“You’re beautiful,” she whispered, getting a soft laugh in response. “You are,” she insisted.
She stroked the length of him with one hand, pushing him to his back with the other. “I think you’re beautiful and tender and worthy, Alexander Petrov. And hot. Did I mention really”—she kissed his mouth—“really hot?”
He just looked at her, a smile pulling, like maybe, just maybe, he was starting to believe her.
She straddled him, naked now that the towel had fallen, her damp hair tickling her shoulders. She unsnapped his jeans, delighted that there was nothing else to remove to get to him.
Lowering the zipper tooth by tooth, she finally dragged her gaze from the size and shape of his hard-on to his face. His gaze was on her, his jaw slack, his chest rising and falling, his big, bad, bruiser hands relaxed for once at his sides as he let her have complete control.
“Hot,” she repeated as she spread the denim to reveal all of him. She trailed a finger over the head, circling the droplet just to watch him shudder with pleasure. “And sweet.”
He smiled with the next breath. “Kind of short words for you, Smarty-Pants.”
“All the blood is gone from my brain.” She cupped his balls, and he grunted.
“I know the feeling.”
She scooted lower and dragged his jeans over his hips, his hard-on closer as he lifted up to help her. As she lowered her head, he answered with a moan, reaching for her, threading his fingers into her hair, guiding her mouth toward him. “Please,” he murmured.
He didn’t have to ask twice. She took him between her lips, loving the taste of him, the salty, manly taste. And the way he moaned, helpless and happy. And how he moved, in and out of her mouth, taking his pleasure, gripping her head, surrendering to her.
“Kate…” He mumbled more, incoherent, the sound of his words lost as her blood pumped with the need to do this right. To give him exquisite pleasure. To show him just how worthy he was—
“Kate!” He pulled out of her mouth, too fast, and she jerked her head up. “Someone’s here.”
Then she heard a sharp rap on the villa door, impatient and loud.
She just grunted and closed her eyes, the frustration like physical pain. “No.”
“Mr. Benjamin! It’s an emergency! Mr. Benjamin!”
Poppy. Really. Now?
“Please! Mr. Gabriel says this is really an emergency!” The words were muffled by the door and distance, but the message was loud and clear.
Alec sat up, his bodyguard face replacing the lost lover she’d nearly consumed.
“I don’t want to stop,” Kate moaned.
He stifled a smile and stroked her hair. “Neither do I,” he said, easing her back, rolling off the bed, and zipping up on his way out. “Wait here.”
Kate let out a noisy sigh and fell on the bed, a thread of worry curling around her heart at the idea of an emergency. She might be safe from threats, but was he?
She closed her eyes to listen to the conversation, really only able to pick up bits and pieces, enough to get that Gabe needed to see Alec right this minute.
Would she have to go? No, the threat to her was gone now, and she did not want to deal with smartass Gabe Rossi when she—
“I’m going to the security office,” Alec said as he marched purposefully back into the room. And, being a foolish and confused woman, she actually felt disappointed for getting what she wanted. “Poppy will stay here with you.”
“No, she won’t,” she said, pushing off the bed. She didn’t want to deal with smartass Gabe, but she really didn’t want to deal with Poppy scrutinizing and passing judgment. “Can I just stay here alone?”
“Poppy told me your dad’s still here,” he said, adjusting his jeans. “He’s staying at the resort one more day. You could go to him or…leave. I wouldn’t blame you at all,” he added quickly.
Leave? Why would she do that? “What’s going on? What’s the emergency?”
“There’s someone here from Brighton Beach.”
She shook her head, the information not computing. “Your friend Gregg?”
“Someone who is looking for me on behalf of Dmitri Vlitnik.”
A slow panic seized her. “And you’re just going to talk to him? What if it’s a trap?”
“Not a trap. There’s a pregnant teenager in Gabe’s office, crying out a story I need to hear.” He stuck his wallet in his back pocket and looked at her. “If I come back and you’re gone, I understand. If I come back and you’re here, we’re…it’s…I’m…you’re…”
“I’m yours,” she whispered.
