The models were backstage preparing for the fashion show, which meant Mia was off-limits unless I wanted my entire staff to know the intimate details of our business.
I spotted Blake cornering my sister and getting a little too close for my comfort, so I made my way over to them. “There you are.” I bent to kiss my sister’s cheek. “I haven’t seen you since you got back. I’m glad you could make it tonight.”
“I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said, smoothing her hand down my lapel with a radiant smile.
Tiana was ridiculously beautiful. Her ebony hair fell to her waist and she had dark eyes and olive skin like most of our ancestors, but the way men leered at her made her every overprotective brother’s worst nightmare. Especially when the men were like my best friend.
I glared at Blake. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”
He laughed before winking at Tiana. “Nope. I’m right where I want to be.”
I didn’t know if he was trying to get a rise out of me or if he hoped flirting with Tiana would lead to more. Either way, he would be sorely disappointed. I refused to let him bait me, and the only way he’d get close to my baby sister would be by crawling over my cold corpse. Jackass.
“I hear Damon is back in town,” I said, grabbing a champagne flute from a passing waiter’s tray. I frowned at Blake when he snagged two glasses and handed one to Tiana. She’d been legally old enough to drink for several years, but that didn’t mean I wanted him plying her with alcohol.
“He is.” She grinned. “Our brother claims he’s ready to put down roots. He’s been talking to Daddy about managing the real estate portfolio.”
According to our parents, Damon was a free spirit. In my mind, he was a typical spoiled rich kid who would rather travel the world spending his parents’ hard-earned money than make his own way. That was unfortunate since he was intelligent and extremely charismatic. I had no doubt that if he ever applied himself to a serious goal, he would be wildly successful.
“I’ll believe that when I see it,” I said. “If I know him, he spent a few months in the Mediterranean, hooked up with a clingy woman, and now he’s vowing never to return because he’s afraid she’ll hunt him down.”
“My ears are burning, Deacon. You must be talking about me again.” Damon grinned before pulling me into a back-slapping hug.
The kid may have been reckless, but I still loved him. He was my only brother, and family meant everything to me.
“We were just speculating about why you came home with your tail between your legs,” I said.
He laughed, an uninhibited raspy sound that drew the attention of every woman in the vicinity. The laugh drew their attention, but the sight of Damon was what kept it. He was tall, broad-shouldered, had black hair and olive skin, and he dressed like a high-end model. No woman could resist him, especially when they learned his last name, and he routinely used that to get them into bed.
“I just decided it was time to step up,” Damon said, sipping rare single malt scotch, his drink of choice. “Dad’s not getting any younger, and you’re busy doing your thing.”
I hoped my brother was sincere. It would have eased my father’s burden if one of his children showed an interest in overseeing his conglomerate, and since that wouldn’t be me, Damon was the next logical choice. “You’ve talked to Dad about this?”
Damon nodded as his eyes traveled to the stage. Some of the models, including Mia, were mingling before the show with important customers and suppliers, as they were encouraged to do. Leave it to my brother to home in on my woman. At least he had impeccable taste.
“You can forget about it, little brother. She’s mine.” Of course, after the way we’d left things last night, I couldn’t be sure. Still, I wouldn’t stand by and watch Damon make a play for her.
“Are you kidding me?” He flashed a blinding smile. “That little rocket is yours? The blonde in the white dress?”
At least tonight she was heeding my advice, wearing a fitted white dress that ended a few inches above her knee. Her shoes made me fear for her safety, but she looked classy, almost untouchable, and not at all like a woman on the prowl. That pleased me. Immensely.
“Yeah, so don’t get any ideas,” I said.
“Don’t you mean she’s one of yours?” Tiana looked amused as she brought the champagne flute to her lips.
Unfortunately, my little sister knew me too well.
“This one’s the real deal,” Blake interjected. “Your brother’s been chasing Mia for months. It seems he finally caught her.”
I hadn’t filled Blake in on what had happened last night, nor did I intend to. I was determined to make Mia see reason. Perhaps I could compromise and agree to a long engagement. A four- or five-carat diamond engagement ring on her finger would buy me some peace of mind.
When Mia’s eye caught mine, I lifted a finger, beckoning her. I hoped she wouldn’t embarrass me by ignoring my command. Knowing my little spitfire, I wouldn’t put anything past her.
“Damn,” Damon muttered, watching her walk toward us. “That has got to be the sexiest woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.”
I couldn’t have agreed more. “Again, she’s mine.” With a half-turn, I muttered so only my brother could hear me, “All mine. So don’t get any ideas.”
Mia’s smile widened as she got closer, prompting me to breathe an audible sigh of relief. After our argument, I’d been expecting her to be standoffish. In spite of my blustering last night, I had no intention of letting her go, but I’d thought I might have to work to convince her of that.
“Hello, sweetheart,” I said, reaching for her hand. When I kissed it, my eyes connected with hers. “You look stunning tonight.”
“I’m glad you approve.” The amused gleam in her eye told me she’d selected the toned-down dress to please me, and it did.
