by Marie Force
The caress of her breath on his fevered skin made him hard as a rock. “I’ve lost track. Surely, it has to have been a week by now, right?”
“Feels like a month.”
He cupped her face and brought his open mouth down on hers. In a matter of seconds he shifted on top of her, she wrapped her legs around his hips, and his tongue explored every inch of her mouth. “I know I said we should wait, honey.” He sounded as breathless as he felt. “But I can’t wait anymore. I want you so much I feel like I’ll die if I can’t have you.”
“Yes,” she said. “Now.”
He looked down at her. “Are you sure?”
She nodded.
Raising himself up and off the lounge he reached for her hand. He brought her into his arms and held her for a long time.
When he finally released her to lead her inside, he hoped he was doing the right thing. He reminded himself that this was her first time, and he needed to be careful with her. This wasn’t about him. This would be all about her.
“Peter?”
“Hmm?”
“What’s that?”
“What’s what?”
“There.” She pointed.
On the south end of the property, flames shot from the roof of one of the houses under construction. “Oh no, oh shit,” he whispered as he released her hand. “Stay here. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He ran for the elevator.
After they located Dash, Travis and Liana spent an hour on the beach with her. Travis threw the stick at least a hundred times and they marveled at her ability to find it even in the encroaching darkness. The paparazzi had gone wild the moment Travis and Liana stepped onto the beach, but the photographers could only take so many shots of two people playing with a dog before even they got bored.
Liana was thrilled when Dash brought the stick back to her.
Travis gazed at her with amazement as she tossed it.
“What?”
“She won’t fetch for anyone but me. Not even Beck. It drives him crazy.”
Delighted, Liana smiled. “Really?”
“Really.”
Dash returned with the stick and dropped it at Liana’s feet.
“Don’t forget who feeds you, you ingrate,” Travis growled at the dog.
She ignored him and barked at Liana to get back to the game.
Liana sent the stick flying and cried out in surprise when Travis tossed her over his shoulder and spun her around. “I’m going to puke,” she shrieked between gales of laughter. “Put me down!”
“Wouldn’t the photographers love to get a shot of the very fancy Liana McDermott with her rear end in the air. Over here, boys.”
“Travis! All the blood’s rushing to my head!”
He ran a hand over her bottom. “Mine, too.”
“Oh, that’s so disgusting,” she said between new fits of laughter. “Put me down. I’ll give you your dog back. I promise.”
He let her slide down the front of him and held her there. In the inky darkness he could barely make out her features but could see her looking up at him with eyes full of what looked an awful lot like love. Did he dare to hope?
Dash’s sharp bark interrupted the moment.
Travis bent to get the stick and sent it sailing down the beach one last time. While Dash took off in hot pursuit, Travis leaned in to kiss Liana softly. He wasn’t sure which one of them moaned first, but by the time Dash returned their arms were tight around each other.
The dog whimpered and rolled in the sand while she waited for them.
Dazzled, Travis was shocked to realize that were it not for the prying eyes of the media he would have eased her down onto the beach and taken her right then and there. That loss of control was new to him, and it made his heart and mind race. But he showed her none of that when he put his arm around her and whistled for Dash to come with them.
They were bending to pick up their shoes where they left them by the steps when they heard Beck frantically calling their names, just as Travis’s cell phone rang.
Travis raced up the stairs ahead of Liana and Dash. “What’s wrong?” he asked his frazzled security director.
“Fire,” Beck said, out of breath. He pointed to the south end of the property.
Travis looked to where Beck pointed and saw the plume of smoke and dancing flames.
“Fire department’s on the way,” Beck said.
Liana caught up to them and gasped when she saw fire licking the sky in the distance.
“Go on up to my place, Liana,” Travis said without taking his eyes off the fire. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I want to come with you,” she said, gripping his arm.
He took her hand. “No.”
“Please, Travis.”
Travis tore his eyes off the fire long enough to glance at her and see the concern in her eyes. “All right.”
As they ran toward Beck’s truck, Dash rocketed past them heading in the direction of the fire.
“Dash!” Travis yelled. “Dash, stop!”
The dog ran off into the darkness like Travis hadn’t spoken.
“Goddamn it!” Travis said.
“She wouldn’t go near the fire,” Liana assured him as Beck sped down the dirt road that led to the construction site. “She’s too smart for that.”
While he drove, Beck conversed with members of his staff on the radio.
They arrived at the fully engulfed house just ahead of the fire department.
“There wouldn’t be anyone in there at this hour on a Friday night, would there?” Travis asked.
“We’re trying to confirm that with the contractor,” Beck replied.
They froze when they heard Dash’s bark coming from the direction of the burning house.
Travis lunged toward the house, but Beck held him back.
Dash’s barking became more frantic.
The fire captain directed men and hoses before he rushed over to talk to Travis and Beck. “Is there a dog in there?”
“We hope not,” Beck replied with a grim set to his mouth.
“There must be someone in the house if she’s barking like that.” Travis struggled to swallow the overwhelming fear that lodged in his throat.
