Diego’s lips pressed down in wry agreement. “My place is better than yours.”
What was she thinking even suggesting it? She couldn’t share Diego’s shower. She had to leave soon and had final preparations to make. She wasn’t thinking, Celina concluded. “Another time,” she said lightly, wishing that were true.
~~o0o~~
She took a long, hot shower by herself in the deserted staff block. Her body was still singing from Diego’s touch. She would never forget tonight. She would never forget him. She didn’t want to leave, but she must. Retracing the path his hands had taken, she felt as numb as a stone-cold fish. That was good. She should get used to feeling nothing as soon as she could. Where she was going, it was better that way.
She came out of the staff block, meaning to head to the tech suite to check her final preparations for the trip. Her heart lurched, seeing Amber standing with the grooms in the stable yard. Amber shot her a questioning look. Did she know? Had she guessed? Had the grooms said something about Celina wanting a lift to town?
“Their vehicle broke down,” Amber explained as Celina walked up to the group. “I was just on my way to find Alexei. And you?” She gave Celina a keen stare.
“Taking a last stroll before bedtime—thought I might check things in the tech suite.” She shrugged.
Amber looked in no way convinced. “Had a good night?”
“Very good.” She relaxed as they exchanged a knowing smile. That was better. Amber guessing that she’d been with Diego was safer than guessing where she intended to go next.
“Is a replacement vehicle on its way?” she asked the head groom, trying not to sound too interested.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “But it won’t arrive tonight.”
“Were you thinking of going into town with them?” Amber queried as the grooms walked away. “You’re not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?”
“Like going into town for a drink?”
“You know what I mean,” Amber insisted. “Like launching a one-woman assault on the slavers?”
“As if I’d do that.” She laughed, but it sounded brittle and false. “Though, if I did go, I’d leave you clues so you could get the team to follow me.”
“Don’t even joke,” Amber warned.
“Who says I’m joking?” She forced another laugh.
“Just don’t.” Amber frowned. “I’ve got to go. Alexei’s expecting me.” She walked away but stopped halfway across the yard to throw a worried look at Celina.
Celina waved and hoped her expression was reassuring. If Amber knew her plan, she’d tell Alexei, and then Diego would find out.
“Hey…”
She smiled to see Diego jogging down the wide sweep of steps in front of his grand mansion. “Back to the party?” he suggested, swinging a protective arm around her shoulders.
She loved the way he made her feel. Any contact between them made her heart soar, but his increasing interest suggested he would find her clues, and he would act on them too. “I was going to drop by the tech suite.”
“No work tonight,” he said firmly.
“Okay.” She knew that look in his eyes. He was thinking of another type of celebration altogether, one that was exclusive to them. Anticipation of pleasure made heat flash through her veins. There was no chance of a lift into town, and she could still check her preparations in the morning.
“Back to mine?” he suggested.
“Why not?” she asked, nestling close as he led her back toward his imposing home.
Chapter Eight
She was shocked into silence by her first sight of the interior of Diego’s magnificent mountain retreat. As a member of staff, she’d had no cause to go inside his home. The scale alone was mind-numbing. The splendor of the vaulted hallway, with its burnished paneling, sweeping staircase, and stone arches that must have seen generations of his family pass beneath them, was breathtaking.
“It’s been in my family for centuries,” he explained, waiting as she stared around.
And that’s why you’re so grounded and confident, she thought. He was like a tree that could withstand whatever nature threw at it, because he knew his place in the world.
“It was a monastery at one time,” he added as she turned full circle, trying to take everything in. “I have my forebears to thank for preserving so many of the original features.”
If the yawning gulf between them hadn’t been obvious before now, it was currently slapping her in the face. “It’s fabulous.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said as he urged her on across the hallway toward one of the many heavy polished doors. His study, she presumed as he opened the door. There was a beautiful polished mahogany desk that could have come straight from a palace, and a comfortable leather sofa with a couple of easy chairs either side of a grand inglenook. He’d no sooner closed the door behind them than he boxed her in with his arms braced either side of her face. “What are you hiding from me, Celina?”
She tensed. “I don’t understand.”
“I think you do, and I’m tired of asking you the same question. I believe I’m getting to know you, and then I realize I don’t know you at all.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “You should trust me enough by now to share your concerns. Did I mention that you’re also a hopeless liar?”
She couldn’t meet his gaze and looked away.
“It’s impossible to be as close as we’ve been without sensing the change in someone.”
“I haven’t changed,” she insisted.
“Haven’t you?”
His look of disappointment cut deep. The last thing she wanted was to pile one lie on top of another, but she couldn’t risk her plan failing. “If I asked you to go back to the mountains of Eastern Europe to search for survivors and round up that gang, what would you say?”
“I’d say we wait until we have all the intel we need to carry out the mission to maximum effect.”
But Marissa’s fate was less certain every day. This couldn’t wait. She had to bring things forward. “So you do intend to go back.”
“Blood and Thunder has never left a job half-completed. Of course we’ll root out the slavers at what we believe is their base. Is that all that’s worrying you? I will find out what you’re keeping from me, even if it takes all night.”
