The Way You Love Me
Page 1
Rave reviews for
FRANCIS RAY
Only You
“Francis Ray’s graceful writing style and realistically complex characters give her latest contemporary romance its extraordinary emotional richness and depth.”
—Chicago Tribune
“It’s a joy to read this always fresh and exciting saga.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4 Stars)
“The powerful descriptive powers of Francis Ray allow the reader to step into the story and become an active part of the surrender . . . If you love a great love story, Only You should be on your list.”
—Fallen Angel Reviews
“Riveting emotion and charismatic scenes that make this book captivating . . . a beautiful story of love and romance.”
—Night Owl Romance
“A beautiful love story as only Francis Ray can tell it.”
—Singletitles.com
“Readers will find a warm and wonderful contemporary romance with plenty of humor and drama. Adding a fun warmth and reality to these characters and a plot that moves quickly add all the needed incentive to read this fun book.”
—Multicultural Romance Writers
Irresistible You
“A pleasurable story . . . a well-developed story and continuous plot.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Like the previous titles in this series, Irresistible You is another winner . . . Witty and charming . . . Author Francis Ray has a true gift for drawing the reader in and never letting them go.”
—Multicultural Romance Writers
You and No Other
“The warmth and sincerity of the Graysons bring another book to life . . . delightfully realistic.”
—Romantic Times
“Astonishing sequel . . . the best romance of the new year . . . the Graysons are sure to leave a smile on your face and a longing in your heart for their next story.”
—ARomanceReview.com
“There are three more [Grayson] children with great love stories in the future.”
—Booklist
Someone to Love Me
“Another great romance novel.”
—Booklist
“The plot moves quickly, and the characters are interesting.”
—Romantic Times
“The characters give as good as they get, and their romance is very believable.”
—All About Romance
Also by
FRANCIS RAY
Only You
Not Even If You Begged
Dreaming of You
Irresistible You
In Another Man’s Bed
Any Rich Man Will Do
Like the First Time
Someone to Love Me
Somebody’s Knocking at My Door
I Know Who Holds Tomorrow
Trouble Don’t Last Always
You and No Other
Anthologies
Rosie’s Curl and Weave
Della’s House of Style
Going to the Chapel
Welcome to Leo’s
Gettin’ Merry
The Way You
Love Me
FRANCIS RAY
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
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.
THE WAY YOU LOVE ME
Copyright © 2008 by Francis Ray.
Excerpt from Nobody But You copyright © 2008 by Francis Ray.
Cover photograph © Shirley
Green All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 0-312-94684-8
EAN: 978-0-312-94684-5
Printed in the United States of America
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / September 2008
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dear Reader,
I want to thank you for your tremendous support of the Graysons of New Mexico Series. However, once Ruth married off Sierra to Blade Navarone in the fifth and last book, Only You, you wanted to know about the friends and family members you’d met in Until There Was You, You and No Other, Dreaming of You, Irresistible You, and Only You. Because of your overwhelming requests, my publisher has allowed me to write the stories you clamored for.
First up in a new series called “Grayson Friends” is Shane Elliott, a man who piqued readers’ attention from the moment he appeared in Dreaming of You. Bold, gorgeous and deadly—Shane doesn’t have time for a woman—until he meets one he can’t forget, Paige Albright. Hired to protect Paige from an unscrupulous boyfriend, Shane is caught in a dilemma that his sharp intelligence and training as an Army Ranger can’t help him solve. He wants Paige for himself, but if she learns the real reason he’s insinuated himself in her life, she’ll hate him forever.
The next book in the Grayson Friends Series is Nobody But You, Cameron McBride’s story. We first heard of the McBride curse—unlucky in love/lucky in business—in Dreaming of You. In the same book we learned of Cameron’s heartbreak of still loving a woman who had left him at the altar. But why? Was she a heartless tease or was there a compelling reason for betraying Cameron? We’ll find the answer as we enter the fascinating world of NASCAR where Cameron is one of the top ten drivers. Will the McBride curse rule, or like Faith, will Cameron finally be lucky in love and win the woman he’ll love forever?
I can’t close without expressing my thanks to you, the faithful readers, and my publisher at St. Martin’s Press for reissuing Until There Was You, slated for December 2008. We’ve waited a long time for this to happen and I couldn’t be more pleased. To celebrate this wonderful event, and as a special gift to my readers, I’ve included a bonus story, Christmas and You, where you can share and delight in Luke and Catherine’s first Christmas.
Happy reading,
Francis
P.O. Box 764651
Dallas, TX 75376
Email: francisray@aol.com
www.Francisray.com
THE GRAYSONS OF NEW MEXICO—THE FALCONS OF TEXAS
Cousins by marriage—friends by choice
Bold men and women who risk it all for love
The Way You
Love Me
Prologue
She moved him.
