As he left her to die, he bent down and kissed her mouth, just once, quickly. “I told you I’d kill you if you ever left me, Anoushka.”
But she had survived. Some nosy neighbor had seen him leave her apartment – thankfully, he had been masked – and called 911. As he drove back to Washington, he scanned the local news for any mention.
Only a few days later did he catch something on the internet. A news report buried in the pages of The New York Times.
A young British-Indian woman working in New York was shot by an intruder in her home in Queens Wednesday evening. The young woman, named locally as Sarah Marsh, was asleep at the time – police say there was no robbery involved and the victim remains in critical condition at a city hospital.
Sarah Marsh? So that’s the name you gave yourself to escape me, Destry thought, but it irked him that she had lived, even if she was in critical condition. This is what comes of not using a professional, of making it personal. He should have had his guy kill her, he knew, but then again…
Since the shooting, he had stayed far away from her. His star was rising in the political world, and any scandal was out of the question if he wanted the big job. That Noosh hadn’t told the police about him…well, he could see why she hadn’t. Who would believe her? Even her parents, who hated him with a passion and who must have guessed it had been him, had said nothing to the British press either, and Destry knew Noosh must have forbidden it.
Destry was deep in thought. When he was President – and he knew he would be, come November – then he could make sure she was silenced forever. But any whiff of controversy now…no. He’d let her think he wouldn’t try again. Let her think she was safe. Then he’d take it all away, like she’d done to him.
I’ll make you suffer, Anoushka. Make the most of the time you have left, my beautiful girl…
Noosh saw the note on her desk as she wheeled herself into the office the next morning. “It came with these,” Liam said, following her in. In his hand he held a vast bouquet of dusky pink peonies. Noosh took them from him.
“God, they’re beautiful.”
“Like yourself,” Liam said matter-of-factly. “If I weren’t totally gay, I would so turn for you, Nooshy.”
Noosh giggled. She and Liam had always flirted with each other, safe in the knowledge that both of them liked men. “You’re such a slut,” she teased him, and he grinned. He made no move to leave her alone.
“Come on, open the card, I want to know who they are from.”
Noosh rolled her eyes and picked up the envelope. It was expensive paper, heavy, the color of thick cream, and the writing was flowing and confident. Noosh…
She caught a faint hint of fresh linen coming off the paper, and her heart began to beat faster. She pulled out the letter inside.
Christo had written only a few words, but they made her head spin.
Lovely Noosh,
I cannot begin to tell you my happiness at seeing you again. I have wanted to apologize for my appalling behavior that night for months, and now it doesn’t seem enough to say I’m sorry.
My one regret in life is ever letting you go that night. Can you forgive me?
Please, if you would like, please call me.
For my part, I cannot stop thinking about you.
Yours always,
Christofalo Montecito
Her knees shook, her legs felt weak. He was so formal, almost old-fashioned. I cannot stop thinking about you. Nor I you, she thought and grinned to herself.
“Well?”
She had forgotten Liam was in the room. She smiled at him. “From Mr. Montecito, thanking me for looking after him and Mr. Franklin-Hart yesterday. That was sweet of him.”
Liam grinned. “I knew it. I knew some rich mukety-muck would take one look at you and want to sweep you off your feet. And he’s dreamy, too.”
“Dreamy?” Noosh hooted as Liam rolled his eyes. “What are you, six-years-old?”
“So cynical. Okay then, he’s very fuckable, is that better?”
“Much.”
Liam hopped onto her desk and studied her. “You should get on that.”
For a second, Noosh wondered how Liam would react if she told him she had already ‘gotten on that.’ No. That was her secret, hers and Christo’s.
“Did he ask you to call him? I bet he did.”
“Mind your own beeswax.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”
After that, Noosh couldn’t concentrate on anything else. She kept re-reading the note, feeling like a lovesick schoolgirl, but still, she couldn’t bring herself to pick up the phone. What the hell would she say?
One decision she did make was to get rid of the wheelchair, no matter what Ally said. Noosh had brought her cane in with her today, and although her back was painful, it felt good to work her muscles, which were almost atrophying from lack of use. She made sure she walked everywhere today and told herself it wasn’t just because she felt like she needed to get things…going. Working. Just in case she needed to expend some extra energy…maybe…hopefully…
It was five p.m. when Liam called up from reception. “Honey, there’s a delivery for you, but the guy says you need to sign for it personally.”
“God, does he look like a process server?”
“No, sweets. Can you come down?”
“Be right there.”
Noosh took the elevator – she wasn’t confident enough with stairs yet – and hobbled out to the reception. Liam was nowhere to be seen. She glanced around then heard a voice behind her.
“I’m sorry, I made him say that.”
She turned to see Christo smiling at her. God, that smile – boyish and warm all at once. He stepped towards her. “I knew you wouldn’t call, you see, and so I thought I’d give you the option of telling me to leave you alone in person.”
He was close now, and Noosh gazed up at him. “Do you want me to leave you alone, Noosh?”
