"You've always told the truth," her mom said proudly, then tsked under her tongue. "I swear, your brother is a walking advertisement for heart disease. Maybe I'll send him some soy muffins. I can FedEx them. Does FedEx deliver to Brazil?"
"Not in the heart of the jungle."
"I'll send him a Cindy Crawford workout DVD," Sophie called.
"I doubt his tent has an electrical outlet."
"He has to go to his hotel room sometime," her mom said.
Grace rubbed her temple. "I hate to do this, but I've got to let you go."
"What! Why? You haven't told me about your trip. Did you do any shopping? Did you visit with the natives? I hear they walk around..." She paused and uttered a scandalized gasp, "Naked."
"Unfortunately I didn't see them. Which is too bad, since I'd promised to take pictures for Aunt Sophie."
"Speaking of Sophie, she's wondering if you brought her a souvenir."
"I was not," her aunt said.
"I'll come by in a few days and give you all the details. Promise."
"But--"
"Bye. Love you." Grace gently placed the receiver in its cradle and cringed. Oh, she was going to be punished for that one. A never-ending lecture, followed by a reminder every time her mother needed a favor. "Do you remember the time you hung up on me? I cried for days."
Rolling her eyes, Grace punched in one last number. Her friend Meg was head of reservations for a major airline, so she had Meg check all databases for Alex's name. He wasn't listed, but that didn't mean anything. He could have flown private.
Not about to give up, Grace stuffed her keys, wallet and a can of Mace into her favorite backpack. She caught a subway to the Upper East Side. She needed to find her brother, or at least find proof that he was okay. He'd always been there for her as a child. He was the one who bandaged her cuts and bruises. He was the one who held and comforted her when their dad died. They both traveled extensively, but they always managed to make time for each other.
Please, please let Alex be home, she inwardly recited, a mantra in rhythm to the rocking of the car against the rails. If he was home, they could spend the rest of the day together. Maybe have dinner at Joe Shanghai in Chinatown, a favorite restaurant of theirs.
Soon she was strolling past the security desk at Alex's apartment building. He'd lived in the ritzy building only a short time. Despite her few visits, the doorman must have recognized her because he let her pass without a hitch. After a short elevator ride, she found herself knocking on Alex's door. When he didn't answer, she used her key and let herself inside. Only three steps in, she paused with a gasp. Papers were scattered across the thick, wool carpet.
Either someone had broken in, or her brother the neat freak had left in a hurry. "Alex," she called, remaining in the foyer.
No response.
"Alex," she called again, this time louder, more desperate.
Not even the shuffle of footsteps or the hum of a fan greeted her.
Though she knew she shouldn't, knew she should call for help first, Grace withdrew her Mace, holding the can out as she inspected every inch of the spacious apartment. Her need to know Alex's whereabouts completely obliterated any sense of caution.
There was no intruder lying in wait for her, but there was no sign of her brother, either. She walked to the living room and lifted a framed photograph of her and Alex, smiling and standing in Central Park, the sun glistening around them. Her aunt had taken the picture several months ago when they'd all decided to jog around the park. Two minutes into their run, Sophie had panted that she was too tired to continue. So they'd taken a break and snapped the picture. The memory made her ache.
Disheartened, Grace locked up and leaned her back against the door. She had no idea what to do next or--A man strolled past. "Excuse me," she called, an idea forming. She flashed him a quick, I'm-a-sweet-Southern-girl smile that proclaimed you-can-tell-me-anything. She only hoped it worked. "You live in this building, right?"
He nodded wearily. "Why?"
"Do you know Alex Carlyle?"
"Yes." Again, he asked, "Why?"
"He's my brother. I'm looking for him and was wondering if you'd seen him."
Her words relaxed him, and he gave her a half smile. He even held out his hand to shake. "You're Grace," he said. "The picture Alex has of you in his office is of a little girl. I thought you were younger."
"At the office?" Grace asked. "You work for Argonauts?"
"Nearly everyone here does. They own the building." He paused, his smile fading to a frown. "Unfortunately I haven't seen your brother in weeks. He hasn't been home, or even to work."
