“By all means, proceed.”
“Later. After the date. Or we won’t leave the house at all tonight.” Once she got started seducing Cole, there would be no looking back.
He made a chicken noise, lips trembling at the corners with a suppressed grin.
She laughed outright, pushed at his chest to move him away, and turned to the mirrors. Catching his gaze in the reflection, she smiled, then looked down to find her foundation.
When she looked up, Cole was gone.
Stepping back from the counter, Madalina turned to the opposite end of the bathroom, where a full-length mirror flashed back her image. She liked the slinky, black dress with crystals dotting the hem, neckline, and sleeves. It reminded her of starlight in a velvet sky, winking and twinkling every time she moved. The style of the dress outlined her curvy shape just the way she preferred—not too tight, not too loose. Snatching up a glittering black handbag, she faced the mirror across the bathroom counters, satisfied with the dramatic shadow on her eyes and the crimson lipstick on her lips.
Despite her anxiousness to see Cole dressed in a suit and the lingering passion they’d generated between them, her thoughts returned to the note and the key.
To the possible danger—and the excitement.
No matter what else Cole said, for or against, she knew the decision to go or to stay would ultimately reside with her. Even now Cole was probably calling Thaddeus to set the wheels in motion, to try and get an update on the agents’ whereabouts. Soon she would need to give a hard answer: yes or no. Forget the note and the key, strive to retain the relative normalcy they had achieved after the last dragon fiasco, or take the bull by the horns and fly halfway across the world on a whim?
The absence of terror and fear in her life these last weeks had been more of a relief than she’d let on. Did she want to risk another confrontation? Did she want to upset what had become an enjoyable, satisfying routine with her new boyfriend?
The questions swirled around her mind as she departed the bathroom.
In the hallway outside the master bedroom, all her internal musings came to an abrupt halt. Cole stood near the banister with the phone to his ear, resplendent in a black suit, crisp white shirt, and a blue-green tie that did amazing things to his eyes. As good as he looked in everyday attire, she loved when he donned finer clothing. His shoulders filled out the jacket perfectly, hinting at the chiseled physique beneath. He could have graced the cover of any magazine with ease. He had that kind of presence about him, the kind that drew a woman’s eye. Effortlessly sexy, Cole also exuded a darker, predatory appeal, one that went better with the man who had so suddenly, silently, appeared behind her in the bathroom earlier.
He glanced over. His gaze slid possessively over the dress, all the way to her low-heeled shoes and back again. He gave her the kind of look a man gives a woman right before he ravishes her. The kind of look that made her knees ridiculously weak.
Sliding the phone into his pocket, he strolled closer.
“Thaddeus?” she asked, never looking away from his eyes.
“Mm-hmm. You look stunning,” he replied, coming to a stop within arm’s reach.
“Thank you.” Rather than return the compliment with words, Madalina touched his tie near the knot and slid her fingers all the way down to the end. Then she pressed the lapel flat.
Adjusting his shoulders, he buttoned the jacket, then took her hand. Escorting her to the stairs, he guided her down. “So,” he said when they reached the foyer, heading to the garage, “did you have any trouble while I was gone?”
“None. Everything was quiet.” Madalina considered her grandfather’s letter and wondered if it would stay that way.
CHAPTER TWO
The swank, upscale restaurant Cole chose for their date boasted private coves that reminded Madalina of beehives. Or hobbit holes. An oval opening in the strangely shaped booth allowed the waitstaff access while also allowing complete privacy for clandestine conversations. Madalina ate with gusto and sipped Bellinis instead of wine, enjoying the faint strain of distant music and small, twinkling lights set into the teak, overhead dome. A pleasant woodsy smell accompanied the aroma of freshly grilled chicken and fish.
Cole was more distracting than the scenery or the food in his tailored black suit. He hadn’t bothered to shave after his quick shower, leaving a swath of dark whiskers on his jaw that Madalina wanted to run her fingers across.
The entire meal consisted of lingering glances and skimming touches that amped her desire to sweltering levels, a desire clearly matched by Cole. She declined to discuss the dragons, instead attempting to wheedle information out of him about his latest mission. He gave her nothing but coy smiles and evasive answers, unwilling to disclose where he’d been or what he’d been working on.
It made Cole all the more intriguing from Madalina’s point of view. Although her curiosity was killing her, it also added an element of excitement lacking in her previous attempts at relationships.
By the time dinner was done, Madalina wanted nothing more than to get home and spend the next twelve hours languishing in Cole’s arms. Cheeks flush with anticipation, pulse blipping erratically under her skin, she slid out of the booth and let him guide her through the restaurant. Cole paid the check, escorted her into a pleasant late-summer evening, and handed her into his black Jaguar when the valet brought it around.
“Will you get my driving gloves out of the glove compartment, please?” Cole asked as he slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine.
Madalina palmed Cole’s thigh first and dragged her hand along the strong, honed muscle. She loved his thighs. Opening the compartment, she finally glanced away from his profile to search for the gloves.
A small gold gift box, complete with a tiny sheer bow, awaited.
“What’s this?” she asked, forgetting about the gloves.
