New Beginnings (95 page)

“Right now, tonight, I’m yours.”

A wave of intense anguish drew lines on his handsome face before his eyes darkened with resentment. “That’s all you can give me? Tonight?”

“Please, Deacon.” I rolled my hips, exasperated that he felt the need to have this conversation now.

“That’s all you want?”

I’d provoked him, but it was too late to turn back. The bull was already charging into me, trying to buck me… or make me cry mercy. Little did he know I loved his dark, untamed side. The more savage he was, the more turned on I got.

“Oh, Deacon, that’s amazing.”

“You like that?” he demanded, locking eyes with mine. “If I give you this every night, you’ll stay?” He clenched his jaw, practically sweating fury. “How long? Until you get tired of me and decide it’s time to move on?”

I closed my eyes to shut out his anger, focusing on the way his body was controlling mine. He pulled out abruptly, causing my eyes to snap open.

“Where are you going?”

Deacon glared at me as he eased off the bed. “To take a cold shower.”

“Are you insane?” I cried, grasping his wrist. “You can’t leave like this. Not now.”

“Apparently, we’re both free to leave whenever we choose to. I choose to leave now.”

I watched his sculpted body as he walked into the en suite and slammed the door.
What the hell just happened?

***

“There are clothes waiting for you downstairs,” he said when he finally came out of the bathroom, one towel wrapped around his waist, the other drying his hair.

“How did—”

“I asked Selene to bring something for you to wear,” he said. “She said she’d leave it in the powder room.”

“I’m not wearing your lover’s clothes,” I said, crossing my arms defiantly. I was still pissed he’d left me high and dry, though I was sure he felt his actions were warranted since I wouldn’t bend to his will and agree to spend the rest of my life with him after I’d known him for, like, a minute. Psycho freak.

“She’s no longer my lover, and they’re not her clothes. The pool house is stocked with items for guests: dresses, cover-ups, swimwear, sandals. She brought you something from there.”

I shouldn’t have been surprised, since apparel was his business, but I was still annoyed he’d called her to come to the rescue.

“Barry is on his way to pick you up. He should be here in a few minutes.”

I glanced at the bedside clock. It was almost two in the morning. “Can’t wait to be rid of me, huh?”

“I’d say that’s your issue, not mine.” He ran his hands through his damp hair, styling it with his fingers in front of the mirror.

“Deacon, this is ridiculous. We barely know each other. How can I agree to spend the rest of my life with you?”

He turned to face me slowly, his expression unreadable. “My parents met the day before their wedding. They’ve been married almost forty years.”

I didn’t see how that was relevant. “An arranged marriage?”

“Yes.” He walked into the closet and returned wearing a full-length black robe. “I guess they were committed to making it work, so they found a way.”

“I’m not saying I couldn’t imagine myself married to you
ever
. I’m just saying it’s too soon. I’m too young.”

“But I’m not, so I guess we’re at a crossroads, aren’t we?” He planted his hands on his hips. “I’ve found the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with. I don’t intend to wait years to start the next phase of my life.”

I’d never been prone to panic attacks, but his ultimatum made me anxious enough to have a full-blown meltdown. “You’re being totally unreasonable. You need to give me some time to get used to the idea of… us.” I gestured between us. “This whole thing has been overwhelming. You’re suffocating me, trying to strong-arm me into doing what you want me to do. But I can’t. I won’t.”

“Fine, have it your way,” he said grudgingly. “Never let it be said I had to bully a woman into agreeing to be my bride.”

“Deacon, that’s not what I meant. I—”

His cell phone rang, and he snatched it off the dresser. “Excuse me. I have to take this.”

I hadn’t even seen him look at the call display before he’d said he had to take it. Who the hell was calling him at two o’clock in the morning, anyhow? Did I even have the right to ask anymore?

When I heard the front door open, I wrapped the sheet around me and ran downstairs. After two exhausting rounds with him, I just wanted to run to the comfort of my own bed, pull the covers over my head, and pretend the night had been one long nightmare. Except for the sex. That had definitely been a dream come true.

