“Gabriella?” he said softly.
For the life of her she couldn’t remember what he’d asked. The bridge? Oh! Favorite place! She shook her head to clear the tangles of lust from her brain.
“I used to come here with my grandfather. We’d talk for hours, and he always built me up, you know? He made it sound like I could do anything in the world, and I believe he thought I could. He’d say, ‘When you’re older and you leave the island…’And I’d tell him, ‘I’ll never leave the island.’” Emotions clogged her throat, and she tried to swallow them down. “This is where he brought me when he told me about his plans for the younger Liakos generations. I should probably blame my father, right? For not fighting to keep me here on the island. But in our family, decisions like that really do come from my grandfather, and my father knew it was for the best.”
Duke gathered her in closer, bringing the memories to the forefront of her mind. She’d thought she’d buried them so long ago, tamped them down deep, covered them with layers of success in the hopes of never feeling the pain of them again. Duke stroked her back, not asking for anything, not kissing, or taking, or claiming. Just holding her warm and safe and comforting against him.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered, before pressing his lips to the top of her head. “I hate that you had to leave the place you love so much.” He pressed another kiss to her head. “Maybe one day you’ll find your way back.”
So many people had said that to her over the years, and she’d brushed it off every time. Why was part of her daring to hope he was right?
**
LATER THAT EVENING Gabriella paced the patio behind her villa while talking to Addison on a FaceTime call. The call had already dropped twice, but in this one location, it seemed to be holding strong.
“Addy, telling me you Googled him and he’s hot does not help me.”
“Maybe not, but wow, Gab. I know you’ve dated some good-looking guys who were pretty jerky, but Duke Ryder? He’s smokin’ and you said he’s nice.”
“That’s only part of the problem.” She sat on the edge of the knee-high stone wall that bordered the patio and sighed. Addy’s happy eyes were smiling back at her, taunting her like only a best friend could get away with.
“He’s also honest, warm, thoughtful, and intense in this sexually magnetic way that makes me want him far too much. I’m supposed to be a competent negotiator, and I turn to mush around him,” Gabriella said.
“Sounds like you negotiated some high-power chemistry!” Addy laughed and tucked her dark hair behind her ear.
“Yeah, well, I can’t deny that. Can you please remind me that I’m supposed to be talking to him about his plans for the island, not thinking about how great he looks in his undercrackers?”
Addy fell back laughing at the use of their name for men’s underwear. “I think tonight you should negotiate for some mattress action.” She waggled her perfectly manicured brows. “I saw a picture of him in his bathing suit on Facebook, and I can tell you with complete confidence that the man was made for walking around in his undercrackers. Hell, that man’s body was made for taking them off.”
“Lord, Ad.” She half laughed, half sighed, thinking about Duke in his underwear.
“Oh yeah, I can see it now.” Addy waved her hands, as if presenting the image of what was to come. “You’re sitting beneath that tree where you got your first kiss, the moon is hovering just above the ocean, and Duke’s doing a sexy striptease—”
“Stop it! Don’t you think I’ve already pictured him in every position, every state of undress, that I possibly can? That’s the problem.”
“Sorry, boss, but I’m not seeing the issue. What’s the worst that could happen? You sleep with a sexy investor, swing a sweet deal, and hook me up with his brother Jake. He’s the one with the Facebook page. Did you know he has several hot brothers? I swear, Gabriella, if you do tangle in the sheets with Duke, please get me Jake’s number.”
“You’re such a ho.” Gabriella laughed, then trapped her lower lip between her teeth, thinking about what Addy had said. Thoughts of tangling in the sheets with Duke made her hot all over. “Maybe I should come back to New York early. What’s happening with the McGrady mediation?”
“Dickhead didn’t show. He said he’s not going to sit in the room with some, and I quote, ‘asshole mediator who doesn’t know shit.’ His attorney is trying to push the court date up to next week.”
