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  She might be okay, but he wasn’t. How could he have been so wrong about her? He couldn’t wait to confront Walt about the lies he’d told. “I have something to take care of this morning and won’t be back in time to join you for lunch.”

  “All right.”

  She didn’t seem to be in a talkative mood and he figured she needed time to digest everything he had told her about Whitman.

  “Since Tyrone is in police custody, there’s no reason I can’t return home now, is there?”

  None other than I don’t want you to go. I’ve gotten used to having you around. I’ve fallen in love with you all over again. “No, there’s no reason you can’t,” he said.

  He breathed in deeply and at that moment, he knew there was no use denying what he’d known all along. He loved her. He had not stopped loving her.

  And all this time he had tried convincing himself that he would seek revenge for what she had done, when he knew he couldn’t have gone through with that plan no matter how much he’d thought he wanted to hurt her.

  From the first moment she had turned her eyes on him he had been a goner, and although he’d convinced himself over the years that he had gotten over her, the simple truth was, he hadn’t. Coming to terms with his love for her was a monumental release of the hold he’d placed on his emotions. All the built-up tension and anger he’d felt since seeing her again left his body, flowed out of his muscles. It strengthened his heart, propelling him to do whatever he had to do to make her his again.

  Chapter 10

  A few hours later, Summer slipped into her walking shoes to go to the café for lunch, reflecting that this was the first time in quite a while that she would be doing so without Darius by her side.

  She drew in a huge breath of profound relief, knowing what could have been another nightmare with Tyrone was now over. She shivered when she thought of the items that had been in his possession. There was no doubt in her mind he intended to do her harm, and she was grateful yet again to Darius for keeping her out of harm’s way.

  Darius. The man she still loved.

  She wondered if she’d sounded convincing when she told him that she didn’t want a man in her life. A part of her did want to belong to him, totally and completely, but was afraid to get her hopes up again. Even though she knew the truth now, it couldn’t erase the pain she had felt for seven years.

  Besides, there was nothing Darius had said to make her think that he wanted to renew what they’d once shared. When she’d mentioned returning to her place now that the threat with Tyrone was over, he hadn’t said anything to talk her out of it, he hadn’t said that he didn’t want her to leave.

  He had apologized for believing the lies Walt had told him. And she had apologized to him, as well. Later, they had made love but no promises had been made. There had been no discussion of a future together. Although he hadn’t said as much, she had a feeling that he didn’t want a woman in his life.

  That left her with the same life she’d been living since leaving Houston. The kind of life she had gotten used to. It was somewhat lonely but safe. She would continue to live it without the man she loved.

  * * *

  The anger within Darius told him to strike out the moment he saw Walt walking toward him. But he fought to hold his rage in check. There was only one thing he wanted from the man and that was for him to explain why he’d done what he did.

  Without telling Walt why, he had called and requested to meet with him in Laverne Square, a newly developed area of Houston near the Madaris Office Park. He rose from the bench when he saw the curious look in Walt’s eyes.

  “Darius, didn’t you get my message that the guy you wanted me to check out was clean? I left it on your voice mail last week.”

  “That’s not why I asked you to meet with me,” Darius answered, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

  Walt lifted a brow. “Oh. Then what’s up?”

  Darius looked directly into his eyes. “I’m here about the lie you told me about Summer Martindale.”

  Walt held his gaze for an instant before shifting his eyes to look out over the pond in the square. Time stretched on and for a moment, Darius wondered if he was going to say anything. Then Walt turned his gaze to Darius.

  “She came with a lot of baggage and was trouble with that crazy boyfriend of hers. You didn’t need her.”

  His words, spoken as if he’d had a right to make that decision, slithered down Darius’s spine. “You were wrong, Walt. She wasn’t trouble and you knew how I felt about her. I not only needed her but I loved her.”

  “You have a lot to learn about women, Darius. You can never let one get under your skin, and you can never admit to loving one.”

  Darius stared at him for a moment. “Actually,” he said in a deep, cutting tone, “there’s a lot that you need to learn about them, and recognizing a good one when you meet her is at the top of the list.”

  A deep frown settled on Walt’s face. “There aren’t any good ones.”

  Walt had extreme issues, but Darius couldn’t concern himself with that right now. As far as he was concerned, what Walt had done was unforgivable. When he thought about all those wasted years when he and Summer could have been together, years when he had loathed her very name, he practically wanted to kill the man. It was all for nothing. All for lies.

  Filled with total disgust and having nothing else to say, Darius started to leave.

  “Hey, wait, man, we’re okay, aren’t we? We’re still friends?” Walt asked in a lighthearted tone.

  Darius stopped walking and looked over his shoulder. Their gazes locked. The message he was certain Walt saw in his eyes was blatantly clear.

  “No. Our friendship died the day you lied to me. I loved her, but because I thought you were my friend, I believed you. A true friend would not have done what you did.”

