by Lisa Cardiff
“You’re not playing with me right now, are you? Because I might reach through the phone and strangle you if this is a hoax.”
He chuckled. “Good thing I’m absolutely serious.”
I curled my free hand into the hem of my skirt. “I missed you. It feels like it’s been months instead of weeks since I’ve talked to you.”
“I know. I wanted to call you every single day, but I couldn’t. I had to make Ignacio and Emanuel think I was done with you.”
“I realize that, but it didn’t make it any easier.” I slipped the elastic band out of my hair and leaned back on the bed. “Are you sure it’s safe for me to come?”
“Of course, I wouldn’t have arranged a flight for you if it weren’t.”
My brows knitted together. “But you said you were still working out some details,” I pointed out.
“I am, but it’s nothing that you need to worry about.”
I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me. “Okay.”
“Can I expect you to get on that plane tomorrow?”
I smiled, the tension in my chest easing for the first time in weeks. “It shouldn’t be a problem. I’m already packed.”
“Why’d you do that?”
I propped my hand behind my head as I chewed on my lower lip. “If I didn’t hear from you in the next day or two I planned to go find you.”
“Hmm. Good to know.” I heard a hushed male voice in the background. “Hold on a second,” he said. I heard his phone brush against his hand, muffling the conversation.
I tapped my finger on my thigh waiting for him to talk to me again. Seconds felt like hours. I stared at the empty white walls of his apartment. I listened to the faint hum of the air conditioning unit. Then, he was back.
He sighed. “I have to go. I need to take care of a few things.”
“Oh,” I said, sitting up. My mood shifted and suddenly I felt melancholy. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow,” he said softly.
“Sounds good,” I replied instead of saying goodbye because I wasn’t ready to sever the connection yet. I wanted to squeeze as many words as I could out of him.
“I’m sorry. I wish I had more time to talk. I miss hearing your voice and talking to you whenever I want.”
“I understand.” My voice wobbled.
“Hey, don’t get all sad on me. I don’t have anything planned after I pick you up at the airport except for spending every moment with you.”
I smiled. “I love that.”
“I love you,” he responded.
A shivered ran through me and my smile came back. “I love you, too.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hattie
A salty breezed shuffled through my hair as I paused at the bottom of the stairs of the private jet. I scanned the area, looking for Ryker. A smile split across my face the instant I spotted him. He was leaning up against the wall with his legs spread, and his hands stuffed deep in the pockets of his linen pants. The top two buttons of his gray polo shirt were open, his eyes trained on me.
I broke into a sprint, my turquoise ballet flats slapping against the asphalt, the wheels of my luggage bellowing protest. I halted about a foot away from him, suddenly feeling shy. My eyes trailed down his wide chest to his narrow waist and back up again.
“Come here,” he said, crooking his finger at me, his lids heavy.
I closed the distance between us and his strong hands immediately circled my hips, pulling me flush against his body. I could feel the heat radiating from his body right through my clothes.
“Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi,” he said, a lopsided smile on his heavenly lips.
I brushed his smooth jaw with the pads of my fingertips and my skin tingled. “I can’t believe I’m finally here. It seemed like I’d never find my way back to you.”
Tenderness washed over his face, and his eyes crinkled at the corners, softening ever so slightly. Like magic, I swayed into him, burying my head in the crook of his neck. His familiar scent filled my lungs and I smiled like a kid on Christmas morning.
“The car is waiting for us. Are you ready to go?”
I dragged my hands up his chest. “When are we going to the Vargas compound?”
He framed my jaw with his hands, tilting up my face. “Tomorrow.”
“Where are going now?”
He kissed the corner of mouth. “It’s a surprise.”
I narrowed my eyes, but I couldn’t erase the smile on my face. I was too happy. “What kind of surprise? It better be good.”
“I think it is, but you’ll have to let me know what you think,” he said, his eyes twinkling.
“I’ll do that.”
