“Really, Sean, I was right there on their asses and only had to press a few keys to reverse their actions,” she muttered impatiently. “Why would I leave that to some bureaucrat?”
“So you can keep your fine ass safe,” Sean hissed, the break in his voice was even more pronounced.
Malika looked up at him sharply.
Sean knew she was tempted to ask him whether he thought she was ‘fine’. As she turned back to her monitors, he was disappointed that she didn’t take the bait. I need to take her out of her comfort zone and get her focused on what is happening between us. I have to force her to admit to her deception.
“Whatever you’re thinking in that big head of yours, forget it,” Malika said without looking away from the computer.
“You have no idea what I’m thinking.”
“If I know you, it will involve taking me away somewhere and getting your team to go hunting. Am I close?”
Sean only grunted because it might not have been what he was thinking about, but it was exactly what he planned on doing. There was no way he was leaving her here, a sitting duck for whoever was trying to find her.
“First of all, the guy after me has an endless supply of international mercenaries, so you and your teammates would me woefully outnumbered and out-gunned.”
“We’re always outnumbered. Out-gunned? Never,” Sean dismissed. “So what’s your other objection?”
“You can’t take on this mission, Sean. I don’t want you in the middle of this! No one knows my true identity, so my family is safe. However, Duchess is being hunted and they will do everything to get me out in the open again. As one person, I can hide more effectively. ”
He grabbed her by her forearms and lifted her from the chair, spinning her around to face him.
“Hey?” She seemed stunned by his reaction.
“Do you really think I’m going to leave you here to deal with this shit alone?” He glared down at her, pulling her closer to him. “You expect me to turn tail and run off like a punk? Fuck that!” He had a stunning urge to stamp his claim on her right then. The thought of being separated from her again, for any reason, almost paralyzed him with fear. I can’t go through that shit again.
It was her turn to caress his cheek in an obvious attempt to soothe his temper. “Sean, this can be fought without any of you getting killed. That’s what I’m best at. This guy is an expert at guns and warfare, and I’m an expert at making the impossible happen. He won’t see me coming, and he won’t be able to stop me.”
Sean wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. He placed his forehead against hers and held her gaze. The light brown depths sparkled as if he were looking at the purest diamond. His breath hitched with love for her.
“Don’t worry about me,” she whispered.
“I know you believe what you’re telling me.” He swallowed, unable to voice his worst fear.
“Sean—”
“No, if you can stop them from here, you can stop them from anywhere. I would feel better if you had a few oceans between you and this threat.”
“I had no intention of staying in London. I have a house in Bermuda.”
Sean gave a sharp bark of laughter. “Why am I not surprised by that?”
She returned his laughter with a teasing grin. “What can I say? I have a gift of hiding in plain sight.”
“So you knew I was in Bermuda?”
“I hate to burst your bubble, but I always know where you are.”
“Lucky you.” Her words pissed him off and made him hurt at the same time. She knew how he was suffering and did nothing to alleviate his pain. He clutched her tighter against him, the feel of her ratcheting up his desire and doing a lot to dispel his anger. Their lips were only inches apart. It was killing him not to kiss her the way he wanted. He contented himself with gently trailing his fingers up and down her back. “No matter. Bermuda isn’t far enough and is too damn isolated. We won’t be able to leave the island in a hurry if we needed to.”
“You’re not listening to me.”
“Damn straight. I’ve learned that letting you make decisions means that I’m not getting what I want. This time, Duchess, I’m taking what I want.”
Before she could voice another objection, Sean applied a slight pinch to her pressure point. She stared at him in shock before passing out cold.
Sean lifted his precious burden and exited the flat.
Chapter Twelve
Malika woke slowly. The bed beneath her was not familiar in anyway. It was twice as large as her bed, and the stark masculinity of the room was nothing like her own distinct romantically decorated bedroom. She sat up and tried to remember what had happened. Looking at a clock on the nightstand, she knew she had lost at least four hours. What the hell did he do to me to make me sleep for so long?
