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to process her feelings later, after the shock wore off.
    And speaking of Bradford, she thought, what on earth was taking him so long?
    â€œHow long have you been dating that pretty boy?”
    Raina was so startled by the question that it took her a moment to recover and respond. “None of your damn business,” she snapped.
    Warrick chuckled softly, and Raina realized that he was deliberately baiting her, trying to get a rise out of her. And she was playing right into his hands.
    Deciding to fight fire with fire, she made an exaggerated show of glancing around the elegant foyer and saying sweetly, “Gee, I wonder what’s taking Deniece so long? Maybe you should go check up on her. You know, to make sure she’s not bent over a toilet puking up that enormous salad she had for dinner.”
    Warrick inclined his head, his eyes glinting with amusement and a trace of grudging respect. “Touché.”
    Raina felt a perverse twinge of satisfaction.
    It didn’t last long.
    â€œI find it interesting,” Warrick said very casually, “that you noticed what my date was eating from all the way across the room. Were you spying on us or something?”
    Raina blinked, heat crawling up her neck and spreading across her cheeks.
    Warrick’s mouth curved in a slow, triumphant grin.
    Raina pivoted abruptly and walked to the opposite end of the foyer, looking out the window at the circular driveway bustling with the arrival and departure of luxury vehicles. Well-dressed men and women swept through the doors of the restaurant and were ceremoniously ushered to the dining room by the maître d’.
    Where the hell was Bradford?
    Raina stiffened as Warrick came up beside her at the window. What did the infuriating man want?
    â€œI have to say, Raina,” he murmured, his deep, dark voice brushing across her skin like a whispered caress, “you’ve really come into your own. I can’t get over how beautiful you look.”
    Raina’s stomach bottomed out.
    She turned her head and found Warrick staring down at her, his hooded eyes roaming across her face in a way that did dangerous things to her pulse. There was a time she would have given anything to have him look at her the way he was looking at her now, to hear him say the things he was saying to her now. But it had never happened before, and over time she’d been forced to relinquish the fantasy to hard, cold reality. And the reality was that Warrick Mayne despised her and blamed her for his sister’s downfall. And now he wanted to punish her by putting her out of business.
    She must never, ever forget that. If she let down her guard even for one second, this man could—and would—destroy her.
    â€œNice try, Warrick,” she said sardonically, “but it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than cheap flattery to get me to hand over my property to you.”
    The barest hint of a smile curved his lips. “I wish I could say I was only trying to flatter you,” he said softly, “but I meant what I said. You are beautiful, Raina. Incredibly beautiful. Only a damned fool would deny the obvious.”
    Her heart thudded. She swallowed, unable to look away from him. He gazed back at her.
    â€œWell, well, well. Isn’t this a touching little reunion?”
    Raina glanced around sharply to find Deniece Labelle standing there. She was frowning, her eyes narrowed as she divided a speculative look between Raina and Warrick.
    â€œDeniece,” Raina murmured with a polite nod.
    The other woman moved closer to Warrick, linking her arm possessively through his. As she looked Raina up and down, her red lips curled in a smirk, as if she’d seen something amusing.
    For one awful moment Raina felt like she was twelve years old again, standing at the front door of Yolanda Mayne’s house after her sister had dropped her off for Warrick’s high-school graduation cookout. Raina was carrying a