Around three in the morning Zion woke to the ringing of his phone. After making love to Celine on the blanket by the lake for the majority of the afternoon, he had come back here to work at the cottage instead of going to the main house. He knew he would be tempted to make love to her even more. And because of that he’d stayed in the bedroom at the cottage.
Recognizing the ringtone, he said, “This had better be good, Y.”
“It’s about Levy Michaels.”
Zion pulled himself up in bed. “What about him?”
“It seems Michaels planned his daughter’s kidnapping as part of a publicity stunt orchestrated by Anastas, which is why he hadn’t gone to the FBI.”
“What!”
“You heard me. The reason for her kidnapping had nothing to do with Nikon Anastas owing anyone money. He never owed anyone anything. The plan fell through when Ms. Michaels got away. Those men were to hold her for a week, and they would get paid a huge sum of money for their troubles. News of her kidnapping would have made national headlines, with Michaels being portrayed as the concerned and upset father and then Nikon as the hero when he showed up in Italy to rescue Ms. Michaels.”
Zion couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard of.”
“Yeah, but those Hollywood types will do anything to get their name in the spotlight. Unfortunately, a monkey wrench was thrown into the plans. Once those men grabbed Ms. Michaels they got greedy and decided they would make more money with a real kidnapping. They called Anastas and Michaels and told them of their change in plans. A faked kidnapping had turned into the real thing and a ransom was demanded. That’s why Michaels told his daughter to go into hiding—because he knew those men were looking for her. He and Anastas tried to talk some sense into the men, and when that failed, they had no choice but to finally go to the FBI today and admit what they’d done.”
Zion got out of bed, livid. “That was a crazy publicity stunt, which could have gotten Celine hurt.”
“I think her dad realizes that now. I understand the FBI is working with Rome officials to find those men. I would help them out, since I’ve kept a tail on them since day one, but if I do, the authorities will wonder about my involvement, and I intend to keep you from being connected to all this BS.”
“I appreciate that.”
“I figured you would. More than likely Michaels will be calling his daughter to explain everything. Hopefully, he’ll tell her the truth this time. I understand he wants her back home and has no idea where she is. He’s not even sure if she’s still in Rome. A part of me suspects he’s really worried about her now, since he hasn’t talked to her.”
“He could have. She’s been using my burner phone.”
“Evidently he was worried about the calls being traced by those guys,” York explained.
Zion slid into his jeans and walked over to the window. He could see the guest bedroom where Celine was staying from where he stood. Suddenly the lights in the bedroom came on. She still had his burner phone, so he wondered if she’d just gotten a call from her father.
“Z? You still there?”
“Yes, I’m still here. I need to go to Celine. I’ll talk to you—”
“Go to her? Where is she?”
“Staying at the main house.”
“Oh. And where are you staying?”
He was about to tell York that he asked too many questions. Instead he answered, “At the cottage.”
“Any reason the two of you aren’t under the same roof?”
“No reason that’s any of your business. Bye, Y. I’ll call you back later.”
Zion clicked off the phone, slipped on his shoes and headed for the door.
* * *
“What are you saying, Dad?” Celine asked, easing out of bed after turning on the lamp. She could hardly believe what her father had just told her.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart. When Nikon came up with the idea it sounded like a good plan, to put our names out there for that project we’ll be working on together the beginning of next year.”
“So this was all a publicity stunt?” She could feel anger tightening her throat.
“But things didn’t go the way we’d planned,” her father said. “Those men were supposed to hold you for a few days and then let you go. Nikon and I would then announce to the authorities that you’d been kidnapped, and that we’d paid your ransom. It would have been a great news story about how Nikon and I saved the day and got you back home safely. The PR would have been unbelievably great. Only thing, those men got greedy and tried making the kidnapping the real thing. I am so glad you got away from them.”
Celine didn’t want to think what might have happened if she hadn’t. “I can’t believe you would do something like that. Put my life in danger.”
“Like I told you, I honestly didn’t think you’d be in danger. Nikon assured me you wouldn’t be.”
