by Maya Blake
His eyes narrowed. ‘And what would that be, O Wise One?’
‘You were extending the thrill of the chase, delaying the gratification of the kill blow.’
‘How very astute of you.’
‘So what were the other things?’
‘Perdono?’
‘You said among other things.’
His gaze drifted down the neckline of her black tube dress, again a tighter fit than she would’ve preferred. ‘What do you think?’
‘According to online sources you have an IQ of a hundred and forty-eight.’
‘It’s closer to one-fifty but who’s counting?’
Her mouth pursed. ‘It also says you’re a rampantly rabid playboy who thinks about nothing else but the next woman he intends to sleep with. It’s a shame you’ve chosen to use all hundred and fifty to chase skirts.’
He grinned. ‘No, I only use one hundred and forty-eight. I need the other two to walk and talk.’
She rolled her eyes even though the corners of her mouth curved. The boat pulled up to a jetty, beyond which she could see several planes parked on tarmac.
Narciso’s plane was the same silver shade as his eyes, with a black trim that made it stand out among the other jets.
He lived a life of extreme luxury and decadence, while making people like her jump through hoops to claim what was rightfully theirs.
‘What’s wrong? You’re frowning.’
‘You’re asking me to spend time and energy claiming something that should be already mine. I’m trying to see the fairness in that.’
‘Something about going the extra mile? Doing whatever it takes?’ he mocked, but his eyes held a flash of warning. ‘Get on the plane, Ruby.’
‘Or what?’
‘Or you lose everything. Because I won’t renegotiate and I despise being thwarted.’
Her feet remained leaden. Her instinct warned her she wouldn’t emerge unscathed if she went with him.
‘Is this how you do business? You strike a deal, you renegotiate, then you renege?’ he demanded.
‘Of course not. I’m only here because your company reneged on the deal it struck with me!’
‘A fact I’m yet to verify. The quicker you get on the plane, the quicker this can be resolved.’
She had no argument against that. And the reality was she’d come too far to turn back. And there was the small problem of Simon’s loan shark lurking in the background.
Taking a deep breath, she started to mount the steps. Recalling something he’d said, she twisted and nearly collided with his lean, muscular frame. The steadying hand he threw around her waist burned through to her skin. This close, without the hindrance of his mask, she could see how his envy-inducing cheekbones and long eyelashes framed his impossibly handsome face.
‘What did you mean about being thwarted?’
‘Sex, Ruby. I meant sex. We’re going to have it together. It’s going to be spectacular and, yes, I know you’re going to protest. But it will happen. So prepare yourself for it.’
She was still reeling from the raw, brazen words hours later as she tried to doze in her fully reclined seat two rows from where he conducted a teleconference call.
She had no idea how long the flight to Belize would take. She had no idea what the temperature would be this time of year.
In fact, her mind was empty of everything but the words Narciso had uttered to her on the steps of his plane.
Punching her pillow, she silently cursed herself for dwelling on it. It was never going to happen. She’d have to be ten kinds of fool to repeat what she’d nearly gone through with Simon—
‘If you punch that pillow one more time, it’ll give up its secrets, I’m sure of it.’
She twisted around and found him standing beside her seat, one hand held out.
‘Sleep is eluding you. Let’s spend some time together.’
‘No, thanks.’
He dropped his hand and shoved it into his pocket. Ruby tried not to stare at the way his shoulders flexed under the snow-white T-shirt he’d changed into. ‘Please yourself. But if you end up serving me food that I find abhorrent because you haven’t done your homework, you’ll only have yourself to blame.’
The challenge had the desired effect. Pushing aside the cashmere throw the stewardess had provided, she went after him.
He smiled mockingly and waved her into the club chair opposite his.
Ruby smoothed her dishevelled hair down, and activated her tablet. ‘Okay, shoot. What’s your favourite food?’
‘Life offers such vast richness. Having favourites is severely restricting.’
She sighed. ‘This isn’t going to be easy, is it?’
He shrugged. ‘I take entertainment where I can get it.’
‘Okay, next question. Any food allergies?’
‘Peanuts and avocado.’
Her head snapped up. ‘Seriously?’
‘I don’t joke with my health, amante.’
She noted it on her tablet. ‘How do you feel about Sicilian food?’
‘I’m completely indifferent.’
She looked up in surprise. ‘Really? Most Sicilians are passionate about everything to do with their homeland.’
‘Probably because they have a connection to be passionate about—’ He stopped suddenly and his jaw clenched.
She watched him try to rein in his control and her chest tightened. ‘And you don’t?’
Tension gripped his frame. ‘Not for a long time.’
Her tablet dimmed, but she didn’t reactivate it. The flash of anguish in his eyes snagged her attention.
‘Because of your father?’ she pushed.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Why does this interest you so much?’
The question took her aback, made her ask herself the same thing. ‘I...I thought we were making conversation.’
‘This is one subject I prefer to steer clear of. Capisce?’
‘Because you find it upsetting.’