  Without saying anything else, he walked off, leaving Walt standing there.

  * * *

  Summer was just about to go to the café when one of the security guards escorted a very well dressed, distinguished-looking older man through the entrance. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out from the way the man was carrying himself that he was someone of authority, someone of importance, which could only mean he was a member of the TCC. Kevin Novak had given her a heads-up that over the next few months, members of the TCC would probably be dropping by to check out the shelter since he had asked them for more money.

  Putting on her brightest smile, Summer crossed the lobby to greet the man. “Welcome to Helping Hands,” she said, extending her hand to him. “I’m Summer Martindale, a social worker here.”

  The man took her hand and looked at her. “So, you’re the young woman who’s been causing so much excitement.”

  Summer forced her smile to remain intact when she recognized his voice. He was the person she had talked to on the phone when she’d called requesting additional security guards. “Am I?” she couldn’t help but ask, not liking the way the man seemed to be staring down his nose at her.

  “Yes. I’m Sebastian Huntington, a member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Huntington.”

  He didn’t say anything to indicate that the feelings were mutual. Instead, he glanced around. “Things seem calm enough around here. I really don’t see why two guards are needed. But then, you’ve managed to convince Kevin Novak differently.”

  She was about to say the reason things appeared calm was because everyone felt safer with two guards when he once again looked down his nose at her and arrogantly said, “And then there’s Darius Franklin, who’s evidently quite taken with you. He’s also been singing your praises at the TCC meetings.” A sneer touched his lips as he studied her features. “Now I see why.”

  Surprise flickered in her eyes. “Darius?”

  “Yes. He’s one of our ne
west members.”

  Now she was confused. Darius was a member of TCC?

  “How long has he been a member?”

  The man frowned down at her like she’d asked a stupid question. “Not long enough for him and his friends to be throwing their weight around. He’s only been a member for over a year.”

  Summer nodded. “Oh, I see.” And the sad part of it was that she really did see. Darius had lied to her.

  * * *

  “Ready to go?”

  Summer slowly lifted her gaze from the document at the sound of the deep, husky voice. Had it been nearly three weeks ago when here in this office she had heard that voice again for the first time in seven years?

  After Mr. Huntington left, instead of walking to the café, she had gone to the library. There she had researched information on the Texas Cattleman’s Club branch that was located in Somerset. Darius was listed as a member, having joined the same day as Kevin Novak and several other men, and from the photographs she had seen, it was apparent that he and Mr. Novak knew each other very well. Why had he pretended otherwise when she’d told him of her meeting with Mr. Novak? Why had he deliberately kept his membership in the TCC from her?

  Instead of answering his question, she asked one of her own.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you were a member of the Texas Cattleman’s Club?”

  She saw surprise light his eyes and knew he was probably wondering how she’d found out. “Mr. Huntington dropped by to check out the place and mentioned you’re a member,” she said, leaning back in her chair.

  “So, my question is, why didn’t you tell me, Darius? You had several chances to do so when I was preparing for my meeting with Mr. Novak, and many after that. Why didn’t you tell me?”

  * * *

  A part of Darius wished he’d have told Summer everything last night. How would she react to finding out he had withheld the information because of his plan to hurt her?

  Any chance of rebuilding a relationship with her would probably be destroyed now. But still, he had to be upfront and honest with her. Lies were the reason they were in the situation they were in now.

  Sighing deeply, he entered her office and closed the door behind him, leaning against it. “The reason I didn’t want to tell you is because I was still operating under the belief that you had left Houston with a rich man. A man you had chosen over me because of his wealth. With that belief festering in my mind as well as my heart over the years, I had grown to resent you for choosing wealth over love.”

  When she didn’t say anything, he continued. “I figured that if that was true, once you found out about my wealth, the fact that I had become successful, I could get my revenge by seducing you, taking you to bed and then walking away from you the same way I thought you had walked away from me. I wanted to hurt you the way you had hurt me.”

  Summer still didn’t say anything for a moment, and then in a low voice, she asked, “You hated me that much?”

  Darius breathed in again, hearing the deep hurt in her voice. “I thought I did, but once I got to know what I thought was the new Summer Martindale, the one who’s dedicated to the women at the shelter, the one who works tirelessly after hours when her shift is over, I realized that no matter how much I wanted revenge, I couldn’t have gone through with it. And do you know why, Summer?”

  “I have no idea,” she said in a sharp tone.

  He held her gaze. “Because I realized that although I’d tried over the years, I couldn’t replace love with hate. Although I wanted to hurt you, I couldn’t because I still love you.”

  Their gazes held and for a moment, he wondered if she believed him. He hoped and prayed for some sort of sign that she did. He had been wrong for wanting to get even with her, but at the time he’d felt it was something he had needed to do because of his pain.

