Courting Justice Read online

  He nodded slowly. “Yes.”

  She wasn’t surprised since most people had. “In my freshman year at Yale, I met Matthew Elton. He was in one of my classes. We had to do a project together and spent a lot of time at one of the coffee shops around campus. He was nice, and I liked him. I didn’t know who he was until one of my roommates told me. But that didn’t matter to me.”

  She paused a moment. “After the class project, Matt and I continued to spend more and more time together, and everyone knew we were dating. I loved him. He was my first boyfriend and, as far as I was concerned, my only boyfriend. He would tell me things about his family, and I had looked forward to meeting them. It never dawned on me until later that in all his trips home, he never once invited me to go with him.”

  She drew in a slow breath. “My close friends on campus began hinting that maybe he was afraid to take me home to meet his parents because I didn’t have the background his parents would expect of someone their son was serious about.”

  She paused again. “They were right. I overheard him asking one of his college friends to help come up with an excuse to tell me about why he couldn’t take me home to meet his parents, because in their eyes I was unacceptable. I also heard him say that although he did care for me, he felt I wouldn’t ever be accepted.”

  She ignored the muffled expletive that came from Angelo’s lips. “I couldn’t believe he’d actually said that. I didn’t even bother confronting him about it. I waited for him to come to me with his ‘excuse’ as to why he couldn’t take me home for the holidays to meet his family. That’s when I told him that was fine because I wouldn’t be returning to Yale after the holidays anyway. I lied and said my grandmother needed me closer to home and that I would be transferring to the University of Illinois.”

  “He didn’t try to talk you into staying?”

  Peyton shook her head. “No, I think he was relieved that he wouldn’t have to come up with any more excuses. A part of me wanted to believe that Matt did love me, but just couldn’t get beyond the fact that I was a nobody—someone without a social pedigree.”

  “And you think that’s important, Peyton?”

  “Wealthy families evidently think so.”

  “Not all of them.”

  She narrowed her gaze. “I won’t risk another heartbreak finding out if that’s true or not.”

  * * *

  Angelo didn’t say anything for a while, but he was quietly fuming with anger. He had never met the Eltons, but knew his family had. In fact, his parents and the Eltons ran in some of the same social circles. And he’d heard the Eltons were big on preserving their family’s impressive legacy in Boston with ties that went back to Crispus Attucks. Did Peyton really think everyone with money was a snob?

  “Okay, the guy who broke your heart happens to be an asshole from a wealthy family. So what does that have to do with me?”

  She lifted her chin. “I won’t let myself get serious about a guy whose family has as much money as yours.”

  He shook his head, not believing what she’d said. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard, Peyton. You’re letting that relationship cloud your judgment. First of all, you’re best friends with my sister. Even with all of Sam’s hang-ups, she’s still your best friend. Right or wrong?”

  “Right.”

  “And you’ve met my family. We can be a rambunctious bunch when we all get together, but I think you’ll agree there’s not a snooty bone in our bodies, and it would deeply offend me if you thought so.”

  And he meant it. Granted the Di Meglios had more money than they knew what to do with, but it was money someone in their family tree had busted their ass to earn. His grandparents had worked from sunup to sundown to get to where they were in life. And the Di Meglios contributed more than their fair share when it came to charity.

  “I don’t mean to offend you, Angelo, I’m just telling you how I feel.”

  He shrugged. “Then rest assured I won’t ever break your heart.”

  “You say that now.”

  “And I’ll be saying it later, Peyton. What happened with you and that guy was unfortunate. In all honesty, I can think of a lot of expletives to describe him and none would do him justice. If he really loved you, regardless of what your background was, he should not have been ashamed to take you home and introduce you to his family. I wouldn’t have been ashamed.”

  He watched as she stared at him for several minutes, not saying anything. Hopefully, she was thinking about what he’d said. He knew he loved her, and he knew he would never hurt her. She knew his family, and in a way they had already adopted her as one of their own. His mother had begun thinking of Peyton and Mac as her “other” daughters years ago. Her background wasn’t a big deal to the Di Meglios. Hell, his own mother was a prime example of how accepting the family was. Kayla Blake, the strong, beautiful African-American attorney from Atlanta, had infiltrated the tightly knit Italian clan of the Di Meglios when she’d captured Antonio’s heart. Oh, he’d heard his grandparents hadn’t been too happy about it at first. They preferred that their youngest son marry a nice Italian girl. But in the end they had accepted the woman Antonio had fallen in love with and welcomed her into the family with open arms.

  Now, close to forty years later, his parents’ marriage was still going strong despite their knack for getting into their children’s business at times. The best thing to ever happen to them was becoming grandparents. Because they doted on their granddaughter Blair, it kept them out of his affairs. And that was definitely a nice change of pace.

  “I’d like to offer a suggestion, if I may,” he said, his voice breaking the quietness of the room.

  He saw the wariness that appeared in her gaze. “What sort of suggestion?”

  “Since you say you don’t love me, you don’t have to worry about heartbreak on your end. Right now, I’m the only one at risk.”

