Burned Hearts Read online

  After dinner, which Kyle whipped up for everyone, since he put as much effort into being Iron Chef as he did bodyguard—a curious combination—Dane and I retired to our suite. I took a quick, hot shower just to help me relax further. Being in our home did amazing things for my psyche, and my stomach settled. I rubbed it while using my free hand to blow-dry my hair.

  I couldn’t imagine what this kid inside of me must be thinking. All of my agitation, jumping nerves, crying jags. Chances were good he’d want to stay huddled in his protective cocoon rather than face the big, bad world in which we lived.

  But he still had four more months before making his grand entrance. Plenty of time for the mayhem to be resolved and the bad guys to be locked up. As Dane had mentioned, the trials would begin soon, and I highly doubted they’d be dragged out, given all of the evidence he’d provided.

  As I thought of the decimated Lux, I felt a flutter in my belly. The first sensation of the baby stirring. I set aside the dryer and went into the bedroom, where Dane was sprawled on the California king, resting against the mound of pillows, reading a book. As I entered, he set the hardback novel aside and gave me a suspicious look.

  “You’re smiling.”

  Yeah, not exactly something I’d done of late.

  I carefully sat on the mattress so as to not jar him and placed his good hand on my stomach.

  “Can you feel anything?”

  I knew it wasn’t really a kick. My doctor had told me I’d feel a light “popcorn popping” or the fluttering I’d experienced around this time of my pregnancy, but actual kicks were still a bit off. Didn’t matter. Just feeling the baby move inside me was a wonderful, reassuring sensation.

  Dane concentrated hard but then gave a slight shake of his head. “Nothing yet.”

  “It’s very subtle. But I feel it.”

  He raised his hand and cupped the side of my face. “That’s incredible. You’re incredible.” Love blazed in his eyes and it warmed my heart.

  “I hope I’ll be a good mom.”

  “You’ll be the best.”

  I inched forward and kissed him softly. “At least I know how not to be an evil witch from hell.”

  That would be my own mother. A woman who had not only destroyed my father and abandoned me years ago, until she’d discovered I had something she finally deemed of worth—money and prestige—but who also recently threatened my father’s stellar reputation as a former PGA favorite in an attempt to extort cash from me. She’d even tried to collect on the tragedy at 10,000 Lux.

  I didn’t feel guilty that she and I were estranged, that I held no love for her. I’d had to sever that tie long ago, for my own sanity. I wasn’t sure anyone could honestly say they wanted absolutely nothing to do with a parent, but sometimes it was born of sheer necessity.

  I had yet to tell Dane my mother had returned to Sedona after the explosion. Kyle had helped me deal with the situation at that point. I’d needed her off my back, away from me so that she didn’t create more drama and tension.

  Granted, I still harbored a hint of apprehension over how she’d respond if she learned Dane was alive and that we were married. Would she darken my doorstep again? Concoct some other method to get her hands on my money?

  I wouldn’t spend the rest of my life paying her off; I’d already discerned that. Nor would Dane. But what if she used our secret marriage against us? Worse, what if she used my pregnancy against us?

  Kathryn DeMille had proven she wasn’t above dirtying her own hands to better her situation. She’d been willing to fess up to adultery for the sake of a lucrative book deal if her blackmailing me didn’t pan out. Luckily, Dane had put a stop to that insidious plot.

  She was definitely a piece of work.

  I shuddered.

  Dane frowned. His thumb whisked over my cheekbone. “Hey. What are you thinking about?”

  I didn’t like keeping anything from him, so I admitted, “Something I failed to tell you after I was released from the hospital and figured out you were among the land of the living, though working undercover with the FBI.”

  The crease between his eyes spoke volumes. If something disturbed me or posed a problem, he wanted to be the first to know. So he could deal with it.

  But my independent nature forced me to try to solve my own crises. Which irked him in that possessive it’s my job to protect you, Ari sort of way.

  However, I said, “Just mentioning my mother makes me fear she’s going to materialize in a plume of smoke, broom in hand.”

