Czytaj książkę: «Tycoon's Delicious Debt»

Table of Contents

Cover

About the Author

Title Page

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Extras

Epilogue

Extract

Endpage

Copyright

CHAPTER ONE

THE NATURAL BEAUTY of the Algarve was lost on Cooper Brock as he strode across the well-maintained beach, his handmade shoes kicking up the white sand. Anger rolled through him, pressing against his chest, ready to tear free. He ignored the heat blistering through his black business suit as he scanned the people sunbathing.

Where was she? Cooper clenched his teeth as he studied a group of women frolicking in the ocean. Where was Serena Dominguez, the woman who had tormented him for the past month? The moment they met four weeks ago at a charity dinner in London, Cooper had pursued her relentlessly, enjoying the thrill of the chase. But what she did today changed everything.

She had no right to invade his territory. Cooper wanted to bellow his displeasure until it rang in the air. Victory had been in his grasp. After two years of incredible patience, he had almost closed the deal that had eluded the Brock empire.

And he had done it within the law. It was like winning a bar fight with one arm tied behind his back.

The Alves property had represented more than a major deal for his family’s business. It had been the one prize his father had not been able to claim. Finalizing the deal today would have proven once and for all that his methods were better than Aaron Brock’s.

Serena had interfered with more than his business, Cooper decided as his mouth settled into a grim line. This deal would have brought him a sense of deep satisfaction. The achievement would have blunted the edges of the restlessness he could no longer banish.

He came to an abrupt halt when he heard the throaty laugh over the ocean waves and the snatches of the desultory conversations. The sound gripped him as the sexual hunger scorched through his veins. He knew it belonged to Serena. He hadn’t heard it before—it was one of the many things she wouldn’t share with him—but somehow he knew. Cooper changed directions and marched to the oversize blue umbrella at the very back of the beach.

Cooper halted his pursuit when he spotted Serena Dominguez. His heart lurched and he hunched his shoulders as if he had taken a fist into his stomach. He raggedly drew in a breath, wishing he didn’t react like this every time he saw her.

He decided it was safer if he focused on her feet as he approached. The gold chain around her ankle caught his attention as it gleamed under the sunlight. It was the kind of gift an infatuated man gave to his woman. He didn’t want this woman to be claimed by another and fought the need to rip the anklet from her.

Cooper’s gaze traveled along the length of her strong and toned legs to the white bikini bottoms that scandalously clung to her hips. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as the hunger for her tore through him. He forced his eyes open and determinedly stared at Serena’s profile as she ended a call.

He was disappointed that her large sunglasses hid most of her face. He stared at her high cheekbones, full lips and pointed chin. Serena Dominguez was more than just beautiful. Her sensual grace left him spellbound.

She tossed her cell phone down and reached up to smooth the wavy dark brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders. Her sudden stillness was his only indication that she saw him.

“What are you playing at, Serena?” he said in a rough whisper.

“Olá, Mr. Brock,” Serena said, her Brazilian accent making his name sound like a caress of a bold lover. “What brings you to Portugal?”

“Drop the innocent act. I don’t have time to play games.”

“How very unusual,” she said as she removed her dark sunglasses and set them on her head, pushing her hair back. “You live for games.”

The shade of her eyes reminded him of his favorite gold tequila, only her gaze packed a stronger punch. He also noticed her tight and polite grins had disappeared and were replaced with a wide and brazen smile. He had wanted to see her smile at him. He had ached for it. But not like this.

“I was supposed to close the deal today on the Alves land,” he said as calmly as he could while the anger whipping through him collided with his ferocious lust for her, “and I find out that you stole it from under me.”

“Stole?” She clucked her tongue at the word as her eyes glittered. “Careful, cowboy. I’m not a thief.”

The way she said it suggested he was the one who couldn’t be trusted. That was ridiculous. “How did you pull this off? I know you’re some sort of financial genius, but you don’t have the money or the connections to make this kind of deal.”

She splayed her arms out. “I don’t need any of that when all I have to do is bat my eyelashes and smile.”

And wear very little, Cooper decided as his gaze drifted to her voluptuous breasts. The delicate bikini top faithfully outlined her curves as her tight nipples pressed against the thin white fabric. She may as well be sunbathing topless.