  He slowly eased out of the chair and crossed the room to sit beside her on the bed. “First, I’m going to have my hands full convincing you that I’ve fallen in love with you. Then, I need to convince you that your heart is safe with me. Will you let me do both, Peyton? Starting now?”

  * * *

  Peyton was mesmerized by his gaze. She wanted to believe him, but a part of her held back. “You live in another city, Angelo. Building a relationship is tough enough. A long-distance romance only increases the problems.”

  “That means we’re both going to work harder at it then. It has to be something you want, too, Peyton. You don’t love me now, but I believe given time, you’ll fall in love with me.”

  He was probably right, she thought. What woman wouldn’t fall in love with him if given the chance? And truthfully, deep down, she’d been keeping her feelings for him at bay, in hopes that they’d go away. “I need time to think about it,” she said softly.

  He reached out and touched her cheek. “Take a chance on me, Peyton. Go ahead and take a chance, baby.”

  And then he lowered his mouth to hers.

  She knew she was a goner the moment her tongue touched his, then took hold of it and began sucking on it with a hunger she felt all the way in the pit of her quivering stomach. He tasted like peppermint and all the good things she’d gotten to know. He pulled her body toward him and held her tightly as he deepened the kiss. Pleasure began tingling through every bone in her body, and she wrapped her arms around him to hold on.

  She was very much aware of him slowly easing her back on the bed and his body straddling hers. Instinctively, her body shifted, her legs widened and she felt him, every hard inch of him, pressed against her pelvis.

  He slowly lifted his head and held her gaze. And the intensity in the dark eyes sent heat flowing through her. “I won’t ever hurt you. I promise,” he whispered huskily.

  A part of her wanted to believe him, but for some reas
on she couldn’t. Her heart just wouldn’t let her. “I want to believe you, but I can’t. I’m going to need time, Angelo. My heart just isn’t there yet.”

  He reached out and gently caressed the side of her face. “That’s fine. But rest assured that one day it will be.” His voice was low, determined. And he said it with such finality.

  She didn’t want to burst his bubble. Instead she stared into his eyes as intensely as he was staring into hers. It was if he was willing her to feel what he was feeling and take it and accept it. But still a part of her remembered the pain, the agony of lost love, and held back.

  “We leave tomorrow, and I want to make love to you until then. I want to leave my imprint all over you, Peyton, so even when I’m not here,” he said, reaching down to cup her womanhood through her pajama bottoms, “you will remember the times that I was.” He breathed the words against her lips.

  His voice actually made her shudder inside. She remembered all the times he had been inside of her, all the times they’d connected intimately, every position. And all the times she had lain in his arms with him still buried deep inside her.

  And then he kissed her again, taking her mouth with a hunger that had her moaning. How could he do that when no other man had? Over the past two weeks he had unleashed a sexual passion in her that she hadn’t known existed. She had felt things, experienced things she had only read about. Beginning with that night at the lighthouse, he had brought her sexual fantasies to life.

  “I’ve fed you in one way, now I need to feed you in another,” he whispered against her moistened lips, pulling his mouth back from hers.

  He eased away from her to stand, and she watched as he removed his clothes. She started to scoot to the center of the bed but his next words stopped her. “No, stay right there.”

  She did as he said and watched as he removed every stitch of his clothing, giving her a strip show like no other. Her heart rate increased when he stood in front of her in his naked, glorious, male splendor. He knelt on the mattress to remove her pajama top and bottoms.

  When he had her totally naked, he leaned closer to her ear and nibbled around it. “I need you on all fours, facing the headboard, baby,” he whispered. “By the time you leave here tomorrow, there’s no way you won’t know the depths of my feelings for you.”

  She studied his features and saw the intensity in his eyes as she did what he asked. She glanced over her shoulder and met his gaze when he came to stand directly behind her with his feet spread apart.

  He leaned closer and placed his hands on her hips and her body shivered at his touch. “I want you to close your eyes and feel me. Feel me everywhere inside of you,” he whispered.

  She closed her eyes and seconds later she felt his desire when he tilted her hips upward and eased the head of his shaft inside of her. Drawing in a deep breath as it inched deeper and deeper, she moaned at the snug fit when he finally delved inside of her to the hilt. And then he began moving, thrusting hard and maneuvering her hips at an angle that ensured he hit her G-spot every time he drove in and out of her.

  She threw her head back as sensation overtook her body, producing pangs of pleasure. His penis felt rock-hard, and it definitely made its presence known inside of her. Then suddenly her body seemed to fragment into a thousand pieces, and she couldn’t hold back her scream.

  It was then that he bore down on her, went deeper, and she felt his release shoot to every part of her, all the while his skilled hands continuing to stroke her all over. He began whispering words to her, words she knew were Italian. But there was something about the tone of his voice, the sexual texture of the words that flowed from his lips that had her shuddering inside.

  “What were you saying?” she asked, wanting to know. He eased her body down onto the bed, inched her to the middle of the bed to lay beside her. Their breathing was labored as if they’d run a marathon while the aftershocks of shared pleasure echoed between them.

