by Sharon Sala
He leaned down and kissed her square on the mouth. “Looks like I picked a hell of a place to talk you into getting naked. I may have to tie you to the bed to keep you away from those one-armed bandits.”
His reference to the slot machines was amusing, but not as funny as the notion that she’d rather gamble than make love to him.
She turned and slipped her arms around his neck, then whispered. “You can tie me to the bed any time you want, cowboy.”
His eyes glittered dangerously, but there was a go-to-hell grin on his face as he turned to the man behind the desk.
“We’ll be needing a room,” he said shortly. “Nonsmoking, king-size, for as long as it takes.”
The clerk’s mouth dropped. He took one look at the couple and reached for a key. Within ten minutes, they were in a room.
Roman locked the door and then tossed his hat on a nearby table.
Holly arched an eyebrow. “Is this going to be kinky?” she asked.
Roman grinned. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, you told me to wear something comfortable, so I was wondering...what, exactly, were you planning to do with me...besides tie me to the bed?”
He shook his head, and there was a distinct gleam in his eyes as he started toward her.
“Holly, baby, you are a caution and that’s a fact. But I don’t think I’ll be needing that rope. I haven’t had any trouble getting you in bed, and I’m not expecting any now.”
Her heart was beginning to race. All she could think about was lying in his arms and coming undone.
“No trouble, I promise,” she said softly, and pulled the skimpy tank top over her head.
“And no regrets,” he said, tossing his shirt across the back of a chair, and reached for her.
Bare to the waist and aching to feel his weight on her body, she trembled beneath his touch.
“Ah, Roman, make love to me now.”
Caught up in the heat of the moment, they discarded clothing, leaving it where it fell. The need between them was strong, the urgency mutual. She grasped his shoulders, pulling him with her. He followed willingly, pinning her to the bed with his weight.
Somewhere down below, the gamblers still played, sometimes staking their future in hot pursuit of a fast fortune. But there was no risk involved in what Roman and Holly were about to do. They’d been this way before. They’d danced this dance. They’d played this game. And all they had to do was bet on each other. He didn’t have to be a gambling man to love his lady. She was a sure thing, all the way.
Holly looked up, imprinting every facet of him into her mind, wanting to remember this moment, to savor this feeling of certainty and of belonging for all time.
Roman felt himself falling, down into those eyes, past her soul and into infinity—and knew a moment of sheer terror. He loved this woman beyond anything he’d ever known before, but the mystery still surrounding her was escalating to the point of danger.
Lying beside her, he braced himself up on one elbow, and began tracing the shape of her face with the tip of his finger, measuring every feature by touch, as well as sight. Her eyelids were fluttering, trying to stay open, yet mesmerized by the slow, sensuous stroke of his hand. A muscle jerked at the side of his jaw. His voice was low and rough with emotion.
“Mine.”
Her eyes flew open.
“Daisy...Holly...whatever you call yourself today or tomorrow, you’re forever mine.”
Swift tears filmed her vision. Her voice was shaking as she answered. “I wasn’t about to argue the point.”
His eyes narrowed, following the darkness of his thoughts.
“Right now, you don’t remember enough to argue. It’s afterward that I’m talking about. I don’t know who you loved before, and I don’t care. It’s now and tomorrow that has to matter. You’re mine now.”
She laid a hand on the side of his face, settling the darkness back where it belonged—in the past.
“And I’ll be yours tomorrow, and every other tomorrow that God gives me. I swear.”
He tunneled his fingers through the back of her hair and then pulled her close. Her breath was soft on his face as he opened his mouth. When their lips met, he stifled a groan and let himself go, losing sight of time and reason in sweet Holly’s arms.
Chapter 15
Holly lay still within the warmth of Roman’s embrace, savoring the aftermath of his love. He had quite a way about him that she couldn’t deny. He’d taken her high and let her down easy, and in spite of the time that had passed, was still trembling from the onslaught.
Footsteps passed their door, some hurried, others dragging. It was easy to tell who had won at the tables tonight and who’d lost. Holly pitied them for believing that money brought happiness. She’d obviously been born to money, and look what had happened to her. Added to that, there was a bag full of money that had nearly gotten her killed. Now the break-in at Roman’s home, as well as the cabin. She was afraid. How was this ever going to end?
Roman stroked the length of her back, from the base of her skull to the curve of her backside, up and down, over and over, just like the way they’d made love. And even though passion had been satiated, he wasn’t ready to let go of the motion. She was in his blood, in his heart, in his mind. And something else had happened during their drive out here. He had come to a decision she might not like. There was no time left to wait for her memory to return. He had to make something happen before something happened to them.
“Roman, what are we going to do?”
He paused in midstroke, with the palm of his hand splayed in the middle of her back. So the interlude was over. It was back to reality. He gave her a quick but gentle squeeze and then leaned back so that he could see her face.
“I have an idea, but it will involve how skilled you are at telling a lie.”
She rose up, a startled look on her face.
“Lie? About what?”
“Remembering.”
She frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“I know, baby,” he said softly. “But when the time comes, you will.”
She hid her face against his shoulder.
