Courting Justice

She took his hand and stood. She felt a moment of light-headedness and reached out and flattened her hands against his chest. “Sorry, I guess I’m not as steady on my feet as I thought I was.”

“That’s fine. I’ve got you and I won’t let you go.”

It wasn’t so much what he said, but the sensual tone she heard in his voice that made her lift her gaze to his. And then, at that moment, her breath was nearly snatched from her throat and the very air she was breathing was suddenly suffused with heat of the most intense kind.

She figured that it had to be the Scotch that was still in her system. Because, at that moment, when she stared up into his eyes, she could have sworn she saw hot-blooded passion in his gaze—intense, simmering heat. And the sight of it was torching her insides, churning desire through her veins and playing havoc with her senses.

She swallowed as his gaze held hers, and seconds later she could barely breathe. She tried breaking eye contact with him but she couldn’t move. It was as if her gaze refused to cooperate and was glued to him. At that moment she became even more aware of the power in his masculine frame as he took a step closer, bringing his body next to hers.

Was it his hardened erection she felt that made the nipples of her breasts rigid in response and caused her to take on a whole new breathing pattern? She blinked and quickly concluded that yes, it was definitely an erection—an arousal of the most intense kind. And instinctively, her body seemed to inch closer. She felt the hot throbbing at the juncture of her legs, and thanks to the thin material of the dress she was wearing, she suddenly felt like a naked body plastered to him.

She shivered. Oh, God. She felt a pang as if she’d been stunned. Another sensuous tremor jolted her, making her shiver again.

“Are you cold, Peyton?”

He must have felt her quivering. She bit down on her lips to bite back the feelings of shock. His erection meant he was attracted to her. Why? Sam had teased her about the dress drawing male attention. But arousing the likes of Angelo Di Meglio? Come on? Really?

She shook her head, knowing she was way off base. There had to be another reason he had a hard-on. “No, I’m not cold,” she said, aware that her denial hadn’t sounded convincing.

He tightened his arms around her anyway, and the warmth of his touch was almost startling, and definitely unexpected. There had to be a reason she was reacting to Angelo this way. She quickly figured out that since she hadn’t had a real serious date in months, her body must be starved for attention and affection. Yes, that had to be it.

She leaned back and glanced up at him. “Angelo?”

“Yes?”

He’d only responded with that one word. Why did he have to sound so mouthwateringly sexy when he’d said it? Why did her breath continue to catch that way? And why had he suddenly moved his hands to rest in the center of her bare back? And why had a warm rush of desire trickled over her skin the moment he’d touched her?

She wanted to ask him what was going on. Why were they embracing in what seemed like a sensual cocoon? Instead she replied, “Nothing.”

Peyton was tempted to close her eyes and wrap herself up in the sensations that were overtaking her like a summer breeze on a hot July night. But she knew she had to keep her eyes open and try to figure out what was happening to her. Why had the palms of her hands, which were flattened against his chest, lifted of their own accord and wrapped themselves around his neck?

“Peyton?”

He said her name and for the life of her, even though she was staring into his face, she didn’t see his lips move. “Yes?”

“Think about what you said moments ago.”

What had she said? She couldn’t remember. It was as if her mind had suddenly gone blank and the only thing she was focused on was him. Peyton couldn’t say that she was seeing him in a whole new light, because she’d always been aware of just how overpoweringly sexy he was—how breathtakingly handsome. But she was confused about her reaction to him—her deep-in-the-belly kind of attraction. Of course she had been drawn to him years ago when they’d first met. What woman wouldn’t be drawn to such a sexy hunk?

But that had been more than seven years ago and the attraction had quickly worn off when she’d known she was way out of his league. Sam had already told them about her brother. Peyton had known about the revolving door to his bedroom and about the women who threw themselves at him. She hadn’t wanted to be one of them, figured she didn’t have a chance even if she’d wanted to.

Besides, she’d never fit into his world and preferred her own life anyway, thank you very much. She’d been proud of her humble beginnings in the South Side of Chicago. Times had been hard, and she’d had to be tough. But growing up with very little had taught her how to appreciate much. She didn’t need a lot of money to be content.

