by Tiffany Snow
The carpet and walls were the same deep red as the entry downstairs. The bed was huge and round, situated on a raised dais surrounded halfway in a curved wall, which shielded it from the deep soaking tub hidden behind another curved wall.
I’d never seen anything like it before. Everything in the room was round, no sharp edges anywhere. Even the table was rounded instead of square. The window was directly in front of the bed, a huge curved arch with a view of the water. Boats glided by, their lights twinkling in the night.
“This is amazing,” I said, turning to Devon, who was watching me rather than the view outside. He still wore his suit and tie, and no wrinkles dared mar the perfection of the lines, regardless of how many hours we’d been traveling.
“I thought you’d like it,” he said, tossing the key onto the table. “Hoped you would, anyway.” He walked toward me and slid his arms around my waist and I had to make myself not cringe away from his touch. I felt his lips brush the top of my head. “Our last European adventure ended rather poorly.”
Paris. Me betraying him, then believing he was going to kill me. Alone and afraid. Yes, rather poorly was one way to describe it—a very British understatement. Utter disaster was more apt.
And this one didn’t look like it would end any better.
He’d lied to me. Was even now lying to me. Vega would kill me—or something very close to it—if our relationship continued much longer. And as before, I was thousands of miles from home in a strange country, at the whim of a man who couldn’t be trusted.
Apparently, I hadn’t learned a damn thing in Paris.
“I’m just going to take a shower,” I said, easing out of his arms. Stepping from his embrace was an act of will. I liked being held by Devon. “Did they bring the luggage?”
“It’s near the bath,” he said.
I dug through my suitcase, pulling out pajamas and my brush, but Devon caught my arm as I made to pass by him.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Did you think I’d left you there today?”
I looked at him and he saw the answer in my eyes.
He muttered a curse then palmed my cheek. “I won’t leave you,” he said.
And it was too much. Everything he’d said to me the past few days that had given me hope for us, and it had been lies. All of it. And I snapped.
“You won’t leave me?” I echoed. “Really? Tell me, is that what you promise your wife?”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Everything went still.
“What did you say to me?” Devon asked at last, shock in his voice.
I decided to come clean and clear the air. I wanted no more lies between us. “I know you have a wife,” I said. “I just don’t understand why you didn’t tell me you were married.”
“Who told you I was married?”
I hesitated, unsure how he’d react when I told him his precious Vega had dropped this particular bombshell on me.
“Tell me,” he ordered, squeezing my arm when I didn’t immediately answer. “Who was it?”
“You’re hurting me,” I said. He immediately let go.
“It’s important, Ivy,” he said. “Tell me.”
I took a deep breath, questioning the wisdom of my temper getting the best of me and admitting to him that I knew about his wife. But there was no backing out now. “Vega,” I said. “It was Vega.”
Devon looked as if I’d slapped him. “Vega. When could you possibly have spoken to Vega?”
“When she had me detained at customs.”
Realization struck and his lips thinned as he pressed them tightly together.
“Tell me everything,” he said.
“Why should I? You’re married,” I said. “And I had to hear it from her, rather than you.”
I whirled around, but Devon jerked me back with a hard yank. He pulled me close until we were practically nose-to-nose.
“I am not married,” he bit out.
My eyes narrowed. “Why would I believe you? She had no reason to lie to me, whereas you do.” I tried to pull away, but didn’t get anywhere.
“I’m not married now,” he said. “I was once. A long time ago.”
I stilled. “What happened? You got a divorce?”
“I’ve already told you what happened,” he said. “It was Kira. My wife was murdered.”
It was my turn to be shocked. A beat passed. “Why didn’t you tell me from the start?” I asked. “Why hide it?”
“Because I didn’t want you under the impression I’d make the same mistake twice.”
“What mistake?”
His voice softened considerably as he said, “Marrying the woman I love.”