He cleared his throat but his voice was gruff as he replied. “If you think I’m going to let you take what is mine and walk off into the sunset, you don’t know me very well.”

She laced her hands behind her head and he knew the movement was not as casual as it appeared. It was designed to divert his attention. “You would be surprised at how much I know about you.”

“Don’t play with me, sweetheart,” he warned quietly as he dragged his gaze back to Serena’s eyes. “What do you want with this project?”

“Nothing. I simply wanted to intercept the deal. How does it feel not getting what you wanted? To fail? To have something you need snatched away. It must rub at you.” She pursed her full red lips with false concern before her mouth widened into a bitter smile. “Don’t worry. It will only get worse.”

“If you wanted to get my attention, you’ve had it since I first met you.”

Serena arched one eyebrow as her smile faded. “It’s not your attention I want. I thought I made that very clear.”

“Who are you kidding? You can’t keep your eyes off me.” It was one fact that had kept him sane all these weeks.

“Only because I’ve learned not to turn my back on a Brock,” she said as she reached for her drink.

“Well, don’t leave me in suspense. You must want something very badly from me to go through all this work.”

She took a sip of her cocktail and licked the moisture from her lips. He wanted to capture the tip of her tongue with his own so badly that he almost missed her answer.

“How is it that you have pursued me for the past month but you don’t know anything about me?”

He crossed his arms and braced his legs as he towered over her. “I know all that I need to know. You’re smart, sexy, and you keep your distance from me because you know I would actually make you feel something.”

Amusement flickered across her face. “Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.” She paused and tilted her head. “That’s it? That’s all you know?”

“What else do I need to know?” Other than the magic word that would get him into her bed, but she wasn’t going to share that.

“This should not surprise me at all. It’s exactly how you make a business deal. No research. It’s a visceral decision for you,” she said with a mix of distaste and wonder. “You decide you want something and you go after it, so sure that you will succeed.”

“It works for me.” He didn’t see any need to apologize for it.

“If there are any obstacles, all the better. It makes the win sweeter. Any enemies blocking your way and it makes the game more interesting for you.”

Cooper narrowed his eyes. “You know this and yet you are in my way.”

“You keep pursuing me without learning anything about me.” She paused to take another sip of her drink. “But I have learned so much about you.”

“I’m touched,” he replied as he watched a drop of condensation fall from her glass and onto her chest. He watched it glide between her breasts, his hands itching to rub it into her oiled, bronzed skin. He wanted to follow the lazy path of the droplet and catch it with the curl of his tongue. “You could have saved yourself the work and asked me directly,” he bit out as the lust pounded in his blood.

“But you wouldn’t have told me what I wanted to know,” she said in the soft, lilting voice that always made his body harden. “Would you have told me that you just made a lucrative deal with the Australian mining company? Congratulations, by the way.”

Cooper squashed the start of surprise and jutted out his chin. “How do you know about that? It hasn’t been announced.”

“Or that you’re secretly negotiating with the telecommunications conglomerate in Zurich?” Her dark eyelashes fluttered. “It’s a gamble, but I think you will pull it off like you always do.” Cooper’s eyes narrowed. He had just visited Zurich this weekend and both companies had been very careful not to have that information leaked. “Where did you hear that?”

“Around.” She gave a delicate shrug. “And I know you wouldn’t have told me what you won at the Chatsfield poker tournament in Las Vegas last year.”

Cooper frowned. “No one knows…”

“That you won a twenty-five percent stake in The Harrington from John Harrington, Jr.?” she finished for him. “Don’t worry, my lips are sealed.”

Cooper stared at Serena. No one knew he had the shares. No one. John Jr. definitely didn’t want anyone to know. How had she found out? And did Serena know why he needed the Harrington shares so badly?

He had underestimated her. The woman had single-handedly uncovered his secrets. How many more did she know? And what did she plan to do with it? “Why have you been acquiring all of this information about me?”

She yawned and stretched, arching her back. He held himself very still as he watched the sensuous roll of her torso and the tantalizing thrust of her breasts. “I guess I just find you so fascinating. Growing up in such wealth and privilege.”

