A Silverhill Christmas

by Carol Ericson

  “When did you get your first hint of his dark side?”

  “Pretty soon after I met him. A tiger can’t hide his stripes for too long. He was possessive and jealous, so I tread warily and didn’t plan to get in too deep.”

  “And then he drugged you?”

  “I don’t know.” She slipped her hand from his and fluffed up her hair, the life and sparkle returning to her eyes. “I couldn’t prove a thing. I partied along with everyone else and wound up in Alexi’s bed. Then I wound up pregnant.”

  “Let me guess. Alexi changed when you got pregnant.”

  Tori nodded. “He became the model companion and father-to-be and swept me off my feet. He explained that it would be shameful for him to have a child out of wedlock in his country, so he proposed.”

  “There’s one thing I don’t get.” Rio hoisted himself across the foot of the bed and rested his head on his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, you’re a gorgeous woman, but why did Alexi set his sights on you? He couldn’t find some attractive, willing Glazkovian woman to marry and have his children?”

  Snorting, Tori folded her hands behind her head and gazed at the ceiling. “The Glazkovians are a superstitious people, and Mad Prince Alexi buys into all the myths. His grandmother was some kind of gypsy seer and filled Alexi’s head with the old legends.”

  “What do those old legends and myths have to do with you?” Rio dug his elbow into the bed. This story be came more and more fascinating, kind of like Tori herself. He’d be wise to follow Tori’s advice to herself: tread warily and don’t get in too deep.

  Tori tipped her chin down and raised one brow. “Are you ready for this? His grandmother told him when he was a child that he had to marry a red-haired, green-eyed foreigner who would then bear him a firstborn son. This son would lead Glazkova to greatness in the next century.”

  Rio’s jaw dropped. The Prince of Glazkova really was mad, and he must’ve inherited his insanity from his grandmother. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

  “Nope.”

  “So when you, with your red hair and green eyes, traipsed into Glazkova, Alexi had to have you…by hook or by crook.”

  “Exactly. I had no idea what kind of crazy trap I was walking into when I traveled to that country. When I got pregnant so quickly and then had a son, that sealed the deal for Alexi. He knew he’d made the right decision.”

  Rio squeezed Tori’s ankle through the bed covers. “Alexi made the right decision, but the situation couldn’t have worked out any worse for you.”

  Tori kicked out, nailing him in the thigh with her heel, and shoved up to a seated position. “How can you say that? Regardless of how things worked out with Alexi, I have my son. I have Max.”

  Her words twisted a knife in his gut. Maybe his own mother had regarded his existence as a mistake, but Tori didn’t feel that way about her son.

  Tori looked at him with something akin to loathing, her green eyes narrow like a cat’s, a cat waiting to pounce. Rio hoisted himself beside her and brushed his fingers along her arm.

  “I’m sorry. Stupid thing to say.”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I know what you meant. I’m still on edge after Alexi’s visit. I—I’m glad you were outside. It made me feel safer.”

  She reached out a hand and skimmed his unshaven chin with her knuckles. Her eyes, which had been as hard as glass, softened.

  Rio captured her wrist and kissed the center of her palm where he felt her pulse beating against his lips. She shifted her position, curling her legs beneath her and leaning toward him.

  He’d wanted to taste her again ever since their make-believe kiss on the sidewalk. Curling his fingers around hers, he tucked her hand against his chest as he pulled her close. He brushed her bottom lip with his, and her mouth parted. He laid a path of kisses along her jaw and whispered in her ear. “I’ll help you any way I can, Tori.”

  She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. “I’m sure glad to hear you say that, Rio, because I’m moving into Alexi’s compound the day after tomorrow and I’m ready to start spying on that SOB.”

  Chapter Six

  The warm breath that had been tickling her ear turned into a hiss. Rio jerked back and dropped her hand.

  “You’re what?”

  Tori peeled one eyelid open. “Moving into the compound. Don’t worry. Alexi assured me it’s a lot more luxurious than this dump.”

  Rio bounded from the bed and clutched his dark hair, already a tousled mess. “Why are you putting yourself in danger? I told you to stay out of there.”

