Love in Bloom (De La Fuente Family 3)

“There is nothing wrong with making his life hell, like he’s done to others.” Roger moved to his window and kept his back to her.

The money tempted her more than it should have.

But she had no family.

No friends.

No benefactor.

No one to help her if she lost her apartment.

No one to help her finish at the university.

She was alone…

At least her mother wasn’t alive to witness her fall from the sweet girl next door.

“Whose life do you want me to make hell?”

Roger turned and grinned. “Mateo De La Fuente.”

She was in trouble…

Chapter One

Present Day

The moment Caprice had strode into his downtown Dallas apartment, Mateo noticed immediately that she looked…different. Gone was the over confident woman that had irritated him for months and in her place was someone less sure of herself.

As soon as she realized he was limping from over taxing himself at the gym, she’d shoved him into his favorite chair and gotten him some ice. Now, she was sitting opposite him and he could see her fidgeting…so unlike her. He knew that she was sorry about his accident for which he’d blamed her as he’d been arguing with her at the time of the crash, but in truth it hadn’t been her fault at all. He’d been the one behind the wheel. He shouldn’t have been going as fast as he had been on the ice. All that was old news, so with her nervousness, she had his stomach in knots.

“Why are you worrying about me all of a sudden?” he finally asked, wanting it out in the open.

Her gaze slid off of him as she sighed. “I’ve always been worried about you Mateo…you just wouldn’t let me see you after the accident to know that.” Her nonchalant shrug told him more than words—she’d been hurt by his curt dismissal at the hospital when she’d tried to visit.

“I’m sorry.” He rested his head back against the chair and stared at the ceiling. “I wasn’t in a good place after the ac

cident. I just didn’t want to be bothered with anything, and yeah, that included you.”

“I should have expected how you treated me, after the way I’ve treated you and your family.” She looked away, and he thought he heard regret in her voice before she moved to stand at the window.

The first time he’d seen her, he’d thought his luck was in because he’d noticed her long slim legs, rounded hips, and lush breasts. Her face was flawless and her lips were plump—just ready for him to devour—but after their initial meeting and getting to know each other, he’d thought, hell no.

Once or twice, she’d appeared a heck of a lot more intelligent than she usually was, which had given him pause. On those occasions, he’d wondered whether she was acting in more ways than them being engaged…like now.

Turning, she met his gaze. “Why did you want to see me?”

“Come sit back down.” He waved her into the chair she’d just vacated.

She moved with slight hesitation. Something was definitely off and she looked unsure of herself. About what, Mateo wasn’t sure.

As Caprice sat, she slipped her shoes off and curled her legs under her, which distracted him because she had gorgeous legs that his eyes followed from her toes up to the hem of her dress.

Stop looking…

Perhaps she was tired.

He sure as fuck was.