by Amy Summers
Armand shrugged. "Two Gs. Is that good enough?"
No way. The guy was planning to cheat him, maybe even kill him, no doubt. Wary prickles slithered down his spine. All his survival instincts were telling him to get away as soon as he could. Still, he had to pretend to believe him.
He shrugged. "Sounds good."
He wondered how this was coming across to Madison. Surely she knew that he'd seen her. A shadow was wavering on the boardwalk and relief sang through his veins. She'd made it. She was off the boat. Anything else from now on was gravy.
He had to give her time to get to the car. He hesitated, trying to think of something to prolong the conversation with, and Armand did it for him.
"I want to know who you are," he said acidly.
"Who, me?"
"Yes. Why is it that you talk like an American?"
"Because I am an American, Mr. A."
Armand nodded, though be didn't look convinced. "I know you don't want to reveal your source of information, and I can understand your reluctance, but just as evidence of good faith, tell me something of how you fit into things. What's your connection to the information?"
David thought fast. "I have a cousin who runs tourists down the coast." He shrugged. "He knows someone who got hired the other day. That's about it. I'll give you the rest when I know it."
"What's your cousin's name? Where does he live?"
David pretended outrage. "Why would I tell you? Then you'll give him the money."
Cavon laughed menacingly. "Hey, he's got a point there, boss."
Suddenly Armand had him by the lapels, gripping hard, his face a threatening mask. "I don't care who gets the money. I just want those kids. You do understand?"
David nodded rapidly, pretending more fear than he felt, but at the same time, controlling the urge to smash the creep in the face. "Sure. Sure. Don't worry. I won't let you down."
Armand let him go, and he straightened his shirt before turning to go. "I'll be back tomorrow. You won't be disappointed."
He started walking into the darkness. They didn't trust him any more than they should, and he knew they would tail him. He could feel them behind him, feel them watching, slipping from shadow to shadow. Then he heard a car start up. He glanced back but there were no headlights. They were just going to follow him in the dark, stick to him like glue until he revealed something to them. He had to think of a way to ditch them, but it wouldn't be easy with no wheels.
He walked faster, passing the end of the marina, turning down the street toward the fish market. Everything was closed and shuttered. It was late. There was no one else on the street.
At least Madison had escaped. Hopefully she was already back at the cafe. He couldn't go back there now, not with them on his tail, but at least she was safe. The problem now was just to find a way to get back there without them knowing.
Suddenly a car came careering down a side street, straight for him, the headlights blinding him. He jumped aside, his heart in his throat, before he realized it was his own car. Madison slowed as she came beside him and reached across to open the door.
"Get in," she yelled.
He rolled in, hitting the leather seat like a sack of cement, bruising his head and one shin in the process, yanking the door closed behind him, while she stepped on the gas, rocketing down the thoroughfare.
"Tell me what to do," she cried.
He'd lived in this town every summer of his life and he knew every alley, every side street. Shouting out quick directions, he guided her around in circles and through back streets until there was no tell tale roar behind them any longer, no headlights. Then he led her to the beach, where they stashed the car in the jungle growth along the road and sat very still, catching their breath.
For a moment all that was heard was breathing. David took in one last, long breath and turned to her, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her hard.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he demanded through gritted teeth. "You could have been killed. He could have grabbed you..."
She threw her head back, her eyes closed. "You heard him," she replied calmly. "He doesn't want me. He wants Jill and Chris— "
His grip turned to a comforting caress. "Madison..."
Her head came forward again, her eyes open and staring right into his. "I had to go. I couldn't just wait around for him to find me."
Her voice was crisp and without inflection. "I found this black sweater in a drawer. And the stocking cap was in the closet. My first thought had been to walk in and demand that Armand give me back my things, but I wore black, just in case, and when I got to the boat, my nerve failed. I knew I couldn't win face-to-face with him. He had all the firepower. So I decided my only hope was to be sneaky."
She paused for breath, but he didn't say anything. He let go of her and eased back into his seat, staring out into the silver black night, listening.
"I waited behind some boxes until there was no one in sight. I knew where the alarms were triggered and I avoided those spots when I jumped on board. And then I made my way around to the opening to Armand's cabin. I thought if he was out and I could get in there, maybe I could find my things and get away and it would be all over." She took a deep breath. "But he wasn't out. He was in his room with his girlfriend. I could see them through the glass in the door."
He turned back and touched her arm. "Madison..."
She moved as though she were annoyed. "Do you think I care about that? I hate him, David. He makes my skin crawl. That's not the point. I was only angry because I knew I couldn't get my things with them in there. So I went into the room I'd stayed in, to see if he might have moved anything in there, but it was as clean as though no one had ever stayed there. My clothes had all been taken away. And then I went into the kids' room... and... and..." Her voice began to shake. "It looked like they might be coming in from dinner at any moment."
He frowned, trying to understand why this upset her so much. "What do you mean?"
She put a hand to her forehead and steadied herself. "The beds were made. The covers were turned back. New stuffed animals were on the pillows. New clothes filled the closets." Her hand gripped his arm, the knuckles white. "David, he's so damn sure of himself."