“Not surprising,” Gabriella said with a sigh. “He’s really well connected, so if anyone could make this trial happen fast, it’ll be him and that slimy attorney of his. I prepped his soon-to-be ex, so she’s prepared that this could go directly to court. How did she take it?”
“In stride. She’s as cold as he is. She said next week couldn’t come soon enough.”
“Why do divorcing couples completely forget that they were ever in love?” Gabriella thought of her parents, her aunts, uncles, cousins, and the other married couples there on the island. She’d seen heated discussions, even witnessed what looked like it would be the end of a marriage or two, but within hours the couples were back in each other’s arms. Passionate people loved and fought passionately. But she’d never worried that her parents or relatives would get divorced, whereas she analyzed every couple she met off the island. She assessed their body language, how often they touched, how they looked at each other, just like she’d done with Duke all day. It was the attorney in her, she supposed, but unlike the couples she met off the island, Duke touched her, spoke to her, looked at her like she was all that mattered. Of course, they’d known each other only two days.
“And why doesn’t anyone on the island ever get divorced?”
“Well,” Addy said, bringing Gabriella’s mind back to their conversation. “The answer to your first question is that by the time people get divorced they’re too far gone, in love with someone else, or too hurt to see straight, as you know. And as far as the island goes, most of the people our age are gone, so you’ve got older couples or your cousins and brothers and others who aren’t exposed to the disposable lifestyles we are.”
“Oh, Addy. Is that it? Like everything else in this world, has love become selfish, too?” She drew in a deep breath. “Don’t answer that. Of course it has. Look at us. We’re selfish, too.”
“Yeah, we want men who can give us multiple orgasms, let us work crazy hours without complaining about not having dinner on the table, and only speak when spoken to.” Addy lifted a glass and held it up. “Here’s to equal rights.”
“You’re such a freak.” Gabriella laughed. Addy’s forthright nature was one of the things Gabriella loved most about her. “I’ll settle for a guy who sticks it out through thick and thin. Someone who takes his work as seriously as I do…and gives multiple orgasms.”
They talked for a while longer, and by the time they ended the call, although Addy had tried her best to talk Gabriella into bed with Duke, the McGrady divorce and thoughts about her life back in New York brought reality home. Gabriella was determined to stop focusing so much on a certain tall, handsome man.
At least she was determined to try.
Chapter Ten
DELIGHTFUL SOUNDS OF music, laughter, and impassioned voices carried on the air as Duke walked toward the celebration at the big house. He was arriving later than he would have liked, but it had taken him forever to get a solid Internet connection, and he’d finally had to use his phone as a hot spot to download and read the documents Pierce had sent over.
Pierce had met with the land development team, and they were working through just how grand they’d have to go to get a solid return on their investment. Meanwhile, the descriptions alone of the elaborate casino, twenty-story hotel, and decked-out marina made Duke’s nerves string tight. He debated skipping the celebration altogether, knowing how painful it would be to see Gabriella and think about the very things she was fighting against, but he knew he was just delaying the inevitable. Plus, the idea of not seeing Gabriella put him in an eve
n worse mood.
Colorful lights hung from the trees. At least two dozen big round tables were set up around the lawn. Several buffet tables were lined up on the patio, every inch of the tablecloths covered with dishes overflowing with food. Children ran around in pretty dresses and shorts; some carried balloons, and others were kicking a ball around. Away from the group, teenagers gathered in clusters; the rectangular glare of a cell phone passed from one to the next. An orange cat nibbled on something beside an empty chair. Adults danced on the grass, gathered in groups, drinks in hand, or sat around enormous tables talking and eating. Just being around the festivities calmed his nerves. It probably shouldn’t. After all, these were the people whose lives would change once the deal was done, but family events always calmed him.
Duke searched for Gabriella among the crowd.
He made his way to the table nearest him, where Gabriella’s grandfather, father, brother Dimitri, and a handful of other men were sitting.