He stared at me for a second, then he brushed his hand down my face. “How’s the baby?”
I slid his hand from my hip to my belly. “I think I’m showing a little.”
“Maybe a little.” He pressed a soft kiss on my temple. “We need to find you a doctor.”
I nodded. “Tomorrow.”
Grabbing my suitcase from me, he threaded his fingers through mine and pulled me toward a black SUV with dark tinted windows.
***
An hour later, we stopped in front of a large white stucco bungalow with a thatched roof. It sat on a nearly deserted stretch of white sandy beach bordered by the clearest blue water I’d ever seen. Orange and pink brushstrokes painted the sky where it met the ocean. A few boats dotted the horizon, but other than that, it looked like our private paradise.
“What do you think?” Ryker said as he opened my door.
“It’s beautiful.” I climbed out of the passenger seat and tilted my head to the side. The faint roar of the ocean mixed with the soft swish of the trees swaying in the wind brought a smile to my face.
“You’re not disappointed. We can go somewhere—”
“I love it,” I cut in, then I shook my head. “What is this place? How’d you find it?”
“Somebody gave it to Ignacio a couple of years ago in exchange for a debt. He has never used it.”
“He doesn’t care that we’re here?”
He slipped his fingers through mine. “He doesn’t have a choice.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Do you want to explain?”
“Not today. I want today to be about us.”
I hesitated for a second, not sure what to say. He’d hid the truth from me in the past. I didn’t like being in the dark. It made me nervous. “Ryker,” I said, drawing out his name. “Don’t keep secrets from me.”
“There’s nothing to worry about. I promise.”
His phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen. “You’re not hungry, are you?”
“No, I ate more than enough on the plane, but I think you already know that since you arranged the whole thing.”
“Then, let’s catch the last few minutes of the puesta de sol.”
“The what?” I said.
“The sunset.” He smiled at me as he guided us through the house and to the patio overlooking the ocean. “One of these days, I’m going to teach you Spanish.”
“Maybe,” I said noncommittally as I gazed at the beauty in front of me.
The palm trees lining the sides of the patio swayed in the gentle tropical breeze. Tiny white lights zigzagged from tree to tree. A small round table complete with a white tablecloth and three flickering candles in different sizes was positioned in the middle of the patio.
“This is amazing,” I whispered.
Ryker pulled out my chair, and I sat down. “I’m glad you like it. I was a little worried the traffic would make us miss the sunset, but it all worked out,” he said, waving his hand in the direction of the setting sun.
“Yes, it did. How’d you do all this?”
He poured two glasses of champagne from the open bottle in an ice bucket and handed me one. “Rever helped.”
Dumbfounded, I shook my head. “How’d that happen? I thought he left the country with Anna.”
<
br /> Ryker’s lips tightened. “That didn’t work out so well.”
“What happened?”
He sighed. “Long story. She lied about everything. About being pregnant. Her continued involvement with the Alvarez Cartel. Her feelings for Rever.”
I glanced to the side. “I’m sorry,” I said, not sure what to say.
“It worked out. Rever and I are in a better place now, and he’s already over it.” He held up his glass. “To new beginnings.”
“To us,” I said, tapping my glass against his. I took a sip and the tiny bubbles danced on my tongue. “I’m glad you and Rever worked things out.”
He rubbed his finger along the rim of his glass. “Growing up, we were never close. I used to blame our problems on him, but in retrospect, I realize Ignacio pitted us against each other. He bragged about all of my successes to Rever, and he constantly reminded me that Rever was his only legitimate son and heir. I never stopped trying to prove I was smarter and braver than Rever.” He shook his head. “I thought a long list of accomplishments would erase the error of my birth and make me worthy of my father’s love and attention.”
“How do you feel now?”
“I’m indifferent. I don’t care what he thinks anymore. He’s not perfect, but you know what I do care about?” He tugged on my sleeve.
“What?”