Despite the smoothness of the ride, she knew she was on an airplane. “Dammit, Sean! I’m really going to kill you.” Both Sean and his father had company jets at their disposal. He must have commissioned one of them. Where does he think we can go that these mercenaries won’t find us?
She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood on unsteady limbs. “What the hell?” She looked down at herself dressed in only her black-lace hipsters that rode low on her ass and a black tank top. These were the same underwear she had been wearing under her jeans and jacket. She had dressed in a hurry so hadn’t taken the time to put on a bra. Her nipples poked instantly against the soft stretch cotton of the tank. Did Sean undress me? I’m not sure whether I’m pissed or disappointed that I wasn’t awake to enjoy him stripping the clothes from my body.
Malika turned on some lights in the room, hoping to find her clothes. She looked around the posh room. Along with the massive king-sized bed draped in white silk sheets, she noted that the room housed elegant dark wood furniture, two armchairs, and hand-painted rugs on the floor. The lights were not bright enough to tell whether the drapes were white, silver, or gray. Stored away in a closet were two suitcases she recognized as her own. Knowing that she had to leave London soon, she had had the suitcases packed and ready. The only thing that had kept her in London was Sean. It had been impossible to control her need to be in the same country as he was.
Anticipating a confrontation with Sean about his high-handedness, she stepped into the adjourning bathroom and took a long hot shower, brushed her teeth with the supplies available in the well-stocked cabinets, and brushed her long hair until it shined in cascading waves down her back. Pulling on clean underwear and, this time, a bra, she dressed carefully in an ivory lace mini dress that hugged her figure to perfection. She spritzed on her favorite perfume before quietly exiting the bedroom.
“I see you’re awake.” Sean grinned from behind a desk.
“Yes, and you will soon be dead,” she hissed as she advanced on him. “What the hell am I doing here, Sean? Why did you do this? How did you do this? I can’t believe you would override my wishes like this.”
“The what and why are fairly obvious. The how is a little more tricky since I know you would object to being drugged. I had no choice, and for damn sure I was going to ignore your wishes if it involved leaving you in danger for any reason or, worse, separating us again. Fuck, you’ve been overriding my wishes for years. Don’t look for an apology from me on that.”
“That was just a Neanderthal move! The first chance I get I’m going to make sure you suffer for doing this to me. You have no right to make decisions for me.”
Sean laughed huskily. He stood and started stalking toward her. “I have no problem in us hashing this out now.” He loosened his tie and discarded it. “In fact”—he toed off his shoes and started unbuttoning his dress shirt—“why don’t we have that scrimmage right here, right now?”
Malika folded her arms, braced her legs apart, and glared back at him. “This isn’t funny, Sean. And I’m really pissed at you.”
“Sweetheart, I’m okay with you being pissed.” He opened his unbuttoned shirt, revealing th
e smooth wall of his broad chest and chiseled stomach.
Malika fought hard to not react to the sight of his sculptured physique with a vivid tattoo of an eagle and a sentence written in Latin: Et ego exspectabo te usque in sempiternum on the left side of his chest. She couldn’t remove her gaze from that Latin phrase. The translation was, I will wait forever for you. Her jealousy was instantaneous. Who had garnered that kind of commitment from him?
Sean continued coming toward her and stood inches in front of her. He bent his head and whispered in her ear, “See anything you like?”
“You’re so full of yourself.” She rolled her eyes dismissively.
He laughed again, not in the least bit shy about his body.
He doesn’t have any reason to be shy, sexy bastard. He is gorgeous!
“I’m ready and willing whenever you’re ready to discipline me.”
Malika shivered violently in awareness at the husky timbre of his voice. He stood almost a foot above her diminutive height, making her feel dominated by him and ultra feminine. It was impossible to ignore his masculine heat so close to her sensitive skin. Her breasts throbbed insistently, her nipples tightened, and her stomach clenched in a burst of raw need.
