by Amelia Autin
One corner of his mouth twitched into a half smile. “Yeah, but you’ve seen the highlights, same as at the Great Wall. And you can always say you’ve been here.” He gestured to her camera. “Want me to take your picture for you?”
“Ye...yes...”
But he’d apparently noticed her slight hesitation. “You don’t want me to take your picture?”
“That’s not it.” Just spit it out, she told herself firmly. “Could I take one of the two of us?” She raised her camera. “I’ve gotten pretty good at taking selfies. Would you mind?” Then she held her breath.
“The pictures you already took of me aren’t enough?”
She stared at him. “You knew? You didn’t say anything.”
He laughed. “You’d make a lousy spy—you weren’t all that surreptitious.”
“Oh.” Nonplussed, she asked, “You don’t mind?”
“Mind that you want memories of the time we’ve spent together?” His lips quirked into a smile. “What do you think?”
“I wasn’t... It’s just that... Well, yes,” she confessed. “But I’d like at least one photo of the two of us together. Please?”
He slid an arm around her shoulders. “My pleasure.”
Savannah held her camera out away from the two of them and snapped a couple of shots, looking at the screen after each one to make sure she hadn’t cut off the top of their heads or anything stupid like that. “One more,” she pleaded.
Niall flashed her a smile. “Why sure, darlin’.”
His smile went right through her, and she felt it all the way to her toes. She sighed softly, then smiled at the camera and pressed the button. “Thanks.”
“Now one for me...to go with my collection.”
Her smile faded. “Collection?” she faltered, unsure what he meant by that but not liking the sound of it. Was Niall referring to a collection of women he’d been—?
“Pictures of you,” he added, as if he’d suddenly realized how she’d interpreted his statement. He whipped his iPhone out of his pocket to show her, scrolling through what appeared to be a dozen or more photos of her taken today. Candid shots, not posed, but each one clearly conveying her excitement at being there.
“When did you... How did you take these without my knowledge?”
“Because unlike you, I am good at taking pictures surreptitiously.” He drew her back against him, held the iPhone out and click! Then click again.
He held the phone for her to see without even looking at them himself. “Okay?”
The first picture was typical tourist fodder—they were both smiling at the camera, and in the background you could clearly see the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The second picture, the one she hadn’t been expecting and therefore wasn’t posing for, was troubling. Because she’d turned in that split second between the first and the second clicks, and was staring up at Niall with an expression that could easily be called...yearning.
She wanted to insist he delete that photo because it was too revealing, but she didn’t want to call attention to it, either. So she just nodded and handed him back the phone, then watched in silence for his reaction.
“Not bad,” he said judiciously, reviewing the first one. When he swiped a finger over the screen to view the second one, however, he said nothing at all. But his eyebrows twitched into a frown before he shut the phone down and pocketed it.
“Come on,” he said, grasping her hand and drawing her willy-nilly after him toward the northern end of the Forbidden City. “There’s still time to visit the Imperial Garden. I’ve heard the rockeries there are not to be missed.”
* * *
Savannah had signed up for one of the few optional side tours, the Peking opera, so Niall had, too. But unlike Savannah, whose gaze was fixed on the stage practically the entire night, Niall spent most of the evening watching her. Wondering if he wasn’t making a bad mistake.
The photo from this morning bothered him. A lot. It was one thing to become Savannah’s lover—which he had every intention of doing. It was another thing entirely to make her fall in love with him—which he had no intention of doing.
He had a healthy libido and an active sex life. He’d long since gotten over Francine, the one and only woman he’d ever asked to marry him, back when he’d been young and stupid enough to fall for a woman so shallow her only reaction to his being shot was disappointment that his body was no longer perfect. Back when he’d still been in the Marine Corps. He wasn’t carrying a torch for his “one true love” or anything like that—he’d said goodbye and good riddance in the same breath. And he wasn’t nursing a wounded heart, no matter what Savannah might have thought last night. He’d had nineteen years and a plethora of women to make sure of it.
He’d broken no hearts over the years because he’d never settled into a long-term relationship, which was just fine and dandy with him. He’d cared a couple of times more than the rest, but he’d never let himself fall in love again for one reason and one reason only: the job that meant more to him than anything.
Problem was, the woman sitting next to him didn’t know it. Didn’t know him. Didn’t know she’d been his target as recently as yesterday.
He’d never gotten involved before with a woman who didn’t know the score. Who didn’t know the rules of the game going in. Who didn’t know it was a game. Which meant he’d never spent time with anyone as naïve as Savannah.
He considered this carefully and concluded, yeah, that word applied to her. But there were other words that came to mind. Words he shied away from, because they only added to the guilt he was carrying over how he’d met her in the first place.
And if he wasn’t careful, he could hurt her. Badly.
Chapter 6
Niall sat with Savannah as the tour bus drove through the crowded streets of Beijing away from the old section of the city. This trip to the hutongs—the narrow, ancient alleyways that had once dominated Beijing—along with a rickshaw ride and tea tasting at an ancient temple, had been designed to give them a flavor of the old days. But the entire time, all Savannah could think of was that the five-star hotel she’d slept in last night was a world away from the life experienced by the residents here.
