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CHAPTER EIGHT
‘DON’T LOOK NOW, but the stuff of your torrid dreams—and my nightmares—just walked in.’
Predictably, at the droll words of caution, Suki Langston’s head swivelled towards the entrance of the Ravenswood Arms pub. From their corner booth, she watched the newcomer’s incisive gaze sweep the room until it narrowed on reaching them.
Just as predictably, she went from hot to cold. Then blistering hot again as her senses went completely haywire at the sight of Ramon Acosta.
‘Dios mio, I don’t know why I bother.’
She turned back to Luis Acosta, her best friend and the man she held directly responsible for her current state of breathlessness. ‘Yes, why do you? You didn’t have to tell me he was here!’
He caught her hands in his and gripped them tight, his hazel eyes mercilessly teasing. ‘I was trying to spare myself the woeful spectacle of watching you jump and twitch like a cornered mouse when he came up behind you. The last time you two met, I thought you were going to swallow your tongue and spit out your spleen at the same time.’
Heat punched up her face. ‘Why do I tolerate you? You’re a horrible, horrible human being.’
He laughed and held on tighter when she tried to pull away.
‘You tolerate me because by some cosmic stroke of genius we were born on the same day and even though you face-planted in my lap the first time we met at uni, I’m also the best thing that’s happened to you since... I don’t know...for ever?’ Luis replied, his tone extra dry as he waggled his eyebrows at her.
‘Are you going to ever let me forget that? Or the fact that you saved me from Professor Winton’s roasting the first day of Business Studies because I hadn’t drawn up my pre-class plan yet?’
‘Let’s not forget the numerous times I’ve saved that pretty behind since then. Which is why I still think you should thank me by coming to work for my family firm.’
‘And have you in my ear all day? No, thanks. I enjoy working for Chapman Interiors because I like designing the interior of homes, not five-star hotels.’
He threw out a careless shrug. ‘Six-star, but who’s counting? Whatever, you’ll come round one day.’
‘Your crystal ball telling you tales again?’
‘I don’t need one. Just like I don’t need a magic ball to tell me you would get on so much better with Ramon if you dealt head-on with that crush that’s flattening you—’
‘I don’t have a crush on him, Luis!’ she hissed, darting a frantic look over her shoulder.
Luis sighed dramatically. ‘Sure you don’t. I think I’m going to change your nickname from mouse to ostrich.’
‘Do that and I’ll change yours from friend to ass.’
He shrugged. ‘I’ve been called worse.’
Suki watched his gaze move over her shoulder, then return to hers, a resolute look that always made her hackles rise entering his eyes. ‘Whatever crazy ideas you’re thinking of, burn them now,’ she muttered urgently.
He stared at her, a slow smile spreading on his face as his fingers curled tighter around hers. ‘Don’t worry, little mouse, Luis knows best.’
Suki tried to think of some smart comeback, some wicked put-down that would for once put her overconfident friend in his place. But she knew she was fighting a losing battle. Apart from the useless talent of coming up with the perfect retort hours or even days after she needed it, she was also cursed with a shyness gene that chose moments like these to bloom into life and tie her up in knots.
The other reason she couldn’t quite think straight was the man who’d entered the pub two minutes ago.
She could feel him approaching, cutting through the thick Friday night crowd with minimum exertion. She didn’t need to look to know that people would be moving out of his way, creating whatever path he wished with a simple commanding look from brooding sea-green eyes. She could already smell that incredible mix of dark earthy spice and alpha male that exuded from him. In the past she’d only needed a quick inhalation for it to fill her nostrils, her senses, turn her into a mumbling wreck around him.
She was twenty-five years old today, for goodness’ sake, long past the wide-eyed-teenager stage. She needed to act accordingly...emulate a little bit of the sophistication Luis oozed and Ramon commanded from his very fingertips with such effortless ease.
She needed to raise her head. Yes, that was right. Take in the six-foot-four tower of masculine sleekness and suppressed power who’d arrived at their booth. Stop herself from ogling the square, rugged jaw, the sculpted perfection of his face. Meet his gaze—
‘Felíz cumpleaños, mi hermano.’
Dear God, he was too much.
A weird sizzle racing down her back, she lowered her head again, swallowing at the sound of that dark, smoky voice caressing the Cuban Spanish words.
‘Gracias, although I was beginning to think I’d only get belated birthday congrats from you, seeing as the day is almost over,’ Luis replied, a trace of tension twining his sardonic tone.
Ramon’s strong, capable hands slid into his pockets. ‘It’s barely eleven o’clock and I made it, as I said I would,’ he said, an even deeper throb of tension in his voice.
Suki’s gaze darted up in time to catch his narrow-eyed gaze on their joint hands before it shifted to his brother. After a second, Luis gave a slight grimace and released her before he shrugged.
‘In that case, take a seat. I’ll go and fetch the champagne I had the bartender put on ice.’
He