He inched closer to me and his knee brushed against my bare thigh. A ribbon of heat shot up my leg. “That you’ve done a half of dozen things to avoid kissing me tonight. Should I be offended?”
Flames rolled up my face and my exhalation fractured. I planned to spend my life with Ryker. I suspected he knew me better than my parents and my friends, but I’d been unable to relax around him since he picked me up at the airport. Now that we’d overcome all the obstacles to our relationship, I was scared and more than a little nervous. The incongruity of my emotions didn’t escape my attention.
I held up my thumb and index finger. “I’m a little bit nervous.”
Grinning, he stared at me with his smoky eyes. “We’ll have to change that,” he said playfully.
My eyebrows lifted, and I leaned forward a couple of inches. “I’m curious. How do you plan to do that? Do you have a magic wand tucked in your pants somewhere?” A laugh burst from his mouth and for a blissful second I didn’t understand what was so funny.
“As a matter of a fact, I think I do.”
I shoved his shoulder when the innuendo registered in my brain. “Shut up. I didn’t mean it that way.”
He angled his head to the side. “No?”
“No,” I said, unable to stop the smile from spreading across my face.
“That’s too bad.”
“Why’s that?”
He tugged on my arms, sliding me onto his lap and my eyes flared. My breasts grazed his firm chest, and he splayed one hand over my lower back. The heat of his body burned right through me.
“I think you’re on to something,” he whispered next to my ear, his thumb tracing my collarbone.
Anticipation zipped through my nerve endings. “Really? How so?” I said breathlessly as I clutched the solid muscles of his shoulders.
His hand curled around the back of my neck, toying with the knot of my halter top. My heart hammered against by breastbone and my stomach coiled into a ball of longing. He leaned back and his eyes locked on mine with so much smoldering heat, my breath tripped in my lungs.
“If you’re ready to go inside, I’d be happy to show you.”
“I thought you’d never ask,” I choked out, my chest aching with love for him.
He rose out of the chair, and I wrapped my legs around his waist. Almost immediately, his mouth found mine. I closed my eyes, and I released all the fears and anxiety plaguing me. This night was about reclaiming our future, and I’d be damned if I would waste it tying myself into knots, worrying about things I couldn’t control.
He laid me down on a platform bed covered with white rose petals. White gauzy material hung from the ceiling in billowing waves. Candles lined the mahogany nightstands. Shadows from the flickering flames danced on the creamy walls. The ocean scent from the open patio doors filled the air.
“This is beautiful. I love it.”
He kneeled on the bed and brushed his fingertips down my cheek. The light touch sent shivers down my spine. “You’re beautiful.”
Caught in his gaze, words escaped me, but it didn’t matter. In a flash, his lips swept over mine in a soul-searching kiss. A languid heat flowed through my limbs as his lips made their way down my body. In a haze, I barely noticed the clothes disappearing from my body one item at a time. His hands and his lips touched every inch of my skin, teasing me, loving me, and worshipping me until I thought I’d spontaneously combust.
“Too slow,” I whispered without opening my eyes.
I felt his lips curve into a smile against my neck. “I want to show you how much I love you.”
“By teasing my body until I die?”
The deep rumble of his chuckle sent goosebumps tumbling down my arms. “Is that what I’m doing?”
“Yes.” I grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head.
“You’re so impatient.”
“I want to feel and touch you too.” I kissed the hollow of his neck as I unbuttoned his pants and shoved them along with his boxer briefs down his legs.
He groaned softly. “Okay. You win. I can’t resist you. You know that, right?”
I wrapped my arms around his waist. His skin felt so smooth and toned beneath my fingertips. “I’ll keep that in mind in the future.”
He traced a line from my knee to the inside of my thigh just inches from my aching center. He drew lazy circles with the pads of his fingers, and I struggled to catch my breath.
“Touch me,” I moaned.
I gasped as he slid one finger inside of me. His finger moved in and out as his thumb rubbed maddening circles around my clit.
