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A fine work of art…
Legendary engineer Darryl Boudreaux is a master with his hands, and his creative genius is unparalleled. Many a woman has desired Darryl’s expert tutelage, but he is off the market—for anything serious. Experience has convinced him to focus his passion on his work.
When architect Camryn Charles gets sight of her new partner, she is determined to keep things professional. This is easier said than done. Is it the heat of the smoldering French Quarter, or is it Darryl’s quiet sexiness that is raising her temperature? Camryn would never sacrifice her integrity for a few wanton moments between the sheets. Yet Darryl’s burning gaze suggests there could be something more between them—something that could dare them both to lay everything on the line….
“We have to keep our relationship strictly professional,” she whispered, her tone hardly convincing.
Darryl whispered into her ear. “If you say so,” he said, just before sliding his tongue along the edge and sucking Camryn’s earlobe between his lips.
Camryn gasped loudly, shivering with expectation. “Ohh! Darryl, you have to stop!”
Heaving a deep sigh, Darryl suddenly tapped her lightly against the curve of her hip. “I’m sorry. We should be going,” he said, as he gently separated himself from her and stood up. “Before I do something we’ll both regret.”
Moving to her feet, Camryn wrapped her arms tightly around her torso. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes briefly as she struggled to regain her composure. The man had her feeling some kind of way and it was almost too much. She lifted her face to the bright sun, allowing the heated rays to tenderly soothe the unrest brewing inside of her. When she finally opened her eyes, Darryl was staring at her, a pained expression wrinkling his brow. He reached a large hand out to gently stroke the side of her face. Without him saying a word, Camryn felt that she could feel exactly what he was feeling. She took a step toward him, moving her body easily against his.
The look she gave him was enchanting, her stare an overflowing fountain of emotion. “I won’t regret it,” she whispered as she slid her arms around his waist, the soft curves of her body pressing tightly to the hard lines of his. “I won’t have any regrets at all,” she repeated.
DEBORAH FLETCHER MELLO
Writing since forever, Deborah Fletcher Mello can’t imagine herself doing anything else. Her first romance novel, Take Me to Heart, earned her a 2004 Romance Slam Jam nomination for “Best New Author.” In 2005 she received “Book of the Year” and “Favorite Heroine” nominations for her novel The Right Side of Love, and in 2009 won a RT Book Reviews “Reviewer’s Choice Award” for Tame a Wild Stallion. Deborah’s eleventh novel, Promises to a Stallion, earned her a 2011 Romance Slam Jam nomination for “Hero of the Year.”
For Deborah, writing is as necessary as breathing and she firmly believes that if she could not write she would cease to exist. For Deborah, the ultimate thrill is to weave a story that leaves her audience feeling full, and complete, as if they’ve just enjoyed an incredible meal. Born and raised in Connecticut, Deborah now maintains base camp in North Carolina but considers home to be wherever the moment moves her.
Truly Yours
Deborah Fletcher Mello
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Dear Reader,
Allow me to express my sincerest appreciation for all the support and love you all have shown me. I am extremely grateful for each book you’ve purchased, each comment you’ve shared, every review you’ve written, and all the critiques that have hopefully helped me get better and better with each story.
I hope you are starting to love my Boudreaux family as much as I do. Breathing life into Darryl and Camryn’s story was not without some challenges but I hope you’ll agree it was well worth the ride. Admittedly, Darryl Boudreaux put me through some changes. If it wasn’t for Camryn Charles, I probably would have pulled my hair out! Camryn is definitely the yin to his yang!
I do love hearing what you think, so please don’t hesitate to contact me at DeborahMello@aol.com.
Until the next time, take care and God bless.
With much love,
Deborah Fletcher Mello
www.deborahmello.blogspot.com
To Priscilla Meza Mello
May your journey be everything you want it to be
…And more!
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 1
Annoyance painted Darryl Boudreaux’s expression as his gaze shifted from the line of police cars encroaching in his driveway to the Jaguar XF pulling into it. He prepared himself for the barrage of questions he knew would be coming from his older sister, Maitlyn Parks, who was flinging her thin frame out of the luxury vehicle.