And speaking of content, why did it feel so good being in his arms this way? Why was she in his arms anyway? Thinking she needed to come to her senses and quick, she made a move to step back, but his hands on her back tightened, making it impossible to retreat.

“DeAngelo?” And why did she feel it necessary to call him by his first name and not the shorter version she usually used? And why did doing so sound so right at that moment?

“Yes?”

His single-word response packed a wallop, and she drew in another deep gulp of air. “What did I say? I can’t remember. And just what is going on here?”

She’d tried sounding a little annoyed, but the feeling truly wasn’t there. She was overwhelmed by sudden feelings of lust and yearnings that she hadn’t indulged in in a long time. She felt warm, and her body was getting hotter by the second. He had opened the French doors to the balcony and the gentle June breeze was coming through but was doing nothing to cool her off.

Her brain was warring with competing emotions. One side kept reminding her that this was Angelo, Sam’s outrageously sexy brother—the one who made her do a double take the first time she’d met him. But then the other side of her brain, the one that had a few screws loose on occasion, reminded her where she was and why. This was a singles resort, and she was here to celebrate her birthday. If she was going to get buck-wild, then shouldn’t it be with someone she knew?

Peyton blinked when he reached out with his thumb and touched her bottom lip moments before he leaned in close to her—so close she could feel the warmth of his breath on her mouth.

“I can show you what’s going on here, a whole hell of a lot better than I can tell you, Peyton,” he said, his voice dropping an octave to a sensuous low.

And then, before she could draw another breath, his mouth slanted across hers.

* * *

Angelo hadn’t known just how much he wanted Peyton until he got his first taste of her, and then it was on. He wasted no time kissing the confused look right off her lips. It was obvious she hadn’t expected it, but she would find out soon enough that he was full of surprises.

Now it was time to take the kiss to the next level.

She stiffened only for a second when he slid his tongue into her mouth and began devouring her with all the heated desire that had been bottled up inside of him for some time now—a couple of years in fact. During those two years he’d wondered how she tasted. Now he was finding out firsthand. Caught off guard, Peyton began returning his kiss. She didn’t have a choice, particularly when his tongue became more demanding and probing, exploring her mouth with a persistence and greed that he felt everywhere, especially in his groin.

Initially, he had thought about being gentle. After all, this was their first kiss and he intended for there to be plenty more. But the more his mouth plundered hers, the greedier he became. Whether she knew it or not, she was the one he wanted. The one woman he wanted to make love to.

Maddox and Damon thought he’d lost his mind, but they just didn’t understand. He hadn’t understood at first either, but now he did. His grandfather had always warned him things would be this way when he found the woman who was his soul mate.

For years, he hadn’t accepted such a thing was possible. At least he hadn’t wanted to believe it, considering he was having so much fun being single. But then the bachelor life had begun losing some of its allure and the thought of just being with one woman had begun to appeal to him.

He knew Peyton had had everything to do with his change of heart. She lived in Oklahoma, and he lived in New York. Sometimes he found the distance between them almost unbearable. In the past two years he had found excuse after excuse to visit his sister in Oklahoma. But now that Sam lived in Houston most of the time, he couldn’t rely on that as an excuse. That’s when he’d made the decision to do something about the woman he wanted in his love life.

When she leaned closer into him, he instinctively deepened the kiss. His tongue feasted on hers, staking a claim like he had every right to do so.

He wanted to just pick her up in his arms and carry her to the bedroom and make love to her, but he couldn’t. He had waited a long time, and so he wanted to do things right.

She suddenly broke off the kiss, and he watched her draw in a deep breath. Her lips were wet, and he wanted to taste them again. But the frown that marred her features let him know that wouldn’t be happening.

“What did you do that for?” she asked angrily.