Cole pulled the Jaguar onto the street. “Not gloves,” he pointed out.
Laughing at his droll amusement, she picked up the square box and closed the compartment door. This was the last thing she’d expected to see. It looked suspiciously like a ring box.
“Are you going to open it or stare at it all night?” he asked with a grin.
Was it a ring? What would she do, if so? Was he about to propose? Madalina licked her lips. They’d been dating for a little over two months. In that time she’d come to adore and love Cole while they learned each other’s idiosyncrasies and solidified their relationship.
But marriage? Was she ready? Was he? Mister Skittish about long-term anything? The questions rolled over and over in her mind, leading to more questions than answers. She couldn’t deny that the prospect excited her.
Cole hummed a parody of a death march, as if silently suggesting she was headed straight to the gallows.
Laughter bubbled from her lips at the levity he brought to the situation, and she tore at the paper with sudden impatience. Under the bow and paper was a black box, and inside that was a black-velvet ring box. She glanced across the car; Cole snatched looks her way, expression impossible to read.
The lid opened with a little creak.
Two sparkling diamond earrings winked against the black velvet. Dangle earrings, perhaps an inch long, with a teardrop-shaped diamond at the end.
“Cole! These are beautiful.” Madalina couldn’t tell if she was relieved or disappointed it wasn’t a ring. Setting the box on her lap, she removed the silver earrings she’d been wearing and exchanged them with the new ones. Lowering her visor to expose the small oval mirror, she examined the jewelry with tucks and turns of her head. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” he said matter-of-factly.
“What do you think?” Madalina set her own earrings in the box, put the box and wrapping back in the compartment, then turned her head to allow Cole an unimpeded view.
“A
lmost as beautiful as you.” Waiting at a red light, he met her eyes after briefly examining the earrings. Leaning across the car, he stole a kiss, which Madalina gladly returned.
Distracted as she was with the earrings and Cole, she didn’t realize they were in another part of town—another city, actually—until he parked and turned off the engine.
“Come on, before I take advantage of you right here in the car.” He got out after a final kiss, grabbed a duffel bag from the backseat, and came around to open her door.
“You had this planned all along, you sneaky devil.” Madalina kept her hand in Cole’s as he led her across the parking lot to a hotel only the wealthy could afford. The kind with gilded doors, marble floors, and waitstaff who wore tuxedos. The foyer looked like a cross between an ancient cathedral and a Roman palace. Even quiet voices echoed off the walls and high ceiling.
“I had it planned before I even left,” he retorted, sounding amused.
Madalina loved that about Cole. He surprised her at every turn, doing the unexpected.
He handled the check-in with efficient ease and, after gathering her hand, led her to the elevators. The ride up was smooth and quiet—and long. In the room, which wasn’t any old room but the penthouse suite, Madalina discovered that Cole had gone all out: flowers adorned every available surface; bottles of wine were chilling; and a welcome basket full of Belgian chocolate, cheeses, and fruit waited on a dining table.
Sitting next to the basket was another gold gift box. Longer, more rectangular than the last.
“Cole, you didn’t have to do all this.” One hand over her heart, charmed by his thoughtfulness and planning, Madalina went straight to the gift to open it. This time he didn’t have to prompt her.
He closed the door and engaged the dead bolt. “Of course, I didn’t. But I’m addicted to those little gasps you make when you’re surprised, as well as the flush of pleasure on your cheeks when I do something you’re not expecting.”
Madalina flashed Cole a broad smile and unwrapped a tennis bracelet that matched the earrings. It glittered between her fingertips. A soft noise of appreciation slipped past her lips. He’d gone all out, choosing delicate yet sturdy designs that would probably last a lifetime. Laying the diamonds across her wrist, she turned the clasp toward him. “Will you?”
He stepped close, cologne tickling her senses, and deftly secured the bracelet.
Madalina stared into his eyes and pressed herself against him. “Thank you. For more than the bracelet. For dinner, for knowing ahead of time how much I would enjoy this when you returned, and for the gifts.”
He dragged the pad of his thumb gently over the arch of her cheekbone. “In case it wasn’t clear, I was anxious to get back to you. I missed you more this time than I did the last.”
A flush worked itself through her body at his declaration. “There’s another way you can show me, too,” she whispered. She skimmed her fingers down his lapels and unbuttoned his jacket just as his cell phone rang.
Caught up in the moment, Cole wasn’t at first inclined to answer his phone. He knew it was one of his brothers—Brandon, Thaddeus, Damon, or Samuel—getting back to him with an initial report. The look in Madalina’s eyes never changed, never lost any heat despite the possible intrusion. He wanted to know what his siblings had found, but he wanted Madalina more.
Reaching into his pocket, he blindly turned off the phone.
His brothers and the information would have to wait.
“You’re not going to answer it?” Madalina asked.
He answered by helping her strip the jacket from his shoulders, then guided her backward toward the master bedroom located on the right. The delicate dress she wore seemed thin under his hands, and he resisted the urge to shred it possessively from her body. Tonight wasn’t the night for urgency and haste; he meant to make up for his time away minute by minute, drawing out the lust, the desire, the passion.
