Into the Night (30 page)

Despite Angela’s initial reasons for running away, it was obvious she missed the comforts of home, and the parents who loved her very much. And that, at least, was the first step in changing her thought process around.

For tonight, he’d planted the seeds in her mind. Now he could only hope they grew overnight and helped her realize what a mistake she’d made, and that she wanted to return to her family, where she belonged.

*   *   *

After leaving Nathan with Angela down in the playroom, Nicole followed Sloane as he escorted her upstairs, then to the other end of his huge mansion and into a separate wing of the house where his art collection was on display. She knew it was necessary to give Nathan time alone with Angela, but she didn’t like being so far away from him, in a section of the house that was isolated from everyone else—with a man she didn’t trust.

To her relief, Sloane started the tour as a consummate gentleman, his pride and delight in having acquired so many rare and priceless pieces of art taking precedence over his attraction to her. For now. Nicole had no doubt that once the excitement of sharing his treasures with her was over, his focus would return to what he ultimately wanted. Her.

The museum-like room was devoted to not only artwork, but other valuables as well. There were sculptures, vases, tapestries, antiques, and more. But it was the original paintings by Degas, Monet, and Seurat that had her in a state of awe. Those creations were truly magnificent and breathtaking.

As they casually strolled from piece to piece, Nicole was intensely aware of Sloane constantly touching her in some way. If he wasn’t holding her hand, then his palm was splayed at the base of her spine, or his fingers were caressing her bare arm. As he talked, he leaned in close, his head nearly touching hers as he spoke into her ear.

In between monologues, he charmed and flirted, and she had to force herself to laugh at his attempts at humor, and not cringe when he touched her in a too-familiar manner. The increasing intimacy of his actions had Nicole on edge, because she knew where his affection was leading … down a path she had no desire to travel with him.

A glance at an elaborate clock on the wall told Nicole that thirty minutes had passed, and while half an hour wasn’t a long time to be gone, it felt like an eternity when she had to endure Sloane’s advances. Certain that Nathan had made whatever connection he needed to with Angela, Nicole was more than ready to return to his side for the evening.

“Your art collection is amazing,” she said, sounding like a young girl who was very impressed with Sloane’s wealth. The man would expect nothing less. “But I really should get back to Alex.”

He smiled and grasped her hand in his, the look in his eyes darkening with desire. “There’s no rush, Nikki. Besides, he’s busy with Angel. You and I have plenty of time to spend together.”

Nausea swirled in her belly. She’d known this moment was coming; that once they were no longer distracted by his art and other collections, she’d become the focal point of his attention, and obsession. Still, she tried to be as persistent as a teenager would be. “I don’t want him to worry about me.”

“He knows you’re fine,” he said in a placating tone, contradicting the firm hold on her hand. “Come sit with me. There’s something I’d like to give you.”

Instead of resisting him any further and taking the chance of angering him, she let him lead her to a brown leather couch in the room. She settled onto the cushion next to him, her body visibly tense. Not an unrealistic response for a young girl in this kind of situation—but even as a grown woman she was apprehensive of the man.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering at the side of her neck. “Don’t be so nervous,” he murmured huskily, his smile inviting. “I don’t bite. I promise.”

She dampened her dry bottom lip with her tongue and gave him a timid look to divert his seduction. Too late, she realized that her demure reaction only seemed to arouse him more.
Shit
. “I’m … I’m not used to being away from Alex.”

“We’ll go back in a few minutes.” He reached for a light blue box wrapped in a white satin ribbon, which was sitting on the table next to the couch, and placed it in the palm of her hand. “This is for you.”

She immediately recognized the iconic blue box as Tiffany. Her first instinct was to refuse the expensive gift, but knowing he’d only insist, she went ahead and removed the ribbon and opened the small box. A velvet pouch awaited her, and tucked inside of that was a dainty silver heart link bracelet with a toggle clasp. A classic piece of Tiffany jewelry.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

While most young girls would be thrilled to be the recipient of such a beautiful designer bracelet, knowing what Sloane expected in return for the gift was more than enough to repulse her. “It’s very pretty. Thank you.”

He smiled charismatically. “Here, let me help you put it on.” Taking the box and ribbon from her, he set them back on the table, then turned back to her with the bracelet.

She extended her arm and let him clasp the silver heart around her wrist. Before she could pull away, he gripped her fingers in his and pressed a damp, lingering kiss on the back of her hand. Her stomach twisted in disgust, and she had a bad feeling that this situation was going to get much worse.