He smiled when she unconsciously licked her top lip where his taste still lingered. “This is Dunwoody Cove,” he said. “Everyone who comes here does so for a reason, Peyton. And as you reminded me, you might be close to my family but you are not my sister. And I don’t intend to play the role of big brother to you—in fact, far from it.”

He leaned down and swiped a quick kiss from her lips. “Get some rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As he headed for the door, he knew without looking that she was standing there stunned. But she would have plenty of time to figure things out because starting tomorrow, he was taking off the kid gloves and Peyton Mahoney wouldn’t know what hit her until it was too late.

Chapter 3

Peyton opened her eyes then closed them when the insistent throbbing in her head became almost unbearable. It had been years since she’d had a serious hangover. Not since her college days, and this one was off the charts.

She kept her eyes closed as snippets of the previous night slowly began coming together in her mind. She recalled having a little more to drink than she’d intended. And then Angelo had appeared out of nowhere, and the next thing she knew he walked her back to her room where she’d rushed to the bathroom to throw up. She vaguely recalled what happened after she’d come out of the bathroom, and suddenly her eyes sprang open when she remembered that Angelo had kissed her. She reached out and touched her lips. Had he really kissed her or had she just dreamt it? She turned her body and stared up at the ceiling. Ignoring the deep pounding in her head, she tried to recall everything that had happened in the hotel room last night once she’d stepped out of the bathroom. They had been talking about nothing much, and he had gotten ready to leave. He had walked over to her, pulled her off her feet and into his arms and…

She shook her head. No, she had to be imagining things. There was no way Sam’s sexy-and-handsome-as-sin brother would have kissed her. It had to be the side-effects of last night’s drinking binge that had her brain mushy.

But if that was the case, then why was the memory of being locked in Angelo’s arms so vividly clear? They did kiss, she thought. And then there was his touch. She remembered his hands grazing her spine, which was exposed in her backless dress. There had been the feel of her body plastered close to his, and even now she could feel the solid wall of muscles pressed against her.

Peyton closed her eyes, unsure whether her memories were reality or fantasy. At that moment, the only thing she was absolutely sure of was the persistent pounding in her head. That, combined with the memory of being held and kissed by Angelo, made her brain feel as if it was in overdrive. She tried clearing her head and found it nearly impossible to do so. The pounding and memories continued. And moments later she was pulled into another deep sleep.

* * *

Angelo leaned back in his chair, sipped his coffee and smiled. His kiss had taken Peyton by surprise last night—probably shocked the living daylights out of her. That was good, and it was something she might as well get used to, he thought.

He knew there was a possibility that she wouldn’t remember anything about last night. That was okay since at some point today he intended to make his desire for her quite obvious. He had two weeks, and he intended to use them wisely. He’d never pursued a woman before. But then he’d never tried either. But he planned to do so with a purpose and a resolve like no other.

“Why am I not surprised to see you here DeAngelo?”

He glanced up and wished he hadn’t. Lela Stillwell, the woman who had been a thorn in Sam’s side throughout high school. For some reason the two of them always butted heads and had never gotten along. He later found out why. Lela always put herself on a pedestal, especially with the help of an over-indulgent father, who happened to be one of Angelo’s father’s clients.

Lela had come into the office several times with her old man some years ago, and Angelo had once even considered having an affair with her. But that was before she had accused a pro football player of attempted rape. The authorities weren’t buying it and had detected holes in her story. Angelo’s father had gotten her to drop the charges, and she later admitted that she had falsely accused the athlete when he had brushed off her advances. Luckily he didn’t press charges against Lela, but that was only after her father reached an out-of-court settlement with the accused athlete. Her father had sent her to Paris for a year or so until the scandal died down. Evidently she was back.

“How are you, Lela?”

She slid into the seat across from him uninvited. “I’m doing fine now that I see that you’re here, Angelo.”

He gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “I don’t see why my presence would make a difference.”

“Don’t you?”

“Quite frankly, no,” he said, checking his watch. It was close to noon. If Peyton wasn’t up yet, then it was time for him to wake her up.

“I’m sure you know I’ve always been interested in you.”

“Have you?”

