The Rainmaker : Cole : A Von Larsen Crime Family Novel

by Piper Page

  This man was everything that Bill, my terrible ex, wasn’t. He was confident and collected. And he was hot.

  Bill had been a college football star, a star of our suburban community. Then he’d injured himself, started drinking, and took fashion notes from the guys from Duck Dynasty.

  “Why? Am I in danger?” I said.

  It sure felt like it. He smiled at me dangerously, a threatening pulse of emotion thrumming in my chest as he feasted on my body with eyes like pools of molten gold.

  “That depends what you came here for. You come for a good time?”

  I snorted with laughter. “I was bored out of my mind in my hotel room.”

  He pressed on. “I know you’re a tourist, but did you come here alone?”

  “I’m not taken,” I blurted out.

  Crap. Had I given too much away?

  I thought about slapping my forehead. Thankfully, I kept my fidgeting hands resting against my elbows.

  “What gave away I was a tourist? Was it my fanny pack?” I asked.

  He tilted his head and peered underneath the table. I swiftly slammed my thighs together.

  “I’m not really wearing a fanny pack,” I said. “I was only kidding. I suppose it’s obvious I’m not from around these parts, huh?”

  “A little.” He grinned. He scratched the back of his head, his bicep flexing. Underneath that fancy shirt, I knew he had the ripped figure of a man not afraid of the gym. “What’s the occasion?”

  The occasion? I was a pitiful mess and my best friend dragged me along to Puerto Rico. She had a reason for being here, for a medical conference. My reason? She said I needed to get laid and forget my ex.

  I would definitely not be telling him that.

  “My friend is here for a medical conference. She had a free ticket so I decided to take her up on the offer.” Every word came out of me uncertainly. This guy was making me feel drunk, my body buzzing, just from hearing him talk.

  “Where’s your friend?”

  Jeez, he really seemed interested in me! So many questions. I shrugged. “She’s sleeping. She kind of fell in love with the tequila here, so she’s not to be woken up. At least, I’m not waking her up after the night she had.”

  He leaned closer, heat emanating from him, crossing over to me. I breathed out slowly and allowed myself to uncross my arms.

  “I should’ve asked sooner, would you like something to drink?”

  I shook my head. I realized how weird it was that I was hanging around at this upscale bar at midnight without a drink. Suddenly I felt extremely out of place. “No, thanks. Drinking doesn’t appeal to me.”

  He quirked an eyebrow. I continued, a heaviness in my heart. “My ex, he went downhill from the drink. We broke up two months ago.”

  I changed the subject. “There is one thing you should’ve asked sooner. For my name. My name is Krista.”

  “Diego,” he said, his voice smooth and speaking right to my heart. I completely forgot about those bad memories of Bill. Diego pulled me into the here and now—the way he looked at me was intoxicating.

  Go for it, my body told me. Have some fun with Diego. Diego wants to have fun with you. Stop pussy-footing around and get over your dumb ex.

  I knew Bill wasn’t worth the pain I put myself through. Maybe I was afraid to let him go. Or maybe my confidence had been shaken.

  “Do you want to join me and my friends at my table, Krista?” He jerked his head toward a table behind him.

  It was teeming with big men with tattoos, empty beer bottles littered around them.

  “Over… there?”

  He nodded. I swallowed hard, my neck tight and stiff.

  Diego noticed. “We don’t have to if you don’t want.”

  “I’m quite comfortable here.”

  His devilish grin slid wider. “I’m quite comfortable here as well, looking across this table at you. I thought a beautiful girl like you would send me away.”

  What in the world? My breath hitched. “Thanks, that’s certainly not how I’ve been feeling, though. Maybe a beautiful disaster.” I twisted my locks nervously, gazing down.

  It occurred to me that I might be sabotaging my chances with Diego. I didn’t necessarily trust a handsome man approaching me and hitting on me. And I’d been sheltering myself for months, trying to avoid a situation like this.

  “Sorry,” I admitted. “I’m just getting back into talking to the opposite sex.”

