by Chloe Blake
If the casino company representatives were anything like previously interested buyers who had come up against a surprise during their showing, they’d be on the next plane back to America that afternoon. Destin was satisfied that the stunt had bought him some more time, but the thought of hurting Nicole in any way left a bitter taste in his mouth. Especially when the taste he craved was her.
Chapter 13
Sunday morning, Elliot met Nicole for breakfast in the hotel. He looked up from his salmon hash, a specialty not on the menu, and patted Nicole’s hand as she explained how the inspectors ruined her showing.
“I know of no such inspection unless Destin authorized it, of course. Which I highly doubt.”
“Well, someone spoke to them. They knew my name.”
Elliot’s gaze softened, then focused on Anton as he brought them fresh-squeezed orange juice. “Don’t worry about this. I will look into it. And if you see them there again, call me immediately.”
“Of course.”
Elliot glanced at his watch. “How did it go, otherwise?”
“I know Clay wants to make an offer, but he’s going do his own inspection now.”
“As he should,” Elliot said with a slow nod. “But I’m not concerned.”
“But it may delay an offer. And I need the keys to that cellar. Clients will want to see the inside. The only reason Clay didn’t was because we were kicked off the property.” Elliot’s agitated nod made Nicole feel like she was asking too much, but full access to all doors on the property was necessary for her to do her job.
“You’re right. I’ll get you a set.”
“And what are these rumors of a haunting?” she asked. Anton again appeared, pouring them water.
“Ah, yes. Anton, you remember the haunting stories, don’t you?” The two men exchanged knowing looks, then Elliot continued. “The local community believes spirits live on the land. It’s a vicious rumor that won’t die. It’s also part of the reason we had to seek outside buyers. Superstition is very powerful here.” Elliot sipped his coffee. “Anton, do you remember who started those rumors?”
“Children,” Anton said and shrugged.
“Oh, yes, kids,” Elliot said snidely, his gaze lingering on Anton’s face.
Nicole was definitely missing something.
They finished their meal, and Elliot encouraged her to sightsee the rest of the day. He rose and kissed her on both cheeks. “I will investigate and report back. And I will call you about the keys.” Nicole saw Elliot glance at Anton before he left the restaurant. She twisted around to thank Anton, but suddenly he was nowhere to be found.
Taking Elliot’s advice, Nicole left the hotel in search of the weekend feira, or street fair. It was a beautiful day to explore, something Nicole would have done sooner had she not been stuck on a mountain for twenty-four hours. With her little language book in hand, Nicole found the locals that she stopped for directions friendly and informative.
Soon she came upon rows of wooden stalls set up with beautiful striped tablecloths, all in the brightest colors, and a variety of fruits, vegetables, cheeses and meats were meticulously displayed in massive amounts. Spices, coffee and savory, slow-cooked dishes teased her nose, and an array of colorful dried beans in plastic bags were flying off the tables.
Nicole strolled slowly through the crowds, her senses bombarded and her limp forgotten, thanks to the painkillers. She bought a pastel—a light, fluffy square of fried dough filled with cheese, tomatoes and oregano—then she purchased a dozen more with different fillings and tried to remember why she’d ever given up cheese.
In the next booth, an older woman and her young daughters sold handmade dresses and scarves. Nicole fingered the fabrics as they waved in the breeze, thinking it would be nice to replace her ruined skirt and heels with something more weather appropriate. The relentless humidity made her tank top and cotton shorts feel like burlap.
The silky scarf she caressed felt cool in comparison, and she wondered if Destin had turned on his misty cooling system. Stop it, Nicole. She walked on and found a wall of familiar brown wool blankets. Visions of him flashed in her mind.
Maybe she wasn’t his type. She pictured him with a young, thin, natural beauty, like in those Herbal Essences commercials—women looking fresh faced in leather sandals and strappy dresses, kind of like the red floral one that was in her hand. She held it up.