“Yes, and I think you’ve been interested in me as well. That unfortunate incident last year with Kevin Swank wasn’t my fault.”

He wondered how she could say that. When she had shown up at Swank’s home, security cameras had captured the entire incident. It hadn’t been hard to figure out who had been pursuing whom. There hadn’t been any inappropriate behavior on Kevin Swank’s part as Lela had claimed. She had nearly ruined his career and reputation with her allegations, which ultimately forced her father to fork over a hefty settlement to avoid a countersuit.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about you lately, Angelo,” she said, interrupting his thoughts. “Your name has been all in the news.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and you need the right woman by your side to help you handle all that media attention—one who is refined, elegant and poised.”

He looked over at her and couldn’t help but smile. The one thing Lela hadn’t mentioned was honest. That was definitely something she was not.

“Thanks for the suggestion,” he said, standing. “Now if you’ll excuse me, there’s someplace I need to be.”

Ignoring her, he took one last sip of coffee before walking off.

* * *

“Peyton.”

Her name sounded like a whisper uttered from the deep, husky voice that infiltrated the recesses of her deep sleep. She slowly opened her eyes, looked up and immediately connected with the most gorgeous and intense dark orbs staring down at her.

Her heart kicked up a beat when she thought back to the time she’d first been ensnared by Angelo’s eyes. She hadn’t been in the Di Meglio’s humongous house in the Hamptons for more than a few hours when Sam’s tall, gorgeous and handsome-as-sin brother walked through the door.

Bringing her thoughts back to the present, Peyton’s gaze shifted from his eyes to his mouth, and for a spellbinding moment she was mesmerized by the shape of his full and sensuous lips. They had kissed her last night and practically devoured her lips. Why? If he had been in the kissing mood, she was sure there were plenty of women at the resort who would have eagerly obliged. But then, she hadn’t resisted either.

Now she was questioning her own actions last night, especially since she was no longer the starry-eyed twenty-two-year-old who’d had a crush on him. She was twenty-nine and looking at thirty too soon to suit her. But there was nothing she could do about it. “Angelo? What are you doing here?” she heard herself asking.

“I wanted to check in on you before leaving to play tennis.”

Rubbing a hand down her face to wipe the sleep from her eyes, she sat up in bed, careful to keep the sheet covering her in place. She had very little on, which was normally how she slept—usually in a top but rarely any bottoms. “What time is it?”

“A little past noon.”

“Noon!” she said in shock.

“Yes.”

Peyton rubbed another hand across her face. She usually was an early riser and had never slept this late before. But then she usually didn’t drink much either, and the pounding in her head reminded her that she’d started celebrating her birthday early.

“Here, I think you can use this.”

He handed her a cup of coffee. “I made it just the way you like.”

She took the cup and was about to ask how he knew the way she liked her coffee and then she remembered. He had stayed at her place a couple of years ago when Sam had been out of town and had probably become aware of her habits. But not all of them. He’d never known how much she’d lusted after him during those five days. She’d confided in Sam and Mac, and they’d all had a good laugh about it later, specifically about how many times she’d been tempted to jump his bones.

She took a sip of her coffee. He was right. It was just the way she liked with just the right amount of cream and sugar. “The housekeeper let you in?” she asked. The one thing the resort prided itself on was its security.

“No, I kept the key you gave me last night. I checked on you earlier this morning and you were sleeping soundly.”

She blinked. “You came into my room while I was sleeping?”

“Yes.”

The thought that he had come into her room when she’d been unaware annoyed her a little. She hoped it hadn’t been one of those times she had kicked the covers off her body or he would have seen more than he had needed to.

Evidently it hadn’t been one of those times. At least she could only assume it hadn’t been since he was acting normal. But then he had kissed her, and he was acting normal about that as well. She reminded herself that this was a man who had his pick of women, and she was certain a lot of them had a better looking body than hers and could probably kiss a whole lot better. Seeing her partially naked on top of the covers and kissing her the way he had probably hadn’t done anything for him.