For longer than Shane Elliott could remember nothing and no one had touched his heart, made him remember he had a soul, except the two men who had walked through hell with him . . . until that night, until Paige Albright.
In the stillness of another restless night, he lay awake in bed and watched the shadows of the trees sway on the wall of the cottage behind the main house of Blade Navarone’s estate on Riviera Maya. Hundreds of miles away from where they’d first met, in Dallas, he could still feel her incredible softness, smell her haunting scent.
Most of all, he could see the fear in her eyes after he’d thrown her to the ground, covering her small body with his.
The terror that had leaped into her eyes, the uncontrollable trembling of her body would forever haunt him. That he had been protecting one of his closest friends and employer, Blade Navarone, hadn’t mattered. Then and now, Shane felt as if he had destroyed something precious.
At the time, he’d consoled himself that his actions were necessary; yet a part of him h
ad been grateful that he’d had on night-vision goggles and that they were in the deep shadows of the trees so she couldn’t clearly see his face. His search of her body for weapons was quick, methodical, detached . . . until his hand, passed over her small but perfectly formed breasts that fit his hand as if made just for him. Her sharp intake of breath had caused her breast to quiver, then push against his palm.
Shane’s hands fisted on the bed. He was disgusted with himself for that night’s sudden tightening of his body, the hard, hungry arousal he couldn’t hide.
She’d trembled worse, her teeth chattering, then she’d started to fight once again. His arm under her chin had effectively stopped her struggles. Words wouldn’t have helped calm her, not with his thick arousal pushing against the junction of her thighs. For both of them, he had to complete the task of searching for weapons as quickly as possible.
Thankfully she’d stilled and he’d hurriedly finished, then pulled her to her feet by her slim arm, keeping his back to the meager light coming from the house fifty feet away. He flashed a beam of a light into her frightened, heart-shaped face, then pushed her hand away when it automatically lifted to shield her eyes.
“Don’t move and you won’t be hurt.”
Her eyes widened. Her soft lips trembled. Shane locked the curse behind his teeth. “Hurry.” He’d rasped the one word, wanting Corbin to finish feeding her driver’s license number into the handheld computer Shane had devised for fieldwork.
“Everything checks. She’s clean.”
“Who… who are you?” Her voice was cultured, with a hint of the Deep South. He’d guessed that an expensive private school had negated the accent until now . . . until he had made her realize how defenseless she was.
Shane wasn’t used to answering questions. He had no intention of starting now. “What are you doing here? And I want the truth the first time.” His voice was cold; he’d learned to be. Killers had no respect for race or gender or county.
“I—” she began, then faltered.
He could see the lie start to form in her darting eyes, her tongue moistening her lips. He immediately dismissed her as a threat. She couldn’t lie her way out of a paper bag.
“The truth or I’ll have to search you again.”
She gasped. Horror widened her eyes. She quickly stepped back. Knowing that the thought of his hands on her was abhorrent to her shouldn’t have mattered. He couldn’t have cared less what people thought of him . . . until her.
“Talk,” he snapped, hoping to jar her into telling him what he needed to know.
She jumped and began talking. Strange, but as she finished in a strained, embarrassed whisper, he felt even worse. He’d recognized her name, Paige Albright, and knew she’d told the truth. Just as he knew the person she sought would do everything in her power to ensure Paige never found the answers she sought.
The accusing look in Paige’s eyes stabbed him worse than any blade could have. He’d taken something from her, made her more vulnerable than merely tackling her should have.
He’d taken a swipe at her pride.
He’d give anything to undo what had happened, but that was impossible. Stuff happened.
Shane reached for the handheld. He quickly scanned the data, entered more, then exchanged it for her black designer handbag, which was at least twenty by twenty-four inches. Picking up the flashlight she’d dropped, Shane shut it off and stuck it inside the handbag.
When she’d stopped within rifle range of the patio where Blade and Sierra Grayson and the couple they were visiting, Dominique Falcon-Masters and her husband, Trent Masters, chatted, Shane had made the decision to take the unexpected visitor down. He had no way of knowing she’d been looking for the binoculars he’d seen the instant before his body covered hers.
“You’ll be escorted back to your car. My advice would be to take an earlier flight rather than the one in the morning.”
Surprise flickered in her eyes, then a spark of defiance. “It’s a free country.”
“Would you want her to find out why you’re here?”
Anger mixed with fear flashed in her eyes. “You bastard.”
Good. She was regaining her footing. “Remember that and be on the next flight to Atlanta.”
She snatched her purse from him and hooked the wide leather strap over her slim shoulders. After one look filled with distaste, she turned and walked away, never looking back.