  He smiled and instead of answering her right away, he leaned over and took her mouth in a long, passionate kiss. She felt her body fire up for him.

  When he finally released her mouth, he said, “I was cherishing you in words, saying how beautiful you are, how much I want you not just for physical release but for emotional release as well. Not just for today or tomorrow but for all the years to come.”

  His words touched her. She wished she could believe everything he said, but at the moment she could not. She no longer loved Matt, far from it. However, she needed to protect herself.

  Whatever thoughts she had vanished when he lifted her atop his body so that she straddled him. She immediately felt his hard erection pressed at the juncture of her thighs. And already he’d gotten big again.

  Spreading her legs, she positioned herself above his manhood and eased down, taking him in. Her body tingled in renewed anticipation, eager to have him inside of her again. Maybe it was knowing that tomorrow they would leave the resort and return to their separate homes that made Peyton feel needy. Or perhaps it was the way he stroked his hands down the sides of her thighs and legs that made her want him all over again. Whatever it was, she could feel him pushing through her inner muscles, determined to plunge all the way to the hilt, filling her body with white-hot lust.

  He cupped her backside as he lifted his body off the bed to continue to push his way inside of her, stretching her all the way. “You feel me, baby?” he asked in a throaty whisper.

  She drew in a deep breath. “How could I not?”

  Whether he was satisfied with her answer or not, he didn’t say. What he did do was begin moving again, this time thrusting upward into her. She closed her eyes as their bodies began a frenzied mating. Suddenly she felt his hips jerk, and she opened her eyes and met his dark gaze.

  Her name rushed from his mouth in an orgasmic gasp. He thrust upward deeply and uttered her name at the same time she felt him spill inside of her, the heated essence triggering her own body’s response. She screamed his name as shockwaves passed through her, beginning at the center where their bodies were connected.

  “Angelo!”

  They came together, their juices combining in a maelstrom of sensations that flooded her entire being. He ran his fingers through her locks as he continued to stroke her hair and look into her eyes.

  “I love you, Peyton.”

  She wished she could whisper the words back to him, but she couldn’t. When the lingering effects from the orgasm had passed through her body, he shifted so she could lie beside him, their bodies still connected.

  She glanced at the clock. In less than twenty-four hours she would be leaving. And she knew he would make good on what he’d said. This would definitely be a night she would remember forever.

  Chapter 20

  “You sure you have everything, Peyton?”

  She turned around and Angelo watched as her gaze swept around the room, a room they’d spent the past thirty hours in, behind closed doors, locked in each other’s arms. It was as if a craving, some sort of an addiction, had been unleashed inside of him, and he had needed her in a way he hadn’t ever needed another woman.

  It was as if he’d tried convincing her with his body just how much she meant to him, just how dedicated he was to her. He had come here to find out why she’d gotten to him, why he was so attracted to her and why he was jealous of any man who got close to her.

  Now he knew. He loved her. He had fallen in love with a woman who was the complete opposite of the kind of woman he’d always thought he would share his life with. She had not only wiped his slate clean, she had engraved her name right smack in the middle of it.

  For years, he always thought he knew the type of woman he wanted in his life, the type of woman he would one day settle down with. He wanted to marry and have plenty of children to carry on the family name. After all, it was the Di Meglio way. No telling how many babie
s his mother might have had if a doctor hadn’t cautioned her about getting pregnant again for medical reasons after his sister Samari was born.

  He figured the woman he married would be beautiful, intelligent, quiet, easily controlled and devoted to him, his career, his wants and needs. Although he admired his mother and her successful career, he’d wanted his wife to be a stay-at-home mom and take care of all the babies he planned to have and be at his beck and call. His home would be his castle.

  His uncles had married women like that. His father had not. Everyone knew there was nothing docile or domestic about his mother. If Antonio Di Meglio had been looking for a wife like that then he’d definitely missed the boat. But then Angelo believed his father wouldn’t have it any other way, which was why they had a good marriage. They were equal partners, at work as well as at home. And like his father, Angelo had fallen in love with a strong woman. His home would still be his castle, but Peyton would be his queen.

  “Yes, I got everything,” she said, breaking into his thoughts. “And you don’t have to take me to the airport. I can catch a cab.”

  He shook his head. “No, I want to take you.” He wanted to spend every single second that he could with her.

  “What time will Lee get here?” she asked.

  “Around noon. Then we’ll fly out to Dubai together in a few days,” he said, getting up from the wingback chair in the bedroom to walk over to where she stood at the window. Peyton had pulled her hair back and the effect was astounding. The rays of sunlight streaming through the window highlighted her features, accentuating her beautiful bone structure and giving her face an ethereal glow. “I’m sure the two of you will enjoy yourselves before leaving for Dubai.”

  He lifted a brow. Was that a hint of jealousy in her tone? “I’m sure we will, but not the way you think. I can’t speak for Lee, but there’s not a single woman here I want. My heart is already taken.”

  He saw it—that look of uncertainty in her eyes, the disbelief that made her lift her chin. “You think you feel that way now…”