“I remember the last time we pitted our skills against each other.”
Malika held his mischievous gaze. Is he referring to our encounter in his flat, or is he talking about when we were kids? She was afraid to breathe, afraid to speak, and afraid to ask.
“I’ll even let you end up on top this time,” he teased, standing as close to her as possible without touching her in any way.
“I can’t deal with you,” she whispered without heat, scared to know, desperate to know, and hoping for the impossible. “You think everything is a damn joke.”
“Not true. I take the threat on your life very seriously. Know that I’ll let no one get in the way of me protecting you, not even you,” he told her softly.
“I can’t believe you drugged me.” Malika knew she sounded like a broken record, but she was having difficulty thinking straight. His proximity was playing havoc with her senses. Her breathing was fractured and shallow.
“Would you have come with me if I’d asked?”
“You don’t know who you’re up against,” she said impatiently.
“I’m well aware of who could be coming after you.” He lowered his head. “And I don’t give a shit. I’m going to be a pain in the ass for anyone who goes near you. No one will get to you without having to go through me.” His lips were inches from hers.
Malika couldn’t have moved if her life depended on it. She was shocked. Is he going to kiss me?
She closed her eyes in anticipation of his kiss. After a few heartbeats and nothing happened, she hesitantly opened her eyes to gaze up at him.
“This is my world now, Duchess. I deal with these mudderfuckers all the time.” He stepped around her and headed toward the bedroom she’d just exited. “I’m going to take a shower. Relax for a few minutes. We’re going to have dinner when I get back.”
Malika wanted to brain him at that moment. What the hell is he playing at? I almost embarrassed myself waiting for a kiss that was never coming.
“You look beautiful by the way,” he murmured while entering the bedroom. “That ass does it for me every time.” He chuckled as she gaped at him.
“What the hell are you doing checking out my ass?”
“You have to admit”—he pointed at her bottom—“that that right there is a thing of beauty.” His voice lowered another octave, and his eyelids lowered to half-mast. “I’ve never seen anything in my life so fine.”
Malika gaped at him in disbelief. What? “I’m sure you’ve heard of Beyoncé, JLo, Nicki Minaj, or Kim Kardashian?”
“Imitations.” He winked at her before closing the bedroom door behind him.
What the hell is happening? He’s sending off so many mixed signals my head is spinning.
Malika looked around the clean, elegant décor of the interior of the plane trying to regain her equilibrium after he’d so effectively shattered her composure without even trying.
“Good evening, madam, I’m Jessica.” A flight attendant had quietly entered.
The jet was so luxurious and maintained such a smooth ride Malika had forgotten that they were thousands of feet in the air. She was stunned by the beauty of the other woman.
“Could I get you something to drink?”Jessica asked. Her Australian accent was very distinct. The tall, attractive brunette stared back at her in stoic silence, patiently waiting for her response.
Even her damn voice is sexy. Just the thought of this walking perfection offering Sean her services made Malika clench her teeth in jealousy. Why am I always tripping over models when I’m around him?
“No, I’m fine, thank you.” Malika forced a closed-mouth smile to her lips. If she showed her teeth, the other woman would see how tightly clenched they were.
“Well, if there’s anything I can get you, please call us from the telephone on the desk. My colleague, Mike, is also assisting in serving you tonight.”
“How much longer is this flight?” Malika asked as Jessica turned to leave the room.
“We have about another seven and a half hours in the air, madam.”Jessica looked at her in confusion, obviously not expecting that question.
“While you’re being such a fount of information, I don’t suppose you could tell me where we’re going?”
“No, madam, I have no idea what Mr. Sean’s final destination is. We usually work for Mr. Anderson senior, so I don’t know Mr. Sean’s itinerary.”
“This is Mr. Anderson’s plane?”
“Yes, madam.”
“That was his bed I slept in?”
