Her gaze searched his dark handsome face. Reaching up, she pushed back the gray-streaked hair off his forehead. His black eyes blazed with passion and she felt her pulses racing with desire. His jaw tightened under her fingertips as they inched slowly down his face. She detected the increase in his respiration as he stood rigid, watching her from under lowered lids.
Martin found her a ravishing vision of shimmering ivory lace and silk. A floor-length gown concealed her body from his hungry gaze, but a deep plunging V of lace permitted him to visually feast on her full breasts.
“Why can’t I ever tire of you, Parris? Why is it you force me to crave you more and more every time I make love to you? What spell have you cast over me that creates this weakness in my brain and in my loins?”
She lowered her head to his chest. “It’s the same with me,” she confessed, pressing closer to his naked body and communicating her own need as she rubbed her middle against his groin. “I love you, Martin,” she whispered, feeling his sex harden and push against her thigh.
His large hands were gentle as he slipped the narrow straps off her shoulders, the gown sliding down and settling in a pool of silk around her feet.
His fingers grazed her breasts, sending flashes of delight throughout her body with the soft caresses. His fingers tightened with his rising desire and her nipples swelled to a pebbly hardness. A soft whimper, deep within her throat, and the hot touch of her hand on his engorged sex hurled Martin over the edge.
There was no time for preliminaries as he picked her up and joined their bodies, her legs encircling his waist. Moving backwards, Martin fell back to the bed, his body vibrating his uncontrollable urge to possess her totally.
Reversing their positions, he rotated his hips as he thrust deeply into her hot, wet flesh. He slowed, then stopped, pinning her to the bed, unable to continue because he was afraid it would be over too quickly.
Parris’s fingertips sank into the hard muscles of his hips. Martin’s hardness filled her with a craving she had never experienced before. She also feared moving because she wanted the sweet burning fire to last forever.
“Don’t move,” she panted against his throat.
“To ask me not to breathe would be a lot easier, darling,” he countered between clenched teeth.
Liquid fire swept through her body, bringing tears to her eyes. This new feeling frightened her. In the past she had always assumed control in bed. Now it was Martin and the fear spiraled with the trembling, straining passion.
“Martin,” she whispered.
“I know, baby,” he gasped. “I feel it, too.”
“Martin!” This time she couldn’t hide her weakness from him. He moved, his hips rolling and surging heavily against hers and her flesh opened and closed tightly around his hot sex.
Martin strained against her, then his control was shattered with the turbulence of their lovemaking. It swept them away in a fevered mating unmatched by any of their previous encounters.
The pleasure Parris gave him was pure and explosive, and he was drawn into her as she rose to receive his strong driving thrusts. Cradling her face between his hands, he stared down at the waves of excitement tightening her flushed features.
At the moment of her release, her eyes flew open, then closed as deep, gasping shudders ripped through her body. His mouth covered hers and he felt the heat of her breath as she breathed the last of her passion into his mouth.
Parris’s last sighing moan signalled the beginning of his own gratification as he surrendered himself to the explosive ecstasy she always aroused in him.
Martin stood in the corner of the game room, watching Parris lean over the pool table as she concentrated on her next move. He thought he had “taught” her to shoot pool, and he was mildly surprised when she beat him after the second game.
“You’ve done this before, haven’t you?”
Parris lined up her cue. “What makes you say that?”
Moving closer, he stared at her as she bit down on her lower lip, his dark hungry eyes drawn to her mouth. Her pursed mouth conjured up what he’d been reduced to when she matched his unbridled passion. He’d become putty in her hands, being shaped and molded into whatever form she desired.
He frowned, thinking about the other women he’d known. Not one of them had ever been able to come close to Parris when he remembered their schemes to get him to marry them.
Even after losing Parris, he found himself comparing every woman he met to her. It took a while to realize that the others tried too hard to please him.
He hadn’t known whether it was his name, money or maybe himself, but they constantly tried to impress him with prearranged gimmicks or faked responses; and more than once he’d leave them before they could begin their rehearsed performances.
Parris never hesitated telling him what she wanted or didn’t want. It was as if it didn’t matter if she angered him, and he often wondered if she inherently knew that he would never give her up or leave her.
His hands tightened possessively around the smooth cue. Parris would be his until he stopped breathing.
Parris missed her shot and swore softly under her breath. “I could hear you praying for me to miss that one.”
Martin slowly chalked the tip of his cue, smiling. “Now, why would I want to take advantage of a novice, darling?”
She pushed a fringe of bangs off her forehead, flashing a mysterious smile. “I suppose you realize I’ve played before.”
Martin stroked his moustache with a forefinger. “What would ever put that notion into my head, darling,” he drawled in feigned surprise.
The soft chiming of the telephone preempted her reply as Martin walked over to answer it. “¡Dios mio!…” M.J. sobbed in Spanish.
He felt his heart lurch. “¿Qué pasa?” he questioned in the same language.
“I can’t find her, Martin!”
Trying to slow down his pounding heart, Martin took a deep breath, closing his eyes. “Start from the beginning, Mother. Who can’t you find?” he continued in Spanish.
