“Thanks, Alessandro. I owe you one,” Zion said to the friend he was talking to on his cell phone.
“No problem, Zion. I’ll take Isabella with me to pack up everything. I don’t feel comfortable touching all that feminine stuff.”
Zion rolled his eyes. Isabella was Alessandro Rossi’s younger sister. “Whatever. Just be careful. There’s a chance the place is being watched.”
Alessandro chuckled. “Have you forgotten that cautious is my middle name? I should be at your place before breakfast time.”
Zion checked the clock on the wall. It was almost four in the morning now. “Okay. I’ll see you then.”
He clicked off the phone and sighed deeply. It was a stroke of luck that Alessandro’s family owned the Inspiron Hotel, and he figured Celine would be happy to get her things back. He had loaned her one of his T-shirts to sleep in tonight and had told her about the toiletry kits in each vanity.
Zion could hear the shower going, which meant she was getting ready for bed. After her ordeal tonight, he figured she would be both mentally and physically drained. He could only wonder what in the world Nikon Anastas was involved in. And although Levy Michaels tried convincing his daughter otherwise, Zion wasn’t sure her father could be trusted, either. What man would go along with something so crazy? But then, to give the man credit, it sounded as if Nikon had outright lied to Michaels as to what was going down. Why? And just what was going down? After listening to that conversation between Celine and her father, Zion couldn’t help but be curious. And why did knowing she was not an engaged woman, had never been one, make him feel good inside?
He stretched, deciding that, in all reality, none of it was his business. In fact, he appreciated that Celine did not involve him by letting her father know she was at his place. There was no reason for Levy Michaels to think Celine would seek shelter with him. In the morning, once she got her luggage, she could be on her merry little way and his life could get back to normal. Right now, it was anything but that.
For starters, just listening to the sound of the water running for her shower was making him do crazy things. Like standing in his living room envisioning her naked. He wanted her. God, he wanted her, and the way his body was throbbing below the waist was letting him know how much. The sooner she left, the better. He would give her a place to stay tonight, but that was all she would get from him.
But, boy, would he like to give her more. Like the feel of him sliding inside her. The feel of him thrusting in and out of her. The feel of—
“Oops. I didn’t know you were still up.”
He glanced over at Celine, realizing he hadn’t heard the shower stop. She was standing in the hallway that led from the guest room, wearing his T-shirt, a black custom design with the words By Zion sprawled across the front in huge, bold white letters that stretched across her breasts. The shirt hit her midway down her curvy thighs and highlighted a pair of gorgeous legs. She looked too damn sexy for her good or his.
“Yes, I’m still up.” In more ways than one, he thought, feeling his hard erection throb against the zipper of his jeans. “I wanted to make sure you were all settled in before I go back to bed.”
“Thanks. I’m fine. I was just getting something to drink.”
He nodded. “More scotch?”
She grinned at him. Why did she do that? Seeing a smile on her face for the first time tonight did something to him. “No. I’ll pass on more scotch. I think I’ve had enough. Any more and I might oversleep, and I don’t want to do that. I’ve caused you enough trouble already by being here. Sorry I interrupted your sleep.”
Little did she know she had interrupted his sleep anyway, with all those dreams he’d been having of her since returning from the States. “So, what did you plan to drink?”
“Water.”
“In that case, I have plenty. Help yourself.”
He figured she had no idea how intoxicating her scent was. He had a feeling that even after she left it would linger for a couple of days.
“Thanks.”
She walked off and his gaze followed her, not missing how his shirt fit her backside. Desire escalated through him. It was time for him to call it a night before he did something stupid. Like follow her into the kitchen and cop a taste of her lips. She’d been through enough tonight and didn’t need him to add any more problems to those she was dealing with now.
“I’ll see you in the morning,” he called out.
“All right. What time do you want me up and out?”
“No rush.” He decided not to tell her chances were he would have her luggage before she woke up. He wanted to surprise her. “Good night.”
“Good night, Zion. Oh, yeah, there is something I need to ask you about, though.”
He left the living room and walked into the kitchen. She was leaning against the sink with a glass of water in her hand. Her stance looked too damn sexy for his peace of mind. “What do you want to ask me?”
