Tug. “Something…” she stretched her mind as far as she could, but couldn’t reach whatever it was. She shook her head. “God, Luca, I’m sorry. I am trying.”
“I know, sweetheart. It’s okay. You’ve been through just about the worst things a human can, in such a short time. I did some research while you were sleeping earlier. This kind of amnesia … your memories can’t be brought back by us telling you what happened. If and when they come back, it’ll be spontaneous. We can only help by lessening the shock of them returning, I think.”
Emory smiled at him. “You’re a kind man, Luca Saffran. I might not be able to remember ‘us’ but I can see why I was drawn to you.”
Luca tried to smile. “It was hell … not knowing if you were alive or dead. I promised myself that whatever the outcome, I would try and come to terms with it. Emory … whatever the decision you make regarding us romantically … I would like you to know that it means the world that you are safe and healthy. Ray is gone, and he can never hurt you again. No one will ever hurt you again.”
Maximo Neri looked out of the hotel’s vast penthouse windows. Seattle was beautiful, he thought, the mountains on the horizon, the Bay glittering in the low winter sun. The cold, he could do without, but he liked the laidback, friendly way of this city. He had spent time here in the US in other cities: New York, he wasn’t fond of, too many aloof people, too much detachment for him. He liked conversation, life, connections.
His assistant, Salvatore, entered the room. “Max, you have a visitor.”
“Who is it?”
Sal grinned at his boss. Maximo was an informal, fair-minded employer and Sal had been with him since college. “Clementine Saffran. She says she wants to speak with you.”
Maximo relaxed. “Thanks, Sal. Please show her in. And you can take off for the night.”
Sal grinned, and Maximo chuckled. Sal could read him like a book. He heard his assistant speak to someone in the hall.
“Please go in, Mrs. Saffran. Maximo is looking forward to seeing you.”
Clem walked into the room. She was wearing a dark olive-green wrap dress, her red hair swept over one shoulder, and minimal make-up. She looked nervous for a moment but then smiled at him.
“Max, I hope I’m not intruding.”
He kissed her cheek, his hands on her waist. “Not at all. It’s wonderful to see you. Please, sit. Can I get you a drink?”
“Some red wine would be wonderful.”
He poured them a glass and sat beside her on the couch. “I was just thinking how pretty this city is at night. Would it be cheesy, as you say, for me to tell you it just got prettier?”
Clem laughed at his mischievous expression. “Very cheesy, Mr. Neri. I came to ask how the search for Ferdinand is going.”
Maximo’s smile faded. “Frustratingly slow. My dear brother seems to have disappeared off the face of the earth.”
“He might be dead.”
Maximo inclined his head. “Maybe. Which would deny me the pleasure of killing him.” He sighed and half smiled at her. “Clementine, please know this. I want you. I want to be with you, but for now, I can’t risk it.”
“Sssh.” Clem slid closer to him, stroking his face with her fingers. “I know. I know, Max, and I’ll wait as long as you need. I just want to help, is all. I see people miserable all over; look at Luca. He could barely function without Emory, and now, Bree tells me, there may be another obstacle. Emory was rescued by a man called Dante Harper—have you heard of him?”
Maximo nodded. “I have. I met him a few times; he seems like a good man.”
“Well, it seems he and Emory formed a relationship as she recovered and now Emory is confused about what she needs.”
Maximo suddenly leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. “I am not confused, Clem. I want you. I’m just terrified of losing you like I did Ophelie. While Ferdie is still out in the world, I will not feel as if I can declare my love for you to the world and keep you safe from him.”
Clem had gone very still. “You love me?” Barely a whisper.
Maximo nodded. “I do. God, help me, I do. It’s why I have to keep you at arm’s length and…”
“No,” she said softly. “No, Maximo. You don’t. We will be stronger together, I swear to God, we will. You and I will search for Ferdinand. We will find him and make sure he can’t touch us. But in the meantime, I’m tired of wasting time. I want to be with you, Maximo Neri, in every way. Every way.”
