Kate swallowed hard. His gaze dipped, registering the movement, before returning to meet her gaze.
“Did you want to stop?” The husky cadence in his voice sent sparks of desire down her spine.
She could go over this a million different ways, but she knew her answer would be the same regardless of what her rational decision might be.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. “No.”
His mouth met hers with an urgency that sent her heart-rate rocketing. Heat radiated through her body as his hands guided her hips closer to his. Insistent lips teased and cajoled her into opening up to him again. Unable to resist any longer, she gave in and was rewarded with a groan of satisfaction as his hand rose up and encased her breast.
Her lips tingled from the pressure of his mouth. The scent of his cologne as it drifted up from his heated skin drove her crazy, and just when she thought the kiss was coming to end, he dove in for more. Her mind fogged, concentrating only on the delicious maelstrom of sensations that flamed across her body wherever his hands roamed.
A sigh escaped her lips as he trailed soft kisses across her jaw and down her neck to suck gently on the sensitive skin where it met her collarbone.
“Ever since I saw you by the Galarie in Maastricht, I wondered what you’d taste like.” The caress of Etienne’s hand from behind her ear, tracing the path he’d already kissed, fuelled the heat within her.
“You saw me?”
“Hm hm.” The vibration of his muffled response against her neck took her desire up a notch.
“Damn it. I thought you were bluffing when you mentioned it before.”
“How could I miss a dark eyed beauty with red lips that begged to be kissed?”
Kate pressed her cheek into his hair. She could almost believe his words if it wasn’t for the fact that no one had ever described her as beautiful.
She smiled against the hardness of his head. “And now that you’ve had your taste, what do you think?”
“Better. Better than I ever imagined.”
The solid jut of his pelvis against the cradle of her hips was her undoing. Wet heat pooled within her. She raised her leg to press herself closer, and his hands came around to support her and pull her other leg around his body, lifting her off the ground.
The bed was softer than she expected when they crashed into it, barely breaking the kiss, tearing at each other’s clothes and no longer giving into the pretence that the attraction between them didn’t exist. If only for a night.
She gasped as his lips encased one nipple while his hand caressed her other breast. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she held his head to her, willing him to continue his passionate exploration of her body.
HER BODY QUIVERED beneath his hands, and Etienne revelled in the power his touch wielded. The sexy moan he elicited from her fed his need to touch her further. He slid his hand lower, beneath her panties, his finger grazing against the hard nub he found there.
She jerked against him, and he stilled his lips against her soft belly for a moment, humbled by the trust she placed in him to worship her body. She’d accused him earlier of sleeping with half the women he was acquainted with, but if only she knew the truth. He had no desire to sleep with the women who saw him as a meal ticket, and he tried very hard to avoid criminals.
Kate was neither of those. He should be putting as much distance between them as he could, but like a moth to a flame she drew him in.
His lips started to move again of their own accord as his body decided to ignore rational thinking. Kate was a flash of colour in his dark life. A dangerous light that he was tempted to follow wherever it led. Her hands urged him to continue his path downwards, and he gave up his sanity as a lost cause.
The taste of her wet heat was sweet like honey. He parted her thighs and rested her knees against his forearms. As she lifted her hips he moulded his hands around the soft skin of her derrière and gorged himself on the molten heat of her core until she cried out.
Etienne leant over to retrieve a condom from his trousers and put it on swiftly. As he sat back on the bed, Kate rose up and straddled him. Hands on his shoulders, she lowered herself onto his hardened cock, and as her heat enveloped him, it was all he could do not to come right there.
She held still for a moment as if sensing his struggle for control and then steadily began to ride him. Her breast swayed temptingly close to his mouth, and he reached out to capture a taut nipple, relishing in the way it tightened further against his lips. Placing his hands on her hips, he guided her into a faster rhythm, and as Kate came for a second time, he thrust upwards and let his body spiral out of control.
ETIENNE SENSED THE moment Kate woke. It wasn’t just that her posture stiffened slightly against him as they lay beneath the covers. It was the nervous energy seemed to flow between them any time they were close. He was certain she could feel it, too.
“Who was following us?”
His hand lazily caressed her bare shoulder protruding from the covers. “I’m not sure. They picked me up not long after I arrived at Avignon. I thought I’d lost them again, but I didn’t want to chance putting you at risk.”
She turned sharply towards him, sleep forgotten, her eyebrows raised in astonishment. “Really? You think it might be worse than being arrested in the middle of one of the busiest platforms in Paris?”
His lips rose a little at her indignation. “You were always safe.” He brushed her mouth with his. A silent apology was all he could offer now. “I wanted to warn you about the tail, but I wasn’t certain if your phone was secure.”
She paled a little, and he lifted her chin with a finger.
“Still with me, chérie?”
“Yes. Of course.”
Her defiant tone belied the concern reflected in her gaze. The deep swirling pools of desire that had sucked him in a short moment ago were nothing but a memory.
He ran a finger down her cheek and across her lips, resisting the urge to kiss her again. “I warned you this was a dangerous game.”
“I know. It’s just until now it’s not been quite so up close and personal.”
