Mine Until Dawn (28 page)

She studied him. “Hey to you, too. Is everything okay?”

“No. That was Eddie.” He explained what her cousin had said and wasn’t surprised when she took his side. One of the things he adored about her was her loyalty. He hoped it wasn’t blind this time.

“Oh, sweetheart, I’m so sorry.” She rubbed his wet back, consoling him. “You’re not mad with Eddie for asking you if you’re responsible, are you?”

“No. I would, too, if I were in his shoes. But I know I didn’t harm that man, not with the sleeper hold.” He was beginning to repeat himself, a bad sign. He felt guilty when he was sure he had no reason to. He hoped he had no reason.

He yanked his towel and threw it aside. There was only one cure for the tension building under his skin. “Come with me, sweetheart.” He scooped Jade up and marched to the bed.

There was tinge of desperation in their love-making, which made their union much more powerful. Before their mingled cries died and his foggy head cleared, Jade had curled up against his shoulder and fallen asleep, her palm near his heart.

Vince stayed awake for a very long time, marveling at his inner peace despite the murky uncertainties of tomorrow. He was either an idiot or he was in love. Whichever the case, it felt good. It didn’t erase the fact that a man was hospitalized and he might just be responsible.

CHAPTER 20

Jade woke up to a steady thump against her ear and a heavy arm around her waist. Vince. With her head on his chest and a leg across his hip, she must have draped herself over him sometime last night. No, change that to this morning. The man hadn’t let her sleep, her aching body the proof of their decadence. A slow smile warmed its way to her lips, her eyes opening.

Jade squinted against the streak of light streaming between the slats of the beige blinds. She lifted her head to check the clock on the side bed table. Eleven o’clock, and Vince was still out.

He looked so defenseless, the rough edges of his face softened in sleep. His face appeared less swollen, too, the darkening skin around the eye making him appear rakish. Her wonderful, pirate lover. Her gaze wandered across his chest, his right arm, which lay beside his head on his pillow. Everything about him fascinated her, even the manly hair under his armpit.

How long would she have him? Once he found his statue, he would leave for his home, and she would have her memories. Sadness crept in to steal her happiness. Jade gave herself a mental shake. She refused to let thoughts of the future bring her down.

Careful not to wake him up, she removed his arm from her waist, then reached for the striped cotton sheet covering them and lifted it so she could ease her leg off of him. She paused to study his splendid form, blushing as the vivid details of their antics flashed in her head. The man had corrupted her for life.

Once off the bed, Jade collected her clothing off the floor, picked her stilettos, and crept toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Jade squealed and whirled around. “I thought you were asleep.”

Dimples flashed and eyes twinkled.

She slapped her arm across her chest, a futile attempt to cover her naked body when he gave her a once over.

Vince propped himself on his elbow and shook his head. “I thought I burned modesty out of you last night. Come here. I think you need a refresher.”

Her ears flamed. He was right. After last night, there wasn’t an inch on her body the man hadn’t nibbled on or touched. Still, a woman had to take a stand. She planted her hand on her hip.

“Or maybe it’s you who needs a reminder, lover man. You didn’t burn anything,
we
did. Together.” He laughed, the sound filling the room. Jade didn’t think she’d ever heard him laugh aloud or with such abandonment. She grinned.

“You’re something else, Jade Fitzgerald.” He swung his legs down, stood, and stretched.

Shameless, gorgeous man, teasing her with his magnificent body. His erection, long and rigid, jutted out majestically. Didn’t he ever get tired?

He followed the direction of her gaze. “Of what?”

Oh, no, she’d spoken out loud. She ignored his cocked eyebrow and shrugged. “Uh, nothing.”

He strutted to her side her, bold as you please, and cupped her face. “Being modest again. You want to know something, baby, ask away.” He relieved her of her things and dropped them on the floor, then pulled her in his arms, his erection pressing against her tummy. The kiss that followed was slow and sweet.

He touched his forehead to hers and smiled. “What is it?”

Her senses reeled, making it impossible to find her voice right away. “Do you ever get tired of making love?”

He scowled.

Oops, maybe she should have called it sex. Love-making meant tender emotions were involved. Commitment and responsibility. She refused to retract or cheapen what they did last night by calling it sex. She loved Vince. Got all mushy on the inside and gooey eyed at the mere thought of him. That must account for something.

