Secret Seduction (Secret Series Romance Novels)

by Jill Sanders

  “Don’t worry about me,” Dante said, trying to make his voice sound stronger than he felt. “Just get Katie.”

  “They’re getting her, just relax, an ambulance is coming.” Ric leaned over him and Dante felt more pressure on his hip until he almost screamed with pain.

  “Sorry, I’ve got to stop the bleeding.” Dante watched as his brother’s face started to fade in front of his eyes, just before everything went black.

  “I don’t need a damn doctor. What I need is a car!” Jason said for the tenth time. When the men in the van had grabbed Katie, he’d jumped into a small truck, that someone was unloading supplies from a few feet away, and he had tried to follow the van. The short chase ended up with the larger vehicle ramming his into the front of the building.

  “Just settle back, Jason,” Rodrick said, pushing him back onto the leather couch in Damiano’s large private office. “Ric and Dante took off after the van right after you crashed into the building. They’re keeping us posted on my phone.”

  Rodrick turned to a very Italian man in a suit who’d been pacing the floor. “Damiano, just how long is it going to take for those police to get here?”

  Jason looked at the man and realized this was Katie’s BD, as she called him. He could instantly see the heritage. The man looked upset and scared, making Jason realize that he could scratch him off his suspect list. No way the man’s nerves were faked. Whatever happened, Damiano had no part in what was happening to his daughter.

  Just then, the man’s cell phone rang. Jason was getting agitated, his head hurt, and he wanted desperately to be out there helping look for Katie.

  “Hello – where? – Yes, I’ll call them and tell them.” Damiano hung up the phone and turned to them, “They just found her. I’m calling the police now.”

  Jason pushed up from the couch and started to pace. His shoulder hurt and he was sure his neck muscles would be screaming at him later for the jolt he’d received earlier. He was a little more relaxed hearing that they knew where she was, until the next call came in less than four minutes later. Upon hearing that news, he sprinted from the room, just in front of Rodrick. They rode the elevator down to the lobby, and Jason ran out of the building quickly, knowing that the other man was tight on his heels. He knew it was up to him to save the woman he loved, and he knew just where she was heading.

  Katie stood outside on the corner of the street she’d been at just yesterday with Jason. Her bank stood before her and she thought of how to get away from the two men. Looking around at the crowded street, she felt the pressure of the knife at her side and wondered how she was going to get out of this.

  She’d imagined her whole life that she would have kids someday, and grow old with the man she loved. Jason’s face crossed her mind and she knew, just like she’d always known, that he was the one she pictured having that family with. He’d always been the one she had pictured spending her life with: kids, house, dogs, everything. Realizing she had never gotten the chance to tell him how she really felt, she almost panicked. She had to escape this, just had to, so she could tell him how she felt now, and had always felt.

  She didn’t know what was going to happen to her when these men found out that the daily limit on her card was five thousand and not the enormous amount they were demanding? She knew one thing, she needed to make sure she didn’t get back in the van with them. Even if it meant doing something drastic.

  She was standing at the ATM, knife to her back, her hands shaking, when all of a sudden the large man was yanked away from her side. Turning, she watched Jason swinging at the man, as the other man swung his arm towards him, the knife clutched in his hand. She must have screamed, because everyone stopped and stared in horror. She watched Jason deflect the blow, using the man’s weight to send him reeling off balance against the stone wall. The man recovered quickly and inched his way towards her. She backed up several feet and watched as Jason stepped between them, blocking the man’s path to her.

  “Get back, Katie,” he yelled over his shoulder.

  Just then the other man, Raul, jumped from the van a few feet away and started running towards her, a gun held in his hand. As he ran to her, his eyes kept darting to his partner, watching him fight with Jason.

  Katie didn’t look at the fight, she couldn’t. She needed to do something quickly to help herself, before the man used the gun on her, or worse, Jason. She looked around frantically for a weapon when she noticed a large flower pot sitting next to her foot. She bent down and picked it up, and used all her strength to throw it at the man. The clay pot shattered against the side of his skull, sending him flying to the ground in a large, unconscious heap. The gun skidded across the sidewalk and under the van, out of sight.

  Now she just needed to get the other two men apart before Jason got hurt. When she got closer to them, she noticed blood all over Jason’s face and arms and saw in horror that his hands were covered as well.

  She started freaking out! Where had it all come from? Had he been cut? Her breath was coming in quick bursts and she was shaking uncontrollable. She rushed over and stood back, looking for any way to stop them. She needed to get them apart but there wasn’t anything else that could help her. Then she heard a shout and looked over to see her father running towards them.

  “Hurry, Dad! He has a knife and Jason’s hurt!” she yelled in his direction.

