Victim of Deception (9 page)

Karessa inhaled sharply. “It’s in the dresser.”

“It’s in the mirror.” He continued to read the first passage. “‘A turn around is the key.’” He raised his gaze back to Karessa’s face. “It’s
behind
the mirror.”

T
he heightened senses. The rush of blood to the brain. The instant erection. The sweaty palms. All the emotions that hit Max at once when he was about to find his treasure didn’t happen. He didn’t understand that. He always felt as if he’d soared to the highest peak of a mountain when he held the treasure in his hand.

Perhaps the high would hit him once he actually held the bond.

He pulled the dresser away from the wall, far enough so he and Karessa could step behind it. A weathered, warped piece of wood covered the back of the mirror. There was no telling how long that piece of wood had been in place.

“Do you need the hammer?” Karessa asked.

“Yeah.”

Working carefully, Max pried the wood away from the dresser until he could slip the claw behind the nail heads. Karessa stood close to him, accepting the nails in her outstretched hand as he removed them.

He dropped the last nail into Karessa’s palm. Gently, he pulled the wood away from the mirror.

A yellowed envelope fell to the floor.

He stared at it, unable to comprehend yet that he’d actually found the bond. Setting the piece of wood against the wall, he
knelt and reached for the envelope. He stopped four inches from it and looked up at Karessa. She stood with her arms crossed over her stomach, staring at his face.

Tears glistened in her eyes.

“Looks like you found it,” she said, her voice raspy.

“Yeah.”

He continued to look at her, making no move to pick up the envelope. She frowned slightly. “Why are you waiting? Pick it up. It’s what you want.”

Releasing a sigh, Max picked up the envelope and stood. He held it in his right hand and tapped it against the palm of his left. He felt nothing. There was still no excitement, no blood rush, no pounding heart, no erection. He held a fortune in his hand, yet felt only disgust at himself.

Karessa was right. Hunting for treasure was an addiction. Or it had been…until now.

This was crazy. He should be salivating with the knowledge that he held a fortune. But he didn’t want the bond. He only wanted Karessa.

“Here.” He held the envelope out to her.

Her frown deepened. “What?”

“I don’t want it. It belongs to you.”

Her mouth slackened, then her eyes narrowed. “What are you doing, Max?

“The bond belonged to your great-grandmother. We found it in your house. It’s legally yours.”

She hesitated before taking the envelope from him. “I don’t understand.”

“I’m doing the right thing. Possibly for the first time in my life.” Max hooked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “You’re right, Karessa. I did have an addiction. I fucked up five years ago when I followed that addiction instead of my heart.
I never should have hurt you. I’ve regretted that every day since I left you.” He let his gaze travel over her face…the face he’d seen every night in his dreams for five years. “God, I love you.”

“Max—”

“I know you don’t believe me. I understand that. And this…” He motioned toward the envelope. “isn’t a con. I’m not trying to get you to feel sorry for me. I’m simply being honest.” Hoping she would accept his touch, he reached out and slid one hand beneath her hair. “I don’t need any more money. I could blow money like crazy and not spend what I’ve already made. Take the bond and cash it. Use it to add to your museum, or pay for the renovations to this house. Build five more houses just like it in different cities. Go on an around-the-world cruise. Whatever you want to do.”

She remained silent for several moments. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because I love you,” he said without a hint of hesitation.

She stared into his eyes, clearly not sure whether or not to believe him. Words were easy. Perhaps she needed a different way to convince her of his feelings.

Max lowered his head until his lips touched hers. He kissed her softly, tenderly, trying to show her how very much he cared. When she didn’t pull away from him, he slipped his other arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He deepened the kiss, using his tongue to circle the outline of her lips before dipping it inside her mouth.

A soft moan from her throat sent blood rushing to his cock.

Max stopped the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. “Now
that’s
an addiction I’d gladly live with for the rest of my life.”

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Just like that? No more hunger for the treasure hunt?”

“The only hunger I have is for you.”

Karessa wanted to believe him. She desperately wanted to believe him. Sharing her life with Max had been her dream five years ago. That dream had never completely died. But she had a hard time believing he could be “cured” of his addiction so quickly.

