Chapter One

Diana

He’s waiting for me.

The winding glass and stone lobby of Iceland’s international airport is packed with families, business travelers, an excited-looking group of women sporting massive backpacks and hiking boots, and a harried young man trying to keep his gaggle of high school students together.

Pure chaos. The kind I usually enjoy when I’m traveling as I watch the people around me, spinning stories in my head about where they’re from and where they’re going. Reassuring myself there are good people in the world as I watch parents comfort overwhelmed children and friends excitedly make plans.

But as I hold Ari Valdasson’s gaze, the chaos and stories fade. All I can hear is the thundering of my own heart. He looks just like he did three months ago when I turned and our eyes locked in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. White-blond hair, a chiseled face comprised of sharp angles and punctuated by dark brows. Towering above the other people in his orbit, clad in a tailored black suit molded perfectly to broad shoulders and a lean waist.

Beneath the crisp white shirt and perfectly knotted black tie is a sculpted chest dusted with curling blond hair. A chest I became intimately familiar with when I ripped his shirt open and slid my hands over every inch of heated skin I could find. When he eased me back into the mattress, muscles slick with sweat as he gripped my hips and pushed inside me, filling me until I couldn’t tell where I ended and he began.

I swallow hard. I’d left the Baccarat Hotel in the early hours of the morning. I hadn’t wanted to leave. I’d wanted to curl up in the circle of his arms, savor the heat of his body, see his smile when he first opened his eyes. Craved the intimacy so much it had scared me into slipping out of bed, grabbing my things, and sneaking out the door.

I’d been walking toward the subway, telling myself I had done the right thing, when Liam had called me. One of my two best friends. The only one still talking to me, and even then he’s pulled back, too, ever since Aislinn withdrew from our lives. So when he said he had a favor to ask, I said yes without hesitation. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for him.

Including pretending to be engaged.

What, I wonder for the umpteenth time, are the odds the man I indulged in my first ever one-night stand with would turn out to be my best friend’s half brother?

My gaze darts back up. Dark blue eyes bore into mine. More like cold chips of ice set into an angular face marked by cheekbones I could sharpen an ax on. His sculpted, prominent jaw narrowing to pointed chin balances his sheer masculinity with a sense of regal authority.

Authority I’ll be submitting to for the next four weeks as I serve as a corporate negotiator between AuraGeothermal and Hellas Global Shipping.

I square my shoulders and walk toward Ari. Each step tightens the muscles in the back of my neck. He watches me with icy detachment. So different than the man I met in the halls of the museum. A man who watched me with fire in his eyes and a confident tilt to his lips as he’d approached me with slow, measured steps.

The desire had been instant. But the warmth behind his smile, the attentiveness as we’d wandered the museum, had reeled me in. I’d never met a man as handsome as Ari, nor one who had put me so at ease even as he’d ignited desires I’d never experienced before. All reasons why I’d done the unthinkable and ended up in his bed that night.

Stupid reasons, stupid decisions, I remind myself as I close the last few steps between us. Decisions that will not be repeated.

“Miss North.”

His voice rumbles through me, rich and deep, slow and deliberate. I inhale deeply, try to grasp onto some semblance of control, as I set my suitcase upright and hold out my hand.

“Mr. Valdasson.”

He doesn’t even glance down at my hand. Just stares at me. My first test.

I keep my hand out, tilt my head to one side. Yes, the man’s seen me naked. Well, almost. As naked as I allow myself to get with another human being. But I’m not going to let that intimidate me, distract me from my job.

At last, he reaches out. His hand engulfs mine, his long, tapered fingers sliding over my skin and leaving little fires smoldering in their wake.

Oh, good job, I mentally snap at my hormones. If one handshake is all it takes to remind me of how he trailed his fingers down my neck right before he kissed me in Central Park, the next four weeks are going to be me roasting in a different kind of fire. One of the hell-on-earth variety.