“And when I called and told you what happened, why didn’t you contact the FBI like you claimed you’d done?” She detected her father’s annoyance. He detested being questioned about anything. He’d told her what he’d wanted her to know and that should have been final. But not this time. Now she needed to know the truth.
“Because I thought Nikon and I could handle it, that we could talk some sense into those men to back off, but we couldn’t. They were intent on getting more money out of us. They threatened to tear up Rome looking for you and when they found you there would be hell to pay. That’s when I knew that I had to let the FBI know what was going on. Especially when I had no idea where you were. I still don’t.”
And she still had no intention of telling him. The story would break and the names of everyone involved would be publicized. It wouldn’t be the story her father had wanted out there, but that was too bad.
That wasn’t what she wanted for Zion. He didn’t deserve an invasion of his privacy just for trying to protect her.
“When can I return to the States?” She didn’t ask when she could return to the Michaels estate. More than ever she was determined to move out into her own place.
“You’re free to return now. I’ve been notified that the Italian police have apprehended those men and they’ve been arrested. The FBI has agreed not to make a statement about anything, since you got away and no harm came to you.”
“So in other words, no one will know what you and Nikon planned to do.”
Her father hesitated for a moment, then said, “For now. There’s a possibility those men who were arrested will talk, but we’ll deal with that when and if it happens.”
Celine could only shake her head. Did he think being kidnapped for even a short while hadn’t been traumatic for her?
“By the way, your phone should be working again. And I plan to be with Ulysses when he flies in to get you.”
“Don’t bother, Dad. I’ll get back to the States on my own.”
“Celine, I will be coming to get you.”
“No, Dad, you won’t. I will call you when I get to the States.”
“Celine, I know you’re upset about all this, but I’ll make it up to you. How does an unlimited shopping experience in the Canary Islands sound to you?”
He actually thought that her emotions could be bought! Rage roiled inside her. But then, hadn’t his attempts to soothe her in the past been basically the same—throwing money at her? Instead of going shopping, she’d invested the money into Second Chances. But not this time. “I don’t want to go shopping, Dad.”
“Of course you do. By the way, the Roman authorities want to talk to you. They can’t hold those men until you officially file charges against them, and that needs to be done within seventy-two hours.”
“I’m not ready to talk to anyone yet. When I am, I will. Goodbye, Dad.”
As soon as she clicked off the phone, she heard the light knock on the door and knew who it was. Slipping on her robe, she said, “Come in.”
A shirtless Zion walked in. “Are you okay, Celine?”
The intensity of her attraction to him still mystified her. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t be?” She didn’t mean to sound flippant, but she couldn’t help it. After making love to her all afternoon by the lake, he had walked her back here, and instead of staying, he had escaped to the cottage. He’d even had the audacity to text her to say he would spend the night there. Why did he keep making love to her and then rejecting her?
“I got a call from York and he told me what he’d found out.”
“And I just got a call from my father. He told me everything. He also said the Roman officials picked up the men and I need to go to the authorities and press charges within seventy-two hours.”
Zion nodded. “No problem. I will take you wherever you need to go tomorrow.”
She shook her head. “I’d rather you didn’t.”
He frowned. “Why?”
“Because no one knows where I’ve been for the past few days and I’d prefer to keep you out of it. I know how you feel about being in the spotlight and wouldn’t want your name connected to mine. Somehow Dad got the FBI to agree to keep the incident out of the papers in the States, but if those kidnappers decide to talk it won’t make Dad or Nikon look good.”
“When and if the truth gets out, people are going to wonder where you were hiding,” Zion said.
“Let them. I’ll refuse to tell them. Like I said, I don’t want you involved.”
He came to stand directly in front of her. “Too late. I’m already involved. And I think you should wait a couple of days before you leave, to make sure the authorities arrest everyone who’s been implicated.”
She saw nothing wrong with his suggestion. In fact, she thought it was a smart move. “All right. And when I return to the States things will be different.”
“In what way?”
She began pacing, knowing he was watching her closely. But she needed to move around. Standing near him for too long a time filled her with too many memories. The heat and texture of his skin. His taste. How much she enjoyed making love to him. She would even admit that she had missed him being in her bed last night. The short time he would have been there.
