LOVE MATCH
Series: MEN OF VALOR
Imprint: TO DIE FOR
BOOK EXCERPT:
To Die For
DAX
Men of Valor Series 2
by Eve Montelibano
RIANNA saw him sitting in the gazebo later that night, as usual, working on his laptop. Nagpahanda ng isang masaganang dinner si Russel para sa lahat ng mga tao sa Valdeverro mansion bilang blow-out sa pagkapanalo nito sa basketball kanina. It was like a party. Dax never came near her all night. He had avoided her like a plague. She still couldn’t get over the fact na total deadma siya sa lalaking ito.
Series: MEN OF VALOR
Imprint: TO DIE FOR
BOOK EXCERPT:
To Die For
DAX
Men of Valor Series 2
by Eve Montelibano
RIANNA saw him sitting in the gazebo later that night, as usual, working on his laptop. Nagpahanda ng isang masaganang dinner si Russel para sa lahat ng mga tao sa Valdeverro mansion bilang blow-out sa pagkapanalo nito sa basketball kanina. It was like a party. Dax never came near her all night. He had avoided her like a plague. She still couldn’t get over the fact na total deadma siya sa lalaking ito.
She started wondering if he was really a bodyguard or some corporate exec who just loved wearing tough guy outfits. But the deadly-looking gun casually lying on top of the table within his easy reach erased her doubts. She had never been with the rough and tumble kinda guys. She always went out with smooth, sophisticated men-about-town types. Dax was the dark horse among her pack of golden stallions. Untamed. Yet, anyway.
But not for long. Before she finished with him, she would be nibbling sugar from her hands.
“Hi,’ malambing na bati niya dito nang malapitan ito sa kinauupuan.
“I’m busy, Rianna,” he said curtly, not even giving her a glance.
She gnashed her teeth, insulted. Pero nagtimpi siya. “I brought you some apple pie,” aniya na itinago ang pagkainis sa likod ng matamis niyang boses.
“Busog pa ako.”
Ngani na lang na isalpak niya ang apple pie sa ulo nito. Jerk talaga! Nagmumukha na siyang tanga. Wala pang lalaki ang pinagsilbihan niya nang ganito! Siya ang pinagsisisilbihan ng mga ito!
Nagtimpi pa rin siya. Maingat niyang inilapag sa mesa ang platito ng apple pie. “Baka mamaya gutumin ka, iiwan ko na lang ito dito.”
Hindi ito umimik.
Nanatili siyang nakatayong parang engot sa tabi nito. He looked like he was not going to waste time exchanging idle talk with her. Patuloy ito sa pagtipa sa laptop nito. He was studying some colorful graphs on the screen and lots of numbers. “Uhm, what are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” sagot nito as if istupido ang tanong niya.
Ooooh grrrr! “Okay, you’re working, I know. But on what?” Umupo siya sa katabing silya nito at nakitingin sa screen ng laptop.
“It’s complicated. You won’t understand.”
“Try me,” she said huskily. Bobo siya sa math. But she would pretend interest in what he was doing if he’d only look at her. And smile. Just one smile. Napakamahal ng ngiti ng lalaking ito. He was always brooding and scowling at her.
Noon siya nilingon ni Dax. His eyes were intense but they had a wicked glint in them that made her heart palpitate faster.
Sumandal ito sa backrest ng kinauupuan at pinasadahan siya ng tingin mula ulo hanggang baywang, nagtagal sa kanyang dibdib. “Are you coming on to me, Rianna?”
Napasinghap siya sa tanong nito, natorete. Sobrang prangka naman nito! Apparently, subtlety didn’t belong in his virtues, if he had any at all! His eyes challenged her. Her hackles rose all the more. “And if I am?” she retorted, he chin raised a bit.
Ilang segundo itong tumitig sa kanya bago nagsalita. “Are you that easy?”
She blinked at him, shocked. Ano daw?! Her repertoir of smooth lines had not prepared her for such a blatant question. But she had the gift of the gab. She was making lots of money out of her wit. So inhale and relax, dear. You can handle him. “Are you?”