  “You’re doing fine.” Diego shuffled his chair closer to me. “Besides, I don’t mind taking charge.”

  Oh, Lord. That nervous bead in my throat rolled slowly, my fingers tightening over my skirt. “You’re making me nervous. I don’t talk to hot guys often, either. Especially not at places like this. I’m afraid I’m out of my league.”

  “No.” Diego dropped his seat beside me. “Don’t say that. There are men here who would drop to their knees and beg for a night with you. They’d be idiots not to. I fail to see what’s so… unappealing.”

  Completely ignoring his compliment, I rolled my eyes. I went into a long spiel, one which I immediately wished I hadn’t started. “Okay, how about this? For months, I’ve been spending all of my time on my couch, eating cereal and watching Downton Abbey. All because my ex-boyfriend almost killed me because he was drunk while driving me home. When I’m not in despair because of that, I’m thinking about the absurd medical bills I need to pay in order to get out of debt. And the only job I can get to pull myself out of this is a job at Stiffy’s, the local bar that sounds more like a strip club. I’m beginning to wonder if the strip club might be my only option.”

  Yeah, this had gone south quickly. I expected him to dart away soon.

  There I went, sabotaging myself again.

  “I’m not going to argue that you wouldn’t make a lot of money. But I hope it doesn’t come down to that,” he said, his jaw tensing as he squared me up. Every part of him looked chiseled, and so tempting to touch.

  “I was being dramatic.” I waved the thoughts away. “I apologize. Like I said, I haven’t been out in a while, and I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere as fancy as this for a night out.”

  Everyone’s hair was done like they were going to prom. The waiter and waitresses wore formal attire, every table given prompt attention. I could only afford to stay here because of Tina. Her company paid for an all-inclusive trip at the Allure for two. She’d been my best friend since second grade, and she’d really pulled through when I’d hit rock bottom.

  “This is nothing.” He rolled his shoulders back, the muscles in his chest rippling deliciously. “I could show you more places like this, if you wanted.”

  It reminded me of Aladdin—I can show you the wooorld…

  I always loved it as a kid—and as an adult too—I’d watched the movie hundreds of times.

  Diego certainly seemed like he’d arrived just to save me. Still, I told myself to keep my guard up, no matter what my body craved.

  His eyes flashed over me, like I could physically feel him caressing me. I brushed my thighs together nervously, my pulse beating fast and hard.

  “If you don’t want to join my friends and I at our table, perhaps you’d like to go for a stroll on the beach with me?”

  This was moving too fast. I’d tried my best to sabotage our conversation. “After my whole sad breakdown, I thought you’d take off and run.”

  Grinning, he shook his head.

  I sighed. “You’re very persistent.”

  “When I see something I want, something too good to pass up on, I don’t let it out of my sight.”

  Tiki torches lit the path to the beach. They stopped at the foot of the sandy shore. We’d be walking in the pitch black, only the moonlight to guide our way near the dark ocean. While it did sound romantic, alarm bells rang when I realized I’d be taking a stroll with a complete stranger, in a new country, in the dark, with no one around

  “I’m sorry, I should go.” I jumped up from my seat. He eyes narrowed an
d he swung up to stop me.

  “Wait, don’t leave yet.”

  “I should go. I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude, and you’re a really hot guy who looks like he can really turn a girl’s world upside down… and today, that’s scaring me. I came down here because I was bored up in my room. I guess you called my bluff. I never expected to actually meet anyone, let alone an interesting guy like you who makes me feel, well… hot and bothered.”

  There I went, running my mouth again. Whenever I met a guy I liked, I just spilled everything. It was a terribly embarrassing habit, and my cheeks grew red hot as I leaned against the table.

  Diego continued to smirk. His gaze raked over my body, taking me in, like he was savoring the last seconds before I left.

  “You’re really honest,” he said.

  I shrugged. “I’m sorry again. I can be too blunt when I’m nervous.”

  “Don’t apologize, I like it. It’s refreshing.”