Niall said nothing, and Savannah wondered if he was thinking the same things she was. Finally, she broke the silence, but she trailed off as she found herself unable to put her thoughts into words. “I never imagined...”
“Very few Americans do.”
“This wasn’t what I expected.”
Niall picked up her hand and examined it. “What did you expect?”
“I... I don’t really know. I mean... I wasn’t thinking about the people,” she admitted in a low voice. “Just the history. You know?”
He squeezed her hand in seeming understanding. “Yeah. It’s easy to forget much of the world doesn’t live the way we do even now.” He was silent for a moment. “But what you have to remember is, people often cling to the familiar. That they don’t want change, even if it’s change for the better from one perspective. When China was renovating the city for the 2008 Olympic Games, they bulldozed a lot of these older neighborhoods. But many people fought to keep them, to keep their traditional way of life. The daughter of a historian should understand the importance of cultural heritage. So don’t feel bad for them, and don’t feel guilty. They’re living the life they want.”
“How’d you know I was feeling...guilty?”
He smiled that faint smile she was coming to recognize. “You have a very expressive face.”
* * *
Their flight to Xi’an that afternoon went off without a hitch, although Savannah wondered how Niall had managed to secure a seat next to her. All the married couples had, as a matter of course, been assigned seats together. She hadn’t expected to have him as her seatmate for the relatively short flight
because they weren’t a couple as far as the tour knew. But she was glad anyway, and especially grateful to have him at her back during the boarding process—no one would dare to shove him.
She didn’t think anything of it at first when he gave her the window seat, but then she realized he hadn’t asked her preference, aisle or window; he’d just shepherded her into that seat. That’s when she realized this was part and parcel of what he’d done all day yesterday and today. As if no one was going to cross the protective shield with which he’d surrounded her.
“I wanted to ask you,” she began softly after the airplane had taken off. “You mentioned yesterday morning you work in security.” She hesitated. “Is there something I should do to protect myself? I mean, I’m not going home, but I’m not planning to just ignore the potential threat.”
“For starters, don’t go anywhere alone.” He smiled that faint smile she was fast coming to recognize. “But you don’t have to worry about that—I’ve been sticking to you like glue, and I intend to keep doing it.”
Disconcerted, all she could think of to say was, “Oh.” Then she added, “You’re not responsible for me, Niall. I’m grateful, of course, but—”
His smile grew. “Won’t be a hardship, if that’s what you’re thinking. Especially if your invitation still stands.”
“Invita—” She broke off as she realized what he meant, and a hot tide of warmth invaded her cheeks.
He slid his hand beneath the hair at the nape of her neck and gently but firmly drew her head toward his as his lips descended for a kiss that drove every rational thought out of her mind. She gasped for breath when he finally released her, only to have his lips take hers again, and she melted.
She found herself free eons later, with no memory of having been released. She touched a shaky finger to her swollen lips, then whispered, “How do you do that?”
“Do what?” he asked, tongue-in-cheek, but his knowing smile told her he knew damn well what she meant.
“I’m not a virgin,” she blurted out, then was aghast at herself.
All Niall replied was, “I never expected you were.” His expression was enigmatic. “I’m not, either.”
“Of course you’re not,” she asserted with a hint of exasperation. “But I’m not... That is, I haven’t... What I mean is, I already told you I won’t be much of a challenge.”
He ran a finger along the curve of her cheek. “I’m not looking for a conquest, if that’s what you were thinking,” he assured her. “And I don’t put notches on my bedpost. But I will admit I have every intention of making love to you, if you’re willing. Tonight. Tomorrow night. And every night for the rest of this trip.” His deliberately seductive voice made her shiver uncontrollably. “And once we get on the boat, I’m thinking love in the afternoon sounds pretty damn good, too.”
She closed her eyes and swallowed hard, then looked at him again and confessed ever so faintly, “I’m not that good at it.”
His eyes softened as they gazed at her, as if he understood how difficult it had been for her to reveal this to him. How humiliating. “Don’t worry, Savannah. You will be.” He brushed her lips with his. “Don’t take that the wrong way. I’m not some arrogant, boastful son of a bitch who thinks he’s God’s gift to women. But you and I both know you’re an incredibly responsive woman...with me. Last night...”
He’d left her again at her hotel door last night. But unlike the first night, this time he’d kissed her until they’d both been breathless. Until her whole body had trembled with longing and she’d mutely pleaded for more. Until he’d taken her keycard from her hand, unlocked her door and growled, “You’re hell on my good intentions,” before forcing her inside and closing the door—with him on the outside.
She dragged her attention back with an effort to what Niall was saying now.
“I don’t give a damn about your past, what you have or haven’t done in bed. All I know is last night proved we have something special together. Chemistry, with a touch of magic thrown in. Which means your sexuality is just waiting to be tapped.” His voice was little more than a whisper of sound when he said, “And I want to be the man who taps it.”
