“Come here, honey,” he said, inviting her into the shelter of his arms. She went willingly, tucking her head beneath his chin and wrapping her arms around his chest. “I don’t know what came over me,” he lied. He knew exactly what’d changed his mood and it had everything to do with his older brother. “Sometimes you bring out the animal in me,” he said, trying to lighten the mood but when she pulled away to stare at him, he knew his attempt had fallen flat. He sighed and hit the intercom, “Take us to the apartment,” he instructed.
“You got it, boss.”
The car slowed and then swung wide, gravel crunching under the tires and Vince could only guess where they’d traveled and how long it would take to get back.
“Do you trust me?” he asked suddenly and she startled. He leaned forward, repeating with an intense stare. “Do you trust me?” She gazed at him, uncertainty in her eyes, but she finally nodded slowly and he let out a relieved breath as he took her hand and pulled her back to him. “Then trust me when I say that Dillon is bad news. I’d rather die than let anything happen to you. Do you hear me? I know I act a little crazy when it comes to Dillon but it’s only because I don’t want anything to ruin what we’ve got going on. I mean, you’re happy aren’t you?”
Was that desperation in his voice? How pathetic. His fucking brother shows up on the scene and suddenly he’s regressed to that whiny twelve-year-old trailing after his older brother, begging for some quality time.
“I’m happy,” she answered with subdued sincerity but her eyes welled. “But I don’t like not knowing what’s going on.”
“I know, honey. I know. As soon as Dillon leaves town, things will go back to normal. I promise.”
She nodded and he was pleased to see a note of relief in her expression as well. Perhaps he’d imagined the look in her eyes when she’d been around Dillon. Hell, maybe he’d overreacted. But he couldn’t be sure, not with Dillon around.
“Who is Isabel?” she asked in a small voice, bringing his thoughts to a screeching halt.
Isabel. He mentally winced, cursing Dillon all over again for bringing up the past that was long gone. He forced a smile. “Someone from the past. Definitely not a part of the future. That’s all that matters.”
Penny nodded and settled again against his chest but he could feel her questions, her banked curiosity as if it were a physical thing sitting beside them. Beautiful Isabel. Vince closed his eyes and pushed away the mental image of Isabel, the blood seeping from her cracked skull, staining her white-blonde hair with red.
#
The brisk breeze lifted the tendrils that’d escaped from her ponytail as Penny dug her toes into the cold sand beneath her feet. Gray clouds scuttled across the horizon, threatening rain but Penny wasn’t ready to go inside just yet. Vince and Nolan had brought her to their Hamptons estate to get away from all the stress of the city — but urgent business had taken them both back on the red-eye after one day spent at their getaway. Of course, she’d offered to return with them, but they’d both insisted that she stay and enjoy the view from their multi-million dollar vacation home while they took care of business.
“Besides, we should have everything taken care of within a few days and we’ll expect you to be fully rested when we return,” Nolan had said with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. Penny had warmed, knowing full well what Nolan was implying, and it alternately made her squirm at the naughtiness and wet for the anticipation.
So, she’d spent the night sleeping in luxuriant down bedding in an exclusive location — completely alone.
“Well, there are worse places to be lonely, I suppose,” she murmured to herself with a sigh, gazing out at the beautiful, yet moody landscape.
“It’s not really the appropriate season for a stay in the Hamptons,” an amused voice said at her back. Dillon. She turned slowly and met his gaze squarely. His white linen pants rippled with the breeze and he wore a sweater that would’ve looked geeky on anyone else but on him looked positively GQ. “They really don’t have a flair for the romantic, do they? If I were going to whisk a woman away, I certainly wouldn’t take her someplace cold and wet. I’d opt for some place tropical to create the opportunity to wear as little clothing as possible.”
She fought the inappropriate smile that threatened as a sense of recklessness followed. He oozed sex and charm, masculine grace and powerful strength — a heady combination that was definitely hard to resist. And at the moment, she couldn’t quite remember why she was supposed to be resisting at all. This was bad. She ought to tell him to leave. She ought to do or say something that would give him the message she wasn’t interested. But all she could do was watch him advance, her heart rate increasing with every step as he drew nearer. She wet her lips with a subtle dart of her tongue, feeling as if she were standing on the precipice of something monumentally dangerous…or exhilarating.
“How did you know I’d be here and Vince and Nolan would not?”
“Easy. I manufactured the sudden emergency, which sent them running back to home base. I figure we have a few days to ourselves before they come huffing and puffing back to get you. But by that time…it’ll be too late.”
“Too late for what?” she asked.
“I want you, Penny,” he said simply, leaving no room for misinterpretation. “And I think you want me, too.”
“You think very highly of yourself,” she said, allowing a tiny twist of her lips. “What makes you think I want to be with you? I have Vince and Nolan. I’m not sure I could fit another Buchanan into my schedule.”
He chuckled. “What you have right now are the cheap imitations of a Buchanan. Once you taste the real thing, you won’t have any desire for the generic brand.”
It was her turn to laugh. “If this is your ‘A’ game, I’d hate to see your ‘B’ game. Does that line actually work on anyone?”
“I’ll let you know over breakfast.”
“Over breakfast? That’s presumptuous of you.”
He disagreed. “Just confident. I know what I want and I see no point in beating around the bush. I think you and I could be great together. Aren’t you the least bit curious to see if I’m right?”
“No. I don’t sleep with people simply to satisfy a whim or curiosity.”
“So why do you sleep with my brothers? What compelled you to sign away your life for a year?”