He shook his head, denying. "He's just prepared."
"I was so stunned I just stood there, staring. Finally I kind of bumbled my way out onto the deck again. I thought they were going to catch me any minute. And then you showed up. You distracted them just enough for me to get off without them seeing."
He buried his hand in her hair. "Thank God," he said softly.
She turned to look at him, her eyes full of dread. "David, he's going to get them.''
His other hand cupped her cheek. "No, Madison. He's not."
She shook her head, her eyes deep as caverns. "When someone like that keeps after you and after you..." Her voice broke and she shook her head again. "No matter what I do, no matter where I go, if he wants to, he'll get them.''
"No." He took her by the shoulders and tried to get through the wall of fear she was erecting. "He won't get them. We're not going to let him."
She blinked rapidly, clutching his arm with her fingers. "But, David, we're in a foreign country. If he gets hold of them, I'll never get them back."
He wanted to comfort her, to convince her, to soothe her fears. "That's not going to happen, Madison," he said earnestly. "Believe me. We're not going to let it happen."
She stared into his eyes as though she were trying to believe him. But she just couldn't do it.
She moved too quickly. He wasn't ready for it. In a fraction of a second she'd opened the car door and was twisting away from him, out of the car, running down into the white sand of the long, wide beach.
Pausing only to grab the keys out of the ignition, he was out of the car and running after her. Just a few feet short of the water he swooped her up into his arms and held her close.
"Madison, Madison," he breathed into her hair as she clung to him.
"Don't you understand? You're not alone. It's not just you against him. I'm here. I'm with you. I'm not going to let anything happen. I swear to you. You and Jill and Chris are going to be safe."
She wanted to believe that as much as he wanted to convince her. Turning her face into his neck, she kissed him— short, quick kisses—again and again. He groaned, every part of him aware of her soft body, her delicious scent, her warm acceptance. He wanted her, but not only with the fast, hungry appetite of physical release. He wanted her with something deep and dark within him, something he'd never felt before and couldn't possibly understand right now.
He carried her back up the beach to where the jungle growth gave them some privacy, forming a protected cove.
Behind him the moonlight was silver on the liquid black of the sea. The hushed breeze from the ocean curled around them, tantalizingly spicy, exquisitely sultry. Golden sand crunched under his feet. And Madison clung to him as though she would never let go.
Temptation was so strong, it choked in his throat. But he still could think, and he knew he had to stop this. He had to take her back to the car and drive her home and put her to bed with her children. He knew what he had to do, but he couldn't do it. He couldn't let go of her, couldn't warn her. His need was growing too powerful to resist.
Madison's fingers sank into his hair, holding him prisoner to her warm mouth, and something deep inside him began to shudder with desire. The warmth of her mouth turned scalding as his tongue explored it, moving with sudden urgency as her fingers tightened on him, clutching him harder.
"David," she breathed into his open mouth. "David I need you.”
The sand was cool and somehow she was lying on it as David leaned over her, peeling away the sweater she had worn. His hand glided across the pale skin he'd uncovered, his fingers cupping breasts so soft they seemed to melt away at his touch. Her nipples were high and tight with desire. He yearned for her with every part of his being. There was no hope of restraint any longer. He couldn't deny her any more than he could stop breathing. It was beyond his control.
"I'm here, Madison," he reassured her, his voice thick with passion, husky with his leashed need. "Madison, are you sure?"
Her eyes opened wide and she stared into his as though she were looking straight into his soul. "Oh, yes, David," she sighed, half-laughing. "I'm sure. I'm very sure."
And that was good, because at this point he wasn't certain he would have been able to stop, anyway. He'd never felt such an overpowering drive before, never felt so completely out of control. He had to touch every part of her, had to feel her hard against him, had to know she was with him for this ride.
His hands weren't enough. He had to use his mouth, his lips, his tongue, tracing hot lines of hunger along her collarbone, around her navel, to the tips of her breasts.
She cried out and writhed beneath his stroking touch, her hips moving in the natural enticement of surrender. He tugged away the leggings and ran his hand up her thigh to where she was demanding contact with a fierceness that matched his own.
His stroke molded to her motion, burrowing into her warmth, and then his tongue took up the rhythm and she cried out, unable to wait any longer.
“Do you have something... ?" she murmured, her eyes glazed.
"I'll take care of it," he promised, though his hands were shaking so badly, for a moment he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to fulfill his pledge.
She reached for him, trying to guide him to where she needed him most, her urgency becoming a demand instead of a request, and he followed her lead, no longer thinking of holding back. Holding back would have been impossible.
The plunge took them both and she gasped when he entered, her eyes open and wild. He tried to hold her back, but it was too late. She drew him along, and he caught up with her, soothing her need. She cried out in wonder and relief, lifting her hips to take him deeper, harder, until they both crashed into the tempest that brewed inside them, hurling across the sky like lightning, feeling the thunder, feeling the eternity of space. They clung together to ride out the storm, until it left them breathing hard and glowing, lying tangled together in the sand.
