100 Shades of Sin...
In The Billionaires, Calista Fox delivers a sexy and sensuous friends-to-lovers tale with a delicious love triangle twist.
Jewel Catalano, Rogen Angelini, and Vin D'Angelo had been childhood best friends, spending every possible moment with one another. Rogen became her first love, the first one to show her what pleasure could be. Until a volatile feud erupted between their powerful California wine country families and she and Rogen were torn apart from each other. What she didn't expect was to find comfort and passion like she had never known in Vin's arms and bed. But when that too ended in disaster, Jewel moved to San Francisco to work for the Catalano empire. Years later, a series of daring acquisitions brings Jewel back to River Cross, the hometown where Rogen and Vin have recently returned as well. Jewel has the curves, the smarts, and the success to bring any man to his knees—especially the two men who remained best friends and still burn to possess her.
Mixing family business with erotic pleasure ignites a smoldering love triangle. But in order to pull off the bold deal that will build the trios’ own legacy and to stay in their heady, sensual paradise, they must discover what true love really is—or lose everything their hearts' desire.
In The Billionaires, Calista Fox delivers a sexy and sensuous friends-to-lovers tale with a delicious love triangle twist.
Jewel Catalano, Rogen Angelini, and Vin D'Angelo had been childhood best friends, spending every possible moment with one another. Rogen became her first love, the first one to show her what pleasure could be. Until a volatile feud erupted between their powerful California wine country families and she and Rogen were torn apart from each other. What she didn't expect was to find comfort and passion like she had never known in Vin's arms and bed. But when that too ended in disaster, Jewel moved to San Francisco to work for the Catalano empire. Years later, a series of daring acquisitions brings Jewel back to River Cross, the hometown where Rogen and Vin have recently returned as well. Jewel has the curves, the smarts, and the success to bring any man to his knees—especially the two men who remained best friends and still burn to possess her.
Mixing family business with erotic pleasure ignites a smoldering love triangle. But in order to pull off the bold deal that will build the trios’ own legacy and to stay in their heady, sensual paradise, they must discover what true love really is—or lose everything their hearts' desire.
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Excerpt
ONE
“You
realize you’re crashing the Angelinis’ party, despite having an invitation.”
Jewel
Catalano glanced up from the gorgeous ecru-colored and gold-embossed gala
announcement she held in her hot little hands. A very unexpected gift from her
assistant, Cameron Valens, who sat next to her in the back of a limo as they
traveled the rising and falling slopes of road that cut through endless acres
of ripe, rowed vineyards and tree-lined, grass-covered hills leading to the
wine community of River Cross, California. Home to two internationally
acclaimed vineyards that had sparked the town’s growth and stimulated its
economy over the past century: the Catalano winery and the Angelini distillery.
Both
cellars of exceptional reputation. Both owners bitter rivals.
“If
I’m going to make a major power play for that deadlocked land the Angelinis
co-own with my parents,” Jewel contended, “this is my only hope for gaining an
audience with Gian Angelini and attempting to strike a deal.”
“And
you have a bargaining chip to take into the lion’s den?”
Jewel
smiled, even though her stomach knotted over how accurate a picture Cameron
painted. Yet Jewel truly did have an ace up her sleeve. “Came across it while I
was in Paris. I intend to make an offer the Angelinis can’t refuse.”
She’d
spent the past six years trying to ascertain what Gian Angelini didn’t have that
he might want to get his hands on. Jewel believed she’d finally hit
upon it.
As
a Senior Vice President of Acquisitions for Catalano Enterprises, Jewel thrived
on securing rare possessions to help seal her most lucrative deals. Her
experience was that transactions didn’t always boil down to how much money one
offered during negotiations. Sometimes it helped to find whatever unicorn was
most elusive to the person on the other side of the table and use that to
sweeten the pot.
Luckily,
she had help in this area from two lifelong friends, Bayli Styles and Scarlet
Drake. Bayli was a research hound, and Scarlet had the uncanny ability—and all
the right connections—to track down unique treasures. Jewel just had to provide
the scent and the girls picked up the trail.