His lips were on hers then, and she clung to him as he lifted her and carried her to his bedroom. Laying her down on the huge king-sized bed, he pulled the tie of her wrap dress open and pressed his lips to the hollow of her throat, moving down her body as he kissed her skin. Clem stroked his dark curls as he freed her breasts from the lacy cups of her bra and took her nipples into his mouth. His tongue flicked and teased the nubs until Clem was gasping; Max’s hand drifting down between her legs to massage her sex through her thin cotton panties.
Max’s lips were against Clem’s belly as he pulled her panties down, and then he buried his face in her sex, his tongue lashing around her clit, sending fiery pulses of desire racing through her. Clem’s breath was coming in sharp gasps, her eyes rolling back and closing, losing herself in Maximo’s expert seduction. His teeth grazed the sensitive cluster of nerve endings and she yelped, hearing his deep throaty chuckle.
“You belong to me now, Clementine. Do you understand that?”
“God, yes…” He brought her to a shivering climax, then swiftly moved up her body to claim her mouth again. She felt so vulnerable, so loved. Maximo was still fully dressed, but she could feel the rigid length of his cock straining against his pants, and she stroked her fingers along the length of it as Maximo nuzzled her neck. “Let me taste you, Maximo…”
In a moment, she was unzipping his pants, freeing his cock and sweeping her lips around the wide crest as her fingers stroked the velvety length of it, so long, so diamond hard. Maximo groaned as she teased the tip with her tongue, tasting the salty pre-cum, feeling it quiver under her touch. She began to pull at him with her mouth, encouraging him, hearing him giving into her, wanting to taste every part of him. He came in her mouth, and she swallowed his seed greedily, wanting to lose herself in him.
Maximo rolled her onto her back and pressed her legs to her chest. “Sweet Clementine,” he said, before launching his cock into her. Clem gasped with pleasure as he filled her, his cock thick and long, his hips ramming hard against her bent legs, his eyes fixed on her face as he fucked her.
Clem lost herself in him as he drove her inexorably toward orgasm, her hands roaming over his well-muscled chest and his broad, thick shoulders. “Maximo Neri, I am so in love with you,” she whispered, then cried out, her back arching as she came, feeling his cock shooting deep inside her and his voice calling her name over and over …
Maximo ordered room service for them—late, but the hotel was only too happy to accommodate its rich clients—and he and Clem ate just after midnight, beautifully grilled steaks with a peppery green salad and fresh fruit.
Clem grinned at him. “This is a perfect evening. Thank you, Maximo.”
She reached over for his hand. “Listen, I’ve been thinking … Tatiana and I have agreed to press pause on my book until Emory is ready to hear about it and give her blessing. I can’t sit around Seattle hosting charity auctions when I know you’re searching for Ferdinand. Let me help you.”
Maximo looked appalled. “No way. There is no way I want you in the same hemisphere as Ferdie, let alone the same city. No, bella, please. Let me finish this.”
“What if you never find him, Maximo?” She said the words without reproach, but with real feeling. “Don’t put your life on hold because of your past. Ophelie would not want that. Look at Emory and Luca—Ray Grace had promised to kill her if she left him, but they still said to heck with it, we’re in love.”
“And Emory ended up with a bullet in her gut and amnesia.” Maximo looked fain
tly amused.
Clem conceded. “But they’re back together now … kind of. Okay, bad example. But what I’m saying is, don’t put your life on hold. Don’t postpone ‘us’. We are stronger together, baby.”
Maximo leaned over and touched her cheek. “The only thing that scares me in this world is something happening to you.”
“Nothing will,” she said in a firm voice, then smiled. “I’m tired of waiting, Maximo, I want to be with you. Here, Rome, anywhere and everywhere. Don’t push me away.”
He took her into his arms then and kissed her thoroughly. “Okay, we will try. But at the slightest hint of danger…”
“We will know how to react, my love. I swear we will.” She kissed him, and they began again where they had left off.
