“Looks like Renata finally rescued our boy from his cougar fan club,” Gabriel said, drawing Raphael’s attention to Sebastian, who had his wife securely tucked in by his side.
“Good for him.” He looked for Macy, but couldn’t find that familiar flash of flaming hair in the sea of people. He looked for Parker, who should have stood head and shoulders above the crowd, but didn’t see him, either.
“Go find your woman,” Gabriel said. “She’s probably in the ladies’ room. I’ve got some hunting of my own to do.”
He melted into the throng, and Raphael pulled out his phone to send a text to Parker. Where is she?
Ladies’ room. West corner, near the stairs.
Raphael made a beeline for the west corner of the ballroom, eager to get to Macy. The party was officially a success but now he was ready to get Macy home, strip her bare, and make her his forever.
He didn’t count on the statuesque blonde in a black dress throwing herself into his arms, planting a kiss on him as Macy exited the ladies’ room.
* * *
Macy wondered how she’d react if she was ever confronted with one of Raphael’s supermodel exes. She’d expected anger. What she felt was cold amusement instead.
He pushed the blonde away. “Macy, let me explain—”
“You’re not the one who needs to explain.” She turned her focus to the blonde standing too close to Raphael, a triumphant smile on her face. “I’m assuming you’re one of Raphael’s former … friends.”
“Not former.” The blonde tossed her hair back. “I’m his current girlfriend.”
“You’re mistaken,” Macy said calmly. “Everyone knows that Raphael Jerroult doesn’t do girlfriends.”
“You’re the one who’s mistaken. Raphael loves me.” Courtney turned to him. “Tell her she’s wrong. Tell her you love me!”
“No.” The look Raphael gave her could have frozen flames. “I don’t love you, Courtney. You know that. You don’t love me, either.”
Courtney’s face twisted with rage. “You love her? Her?”
“Yes.” A smile lit Raphael’s face, a smile that warmed every corner of Macy’s heart. She knew he loved her, knew it with every caress, every thoughtful gesture and token he gave her.
“What’s so special about her?” Courtney demanded.
“She sees me,” Raphael said softly. “She always has. It’s why I belong to her.”
“You bitch!” Courtney screeched, reaching into her purse as she advanced on Macy. “I won’t let you have him!”
Macy didn’t stop to think. She spun on her left foot, delivering a roundhouse kick with her right that sent the blond woman flying—right into Parker’s arms. The security team hustled her away before she could tell if the other woman was unconscious or not.
“God, I didn’t mean to kick her so hard. Who knew those kickboxing classes I took would come in handy? Is she all right? Where is he taking her?”
“I don’t give a damn.” Raphael held her at arm’s length, his expression hard with fear and anger. “Are you hurt?”
“No, I—”
He crushed her against his chest, squeezing the air from her lungs. “She could have killed you!”
“But she didn’t.”
“She had a gun in her purse, Macy. I should have stopped her. I should have got in the way.” He shuddered. “I finally understand what my father went through. I love you too much to live without you. I won’t.”
“Stop.” She pushed free of him enough to take his left hand, curling her fingers around the cord on his wrist. “Do you really expect me to stand by and watch you get hurt for me?”
“Yes!” he roared. “Damn you, yes!”
“So it would be all right for me to live without you, but not all right for you to live without me? You think I could do that? You think I would want to, knowing you sacrificed yourself for me?”
His eyes slid closed on a groan. “Macy.”
“Let’s promise each other, right here and right now, that we’re going to live. Live for each other. Promise me.”
For a long moment he remained silent, his body tight with tension. “All right.”
“Let’s deal with this and then go home, okay?”
“Hell, yes. Then you can tell me when you perfected that roundhouse.”
Hours later, they lay beside each other in a tangle of sheets and limbs. Reaching over, she untied the scarlet cord around his wrist, then brushed her lips over his pulse point. “I can think of a better ornament for this hand.”
He blew out a breath, then relaxed, smiling at her. “Something round and platinum?”
“That sounds about right.”
“If I have to wear something like that, then it stands to reason that you need something, too, something that shows the world that you’re mine.” He grinned, then reached into his nightstand drawer, and extracted a small box. “Do you think this will do for now?”
Her breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the flawless multifaceted diamond set in a platinum diamond-studded antique band. Something about it was familiar.
He knelt in front of her, holding the ring between them. “Macy Lovelace, life began the day you put me in a headlock and made me take a picture with your family. I’ve been your friend and I’ve been your lover. Now I want to be your husband. Will you marry me?”
“Do I still get to be your friend and your lover?”
“Always.”
“Then yes, I’ll absolutely marry you.”
“Good.” He slipped the ring on her finger, then gave her a kiss that left no doubt as to his need for her.
She came up for air, dazed, flushed, staring down at her new engagement ring. “You know I’d swear I saw this ring somewhere before.”
He pulled her close, his features open, relaxed and full of love. “When we visited your father, I asked his permission to marry you. He gave me his blessing, and your mother’s ring.”
“Oh.” Tears fractured her vision as she realized what Raphael had done for her, had been doing all along—giving her proof of his love for her. “Raffie, what you do for me, big things and small, makes me a very lucky woman.”
“Then it’s a good thing you agreed to marry the luckiest man alive.”
Read all three parts of the Billionaire’s Club: New Orleans sensational e-series!
From St. Martin’s Press
Visit http://www.mallerymalone.com/ for more romance!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mallery Malone is a multi-published author of contemporary and historical romance of all heat levels. An avid reader, she loves to create worlds and characters that strike a deep emotional connection.
Mallery lives on the outskirts of Atlanta with her guitar hero husband, several cannibal fish, and two standard poodles who think they’re lapdogs. When not working the day job, she spends her time hanging out with friends, people watching, and working on her next writing project.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
“Power Play” copyright © 2014 by Mallery Malone.
All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN 978-1-4668-5483-3
First eBook Edition: August 2014
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to [email protected].
rayscale(100%); filter: grayscale(100%); " class="sharethis-inline-share-buttons">share
Power Play Page 10