“You
are tenacious; I’ll give you that much,” Jewel’s assistant said in her smoky
voice. “Gian Angelini is not a man I’d want to go toe to toe with.”
“I’m
not exactly looking forward to invading his turf, especially unannounced. But
what choice do I have? He hasn’t taken any of my calls or answered my e-mails.
When we’re in a roomful of people, however, he won’t be able to ignore me. He
might be intimidating as hell, but he has impeccable manners when in the midst
of polite society.”
“I
still wouldn’t want to be in your Jimmy Choo shoes.”
With
a snicker, Jewel said, “I don’t blame you. Thanks, by the way, for finagling
this invitation from the printer.”
“How
convenient that I’m sleeping with him.” Cameron winked.
“Indeed.”
Jewel laughed softly. “And I appreciate you bringing all these documents I
needed to sign.” She handed over the stack of papers and Cameron tucked them
into a slim black leather portfolio.
Jewel’s
assistant had come in from San Francisco, where Catalano Enterprises was
headquartered, to meet her at the private hangar on the edge of River Cross
that housed CE’s corporate jets so that they could catch up on business.
Jewel
had been in France for nearly a week, working a different deal to procure the
only building left on Paris’s stunning Avenue des Lamond not owned by CE. Her
father, Anthony Catalano, had plans to develop an even more prestigious
Champs-Élysées. She was convinced he wouldn’t be satisfied until he’d left his
footprint on every major city in the world.
Jewel’s
main objective was more localized. She didn’t need her own Champs-Élysées or
Taj Mahal. Just a small slice of heaven that was rightfully hers.
Well, almost rightfully
hers. For Jewel was heir to property that also belonged to the Angelini estate,
making their one and only beneficiary, Rogen, equally entitled.
And
it wasn’t exactly a
small slice. The massive acreage Jewel wanted full custody of for her own
business purposes stretched between the Catalano estate and the one owned by
the Angelinis.
But
the tract of land was tied up in messy legalities and a vicious feud between
her and Rogen’s family. So all that prime real estate sat undisturbed and
undeveloped. A complete waste, in Jewel’s mind.
A
thought that festered 24-7 in the back of her head.
The
very reason she was currently in River Cross.
“You
really think you can sway Gian Angelini?” Cameron asked. She was an attractive
woman of forty-six with sophisticatedly coiffed short brown hair and an eye for
fashion.
By
contrast, Jewel had long sleek blond hair and sapphire eyes that caught the
light in the reflection as her gaze shifted to the side windows while she
considered the probability of pulling off this latest endeavor.
The
driver of the limo took the turn toward the northwestern portion of the county,
winding through the manicured township of stylish boutiques, restaurants, and
wine bars, with bistro sets dotting pavered patios. There were plenty of lush,
verdant courtyards boasting fountains and freshly varnished park benches.
The
sun began its gradual descent on the horizon, casting vibrant shades of blood
orange, vermilion, and gold across the landscape, turning the mountain range in
the distance into a fiery sentinel looming above the river that ran along the
base, then wove its way through the countryside.
Though
Jewel had lived in San Francisco since she was eighteen, she’d always loved the
elegantly rustic community of River Cross. Yet as the limo traveled farther
north she turned away from the mesmeric scenery—before they passed the Angelini
estate and distillery on their way to her family’s manor. Her stomach already
churned enough over her decision to attend the gala this evening. A tricky,
potentially volatile affair that left her on edge and slightly breathless.
She
didn’t need to torment herself further over what she might encounter when she
set foot on Angelini property for the first time in fifteen years. The mere
thought called forth voices from the past. Handsome faces. Stolen kisses. Love,
longing, and loss.
Trying
to reel in emotions that threatened to get the best of her, Jewel returned to
her previous conversation with Cameron, saying, “I believe I can get Gian to
see that it makes no sense to keep the land in a stranglehold because of one
argument.” Which had erupted over venomous accusations and tenuous emotions
shortly after the Angelinis’ young daughter had passed, when Jewel was
thirteen. “My parents and Gian and Rose-Marie Angelini used to be the best of
friends. Now they despise each other.”
“Such
a shame. Do you ever speak with their son?”
“Not
in years.”