“I’d like you to meet my brother and sister.” I gestured to my siblings. “This is Damon and Tiana. Mia Barnes.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said, kissing Tiana’s cheeks before allowing Damon to kiss hers.
It was a polite greeting in our culture, yet seeing the way Damon’s arm slipped around Mia’s waist as his lips landed on her cheek made my blood boil. Apparently, my brother didn’t believe I was serious. I’d have to reiterate my warning in terms he would understand.
“Deacon has told me so much about both of you.” Mia smiled at Damon, and I could tell by the way his jaw slackened that she’d left him a little breathless. “I borrowed Barry while you were gone, Damon, at your overprotective brother’s insistence. I hope you don’t mind.”
Damon winked at Mia. “Not at all. My brother and I routinely share… everything.”
I would kill him, or at least maim him, when we were finally alone.
Seeming uncomfortable with the implication, Tiana cleared her throat delicately. “You look so familiar, Mia. Are you one of Alabaster’s models?”
“I am.” She inched closer to me so I could slip my arm around her waist. “That’s how your brother and I met.” She looked at me, smiling. “He emailed me when he saw the proofs from my first shoot, to let me know how pleased he was with them, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
I was glad she’d glossed over the specific details of our courtship. My family didn’t need to know she’d had a live-in boyfriend when I’d decided to make her mine.
“That sounds like Deacon,” Damon said, biting back a smile as he finished his drink. “He sees what he wants and goes after it.”
Mia smiled politely, but I could tell she wasn’t amused by his comment. “So you’ve been traveling, Damon? Where have you been?”
Damon loved talking about himself and his adventures, so I took the opportunity to pull Blake out of earshot of the group. “I know what you’re doing, and you can forget about hooking up with my sister. It’s not going to happen.”
“Really?” Blake brought the champagne flute to his lips. “Does she know this? Because I get th
e distinct impression she’s interested. Very interested.”
“You’re wasting your time. Why do you think she spent so much time in Greece over the past few months?” I replaced my empty glass with a full one when another waiter with a tray passed by. “My parents have already selected the perfect man for her. He’s from a successful family, has a good education, and he’s expressed an interest in moving to America to learn more about my father’s business.”
Blake’s eyes darkened… with anger? “An arranged marriage? You can’t be serious. What the hell is this, the 1900s? Who still does that?”
I lifted a shoulder, pleased by his reaction. He needed to know my innocent and refined sister wasn’t going to be his little plaything. “It’s not uncommon in my culture, especially in families like mine that have to ensure the union will work. They can’t afford a messy divorce that will cost a small fortune and wind up in the headlines.”
“You’re okay with this?” he demanded, a steely edge to his voice. “More importantly, your sister is okay with this? It doesn’t sound like her. Are they forcing her into it?”
No one forced my sister to do anything—she had a mind of her own. But I had no doubt my parents had presented a compelling argument.
“I don’t know much about this guy. She could be attracted to him, feel he would be a good husband and father.”
He turned his back so Tiana couldn’t read his lips. “She’s too young to get married. She needs to wait a while, date some more, and figure out what she wants, not what your parents want for her.”
My parents didn’t care for Blake, and the feeling was mutual. They thought he was an opinionated hothead with no respect for tradition. They were right, but I knew Blake a lot better than they did. He was often a better friend than I deserved. He was honest, trustworthy, and loyal to a fault. He was also brilliant, and his innovative ideas—I had to grudgingly admit—had helped launch and grow our business exponentially over the years. Unfortunately, he liked women as much as, if not more than, I did, but I could hardly fault him for that. It wasn’t a sin. It just meant he wouldn’t get anywhere near my sister.
“That’s her decision, not yours or mine,” I said. “I just wanted you to know the deal before you got any ideas about pursuing her.”
Blake stared me down. “You and I go way back, Starkis. You’re like a brother to me. Is it really such an abhorrent idea—me and your sister?”
“Knowing what you intend to do to her, or should I say with her? Yes, it is.” I didn’t care that I’d offended him. Our relationship was built on brutal honesty, and this subject was no exception. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to have a word with Mia before the show.” I didn’t give my friend a chance to respond before I politely extracted Mia from our group.
She allowed me to lead her to some chairs in the hall of the regal ballroom so we would have more privacy.
“I’m glad you decided to be civil tonight. After the way we left things last night, I wasn’t sure what to expect.” The tense set of her shoulders and the way she laced her fingers against her crossed legs indicated she’d been putting on an act for my family’s benefit. She was still upset with me.
“I may have overreacted,” I admitted. “It was a difficult night and definitely not the right time to discuss… the future.” I didn’t want to discuss marriage or even our engagement yet. I just wanted us to forgive last night’s indiscretions and forget they had ever happened.
“I don’t want to fight with you.” She reached for my hand, her voice soft and low.
“I don’t want that either, sweetheart.” I moved closer and brushed my lips against her ear. “I missed you after you left last night. I never should have let you go.”
