Reno walked up the aisle toward the groom and the best man. Most men would be nervous about signing away their freedom but Allan looked completely relaxed. In fact, he looked like the ceremony of thirty of their friends, family, and Allan’s business associates was nothing but a formal party. He had no fears of the bride bolting or the nervousness that came with signing away a man’s bachelorhood for the responsibilities of a family. He looked quite ready to get the entire thing over with, without the least bit hurry to say the ‘I dos’ so that he could start breathing again.
Reno remembered feeling that same way on his wedding day. It had been a small affair with a pastor and two of his resort managers standing in as witnesses. Neither of them had family in New Providence nor could he afford the plane ticket out for Riana. He’d felt like his life was about to take the next step to a wonderful journey. Like finally things were starting to go right in his life.
How wrong he’d been. The only thing that step had brought was misery. Georgia had been the worst mistake of his life and four years after she abandoned him, she was still the worst mistake. Now, just a mistake he’d found impossible to divorce. But that would soon be resolved once the court appointed time lapsed.
Two more months and I will be a free man.
The court had granted his petition of dissolution of marriage under the suit of abandonment but he’d had to wait a full year before his farce of a marriage was annulled.
He chortled. His petition had lasted longer than his marriage.
Three months into their wedded bliss she’d ran away with one of his guests at the resort. Reno hadn’t even seen it coming. No word, no sign whatsoever. Hell, they never ever fought bad enough to warrant a separation. They’d barely had their hands off each other long enough to even have a meaningful conversation, let alone a quarrel bad enough to warrant abandonment. And to think of the reason he’d married her in the first place…but thinking of it now, he was sure he’d taken on the load of another man, which he was glad to be rid of. Let some other unsuspecting man play sucker to her Jezebel charms.
But his pride had taken quite a beating. Just remembering the snickering behind his back and the pity looks from his employees made him cringe. It was hard to face the guests at the resort when the employees’ gossips of the owner’s sad and embarrassing heartbreak reached them. It had taken some time to get over and with it came a new resolution. He was going to embrace his bachelorhood and enjoy it extremely, especially if she was blonde and blue eyed. Was it petty and jaded to casually screw women who looked like his wife? Hell yes, but it did help his bruised ego some.
“What are you smiling at?”
Reno turned to Ruiz. He was still nervous but much better than he was before they entered L’Archeologia in Rome. Riana had wanted to hold the wedding in their open grounds full of archeological remains. She was an art nut, and the reception was to be held inside the restaurant. Ruiz was more nervous than when he was introducing himself to Reno. But who could blame him? He’d thought Riana was dead until Reno had told him otherwise.
It was uncanny how much they resembled each other. They were both tall and broad and from the pictures Ruiz had brought with him as proof, they took after their father. Aside from the obvious difference, and the two year age gap, they could be twins. And who would have thought he would be walking next to the reason for his mother’s heartache at his sister’s wedding? Life could be strange sometimes.
“Would you calm down? She’s the sweetest person alive and she doesn’t know how to hold a grudge.”
“Like you?”
Reno narrowed his eyes at him. “Watch it little brother.”
Ruiz flashed him a smile. “Hey, I’ll be your wing man tonight big brother. I heard the bridesmaids are usually very slutty and willing at the reception.” He waggled his eyebrows. “Are you looking forward to some slutty wedding sex?”
Reno shook his head. “Don’t even think about it. One of those bride’s maids is spoken for by the best man.” He pointed Matthew out. He’d met Allan and Matthew the night before and they’d become quick friends, to his astonishment. Reno wasn’t like the two of them—rich and without a sordid background—but they’d hit it off.
“And the other is Allan’s sister so if you want to end up dead and washed up on the beach bloated, half eaten by fish until you’re unrecognizable and the obvious amputation in your nether regions, go for it.”
Ruiz frowned with a wince. “What about the maid of honor?”
Reno whistled shaking his head. “That is a blonde, blue eyed can of trouble. I’m not going anywhere near that and neither should you.”
Ruiz sighed and pouted. “When I finally get the opportunity to behave like a juvenile, no one is available to play with.”
Ruiz hadn’t told him the full story but Reno got the impression he’d had a hard life after his mother moved both of them back to Argentina just months after his own mother took them to the States. All those years he’d spent cursing his brother out for having the life he and Riana were denied were wasted. Unlike him, Ruiz was all alone.
Reno Senior, their father, had tried to have his cake and eat it too but it all back fired on him. Good, the bastard deserved to suffer some for what he did to us, to all of us.
But he wasn’t what was important now. Reno had to think about how he was going to break this news to Riana. He knew she wasn’t going to take it well, but with Allan’s help, it might all go well.
