“Come here, baby.” He reached out for her and she willingly came into his arms.
Frustration was clearly etched on Rasheed Valdemon’s face when he looked up to see Raul Santini enter his office. “Do you have any information for me?”
Santini nodded as he took a chair across from the desk. Frustration lined his features as well. “Yeah, and it’s not good news.”
Rasheed tilted his head back, wondering how much more disappointment he could handle. “What is it?”
“It appears that a man by the name of Araque was behind the terrorist attack. He’s a lowlife from my country with a band of cutthroats for followers. I can’t imagine him masterminding anything of this magnitude. I think he’s working with someone. He—”
“I don’t care about him, I want to know what you’ve heard about Corinthians Avery. Is Araque holding her as a hostage along with the other Americans?”
“No. It seems she and that Force Recon guy are somewhere in the jungles. Somehow they were able to escape. My source has informed me that because Araque knows Ms. Avery’s worth to Remington Oil, he has sent some of his men into the jungle to find her. I also heard the United States government has gotten wind of it and has sent a team of military men into the jungle to rescue them.”
For the longest moment Rasheed didn’t say a word, making Santini wonder what was going on in his head. “What are you thinking, Monty?”
Rasheed met Santini’s gaze. “Are you sure that other than a plot to kidnap the Americans for ransom, there is nothing I need to concern myself with? Are you sure there’s not anyone in your country who wants Ms. Avery as much as I do?”
Santini shook his head. “Our country already has oil, Monty. It may not have as much as the Middle East, but we have enough. I don’t think the terrorists’ attack had anything to do with Corinthians Avery personally. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Rasheed nodded. He was undecided what he would do. Yasir’s threat hung heavily over his head. But exile or not, he did not intend to walk away from the situation in Mowaiti.
“Something else you need to know, Monty,” Santini continued. “Because all the hostages are Americans, their government is blaming my country for what they see as a plot against the American oil companies. The president of this country is demanding Araque’s capture immediately. Since my father is ambassador, his hands are full trying to appease the United States government. At the same time, he’s working with the South American government on capturing Araque and returning the hostages unharmed before any ransom is paid. I have no doubt in my mind Araque will be captured. He has gone too far. My question to you is what do you want me to do now?”
“Let’s do nothing for now. If we tried to make another move on Corinthians Avery anytime soon, it will be too coincidental and will raise suspicious brows. But I won’t give up my plans. Mowaiti still needs her.”
Chapter 15
Corinthians woke up the next morning and knew she was alone. She had no idea when Trevor had left or where he had gone. The fire was still blazing in the center of the cave. A pot of coffee sat steaming nearby along with a pan of grilled fish. She snuggled under the covers, thinking he had apparently found another loaded stream and had gone spearfishing again.
She closed her eyes as she remembered how the heat from his body had kept her warm during the night. There was no part of her that had gotten cold. He had wrapped them in his blanket and she had gone to sleep tucked securely in his arms with her body snuggled close to his.
Corinthians clutched the blanket more tightly around her when a deep emotion took hold of her. She shifted her body to face the fire, and let her mind go back to when her and Trevor’s paths had first crossed. She had originally set out to seduce one man and had ended up falling for another.
There was no way she could convince herself that that night two years ago had meant nothing to her but one embarrassing moment. Deep down she knew it had meant everything. Her life had not been the same since. And she now knew why.
She had fallen in love with Trevor Grant.
But the sad thing was that he didn’t love her in return. Not only did he not love her, he didn’t even like her. He actually thought she could love one man and be deeply attracted to another. He had accused her of having shaky and unsteady emotions. She may have been confused about her emotions two years ago, but today she knew her heart. There was no doubt in her mind that she was in love with him.
But knowing what he thought of her, the obvious question was what was she going to do to set him straight? With a groan, she turned over onto her side, shifted her gaze away from the fire, and looked at the rocky wall. She could tell him her true feelings, but what would she gain by doing that? Especially since he disliked her anyway. However, by his own admission, he was attracted to her. She could use that attraction to her advantage. She immediately tossed out that idea. She wanted more between them than physical attraction. She wanted love.
But she knew for Trevor to fall in love with her would take a miracle.
It was close to late afternoon when Trevor returned. He had deliberately stayed away all day, needing time to deal with his newfound emotions. When he entered the cave, he stopped abruptly. Corinthians was sitting Indian style on the blanket with his small mirror in her hand, trying to brush the tangles out of her hair, and getting frustrated with the task. He stood there and watched her. His gaze wandered to the slender, shapely legs that showed from beneath his T-shirt, which she was wearing. Before entering the cave he had seen her jeans and shirt spread across a rock to dry. He had also seen her lingerie placed alongside them. Since he had not packed her any extra underthings, he could only assume she wasn’t wearing anything under that T-shirt. That thought made his heart rate increase.
It took a few minutes before he could finally open his mouth to speak. “Having a bad hair day?” he asked her.
Corinthians stopped brushing her hair and turned quickly toward Trevor. She had not heard him enter the cave. “Yes. It got wet yesterday and I can barely do a thing with it.”