Minutes earlier Darryl had been unnerved by the sound of sirens blaring toward the front of his home as his former girlfriend Asia Landry laid sobbing into the wool fibers of his newly installed carpet. The small-caliber handgun that she’d pointed in his direction moments before lay on the floor by her side, still as ominous as when it had been aimed at his head. Now he stood, troubled by the spectacle of it all, just imagining what his neighbors had to be thinking. He let out a deep sigh, blowing warm air past his full lips.
“What the hell is going on here?” Maitlyn asked as she bounded up his front steps. “Are you all right?”
“Fine as wine,” he said sarcastically, his expression shifting into a mask of indifference. “What makes you think anything could be wrong?”
Maitlyn shot him a look of irritation, countering with her own sarcasm. “Uh, maybe because Asia has her face pressed against the glass in the back of that police car, looking like she stepped right out of someone’s horror movie, that’s why!” Maitlyn pointed with her index finger.
Darryl sighed. “She had to have one last hurrah.”
“Darryl, this is—” Maitlyn started before the two were interrupted by a uniformed police officer. The man extended a clipboard in Darryl’s direction.
“Mr. Boudreaux, sir, we just need to get your signature. Then we’re going to take Miss Landry down to the police station.”
“What will happen then?” Darryl asked as he took the clipboard from the man’s hand and swiped his moniker across the document that was secured to it.
“Miss Landry will be booked and held until she can see a judge in the morning. He and the district attorney will decide what happens then, sir. I can assure you, though, that they take possession of a weapon and threat to cause bodily harm very seriously.”
Darryl nodded as he handed the formal complaint back to the officer. “I leave for New Orleans later tonight. I’m scheduled to be away on business for the next few months. Is that going to be a problem?”
The officer shook his head. “I don’t think so, sir. And we have a number to contact you should it be necessary, correct?”
“Yes, and thank you. I’ll also make sure my attorney contacts the D.A.’s office about that restraining order.”
As the man in uniform wished him and Maitlyn a good night, Darryl pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his khakis. His gazed locked on the woman whose face appeared permanently fused to the faintly tinted glass pane.
Asia Landry looked crazed, but not nearly as crazed as when Darryl had told her their relationship was finished and he no longer had the desire for a future with her. He had tried to be as civil as possible, hoping against all odds that they could end their relationship amicably and remain friends. But when he had said goodbye and had wished her a bright and prosperous future, the one good screw in her brain stem had come unhinged.
As Darryl and his sister watched the police cars pull out of his driveway, he couldn’t help but wish that he’d listened to his brothers when they told him to break up with Asia on neutral territory, their suggestions ranging from a local Starbucks to the public library. But no, he’d wanted to be more sensitive to Asia’s feelings, not wanting to cause her any public embarrassment, and so he’d invited her to his home.
Now, as his neighbors waved at him, eyeing him with raised brows before disappearing behind their own closed doors, he was the one left feeling mortified. Maitlyn’s nagging suddenly broke through, intruding on his moment of reflection.
“We told you she was crazy! How many times did we tell you that witch was a raving lunatic!” Maitlyn sighed with exasperation.
“Thank you, Mattie. Smack my hand for not paying any attention to all that advice you and the rest of our family dish out every minute of every day,” Darryl said dryly.
Maitlyn cut an eye in his direction as she assessed the wreckage in his living room. His glass coffee table had been shattered. His personal possessions had been thrown from one side of the room to the other. Everything was in a complete state of disarray. And then she saw the bullet holes through the family portrait that hung on the wall. Maitlyn’s palm flew to her mouth as she stepped in to take a closer look. Tears rose to her eyes.
She shook her head as she turned to face her brother, meeting his intense stare. Noting her distress, he shrugged his shoulders as he reached to wrap his arms around her. “It’s okay, Maitlyn,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.
“No, it’s not,” she said, visibly shaking. “You could have been hurt. She could have killed you!”
