Reaching out, he tickled the bottom of her bare foot. "You're prejudiced, Red. You're only saying that because I'm such a fantastic lover."
She giggled. "You are so conceited."
Holding her heel with one hand, he traced the veins atop her foot with his fingers. "You've made me conceited, panting after me all the time, dragging me off to bed all hours of the day and night, groaning and moaning and crying out when you come. What's a man to think, other than that he's a stud?"
Addy twisted her leg when Nick ran his fingers higher, caressing her calf. "All right, I'll grant that you're a stud—but…"
"But what?" He kissed her ankle, then ran his tongue all the way up her leg to her knee. Brushing aside her billowy cotton skirt, he slid his hand up her inner thigh.
"But you should give me some of the credit. After all, not just any woman could keep a forty-three-year-old man primed and ready all the time."
With both of them laughing, Nick pulled Addy out of the swing and down onto the floor and into his arms. "I think I've created a beautiful, insatiable monster."
"Am I your creation, Nick?" She unbuttoned his shirt and placed her lips on his chest.
Yes, by God, she was his creation. With his patience and tenderness and loving administrations, he'd given Addy the confidence in her own sexuality that she needed to become the woman who'd been buried inside her all her life. With each word of encouragement, with each reassuring, inspiring touch, he'd brought her out of the darkness to which her ex-husband had doomed her. She was his now. His woman … his heart, his soul … his very life.
When the time came, how the hell was he going to be able to take her back to Huntsville and leave her? He'd never been a man for commitments, always moving on when things got too serious. He wasn't the marrying kind, and Addy deserved no less. She'd want marriage and kids, if she could have them, and the kind of love that lasted forever. He didn't know if he was capable of that kind of love, of that kind of lifetime pledge. There was one thing she knew for sure—he hadn't had his fill of Addy, not by a long shot. He was nowhere near ready to give up what they'd found together. Nothing in his life had ever been this good.
"Nick? Nick, what's wrong?" She took his face in her hands, forcing him to look at her.
"Nothing's wrong, Red. Not a damned thing." He buried his face against her breasts, nuzzling her nipples with his nose. "You're my woman, you know that, don't you?"
She sighed, clinging to him, savoring the sheer physical pleasure of being so near the man she loved. "I remember the morning after you rescued me from my kidnapper, you told me that someday I'd become one of your women. Looks like you were right."
"I was wrong," he said, then covered her face with a dozen tiny kisses. "There's never been another woman like you, and there never will be again. You're unique. What I feel for you is different. You're mine—my woman—and I never want you to belong to anyone else."
"Oh, Nick—I love you so much. You must know that. Surely you've guessed." She could feel the rat-a-tat-tat of her heart drumming within her chest. She longed to hear him repeat the words, to vow his undying love for her, but she knew he wasn't ready, that she'd confessed her love too soon.
"Ah, Red. You mean the world to me. I—"
She covered his lips with her index finger, silencing him. "I'm not asking for anything you can't give. You've been honest with me. That's all I ask now and in the future. Don't ever lie to me, don't ever pretend something you don't feel."
"When I'm with you, I don't have to pretend anything. What I feel for you is real. I just don't know if it's love or not because I've never been in love." He kissed the tip of her finger, then drew it into his mouth.
"What about Dina?" Addy hadn't given Dina a thought in days, but she couldn't forget what the woman had once meant to Nick.
"I didn't love Dina, not the way you mean. My teenage male hormones loved her lush, little body."
"I've learned just how powerful sexual attraction can be. Do you think— I mean, is that what you feel for me?"
He pulled her close, pressing her head to his chest. "I've never felt such a strong physical attraction to a woman, but—there's more. A lot more. I enjoy being with you, Red. In and out of bed. I like you. I admire you. And I trust you more than I've ever trusted a woman,"
Lying in his arms, Addy smiled. Even if he didn't know it, even if he couldn't bring himself to consider the possibility, Nick Romero was falling in love with her. "I trust you, too. Not only with my life, but with my heart."
"If I could ever love a woman, it would be you."
"Is that a promise?"
"That's a fact, Red."