Selene met me in the foyer. “Hello, Miss Barnes. Mr. Starkis asked—”

“You can quit pretending, Selene. I know you two were lovers.” I snatched the clothes out of her hands while clutching the sheet to me. I silently berated myself for taking my anger out on her, but that didn’t stop me from asking, “What? Are you surprised Deacon told me?”

She slid her tongue into her cheek. “I guess I am. He seemed guarded about your relationship. He was fiercely protective of you. I didn’t think he would want you to know about us.”

The way she said that made me suspect she was hiding something, but I didn’t have the energy for a digging expedition. “Thank you for bringing me clothes. I’m sorry he bothered you so late.”

“Not a problem.” A fake smile curled onto her full lips. “He knows I’m a night owl.”

I frowned, wondering about her excellent grasp of English in spite of her heavy accent. I understood Deacon had had the benefit of the best education, but what was her story? Did Deacon or his family pay for her education as well? No doubt.

“What happened to your clothes?” she asked, looking amused as her eyes trailed over the sheet.

“Deacon burned my dress.” I glanced at the glowing embers in the fireplace behind us. “Apparently, he didn’t care for it.”

Selene laughed lightly. “That sounds like something Deacon would do.”

“Is he always so jealous, so insanely possessive?” I figured as long as I had access to someone who knew him so intimately, I might as well take advantage of it.

“No.” She glanced at the limestone floor instead of meeting my gaze. “Women are usually interchangeable for Deacon. He doesn’t get attached.”

“Then why is he behaving this way with me?” I should have been grateful he’d deemed me special, but he was making me crazy by trying to force me into something I wasn’t ready for.

“He is in love with you.” She met my eyes, and I saw the heartbreak she was trying so hard to conceal. “He always told me that when he found the one, he would know instinctively right away, with no doubts or reservations. The other night, he told me you were the one.”

I drew a shaky breath, trying to process what she was telling me. God, I loved that crazy, complex man, but how could I be as sure as he was? “Do you believe two people can find love so quickly?”

“I do.” She smiled, but this time, it was a genuine smile. “But you have to remember I come from a different culture. Arranged marriages and short engagements are normal for us.”

“You hoped…” I didn’t know how to pose my question without digging the knife deeper, but I had to know. “Deacon would be your husband one day?”

She regarded me carefully. “He is an amazing man when you know him the way I do. He can be difficult. He is very controlling, but you will understand why when you meet his father.”

“What do you mean?”

“Demetrius is a manipulative, domineering man. He expects his children to do as he says, even now that they are grown. As the oldest, Deacon was always the one who challenged him. I think that is why he is so obsessed with power and control, because his father tries too hard to control him.”

“Interesting.”

Her explanation added a new dimension to Deacon. Demetrius Starkis must indeed be a force of nature if he believed he could control his strong-willed son.

“I should go now.” Selene reached for the door handle.

I touched her arm before she could leave. “Thank you for talking to me. You helped me understand him better.”

She nodded. “Loving him is not easy, but once he gets under your skin, there will be no one else for you.”

“You speak from experience?”

“I do.” She grasped my hand. “He does not love me. Never has, never will. I know that. If I thought there was a chance he would at some point in the future, I would marry him tomorrow. But that is not to be. Take it from me—don’t squander this chance with him. You will regret it.”

I watched her close the door and listened to the soft click before I closed my eyes. I couldn’t face him yet. I needed time to think, to process what had happened and what Selene’s advice meant for my future with Deacon.

Deacon

I’d listened to the front door close before the limo drove away last night, and I’d been torn between going after Mia and letting her go. Ultimately, I’d had to let her go—at least for the moment. All night, I’d tossed and turned, tempted to call her, to plead my case, to explain to her why it was so important that we make this commitment now. I wanted to believe the safety and security of a piece of paper, with no way out, would magically transform me from the man I’d been to the man she needed, but even I knew that was probably wishful thinking.