He just looked at her, speechless. Then he leaned over, touched her cheek, and kissed her forehead.
“I’ll be here when you get back,” she promised. “You can post Poppy outside if it makes you feel better.”
She stayed still after he left, long enough for the air conditioner to chill her body and her heart to settle down to a normal rate, surprised at how out of sorts it felt to know she was alone in the villa.
Yet, that’s what she’d wanted from day one. That’s how she’d wanted to live life, all alone and independent and autonomous.
Except now…she didn’t want to be away from him. And whatever he was facing, shouldn’t she be with him now? Weren’t they a team?
Dressing quickly, she grabbed her bag and opened the door to find Poppy standing just outside, her features screwed up in a miserable expression.
“Are you okay?” Kate asked as she stepped out to inspect her more closely.
“I gotta go.” She tapped her belly. “Bad.”
“You should have knocked, Poppy.” Kate held the door wide for her. “Go in and use the bathroom.”
“Mr. Benjamin said you wanted to be alone.”
“Not if you have to use the bathroom. Go ahead. I was just going to go over to the security offices.”
Poppy pressed a hand to her belly and widened her eyes.
“Go!” Kate nudged her inside. “Please.”
Poppy blew past Kate into the house, moving so fast that Kate had to step out of the doorway to let her by. As she did, the door closed behind Poppy. Kate reached to grab the knob, but it latched before she could prevent that, leaving her locked out.
“Poppy!” she called, but obviously the woman was likely around the corner and into the powder room by now. Kate turned and glanced up and down the path that ran in front of Caralluma, seeing nothing but sunshine and palm trees in her slice of paradise. No one to help her, but no one to hurt her, either.
On a sigh, she stepped away from the house, onto the path, looking again for any sign of life. There was none, so she slipped her bag off her shoulder, digging for the phone to call—
A large hand slammed over her mouth and nose from behind. “Mathilda Carlson.”
The voice, male and low and threatening, blew into her ear, sending a billion chills of raw panic through her.
“That’s a good one,” he snorted in her ear.
Wait…what? She jerked to get free, adrenaline making a freefall through her system, blanking her mind.
“Let’s go!” He jerked her hard, toward the back of the villa.
Think, Kate, think. Soft targets, eyes, ears, nose…
The knock against her head was so hard that, for a split second, she literally saw white spots like stars and felt as though her brain joggled loose. And then her vision blurred, her power evaporated, and a black cloud started to descend over her eyes.
Her legs folded, but he caught her before she hit the ground, leaning over her long enough for her to see his face and know, deep down in whatever consciousness she had left, that his could be the last face she ever saw.
Chapter Twenty-five
The minute he laid eyes on the waif named for a bird, Alec’s low-grade hatred for what Vlitnik had put him through came bubbling back to the surface. For a few blissful minutes, Kate had turned that constant boil to only a simmer of self-loathing with a different kind of flame, but one look at
this girl’s tear-stained face and frightened eyes, and it all came back.
She’d already confessed a hell of a lot, if not everything, and it was obvious she was terrified.
“So let me get this straight,” Gabe said, resting his backside on his desk and crossing his arms as he looked down at Robyn. “You saw his tattoo on Instagram”—he shot a disgusted look at Alec—“and recognized him as a trainer you once knew and decided to drive more than a thousand miles to find him.”
She nodded, eyes wide.
“Why would you do that?” Gabe asked.
“I thought he might know where my boyfriend is.”
“Is that the only reason?” Gabe demanded.
She nodded. “I need to find him, and Cole—you remember Cole Morrow, right?” At Alec’s nod, she looked encouraged. “Cole told me he’d do anything to train with you again, so I saw the picture and recognized your tattoo and thought maybe he’d come down here to find you. Wasn’t that smart?”
“Oh, it was effing brilliant,” Gabe said. “Like what are you doing getting a job as a maid when you’re obviously a Mensa candidate?”