“In what way, Celine?” he asked again.
She stopped pacing and looked at him. “First of all, I plan to tell my father how I feel about what he and Nikon did. Although Nikon might have suggested it, Dad went along with it. For him to think he could manipulate me to accept a pretended kidnapping was not okay. He didn’t consider my feelings. It was all about what he and Nikon wanted.”
“I’m sure he’s regretting that decision.”
“Yes, and in a way, I hold myself responsible for allowing him to think he could control me all these years. Although I fought back, I never fought back hard enough, for fear I would lose him. But that will change. I had already made up my mind to tell him about Second Chances. I refuse to sneak around to do something that makes me happy, not any longer.”
She began pacing again and then she stopped. “And I plan to move permanently into my own place.”
“Do you?”
“Yes. And maybe one day, if you ever get the notion to visit me, I’ll happily return your hospitality.”
* * *
Zion didn’t know what to say to that, although he knew he wouldn’t be visiting her. When she left here and he’d had the jewelry for her birthday delivered to her father, that would be the end of his association with the Michaelses. Although deep down the thought bothered him, that was the way it would be. The way it had to be. Celine Michaels was becoming an ache and the only way to get rid of it was with time and distance.
He needed to make sure she understood there was no future of any kind for them. No visits. No phone calls. No nothing. When she left, all contact between them would end. “Visiting you is not an option, Celine. Not when there is this thing between us. I see you and I want you. I see your lips and I want to kiss you. I see your naked skin and I want to taste you. God knows I tried avoiding you and couldn’t. I don’t understand it, but for now I’m willing to accept it.”
He paused a moment and then added, “But I need you to accept something, too. There can’t and never will be anything between us. All we can ever have is this thing that neither of us can control. A part of me wished there could be more, but there can’t. I won’t let it. I’m a loner and intend to be a loner for the rest of my days, and I’m okay with that. All we will ever have is the now. I’m willing to accede to that. Are you?”
She didn’t say anything. All they did was stare at each other as if the impact of his words was clearly understood. He wasn’t sure who moved first. One of them did. Maybe both at the same time. All he knew was that suddenly she was in his arms, and once he lowered his head toward hers, he was crushing her mouth with his and exerting a provocative degree of pressure to take the kiss deeper.
She moaned and the sound barely harnessed his control. There was just something about kissing this woman, holding her in his arms, breathing her scent, that elicited a degree of passion he’d never felt before.
He loved seducing her mouth while his hands tangled in her hair and his fingers caressed the nape of her neck. He growled low in his throat and took the kiss to an ever deeper level. Moments later, when the need to breathe became mandatory, he reluctantly dragged his mouth away.
But the fire she’d started now spread through his blood and burned in his loins. He felt a possessive streak rush through him. Drawing in a ragged breath, he tried getting control of his mind and senses, but couldn’t. It hit him then that Celine Michaels was different from any woman he’d ever met. She was getting to him in ways other women never had. He had broken his rules for her.
And he wanted to break another one.
Zion convinced himself the reason he intended to break this particular rule was because pretty soon she would be leaving and he would need the memories. At night, while sleeping alone, he wanted to recall a time he had made love to her in his bed. Why that was important to him, he wasn’t sure, and he didn’t want to analyze it. It just was. He would accept that she would be leaving a lasting impression on him and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.
Ignoring her gasp of surprise, he swept her into his arms and left the room.
“Where are you taking me, Zion?”
He paused a moment to look down at her before leaning in to sprinkle kisses around her mouth. When he began walking again, he lifted his head, met her gaze and said, “My bed.”
* * *
A part of Celine didn’t want Zion to break another rule for her. One day he would analyze his actions and resent her for them, and she didn’t want that. She never meant to disrupt his life or drive him to do things he would later regret.
Just as she never meant to fall in love with him.
But she had.
She realized that now and figured it was something she’d always known, but was, until that moment, unwilling to accept. After all, Zion had made it crystal clear that he didn’t want any woman’s love. He’d been hurt in a way from which he would never recover.
