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Simone’s heart tightened with sympathy. So did her hands. "I know," she said quietly, glancing down at the square of dance floor beneath their feet. She, of all people, knew what it meant to truly miss someone. She felt the hollow ringing of loss—intensified, perhaps, because her soul's twin had seen fit to take another spin at this thing called life in none other than Caleb Kincade. Simone laughed, almost to herself, and shook her head as she lifted it. "Come on, Vasco. Be a Terenzio. Suck it up."
"I am. I haven't cried once." Well, not since he had the first time, Vasco thought. "An urge my alter ego is horrified was ever an option." Amusement flickered briefly through his eyes. "How's life without Victor?"
Simone laughed again, and it wasn't to herself. "It isn't dull, but I don't know how to describe it better than that."
The humor in Vasco's eyes lifted from Simone to some point over her shoulder; more specifically to a figure moving through the crowd behind her. A subtle smile crawled across Vasco's mouth. Simone narrowed her eyes. Vasco only smiled like that when he was up to something. She opened her mouth to demand just what he was plotting, but Vasco interrupted her. "We can do better than that." He tipped his head close to Simone's and whispered, “He’s a little less of a pussy this lifetime." Vasco drew back and spun Simone out from him, releasing her hand.
He knew. Vasco knew?! The whole fucking time, Simone seethed, Vasco knew the truth about Caleb, and he hadn't bothered to tell her? Fury licked up Simone's spine, stiffening it. That same fury dissolved in a tingling flush of anticipation as someone caught her hand. That someone was Caleb. Simone opened her mouth a second time, and still no words came.
Caleb curled his fingers around Simone’s and drew them into his chest. He had been waiting for this moment for the stretch of his lifetime. A few hours ago, for whatever reason, Vasco had lifted the gag order. It hadn't come a moment too soon, either, because Caleb had been days away from taking matters—her—into his own hands. He slid his arm around Simone's waist, pulled her closer, and silently led her away from the crowd and back onto the floor. For the first time—openly, at least—there was nothing remotely professional about the way he was looking at her. He had never looked at her like that; not in this lifetime. "Happy Birthday,” he said quietly.
Simone's body tightened as a heady rush of longing swept through her. For the last five months Caleb had been a permanent fixture in her life. He was always there—sometimes standing just out of sight—ever vigilant, but never obtrusive. The moment he took her into his arms, his presence overwhelmed her. He consumed each of her senses. Simone tightened her fingers around his before the current bore her away, and lifted her gaze to his. "Thank you," she said just as softly.
He leaned forward, brushing his cheek against hers, and said, “Since you made me ask you to marry me twice, I decided to recruit some help with the dance."
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:11 AM
Loyalty Airlines International Airport
Cargo Runway #17
Amadeo sat in the backseat of the sedan parked on the runway. Olivia was next to him, lighting a cigarette. He pressed the button to crack her window himself and asked, “What time is it?”
Olivia looked down at her diamond and gold watch. “Fifteen past the hour.”
Amadeo pulled the cell phone out of the inside of his suit jacket. “Is Kayla sure about this?”
Olivia snapped her eyes over to him. “When did you turn into such a fucking pussy? Haven’t we been waiting long enough for this day? Make the call.”
Giving his cousin a hard look, Amadeo pressed the speed dial button, and then brought the phone up to his ear.
“Yes?”
“Nicholas, where are you?”
“On my way to the triplets’ party.”
“We’ll all go together. Meet us at the airport. Runway 17.” Amadeo reached over for his cousin’s cigarette, plucking it out of her fingers, and pulled hard on the filtered end.
“When?” Nicholas asked.
“Now.”
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:22 PM
Alcyone Island
Phoenix Resort Hotel
Simone closed her eyes, slipping her arm around Caleb's shoulders and digging her fingers into his shirt. A sharp peal of emotion knifed through her, and she released a hard, shuddering breath. He knew, too, she thought. Jesus Christ, he knew. And suddenly, every reason why she couldn’t have a happy ending with Caleb floated right out the window. She could have the now. Fighting the urge to fan her lips against his jaw, Simone turned her face into the warmth of Caleb’s neck. A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "So, you're planning to ask me a third time?"
Caleb couldn't have asked for a more perfect reaction. He turned his face into Simone’s hair and pulled her closer to him, his feet barely moving over the floor. "Only if you promise to say yes the first time."
Simone drew back, but only as far as she needed to in order to hold Caleb’s face between her hands and look at him; really see him, because burbling through the tide of happiness that swept through her was a hint of misgiving. "You want to do that? Take a chance on a woman you barely know, for the woman she used to be?"
"Not just because of the woman you used to be. Because of the woman you are now." Caleb pressed his face closer, so he could set his forehead against hers. "You can't hide from me, in any incarnation. I know you."
