Page 32 of Dangerous Temptation

His hand fisted in her hair. Neither said it out loud, but they both knew it was time to make some big decisions.

They’d been living in a fantasy world here, shutting away everyone and everything.

It was idyllic, but it couldn’t last. He wasn’t a man who could be held down long.

He needed to go out there into the world and reclaim his rightful place.

His pride would allow no less.

She needed to face the world, too, although she’d prefer to do it in a much quieter manner.

She could do that, though, if he left.

Her grip on him tightened when the realisation hit. When he left, the entourage outside would follow him. She could slip away and they’d be none the wiser.

Her heart broke, splintered really, at the thought of letting him go.

He pulled her down to cradle her against his chest. ‘Is it time?’

She pressed her lips together, not wanting to answer, but knowing she had to. ‘I think it is.’

His chest rose as he took a deep breath. ‘All right – but if I’m going, you’re coming with me.’

Alex stared out of the windows, over the head of a marble wolf, towards the front lawn. Time was quickly running out, and with each second he could feel himself closing in on himself. The weather outside had calmed to the point where it was eerie.

No wind blew. There wasn’t even a hint of a breeze. The grass stood green and tall, not wavering.

Inside, everything felt just as still. Like something was impending … a storm, a cataclysm … an ending …

He lifted his chin, ready to face it. He’d prepared himself for this and it was time to confront everything he knew was going to come at him.

And it was going to come at him fast and furious.

In the past few weeks, he’d grown soft. He’d let down his guard. He couldn’t be like that in the city.

The memory of the flashing lights and waving microphones at Otisville pushed at the edges of his memory. They were still out there, the hungry buzzards, but he was ready for them now.

Because of her.

In worming her way past his defences, she’d made him face himself and grow stronger. He was ready for the showdown now. In fact, he relished the challenge of it.

The only thing he worried about was her.

He adjusted the band of his Rolex. He wasn’t sure she was ready. She was a fighter, but she had a sensitive soul. He didn’t know how she’d hold up under the limelight, because it would shine on her like a laser beam.

There wasn’t much he could do to protect her from that.

The clippety-clop of a roller bag echoed up the stairwell, reverberating as she came around the corner from the elevator. He sighed. ‘Can you not leave anything for the staff to do?’

She propped the plain blue bag up against the wall and began searching through her purse. She seemed … fluttery. It wasn’t a word he normally associated with her. She was graceful as she did yoga, elusive when she hid in the forest, charged when they had sex.

But not fluttery.

‘I don’t want to leave anything I need behind.’ Her laptop bag bounced against her hip. She unzipped it and touched the laptop to make sure it was there, then went on to thumb through pages of notes.

‘If you leave anything behind, we can buy new.’

‘I don’t think so.’ Her raised eyebrows told him that the things she was concerned about couldn’t be bought.

She was concerned about her work, as she rightly should be.

It had taken her an entire afternoon to pick and choose what she’d wanted to bring from the lake house.

He’d gone down to help her pack her notes, but she’d insisted on working with Leonard.

Alex had tried not to take it personally.

But she’d piqued his interest.

She’d taken more care packing that material than she had the new clothes and shoes he’d bought for her. Those she’d left for the staff. Her notes and books she’d packed herself.

‘Leonard can ship whatever you need.’

Her lips pursed. It was clear she hadn’t thought about that. Her shoulders relaxed.

He walked over to her and relieved her of the heavy computer bag. He knew it was precious to her, so he set it nearby where she could see it. He slid his hands down her arms and gripped her hands. ‘Just bring an overnight bag and the computer. James will bring the rest.’

Her brow furrowed in a way that was cute. ‘Aren’t we going with James?’

‘No.’ He had other plans for transportation.

Almost on cue, a steady thump thump thump could be heard on the horizon. The beat grew consistently louder, invading the tower above them.

Elena’s face turned pale. ‘What is that?’

‘Our ride.’ He caught her hand and nodded at Leonard, who’d appeared in the archway to the front room. ‘These two bags, please.’

He grabbed his briefcase himself. He understood her paranoia. He had some notes that were irreplaceable himself. ‘Shall we?’

He hesitated when she dug in her heels. Her eyes rounded on the window as the helicopter landed in the front yard. ‘You could have escaped here any time you wanted,’ she said.

‘It’s not an escape. The news vans outside will catch up in a few hours.’

‘Then why?’ She was looking at the helicopter like it was a big ugly bug.

He smiled. ‘I do like playing with them.’

Like a wolf with a rabbit …

Her fair colouring went from pale to off-green. Those doubts nipped at his ass again, and he tapped her under the chin, making her look at him. The fear on her face made his gut twist.

What was holding her back? Heading into New York? Or flying in that metal bird? Either way, he didn’t like the idea of making her do something that frightened her.

He stiffened. He’d already made his decision. It was time to go, and he was going big. Yet she still had to have the right to choose.

‘You don’t have to go with me,’ he offered.

Yet his chest hurt as he held his breath. He didn’t know if he could leave without her.

Her eyes were huge as she looked up into his face. ‘They’ll find out about the two of us.’

The words lanced through him and he physically flinched. Out of everything, that wasn’t a reservation he’d considered. She was still concerned about her reputation? She didn’t want to be seen with him?

The snake inside his chest writhed in pain, but instead of striking out it was looking for a safe place to curl up. Lifting his chin, he gritted his teeth and smoothed his face. ‘My security team can get you out of here once I’m gone. You can go anywhere you want … do anything you want to do …’

His jaw tightened so hard it popped. ‘I’ll pay for it.’

Her head snapped back so quickly, her long hair swung.

The quiver in her chin disappeared and her hands curled into fists.

He’d seen her angry before, almost hateful towards him, yet he’d never seen her livid.

Her dark eyes sparked and he felt a charge when she marched forward and planted her hand flat on his chest.

‘When are you going to learn that money isn’t the answer to everything?’

She pushed him right where his heart was gaping. Ax was so surprised, he took a step backward. She followed, grabbing him by the lapels and going up on tiptoe to get into his face.

He dropped his briefcase. It bounced somewhere near his feet and the thud echoed. He caught her in his arms and kissed her like the earth had just been set on fire.

Maybe money didn’t rule the earth …

But he might have just found what did.