  “That’s why Alexi was here.” Leaning back against the padded headboard, Tori folded her hands in her lap. “I thought you’d figured that out. I told Alexi’s minion that I wanted to talk to Alexi, and he wasted no time getting over here. Of course, I let Alexi believe the invitation to his compound originated with him. He won’t suspect a thing.”

  Rio paced across the floor and pounded the wall with his fist. “You’re putting yourself in the line of fire. He’s a drug dealer, Tori, and an arms dealer now. What if one of his enemies decides to raid his compound while you’re staying there?”

  “Then I’ll be in a better position to protect my son.” She crossed her legs at the ankle and tapped her feet together. Rio really didn’t understand maternal bonding at all. What kind of woman did old Ralph McClintock knock up thirty years ago? Boy, could Ralph pick ’em. Rio’s half brothers’ mom was no Mother of the Year either.

  “Wait. We’re close to bringing Alexi down. When that happens, you’ll get Max.”

  “Bull.” She leveled a finger at him. “You guys don’t have a thing. You never have and you never will if you continue to play by the same old rules. You said you wanted someone on the inside. I’m your mole.”

  “You’re not a mole. You’re a mother.”

  “That’s even better.”

  Rio slapped his palm against his forehead. “What are you talking about?”

  “Alexi knows I’m focused on being with Max. He’d never imagine I’d be up to anything else in that house.”

  “How do you know that for sure? He’s jumpy, edgy.”

  Shrugging, Tori threw back the bed covers and swung her legs off the side of the bed. “Alexi thinks women are stupid. He tricked me so easily, he doesn’t see me as a threat. I’m an annoyance, and he figures the fastest way to stop my interference is to throw me a bone and let me see Max while he’s in Hawaii.”

  “It’s dangerous, Tori.” Rio sank on the bed next to her and gripped her shoulders.

  She turned to face him, her hair trailing across his wrists. “A lot of things are dangerous, cowboy.”

  Dropping her gaze to Rio’s sensuous mouth, she ran her tongue along her bottom lip. Could they just share one kiss that wasn’t a fake or didn’t get interrupted? If she planned to go into the lion’s den and face Alexi, she needed a little sustenance first.

  Rio curled his hand around her neck. “You like playing with fire, don’t you?”

  “Let’s just say I’ll do what it takes to get my son back.”

  “How do you know you can trust me?” He dropped his thumb to the hollow of her throat and she swallowed.

  She almost told him her trust came from the fact that she would put her life in the hands of any McClintock from Silverhill, Colorado. But she didn’t want to complicate the situation. Instead she batted her eyelashes. “I know I can trust you because I’ve been stark naked under this robe since I got out of the shower, and you’ve hardly made a move.”

  “You mean like this?” He tucked his hands beneath the collar of her robe where they scorched her back, and then bent his head, taking her mouth in a possessive kiss.

  Her teasing had ignited a full-blown conflagration. Rio edged one hand to the back of her head, grabbing her hair as he angled his lips across hers for a more thorough assault. Her hands fisted the material of his T-shirt as she held on for support.

  Rio tasted of the sea and ruby red wine and all that was dark and forbi
dden and delicious.

  He leaned against her, pushing her back onto the pillows, wedging his muscular thigh against hers. She needed more contact, so she entwined her arms around his neck. The kiss deepened, binding her more closely to this man…her savior of the evening.

  The tie on her robe loosened. Rio’s lips left hers and trailed down her throat. She released his shoulders to wrench open her robe. Then she slid off the bed and landed on the floor at Rio’s bare feet.

  Tori scrambled to her knees. Not so overcome by passion that he couldn’t see the humor in her tumble, Rio threw his head back and laughed.

  Glancing down, Tori gasped at the one exposed breast. It was one thing flashing your breast at a man kissing your neck, quite another to flash a man wiping his eyes with tears of laughter.

  She yanked her robe closed and crossed her arms. “All right, it wasn’t that funny. Did I completely ruin the moment?”