She shook her head, and he smiled. She wobbled, her legs shaking, and he slid his hands onto her waist, steadying her, pulling her into his hard body to balance her. He stroked her face. “I hate that you got hurt.”
“No biggie.” Her voice was gravelly, but all she could think of was how nice it was to be in his arms. She couldn’t stop staring at his handsome face, his eyes, so soft and full of sweetness. He’s looking at me like that, she marveled, and then a second later, as he bent his head and brushed his lips against hers, she gave an involuntary moan of desire.
“That,” he said in a whisper, “that right there is how you make me feel.”
He kissed her again, his lips firmer this time, his tongue sweeping into her mouth to caress hers, his fingers tangling in her long hair. “God, Noosh…Noosh…”
She wanted him to touch her everywhere as he whispered her name over and over, but then she remembered they were still in the very public reception of her building. Ruefully, she broke away, smiling up at him. “Maybe we should go somewhere less, um, open.”
Christo grinned. “That sounds promising. How about I take you to dinner?”
“I would love that. Let me just get my bag.”
“No need.” Liam suddenly appeared out of nowhere, clearly having been spying on them. He grinned unashamedly at them and handed Noosh her bag. “Here you go, sweets, I thought you might need this. Ally says have a good night, by the way.”
Noosh gave him a mock-scowl. “All of this seems very…planned.”
Christo laughed. “Don’t blame Liam, blame me. I’m afraid I’ve had my spies out for a couple of days – and Liam is remarkably easy to bribe.”
Noosh gaped at them both for a moment, then laughed. Who the hell cared? “Well, then you’d better buy me a really good dinner, Montecito.”
“Warning, she can out-eat a water buffalo,” Liam ducked away from Noosh’s slap. Christo grinned and offered Noosh his hand.
“Shall we?”
Chapter Eight
Christo led her to his wa
iting car and helped her in. “Comfortable?”
She beamed at him, not really believing this was real. “Very.” The Mercedes had wide, comfortable, supple leather seats, but Noosh barely glanced around. She only had eyes for the man sitting next to her. He held her hand as he drove, probably breaking a myriad of laws, but he didn’t seem to care. “Where are you taking me?”
“Well, I thought somewhere quiet, somewhere we could talk.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Christo, pulling up at a red light, leaned over and kissed her again. “God, Noosh, I’ve dreamed about kissing you for months now.”
“Me too,” she whispered then grinned. “Green.”
“What?”
“The light is green.” She giggled as he shot back into a sitting position, waving an apologetic hand at the cars honking behind them. Noosh grinned at him and he shrugged, smiling back.
“If they could see who I was kissing, they’d understand.”
She flushed at the compliment and risked sliding her hand onto his thigh. He smiled at her. “Sweetheart…I was thinking…what if we skip…”
“And go straight to your apartment? I think that’s a great idea.” Noosh was flushing madly, but she knew he was thinking the same thing.
His eyes seemed to darken with desire, and for a moment, Noosh got a little nervous. “Christo…because of my injury…”
“Baby, we don’t have to do anything you’re not ready for,” he said in an even voice. “I just want to be with you.”
Noosh nodded and she felt tears spring into her eyes. In a minute, she thought, I’m going to wake up and find I’ve dreamed all this. That we didn’t find each other, that we didn’t get so lucky…
But it wasn’t a dream, and when Christo walked her up to his apartment, she could feel her entire body yearning for his touch. In his spacious open concept apartment, he took her coat and then wrapped his arms around her, gazing down at her. “Hello again,” he said softly, “I’m Christo.”
“Anoushka…Noosh.”
“Noosh…” His lips were firm against hers and his hands stroked down her sides. “Noosh, wanna get naked with me?”
She gave a moan of pure desire, and he swept her up into his arms. Noosh’s injured back protested, but she didn’t care. She wanted this man as much as he clearly wanted her.
In his bedroom – all muted navy blues and greys, and hand-turned furniture – he laid her on the bed and slowly began to unbutton her dress, pushing the fabric aside and kissing every inch of exposed skin. As he pulled down the lacy cup of her bra and fixed his mouth on her nipple, Noosh closed her eyes, drawing in a long breath. God, the way his tongue flicked around the little nub, making it hard and so sensitive she could have cried. He worked his way down her body, his mouth on each breast, but as he reached her belly he stopped.
“What’s this?”
Noosh didn’t even need to look. He had seen the scars, and now there was no other way but to tell him the truth. “Those are the scars from my surgery.”
Christo looked up at her. “These are bullet wounds.”
She nodded. “I was shot. Someone broke into my home and shot me as I slept.”
Christo made his way up the bed, gazing into her face, the horror in his eyes searing. “What the fuck?”
Noosh didn’t know what to say. “Some random…guy…decided he wanted to kill someone that night, and I was unlucky.” So, she was lying, she knew who had shot her, but from the anger on Christo’s face, she knew she could never tell him. How was it that this man cared so much about her already?
“Jesus…” He traced the scars. “So that was your accident?” She nodded. “How long ago?”
She tried to smile. “About two weeks after we met.”
Christo stroked her cheek. “God…Noosh…I’m so sorry.”
