by Dawn Ryder
“I’m working on that.” But it wasn’t good enough. The sight of the emergency room sign turned his insides as he realized Celeste had paid a huge price for his lapse.
“And you have a big problem, because I think her ex is coming after you. He’s got a lot of resources. He sent a replica of her wedding bouquet to the office.” Marcus pulled the card from his shirt pocket and offered it to Nartan.
“You should have called and told me about this,” Nartan growled.
Marcus parked the car and turned off the engine. When he turned to look at Nartan, the man was deadly serious. Nartan felt everything inside him shift to something hard and deadly.
“I fully intended to, but I was going to give Celeste the chance to do it first. I don’t want her pissed at me because I didn’t give her a chance to handle her own affairs.”
“Shit! I didn’t let her get a word in edgewise because I was dealing with my horse. Just about the only thing that could distract me from Celeste.”
Marcus grunted. “He’s good, or at least he hires people who are good, because I let her go and you were distracted. My guess is he’s watching both of you, and your horse’s untimely illness was no accident. We got lucky this time. He’s planning to use you to break her.”
“I’m not waiting for him to make the next move. He isn’t the only one with resources.”
One side of Marcus’s mouth rose. “I’m beginning to like you.”
***
“Nothing broken.”
Celeste breathed a sigh of relief as the doctor searched through the results being fed to the mobile computer parked in the corner of the emergency-room bay she was in.
“But you’re going to be in a fair amount of pain for a while.”
“I can deal with it.”
“You shouldn’t have to.” The curtain was pulled aside as Nartan appeared. She drank in the sight of him, realizing she’d been tense since the police had taken him away.
She never wanted to feel that way again.
Marcus stood a pace behind Nartan, his eyes narrowing when he got a look at her face.
But nothing mattered as Nartan made it to her side. The tears she’d been fighting rolled down her cheeks, making her swollen eye smart even more. He slid his hand along her neck, cupping the back of her head and giving her the support she needed.
But the memory of him in the back of the police car remained. Caspian didn’t know how to lose. Nausea filled her as she realized the only way to keep Nartan safe was to leave him.
***
Celeste woke up in Nartan’s bed. She shouldn’t have. But she’d been foggy from medication, her weakened senses unable to have the conversation she knew was coming. She rolled out of bed well into the morning and went into the bathroom.
Nartan was nowhere in sight, but a rumpled towel hanging on a hook proved he’d been there. She leaned on the vanity and studied her face. The entire left side was black and blue, but at least her eye was less swollen. Her lower lip was split but not badly enough to need stitching.
Of course not. Caspian wouldn’t tolerate her being scarred.
She fought off a wave of nausea, refusing to let the thought of him make her sick. She leaned her head back, drawing in several long breaths before turning on the shower and letting the water run over her face.
It didn’t wash away her dark mood, which only deepened when she stepped out and saw the backyard with the island.
She had to leave.
Nartan’s paradise, his sanctuary, was being invaded and it was all her fault.
The hard truth dug its claws into her, flooding her eyes with tears. She wiped them away, struggling to find some way to console herself, but there was none. Leaving was going to rip her heart to sheds.
But she was absolutely determined to make sure Nartan never ended up so helpless again.
She dressed and pulled her bag out of the closet. After stuffing her clothing into it, she slung it over her shoulder and left the bedroom. She walked down the hallway toward the kitchen and the garage door.
“Celeste?”
Nartan looked up from the kitchen counter, where he’d been leaning over a large document of some sort.
She stiffened and turned to face him. “I need to go.”
He came around the table and closed the distance between them, drawing closer when he noticed the bag.
“You need to go back to bed.”
“You were arrested last night because of me,” Celeste implored him. “You have to see reason.”
Nartan pegged her with a furious look. “I have to?”
She nodded. Nartan’s face hardened. She watched his eyes darken a moment before he moved toward her and scooped her off her feet. Her bag slid off her shoulder and hit the floor. He carried her through the house and back into the master bedroom before depositing her on the bed gently.
“Caspian doesn’t know how to lose,” she said.
He closed the bedroom door and leaned against it, a hint of satisfaction crossing his face as he surveyed her on his bed. His lips twitched as her words sank in. “And you think I do?”
There was a savage edge to his voice, one that made her hesitate and set her teeth into her lower lip.
“That isn’t what I meant.” Her resolve was crumbling. “I can’t bear the idea of you getting caught in the middle…getting hurt because of me.”
His expression softened for a moment. “I got caught with my pants down. I should never have brought you here before making sure it was safe.”
“No…” She stood up. “It’s me… I went to see him and set him off.”
“You did what?”
She didn’t care for the incredulous note in his voice. “You heard me. I wasn’t going to take that wedding bouquet crap from him. So I went to his favorite spa and found him there.” She nodded with satisfaction. “Caspian is such a slave to his vanity. Even years later, it was easy for me to track him down.”
