“Absolutely. No problem.” Rafe handed the two bags to Kate, then slid Nicole’s backpack off his shoulder and held it out to her.
“I’ll come with you,” Nicole said.
“No you won’t,” Dominic snapped.
Dominic’s tone made the children jump. They’d never heard a harsh word from their father.
“Katherine, take Nicole with you to help with the presents.” Dominic smiled at his children. “Go with Mummy. I’ll come see all your presents in a few minutes.”
Rosie didn’t move until Dominic bent down, brushed a fall of red hair from her forehead, and kissed her. “Go on, sweetheart. I’ll be right there.” As the family walked away, Dominic said under his breath, “You’re a real pain in the ass, you know. Let’s get this over with.” And he turned and moved down the hallway.
A few moments later, Dominic’s office door was closed and the two, dark-haired men, both tall, powerful, indisposed to failure, exercising authority in all facets of their lives, eyed each other like fighters in the opening round of a cage match.
Dominic’s eyes were blue flame, his voice gentle—no threat, just stating a fact. “You fuck with any of my family, you fuck with me. It’s as simple as that. Now what the bloody hell are you doing here?”
“I’m here for Nicole.”
“I must be a genius. I already figured that out. You can’t see her. Now leave.”
“I’ll just come back.”
The air sharpened, turned cold. “That would fall into the category of fucking with my family. Are you stupid?”
“She doesn’t want to be here,” Rafe said simply. “You know her better than I but even I know she won’t stay if she doesn’t want to.”
“You don’t know me very well either.” Dominic gave Rafe a warning stare. “If I say she stays, she stays.”
A small curl to Rafe’s mouth, a faint grin. “Really? You’re sure?”
“How the fuck did you get in?” Dominic growled. “Did Nicole give you the code?”
“No. She wouldn’t do that.” The last thing Rafe wanted was for any blame to fall on Nicole. “I haven’t talked to her since last night.” A half truth, but she hadn’t texted the code. “You saw her then. She was out of it.”
“Yeah, that pissed me off. You should have taken better care of her.”
“You have to know once she decides to do something no one can stop her.” Rafe shrugged. “She was in a mood. She wanted to drink.”
Dominic grunted—not an answer, but a form of acknowledgment. “You still haven’t told me how you got in.”
“I know someone in the building.”
“That doesn’t get you to the top floor.”
“Gina lent a hand.”
“You know Gina?”
“We’re friends.”
Dominic’s brows rose at the word friends spoken in that tone. “How do you get along with her boyfriend, the Saudi prince?”
“I’ve never discussed it with him. Gina’s an independent woman.”
“I’ve heard.”
There was a curious nuance in Dominic’s voice. “How well do you know her?” Maybe he wasn’t a total family man after all.
“Not well. She’s a tenant, the kind I prefer. Capable.”
“Ex-Mossad.”
“Yes, as I said, capable. Keeps to herself.”
“You had her up to your apartment not long ago, a contact you needed. She paid attention. You should probably change your code.”
“Okay, so we know how you got here. Now, why are you really here? So far, I’m not buying your story.”
“It’s not a story. I texted Nicole and told her I’d pick her up this morning.”
“From someone like you, I’ll need a more definitive explanation, something with a little more feeling than your usual pickup tale. No bullshit or I’ll chuck you out the window.”
“You could try to chuck me out the window.”
“Cocky.”
“She’s worth staying for.” Rafe’s chin went up just a fraction. “Worth taking shit from you. Worth whatever hassle you feel like handing out.”
Dominic’s eyebrows rose faintly. “Tell me more. And I’ll think about it—not very hard, because you’re nothing but trouble for her, but let’s just say I’m curious what a guy like you thinks is worthwhile in a woman.” Dominic smiled tightly. “Other than the obvious.”
Rafe let the dig pass; it was counterproductive to rise to the challenge. He wanted to walk out of here with what he came for and if he had to ignore a few asshole remarks to do it, he would. “I just met Nicole a week ago, or hell—four days ago. I don’t know if a woman has ever had you considering words like miracle and crazy, tender, and mystical even, but—ah… your wife.”