“I am afraid—for you, and for myself.”
“Don’t be,” he whispered, and then pressed his lips against the crown of her head. “Trust me?”
She sighed. “Yes.”
“Then let me worry about the details, okay?”
“Okay.”
“That’s settled, then,” he said, and glanced at the time. “It will be dark before we get back to the city. I told your father that we’d call if we were going to be late.”
“I’ll do it,” she said.
Ignoring her nudity, she rolled over to the side of the bed and picked up the phone, punching in the numbers without thought.
Roman watched her, waiting to see how long it took her before she realized what she’d just done.
“This is Holly. Let me speak to my father.” She waited. Moments later, Davis picked up the phone. “Dad, it’s me. We’ll be late getting back, so don’t wait dinner. We’ll get something on the way.”
Roman watched as she listened to her father’s response. A few moments later, she told him goodbye, then hung up.
“That’s that,” she said, and then leaned back against him, reluctant to give up the body-to-body connection.
Roman ran a hand down the length of her arm, then pulled a stray strand of hair away from her cheek.
“Hey, you,” he said, and tugged at her hair until she turned to look at him.
She grinned. “What?”
“What’s your home phone number?”
The grin slipped. “Why, it’s, uh...” She frowned. “I don’t...” Then it dawned. “I did it again, didn’t I?”
He nodded.
She thrust her fingers through her hair, combing it away from her face. “When I don’t concentrate, I remember, but only the little things...the things that don’t matter. Why can’t I remember jumping out of a plane? Or why
I had all that money? My God, Roman, this is crazy.”
“No, baby. In a way, it makes a whole lot of sense. You aren’t remembering that stuff because you don’t want to. The more traumatic the event, the deeper your subconscious will bury it. It’s simply a self-defense mechanism your body uses to protect itself.”
She thumped the bed with her fist and then got out of bed, reaching for her clothes and pulling them on with angry motions. Roman hurt for her. He could only imagine how she felt, but within a couple of days, it should all be over. And the moment he thought it, his belly drew tight. He didn’t want everything to be over. Not the love. Dear God, for his own peace of mind, let it go on forever.
Distracted and suddenly moody, he got out of bed and reached for his jeans, then began pulling them on. As he was dressing, he spied a small bit of color partially hidden beneath the fallen covers. When he bent down to get it, his mood quickly lightened. When he straightened, he was wearing a cocky grin.
“Uh, Holly?”
She had her tank top in one hand and a sock in the other. “What?” she asked, still looking about the room for her other sock.
He waved the lingerie above his head. “Forget something?”
She looked up. Her panties were dangling from his fingers.
“Oh, great. I’m not wearing my underwear!” She yanked it out of his hand and began unzipping her jeans. “Now I have to start all over.”
There was a gleam in his eyes as he grabbed her hand, slowing her intent.
“Only if you insist,” he drawled, and then slowly pulled the tab the rest of the way down.
Disgust left her, and in its place came a quick urge to be with him again.
“Are you sure?” she asked breathlessly.
He guided her hand to his zipper and the hard bulge behind it. “What do you think?”
Her voice was soft with longing. “That you’re Superman?”
He shook his head and then smiled a slow, easy smile. “No, baby,” he said softly. “Just a man.” A man in love. But he didn’t say it. He’d already said more than he should have. Besides, there was more than one way to say I love you.
After finding out that Roman had been in Billy’s room, Gordon was livid. The urge to break something, preferably Roman’s damned neck, was overwhelming. But it wouldn’t give him what he wanted, so he let the urge slide.
Gordon was shaking with anger. “Why did you even talk to him?”
Billy glared. “You said to behave normally. You said not to raise suspicion. What did you want me to do, have him thrown out on his ear for paying a visit?”
Gordon picked up a pillow and threw it across the room.
Billy frowned. That only added to the decision he’d already made.
“I want to leave.”
Gordon spun around, his face flushed with frustration and rage. “Then start walking.”
Billy started to beg. “Please, Gordon. Let’s get out. We’ve got some money, we can get more, but not if we’re locked up in jail.”
Gordon stalked to his bed, pointing a finger in his face. “We wouldn’t have to get more money if you hadn’t given mine away.”
“You were going to kill her.”
Gordon threw his hands up in the air. “So what were you thinking? That you would just give her the money as a goingaway present?”
Voices sounded outside the door, and then faded as they moved away. Gordon lowered his voice.
“You wanted to save her so you put her in a parachute and let her jump. Okay, I can understand that.” Then he started to shake, and a froth of spittle began forming at the corner of his mouth. “But why in the name of all that’s holy did you give her the money, too? Tell me? Why did you do it?”
Billy’s gaze never wavered. “It was blood money, Gordon. You killed for it. I wanted no part of that, just like I want no part of you now. Just help get me out of this place, then you can do whatever your heart desires.”
“My heart desires vengeance,” he grumbled. “She has something that belongs to me, and I think Justice is in on it. I had that cabin searched, as well as his place in Dallas. They came up empty, but that doesn’t mean a thing. There are other options.”
Billy paled. “Like what?”