“I’ll take this one.” Nicole let the girls style her. She left the stall with two dresses and a pair of sandals.
She was biting into a fruit-filled pastel when she spotted broad shoulders and well-fitting cargo pants moving through the crowd. Destin. Even though his back was to her, there was no doubt it was him. Magnus was happily by his side, taking his time to lift his leg and mark a pole or two.
Her feet sped up as if on autopilot. Maybe he knew something about that strange inspection? She did need the key to the cellar. Yes, that was a good reason to be chasing him down the street.
Through the throng of people she saw him slow and—what the hell? Her jaw dropped when a honey-skinned woman with gorgeous dark hair ran up to Destin. Her smile was broad and welcoming, and when her arms came up, Destin stepped inside them without hesitation. Even the dog’s tail wagged rapidly.
Herbal Essences. She knew it. Well, she thought as she moved closer and half hid behind one of the vendor booths, he did have a girlfriend. She bit her cheek, hard. A stunning young—Nicole frowned as a tall dark-skinned man joined the couple and threw his arm around the young woman. Nicole saw his face and stilled. He wore no glasses or overalls this time, only a T-shirt and jeans. But Nicole recognized him instantly.
Then she saw Destin count out a large amount of money and hand it to the man. They were friends? No, it couldn’t be. Could it?
Woof! Nicole yelped and jumped away from the booth as a whimpering Magnus threw his body against her legs. Before she could catch him, Destin was standing right in front of her.
Shock registered on his face. “Nicole?” He looked over his shoulder, then trained his narrowed eyes on her. “What are you doing?”
Nicole held up her plastic bag. “Shopping,” she said a little too quickly. His frown deepened at her innocent shrug.
“What ahhh...what are you doing?” she breathed, trying to keep her wildly beating heart in her chest. Her attention turned toward the curious couple now standing behind Destin, staring at her.
“Did you follow me?”
“What? No!” She shifted her weight. “I was looking for—” the booth was filled with fishing gear “—souvenirs.”
Destin’s smirk said he didn’t believe her. He opened his mouth, probably to yell at her, when she looked over Destin’s shoulder and saw her new acquaintance’s eyes widen.
“Inspector Lima. Nice to see you again!” Nicole shouted over Destin’s shoulder. She caught the brief, silent exchange between him and Destin.
Regrouping, the inspector nodded slightly. “Miss Parks. Hello. Please, call me Rui.” Nicole saw the young woman’s head swivel between them.
Destin jumped in, his body tense. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”
“You didn’t?” Nicole asked sharply.
“Of course, I told you Destin,” Rui said smoothly, his smile plastic.
“You should have mentioned that you knew Destin when we saw each other yesterday,” Nicole said to Rui. “I wouldn’t have been so...forceful.” She and Rui both chuckled uncomfortably. Destin’s jaw clenched.
“I am Luiza,” the young woman interrupted with a genuine smile for Nicole.
“Desculpa, meu amor.” Rui sighed. “Miss Parks, this is my wife.”
“Nice to meet you,” Nicole said, feeling her jealousy abate at the word wife.
“You’re American? From where?” Luiza asked.
“I’m from New York.”
“Ahhh... Nova York
. How do you know Destin?” Luiza smiled, glancing at Destin with a teasing look in her eye.
“She’s working for my father.” His serious tone cut through the conversation like a guillotine.
Nicole looked at Destin from the side of her eye. “Speaking of work. Have you two spoken about the winery?”
“Mmm-hmm,” Destin and Rui said at the same time.
Mmm-hmm... “Because I stand by my findings. There are no earthquakes.”
“What earthquakes?” Luiza interrupted, frowning at both Rui and Destin. The inspector’s gaze hit the ground. Luiza gasped. “There was an earthquake at the factory? Why didn’t I hear of this?”
Factory? “Um, your husband and his team predicted earthquakes would soon be hitting the winery.”