“Duke, join us.” Dimitri stood and draped an arm over his shoulder, reminding Duke of his own brothers and how close they were. He wondered if Dimitri and the others would have greeted any investor the way they greeted him. Recalling the eldest Liakos man’s words, In my family, we greet as if you are part of our family, he knew they would have. That made him feel a little competitive. He wanted to be the investor they chose.
“Thanks. I’m sorry I’m arriving so late,” Duke said as the frizzy-haired blonde he’d seen earlier set a bottle of beer before him. “Thank you. I could have gotten that.”
She patted his shoulder, then joined a group of women chatting by the buffet tables.
Dimitri leaned in closer and said, “They’re plying you with alcohol. You better watch yourself. They’ll have you married off before the week is over.”
“Stronger people have tried.” Duke was only half teasing. His family gave him hell all the time, urging him to settle down. His mind turned to Gabriella as the men at the table made small talk about the weather, the celebration, the food, which was suddenly filling the table, thanks to several of the women Duke had seen earlier in the day. The men filled their plates from platters of grilled meats, fried chicken, potpies and casseroles, and assorted vegetable dishes he didn’t even try to name. The aroma of Southern and Mediterranean dishes mingled together, creating the very essence of the island he was falling in love with. It smelled welcoming and potent, warm and delicious.
He spotted Gabriella across the lawn, talking to a tall blond-haired man. She was wearing a flowing black spaghetti-strap top and the sexiest little skirt, which hugged her waist and flared at the hips, making her figure even more alluring. She was tanned from their day in the sun, and she looked happy and relaxed as she touched his arm and leaned in close, listening intently as he spoke. Duke’s gut clenched at the intimate gesture. Her eyes drifted over the crowd, and then the blond guy touched the small of her back and guided her to the dance floor. Duke’s muscles tensed. He forced himself to remain seated. She wasn’t his to claim, no matter how much he’d read into their afternoon and their passionate kisses, but hell if he didn’t want to go stake his claim anyway.
“You have been here two days. In my country that’s a lifetime of getting to know a place,” Gabriella’s grandfather said.
“Yes, sir.” Duke shifted his eyes away from Gabriella and focused on the man who should be getting one hundred percent of his attention. “It’s a beautiful island, and I think it has a lot of potential.”
Unable to resist, he glanced at Gabriella again. Katarina was dancing beside her, holding Mione, and when Gabriella reached for the little girl—instead of the man—Duke let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding.
“How does this work?” Dimitri asked, drawing his attention back to the conversation again.
This was Duke’s time to shine, and as always, he rose to the occasion. He turned his full attention to the sales pitch, even though he knew, as with most of his clients, they needed him more than he needed them. A while later, after outlining the process for the men and answering dozens of questions about his other investments, Duke searched for Gabriella again. He quickly found the blond man she’d been dancing with and was glad to see she wasn’t with him. He spotted Katarina and Mione, Gabriella’s mother, and a handful of the women he’d seen that morning. Just when he was losing hope of finding her, the crowd parted, and her smiling face appeared like a shining light.
Their eyes connected, and he felt a jolt of electricity spike through his chest. There you are, beautiful. She lowered her eyes, then quickly lifted them again. Another spark of heat stroked through him.
Duke excused himself from the table and moved through the crowded lawn toward her. The women she was talking with watched him as he neared and covered their mouths, whispering to one another.
“Duke!” Vivi waved from the dance floor, where she and her girlfriends were swaying to the music.
He waved, undeterred from closing the distance between him and Gabriella. Every determined step shattered his resolve to treat her like anything but the woman whom he wanted to kiss again, and again, and again.
He noticed David sitting alone beneath a tree, watching a group of kids playing stickball. As badly as Duke wanted to get to Gabriella, there was no way he could ignore the dejected look in David’s eyes. Duke walked around the crowd and knelt beside David.
“Hey there, buddy. How are you doing?”
David shrugged.