Nartan folded his arms over his chest. “What happened?”
She drew in a deep breath. “I told him I would never be back and to leave me alone.”
“Celeste…”
“Don’t lecture,” she interrupted. “I know you want to protect me, but I need to be strong enough to face my past. I need to be worthy of you. I can’t let him intimidate me into silence again.”
He captured her, surrounding her with his heat and the scent of his skin that always overwhelmed her.
“Let me go… I can’t think when you touch me.”
“Good.” He caught the back of her head, holding her in place. “I don’t want you to think. I don’t want you to do anything but let me deal with this.”
She stiffened, pushing against his chest until he released her with a huff. She ended up crawling back onto the bed to put some distance between them.
“I can’t just be your pet.”
His eyebrows lowered. “That idea has merit all on its own.”
“Don’t use sex to end this conversation,” she warned. “I can’t handle knowing Caspian will come after you again. I love you too much…” The words were out before she could stop them from flowing straight from her breaking heart.
“I’m leaving you. At least if I’m not with anyone, Caspian won’t have a target.”
“The hell you are.” He reached across the bed and lifted her up, cradling her gently but solidly and bringing her back to his side.
He buried his face against her neck, kissing the delicate, sensitive skin and setting off a soft tingling of need.
It was gentle but gained strength with every kiss and lick he trailed across her neck. He was too close to resist, impossible to keep her hands off. She moaned, the tension shattering as she arched toward him. He was everything she craved, the idea of leaving him too painful.
“You crave me as deeply
as I do you…” His voice was a rich, deep tonic.
He rose up, grasped the waistband of her yoga pants, and pulled them off her.
“Wait…”
“So you can start thinking again?” He ripped his shirt up and over his head, betraying how on edge he was, but his touch remained gentle. “Not a chance, sweetheart. I’m going to remind you why you’re going to stay right here…in my bed.”
He pressed her thighs wide, settling over her mons. She gasped, her clit giving a crazy twist as she watched him in fascination. His breath touched her folds a second before he pulled them back and began to eat her out. She wanted to remember why she had to convince him of how right she was. Instead she was swept into the tide of need and desire that had always linked them. It was addiction, one so deeply rooted in her flesh that there was no way to resist it.
She arched and moaned, the pleasure building to a crescendo as he plied his tongue over her sex with a skill that left her moaning with rapture. She was helpless in its grip, withering and twisting as climax tore through her. He pumped her through the last few ripples, his fingers stroking her with a hard rhythm that made her hungry for something harder.
He didn’t leave her wanting. He slid down the bed, standing up between her thighs, and freed his cock. It was hard and thick and everything she craved. He pulled her down to the edge of the bed and leaned over her, pressing her legs up to her shoulders as he plunged deep, shielding her from his weight.
“Tell me you want to leave now…”
She tried to think beyond the hard flesh inside her. “I can’t see you…like that again…”
He worked his length in and out of her. “But that would mean you would never feel me like this again…” He thrust hard and deep, stilling for a moment as he whispered against her ear. “No one fits me like you, Celeste… I have to have you…”
She recognized the note of desperation in his voice, knew it because it mirrored the same feeling that was coursing through her.
“Then take me,” she commanded. “Now. Hard.”
He curled his lips back and fisted his hands in the comforter. Every thrust was hard, packed with all of the power in his body. She felt herself being driven up to another peak, the pleasure building every time he connected with her G-spot.
“Open your eyes,” he rasped, his breath harsh and hard.
She struggled to look at him, her body starting its plunge into climax.
“Watch what you do to me…”
She heard how exposed he was in that moment and opened her eyes to witness him losing control.
“I want you to see what you do to me…”
She lifted her hips high to push him over the edge. His eyes narrowed, his neck cording as she felt his cock giving up the first spurt of his seed. It hit her G-spot, sending her over the edge as well. She locked her legs around him, binding him to her as he emptied himself.
But she kept her eyes open, locked with his as they twisted and strained toward one another. He collapsed, catching his weight just inches before his chest flattened her breasts. His eyes were glazed over with satisfaction. “Do you see? I can’t live without you.”
The confession was torn from him. She watched him bare his soul for her before rolling over and pulling her against his side. He locked her in place, his embrace as hard as his body.
“Trust me.”
At that moment, she realized she didn’t have a choice. She was responding to him just as instantly as she had always done. Nartan wasn’t something she decided anything about. Control wasn’t in her hands.
And she couldn’t lie to herself any longer.
“I do.”
He kissed the top of her head, smoothing his hand down her arm as his embrace shook. The tremor sent tears down her cheeks before she surrendered and closed her eyes.
***
“As your lawyer, I have to remind you that you could still end up in jail.”
“Since I can afford to pay you, I hope you’re going to keep that from happening,” Nartan responded to Marcus. “That’s not why you’re here.”
