LITMIR.BIZ

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not before he secured her.

      * * *

      At eight o’clock sharp, that Amazonian parrot she had for a bell burst into song.

      Ellie flew to the door, heart soaring as she snatched it open, expecting to see Rafael. He was there. Only not alone.

      “Please meet my boor of a partner, Richard Graves.”

      Her heart plummeted as she leveled her eyes on that menace, before turning her scowl on Rafael. “You shouldn’t be walking around with him so blithely. Without a leash, too.”

      Rafael laughed. “I promise you I have him well in hand. Invite us in, querida.”

      “No.”

      Rafael’s smile tried to coax her. “Not even now that he got what he deserves?” He shoved Graves forward.

      Graves rolled his eyes, moved into the light of her foyer and showed her the right side of his face. It was a swollen deep purple beneath the beard he now sported. After he’d given her a good look, he stepped back, resettled that harsh gaze on her.

      She blinked dazedly up at Rafael. “You hit him?”

      “You think I’d do anything less once I found out what he’d done? What he’d said to you?”

      She turned her gaze to Graves. “You told him about propositioning me, huh?”

      “Of course.”

      Suddenly, a realization hit her, made her turn anxiously back to Rafael. “Is that how you hurt your hand?”

      Rafael nodded. “You think anything less than his concrete jaw can break my bones?”

      She gaped at him. “Your hand is really broken?”

      “I do have fissures in two metacarpal bones.”

      She dragged him inside, heart squeezing as she feathered anxious touches over his splint. “God—and I made fun of your injury! I thought it was a sprain or something and you were only teasing me.”

      “No teasing.” Graves walked in without invitation and closed the door behind him. “Under your thrall, he went and broke his hand. After I spent years teaching him how to fight without ever injuring himself. Terrible student.” A mirthless laugh. “And he didn’t even get his boo-boo kissed for his trouble.”

      She took Rafael down on the couch with her and glared up at Graves. “Oh, he will now. And then he’ll get everything kissed. Anything that hasn’t already been, that is.”

      At Graves’s raised eyebrows, Rafael turned to him with a triumphant smile. “For the record, I didn’t employ your generously imparted techniques because I just wanted to hurt you. And myself. I was the one who gave you the impression you can be rude to Eliana when I walked away from her.”

      “Is he always that vicious to women he thinks you’re done with? Or is he that brutal by default? Which wouldn’t surprise me. He doesn’t feel quite human to me.”

      Graves turned his gaze to Rafael. “Very astute, this one. Foolishly outspoken, too. You may have to keep her.”

      Rafael’s eyes ate her up. “Oh, I am keeping her.”

      She mock scowled at him. “How kind of you both. But I’ve been known to keep myself, thank you. So why don’t you unstoppable forces of nature just run along and go exude charisma and testosterone all over someone else?”

      Graves’s lips spread. “It really looks like you’ll have to keep her.”

      Rafael gave an exaggerated sigh. “If only she keeps me.”

      Graves tsked. “I trained you better than that, Numbers.”

      “Seems all your efforts went down the drain, Cobra.”

      She gaped at them. “Numbers? Cobra? You have code names in that brotherhood of yours?”

      Graves raised one eyebrow at Rafael. Seemed he was surprised Rafael had told her about that. Not that Rafael had told her much. Rafael gave him a “deal with it” shrug.

      “Numbers...” she mused. “I don’t really see why you got named that. But Cobra is definitely apt. Though a more accurate name would be the raw material of deadliness. Like Venom.”

      This time Graves guffawed. “You’re definitely keeping her.”

      Rafael’s smile widened before it faded gradually. “Now, apologize to Eliana or I’ll break my other hand and your jaw this time.”

      Ignoring him, Graves fixed his gaze on her, his British accent deepening. “He talks big, even when he knows he’s in one piece because I have this inexplicable fondness for him. That said, and knowing that I’m doing this out of my deeply buried gentlemanly tendencies, I do apologize. If only for...”

      She raised both hands. “Stop. Quit while you’re ahead.”

      Rafael gathered her to him. “Is he forgiven?”

      A harrumph. “On probation.”

      He chuckled and devoured her lips. She smiled against his lips at Graves’s vocal disgust.

      After Rafael released her reluctantly, she kissed his splint, then each finger. “No more breaking anything for me, okay?”

      His head shake was adamant. “No promises.”

      Sighing her frustration at his terminal machismo, she looked between him and Graves. “At least no more fights between you two because of me, hear?”

      Richard bowed in mock deference. “I’ll do whatever it takes to keep your boy toy in optimum working condition.”

      And she laughed. That daunting dude had a sense of humor after all. She might even end up liking him.

      Jumping up, she looked between the two men. “If you’re good tycoons, I’ll invite you to eat my magical seafood medley. You even get to help prepare it.”

      Rafael sprang to his feet. “I’m very, very good.”

      “I’m very, very nauseous” was Graves’s contribution.

      She and Rafael laughed, then headed to her kitchen. Muttering what sounded like paint-peeling expletives, Graves followed.

      * * *

      The evening turned out to be an unqualified success.

      Eliana was the perfect hostess. She orchestrated all the details with ease and efficiency and handled them, men the world bowed to, with utmost confidence and grace. Richard miraculously kept his snark to a minimum, even followed her lead as she made them her sous-chefs while preparing the seafood medley, which did turn out to be magical.

      Time flowed over and after dinner as they cleaned up then adjourned to her living room to drink hot yerba maté, eat cocadas—a traditional coconut confection—chat and verbally duel. Eliana held her own with Richard like no one he’d ever seen. Then, nestling into him on the couch, she started yawning.

      Kissing her forehead, he gestured to Richard, who rose to his feet at once.

      As he made to follow, she clung to him. “Stay.”

      His blood hurtled through his veins with temptation. “You need to sleep.”

      She rubbed her sleepy face into his neck, burning him wherever she touched. “I need to sleep with you.”

      “Tomorrow. I’ll come alone.”

      She looked across at Richard. “You can go home on your own, right, Graves?”

      “It’s Rafael who can’t. I have to tuck him in.”

      “Should have known you’d be no help.” She clung to Rafael’s neck. “At least carry me to bed.”

      “You, my enchantress,

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