by Rita Sable
Moses jumped up on the bed, landing light as a sparrow atop the quilt. Brilliant green eyes studied Trevor and Cynthia for a few seconds. After having been tossed out by Trevor earlier, the animal seemed to think about how welcome he’d be on the bed with them now. He’d never slept with an animal in his bed but, apparently Cynthia did. If he intended to become more than a passing dalliance for her, he might as well make the adjustment now.
Trevor wiggled his fingers in the air as an invitation. Moses padded closer, purring. The cat delicately sniffed Trevor’s hand with his pink nose. After a soft-as-air meow, he then curled into a white ball of sleek fur beside his thigh and went to sleep.
All right. He rolled his eyes. Cats could indeed be good company.
For the first time in his life, he felt like a complete person. Whole. Satisfied. Undeniably happy.
Strange. Being in love was going to take some getting used to. He bent down and placed a feathery series of kisses on Cynthia’s temple and gazed at her peaceful, sleeping face in the soft moonlight. They had a lifetime to explore love together. He had every intention of doing just that, every day.
He sighed into the night, content to hold Cynthia while she slept. His mind raced ahead with plans for the future. But first, he had to secure her safety.
Careful not to disturb his sleeping beauty, Trevor stretched his arm out to the nightstand and fumbled around until he found his cell phone. After nearly knocking over the spent carton of ice cream, he managed to pick up the phone. He’d set the phone to “do not disturb” earlier—not caring if it violated protocol this one time. Having those few hours of carefree time with Cynthia had been worth it.
Trevor flipped the phone open with one finger and pressed his message playback button. There was only one. From O’Rourke.
“St. James, hold on to yar hat. Fingerprints from the body with Matthew Andrews’ ID are a match for Calvin Sewell, aka Nut Cracker. He was an expert at security systems and safes, did some time in the Massachusetts state penitentiary for a jewelry heist in Boston a few years ago. My guess is he came back empty-handed from Cynthia’s place and injured to boot. They must’ve decided he was too much liability. There might have been a chance she could ID his voice, if he’d been caught alive. Anyhoo, ya’d best keep yar eyes sharp.”
Trevor’s blood turned to a slow-moving river of ice. One of his suspicions had just been confirmed. He clicked off the phone and set it aside.
They were coming. The lure of the diamond’s secret would prove too strong for them to ignore. He’d finish this case once and for all. Above everything else he’d protect Cynthia with his life.
* * * * *
Fuzzy, gray light filtered into the bedroom and painted the walls with the first colors of morning. Cynthia stifled a big yawn. Every inch of her skin rested against a hard, warm, naked male body. From the corner of her eyes she saw the twin tips of Moses’ ears. Her cat had found a nice snuggle spot on Trevor’s other side. A satisfied grin played on her lips. She stretched her legs down along the length of Trevor’s hairy shins until she found one of his feet and then she rubbed her toes across his.
“Woman, that tickles,” he grumbled into her hair.
“I know.” She rolled over, tipped her face up and met his half-lidded, reddened eyes. “Hey, didn’t you sleep at all?”
Trevor didn’t answer. He just smiled and smoothed his palm up and down her spine.
“Don’t tell me you’re an insomniac. What kept you awake?”
“Guard duty.”
She wiggled around and rose up on her elbow. “What are you talking about?”
“You’re so gorgeous in the morning, darling.” He captured a lock of hair that had fallen over her shoulder and wrapped it around his finger.
Cynthia swatted his hand away. “Stop that. You’re avoiding my question, Agent.”
Undaunted, Trevor eased his hand down the center of her chest, brushing over the sensitive skin between her breasts. Her nipples peaked instantly, prepared for his suckling.
“Mmm, I adore that soft, sleepy look in your eyes,” he said. “Makes me hard just looking at you. Wanna fuck?”
“Sure.” She caught his wandering hand and held it away. “But first, tell me why you think you had to stay awake all night on guard duty?”
