Cherry Adair - T-flac 09 (25 page)

And what? Caleb could watch his son grow through a chink in the hedge? An emotional fuckaroo. God, he was going to be his father. Flitting in and out of his son’s life like a blue-assed fly. He’d be leaving Bean’s training and the honing of his skills to others. Because to keep her safe, he couldn’t be anywhere near
Heather.
And she would no sooner give him custody of their son than fly to the moon.

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He cursed under his breath.

Shooting Caleb a glance, his face demonic in the lights from the dash, Rook asked, “You okay?”

Not by a Curse and a million miles. His life was fucked and going to get a hell of a lot worse. He wondered if this deep, unrelenting ache in his chest would ever go away. “I’m going to teleport us in so Heather can get a decent night’s sleep. She needs it.”

He had, what? Twenty-four hours to keep her safe? Then he was going to break the small thread of trust they’d built, and destroy her.

THESASSI, MATERA

SUNDAY, APRIL16

1000

Heather lay in the curve of his body, her butt pressed against his erection. Caleb buried his nose in her hair, and tightened his arm around her. He spread his fingers over the gentle curve of her belly, and felt that weird, painful void open in the center of his chest.

This time tomorrow she and Bean would be on a flight back to San Francisco. He’d keep the protection spell on her. He’d contact Gabriel and ask him to—Crapshitdamn. He didn’t
want
another man raising his son. Even if that man was his brother. Partial custody? She might go for that.

He’d at least have an excuse to see her. Once in a while. How often? Once a year? Once a month? He could move closer to San Francisco. Hell, he didn’t care where he lived…

She didn’t move, but Caleb felt the rhythm of her breathing subtly change.
“Buona mattina il mio
cuore,”
he said softly.

She wriggled against his body, taking his hand and shifting it from her stomach to her breast. Her nipples were hard, her body soft as she rolled over into him.

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Giving him a sleepy, seductive smile, she wrapped her arms about his neck. “Hmm. Loosely translated that means: It’s a glorious day, we’re on our honeymoon, wanna fool around?”

Shifting over her, he separated her legs with his. “My God, you speak fluent Italian.”

“Hmm, I do actually. But aren’t Scotsmen supposed to speak Gaelic?”

“When in Rome…”

“You look good enough to eat,” Caleb told Heather, sending her a heated glance as she removed an orange sherbet-colored cotton jacket that matched the flowers on her sundress. She’d slipped it on before going into one of the many small churches dotting the
sassi
neighborhood across the ravine from their hotel. The midmorning sun beat down on the creamy, tufa stone buildings, sending the temps way up. They both wore sunglasses to shield their eyes from the glare, although Heather slid hers on top of her head as soon as they walked in the shade of a row of houses.

His breath snagged as she shot him a sultry look from under long lashes. She was a natural flirt. Sweet and seductive, and for a little longer—his. “A sweet ripe peach,” he said thickly, running his palm down the curve of her shoulder.

Her skin was warm and silky smooth. The sundress bared her pale arms and the swell of her breasts, but covered her gorgeous legs and swirled around her shapely ankles. She wore sandals and carried a disposable camera she’d insisted on buying in the gift shop of their hotel.

“Yeah, well, honeymoon or no honeymoon, I want to sightsee, so keep contact to hand-holding for a few more hours, Romeo,” Heather told him dryly, looking ahead to where the cobbled path leveled out for a couple of houses, before stair-stepping up the hill to where hundreds more houses were situated almost one on top of the other. Caleb cared about only one of them.

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Around that next corner their lives would change irrevocably.

He knew his team was in place even though they were invisible. Now, more than ever, he was determined to keep Heather and his child safe. In an hour, maybe less, they’d have Shaw in custody.

And pretty damn soon after that he was going to have some explaining to do to the man’s daughter.

And then he’d have to tell her good-bye.

“Geez,” Heather said on a laugh. “Don’t look so grim. If you want me to, I can rip off your clothes right here and have my wicked way with you.”

Not wanting to telegraph his dread of what was to come, Caleb eased his expression into a smile. “Five feet from a church, Mrs. Edge? I had no idea pregnant women got so hot.”

“Really? How unobservant of you. I thought I had your full attention this morning.” She grinned, tucking her arm into his as they walked. She lifted her face to the sky, inhaling deeply.

“This day is absolutely perfect. And you chose
the
perfect, most wonderful place for a honeymoon.”

He stopped, Shaw’s house directly across the street, and pulled her inside a doorway alcove. “
You’re
perfect. I love you, sweetheart. Remember that.” He brushed her lips with his. Her hands clutched the front of his shirt as she stood on tiptoe to welcome his kiss. He kept it dry and brief with determination.

This was the last time he’d allow himself to be this close to her. He’d tried to store up memories this morning, when they made lazy love. Yet he still craved her. Still wanted her.

Convince her I love her,he reminded himself.
Convince myself that I don’t. Yeah. That.

Got it.

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“I’ll never let anything hurt you,” he promised, wanting,
wishing,
he could promise her more perfect days in their future. He lay his hand on the gentle curve of her belly. “Or Bean. Ever.”

She reached up to stroke his face. “I know. I think this is the first time in memory when I’ve felt so completely and utterly at peace.” She grinned. “And the sex ain’t half bad either.”

Jesus. The glow of love on her face, the unmitigated trust he read in her beautiful big hazel eyes, twisted his gut into knots. The best he was going to be able to do was assure her that she’d be well taken care of. That they’d live in different states, rarely see each other.