“Why aren’t you playing with the other kids?” When David shrugged again, he realized that the boy wasn’t going to clue him in easily. “Mind if I join you, then?” Duke sat beside him on the ground.
He was met with another silent shrug.
“You don’t like stickball?”
“I’m not very good,” David said. “I can’t catch the ball. That’s why those other kids at school were giving me a hard time. We’re on the same baseball team.”
Duke recalled that when he’d met David at the welcome center the day he’d arrived, David had told another boy that he’d gotten in trouble at school for calling a kid names.
“They call me spider hands.” David held up his hands and splayed his unusually long fingers.
“With hands like that they probably expect a lot from you, huh? You’re lucky to have big hands.” Duke leaned in closer and lowered his voice. “When you’re older girls will want to hold those big hands.”
David laughed.
“Has your dad worked with you, shown you how to hit and catch?”
“My dad works shifts on the mainland and comes home every couple days, but he’s usually busy when he’s home. It’s okay. I don’t really care if I play or not.”
Duke’s heart ached for the boy. He was sure it was hard being transported to the mainland for school and feeling like an outsider from the get-go. Being teased would only make him hate it even more.
“I have an idea,” Duke said. “How about if I talk to your parents and see if they’d mind if I showed you a few things?”
“My uncle tried to show me once,” David said. “I’m just not good at it.”
“Well, sometimes it takes trying things a little differently. One of my younger brothers was the worst basketball player ever. Jake was tall, like me, but he couldn’t get the ball in the net if he had a map.”
David laughed. “Does he still suck?”
“Hey, I didn’t say he sucked. That’s probably not the language your mom wants you to use, so let’s just say he stunk. Deal?”
He nodded.
“Good, and no. He doesn’t stink. He’s the best player in our family.” Duke looked around the crowded yard. “Is your father here?”
He shook his head. “He’s coming home in a few days.”
“Where’s your mom?” Duke asked.
“She’s the one holding my brother.” David pointed to one of the women standing with Gabriella. She had a young boy in her arms and another little girl running circles around her legs.
“If she says it’s okay, do you want to spend an hour with me knocking the ball around tomorrow?”
David nodded vigorously.
“A’right, then. I’ll talk to your mom, and we’ll set something up.” Duke rose to his feet and held out a hand to David. “Come on.” He lifted the boy to his feet. “Men handle their own negotiations.”
David followed Duke across the grass. “I’m not a man.”
“Don’t kid yourself. You’re a man in the making. It all counts.”
**
GABRIELLA FORCED HERSELF to remain still, to wait for Duke to reach her. She’d spotted him when he’d first arrived, looking insanely handsome in a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt. The man knew how to fill out his clothes. Every step outlined his powerful legs. The top buttons of his shirt were open, revealing just enough skin to cause her heartbeat to accelerate. The women she was standing with were some of the most proper women she knew, but even they lacked their usual decorum at the sight of him, whispering things that told her that by now the whole island must be trying to work their matchmaking magic. So sexy. You have to kiss that man. Can I borrow him?
“Good evening, ladies,” he said as he joined them. His eyes never left Gabriella’s, and despite herself, a thrill shot through her as he leaned in close, put a hand on her arm, and kissed her cheek. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you.” There was no way in hell she was going to keep from kissing him. She needed reinforcements. Armor. A tank. An entire army.
He placed a hand on David’s shoulder and turned to Natalia, David’s mother.
“Hi. You must be David’s mother.”
“Yes. Natalia.”
“Natalia, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Duke. I met David yesterday on his way home from school, and tonight when I saw the kids playing ball, it reminded me of what fun it used to be. David was kind enough to say he’d play a little ball with me tomorrow, if it’s okay with you.” He lowered his voice and said, “To be honest, I could use a few pointers, and…” He shrugged, and David’s eyes filled with pride.
Claimed by Love (Love in Bloom: The Ryders, Book 2): Duke Ryder Page 9