He stepped closer and rested a hand on her shoulder. “If Mortimer hadn’t taken you away, would you have been there?”
She shrugged. “Probably not. I knew you would figure it out and blame me. I knew I had upset you, but it was the only way to get you off Durant’s trail until Mortimer could get him out of there.”
“I suppose it wasn’t the right time for us, anyway.”
“No, it wasn’t. But I want you to know something.”
He cocked his head, running his gaze over her lovely profile. “What?”
“Although you were my assignment, that thought slipped my mind every time we were together. I liked the way you made my heart soar with happiness whenever you gazed at me with passion in your eyes. I liked feeling desirable whenever you held me. I don’t usually get romantically involved with men who are suspects.”
His fast-beating heart was out of control, even though he wanted to stop the elation flowing through him. It did his heart good to hear her confession, and remarkably enough, he believed her. She didn’t appear as someone who was lying. He liked that almost too much.
“I appreciate you for telling me.” He stroked her cheek. “Men do not enjoy being toyed with as you had done to me. I’d wondered if you were playacting the whole time we were together.”
“No. Most of that was real, especially when I was in your arms.”
Closing his eyes, he fought the urges pushing him to hold her. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. Four years ago hadn’t been their time, but it wasn’t their time now. They were still involved in a case. Eventually, one of them would have their heart broken, and he didn’t want it to be his.
“For what it’s worth, Bash,” she said, resting her hand on his chest and he opened his eyes, “I’m deeply sorry for deceiving you. I have thought about our time together so much since I left Devonshire. I’d handled things so wrongly, but most of all, I’d hurt someone I came to care deeply about. Please, forgive me.”
His throat grew tight, and he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to forgive her and give her a second chance, but he knew that was the desire inside of him talking. When he leaves tonight, he’d feel differently about her. He just knew it.
“It’s water under the bridge.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Is it really? Then why don’t you act like it?”
“I’m sorry, my dear Felicia, but wounds take time to heal. You cut me very deeply, and I’m afraid to let my anger go.”
She turned away from him and faced the sea once again. Her breathing looked labored, and her shoulders shook slightly. Was she crying? No, she couldn’t be...
He stepped closer and placed his hand on her shoulder again. She wouldn’t turn her face to him, so he couldn’t tell if she was really crying.
“Out of all the mistakes I’ve ever made,” she said with a trembling voice, “hurting you was the one I’ve regretted almost every day of my life.”
Pain squeezed at his heart. She was crying. How he hated to see a woman cry, especially one he cared about so much.
“Felicia, please...”
He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her up against his chest. She placed her hands over his, entwining their fingers. She turned her head, resting it on his chest. Her lovely scent filled him, making him breathe in deeper. Her hair brushed against his mouth, and he closed his eyes, enjoying the silky feel of it against his lips.
“Bash,” she whispered. “There is still something between us, isn’t there?”
He drew in a ragged breath, fighting the urges inside of him, and at the same time, trying to keep the thoughts from jumping out of his head. Saying what was on his mind would only get him into trouble.
He swallowed hard. “There shouldn’t be.”
She hiccupped a laugh. “Yes, I know, but that’s not stopping this emotion growing inside my chest right now.”
He gritted his teeth. He really needed to stop her from continuing. Her words were melting the ice around his heart.
“Shh...” He dipped his head as he brushed his lips across her ear. “Please, say no more. I can’t stand the confusion filling me.”
A heavy sigh escaped her throat as she tilted her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck. Inwardly, he groaned. Big mistake! In his frame of mind, he’d certainly not turn down her offer. Just one little taste...
He kissed right below her ear, and then down farther, briefly touching his tongue to her skin. She moaned, and the helpless sound nearly had him crumbling to his knees and begging for mercy. And yet, knowing that, didn’t make him stop. Just the opposite, in fact. His eager mouth gently nipped at her skin as he tightened his arms around her. But nothing seemed to satisfy him. He needed more. Much more.
Her mind must have been thinking the same way as his, because before he could do anything, she turned in his arms and slid her hands up his chest to link her fingers behind his neck. Their lips met simultaneously and explosions erupted inside his head.
Their moans of pleasure blended together. The kiss was urgent. Wild. And oh, so wonderful. Had it been this great four years ago?
He held her head as he devoured her mouth, slanting his over hers and caressing his tongue against her velvety softness. A throaty sigh released from her as she melted against him more, answering his passionate kisses.
His heart filled with emotion, but he tried to temper the feeling, especially when he wanted to tell her just how happy he felt right now. But he’d spoken too soon before, and he swore he’d never do it again.
Out of the stillness of the night, laughter interrupted their kiss. People were coming. He needed to stop their passionate moment, now. Just as he broke the kiss, she was pulling away, as well. She ran her palms down her dress as if trying to smooth out any wrinkles their closeness would have created. He raked his fingers through his hair, trying to breathe slower, but his heart continued to race with excitement.
They both turned away from the romantic backdrop of the sea and the moon, and slowly walked toward the house. As they passed a couple, he overheard the woman blabbering about the thief in Capri. Sebastian’s mind snapped back to reality, reminding him what he should have been doing tonight instead of kissing Felicia so passionately.