“She was here, and when I went back for her she was gone.”
A knot coiled in the pit of his stomach and somehow he knew the answer before asking the question. “Who?”
“Regina,” came the dreaded answer through a heartbreaking wave of tears.
He caught a glimpse of Parris’s large eyes staring at him. He couldn’t mention Regina’s name. Not yet.
“Listen to me, Mother. I want you to look again. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Depressing the hook, he turned his back to avoid Parris’s questioning eyes. Methodically he dialed seven numbers and waited for a response. The seconds ticked off mercilessly while he waited.
“What’s happening Martin?” Parris questioned. He didn’t answer her, the telephone receiver pressed to his ear. She caught hold of his arm, her fingernails biting in to the tender flesh on his wrist. “Is something wrong with Regina?”
“Kirkland.”
Martin let out his breath when he heard the reply, ignoring the bite of Parris’s nails. “Joshua, I need you.”
“What’s up, buddy.”
He closed his eyes before bringing himself to reveal the news he was certain would unhinge Parris. “M.J. just called to tell me that she can’t find Regina.”
“I’ll be in West Palm when you arrive,” came the stilted reply before the line went dead.
Chapter 34
If she hadn’t held onto Martin she would’ve collapsed to the floor.
“Let’s go,” Martin ordered, pulling her along with him as he raced from the room.
Parris did not remember anything until Martin shoved her into the car to begin the wild drive which would take them northward up the coast to West Palm Beach. She was numb—her brain refusing to acknowledge the scene of ten years ago. First her and now Regina. Someone had abducted her baby.
Martin was silent during the trip. His expressionless face led her to believe he thought she was responsible
for the child’s disappearance. There were so many things she wanted to say, but couldn’t. Who would want to harm an innocent little girl? Who hated her so much that they would attack the one closest to her? What had she done to evoke such hatred? What crime had she committed except to fall in love with Martin Cole?
M.J. twisted a square of linen around her delicate fingers as she spoke, her eyes red and swollen from weeping. “She had lunch with me and when Nancy and the girls came over she went swimming with them. I promised her that we would go out for dinner, and that’s why she refused Nancy’s offer to spend the night.” She blotted her moist cheeks. “At first I thought she’d changed her mind when I couldn’t find her. But I knew she would never go anywhere without telling me. I…I called Nancy but she didn’t have her. Nancy said she left Regina playing with the litter of pups.”
“What time did you last see her?”
M.J. looked at Joshua, not displaying any of her usual hostility. “It had to be sometime between one and two.”
“What the hell is he doing here?” Everyone turned in the direction of the booming voice.
“Please, Sammy. Not today,” came M.J.’s soft plea.
“Just answer my question and there won’t be any trouble,” Sammy warned.
“There’s enough trouble without you adding to it,” Martin shouted at his father. “My daughter is missing!”
Samuel ignored Joshua’s presence, looking at each of them. “Missing how?”
Joshua stood up. “No one can find her. Your wife fears she’s been kidnapped.”
Samuel swallowed, sinking down heavily to a chair. “Someone came here—on my property and kidnapped my granddaughter?”
Joshua’s cold eyes drilled Samuel. “Yes, old man. Do you want me to say it in another language for you?”
Samuel shook his head. “Who would want to take the child?”
Joshua’s eyes and expression mirrored rage when he stared across the room at Parris. “That’s what I’m going to find out. I think it’s about time Parris, Martin and I had a private talk.”
Martin sat in the library in a corner while Joshua took charge. Never did he think he would feel the emptiness, the loss he now felt. The little girl had been a part of his life for little more than six months and suddenly he felt as if someone had cut out a piece of his heart, leaving him to bleed to death—slowly.
Regina, who was so much a part of him and Parris; the tiny being they had created through their very intimate expression of love. Regina, who had been so pleased with finding her father and sharing her love with him. Regina, who discovered the delight of having a grandmother and grandfather spoil her. Regina, whose very smile brightened his day and made him plan for her future. Regina, whom he had grown to love beyond description.
“I want you to tell me everything, Parris,” Joshua warned quietly. “And if you attempt to leave anything out I will drug you and get what I want without your cooperation.”
Parris was numbed and she couldn’t think. “I was threatened and paid to leave Florida and Martin,” she began slowly.
“Who threatened you?”
She stared down at the blood red and royal blue pattern on the Aubusson rug. “That I don’t know. The man who abducted me said someone hired him to get me out of Florida and away from Martin.”
“Why did he want you out of Florida?”
She covered her face with her hands. “I don’t know. He was supposed to kill me.” She uncovered her face, her eyes filled with pain. “He didn’t because he knew I was pregnant.” She shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t know how he knew, but I’d only received the results of the test that night.” Tears were now streaming down her cheeks.
Martin crossed the room and stood over her. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I couldn’t…I just couldn’t,” she sobbed, unable to look at him. “He said if I told you he would kill you. And then he’d wait until my baby was born then kill it too. I would be left alone. I would be left alone,” she repeated quietly.