“I figured when you did wake up you’d have a hangover and would need the coffee,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.

She did, and it certainly hit the spot. She took another sip and studied him when he moved away from the bed. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a white shirt and was sexy as sin.

“So what are your plans today, Peyton?”

He’d almost caught her staring when he turned to look at her. She shrugged. “I’ve slept a good bit of it away. I plan to shower, dress and then go downstairs to get something to eat.”

She took another sip. She appreciated him thinking enough to make her coffee, but why was he hanging around? This was a singles resort. Certainly he had more important things to do. “Is something wrong, Angelo?” she asked. Was he uncomfortable with the thought that he’d actually kissed her last night? Should she let him know it hadn’t been a big deal?

He opened his mouth to say something then stopped, and as if he’d made his mind up about something, he said, “I need to ask a favor of you. If you can’t do it, I understand.”

She raised a brow, wondering what kind of favor he needed. “What is it?”

“I ran into someone I wish weren’t here,” he said.

She chuckled. “Um, let me guess. An old girlfriend?”

“Hardly. She and I never dated. She was a former client of my father’s and has a tendency to make a nuisance of herself at times.”

Peyton looked at him, clearly confused. “This is a singles resort,” she reminded him. “The single women here are looking for single men. Last I heard you’re still single.”

He leaned back against her dresser. “Yes, but I’m not looking for anyone. I came here to get away. Escape the media, so to speak, to relax.”

She shook her head and laughed. “Relax? You at a singles retreat? And you actually thought you would relax?”

He chuckled. “I could only hope. Things have been crazy for me since winning that case.”

“So I heard. I also heard that one of those reality stars has been trying to grab your attention. I’m surprised you’re not breaking your neck giving in to her. Most men would.”

“I’m not like most men.”

She took a sip as her gaze scanned his body. Yes, she’d definitely agree that he wasn’t like most men. At least he wasn’t like any she’d ever encountered. “So what’s the favor?”

“For the next couple of days I’d like us to pretend that we’re lovers. I know it might cramp your style since you’re single and undoubtedly came here looking for single men.”

She laughed. “No, I didn’t come here looking for single men. This is a birthday gift from Mac and Sam, and God knows I need a break. That last case I worked on was a doozy.”

“So you didn’t come here looking for a man like I didn’t come looking for a woman.”

“Yes, that sounds about right.”

“Then you won’t have any problem pretending to be my lover.”

She held up her hand. “Whoa, wait a minute, I didn’t say that. I’m not good at pretending and especially about something like that.”

“It will be easy. All you have to do is follow my lead.”

Follow his lead.

And that was what she was afraid of, if the kiss last night was anything to go by. She had followed his lead and experienced something she’d never felt before. Evidently he’d forgotten their kiss since he hadn’t brought it up. But then she really hadn’t thought it meant anything to him anyway. Why would it have?

“I need to think about it, Angelo. Although I didn’t come here looking for a man, I want to have fun. Besides, I met a couple of nice guys last night.”

“They were jerks trying to get you drunk.”

She’d figured as much, but still. Okay, what happened wasn’t very smart on her part. She should have known better and acted responsibly. That dress had been asking for trouble. Instead of drawing the attention of nice guys, she’d caught the interest of a few less-than-desirables.

“I guess I’m going to have to deal with Lela Stillwell on my own.”

Peyton’s attention was captured. “Lela Stillwell? Isn’t that the woman who Sam doesn’t get along with—the woman who falsely accused that NFL player of forcing himself on her when it was actually the other way around?”

“Yes, she’s the one.”

“And she’s here?” she asked.

“Yes, she’s here.”

Peyton had never met Lela Stillwell, but Sam had mentioned her often enough and none of it had been positive. According to Sam, Lela Stillwell had been after Angelo for years and had blamed Sam for Angelo not reciprocating Lela’s interest. Peyton also remembered Sam saying that Lela had added salt to the wound on what was to have been Sam’s wedding day to a guy named Guy Carrington. Lela had spread rumors about how things had gone down that were as far from the truth as they could get.