“There’s never been so much at stake.”
Kate shivered and tugged the sheets closer to her body. Was it finally sinking in that this wasn’t a game of cat and mouse, but one of power and wealth? Where the players would stop at nothing to come out ahead of their competitors.
“Do you think it was Mercier?”
The name was almost a whisper on her lips as if she was truly afraid. Was she connected to the mole they’d been looking for? He dismissed the thought immediately and ignored the nagging voice that reminded him something about Kate Jackson didn’t add up.
“My best guess is one of his thugs, but it could be an outsider looking to gain a foothold in Europe. Whoever it was, though, didn’t try very hard, which is worrying.”
Her brow creased into a frown.
“It means they know more than I expected. If they’re not hungry for information, then there’s a good chance they’re already ahead of us and just watching to see how much we know.”
“And what do we know?”
“We?” Etienne exaggerated his mocking tone. “I know that somehow your poems, the missing painting, and my necklace are all interlinked.”
“Your stolen necklace, you mean.”
He shrugged. “It appears I am not the only one with secrets. Where is the missing document?”
“I don’t know what your talking about.”
“I think you do. Are we not partners sharing information?”
“What, so you can get me arrested again? Give me one good reason why I should share anything with you ever again.”
Unable to resist the tempting lips still swollen from his kisses, he pulled her over his body. “Because you’ve never screamed so loudly in your life, and like a drug you want more.”
The heady scent of summer sunshine teased him. For a brief moment he registered the irony that she was fast becoming
his addiction, not the other way around. “Putain,” he whispered before claiming her lips and giving himself over to the desire that raged within him.
The shrill tone of her mobile pulled them apart.
Scrambling across the bed, she answered on the third ring. She’d no sooner said her name when her eyes widened and face paled before she turned away from his prying gaze.
“What happened?” Her voice shook. The response was indecipherable.
She raised a hesitant hand up to her hair. “No. I don’t think so.” A slender finger that a few minutes ago had been exploring his chest twirled a lock of hair. “Because he’s in Avignon.” The finger stilled. “So am I.” Her other hand held the phone away from her ear a fraction, and Etienne could hear an angry blast of words.
“We’re close.” Her voice was soft, almost pleading. “I know Carl was onto something. I think the next stop is somewhere in the south.” She continued on hurriedly. “Whoever it is has a buyer there. If we’re to get the painting, then it’s probably our last chance before it leaves the continent.”
More angry words were thrown at her, clearly discernible this time. Maybe she deserved it, but if the person on the other end could see how badly she was shaken, they might have a bit more sympathy for her.
He pursed his lips. He hadn’t shown her such consideration. In fact, he’d just been telling her the exact same thing. What right did he have to question the same words from someone else?
“I know, I’m sorry, events just overtook me, and I had to react quickly.” She spoke more firmly this time. “We wouldn’t know as much as we do now if I hadn’t.”
Etienne leant back in the bed, reclining on his elbows. Kate might not know exactly what she was up against, but at least she had gumption. He smiled at the old fashioned word. It was exactly how his grandfather described his grandmother.
“I will. I’ll message you the details as soon as I know.” She hung up and turned back to him, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Carl’s dead.”
“Who the hell is Carl?”
She sat back down on the edge of the bed. “My predecessor. The guy that was following you until he met with an accident.”
So that accounted for the mistrust in her eyes.
“WHAT HAPPENED?”
HIS gaze was all business. Gone was the lazy sexual tension from just before her phone rang. Guilt flooded her as she remembered she’d been grateful for the interruption.
She’d been about to fall under Etienne’s spell again. But the chirp chirp was exactly what she needed to take hold of herself. No way was she going to admit that he very nearly had gotten away with the file, but thank god he hadn’t because it was probably the only reason he still kept her around. Well, hopefully not the only reason, but at least one that gave her a seat at the table.
She straightened her shoulders and tried to match his cool posture. “Someone tampered with his drip before they’d moved him.”
“Didn’t your company put someone on the door?” His tone held a hint of incredulity.
“Yes. Of course. What do you think we are, a bunch of amateurs?”
He didn’t answer. His raised eyebrow said it all, and her fingers itched with the urge to throw something at him. Preferably something heavy. She’d never been given to bouts of violence, but he really knew how to test her limits.
“My boss thinks someone in a uniform with a stolen ID walked into the room. Whatever they put in the tube didn’t take effect straightaway.”
Etienne raised his eyes skywards. “And by that time they were nowhere near the hospital.”
Her phone beeped with the sound of an incoming text. Lifting it to read the message, her gaze strayed to a message below. A wave of sadness engulfed her. It was the last one she’d received from Carl warning her to be careful. A lump formed in her throat as the irony of the text hit her.
She wiped the stray tear from her eye that threatened to spill and swallowed down the grief about to overwhelm her. Raising her head, she met Etienne’s gaze. At least his brown eyes no longer mocked her, but his concern wasn’t what she wanted, either. He reached for her hand. The warmth of his fingers as they caressed over her wrists reminded her of what they’d just shared, and a shiver of desire washed over her.