  “Thought we took care of that.”

  “No,” I corrected with a bit of scolding in my tone that made his brow crook. “You took care of it, when I’d specifically asked you not to, remember?”

  “Ari. The woman planned to bleed you dry. You would have been stuck signing over every paycheck to her, working your fingers to the bone for nothing.”

  “True,” I reluctantly agreed. “Though I was formulating a strategy to—” The other brow jerked up. The double-doubt look. I laughed softly. “All right, all right. When it comes to her, I am not nearly as strong willed as I’d like to be.” Not to mention, I’d do anything under the sun to keep my dad from being publicly humiliated. He’d never deserved her venomous attacks, mostly stemming from the fact that injuries had kept him from reaching the top tier of professional golf legends—thereby, in my mother’s selfish opinion, precluding her from the elite status she’d sought by being his wife.

  “Baby,” Dane said as he slid his hand through my thick hair. “If she comes back, then—”

  “She did come back,” I said. And cringed.

  His hand left my hair. His eyes squeezed shut briefly as he pinched the inner corners in obvious consternation. And irritation.

  I sighed. I was about to get an earful.

  “I didn’t want to trouble you with her visits,” I explained. “You had enough on your plate after the explosion—you still do.”

  His eyes snapped open. “Ari.”

  “Don’t get all surly.”

  He speared me with a challenging look.

  “Oh-kay. Too late for that.” Despite the unpleasant subject matter, a smile tugged at the corner of my mouth. “I thought we already ascertained that you can’t save the world.”

  “The world, no. My wife, yes.”

  I couldn’t keep the grin at bay. “And I love you for your endless devotion. But my mother is the least of our problems.”

  He slowly shook his head. “She makes you cry, Ari. She makes you enraged and heartbroken all at once. I’ve seen how she devastates you. And she’s on my list of people I’d like to—”

  “Dane,” I said, warning in my tone. I didn’t like when he went all scary-furious.

  He groaned. “Whatever. Have you heard from her recently?”

  “When I was in the hospital. Then I went off the grid at Macy’s retreat. Technically, she has no idea how to reach me, where to find me—where to even start looking—though when she’s properly motivated anything seems possible on her end. And hey, that reminds me. I need to let my dad know we’re back home.”

  “Jackson already took care of it.”

  “He thinks of everything, doesn’t he?” Our attorney was as loyal as Amano and as well connected and in tune to every little component of our lives. Thankfully, no one knew his association with us outside of our small circle. That kept him and his wife safe.

  Dane said, “If you do somehow hear from Maleficent”—one of my nicknames for my mother—“be sure to tell me. Immediately.” He did a little scolding of his own.

  “I swear.” I kissed him again. “Forgive me?”

  “It depends.”

  I laughed. “Liar. You wouldn’t hold anything against me.”

  “That’s probably true. But if you gave her money this last time, you’re in serious trouble.”

  “I didn’t. Kyle helped me out of the sticky situ—” My mouth clamped shut.

  Oops.

  Dane glowered. “That’s just fucking great, Ari. Is there any job of mine he’s not trying to take over?”

  I thought of our confrontation in the kitchen earlier, at the estate. Kyle had told me he loved me. That had been a doozie of a revelation. Though perhaps all along I’d sort of suspected his feelings ran that deep. Likely the reason I’d been so adamant about us being just friends and doing everything in my power not to lead him on.

  Yet it could be that all of the life-threatening and intense scenarios we’d found ourselves in for the past year had bonded us in a way that had taken his infatuation with me to a higher level.

  I didn’t dare mention that to Dane, though. I knew better. No need to jeopardize Kyle’s health further.

  “He was persuasive with her,” I said. “Pretty creative, actually. I guess that’s why he was so good in your Marketing department. Sadly, I can’t convince him to find another position in that field, maybe in Phoenix. Away from all of this.”

  Dane grimaced at my cover-up. He was always on to me. But he let his angst over how close Kyle and I were slide—for the moment.

  “I ought to convince him to extract himself from our dilemma,” Dane said, “but he has proven … invaluable.”