She had no doubt, and knew a clean cut would have been better, but that was out of the question now Diego’s palms were tracing the lines of her arms to her hands, where he linked their fingers. It was such an intimate thing to do, she felt worse than ever knowing she must deceive him. Lifting her face to his, she saw exactly what she stood to lose.
They needed a distraction. Letting go of his hands, she freed the tine on her belt, and lowered her zipper. Stepping out of her jeans, she stood in front of him in her underwear. His cool inspection made her cheeks blaze red. She was hardly dressed to seduce in the serviceable panties she’d chosen for traveling, but they would have to do.
Diego’s physical response was immediate and obvious. It excited her and built her confidence too.
“I love the shape of your body,” he murmured as he stripped off her top. He caressed her breasts, and then lightly touched the needy place at the apex of her thighs, making her gasp with pleasure. “I particularly love this part of you. It’s so soft and plump, like a cushion for me to sink into. And as for these very big panties—”
“Sensible,” she argued as he removed them.
“Sensible? I’d say so,” he agreed. “They outline your body to perfection.” Turning her around, he pushed her forward from the waist so she was resting over the arm of the sofa and he was behind her.
She gasped when his big hands stroked her buttocks and she opened her legs a little more at his prompt. He took firm hold of her bottom. “Such a responsive area,” he approved. “And so clearly defined in this lightweight fabric.”
“You’re doing it again,” she complained softly as her mind lost focus.
“Teasing you?” he
laughed as she thrust her hips toward him in search of more contact, more pressure, more pleasure.
He touched her over her panties with more intent now, and she whimpered in time to each delicious stroke. It didn’t take her long to come, and her release was so powerful, she lost her balance and Diego caught her.
“Better?” he murmured. “Or still not enough?”
He didn’t wait for her answer. He swung her into his arms. Opening the door, he carried her out of the room, crossed the hallway, and jogged up the stairs. He turned on the first landing to walk down a broad corridor. This area was discreetly lit, its walls lined with watercolors of polo players, and there were what she presumed were priceless Persian rugs underfoot. He took her into his bedroom. Some might think the room austere, but to Celina’s eyes, it was perfect. The enormous bed was dressed with crisp white sheets and the furniture was elegant polished wood. There was more quality around her than she’d seen in her lifetime. The air was cool and lightly scented with sandalwood and beeswax. There was no clutter or photographs. It was a luxurious, controlled environment, the personal territory of an extremely private man.
“Make yourself at home,” Diego suggested dryly as he lowered her down on the bed.
She had more sense than to do that.
But this she could do. The moment they were naked, they fell on each other in a tangle of limbs. Thrusting a thigh between her legs, he took her deep. They moved like wild creatures toward the longed-for goal. Diego kept one hand braced against the headboard to give him more traction. Staring down, he judged the moment with absolute accuracy. Each powerful wave led to the next, and then the next, until it seemed they would never end, and even when that faded, he kept on moving.
“I can’t. I really can’t,” she protested weakly, laughing as she clung to him.
“I say you can.”
He proved it, rolling his hips, and she was lost. The cushion he’d said he loved had been so well pounded, yet it still managed to tremble back into life. Sensing this, he buffeted her so gently, and with such keen understanding of her body’s needs, that she was soon back on the road to pleasure, gripping him as if her life depended on it.
“Open your legs wider,” he instructed. “As wide as you can. Good. Now hold them there.”
“Oh…yes…yes.” She gritted her teeth as the moment approached.
“Relax,” he insisted. “All you have to do is to keep your legs wide and leave the rest to me.”
“No!” she exclaimed as the first wave threatened. “I can’t! I really can’t! It’s too big! Please—”
“Yes, you can,” he said calmly.
She screamed uncontrollably as pleasure hit her in a series of waves. “Amazing,” she managed to pant out when the shattering sensation finally subsided. “You’re amazing.”
“We’re good together,” Diego agreed as he rested back.
For how long, she wondered? Turning to imprint his face on her memory, she whispered groggily, “Check in with Amber in the morning.”
“Amber? What?” Sitting up, he stared at her as if she was mad. “I don’t think Alexei would appreciate that.”
“You can say hello, can’t you?”
“I’m always polite. What’s this about, Celina? You’re talking in riddles.”
“I’m tired,” she excused. “And I blame you for exhausting me.” Resting her head on the thick bank of pillows, she slanted a sleepy look at him. “Please? Be friendly to her. She’ll think you don’t like her. Just do this one thing. For me?”
“All right,” he agreed, frowning as he settled down at her side. “I still don’t see why I should make a special effort to speak to Amber.”
“Just because,” she murmured in reply.
~~o0o~~
The post-match debrief the following morning was a tense affair. He had woken shortly after dawn to find the bed empty. He hadn’t had a chance to speak to Amber, and even then she might not know anything. If she did, the thought that Celina trusted her friend more than him offended him. Thrusting his chair back, he swore viciously.
“Diego?”