He brought her fingers to his mouth and nibbled on them, licking and kissing. “I’m expecting company.”
Cynthia blinked. “What? Who? Did you tell someone you were going to be here with me? The only people who know I’m here are my real estate agent and my brother. And Paul wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“He would.”
She sat up in the bed and grabbed the sheet to cover her naked state, suddenly very self-conscious. “Why would he do that?”
“Well, he’s worried about you, of course. He sounds like a very protective brother.”
“You spoke to him? When?”
“Yesterday.” Trevor flipped onto his side and rested his head on his fist, completely unconcerned for his own naked state while they conversed. A shadow of dark stubble dusted his chin and upper lip. His cock had thickened with the stirrings of arousal.
She forced her gaze away from his rising shaft and let out an exasperated breath. Resisting this man was a daunting task. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“What?” His eyebrows wiggled. “And spoil all the fun I had with you?”
Cynthia sank back onto her heels, hugging the sheet to her chin. “Is that all it was, Trevor? Just fun?”
His face turned serious again, his eyes darkened. “Don’t even think that. What happened between us is only the beginning. I’m not planning to let you go, Cyn.”
Relief and happiness burst through her worries, like a ray of sunshine after a storm-filled day. “I’m so glad, Trevor. I really love being with you.”
“Me too.” He smiled gently and reached out to caress her cheek with his fingers. “But we’ll have to talk about ‘us’ later. Right now, I need to let you know something important.”
Cynthia sighed. Hadn’t he given her enough information to digest and mull over last night? First the story of how the Russian diamond and the Holocaust were intertwined and then he’d told her about being an English lord’s only son. She hadn’t even had time to think about what that meant if she and Trevor became more involved—if they had a future together.
“If it’s about my brother, don’t lose sleep over his reaction. I told you, he worries too much. He’ll settle down once I tell him about us.”
Trevor’s smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Your brother’s under the misguided assumption I mean to do you harm, since he wouldn’t believe I am who I said. He called the police because he couldn’t contact you.”
“The police?” She groaned. “Oh, shit. He’s such a worrywart. I called him and left a message, I told him I was okay. What did you tell him?”
“Not much. He hung up on me after he threatened me with bodily harm if I let anything happen to you.”
Cynthia gasped. Then she laughed. The image of her much smaller brother having a fistfight with Trevor was comical. Trevor had at least six inches and fifty pounds of hardened muscle over Paul’s slender form.
“What’s so funny?” Trevor asked.
“Nothing.” She grinned. “You’ll have to meet my brother first to understand. Who do you think is coming here?”
Trevor’s blue gaze burned in the morning light. “The people who wanted the diamond to begin with. They’ll be coming. I’m certain of it.”
Again her mouth opened in surprise but this time she found no humor to go with it. “But, but…I thought that was over. Done. I gave you the diamond. Problem solved, right?”
“Not exactly.”
How could he continue looking so calm? He tried to pull the sheet from her. She tugged it back. “You lied to me last night. When I asked if this was over you said it was.”
He gave her a lopsided grin, drawing his fingertip gently up her arm to the curve of her shou
lder. “I know and I’m sorry about that. I didn’t want to worry you needlessly until I had more information. You’ve had enough trauma. I only wanted to protect you.”
Cynthia squeezed her eyes shut. God, did he have to look and sound so sincere? It would be so much easier to stay mad at him if she thought he was lying again, even if he did it to keep her safe. “All right. Apology accepted. I appreciate your concern, Trevor. The last couple of days have taken me so far outside of my normal realm. I was beginning to doubt my sanity. I’m better now and I want to know everything. Who are they?”
Trevor sat up in one smooth, powerful motion, reminding her of the effortless athleticism of her cat. He lifted his knee and rested his arm across it, perfectly at ease with his nudity and looking maddeningly handsome. Seductive. Confident. Sure of himself as a man.
“I have suspicions.” His eyes grew flat and ice-cold. “Nothing substantial.”
“So, the guys who attacked me in the alley—there really are more of them?”
