Page 1 of Rio
Chapter 1
RAQUEL
Caraca.My stomach feels all fluttery.
I have a Knight in my hotel room.It feels so dangerously wrong on so many levels, and yet I’m the one who invited him in.
A Knight of all people.
He was kind enough to see me back safely, and that scorching hot chemistry between us is as strong as ever.That surprises me.Shocks me, that someone like me could ever feel anything for something likehim.
I don’t know why this man has such an effect on me, but he does, and I haven’t stopped thinking about him since that night at the Manhattan bar when I was spying on Dex and Dani.Tonight, at their wedding reception, it was impossible to ignore how much in love they are, but it still strikes me as odd that everything has happened so fast.
The Dani I know wouldn’t do this.She’s not just a friend, she’s like a sister to me, even though we were from such different worlds when we met.Against the odds, we became best friends at the private school I was lucky to attend.Our paths would never have crossed were it not for the government-funded scholarship I got to one of São Paulo’s most elite schools.The type of school I never knew even existed.The type of school that had what I imagined only the grandest homes would have: marble staircases, tennis courts, swimming pools and perfectly landscaped grounds.
When I stepped into that school, I entered a world that was alien to me.A world I didn’t belong in.In my early days, armed with nothing more than a sharp tongue and death stares, it made me more determined than ever to rise.To show these people that I was more than my tattered shoes and clothes.That’s when I met Dani.She was nothing like the others, even though she looked perfectly at home here.
I taught her how to swear and she taught me how to control my anger and use it to fuel something I could control.I vowed then to be someone who could make things better.
We grew close and kept in touch through the years, and then we lived together in the U.S.while I was doing my LL.M.at Georgetown.We’ve always known what was going on in each other’s lives, but I never thought she’d keep something like this from me.Her marriage to one of the Knight billionaires.She kept Dexter a secret for so long, I wonder if she fell in love and lost her head.
Some women do.
But the way Dex kissed her this evening, in front of everyone, it was plain to see that they’re in love.I’m so happy for her.I am.But I’ll be watching Dexter.He’s a Knight, so he doesn’t get a free pass from me.
“Nice room, princesa.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?”I ask, turning to the Knight in my room.
“Because you are.”
I kick off my heels to find Rio stands, taking up the space like he owns it.Hands in his pockets.Calm.Relaxed.He laughs.His voice is too low, too smooth, too flirtatious.He’s the kind of man who’s hard to forget, and I know he’s bad for me.I know he spells trouble, which is why I keep my distance.But now, he’s only a few strides away, filling the room with his aura.His magnetism.
He’s Dani’s new brother-in-law.I mustn’t forget that.I was tempted to kiss him in that Manhattan bar when I thought he was just another sharp-dressed, cocky businessman.Then I discovered who he was.
As a corporate environmental lawyer, I know all about the dirty tactics Knight Enterprises uses.I’ve seen too many cases where they’ve wreaked havoc across the globe.
The Knights mean trouble, and I’ve only let this man in to be polite.I’m going to send him back to the wedding reception soon.Dani might not realize I left the celebrations early, but I had to.
Work commitments, unfortunately.
The law firm where I work, Tovey & Roth, is one of the best firms in Miami.It was founded by two partners, but only my boss Pierce Tovey remains at the helm.William Roth retired years ago and faded quietly from the legal scene.
Pierce has been on my back all week.Pressure from the job, I can take.But a shiver of revulsion slithers through me every time I think of him.He’s a corrupt, misogynistic blot on my day.The subtle innuendos he makes when others aren’t around, the way he looks at me, how he brushes past me “accidentally” are all things that can’t be used as evidence against him.He’s careful, and knows exactly what he’s doing, but he knows how to stay clean.
I love what I do.It’s my passion.It’s what fuels me.I’m a corporate environmental lawyer who occasionally takes on pro bono cases, though Pierce prefers I stick to billable hours that keep the firm’s profits flowing.
Having Rio around is a little distraction.A little harmless fun.Nothing will happen, but I’m curious, and I have been, about him, for months.This one is rare, I feel it in my gut, but I’ve just got to find a way to stop thinking about him.
Though sometimes I can’t help but wonder what he’d be like in bed.I don’t usually think like that.But with him?I haven’t been able to stop.He should’ve been easy to dislike.Easy to walk away from.I knew we’d meet at the wedding and I managed to keep away from him for most of the day, but then he found me in the gardens.And now he’s here.
“What’ll you have to drink?”I head toward the wet bar.
“You’re offering me hospitality?”
“Just one drink.Knight, before I send you on your way.What will it be?”
“I’m not going to drink.I just wanted to make sure you got back to your hotel room safely.”