Marcus leaned over the map Nartan had laid out on the kitchen island. He peered at it with a critical eye.
“Why are you here?” Celeste appeared in the kitchen. She moved closer and looked at the map. “What is this?”
“A burlesque club your ex frequents,” Nartan told her with a chill in his voice that sent a shiver down her spine. “I’m going hunting.”
His tone was stone hard.
“Marcus…talk some sense into him.” Celeste looked to her boss for a voice of reason.
Marcus pulled a pen from the countertop and tapped at a point on the map. “I’ll take up position here.”
She felt her temper shift into high gear, but the level of intensity coming from Nartan was too much to hit head-on. “Okay, fine. I’m going too.”
She moved up and looked at the map.
“No, you aren’t,” Nartan informed her.
“Negative,” Marcus added. “You’re grounded on injury.”
“Cut the Neanderthal bullshit,” she said. “It’s my butt on the line, so I’m part of this or out the door.” She cut a look at Marcus. “Your door too.”
“We settled this, Celeste—” Nartan started.
Her cheeks heated but she refused to shy away. “This is my fight, Nartan. It’s my past coming back to haunt me.”
“It’s mine, and I’m taking it to him.” His expression was like ice.
“How do you figure it’s your fight?” she demanded.
Nartan faced off with her. “You’re my responsibility and he poisoned my mare. I had to put her down.”
Celeste gasped. “She died?” The magnificent creature that had carried her along the beach was gone. Her eyes filled with tears.
Nartan caught her in a gentle hug. “I’m going to track him down,” he promised savagely. “For what he did to you.”
He drew himself up and backed away. “Marcus brought over a couple of men to secure the house.”
Marcus pulled his cell phone from his pocket and tapped in a text. A moment later, someone came through one of the patio French doors and another man through the garage.
“Paul and Kevin,” Marcus introduced them. “Just got back from active duty. They’re comfortable outside and competent.”
Both were bulky and hard looking. They nodded toward her before slipping back out. She shook her head, rebelling against the idea.
Nartan let out a soft word in Apache. “Excuse me, Marcus.”
For the second time, he scooped her off her feet and carried her back to his bedroom.
“I can’t be your pet,” she growled when he put her down and stood in front of the doorway again. “I…can’t.” Her voice broke.
Nartan softened, coming toward her and stroking her good cheek. For a moment, he was tender and everything that she needed.
“He breached the house I brought you to.”
She looked up and drew in her breath when she witnessed the rage burning in his eyes. It was so deeply personal, she felt her belly knot. But she also felt something else. She felt protected.
“The place I want you to make into a home.” He tapped her lips with his fingertip when she opened them to speak. “Do you remember what I told you about being rich?”
“Yes.”
“Your love makes me rich.” He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand. “And I will do anything necessary to defend it.”
She shivered. The intensity glowing in his eyes shattered everything she thought she needed. It all fell aside, leaving her basking in the glow of his declaration.
“You shouldn’t have to.”
His lips curved. “Neither should you.”
He rolled back until he was lying against the pillows. “Come here.”
She
crawled toward him, and he wrapped his arms around her. Everything churning inside her settled.
“Now look up.”
Above the bed, the skylight allowed them a breathtaking view of the stars.
“I looked at the night sky when I was a boy, and every night through my youth and the days out on that claim with Tarak. I dreamed of the moment I’d find someone to share a home with.”
He cupped her chin and angled his head so he could look into her eyes. “I’m going to go tell Caspian you belong to me.” His eyes glittered with determination. “Deal with it. I intend to make sure he does.”
“That won’t go over well.”
“Good.” His expression turned savage. He stroked her jawline with a fingertip, letting her soak up the sight. “I understand why you went to see him and I respect it, even if I’m pissed about the chance you took.”
Her lips twitched, rising into a smile. He tapped it with the tip of his finger. “Like I said, it was on my to-be-dealt-with list.”
He returned her smile but it didn’t stay on his lips long. His expression tightened within moments.
“So understand why I need to do the same thing.”
“Ouch,” she said. “Game point.”
He nodded and kissed the top of her head before standing up.
“When I get back, you’re going to tell me you love me again.”
He sealed her lips with a soft kiss, one that didn’t hurt her split lip. He tucked the bedding around her and then disappeared out of the door.
He was going out to fight for her. It should have disgusted her, but she discovered it sitting very comfortably on her shoulders.
Because that was who he was. She’d seen it the first day she’d met him. Instead of the thought chilling her, she found it far more comforting to know that he was honest.
***
Burlesque was more erotic than stripping. Caspian lifted his drink and inhaled its scent before taking a sip. He smiled, pleased with the quality of the spirits. Of course, he expected that level of comfort or he wouldn’t frequent the establishment. A trio of dancers appeared, the overhead lighting perfectly timed with their entrance.
“I’m finished.”