The captain hollered into a walkie-talkie to alert his men that there might be someone in the house.
Travis, Liana, and Beck stood back and watched two firemen enter the house while the others pointed hoses at the fire.
The barking had stopped, and Travis was staring at the fire when Liana’s hand closed tightly around his.
“She’s going to be okay,” Liana whispered.
The fire radios crackled with the news that the firemen had found someone inside. Paramedics came flying out of the ambulance carrying equipment and a stretcher.
A few seemingly endless minutes later, two firemen carried a body out of the house.
“He’s alive,” one of the firemen called to the paramedics. “But just barely.”
As the paramedics went to work on the injured man, Travis let go of Liana’s hand and pulled his arm free of Beck’s grasp.
“Did you see a dog in there?” Travis yelled to one of the firefighters who had been inside the house. “A yellow lab?”
“No.” He wiped the sweat from his face. “We heard a dog barking, but we couldn’t find it.”
The paramedics loaded the injured man into the ambulance and took off with the siren blaring and emergency lights flashing.
“Dash! Dash!” Travis called. Bolting toward the house, he heard Liana scream for him to come back. He kept moving until his feet were pulled out from under him. He landed hard on the ground under Beck just as the second floor of the house crashed down onto the first.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Beck roared.
“Dash is in there! I’ve got to get her!”
“You’re not getting yourself killed for a dog.”
“It’s Dash,” Travis wailed, fighting Beck’s iron grip.
&n
bsp; “I know, but you can’t go in there, Travis. You can’t.”
Travis had tears rolling down his face when he let Beck pull him up and lead him back to where Liana waited for them, her own face awash in tears.
She held out her arms to Travis.
He fell into her embrace. “We’ve got to get her.”
“Maybe she didn’t go into the house.” Liana held him close. “Maybe she was barking from outside.”
“Then where is she?”
“She could be scared, Trav,” Beck said.
Travis began calling for her and yelled until he was hoarse from the acrid smoke and the strain on his voice. Long after the firefighters had the fire under control, he still called for her.
The fire captain walked over to them with a grim expression on his face. “Arson,” he said, holding up a singed gas can.
“We’ve been having problems with vandals,” Beck said. “Nothing like this, but the police are aware of it.”
“I’m calling in the state fire marshal,” the captain said. “Until we complete our investigation, this is a crime scene. No one goes in there. Am I clear?” He directed the question to Travis, in particular.
“You’ll have our full cooperation,” Beck assured him.
“Mr. North?”
Travis nodded.
The fire captain walked away, and Beck turned to Travis. “I’ll get my whole team down here to look for her. We’re going to find her.”
Travis couldn’t look away from the burnt ruination of the house or stop the flood of tears that cascaded down his face.
“Why don’t you go home, Trav?”
Travis shook his head. “No,” he said in the hoarse whisper that remained of his voice. “Not until we find her.”
Beck put his hands on Travis’s shoulders. “She might be hiding because she’s scared of the way you sound. You need to go back to your place and wait. I’ll call you the minute we find her.”
Travis gestured to what was left of the house. “What if she’s in there?”
“Then we’ll get her when the fire marshal arrives. Go home, Travis.” He handed his keys to Liana and steered Travis toward the truck. After he had gotten Travis into the passenger seat and closed the door, Beck squeezed Liana’s shoulder. “Take care of him. I’ll find Dash.”
Liana nodded. “Okay.”
Chapter Sixteen
Travis stared straight ahead as Liana drove them to The Tower.
She glanced over at him, and her heart broke at the shattered expression on his face.
In the garage she parked in Travis’s spot and went around to open the passenger door.
“Liana!” Jessie cried, emerging from the darkness with a flashlight. “Is everyone all right?”
“We hope so. The firefighters pulled a man from the house and took him to the hospital.” Lowering her voice, she added, “And we can’t find Travis’s dog, Dash.”
“Oh no. What can I do?”
“Keep your eyes out for Dash. She’s a yellow lab.”
“I will. Is Beck on his way back, too?”
Liana shook her head. “He stayed to look for Dash. I need to get Travis upstairs.”
“Of course. Let me know if y’all need anything. I’m so sorry about this.”
“Thanks.” Liana leaned into the car. When he didn’t move, she touched his shoulder. “Travis? Honey, come on. Let’s go upstairs.” She took his hand and gently tugged at it to encourage him out of the car and into the elevator.
When the elevator doors opened into his apartment, he went straight to the sofa.
Liana followed him, sat on the coffee table in front of him, and took his hands. “Beck will find her,” she assured him.
“What if she’s dead?” His battered voice was little more than a whisper. “What’ll I do without her? She’s my . . .”
“What, baby?”
“My family,” he said as new tears flooded his eyes.
Liana moved onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him. She wanted to tell him she would be his family if Dash was gone but couldn’t seem to get the words out.
He buried his face in her shoulder. “I can’t believe she ran into a burning house.”
