Chapter 5 Episode 5

I twirl around quickly enough that my long hair falls over one shoulder. After all these years, the sound of that man's voice still takes my breath away.

My stance stiffens as I gaze at his face. His blazing, almost-black eyes sear into mine, and my breath rests on my collarbone. All of my memories rush my mind at that instant, leaving me dizzy with passion, need, and, most importantly, regret.

"Luiz." I cross my arms tightly over my breasts, attempting to conceal the anguish in my voice.

What precisely am I attempting to hide? Surprise? Anger? Desire?

All three, to be honest. And so many more.

"Luiz," I repeat myself, this time louder and harsher. The agony in my brain has subsided, replaced with a swarm of furious hummingbirds in my gut.

He does not answer, instead allowing me to look at him. Does he see my face becoming warmer, sweatier, and certainly redder?

I blink numerous times, expecting he'll disappear into the early heat like a seductive guy mirage.

Short, black hair. The strong, black brows and lengthy eyelashes highlighted those lovely eyes. The large nose with a small hump in the middle, which I used to gently kiss when he awoke in the morning and before he went asleep at night. It's the single flaw on an otherwise model-perfect face. His big lips form a little grin. No, that's a smirk. A tremendously seductive grin that turns into a harsh line.

He doesn't disappear. His brow arches upward. I lick my dry lips out of fear and want, then despise myself for feeling both at the same time.

But, how could I not?

At six feet, three inches, he is precisely a foot taller than me. Oh, he looks wonderful. Better than he did in college.

This is not good.

His charcoal-coloured suit jacket is cut to accentuate his big shoulders and arms, yet it appears to barely contain his muscles. He's wearing a white shirt beneath, unbuttoned at the top. He doesn't wear a tie because I believe he tries to present a rakish, unconcerned demeanour. As if he had just happened to stop by my place of business.

Luiz never accomplishes anything by chance. At least not while I knew him.

He keeps his hands in his pockets and does not blink. Rocks back and forth on his heels, looking at me while I gasp for air like a grouper out of water. My throat feels parched.

Is he laughing? And what is he doing glancing down at the pavement and then back into my eyes? Is he shy, flirting, or nervous? It is an act. I know it. His lashes are still long. Dammit. He glances at me and blinks.

The eyelashes. I restrain myself from groaning out in misery.

He blinks again, and the corners of his lips turn up.

Oh, I am sure he is aware of the effect he is having on me.

I take a deep breath, attempting to steady my irregular heartbeat. I look over to Diana, who is looking at us slack-jawed. She understands the type of chemistry we had together. She understands how much I loved him and how much he wounded me.

And now she appears afraid of what is going to happen.

What's about to happen? It's like time has stopped. A heavy sensation settles in my gut. The hummingbirds have all died.

His smirk broadens into a large, sensual smile. "Good morning."

I give him my best, well-practiced, nasty resting look. "Well. "What a surprise." This morning, my voice is very different from the air. The antithesis of how I'm feeling in my belly. My tone is pure ice, not heated and heavy.

"I know how much you love surprises, Justi." The dimples on his cheeks deepen, the gleam in his eyes becomes more savage, and I stop breathing for a moment.

Except for Luiz, no one has ever addressed me as "Justi." When he told me he loved me, he would whisper this moniker in my ear.

I bite my bottom lip so hard that I experience burning agony.

"Luiz," I say in a harsh tone.

"Do you still appreciate mentioning my name? "You've mentioned it three times now."

Damn him. My nostrils twitched. "I thought I had an appointment with a senior vice president; what is his name, Gregory?" That's who I spoke with over the phone. Of course, when I called the Florida Capital a month ago, I had no idea you were going to acquire it."

He licks his lips, as if trying to prevent from saying anything, and then grins slightly. "You had an appointment with my vice president." But I chose to handle the account instead."

I fold my arms. "I wouldn't think the new owner of a multibillion-dollar equity firm had the time for such a minuscule request from a struggling newspaper publisher."

"I give my clients personal attention, Justi."

"Personal attention from you? "What luck."

His eyes move to my mouth. "Yes. What luck."

He assesses me coolly, and I approach him, my hand outstretched. I'm trying to seem professional, but all I want is to feel his flesh on mine. His eyes open for an instant.

"You won't even shake my hand?" I ask softly.

His grin disappears. We didn't blink when we locked our fingers together. Even though I've spent years reliving our relationship, cursing him, and loathing both of us for what we've done to each other, everything has led up to this point.

My dainty hand grasped his bigger one. The palm trees appear to stand still, and the parrots overhead cease shrieking. Our inevitable and explosive chemistry. My mouth waters a bit when I recall how his skin tasted, and I still believe he is the only person in the world who can fully see me for who I am.

This scares the crap out of me.

"Don't you also have a real estate empire to run in Miami?"

He lowers my hand as he notices the cynicism in my voice. For a split second, he appears hurt, like the young guy I once knew. But the expression fades as he flashes his predatory grin again. His eyes locked on mine, and I breathed unsteadily as he spoke in that smooth-as-caramel voice of his.

"I still have a real estate business. It's good to know you've been following my career. But I can operate my business from anyplace. Even here. I believe a fading newspaper has access to the Internet, correct? Have things become so terrible that the utilities have been turned off?"

"No, things aren't that bad." I roll my eyes and point at Diana. We'll get to the embarrassing part about my business soon enough. "Do you remember Diana? "She is now the paper's CFO."

He turns to look at her for the first time. "Yes. Of course. "I have not seen you since graduation." He points gently towards her huge stomach. "Having a new baby is a blessing." I am pleased for you. "When are you due?"

"In around a month. Luiz, you look terrific; I'm amazed. "You must be working out."

Sighing, I placed my hand on Diana's back. "Okay. The reunion is finished. "Let us go inside."

Luiz chuckles. I turn to lead him and Diana into the building, feeling Luiz's gaze on my every step. I look over my shoulder at him, flicking my hair behind my shoulder. "Please excuse the, um, pirate." I tread carefully around the sleeping man. "Every idiot with an eye patch and a bottle of rum came to St. Augustine this weekend for the pirate parade."

When we reach the bottom of the three stairs into the building, Luiz climbs up and across my body, attempting to open the door for Diana and me. His warm fingertips skim my bare arm, and I jerk away from the sudden wave of want that runs through me. I can tell he feels the energy, too.

"I've got the door," I reply firmly, reaching for the doorknob. I yank hard.

Luiz's expensive-looking wingtip slides on the final step inside the building, nearly causing him to stumble. I grin back at him and bat my long lashes in his way.

I always knew how to undo him.