  I allowed myself to smile back. Once I allowed myself, I didn’t want to stop. But I needed to leave. Now. Before I did something stupid.

  “Diego, like I said—”

  “Wait, don’t leave, not until I bother you one more time.”

  “Sure, and you weren’t bothering me. I’m just fleeing to my bedroom, before I do something I might regret.”

  I saw his expression pool with lust as I said that. In his mind, he undressed me, no doubt playing images of him ravaging me. I knew it. I’d be lying it if didn’t turn up my temperature a few degrees—and get my feet inching closer to escaping as well.

  “Since you’re new and all here, how about a tour?”

  “Around the area?” I asked, my curiosity piquing.

  “Yes,” he said, stretching his arms as if to take in a wide breadth of land, like he meant the whole country. Once again, “A Whole New World” played in my head. “Everywhere you need to see while you’re here. I’ll show you places that will put this one to shame.”

  It didn’t sound like a date. It sounded like a friendly tour. Tina would be going to her classes all day tomorrow, so I’d have nothing to do. With nothing on my schedule, I had no excuses.

  Live a little, I told myself. It’s about time you let go and enjoyed life again.

  “Why not?” I said.

  Diego beamed. His wide, shimmering smile in the moonlight made me weak at the knees. My whole body went limp, like he was a freaking vampire sucking my blood. He screamed sex and danger, and I screamed it’s been a while since I’ve been laid… and it’d been such a whirlwind since he sat down and I talked mindlessly, I wasn’t sure if I’d actually told him that or not.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow then, Diego?” I began to pull away.

  “You’re not going to ditch me, are you? You haven’t even given me your number. At least give me a fake one.”

  I laughed. “Oh no, sorry. I completely forgot. I might be trying to run off now, but I promise, I’m serious about meeting up with you tomorrow.”

  Tomorrow, I would find my courage.

  I exchanged numbers with Diego, my heart hammering, a weird sensation rising in my chest. Only when I escaped and headed to my room, did I realize what it was. Pride. I’d finally put myself out there again. I’d taken a chance. It was a step in the right direction.

  Now I’d have to explain to Tina what happened while she slept her drunk ass off.

  And I’d need to prepare myself for tomorrow.

  After the way he looked at me, I doubted this would be a friendly sightseeing trip I’d agreed to.

  Chapter 2

  Diego

  * * *

  I drove up to the Allure’s front entrance. When I saw her waiting for me there, dressed in a hot short skirt and heels, I revved my car’s engine. A bell boy grinned as he looked at my bright yellow Ferrari California T in admiration, while another grumbled and shook his head—jealous, of course. I got that a lot. But they didn’t concern me. Today was all about Krista.

  Her eyes bugged out a little at the sight, and the rumbling probably gave her a kick between her thighs, but she smiled, and that was all I wanted. She would be smiling from ear to ear by the end of the night. This wouldn’t be a normal sightseeing tour like all the other Americans went on.

  Krista strutted her fine ass toward the passenger side. I jumped out before she could get the handle herself. There was no way she would be getting any doors today.

  “You look stunning,” I told her, and the way she glowed at the words, I felt my icy heart melting. She just might be the one to change me, I thought fleetingly.

  I watched as she settled in and loved the idea of going fast over bumpy roads with this powerful engine. My fucking dirty mind thought about her not wearing any panties. Fuck, that’d be sexy as hell. I had the idea of taking her to a private spot I owned, an overlook on a beach, and fucking her in that very seat. I wanted her hot and wet, and I wanted to be buried inside of her.

  But no, Diego needed to be a good boy, at least until the end of the trip. I had a lot of events planned for us, and a woman like this deserved a proper romantic date. The idea that I would be going on one wasn’t lost on me. It’d been a while since I even attempted “romance.”

  The best I could do was adventure…Excitement, now that I could provide.

  She strapped herself in. “Where to first?”

  I dropped down onto the comfortable leather driving seat. Looking out into the distance, I saw it was the perfect day for a tour. Cloudless blue skies with a light breeze.

  “This won’t be the normal sightseeing tour.”