Stepping out of his arms, she held up the envelope so he could clearly see it. “We haven’t opened the envelope yet. The bond might not be in here.”

“That’s true.”

She raised the envelope a bit higher and gripped it with both hands. “So I could tear it in two, right now.”

“You could. It’s yours. You can do whatever you want.”

No fear flashed through his eyes, no sign of anxiety. He truly didn’t care if she tore the envelope in two.

“Max, are you serious? You’d let me tear this envelope, knowing there might be a bond in it worth millions?”

“There is no ‘letting’ you do anything, Karessa. I said the bond is yours and I meant that. I only want
you,
nothing else.”

The love and sincerity in his eyes convinced her he was telling the truth. Tears sprang to her eyes again. This time, they were tears of happiness. “You really do love me?”

He smiled. “With all my heart.”

Karessa wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. “I love you, too,” she whispered.

“Aaron, I feel funny.”

“Yeah, me, too.”

“What’s happening to us?”

“I don’t know.”

“Aaron!”

Max saw the two people materialize behind Karessa. “Jesus!” He immediately tugged Karessa behind him to protect her. “Who the hell are you?”

“You can see us?” the man asked.

“Yeah, I can see you.” He gazed at the two people, noting their old-fashioned clothing. They looked like they’d stepped out of the early 1900s. “Who are you?”

The couple looked at each other. Max saw the woman’s eyes fill with tears before she smiled at the man. “Aaron, it worked! I told you it would.”

He held out a hand to her. She moved her hand slowly toward it, almost as if she were afraid to touch him. When she laid her hand in his, she audibly gasped.

“I can touch you,” she whispered.

The man drew her into his arms. Max looked at Karessa. The confusion on her face told him she had no idea what was happening, either. “Who are these people?”

“I don’t know. She called him ‘Aaron.’”

“Yeah, well, that doesn’t tell me anything.” He looked back at the couple. “Excuse me for bothering you two, but who are you?”

Aaron released the woman after kissing her softly. “I know you have a lot of questions, Max.”

“To put it mildly. And how do you know my name?”

He looked at Karessa. “We’re your great-great-grandparents, Karessa.”

Her mouth dropped open. “My…What?”

“We’ll explain everything to you, I promise. But first…” He lifted the woman’s hand to his mouth and kissed the back. “Mary and I need to…talk.”

With that comment, they disappeared.

Max blinked. “Well, that was…interesting.”

“Did we just see two people who claimed to be my great-great-grandparents?”

“Yeah, we did.”

Karessa crossed her arms over her breasts. “Okay, I am officially freaked now.”

“Don’t be freaked.”

“Max, they’re
ghosts
! I have ghosts in my house.”

“Hey.” He took her in his arms and held her tightly to him. “It’s okay, Karessa. They won’t hurt you.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist. “You probably think I’m silly.”

“No, I don’t think you’re silly.”

“Aren’t you afraid at all?”

“Not really. Maybe I should be freaked, like you said, but it makes sense for ghosts to be here.”

She raised her head from his chest and looked at him. “Why?”

“Haven’t you sensed their presence?”

“I’ve sensed…something.”

“So have I. I think they wanted us back together.”

“What difference would it make to them?”

“I don’t know. I guess we’ll have to ask them.”

A sexy moan filled the air. Karessa’s eyes widened. “What was that?”

Max grinned. “I didn’t think that guy had a ‘talk’ look in his eyes. He had more of an ‘I-gotta-jump-her-bones’ look.”

“Do you think they’re making love?”

“Absolutely.”

“But ghosts can’t make love.”

“Who says?”

Another, louder, moan filled the air. Max released Karessa and took her hand. “Let’s leave them alone.”

He led her to her bedroom. After shutting the door, he tugged her to the bed. Lying on his back, he drew her into his arms. She snuggled up to his side, one leg between his.

“Feel better now?” he asked.

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Still scared?”

“No. I think you’re right, that they’re…friendly. I mean, they could’ve hurt me a long time ago if they’d wanted to, right?”

“Right.” He kissed the top of her head. “They’ll talk to us later, I’m sure of it.”