"Do you know anyone he might have contacted?"
"Well, Melva in 402 has been picking up his mail...I saw her this morning. She's rent controlled," he whispered, as if it were a shameful secret. "Argonauts can't get rid of her. Not legally at least."
Grace gave him her biggest, brightest smile. "Thank you," she said, taking off. Her first break. Another elevator ride and she was hammering on Melva's door.
"Coming. I'm coming," a craggy voice called. Moments later, the door swung open. Melva was thin, wrinkled and wrapped in a fluffy white bathrobe. She held herself up with a walker. The only difference between her and every other great-grandma across the country was that she wore a diamond choker and sapphire earrings.
"Can I help you?" she asked, her rough voice testament to years of smoking.
"I'm Grace Carlyle. I'm looking for my brother and wondered if he'd contacted you recently."
Melva's wrinkled gaze studied her. "Sister, eh? That slyboots never mentioned a sister. I'll have to see some ID."
Grace slid a photo ID from her wallet and allowed Melva to glance at the picture. The old woman nodded in satisfaction. "I haven't seen Alex for a while now. I have his mail, though. It's been piling up in his box. He asked me to collect it for him, but I was under the impression he would return last week."
"If it wouldn't be too much trouble, I'd like to take his mail with me."
"Give me a second. I'm still recovering from hip surgery and it takes me a bit longer to get around." She slowly turned, her diamonds twinkling in the light, and disappeared beyond the foyer. When she returned, she wore a fanny pack stuffed with different sized and colored envelopes. "Here you go." She braced one hand on the walker and handed Grace the letters with the other.
"Thank you so much." Grace quickly riffled through the contents. When nothing jumped out at her, she crammed them in her backpack. She'd go through them more thoroughly when she returned home. "Do you need help getting back inside?"
"Oh, no." Melva waved her off. "I'll be fine."
Spirits buoyed, Grace bounded outside. But her good mood didn't last. All too soon she felt an ominous gaze slicing into her back, observant, penetrating. The sensation unnerved her, and she glanced over her shoulder. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary. After everything that had happened with Alex, however, she didn't try to convince herself that her imagination was playing games. She increased her pace and slipped one hand inside her backpack, wrapping her fingers around her Mace.
Instead of going straight home, she stopped in a coffee shop, a souvenir shop and a bakery, trying to lose herself in the crowds. By the time she felt safe, the sun was beginning its descent. She reached her apartment building as darkness fell completely. She gathered her own mail, then bolted herself inside her little efficiency. What have I gotten myself into? she wondered, securing all of the window locks. A thirst for danger seemed so silly now.
Exhausted both mentally and physically, she tossed her backpack onto her nightstand and sank into the chair at her desk. She booted up her computer and checked her e-mail. When she saw one was from Alex's return address, dated yesterday morning, she broke into a huge smile and eagerly pressed Open.
Hey Grace,
I'm fine. I've got a lead elsewhere and had to follow it. Sorry for the note, but there wasn't time to call. I'll probably be out of touch for a while.
Love,
Alex
As she read, her smile faded. She should have been relieved by the note. This was, after all, what she'd wanted. Contact with Alex. But if there'd been no time to call, how had there been time to type a note?
With that question floating in her mind, she stripped to her tank and panties, poured herself a glass of wine and sprawled across her bed. She meticulously sorted through Alex's mail. Junk mostly, with a few cards and bills thrown into the mix. She checked her own. Her eyes widened then subsequently narrowed when she came to a postcard from her dad. Her dad! A man who had died many years ago after a long battle with lymphoma. Confused, she shook her head and read it again.
Gracie Lacie,
Can't come to see you as planned. I've been detained. I'll contact you. Don't worry. I'll be fine.
Yours,
Dad
This was Alex's handwriting and had to be some sort of code. But what did it mean, other than someone had sent her a false e-mail? Perhaps the same person who had "detained" Alex. Why had he been detained? And for how long?
Where was he now?