Luiza’s brows crunched. “There have never been earthquakes there,” she said matter-of-factly. She slid a narrowed glance to her husband. “When were you at the winery?”
“He was helping me, Luiza,” Destin interrupted softly. His gaze slide to Nicole’s and those blue eyes were defiant.
Rui spoke Portuguese under his breath to Luiza, then put his arm around her. “Don’t we have more to get at the market?” he asked loudly. The couple graciously excused themselves to continue their Sunday, leaving Destin and Nicole to stare at each other, the air dense with tension.
Nicole didn’t know what was going on, but she knew one thing. Rui wasn’t an inspector. With that realization, pieces fell into place—Destin badgering her for her schedule, lectures about the type of clientele best for Rio Grande...
Destin had tried to sabotage her meeting.
“Well, I guess Magnus and I should be going.” Destin slapped his leg for the dog to follow and began a brisk walk away from the fair. Oh, no, he wasn’t getting away that easy. She fell into step behind him.
“So Rui is a good friend?” Nicole started.
“Rui and Luiza used to work at the vineyard. Now they’ve moved on to other things,” he tossed over his shoulder.
“You told Luiza Rui had been helping you. What’s he been helping you do?”
“Odd jobs,” he said quickly. They turned down an alleyway. “Should you be on that ankle?”
“I’m wearing a brace.” Nicole spotted the Jeep. “Why are you running away from me?”
“I have work to do,” he said, his hand on the car door.
“Plotting more sabotage?” she asked with deliberate innocence.
He whipped around and pinned her with a dangerous look. Slowly, he closed the distance between them. His chest rose and fell steadily, blocking out the rest of the world. She stood her ground. His blue gaze didn’t waver as it traveled over her tank top and down to her shorts. Was he trying to intimidate her?
His smile was slow, and her heart beat a little faster as she watched the curve of his lips turn from amused to wicked, but that wasn’t what had her blood pumping. Their bodies were talking. Their gazes were trained on each other’s mouths. She could smell him—citrus, pine and outdoors.
Unable to focus, she took a step back, aware that the brick wall of the alley was just inches away.
“I like the braids,” he murmured, touching one lightly.
She swallowed. It was an inconvenient pleasure to want him, especially when they had so much more to discuss.
She stepped forward, her breasts grazing his torso. His head lowered. Their lips were inches from each other. “You and your friend tried to sabotage my appointment. Wasn’t that what the money was for?”
He stepped back with an exasperated sigh.
“I knew you didn’t want to sell, but you crossed a line—”
“You crossed a line when you brought those people to my land,” he said sharply.
“At your company’s request!”
“At my father’s request,” he clarified in a snide tone.
“Well, I’ll be sure to let him know how you feel.”
“He knows how I feel. And you aren’t telling him anything.”
“You can’t stop me!”
“Oh yes,” he said in a low voice. “I can.” His dark gaze said he meant it.
“Explain yourself,” she spat.
His gaze searched the stone wall and came back to hers. “Dechamps France is in debt, and my father is exercising his right as majority shareholder to sell the land and keep the company solvent, regardless of my or Elliot’s approval. He needs money now. So rebuilding Dechamps Brazil is not an option.”
“Then why block the sale?”
“I’m keeping the land.”
She blinked. “That’s not possible. The listing is already out, and I have powerful people coming to buy. It’s not a matter of if the land will sell, it’s a matter of when. I’m not sure you can stop it at this point.”
“I can stop it if I can raise the money to buy it myself.”
Nicole blinked, unsure if she’d heard him correctly.
“Look, the inspection wasn’t personal. I feel awful about it, but I can’t lose that land. If I lose the land, I lose everything.”
Nicole’s eyes darted around the graffiti-covered walls, then came back to his intense stare. “Am I being punked?”
“No.”
“No?” she repeated, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “So, what’s your plan? Just sabotage every buyer who’s interested in the land until you can raise the money?”