Martin pulled her limp body from the chair. “You couldn’t because you didn’t love me enough to trust me. Did you really think I wouldn’t have been able to protect you if I’d known about this? What the hell do you take me for?”
“Don’t,” she pleaded, closing her eyes.
Martin shook her. “I kept asking you and you wouldn’t tell me.”
Joshua caught Martin’s arm. “Let her go, buddy. I believe your wife has more to tell me.”
Martin rounded on Joshua. “How much more could there be?” he ranted. “Her playing mute all of these years has kept us apart and has put not only her life but Regina’s in jeopardy!”
Joshua stared down at Parris’s grief-stricken face. “Is there anything else I should know, Parris?”
She sniffled loudly, wiping away the tears with her fingers. “I was blackmailed. The amount I received was the exact amount I received for my divorce settlement.”
Both men stared at each other. Joshua nodded and Martin acknowledged the unspoken gesture as they turned to leave.
Parris saw them leaving and panicked. “Where are you going?” Her eyes were enormous pools in her tawny-brown face.
Joshua turned, giving her a lethal glare. “I’m going to see if I can find your blackmailer before I look for my niece.”
She felt as if a hand had closed on her heart. “What are you talking about?”
Martin shot a quick glance at Joshua. “Well, since we’re into true confessions I suppose you should know that Joshua Kirkland is my brother.”
Her life had come full circle. This time she waited for her heart, instead of her face, to heal. It was the fourth day since Regina’s disappearance, and each day found Parris dying, little by little. She ate only enough to keep herself alive and stopped hoping, thinking and looking for the next sunrise.
The humid air, rising above the glassy surface of a nearby lake, cast a gray pall over the lushness of the verdant lawn and gardens of the Cole property. She memorized the intricate geometric designs of the boxwood garden, fascinated by the precision of the meticulously maintained area.
A shadow blocked out the warm rays of the rising sun, and she glanced up quickly to find Joshua staring down at her with a faraway expression on his face. She felt like a dissected specimen on a slide under a microscope as his light green eyes examined her closely.
She hadn’t seen him since the day M.J. informed them of Regina’s disappearance. The shadows under his eyes accentuated their compelling paleness in a face drawn and lined with exhaustion.
The damp morning air curled her hair tightly around her face and despite her fragile appearance there was a sense of strength in her slim body. “You’ve heard something.” The inquiry came out like a statement.
“Finally,” he admitted. He hoped the news, even if it wasn’t what she wanted to hear, would lift her from the course of self-condemnation she had initiated.
Her eyes flooded with tears of relief and she held out trembling hands to the one person she entrusted her last hope. His face swam before her teary vision as a heart-rendering sob escaped her constricted throat. She fell against him.
Joshua held her gently, alarmed at the slimness of her body and the starved, haunted look in her clear brown eyes. His arms tightened on her waist as he unselfishly offered his strength. Her tears soaked his shirt. His hands moved up to cradle her face. His thumb moved over her quivering mouth and he lowered his head until his mouth was only inches from hers.
“I can’t touch Lawson, Parris,” he whispered. “It’s too risky. If I do anything to Lawson and someone found out, then my association with Martin would make him suspect.”
She stiffened in his embrace. “Owen had Regina kidnapped?”
He led her over to a wrought iron bench, sitting and pulling her down with him. He held her hands firmly within his grip. “I don’t believe he was responsible for you being blackmailed, but someone had to get to him to find out all about you. You dated the man, ma
rried him and lived with him. He had to let the blackmailer know how much he had given you as a divorce settlement.”
Her eyes searched Joshua’s face frantically. “Are you saying someone blackmailed Owen?”
Joshua nodded. “I think someone may have put some pressure on him. But we won’t know that until a friend of mine arrives tonight.”
“Who’s this friend?”
Joshua stared over her head. “Someone who’s the best when it comes to interrogation. The only other thing I can say is that he’s an expert when it comes to rescue missions. He’ll get Regina back,” he reassured Parris as she closed her eyes.
She prayed as she had never prayed before. And in her pain she felt a thread of hope. The hope she would get her daughter back—alive.
Parris found Martin in the library with David, pacing the floor. David sat on a chair, his face in his hands.
“What’s wrong?” she asked. Had they heard something? Had something happened to Regina and they didn’t want her to know? “What the hell is going on, Martin?”
David’s head came up. “Tell her, Martin. She has a right to know.”
Martin stopped pacing, glaring at David. His face was covered with the growth of a three-day beard. “No!”
“You’re a fool!” David spat out. He rose to his feet and stalked out of the room.
Green lights glinted in Parris’s eyes. “You’d better tell me what’s going on, or so help me I’ll…”
“You’ll do what?” Martin asked, the veins in his neck bulging. “Haven’t you done enough? I’ve lost Regina. I can’t lose you, too.”
“What are you saying?” Her voice was barely a whisper.
He turned his back. He didn’t want to see her expression when he told her about the telephone call. “Regina is alive.” He closed his eyes as he heard her sigh of relief. “But the kidnapper wants an exchange of hostages.”
Parris stepped around Martin. “Who?” she asked, knowing, but needing to hear it from him.
Hideaway Page 27