No one had known Liliana like Kyle had. No one had loved Liliana like Kyle had, either. Ever. In that moment, Simone knew that she could feel for no one what she felt for Caleb. She closed her eyes, drew a deep breath, and tightened her hands. "Then kiss me," she breathed, opening her eyes and locking their gazes. "Really kiss me, and don't stop."
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:22 PM
Loyalty Airlines International Airport
Cargo Runway #17
“Why am I here?” Nicholas leaned down into the open window of his cousins’ sedan.
“Call it in that the security team for this shipment is going radio silent for fifteen minutes,” Amadeo said.
Nicholas arched a brow. “Why?”
“Obviously, because it’s not cargo in that plane, Nicky.” Olivia gave him a condescending smile. “Just do it.”
Nicholas ignored Olivia’s crassness, lapsing into thought. “I can’t guarantee this. Not with all the new security protocols in place.”
“Be convincing,” Amadeo said. “The plane lands in ten minutes.”
“Do this right, Nicky, and you’ll never miss a tip from the Brotherhood again.” Olivia winked.
The look that Nicholas gave Olivia was sharp and deadly. Warning. He didn’t give a fuck what rank she was, he would kill her if she made a remark like that again. “I’ll see what I can do.” Stepping away from their car, he jogged over to the hangar. Flashing his credentials to the guard, he waited while the Dion Corp security guard pulled the finger print scanner from his pocket and pressed Nicholas’s thumb onto it. Identity confirmed, the guard opened the door to the wide, open space ready for one of the usual late night transports. Five guards prowled the perimeter, always alert. Three Packdog Operators stood near the waist high robots that would unload the plane’s cargo, smoking and chatting. Nicholas climbed a metal staircase to the small office above the hangar’s security pod.
Nicholas smiled at the sergeant in charge. “I need to radio into headquarters.”
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:25 PM
Alcyone Island
Phoenix Resort Hotel
Heedless of the game in which Simone was submerged, the eyes on them, or the crowd that surrounded them, Caleb’s arms engulfed her as he brought his chin down and covered her mouth with the needy weight of his own.
A flood of memories surged through Simone, filling her mind with glimpses of their past; his face—Kyle’s face--limned with early morning light, crisp sheets folded against the blade of his hip, the eager grip of his hands on her shoulders, his mout
h on her breast; moments of tender affection and explosive passion that settled in her consciousness like dust on a windowsill, only to burst into the air in a flurry of golden chaos as the past gave way to the present and left her reeling; left only Caleb, with his heart beating against her chest and the taste of him on her tongue. Making a quiet but fierce sound of need into his mouth, Simone wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body flush against his.
Caleb didn’t want to break the contact. He truly didn't. He wanted to trace the curves of Simone’s body with the warm pressure of his hands and reacquaint himself with every inch of her. He wanted to reminder her, in this lifetime, what it felt like to be loved.
He was going to, just in a more private setting.
With great effort, Caleb pulled his mouth away from Simone’s. "I have a suite upstairs. And as soon as we get there, I promise, I'm not going to stop kissing you," he whispered, and drew back, only to take Simone’s hand and fold it in the crook of his arm.
Neither of them noticed the almost too intent stare of Kayla. Pausing mid-sentence in her conversation with Dominic, Kayla took a step to the right and watched Caleb and Simone walk over to the bank of elevators. Across the room, standing at the bar behind Lucien—who was actively engaged in talking to his “birthday presents”—Vasco noticed. It was the first time that he had seen an openly predatory look in his aunt’s eyes. It gave birth not to a sense of dread, but one of cold knowing. He desperately hoped he was wrong.
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:33 PM
Loyalty Airlines International Airport
Cargo Runway #17
Nicholas walked back to the Sedan, tucking his hands into the pockets of his light coat. It never got very cold on the island, even in the winter, just windy and rainy. “It’s done,” he said when Olivia rolled down her window.
Olivia eyed him with patient amusement over the rim of a raised glass. “Great job, Nicky.”
“What did you tell them?” Amadeo asked, leaning over to look up at Nicholas
“I told them I had a birthday present for the triplets on the plane, and since it had to be taken out of the crate before it was delivered, I didn’t want the potential for a leak. I said I needed fifteen minutes and that Lieutenant General Terenzio was with me to ensure security while communications was down.”
“That’s very smart of you.” Olivia winked at him, and then turned her head to watch as the big cargo plane made a smooth landing on the runway. It taxied slowly inside the hangar, and two outside guards pulled the big metal doors shut.
“What’s on the plane?” Nicholas eyed the two of them.
The sound of fierce shouts and the dull thud of gunfire tainted the air of the immediate vicinity. A dark smile spread across Olivia’s mouth. “A present from the Brotherhood.”
