The Ultimate Surrender (The Cavallo Brothers #3)

Chapter One

Two years ago

She couldn’t help it, she had to do it. The photographer was late, she had her makeup on, her hair was ready, so she could indulge before she had to work.

Lifting her face up to the sun, drinking in the fragrance that was the Seychelles, Hannah lifted the layers of pink tulle of the skirt she was wearing and twirled. Sandy, the makeup artist and the hair stylist laughed.

“I was wondering when you’d do that,” Sandy said. Looking over her shoulder, Sandy grinned. “Looks like our photographer caught you in the act.”

Hannah looked up into a pair of dark brown eyes that were watching her over the lens of a camera. This had to be Darryn Cavallo. The rumors were true—he was drop-dead gorgeous. Tall, muscled, with tousled, ink-black hair. Wow.

She didn’t wait to be introduced to him, didn’t wait to listen to his instructions. With her eyes locked on him, she slid into a pose. He stared at her for another minute before he lifted the camera.

And then her body started moving to a beat only audible to her and the photographer. Without any conscious thought, she posed and turned, instinctively knowing exactly what he wanted her to do.

The air around her stopped moving, breathing became difficult, any minute now she was going to go up in flames. Every cell in her body was reacting to him.

As a model, she was used to being looked at through a camera lens, used to the bold stares of photographers wanting to capture the perfect moment, but never before had anyone’s stare lit a fire inside of her.

She’d been modeling professionally for a year now and this was the first time her path had crossed with Darryn Cavallo’s.

But she’d heard about him ever since her first shoot.

Apart from the fact that everyone talked about how attractive he was, he was considered the best fashion photographer in the business.

The fact he was here, willing to do this shoot with her, had her agent in raptures for days. Hannah hadn’t been able to understand the fuss. Yes, his photographs all had that mystical “extra” nobody could really define, but there were other good photographers as well.

And then she’d looked up just now to find his eyes taking in everything about her.

There was something in his stare that melted her bones, put her heartbeat into overdrive, and boiled her blood. In about ten seconds flat, she had tumbled into love, lust, or something. For the first time in her life, she understood what her romance-writing mother referred to in her many stories.

They were on a private beach, necessary for the second part of the day’s shoot.

For the next few shots she would only be wearing a bikini bottom.

She’d be lying on the sand, so her breasts would be covered, but even after all this time, taking off her top in front of a whole crew of people was still not an easy thing to do.

And now, Darryn would be looking as well.

The thought excited her already over-stimulated body. How was she to survive the next hour or so wearing next to nothing while this man was looking at her, his eyes fixed on her?

The sun was hovering on the horizon, and they only had a few minutes of daylight for these particular shots. The makeup artist and hair stylist hurried her into the nearby tent so she could change.

Her palms were sweaty, and her hands trembled as she slipped out of the skirt and top. Slipping the bikini bottom on, she looked into the mirror and nearly groaned out loud.

“Are you cold, sweetie?” the hair stylist asked and handed her a toweling gown to slip on.

“A little,” she said, biting back a sound. She had to try and get her body under control before the shoot.

A few minutes later, she walked back, taking deep breaths.

“Okay, everyone!” Darryn didn’t shout; he merely raised his voice and everyone listened.

“I want everyone gone. It’s just going to be me and Hannah. I’ll signal you when we’ve finished.”

Hannah. So he knew her name.

Everyone stared at him. This was very unusual.

“Scoot,” he said and, lifting his camera, walked closer to her.

Hesitantly, his assistant followed him.

“You too, Rick,” Darryn said without looking behind him, and with one last frown in their direction, the assistant followed the rest of the crew from the beach.

Darryn put his camera down and walked over to where she was standing.

“Hannah,” he said, and her heart tripped.

His gaze dropped, he clenched his jaw, and when he looked up, she knew he’d seen her body’s reaction to him. His eyes darkened.

Mesmerized, she licked her suddenly dry lips.

He inhaled sharply and put a hand out to touch her cheek.

“You are exquisite,” he whispered, before stepping back.

He took his camera from the stand. “Take it off,” he said gruffly.