Dante Harper, you are turning into one big cliché, he thought to himself as he gazed out of his window at the rain. Three days since he’d sent Emory back to Luca, and the misery had yet to abate. She called him every night when she went to bed—alone. He couldn’t help but feel relieved at that. The moment he heard her sweet voice on his phone, his whole body would warm, but his heart hurt just that little bit more. He missed her smile, her scent, the way she would curve her little body against his.
“You did the right thing.”
He turned to see Sophia watching him. “You did, Dante. You did the right thing. When Emory gets her memories back, and I know she will, she can make an informed decision.”
“I know.” Dante tried to smile at his oldest friend. He and Sophia had grown up together—Sophia’s mother had been his father’s chef, but when they were both gone, Dante had told Sophia that she wasn’t a servant in their house, she was family. “You are my sister,” he had said, and it was still true today. He looked at her now with sad eyes.
“I never said the words to her, Sophia. I never said “I love you.” My heart couldn’t take it if I said it and she chose Luca Saffran. But, God,” he dropped his head into his hands. “I should have. I should have told her that she is my world.”
Sophia had tears in her eyes. “Dante, words are just that. Words. She knows you love her. In her bones, she knows.”
Dante felt desolate. “Damn, Sophia … I hope it’s enough. I truly hope it’s enough.”
Raymond Grace, stuck in his admittedly luxurious prison, was reading when Zeke, the guard who he considered the friendliest AND the most malleable, came to see him. “Got some news, boss.”
He sat down on the edge of Ray’s bunk. “Looks like your wife made it. The guys were talking about it earlier, said to say nothing to you, but I figure it’s only fair. Emory’s back with the Saffrans.”
Ray clenched his fists and blew out a long breath. “Jesus. What will it take to kill that bitch? I shot her at point-blank range, Zeke, right in the belly. She should have bled out almost straightaway.”
“Perhaps you’re not as good a shot as you think.” Zeke tried to joke, then, when he saw the rage on Ray’s face, “Hey, man, look, I’m sorry.”
Ray was silent for a moment. Then he looked intently at the younger man. “Zeke, I need you to get me out of here.”
Zeke stood, alarmed. “Heck, man, I don’t know…”
Ray smiled his most charming smile. “Zeke … I have money. A lot of money. It’s yours. All I want is the chance to finish this. Emory is mine. Do you understand that? She belongs to me, and I need the chance, again, to…”
“Kill her.”
“Yes.”
Zeke looked vaguely sick, but something in his expression gave Ray hope. “How much money?”
“Four hundred million.”
Zeke sat down on the bunk with a thump. “What?”
“I told you, I’m a very rich man.” God, the things dumb people believed.
Zeke squinted up at him. “Why should I believe you?”
Ray smiled. “My dear Zeke … because I won’t be needing money where I’m going. You see, once I’ve killed Emory, and everyone who loves her, who has ever touched her, I fully intend on killing myself. Once Emory is dead, there will be no point to my living, so … the money is yours. What do you say?”
Raymond Grace knew his answer the second he looked into the other man’s eyes, and he smiled.
“You look exhausted.”
Zea nodded. “It’s been a strange few weeks.” She leaned back in her chair. “I’ve been tired. More so than normal. I can’t figure it out. I get my sleep, I mean, six or seven hours, unbroken but then I get up, and it’s like I’m walking through molasses for a couple of hours.”
Flynt frowned. “Is it depression?”
She shook her head. “I don’t think so. Apart from the obvious, things have been,” and she gave him a shy smile, “pretty good.”
He reached across the table and laced his fingers through hers. They had returned to Portland after a few days with the Klines, and Zea was happy to be back with Teresa and Mike and her friends. “You know, we don’t have to rush into deciding whether you want to stay here or go back or Seattle or Auburn. We have all the time in the world. Yes,” he added, as she opened her mouth to object, “I’ll move my business here, so don’t worry. But I want to take you away, Zea, on a proper honeymoon. You need to regroup. You’ve had enough going on, what with Podesta and now this. I’m not going anywhere. Now, how about you get some sleep?”
She yawned straightaway, and he laughed. “You did that,” she grumbled. “I was fine.”
“Yeah, right. Come on.”