She swallowed visibly. “I don’t know what that means.”
“Gabe,” Alec said, spearing him with a look, “she’s been through enough.”
He barely sighed. “Okay, but let’s just review how smart she is. First, she finds a picture of your tattoo on some social media site that’s no bigger than a speck on a gnat’s ass. Or so she says.”
“My friend showed me that picture. It’s there on Insta. You can see it.”
“And,” Gabe continued, straightening so he could look down at her, “she is able to find this rather secluded resort, drive herself here, and get a job as a maid. Or so she says.”
“The name of the resort was in People magazine!” she said. “And, hello, GPS.”
“And you haven’t told a living soul that you’re here. Not your mother or sister or best friend or anyone?”
“No.” She shook her head hard. “I swear I didn’t. I just got in the car and took off, because I have to find Cole.” She touched her protruding belly with shaking fingers, the move hitting Alec somewhere primal and protective.
“Are you absolutely positive you didn’t tell anyone?” he asked, far more gently than Gabe, and he knew why. The story he’d just told Kate was fresh in his mind, and this girl was just a few years older than the one he’d just talked about, but her fear was as tangible as Anna’s had been that horrible night.
“I swear.” She held up her right hand and gave him a look of desperate honesty. “I haven’t told anyone.”
Gabe fired another look at Alec. “This is a fine mess now. We have to…” He shook his head. “We have to keep her here.”
“Why?” She shot up from her chair. “You can’t do that to me! I’m not under arrest for anything.”
She was right, Alec thought. But she could also be a direct link to Vlitnik, whether she admitted it or not.
“Just stay for a while,” Alec said to her. “We’ll make sure you’re safe.”
She eyed him as though she wanted to trust him, but couldn’t. “I just need some money,” she finally said. “And I swear I won’t tell anyone you’re here.”
Gabe snorted and picked up his phone. “Nino, can you take Miss Bickler for a few minutes?”
Nino couldn’t protect her if Vlitnik or any of his goons showed up. “She can stay with me,” Alec said quickly. “With us,” he amended, because deep in his soul, he knew Kate wasn’t going anywhere. Not yet, anyway.
“I don’t need to stay with anyone,” Robyn said. “You can’t keep me here.”
“Do you think you’re safe if you leave?” Alec demanded.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” She lifted her delicate chin in defiance. “I didn’t tell anyone I was here. I’m perfectly safe, and if you want to help me, just give me some gas money and I’m out.”
The door opened, and Nino came in, gesturing for her. “Come on.”
She looked from one man to the next, rage darkening her skin, fear in her brown eyes. “You can’t just muscle me around! This isn’t a police station, and I didn’t do anything but apply for a job!”
“Go with him,” Gabe said.
“No.”
“Please, Robyn,” Alec added.
She crossed her arms defiantly.
“I have cheese ravioli and garlic bread with your name on it,” Nino said.
Her shoulders caved along with her determination. “Fine. But I’m not staying for good,” she said as she walked out, following Nino and her stomach.
When the door shut, Alec braced for the wrath of Gabe Rossi.
“Fuck,” he murmured, dropping back into his chair and tapping an open laptop, but the computer screen stayed blank.
“She’s scared and pregnant,” Alec said, taking the seat Robyn had vacated.
“And lying,” Gabe said, his gaze on the screen as he hit the return key repeatedly.
“What do we do?” Alec asked, ready to take Gabe’s shit about how dumb it was his tattoo was visible in a photo on Instagram. Because it was dumb.
But Gabe seemed torn between the problem at hand and something on his computer screen. “How can this motherhumper be encrypted?” he growled at the laptop, then pushed it away to focus on Alec. “You’re going to have to leave, that much is obvious. Cover is blown to kingdom come.”
“As long as I’m here, I’ll babysit Robyn.” He’d never throw her out to Vlitnik’s wolves.
“We can’t keep her against her will,” Gabe said.
