He was beginning to agree with his wife, but he wasn’t yet ready to admit it.
Abby said, “There must be something you like about him.”
Dominic conceded, “Sometimes he makes me laugh. He’s such a shit, it’s funny.”
Abby smiled and nodded with approval. “See. You have something in common.”
Returning his wife’s smile, Dominic admitted, “He’s taking boxing lessons with someone whom he’s paying to beat him senseless. It’s pretty amusing.”
Quickly concerned, Abby said, “Is he okay? Why would he do that?”
Dominic shrugged. “I guess he wants to toughen up.”
Abby kissed her husband lightly on the lips and said, “You think he has no respect for you, but I’ll bet he admires you.”
Dominic gave his wife a cocky smile. “What’s not to admire? I’m handsome, rich, and married to the most incredible woman on the planet.”
That earned him a second chance at the warm welcome she’d offered him earlier. She pulled his head down to meet her lips again. “And humble . . .” She laughed between kisses.
He raised his head, looking serious for a moment, and corrected her. “Grateful.”
Their eyes met and held. Abby said, “We both have so much to be thankful for. Would it hurt you to help Jeremy find his way?”
He ran a thoughtful thumb lightly over his wife’s pink lips, which at that moment were turned up into a knowing smile. “Will I ever be able to say no to you?”
“Not when you know I’m right.” She sat up and slid her satin nightgown over her head, revealing her amazing breasts, which were growing even larger as her body changed with pregnancy. “Like right now, I think you’re wearing too much clothing.”
Dominic quickly discarded his boxers and rolled onto his back, pulling his naked wife with him so that she straddled him. He ran an appreciative thumb in a slow circle around one of her erect nipples. “Tell me what you want, Wife.”
She smiled down at him, her eyes brimming with love, and said, “You, Dom. Tonight. Tomorrow. Forever.”
His erection swelled against her moist center. “Let’s work on tonight first. I didn’t think you could get more beautiful or sexier, but knowing that all of this also has given us,” he laid his hand gently on her stomach again, “a family. I don’t have the words to tell you what it means to me.”
Abby leaned down, kissed her husband, and said against his lips, “Then show me.”
And he did.
Tenderly.
Joyfully.
Reverently.
All night.
And then again the next morning as they showered together.
Chapter Four
Two weeks later, Jeisa’s phone rang in the middle of the night. She rolled over and hid her head under her pillow, but the phone kept ringing. Eventually, she gave in and answered it, her voice thick with sleep. “Alô?”
“English, Jeisa,” Jeremy said cheerfully. Way too cheerfully for—she opened her heavy eyes and groaned when she saw the time—three o’clock. “Sorry to wake you, but I have to ask you something.”
Jeisa fell back into her pillows and resigned herself to the conversation. It wasn’t the first time he’d called her from another time zone. For a man with such a high IQ, he had a hard time understanding that just because he was awake, it didn’t mean the rest of the world shared that state. “What?”
“I need your opinion. Should I lease a plane or a jet?”
“Are you kidding me?”
“No, I’m serious. The planes are huge. You should see some of the ones they are showing me over here. Some of them have two floors and a theater. A fucking movie theater on a plane. Can you believe that?”
“Jeremy, I’m going back to sleep now.”
“Wait, I have to make the decision this morning. The jets are equally amazing. You can get anywhere in about half the time. Which one do you think makes me look more . . . dangerous?”
“Have you considered a fighter plane?” she joked.
Too seriously, Jeremy answered, “They don’t let civilians have those.”
Jeisa groaned. “I know. Can we look at your options when you get back?”
“No, I need it for this trip. Plane or jet. Which one would you rather fly in?”
Resigning herself to the conversation, Jeisa said, “Tell me about the plane again.”
“They have one that used to be owned by some old guy before the economy took a dive. It has three bedrooms and an office. They suggest you hire a cleaning and wait staff for it if you buy it.”
“Sounds amazing.”
“But the jet is exactly like what you see in the movies. It’s a small six seater—sleek, powerful, fast. It might be more impressive.”
“To whom?” When Jeremy didn’t answer, Jeisa sat straight up in bed. “Are you going to see Alethea on this trip?”
“I invited her to join me in the Tenin Republic. With their government fending off highly sophisticated rebel attacks, they want their network to be as secure as possible.”
Sounds dangerous, Jeisa thought, but she knew that was the point. From everything she’d heard about Alethea, she’d be drawn to the area like a moth to a flame. Jeisa tried to remain neutral. This is what he’s worked so hard for. “So they want their own hacker.”
“Exactly. There have been breaches at one of their military bases that may have been a hack-guided air strike. I can make sure that doesn’t happen again. It may have been an inside job, though, so it actually makes sense to bring Alethea in on this one.”
She wanted to yell, “No! It’s too dangerous. Too soon. I’m not ready to lose you yet.” But she stopped herself. Lose him? He’s already gone. She forced herself to sound supportive. “Sounds like the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.”
“It is,” he said, but he didn’t sound as excited as he should have.