“Well?” she prompted.

“I have a healthy sexual appetite. Is that a problem for you?”

Jade grinned at his defensive tone. “Not really. I can handle it.” A thought occurred to her. What if she hadn’t measured up to his other conquests? “I did. Last night.”

A perplexed look crossed his face, then his dimples winked at her from his dark, lean cheeks. “Oh, yeah. A match to me in every way. Can’t get enough of this.” He kissed her lips. “Or this.” He cupped her ample behind and pressed her against him. “And I’d have no problem chaining you to my bed for weeks to convince you, oh ye faithless one.”

The very idea sent a pulse of anticipation through her. “Would you? Really?”

“Try me.” A gleam entered his eyes.

That could give his feelings time to grow into something more than lust. On the other hand, he could only be teasing. Still, it was nice to catch a glimpse of the old happy-go-lucky Vince.

“Okay. I’ll bring the handcuffs.” She threw him with a wink and grin.

Vince hooted with laughter, lifted her up off the floor, and turned around a full circle. “It’s on. Let’s start with a shower.” Jade wrapped her legs around him, grabbed on to his neck when he bent her back to pick up a silver foil from the bunch littered on the side-bed table. “A long one.”

She giggled and tilted his head to rain kisses all over his face. The man had definitely spoiled her. Somehow, he managed to get them inside the bathroom and turned on the shower. She nudged his head away from the show sprays. “You’ll get your sutures wet.”

“Too late.” He let her slide down his body, inch by inch, watching her expression with a smug smile.

“Get that smack off your face, Vince Knight.”

He kissed her. “Don’t ever change.”

She scowled at him, rubbing his arms. “Meaning?”

“You’re honest. Natural. Lusty. I like a woman who’s not afraid to show her true feelings.”

She wiggled her fingers along his side, causing his body to twitch. The man was ticklish. “And I love a man who’s so sensitive.” She dove for his armpits.

“Hey.” He jumped back, trying to evade her. “Stop that.”

She followed him and pressed her body against his. “I have you now. Helpless. All mine.” She razed her fingers along his sides, across his chest though careful not to touch the darkened bruises, grazing his nipples, before burying them under his arms. His laughter filled the small cubicle, then his body sagged. Jade grinned at him, her chin coming to rest on his chest and her hands dropping to his waist. “I like to see you like this.”

“How?”

“Happy. Relaxed.”

“I like to see you like this.” In one smooth move, he’d grabbed her hands and trapped them with one of his one. He lifted her arms up and wiggled the fingers of his free hand in front of her eyes, his eyes glowing with devilment. “Under my power. Helpless. Naked.”

Jade glared. “You have control issues, you bully. Let go of my hands.”

He dropped his head to grin at her. “No-oo.”

“You’re not playing fair.”

He grinned. “I never do, not when it comes to love.”

Love? Jade sucked in air and forgot to exhale. He did say love. Did that mean his feeling went beyond lust? Or was that a figure of speech?

“Are you ticklish, baby? Here?” He touched her armpit. Jade wriggled and exhaled sharply. “Or here.” He ran his hand down her side to her waist, around her back to her butt and thighs. He was everywhere all at once.

Jade tried to evade his fingers and yank her hands free, her screeches worse than a banshee’s. She wanted him to talk more about his feelings, their feelings, while the word “love” still floated in the air. “Vince Knight, if you don’t—”

“Supple. Smooth. I never knew skin could be this soft.”

She noticed the change in his tone. Husky and deep, it was no longer playful. The moment to talk was lost. “Yours is, too.”

He scoffed at the idea. “I’m scarred.” He ran his palm along her tummy, then up across her breasts, teasing her nipples.

Jade gasped, her knees trembling, a dull ache starting in her tummy. One would think that after last night, she’d be wrung out. “Let go of my hands, Vince. Please.”

“Not yet. Have you any idea how wonderful you are? How perfect. I could feast on you forever.” He closed his mouth on a nipple as his hand moved lower.

His touch was infinitely gentle, running up and down her inner thighs, then settling on one spot, the nub at the apex of her legs. She was so sensitive down here, so ready for him. Like a tightly wound string, he plucked and stroked, and she responded.