They had spoken the night before about Ruiz. Allan hadn’t met him yet but he’d invited Ruiz to be one of his groomsmen to even the number out. Reno had been roped into being a groomsman too, though he preferred to act as the father of the bride for the night and nothing else. He’d helped raise Riana and he wanted to watch her live her special day and not risk ruining it.The pit of his stomach still churned knowing she was about to be married. He was scared that her marriage wouldn’t work out and he didn’t want to watch her heart break for another two and a half years over the same man. His stomach churned for another reason too—he didn’t want to share his sister. He hadn’t realized how much he missed having her around until she left Bahamas for the States.His little sister was getting married, and it made him as nervous as hell!“Reno, how are you?” Allan greeted them with a smile.Reno smiled back. “Great, but this guy is so nervous he’s beginning to annoy me,” Reno stood to the si
Loraine watched the couples’ first dance with mixed emotions. She was truly happy for them, but yet again she was envious. Riana stared up at her husband like a gold digger would stare at a fifteen carat diamond; like he was complete perfection and the best thing in the world. And Allan—this is where the envy came in—looked down at her like there was no one else in the world but her. Like she was his center and his life line and nothing else existed but her. God, why can’t I find a guy who looks at me like that, with so much love? This was one of the things that she always knew, wished she could teach her parents and grandparents: that true love and happiness didn’t come from money. Considering how fake and sad her grandparents’ marriages were, one would think it was self-explanatory. She wrapped her arms around her mid, hugging herself tightly. Between the nightmares about the psycho and lacking that special someone since, she felt so alone. The feeling drowned her. She chuckled t
Are you kidding me! She thought feeling the corded muscle under her hand. A resort owner should not be this buff! What reason does he have to keep his body so perfect!“True, but the only reason for that was because we were both worried about Riana.”His shoulder flexed under her hand and the grip on her hand tightened, swallowing her hand completely.She held back a groan, from pure sexual agony. He keeps this up, and I’m going to be like a bitch in heat!When he went silent, she gave in and looked up at him. He was staring to the side, a shy smile playing on his lips, and when she followed his gaze it was settled on Riana. She was cuddled in Allan’s arms, her head on his chest, her eyes closed and a sweet smile on her lips. She looked content and at peace, happy to be in his arms.“She doesn’t resemble the lost girl she was two months ago.”Reno grunted his response.
Reno was ready to kill Loraine for laughing but the confused stare Riana gave him had him frozen. What exactly could he say? ‘I didn’t want you to know him so I didn’t tell you his race?’Reno knew Riana was only following his lead when he’d asked their mother never to speak of that man. That day, he’d walked in on their mother trying to explain things to Riana and he heard the loving way she’d said his name and that was all it took for Reno to lose his temper and forbid their mother from ever mentioning him in their home again. She’d tried to reason with him, but Reno had just come from an all night shift at a textile factory and had only four hours before he had to be at his other weekend job. He was bone tired and his patience was shot worrying about everything, including wondering how he was going to finish high school, if the bills kept piling up. The last thing he needed to hear was the reason as to why he had to work to h
Loraine dropped her bags at the door, feeling every minute of the long and uncomfortable seven hour flight in her body. And of course the guilt of taking off and leaving Reno sound asleep in her bed. She pressed the heel of her palms against her closed eyes. Damn, she really thought she could do it this time. She’d felt it—the lust, the desire. She’d even felt safe in his arms… it was Reno, Riana’s big brother. He would never hurt her. And I know that! Her thoughts screamed. But the moment all their clothes were gone and his large body crawled over hers… her muscles stiffened and her joints locked in place. Suddenly she couldn’t breathe. She felt suffocated and held down, completely trapped by his huge body. The panic rose, tears flooded her eyes and she began to cry. Reno launched off her so fast he tripped but stayed on his feet after clumsily backing away from her. She sat up, pulled her knees to her chest and hid her shame filled face in them as she cried. It had taken seeing t
Loraine watched her father as he paced in front of her in the living room cursing up a storm. Her mother on the other hand, sat next to her, moving between nervously wringing her hands and smothering Loraine with hugs—which she particularly didn’t mind at the time, considering the situation.She liked this kind of mothering—her mother had her wrapped in a blanket, filling her with cup after cup of tea that was meant to calm Loraine but didn’t seem to have the desired effect on herself. The kind of mothering Loraine didn’t like was the nagging her mother called training to be a proper lady worthy to be married to American royalty.Loraine had called her debutante ball her auctioning ceremony where all the other fathers could examine her like a horse and see if she was befitting for their sons before one of them put her on reserve until said son was ready to marry.Such bullshit! It was so ridiculous that sometimes she wished she didn
Reno stood at the beach shore, his feet sinking in the white sand as the tide washed in, lapping at his ankles. This was his favorite time of day, when the sky was orange-red as the sun set in the horizon, the blue ocean sparkling with the final rays of sun light. Even the cool evening air smelled sweeter and he loved the feel of it against his skin. Like the gentle caress of a lover, blowing into his clothes and touching every inch of his skin with its cool soft touch as a loving mistress would.He closed his eyes, leaned his head back and spread his arms wide. He always felt free in the arms of his mistress. The one female in his life he loved without reserve. She was always there for him, never leaving, always ready and willing to help ease his heavy mind and strangled heart.And right at that moment, the one thing weighing on him was Loraine Larson.Everything had gone so well until that moment…They had danced till the wee hours of the morning
He tried to deny the thought that persisted in his mind but the tortured, defeated look in her eyes made it scream louder in his head. He wanted to shout, throw something and punch, no, pummel the man responsible for her pain until he was nothing but a bloody pulp. He wanted to tear him apart and cause him more pain than he’d caused Loraine. Hell, he too was in pain just watching her suffer.“What do you need from me?” he’d asked, hoping there was some way he could take her pain away, even if it was for the night.She’d crawled toward him and he’d tensed, watching her, keeping his body still. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his torso. All she wanted was to be held and so he did, holding her tight against him. When she barreled into him, he held her tighter rocking from side to side until he felt her go limp and her breathing became shallow. He put her in bed, intending to sleep on the chaise beside the window but she moved into him when he laid her down, holding t