Cooper pulled at his shirt collar. “Serena…”

“After all, you have been living the life I should have had.” Her eyes dulled with cold anger. “You dismissed the opportunities that should have been mine.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ask your father,” Serena said in a hiss as she glared at him. “Ask him about Felipe Dominguez. Fourteen years ago he bankrupted my father’s company. Destroyed it.”

His skin prickled as a cold sensation settled in his chest. The name wasn’t familiar but that sounded like something his father would do. “If that happened, it has nothing to do with me.”

“Right,” she said in a drawl. “You only benefited from it. You lived off the spoils of war. But it has nothing to do with you.”

He raked his fingers through his short hair and gave a huff of frustration. “What does this have to do with the Alves land?”

“Everything,” she replied flatly. “I’ll tell you more tonight. Meet me at the grill for dinner here at The Harrington. Let’s say around eight? Where are you staying?”

Cooper stared at her as he shook his head. No way. He would not let her dangle pieces of information in front of him. Put him off and have him heel to her commands. Cooper swiftly moved forward and clamped his hands on the armrests of her chair.

He reluctantly admired Serena’s composure. She didn’t jump or scream. She didn’t curl into a protective ball or push him away. Serena unflinchingly met his gaze as if she already knew what his next move was going to be.

He leaned in, so close to her that the tropical scent of her suntan lotion hit him in the back of his throat. “Tell me everything now,” he ordered. His voice was harsh as his anger started to slip but Serena obviously didn’t give a damn.

“I wish I could but I’m working right now.” She was such a princess, Cooper thought with disgust. A spoiled socialite who got whatever she wanted the minute the idea popped into her head. She thought the world revolved around her. Cooper fought the urge to grab her out of the chair and toss her into the ocean. “Serena, I swear…”

“You really have no choice in the matter.”

His fingers curled around the armrests until his knuckles whitened. “I always have a choice. What I don’t have is the time for this.”

“Time?” She scoffed at the word. “Cowboy, I’ve been waiting fourteen years for this moment. Of course, I thought it would be with your father, but you’ll do.”

He’ll do? He slowly released the armrests and rose to his full height. He needed to keep his distance before he followed his impulse and wrapped his hands around her slender neck. “I don’t know where you get the audacity…”

“We will discuss the details over dinner.” She waved her hand as if she were dismissing a servant. “It’s the only time I can fit you in but you may not have the stomach for all the gory details. It is Aaron Brock we’re talking about.”

He swore this woman had a death wish. He wouldn’t allow people to talk about his family that way, not even this temptress who had invaded his dreams. “My father is a respected businessman throughout the world. No one has a bad thing to say about him.”

“No one said a bad thing because they feared him,” she said. “I’m happy to tell you all that I know tonight.”

He wrestled with the unfamiliar sense of being backed into a corner. He wanted to claw his way out but he didn’t have enough information to fight with. Did she really know something or was this a fishing expedition for her? Cooper needed to find out what Serena knew. It required him to retreat, which was the most difficult thing to do in the middle of battle.

“I will meet you at the restaurant here at eight,” he said as he reluctantly took a step back. “If you run I will hunt you down.”

“Why would I run when I have everything I want?” she asked as he turned away.

Cooper kept walking as her earthy laugh rang in his ears. He only had a few hours to find out everything about how Aaron Brock had destroyed Serena Dominguez’s life. Dread seeped in his bones as he forced his legs to move. He knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that his father had shown no mercy.

Serena watched Cooper Brock storm off, a dark and menacing figure surrounded by color and light. She slowly exhaled, her breath stuttering past her lips. The ice in her drink rattled and she gripped the glass tighter, refusing to give in to the case of nerves. Her stomach was still in knots and her skin felt cold. She shivered under the heat of the sun and refrained from rubbing her hands against her arms in case he looked back.

Serena’s tension didn’t evaporate once Cooper was out of view. If anything, his absence made her anxiety coil tighter around her chest. It would be best if she knew where he was at all times. She didn’t like surprises, especially those wrapped in a six-foot-three athletic male body.

She had planned on confronting Cooper but she hadn’t expected him so soon. News traveled fast and Cooper Brock worked even faster. He had caught her at a disadvantage but she had done her best to hide it. Her parents had taught her that image was everything and hiding what she really felt had become second nature to her.