When they were far enough away from the couple, Felicia cleared her throat. “Did you hear that?”
“What?” he asked quickly, snapping his attention toward her. “Oh, do you mean what they were discussing?”
“Yes.”
“I heard. I also heard a few more conversations like this amongst your guests before you arrived. From what I could gather, three of them were robbed on the same night.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been helping you with this. My mind has been on my mother—”
“Yes, Felicia. I understand. There’s no need to apologize.”
Placing her hand on his arm, she stopped him. Her cheeks still held a tint of pink, and her lips were slightly swollen, showing evidence of their delicious moments not too long ago.
“Bash, tell me truthfully. Do you still suspect me of being the thief?”
He folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head. “Truthfully?” He nodded. “I do.”
She released a heavy sigh and rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to be jesting. Why do you believe I could do such a thing? In fact, I want you to ask around tonight to see what day these robberies took place, and I can guarantee that I’ll have an alibi.”
Grinning, he shook his head. She was simply adorable, even when she was upset with him. “I think that’s a splendid idea. While I’m asking around about the thief, I want you to inquire about a man named Mortimer.”
“That won’t work, I’m afraid. He never uses his real name while in public.”
“Then perhaps you should describe him to me, so I can be on the lookout for such a man.”
“He’s in his early fortieth year. He’s tall, but not as tall as you. His hair color has changed many times since I’ve known him, but the true color is bro
wn, much lighter than yours, and it’s wavy. He has dark brown eyes. I’ve seen him wearing glasses, but only to read. He’s thick around the middle, but not entirely fat, just pudgy.”
“Is that all?”
“I think so.”
“No, Felicia.” He grasped her gently around the elbow. “You’ve been a spy before,” he lowered his voice. “Spies are more observant. Tell me more about him. Tell me everything you’ve noticed over the years of working for him.”
She turned quiet and her gaze dropped to the ground. She nibbled lightly on her bottom lip, which in turn, made him want to do that, too. He shook off the desire creeping inside of him. Being with her was definitely not good for his health.
“He has freckles sprinkled over his nose and cheeks. His eyebrows are bushy. I recall thinking that I’ve never seen eyebrows so thick before.”
“Good girl. Keep going.” Gradually, his grip slipped down her arm to her hand, but he didn’t let go.
“One of his upper front teeth is chipped, and the other is crooked. The bottom teeth are crooked, too.” She paused as her focus shifted, lifting to his face. “He has a deep laugh but a nasal voice, which I found irritating. And, when he walks, he has a slight limp, leaning more on his left leg. However, I know he can run with no difficulty, since we’ve both been on the run before.”
Sebastian widened his smile and his heart grew light. “See. I knew you could do it.” He winked.
“Thank you for encouraging me.”
“That’s what I’m here for.”
She stared at him for a few unsettling moments. Her face was relaxed with a smile. Then suddenly, she scrunched her face and glanced over her shoulder. He moved his attention in the direction but didn’t see anything. It was if she was looking at something, but he couldn’t tell what.
She gasped and swung her gaze back to him. “Oh, and I remember one more thing.”
“What is that?”
“His pinky finger on his right hand is twisted, as though he broke it once and it never healed properly.”
She snuck a peek to the side of her again – at nothing – and had a satisfied smile. She even gave a slight nod before returning her gaze back to him. Who is she looking at? Dare he ask her about the odd display right now?
She stepped past him, walking toward the house. He quickly moved beside her but glanced over his shoulder where she’d been looking. Nothing was there. Very strange.
As they entered the house, he felt as if he needed to apologize, or at least say something about their steamy, but short, kiss. Neither of them had mentioned it, and yet he knew it was on her mind, just as it had been on his.
“Uh, Felicia. I suppose I should apologize—”
“No,” she said quickly, looking him straight in the eyes.
“No?”
“I don’t want you to apologize. I’m not sorry for what we shared, and I don’t want you to be sorry, either.”
Relief swept over him and he nodded. “Then forget I even mentioned it.”
She smiled widely. “It’s been forgotten.”
He moved further into the room, wishing he could forget the way his body heated up every time they touched. He wished that he could put their passionate kiss out of his mind, too, especially the way his blood boiled with pleasure. And, he’d like to know how to get rid of the after-shocks from her words that made his heart melt.
All he knew was that being this attracted to her scared him. He wasn’t an easy man to frighten, either. He’d never fallen so quickly from just the touch of a woman. She was bad luck, and yet, part of him was willing to gamble away his heart, once again.
TEN
The other men Felicia had talked with this evening during their dance, weren’t anything like Bash. She’d been comparing all men to him since they’d met in Devonshire, and the others came up lacking. Some were better looking, but then they had personalities of a wet rag. Some made her laugh, but nothing like the way Bash could do. There were men who treated her like a fine China doll, and yet, they were so boring, she nearly fell asleep taking to them.
Indeed, Sebastian Harrington was the perfect man for her... as long as she could make him trust her again. And she would!