She took a good look at Trevor. He had been gone most of the day. She had begun worrying about him, although she knew he could take care of himself. He was standing at the mouth of the cave, gazing at her with an intense look on his face. Behind him the afternoon sunlight was peeping through the waterfall, casting its fading rays upon him. That backdrop made him look more handsome, manlier and more desirable. She took a sharp intake of breath when he began walking toward her.
“Come here. I think I can help,” he said when he stood in front of her. He held out his hand to her.
Corinthians lifted a brow as she took his hand and let him pull her to her feet. “You used to be a hairstylist in another life?”
“No, but I used to do Gina’s hair all the time.”
A sharp stab of jealousy went through Corinthians. “Who’s Gina? An old girlfriend?” she asked, trying to downplay any envy in her voice.
“Not hardly,” he said, laughing. He took the brush from her. “Gina’s my sister. Her real name is Regina, but we call her Gina for short.”
Corinthians stared at him in surprise. “Sister? I didn’t know you had a sister. Why didn’t you mention her when I asked you about your family?”
Trevor sat on a ledge that jutted out from the rocky wall like a shelf. “You never got around to the question of siblings. You asked me about a wife and children. Then you shifted your attention to the issue of why my parents are separated and not divorced.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, oh.”
“How old is she?” Corinthians asked curiously moments later.
“Gina’s twenty-seven. There’s a ten-year difference in our ages,” he said as he gently pulled her between his opened legs with her back to him. He began brushing her hair.
At first Corinthians tensed at the feel of her hips cradled between Trevor’s thighs. Then she allowed herself to relax against the hard, masculine chest that
supported her back, and the hard thighs encasing her hips. The only barrier between them was the denim of his jeans and the cotton of the T-shirt she wore.
The feel of him brushing her hair felt wonderful. She almost groaned with every stroke the brush made through her hair. There was something soothing about the movements. Each stroke was measured. Each stroke was a caress. Then moments later, he placed the brush aside and began combing through her hair with his hands. His callused fingers gently massaged her scalp all the way down to the root. It became more difficult to stay still, so she automatically leaned her body back against him, fitting snug against his front. When she did, she felt his hard arousal pressing against her rear end.
She took a deep breath when he picked up the brush again and began brushing her hair, before taking his hands and gathering her hair and forming it into a single, neat braid. She knew the moment he had finished, but for the life of her, she could not make herself leave the comfort of being in such an intimate position with him.
Trevor inhaled deeply as Corinthians’s scent floated all around him. As with a will of their own, his hands began stroking her back, and then cupped the back of her neck in the palm of his hand as enormous emotions washed through him. No matter who she was in love with, as far as he was concerned, she was his. She was his woman.
He loved her and if he could not have her heart, then he wanted to make her his, body and soul. He pulled her braid, tilting her head back as his mouth began placing warm butterfly kisses across her cheek, down her neck and the deep hollow of her throat. With his other hand, he began caressing her thighs. His body ached with the feel of touching her smooth skin. The soft moans that parted her lips were like an open invitation, begging him to come inside her mouth and taste her.
And so he did.
He turned her around to claim her lips. With all the love in his heart, he kissed her. When he did, passion tore at him, making him feed greedily off her mouth, making him mate hotly with her tongue. His hunger for her intensified. His craving for her increased. He was driven by need, but mainly by love.
Fire ignited his hands as he reached down and lifted the hem of the T-shirt she wore to explore the places underneath. He allowed his knuckles to brush between her thighs as his mouth continued to be hot and demanding on her lips. He caught her groan in his mouth when she felt his intimate touch.
Pleasure, the likes of which he had never experienced before, swept through his body. For one crazed moment, he wanted to believe she felt all the things for him that he felt for her. But if nothing else, at least he knew that she wanted him. That was evident in the way she was returning his kiss, molding her mouth ardently to the shape of his. She was kissing him with fervency born of hunger and desperation. The yearning and the wanting that raged inside of him demanded relief.
Trevor broke off the kiss and whispered hotly in her ear. “I want you, baby.”
A knot suddenly tightened within Corinthians. Those weren’t the words she had wanted to hear. She didn’t want him to just want her. She wanted him to love her. There was a big difference in the two. If only he knew how desperately she wanted him, too. But she loved him just as much as she wanted him.
She pulled herself out of his arms. “I can’t, Trevor. I can’t sleep with someone without love.”
Trevor flinched. She had just reminded him that she didn’t love him. Suddenly, a deeper emotion, anger, raised its ugly head and his lips twisted into a bitter smile.
“Love? If that’s true, why did you plan Dex’s seduction that night? He sure didn’t love you. Yet, you were going to give yourself to him without love. You were prepared to sleep with him that night just to get him interested. So don’t pretend love makes such a big difference to you,” he snapped. “You’ll never convince me that it does.”
Corinthians was hurt by Trevor’s words, but she felt compelled to make him understand. She wanted to tell him she never loved Dex and had only thought that she did. She wanted to tell him that he was the man she knew within her heart that she loved. “I made a mistake that night. I—”
“Tell me something I don’t know. Your biggest mistake is wanting a man you’ll never have.”