He lets go. I resist the urge to smooth my hand over my pants and give him a polite smile.

“I didn’t expect you to meet me.”

He arches one condescending eyebrow. “I’m not here for you.”

Well, screw you, too.

“I see.”

“Georgios Xenakis’s plane just landed.”

My curiosity piques. Georgios Xenakis is the CEO of Hellas Global Shipping, the Greek shipping and logistics company currently battling out a contract with Ari’s geothermal energy company. It’ll be my job over the next four weeks to help them settle their differences, iron out a contract, and finalize their business deal.

Or as Liam once described my career, helping grown adults settle their squabbles. He’s not wrong. I love what I do, helping businesses and executives overcome disagreements and find common ground so they can move forward. Using the communication and mediation skills I developed through years in foster care and honed in college to make a difference.

But every now and then, it feels like mediating a quarrel between toddlers.

The image of Ari Valdasson, CEO of one of the world’s most respected geothermal energy companies, with a net worth exceeding well over a billion dollars, squabbling like a child makes my lips twitch.

“Something amusing, Miss North?”

“Not at all, Mr. Valdasson. I’m looking forward to working with you and Mr. Xenakis.”

“Then, you won’t mind altering our schedule for the day and meeting at two.”

He’s testing me. I wrap my professionalism around me like a shield, tilt my chin up, and give him a thin-lipped smile.

“Of course not.”

Yes, we have a history together. A brief night we both went into knowing it wouldn’t go beyond sunrise. It’s been three months since I saw Ari. One month since Liam ended our supposed engagement. I’m very good at my job. I know I can make a difference here if Ari can put the past behind him and focus on business.

Ari turns and walks away. I stare at his back. Is he just this rude with me? If he’s like this with everyone, it’s no wonder Aura’s negotiations with Hellas aren’t going well.

He glances over his shoulder at me. “The limo’s outside.”

I shoulder my bag and follow in his wake. We step outside into a chilly drizzle. I grimace just as Ari looks back at me. His expression doesn’t change, but I can feel his disapproval, cold and biting. I steel myself against it, against the faint, hurt pulsing beneath the layers of shield I’ve built up over the years.

He turns to face me. “Problem?”

Irritation creeps in. Even during the torturous dinner in New York where Liam introduced me to his long-lost half brother, Ari wasn’t this abrupt or discourteous. He had been distant, focused primarily on Liam and asking questions about Liam’s childhood with his adopted parents, his time in foster care after they passed in a car accident. They’d chatted business, college, careers. He’d asked a bit about my degree and my work. Formal, polite, as if I hadn’t just been straddling his naked hips twenty-four hours prior.

None of the disdain or loathing seeping from him now.

“The only problem is if our history together is going to be an issue for you.”

He leans down. I breathe in and immediately regret it. A heady scent fills my senses, smooth whiskey and cedar with a touch of earthiness. It sparks memories, memories of me gasping his name as my fingers delve into his hair, of the feel of his body against mine as our limbs tangled together, of his pressing the sweetest kiss to my temple as I drifted off to sleep.

“If an isolated incident from three months ago was going to be a problem, I wouldn’t have hired you in the first place.”

The warmth evaporates at the frigid ice in his tone. Frustrated by my own weakness, I raise my chin.

“Why did you hire me?”

“Undergraduate degree in business with multiple semesters abroad in Europe and Asia. Internship with a German logistical operations company the summer before your senior year. Graduate degree from Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Three years working for the New York City Economic Development Corporation, and now, just over a year with Lumen International Consultants.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Impressive recitation, but also a little creepy.”

“You have experience working with Greek companies as well as logistical operations with international transportation. Every reference I contacted spoke highly of you.”

“Surprised?”

He cocks his head. “Given that you lied to me, yes, I’m surprised.”