“It’s worked so far.”
Nicole’s jaw dropped. Her promotion had just sprouted wings and flown away. And taken her adopted child with it.
“How long have you been doing this?” Her voice was weak, like she’d already lost the fight.
“Almost a year.”
She needed to sit down. “Why, Destin? Why do this if you have no plans to rebuild?”
Silence. He crossed his arms over his chest. The vines she’d noticed popped into her head. As did the high-tech cask room.
“You’re rebuilding and no one knows. Not even Elliot,” she half whispered, wondering how she’d gotten herself into this mess.
“Elliot knows, but he will not get involved. He doesn’t have as much at stake as I do. It’s between our father and me.”
“Destin, have you even talked to your father about this?”
“Of course.”
“And?”
“And if I want to keep the land, I need to buy my father out and cover enough of the debt to raise the credit rating for a loan. Elliot has already promised me his shares if I can raise the money.”
Nicole was silent for a moment, then her gaze flicked to his. “And with each failed sale, you’re driving the price of the land down. Your father asked for fifty million last year. Now he’ll settle for forty.”
Destin gave her an impressed look. “I’m hoping that after we get through your clients, he’ll entertain thirty million.”
She shook her head at the audacity. Then grappled with the fact that he could actually do it, had been doing it. And it would be at her expense.
“I can’t believe this. Do you have any idea what this could do to my career?”
“You won’t get hurt. As long as you keep this to yourself, everything will work out.” He said it with such confidence, she almost believed him.
“Destin, I know you’ve been through a lot. Maybe you haven’t talked to the right people. I can help you and your father. I can talk to Clay. I can find you another parent company—”
“I won’t get in bed with another company so they can burn me the way my father has. I have a plan, Nicole. You’ll talk to no one.”
She threw her hands in the air and shouted, “Well, if I’m not going to sell this land, I might as well leave!”
Destin’s hand caught her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Lower your voice.”
“Why?” she snapped, trying to shake him off, aware he
was too strong, even though his grip was gentle. “Everyone else is getting what they want.” Her voice rose as she tried to yank her arm away. “What about what I want? Doesn’t anyone care about me?”
With a small tug, he pulled her close and crashed his mouth against hers. It happened fast, but she was aware she was up against the alley wall, his hand at her nape, holding her in place as he licked the inside of her mouth. She made a small noise in her throat and traced her fingertips up his chest, tangling them in his hair. Gently, without breaking their kiss, he lowered himself, palmed her naked thighs and lifted her against the wall. Instinctually, she wrapped her legs around him.
Tenacious need rose and burned her from the inside out. There were no tentative touches this time, no silent calls for permission. He took and she gave, as much as they could while clothed, unable to withstand their pent-up needs any longer. She grabbed his head and kissed him, pushing her tongue into his mouth, rocking her lower body against him. He surged against her in a slow, dry hump that had her head flying back and his face buried in her cleavage. She arched her back for him, and he palmed her breasts over her top.
“You are torturing me,” he whispered, thumbing her nipples over the fabric until they hardened against her bra. She heard his protest, as if he were acting against his will. In answer, she leaned down and kissed him deeper, longer, her tongue moving seductively over his.
He sank into the kiss, pushing his lower body against her more forcefully, tugging on her tank top until one perfect nipple was exposed. “I bet you taste like wine.” Her thoughts were erased when he broke their kiss and closed his wet lips over the hardened tip.
On a gasp, she shoved her hands into his hair and tightened her legs around him, anchoring him to her breast. He sucked hard. In response, she rolled her hips against him, gritting her teeth against the pleasure and reveling in her power when his whole body shook.
Gently releasing her from his mouth, his slid his hands down her torso and over her butt, looking into her eyes as he pulled her against his straining erection.
He leaned in for another kiss. “You see my dilemma,” he whispered against her mouth. “I can’t be attracted to the woman working against me.”