  “So many years have passed, Summer. We owe it to ourselves to try and rebuild the relationship that was destroyed because of our lack of faith and trust in each other. In Houston today, I made a point to see Walt. I had to know why he’d done what he did. His reason was he saw me falling for you and figured I’d get hurt. But the truth of the matter is that I was hurt in the end anyway. Not by you, but because I’d believed the worst about you.”

  He moved away from the door to stand in front of her desk. “I’m asking that you give me a chance to do what I wanted to do seven years ago and that is, love you the way a man is supposed to love a woman. Please allow me into your heart, Summer. Give me a chance to prove that I am the right man for you.”

  He took another step closer. “Will you put behind you all the hurt and lies of before and move forward in the way we should have years ago? Can you find it in your heart to love me as much as I love you? To work on rebuilding a relationship of love, trust and faith?”

  He saw the single tear that fell from her eye and literally held his breath before she began speaking.

  “Yes,” she said slowly. “I can work on rebuilding our relationship because I love you, too, and I want you in my life. I want a future with you, not because of your wealth but because you are a man who’s proven more than once that he can be there when I need someone, that he has my best interests at heart, and protects me when I need protecting.”

  She pushed her chair back and walked around her desk to him. “We have a lot of years to make up for, but I knew that night we made love again it was something I wanted. I was just afraid to hope for it.”

  Darius pulled her into his arms and held her tight, close to his heart. And then he lowered his mouth to hers. He wanted her with him always and from the intensity of their kiss, it seemed she wanted the very same thing.

  Moments later, he pulled his mouth away from hers. “Ready to go home, sweetheart?” And to make sure she understood, he added, “Not to your place, but to mine. A place that you will one day consider ours, I hope.”

  She smiled up at him. “Yes, I’m ready.”

  He took her hand in his and they walked out of her office together. He knew there was a lot of work ahead, rebuilding their relationship into the kind they both wanted, the kind they deserved. Lies had destroyed their relationship, but love had restored it. Their love would make it all happen for them.

  They would make sure of it. Together.

  Epilogue

  Three weeks later

  Summer stepped outside on the porch and glanced around. It was a beautiful day and the smell of flowers was everywhere.

  She felt butterflies move around in her stomach at the same time she saw the car pull into the yard. She smiled. Darius was home.

  She glanced around again, thinking how easy it was to think of his ranch as home. She never returned to her place, and every week more and more of her things would show up here.

  And then one night while they were busy unpacking some more of her boxes, he had got down on his knee and proposed to her. He asked her to be his wife, the mother of his babies and his best friend for life. Somehow through her tears she had accepted. The moment he had slipped the ring on her finger, more love and happiness than she’d ever thought possible filled her heart. They hadn’t set a date yet, and had decided to take things one day at a time.

  She had met his friends and could see the special friendship they shared. She liked them a lot. Tonight they would be joining Lance and Kate at the TCC for dinner.

  As soon as the car came to a stop, she moved down the steps, and when Darius opened the door and got out, she was there waiting.

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed her, making her feel wanted and loved. Things were so good between them that she would occasionally pinch herself to make sure it was real. And over and over he would prove to her that it was.

  He pulled back and studied her face with concern. “Are you okay? I stopped by the shelter and Marcy said you had left early.”

  She smiled up at him. “Yes, I’m fine. I just
wanted to be here when you got home. I thought that I would pamper you a little before we left for dinner.”

  A grin curved his lips and she could tell he liked the idea. “Pamper me?”

  “Yes. Are you interested?”

  Instead of answering, he swept her off her feet into his arms and carried her up the steps. Yes, she thought, he was interested.

  She laughed, knowing once he got her inside the house he intended to show her just how interested he was.

  * * *

  Full Court Seduction

  Synithia Williams

  Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of thirteen. It was only natural that she would one day write her own romances. When she isn’t writing, Synithia works on water quality issues in the Midlands of South Carolina while taking care of her supportive husband and two sons. You can learn more about Synithia by visiting her website, synithiawilliams.com.

  Books by Synithia Williams

  Harlequin Kimani Romance

  A New York Kind of Love

  A Malibu Kind of Romance

  Full Court Seduction

  Overtime for Love

  Guarding His Heart

  His Pick for Passion

  HQN

  Forbidden Promises

  Scandalous Secrets

  Careless Whispers

  Visit the Author Profile page at Harlequin.com for more titles.

  For Ashley and Toya, my ride-or-die sisters since forever.

  Acknowledgments

  The biggest thanks to Farrah Rochon for organizing the Destin Divas Retreat. I plotted Full Court Seduction at that retreat and made a few new writing friends. I have to give special thanks to Destin Divas Jamie Wesley, Carla Freed and Lena Hart for helping me define a “Hollywood ending” for Jacobe and Danielle, and Divas K.M. Jackson and Kaia Danielle for their valuable feedback on the draft. Finally, to my wonderful hubby, I truly appreciate you watching our two boys while I’m off in the writer world. Writing would be much harder without your support.