“The tip of the iceberg. If my suspicions prove correct, those behind this and the attacks on you will come to the surface now. I want them. All.”
She swallowed. “You’re sure they’re coming today?”
“Most likely.”
A chill ran down her spine. She shivered and rubbed at the goose bumps on her arms. “But, why?”
“Because they don’t know you gave me the diamond. They still think you have it.” The corners of his lips curled up and then flattened, as if he pretended to find humor and failed.
“That’s really not funny, Trevor.” Cynthia frowned. “How much time do we have?”
“I can’t be certain but I’ll be forewarned. They won’t take us by surprise. I didn’t let anyone know you gave me the diamond or that I’d already given the information to the Steinbrunn family. I have to keep that secret in order to solve this case. Which is why you need to get ready to go.”
Alarmed, eyes growing wide, she pulled the sheet up higher. “Go where?”
“To the cabin next door. Your resort manager, Mr. Snyder, gave me a key to the place.”
“He did? He knows about this?”
“He knows what he needs to. The cabin’s unoccupied. You’ll be safe there. We’ll walk through the woods to the back entrance. Leave your car parked in front here to lure them in. I’ll come back here and wait for them.”
“Alone?” Panic filled her chest. “How many of them are there?”
He grinned, giving her another glimpse of that confident, sexy, indomitable male attitude. “Worried about me?”
She blinked. “Well, yeah. I don’t want you to get hurt, or—”
Trevor put a finger to her lips and halted her words. “Won’t happen, darling. I know it looks that way but I don’t work alone. I’ll have backup.”
“Who? Your spy buddy, O’Rourke? And cranky old Mr. Snyder?”
“Among others.” Mischief gleamed in his eyes. “I do have the advantage of surprise. They’re expecting to find you here alone. It’s sure to knock them off-kilter when they find the big, bad wolf has invaded the cabin in the woods.”
“Oh, great,” she quipped sarcastically. “This isn’t a little freakin’ fairy tale!”
He reached out. She jerked away, not wanting to be soothed from her rightful fear. “I’m okay, really. I can deal with this.”
“No, I’ll deal with it.”
She snorted and glanced around the room, seeing things that reminded her of a happier, much less complicated time in her life. “Well, thank God my parents are ten thousand miles away. Mom would have a tizzy about this, after she chewed my ears off.”
“I like your mother already. She sounds quite normal.”
Cynthia couldn’t help the smile. A small measure of her initial panic faded, going from total blackness to just foggy gray.
“You should dress. I need to get you settled into the other cabin soon.”
“Crap, I don’t like the sound of this. Maybe we should hightail it out of here? We should leave. Together. Now.”
“I’m staying. You’re leaving.” He flipped his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up. Then he captured her wrists and pulled her off the mattress too. The sheet she’d tried to use as a shield slithered to the floor.
“But—”
“Shh,” he hushed. “No ‘buts’. Well, except for this fine specimen.” He wrapped his arms around her, his hands dropping down to cup her bare ass. The urgent, hot steel of his penis pressed against the soft mound of her belly.
Warmth flared inside her body but didn’t quell her uneasiness. Her heart pounded in her chest, making her throat feel tight. Despite her determination to show Trevor a brave front, she quaked at the mere thought of facing armed criminals one more time. He was playing it cool for her sake, trying to distract her from worrying. But she knew better.
“I’ll go on one condition.”
Trevor tipped his head sideways and lifted his eyebrow in question. “This isn’t up for discussion. I must know you’re safe to complete this, Cyn. I’d rather not repeat what happened in the alley.”
She firmed her chin, determined not to give in completely. But he’d succeeded in forcing the memories of what happened the last time she’d refused to trust him. Like a vicious slap to the face, they came crushing back into her. She’d had a knife pressed into her throat. Others had died. Her fingers automatically went up to probe the small scab on the side of her neck.
“Okay,” she relented. “I’ll get out of your way so you can finish your job.”
“And you’ll stay there? Promise me. Say it.”