As if in a trance, she complied. He stared transfixed. Someone shouted in the distance, and he lifted his camera. He started clicking away, and her body moved without any direction from him.

Somewhere, a voice was telling her she was supposed to lie down so that she was covered in sand but the voice was very far away. Besides, she wasn’t interested in listening to it anyway.

“Lie down,” Darryn eventually said, his voice hoarse.

She sank down and stretched out on her tummy. And while the sun was setting, the waves crashing behind them, her body moved to the beat of her heart.

“Okay, that’s it,” he finally said and lifted his head. He picked up her top and, holding out his hand, he helped her up.

She pulled the top over her head.

“I want to see you tonight.”

She didn’t even think about refusing. “Yes.”

“Room?”

“Twenty-two.

“Eight?”

“Yes.”

His smile was devastating. Her knees nearly buckled.

“Good,” he said and walked back to his camera stand.

The next minute, the rest of the crew surrounded them and everyone was talking and asking questions. Hannah floated back to the hotel, walking on air, her heart still hammering away.

She never dated photographers, never went out with them. It was a decision she made when she’d started. But there was no way she was saying no to Darryn Cavallo.

“Hi Hannah,” a voice said behind her, and she put on a fake smile before she looked over her shoulder.

“Hi,” she tried to hold the smile but continued walking.

Stephen White gave her the willies. He was also a photographer, and she loathed working with him.

He leered and was forever creeping up on her, brushing against her, and trying to get her to go out with him.

She’d tried to be nice; she didn’t want to antagonize anyone, but he was really beginning to be a pest.

Apparently, she wasn’t the only model to feel this way about him. She’d made up her mind that if he tried to touch her inappropriately one more time, she was going to lodge a formal complaint.

“Why in such a hurry?” he said and grabbed her arm.

She sharply pulled back her arm. “I have a date tonight,” she said and turned to leave.

He swore viciously. She ignored him and walked as quickly as she could toward the doors of the hotel.

“Do you honestly think you’ll be the first model Darryn sleeps with?” he shouted after her, but she just kept on walking.

What a horrible, creepy man! She shuddered as she stepped into the elevator. She had no illusions about Darryn and knew this would be a one-night stand. But it also would be one night she’d never forget.

*

On his way to Hannah’s room, Darryn ran into Stephen White.

Stephen and he had gone to school together, and when the man had reached out to him a few years back, saying he was also into fashion photography and asked for help with contacts, he’d reluctantly agreed.

They had never been friends but, because of their school ties, Darryn did what he could to help him find work.

But he didn’t like the way the guy did things and stayed clear of him as much as possible. He nodded in Stephen’s direction and hurried past him.

He was way too early, but he couldn’t wait.

Everything he was going to say was clear in his head. This was a mistake, he couldn’t stay, he’d forward her the photos, hoped to see her again sometime.

He should know better. He’d made the rookie mistake of falling for a model when he’d started in the business.

And he’d been on his way to buy a ring when he discovered she’d been two-timing, or actually three-timing, him all along.

This was a very temporary business, models came and went, and so did photographers.

So he’d learned to appreciate the beauty around him, but to steer clear of entanglements.

It was better for business, way better for his heart.

Besides, he’d been considering his brother Don’s suggestions to join his hotel boutique business, and the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.

His two other brothers, Dale and David, also seemed to be interested in joining Don.

So to start a relationship or even just a fling at this point in his life simply didn’t make sense.

But then, today, he’d walked down to the beach and seen a woman draped in tulle, twirling, her long blonde tresses flying about her face. And then she laughed, and his camera started clicking before he realized what he was doing.

Hannah Sutherland. He’d heard about her of course.

Everyone in the fashion industry knew or had at least heard of this model who, within the span of merely a year, had media heads, photographers, agents, and event coordinators falling all over themselves to have her on covers, grace their tables, and make events worth attending.

He’d never quite understood the hype. Models were usually exceptionally beautiful, and he had become used to being among gorgeous, half-naked women most of his days without breaking out in a sweat. Hannah Sutherland would just be another model he had been asked to photograph.