Seductive Memory

by Altonya Washington

  Once, they meant the world to each other—

  Can they regain what they lost?

  A chance encounter with Paula Starker is all entrepreneur Linus Brooks needs to try to win back the woman who was once his whole world. And where better to romance the sultry Philadelphia DA than a lush villa on a private tropical island? But before they can share a future, Linus will have to reveal his tragic secret...

  “Ready.” She considered the word.

  Ready indicated it was only a matter of time. Linus’s words indicated that the time would never arrive. That was good, wasn’t it? She didn’t want the full truth, did she? She thought she didn’t before...and now—

  “Tough break.”

  Paula whirled to find Linus standing just a few feet behind her. His molten chocolate stare appeared more vibrant against the tropical morning sun as he, too, stared at the Idella disappearing around a bend in the bay.

  “Guess they thought you wouldn’t make it,” he said.

  “Wonder what would’ve given them that idea.”

  Linus barely shrugged in response. Paula rolled her eyes as she resumed her study of the quiet waters.

  “If you’re bummed about it,” he said, moving closer, “I’m sure we could arrange something.”

  The offer made Paula smile. “I’m sure we could.” She averted her face so he couldn’t see her lashes flutter when he moved close to cup her hips.

  “I’m not going to bed with you, L.” She swallowed around the ball of need suddenly occupying her throat.

  “That’s the great thing about a place like this.” He didn’t seem discouraged by her decision. “There are all sorts of places we could substitute for a bed.”

  Dear Reader,

  We’re approaching the end of a long and wonderful road. I’ve been so fortunate to have you follow me on my journey with the cast of the Provocative series. I’ve enjoyed telling this story and introducing you to a group of Philadelphia powerhouses who joined forces to meet some pretty intense situations—the greatest among them falling in love.

  I’m pleased to present Linus Brooks and Paula Starker in Seductive Memory. Much drama has settled in the worlds of these estranged lovers. Still, unspoken words and past regrets remain. To find the way back to the love they lost, Paula and Linus will have to shed their fears of facing the past and take hold of the desire still igniting between them.

  I’ve enjoyed creating this world. Thank you for welcoming my stories and the characters who bring them to life.

  Peace and Blessings Always,

  AlTonya

  altonya@lovealtonya.com

  SEDUCTIVE MEMORY

  AlTonya Washington

  www.millsandboon.com.au

  ALTONYA WASHINGTON has been a romance novelist for fifteen years. She’s been nominated for numerous awards and is the winner of two RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Awards for her novels Finding Love Again and His Texas Touch. She won the Romance Slam Jam EMMA Award for her novel Indulge Me Tonight. AlTonya lives in North Carolina and works as a reference librarian. This author wears many hats, but being a mom is her favorite job.

  To my loyal readers, thank you for cheering me on. Your support over the years has meant the world to me.

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Excerpt from A Los Angeles Passion by Sherelle Green

  Prologue

  Costalegre, Mexico

  The wedding plans had changed, and quite suddenly. The bride and groom had opted for an event with a lot less flash and dazzle than the bride’s mother would’ve liked. Still, no one could argue that the ceremony hadn’t been a perfect one.

  Santigo Rodriguez and Sophia Hail had spoken their romantic and heartfelt vows amid tropical breezes scented by the variety of exotic flowers adorning the environment. The change in venue and time had been a gift of sorts from the bride’s sister and brother-in-law-to-be. Viva Hail and her fiancé, Rook Lourdess, had arranged a breathtaking escape that the bride and groom had eagerly accepted.

  Flora of such splendid hues looked to have been skillfully shaded, as if from the colors of an artist’s palette. The flowers, brilliant as they were, simply enhanced the sky. To call it magnificent just didn’t seem to do it justice.

  Paula Starker didn’t think there were any words that could describe the presence of something capable of instilling such an intense sensation of serenity. And she could use a little serenity just then. The vivid blue, dotted by blindingly white and puffy clouds, infused her bloodstream with calmness like a drug. Paula was eager to let it have its way.

  Serenity—as much as she could get—would remain a necessity if she was expected to make it through the rest of the day. She hadn’t thought to ask Sophia how long a maid of honor was expected to hang around once the nuptials had concluded, especially when she had two. Viva had stood up with her sister as well.

  Of course, such questions hadn’t occurred to her until she’d realized who else she’d be sharing the ceremonial stage with. She’d actually been enjoying—or at least relatively enjoying—herself. The ceremony, its locale and the weather were all beautiful. Here were the good things of life—love, beauty, relaxation—all rolled into one. Who could ask for more?

  Well, for starters, not having the man she almost married watching her throughout the entire occasion might’ve been nice. It should’ve been easy to ignore him. Seriously though, what woman with working eyes could truly ignore Linus Brooks? Especially when he stood just over thirty feet away? One of the groom’s two best men, he epitomized tall, dark and stunning in linen trousers and a shirt as blindingly white as the clouds dotting the magnificent sky above.