While he scraped his whiskers against her throat, he drew the zipper down her side and peeled the material away from one shoulder, giving that spot his attention next.
He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d missed her. Three days had felt more like three months, and while he would never pine or get depressed about a separation, he had looked forward to returning. More than at any other time they’d been apart. It had been a wake-up call, and he was glad now that he’d planned for this little getaway in advance.
Brought back to the present by her shudder and the little noise of pleasure she made when he gently bit her collarbone, Cole stripped away the black dress and the last vestiges of her control at the same time.
He had control enough for ten men and wouldn’t be rushed.
For an hour and a half, he reminded her why she would always be his, as well as introduced her to a few new tricks she never knew he had up his sleeve. He was only happy when she was writhing and moaning and clutching at his shoulders, desperate and wanton, ready to promise him anything.
Then he took her, slow and methodical at first, grinding and pounding to an explosive finish.
Slick with sweat, sated in the aftermath of drawn-out passion, Cole braced his elbows in the pillows and stared down at her eyes. He drew damp strands of hair away from her face, reveling in the repeated shudders coursing through her system. He especially enjoyed the glazed look of utter satisfaction she wore, a look he meant to duplicate many times over the next several days.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“And I love you,” he whispered back. He nuzzled her throat and kissed her chin, content to let the mystery of Walcot Nagel rest until morning.
CHAPTER THREE
The continuous chime of a phone pulled Madalina into the waking world. Fumbling through covers and sheets, past pillows and a lacy pair of underwear, she finally found Cole’s jacket on the floor near the bed and rooted through the pockets until she liberated the intrusive device. She realized belatedly that Cole was gone from the bed, and a moment after that heard the shower turn on.
“Hello?” she said into the phone, flopping onto her back. Sunlight streamed in through a set of double floor-to-ceiling windows, causing her to squint while trying to focus.
“Good morning, sunshine!” Brandon said in an exuberant voice. “Didn’t wake you, did I?”
“You know darned well you did. I can hear the smugness in your voice.” Madalina draped her arm across her forehead, amused at Cole’s younger brother despite being only half-awake and less than half-coherent. “What is so urgent that you had to call like ten times during the night?”
“It was three times, and I did it at the behest of my dear brother, who told us to get back to him as soon as possible. Where is he, by the way?”
“He’s in the shower. What did you find out?”
“Why don’t I call back? Or, better yet, why don’t you have him call me when he’s done? That way I don’t have to repeat the news twice.”
“What news? Just tell me and I’ll relay the message.” Curiosity chased the last dregs of drowsiness away. She sat up in bed, hair tousled around her shoulders. Her body ached everywhere, the pleasing kind of ache after a long night of wondrous sex.
“It appears to me that the others you were inquiring about are busy chasing a lead in Taiwan. I don’t know much more than that, but my various contacts say that they haven’t seen the others around the Whittier area and haven’t detected any surveillance the men might be running on your phone lines, computers, things like that. For all intents and purposes, the others are sticking to the agreement not to bother you again.”
Madalina listened raptly to Brandon’s information. The “others” was a term they had come to use over the phone as a way around saying trigger words like Chinese or agents, which might have drawn unwanted attention if anyone was monitoring calls. “That’s excellent news, right? That’s what we wanted to hear.”
“Yes. A
lthough, as ever, it comes with the caveat that circumstances can change at a moment’s notice. What’s true today might not be true tomorrow. This is the best information I could get my hands on in this short amount of time, so if you’re going to explore the possibilities of that letter, then you should probably get on it.”
“I’ll definitely let Cole know. Thanks for getting back to us so fast, Brandon. By the way—were you with Cole the past three days?” Madalina didn’t think it hurt to ask. She didn’t expect Brandon to tell her any more than Cole had about the latest job, but one never knew. When Brandon chuckled, she knew she had her answer.
“I’m not at liberty to say, buttercup,” he replied, just as cheery as he’d been at the beginning of the phone call.
“Of course. I figured. Never hurts to ask, though. Where are you now?” Maybe she could glean a little information about the location, at least.
“Anywhere and everywhere,” he said evasively, a grin in his voice.
“Ugh. Come on. West Coast, East Coast, Florida? You couldn’t have gone overseas on that timetable.”
Brandon whistled a merry tune.
“Okay, okay. Just don’t be surprised when one of these days, I show up with Cole to go on one of your missions with you. Bye!” She ended the call in the middle of Brandon’s surprised bark of laughter. Now she would be left wondering what Cole had been up to during his absence. Realistically she understood it was probably safer that she didn’t know, except that clashed hard with her natural curiosity. She wanted to know what Cole was doing when he was gone. How much danger he put himself in. During the last three days, she’d done nothing but wonder and conjecture and contemplate, distracting her from even the simplest tasks at work. Often she caught herself staring out the large front windows of the boutique, mind a million miles away from inventories and shoe orders and what colors of lipstick to stock. As much as she loved clothes and accessories, it didn’t distract her from the wild imaginings of what might be happening elsewhere.
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