She glanced around when he placed her in the middle of his bed. This was the first time she’d seen his bedroom. He always kept the door closed, so she’d never gotten even a peek inside. Now she saw how huge the room was and how beautiful. The furnishings suited him. Massive and masculine. The bed was mega-large and when he’d placed her in it she felt the firm mattress.
Celine was about to tell him not to break another rule for her when he reached out and removed her robe and then quickly dispensed with her gown, before sliding off his jeans. Just looking at his body took her breath away, and caused a fluttering in her stomach and a wetness between her thighs. Even her nipples were growing firm before his eyes.
“I love how you respond to me,” he said in a deep, husky voice, joining her on the huge bed.
As if she could control herself not to respond. And when he leaned close to nuzzle the side of her neck, she let out a deep sigh. She was putty in his hands. And when his arms wrapped around her, she eased into them even more. “And I like the way you respond to me.” She couldn’t miss the opportunity to counter what he’d said.
He lowered his mouth and she thought he intended to kiss her again. Instead he trailed his lips and his tongue down the side of her face. The unexpected move caused sensual tingles to spread all over her body.
He didn’t stop. It was as if his tongue was enjoying the taste of her skin, savoring it as it moved slowly down her neck. When he reached her throat, he planted an openmouthed kiss there at the center, before sucking at the skin, as if branding her. The thought made heat surge through her.
His mouth was on the move again and she found herself seduced by the hot glide of his tongue over her chest. The moment he took a nipple into his mouth, she moaned as threads of desire wrapped around her. She tugged on his locks, and it seemed the more she tugged, the harder he sucked. The pressure caused an ache at the juncture of her legs.
Then he moved upward until his tantalizing breath was against her mouth. When he swiped his tongue across her lips she moaned again. Why was he torturing her? As if he read her mind, he said, “I want you in ways I’ve never wanted a woman, Celine. I want to do things to you that I don’t normally do.”
Things he didn’t normally do? Before she could find her voice to ask what some of those things were, he sealed his lips over hers, ravishing her in a kiss that rocked her to the core. She was determined to return the kiss with similar greed. Their tongues tangled, dueled, scraped together and mated relentlessly.
She felt him easing her down in the warm bedcovers, and then suddenly, he broke off the kiss, lifted her legs over his shoulders and buried his head between her thighs.
Celine screamed the moment his silky, hot tongue slid inside her and proceeded to give her the same type of intense kiss he’d always given her mouth. His tongue was so hungry for her it took her breath away. This kiss was mindless. It was drugging. It was searing. She tipped her head back against the pillow and of their own accord her hips rose to plant themselves more solidly against his mouth.
Jerome had never made love to her this way, and her first experience with Zion was nearly driving her insane, making her moan deep in her throat. She heard herself call his name, but instead of stopping to answer her, he continued to stroke her with his tongue into sweet oblivion. It was as if at the moment he had a one-track mind, deliciously focused and concentrated on giving her one hell of a demanding kiss, right there. Whether he knew it or not, he was claiming her in a way she’d never been claimed, filling her with a passion she’d never possessed.
His tongue dived deeper inside her, and an orgasm struck her hard. She let out a scream that she was certain shook the rafters and raised the roof. It was only after the last spasm had ended that he pulled his mouth away and moved her legs off his shoulders.
Then he was straddling her. Her body arched and her thighs opened wide while he eased inside her, holding her gaze captive. Her body became taut with renewed pleasure when he began moving. Over and over he pounded hard into her, and at times she gasped out loud at the magnitude of the sensations threatening to overwhelm her. She could feel a climax on the horizon, building fast.
And then it happened again. To both of them at once. Pleasure swept her body and he threw his head back and hollered her name. The sound triggered even more sensations that bombarded her. She heard a ragged growl near her ear just seconds before Zion hungrily slammed his mouth over hers.
Moments later, he eased off her and nestled her in his arms, saying, “Now we sleep.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “In here?”
He leaned over and placed a kiss on her lips. “Yes, in here. All night.”
“All night?” she whispered, clearly not believing it.
Placing a leg over hers as if holding her captive, he whispered back, “All night.”