Last Chance (24 page)

rethinking those plans.

A knock at the door and then Myron stuck his head in. "Is it safe to

come in?"

Lucas almost smiled. His initial reaction had been less than calm. "I've

cooled down considerably."

Myron strode in, placed a packet on Lucas's desk, and dropped into a

chair. "We only have a limited amount of time before it will be too late to

stop them."

Lucas picked up the packet and emptied it onto the desk. There were

only five photographs. All taken the day she'd come to his estate, the

pictures only showed two people staring into each other's eyes, holding

hands. In one photograph, Lucas had pushed a strand of hair behind her ear,

a tender, affectionate gesture he'd never planned to share with the world. As

celebrity photographs went, these were mild, even anemic displays of

affection. But for Lucas Kane, who avoided as much publicity about his love

life as possible, they might as well have been caught in a passionate kiss.

Dammit, he'd been so careful. Had even hired two extra security

personnel to patrol the outer grounds, all in an effort to protect their privacy.

"Any reason why they're just now surfacing? The photos were taken

weeks ago."

Phelps shrugged. "I don't think anyone thought anything of them at

first, but you've become more elusive than ever. You used to appear in

public, at least occasionally, with some beauty hanging on your arm. That

hasn't happened in a while. Some enterprising reporter found the

photographs filed away and decided there was more to them than what was

first thought."

Lucas stared down at them again. Only two of the photographs were

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clear enough to show their faces. He wasn't so much disturbed as surprised

by the expression on his face. Though Lucas had spent years learning to hide

his thoughts, the photographer had somehow captured naked emotion as he

gazed down at McKenna. And McKenna's face was even more revealing,

showing vulnerability and tenderness. Dammit, they'd been so busy gazing

into each other's eyes, they had let their guard down.

"What do you want me to do, Lucas? It's going to cost some money,

but I think we can buy them off or at least buy some time."

Lucas didn't respond to that. Money wasn't even an issue. However,

while he'd been waiting for Phelps to arrive, he'd had some time to think.

What was done was done. Was this an opportunity he could use?

Uttering a silent prayer that he was making the right decision, Lucas

said, "Delay them...but don't stop them."

Myron's eyes went wide. This was clearly not the answer he expected.

"You want them to run the story?"

His gaze unfocused, Lucas saw McKenna as she'd been this morning

when he'd left her in bed, asleep and vulnerable. Awake, she was so

determined to be tough and invincible, but underneath that bravado was a

fragility. Damon Hughes was obsessed and would never stop looking for

her. The only way to protect McKenna was to get Hughes out of her life

forever.

"What do you think a man like Hughes would do if he saw what he

considers his property being touched by another man?"

"Explode," Myron answered.

"Exactly. He wouldn't be able to stand that another man has been in

possession of what he believes is his."

A frown of confused concern replacing his surprise, Myron gave a

cautious nod.

"He'll come after me."

Myron surged to his feet. "You're crazy, Lucas. Do you know what

the man would do to you?"

Having been in the Kane family's employ for many years, by

necessity Myron knew a little about Lucas's past. However, he didn't know

the extent or specialization of his employer's training.

"I can handle the bastard."

Staring hard for several seconds, Myron apparently saw the

determination in Lucas's eyes. He dropped into his chair with an explosive,

resigned sigh. "What do you want me to do?"

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Fourteen

"I can't believe you've never competed."

McKenna grinned at him. This was the second swimming race they'd

had and she'd beat him each time. He looked so incredibly proud of her, as if

he had discovered a national secret.

"I tried out when I was in junior high but I didn't have the reach I

needed. My arms were too short. Then, when I got to high school, the swim

team had pretty much disbanded. The school ran out of money and it was

one of the first things they cut."

"That's too bad. You could've been one of their stars."

She didn't answer that it probably wouldn't have worked out that way.

She'd met Damon and her life had not been her own from the moment she

saw him. Why had she not seen his possessiveness sooner? What she had

thought was romantic and sweet had really been obsessive and sick. Her

parents had seen it, and because of her stupidity, they'd paid the price.

"Stop it, McKenna."

"Stop what?"

"Reliving the past. You can't change it, but you can change the

future."

She didn't want to think about it or dwell on it. There were just a few

days left until her self-imposed deadline. Thinking about Damon would

destroy the joy, and he had destroyed too much already.

"Race you to the end," she challenged.

"Not on your life. I think I pulled a muscle during that last stretch."

"Poor baby. Want me to rub it?"

"Yes...in fact, I think I pulled several muscles."

Sputtering with laughter, McKenna swam away from him. One thing

Lucas could do was make her laugh. Every day was a new adventure with

him. It had been so long since she'd felt so lighthearted, so free from

burdens. Lucas had given that to her and she would be forever grateful to

him.

There was that word again. Forever. When would she get it through

her head that forever was out when it came to them?

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"Ready for lunch?"

Turning her mind away from those dark thoughts, she smiled up at

him. "Do you even need to ask that question?"

Holding a towel for her, he said, "Come on up here, then. I might even

allow you a second dessert."

As she walked slowly up the steps, air hit her wet, naked skin, but it

was the heated look in his eyes that caused the goose bumps to form all over

her body. She loved it when he looked at her as if she were the most

beautiful, desirable woman in the world.

Allowing him to wrap the towel around her, she put her arms around

his neck and pulled him down for a slow, languorous kiss. Then, leaning

away slightly, she whispered, "And I might just ask for thirds on that dessert.