Ngumisi ito nang nang-uuyam. “Believe me, you won’t have to be begging like a cheap broad if I were, honey.”
Her cool demeanor evaporated like smoke. “How dare you! You flatter yourself! I’m not begging! I never beg!”
“Oh yeah?” He eyed the apple pie skeptically. “Then what are you doing? Rianna the princess serving me, the hired help? Are you that desperate?”
Tumayo siya, nanggagalaiti na sa inis. “Nagmamagandang-loob lang ako! Kung ayaw mo, ‘di ‘wag mo!”
He sat there relaxed as he casually shredded her ego to pieces. “You got that right. Ayaw ko. Sa ‘yo.” He enunciated the last words firmly. “Save your honey, sweety, I ain’t tempted.”
Hindi nakaimik si Rianna. Her confidence suddenly took a deep nosedive. No man had ever dissed her so brutally and so bluntly like that! It was so humiliating she wanted to cry right there and then. She sniffed and blinked her eyes rapidly. Wala pang lalaking nakapagpaiyak sa kanya maliban sa namatay niyang ama at ang Kuya Russell niya! I won’t cry! I won’t!
Dax picked up the fork and took a slice of the apple pie and slowly brought it to his mouth. He watched her as he chewed leisurely. “Masarap pala.”
Sari-saring emosyon ang lumukob sa kanya habang nakatitig sa lalaki. She had never felt the urge to slap someone’s face before and kiss him senseless at the same time! The man was so infuriating and so damned…sexy! She fought to regain her composure. Don’t get mad, dear. Get even! She smiled at him seductively, unleashing her legendary charm that no man before had ever managed to resist.
“I am much better than that,” she said boldly. She had never used that line before. She never had to. Men had always been so easy.
He raised a brow. “Credit me for more taste.”
Pakiramdam niya ay binigyan siya nito ng mag-asawang sampal. But the more he insulted her, the more she was challenged to prove him wrong. Iniliyad niya ang dibdib. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Dumb blondes have absolutely no appeal to me. Specially fake blondes. They bore me to death.”
My God! That, she could never take! Blonde ang tina ng buhok niya. She was known in Metro Manila’s elite ‘in’ crowd as the hippiest, most glamorous blonde! Trademark na niya iyon mula noon.
“Most especially hysterical, fake blondes,” he added with a sneer.
Inside, she was like an erupting volcano. Ang kapal! Grabehhh! Feeling God’s gift to women na animo langaw kung pitikin palayo ang mga babae kung ayaw! Ang mga lalaking ganito ay salot sa mundo niya bilang modernong babae. Dapat sa mga ito ay tirisin, dikdikin at gawing feeds ng mga hayop!
“I’m not dumb, you idiot,” she was screaming at him inside but her voice came out really soft.
“Then stop acting like one,” anito at nilantakan pa ang apple pie na tila sarap na sarap talaga.
Namaywang siya. Pinantasya niya kanina na kakainin ni Dax nang ganoon ka-enthusiastic ang apple pie pero ngayon ay gusto niyang mabulunan ito o sumakit ang tiyan pagkatapos. Magka-LBM ka sana, hudas ka! “You’re a jerk, you know that?” she said, her voice saccharin sweet.
“And you’re a cheap tease. But thanks for the pie. If you’ll excuse me, I wanna go back to work.”
He turned back to his laptop, finished his food and shoved the plate away from him, never again sparing her a glance. Muli siyang parang tangang nakatayo at nakatanghod dito.
He only looked at her again but only to ask, “Nagdala ka ng pambara wala naman pantulak.”
Doon nasagad ang temper niya. “Ano’ng akala mo sa akin, maid mo?!”
“Hindi ba? Lubos-lubusin mo na, ikuha mo ako ng tubig. Bilis,” pinitik pa nito ang mga daliri na para siyang alipin nito na susunod kaagad sa utos nito.
She stomped away, fuming madly. “You wish, you asshole!”