Rogen
was her age, twenty-eight. They’d been close growing up. More than that,
really. He’d been her first … everything.
But
he’d spent half of his life away from River Cross, only having moved back about
six months ago, or so the grapevine reported. Actually, there’d been quite a
few rumors whispered of late by a high school friend or two of Jewel’s, mostly
about how Rogen’s best friend, Vincent D’Angelo, had returned as well and the
two men were currently pleasing several of the pampered “ladies who lunch.” It
was hinted the men were experts at doing this at the same time.
Jewel
waved a dismissive hand at the gossips. But, admittedly, certain forbidden
thoughts cropped up. She fought their elusive pull, including the old memories
creeping in on her now.
She
tried to shake the remembrance of her past with Rogen from her head. Yet she
couldn’t block the mental flash of his vibrant cerulean eyes and wicked grin,
which instantly ignited her nerve endings.
Precisely
why she didn’t allow herself to indulge in reveries of him.
That
and the fact that their family situations did not bode well for any sort of
wishful reconciliation. Both fathers had held their grudge to such great
extent, they’d done everything in their power to separate Jewel and Rogen when
they were teenagers. Gian had shipped his son off to the highest-ranking prep
school in the country, Trinity, in Manhattan. Jewel had been prohibited from
seeing him, though they’d found sequestered moments together when Rogen had
flown in for holidays. Until their junior year. That was when the Angelinis had
begun vacationing in Europe, not giving Rogen much chance to come home.
For
the most part, Jewel had had to rely on the out of sight, out of mind mentality …
or she’d never get past her heartbreak. Both of them. Because her disconnection
from Rogen had eventually led her into Vin’s arms. That had gone horrifically
wrong around graduation. She hadn’t seen him since. Didn’t speak to him.
And
though she’d secretly visited Rogen once at Trinity and then one more time in
Italy during a college break, she’d opted to sever the ties with him, too. It’d
been excruciating to see each other on such a limited basis. To have to be so
sneaky about it. That had never felt right.
Then
again, her split from Vin hadn’t sat well with her, either. But it was all a
complicated mess that had never been straightened out. Just like the family
feud that had started with mourning, morphed into misunderstandings, and then
exploded into a vindictive backlash—with the two heirs, Rogen and Jewel, caught
in the cross fire. And Vin suffering along with them.
Diverting
her thoughts as the limo passed through the massive gates of the Catalano
estate, she told Cameron, “Take the car back into the city and enjoy a night
out with Spence, on me.” They wove their way through the plush setting of
velvety-green grass, voluptuous trees, and gently flowing streams before
pulling under the vast porte cochere of the main house.
The
driver opened the door for Jewel.
“I’ll
see you in the office on Monday morning,” she told her assistant.
“Wait.”
Cameron gingerly clasped Jewel’s arm, a hint of warning in her tone. “What
about your parents?”
“Not
here to grill me over why I’m in River Cross. Thank God. Daddy’s plane hasn’t
landed yet from his trip to Aspen and I arranged a day at the spa for Mother.”
“Clever
girl,” Cameron said with a conspiratorial grin.
Jewel
nodded. It was a huge relief her parents wouldn’t be around to talk her out of
attending a party she wasn’t actually invited to. They would make the attempt
to thwart her efforts not just because of the difficulty and sensitivity of
this impending real estate negotiation—if they suspected anything, that was,
because Jewel hadn’t told them her plans, they’d come about so quickly—but also
because Rogen would be there.
Her
breath caught at the prospect of seeing him after so many years. Chased by a
blazing fire in her veins that Vin could be on hand as well. He was the
family’s Chief General Counsel now. She’d read that in the Wall
Street Journal.
Vin
was the last person she wanted to run into this evening. One smug word out of
his mouth and she knew her temper would flare. She couldn’t afford that. Jewel
had to play this hand calmly and coolly. Which basically meant avoiding Vin
D’Angelo at all costs.
It
also meant she had to continue greasing the wheels in order to get what she
wanted. So she told Cameron, “Send over two cases of our meritage to the
Angelinis, my compliments.” It was the Catalanos’ prized
merlot-sauvignon-cabernet blend. “Mrs. Angelini has always favored that
variety. We used to provide it for all of her events as a hostess gift. Back in
the day.”