He cursed under his breath and raked back his hair as that stubborn lock fell over his forehead again. ‘Not at all. The subject of my father fires up my blood. I just prefer not to discuss it with near strangers.’
Despite cautioning herself to stick to business, she found herself replying, ‘Haven’t you heard of the saying make love not war?’
‘Why do I need to choose one when I can have both? I’ll make love to you and I make war with Giacomo.’
‘For how long?’
‘How long can I make love to you? Is that another challenge to my manhood?’
‘I meant your father, and you know it.’
‘I intend to keep going until one of us is in the ground.’
She gasped. ‘You don’t really mean that, do you?’
Again that flash of pain, gone before it’d even formed. ‘Sì, I do.’
‘You know, he called you poison.’
This time the anguish stayed for several seconds, shattered his expression. Her heart fractured at the pain she glimpsed before his face settled into neutral indifference. ‘He’s right. I am poison.’
His unflinching admission made her heart contract. ‘What happened between you two?’
‘I was born.’
* * *
Narciso watched her try to make sense of his reply. She frowned, then shook her head. ‘I don’t understand.’
He wanted to laugh but the vice gripping his chest every time he thought of Giacomo made that impossible. He rose and walked to the bar at the mid-section of his plane. Pouring two glasses of mineral water, he brought one to her and gulped down the other. ‘That’s because you’re trying to decipher a hidden meaning. There is none. I was born. And Giacomo has hated that reality ever since.’
‘He hates being a father?’
He paused before answering, unwilling to utter the words he hadn’t said aloud for a very long time, not since he’d wailed it as a pathetic little boy to the housekeeper who’d been the closest thing he’d known to a mother.
‘No. He hates me.’
Shock darkened Ruby’s eyes.
He sat back down abruptly, and willed back the control he’d felt slipping from him since he’d walked into the poker den in Macau last night. He glanced up and saw sympathy blazing from Ruby’s face. The rawness abated a little but, no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t shake off the unsettling emptiness inside him.
He swallowed his water and set the glass down.
‘Enough about me. Tell me about your father.’
She stiffened. ‘I’d rather not.’
‘You were ready to share just a little while ago.’ He settled deeper into his seat and watched her face. And it was a stunning face. The combination of innocence and defiance in her eyes kept him intrigued. She didn’t hide her emotions very well. Right now, she was fighting pain and squirming with a desire to change the subject.
The sudden urge to help her, to offer the same sympathy she’d just exhibited, took him by surprise.
Dio, what was wrong with him?
This woman who’d flown thousands of miles after him was an enigma. An enigma with daddy issues. He should be staying well clear.
He leaned forward. ‘Since you seem shocked by the depth of my...feelings towards Giacomo, I’m assuming your feelings towards your father are much less...volatile?’
Those full lips he wanted to taste again so badly pressed together for a moment. ‘I don’t hate my father, no. But I prefer to keep my distance from them.’
‘Them?’
She fidgeted. ‘You’re going to find out anyway. My parents are Ricardo and Paloma Trevelli.’
Her stare held a little defiance and a whole load of vulnerability. ‘Sorry, you lost me.’
A delicate frown marred her perfect skin. Again his fingers ached to touch. Soon, he promised himself.
‘How come you own several media companies and yet have no clue what goes on in the world?’
‘My line of work doesn’t mean I compromise my privacy. So your parents are famous?’
Her eyelids swept down to cover her expression. ‘You could say that. They’re famous celebrity TV chefs.’
‘And their fame disgusts you?’ he deduced.
Blue eyes flicked to his. ‘I didn’t say that.’
‘Your voice. Your eyes. Your body. They all give you away, Ruby Trevelli.’ He loved the way her name sounded on his lips. He wanted to keep saying it... ‘So you despise them for being famous and cashing in on it. Isn’t that what you’re doing?’
‘No! I’d never whore myself the way—’ She stopped and bit her lip.
‘Do they know you have this view of them?’ he asked.
She shrugged. ‘They’ve chosen a lifestyle I prefer not to be a part of. It’s that simple.’
‘Ruby...’ he waited until her eyes met his ‘...we both know it’s not that simple.’
Shadows chased across her face and her mouth trembled before she firmed it again. Before he could think twice, he reached out and touched her hand.
She swallowed hard, then pulled her tablet towards her. ‘How many people will I be catering for at your event?’
He told himself he wasn’t disappointed by her withdrawal. ‘Are we back to all business again?’
‘Yes. I think it’s safer, don’t you?’
Narciso couldn’t deny the veracity of that. Dredging up his past was the last thing he’d intended when he’d boarded his plane. And yet, he resented her switch to all-business mode.
‘If you say so,’ he replied. ‘You think you can handle a VIP dinner?’
‘I believe in my talent as much as you believe in your abilities as the Warlock of Wall Street. If I say I’ll rock your socks off, I will.’
A reluctant smile tugged at his lips. ‘A confident woman is such a turn-on.’
She glared at him. ‘If you say so,’ she replied sweetly. ‘Is there a guest of honour that I should pay particular attention to?’