A small flinch, like something had hit home. “Okay, so that’s not what I thought you’d say, but the problem is—I know you from places I’d rather not know you from.”
“You were there too, and you’re not there anymore,” Rafe said.
“After four days?” Dominic’s brows spiked upward. “Come on, you can do better than that.”
“Did you go back to those places once you met your wife?”
“That’s different.” Dominic blew out a breath. “In hindsight, it’s all a massive waste of time. But you don’t know till you know.”
“Maybe I do now.”
Dominic gave him a steely-eyed look. “At your age? Gimme a break. You’re still racking up your score. So, look, we’re both”—he sighed—“experienced. With your track record you have to know this isn’t permanent. I don’t want Nicole hurt. You be nice to her too long and she’d going to suffer when you decide to move on.”
“She’s the one who’s moving on. She’s going back to school at the end of the month.”
“Which brings up another point. I’m not sure you have a month of leisure with Shanghai on your ass. That’s major fire power coming your way.”
“I’m taking care of it.”
“You might not be able to. You don’t have the troops.”
“I do. You know who my father was. I was dealing with his enemies before most kids had their braces out. So my security is strong, more than capable, and currently expanding. Carlos has the word out. And Ganz can hack into their communications. They give an order, we know it.” Rafe blew out a breath. “I’d rather stay out of it. I would if I could. But it’s not likely.”
“Not a chance,” Dominic said.
“Right.” Rafe sighed.
“Except for your friend you’d try?”
“Yeah—I would. But Ganz and two other guys are my family, or as much family as I have, aside from my mother. And everyone needs someone at their back. I can count on them, they count on me. You fuck with my family, you fuck with me,” he said, smiling faintly. “It’s that simple.”
“Smart-ass.” But Dominic’s mouth twitched slightly and he thought of his sister, who’d been all he had growing up. Suddenly, he was looking at Rafe Contini through a slightly different lens.
“I really will take care of Nicole,” Rafe said, recognizing a small breakthrough in their disagreement. “Hand on my heart.” He made the gesture. “And I wish I could walk away from these pricks who’ve been trying to steal from my company for years. Piracy is a fucked-up business model if you ask me. I have a company that contributes to society both in product and charities. My grandfather planned it that way. He was a good man.”
“Maso?” A test question.
Rafe shrugged. “A place holder. He wasn’t interested in anything but—”
“I know. You don’t have to say it.”
“Personally, I like R and D—have since I was very young. We help make the world better, safer, healthier. In fact, we have a new nonspecific flu vaccine coming online soon that’s revolutionary. And we just discovered an on/off switch in a genome sequence that shuts down tumor development in certain tumors.” Rafe smiled. “Sorry, off topic. Anyway, if you’d allow it,” Rafe added, with exquisite deference
, with a conciliatory, respectful tone he’d never before employed, “I’d like to take Nicole to my property in Split. It’s completely secure and the moment it isn’t, I’ll see that Nicole goes home.”
Rafe took a small breath before he added, “I’ve never been with a woman for more than a few hours, so—this feels like the happiest day of my life. Ask Nicole. She says the same thing. Neither of us ever thought we’d experience the sappy, once-in-a-lifetime stuff. It’s like free-falling into a brave new world. It’s that good. Ask her, she’ll tell you.”
Dominic’s lips were pursed, but there was something different in the brilliant blue of his eyes, like maybe some test had been passed, like there might be an alternative to fuck off and no way in hell. “Sit.” Dominic pointed at a chair. “Give me a minute to make some calls.”
While the children were busy tearing boxes apart, Kate and Nicole confided in each other, as they had for years. Nicole had been instrumental in bringing Kate out of the sadness engulfing her after her miscarriage; they’d been close ever since.
“Rafe seems nice,” Kate said. “He thought of the children.”