“I promise. I’ll stay there this time.”
Tension melted from his posture. She curled her arms up and cocooned herself inside his protective, warm embrace. It felt good to let him take charge of everything. This was his job, his authority. Trevor was so strong and confident, almost cocky about it, while she grew nauseous at the thought of more violence. Having experienced two attacks on her life in just a few days was enough for a lifetime!
“Promise me you’ll be all right?” she whispered against his shoulder.
“I promise.” He nuzzled the top of her head and placed a tender kiss there.
She molded her body to his hard, muscular contours. Even though she’d promised herself she wouldn’t run away from her problems anymore, it felt like a really good idea right now.
“We could disappear,” she tried one last time. “We could go to Jamaica or someplace like that. Somewhere hidden and warm. They’d never find us.”
“Darling,” he whispered in her ear. His breath felt hot and soft. “Get dressed before I decide to spread you on the bed again and have my way with you.”
“Okay, okay. Do I have time to take a shower? I’m kinda sticky all over.”
Trevor chuckled. “It’s against my better judgment. However, given the sticky situation, I’ll give you five minutes in the bathroom.”
“Thanks. I’ll be quick.”
Cynthia closed her eyes and prayed for his safety. If anything happened to him, what would she do? What could she do? For the first time in her life she’d found a man she could trust and love. She didn’t want to lose him. Not now. Not ever! She wrapped her arms around his waist and held on tight for just one more precious minute.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Trevor dressed quickly in yesterday’s jeans and sweater, shoved his feet into his boots. He slid his weapons into place, not feeling complete without them. The sound of running water in the bathroom across the hall told him Cynthia had started her shower. He grabbed his cell phone, flipped it open and dialed O’Rourke’s number.
“Ya didn’t answer my call,” the cheeky Scotsman chided. “Did ye have a nice night together?”
A lingering smile of remembered, shared ecstasy touched Trevor’s lips. But he didn’t waste time with idle banter. He had business to attend to.
“Where are Sival and Marsh?”
“According to the police clerk, the
captain sent them out on another assignment already,” O’Rourke clicked his tongue in a soft tsking sound. “Another homicide, this one drug-related. Nothing said about the body swap so far. I’m still investigating.”
Trevor scrubbed his knuckles across the stubble on his chin. “Any word on her brother?”
“Yes. He booked a flight out of Rome to La Guardia yesterday evening. He should land this morning. I’ve asked Detective Sival to have someone there to escort her brother once he lands. Don’t want to risk him, too.”
“Good,” Trevor murmured. “If they know about her brother, they’ll try to use him to get to her. My gut tells me he’ll want police intervention anyway. According to Cynthia he’s very protective of her. She called him a worrywart.”
O’Rourke chuckled. “If she were my sister, I’d be one, too.”
He strode into the kitchen with his cell phone pressed to his ear and eyed his wristwatch to ensure she didn’t take more than her allotted fifteen minutes. He had just enough time to make a pot of coffee and fill a thermos for her to take. A couple of sandwiches would be good, too. He’d already discovered her habit of skipping meals. He wanted her safe and away before the shit hit the fan here. Even if nothing happened until late in the afternoon, she was just going to have to wait it out.
“Okay, stay on it, O’Rourke. I’m taking Cynthia to a safe place nearby to keep her out of the line of fire this time—”
He paused. A car approached. The familiar purr of an engine outside captured his attention, muted by the snow-covered pines and winding road that led toward the cabin.
“St. James?” O’Rourke said. “You still there?”
Silently, Trevor inched over to the living room window, careful to stay in the darker corner. He peeked out through the slit between wall and curtain. Another sunny mid-winter day, the surroundings looked pristine and quiet. Directly in front of the cabin, Cynthia’s snow-topped rental car blazed with cheery red color under the bright sunshine—a certain beacon for these new arrivals. A strange car eased around the final bend in the drive. He identified the new-model black sedan as a Lexus, by the distinctive logo on the hood.