As Darryl hugged his sister tightly, he had no words. He could still hear the harsh sound of that gun being cocked and the shots that had rung through the air as bullets had whizzed by his head. He refused to let it show but the moment had been life-altering, everything feeling as if it had changed. He closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts.
“I’m fine and that’s all that matters. Now, if you help me get this mess cleaned up, I’ll buy you dinner.”
Maitlyn swiped at her eyes. “Don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll handle it while you’re gone. Are you all packed?”
He nodded. “Yeah, my luggage is in the bedroom.”
“Then let’s just go grab something to eat and I’ll make sure everything is as good as new after I drop you off at the airport. Right now, though, I need a drink.”
“Are you sure?” Darryl questioned.
“What’s a big sister for?” Maitlyn said, forcing a smile on her face.
Darryl smiled with her. “Well, since you’re being a good big sister, I need one more thing from you,” he stated firmly.
“What’s that?”
“I need you to promise me you won’t tell the folks about what happened.”
“Darryl!”
“Promise me, Mattie!”
Maitlyn met her brother’s gaze and held it for a brief moment. As she slowly nodded her head, she slid both her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers. “Whatever you want, Darryl,” she said unconvincingly.
“I mean it,” Darryl intoned as he headed toward the back bedroom and his luggage, instinctively knowing that every one of his siblings would know about what happened before the clock struck midnight. “Don’t you dare tell Mommy and Daddy!”
Grabbing his leather bags, he headed back to the front of his home and his sister, who was still assessing the damage Asia had caused. As he stood beside her, he was suddenly grateful for the time away. By midnight he’d be on the red-eye flight headed east, soaring sky-high as he headed to his parents’ home in New Orleans. Tomorrow he’d be back to work, ready for one of the most rewarding opportunities of his career. And with any luck everything about his time with Asia Landry would soon be nothing but a bad memory.
* * *
Katherine Boudreaux tossed up her hands in exasperation. “She tried to kill you? Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed, the palm of her hand pressed tight to her chest.
“Asia did not try to kill me, Mom,” Darryl said as he looked toward his brother for help.
The oldest of the Boudreaux offspring, Mason Boudreaux, shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t there. I was just repeating what Maitlyn told me.”
Darryl blew out a deep sigh. He opened his mouth to make his point when their father interjected. “Just for the record, son, when a woman points a gun at you and pulls the trigger, she’s past the point of trying to scare you,” Senior Boudreaux said matter-of-factly.
Darryl rolled his eyes. “Maitlyn has blown this whole thing out of proportion.”
“We wouldn’t have even known if it hadn’t been for your sister,” Katherine noted, her finger waving at her son. “And I’m not happy about that. I’m not happy at all.” Katherine shook her head. “Come get some breakfast. Y’all got a long day today,” she ordered.
Mason glanced at his brother. Both men knew their mother was angry and Katherine Boudreaux angry could get them all hurt. He tipped his head toward Darryl as he turned to follow their mother.
Darryl muttered under his breath as he made his way out of the room. “I swear I’m going to wring Maitlyn’s neck for this.”
Mason smiled as he and his father locked gazes. “I’ll talk to him,” he said softly.
Senior nodded his approval. “Darryl needs to take this more seriously. Now, let’s go get some breakfast before your mother beats him, you and me, too.”
* * *
By the time Darryl and Mason made their way through New Orleans to the Roosevelt Hotel, the two men were laughing heartily. Breakfast had been tense as their mother had slapped bacon, eggs and grits onto their porcelain plates. But by the end of the meal she’d calmed down enough to listen to Darryl’s apology. Mason had been poking fun at him since.
“It’s just like what happened when that mess went down with me in Thailand. The old folks were mad because they heard about it from the girls and not from me. Your sisters will get you in trouble every time. I don’t know why you haven’t learned that yet,” Mason said with a robust chuckle.
Darryl shook his head. “Maitlyn better be glad we’re not kids anymore, because I’d find a mud hole for her sure ’nuff!”