“You practically kicked me out.” Her lips lifted at one corner. At least she was amused.
“Yeah, sometimes I act without thinking.” Especially where she was concerned. It was rare for my heart to guide me instead of my head, but it seemed that would be the new norm with Mia. “I am sorry.”
“I’m the one who should be apologizing. After what happened…” She sighed, a look of agony crossing her face. “I still can’t believe I was so impetuous. That’s not at all like me, and then to brush you off the way I did.” She touched my face. “Any woman in her right mind would be flattered by your attention, but I blew you off like the idea of marrying you was offensive. It’s just that…” Her gaze traveled to our joined hands. “I do love you, Deacon. But this is all happening so fast. I’m so young, and I just assumed I’d have more time to figure this stuff out.”
I thought of the man I’d been at her age. If someone had suggested marriage then, I would have run in the opposite direction. “If you need to take it slower, we will. Just promise me you’ll remain open-minded.”
“I will.” She leaned in to kiss my cheek. “I promise.” She said hesitantly, “That comment your brother made about you two sharing everything, he was referring to women, wasn’t he?”
God, would my sordid past never stop haunting me? There were things I hoped Mia would never find out, mainly because I was ashamed to look her in the eye and admit the truth. Sharing women with my brother was one of those issues I would have gladly buried forever, but thanks to my kid brother’s big mouth, I had no choice but to come clean. I couldn’t lie to her.
“Damon and I have similar taste in women,” I said, trying to hedge. “We’ve dated a few of the same girls.”
“Dated… as in slept with?”
“Yes.” Shame wasn’t an emotion I was comfortable with. I rarely apologized for my actions. My attitude had always been, “Take me as I am or leave me,” but I couldn’t risk Mia taking the latter option.
“At the same time?” She was trying not to sound judgmental, but she clearly had no intention of letting it go until she had answers.
“Yes.” I held her hand more tightly, part of me fearing she may withdraw again.
“Meaning?”
“Jesus, Mia, do we have to do this now? Here?” If anyone else had been grilling me that way, I would have told them to mind their own goddamn business. But Mia was my lover, a woman who’d agreed to sex without protection, so she’d earned the right to know about my sexual history.
“I meant what I said, Deacon. I don’t want to fight with you, but if we want a chance at a future together, we have to be honest. We have to feel comfortable enough to ask each other anything. I refuse to let these questions eat away at me while I assume the worst, too afraid to ask you for the truth.”
She was right, but I would have preferred having that conversation while stretched out on my bed with her in my arms instead of under the watchful eyes of hundreds of business associates.
“Fine.” I lowered my voice. No one was within earshot, but I’d learned the hard way to take necessary precautions, especially when the press was around. “My brother and I have hosted parties where we’ve slept with the same women. It wasn’t at the same time and not in the same room. It hasn’t happened in a long time.”
She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Why would any woman degrade herself that way?”
“You’d be amazed what women will do when there’s a lot of money involved,” I said quietly. “I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but for a lot of women, having a shot with not one but two of the Starkis brothers was kind of like winning the lottery. Sleeping with both of us doubled their chances of winning the big prize.”
“You’re so cynical.” It wasn’t a judgment, just an observation.
“When you’ve been with as many gold diggers as I have, it’s called self-preservation.” It was important for her to understand why I had been reserved in relationships except with her.
“How did you know I wasn’t interested in you because of your money?” she asked.
“You tried to return the gifts I sent you. You said you didn’t want them. That’s when I knew you were different.”
“You were testing me?”
“No, I wanted you to have those things,�
� I said. “They were beautiful and made me think of you, but a part of me was happy that you didn’t want to accept them. I’ve never been with a woman who’s declined an expensive gift.”
“I felt guilty taking those things from you, especially when I was living with Drew.”
“What did you do with the gifts I gave you?” I asked. “How did you explain them to him?”
“Honestly, he never paid me enough attention to notice whether I was wearing a new dress or piece of jewelry. Half the time, I don’t even think he knew I was in the room.” She took a deep breath, as though she was steeling herself to continue. “That’s why this thing with you is a bit overwhelming for me. I’m not used to being with a man who’s so attentive, so into me. Don’t get me wrong, it’s flattering. It’s just… a lot.”
I smiled at her description. I had been accused of being intimidating on more than one occasion, and I purposefully dominated most situations, so I couldn’t blame her for needing time to adjust to my presence in her life.
“I get that, but you will have to get used to my intense…” I struggled for the right word. Greek was my first language, Greece my homeland, but having been educated primarily in America, I had an excellent command of English. Only Mia left me grasping for a word I couldn’t find to convey my feelings for her. “Attention… because I can’t control the way you make me feel, theia. That makes this as scary for me as it is for you. For the first time in my life, I feel like I have no control.”
She smiled before a look of understanding passed between us. We were both scared, each of us for different reasons, but our desire for each other meant we were willing to take the risk.
“I have to get ready for the show,” she said, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Wish me luck?”
Deacon (Starkis Family #1) Page 16