  He watched her with an unerring intensity that came across as just enough amusement and certainty. The look told Paula that he knew damn well the effect he was having on her. It didn’t take a psychic to know the direction of her thoughts when her eyes lingered on his shirt billowing against the strong breeze.

  Linus Brooks was well over six feet of taut, licorice muscle. His lean frame flattered every stitch of clothing he wore. This shirt was no different in the way it beautifully contrasted with his skin tone, and accentuated a sleekly sculpted chest.

  Oh, he knew what he was doing, alright. Paula focused on keeping her brooding to a minimum, which helped to keep her eyes off the man who’d once held her body and soul in the palm of his hand. The heated reminder almost knocked the wind out of her. Surprising, since it was a truth never all that far from memory. Regardless, it was a truth that evoked a reaction when in the presence of the one it involved.

  Linus Brooks had been that one—the only man she had ever wanted. Standing within sight of him then, Paula feared he always would be.

  * * *

  Costalegre’s vibrant flowers and sky were rivaled strongly by its waters. Unending turquoise ran alongside the Pacific and had the ability to mesmerize onlookers with little effort. Paula was no exception. She had abandoned the lively beachfront reception not long after it had gotten underway. Though the sun was setting, it took nothing away from the brilliance of the day—in fact, it enhanced it. She’d already strolled along the shoreline, smiling as the water worked its w
ay between her toes.

  The maids of honor had been decked in linen, same as the best men. Sophia had selected baby doll dresses with capped sleeves and lace hems that were perfectly suited to the climate. The dress code forbade shoes, and Paula couldn’t have been happier. She moved into the water until the tranquil waves lapped the backs of her knees. Serenity had found its way deep into her bloodstream, such that she wasn’t too unsettled when his voice resonated above the quiet roar of the water.

  “Some wedding,” Linus noted while he too enjoyed the unending turquoise before his eyes.

  “Some wedding,” Paula managed, despite the violent stab of arousal his voice summoned.

  “Tig and Sophie are already brainstorming ways to outdo this when they plan Rook and Viva’s wedding.”

  Paula couldn’t help but smile over the news Linus shared. “When couples compete, their friends get caught in the middle.”

  Linus grunted a laugh. “If the middle lands us here again, then I’m all for it.”

  “Yeah.” Paula inhaled the pleasant air as she studied the sun making its way closer to the horizon.

  “We should’ve been first.”

  His words clipped her appreciation of the view. “What?” She shifted to face him, gasping when her gaze collided with his. It had been years since she’d looked so closely into it. His eyes were molten chocolate orbs that had a sensually jarring glint and sometimes reflected hints of amber. His gaze was seductively set beneath long, thick brows of sleek ebony. Stricken, Paula directed her glare toward his pant legs rolled clear of the water.

  “You heard me.” Linus moved closer until he was taking Paula’s other hand. Her fist was clenched tight near her thigh. “We should’ve been first. You should be my wife, have a house full of my kids and another inside you—”

  “Linus, stop.” She snatched her hand free and used it to cover her mouth. How long had it been since she’d spoken his name? “Don’t.” She hated the pleading quality she heard in her voice then.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  The determined tone of his voice had Paula looking up again. She couldn’t tell whether the apology spoke to their immediate conversation or to a situation long passed and best not revisited.

  “It’s too late,” she said anyway. She couldn’t resist probing to see whether their past was on his mind too.

  It was.

  “Is it?” He left barely a sliver of space between them then.

  “It’s a wedding, Linus. You’re just getting caught up in the moment,” Paula reasoned.

  That was true. The moment was having its way with her as well. She wouldn’t be able to resist leaning into him if he stayed where he was for much longer. Her thoughts buzzed with memories of the way he used to feel—strong, safe, capable of pleasure she’d never found a match for—

  “Ma’am?”

  Snapping to, Paula turned to give a nod to the tall dark-suited man who’d interrupted. He said nothing further, only turned and left once she’d acknowledged him.

  “Was that for my benefit?” Linus asked.

  Again, Paula smiled at the laughter in his query.

  “No.” She sighed. “I think we both know it’d take more than one member of my security team to have an effect on you. Anyway.” She glanced across her shoulder to find that they were alone again on the quiet stretch of beach. “There’s not much I can do without them, you know?”

  Linus nodded. “One of the perks of being the district attorney,” he said, only cringing a little at her dig.

  “And one of the few I’ll miss. He was just coming to let me know it’s time,” Paula explained before Linus could follow up his curious look with a question.

  “That’s why I came to find you.” He nodded again, then said suddenly, as though remembering, “Sophie said you’re on your way back to Philly.”

  “Yeah, um, they moved up the wedding date and threw me off schedule, so...” She shrugged. “Best I could do to make it work.”

  “But you just got here last night.” A teasing light glimmered in his eyes. “Surely the DA can finagle a week off to celebrate her best friend’s wedding?”