  Hearing that help was on the way, the other man let down his guard momentarily, and Jason’s fist slammed into the side of his head, landing a blow that took the man to his knees. She’d seen him use his Judo in practice several times, and she’d been very impressed. But none of it compared to the street fighting skills she’d just witnessed.

  Her father skid to a halt and grabbed the knife from the unconscious man’s hands as Katie threw herself into Jason’s arms and held on to him, enjoying the feel of him holding her back.

  Chapter Twelve

  Two hours later, after explaining everything to the police several times, telling them every detail and waiting for it all to be translated back and forth, Jason wished for a shower and some time alone with Katie.

  The doctor had come and looked at him, and thankfully he had only had minor cuts from the car glass, and none of those needed stitches. His fists were cut and slightly swollen. When he’d looked at himself in the bathroom mirror, he realized he looked like he’d lost a battle with a dozen cats. He’d heard that Dante had it much worse, and that he had been rushed to the hospital where he was having surgery to put pins in his left leg and shoulder. Without Dante and Ric, they wouldn’t have known where the men had been taking Katie. Jason owed them so much. He was so proud of Katie for maneuvering the men into taking her someplace public and for her quick thinking in showing her brother where they were heading. Without that, well, he didn’t want to think about what would have happened.

  Not to mention that Rodrick had followed him the dozen blocks to the bank and helped out where he could. For a sixty-year-old man, he had kept up with him pretty well. He’d arrived just in time to see the end of the fight, but Jason knew that he would have gladly jumped in the ring at any time.

  Katie’s father and brother never left her side the entire time they sat at the police station. Ric had walked to the police station from the hospital. He’d given them the update on Dante and told them that Damiano had rushed to the hospital to be by his son’s side. He told Ric to tell them that he would see Katie tomorrow and that he was happy everything was okay.

  By the look on Ric’s face, Jason knew that Kathleen had been at the hospital, too. He didn’t know what Ric thought of the woman anymore, but the sour look on his face told him that he wasn’t too pleased to see her there.

  He knew that Katie would have wanted to avoid seeing her, so they agreed to visit Dante the next morning, knowing she wouldn’t be there.

  Jason had almost lost Katie. How could he have been so stupid as to walk them on a public sidewalk, in broad daylight? He never thought that she could be snatched like t
hat. He assumed that they would be safe, but he wouldn’t make that mistake again. He knew he didn’t want to live without her, he couldn’t.

  When they walked out of the police station several hours later, they rode in a taxi cab with Rodrick to the hotel where Rodrick and Ric had been staying since their arrival.

  Ric had gone and retrieved their rental car and backpacks for them an hour earlier. He’d even gotten them a single room for the night in the same hotel. Jason had known Ric his whole life, and they respected each other. He could tell that Ric had known the second he’d seen them together that Katie and his relationship had changed.

  Ric had shaken his hand at the police station. Then he had hugged him and quietly said, “Welcome to the family, bro.” Jason just smiled and had put his arm around Katie.

  Now they headed up to their room to get some well-needed rest The second they entered the room alone, he turned and just held onto her. He couldn’t remember a hug feeling this good in his entire life. He knew he must smell like blood and probably had enough on him that people could easily mistake him for a vampire who’d just eaten, but he held her until she stopped crying. Then he realized tears had escaped his eyes as well.

  “It’s okay, you’re okay,” he whispered to her, but when she didn’t stop crying right away, he asked, “What, what’s wrong, baby?”

  “I thought…” she pulled back and looked at him as he wiped her tears away gently with his fingers. “I thought I would never see you again, that I wouldn’t be able to tell you how much I love you.”

  “You don’t have to tell me, I already know. It’s the same way I feel about you. Katie, I don’t want to live a day without you.” He looked into her eyes. “We’ve been friends forever and I can’t imagine a day without you. I don’t want to be without you ever again.”

  She looked at him, then took his hand and started walking him backwards.

  “Katie?” he pulled her to a stop. “I pretty much just asked you to marry me.”

  “I know, but we need a shower before I answer you.” She smiled and tugged until he followed her into the bathroom where she started removing his soiled clothing quickly.

  Giving in, he laughed and started pulling her clothes off more quickly as they kissed.

  They walked into the large shower and slowly enjoyed cleaning every inch of each other under the warm spray.

  He noticed some bruises on her arms when he ran his soapy hands over her. Then he turned her around and shampooed her hair, slowly rubbing his fingers on her scalp, causing her to moan with delight.

  “You know, I can get used to you shampooing my hair. It feels so, mmmm.”

  “Good,” he chuckled. “I love the feel of it. I like the shorter style, it suits you.”

  Once he was done with her hair, he ran his hands down her shoulders. Pulling her back against him, he brushed his fingers over her chest, sending small goose bumps over her skin. She shivered and rolled her head back with her eyes closed as she leaned back against him.