“Like this? Is this what you want?” His voice was husky with desire.
“Yes. No. Yes. No,” I mumbled, my hips bucking of their own volition, already greedy for more.
“No?” He chuckled again as he spread my legs wider and braced his hands next to my head. In one smooth motion, he shifted his body above me, teasing me with the feel of his hard length as it grazed my sex.
“Yes,” I moaned as he trailed wet kisses down my neck. Seconds from unraveling, I wrapped my legs around the backs of his thighs, locking my ankles together. “I need you.”
His hand cupped my backside, and he pushed inside of me. The sensation of being stretched and filled by him felt like it lasted for an eternity. For a few beats, he didn’t move as if he were too busy savoring the feeling of being connected again. Then, it started. His first few strokes were slow and gentle. The ocean breeze swept up my needy moans and carried them out to sea.
“I never want to leave this bed,” he said against my mouth, his hips rolling in sync with mine.
“Neither do I,” I whispered, meaning every word I said.
Then, his hand circled my waist, driving into me harder and faster until we were both lost in the moment.
Lost in the passion.
Lost in the pleasure.
Lost in each other.
With my head buried next to his shoulder, I clung to the roped muscles hugging his spine as our hips moved against each other. It was as though the last three weeks of uncertainty and darkness hadn’t happened. Everything was light again. The rightness of being with Ryker made my heart swell and my head spin. I loved this man.
As the thought registered in my mind, my release rushed through me fast, hard and unexpected. Cries of pleasure somersaulted from my mouth one after another as a million nerve endings burst into flame inside of me. Two hard thrusts and Ryker followed me over the edge.
For long seconds, he buried his head in the crook of my neck, slowly rocking in and out of me. Time stood still. I never wanted it to end and for the first time since I met him,
I believed it didn’t have to.
“What’s the date?” he murmured, not lifting his head.
“The fifteenth. Why?”
He pressed a kiss against my lips. “Because I never want to forget the day we started our lives together.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ryker
Hattie, Rever and I stood on the tarmac next to the airstairs, leading to Ignacio’s private jet. Ignacio stared through us like we were invisible.
He handed his small carry-on bag to Noah. “Give me a minute,” Ignacio said.
After we had revealed Emanuel’s deception, we told Ignacio it was time for him to retire. He screamed at us. He threatened us, but in the end he agreed. I think he knew it was time to hand over the reins of the Vargas Cartel. He had some lingering health problems from being shot in the chest and Emanuel’s deception made him look weak.
Noah met my gaze, and I nodded. “It’s fine. He’s not going anywhere.” I’d hired Noah to escort Ignacio out of Mexico. Unlike the other people affiliated with the Vargas Cartel, he didn’t harbor any feelings of loyalty toward Ignacio.
Ignacio stared at his feet for a minute, then trained his dark eyes on me. “You know, I’d always hoped that my sons would take their place in the Vargas Cartel.”
Hattie squeezed my hand, showing her support without words.
“I know,” I conceded. “You didn’t exactly keep it secret.”
Ignacio pursed his lips and shoved his hands into his pockets. “I guess not.”
Rever grinned and slapped Ignacio on the arm. “Looks like you got your wish.”
Ignacio scoffed. “I’d never dreamed my sons would push me out to make it happen.”
“Senator Deveron and his son were indicted last week,” I pointed out. “It’s only a matter of time before the US government requests your extradition for cocaine smuggling, money laundering and a long list of other shit the Deverons feed them.”
Ignacio shrugged. “It’ll never happen.”
“Either way, it’s time for new leadership,” I reiterated for the hundredth time in the last week. Ignacio believed the Mexican government wouldn’t approve his request for extradition because he had too much evidence implicating high-level government officials. He was probably right. Even if the Mexican government imprisoned Ignacio, they’d orchestrate his escape from prison and subsequent disappearance like so many other powerful drug lords before him.