  Krista kept glancing around the California T. She probably thought I was rich before, but now had confirmation. Just how rich, she had no idea. This barely touched the surface.

  “Okay, so you’re going to show me all the hidden gems? It’ll be exciting to see it from a local’s point of view.”

  “You got it, now strap in, because this thing can really move.”

  She gripped the seatbelt. I reached over and placed my hand on her thigh, only for a second. But the touch addicted me. I wanted more, wanted to shove myself in between her creamy thighs.

  “Relax, I was only kidding…sort of.”

  I took off. The acceleration startled her, but as we got onto the road, she settled in just fine.

  “Sort of kidding?” she asked, laughing. “You were not kidding at all! This thing is a beast.” Wind whipped through her hair, and she wiggled in the seat, adjusting her skirt.

  I would need to really focus on the road today. She was a major distraction.

  “First you need to try authentic Puerto Rican coffee,” I shouted over the roar.

  We drove away from the busy tourist sections and cut into side streets of tiny villages that felt more at home. Here you could see locals mulling about, chattering, and hanging out in front of their storefronts. Meanwhile, near the resort you would see landscapers, security, or groups lining up for a bus or cab.

  Making my own parking spot, I stopped right in front of Café Chispa. No one would fuck with me, and if they did, all I had to do was to show my ID and they would see my last name, Estrada. That meant don’t fuck with me if you want to keep on living.

  “I can smell it already,” she squealed as she stepped out onto the street. “The coffee and the bread aisle are my favorites in the grocery store. But this is something else, you can probably smell the aroma from a mile away.”

  “Our coffee is different. People order it from all over the world, and it’s served fresh right here every day.” I shrugged. “I guess I don’t appreciate it enough. I’ve had coffee here since I was little.”

  She raised her eyebrow. “How little?”

  “Very, very little,” I said, showing a height at my knee.

  She kept furrowing her brows. Perhaps things I did when I was younger would surprise her. I didn’t live quite the normal life of someone in America, to say the least.

  We sat down at a table near the window. The sun beaming onto Krista’s
cherub face made her look like an angel. My angel? I had always been fine with my way of life, but I knew something was missing.

  Our family were the top dogs. We had been for years. And while I might enjoy crunching the numbers and making sure that everything ran efficiently, there seemed to be no end game. But Krista would never go for my kind of life, would she?

  Those questions would have to wait for later. What I knew for certain was that I wanted her. No, needed her, in a way like I’d never needed a girl.

  Toni, who used to serve me coffee every day, walked over with two steaming cups that looked like they came from Mom’s kitchen cupboard.

  “Enjoy,” he said. “It’s so good to see you again, Diego. And I’m glad you brought us a beautiful guest.” He wandered away to serve the rest of the waiting customers, but we would be number one.

  Now Krista blushed.

  “Jeez. Everyone is so nice here.”

  “They speak the truth. That’s all.”

  Her cheeks grew rosier. I grit my teeth, watching her move closer, her breasts pushing together as more cleavage showed. By the end of this, I would be salivating, wanting to thrust my tongue over every inch of her perfect body.

  She took a whiff and it woke her right up. Then she sipped. “Oh, I like it, but it’s strong. I’ll be up all night.”

  I plan on it, I wanted to say, but I only smiled back. She might’ve caught my impression because she ducked her head to take another sip.

  It wouldn’t be one night. I would keep her in bed for a whole week.

  I waved Toni back. “How about some extra cream?”

  “Americans and their cream.”

  “Don’t forget the sugar,” Krista said with a chuckle. “Sorry.”

  “And the sugar, please.”

  With more cream and sugar added, she drank all of it quickly. Then she really started to talk. I noticed how the caffeine kicked in and decided we needed to go to our next destination right away—Piñones, where we would walk along the beach.

  Before leaving, I left a few hundred for Toni. Krista didn’t catch it. I slipped it underneath a napkin where he would know to look for it. I figured he scoured the table whenever I left now, because I always left gracious tips for those from the past who helped me when I was not a prince, but a pauper.