Page 55 of Burning Beauty

"You broke my heart." Maria turned her back on him and waited for him to leave.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Maria sat beside the pool, her feet dangling in the water, her sweatpants pushed up to her knees. She'd showered and changed but didn't have the energy to wear anything other than the baggy comfortable clothes. A tray sat on the table nearby. Maria thought there was a ridiculous amount of food on it. She saw fruit and yogurt and she smelled eggs, bacon and toast. There was even a bowl filled with chocolate-covered almonds to tempt her. Yara was making it her personal mission to make sure Maria made up for her days of not eating by making triple of everything at every meal. While her appetite had improved, Maria still wasn't eating much.

Another day had passed since her confrontation with Nic. She hadn't seen him since. He had gone somewhere else to sleep. Though she didn't want to admit it, she missed his body heat next to her while she slept. His aroma of spice and cigars. His even breathing as he slept away yet another stressful day.

She almost regretted that she was causing some of his stress. As much as she wanted to hate him, she couldn't convince her heart to stop yearning. It bothered her that her heart and her conscience weren't in sync. How could she still care about a man who would treat others with such casual disregard?

"Can I eat this?"

Maria jumped and twisted around. She gaped at the tall tan, tattooed man wearing worn jeans and an old white T-shirt that emphasized his muscular arms. A scream escaped her as she yanked her legs out of the pool, jumped to her feet and threw her arms around him. He choked on the bacon he'd stolen from her plate as she grabbed him around the neck and hugged him hard.

"Ruiz!" she yelled. She’d missed everything about her older brother, his charming smile, his dark eyes, his bear hugs. "Mio Dios! I'm so happy to see you!" She ruffled his dark brown hair. “You need a haircut.”

He grinned broadly and laughed. "Si, la hermana. I am very glad to see you too. I have been worried since you left Las Vegas."

"Left?" she said, confused and stepped back from him, her hand still on his arm. "I didn't leave, I was taken."

Ruiz looked stricken for a moment, then snarled angrily, "Franco, that fucking rat. He told me you took off with one of his business buddies. I didn't believe him, but then he showed me footage of you and some guy in a hotel room, then you leaving with him the next day." At Maria's alarmed look, he made a face and said, "Don't worry, he didn't show me the whole video, just enough that I knew you were in the room willingly. When I asked if I could call you, Franco said he had a message from you to stay put in Vegas until you could come get me. He said something about you getting papers."

"He lied," Maria said shortly. Despite her happiness to see Ruiz, she was a little annoyed that he didn't see Franco's bullshit for what it was. Why would she up and leave her only family in a strange city without any way of getting in touch? She didn't say anything though. Recriminations wouldn't change things.

"What have you been doing in Vegas?" Maria asked, pulling him toward the table and chair set and pointing at a seat.

Ruiz shrugged and dropped into the seat. "Franco introduced me to some guys that he said worked for your new boyfriend. He said they would give me work and pay me under the table since I'm illegal and all."

Maria sighed. Those would be Nic's men. At least she knew he'd been telling the truth when he said he was keeping an eye on her brother for her.

"Have you talked to Nic yet?" Maria asked, wondering if her brother had met the boss.

"Yeah, he met me at the airport with a limo. He said he was taking me to you and that we would live here now. I wasn't sure about that, but he didn't seem like someone to argue with." Ruiz looked around and whistled his appreciation. "Now that I'm looking at the place, seems like a pretty sweet deal. I might not mind staying."

Maria glared at him. As much as she loved her brother, he was a bit of an airhead. Growing up, he had been the brawn while she had been the brains. And even now they still took on those same roles. After her court hearing, when everything fell to shit and Marc’s family came after her, Ruiz has gotten her out of town. He had protected her as they travelled from town to town making their way to America. But it had been her smarts that had gotten them from place to place and then across the border.

"What do you plan on doing while you're here?" Maria asked.

"Nic said he would give me a job." Ruiz winked at her. "Nice guy, I like him."

"Over my dead body," Maria hissed and surged to her feet. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

Maria stomped toward the house, her rage so great that when her bodyguard stepped into her path to see how she was doing, she sidestepped him and continued to the door without pausing. She flung the patio door open and stomped inside. She headed straight toward Nic's office like a heat seeking missile. Maria didn't bother knocking, she flung the door open, satisfied when it smashed against the wall.

Nic's head came up and his hand automatically flew inside his jacket. When he caught sight of her, he dropped his hand as though not wanting her to realize he had been reaching for a gun. Too late. She knew he was carrying. She couldn't erase the image of that gun if she tried.

"You do not get my brother!" she yelled storming right up to his desk.

Nic raised a brow but didn't speak for a moment, then he said in a slow drawl, "I will have to call you back, Mercer. If you will excuse me, something has just come up."

Maria choked as she realized Nic was on a business call. He didn't wait for the other man to speak, he hung up and set the phone back on his desk. She expected to see anger in his eyes, or worse, the cold emotionless mask. Instead, his eyes glowed with warmth, and it was completely directed at her. Like molten bronze, his dark eyes held her.

"Say that again, bellissima."

She licked her lips and stepped back, feeling more subdued at his lack of response. "I said, you don't get to have my brother. I don't want him working for you."

Nic sat in his chair, leaned slightly back and watched her, as if absorbing her. The way she looked, the way she sounded. The softening of his face made her think he was admiring her fiery defence of her brother. That he enjoyed her anger.

"I understand what you must think, Maria. But I can assure you, I will not allow any harm to fall on him. He will work on the estate, he will be safe. This is a promise."

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