Those words had the impact of a mortar blast inside my head. My eyes were wide as I processed this, and no sooner had I done so than they stung with tears.
“Do you mean that?” I whispered. “You love me?” I was afraid to ask, but more afraid not to.
Devon’s hands cradled my face. “My sweet Ivy, do you really think I’d go to all this bother if I didn’t?”
A short laugh escaped me even as the tears slipped down my cheeks.
Devon kissed me, his thumbs brushing away my tears. I could feel his smile against my lips and I laughed again in sheer delight.
“Why tell me now?” I asked, looking up into his eyes. “Why not back in Kansas when I first asked you?”
“I wasn’t going to tell you at all,” he admitted. “But I think you need to hear it more than I need to conceal it.”
I wanted to ask why he needed to conceal it, but decided to let it go. That conversation sounded like it would lead nowhere happy and I wanted to enjoy the happiness I felt right now.
His hands moved to my blouse, slipping the buttons free of the silk, one by one, carefully undressing me. His lips trailed down my neck to the skin he revealed.
“How could I not fall in love with you?” he murmured. “We’re alike, you and I. Pain turned us both into creatures with walls.” He slid the blouse from my waistband and it fluttered to the floor. “You slipped past my walls the same way I’ve slipped past yours.”
Devon was right, and it meant so much that he and I were at the same place in our relationship, at the same time. I’d never had that feeling before, of being utterly and completely in sync with someone.
He made love to me and it was the same . . . and completely different, knowing he loved me. The sex between us became an expression of that love, rather than how it had begun, as only a physical desire to be met.
Afterward, he hooked an arm around my waist and twisted to lie on his back on the bed, resting my body on top of his. He kissed me. My hair was a curtain around us and his hands moved to comb through the heavy mass, his palms cradling my face.
Eventually, he broke the kiss off, his lips gently releasing mine. I would have moved aside, but he held me there. The look in his eyes as he gazed at me was one I’d never seen on him before, and it took my breath away. His thumbs brushed my cheeks and it seemed as though he was memorizing my face.
“What is it?” I asked softly. “What’s wrong?”
But he just gave a minute shake of his head. “Nothing is wrong. For once, everything is as perfect as it could possibly be.” He paused. “It’s terrifying, actually.”
I frowned. The first part of that had sounded wonderful, but I didn’t understand. “Why is it terrifying?”
“Because you and I weren’t supposed to happen,” he said. His voice was a low rasp. “And yet, here we are. And I don’t want to feel this way about you, don’t want to love you as much as I do, because people are fragile. You could be taken from me in an instant.”
I closed my eyes, turning my face slightly so I could press a kiss to his palm, still resting against my cheek. When I reopened my eyes, my gaze settled on his. I had no reassurances for him, but I didn’t think he was looking for any. Devon was no one’s fool. He knew better than anyone the danger that surrounded his life like a shroud.
“Let’s try out tha
t tub,” he suggested after a while, and I readily agreed. A hot bath sounded wonderful. Soon we were soaking together in the largest tub I’d ever been in. Steam from the water drifted through the air. Devon insisted on doing the washing, trailing the lathered sponge up my arms and down my stomach. I returned the favor, admiring his form and the lines of muscle as I always had.
I was leaning on the edge of the tub, my head resting on my arms, as he trailed water down my back. Then I felt his lips follow the curve of my spine and my eyes drifted closed. It was blissful. My body relaxed and my mind was at ease. My heart was light and a smile curved my lips.
He wrapped me in a towel and carried me to the bed, tucking me next to him. When we were warm in the cocoon of down and cotton, he turned on his side and propped himself on his elbow.
“Tell me the rest, darling,” Devon coaxed. “What else did Vega say to you?”
My joy dimmed somewhat. What Vega had said wasn’t something I wanted to discuss right now. Devon had finally, unbelievably, told me he loved me. I wanted to enjoy that for a while before I had to spoil everything.