Mason grinned. “But Maitlyn kept her promise. She didn’t tell them. She just told the rest of us. Your other sisters all called and broke the news to them. Then, of course, the minute I walked through the door they were looking at me to confirm it. You know you should have called each one of us and made us pinkie swear.”
“I’m still going to wring her neck,” Darryl exclaimed.
Mason shook his head. “So what do you plan to do?”
His brother shrugged. “Nothing. The court system will deal with Asia and I plan to focus all my attention on this project.”
“I’m sure that throwing yourself into your work will make it all go away,” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
With a roll of his eyes, Darryl changed the subject. “So, what’s Mr. Charles like? I’m really looking forward to working with him and his firm.”
Mason smiled. “Kenneth is quite the character. I think this will be a great partnership.”
“I’m anxious to meet him and his son, Cam. That’s his son’s name, right, Cam Charles? I admire a lot of his work, as well.”
Mason’s eyes widened. “Oh, Cam’s not a—” he started, suddenly interrupted by the cell phone chiming loudly from the breast pocket of his suit jacket. He held up his index finger, gesturing for Darryl to hold his thought. Mason pulled the device into his hand, grinning as the smartphone’s screen projected an image of his wife.
“Hey, baby!”
Phaedra Stallion-Boudreaux exclaimed joyously on the other end. “Good morning, good-lookin’! Are you busy?”
“Darryl and I are headed into a meeting. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Missing you, though.”
“I miss you, too, darling,” he said, his voice dropping an octave. “How long are you planning to stay in Texas?”
“That’s why I’m calling you, actually. I have to fly to New York. I’ve been hired to get some shots of the city for a tourism project. I’ll be there for at least a week, and then I’ll head to New Orleans.”
Mason nodded into the receiver. His wife’s photography career was important to her and despite the abundance of wealth they shared, he supported her desire to work and have her own. She’d been fiercely independent when they’d first met and was even more so since she’d become his wife.
“Mason, you still there?” Phaedra questioned.
“Sorry, baby. I’m fine,” he responded. “Are you going to be okay traveling by yourself?” he asked.
Phaedra laughed. “I can’t believe you asked me that,” she said. “But for the record, I won’t be alone. Mark is going with me.”
Mason laughed with her. “You know how I worry about you.”
“I’m not the one who goes around getting kidnapped,” she teased, reminding him of the time she’d had to call upon her newly discovered brothers to help find him in Thailand. She continued, “I’ll be fine. You’re just as bad as my brothers.”
Her husband grinned as he thought about his new in-laws. Phaedra had only recently come to know her four brothers, John, Matthew, Mark and Luke Stallion. Doing business with the family had been the catalyst that had opened the doors to his relationship with their baby sister. He would be forever grateful. “We’ll, I’m glad he’ll be there with you. Just stay in touch with me, please.”
“You know I will,” she said, making kissing noises through the receiver. “I love you!”
Mason laughed softly. “I love you, too, baby! I’ll call you after my meeting, okay?”
“I can’t wait,” Phaedra said.
Disconnecting the call, Mason stood with a wide grin on his face. He tossed a glance over at Darryl, who was rolling his dark eyes. “Live and learn, Darryl. My woman never tried to shoot me,” he said smugly.
“Asia wasn’t my woman,” Darryl said sarcastically.
Their bantering continued as they made their way to the upper suites that Mason had rented for temporary office space. As they stepped over the threshold, the doors closing behind them, both men shifted headfirst into business mode.
Chapter 2
“Boudreaux Towers is a multilevel office complex the likes of which has never been seen in New Orleans, Louisiana.” The comment came from Kenneth Charles, renowned architect and owner of the design firm Charles & Charles Architecture. “This will be a magnificent partnership for us.” He and his daughter were riding in the company limo to their meeting. He lifted his gaze from the iPad he was making notes on to stare in her direction.
Camryn Charles eyed her father back. “And we’ll be working directly with Mason?” she asked.