“She probably saved that man’s life,” Liana reminded him. “And you did, too. You knew something was wrong because of the way she was barking.”
“I need to check on him,” Travis rasped.
“I’m sure Beck will, and he’ll let you know what he hears. Besides, you can barely talk. Do you have any honey or lemon?”
He shook his head. “Call the club. Someone will bring over whatever you want.”
“I want it for you.” She kissed his forehead and got up.
Liana called the club and asked them to send over hot tea with honey and lemon. Then she went into the kitchen, wet a paper towel, and brought it with her when she returned to the sofa. Turning him toward her, she wiped smudges of dirt and dried tears from his face.
He rested his forehead against hers. “I’m glad you’re here.”
“I’ll be here for as long as you need me,” she assured him.
Twirling a lock of her long hair around his finger, he sighed. “You can’t stay that long.”
The raw longing she heard in his injured voice tugged at her heart.
The intercom buzzed, and she got up to answer it. A minute later, a waiter from the club arrived with the cup of tea.
“I heard about Dash, Mr. North,” the young man said after he had given the tea to Liana. “I’m really sorry.”
“Thanks, Sam,” Travis said.
“Well, you all take care,” Sam said as he left in the elevator. “Let us know if you need anything else.”
Liana took the tea over to Travis. “Here,” she said. “This’ll help your throat.”
Travis took a sip. “Thanks.”
“He seems like a nice kid,” Liana said, struggling to think of some way to take Travis’s mind off Dash.
“He’s the one who gave me the four-one-one on you,” Travis said with a small smile. “I asked him to come back next summer to work in the office since he’s going to business school.”
“That’s quite an opportunity for him. He’ll learn a lot from you.”
Travis shrugged and lifted his arm to invite her to sit closer to him.
She looped her arm around his waist, rested her head on his chest, and listened to the steady rhythm of his heart. “How’s your throat?”
“A little better.”
“Maybe I can be a nurse if modeling doesn’t work out.”
“Or a wedding coordinator.”
“Yeah, right.”
“I mean it.” His voice sounded only slightly better than it had earlier, and she could tell he was making an effort to keep his mind off Dash. “We’re going to have weddings every weekend of the year, sometimes two a week. Big ones outside in the summer and smaller ones in the clubhouse during the off-season. There’s no way Niki can handle all of them, and I’ve got other things I need to be focused on now that our first big one is behind us. We’ve been talking about hiring a second coordinator. The job’s yours if you want it.”
Astounded, Liana looked up at him. “You’re serious.”
“Of course I am. I never joke about business.”
“But surely you’d prefer to have someone more experienced, someone who knows what they’re doing.”
“I’d prefer to have you,” he said, kissing her forehead. “You have style and class and star power that certainly won’t hurt North Point. And after watching you in action the last couple of days, I have no doubt you can do it.”
“You really think so?”
“I know so. You’ve told me you can’t imagine a life without modeling. I’m just offering a suggestion of something you might like to do.”
She returned her head to his chest.
“It’s nothing that has to be decided now. Think about it.”
He was offering her the chance to stay with him, to help him n
urture his dream at North Point. Liana had to admit the idea appealed to her. She’d enjoyed the last two days even more than she had expected to. But he hadn’t said anything about what it would mean for them as a couple if she were to stay, and that would make all the difference in what she decided to do. One of the tabloid headlines had been running through her mind all night: “Has Liana Found Her True North?” Very possibly, but she’d never be able to stay with him if he didn’t love her the way she loved him.
His cell phone rang, and Liana sat up so he could get it out of his pocket.
“Yeah,” he said into the phone, which he put on speaker so Liana could hear, too.
“Hey,” Beck said. “We’re still looking. The good news is there’s no sign of her inside the house. It’s still pretty hot in there, but the fire marshal’s team took a quick look, and they don’t see her.”
Travis sighed with relief. “She could still be hurt, though, or even worse.”
“Possibly, but not finding her in the house is definitely good news.”
“Agreed,” Travis said.
“We’re going to call off the search for tonight. There’s no moon, so it’s dark as hell out here. I’ll have some guys out at dawn.”
“Okay,” Travis said. “Thanks for trying.”
“I want to find her, too.”
“I know you do. Did you hear anything about the guy they took out of the house?”
“He’s a cabinetmaker who was working late. He’s in fair condition at Newport Hospital with second-degree burns and smoke inhalation, but they expect him to make a full recovery.” “That’s a relief,” Travis said.
“There may be one other bit of good news,” Beck said.
“What’s that?”
“The photographers who’ve been stalking you and Liana? One of them got some film in the area of the house right before the fire. He may’ve captured something the cops can use to nail the bastards who’ve been screwing with us. He turned his memory card over to the cops a few minutes ago.”
“Wouldn’t that be something?” Travis asked.
“Definitely. Well, try to get some sleep. I know you’re worried, but we’re going to find her. One way or the other we will find her.”
“Thanks, Beck. I’ll talk to you in the morning.” He closed the phone and glanced at Liana. “Can you believe that?”