“Consider
everything taken care of.” Cameron’s manicured fingers slid away, though the
concern still rimmed her hazel eyes. “And good luck with your new mission.”
“Thank
you.” Jewel exited the car. Adrenaline over the prospect of coming to
acceptable terms with Gian mixed with anxiety over seeing Rogen.
And
possibly Vin.
She
couldn’t argue with the wary voice inside her head that told her this might all
be a gigantic mistake on her part. But no one else was making a move on that
land. It was high time someone did.
Even
if it put her in a prickly situation with three men she wasn’t exactly primed
and ready to confront …
But
Jewel lived and breathed the adage of no guts, no glory.
She
prayed her motto would not fail her tonight!
“If
I recall correctly,” Vin D’Angelo said to Rogen Angelini as Vin checked his
diamond-studded cuff links to ensure they were secure, “there’s a gala about to
commence in half an hour. And you’re still in jeans. Dusty jeans
and boots, to be exact.” He sniffed the air and added, “You also smell like the
stables.”
“Smart-ass.”
Rogen dropped his saddlebags on the kitchen table in his three-bedroom house on
the Angelini estate and extracted several containers. “I was out riding the
adjacent property, collecting more soil samples to keep testing what grapes
will grow best on that land. What hybrids I can work with.”
“First
of all,” Vin said in his deep, lawyerly voice, “there’s a no
trespassing without written consent clause in the contracts your parents
and the Catalanos signed when they jointly purchased the property. It even
applies to you.”
Rogen
smirked.
“Second,”
Vin continued, unfazed, “Anthony Catalano will never consent to a sale—and the
binding agreements specifically state that Catalanos can only sell their
portion of the land to Angelinis and vice versa. Which clearly is never going
to happen. So testing the soil is pretty much a waste of time.”
“Doesn’t
hurt to be prepared for any opportunity that might come along, my friend.”
Rogen had wanted to grow on that property since he could walk the lot line.
Perhaps
a slight exaggeration, but still. It was his dream.
“The
only thing you need to be concerned about right now is this ostentatious
shindig your mother is throwing,” Vin reminded him. “There are over six hundred
VIPs from San Diego to San Francisco—and all the Sans and Santas
in-between—about to fill the mansion and spill out onto the grounds. The Golden
Boy son needs to look a little less Lone Ranger and a lot more James Bond.”
“I’ll
leave the latter to you. You’ve got that whole Pierce Brosnan thing going on.”
Vin
stood six-foot-four and had dark, strategically tousled hair. He had deep-green
eyes and broad shoulders women seemed to go for.
Rogen
was his direct opposite. A couple inches shorter, though still over six feet,
with short, dark-blond hair, and blue eyes. He currently sported two days of
stubble along his strong jawline. He was solidly built and athletic, whereas
Vin was more sculpted in a refined, sophisticated way.
“I
do look damn good in a tux,” Vin contended as he admired himself in the mirror
mounted on the wall beyond the kitchen table.
“Spare
me,” Rogen said, the sarcasm dripping from his tone. “Your ego won’t fit in
this house with the both of us.”
His
best friend chuckled under his breath. “Good point.”
“Who’d
you decide to bring as the date du jour?” Rogen asked.
Vin
flashed a mischievous grin. “As it turns out, Holly McCormick is back in town.
She’ll be on my arm this evening.”
“And
no doubt in your bed.”
“Feel
free to join us. You know how insatiable she is.”
“The
woman doesn’t have an off switch.”
“She
certainly enjoys her multiple orgasms. And we enjoy giving them to her.” He
winked.
“Tempting,”
Rogen mused. “Chances are very good I’ll be taking you up on that offer.”
Several
months ago, he and Vin had swapped their offices at Angelini, Inc.,
headquarters in Tuscany for ones in River Cross. That was when they’d met Holly
and spent one overly decadent night in her casita, pleasuring her until the sun
came up. And she’d still wanted more.