DAX sighed in relief when Rianna left. He was glad he was able to drive her away. He hoped that she wouldn’t come near him again! Ever!
The sight of her sexy belly button peeking from her tiny, pink knitted blouse made him so uncomfortably hard. God, she was so unbelievably sexy she could arouse a corpse! It took a lot of restraint in him not to grab her and… he wanted to do everything to her. Kiss her, fondle her, lick, suck, fuck her. Hard. Fast. Furiously. Damnit! No woman had even made him pant with need like this. He was actually imaginng the apple pie to be her soft flesh as he ate it. Everytime he’d see her and think about her, he’d think of sex. Nothing else.
Lord, take me to Lebanon, to Baghdad! The hotter spot, the better! Just get me outta here!
But not for long. Before she finished with him, she would be nibbling sugar from her hands.
“Hi,’ malambing na bati niya dito nang malapitan ito sa kinauupuan.
“I’m busy, Rianna,” he said curtly, not even giving her a glance.
She gnashed her teeth, insulted. Pero nagtimpi siya. “I brought you some apple pie,” aniya na itinago ang pagkainis sa likod ng matamis niyang boses.
“Busog pa ako.”
Ngani na lang na isalpak niya ang apple pie sa ulo nito. Jerk talaga! Nagmumukha na siyang tanga. Wala pang lalaki ang pinagsilbihan niya nang ganito! Siya ang pinagsisisilbihan ng mga ito!
Nagtimpi pa rin siya. Maingat niyang inilapag sa mesa ang platito ng apple pie. “Baka mamaya gutumin ka, iiwan ko na lang ito dito.”
Hindi ito umimik.
Nanatili siyang nakatayong parang engot sa tabi nito. He looked like he was not going to waste time exchanging idle talk with her. Patuloy ito sa pagtipa sa laptop nito. He was studying some colorful graphs on the screen and lots of numbers. “Uhm, what are you doing?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” sagot nito as if istupido ang tanong niya.
Ooooh grrrr! “Okay, you’re working, I know. But on what?” Umupo siya sa katabing silya nito at nakitingin sa screen ng laptop.
“It’s complicated. You won’t understand.”
“Try me,” she said huskily. Bobo siya sa math. But she would pretend interest in what he was doing if he’d only look at her. And smile. Just one smile. Napakamahal ng ngiti ng lalaking ito. He was always brooding and scowling at her.
Noon siya nilingon ni Dax. His eyes were intense but they had a wicked glint in them that made her heart palpitate faster.
Sumandal ito sa backrest ng kinauupuan at pinasadahan siya ng tingin mula ulo hanggang baywang, nagtagal sa kanyang dibdib. “Are you coming on to me, Rianna?”
Napasinghap siya sa tanong nito, natorete. Sobrang prangka naman nito! Apparently, subtlety didn’t belong in his virtues, if he had any at all! His eyes challenged her. Her hackles rose all the more. “And if I am?” she retorted, he chin raised a bit.
Ilang segundo itong tumitig sa kanya bago nagsalita. “Are you that easy?”
She blinked at him, shocked. Ano daw?! Her repertoir of smooth lines had not prepared her for such a blatant question. But she had the gift of the gab. She was making lots of money out of her wit. So inhale and relax, dear. You can handle him. “Are you?”
Ngumisi ito nang nang-uuyam. “Believe me, you won’t have to be begging like a cheap broad if I were, honey.”
Her cool demeanor evaporated like smoke. “How dare you! You flatter yourself! I’m not begging! I never beg!”
“Oh yeah?” He eyed the apple pie skeptically. “Then what are you doing? Rianna the princess serving me, the hired help? Are you that desperate?”
Tumayo siya, nanggagalaiti na sa inis. “Nagmamagandang-loob lang ako! Kung ayaw mo, ‘di ‘wag mo!”
He sat there relaxed as he casually shredded her ego to pieces. “You got that right. Ayaw ko. Sa ‘yo.” He enunciated the last words firmly. “Save your honey, sweety, I ain’t tempted.”