She took a guess at why and asked, “But you’re not sure you’re ready?” When he said nothing, she pushed past her own feelings on the matter and told him what he needed to hear. “You are. I have no doubt that you’ll win her heart. Do you know why? Because I’ve watched you reach every goal you gave yourself over the last few months. You set your mind to something, and you made it happen. There aren’t many men who can say that. She’ll be impressed—no matter which aircraft you arrive in.”
“Thanks, Jeisa. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Now there’s a real kick in the pants. A man finally says what I’ve always longed to hear, and it’s only because I’m helping him win the heart of another woman.
“Good night, Jeremy.”
“Oh, before I forget. Marie invited us to Thanksgiving at the Andrades’ house. The Waltons will probably be there. I’d like to go.”
“So, go.”
“I want you there with me.”
No, no, no. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” It’s time to put some distance between us before I make a fool of myself.
“You know how I am in social situations like that. I need you there.”
“Thanksgiving is two weeks away. You could be with Alethea by then. Trust me, you won’t need me.”
“Rushing is not part of my plan with this trip. This week will be all about business—and letting her see the new me.”
“There was nothing wrong with the old you, Jeremy.”
“You know what I mean. She hasn’t seen me since Dominic’s engagement party. Things are different now.”
They sure are.
She heard the smile in his voice as he joked, “It will take her time to soak in my new awesomeness.”
Despite the heaviness of her heart, Jeisa couldn’t help but chuckle with him. “She may not recognize you now that your head has gotten so big.”
“Lucky for me, I have you around to keep my ego in check.”
Not for long.
Not once Alethea realizes how wonderful you are.
“Come with me to the Andrades’ for Thanksgiving,
Jeisa. I need you.”
His words brought unexpected tears to her eyes. She brushed them away impatiently and said, “I’m tired, Jeremy. Let’s talk about it when you get home.”
“I should be back Friday morning. I’ll bring you those chocolate truffle things you love.”
“Brigadeiros?” she asked, her mouth watering. “You are now forgiven for waking me up.”
His deep laugh sent a shiver of pleasure down her back. “I’ll come straight to your place when I fly back in a couple days and tell you how the trip went.”
Like a bucket of water to the face, his words shifted her focus back to the reality of what his trip would mean to them. “Sure,” she said with much less enthusiasm. Why not? Nothing a woman loves more than hearing a man talk about another woman. “See you Friday morning. And get the jet, Jeremy. Alethea will love it,” she said and hung up.
She should have wished him good luck, but the words had caught in her throat. Rolling onto her side, she hugged a pillow to her chest and fought back a confusing swirl of emotions.
Alethea Niarchos stepped out of the limo Jeremy Kater had sent for her and onto the tarmac of the Tenin Republic’s private government airfield. The heat rising off the runway made Alethea momentarily wish she’d waited within the vehicle’s cooled interior, but patience had never been one of her virtues. She’d agreed to meet Jeremy partly because working with a foreign government would take her career to a whole new level, and partly because his involvement here intrigued her. On paper, it was a parliamentary democratic country, but in practice it was essentially a dictatorship. Prime Minister Akia Alvo had started his reign as a hero, being voted in after a government coup fifteen years earlier. Some said that the power had gone to his head. He’d filled his cabinet with those loyal to him, and although both he and his loyalists had been re-elected, the press had cried foul on the process before he’d silenced them internally and banned foreign press.
The Jeremy she’d known since early high school would never have put himself or his skills on the market so publicly. Revealing himself would likely prove as dangerous for him as it was obviously financially lucrative.
What are you really doing here, Jeremy?
If money was all he sought, he could have found that merely by extending his association with Corisi Enterprises. His work in Najriad for the royal family had given him international recognition that he could have parlayed into any number of big contracts—and for a hefty fee. Why Tenin? Why get involved in a teetering government?
The answer came to her while she waited for the hatch door of the jet to open. Because money is no object when one’s survival is on the line. A government in crisis is as rich as it is volatile.
We could get killed here.
Or make a fast fortune.
Both possibilities were equally exciting. Lately she’d found the routine of what she did somewhat depressing. If she had to sit in on one more corporate-performance appraisal meeting where they focused more on damage control than prevention, she’d gnaw off her manicured nails. Eventually they would sell themselves on the importance of tightened security without giving her a tedious overview of their company first. More than once she’d been tempted to stab a CEO with one of her stilettos just to see if she could—and then make it out of the building alive.
Kill me, just don’t bore me.
Thanks to her recent affiliation with Dominic Corisi, the challenge of finding new jobs had disappeared—along with any enjoyment she found in testing building security systems. She had more potential clients than she had time to work with, but how much fun is breaking into a building if you’re asked to?
The hatch of the jet opened, and it took Alethea a moment to recognize Jeremy. Where was the pasty white man who had looked exactly like what he’d been: a computer geek who lived in his mother’s basement? His slightly rounded cheeks were now cut in strong lines, accenting his sharp blue eyes. His charcoal pinstriped Alexander Amosu suit was tailor-made to his new muscular frame. As he stopped to talk to the pilot before descending the stairs, Alethea’s jaw dropped in surprise. The modern cut of his thick brown hair was short, but edgy. It spoke of youthful power. Move over, Dad, your son is taking over the company.