The
ménage had been a going-away present for her, at both men’s suggestion. Holly
hadn’t even batted a lash at the risqué proposition. She was a curvy redhead
with a hearty sexual appetite and zero inhibitions, which had made for a very
memorable evening, with Rogen and Vin working in tandem to get her off.
Repeatedly.
Though
Holly was not, by any stretch of the imagination, their first foray into
threesome territory. Being such close friends all their lives and having such
vastly different personalities and dispositions lent to their special talent
and innate desire to share a woman in that way.
The
discovery of their particular gift had come sophomore year at Yale. Rather
accidental, since Rogen had been at the library when Vin had gotten Amber
Halston between the sheets. Rogen had slipped into the dorm room to grab some
study notes just as Amber had been hitting her high
notes. Things had escalated from there.
Both
men had maintained a modicum of discretion with their forbidden affairs in
college. When they’d starting working in the Italy offices after Rogen received
his MBA and Vin graduated from law school, they’d come upon several gorgeous
European women who were more than amenable to a ménage à trois.
Both
Rogen and Vin had immediately realized that making a woman come with two pairs
of hands and lips on her body and two cocks to satisfy her was a heady rush.
And they were damn good at racking up the orgasms.
But
always on a temporary basis.
“Holly’s
aware you’re not looking for any sort of commitment, right?” Rogen had to lob
the cautionary sentiment out there, since women flocked to Vin’s commanding
presence and latched on quickly. Held on tight.
Rogen
had his fair share of admirers, but he’d been told on numerous occasions that
he exuded a razor vibe that apparently told women he wasn’t interested in a
permanent love connection without him even saying a word.
“I
trust my reputation precedes me,” Vin said. “I have neither the time nor the
desire to get involved. In fact, this is the first night I’ve taken off in
weeks. Your family keeps me busy, no doubt there.”
“Dad
doesn’t believe in resting on his laurels. Conquer the world is
his current mission.”
“Are
you sure it’s not to rank even higher on the Forbes billionaires list?”
“It
does annoy him that he flip-flops with Anthony Catalano on that damn list.”
“Well,
I’ll bet he’s feeling a bit of vindication, throwing another extravaganza the
Catalanos aren’t invited to.”
“They
wouldn’t come if they were invited, out of sheer principle. Neither side cares
about appearances when it comes to this feud, which I think everyone has long
since forgotten how it even started.” He shook his head. “It’d be nice if they
just fucking got over it already.”
“That’d
certainly make things easier on the heirs.” Vin scowled. “Or maybe not. You and
Jewel are nothing but a rose garden filled with thorns.”
Rogen
didn’t allow himself to travel the path of wishful thinking when it came to
wanting to see her. Jewel Catalano lived in the city, and from what he’d heard
she didn’t visit River Cross all that often.
A
moot point, really. They were long over. Still, Rogen would be lying to himself
if he denied she was the reason he didn’t date any more seriously than Vin did.
Both men had been hooked on her in one capacity or another since they were
kids. And both men knew all that had ever brought to either of their lives was
more complication.
Vin
didn’t typically speak of Jewel, and Rogen respected his privacy on the matter.
Rogen had no idea what had happened between the two of them after he had been
sent to Trinity, a year after the dispute over the untouched land had flared.
The exile from California had happened right around the time Rogen and Jewel
had fallen in love—a huge source of contention for their parents, who’d proven
they would do anything to keep the two away from each other. And succeeded, for
the most part.
Rogen
had his suspicions as to how Jewel and Vin’s friendship had progressed after
he’d left but wasn’t really sure he wanted to know. Vin’s intensity when the
subject came up was a loud and clear warning for Rogen to avoid the topic
entirely. Vin clearly felt the same. Hence the scowl.
Rogen
said, “I’d better get around. I’ll see you in a little while.”
“I’m
taking one of the limos to pick up Holly. We’ll be along shortly.”
“Don’t
get that particular party started without me.” He grinned.
Vin
chuckled again, on his way out the door. Rogen hit the shower and shaved. As
Chief Operating Officer of Angelini, Inc., which housed its auxiliary offices
within the estate, Rogen was usually on the clean-cut side. But he didn’t mind
the scruffy jaw when working the vineyard or doing his soil testing.