‘Vladimir Rudenko. I’m in the last stages of ironing out a deal with him. He’s the VIP guest.’
She started to make another note when her tablet pinged. He heard her sharp intake of breath before she paled.
‘What is it?’
‘It’s nothing.’
The blatant lie set his teeth on edge. ‘Don’t lie to me.’ He reached for the tablet but she snatched it off the table.
‘It’s a private thing, all right?’
‘A private thing that’s obviously upset you.’ He watched her chest rise and fall in agitation and experienced that disconcerting urge to help again.
‘Yes, but it’s my problem and I’ll deal with it.’
Before he could probe further, she jumped up. ‘You said I could use the bedroom if I wanted. I’ll go finish making my notes now and get some sleep, if that’s okay?’
It wasn’t okay with him. Nothing had been okay since he met Ruby Trevelli. But short of physically restraining her, an action sure to bring brimstone upon his head, he let her go.
‘We won’t be landing for another six hours. I’ll wake you before we do.’
She nodded quickly. ‘Thanks.’
He watched her walk away, her short, tight black dress framing her body so deliciously, his groin hardened. He couldn’t suppress his frustrated growl as the bedroom door shut after her.
The image of her lying in his bed haunted him. But those images were soon replaced by other, more disturbing ones as his thoughts turned to their earlier conversation.
His father.
He shoved a hand through his hair. He’d come so close to revealing the old, bottled-up pain. Hell, he’d even contemplated spilling his guts about Maria.
Maria. The tool his father had used to hammer home how much he detested his son.
His laptop beeped with an incoming message. Casting another glance at the bedroom door, Narciso pursed his lips.
The next six hours would be devoted to clearing his schedule.
Because once they were in Belize, he would devote his time to deciphering the code that was Ruby Trevelli and why she had succeeded in getting under his skin.
CHAPTER SEVEN
SHE WAS WARM. And comfortable. The steady sound drumming in her ears soothed her, made her feel safe from the erratic dreams that still played in her mind.
But she wanted to get warmer still. Wanted to burrow in the solid strength surrounding her.
The heart beating underneath her cheek—
Ruby jerked awake.
‘Easy now, tigress. You’ll do yourself an injury.’
‘What the hell...? What are you doing here?’
‘Sharing the bed. As you can see, once again I managed to restrain myself. And this time we’re both fully clothed. That means I win brownie points.’
‘You win nothing for letting yourself into my bed uninvited.’
‘Technically, this is my bed, Goldilocks. Besides, you were muttering in your sleep and tossing and turning when I looked in on you. I had to make sure you didn’t sleepwalk yourself out of an emergency exit in your agitation.’
Ruby tried to pry herself away from the inviting length of his warm body, but the arm clamped around her waist refused to move. ‘I wasn’t that agitated.’
Silver eyes pinned hers. ‘Yes, you were. Tell me what upset you.’ His voice was cajoling, hypnotic.
She wanted to tell him about the undeniable threat in the email that had made a shaft of ice pierce her nape and shimmer down her spine. The loan shark had stepped up his t
hreat level, implicating her mother.
Ironic that Narciso, the world-famous playboy and media mogul, had no idea who her mother was but some two-bit loan shark who inhabited the dregs of society knew who Paloma Trevelli was enough to threaten to break her legs if Ruby didn’t reply with a timescale of payment.
Her reply had bought her a few more days but there was no way she intended to tell Narciso what was going on.
‘I told you. It’s my business to handle.’
‘Not if it will potentially impede your ability to perform your job.’
‘I can cook blindfolded.’
‘That I would pay good money to see.’ He pulled her closer, wedging his thigh more firmly between hers so she was trapped. Some time during sleep, she’d curled her hand over his chest. Now, firm muscles transmitted heat to her fingers, making them tingle.
Awareness jolted through her when his lips drifted up her cheek to her temple. ‘If we weren’t landing in less than thirty minutes, I’d take this a step further, use other means to find out what’s going on.’
‘You’re operating under the assumption that I would’ve permitted it.’
He laughed, then sobered. ‘It wasn’t your father, was it?’
‘No, it wasn’t.’
He stared down at her for a long time, then nodded. ‘I did some research while you were asleep. I know about your parents.’
‘Oh?’ She couldn’t help the wave of anxiety that washed over her.
His eyes narrowed. ‘Has it always been like that with them?’
That mingled thread of pain and humiliation when she thought of them tightened like a vice around her heart. ‘You mean the crazy circus?’
He nodded.
‘Until I went to college, yes. I didn’t return home afterward. And I have minimal contact these days. Any more and it gets...unpleasant.’
‘For whom?’
‘For everyone. My father is a serial adulterer who doesn’t understand why I won’t condone his behaviour. My mother doesn’t understand why I don’t forgive my father every time he strays. They both want me to join the family business. The same business for which they shamelessly exploit their fame, their family, their friends—’ She ground to a halt and tried to breathe around the pain in her chest.