Tender touches and sweet kisses gradually turned to frantic groping and wild, tongue-thrusting lunges. Clothes disappeared and naked bodies appeared. Entangled limbs and damp, moist flesh mated in a savage, mindless dance of pleasure. Man and woman joined. Giving and taking. Finding release. Claiming ownership. Silently professing love in its most elemental form.
* * *
Nick heard the loud rapping on the door. Before Addy became fully awake, he'd already leapt out of bed and was feeling around on the floor for his jeans.
"What is it?" Addy asked.
"Somebody's at the front door."
They both heard the voice. "Nick? Addy? It's Elizabeth." Then a mournful wolf howl erupted from MacDatho.
"Oh, Nick, something's wrong!" Addy slid out of bed and pulled on her satin robe.
He wrangled with his rumpled jeans, finally getting them zipped. Picking up his cane, he walked over to the door, Addy right behind him. When he opened the door, Elizabeth ordered MacDatho to stay, then stepped inside, her flashlight casting a steady stream of light into the bedroom.
"I'm sorry to disturb you so late, but Sam called. He said to call him back immediately. It's urgent."
"Did he say what's wrong?" Addy asked.
"No, he didn't say." Elizabeth reached out, touching Addy's arm, giving her a reassuring squeeze.
"We'll get dressed and come on up to the cabin." Nick held the door for Elizabeth, who stepped back out onto the porch.
"Wait!" Addy cried. Elizabeth stopped. "Do you know what's wrong? Have you felt anything?"
"Your father needs you. That's all I know." Elizabeth turned and left, disappearing back into the woods, the ever-faithful MacDatho at her side.
In frenzied haste, Addy dressed in black slacks and a turquoise cotton sweater. She waited while Nick laced his shoes. "Elizabeth told me the day we arrived that we wouldn't stay here the full two weeks. She said then that Daddy would need me. Oh, Nick, do you suppose Daddy's had a heart attack or a stroke?"
"Don't jump to conclusions. We'll know what's going on as soon as I talk to Sam." Holding his cane in one hand, he offered her the other. "Ready?"
Fifteen minutes later, Addy clutched the cup of hot tea that Elizabeth had handed her the moment she and Nick entered her cabin. Nick had just gotten through to Sam. Three people and one half-wolf dog stood in Elizabeth's living room, waiting for news.
Elizabeth placed her arm around Addy's shoulder. "Drink your tea. It will help soothe your nerves."
"Did you put something in it?"
"It's herbal tea, that's all."
With trembling fingers, Addy put the cup to her lips, sipping slowly. The tea was hot and sweet and soothing.
"Yeah, I understand. When did it happen?" Nick asked Sam Dundee.
Addy handed her cup to Elizabeth, then approached Nick, tugging on his shirtsleeve. "Tell me, what happened?"
Nick slipped his arm around her shoulders, drawing her to his side. "There's no way I'll be able to keep her here," he told Sam Dundee. "We'll head back to Huntsville tonight."
"Nick?" Fear shook her like the impact of a high-powered rifle.
He held her tightly as he continued his conversation. "How's Hester?"
"Is something wrong with Jim?" Addy squeezed Nick's arm.
"I suppose Johnson is at the hospital," Nick said.
"Nick!"
"I'll be in touch as soon as we get there." Nick hung up the phone, turned to Addy, and pulled her completely into his arms. Tilting her chin, she stared up at him. "It's bad, Red. You're going to have to be strong for me and for yourself, but mostly for Rusty."
"Tell me, dammit, just tell me!"
"Your father and Jim Hester had a late dinner meeting tonight. When they returned to the M.A.C. executive offices, they were ambushed."
"Ambushed?"
"Your father's chauffeur-bodyguard was shot. He's dead."
"Alton's dead? My God, he's been with Daddy for years!"
"Jim Hester was shot, too." Addy tensed in his arms. "He's still alive. He's in surgery."
"What about Tiffany? Who's taking care of her?"
"Hester's sister-in-law has Hester's little girl with her."
Addy swayed, her legs buckling under her. Nick steadied her, then helped her to a nearby chair. Bending down on his knees in front of her, Nick prayed she was strong enough to handle the worst news. "The person or persons who shot Alton and Hester kidnapped your father."
"No! Oh, Daddy!" Slouching over, her shoulders drooping, Addy covered her face with her hands. "I was the target! They threatened me, not Daddy! I don't understand this. Why kidnap Daddy?"