Serena knew her image was that of a spoiled socialite. She allowed the media to perpetuate that myth. The world only saw the glittery jewelry, the standoffish sunglasses and the haughty smiles. It wasn’t who she was but it was her armor. She’d rather people see that than the fear and vulnerability that constantly rolled through her.

And the next time she met Cooper she wouldn’t be half-naked and lying down, Serena decided. She would take charge and wouldn’t let him trap her. Corner her. Next time she would meet him at eye level and stand toe to toe. And at the end of their meeting, she would walk away with a proud swagger.

She heard the buzz of her cell phone. Serena reached for it and saw how her hands still trembled. It was a good thing Cooper didn’t bother noticing the small details. If he had known that his sudden appearance left her unsettled, he would have ruthlessly used that to his advantage.

“Alô?” She managed a breezy tone as she answered the call.

“Serena?” she heard a man ask. The clipped British accent was nothing like Cooper Brock’s Southern drawl. “This is Spencer Chatsfield. I want an update.”

She pressed her lips together and swallowed back an irritated sigh. She didn’t appreciate Spencer checking up on her. He had seemed completely on board when she had presented him with this business opportunity but it felt as if he was having second thoughts. She had everything under control but she knew Spencer had a lot of money riding on this venture.

“It’s all going as planned,” she announced with supreme confidence. “This morning I won the bid for the Alves property with the money you gave me. I have already arranged a meeting with Cooper Brock and this evening I will make him an offer. He will agree and I will transfer the land to Cooper for the Harrington shares you want.” She couldn’t wait to present this deal to Cooper and see his expression. Watch the confidence drain from his silvery-gray eyes and be replaced with defeat.

“If the transaction was going to be that simple I would have done it myself. What if he refuses?”

She fully expected Cooper to refuse…at first. “He won’t because I have something he wants more,” she said with a sly smile. He wanted this more than the land. More than shares to The Harrington.

“He’s a Brock. Making deals is in his blood. He never loses.”

Serena took a healthy sip of her cocktail as she gathered the last of her patience. Cooper never lost because he had the Brock name backing him up. He didn’t know what it was like to make a deal in a position of fear, worried that he would lose everything in an instant. But she was going to change all that. She was going to reclaim her power by stripping him of his own.

“Spencer, we discussed this when I visited you in London,” she answered sweetly. Her feminine charm had distracted him then. It was her most successful technique to get what she wanted in the boardroom. “If you didn’t think I could negotiate with Cooper Brock, then you shouldn’t have fronted me the money.”

“If it all goes to plan, Brock gets his deal and I get the shares to The Harrington,” Spencer said. “What do you get? Why are you doing this?”

She knew what he was really asking. What am I missing? Apparently he no longer believed her explanation when she first proposed this idea. The reason she had given was admittedly weak, but she had couched her answer with the flirtatious smiles and body language that left men flummoxed. She wasn’t going to tell him the truth now no matter how much money he had invested in her plan. There was a lot he didn’t know and she was going to keep it that way.

“I hope this will show you my abilities for future projects,” she lied. “Anyone can gather information but no one can make the intuitive leaps and connections like me.”

“Serena,” he said in harsh tone, “if you don’t get the shares for The Harrington…”

“I have researched Cooper Brock for years,” she sharply reminded Spencer. “One could say I’m an expert on him and his father. You will get those shares by the end of the week.” She ended the call with an angry stab of her fingertip and tossed the phone onto the stack of business magazines lying next to her on the sand.

Serena lowered her sunglasses onto the bridge of her nose and determinedly stared at the crashing waves. The offensive attack on Cooper Brock was a new feeling for her. She didn’t like it because as much as she could predict the outcome, she was still putting herself at risk. Every action, every plan she made up to now, was defensive, protecting what she had.

She breathed in deep, her chest still tight as she inhaled the briny scent of the ocean. She knew what she was doing. Her strategy was solid. Indestructible. She wasn’t going to let anything—or anyone—get in her way.

Anticipation fluttered just under her skin. After years of hard work, sacrifice and planning, she was finally ready to battle Cooper Brock. And by the end of the week, she would be the ultimate victor and get her revenge.

CHAPTER TWO

SERENA’S HEELS CLICKED against the floor as she approached the restaurant, the staccato beat matching the jittery pulse at the base of her throat. She reached the dramatic rounded archway and caught a tantalizing whiff of grilled meat and exotic spices. Glancing inside, she found the stark-white walls and blue tile accents bright and welcoming. Serena noticed most of the tables were occupied and instantly recognized a few famous faces.