  He continued his downward path over her stomach, lower, until he touched her and she grabbed his arms to steady herself. He watched her eyes close. He turned her and took her lips in a passionate kiss that he never wanted to end.

  When the water turned cool, he pulled her out and wrapped a towel around her. He walked her backwards while drying her face and hair with the towel. She laughed and tried to pull him down for another kiss.

  “No, no, turn around, I have to finish drying you off.” He smiled wickedly, knowing just what she needed.

  She looked at him and smiled, then turned so her bare back was facing him. Slowly he rubbed the dry towel over her shoulders, taking care to move down each arm. Then he moved back to the middle of her back, running kisses down her shoulders. She dropped her head forward so he would have better access. Then he ran the towel over her perfect rear end, and bending down, he placed a light kiss on each cheek.

  She smiled as he used his hands to push her forward so she was bent over, holding herself up on the bed. Then he used his knees and hands to spread her legs wider, giving himself access to her. He used the towel and lightly dried every inch of her legs, roaming upwards until he let the soft cotton rub against her, causing her to moan. He used his fingers against her wet skin, listening to the slickness that he’d caused as he rubbed her until she was panting with want.

  “Please, Jason,”

  Then he stood behind her and grabbing her hips, positioned himself just at her entrance.

  “Tell me that you’ll marry me, Katie.” He held himself just outside her, so she could feel the light pressure.

  “Yes, of course, I’ll marry you. Now, Jason,”

  He slid into her and quickly lost his self-control, moving faster until they were both out of breath.

  The next morning just past nine o’clock, there was a light knock on their door. Thinking it was her father or Ric, she opened it without looking through the peep-hole and then tried to slam it shut again, quickly. Her mother was too fast for her, and she moved her foot into the doorway, holding it opened.

  “Move your foot!” Katie growled.

  “No, I’m not going anywhere until we talk” Her mother crossed her arms and glared at her like it had all been her fault.

  Katie thought it would be childish of her to slam the door harder on her foot, so instead she walked back into the room, deciding to try a different tactic of ignoring her.

  Katie still had yet to blow dry her hair from her morning shower, so she walked into the restroom and turned on the blow dryer, sufficiently silencing anything her mother had to say to her.

  She watched out of the corner of her eye as her mother walked into the room and closed the door quietly behind her, then she heard her start up a conversation with Jason in the next room.

  Her mother had always looked younger than her years, and her rich, shoulder-length chestnut hair had been something Katie always wished she had. She was tan and toned, no doubt due to the many hours playing tennis, one of her favorite pastimes. She was wearing a simple sun dress today, something Katie had never seen her in. She’d always worn the latest and most expensive outfits when she’d been married to her father. This dress flowed and looked very relaxing, a term she’d never used before to describe her mother. She could see the simple changes in her mother; she looked healthier, a little thinner, and happier.

  The traitor that was the man she loved actually talked to her mother the entire time she was drying her hair. She was having second thoughts about marrying him when she realized she couldn’t postpone turning off the blow dryer any longer. Her hair was dry and on the verge of frizzing if she didn’t get it away from the heat.

  Katie walked into the room and she could see the tension on Jason’s face. Maybe he wasn’t completely a traitor after all. She could tell he was still upset at her mother and that did something for her. Walking over to him, she easily walked into his arms and looked at her mother.

  “I know you didn’t want to see me yesterday. I tried to give you some time…”

  “We’re getting married,” Katie interrupted and watched the surprise on her mother’s face. Then her mother smiled and Katie wondered why she looked like she had always known that they would be together.

  “Congratulations,” her mother said after a few seconds of silence. She looked truly happy for them and it kind of upset Katie. She was hoping to shock her mother, but instead she felt like she’d walked into one of her mother’s well-thought-out plans.

  Katie nodded.

  “Oh, I can’t wait to help plan your wedding. I’ve been dreaming about it your whole life. We can have an elaborate wedding back in Boston, so all your friends can attend. You won’t have to worry about anything, I’ll take care of…”

  “No mother, you won’t take care of anything. Besides, we don’t have any more friends in Boston, thanks to you. Did you honestly think you could waltz in here and start playing mom by planning our wedding? That I would allow you to have anything to do with
something so important?” Katie laughed. “Like I would ever take wedding planning advice from a woman who doesn’t know the least bit about what a real marriage is.” She turned and walked over to the window to look out at the city.

  “Really, Katie, this is all so very childish.”

  “Childish?” Katie turned on her and looked at the woman who had spent years lying to everyone she loved. Lying to Katie her entire life.

  Katie was built like her mother. They were both short with toned arms and legs, but where her mother’s skin was lighter, Katie’s had always had an olive darkness to it. She’d assumed it was from her grandparents or that it had been passed down from some other unknown source. Now she knew all too well that she’d gotten it, along with her dark hair and eyes, from her father’s Italian heritage.