“He is nice. That’s why I like him. Dominic thinks he’s too disreputable, but I told him he should talk. I heard what Dominic was like before he met you. And look at him now.”
“Your uncle worries about you, that’s all. He’s protective.”
Nicole rolled her eyes. “Controlling, you mean.”
Kate smiled. “Dominic likes to think he can manage the world. Not that he doesn’t do a pretty good job of it, but there are times. I understand. Oh my goodness, a doll with red hair just like yours,” Kate said, responding to Rosie’s squeal of delight. “Isn’t that lovely.”
And the next few minutes, they were kept busy oohing and aahing over the gifts that both children pronounced as just perfect.
“Could I talk to you for a minute, Nicole? In my office. You and Rafe.”
The women looked up.
Dominic was standing in the doorway to the conservatory, smiling, like everything was nice and friendly. Like the sun wasn’t shining through floor-to-ceiling bulletproof glass, like he and Rafe were buds, like he was inviting Nicole into his office for milk and cookies.
Nicole hesitated.
“If there’s a problem, let me know,” Kate said, patting Nicole’s arm. “I’ll talk to Dominic for you. Now go.”
As soon as Nicole walked into the office, Rafe came to his feet, went to her, and took her hand. “You okay?” he whispered.
“What’s going on?”
“I think we’re good.”
Despite a truckload of misgivings, there was something about Nicole in unicorn pajamas and Rafe buttoned up tight that almost made Dominic smile. They looked so young and dreamy-eyed when they smiled at each other, even Contini, who had so many miles under his belt he should be jaded as hell. Something almost naïve burning there. Something beautiful.
Understanding the heart of it, the light and glow of it, Dominic said quietly, “Come, sit down,” and motioned to a sofa. “I think Rafe and I have arrived at a workable compromise.”
“I don’t have to compromise,” Nicole protested, but Rafe squeezed her hand and stopped her.
“Dominic and I agreed on this,” he said, drawing her to the sofa. “There’s more trouble on the way and I want you safe. So listen.”
“Here’s what Rafe and I were thinking we’d do,” Dominic said a moment later, sitting on the corner of his desk, swinging one bare foot. “I’ll tell your mother I saw you in Paris and you were enjoying your holiday. You okay with that so far?”
“Thanks, Nicky,” Nicole breathed, shooting a quick glance at Rafe, who was smiling before looking at her uncle again. “Thanks a lot.”
“Hey, what’s a summer break for, right?” Dominic gave her a little sideways smile. “And Rafe’s going to take good care of you till you go back to school.”
Nicole turned and grinned at Rafe.
“Make sure you call your mother and be nice, make her feel good,” Dominic said. “Tell her you’re going to Split for a few days with some friends, to see the sights, swim, sail, all that holiday shit. I’ll be sending Leo along with you. Your personal bodyguard.” He stopped her protest with a raised hand. “No negotiation. Rafe and I have agreed on this. He knows the situation better than either of us.”
She looked at Rafe, who nodded.
“Okay,” she said.
Dominic smiled. “Good. That’s settled. Now give me a hug and we’ll go see the children.”
A moment later, Dominic took Nicole in his arms and, holding Rafe’s gaze over her head for a second, said to her, “Now, listen to Rafe when it comes to security. Don’t give him any trouble, okay?”
“Yup.” She smiled up at her uncle. “Thanks for understanding.”
“Your boyfriend’s a good talker. Thank him.”
After joining Kate and the children, Nicole and Rafe got down on the floor and began helping Rosie and James with their video games. “My brother, Titus, is six now and getting pretty good at these games,” Rafe said. “Here, try this… see how it works?”
“Me dood too!” Jimmy exclaimed, grabbing the game device from Rafe.
“You are. Look, you hit that bouncing squirrel in the corner. Perfect. You got ten points. Push the squirrel icon again.”
Nicole reached up and opened the top button of Rafe’s shirt.
He smiled and shifted his shoulders. “Thanks. I was being strangled.”
“I noticed.”