"Dina received a call from the kidnapper," Nick said, pulling Addy's clenched fists into his hands, stroking her knuckles, trying to soothe her. "He wants you to withdraw the NASP bid."
"The NASP bid really is what he's after, isn't it? It's not a red herring like you thought." Addy stared at Nick, her eyes overly bright, glazed with anxiety. "It's Gerald. It has to be. But—but he'd know—he'd know I don't have the authority to withdraw the bid."
"Calm down, Red. If Carlton is behind Rusty's kidnapping, we'll nail him. I promise you." Nick couldn't bring himself to tell her that he still doubted the validity of the NASP bid threat, that his gut instincts told him that Rusty's kidnapping had another motive. Someone wanted Addy McConnell back in Huntsville, and they'd used the only conceivable method to ensure her return.
"What if he's already killed Daddy? They killed Donnie. Daddy paid the ransom and they still killed him."
Nick felt her panic. Grabbing her by the shoulders, he shook her soundly. "Don't do this, Red! Don't fall apart on me now."
Elizabeth stepped forward, her clear blue eyes focusing on Addy. "Your father isn't dead." Standing beside Addy's chair, Elizabeth touched her cheek. "Your father won't be killed. You will return to Huntsville and save him."
Nick swung around, glaring at Elizabeth. "She doesn't need to hear this."
"Yes, I do." Shoving Nick aside, Addy stood. "I've got to go back. We need to leave as soon as possible."
Grasping his cane, Nick followed her to the door, but couldn't keep up with her when she broke into a run once she'd entered the yard.
"Addy, stop!" Nick flung open the front door. "Dammit, woman, will you slow down!"
Elizabeth caught Nick by the wrist, halting him. "Keep her guarded, every moment. She's in danger."
"Don't you think I know that!"
"Her enemy is someone she knows."
Nick could hear the deafening roar of his heartbeat throbbing in his ears. "What else? You know more, don't you?"
"He means to kill her." Elizabeth's grip on Nick's arm tightened. "A woman has been helping him, but she doesn't want Addy harmed."
Elizabeth released Nick. They stood for several long moments, staring at each other, Nick uncertain whether or not to believe this woman's soothsaying abilities. Sam had once told him that she possessed unearthly powers, that he'd seen Elizabeth Mallory turn barren soil into flowering life and call the animals out of the forest to come to her and they obeyed. Sam had said that his ward, his brother's stepchild had the ability to see inside a person and predict their future. Sam Dundee had never lied to Nick.
"That's all I know," Elizabeth said. "Hurry and go after her. Now, more than ever, Addy will need her paladin."
"Her what?"
"You, Nick, she will need you, her knight in shining armor. No one else can save her. Only you."
* * *
Chapter 12
« ^ »
Nick had broken all the posted speed limits on the trip to Atlanta where a private plane awaited them. They arrived in Huntsville at seven-thirty in the morning, both of them were bleary-eyed and exhausted from worry and lack of sleep. Taking a cab from the airport, they went directly to the hospital. Hot and humid early morning sunshine greeted them the moment they stepped onto the pavement, and one of Ned Johnson's FBI agents, Alan Sturges, met them at the lobby entrance.
"Any word on my father?" Addy asked as the agent whisked them through the lobby and into an elevator.
"Sorry, ma'am, there's no news to report." The young, slender investigator punched in the correct floor, then turned to Nick. "Ms. Lunden is upstairs. We've had quite a time with her. Even Brett Windsor can't do anything with her."
Hell, that's all they needed, Nick thought, an overwrought, hysterical Dina. Addy was close to the breaking point herself; she didn't need Dina's theatrical show of concern sending her over the edge. "What's Dina doing here?"
"She refuses to leave until she sees Ms. McConnell," Agent Sturges said. "She and Windsor have been here since about five this morning."
"Has Jim come out of surgery yet?" Addy asked.
The elevator stopped. The doors opened. The three stepped into the hallway.
"No, ma'am. He's been in surgery for hours. It doesn't look good. He was shot up pretty bad, I'm afraid."
Nick gave the young agent a deadly look, silently reprimanding him for being so blunt with Addy about Hester's condition. "Come on, Red, think positive thoughts."