Guilt swells in my chest, a pressure pushing on my ribs as I try to take a deep breath. As far as Ari knows, I did lie. We spent hours together that night, from wandering the Met and strolling through Central Park to dining at an upscale French eatery before tumbling into bed. As the elevator doors had closed and the car had whisked up toward his penthouse, he’d pinned me against the wall, wrapping my wrists in one grip as his other hand had brazenly cupped my breast.

“Is there anyone else?”

I’d been telling the truth when I said no. But he didn’t know that.

Couldn’t know it.

“While I appreciate the vote of my confidence in my professional abilities,” I say with as much calm as I can muster, “I’m not just referencing your and my personal history. Will your brother’s and my breakup be a problem?”

The anger evaporates so quickly I wonder if I imagined it. Ari contemplates me with an almost bored expression.

“Your relationship with Liam, and its recent demise, are none of my concern. Neither does it affect your purpose here.”

My heart drops. This is what I was afraid of that morning in his hotel room. Of how much I felt for a man so quickly, a man who made me feel me strong and beautiful, even as he cherished me. Not just with drugging kisses and mind-blowing sex, but with intimate words and devotion that had stripped me bare, left me aching to share more of myself with him.

He’d seduced me long before he’d ever touched me.

Whereas he, I think bitterly, felt nothing more than old-fashioned lust. Easily sated by a quick fling, the kind he probably has every time he travels internationally. He didn’t feel anything for me that night. The only thing he feels right now is anger because I lied.

He doesn’t even know half of the lies I spun. Lies, I remind myself as guilt tries to creep in, necessary to honor Liam’s request and protect someone we both loved, even if she wants nothing to do with us.

“You’re right, Mr. Valdasson. It is none of your concern.” I nod to him. “I’m glad we’re on the same page.”

He turns and walks to the curb where a sleek black car is waiting. A young man in a black suit is standing next to the passenger door, dark brown hair combed back from a broad face dominated by a strong nose and a deep dimple in one cheek.

He steps forward. “Welcome to Iceland, Miss North. I’m Viktor, one of the chauffeurs for AuraGeothermal.”

“Diana, please.” I smile at him. “Thank you.”

He glances at my backpack and messenger bag. “Do you have more luggage?”

“No, this is it.”

Seven. That’s how many times I moved between the ages of four and seventeen, bouncing from one foster care home to another. Each time I packed up my belongings—donated clothes, a couple notebooks, a toothbrush, a comb, and a ratty stuffed dog—and moved on. For the first two, everything went into a pillowcase. By the third, I was fortunate enough to get a donated pink backpack. It didn’t make the moves any less painful. But it was slightly less humiliating. I learned to pack light in those years. A habit I can’t break.

Viktor takes my bags and heads to the trunk. Ari opens the door for me. Suddenly tired—from the flight, from my interaction with him, from my own foolish feelings—I don’t even look at him as I get in.

“Thank you, Mr. Valdasson.”

“I’ll see you at two, Miss North.”

He closes the door. I stare ahead, breathing out a sigh of relief when Viktor gets in and pulls away from the airport. I don’t turn my head, don’t look back to see if Ari is watching. Partly out of pride, but partly because I need to establish that boundary for myself. He’s my boss, not my lover.

As we move away from the airport, Viktor rattles off the features of the limo, giving me something else to focus on.

The interior is dimly lit with glowing blue lights, adjustable with a touchscreen. With a tap of my finger, I can turn on the built-in hot-stone massage or adjust the settings of the roof so I can view the sky as if I were standing outside instead of being whisked down a winding highway toward Reykjavik to the headquarters of one of Iceland’s most well-regarded geothermal energy companies.

The car is nicer than some of the hotels I’ve stayed in.

Viktor meets my eyes in the mirror. “Is there any scent you’d like?”

“Scent?” I repeat with a slight laugh. “You’re joking.”

His grin is infectious, a welcome change from the granite-faced man we left behind.

“No, ma’am. Built-in aromatherapy.”

“I’ll pass for now, but that’s incredible.” Wind slams against the door of the car. I wince. “I read Iceland is famous for its windstorms.”