He
dressed in an Armani tux, then raked a hand through his hair, making it stand a
little on end. He took an all-terrain Rhino to the service entrance of the
mansion and joined the festivities as they were getting under way.
He
grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing server. There were numerous food
stations and seafood towers, plus hot- and cold-passed hors d’oeuvres.
Free-flowing champagne and the distillery’s top-notch cognacs.
A
pianist and harpist were set up in one of the courtyards. A steel-drum band
played in the gardens. An eighteen-piece orchestra took requests on the event
lawn. And a contemporary band rocked the grand ballroom.
Tree
trunks outside were all lit with clear twinkle lights. Candles burned in
hurricanes and decorative lanterns. Inside, the chandeliers glowed brilliantly,
sending glittery rays across the cream-colored marble floors. All of the rooms
designated for entertaining flowed into one another, making it easy for groups
to mix and mingle.
Rogen
greeted guests, accepted pecks on the cheek, shook hands, and chatted everyone
up as he moved toward the spacious great room by the entryway. There he dropped
off his empty glass and was served another. He before strolling closer to the
foyer to ensure there was a welcoming committee at the front door.
He
drew up short when he caught sight of a striking blonde wearing a
one-shouldered sparkling dress in ice blue that set off her sapphire irises.
She stood on the landing of the steps that led down into the great room, close
to the twin staircases that stretched and curved to the second floor and beyond
to two more floors.
Rogen
did a double take. He absorbed the sight of her from head to toe, including the
slit in the left side of her dress that started at her slim ankle and ran clear
up to the top of her shapely thigh where a diamond-encrusted brooch was pinned.
His
cock sprang to life. His pulse shot through the roof.
It
was her.
Rogen
handed over his crystal flute to another server and worked his way through the
crowd, his heart hammering. He took the three steps up to the landing and
asked, “Are you a mirage?”
Jewel
gave him a beautiful bright-white smile. “Not that I’m aware of.”
“Because
I’ve fantasized about you appearing out of thin air when I least expect it.”
“Sorry
to catch you off-guard. It couldn’t be helped.”
“Do
you hear me complaining?”
Her
smile softened. “I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about me showing up.”
“Like
I just took a dive out of an airplane and am free-falling without a chute.”
“Interesting.”
She stared up at him, her big blue eyes shimmering under the chandeliers. “I
know the feeling.” Her voice was low and evocative. Breathy.
“Good.”
He mentally shook his head. Maybe it wasn’t so good they still reacted strongly
to each other. Especially after what Vin had said about the thorns. Rogen
changed the subject. “I don’t recall seeing your name on the guest list.”
“Nor
would you. I’m crashing. For a good cause, I promise.”
“I
don’t care that you’re crashing,” Rogen said with conviction in his tone. “It’s
fucking incredible to see you, Jewel.”
So
much for changing the subject …
But
damn—it’d been seven long years since he’d last seen her.
His
gaze slid over her from head to toe and back up. Slowly, as he once again took
in the long, sculpted leg on display, the gentle rounding of her hips, the dip
of her waist where the material clung to her feminine curves, her enticing
breasts, her bare shoulders.
He
soaked in all that creamy, silky-looking skin. The long column of her neck. Her
full, glossy lips, which were slightly parted as she drew in sharp breaths.
Shiny
blond hair was swept away from her delicate features to fall in a sleek curtain
between her shoulder blades. Her dark irises continued to glow seductively.
Rogen’s
chest pulled tight. His cock pulsed with erratic beats.
“You’re
sensational,” he said, completely blown away by the sight of her.
The
corners of her mouth quivered. A hint of mist covered her eyes. “I’m not really
sure I prepared myself enough for a reunion.”
Her
fingers curled around her silver satin clutch as though that would keep her
from touching him.
Frustration
tore through him. Rogen burned for
her touch. Instantly. Fervently.
“Jesus,
Jewel,” he murmured. “You could stop a man’s heart looking like that.”
“Rogen…”
She stared deep into his eyes. Searching them. Likely looking for all the elusive
answers even he’d never found when it came to the two of them.