What do you think about that?"

"I think I'm damn glad this is an indoor pool, and that I gave everyone

the afternoon off." With those words, he pulled the towel from her and then

unhooked the top of her swimsuit, dropping both to the ground. His mouth

went to her breast.

Gasping at his hot mouth on her water-cooled skin, she held his head

as he suckled. Finally she managed to ask, "What about lunch?"

Without lifting his head, he muttered, "Dessert first." His mouth

moved to her other breast and gave it the same treatment.

"Mmm. Yes, definitely."

As his mouth worked at her breast, his hands swept down her body

and removed the minuscule bathing suit bottom. McKenna's hands were

equally busy as she tugged at his swim trunks. They were more difficult to

get off and she grunted her frustration at the effort.

Chuckling at her impatience, Lucas lifted his head and pulled his

trunks down with one jerk. His erection sprang out and McKenna sighed at

the sheer beauty of him. In her life before Lucas, she would never have

acknowledged that a fully aroused man was anything but an atrocious, evil

demon. Lucas had made her fall in love not only with the man inside but

with the body that housed the man.

Her hands went to the hard, throbbing erection pressed between them.

Lucas's mouth had gone back to her breast and he growled in approval of the

firm strokes she gave him. While one of his hands held her close, the other

glided down her stomach and pressed against her mound. McKenna opened

her legs, knowing what he wanted. At the first touch of his fingers on her

clit, she went wild, arching into his hand. Lucas thrust three fingers into her

and she screamed at the suddenness of her release.

With a fierce growl she'd never heard from him before, Lucas lifted

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her in his arms and carried her to a lounge chair. Thinking he meant to drop

her on it, she was surprised when he pulled the mat from the frame and

threw it on the ground. Then she forgot to think at all because he lowered

her onto the mat, positioned himself over her, and then was inside her.

She was about to wrap her legs around his waist, but Lucas grabbed

her ankles, stopping her. She watched as he slowly pushed her legs up and

wide until she was totally exposed to him. Following his eyes, she looked

down to where they were joined. And together, they looked as his penis slid

in and out, stroking deep, over and over again. McKenna almost screamed at

the sheer eroticism and earthy sexuality.

"Lucas...," she groaned, and closed her eyes.

"Open your eyes, love."

His gaze was hotter, his expression wilder than she'd ever seen.

Pulling out of her completely, Lucas bent down and licked her slowly,

softly. As if he were licking a melting ice-cream cone, savoring her taste, her

essence, he swirled and licked her inside and out. McKenna didn't know

whether to sob, scream, or explode. When his tongue plunged deep and his

teeth nibbled delicately on her clit, she did all three as she came in a long,

earth-shattering sensation of ecstasy.

Before she could catch her breath, Lucas was inside her again. With

her ankles wrapped around his neck, he pounded into her with more force

than he'd ever used before. McKenna hung on, enjoying his wild, untamed

lovemaking just as much or more than the tender, sweetness of their earlier

times.

Another growl, this time deeper and more guttural, came from his

throat as he stiffened above her and then exploded.

McKenna loosened her legs and let them fall on either side of him.

Holding him close in her arms, she cherished the gasping breaths of her

lover. The golden man of her dreams.

A soft sound woke him. Without opening his eyes, he pulled

McKenna's body closer. She lay on her side, spooned against him. Reaching

down to kiss her neck, he had to move her hair aside, and for the first time

he realized how much it had grown since he'd known her. When they first

met, her hair had been almost as short as his. Now it fell just below her ears.

And since she'd been here, she hadn't colored it, which meant the light

golden brown of her natural color was showing.

Lucas didn't question why her appearance was changing. He knew the

reason. Here she felt safe. Here she knew there was no way Damon Hughes

could find her. His heart jerked at the deception he was playing, but he

couldn't back away.

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So far his investigator had been unable to ascertain Damon's location.

If he didn't have it soon, Lucas would go with his second plan. The

photograph and a small teasing caption under the photo should more than

satisfy Damon that McKenna not only was alive and well but had a lover.

Once the bastard saw the pictures, the ball was in his court.

He'd had to pay a tidy sum of money for the delay in printing them,

but if this worked, he'd pay ten times over. Though he wasn't giving up hope

that Damon's location could be determined before the photographs were

printed, he wasn't counting on it. The pictures would ensure that Lucas got

the results he wanted.

McKenna planned to leave him soon. He'd seen the truth in her eyes.

She didn't believe there was a future with him and she would do what she

thought was the right thing. To protect him, she would leave him. Little did

she know that not only did he not need her protection, he would soon be

luring a demon out of hiding for a confrontation. One that Lucas planned to

win, assuring McKenna she need never be afraid of anyone again.

She groaned softly, wiggling her round bottom against him. Despite

the pleasure of having her silken body in his arms, fury at the marks the

bastard had made reignited in him. Each scar was a badge of courage. She

had thought they would repel him. The only thing they made him want to do

was rip the head off the creature who'd put them there. McKenna's outer

scars didn't pain him nearly as much as the scars he knew she had on the

inside. Damon had damaged so many things inside her. Things Lucas didn't

know if she'd ever be able to reclaim. He only hoped that once the threat was

over, she could find the innocent, trusting, and loving woman who had been

smothered by the freak.

Another bottom wiggle told him she was waking up. Unable to deny

such a lovely invitation, Lucas lifted her left leg up and pressed his erection

into her soft warmth. She moaned in approval. This time it was soft and