Then Rafe turned back to the kids. “Shall we see if we can climb all the way to the top of this mountain? That’s the way, Rosie. Perfect. Here, Jimmy, put your finger right there. There you go.”
“You’ve done this a few times before,” Kate said, smiling at Rafe.
He grinned. “A few thousand times, Mrs. Knight.”
“Call me Kate, please.”
He dipped his head. “Then Rafe, okay? Nicole just started using my given name.” He winked at Nicole. “I think that means she’s getting serious.”
“You better believe it,” Nicole said with a grin.
A half hour later, after Nicole had changed and she and Rafe had said their good-byes and left, while Rosie and James were still engrossed in their new toys, Kate turned to Dominic lounging beside her on the sofa. “All is well now?”
“More or less. Leo’s going with Nicole as my eyes and ears.”
Kate’s brows lifted. “Really. That’s necessary?”
“Just a precaution,” Dominic said mildly. “I feel responsible for Nicole when she’s so far from home.”
That Rafe Contini had pathological, professional killers on his ass was also a cogent reason for having eyes and ears on her. The second Rafe even smelled a hint of danger on the breeze, he’d promised that Nicole would be spirited out of Split. Carlos and Max were coordinating additional troop movements to the site to augment security. Leo was there to help.
Chapter 27
“What did you say to Dominic?” Nicole asked, as Simon drove them away from the apartment on the Île Saint-Louis. “I was surprised he didn’t put up more of a fuss.”
“I told him we’re both feeling the magic,” Rafe said, holding her in his arms, thinking it was the right word for what he was feeling, that the world was breath held and gold and dazzling. “I said it to him a dozen different ways and he finally got it. I hope you don’t mind about Leo, but it wasn’t a bad compromise,” Rafe said blandly, in lieu of the extensive massing of troops at Split. “He’s on his way to the plane. We’re taking off soon.”
“Leo’s fine. I like him.” Then she twisted in his arms so she could see his face. “I’m so happy it’s bewildering. But perfect too, like the universe is doing us a favor. And I don’t want to miss a thing, I want to pay attention to every second of every day.”
“Don’t worry, pussycat,” Rafe whispered, kissing her gently. “We have lots more than seconds.” But even as he spoke, he felt the slash of grief s
lide up his spine. They had more than seconds, but not many days. Leo was there to take Nicole home when Rafe could no longer protect her. That was the bargain he’d made with Dominic Knight.
As Nicole and Rafe cross the dangerous line between love and lust, pleasure and pain, power and possession,
the only thing that remains is…
SEDUCTION AND SURRENDER
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Chapter 1
A private island off the coast of Croatia
The shoreline was a spectacular run of high limestone cliffs, punctuated with small, secluded beaches, the wind-swept native pines and colonized palms an exotic melding of history and cultures typical of the region. A partially restored medieval castle dominated the heights, while a well-appointed Venetian villa surrounded by lush gardens served as Rafe’s residence.
After a late morning swim and a luncheon al fresco, poolside, Nicole and Rafe lay together on a sun-faded chaise, the too-tender-to-touch happiness they were feeling underscored by small stirrings of melancholy. After eight days in their own special paradise, they both knew time was running out.
The shadow of fear sent a shiver down Nicole’s spine.
Rafe felt it, looked down. “You okay?”
No. She hated feeling this way: restless, stifled, powerless against the future. Not knowing what was real and what was skidding mist. But the blue of her eyes suddenly flashed spotlight bright and a familiar echo of defiance rang through her voice. “Tell me we can stay here forever. Just you and me. Say it.” A ferocious stare. “Officially.”
He heard the small twitch of fear beneath the hard ding of her words, knew what she was asking, and he cared enough to lie through his teeth. “Why do you think I brought you to my hidden lair, tiger? So you can’t get away.” Lightly tracing the delicate arch of her brow, he wondered if he’d ever be this happy again. “Just you and me forever.” His smile was a blaze of beauty. “That’s the plan.”