Corbin followed to make sure she got back in the rental she’d left on the FM Road a mile away. A patrolling sentry had notified Shane the moment she stepped onto Dominique and Trent’s property.
Eyes closed now in bed, Shane threw his arm across his forehead. She wasn’t a threat to Blade or Sierra, but in the weeks since, she had become a threat to Shane’s peace of mind. The one woman who moved him, and he disgusted her.
And he couldn’t get her out of his mind no matter how hard he tried.
Chapter 1
Tired of chasing sleep and battling memories, Shane silently rose from his bed shortly after six the next morning and headed for the shower. It was a good thing he didn’t need much sleep, he mused, as he stepped naked into the glass enclosure and turned the jets on full blast.
The pelting streams of water did little to take his mind from the reason for his inability to sleep. It was almost three months since he’d encountered Paige Albright, and his memory of her was as vivid as if it had happened last night.
Why her? Why was he unable to forget her?
Over the years he’d encountered many women, taken more than his fair share to bed. They’d enjoyed each other, but when he’d walked away he hadn’t looked back. His body had only covered Paige, yet the imprint was more indelible than any other woman’s.
His large hand paused in soaping his chest. He hadn’t been intimate with her; perhaps that was the reason she haunted him. He was shaking his dark head before the thought completely formed. Women passed through his life in large numbers. He didn’t fixate on them. Even when he’d discovered the woman he’d thought he loved, thought loved him until he caught her cheating, he’d walked out of her bedroom despite her frantic pleas for him to stay and erased her from his mind. No woman ever made him think twice about her.
Until Paige.
Ducking his head under the spray, he rinsed off the suds. He’d figure it out. Nothing and no one ever got the best of him. Shutting off the water, he grabbed a towel and absently ran it over his body. It wasn’t like him to live in the past. He did know the reason for that.
From his earliest childhood, when he’d learned that stealing and conning people wasn’t the way he wanted to live, he had been in a constant battle to rise above the sordid, wasteful lives of his parents and older brother. The army had been his way out, his salvation.
Tossing the towel into the open hamper, he went to the dresser and pulled on a pair of silk briefs. The light blue shirt he slipped on next was also silk. The tailored slacks were made of the finest cotton.
He didn’t care about clothes or shopping, but his job as head of security for Navarone Resorts and Spas, located around the world, meant that on occasion he mixed with some of the wealthiest and most influential people in the country. He had to dress the part.
Snorting, Shane put on his alligator belt and thought of Rio, a rule breaker if ever there was one, and Shane’s second in command. Rio conformed, but only to a certain degree. As groomsmen less than a week ago on this very property, they had both worn tuxedos for Blade and Sierra’s wedding on the beach at Blade’s compound. Only his love and respect for Blade had gotten Rio into the tux. “The supreme sacrifice,” he’d called it.
Finished dressing, Shane hooked on his cell phone and the radio that connected him to the various guards on duty at Blade’s estate. All of them knew it was only a matter of time before a relative let it slip or an inquisitive reporter learned billionaire real estate mogul Blade Navarone had married Sierra Grayson, his exclusive broker for Navarone Place in Dallas. When the news leaked,
things would get crazy, but until that time Blade and Sierra wanted their privacy, and that was where he and Rio came in.
In the front room of the guest cottage on Blade’s estate, Shane glanced at the sofa. Rio’s long, muscular body was stretched out with a sheet up to his flat stomach, his eyes closed, one hand over his wide chest, the other on the floor. Shane knew the pose was deceptive.
Rio’s left hand was very likely near a concealed weapon under the sofa. He never let down his guard. Shane didn’t have a doubt in the world that Rio had heard every restless move Shane had made during the night and early morning. Rio had the ears of a bat and the eyes of a cat. Combine this with the tracking skills of a bloodhound, and he was a force to be reckoned with.
“I’m going to the main office.” Shane had moved the command center for the security of all the Navarone properties to Riviera Maya when he learned Blade and Sierra were getting married here. As long as he had a computer, he could connect with his security team wherever they were. As an Army Ranger he had learned to be flexible and mobile.
“Trouble sleeping.” Rio said without opening his eyes. It was a statement, not a question.
Shane glanced out the door. “A bit. See you later.”
Rio opened his eyes and uncoiled. His long bare feet hit the wooden floor. “For a time Blade was the same way, and we both know how that ended.”
Marriage to Sierra. “He was conflicted about Sierra.”
Rio kept his unreadable gaze on Shane. “That’s my point.”
Shane blew out a breath. They didn’t lie to each other even when the truth was uncomfortable. Shane didn’t question how Rio knew a woman was involved. Although he hadn’t been in the field when Shane met Paige, he’d read the report, and with his uncanny perception Rio had come up with the reason for Shane’s restlessness. “That’s not about to happen to me.”