He stared levelly at Alexei, and the big Russian backed off. They all knew when not to prod each other. Has she really gone? Was she taunting him last night, or asking him to follow her? The only clue she’d been in his bed were his sated muscles and the indentation on the pillow where she’d slept for at least part of the night. She was a no-show for work this morning too. He’d checked the estate and asked questions, but no one had seen her. She’d gone, one of the grooms told him when he searched the stables. Gone? Gone where? The groom’s guilty expression suggested Diego should be worried, but the groom had refused to betray Celina’s whereabouts. “Is she in danger?” Diego had demanded roughly, a victim to his mounting concern. “You’d better tell me if you know—”
“Do we have your attention, Diego?”
He fired a look at Cesar, the man asking the question, arguably the coldest member of their team. “You have it,” he responded in a tone that made the other team members glance at him with surprise.
The need to get away so he could find her was eating him alive, but this was a crucial annual meeting, and he had to see it through. He was glad when the spotlight switched to someone else and he could review what he knew about Celina, which was very little, he concluded, grimacing. Like everyone else, he knew what she’d been through prior to working for Blood and Thunder. People talked. Gossip was rife in the stables. He couldn’t blame her friends for their loyalty, but he had to have something to go on. Her clothes were still hanging in the wardrobe. Her bed was neatly made. Her room was spotless. There was even a small arrangement of newly picked wildflowers on the dressing table that made it seem as if she’d just stepped out. She hadn’t left a note. That stung like hell. Celina Petrovka had exited his life in the same unorthodox manner in which she’d entered it.
“Could you stop that, please?”
He looked up as Alexei, the big, granite-jawed hardman of the team, addressed him. “What am I doing now?” he demanded, bristling.
“Tapping your pen so hard on the table that you’re making the coffeepot shake,” Alexei warned him.
“Moi izvineniya. My apologies Alexei. I was not aware of it,” he growled in English, the chosen language of the team. “I didn’t have much sleep last night.” As his colleagues shifted position as if to say they knew what he’d been up to, he added, “I’m a little distracted this morning,” in a harsher tone.
Everyone around the table had the good sense not to reply.
So where was she? He got curious looks when he growled with frustration and frowned.
“Celina?” Alexei asked him when the meeting drew to a close.
“Have you seen her?” He stared at each of his colleagues in turn.
“She’s out there somewhere,” Cesar commented unhelpfully.
“Cesar,” Dante reprimanded with a look. Dante Formosa, Diego’s Argentinian teammate, was another recent convert to the world of romance. “For God’s sake, show some heart.”
“How can Cesar do that when he doesn’t have one?” Alexei commented dryly.
This produced a half-hearted laugh, but Diego didn’t rise to the bait. Even if he was the only one who was worried about Celina’s disappearance, the team could at least pretend to be concerned. She was still their employee. They had a duty of care.
“All right, all right! I give in! What’s bugging you, Diego?” Alexei asked.
“I have to go find her. If she’s left here and is trying to get back to Eastern Europe, she’s bound to run into the slavers.”
“If she’s gone home, that’s why,” Cesar commented with a shrug. “She was invaluable during that raid in Monte Carlo. Celina doesn’t strike me as the type to settle back into a comfortable life while all hell is breaking loose in her village. She’s the best chance we’ve got to crack what remains of that gang wide open.”
“What do you mean?” he demanded tensely, standing up.
To hear praise for anyone from Cesar was rare, but Diego’s stomach clenched to hear his suspicions confirmed. Celina had an overdeveloped sense of her survival skills. The slavers were evil personified. They would remember her. “But why would she leave without telling us—telling me?” he mused out loud.
“Because you’d stop her,” Alexei said. “And because she doesn’t trust anyone. Betrayal is all she knows,” the big Russian remarked. “She has no experience of family support. She’s new to our ways, Diego. For fuck’s sake, can’t you cut her some slack?” They all turned at the sound of a discreet knock on the door. “I called the support staff in to the end of the meeting,” Alexei explained, “to see if they’d heard or knew anything.”
With a glance at his phone, Diego reluctantly sat down again. “Thank you,” he gritted out as Alexei flashed a glance his way. He was on edge. Time was passing. Celina could be anywhere by now.
He barely gave the staff a chance to settle into their seats before grilling them. “Has anyone seen Celina? Someone must know,” he insisted when a tense, unhelpful silence swamped the group.
“Ease up,” Alexei muttered discreetly.
Easier said than done when no one would meet his eyes. He thought back to the last thing Celina said. It had made no sense at the time. Check in with Amber? Springing up, he pushed his chair back so violently, it fell over. “You’ll have to finish this without me,” he called out as he left the room.
“If you need us,” his colleagues chorused.
“I’ll give you a call,” he promised grimly.
~~o0o~~
The journey took longer than she’d thought. She’d flown into the country bordering hers, as it was untroubled by war. She had hoped to cross the border on a bus but had learned that there was no official transport into the war zone. She was lucky that a farmer going her way was willing to give her a lift. “No one comes in,” he explained, scanning her face inquisitively. “Everyone who can do so leaves here as fast as they can.”
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