Читать книгу Courting Justice - Brenda Jackson - Страница 13

Chapter 4

The corners of Angelo’s lips were still smiling when he entered his own room moments later. As he closed the door behind him, his mind was already contemplating his next move.

If anyone would have told him a few years ago that he, DeAngelo Antonio Di Meglio, would be in hot pursuit of any woman he would have thought they were crazy. But here he was, at a singles resort filled with women, and he was chomping at the bit for just one. But she wasn’t just any woman. He decided two years ago that she was the woman he wanted. Peyton was the one he intended to spend the rest of his life with. Now if he could only get her to thinking along those same lines.

Now, for his plan.

He didn’t consider himself manipulative—far from it. But at this stage of his life he was calculating and determined, and he planned to use every opportunity he could to sway Peyton. Convincing her to go along with his romantic ruse was the first move. If that didn’t work, it was on to Plan B.

He exhaled and couldn’t help the sly grin that touched his lips. Lela’s presence was a godsend. He of all people knew how close Mac, Sam and Peyton were. So it was obvious that if Sam didn’t care for the woman, Peyton wouldn’t either. Peyton and Sam might disagree on a lot of things, but their friendship and loyalty to one another was rock solid.

He glanced around his suite thinking that being one of the partners in the resort had its perks. The humongous room was divided into a small kitchen with a bar, a living room and a huge bedroom with a balcony that overlooked the beautiful blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He was a Di Meglio so he was used to the finer things in life. Still, it was nice to just take time to appreciate all the things he’d been blessed to have come his way.

A few years before, an escaped convict—hell-bent on getting even with Angelo’s father—decided to turn his attention to Angelo. He’d never forget the night the man had finally made good on his threats and had forced Angelo off the road.

Luckily, he had survived. But it had taken coming that close to death to open his eyes and make him realize that tomorrow wasn’t promised, and that there was more to life than partying and women. His cousins couldn’t understand how he could walk away from both. After all, he was only in his mid-thirties and what his cousins called the prime of his bachelorhood. Now his focus had changed. Recently, he along with several businessmen—including his brother-in-law’s cousin, Lee Madaris—had invested in several resorts around the world. In addition to Dunwoody Cove, they also had resorts in London and Paris.

Being an attorney was his career, but he didn’t intend on making it his life. He hoped his investments would make it possible for him to retire by his fortieth birthday. The last thing he wanted to do was follow in his parents’ footsteps and still be practicing law until his retirement. Although his parents still enjoyed practicing law and were still sharp as tacks, he believed there was a life outside of the Di Meglio law firm. He was content with how things were now, but was already planning his future, and heading the list was Peyton Mahoney.

Angelo kicked off his shoes and was about to stroll into his kitchen to grab a bottle of water out of the refrigerator when his cell phone rang. He rolled his eyes when he saw it was Sam on his caller ID.

He connected the call. “This had better be good, Samari.”

He heard his sister’s soft chuckle. “Mac’s here in the office with me, and we want to know how Peyton is doing.”

He dropped down on the sofa. Didn’t his sister and Mac have law cases to work on? Babies to take care of? Husbands to keep happy? “And how is she supposed to be doing? I just got here last night.”

And just in time, he thought, although he wasn’t going to mention anything to Mac and Sam about Peyton almost being taken advantage of. They probably wouldn’t have believed him, knowing Peyton would never let her guard down. Though he was hoping she would continue to let loose, but only with him.

“Well, just to let you know, we’re beginning to have second thoughts about helping you win over Peyton.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, refusing to let the tension settle there. It was too late for them to have second thoughts now, but he was curious as to why. “Is there a reason for this change of heart?”

“An article in today’s paper might have something to do with it.”

He lifted his brow. “What article?”

“Some woman is claiming the two of you are in a hot and heavy affair, but you asked her to keep it secret. She says she has phone records to prove it.”

“Bring ’em on.” Angelo glanced across the room at the clock to check the time. “When did you start believing everything you read, Sam?”

“I don’t. We just don’t want Peyton caught up in your madness.”

He drew in a deep breath, knowing that by we his sister meant both she and Mac. “It’s nothing more than a publicity stunt, Sam. You and Mac should know that.”

“We do. However, we figure that’s just the beginning, and we’d prefer sparing Peyton any such foolishness.”

He tensed a bit. He needed his sister and Mac as allies. Wavering support from them was the last thing he needed. He had been upfront with them about his feelings for Peyton and the two hadn’t seemed particularly surprised. He had only confirmed what they had already thought, and like him, they figured it was time to finally let her know how he felt. Because they knew Peyton better than anyone, they thought a subtle approach was better than being more direct.

He didn’t expect Peyton to suddenly fall head over heels for him in the next two weeks, but he did intend to get something going that would continue after they left the Bahamas. That would give them both time to build the type of relationship that was solid and one that could endure just about anything, especially claims like the one that appeared in the newspaper today.

The thought of a long-distance romance didn’t bother him since he had made it a point to visit Oklahoma often before Sam moved to Houston. And he could visit his good friend Frederick Damon Rowe—nicknamed FDR—another attorney who had worked in their family law firm, had married and moved to Oklahoma.

“I gave you and Mac my word that everything would work out fine in the end. The two of you are going to have to trust me on this, Sam.”

There was a pause on the other end, and he understood why. The three had been best of friends since law school and were very protective of each other. Then Sam said in a threatening tone, “I swear, Angelo, if you hurt her in any way, you’re going to have hell to pay when you deal with me and Mac.”

“Okay, I hear you. Now let me and Peyton have the next two weeks in peace without any more calls from you two. From here on out, I take care of Peyton. And I would never hurt her.”

There was another pause. “You do care for her, don’t you?” his sister asked, in a voice that sounded like it had finally dawned on her just how much.

“Yes, I do. More than you know. Now goodbye.”

He disconnected the phone. Angelo couldn’t recall exactly when he’d fallen for Peyton. He just knew that he had. He began to realize it during his stay with her in Oklahoma, but it had taken him a few years after that to accept what his feelings meant.

And then it was that kiss they’d shared the night before, a kiss he couldn’t stop thinking about. He sat down and rested his head against the sofa cushion and closed his eyes. Images of Peyton filtered through his mind, how he would stand on the sidelines at parties and family events and watch her. Now was the time to act on that desire.

And he had just two weeks to get the wheels in motion.