The models were backstage preparing for the fashion show, which meant Mia was off-limits unless I wanted my entire staff to know the intimate details of our business.

I spotted Blake cornering my sister and getting a little too close for my comfort, so I made my way over to them. “There you are.” I bent to kiss my sister’s cheek. “I haven’t seen you since you got back. I’m glad you could make it tonight.”

“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said, smoothing her hand down my lapel with a radiant smile.

Tiana was ridiculously beautiful. Her ebony hair fell to her waist and she had dark eyes and olive skin like most of our ancestors, but the way men leered at her made her every overprotective brother’s worst nightmare. Especially when the men were like my best friend.

I glared at Blake. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”

He laughed before winking at Tiana. “Nope. I’m right where I want to be.”

I didn’t know if he was trying to get a rise out of me or if he hoped flirting with Tiana would lead to more. Either way, he would be sorely disappointed. I refused to let him bait me, and the only way he’d get close to my baby sister would be by crawling over my cold corpse. Jackass.

“I hear Damon is back in town,” I said, grabbing a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray. I frowned at Blake when he snagged two glasses and handed one to Tiana. She’d been legally old enough to drink for several years, but that didn’t mean I wanted him plying her with alcohol.

“He is.” She grinned. “Our brother claims he’s ready to put down roots. He’s been talking to Daddy about managing the real estate portfolio.”

According to our parents, Damon was a free spirit. In my mind, he was a typical spoiled rich kid who would rather travel the world spending his parents’ hard-earned money than make his own way. That was unfortunate since he was intelligent and extremely charismatic. I had no doubt that if he ever applied himself to a serious goal, he would be wildly successful.

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” I said. “If I know him, he spent a few months in the Mediterranean, hooked up with a clingy woman, and now he’s vowing never to return because he’s afraid she’ll hunt him down.”

“My ears are burning, Deacon. You must be talking about me again.” Damon grinned before pulling me into a back-slapping hug.

The kid may have been reckless, but I still loved him. He was my only brother, and family meant everything to me.

“We were just speculating about why you came home with your tail between your legs,” I said.

He laughed, an uninhibited raspy sound that drew the attention of every woman in the vicinity. The laugh drew their attention, but the sight of Damon was what kept it. He was tall, broad-shouldered, had black hair and olive skin, and he dressed like a high-end model. No woman could resist him, especially when they learned his last name, and he routinely used that to get them into bed.

“I just decided it was time to step up,” Damon said, sipping rare single malt scotch, his drink of choice. “Dad’s not getting any younger, and you’re busy doing your thing.”

I hoped my brother was sincere. It would have eased my father’s burden if one of his children showed an interest in overseeing his conglomerate, and since that wouldn’t be me, Damon was the next logical choice. “You’ve talked to Dad about this?”

Damon nodded as his eyes traveled to the stage. Some of the models, including Mia, were mingling before the show with important customers and suppliers, as they were encouraged to do. Leave it to my brother to home in on my woman. At least he had impeccable taste.

“You can forget about it, little brother. She’s mine.” Of course, after the way we’d left things last night, I couldn’t be sure. Still, I wouldn’t stand by and watch Damon make a play for her.

“Are you kidding me?” He flashed a blinding smile. “That little rocket is yours? The blonde in the white dress?”

At least tonight she was heeding my advice, wearing a fitted white dress that ended a few inches above her knee. Her shoes made me fear for her safety, but she looked classy, almost untouchable, and not at all like a woman on the prowl. That pleased me. Immensely.

“Yeah, so don’t get any ideas,” I said.

“Don’t you mean she’s
one
of yours?” Tiana looked amused as she brought the champagne flute to her lips.

Unfortunately, my little sister knew me too well.

“This one’s the real deal,” Blake interjected. “Your brother’s been chasing Mia for months. It seems he finally caught her.”

I hadn’t filled Blake in on what had happened last night, nor did I intend to. I was determined to make Mia see reason. Perhaps I could compromise and agree to a long engagement. A four- or five-carat diamond engagement ring on her finger would buy me some peace of mind.