by Nic Saint
They arrived at a room and her hostess swung open the door. “You can stay here for as long as you like,” she said as they stepped inside. Alicia was touched both by the hospitality and the homeliness of her new surroundings. The room was airy and bright, large French windows leading to a small balcony, a four-poster bed dominating the room along with a large cupboard and an impressive dresser placed against the wall.
“That door over there leads to a private bathroom, so you won’t be disturbed when you want to shower. Unless, of course, you want to.” She gave Alicia a cheeky wink that did much to endear her to the older woman.
“I’m sorry about that… scene downstairs,” she quickly said.
Fay pursed her lips. “My son obviously likes you very much, Alicia, and I, for one, am glad he does. I think you’ll be a wonderful addition to this family.”
Alicia’s eyes went wide. “Oh, no,” she hurried to explain, “there’s really nothing going on between Roland and myself. We’re just, you know, erm—”
“Lovers?” queried Fay with raised brow. She grinned. “Aren’t we all, dear? That’s how all the great romances of past and present have begun, right?”
“I guess so,” said Alicia dubiously. “Though I don’t think—”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” interrupted Fay. “I think you and Roland like each other a great deal, and that warms a mother’s heart, as it should.”
“Right.”
“And you can’t blame me for hoping. Roland is my eldest, and still hasn’t found the one, or so he claims. Well,” she added with folded hands, “let’s hope he finally has.”
Alicia felt miserable all of a sudden. She didn’t want to smash Fay’s hopes as she invariably knew she would sooner or later, so she refrained from making any further comment on the matter. Besides, she felt uncomfortable sharing her personal feelings with a complete stranger for the second time that afternoon. First Anna, and now Fay. Suddenly, she longed for a breath of fresh air.
The moment Fay had left, she swung wide the windows and stepped onto the balcony, sucking in a steadying breath as she leaned on the wide parapet, her mind a jumble of emotions.
“Thought I’d find you here,” a gruff voice interrupted her thoughts, and she whirled around to face the man featuring at the heart of most of those thoughts.
Chapter 28
“I—your mother just showed me this room, but I think I totally forgot to thank her,” she stammered when his dark eyes raked her frame.
“What did she tell you?”
She held up her hand. “That… I can stay as long as I want.”
“She’s right. You can.”
She couldn’t accept so much hospitality. “The moment we free my father I’ll be on my way,” she hastened to say. “I really don’t want to be an inconvenience to you or your family.”
“You’re not,” he assured, drawing closer to her. Her back to the parapet, there was no way to escape, nor did she want to. She only wished he wouldn’t look at her as if he was about to devour her whole. Lust was fine and good, and she felt it race through her own veins as surely as she saw it hold him in its grip. His eyes were dark with it. His body twitched with it.
But she wanted more. She wanted what she was sure he couldn’t give her.
“I already caused a fight between you and your father. I really don’t want to cause trouble.”
“You’re not.”
He pulled her close and she knew she wouldn’t be able to fight him off. Whatever he wanted, she would gladly give, and whatever he had to offer, she’d accept with gratitude. And when he was one with her and cast her aside, she’d be grateful for the experience.
“What is it, Alicia?” he asked softly. “You’re trembling all over.”
“Just… tired, I guess. The plane trip—it wore me out.”
“You better rest. We’ve got a busy couple of days ahead.”
She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his chest, reveling in the warmth of his embrace. If only they could be like this always…
“What will happen once we find my father?” she couldn’t help but ask.
She felt him stiffen, and knew she had asked the right question. Or the wrong one. “That depends on you.”
And on you, she thought.
He held her at arm’s length for a moment, eyes unreadable. “You’ll probably want to return to California? Continue your work?”
She nodded. “There’s all that data we collected in Colombia,” she explained. “We need to analyze it, draw our conclusions, report it…” Her voice trailed off.
“You and your father are doing important work. Important for future generations.”
The only future generation she cared about was the one she’d hoped to build with this man. If only they could be together forever, she could bear his children and they could build a family together, a future together.
“You’re a very special woman, Alicia,” he stated. “I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone quite like you.”
His words startled her, and she didn’t know how to respond, but before she could collect her thoughts, he went on. “It’s an honor to have met you, and an even greater honor to help save your father. And we will save him, and once we do… you will finally have your life back. You will finally be able to move on.”
She nodded, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach when she realized what he was doing. He was saying goodbye.
She blinked, and when he abruptly turned his back on her and strode out without another word, she felt his absence like a blow to the gut, and she stumbled inside. Reaching the bed, she collapsed and rolled into a ball, tears suddenly finding their way to her eyes and as they streamed down her cheeks, her head spinning and her stomach roiling, she knew this was the end. Even before it had begun, her love affair with Roland Thornton was over.
As he walked away from her, Roland felt his mood plummet. He’d never felt about any woman the way he felt about Alicia Sumner. There was love there, he knew. Deep, deep love. But how could he explain all that to her? He’d always been bad in the ways of the heart, and even worse in the way he expressed himself.
He could punch a guy’s lights out with one well-aimed hit, but he couldn’t even ask the woman he loved to stay—not only in his house, but in his life, for as long as they would be together.