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:33 PM
Alcyone Island
Phoenix Resort Hotel
Caleb had Kyle's eyes. Simone felt him in Caleb's touch. She saw the same humor glinting in the glances he had cast her way. Their personalities weren't all that different, but that was where the similarities ended. Caleb did not taste like Kyle. He did not smell like Kyle. The angles of his body felt foreign beneath her hands, but he was warm. He was reassuringly solid, and she had wondered for some time now just what it would be like to be pressed against him in a moment like this. It was exquisite. Traces of the man he had been mingled with the man he was, the man who had driven Simone quietly crazy the last five months, and she was powerless against the pull of her body and the call of her heart. Echoing the groan that escaped Caleb when she yanked him into the elevator and kissed him, she ripped open his shirt, heedless of their surroundings. Caleb gave a short, husky laugh against her mouth. "If you keep that up—” He was forced to hiss in a breath when Simone smoothed her hands over his chest. “—we'll never make it to the room."
"That's never stopped us,” Simone panted, lifting into Caleb to claim his mouth again. He did nothing to help the matter by kissing her back, harder. Absently, he heard the elevator ding and doors behind him open. At the last possible second, he jerked his foot back, his heel catching the doors to make them reopen. Caleb swept Simone into his arms, backing out of the car.
Bumping their way down the hall, Simone plied hot, open-mouthed kisses over the side of his neck and into the hollow of his throat, and wrapped her legs around his waist. Her shoulders barked up against a door. “Keycard,” Caleb mumbled against the curve of her jaw. “Pocket.” Simone slipped a hand into his pocket, seized the keycard, and reached behind her to slide it into the lock.
"Doorknob," she murmured into the underside of his chin. "Now."
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:35 PM
Loyalty Airlines International Airport
Cargo Runway #17
The first version of Programmable Life Forms were government sanctioned, genetically created grey aliens designed to “abduct humans.” The first version allowed the Roshaniya to test their mind control technology on unwitting suspects as well as explore forms of genetic manipulation. The newest version of the PLFs, as they were called, were actually soldiers to use in combat. They were all six feet tall, thickly muscular, with solid, soulless black eyes that had no irises. They were dressed in Special Forces fatigues, with the All Seeing Eye that was found on the back of the one dollar bill tattooed on their left cheeks.
Nicholas stared in shock as they marched out of the hanger. One PLF broke the rigid formation to shoot both outside guards, then fell back into the marching line. Amadeo got out of the car just as a line of SUVs came screeching to a halt near his vehicle.
“When the mafia is just not enough.” Olivia was almost orgasmic. “Time to take this family back.”
The PLFs stopped in front of the cars. One broke formation again, coming from the far right side to meet Amadeo’s approach. Amadeo shook the captain’s gloved hand. “You were briefed?”
“Yes, sir. On the plane.” The PLF’s voice was low and creepily monotone.
“I’m looking forward to seeing your men in action, Captain.” Amadeo removed the keycard from his pocket, passing it over to the PLF. “You’ll need that to get into the security center.”
“Yes, sir.” The captain saluted Amadeo, and then turned on his heel and shouted a command. The rest of his men fanned out and climbed into the SUVs. Amadeo watched them move, a sense of finality sharpening the reality of the moment.
“We’re on a time table, cousin!”
Olivia’s shout pulled Amadeo into motion, and he got back into the sedan. “Meet us at the hotel, Nicky,” Olivia said, rolling up her window. Their car led the deadly entourage from the back roads and straight for downtown.
Nicholas climbed back into his own sporty vehicle and immediately pulled the cell from his pocket. “Name dial, Leone Vaughn.”
§
December 1, 2012 - 10:44 PM
Alcyone Island
Phoenix Resort Hotel
Caleb twisted the knob, uncharacteristically clumsy in his passion and haste. He kicked the door shut and didn't bother with a light. He bumped into an end table, which sent a lamp crashing to the floor, and Simone caught them against the wall, distractedly hoping in that precarious moment that they didn't fall. Heedless of the small destruction, Caleb kept moving, until they tumbled over the arm of the couch. He yanked out his earpiece, and quickly set his sidearm on the floor. Once his hands were free, he impatiently pushed the beautiful dress up Simone’s thighs and set his mouth open and warm against the column of her throat, the tip of his tongue marking a damp path on her skin.
Simone shuddered. Closing her eyes and drawing a sharp breath, she arched into Caleb and tugged his undershirt over his head, so that she could kiss the warm slope of his shoulder and tease the tightly coiled muscles with the scrape of her teeth. For a moment, Caleb savored the heated play of Simone’s lips and teeth. In the next, her dress joined his shirt in a pile on the floor. Intimate colum
ns of moonlight gazed in through the tall windows of the suite, exposing all of Simone’s sexy, feminine curves to the natural light and Caleb’s heated, memorizing gaze.
"Christ, you’re beautiful," Caleb whispered as he cupped a strong hand around the curve of her breast and lifted it to his eager mouth.