A part of her knew his words were true. She would never have Trevor. “Probably not, but that won’t stop me from loving him,” she said quietly, knowing he thought she was referring to her feelings for Dex. But the truth was, she was referring to what she felt for him. However, she would never tell him that now, especially after what he had just said. He would never know that he was the man she loved.
Trevor stared at her, long and hard. He then turned and walked out of the cave.
Regina Grant Farrell sipped her coffee and watched her parents closely. She had been surprised when she had come to her mother’s home straight from the airport and her father had opened the door. She had known immediately after walking into the living room that he had spent the night. Blankets had been thrown all over the sofa.
She knew if Trevor were here, he would caution her to not make a big deal about it, but there was no way she could not. This was the first time she had seen her parents in such close quarters together in years. Although they had remained on relatively civil terms for her and Trevor’s sake, she knew that over the years they had pretty much avoided each other.
She couldn’t help but study her mother. It seemed that this morning she had gone an extra length in making herself look radiant, which wasn’t hard to do. As far as she was concerned, her mother was still a beautiful woman who wore her age of fifty-six rather well. She could easily pass for a woman in her early forties. She was glad her mother had kept herself looking good over the years.
She inwardly smiled. From the looks her father was giving her mother, when he thought it wasn’t obvious to anyone, he apparently noticed how good her mother looked, too.
Trevor had been sixteen when their parents had separated, and Regina had been six. Although, after the separation, her father had still spent a lot of time with her, it hadn’t been the same as when they had lived together. She had missed that family unity.
She had a close relationship with both of her parents and unlike Trevor, she was still holding out and hoping that one day they would put the past behind them and get back together. No one could convince her they didn’t still care something for each other. Even this morning she noted her mother had cooked a huge breakfast that had included all the things she knew her father liked.
Regina smiled and made a mental note to share that bit of info with Trevor when he got home.
Trevor.
No sister could ask for a more caring brother. Unlike most guys with younger sisters, he never made her feel like she was a pain in the rear end. He’d always treated her with love and adoration. And when her marriage after college had ended in divorce less than four years later, he had been there for her.
She hoped that wherever Trevor was, he was safe.
Ennis, Texas
Justin Madaris stood embracing his wife. His breath was warm against the top of her head and his hands were wrapped around her waist. “Are you sure about that, Lorren?”
Lorren Madaris tilted her head back and looked up at her husband. “I’m positive. There’s no way I can let you plan a birthday party for me knowing Trevor won’t be here. When he comes home we can celebrate then.” She smiled. “Besides, what woman in her right mind would want to celebrate turning thirty?”
Justin tightened his arms around her. “A very beautiful one.” It didn’t seem like four years had passed since he had first laid eyes on her at a birthday party that had been given for her foster mother. But four years had passed, and they had been very special.
Lorren was everything he needed and desired. She was still the love of his life. July 19 was her birthday, and as he had always done in the past, he was planning a huge cookout to celebrate the event and would invite all their family and friends. The bash usually lasted through the weekend with everyone staying over and spending the night. Now, there would
n’t be a party until Trevor returned.
He led Lorren over to the sofa and sat down and pulled her into his lap. “At least there’s a strong possibility Trevor will be coming home. I was scared there for a while. You don’t know how relieved I was to receive that call from Dex saying Trevor had eluded the terrorists and had escaped into the jungle.”
He chuckled. “And with a good-looking woman at that. How lucky can you get?”
“So you think the woman he took in the jungle with him is really Corinthians Avery?”
Justin gave his wife a slow, lazy grin. “Yes, but we’ll know for sure sometime today. According to Dex, the families of the hostages have all been notified so the media will probably release their names soon. I think it will be a sure bet Corinthians Avery’s name won’t be on that list.”
“I’m glad. I’d much rather see her with Trevor than in the hands of those terrorists.”
Justin couldn’t help but agree. “I’m sure Corinthians’s family feels the same way. Dex talked to her parents this morning and assured them that Trevor was capable of keeping their daughter safe. I think they were relieved to hear it.”
“That was thoughtful of Dex to do that. I’m sure that was reassuring news to them.”
“Dex thought so, until he talked to Joshua Avery, Corinthians’s brother.”
Lorren lifted an arched eyebrow. “The senator?”
“Yes, the senator now, the governor of Texas later, if Avery has his way. It seems that although he’s glad his sister is safe from the terrorists, he’s concerned with how it looks for her to be spending days and nights alone in the jungle with a man. He had the nerve to question Dex on Trevor’s character. I don’t want to think about what Dex might have told him. He asked the wrong person.”
Lorren couldn’t help but laugh. She totally agreed with her husband. Of the three Madaris brothers, Dex was not the one to cross. He was a real no-nonsense man. “I can’t believe Senator Avery would actually be concerned about such a thing. Corinthians and Trevor were staying at the same hotel with rooms that were apparently close enough to each other for Trevor to have gotten her out of the hotel that time of night with him.”
Fire and Desire (Arabesque) Page 15