She probably thought he was some big lug. A strongman who just happened to have money. He had no style, no finesse, no sophistication. Nothing a woman like Alicia needed or wanted in a partner. For all his swagger and all his wealth, he was just a big brute and she could see right through him. She liked it when he fucked her, and that’s probably all she liked about him. A good lay, and a great help when I came to beating up the bad guys and rescuing her father.
But a mate for life demanded different qualities. Alicia was a scientist. She was so fucking smart. So beautiful and so smart… He just couldn’t ask her to take a chance on him. She would be bored out of her mind after spending just one week in his company. Besides, she had important work to do. Extremely important work he didn’t even understand the first thing about. Listening to her explain what she did for a living, like she briefly had on the flight before they’d—well, had their fun in the toilet—he knew she was way out of his league and if she stayed with him, out of gratitude or whatever, she’d only be selling herself short.
No, he had to let her go. Had to let her move on with her life. Twelve months in the jungle, and then he’d come to fuck up her life. She’d lived a quiet life, the life of a scholar, in peace with her surroundings—even with the murderous thugs that were her neighbors. And then he’d come along and made a mess of her life—put her in danger. Twice!
He’d save her dad, he owed her that and more—and then he’d gracefully bow out. No, not gracefully. He was probably as graceful as Baloo the Bear. But he’d get the fuck out of her way so she could live her life and be happy, same way she’d been before they met.
As he stalked down the sta
irs, his feet thumping on the steps, he thought all this and more, and the more he thought, the grumpier and the angrier he felt.
By the time he arrived downstairs, he was ready to kill someone—anyone. Good thing he’d be meeting Ty de Montesquieu soon, he thought. He needed to beat up on someone, and no one deserved a good beating more than Harlan’s treacherous and sadistic eldest.
Chapter 29
Alicia cried herself to sleep that night. The anticipatory tension of going on a mission to save her father—the aftershock of the ordeal she’d lived through in Colombia—but even more than all that, the fact that Roland hadn’t shown up—hadn’t even popped in to say goodnight…
He’d dumped her, that much was obvious, and even though she’d expected something like this to happen once they were back in the States, it still was a shock to her how easily he could abandon her—kick her to the curb like a mangy mutt. That was probably all she’d ever been to him: a bitch in heat, to fuck and discard at his leisure, like the rich brute he was.
The memory of his hands on her body, roaming free and treacherous and revealing every ounce of desire they harvested with such ease… She didn’t want to be without him anymore—she couldn’t. And yet she had no choice in the matter. He’d made that choice that afternoon. She’d seen it in his eyes. Gone was the tender passion simmering beneath the surface. Replaced by calculation and the hard crust a man in his position must raise to protect himself against hussies in heat like her.
She wasn’t after his fortune, if that’s what he was worried about. She didn’t care one hoot about his billions or his properties or whatever. She cared deeply about the man she’d met in Colombia, the man whose mask had fallen and whom she’d seen in all his raw power and splendor. The vulnerable, tender giant who could be soft and sweet as well as callous and ruthless with his enemies.
She’d fallen in love not with Roland Thornton the billionaire entrepreneur but with Franklin Costner, the intrepid explorer, ready to wreak havoc on drug lords in the jungles of South America and save geeky scientists from their grasp.
The man who could make love like a Greek god, and had a heart as big as a whale and courageous as a lion, with plenty of love and tenderness to share. The gentle giant. He was the man she’d fallen for. Had he all but disappeared? Would she ever see that man again? Would she ever see Franklin Costner again?
She knew she wouldn’t, and when sleep finally claimed her for its own, she dreamed of lush green palm fronds and water snakes. About making love in cramped quarters and staring out across the vastness of the Amazon forest while Roland fucked her relentlessly from behind, his hands roaming across her chest with abandon and feverish heat.
And it was as she stirred in her sleep that a gentle caress awakened her, a soft kiss pressed on her brow, but when she opened her eyes, her room was empty. Was it just her imagination? She touched the spot where lips had briefly touched, and frowned. She was either seeing things or someone had just been in her room…
Roland walked back to his room, a storm raging in his bosom. She looked so beautiful as she lay sleeping, and it was all he could do not to disturb her slumber by slipping next to her and holding her close to him. Finally, he’d settled for a soft kiss, hoping she wouldn’t wake her.
It would merely complicate matters if she found him in her room. He’d vowed to keep his distance from now on, and avoid complications of the heart. They already had enough to deal with now, with the impending mission, and he didn’t want to foster illusions about what their union had meant to her.
She was so beautiful, so smart, so talented… He would only hold her back. And besides, all she ever felt for him was an appreciation for the physical pleasure he’d granted her. Her body responded instantly to his touch, but not her soul. Not her heart. And he wanted it all. If he gave himself to a woman, he wanted the full package, and he knew that with Alicia Sumner, that could never happen.
As he crossed the carpeted hallway, a door creaked open to his right and Kevin stepped into his path, eyes drooping and face sleep-worn. He squinted at Roland, and when recognition dawned, he yawned cavernously. “Toilet?” he muttered.
