pushed the feelings aside and offered her a smile.
“We talked about it when we were deployed. We liked to do recon, but really didn’t think we were cut out to do life in the military.”
She laughed, the sound of it turning the heads of a few men at nearby tables. Marc had to bite back a growl to warn the other men off. It wouldn't do any good, and he had no right but he wanted it. Which made it that much worse.
"I cannot see Wade lasting long in the military. He goes his own way too often. I’m amazed he made it out of boot camp."
"And me?" He knew he shouldn’t have asked, but he couldn’t help wanting her to have thought about him.
She tilted her head to one side and studied him for a second. "No. You aren't, either."
"I don't conform, either?"
She shook her head and took a sip of water. "No. Because you have to be the one in charge. I have a feeling you like being the one in command."
Her comments brought an image he had fought against for two weeks. India strapped to his bed, begging for relief. He could just imagine how her wrists would look wrapped in red leather as he mounted her. His dick went from semi hard-on to a full erection in a split second. He shifted in his chair again, trying to ease the pain. The fabric rubbed against his cock and exasperated his already out of control libido.
"When did you decide to start your business? Nelson said you had a chain of restaurants before this."
"Did he?"
Then he remembered their bad blood and regretted bringing it up. "Sorry, I forgot—"
"No, I shouldn't be so snippy, but seeing that it was Nelson's protégé who ruined my businesses, I get kind of sensitive on the issue."
"Protégé?"
She sighed. "My ex-husband. He fought me for the business in the divorce. I lost, of course. Partially because Johnny had my uncle's backing."
He barely followed the rest of the sentence. The term “ex-husband” was the only thing he heard.
“You were married?”
The words shot out like bullets, and her eyes widened at his harsh tone. He couldn’t have been more surprised that India was married and divorced. Anger surged through him. Why? He tried to m
ask his feelings, but something he felt must have shown on his face because her smile dissolved as she studied him with a wary eye.
“Yes. Just over a year now. Well, it’s been six months officially, but we’ve been separated for almost two years.”
“I didn’t know.”
“Not something I want to advertise.”
He nodded still not sure he knew why he was so pissed about it. He didn’t know her then, and he knew tons of divorced women, slept with a few. Why it irritated him that India had been married, that she had let another man into her bed, made absolutely no sense. He just knew that he was possessive about her and everything dealing with her. It was an unfamiliar feeling for him.
“So, from what Wade told me, you have had a lot of responses?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but as I told Wade, you offer free food on a Friday night, there is a good chance most people will show up.”
She laughed again, gaining the attention of several men. He ground his teeth together. When one particular cowboy gave her a little too much attention, Marc almost got up to teach that bastard how to treat a lady with respect. Wade strode back in, saving Marc from embarrassing himself. He looked at Marc and smiled.
As he sat down, Wade asked, “Did I miss anything.”
India and Wade began to make small talk, and he couldn’t help notice just how easy they were with each other. He knew Wade was over the moon for the woman. As always, seeing Wade charm a woman was a turn-on for Marc, as well. Nothing got him going like seeing his best friend talk a woman into bed. Knowing her the way they knew India made it that much sweeter.
Since Michelle, he had made it a point not to know anything about the women they took to bed. Now he wanted to know more. He wanted to ask her more about her ex, wanted to know just what the hell went on, but the look in her eye had told him she wasn’t ready to talk about it. Was she still in love with him? Why the hell did he care?
Because you want her.
He pushed away those unsettling thoughts. Wishing for more than just a night of fun ended in disaster once. There was no way he would go through that again.
* * * *
“Yum,” Wade said, leaning over India’s shoulder as she arranged appetizers on a tray.
She turned to look at him. Too late, she realized their mouths were just inches apart. Her breathing hitched as she raised her gaze to meet his. Instead of the usual amusement, there was a hint of heated lust darkening his. His chest was against her back, and she could feel his heartbeat kick up a notch.
She wanted to lean back against him and purr like a cat in heat. Because the temptation almost overwhelmed her, she neatly stepped aside and turned to face him. In the last few weeks, she had seen or at least talked to Wade almost every day. He seemed to find time each day to check on her, take her to lunch, just something. And he was always touching her, which ensured that she would act like an idiot. India just couldn’t seem to think when he was in the vicinity, let alone touching her.
Because you want more than just touching, her body whispered to her.
Shut up.
“Aren’t you supposed to be mingling?” she asked as she crossed her arms over her breasts, trying to hide her hardened nipples. He was tempting her with that smile again, not to mention his clothes. She had seen him mostly in casual wear, but tonight he was dressed in a suit. The way it fit over his wide shoulders told her it was probably made for him. A man with his breadth of muscle probably would not be able to buy off the rack. And the color was perfect. Dark black, with a red shirt that highlighted the wonderful golden tone of his skin.
“I’m mingling.” He stepped closer, his musky scent surrounding her. “I just choose to do it with you.”
She rolled her eyes and stepped around him. This was not what she needed tonight. It was too important for Wade and Marc, and she wanted everything perfect. If Wade was wandering around causing her hormones to dance out of control, she would lose her mind and forget something.
“It won’t help any of your business to be seen hanging out with the help.”