She smoothed a hand over her hair, wishing it hadn’t taken ages to tame the waves into a sleek ponytail. Her hands had been clumsy earlier when she had fixed her hair and makeup. She didn’t know why she was so nervous. Everything was going as planned. She was in full armor now from her pink halter dress to her strappy stiletto heels.

She glanced down at the diamond bracelet encircling her wrist and paused. Memories crowded and overlapped in her mind. Some good, some bad. She remembered the day when her father had given the bracelet to her mother.

It had not been a special occasion. Her father never felt the need to wait for a celebration. He enjoyed presenting lavish gifts to her mother for no reason at all. She once thought these extravagant presents represented undying love. It was only when she was older that she’d realized there had been undercurrents of control and reward.

Serena remembered the surprise and pleasure in her mother’s glamorous face when she had opened the flat square box from her favorite jeweler’s. Serena also recalled the pride that shimmered from her father. The memory was so clear even after all these years because it was one of the last times she had seen those expressions from her parents.

Serena stood very still as she continued to stare at the bracelet. She remembered the defeat in her mother’s eyes when she had to sell the jewels after Felipe Dominguez’s business crumbled. At the time, Serena had silently sworn that one day she would have the money to buy back every piece of jewelry and return it to her mother.

It had taken her years and she had been so proud when she had hunted down this bracelet and bought it. She had taken it as a sign that their luck was changing for the better. Serena had presented it to her mother, promising to find the other jewels she had surrendered.

But her mother didn’t want them. In fact, Beatriz Dominguez had recoiled at the sight of the bracelet. The jewelry—and the memories that accompanied them—was tainted. The bracelet had represented a happier time, when the marriage between Felipe and Beatriz was solid and the family fortune was secure.

Serena rolled the bracelet around her wrist, accepting the sharp edges digging into her palm as she forced down the bitterness. Her mother may not want the jewels, but it had been important to Serena to keep them. They represented happier moments for her and her family. She had continued to track them down and buy them one piece at a time. She had not stopped in her mission until she had acquired every ring, necklace and hair ornament.

They were the only jewelry she owned. The only pieces she wore.

The bracelet was a talisman for her tonight. It served as a reminder of where she had been, what she had gone through and why she was doing this. It gave her focus to keep on this journey when the rest of her family wanted to forget.

“Boa noite, Senhora Dominguez,” the maître d’ welcomed her, his eyes lighting up with masculine pleasure. “Your guest is waiting for you at the bar.”

She hesitated, fiercely gripping her evening purse as the surprise rippled through her. Cooper Brock was already here? Before her? She had assumed he would be like most businessmen and arrive late in a failed attempt to set the tone of the evening. The fact that she hadn’t anticipated this maneuver sent a wisp of unease down her spine.

“Obrigada,” she replied softly as she turned to the bar where the older man gestured. It was her custom to arrive first and take early control of the battlefield. Cooper had taken her move. Why? The man relied on his family name and his charm to make things happen. Either he was eager to get this over with or he found her a worthy opponent.

She immediately saw Cooper. He was leaning against the carved wooden bar as if he didn’t have a care in the world. His light gray suit and white shirt opened at the neck accented his lean build. She took a moment to study her quarry as he stared at the drink in his hand.

Cooper Brock made her think of the mythical cowboys from the Wild West. She wasn’t sure why. Serena had never seen him wear a Stetson over his expensively tousled sandy-blond hair. But she knew he was a man who followed his own code of honor and would risk everything to protect his territory, his family and his woman. He may be the heir to an empire but Cooper created and controlled his own destiny.

She always thought that his craggy face matched his stubborn personality. It was all angles from his high cheekbones to the blade of his nose and the slash of his mouth. But it was his silver eyes that dominated his face. They were surprisingly expressive, at one moment playful and fierce the next.

Cooper glanced up sharply and her gaze clashed with his. Her heart leaped violently. She wanted to inhale deeply but the breath stole from her lungs. She was mesmerized as his features sharpened while he hunched his shoulders.