“Do all your towels have your name monogrammed on them?”
He chuckled. “Just about. I like declaring ownership whenever I can.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.” Why had he said that? He could have just told her the simple truth. For the last five years, one of his godmothers, who owned a specialty shop in Seattle, had given each of her godsons personalized towel sets for Christmas. He expected the same this year.
“That’s good to know.”
“What is?”
“You and that ownership thing.”
That ownership thing. He could just imagine her drying her naked body off with a towel with his name written on it. Like the T-shirt she was wearing. She was standing there staring at him in a way that charged his libido with enough sexual energy to last for days, months and even years. He couldn’t help but wonder what she did have or didn’t have on under his T-shirt. His fingertips tingled, and he was tempted to cross the room, skim them across her breasts while tracing the words By Zion, before slipping those same fingers underneath the T-shirt to appease his curiosity.
“Would you like some water yourself, Zion?”
Her question made him realize he’d been standing there assessing her thoroughly with his gaze. “No, thanks. I don’t want any water.”
He fought back the urge to say what was on his mind. What I really want is you, Celine. Deciding he needed to get the hell out of his kitchen before it became way too hot, he said, “I forgot to mention there’s a courtesy bathrobe in your guest room closet.”
“Oh, now you tell me.”
He shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “Yes, now I tell you.” He backed up a few steps and said, “I’ll see you in the morning,” before he turned and left.
* * *
Celine released a deep sigh when Zion left the kitchen. She wondered if he knew that he wore sexual desire on his sleeve even when shirtless. She’d recognized the ragged heat in his gaze and noticed the huge erection pressing against his zipper, something he hadn’t tried to hide. She figured he couldn’t have hidden it even if he’d wanted to. She hadn’t wanted her eyes to wander below his waist, but found herself doing so anyway, fascinated that he could desire her as much as she desired him.
She took another sip of water, needing it to cool down her body. She still couldn’t understand how he could cause such rapid and intense fire to rush through her veins just from looking at her. He had stood less than five feet away, shirtless, with jeans riding low on his hips, in his bare feet, with a headful of dreadlocks flowing around his shoulders. Sexy couldn’t come close to describing how he looked or how him staring at her had made her feel.
Celine knew she should go to bed and try to get some sleep. The majority of the night was gone and it would be morning soon. Then she would leave. Just where she would go, she wasn’t sure, but it had to be someplace other than here. Temptation was too alive and appealing within these walls for her to even think about staying.
But then, he hadn’t invited her to stay beyond tonight, so that meant he wanted her gone, too. For them to make love—no matter how enticing the thought—would be a huge mistake. She had enough to worry about than to indulge in a casual affair with Zion.
Why did he have to be one of the finest men she’d ever met? Just his walk alone could give her total heart failure. And his smile, when he cared to show it, was a jolt to any woman’s hormones. Even his serious side was a total turn-on. If she could think of any part of his behavior as a turnoff she wouldn’t be here. However, he’d been the first person who’d come to mind when she’d needed a safe place.
She did feel safe here, and not just because it was a secured residence. She felt safe because of Zion. She didn’t want to think how tonight could have ended up differently had she not decided to take matters into her own hands and escape. She had no idea where she was being taken or how long she would have been held. Celine could and would admit she’d been petrified of the possible outcome, but had managed to keep her cool.
After washing out her glass, she placed it on the counter. She was feeling clean, refreshed and rather sleepy. Leaving the kitchen, she headed for the bedroom Zion was letting her use, to grab a few winks.
* * *
The ringing of the phone awakened Zion. It was his burner phone and not his regular cell. That meant the call wasn’t from Alessandro. Pulling himself up in bed, Zion reached for it. The call was from the last number that had been dialed, which meant it was Levy Michaels.
Easing out of bed with the ringing phone in his hand, Zion quickly grabbed his other phone, as well, before walking down the hall to the room Celine was using, and knocked a few times before he heard her sleepy “Come in.”
After opening the door, he stopped dead in his tracks. She was lying on top of the covers, on her side, with half her face buried in a pillow and his T-shirt barely covering her shapely thighs. Seeing her bare flesh made the lower part of his body throb with need.