She studied the postmark. Sent from Florida, one week ago. A lot could have happened in a week. Alex said not to worry about him, but she couldn't help herself. She was worried. None of this made sense. Why Florida? The lead? Should she travel there?
Well, she certainly couldn't go tonight. She wouldn't do anyone any good in this condition. Moonlight had settled comfortably inside her bedroom, and the scent of unlit apple cinnamon candles filled the air, exhausting her further. Grace drew in a shaky breath and set the mail aside. She closed her eyes and leaned against the mountain of pillows behind her, wondering what to do next. If only Darius were here...
He's not real, she reminded herself. Unbidden, his image floated to the forefront of her mind. With his harshly angled face, he radiated rawness and sheer male virility.
She should have known the moment she first saw him that he was a figment of her deepest fantasies. Real men were nothing like him. Real men lacked the savageness, the fierceness and didn't taste like fire, passion and excitement when they kissed her.
Real men didn't chase her down and threaten to hurt her, then tenderly caress her in the next heartbeat of time.
A shiver of remembrance swept through her, until she recalled one last fact about him. Real men didn't blithely admit to being an assassin.
His confession had startled her, made her feel unexpected sorrow for him because even though he'd claimed he made his own choices, that he was never forced to kill, she'd glimpsed flickers of agonizing despair in his eyes. She'd glimpsed endless torment. And at that moment, his eyes had been without any shred of hope.
No man should be without hope.
Grace rolled to her side, taking a pillow with her. Forget about Darius and get some rest. Nothing mattered but Alex. Perhaps the key to finding him would come to her after a good night's sleep.
But how could she have known that key would come in a six foot five, two-hundred-and-fifty-pound package?
CHAPTER TEN
DARIUS STOOD at the edge of the bed, staring down at Grace.
She was surrounded by a multitude of colors. A pink satin sheet beneath her, a waterfall of red curls around her shoulders and an emerald blanket draped over her. The sight was intoxicating. She looked more relaxed than she had in his vision. Sleeping peacefully, languidly, her expression was soft and innocent. The moment he'd first seen her, his only thoughts had been of joining her. How he longed to reach out and stroke the pale delicacy of her skin. How he longed to comb his fingers into the silky cloud of her hair.
Perhaps he should fulfill his oath here and now, he mused, simply to end this strange fascination he had with her. But he knew he wouldn't. He was too much a man of strategy. He liked all facts before him, and much still remained a mystery. He needed to know more about these surface dwellers and their weapons. Only then would his army be able to storm Javar's palace and conquer everyone inside.
Darius had spent several hours searching for Grace, following magical wafts from the spell of understanding. Since no Atlantean could survive outside of Atlantis for long, he should have been filled with a sense of urgency now that he'd found her.
He wasn't.
He lingered.
His breath ragged, Darius continued to drink in the sight of his tormentor. She wore a thin white shirt, leaving her shoulders bare and glistening in the moonlight. Leaving her full breasts clearly outlined. Her nipples formed shadowed circles he longed to trace with his tongue. He watched the rise and fall of her chest, watched the life that radiated from her. The longer he studied her, the more starved and desperate he felt for her. What would her heartbeat feel like under his palms? Steady and gentle? Or hurried and erratic? His blood sang with vitality, rushing to his cock and hardening him painfully.
I do not want to hurt this woman, he thought. I want to relish every moment in her presence. He shook his head against such dishonorable thoughts.
He had lived so long by his oath of death and destruction that he knew not what to make of these newly acquired desires--desires that had not muted with the distance between them.
Desires such as these could drive a man from his chosen path, push him and beat him down until he collapsed from regret.
Grace muttered something under her breath, then gently, delightfully moaned. What did she dream of? He would be lying if he denied that he wished her to dream of him. She fascinated him in so many ways. Her resourcefulness. Her bravery in challenging him as few men had ever dared. Her defiance.
What would she do if he lay down beside her on the bed? If he stripped the clothes from her body and tasted every inch of her honey-smooth skin--lingering, savoring, sinking deeply into the hot moistness between her thighs? Sliding, slipping, slowly pumping?