This time his eyes flashed with an unspoken challenge and she darted her gaze away. Her instincts screamed to keep him in her sight in case he pounced but she ignored it. Serena steadfastly refused to look at Cooper in the eye as she walked toward him, keenly aware of the sway of her hips and the way her silk dress grazed her bare legs. Her skin prickled as she felt his gaze drift along her curves. She wondered if the halter dress had been a poor choice.

When she had been getting ready for dinner there had been a moment when she considered covering herself from shoulder to knee. She had immediately discarded the idea. There was no need to hide or change her style. This dress was part of her armor, her carefully controlled image. She would not allow Cooper Brock to determine what she wore.

But as his attention rested on her full breasts, her nipples stinging as they tightened, Serena recalled why she had hesitated. She was used to men staring at her, wanting her. She often used their reactions to her advantage. She couldn’t do that with Cooper. She instinctively knew that if she taunted him, the power struggle between them would shift. The sensual mood she’d create would boomerang back and the desire she felt would be used against her.

Cooper Brock was definitely not a man to tease. The lust he had for her was barely restrained and it would not take much to unleash it. Just the thought of it made her skin heat and created a pulsating ache low in her belly. This reaction of hers was inconvenient. Distracting. Wrong.

“Serena,” Cooper said by way of greeting before he motioned for the bartender.

She requested a glass of wine and didn’t look in Cooper’s direction until it was necessary. “You’re here early,” she commented lightly, hoping it didn’t sound like a complaint. “You must be staying nearby.”

“I booked myself here in The Harrington.”

Her stomach gave a vicious twist. That close. She wasn’t sure how she felt about him being under the same terra-cotta tile roof. She wouldn’t be able to get away from him. A man like Cooper Brock couldn’t be contained by the bright white walls and iron grille windows. But Serena showed no reaction and waited for her drink under his intense gaze.

Cooper slugged back the rest of his drink. He grimaced from the bite of the hard liquor and set the crystal tumbler down with a thud. “Okay, Serena,” he said. “What do you want in exchange for the Alves land?”

She chuckled as she accepted the glass of wine from the bartender. “You Americans. So abrupt and aggressive,” she chided. “Do you realize that this is why I was able to swoop in and get the deal?”

Cooper scowled at her. “I don’t believe in wasting time.”

“You need to relax and socialize.” She turned, resting her elbows against the bar as she tilted her head back to meet his silvery-gray eyes. “Learn something about the person with whom you are negotiating. Having a grasp of their native language would be nice.”

“I make deals around the world. It would be inefficient—not to mention impossible—to learn all the languages.”

“Then don’t be surprised if I manage to swoop in and interfere with your deals again and again.” How many deals would she have to steal before he struggled with the same uncertainty she’d wrestled with every day for the past decade? It would never be enough. He would never know what it was like to have his security stolen from him, to be paralyzed with fear.

“I won’t let that happen.” His voice was rough with impatience. “Now, what do you want from me?”

“I am willing to give you the land,” she said. She had no use for the Alves property but he didn’t need to know that.

He tipped his head back and watched her closely. She knew his mind was whirring as he tried to determine the trap she was laying. “How much are you inflating the price?”

“I’m not.” She had toyed with the idea of making a profit from the exchange. Serena equated money with security and the more money she acquired, the more protection she had against the injustices of the world. She knew she could make money from the transaction but it was more important to focus on her main goal. “I will give you the land for the same amount that I paid.”

His eyes narrowed as he gave her a dark look of suspicion. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I want something more than money.” She took a sip of her wine and the fruity notes burst against her tongue. “I want the shares to The Harrington.”

His startled bark of laughter shattered the quiet atmosphere of the bar. “Hell, no.”

“Then I guess we have nothing to talk about.” She set down her wineglass, picked up her small purse and moved to leave.

He wrapped his hand around her wrist and stopped her. Her limbs went rigid as the wild energy coursed through her body from his simple touch. Serena stared at his dark and calloused hand that covered her diamond bracelet. The anger of seeing a Brock touching her mother’s jewelry warred with the traitorous need to yield to his hold.

“Why are you leaving?” Cooper’s voice was soft and husky. Almost intimate. “We’ve only started to negotiate.”

“I’m not here to barter,” she said coldly. She wasn’t going to fall for his charm. “I told you my price.”