And that she and his son would want for nothing.

He’dspend the rest of his life wanting
her.

Too f-ing bad.

It was what it was.

History repeating itself, he though grimly. His parents had given love a shot. They’d sucked at it. And the Curse had still been in effect. No matter how freaking hard they’d tried to stay apart, they just hadn’t been able to do it, and his mother had eventually died.

He
had
to let Heather go. But first he had to finish the job he’d come to do. He dropped her hands and stepped away from her. Once this was over he’d never see her again. That would be best. Clean and quick. Out of sight, please God, out of mind.

“Stay right here for a second, okay? I have a surprise for you.”

“Really? What kind of surprise? Can I kiss it out of you? Tickle it out of you?”

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“Give me a couple of minutes. I’ll come and get you when I’m ready.”

“That sounds extremely mysterious. I’ll come with you.”

He smiled as he shook his head. “Stay put, I’ll call you over when it’s…ready.”

“Hmm. Okay. Kiss me good-bye first.”

He made himself laugh. “I’ll only be a minute—”

She pulled his head down for a quick kiss. Her lips felt smooth against his. Closed. Chaste, if he hadn’t known what her mouth promised. No tongue. Still, he couldn’t help it as his lips clung for an extra beat.

“Hurry back,” she said, her voice husky. “I miss you already.”

Caleb briefly touched a honeyed strand of hair curved on her sunwarmed shoulder before turning to stroll across the cobblestone path. The fifteen feet seemed like a hundred miles.

“What’s up, boss?” Farris said quietly from beside him. “You’re walking so freaking slowly it’s like a rat crawled up your ass. What gives?”

Caleb kept walking. He knew the men inside Shaw’s place were watching as he crossed between the houses. They would see a guy alone. Nothing threatening about a tourist in a loud red-and-yellow Hawaiian shirt, jeans, and running shoes.

“Doesn’t feel right,” he said almost as softly as his invisible friend, lips barely moving as he took his time getting to Shaw’s front door.

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Once he started the final stage of this op in motion, there’d be no turning back.

“Dekker and Rook are with her,” Keir pointed out.

Yeah. Caleb knew. And he trusted his men to be his eyes and ears when his own weren’t trained on her, but he still had this persistent itch between his shoulder blades.

Keir’s hand settled lightly on Caleb’s shoulder. “It’ll be quick and painless.”

“Yeah. I know,” Caleb said under his breath.

Heather admired Caleb’s loose-limbed stride as he strolled across the “street,” if the wide path that allowed no motorized vehicles could be called that. He should have looked incongruous wearing that bright, tropical shirt in a historical place like the
sassi.
It was almost sacrilegious. Instead he looked confident and deliciously sexy.

She felt someone’s gaze on her back and spun around, but there was no one there. Of course there wasn’t. This scenic, historical area was
so
not her father’s or his sophisticated banking clients’ cup of tea.

“Relax,” she said out loud. Lord, it was hot. She gathered her hair off her neck, holding it up in a ponytail, hoping for a bit of a breeze. There wasn’t one. Wishing she’d brought a hat, she let her hair drop back to her shoulders.

She rested her hand on her tummy. Even through the heat, she felt oddly energized and ridiculously happy. And why wouldn’t she? She was on her honeymoon, for goodness’ sake. If a woman couldn’t be ridiculously happy on her honeymoon, when could she be?

And just look at the long, lean hard body striding away. She gave her tummy a little rub. “Your daddy is a hunk, do you know that, sweet baby? He assures me that you’re a boy. And
I
think you’re going to be just like him, aren’t you? Sweet and kind and funny. I suppose we’ll spend the next twenty-one years paying for your therapy, because I have a feeling you’ll always be Bean to us.” She smiled.

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“I hope he hurries up over there. I wouldn’t mind getting inside where it’s cool and I can have something to drink.” She gave her middle a little rub. “I love you, sweetheart. We’re so lucky, you and I, to have your father.” Shoving her slightly damp hair off her face, Heather admired Caleb’s butt as he reached up to knock on someone’s front door.

Whose? He hadn’t mentioned that he knew anyone here. Perhaps it was a restaurant, or a jewelry store, or—She grinned, remembering the heights he’d taken her to earlier. “Who cares. Anywhere your daddy wants to take us is fine with me.”

After a few minutes the door opened. Caleb’s body blocked whomever had opened it. He talked for a few minutes, then gestured behind him—presumably at her. The door closed, leaving him outside in the brilliant white sunshine. Hmm. Intriguing. Her hand curled over her stomach and time seemed to still.

“Heather? Sweetheart? Come on over.” He didn’t leave the doorway, but held out his hand with a smile that melted her heart and chased away whatever had spooked her.

The sun beat down ferociously on top of her head as she crossed the street. She took his outstretched hand just as the door started to open again. “Close your eyes,” he murmured, tugging her against him. “I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

She smiled, shutting her eyes. How sweet and romantic. He drew her forward, inside, where the temperature dropped dramatically. Heather shivered, getting a quick premonition that something wasn’t right.

“Cold?” he asked softly. “Want to put on your jacket?”

She shook her head. Caleb tucked her beneath his left arm, his hand warm on her waist as he guided her across a slightly uneven floor. It took a surprising amount of energy to keep her voice light. “Can I open my eyes now?”

“Yeah. Open.”