“Nino can ply her with food.”
Gabe gave a mirthless smile, stealing a glance at his computer again. “This kind of shit happens, you know. You were doing what I told you to do, acting like a married couple at the resort. It’s just dumb luck you were caught in the picture of some celebrity billionaire.”
He appreciated being let off the hook, but Alec was still mad at himself. “At least Kate’s safe now.”
“Not completely. I just got a text from my cousin. They let that Wesley guy out on bail last night. Bastard must have some kind of friends in high places.”
Shit. He stood, wanting to end this bullshit and get back to Kate immediately. What if she’d left?
“Don’t worry, Poppy’s got her,” Gabe said.
“She wouldn’t let Poppy in the villa,” Alec told him.
“Well, Poppy won’t let her leave. But get back to her, and I’ll come up with something. I’ll see if I can get you two somewhere safe—somewhere else safe—until this blows over.”
Get you two. How would she feel about that? Alec knew how he felt about it. Damn good. “And this new girl?”
He returned to his computer. “We’ll figure it out.”
Alec took a step closer. “Gabe? Anything else I can do?”
Gabe managed a smile. “Unless you have some hacking skills I don’t know about and can break through encrypted software, then no.”
“Sorry.”
Gabe shrugged. “Fortunately, my little sister does.” He picked up his cell phone and nodded to the door. “Go stay with Kate. Take your new ward. Stay out of sight for a day or two, and I’ll get all three of you somewhere, but I can’t promise paradise this time.”
“That’s cool.” Alec opened the door and practically walked right into Poppy, breathless and glistening with a sheen of sweat. “Where’s Kate?” he demanded.
Her eyes popped and her jaw loosened. “Here?” she said, sounding both hopeful and terrified at the same time.
Alec glanced behind her, but he already knew that if Kate were in this building, she’d be next to him. “You left her?”
She put her hand to her mouth. “I had an emergency and used the bathroom and I thought she came here. She said she was coming over—”
He whipped around to look at Gabe. “Lock this resort down!” Alec ordered, shooting to the door. “Close down the whole damn island if you have to.”
“Get McBain in h
ere,” Gabe hollered to the McBain Security staff in the office. “Start a search and call the Mimosa Key sheriff to close off the causeway. She’s not getting off this island.”
But Alec barely heard the order, because he was already running back to the villa. He’d know if she left him…or someone had taken her.
And if that was the case…someone was going to die. And it wasn’t going to be Kate Kingston. Not on his life.
Chapter Twenty-six
The dream drifted away like fog on a warm morning, leaving behind a pounding, thumping ache in Kate’s head that sent fiery shots of pain with each throb of her pulse.
Pain. God, it thrummed through her. Everything hurt so bad. Kate tried to open her eyes, but they weren’t cooperating. Neither were her hands and feet. She couldn’t move. Nothing would—
“My reservation is in the name of Michael Wesley. Can you confirm that?”
The voice punched through the fog, low and powerful and so damn familiar. Not just the voice, but the tone. She knew that voice.
“I’ll give you the credit card number right now. Are you listening?”
Michael Wesley. The man her dad had said was questioned about the threats. The one dating Laurie to get to her. A stranger. But that voice. That voice did not belong to a stranger. Something pulled at her memory. His face as she was falling…his face. But she couldn’t focus on anything with the sledgehammer of agony echoing in her head.
She listened to him recite a string of numbers, digging into her memory for how she knew that inflection, that timbre, but everything was…
“Thank you. I’ll be arriving in about”—he sighed heavily—“sometime after midnight.”
That voice made her stomach tighten and her pulse race. It made her whole body rebel. That voice was…oh, God. Oh, God.
Steven.
She heard an old familiar sigh of profound discontent and involuntarily shuddered, but something deep inside kept Kate from opening her eyes.
Steven had her. Steven. How was this possible? She didn’t know, but she knew the voice of her ex-husband. And now she knew the fear of being trapped…really trapped. Like bound and gagged trapped.
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