He tore his gaze from her. Gird yourself against her. Distance yourself from the situation. Stay sane. Sure. This woman posed a greater threat than any army. She had plunged through the mist and completely destroyed his sense of order. She had violated his innermost thoughts, ignored his commands and lured him to dishonor with her beauty.
And yet she still lived. Perhaps he should bed her, forget her like his other lovers.
Yes. Take her like you took the others: primitive, savage and quick. A fine plan. But...With this woman, Darius desired something slow and easy. Something gentle. Like their kiss.
If he didn't lure his mind away from her, he would do something foolish.
As he observed the rest of the room, he saw floral curtains hanging over both windows, each a symphony of colors. Pink, yellow, blue, purple...A rainbow. A mirror consumed one wall, while flowers and vines were painted on another. Green leaves and purple grapes bloomed in feigned sunlight. Grace was a woman who enjoyed the sensuality of life. Things he, too, enjoyed of late.
Grace, Grace, Grace. His mind chanted her name. If he could have one more taste of her, perhaps he could forget her without bedding her. A bedding would be too intimate, he decided. A kiss would be enough to satisfy him, but not enough to ruin him.
Liar. The last kiss left you raw. You can allow nothing. Still. He found himself approaching the side of the bed. Compelled by a force greater than himself, he leaned down and inhaled her exotic fragrance. His eyes closed as he relished the carnal sweetness of her. Lost in her dreams, she instinctively tried to mold herself against him.
He knew, though, that if she'd awoken just then she would have fought him. If she fought him, he would cave. Not knowing what else to do, he uttered a temporary peace spell that would keep her relaxed for the first few moments after she woke.
When he finished, he straightened. "Grace," he said softly. "Awaken." He would question her. Nothing more.
"Hmm," she muttered. Her eyes remained blissfully closed as she shifted, causing the pale pink and emerald linens enfolding her to wrinkle and bunch.
"Grace," he said again. "We must talk."
Slowly her eyelids fluttered op
en. She offered him a drowsy sweet smile. "Darius?" she asked breathlessly.
At the sound of his name on her lips, his mouth went dry, and he found himself unable to reply.
"You're here." Her smile widening, she stretched her arms over her head and purred low in her throat. "Am I dreaming?" She considered her words, and her brow wrinkled. "This doesn't feel like a dream."
"No dream," he said, the words ragged. The color of her eyes was far more beautiful than any other color he'd ever encountered.
"So you're real?" she asked, not the least afraid of him.
He nodded, knowing the peace spell was responsible for her languor. It was irrational, he knew, but he wished he himself had caused such a reception, not his powers.
"What are you doing here?"
"I have more questions for you."
"I'm glad you came," she said.
"I need the medallion, Grace. Where is it?"
She watched him for a long, slumberous moment, then eased up and wound her arms around his neck, crushing her breasts into his chest. She tugged him closer until they were nose to nose. "Questions later," she said. "Kiss now."
His nostrils flared at her demand--but not in anger. A traitorous fire licked through him. He'd meant to relax her, not arouse her. Gods, he'd cast the peace spell to avoid touching her, yet here she was demanding that he do so! "Release me," he said softly, knowing he could pull himself away if only he could find the will.
"I don't want to." Her fingers toyed with the hair at the base of his neck, and her eyes beseeched him. "Every night I've dreamt of our kiss. It's the only thing I've ever done that made me feel complete, and I want more." She frowned slightly. "I don't know why I just told you that. I--Why am I not afraid of you?"
I deserve a beating, he berated himself, but he lowered his head anyway. Her admission lured him as surely as a chain around his neck. He was helpless against her allure. Any moment the aura of peace around her would wither, and she would jerk away from him. Until then..."Open," he told her. And he didn't care what type of man this made him. Dishonorable, so be it.
She immediately obeyed. His tongue swept inside, swirling and searching. His rough moan blended with her airy sigh. She was a melange of flavors: warm, delicious, mesmerizing. It was a taste he'd experienced only once before, the first time they kissed. He wanted to experience that sweetness again and again.