“Why would I give up those shares?” he asked with a hint of incredulity. “Don’t you read the news?”

“Of course.” If Cooper had learned anything about her, he would know that her daily routine was consumed by gathering news and information. It was how she gained and protected her wealth.

“This is the worst time to sell or trade my shares. There’s a feud raging between the Chatsfields and the Harringtons,” Cooper reminded her. “The publicity has increased the bookings at The Harrington, increasing its value.”

She yanked out of his grasp but her skin still tingled from his touch. “Why else do you think I want it?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out.” He lowered his head, moving closer. She fought the urge to take a step back. “You apparently know my portfolio and you want something of lesser value? It doesn’t make sense.”

She thrust out her chin. “Perhaps I have sentimental reasons for wanting the shares.”

“A lovers’ weekend?” he said in a growl.

She raised an eyebrow. She did not like the possessive quality of his tone. “I’m not one of those women who gets sentimental about sex.”

“Good to know.” His eyes suddenly sparkled. Serena didn’t know if he was enjoying the thrust and parry of their conversation or if he was imagining a no-strings sexual escapade with her.

“This meeting is not an exploratory conversation,” she said in her haughtiest tone. “It’s not a discussion and it’s not the foundation for negotiations. I am telling you what I want in exchange for the Alves land.”

“Then this conversation is over. I am not giving up my shares.” Cooper thrust his hands in his pockets and gave a sharp nod to his head. “A pleasure as always, Serena.”

She waited until he began to stroll away. “I’m assuming you spoke to your father this afternoon,” she said.

Cooper paused and looked over his shoulder. His gray eyes were guarded but he showed no expression. “Of course.”

“Does he remember the name Felipe Dominguez?” Her chest tightened as she waited for the answer.

“Yes.”

“Hmm,” she said, hating how the sound seemed almost strangled. She had often wondered if Aaron Brock would remember the Dominguez name. It had been fourteen years and while his actions had changed the course of their lives, it had meant nothing to him. “What did he say?”

He walked back to the bar and leaned his arm on the smooth wooden counter. “I wouldn’t repeat it in front of a lady.”

Serena was tempted to roll her eyes. Why would Cooper think she had delicate sensibilities? She had gained quite a vocabulary during her time living in a seedy neighborhood but it wasn’t nearly as colorful as the language she heard in the financial industry. “And what excuse did he give for his actions?”

The corner of his mouth pulled in a wry, lopsided smile. “My father is not one to give excuses.”

“I’m not surprised,” she murmured.

“He said he had teamed up with Felipe Dominguez while negotiating a deal in Rio de Janeiro. But that Dominguez had tried to double-cross him.” She saw the cold glint of anger in Cooper’s eyes. “My father retaliated.”

It was the bare facts, Serena noticed. Did Cooper know the incredible stress Felipe had been under while working with Brock? Felipe was no match for that bully. Her loving father had gradually become cruel and distant. Serena still longed for the man he used to be.

Cooper’s summary of the events also failed to include the slow decline of her family’s fortune or the devastation they had suffered. “Aaron Brock destroyed everything that belonged to my father.”

“My father was protecting what was his,” Cooper argued.

“And not caring that a mother and child were collateral damage,” she pointed out. The fury, as familiar as a childhood companion, began to swirl inside her. Her mother had suffered more than she had. Beatriz Dominguez had been a vivacious woman but Serena didn’t understand her mother’s fragility until after her parents’ bitter divorce. Too focused on her own loss, Serena hadn’t seen the signs until her mother had a breakdown. Beatriz had never been the same. At times it felt that Serena had switched the mother and daughter roles with Beatriz. She was the minder and the protector and she always felt responsible for not taking better care of Beatriz when it mattered the most.

“What was your father’s side of the story?” Cooper asked. “Did Dominguez betray my father?”

Serena blinked. She hadn’t expected Cooper to ask those questions. She assumed he would show blind loyalty to his family. “Would you believe what I have to say?”

“You were there when it happened,” Cooper responded. “What did you see? What did your father tell you?”

Her father had told her nothing. Absolutely nothing. Everything she knew had been based on what she had witnessed and researched. The man who was supposed to protect and provide for her was unable to stand up to Aaron Brock. It was harder for her to admit he had retaliated in a cowardly manner than the fact that he had failed. “I don’t have to rely on my father’s words to understand the facts.”