“Please.”

“Please what? Take it slow? Faster?”

A gasp escaped her as pleasure pulsed from between her legs to the rest of her body. She fell against him, weak and helpless. She felt his muscles move and opened her eyes. He was lathering a sponge. Without saying a word, he scrubbed her shoulders, back, and any surface he could reach. Then he dropped a kiss on her forehead and turned her around. Jade let him take care of her body, while she plotted.

The man loved to watch her come apart, like a master admiring his magnum opus. Every time she tried a move, he ran with it. He was always a step ahead of her, as though anticipating her every move. It was time she did something about it. Rock his world. Blow his mind. Could she pull it off?

Jade took a step away from Vince and turned to face him. Water rained down her head and face, but she could still see the expression on his face. Smug. She reached up and tilted the spout so it sprayed the wall, then swept wet hair away from her face.

“It’s your turn.” She took the sponge from his hand. “Turn around.”

He hesitated, studying her expression.

She raised her eyebrows.

“Yes, ma’am.” Then he spoiled it by flashing a cocky grin reminiscent of the old Vince.

We’ll see how long before she wiped that grin off his face.
What she lacked in experience, she’d make up in enthusiasm.

Vince propped his arms on the shower wall and rested his forehead on them as she lathered, then scrubbed his back. She had a lot more surface to cover, but she didn’t mind. He was so perfectly put together, each muscle in top condition. She could never get enough of touching and looking at him. She scowled when she noticed the thin scars running from his left shoulder, across his backbone, and down to his right love handles. Who’d dared to hurt him?

“What happened?” Her finger traced a scar.

Vince shrugged. “Occupation hazard during my reporter days. I crossed paths with a general too attached to a whip.”

Her hand stilled. “I hope he’s rotting in jail somewhere.”

“That would be the day. He’s living in a lap of luxury, running his country. When I met him, the sadistic bastard was beating his under-age soldiers into submission. Children as young as ten.”

He didn’t have to tell her what had happened. “You offered to take a boy’s place.”

Vince let out a self-derisive laugh. “Much good it did. The boy died a week later. A landmine exploded from under his feet. Just another casualty of war.”

His hard tone told her there was more. Jade slipped her arms around him and gave him a brief hug. “Tell me more about your travels, Vince. You must have visited some interesting places.”

He was silent for a very long time. “Hardly. Just same old cesspool wherever I went.”

She leaned back and continued to scrub his body. “I traveled a bit before I started grad school, studying art. But I guess museums and tourists attractions aren’t what you meant.”

“No. The places I visited weren’t pretty. Just filled with self-appointed saviors starving and killing their people in the name of freedom, religion, or ideology.”

“If you hated your job—?”

“I didn’t. Not at first. I’ve always wanted to write, and I loved the challenge of outsmarting them—the generals, the sheikhs, and the warlords. Making them think I was their friend and then exposing them meant something. But after a while…,” he shrugged. “I realized it was pointless. My publisher started censoring some of my articles. Pressure would come from above and a piece I was working on would get canned. Or I’d be reassigned to a different story when I was in the middle of a sensitive expose. Totally crazy. I learned a very important lesson. When it comes to politics, there’s a thin line between allies and enemies. I decided to shift to fiction. At least you know that it is make-believe, not sugar coated facts.”

She slipped under his arm, and planted herself between him and the wall. His arms dropped and he stepped back to give her more room. She studied his bleak expression and gave him a tiny smile as she sponged his chest.

“At least you’re doing what you’ve always wanted to do, write. A lot of people only dream about fulfilling their desires, but settle for the next best thing.” Jade couldn’t stop sadness from creeping into her voice.

Vince frowned. “Haven’t you always wanted to teach?”

“Hmm, not really. I wanted to study archeology, but my family couldn’t hear of it.”

“Why? You’re smart. Didn’t you skip a grade or something?”

“Two grades. That’s why high-school was such a nightmare. To top it, I was a sickly child and wasn’t allowed to play sports. Gallivanting all over the world digging up ancient ruins would have been the worst career choice.” It was pathetic that ten years later she was still spouting her family’s argument. Even sadder was that she still felt guilty for letting them talk her out of chasing her dream.