The minute they rounded the corner that led to the surgery waiting area, Dina Lunden came running toward Addy, tears flowing down her rosy cheeks, her arms spread wide. At the touch of Dina's arm around her, Addy cringed, then chastised herself for being so insensitive to the other woman's feelings. Maybe Dina really did care about her father. If she didn't, she certainly was putting on an award-winning performance.
"Oh, Addy, it's just awful! This shouldn't have happened. If only you had stayed in Huntsville, instead of running off to God knows where and going into hiding." Releasing her tenacious hold on Addy, Dina faced Nick. "It's all your fault. I had no idea when I invited you to my engagement party that you would wind up making such a mess of things."
Brett Windsor came forward, placing a comforting arm around Dina. "Now, Dina, stop talking nonsense. Neither Nick nor Addy could have prevented Rusty's kidnapping."
Dina glared at Brett, her eyes bright and wild. "You know I'm right, dammit!" Flinging off Brett's arm, she walked away from him.
Turning to Addy, Brett gave her a gentle hug. "I'm so sorry about all this. Dina's been hysterical ever since she heard Rusty had been kidnapped."
Addy accepted Brett's comfort, thankful that he was around to help keep Dina in check. "You were with Dina when she was told about Daddy?"
"No, as a matter of fact, I wasn't." Brett glanced over at Nick whose dark, pensive stare issued a warning. "I've found my own apartment. I moved out of the mansion three days ago."
"Addy! Oh, Addy!" Janice Dixon ran down the corridor, her blond ponytail flip-flopping up and down on her back.
Pulling out of Brett's embrace, Addy put her arms around Janice. "Oh, Janice, you didn't have to come down here, but I'm so glad you did."
"I've been checking with Dina. She told me what time they were expecting you and Nick to arrive." Teary-eyed, Janice forced a smile. "I—I thought you might need me."
"Of course I need you." Addy hugged Janice with the fierce protectiveness of an earth-mother defending her child. "You're my best friend and favorite cousin."
"Has there been any word on Uncle Rusty's whereabouts? A ransom demand or anything?"
"Nothing new," Addy said. "We're waiting to hear, and praying that Daddy's all right and that Jim surv
ives his surgery."
While the endless minutes turned to an hour and then two, Dina continued to rant and rave, ceasing only when Brett or Nick soothed her. Addy sat with Janice, and Agent Sturges watched over them all.
Ned Johnson appeared in the doorway. Nick rose from his seat directly across from Addy. He said a silent prayer that Hester was still alive. He might well be their only chance of finding Rusty—if he'd seen the kidnapper's face and could identify him. "Ned?"
"Hester made it."
Addy sighed with relief, tears glistening in the corners of her eyes. When she stood, walking toward Nick, Janice rose and followed her. Nick, who stood in the doorway talking quietly with Ned Johnson, reached out and pulled Addy to his side.
"Look, Red. I'm going in with Ned to question Hester just as soon as he comes around. The doctors say it could be another hour, maybe longer."
"You think he can identify the kidnapper?" Addy asked.
"We're hoping he can," Johnson replied.
"Agent Sturges will stay with you when I go in to question Hester." Nick's big hand splayed across her back. He titled her chin upward, his dark eyes demanding her compliance. "Don't even go to the bathroom unless he's waiting right outside the door. Understand?"
"I understand." She caressed his cheek with her fingertips. "Don't worry about me."
"Brett is taking me home," Dina announced. "I'm simply exhausted." Stopping in front of Addy and Nick, she gave them a heated look. "You will call me the moment you get word on Rusty, won't you?"
"Of course we will," Addy said.
"He's all right, you know." Dina glanced over at Brett, who held her by the arm. "Isn't he?"
"I'll drive her home and stay with her until she calms down. I think a couple of Valium should do the trick," Brett said.
Addy felt a surge of relief once Dina had left. Her father's overwrought fiancée had gotten on everyone's nerves with her moans and sighs, her constant flood of tears and her irrational babbling. Thank the Lord that Brett had been able to persuade her to go home. The FBI was doing everything possible, but Addy knew that a great deal depended on what Jim Hester would be able to tell them about the shooting and her father's kidnapping.
PALADIN'S WOMAN Page 19