  “I’m sorry. Are you okay?” He hitched his hands under her arms and dragged her into his lap.

  That’s better. She snuggled in closer to his broad chest and inhaled his thoroughly male scent.

  He shuddered and yanked the collar of her robe together. “Tori, that fall just saved us from a big mistake.”

  She stopped wriggling. “You seem to think everything’s a mistake. You use that word a lot.”

  He wrapped her hair around his hand. “You have the false idea that getting closer to me will ensure my cooperation in your harebrained scheme to bring down Alexi Zherkov.”

  “That’s not why I…”

  He put his finger over her lips, still throbbing from his powerful kiss. “It’s the opposite. If you were truly my woman, there’s no way in hell I’d let you go into that nest of vipers.”

  His woman. She sagged against him. He still had her pegged as a user, and he’d let her go to Alexi freely. Isn’t that what she wanted?

  Lucky for her, she’d never be Rio McClintock’s woman.

  Gulping back the lump in her throat, she slipped from his lap. “Well, I’m not your woman.”

  Rio stood up and stretched, displaying ripples of hard muscle and smooth, bronzed skin. “If I can’t talk you out of your plan, let me make my position clear. I don’t expect, nor do I want any insider information from you. So visit with your son and then get out. I’ll make sure the CIA notifies you when we bring down your ex-husband.”

  Cruising into the sitting room, Tori called over her shoulder, “Whatever. You can leave now.”

  As she approached the hotel room door and grasped the handle, Rio appeared behind her. He wedged his hand against the door. “Wait.”

  She closed her eyes as he bent closer, her breath coming out in little puffs. Maybe he’d changed his mind. May be his desire had overruled his thick skull and he’d toss her over his shoulder and carry her back to the bedroom.

  “All clear.”

  Her eyelids flew open. Rio’s face was against the door, his eye at the peephole. His rejection hit her like a bucket of salt water.

  With his brow furrowed, he cocked his head. “Are you okay? Nobody’s waiting in the hallway.”

  Nobody was waiting in her bed either.

  “You still here? I’m just swell.”

  He grinned and opened the door a crack. Satisfied by what he saw, or didn’t see, in the entrance area to the suites, he stepped across the threshold.

  Before Tori could slam the door on his backside, he swung around and pinched her chin between his thumb and index finger. “What’s your last name anyway? I usually don’t kiss a woman until I’ve been properly introduced.”

  “Aren’t you the gentleman? Scott. My name’s Tori Scott.”

  “Pleasure to meet you.” He leaned forward, planted a hard kiss on her mouth and turned away.

  As Tori shut the door, still dazed by his parting salute, she thought she heard him whisper, “If you were my woman.”

  THE FOLLOWING AFTERNOON Rio shook out the newspaper and adjusted his sunglasses. The Agency would have a fit when he submitted his receipts for this job. He couldn’t help it. The ex-Mrs. Alexi Zherkov had expensive tastes. He had to check into her hotel to stay close to her.

  And he wanted to stay close to her.

  “Another club soda, sir?”

  The flower behind the ear of the poolside cocktail waitress floated onto his chaise lounge as she dipped to pick up his empty glass.

  He twirled the stem of the flower between his fingers as he held it out to her. “Lost something.”

  She grinned and rolled her eyes. “That always happens. Keep it. I’ll get another at the bar. Drink?”

  “Sure. Make it a mai tai this time.” Hell, he deserved a vacation and a fruity drink with an umbrella. Seems like he’d been all around the world chasing Alexi Zherkov since he took his last vacation.

  His last vacation.

  Not that he’d call a visit to Colorado to square things away with his older half brother a vacation. Thinking about Rod McClintock as his half brother always gave him a jolt. Rio and his mother had been on their own so long, he didn’t give family a second thought. But he had one…a big one. Not one, but three half brothers, their assorted wives and children, a father and a stepmother. He had no clue who else lurked in the vast McClintock lineage, and he had no interest in finding out.

  When the waitress returned with his drink, Rio’s gaze locked on to the redhead with the straw cowboy hat and bulging bag over her shoulder. Finally.