Roland grinned and pointed to the other end of the hallway. “Last door on the left, buddy. And please pee in the pot. We’ve got ladies in the house tonight.”
“Ladies?” Kevin rubbed his eyes. “Oh, right. Alicia.” He frowned. “Why is it you’re here and she’s—” He waved his hand indiscriminately at the ceiling. “—over there somewhere? Aren’t you two an item or something?”
“Or something is right,” grunted Roland, leaning against a cupboard.
“So… you’re not together anymore?”
Roland shrugged, the conversation not doing much to improve his foul mood. “Don’t think we ever were. I guess she needed some… release and was glad to find me to take care of that for her.” Kevin snorted and Roland gave him a dirty look. “What’s so funny about that?”
“No, it’s just that I’d never figured you for a gigolo, Ro. You know. A male, um…” One look at Roland’s face and he decided not to pursue his line of conversation. He gave him a cheery grin. “Well, nice talking to you, man.”
Roland didn’t respond, only scowled at the young man.
Kevin, against his better judgment, seemed to have one last point to touch upon. “See, I think you’re all wrong about her. I think that girl actually, genuinely likes you.” He held up his hands, rolling his eyes. “I know. How can anyone like you, right? I mean, I don’t even like you, and I’ve just spent the better part of last month trudging through the jungle with you, calling you Dad and all.”
“What’s your point, if any?” snarled Roland, his hands balling into fists. The keen desire to smash someone’s face in had suddenly returned in full force. Kevin’s mocking face would do just fine, he decided.
Kevin, spotting the danger, took a few steps back. “Nothing. Just… I’ve seen you guys together, remember? And you look great. Together, I mean.” He sighed, rubbing at his eyes again. “Anyway. I’ll let you do… whatever it is you were doing.” He grinned. “At ease, soldier, and… carry on.” And with a crazy giggle he started in the direction of the toilet, leaving Roland to stare after him with a mixture of anger and bewilderment.
What the heck was the guy talking about? He shook his head as he returned to his room. Jungle fever, he reckoned. The kid had been out there too long and the experience must have gone to his head. Made his brain turn to mush.
Alicia genuinely liking him? Right. As if.
Chapter 30
The sun shone bright and true the following day, and its warmth and radiance lifted Alicia from the depths of sleep in which she’d tumbled the night before. Blinking against the welcoming rays, she briefly lay absolutely still, taking in her new surroundings with a curious eye.
Motes of dust drifted lazily over the four poster bed, settled on the antique cabinet sitting opposite and light flickered gaily from the mirror over the dresser in the corner. Then she remembered. She wasn’t in her small cabin in the jungle anymore, a single cot her nocturnal companion. She was in the posh Thornton mansion, a guest of the estate, and today was the day she was going to see her father again.
With an excited heart, she hopped from the bed, a simple white cotton nightgown that had once belonged to Chloe Thornton her dress for the night, and she wrapped a bathrobe around herself as she padded across the polished hardwood floor in search of the bathroom.
The door next to the dresser, if she remembered correctly, held her own private bathroom, and when she opened it curiously, she was gratified to find that it did. And what a bathroom it was! A large bathtub sat in the center of the oval space, a walk-in shower to the far end, and two sinks stood at attention to the right. Suppressing a giggle, she stepped in, and enjoyed the sensation of the thick white rug under her toes.
She closed the door, shed the robe and nightgown, and stepped into the shower. As she opened the jets, her entire body was being massaged by water, and
when she reached for the soap, she found she had the choice of no less than eight different varieties, all a simple button press away.
Remembering the way she’d washed herself in Colombia—and sometimes had gone days without—this was luxury with a capital L!
As she soaped up, she enjoyed the sensation of the jets pummeling her body, the silky feel of the soap sliding down her skin, and when she finally emerged, she felt wholly refreshed. A new woman.
A set of clothes had been laid out on the dresser, and she looked through them eagerly. They were a pair of sturdy designer jeans, a simple checked red-and-blue shirt, maroon fleece sweater, and matching socks. Whoever had taken care of her wardrobe for the day—and she had a hunch Fay Thornton had something to do with it—had known she wasn’t going to the spring ball today but on a rescue mission in the Nevada desert.
A hearty breakfast awaited her downstairs, and she was glad to meet all the usual suspects: Roland and Kevin, Scott and Anna, Fay and Jack, and, she was surprised to see, a young woman with flaming red hair who introduced herself as Chloe.
Her beauty struck Alicia, as did the sadness of her eyes. Remembering Roland’s words, only now did she realize how devastating the news reports must have been for Roland’s youngest sister. Not only had she found out she’d been adopted, she was now socially dead in the circles she used to frequent, practically all of her friends turning their backs on her.
“So you’re Alicia,” the young woman said as she took her hand.
“That’s me.”
“I’ve heard so much about you I couldn’t wait to put a face to the stories.”
Alicia knitted her brows in surprise. “Oh?”
“Roland and Kevin have been spilling all your secrets, I’m afraid, darling,” Fay called out. “And we think it’s admirable what you’re trying to accomplish. The rain forest is one of our planet’s greatest natural resources and we should preserve it any way we can.”