He hauled her out of her chair and lifted her up, which set her giggling. “You’ll never make it up the stairs carrying me.”
“God, woman, you have so little faith.”
They made it to the bottom stair when the phone rang.
Flynt collapsed with Zea under him, and as they fell, he grabbed the side of the huge antique mirror that stood propped against the wall.
“Whoa!” Zea grabbed the mirror and steadied it as it wobbled, using her whole bodyweight. “Darn it, this thing’s heavy. You should get rid of it, really. Lord knows what you were thinking buying it. Jeez.”
Flynt helped her. “I really need to fix it to the wall. We don’t need seven years of bad luck, thanks. I can do it for you. I can be like a handyman from a porno; you can be the slutty housewife.” He grinned.
Zea rolled her eyes and laughed. “Good plan, Ron Jeremy.” Flynt looked smug. She reached around him and grabbed the phone.
“Hello?”
“Zea, it’s Mike.”
She sat up, detangling herself from Flynt’s legs. He sprawled on the floor, grinning up at her.
“Hi, Mike, how’s things?”
Flynt stopped smiling and he fell back on the floor, sighing. He sat up a few moments later, though, when Zea’s face went green as she listened to what Mike had to say to her. “What? What is it?”
She shook her head at him and thanked Mike before hanging up the phone. “It’s Jared Podesta. He wasn’t the body in the car. It was David’s father. Jared’s father. Jared stole his body from the burial ground in Louisiana. Jesus Christ…”
Flynt stared at her in horror as she began to cry. “It’s not over, Flynt. It’s not over at all…”
Bree Saffran stared up at the ceiling. It was past midnight, and she lay in Jesse’s arms, listening to him breathing as he slept. She hadn’t been able to sleep for several nights now, not since she’d seen Emory alive again. The brief joy she’d experienced had been overridden by the growing dread that Emory, her friend, her savior, wasn’t the same person that she had known.
And why would she be? Bree argued to herself. With the horrendous violence Emory had been subjected to, who wouldn’t be forever altered? And that man … Dante. He had saved her and now was clearly in love with her. Bree’s heart had ached for her father when she saw Emory and Dante together, and she herself was conflicted. Am I being selfish by wanting Dad and Emory together?
“You’re doing it again,” Jesse mumbled against her hair. He opened his eyes and looked down at her.
“What will be will be, Boo. You can’t control what happens with your dad and Emory.”
“She’s changed.”
“Of course, she has. So has Luca; so have you. We’ve all been through hell this past year.”
Bree shifted onto her side and studied Jesse, stroking a finger down his cheek. “Not all of it has been bad.” She bent her head and kissed his shoulder, still bruised from his accident. “Thank God you’re okay, Jesse.”
“I’m good, Boo, as long as you are. And look, at least all that shit with Petersen is over now.”
“How is Ethan?”
“Better. Our dad has offered him an apartment on the island, so he can be close to Kizzie and us while he recovers. His brother is away so often that the doctors were reluctant to let Ethan out of the hospital. He’s going stir-crazy in there.”
Bree chuckled softly. “I’m not surprised. He’s been in there for almost a year. Why isn’t he moving in with Kizzie?”
“Both of them think it’s too soon. Kizzie’s scared that they’ll rush into something they’re not ready for and that she’ll lose him as a friend, if nothing else.”
“I get it.”
“I expect she’ll be at his apartment more often than not, though.”
Bree laughed. “As long as they are happy.”
“Those crazy kids.” He smiled and rolled her onto her back, kissing her throat. “It’s going to be okay, I promise, Bree. It’ll all work out.”
“I hope so.”
And for the rest of the night, he tried to convince her.
Kizzie reached up and took the key down from the lintel. She smiled at Ethan’s amused look.
“I know. Not exactly safe. But I forget stuff, keys, and there’s really not much to steal.” She opened the door and switched the light on. “I can bring some things from the house to make it more of a home.”
She led him into the apartment. The living space was large and led onto a small kitchen. She grinned at him.
“It’s quite functional. Just not very well designed. The pantry is almost as big as the kitchen.” She opened the cupboard door for him to see.
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