  “There’s a lot going on at the office.” Paula issued the response she’d gotten down pat with all Sophie’s begging for her to take more time as well. Truthfully speaking, it would’ve taken little more than her saying she’d be back when she got back if she’d wanted to “finagle” a week off or more.

  She hadn’t wanted it, and the reason was standing right beside her.

  “You know, I never got to tell you how proud I am of you,” Linus was saying, the pride he spoke of alive and well in his eyes. “You wanted DA and you got it.”

  “Not bad for an opportunist, huh?”

  “Paula—”

  “But that’s not the word you used, was it?” She expected her words to have him stepping back.

  Linus didn’t budge. “May I talk to you?”

  “About what, Linus? The past? The fact that we should’ve been first and I should be spending my time having your babies? We aren’t them.” She threw a hand toward the general direction of the beachfront reception. “Love? Future? We already know what that turns into, don’t we?” She was the one stepping back then. “I already said my goodbyes.” She turned to leave.

  He blocked her way. “Don’t you want to know why?”

  “I did.” Paula swallowed past a rising sob and silently celebrated the accomplishment. “I did when I was that heartbroken little girl, confused and shattered by the guy I would’ve killed for if he’d asked me to.”

  With a resigned shake of her head, she backed off a few more steps.

  “I’m not the girl you knew, Linus. She’s gone. You saw to that.”

  Chapter 1

  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  Three Weeks Later

  “Maxton says the place will inspire our creativity.” Elias Joss’s piercing blue-green stare held a mix of doubt and curiosity as he observed the eight-by-eleven glossy in hand. The square work table before him carried several more of the aerial prints.

  “Creativity, huh?” Santigo Rodriguez’s gold-flecked dark gaze harbored similar doubt, which was laced with humor instead of curiosity. “Where’s this villa he mentioned?”

  Frowning slightly, Eli leaned over the table and upended another of the gold-toned folders that carried an additional sheaf of glossy images. “Here we go,” he said.

  Tig’s light honey-toned face brightened with approval of the villa displayed in full color. It was tucked away on its own island a few miles from Finley Cay in The Bahamas.

  “Now this is more like it,” Tig breathed, as if awestruck. “Yeah... I could see myself getting very creative in there.”

  “Damn right.” Eli’s voice carried the same awe-filled chord. He had reached for one of the glossies as well and studied the immortalized image with distinct appreciation. “You thinkin’ what I am?”

  “I am, if you’re thinkin’ our work should be mixed with a few weeks of unadulterated playtime.” Satisfied, Tig reclined in the wide ladder-backed chair to shuffle through a few more of the prints.

  “Then it looks like our thoughts are one, my friend.” Eli helped himself to a few prints from Tig’s stack.

  “I even have my playmate in mind.” Tig’s murmured words carried across the room.

  “So do I,” Eli murmured in return.

  The snort that followed had both men looking toward the far end of the table.

  “What?” Tig queried in reaction to the glare Linus sent his way.

  “You’re serious here?” Linus’s expression reflected amused disbelief. “I could swear you just got back from two weeks of unadulterated playtime with your playmate.”

  “We’re newlyweds, Line.” Tig sighed matter-of-factly while giving a lazy stretch. “It’s my duty as a hus
band to keep my wife in bed for the better part of the next two years at least.”

  “Good to know you take your vows seriously,” Linus noted while Eli chuckled.

  Again, Tig sighed. “It’s an exhausting job, but I’ll survive somehow.”

  Linus’s quick grimace sent the hint of a dimple flashing in his cheek. “You know Maxton will expect us to get just a little work done?” he said.

  “See? This is why you’re their favorite.”

  “I’m everyone’s favorite,” Linus countered. “Without me, they don’t get through the front door to the two of you.”

  “And here they are, already through the front door, and you’re still their go-to guy because you keep us all on the straight and narrow.”

  It was true. Linus’s outspoken nature and often biting wit had built him a respected name. Instead of clients shying away from his frequently intimidating persona, they appreciated the integrity that accompanied it.

  “Line’s right.” Eli sobered. “Besides brainstorming ideas to turn this villa—and the island it sits on—into a worthwhile resort, we’ve got a stack of potential projects to decide on.”

  Expressions on the three handsome faces in the room grew distinctly downcast. The partners of Joss Construction eyed the rust-colored accordion folder they’d been avoiding. Secured by a rubber band, the folder was fat with potential groundbreakers.

  Joss was among a very select few in the construction business that rarely put in bids for jobs. The luxury of clients seeking them out for first refusals was one they’d worked very hard to acquire. Linus, Elias and Santigo had already taken preliminary meetings concerning each proposal. They had yet to decide which ones to add to an already robust lineup. Of course, being busy was nothing new for the talented trio.

  Joss Construction was Elias’s inheritance, but his friends shared equally in the partnership. The three—friends since before they could talk—had taken Evan Joss’s brainchild and carried it to even greater heights of success and respect. While Elias believed that his late father would’ve never admitted he’d been surpassed in the business, he knew the man could never have argued it as fact.