Jessica laughed. “Yes and no. It was Mr. Anderson’s bed, but Mr. Sean had the mattress replaced before we left Heathrow.”
“I hope you appreciated my efforts and had a good sleep,” Sean said as he walked back in the room.
“That had to be the quickest shower on record,” Malika muttered peevishly.
“Thanks, Jessica. We’ll have dinner in five minutes.”
“Yes, sir,” Jessica smiled at them good-naturedly before leaving the room.
Sean turned to her with a wicked glint in his eyes. “You’re welcome to join me in the shower and scrub my back any time to ensure I wash properly.”
“Isn’t that what you have the supermodel Jessica for?” Malika moved to sit behind Sean’s desk and was astonished to note that Sean had brought her laptop with them. It sat in one corner of the desk. She was grateful because now more than ever she needed something to distract herself from ogling him. He was dressed in a black T-shirt that did nothing to hide the body that his profession as a SEAL and a man of intense action had sculptured. His jeans rode low on his lean hips and hugged his trunk-like thighs. The bad-boy image was written all over him. In a word, he’s bloody hot! My fingers are tingling to touch him, touch his chest, biceps, chiseled stomach, and reach lower. Ah hell, who am I kidding? I want to touch him any and everywhere. She opened her laptop and gave her fingers something constructive to do.
Sean laughed. “Don’t worry, Duchess. My taste in women has been forever spoiled by an encounter I had a few years ago. As beautiful as Jessica is, she does nothing for me.”
Malika didn’t bother to look at him. She could still hear the laughter in his voice. He’s lying, and I know it because he slept with me a few months ago and didn’t even hesitate! “So if this woman was that amazing, why aren’t you with her?”
“She doesn’t know it yet, but her days are numbered.” Sean walked over to the desk, placed his palms on the smooth surface, and leaned toward her. “When I take her, I’m never letting go.”
Malika breathed in deeply, as she had a sudden need for air. “Sounds like…” She had to clear the sudden clog in her throat. “Sounds like I’ll have another sister soon.”
“I can’t promise you that, but I can promise to let you meet her before an
yone else. I hope you love her at least half as much as I do.”
Malika felt her heart shatter into a million pieces, and her skin instantly coated with cold sweat. He loves someone else. Oh God, how do I get of this damn plane? I can’t do this again. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked away the moisture that was starting to well in her eyes. “You have deplorable taste in women.” She kept her gaze glued to her computer. In the few moments they had been talking, she’d accessed her flat cameras. “I’ve yet to like any of your girlfriends.”
“I guarantee you’re going to like this one.”
“Sean,” she shrieked.
“What? What is it?”
“My flat, did you lock it down?”
“Yes, of course I did. Why?”
Malika didn’t answer but instead turned her monitor around so he could see it.
“What the hell?”
Malika looked into his ashen face and knew he was just as stunned as she was. Her flat was swarming with masked men carrying machine guns and other weapons. They looked as if they meant business and would have easily overpowered her and Sean if they had stayed there. There was no way they could have taken on over twenty men. “Obviously, the IRA arms dealer isn’t playing with me. This brazen show of force in the heart of London conveys supreme confidence in his ability to impose his will. Where the hell are the authorities? How are these armed men being allowed to have the run of the city?”
“Which IRA arms dealer are you referring to?” Sean asked.
“Patrick O’Malley,” Malika answered cautiously.
“What the fuck?” he roared.
Malika thought that if Sean lost any more blood to his face, he would lose consciousness.
“You are never going back there,” Sean muttered. His voice was hard with angry emotion, and his gaze remained glued to the scene before them.
“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Malika whispered, realizing how shocked she still was at the sight of the number of men roaming through the place where she had lived for years. Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “They haven’t found my safe room.” The men were ripping open the sofas, chairs, and her bed, pulling down paintings off the wall without care that some of them were priceless pieces of art, breaking her antique furniture with the same cavalier attitude.
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