  My head jerked back. “Wow. Did you really just say that?”

  “Don’t be a smart-ass.” He pressed his lips to mine and kissed me in that territorial way that made me burn. His tongue swept inside, over mine, twisting and tangling. Exciting me.

  I wanted nothing more at that moment than to strip down and show him exactly how much he thrilled me. But the man had been shot less than twelve hours ago. He needed his rest.

  So I reticently pulled away. “You should sleep.”

  He leaned toward me and nipped at my bottom lip. “I’ll recover just fine.”

  “With some rest,” I insisted. “You either behave, or I’ll sleep in another room.” Lord knew we had plenty of them.

  “You wouldn’t.”

  Okay, he called my bluff. He understood how difficult it was for me to sleep without him by my side. If he had work in the middle of the night, I always woke when I subconsciously sensed his absence. I’d snuggle on the sofa with him, in front of the fire, and sleep while he was on the phone with Nikolai in Russia or Sultan Hakim in the Persian Gulf.

  Thus, my threat was basically useless. Still, I held my ground. “Do as I say.”

  He chuckled. “Only because it’s so sexy when you’re demanding.”

  “Don’t mess with me.”

  “Right.” He grinned.

  I swatted playfully at his uninjured arm. “And don’t patronize me.”

  “Why don’t you crawl in here,” he said as he scooted to the other side of the bed so I could slip under the covers. I curled against his side, resting my head on his good shoulder.

  “Are you in pain?”

  “I’m too angry for that to even register right now.”

  “Maybe you should take something to knock you out.” Knowing him, his mind would whirl all night long with thoughts of retaliation and how he was going to help the FBI ensure there were five convictions at the end of the day—the Honorable Bryn Hilliard (what a crock that title was), Dr. Lennox Avril, Anthony Casterelli, former prime minister Keaton Wellington III, and Admiral Robert Bent.

  Six, if there was some way to prove Wayne Horton was Vale’s minion and carried out his near-fatal work.

  “I’ll be fine,” Dane told me. “I just need you here with me.”

  I kissed his neck, my lips gliding along his throat, down to that pulse point at the base, just above his collarbone, that I adored pressing my lips to. “I couldn’t love you more,” I whispered against his skin. “You know that, right?”

  “Ari.” He let out a long breath. His arm tightened around my shoulders. “You are everything to me. There are no words for how much I love you—how destroyed I’d be without you. If things had gone differently this morning—”

  “But they didn’t. You’re to thank for that. And Kyle, too. Dane, he wouldn’t let anything happen to me if he could help it. You have to accept that and maybe not be so grumpy with him.”

  He let out a half snort.

  “Fine. Maybe just let him know that you trust him with my safety.”

  “I’ve thanked him,” Dane countered.

  “And offered him money. Which I appreciate, by the way.”

  “He’s operating out of a sense of duty toward you. Probably wished like hell Tom would have taken the shot he had with me this morning so I’d be out of his way.”

  “That’s not true. He knows I’d be a lost cause without you. He’s already experienced that. He understands you’re it for me.” That, of course, made it more agonizing to think of Kyle’s earlier declaration. But when we were past all the danger and justice was served, he’d get over me.

  When I had Dane’s baby and he saw our son and how this intimate connection strengthened our bond, he’d get over me.

  When Dane and I were finally, totally together … he’d get over me.

  He would get over me.

  The crazy thing about me trying to convince myself of this was that I’d reached the point where Kyle had become such a vital part of my life—of my life with Dane, even—that I couldn’t imagine what our world would be like after the bad guys were in prison, we were all safe, and he no longer had to play secondary hero/bodyguard.

  Where would he go from here? The Secret Service?

  I winced inwardly. I didn’t like the idea of him purposely putting himself in hazardous situations. Nor did I relish the idea of him leaving our little brood.

  It was a complicated predicament all the way around. One I couldn’t help but grind over as Dane and I lay in the dark, each tangled in our own thoughts, yet so highly aware of each other.