“Can we talk about it in the morning?” I asked. “I’m so tired.”
He appeared thoughtful as he gazed at me. “Yes, I suppose it can wait.” Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss to my forehead. “Go to sleep. We’ll deal with the real world in the morning.”
He took me in his arms and before I knew it, I was sound asleep.
CHAPTER TWELVE
A pounding on the door made me sit straight up in bed. It took me a minute to remember where I was, and by that time, Devon already had his gun in his hand and was standing to the side of the door.
“It’s Reggie,” a voice called from the other side. “Open up.”
Devon pulled open the door and I made a grab for the sheets, holding them to my chest. Reggie hurried inside the room, his face turning red at the sight of Devon completely naked and me in the bed.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said, turning back to Devon, who was pulling on a pair of slacks. “But we have a problem.”
“What is it?” Devon asked.
“The company’s been sold.”
“What do you mean, the company’s been sold?” Devon asked.
“The parent company that holds the trigger code,” Reggie explained, pacing the room. He looked like he hadn’t slept at all. His T-shirt and jeans were wrinkled and his overly long hair was mussed. “The trigger that turns your smartphone into your own personal bomb. A hostile buyout has left the company in different hands.”
That got a reaction.
“Who?” Devon asked, grabbing Reggie’s arm and yanking him to an abrupt halt. “Who now owns that code?”
“Yeah, that’s the really bad news, man,” Reggie said. “It’s some guy from Russia, with ties to terrorist groups. Dabbles in drugs, human trafficking, the usual shit.”
“I need a name,” Devon said.
“Levin, I think,” Reggie said. “Do you know him?”
Devon nodded. “I know of him. How did you find out about this?”
“It was all over the news this morning,” Reggie said. “The guy is flying in today to Amsterdam and meeting with the board of directors tomorrow morning. Once the paperwork’s signed, he’ll hold the keys to the kingdom.”
“And there’s only one reason why a man with ties to terrorists would want to buy a company like this,” Devon said.
“He knows about the code,” Reggie supplied. Devon looked grim.
Devon paced the room, thinking. Reggie and I watched him. After a moment, he stopped. “We have no choice,” he said. “We need to get to the software first, upload Reggie’s alterations, and send the updates to the phones ahead of the buy.”
“We need to get to where their servers are,” Reggie said. “But security at that facility is tighter than Fort Knox.”
“I would think a potential buyer would want a tour of that facility, prior to the purchase,” Devon said, his lips twisting. “Reggie, call them and tell them you’re with Levin. Insist on a tour. You and I will go. Once we gain access, we’ll do what needs to be done.”
Reggie was nodding. “On it,” he said, rushing back out the door.
I glanced at the clock and realized it was already late in the afternoon. We’d slept the morning away, courtesy of jet lag. And it seemed Devon and I wouldn’t be getting much more time together if he and Reggie were going somewhere.
“Won’t that be dangerous?” I asked.
Devon glanced up at me, a small smile playing about his mouth. “Did you forget what I do for a living?”
I felt my cheeks flush. “No, it’s just that I worry, that’s all. I don’t want anything to happen to you any more than you want something bad to happen to me.”
His smile faded and he approached the bed. I tipped my head back to look at him. Reaching out, he smoothed my hair from my face.
“I wish I could promise I’ll always return to you,” he murmured. “But I can’t.”
“Don’t say that.” After last night, I didn’t want to think any further into the future than a few hours at a time. If I did, my happiness would surely drain away.
His lips twisted, the smile this time fake and barely there. “Hungry, darling? You must be. I’m starving.”
He ordered room service, then showered while I picked at the food that was delivered on shining silver trays. I mulled over what Vega had said yesterday, how she’d threatened me. No way was I giving up on Devon, not now. Not when I knew he loved me. But I didn’t want to tell Devon about the conversation. If he knew Vega was against our being together, who would he choose? Her or me? I was afraid of the answer to that, which was yet another reason to hold my silence.