“When I get everything worked out, I’ll let you know.”
“My God, Gordon, you’ve lost all reason. Did you know that?”
Gordon shook his head. “No, little brother. All I’ve lost is a million dollars.” He turned on his heel and stalked out of the room.
Billy closed his eyes and swallowed past the knot in his throat.
“You’re wrong, Gordon. That’s not all you’re losing. You’re about to lose a brother, as well.”
Morning was little more than a promise on the horizon when Roman picked up his cellular phone and headed for the door. After the events of the past few days, leaving Holly alone was no longer an option, but he was going no farther than outside the house. The patio overlooking the tennis courts was spacious. He had some calls to make, and he didn’t want them overheard.
He walked down the hall to her bedroom door, then looked inside, making sure she was still asleep. When he saw her lying there, it was all he could do to stay put.
The temptation was strong to crawl in beside her and kiss her awake. He wanted to thrust his hands through that spill of dark hair on her pillow, to feel the swell of her breasts beneath his palms, to watch her eyelids fluttering as he entered her body. But now was not the time. With one last look around the room. he stepped out, closing the door behind him before heading for the stairs.
Downstairs, the staff was up and beginning their day, although they paid no attention to his presence as he passed. When he stepped out onto the patio, he took a deep breath and then closed his eyes, inhaling the morning day and comparing it to a new day back home.
Here, the air was brisk and drier, making the scents it carried more distinct. Spring in Texas usually brought thunderstorms, which gave free rein to the lush growth of anything green. In turn, the air would be filled with a damp, sweet aroma of everything that was in bloom. There was a beauty about this area that couldn’t be denied, but he was a Texan born and bred, and it would forever be the place where his heart felt at rest.
At the thought, his eyes narrowed against a familiar spurt of old pain. Would Holly come with him one day? Or would he leave her behind when he left?
And then he shook off the mood and began to walk, moving farther away from the house with every step. Right now, he couldn’t think about his future until he was certain that Holly’s would be safe. While his entire plan hinged upon his brothers’ cooperation, he was in no doubt they would come to his aid. It was the Justice way.
Pausing beneath the overhanging branches of a nearby tree, he glanced back at the house once more before punching in a quick series of numbers.
Ryder Justice picked up the phone on the second ring.
“Justice Air.”
Roman relaxed. “Ryder, it’s me, Roman. I need a favor.”
Ryder didn’t even bother to think before answering: After what Roman had done last year to help save Casey’s life, he would have walked on fire if asked.
“Name it,” he said.
“Are you free to fly to the ranch tomorrow?”
“No, but I will be after I make a few calls. What do you need?”
“If it wasn’t important, I wouldn’t ask,” he said briefly.
“Hell, little brother, I knew that,” Ryder said. “Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“I need you to fly out to the ranch, then bring Royal out here to Las Vegas.”
Ryder grinned. “Las Vegas. What are you doing out there?”
“Sort of guarding a woman named Holly.”
Ryder’s grin spread. “Holly, huh? Is she a tall, leggy blonde?”
“No. She’s a half-pint brunette.”
Ryder chuckled. “Too bad. She’s way off your course, right?”
“I wouldn’t exactly say
that.”
Ryder stopped in the middle of a laugh. That wasn’t the remark he’d expected to hear. If some woman could actually catch Roman’s interest, then Ryder was curious, too.
“So, this...what did you say her name was?”
“It’s Holly Benton, but I used to call her Daisy.”
“Do I need to know why?”
“No.”
Now Ryder was interested. “So you have a client named Holly, who’s really Daisy, or vice versa, and you’re guarding her sort of, but not really. Is that about it?”
Roman shifted the phone to his other hand and began to pace:
“Ryder, do me another favor, and shut up and listen, okay?”
Ryder chuckled. “Okay. Let ’er rip, although it’s beyond me why you need to see Royal. Won’t I do?”
“It isn’t Royal I need to see, it’s what he’ll be bringing with him.”
“And that would be?”
“A duffel bag.”
“A duffel bag? You can’t just go buy one out there?”
“Not one like this,” Roman muttered. “For once in your life, I need you to listen.”
It began to dawn on Ryder that his brother was serious.
“Sorry. I’m listening.”
“After you and Royal get to Vegas, I need you to bring the duffel bag to the Benton estate on LaJolla Avenue. It’s up in the hills. I’ll leave word at the gate to let you in.”
“You’ve got it,” Ryder said. Then he paused. “Say, Roman, what’s in this duffel bag, anyway?”
“A million dollars, give or take a few thousand.”
Ryder took a deep breath and then swallowed twice in rapid succession..
“I’m not even going to ask.”
“Good. See you tomorrow around noon.”
“We’ll be there. I’ll see if I can talk Casey into taking the day off. She can stay with Maddie while we’re gone,” Ryder said, and disconnected.
Roman sighed in satisfaction. One down. One to go. He glanced toward the east and at the sunrise in progress. The vast cloudless sky was streaked with pink and gold. He looked at his watch. It would be after seven at the ranch. Maddie was a sleepyhead, so Royal would probably still be in the house. There was no use delaying the inevitable.