“I’ve
missed you,” they said in unison. Each took a stride closer to the other, then
instinctively stepped back.
Rogen
let out a low growl, annoyed with himself. “We’re not fucking teenagers, Jewel.
If I want to hug you, it’s no one’s goddamn business but mine.”
“I
know. You’re right. Of course.”
He
closed the gap. His head dipped and his lips brushed over her cheek. He inhaled
her rich, sultry scent. And everything inside of Rogen went haywire.
“Fuck,”
he muttered. Moved a bit away from her. Shoved a hand through his hair. His
gaze roved her body again and his jaw clenched.
Jewel
seemed to swallow down a lump of emotion before she said, “You look good. COO
of Angelini, Inc., suits you. So does the tux.”
“I
prefer my jeans, but what can you do?” He tried to lighten the suddenly tense
moment. Yet every muscle in his body was rigid with wanting her. That rapidly.
That painfully.
She
gave him another pretty smile, though it looked a bit strained. Like she felt
the electric current of their unwavering attraction—and the tormenting tension
it elicited.
“How’d
the California cowboy make it through an East Coast prep school and Ivy League
college?” she asked.
“That’s
the last thing I want to talk about.” He stepped toward her again, held her
gaze, and continued the free fall. “Tell me why you’re here. And it’d better
have something to do with being desperate to see me.”
Desire
flashed in her eyes. Along with something deeper, darker. Something elusive.
Alluring. Soul
stirring.
Yet
a heartbeat later—
“Yes,
Jewel. Please do tell us why you’re here.”
Rogen
winced at his mother’s smooth, cultured voice shattering the private moments
he’d shared with Jewel. Too fleeting a span of time.
His
father added, “This is quite a surprise, young lady.”
Jewel’s
soft features hardened—a soldier preparing for battle. Regret replaced the
desire in her sapphire irises. She appeared reluctant to drag her gaze from
Rogen but turned her attention on his parents. “I apologize for the intrusion.
I need to speak with you, Mr. Angelini. It’s important.”
Rogen’s
parents exchanged a curious look.
His
mother said, “I trust everyone’s well at your estate?”
“Yes,
of course. We’re all perfectly healthy. I hope the same goes for your family.”
“It
does,” his mother assured Jewel. “And thank you for the meritage. That
was … considerate.” That last word seemed to push the boundaries of
civility where Rogen’s mother was concerned.
Jewel
pretended not to notice. “I was pleased to hear that you were entertaining.
Your parties have always been the talk of the Valley.”
“I
plan to host them more regularly.”
“That’s
wonderful.”
Though
the conversation was cordial, there was no mistaking the underlying hostility
on his parents’ part, the contained aggression and bitterness exuding from
them. It infuriated Rogen that they directed their angst toward Jewel. Like
him, she was but a victim of circumstance when it came to the dispute.
But
Rogen’s admiration for her surged as Jewel squared her shoulders and lifted her
chin. She boldly told his father, “I only need a few minutes of your time. Then
I’ll leave.”
Rogen
didn’t like the sound of that. Though he was dying to know what business Jewel
was here to discuss, he was mostly agitated that she intended to make a hasty
retreat.
Hoping
to stall her exit, he suggested, “Why don’t I get us all some champagne?”
He
headed off for a tray of glasses, his mind whirling over how to get Jewel to
stick around a while longer.
This
was the first time since he’d returned to River Cross that he’d had the chance
to see her, to talk to her. He sure as hell wouldn’t let the opportunity to
spend more time with her slip through his fingers.
His
family and a fifteen-year feud be damned!
Copyright
© 2017 by Calista Fox and reprinted with the permission of St. Martin’s
Griffin.
Author Bio
Calista Fox is a former PR professional, now writing fast-paced, steamy books to set readers’ pulses racing. She has won many Reviewer’s and Reader’s Choice Awards, as well as Best Book Awards. Calista has crossed the country many times over by corporate jet and travels internationally, always with her laptop in tow to capture intriguing story elements and exotic locales! She is also a member of Romance Writers of America and a Past President/Advisor of the Phoenix chapter. Her books include the Lovers Triangle and the Burned Deep series.
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