He gave her an odd look and she knew why. Wade and Marc always treated her with the utmost respect. It would never occur to either man to see her as the help. She said nothing else as she turned away from the big hunk of temptation Wade represented. She flew into the kitchen happy to see everyone was working. She wasn’t a pain in the ass boss, but she did like her people to at least put in a good day’s work. She paid them top dollar.
India turned to head to the refrigerator to check on their champagne supply when she ran into Wade’s chest.
“Omph.” It took her a minute to untangle herself from him, his body heat warming her skin. She shivered as he slipped his hands down her arms and gently set her away from him. Her body reacted from the brief touch, her heart whacking up against her chest.
“What are you doing here?” India tried to inject enough school marm to her voice to put some distance between them. Unfortunately, Wade didn’t seem to listen—or he had a thing for school marms. His eyes flared with heat and he seemed to move closer—if that were even possible. She could smell him. Sandalwood with a hint of Wade beneath the surface. The busy sounds of a working kitchen—the clanging of pots, the constant buzz of chatter—faded away as she stared up at him. Her lungs seized and her panties dampened. His sensuous lips curved. Images of having them glide over her skin, capture her nipple, drawing it into his wet, warm mouth flitting through her mind.
The shattering of a plate dropped by one of the wait staff broke the trance she’d fallen under, and she forced herself to take a step back. Drawing in a deep breath, she glanced at Wade and found him watching her, a flush darkening his cheeks.
Swallowing, she asked, “Was there something you wanted?”
He said nothing for a moment, a solemn look on his face. She had to resist the urge to fidget, to do something to break his intense study. A gush of wetness coated her slit. Gently, he took her hand in his and drew her fingers up to his mouth.
“There are a lot of things I want, but they’ll have to wait until later.” His warm breath feathered over her fingers, a rush of tingles spreading through her body at the slight caress. He kissed the tips. “Would you mind having a nightcap with me after the party?”
Everything in her stilled, her breath clogging in her throat. “Um.”
He frowned. “Is there a problem?”
“Would Marc be mad?”
His expression cleared and he smiled. “I already told him I was going to ask. No worries.”
She nodded. “Okay, but it’ll be late.”
With a knowing look, he kissed her hand again, then released it. She felt deflated at the loss of contact.
“I don’t mind waiting on a woman.”
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving her body humming and her mind filled with too many delicious fantasies to ponder.
* * * *
Wade smiled as he took another sip of his water. India stopped to talk to Farley Walker, a crotchety city councilman, and had the old guy smiling within minutes. Watching as she moved through the crowd, checking with their guests that they had everything they needed, he felt a strange twist in his chest. Damn, she was good, and while he hadn’t made her his yet, he felt a jolt of pride at her competency. The woman was a natural at this. Wade was surprised she hadn’t gone into the catering business before. He’d been to enough events to know this one was professionally run, the wait staff polite and efficient. She would gain some business here tonight, and he couldn’t help being somewhat excited that he helped.
Wade tried to keep himself calm. His hormones weren’t listening. Anticipation throbbed through his whole body. But it wasn’t a new feeling. It had been a long couple of weeks with India, trying to keep his hands to himself. Since he had promised Marc not to take her to bed until after their party, he had to remain somewhat platonic. He used the time with her to make sure India was aware of him. His plan worked almost too well. His cock still twitched fro
m their encounter in the kitchen. Jesus, the woman had him shaking, ready to come in his pants, and she barely touched him.
He couldn’t wait to get her in bed and beneath him. Closing his eyes, he thought of what it would be like to sink into her soft, tight pussy, feel those muscles ripple over his cock.
"Where have you been?" Marc asked, breaking into Wade’s pleasant fantasy.
Wade didn't even try and hide his smile. "Talkin’ to India."
Marc rolled his eyes and grabbed a drink off a passing waiter. He said nothing for a few moments, and Wade looked over at him. He followed Marc’s line of vision and knew he was watching India.
Marc looked at Wade. "I told you to leave her alone."
"I am, until the party is over."
"You’re going to end up hurting her. She's a forever kind of woman."
He cocked his head to the side and studied his friend. “How do you know that? From what she’s told me, she isn’t interested in marriage.”
“Maybe not, but she hasn’t dated anyone since her divorce.”
“How do you know that?”
“She mentioned it.”
Wade frowned. “When did you talk to her about that?”
“Yesterday at lunch.”
That surprised Wade, but he didn’t let it show. Instead, he shrugged, trying to fight the gnawing in his stomach. Wade knew he was right about India. "Maybe I've decided to become a forever kind of guy."
Marc's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Really? When did this come about?”
Wade shrugged again, not entirely comfortable about his feelings for India. He just knew he wanted her and her only. It was a first for him.
"Not sure. Just know that I want her."
Marc sighed, the sound of it so weary, it worried Wade. His best friend had been worrying Wade for several months...really since that bitch Michelle had torn Marc's heart in two, leaving both Marc and Wade unsure of their relationship. It had only been weeks before they left that she offered up her ultimatum to Marc, leaving him without a whole heart and on edge. That wasn’t the way to head out. After they returned from deployment, Marc threw himself into work, and they continued their usual hookups, but something had changed. And until India dropped into their world, he hadn't known what it was. Marc had been going through the motions, sating his lust with the women they shared, but he pulled himself back from both Wade and any woman they brought to bed.
Conquering India Page 4