He couldn't think. His mind wouldn't clear. And when he finally opened his eyes, it still took a few minutes to take in the full realization of just exactly what had happened.
"Madison?" he murmured, turning his head to look at her. She was so close, her arms and legs still tangled with his. But all he saw were the tears in her eyes.
"Madison." An agony of remorse swept through him, and he touched her face with his hand. "Oh, my God, did I hurt you?"
She smiled, her eyes brimming with liquid that caught the moonlight and made her look like an ethereal being. "You didn't hurt me," she whispered, putting her fingers to his lips. "It... it was just so... so..."
"I'm sorry, Madison," he groaned, pulling back. "I shouldn't have..."
She grabbed his hair with both hands and yanked, hard. "Don't you dare say you're sorry," she demanded savagely, glaring into his eyes. "Don't you dare say it shouldn't have happened. This was one of the best things that has ever happened to me, and I won't let you belittle it."
He stared down at her, completely at sea. What on earth was she talking about? The tears were flowing from her eyes now, and he comforted her, but all the while he was stumped by her emotions, the way she'd reacted. He wanted to do - something to make her stop crying, but in a strange way, he was beginning to suspect she was enjoying it.
Women. God knew he loved them.
But what did they want?
Chapter 9
"I want David to carry me." Chris's sleepy eyes barely opened a crack, but his little arms came up when David bent over him. "He's stronger."
Madison glanced at David, suppressing a smile, wondering if he realized what an honor was being bestowed on him. Of all the men she'd ever gone out with, only Cubby had ever been accorded such trust by her son.
"Okay," she said softly, giving the little apartment one last look. "Jill, you can walk, can't you? I've got the suitcase—"
"Why are you whispering?" David asked with a quick, slashing grin. "I don't think they can hear us down at the marina."
She threw him a look of pure exasperation. "We're sneaking off in the middle of the night, aren't we? We're supposed to whisper. It's in the rules of sneaking away."
"Ah." He nodded wisely. "I should have thought of that."
"Of course you should have. See how much better your life would be if you had a woman in it to explain these things to you?"
He turned with a startled look, but she refused to meet his gaze. "Come on, Jill," she said, urging along her sleepy daughter. ''Let's go, honey. We want to get as far as we can before daylight."
Jill looked up at her, blinking, wincing from the light. "Where are we going?"
Madison gave her a hug. "Home, sweetheart. We're going home."
Taking one last look around, David stepped out and locked the door from the outside, Chris clinging to his neck. The night was eerie, so quiet. The rest of the world was asleep. Madison only hoped Armand was in bed, where he belonged. And all his thugs, with him. If they were prowling around the streets, their little sports car would be easy to spot heading out of town.
But she wouldn't think about that now. There was no other choice than to head for the border. What else could she do? She couldn't sit tight and wait for Armand to find her children. That was just plain unacceptable.
They all went down into the alley where David had parked the car to keep it out of sight from the street. The dinky trunk had barely enough room for the little suitcase. David threw some of his clothes in around it.
"Not exactly a family car, is it?" Madison noted, squinting at the tiny back seat where her children were going to be spending many hours.
"Not many bachelors I know drive around in suvs," David replied dryly.
She watched him as he settled the two children in the back, putting pillows under each sleepy head. Was he really so
wedded to the concept of his bachelor image, or was he using it as a defensive measure? She couldn't help but grin at the thought.
They climbed into their respective bucket seats and Madison looked at David and smiled. "Here we go," she said softly. Reaching out, she touched his hand. "Thank you, David. I'm really sorry to disrupt your life this way, but..,"
He took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly. "I promised you I'd make sure you all were safe, Madison," he told her, his eyes dark with earnest intent. "And that's exactly what I'm going to do."
Releasing her hand, he started the car. She sat back and watched Puerto Vallarta slip away. It had been barely an hour since they'd made love in the sand. If she closed her eyes, she could feel him again, feel her own incredible excitement. Was it the magic of the moment that had made it seem so intense, so infinitely more intimate than any experience she had ever had before? Was it something that could never happen again? Or would every time with David be that way?
She glanced at him, shivering slightly, wishing she knew how their lovemaking had affected him. She knew, deep inside, what it had done to her, though she wouldn't even allow herself to put it into words just yet. But she knew for sure that she would never be the same again.
In a way she'd placed herself in David's protection, and he'd given her his proof of commitment, all in those extraordinary few moments on the beach. The commitment was temporary. But so was her need. Still, not many people would have gone out of their way for her and her children like this. He was an exceptional man. If she wasn't careful, she might be able to convince herself that she was in love with him. It wouldn't be hard.
But it would be foolhardy. She knew he wasn't in the market for a long-term relationship. And neither was she, really. She had too much to prove—mostly to herself—before she could allow herself the luxury of loving. Armand was-hopefully- finally out of her life for good, and she wasn't about to jump right into someone else's arms. She had to stand on her own first.