Her hand lazily caressed his chest. Content, he simply held her for several moments before speaking again.

“Marry me, Karessa.”

Her hand stilled. Max continued before she could say anything. “Don’t say yes or no until you talk to your lawyer about a prenup. I have no intention of us ever divorcing, but your assets need to be protected. I don’t want you believing that I want to marry you simply to get that bond, or the museum, or anything else of value you own.”

She tilted her head on his shoulder. “And to protect your assets, too?”

“No. Anything I own is yours. That’s the way I want it.”

“Maybe that’s what I want, too.”

Tilting up her chin, he kissed her softly. “Please, sweetheart. Talk to your lawyer. You’re a wealthy woman. It’s the smart thing to do.”

He enjoyed the kiss so much, he kissed her again. And again. On the third kiss, he rolled her to her back. He deepened the kiss as he cradled one breast in his hand. A brush of his thumb made her nipple stand up as if begging for more.

Max was only too happy to give her more.

“I want to be inside you,” he whispered against her ear.

Karessa rose from the bed. Max propped up on one elbow and watched her undress. With each article of clothing that fell to the floor, his cock got a bit harder.

She stood nude before him…legs parted, breasts thrust forward, hands lifting her hair from her neck. A Roman goddess couldn’t be as beautiful as Karessa looked right now.

“You take my breath away,” he said, his voice husky.

That vixen smile he loved tilted up the corners of her mouth. “You’re wearing way too many clothes.”

“I can fix that.”

Max scrambled off the bed while Karessa climbed up to the middle on her knees. Mere seconds later, he was as nude as she.

A devilish light twinkled in her eyes. “That’s quite a boner you have there.”

He stroked his hard cock. “The better to fuck you with, my dear,” he growled.

Karessa laughed at his Big Bad Wolf imitation, but the laughter quickly faded from her voice. “Make love to me, Max.”

He returned to the bed, moving on his knees to within a few inches of her. Taking her hands in his, he linked their fingers together. He held their hands out from their bodies as he leaned closer and kissed her.

The barest mingling of breaths. A brush of tongue. A gentle nibble on her bottom lip. Max didn’t simply kiss her; he worshipped her mouth. He moved his mouth one way, then the other. Seconds passed, perhaps minutes, as he continued to kiss her every way he possibly could.

She tightened her fingers on his when the kiss ended. “Wow,” she breathed.

Max nipped the skin beneath her ear. “I love kissing you.”

“And you do it so well.”

“Then I’ll do it some more.”

He covered her lips with his again. Releasing her hands, he wrapped his arms around her and slowly lowered her to the bed. She clasped his back as he stretched out on top of her. He slid his cock inside her pussy with one long stroke.

The silken glide. The snug clasp of her flesh around his shaft. The soft sucking sound her pussy made when he withdrew his cock. Max pumped into her slowly, building their pleasure a little at a time. She’d asked him to make love to her, and that’s exactly what he planned to do. He didn’t increase the speed of his thrusts, not even when Karessa’s fingernails dug into his butt.

“Harder, Max.”

He darted his tongue into her ear, and smiled when he felt her shiver. “No. Nice and easy, Karessa.” He cradled her cheek and kissed her. “Let me love you nice and easy.”

He watched her as he continued moving inside her. Her eyes drifted closed. Her mouth slackened. Her neck arched. Seeing that long column of ivory skin made Max long to bite, to suck. Wrapping his hand in her hair, he tilted her head farther back and bit her neck. He soothed the bite with his tongue, then nipped her again.

“
Max
! Oh,
yes
!”

The walls of her pussy clamped around his cock. Her climax sent him over the edge with her. Slipping one hand beneath her buttocks, he held her tightly to him while the pleasure slithered down his spine and into his balls.

Karessa slid her hands up and down Max’s spine. A fine sheen of perspiration coated his skin. She could feel his heart pounding against her breasts, his warm breath on her neck. The closeness, the sharing of their bodies, their hearts…she’d missed it so much.

He raised his head and smiled at her. “Hi.”

She returned his smile. “Hi.”

“Do you have any idea how much I love sex?”