“We are. Right now it’s ten meters per second, or just over twenty miles an hour. Still safe for us to drive in this vehicle.”

“Good to know.”

Liam would have been quietly amused by the spa-like touches. Aislinn would have been touching everything and anything. Or at least the Aislinn I knew before this whole mess would have. The old Aislinn was bright, bubbly, able to see the good in everyone. Some might have mistaken her kindness for weakness. But on one of the darkest days of my life, she was there. She never wavered. Never shied away from my tears, my nightmares, the pain that wracked my body.

She was one of two constants in my life.

Until she wasn’t.

My chest tightens, bands of tension pulling on my lungs until it hurts to breathe. Ten months. Ten months since Aislinn started to pull away. Nine months since we found out she was dating a man nearly twice her age, eight since the wedding.

And three months since Aislinn’s husband, Dexter, accused Liam of being in love with her, threatened to destroy Aislinn’s father, Liam, even me, if there was even the slightest hint of an affair.

Enter one fake engagement. It had cooled Dexter’s jealousy and directed his attention away from us, giving Liam and I time to dig deeper into how such a selfish, creepy bastard ended up married to our best friend.

Except four weeks ago, Dexter dropped dead of a heart attack. We’d gone to the funeral, hoping his death would be the end of it. Cold, yes, but the man had been a brute. Yet aside from thanking us for coming and congratulating us on our engagement, Aislinn had been frosty, distant.

Nothing had changed. Liam and I quietly ended our so-called engagement. He’s still convinced there’s something going on. I know he’s still digging into Dexter’s past, into Aislinn’s life the past ten months. But he’s withdrawn, too, fixated on either his research or his decision to open his own firm.

My fingers brush the silver heart dangling from my wrist. The one engraved with Lucy’s name. Liam had bought an emerald green collar, and Aislinn had purchased the dog tag. I’d seen it for the first time when Liam and Aislinn snuck Lucy into the hospital to see me after the attack. I’d lain there with a dog snuggled against my side, Aislinn’s hand in mine and Liam standing guard by my bed. For the first time in years, I’d felt safe. Loved.

My eyes burn as I wrap my fingers around the heart. Most of the time I can grasp on to logic, remind myself this isn’t like Aislinn. That Liam’s right and something’s wrong. But every now and then, doubt slithers in through the cracks and stirs up old fears. Fear that I will never truly be able to trust, to depend on anyone. That somewhere along the line I did something I wasn’t supposed to, or didn’t do enough, and Aislinn pulled away because of me.

I know that’s not it. But God, it’s hard to keep those intrusive thoughts at bay. Especially when I’ve just had a run-in with the man who’s been haunting my dreams for the past three months. A man who’s just reminded me why it’s best to keep people at a distance. I’ve lost Aislinn. If Liam finds out I slept with his brother, will he feel angry? Betrayed?

Will he leave, too?

Another gust of wind buffets the car. I stare out over the surreal landscape of dark craggy rock and swirling mist, the wind shrieking across the lunarlike terrain. It’s strange but beautiful, unlike any other place I’ve ever been to. If negotiations go smoothly, I’ll extend my stay for at least a few days and explore a bit before I return to New York.

A part of me wants to tell Ari everything before I leave. Our night together may not mean anything to him. I want him to know I didn’t lie. But he isn’t worth risking that answer. No matter how attractive I find him, my feelings will fade with time. Loyalty, commitment, love, the things I have with Liam—and hopefully with Aislinn, too—are far more important.

I settle back in my seat and close my eyes. I have five hours until my meeting with Ari. Five hours to shower, eat, get dressed, and brush up on some research. He caught me off guard at the airport. But when I walk into his office this afternoon, I’ll be ready. Ready to tackle the challenge of negotiations between Hellas Global Shipping and AuraGeothermal.

And ready to close the door on my interest in Ari Valdasson once and for all.