She’d hoped that by helping Bash with the description of Mortimer, that he would see how hard she was trying to be honest. And thanks to her spirit-friend, Mrs. Louisa Pettington, she had reminded Felicia of some of his other flaws that she’d seemed to overlook. Of course, after Louisa had told Felicia, and she related the description to Bash, he looked at her differently, as though he knew she’d been listening to Louisa. At first, it frightened Felicia, because she didn’t want him thinking she was insane, but thankfully, he didn’t say anything about it.
The dance ended with... some man whose name she couldn’t remember, and she thanked him and stepped back to the wall. Within seconds, another tall, handsome Italian, wearing a finely tailored suit on his thin frame, walked up to her and requested the next dance.
Giving him a polite smile, she allowed him to take her hand and lead her to the dance floor. As they danced, she realized he hadn’t told her his name – or if he had, she’d forgotten it.
After he’d asked her if she was enjoying herself, his gaze darted around the room, suspiciously. The hairs on the back of her neck rose as eeriness crawled over her. Strange, that she would get that reaction from just watching his face. When his attention moved back to hers, he narrowed his gaze and leaned closer.
“I have a message for you,” he said.
Her heartbeat thudded with wariness. “You do?”
He nodded. “From Mortimer.”
She held her breath. Bash was correct when he’d told her that Mortimer knew she was in Italy. “Wh-what is the message?”
“He wants to meet you in private.” He emphasized the last word. “And he doesn’t want you to tell anyone, especially not your lover, Mr. Harrington.”
She hitched a breath. Lover? Apparently, Mortimer wasn’t up to date on his information. “Why does he want to meet me? I don’t work for him, any longer.”
An evil grin stretched across the man’s mouth. “I’m surprised you haven’t figured it out by now, but once you work for Mortimer, you can never retire.”
Tears stung her eyes as she pictured her mother. Indeed, Mortimer had her. She was probably tied up and in a dark room. What did he want with Felicia? Had he kidnapped her mother to get to her? Mortimer knew her mother wouldn’t make a good field agent, not any longer. There was no reason to keep her mother in his employ. Obviously, there was much more to this than Felicia knew about.
“When and where?” she snapped.
“Meet him at Chiostro Grande inside the church tomorrow. Ten o’clock in the morning... and not a moment later.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Alone,” he said with more force.
“Yes. I’ll be alone.”
“And you will tell no one.”
“I won’t tell one living soul.” However, she hoped that she’d be able to confide in one of her spirit friends. She never knew when they’d drop in to chat with her – or warn her of something.
Once the dance ended, she breathed a sigh of relief to be away from her dance partner. During her next dance, she boiled inside. How dare that man treat her as he’d done? She was retired, whether he wanted to accept that or not. She was stubborn enough to prove to Mortimer that he could not control her. Tomorrow couldn’t get here soon enough. She would give Mortimer a piece of her mind, and she wouldn’t be kind about it, either.
“Felicia, dear,” a woman’s voice behind her said. “You need to smile. People are watching.”
Jerking out of her thoughts, she peeked over her shoulder. Mrs. Louisa Pettington stood – or actually, she danced – next to Felicia. She swung her gaze back to her dance partner, not remembering his name, either. She smiled and nodded, mainly for Louisa’s benefit.
“Now listen to me,” Louisa said in a calm voice, “I’ll always be here
for you. I won’t let you down. I know you’re worried about your mother, but she’s fine.”
Felicia gasped and looked at the middle-aged woman. Her curly blonde hair bounced around her shoulders. She’d always worn a nightdress, and Felicia wondered if it was because she’d died in her bed. Thankfully, nobody else could see the woman, because Louisa was definitely out of place here at this elegant party.
“She... is?” she whispered, her heart racing with hope.
“She is, what?” her dance partner asked with a wary voice.
She swung her attention back to the man and smiled again. “Oh, forgive me. I thought you’d said something.”
He narrowed his gaze on her. “What did you think I said?”
“I, um...” she paused, trying to come up with an intelligent answer. “Did you not just say how lovely Countess Ricci looked this evening?”
“No.”
She chuckled lightly. “I wonder who said it, because I heard it.” She glanced around them. “Unless I heard someone else say it.”
“I’m sure that’s what happened.”
He now gave her that look... the one that made her believe she was really losing her mind. But she wasn’t. She just had a gift that others didn’t have. Talking to spirits didn’t make her insane. Did it?
She pushed the thoughts from her head. No, she couldn’t think that way about herself. She was normal, and nothing – or no one – would change her mind.
The dance ended, and she parted ways with the man. Thankfully, Louisa was still by her side.
“Mother is all right?” she whispered.
“Yes, for now.”
“Mortimer has her, right?”
Louisa glanced around the room. “You will save her, I have faith in you.”
Felicia grumbled under her breath. Why couldn’t her spirits answer her questions the right way? “Please tell me,” she demanded, but still keeping her tone low.
After a few moments of the spirit being silent, Felicia growled. What good were her spirit friends if they weren’t really going to help her?
The longer Louisa kept quiet, the harder pain pounded in Felicia’s skull. She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. Sometimes she enjoyed talking with her spirits, but other times – like this – she wished there was a way to make them leave her... forever.
Felicia's Spirits Page 10