black eyes dispassionate. “Your father’s name is on the title. That makes it mine.”
She looked at her father, and even through the rage on his face, she saw the truth. He’d taken her house. Somehow he’d stolen the one thing, the only thing, that had ever mattered to her.
An icy chill seeped through her, and she clutched the neck of her sweater, not caring that blood still dripped from the cut on her palm. She wanted to scream at her father, knew that she should, but all she felt was numb. Defeated.
A business center? Dear God, she closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. When she opened them again, Lucas was watching her, his mouth a hard, thin line.
She couldn’t let him see her like this. Couldn’t let him know that in his thirst for revenge he’d not only destroyed her father, but herself, as well.
And why would it matter to him, anyway? Mason Hadley had taken Lucas’s father from him, had murdered Thomas Blackhawk as surely as if he’d put a gun to his head. He’d destroyed a young boy’s childhood, his family, his dreams.
And she’d done nothing to help.
Dimly, she knew that her father was shouting obscenities at Lucas, but Lucas ignored the insults. Instead he kept his eyes on her, staring at her, into her, as if he knew the truth.
“Put something on that hand, Julianna,” he said without emotion, then turned and walked out of the room.
Her father was shouting into the phone now, as the Ferrari’s engine roared to life, then shot out of the driveway.
Lucas Blackhawk had risen from the past like a demon from hell. Full of hatred and vengeance, he’d come to even an old score. He had every right, and deep in her heart, no matter what the cost to her, she was glad. Because she admired him, because she respected him.
Because she loved him.
Two
A cold wind blew in dark, angry clouds from the south. Lightning streaked silver against the black sky, and thunder shook the windows of the Four Winds Hotel suite. Rain, which had started only moments ago, already drenched the streets in town, not to mention any poor, unfortunate soul caught out walking in the downpour.
Thankful to be out of the monkey suit he’d had on earlier, dressed now in a pair of faded jeans and his favorite, though well-worn, chambray shirt, Lucas stood on the small, covered balcony of the hotel room and listened to the steady pound of the storm. The scent of rain was heavy; the charge of nature’s electricity alive in the evening air. A Texas storm was always a force to be reckoned with, respected and never underestimated.
A fitting end to the day.
A slow, tight smile curved Lucas’s mouth. He could still see the shock in Hadley’s face, the fury in his eyes. Lucas had waited twenty years to see that look. Twenty years to watch Hadley’s recognition dawn, then grow as he realized that the crimes of his past had finally caught up with him. That it was time to pay, and payback was definitely a bitch.
The fact that Julianna had been there, as well, had only been an added bonus. To see her lose her composure had been a surprise. He’d watched the color drain from her beautiful face when he’d taken her hand in his, felt her shake at his touch.
Heard the disgust in her voice when she’d told him to keep away from her.
His jaw tightened. Twenty years had certainly changed nothing for Julianna Hadley. She still thought herself too good for him, probably for any man. Why else had she never married?
Of course, he’d never married, either, but that was a different matter entirely. He’d had a goal, one goal only, and a wife would have been an encumbrance. Very few women would have tolerated the eighteen-hour, seven-day weeks for long. In the few relationships he’d had, he’d made it perfectly clear from the start there was no wedding ring in sight, no children, no happily-ever-after. The few who’d thought to change that had been sorely mistaken. They’d quickly learned that tears and tantrums had no effect on him. If anything, they only irritated him.
But maybe now was the time to consider changing his marital status, he thought. It wasn’t that he was thinking of settling down exactly. It just might be easier to know where he’d be parking his boots at night, and would certainly erase the necessity of finding a partner in bed.
He wondered briefly who, if anyone, parked his boots under Julianna Hadley’s bed at the moment. Wondered if that bed was as cold as the woman.
A knock at the door brought his head around. He’d ordered dinner from room service, preferring the quiet of his room to the noisy restaurant downstairs. He’d wanted to be alone tonight. To think about Hadley. Savor his victory.
So why, then, had he been thinking about Julianna?
And why, when he opened the door, was she standing there?
Her light blond hair was damp, pulled back into a severe ponytail. Rain glistened on her sculptured cheeks and dark, thick eyelashes; drops clung to the shoulders of her long tan trench coat. The black turtleneck underneath emphasized her pale skin and big blue eyes. The effect was stunning, and his gut clenched at the sight of her. A woman like this knew how beautiful she was, knew the effect she had on men. He wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of anything but cool indifference.
Chin raised, lips pressed tightly together, she clutched a small black purse. “May I come in?”
He looked down the hallway. It was empty, quiet. No lights on the elevator signaling anyone else was coming.
“I’m alone,” she said. “But if you’re not, if you have company—”
“What are you doing here, Julianna?”
“I need to speak with you, Lucas. I have to—”
“I’ll just bet you do.”
His hand snaked out, dragged her inside the hotel room and pushed her back against the now closed door.
“Is this when you start screaming?” he asked roughly. “Maybe someone with a camera breaks the door down? Or another ‘guest’ just happens to be walking by, someone who will claim I attacked you?”
Eyes wide, she shook her head. “I’m alone,” she said breathlessly. “And you have attacked me. Now let me go.”
He smiled slowly, kept his hands firmly against the door, holding her trapped between his arms. He saw the fear flicker in her blue-gray eyes, but she didn’t fight him, didn’t push him away.
He told himself it was to intimidate her, not please himself when he leaned in closer. She’d brought the storm in with her. He smelled it on her, resisted the urge to dip his head lower and press his lips to the pulse beating rapidly at the base of her neck. “Has your father sent you to seduce me, Julianna? Convince me to change my mind?”
He saw the anger now, the subtle narrowing of her eyes, the tight press of her tempting lips. “My father doesn’t know I’m here.”
His laugh was dry. “You’re good, Julianna,. Real good. I almost believe you.”
“It’s true. No one except Lily at the front desk knows