Hindi nakaimik si Rianna. Her confidence suddenly took a deep nosedive. No man had ever dissed her so brutally and so bluntly like that! It was so humiliating she wanted to cry right there and then. She sniffed and blinked her eyes rapidly. Wala pang lalaking nakapagpaiyak sa kanya maliban sa namatay niyang ama at ang Kuya Russell niya! I won’t cry! I won’t!
Dax picked up the fork and took a slice of the apple pie and slowly brought it to his mouth. He watched her as he chewed leisurely. “Masarap pala.”
Sari-saring emosyon ang lumukob sa kanya habang nakatitig sa lalaki. She had never felt the urge to slap someone’s face before and kiss him senseless at the same time! The man was so infuriating and so damned…sexy! She fought to regain her composure. Don’t get mad, dear. Get even! She smiled at him seductively, unleashing her legendary charm that no man before had ever managed to resist.
“I am much better than that,” she said boldly. She had never used that line before. She never had to. Men had always been so easy.
He raised a brow. “Credit me for more taste.”
Pakiramdam niya ay binigyan siya nito ng mag-asawang sampal. But the more he insulted her, the more she was challenged to prove him wrong. Iniliyad niya ang dibdib. “You don’t know what you’re missing.”
“Dumb blondes have absolutely no appeal to me. Specially fake blondes. They bore me to death.”
My God! That, she could never take! Blonde ang tina ng buhok niya. She was known in Metro Manila’s elite ‘in’ crowd as the hippiest, most glamorous blonde! Trademark na niya iyon mula noon.
“Most especially hysterical, fake blondes,” he added with a sneer.
Inside, she was like an erupting volcano. Ang kapal! Grabehhh! Feeling God’s gift to women na animo langaw kung pitikin palayo ang mga babae kung ayaw! Ang mga lalaking ganito ay salot sa mundo niya bilang modernong babae. Dapat sa mga ito ay tirisin, dikdikin at gawing feeds ng mga hayop!
“I’m not dumb, you idiot,” she was screaming at him inside but her voice came out really soft.
“Then stop acting like one,” anito at nilantakan pa ang apple pie na tila sarap na sarap talaga.
Namaywang siya. Pinantasya niya kanina na kakainin ni Dax nang ganoon ka-enthusiastic ang apple pie pero ngayon ay gusto niyang mabulunan ito o sumakit ang tiyan pagkatapos. Magka-LBM ka sana, hudas ka! “You’re a jerk, you know that?” she said, her voice saccharin sweet.
“And you’re a cheap tease. But thanks for the pie. If you’ll excuse me, I wanna go back to work.”
He turned back to his laptop, finished his food and shoved the plate away from him, never again sparing her a glance. Muli siyang parang tangang nakatayo at nakatanghod dito.
He only looked at her again but only to ask, “Nagdala ka ng pambara wala naman pantulak.”
Doon nasagad ang temper niya. “Ano’ng akala mo sa akin, maid mo?!”
“Hindi ba? Lubos-lubusin mo na, ikuha mo ako ng tubig. Bilis,” pinitik pa nito ang mga daliri na para siyang alipin nito na susunod kaagad sa utos nito.
She stomped away, fuming madly. “You wish, you asshole!”
DAX sighed in relief when Rianna left. He was glad he was able to drive her away. He hoped that she wouldn’t come near him again! Ever!
The sight of her sexy belly button peeking from her tiny, pink knitted blouse made him so uncomfortably hard. God, she was so unbelievably sexy she could arouse a corpse! It took a lot of restraint in him not to grab her and… he wanted to do everything to her. Kiss her, fondle her, lick, suck, fuck her. Hard. Fast. Furiously. Damnit! No woman had even made him pant with need like this. He was actually imaginng the apple pie to be her soft flesh as he ate it. Everytime he’d see her and think about her, he’d think of sex. Nothing else.
Lord, take me to Lebanon, to Baghdad! The hotter spot, the better! Just get me outta here!