Her pulse accelerated like a bottle rocket because this was what she’d been telling herself she wanted. But some little demon of fear of the unknown suddenly possessed her, and she gripped his shirt in panic, not sure she could go through with it. “Niall...”
“Trust me,” he soothed. “It’ll be all right. You’ll see.”
* * *
The rest of the flight passed in a daze for Savannah. Niall held her hand the entire time. Reassuringly. Protectively. But not possessively. And he didn’t try to seduce her with words again, either. He was just...there.
She gazed eagerly out the window at the city below just before they landed, but was disappointed it looked no different from the air than any other modern city. She couldn’t help but hear her mother’s voice in her head, nevertheless, reminding her that Xi’an, under a different name, had at one time been the capital of China, rivaling the centers of other major ancient civilizations. Somewhere down there were the two-thousand-year-old terracotta warriors she’d come to see. She wouldn’t be disappointed then.
But that was tomorrow’s agenda. Tonight...tonight there was Niall.
Savannah had never understood what all the hoopla was about where sex was concerned. She’d lost her virginity at sixteen to the captain of the football team, a painful, less than fulfilling experience in a relationship that had lasted little more than a month. He’d said he loved her and she’d been dazzled into believing him. But once he’d talked her into sleeping with him, he’d dropped her like a hot potato...and then bragged about it. Humiliating her unbearably.
She’d wised up after that and had been more selective, eschewing “chemistry” and going for men she liked and respected. But after two tepid affairs in college, she’d decided sex was vastly overrated. Either she was undersexed or she had the misfortune of picking men who didn’t do it for her. Or some combination in between. She’d envied other women in college when they’d talked about their incredible sex lives, but she’d kept quiet. She’d had no intention of revealing her woeful inadequacy where that was concerned.
She’d dated sporadically in grad school, but once she’d attained her PhD and had accepted the job with her former employer, she’d stopped doing even that. No way would she date someone she worked with; if the relationship didn’t work out, she still had to see that person on a regular basis. Not happening, she’d told herself on more than one occasion, vividly remembering her excruciatingly humiliating experience in high school.
And she’d been so focused on her career she’d had little time for anything else. Little time to meet anyone other than the men she worked with. And she’d consoled herself with the thought that she wasn’t really missing anything anyway.
But that was before she’d met Niall. Before he’d looked at her with that certain something in his eyes, before he’d touched her and set off sparks that made her quiver with anticipation. And she knew—she knew—sex with Niall would be anything other than tepid. Sex with Niall would rival the best she’d ever heard about from other women, the best she’d ever read about in the romances she’d sneaked from her mother’s bookshelves when she was a teenager.
And all she had to do was let it happen. All she had to do was overcome any latent inhibitions that might crop up at the last minute. All she had to do was—
“Everyone else is off the plane, Savannah. I think the flight attendants would like us to leave, too.”
“Oh.” She blinked and came back to the here and now, realizing Niall was right. The cabin was empty except for them. He probably thought she’d wanted to wait until after the crowd had deplaned, and had stayed at her side. She wasn’t going to tell him she’d been so lost in thought she’d never even realized they wer
e on the ground.
Niall rose and moved into the aisle, shouldering his knapsack and pulling their carry-ons from the overhead compartment, then waiting patiently. Savannah gathered up her purse and the light jacket she’d brought with her and pointed to her suitcase. “I can carry that.”
He gave her a look that spoke volumes, then started up the aisle, carrying both his and hers. She scurried to keep up with him.
They claimed their checked luggage inside the terminal, then boarded the tour bus that would take them to their hotel.
“Dinner’s at our hotel tonight,” Niall reminded her. “May I have the pleasure of your company?”
She couldn’t help but smile at the old-fashioned courtesy, especially since he’d already expressed his intentions about tonight in no uncertain terms. Still... “You’re right,” she said. “Your parents raised a gentleman. And I’d love to have dinner with you.”
* * *
Niall was grateful the operators of this tour handled checking into the hotel for their guests, because that meant keys to the rooms were handed out in the hotel lounge, along with corresponding room numbers. He quickly memorized a dozen of these and paired them with the couples who were occupying those rooms, including those of the Williamses and the overly friendly Thompsons. Not that he suspected anyone in particular, but still. If someone was targeting Savannah, what better guise than guests on the same tour?
He’d already set in motion background checks on all thirty-six of his and Savannah’s fellow tour-bus occupants, quaintly called Michael’s Family after the English name of their Chinese tour guide. The designation was a convenient way for each of the tour guides to keep track of the people in their group when they were dispersed in crowds.
Niall knew very well whoever was targeting Savannah didn’t have to be someone in their tour group. There would be close to five hundred passengers on the river cruise portion of this trip, and all the passengers were suspects, since they were all housed in the same hotels. Not to mention the tour guides. But...he was playing the odds. And the odds were, someone in their little tour group had their sights set firmly on Savannah.