“I just don’t understand. Why kill someone? What was Carl going to do from a hospital bed, for fuck’s sake?”
“Because no one knows how much of the puzzle he’s pieced together. That painting has sat in the same museum virtually unprotected for years. It’s not a coincidence that the moment the Coeur d’Occitània came to light, someone took the painting.”
“So if you hadn’t held the auction, no one would have known.”
“The necklace was to be sold regardless. I just took control of the situation. But now that they know that your firm potentially has the right copy of the chanson, it’s something worth killing for.”
“Is Mercier going after the Montségur treasure?” It would be a vast leap from the drug business he and her father used to operate.
“No. I think he’s just going to play to the highest bidder. Just because they have all the pieces doesn’t mean the bullion will be easy to locate, or even there.” Etienne lifted the bed covers. “Come back to bed. There’s nothing more we can do tonight. Sleep will be the best healer.”
She did as he beckoned but sleep evaded her. Her eyes strayed to where his gun rested on the nightstand. He handled the weapon like it was second nature to him. But the sight of it for her was an unsettling reminder that she knew nothing about this man.
Except, despite all that he’d done, she trusted him. And that worried her most of all.
CHAPTER NINE
ETIENNE ADJUSTED THE pillow behind him as he leant back against the headboard and reached for his phone on the nightstand. Scrolling through his emails, one stood out. He’d been waiting, anticipating its arrival, but had started to worry that he’d placed too much trust on his own persona.
Wealth didn’t garner an invitation to one of the most exclusive gallery events in Marseilles. Influence and notoriety mattered more. A room full of people from all walks of life. Even hardened criminals like Mercier.
Not that anyone had ever come close to pinning anything on that bastard. From the beaches of Brazil to the coastline of the Cote d’Azur, Mercier’s name was spoken in hushed tones. But intercepted chatter in the last few weeks had increased as people wondered if Mercier was behind one of the most audacious art heists this decade.
Although, as it turned out, stealing the painting hadn’t been that risky at all. Though why it hadn’t been taken off of display once the necklace had come to light, he’d never know. Incomplete and faulty systems, combined with a general lackadaisical attention to security that was rife in so many museums around the world, had made it an easy snatch.
Easier than it would be getting ahold of it now. Etienne was under no illusion of his need to succeed. If he could retrieve the painting and implicate Mercier, Madame Morrier would be more forgiving of the fiasco in the south of France earlier in the year. Killing foreigners never went down well, even if it had saved others.
Would he ever love someone enough to take a bullet as Raph had been prepared to do? It was impossible to imagine. Self-preservation had saved him more times than he’d cared to count.
On the other hand, no woman had ever regarded him the way Evie looked at Raph. He’d never seen that kind of absolute faith in anyone’s eyes, and a small part of him might admit to being a little envious.
His gaze drifted to Kate sleeping soundly next to him, and his lips involuntarily rose in a faint smile. Of course, placing obstacles in the path of someone he actually liked having around wasn’t helping his cause. Or maybe it was instinct. His subconscious kicking in to safeguard his complicated life.
He nudged her shoulder. “Wake up, marmotte. You can’t sleep all day.”
Kate stretched out her arms above her, tempting Etienne to kiss the warm skin she exposed. As he leant ove
r, her eyelids fluttered open. Confusion followed by sadness filtered through her dark gaze and her head sank further into her pillow.
“I’m sorry, chérie.”
Her lips rose in a wan smile. “I’m okay. It’s just for a split second I forgot. Then when I remembered about Carl, it seemed impossible that I could forget such a thing.” A pink flush crept over her cheeks. “You must think I’m crazy.”
“No. I’m starting to think you are one of the most daring, determined, and maddening women I know.” He placed a kiss on her lips. “And also one of the most alluring.” He brushed the hair away from her face. “Our minds play terrible tricks on us when we’re hurting. It’s okay to be a little crazy.”
He let out a sigh of regret and sat back against the headboard. “However, I’m afraid crazy has to wait. We have an invite to Galerie La Roc.”
“But that’s the hottest ticket in Marseilles.”
“You sound surprised.”
She struggled against the tangled sheets to sit up. “Do they let criminals into these places?”
He ran a hand through his hair. This woman with her endless determination that the world could be split into black and white would drive a sane man to drink. “Bien sûr, we’re patrons of the arts. How else do you think the galleries can afford to survive? We’re no more crooks than half the rich people in the world and perhaps just a little more honest about it.”
“Now I know you’re teasing me.”
He met her sardonic glare with a smirk. “About being crooks or the honesty?”
“Both!”
Etienne shrugged. It was pointless trying to defend his position when he couldn’t tell her more. Perhaps if they succeeded in retrieving the painting, she would understand. But in order to be certain of luring in Mercier, he needed the poems.
The Coeur d’Occitània was a great incentive, which was why he let the rumours abound that he might have it, but the poems would cinch the deal. It was all a question of when to reveal the information. Too soon and Mercier would smell a trap. Too late and the painting might be sold to another buyer. He needed to convince Mercier that there was a very real possibility of someone finding the Cathar gold and maybe even the holy grail with all the pieces in place.
Chasing Lies Page 9