  Rio hoped he could count on Tori not to make a big deal over his appearance on the pool deck at her hotel. She scanned the patio and swiveled her head back in his direction. He slid the newspapers from the lounge next to his and hoped she’d get the hint.

  She got it.

  Tori scuffed across the deck in a pair of flip-flops with pink plastic flowers between the toes. She gripped the back of the chaise lounge.

  “Is someone sitting here?”

  “No. My wife is up in our room recovering from a nasty hangover.” He held up his mai tai. “Too many of these at the luau.”

  The waitress hovered between them. “Can I get you a drink?”

  “Just a diet soda, please.” She dropped her bag on the foot of the chaise. “I don’t want to suffer the same fate as his wife.”

  As the waitress wandered away to take another order, Tori lowered her voice. “What are you doing at my hotel?”

  “It’s my hotel now.”

  “Are you spying on me?”

  “Protecting you.”

  “I’m not in any danger.”

  “Not yet.”

  She rummaged through her beach bag and pulled out a book and a bottle of sunscreen…SPF fifty-five.

  Rio pointed to the orange bottle. “What’s the point of sitting in the sun when you have that slathered all over you?”

  “If I don’t use a strong sunblock I’ll burn to a crisp, but I still like sitting in the sun.” She squirted a puddle of white lotion into the palm of her hand. “Some of us are not bronzed gods…or goddesses.”

  Tori rubbed the sunblock onto her shapely calf and then yanked her white, gauzy cover-up over her head, exposing her tiny red bikini. Rio swallowed hard and took a long sip from his drink.

  Tori may not be bronzed, but she definitely nailed the goddess label.

  “I’m Mexican.”

  “Huh?”

  “I’m half-Mexican. That’s why I tan so easily.”

  She carefully lifted the strap of her bikini top and spread the lotion along her shoulder. “Your mother is Mexican?”

  “Yeah, how’d you guess that?”

  “You told me your last name, McClintock. Remember? Unless that’s not your real name.”

  “That’s it.” Sitting forward, he straddled his chaise lounge. “Do you think your ex-husband is having you watched?”

  She shoved her big sunglasses to the tip of her nose and surveyed the pool area. “No. He knows what I’m doing here now, and he’ll expect me to show up tomorrow.”

  “Yo
u’re still determined to do so?”

  “Of course. In fact, I’m glad you’re here. It gives us an opportunity to discuss our plan.”

  He collapsed back against the chaise lounge and sighed. That red hair must come with a stubborn streak. “I told you. We don’t have a plan.”

  “Exactly. That’s why we need one.”

  “I don’t want you gathering information about Alexi.” For all his tough talk last night about forbidding her to go to the compound, Rio realized he could no sooner stop Tori from seeing her son than he could stop a typhoon from hitting Maui. Whether she belonged to him or not.

  “It’s not up to you, Rio. Once I deliver the goods, you’ll change your mind.” She adjusted her hat to shade her face and folded open her paperback.

  “I’m not making any deals with you, Tori. I’m not having that on my conscience.” She ignored him and buried her nose farther in her book.

  After several minutes of silence, Tori thumped the book on her knee, and then held it up for him to see. “It’s all in here.”

  Rio squinted at the thick spy novel. “What’s in there?”

  “Lots and lots of plans.” She tilted the book back and forth in front of her face. “We can have a secret meeting place or a spot to leave messages for each other. I could flash lights from the compound when I have information.”

  He snorted. “Or you could just call me from your cell phone. How many of those books have you been reading lately?”

  “Enough to get me well versed in spy tactics. Alexi may not be following me now, but once I’m in his sphere he’ll probably have his goons trail me from the compound if only to make sure I’m not stealing something, including Max. He may even confiscate my phone. So we need to have a way to communicate.”

  Tori thumbed through the pages as if doing research instead of reading a beach book. Her index finger skimmed along the lines of the book and then she tapped the page. “Here’s an idea. We can use a tree.”

  Rio stretched and snapped open his newspaper. “You leave a mark on a predesignated tree and place your information under a rock or tucked inside a bush.”