Cooper frowned. “Did your father explain anything to you?”

She wished he had. Everyone had hid the truth from her despite her constant questions. Had one more person told her not to worry her pretty little head, she would not have been held accountable for her actions. “My parents are traditional,” she explained. “They would never share financial details with anyone, let alone their only child.”

“They were trying to protect you.”

Did they? She wondered about that. Or were they trying to hide their failures, their shame? She hadn’t felt protected. She had felt powerless and set adrift when they suddenly lost their home with no explanation. Confused when their status and their closest friends fell away. She had been scared when the tension and the fights escalated between her parents. The breakdown of their marriage had run parallel to the destruction of their fortunes. And then her mother’s emotional stability declined sharply. Serena had to become the protector of the family when she didn’t know how.

She would never allow herself to feel that powerless or confused again. She no longer relied on others to take care of her. It had been the only way she had survived. “I’m sure your parents discussed business over the dinner table every night.”

“I’m sure they did,” Cooper drawled. “My parents are obsessed with business.”

She frowned. “But they didn’t discuss it with you?” He had been the heir. She imagined he had been trained for the role as early as possible.

His eyes were wintry. “What are you trying to ask?”

This was it. Now was the time to use the weapons she had spent what felt like a lifetime gathering. “Do you know what kind of businessman your father is?” she asked, her heart pounding hard against her chest. “What do you know about Aaron Brock?”

Cooper considered his next words. He had done a basic investigation on Serena Dominguez and had learned she was more than a financial genius. The woman was wily and tenacious. She managed to uncover information about companies that legal teams had spent millions to hide. What did she know about the Brock empire?

“My father could be a powerful ally or a dangerous enemy.”

“The man was a ruthless bully.” She grounded out the last word. “Look at what he did to my father. Aaron put so much pressure on him to be perfect. My father was in constant fear of failing, of disappointing Aaron.”

Cooper knew what Felipe had suffered but he wasn’t going to sympathize with the man. Cooper had to be perfect and extraordinary in everything he did or he suffered the consequences. But he didn’t react like Felipe. Cooper had more to lose and yet he had found the strength to hold on to his principles. “Felipe tried to double-cross my father but got burned.”

Serena gave a sharp, angry nod. “My father was once a businessman who only needed a handshake to do business. That changed when he started working with your father. Aaron Brock allowed no room for weakness or failure. He tore my father down, piece by piece, until he was just a shell of the man he used to be.”

That had been Aaron’s method throughout Cooper’s childhood, too, but Cooper had refused to complain or give up. He had been driven to prove he was worthy of his father’s hopes. And he had done things he regretted in the pursuit of gaining Aaron’s respect and affection. It took him a long time to realize that nothing he accomplished would make him lovable and worthy to his parents.

But he was their son and heir and he would protect the family empire. He could not allow anything to taint their reputation. Any rumor about his father’s business practices would be a failure.

“Felipe was as pure as snow, was he?” He dipped his head until his face was almost touching hers. He refused to let her faint perfume distract him. He wouldn’t think about how he was just a kiss away from her mouth. “Check your facts, sweetheart,” Cooper said gruffly. “You forget that he betrayed his business partner.”

“My father was a victim, but I never suggested he was innocent.” Serena’s golden eyes glittered with knowing. “I mean, we all have skeletons in our closets, Mr. Brock. I just happen to know every last one of yours.”

He pulled back before he could stop himself. It wasn’t an act of guilt but Serena’s smile was triumphant as if she had hit her target. Did she know everything? His instincts said no. Only he and John Harrington, Jr., knew about his most shameful secret.

“What are you accusing me of?” he asked in an angry hiss. “Go back and look at every deal I’ve made. I have nothing to hide.” Except for one but he had learned his lesson. Sure, some of his deals skirted along the edge of the law, but he had snatched himself back.

She pointed an accusing finger at him. “You know what Aaron did to build his empire and you kept quiet.”

“This is what I know—my father had nothing and made something of himself through blood, sweat and tears.”

“That’s the legend, but you and I know that’s not true.” She poked her finger against his chest. “Your father built his business by extortion, blackmail and corruption. And I can prove it.”