She moved closer to him, her bare skin pressing against his still clothed body. “It’s over now, I’m healed. Healing…” She amended, and he sighed.
“How are you? Really? Because I don’t want us to go too far and risk your health.”
She sighed and nodded. “I am still getting there, and I do have problems with my back still. The docs have told me it will get better, but yes…”
“I told you we didn’t have to do anything, that I’m happy to wait.” Christo pressed his mouth to hers, his kiss leaving her breathless.
“Just touch me…please,” she murmured against his mouth and felt his lips curve up in a smile.
“It would be my pleasure, ma’am.” He rolled her onto her back, making sure she was comfortable. “You just lay back and let me do all the work…”
He began his journey down her body again, kissing her throat, her breasts, her belly until his fingers snagged in the sides of her panties and drew them gently down her legs.
As soon as his tongue touched her clit, Noosh shivered with pleasure. This man was clearly an expert, his tongue lashing around her clit before dipping into her cunt. Noosh forgot about her back pain, forgot about everything except him, and as she neared a shattering orgasm, she cried out his name over and over.
As she caught her breath, Christo quickly stripped his clothes off and cradled her in his arms, his lips against hers. She could feel his huge cock, hard against her belly. “I want to taste you, baby.”
She moved down his body and took his cock into her mouth, sweeping her lips over the wide crest, licking up the salty pre-cum, and trailing her tongue up and down the thick length of it and over the sensitive tip. God, she wanted him inside her, but until her back healed some more, she knew it would hurt like hell – and not in a good way.
She hollowed out her cheeks as she sucked him, then swallowed his seed down as he came, groaning and bucking beneath her. As he caught his breath, he pulled her into his arms. “God, Noosh…thank god we found each other again.”
She kissed him. “Thank god, indeed.” She snuggled into his arms, again feeling how perfectly their bodies seemed to fit together. She chuckled a little, and he smiled down at her.
“What?”
“Just…we don’t know anything about each other, and yet this feels so…natural.”
Christo laughed softly. “I know what you mean…and we have all the time in the world. Besides, we do know some things. I know you like your belly and the nape of your neck kissed. I know you love your job – that was obvious yesterday.”
“Did you like Ally?”
“Very much. I knew she would give me a rough ride, and rightly so.” His smile faded a little. “There are a lot of things in my past I’m ashamed of, Noosh, but none more than what I did to you that night.”
Noosh cupped his face in her palm. “Tell me. Tell me what was going on with you that night.”
So, Christo told her, and they talked late into the night, pausing now and again to kiss and caress each other. Noosh felt something shift in her soul, and she didn’t want this night to end. Not being able to have sex, full, hardcore penetrative sex at the moment had meant their tryst was more than just a fuck, that they were forging a connection that neither of them could deny. They ordered pizza at 2 a.m., Christo going down on her again as they waited for it to be delivered, then gorging themselves on the pie, joking and laughing around with each other.
They finally fell asleep as dawn began to break. Upon waking, they showered together and, after a breakfast of eggs, Christo drove her back to Allison’s apartment. As they rode through the streets of Manhattan, Christo asked her about her home in London, and she told him all she could.
“Why do I get the impression you’re leaving something out? Why did you leave? Why did you come to New York?”
Noosh hesitated. “I had to leave. Let’s just say a relationship went wrong and I had to leave.”
Christo stopped and turned to her. “Was it him who shot you?” His face was hard, and Noosh couldn’t lie to him. She nodded. Please don’t ask me who he is.
But she knew he would. “Who?”
For a moment, she wa
s silent. “I can’t tell you. If I told you, your life would be in danger too.”
Christo studied her, his expression still hard. “You think he’ll try again?”
She gave him a sad smile. “I know he will.”
“Not going to happen.”
Noosh touched his face. “You’re sweet to care, but I survived once.”
“The police know, right?”
She nodded. “They can’t do anything. There’s no proof.”
Christo gave a frustrated hiss. “Noosh…”
“Christo, please, let’s not drag that into whatever this is. Last night was the happiest night I’ve had for years, but technically we are still strangers to each other. Let’s just concentrate on getting to know each other – if that’s what you want, I mean.” Her voice shook as she suddenly had a dip in her confidence, but Christo smiled around at her.
“There’s nothing I want more. Noosh, do you have to work this weekend?”
She shook her head, and he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Would you spend it with me? I’d like to take you out to my place upstate, where my workshop is, so you can see how I really love to live.”
Noosh smiled back at him. “I would love that.”
At the entrance to her building, he kissed her then leaned his forehead against hers. “I hate to leave you, but I know you have to work. Can I call you later?”
“I can’t wait,” she whispered, and he smiled.
“Until later then.”
They said goodbye and Christo waited until she was safely inside before he drove away. Noosh waved goodbye, then got into the elevator, feeling bereft at the parting. Suddenly she realized something else; she had left her cane at his place. Grinning to herself, she tested her legs again, hopping gently from one to the other. Yes, her back still protested but she felt different, better – maybe it was just the shot of confidence that last night had given her.
No Promises: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance Page 5