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Cooper halted his pursuit when he spotted Serena Dominguez. His heart lurched and he hunched his shoulders as if he had taken a fist into his stomach. He raggedly drew in a breath, wishing he didn’t react like this every time he saw her.
He decided it was safer if he focused on her feet as he approached. The gold chain around her ankle caught his attention as it gleamed under the sunlight. It was the kind of gift an infatuated man gave to his woman. He didn’t want this woman to be claimed by another and fought the need to rip the anklet from her.
Cooper’s gaze traveled along the length of her strong and toned legs to the white bikini bottoms that scandalously clung to her hips. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard as the hunger for her tore through him. He forced his eyes open and determinedly stared at Serena’s profile as she ended a call.
He was disappointed that her large sunglasses hid most of her face. He stared at her high cheekbones, full lips and pointed chin. Serena Dominguez was more than just beautiful. Her sensual grace left him spellbound.
She tossed her cell phone down and reached up to smooth the wavy dark brown hair that cascaded past her shoulders. Her sudden stillness was his only indication that she saw him.
“What are you playing at, Serena?” he said in a rough whisper.
“Olá, Mr. Brock,” Serena said, her Brazilian accent making his name sound like a caress of a bold lover. “What brings you to Portugal?”
“Drop the innocent act. I don’t have time to play games.”
“How very unusual,” she said as she removed her dark sunglasses and set them on her head, pushing her hair back. “You live for games.”
The shade of her eyes reminded him of his favorite gold tequila, only her gaze packed a stronger punch. He also noticed her tight and polite grins had disappeared and were replaced with a wide and brazen smile. He had wanted to see her smile at him. He had ached for it. But not like this.
“I was supposed to close the deal today on the Alves land,” he said as calmly as he could while the anger whipping through him collided with his ferocious lust for her, “and I find out that you stole it from under me.”
“Stole?” She clucked her tongue at the word as her eyes glittered. “Careful, cowboy. I’m not a thief.”
The way she said it suggested he was the one who couldn’t be trusted. That was ridiculous. “How did you pull this off? I know you’re some sort of financial genius, but you don’t have the money or the connections to make this kind of deal.”
She splayed her arms out. “I don’t need any of that when all I have to do is bat my eyelashes and smile.”
And wear very little, Cooper decided as his gaze drifted to her voluptuous breasts. The delicate bikini top faithfully outlined her curves as her tight nipples pressed against the thin white fabric. She may as well be sunbathing topless.
He cleared his throat but his voice was gruff as he replied. “If you think I’m going to let you take what is mine and walk off into the sunset, you don’t know me very well.”
She laced her hands behind her head and he knew the movement was not as casual as it appeared. It was designed to divert his attention. “You would be surprised at how much I know about you.”
“Don’t play with me, sweetheart,” he warned quietly as he dragged his gaze back to Serena’s eyes. “What do you want with this project?”
“Nothing. I simply wanted to intercept the deal. How does it feel not getting what you wanted? To fail? To have something you need snatched away. It must rub at you.” She pursed her full red lips with false concern before her mouth widened into a
bitter smile. “Don’t worry. It will only get worse.”
“If you wanted to get my attention, you’ve had it since I first met you.”
Serena arched one eyebrow as her smile faded. “It’s not your attention I want. I thought I made that very clear.”
“Who are you kidding? You can’t keep your eyes off me.” It was one fact that had kept him sane all these weeks.
“Only because I’ve learned not to turn my back on a Brock,” she said as she reached for her drink.
“Well, don’t leave me in suspense. You must want something very badly from me to go through all this work.”
She took a sip of her cocktail and licked the moisture from her lips. He wanted to capture the tip of her tongue with his own so badly that he almost missed her answer.
“How is it that you have pursued me for the past month but you don’t know anything about me?”
He crossed his arms and braced his legs as he towered over her. “I know all that I need to know. You’re smart, sexy, and you keep your distance from me because you know I would actually make you feel something.”
Amusement flickered across her face. “Keep telling yourself that if it makes you feel better.” She paused and tilted her head. “That’s it? That’s all you know?”
“What else do I need to know?” Other than the magic word that would get him into her bed, but she wasn’t going to share that.