“I take it Reggie spilled everything to you?” Devon asked as he buttoned his shirt.
I squirmed. “Not really his fault. I was . . . persuasive.”
“Yes, you certainly can be.”
He didn’t sound angry, just resigned and perhaps a bit indulgent, so I felt better about coaxing the information out of Reggie.
We were both fully dressed by the time Reggie returned a couple of hours later.
“I set it up,” he said. “But we have to move fast. If they get wind that you’re not the real Levin, all hell’s gonna break loose.”
“Do we know where Levin will be tonight?” Devon asked.
“I hacked into the company he hires to drive him while he’s in town,” Reggie said. “He’ll be at Club Elegance tonight. Apparently, he’s a regular.”
“Excellent,” Devon replied. “Get into their system and reserve us a spot right next to his.”
Reggie opened up his laptop and began typing.
I watched Devon prepare for the evening, checking his gun and ammunition clip. I looked over his shoulder as he opened a small case.
“What’s that?” I asked, looking at the tiny electronic in his hand, no bigger than a postage stamp.
“A tracking device. I’m going to plant this on Levin so we can make sure he doesn’t get anywhere near where I’ll be impersonating him.”
“How in the world are you going to plant it on him?” I asked. Reggie looked befuddled, too. “Just walk up to him?”
Devon stood, holstering his gun and tucking the tracker inside his jacket pocket. “It’s my job,” he said to me. “You know this. I’ll figure it out.”
“Dude, she’d have a way better chance of getting that on him at Club Elegance than you will,” Reggie interjected.
“By posing as a prostitute, you mean?” I asked. I wasn’t stupid.
Reggie looked embarrassed, but said frankly, “Yeah. It is Amsterdam, you know.”
Devon glanced at me as I chimed in. “I can do that,” I said, jumping at the chance to help Devon. “There will be lots of prostitutes there. I can get close enough to plant the transmitter, then slide out the back door.”
He didn’t say anything, so I added, “Please, Devon. Let me do something.”
“You’ll never
get close enough, and she can,” Reggie chimed in. “Plus, she’s his type.”
Devon glanced at Reggie, who was studying his laptop. “What do you mean?”
“I mean this guy has a thing for the blondes,” Reggie said, turning his laptop around so we could see the screen. Sure enough, there were several pictures of a tall man with dark hair accompanied by beautiful women—all willowy blondes with hair nearly as light as mine.
“Ivy, a moment, please,” Devon said, taking my hand. He drew me out of Reggie’s earshot.
“What is it?” I asked.
“I want you to think very hard about what you’re asking to do,” Devon said. “You want to help and I understand that, but this will be an aggressive role using sex as currency. I don’t think you’ve considered how that might . . . affect you.”
Stiffening, I said, “Do you think I’m going to freak out or something?”
His gaze didn’t falter. “Possibly.”
I felt heat flood my cheeks. “I won’t.”
“You don’t know that,” he said. “I’m not in the habit of sugarcoating things, so I won’t patronize you by doing so. Any kind of panic attack, flashback, or even faltering in who you’re supposed to be and what you’re doing could lead to very unpleasant consequences. For all of us.”
“I said I’ll be okay.”
Devon looked in my eyes, measuring, it seemed. “Fine,” he said curtly. “But we’ll go together. You’ll accompany me. We’ll attract his interest and you can pop over for a hello, plant the transmitter, then we’re out of there.”
“Okay.”
I hurried to my suitcase, rummaging through it and grabbing a few things. Hustling into the bathroom, I stripped off my clothes, and replaced them with matching pink lace bikini panties and bra. I brushed my hair until it shone, then added a layer of deep crimson lipstick.
Outside the bathroom, I grabbed a suit jacket from Devon’s luggage. I shrugged it on and found a wide belt to keep it closed, then I rolled up the sleeves and slipped on a pair of black heels that wrapped around my ankles.
