“Is an American girl staying here? A guest of Ren Tanaka?”
The employee looked Antonio over from his bespoke suit to his Italian leather shoes, then with a nod, motioned toward a quiet, darkened bar, separate from the lobby. “They’re in there.”
Glancing at the door, he set his jaw. Then he held out the satchel. “Make sure this is delivered to her room.”
“Of course, sir.”
Leaving the lobby, Antonio stood for a moment in the doorway of the darkened hotel bar. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust. He blinked. Then blinked again.
Then he sucked in his breath when he saw Hana sitt
ing alone at a table, across the empty bar. Her white skirt suit was edged with a sultry blue glow from the neon light on the ceiling. His body was instantly electrified. “Hana.”
Turning, she saw him. “Antonio?” She rose unsteadily to her feet. “What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you,” he said, searching her beautiful face.
She glanced uneasily at something on the other side of the bar. “Why?”
“I...uh...” Now that he was looking at her, all his carefully planned arguments flew from his mind. Against his will, his gaze fell to her trembling, deliciously full pink lips, and down farther still. Her breasts seemed bigger—yes—the top two buttons of her white fitted jacket were stretched about to burst. How had he not noticed that before today?
Because he hadn’t wanted to notice.
But he wanted her. Suddenly. Savagely. So much his hands shook with it. He wanted to grab her, push her back against the wall. He didn’t care what the cost might be to his company, to his peace of mind, to anything. He wanted to have her even if the cost was setting fire to the world.
“Delacruz. It’s you, isn’t it?”
Hearing a man’s low growl, Antonio turned and saw a young Japanese man, tall and handsome in a sleek suit, perhaps ten years younger than Antonio’s thirty-six years, approaching from behind the bar.
“Who are you?” he asked, though he’d already guessed.
The man’s lip curled. “My name is Ren Tanaka.”
Antonio’s eyes narrowed as he sized up the younger man. “So you’re her best friend.”
He lifted his chin. “And you’re her bastard boss who got her pregnant and abandoned her like a—”
He spoke a Japanese word that Antonio didn’t understand, but the meaning was plain enough. Tanaka looked as if he’d like to strangle him with his bare hands.
The feeling was mutual. As Antonio saw the other man gently hand Hana a glass of water, then step protectively in front of her—as if he were trying to protect her from Antonio!—his own hands clenched into fists.
Then he saw Hana’s face, her worry and fear as she looked between the two men. He saw the way her body, newly lush with his child, was trembling.
With almost superhuman restraint, Antonio forced his hands to relax. He’d already shown her enough bad behavior today. And he didn’t give a damn about Tanaka. That wasn’t why he’d come.
“Can we go and talk?” he asked Hana in a low voice.
“You don’t have to go anywhere with him,” Tanaka said to her. Setting his jaw, he scowled at Antonio. “Leave my hotel. You are not welcome here.”
His eyes narrowed. “You’d do well to stay out of this, friend.”
“You’ve hurt Hana enough. I’m not going to give you another chance.”
“Why?” Antonio lifted his lip in a snarl. “You want her for yourself?”
The younger man lifted his chin. “What if I do?”
“Back off, or I’ll knock you flat into the wall.”