Not that Jeremy necessarily had a company—or even a father, for that matter.
Honestly, Alethea had no idea what he had. She’d never paid much attention to his personal life. He’d always been her hacker friend—a reliable source of information one couldn’t obtain legally.
She shook her head in wonder. People don’t change that dramatically, do they? You don’t spend your life in a basement and then suddenly transform into a male model with an aircraft that screams, “Put me on the front page of Forbes.”
He started down the stairs, saw her, and smiled.
She surprised herself by smiling back.
Jeremy, huh? I never would have believed it.
She expected him to approach her awkwardly, as he always had, with that look that said he longed to hug her in greeting. Instead, he strode confidently to her and held out a hand as if she were a business associate of his. “Alethea,” he said smoothly, “I’m glad you made it on time. Our meeting is in twenty minutes at Alvo’s compound.”
His strong hand closed over hers, and she forgot what she was going to say.
Jeremy?
This can’t be Jeremy.
He was the one who broke contact and motioned to the armed Jeep detail that surrounded the limo he had sent for her. “I know you like to keep a low profile, but with the recent uprisings, these are necessary.”
Alethea nodded, slid back into the limo, and gathered her thoughts. A hundred questions swirled through her head, but none of them sounded flattering, so she held them in and waited for her filter to surface. “Nice jet,” she said and mentally kicked herself. Since when don’t I know what to say to a man?
His smile turned to a pleased grin that spread across his face, and for just a moment she glimpsed the boy she’d known for so long. He used to smile like that when he’d successfully hacked into a site someone had told him was impossible to access. “I’m glad you like it,” he said in a deep voice that was both familiar and completely foreign to her.
He sat across from her and opened a briefcase on his lap. “I brought you a hard copy of the layout of the compound we’ll be in today, as well as that of the base that was attacked.”
“Whatever happened to breaking in first and getting hired later?” she joked.
One of his eyebrows arched in subtle recognition of her humor. “You can try that, but in Tenin they tend to kill more than they imprison. This is the big-time, Alethea. You get in with this government and you can set your price with countries instead of companies.”
Damn, Jeremy. I want to take whatever vitamins you’re on.
“I appreciate you bringing me in on this,” Alethea said, and she did. This was exactly the kind of adventure her life had been lacking. She took the papers from him.
He shrugged. “You were a natural choice. We’ve known each other a long time.”
Not true, Jeremy, Alethea thought. If this is you, I never knew you at all. Putting down the papers, she studied him again and shook her head in bemusement. Were you always this good-looking and I didn’t notice? Or was it that, for the first time since she’d met him, he didn’t look the least bit interested in her? She sat back, crossed her legs, and watched his reaction from beneath her long lashes.
She’d chosen a blue- and black-color blocked tank dress. She was fully aware of how the material molded to her body like a second skin, and she’d never been above using her natural assets as leverage. Men were easier to handle when they were slightly off-balance—something she’d always found disappointingly easy to do. Jeremy’s eyes drifted to her legs, back to the view in the window behind her, then returned to her face. Casually, dismissing her flirtatious move.
A zing of excitement coursed through Alethea. Jeremy, you can pretend, but I know you’re into me. Yo
u’ve always been into me. She graced him with the sexiest smile she had in her arsenal. Heat flooded her cheeks when he looked amused instead of flustered.
In a perfectly calm, surprisingly disinterested voice, Jeremy said, “If you have any questions about the plans, we only have about ten more minutes before we arrive.” He pulled out a tablet from his briefcase and began to read over a document.
Oh, I have questions, but not about the plans.
What the hell happened to you, Jeremy, and why do I suddenly want prove to you that I am much more interesting than anything you can pull out of that briefcase?
Jeremy listened to the prime minister drone on about the political climate of his country and was tempted to check his watch. He didn’t want to hear justifications or propaganda. He wanted to get his hands on their computer network to see for himself if it had been breached.
The careful expression of interest on Alethea’s face suggested that she was equally impatient but was wisely keeping her thoughts to herself. She caught him looking at her and sat a little straighter in her seat.
When Jeremy had run through this scenario in his head, he’d been pretty sure it would fall short of his fantasy. But it didn’t. Not judging by the sultry smile she snuck him when the prime minister looked away. She’d never met his eyes for so long when they spoke nor chose to sit so close to him when given a chance to do otherwise.
If he were a fisherman, he would have said she was circling the bait.
When the prime minister walked out of the room for a moment to take a phone call, Alethea said, “We make quite a team, Jeremy. He’s drooling over us.”
Jeremy deliberately kept his voice cool. “He seems to be.”
“Do you have any other countries lined up?” she asked, excitement evident in her voice and the dancing light in her eyes. He’d known this project would interest her, especially since her recent work had seemed routine by comparison.
Everything was coming together exactly as he’d planned. He’d even anticipated this question and practiced his response in front of a mirror many times. He hoped it sounded natural when he drawled, “Let’s see how this one goes first.”
The Legacy Collection Box Set Page 58