“Celine?”
As if the sound of his voice cut through her sleep haze, she lifted her head, and when she saw him standing in the doorway, she let out a startled squeal before quickly getting beneath the bedcovers.
“I knocked and you told me to come in,” he said, feeling it was something he should remind her of.
“I know. Sorry about that, but for a minute I’d forgotten where I was. I’m used to our housekeeper, Aggie, coming in to wake me every morning.”
If Aggie found her in a similar position in her bed each morning, he would eagerly trade places with the woman. “Oh, I see.” And he had seen enough to get his libido revved.
“Is there a reason you needed to see me, Zion?”
Her question made him remember the phone, which was now silent. “The burner phone was ringing. I believe it was your father calling you back.”
“Oh,” she said, quickly sitting up. “I’ll call him now.”
Zion crossed the room to hand it to her, and was about to turn to leave when she said, “No, please stay. Depending on what he says, I might need a voice of reason again. I’m still upset about this.”
And the more he thought about it, the more he felt she should be upset. “Okay.”
She scooted over for him to sit on the edge of the bed as she redialed the number and placed the phone on speaker.
“Celine?”
“Dad? I see you tried calling me.”
“Yes, for a minute I was worried,” Levy said.
“What is it, Dad?”
“I spoke with Nikon. It seems those guys that snatched you had come up with their own plans to ensure he paid them the money he owed.”
“Which was?”
“To do like they told you—hold you until he did.”
“And what if he didn’t pay them?”
There was a pause, and when her father didn’t answer, she repeated the question in a fiercer tone. “What if he didn’t pay them, Dad?”
“If he didn’t pay, then they were going to hit me up for ransom, in the amount he owed them. You did the right thing by getting away, but according to Nikon, they aren’t happy with it.”
“Too bad,” Celine said, and Zion watched a smug, mocking smile touch her lips.
“I was told they are looking for you.”
“Who are they? I didn’t want to contact the authorities until I talked to you. I should contact them to try and stop them,” she said.
“Right now it’s not a good idea to get the police involved.”
“Why not?”
A deep frown settled on Celine’s face when her father didn’t answer right away. “I asked why not?” she repeated.
“Just think about it, Celine. Getting the authorities involved would be an international nightmare, a scandal of the worst proportions. Right now both our names are linked to Nikon. You as his fiancée, although technically you aren’t, and then me as the primary investor in his next film project. I want to do what I agreed to do in the beginning, which was to give Nikon a week to handle his mess. Just so you know, I’ve notified the FBI, so they know what’s going on. I’m not ready to file an official report of kidnapping, since you’re now safe. However, they suggest that you stay put and out of sight for the time being. The only reason I’m taking this approach is because Nikon has assured me he will pay the debt, and according to you, you’re in a safe place for now. It’s just a matter of you extending your time in Rome a few more days.”
Zion could feel Celine’s anger. “It’s more than me extending my time here, Dad. I am in hiding. There is a big difference. I will give Nikon a week to clear up this mess, otherwise I am going to the embassy. And at that point I won’t give a damn about Nikon’s reputation or your monetary investment. Do I make myself clear, Dad?”
“Yes, but—”
“No buts. I mean what I said.”
“Fine. I’ll call you with updates whenever I can. Within a week, when this is over, I’m coming to get you myself. Goodbye, sweetheart.”
“Bye, Dad.” She clicked off the phone.
Celine looked over at Zion. “You heard.”
“Yes, I heard.”
“As soon as I can, I’ll leave and—”
“And go where?” he asked her. “I heard your father, and you heard him, too, Celine. Those men are looking for you.”
“I know that, Zion, but what do you suggest? I can’t stay here.”
He was about to speak when his intercom buzzed. Using his cell phone, Zion clicked on. “Yes, Parker?”
“Mr. Rossi is here to see you, sir. Should I send him on up?”
“Yes, please do.”
Clicking off the phone, he said to Celine, “Alessandro Rossi is a good friend of mine. You might want to put on your bathrobe, since you should come out and thank him.”
She lifted a brow. “Thank him for what?”
Zion stood and smiled down at her. “You’ll see.”