  His fingertips tenderly grazed my bare arm, making my skin tingle. My fingers skated slowly, seductively, over his cut abs. Were I to slide them lower, I knew I’d find him hard and wanting me. The sexual pull between us was a powerful one, even if the emotional turmoil brewed steadily.

  As much as I also wanted him, though, it was critical that he slept. Not that I expected him to, but I wouldn’t hinder his healing. So I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. Tried to concentrate on his breathing, listening carefully, making sure it remained strong and stable.

  It took quite some time, but eventually I gave in to the exhaustion created by the harrowing day. I managed to sleep soundly.

  Because of Dane.

  Because of Amano.

  Because of Kyle.

  chapter 4

  Dr. Forrester arrived first thing in the morning to check on Dane. Amano escorted him into the bedroom and I settled on the sofa during the exam, breathing several sighs of relief at the nods of approval and “looking goods” from the physician. Dane, however, wore an impatient expression.

  He thought he was invincible. After everything he’d been through, I sort of suspected the same. That did not keep me from worrying about him.

  When the doctor was done, I left Dane with his laptop, because there was no stopping his insatiable need to continue his work. I joined Kyle in the kitchen as he prepped breakfast. My eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head with his perfectly executed eggs Benedict. He’d make some woman deliriously happy one of these days. I just hoped he accepted soon that it wouldn’t be me.

  Although, again, the thought of him leaving us was a tricky one to reconcile. Not that I had to resolve it this very moment. We were all still caught in the crosshairs and he’d proven he wasn’t going anywhere until all of this was said and done.

  We had another visitor after lunch. Ethan Evans. He was the brilliant Harvard economics professor who’d recruited Dane into the Illuminati faction. Ethan was now retired from the university. He and Dane were close friends, and Dane had considered him a crucial mentor as he’d shaped his business goals.

  Ethan was a good-natured sort with salt-and-pepper hair. Attractive, well dressed, refined. I always enjoyed his combination of impeccable manners and off-the-cuff jokes.

  “You look wonderful, Ari,” he told me with a kiss on the cheek.

  “It’s so nice to see you, Ethan. It’s been much too long.”

  “Your husband has been busy. Just keep in mind that if there’s ever anything you need, Jackson and I are both here for you.”

  “For which I am eternally grateful.” I gave him a quick hug.

  Ethan and our lawyer had been in on the secret wedding ceremony, along with Amano, Kyle, and my dad. My dear friend Tamera Fenmore had officiated, and Rosa had served during the reception and dinner. That’d been it. Seven people to bear witness to the most important and perfect day of my life.

  Too bad that perfection had been shattered less than a month later. And we still hadn’t put all the pieces back together.

  Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how we ever would.…

  I shook that dismal thought from my head as Dane and Ethan took their intense discussion of what had transpired the day before at the estate into Dane’s office. An hour or so later, I delivered a decanter of brandy and snifters. They were in the middle of a conversation about the hard drive Dane couldn’t get to in Switzerland.

  “It’s still not public knowledge that I’m alive,” he said. “I need to keep it that way for as long as possible. So my passport isn’t worth shit. And given everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, I can’t rely on help from the network to get me out of the States and into Europe. Not to mention, the bank would likely consider me an imposter if I showed up with my key.”

  I set the crystal on Dane’s mammoth desk, made of gleaming mahogany, and poured. I handed a glass to Ethan, who thanked me and said pregnancy suited me. It was impossible not to glow—I was carrying Dane’s baby, after all.

  To my husband, I asked, “Have you taken any drugs today?”

  He gave me a sardonic look. “No.”

  “Just asking.” I smiled. Then poured a snifter for him.

  Ethan inquired, “So what about the FBI?”

  “I don’t want them touching the laptop when I’m not there with them. It needs to stay intact—no one trolling through files and possibly compromising information. The truth is, I’m not even sure what all is on it. I started backing up documentation when I got suspicious of the others years ago. I need to wade through it all, figure out what’s admissible in court, what will help each case, and then bring it forward.”