Her father nodded. “I don’t know if you’re aware or not but he sold off his hotel business. This is a new venture for him and I’m honored that he wants us to design the building. He has a brother that will be working on this project, as well. I haven’t had the opportunity to meet him yet.” Kenneth paused as he leaned forward in his seat, passing a prospectus to his daughter. “And this is going to be a great opportunity for you, as well, Camryn. I’ve given it a lot of thought and I want you to take the lead on this project. Mason and I have agreed that you should head the design team.”
Camryn’s eyes widened as she took the documents from her father’s hand. “Really?”
The man’s salt-and-pepper head moved up and down. “You’re making a solid name for yourself in the industry, independent of me and the business. It’s been impressive, and I think if you design the newest skyscraper in downtown New Orleans, it will take both you and the business to a whole new level.”
The young woman smiled warmly. “I appreciate the confidence, Father,” she said, flipping through the documents in her lap.
Camryn fought to contain the excitement that sizzled in the pit of her stomach. Although she’d been eager to work on a new project with her father, to have him hand her the reins of one of the company’s biggest contracts was a big deal for the both of them. Determined to prove herself worthy of his trust, Camryn couldn’t wait to get started.
As their driver stopped the car in front of the Roosevelt Hotel and moved to open the door for them, she turned to her father. “How much creative control do I have?” she asked.
The man eyed her teasingly. “How much do you want?”
She grinned. “Why doesn’t that sound promising, Father?”
He chuckled warmly. “As far as I’m concerned, Camryn, you have full and total creative control. However,” he concluded, tossing her a wink of his eye, “you’ll have to negotiate the specifics of that with our client.”
“I hope our client is an old softy like you, then!”
Her father laughed. “There’s nothing soft about your old man, Camryn Charles. Not one single thing.”
Camryn laughed with him. “So there’s hope for Mr. Boudreaux, is that what you’re saying?”
Kenneth grinned. “For some reason, I think the Boudreaux family is in for more than they bargained for.”
* * *
The two men sat at the large conference table as Mason detailed the budget for his new multimillion-dollar building. Darryl listened intently, digesting the details like a good meal. He’d been inundated with information since he arrived, his brother’s excitement fueling his own. Adding to that exhilaration was discovering that Mason had hired Kenneth Charles to work on the architectural design.
Kenneth Charles was one of his idols, having won numerous awards for his work. He was considered an architectural genius amongst his peers, and Darryl was excited about the prospect of working with the legend. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the conference room door, the entrance swinging open easily.
Both Darryl and Mason came to their feet as Kenneth Charles made an entrance. “Mason, how are you?” the man said, extending a large hand as the two old friends greeted each other warmly.
“It’s good to see you, Kenneth.” He gestured behind him. “Let me introduce you to my brother. Darryl Boudreaux, this is Kenneth Charles. Kenneth, my brother Darryl.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, sir,” Darryl said, his eyes wide with awe.
“Your brother speaks quite highly of you, Darryl. I understand from Mason that you are quite talented in your own right. Is that true, son?” Kenneth asked.
Darryl shrugged ever so slightly. “I think my brother is a bit biased, sir.”
“Family usually is. Trust me when I tell you that the work I’ve done isn’t all that impressive, either. However, to hear my daughter tell it, you’d think I’d built stairwells past the moon and straight to heaven.”
A soft voice echoed from the entrance behind them. “Actually, Father, I tell people you’ve built stairwells past heaven and into the stratosphere.”
Darryl turned toward the entrance and stared. There was no missing the familial resemblance between Mr. Charles and the young woman entering the room. Without realizing it, Darryl found himself holding his breath. The stunning beauty had commanded his full and undivided attention.
She shared her father’s warm chocolate complexion and large dark eyes. He assumed that the full lips and pouty mouth that begged to be kissed had been inherited from her mother. In the tailored navy skirt and ruffled white blouse she wore, there was no denying the woman had a figure that could make even a strong man beg for her attention. She was curvaceous with a full bustline, whisper-thin waist and pleasingly thick hips. As he stared, Darryl suddenly felt weak, his legs feeling like jelly. He had to fight to shake the unnerving sensation. He took a deep breath and held it.