“I like to give my girls pretty, expensive things,” he said as his thumb continued to caress her hand. “The more they please me, the more I like to spoil them.”

Until the sick bastard grew tired of them, she knew.

Leaning in closer, he pressed his body against hers and placed his palm on her thigh. “You know, a kiss would be nice to show your appreciation.”

I didn’t want the fucking bracelet, asshole
.

As a grown, independent woman, that’s what she wanted to say to Sloane, but she didn’t think he’d appreciate her outspoken rejection. As a nervous young girl, she tried to turn him down gently. “I really shouldn’t. Alex—”

He pressed his fingers to her lips, effectively cutting off her words. “Just relax, Nikki. It’s just a kiss.”

He slid his free hand around to the nape of her neck and pulled her head toward his. The queasiness in her belly returned with a vengeance at the thought of kissing him, and she compressed her lips together, refusing to let his tongue invade her mouth. That didn’t stop him from trying, but there was absolutely nothing soft, giving, or inviting about her lips.

When he finally released her, there was a spark of annoyance in his gaze. “You’re quite the challenge, aren’t you?”

Her heart began a hard, fast beat in her chest. The predatory look on his face told her that she was walking a fine line with him, that if she wasn’t careful, the situation could turn ugly. If provoked, Sloane could easily overpower her, assault her, and even if she screamed for help no one would hear her since she was at the opposite end of the house.

“I’m really not feeling very well,” she said in a faint voice, and abruptly jumped to her feet. “I want Alex.” She deliberately made herself sound like a petulant child—whatever worked to get her back to Nathan.

“Very well, but you and I aren’t finished yet.” Slowly, he stood up, the corner of his mouth curling with undeniable determination. “Just keep in mind that you can make this as easy, or as difficult, as you want. The decision is yours.”

She shivered at the underlying threat to his tone, and decided she’d be better off not responding. He grabbed her hand to escort her from the room, his hold not nearly as gentle as it had been earlier, giving her a taste of the darker personality that lurked beneath Sloane’s charming facade.

That glimpse revealed a side to the man she knew she’d be wise not to provoke.

Chapter Seventeen

As soon as Nathan saw Nicole walk back into the playroom with Sloane, his protective instincts went on alert. The tension between the two was palpable, and not in a good way. Nicole’s face was pale, the stress in her eyes visible when her gaze met his across the room. Sloane didn’t bother to hide his look of irritation—clearly, things hadn’t gone well between the two of them.

Concerned for Nicole, Nathan moved off the draped bed and helped Angela off the mattress, too. Taking her hand, he met up with Sloane and Nicole.

Sloane inclined his head at Nathan. “Did the two of you have a nice visit?” he asked of Nathan’s time alone with Angela.

“We did.” Nathan didn’t ask the same of Sloane’s visit with Nicole. Something was visibly wrong, and he’d get the details from Nicole later, when they were alone.

“I’m still interested,” Sloane said, shocking Nathan with his announcement. Especially since the other man wasn’t all warmth and smiles. “How about you?”

“Absolutely,” Nathan replied, knowing Sloane was counting on his agreement.

Except there wouldn’t be an actual trade, not when leaving Nicole alone with Sloane again would likely put her life in danger. Somehow, he and Nicole had to figure out a way to use tomorrow night’s masquerade party as a distraction to smuggle Angela out of the house,
before
the expected swap.

“Excellent,” Sloane said, his irritable mood mollified somewhat. “After breakfast in the morning, a few of the girls are going to a spa I own for a day of pampering before the party. Angela and Nicole can go with them. While the girls are out, why don’t the two of us talk and make the necessary arrangements?”

“That’s perfect.” Nathan met Nicole’s gaze, and seeing the get-me-the-hell-out-of-here look in her eyes, he took that as his cue to end the conversation with Sloane.

“It’s been a long day and Nicole doesn’t look as though she’s feeling well,” he said, taking her hand and tucking it into the crook of his arm. “I think we’ll turn in for tonight.”

“Good night, then.” Finally, Sloane smiled, but the sentiment didn’t fully reach his eyes. “I’ll see you two in the morning.”

Nathan didn’t waste any more time getting Nicole away from Sloane, though he wished he could have done the same with Angela. He hated leaving her behind, but consoled himself with the knowledge that by this same time tomorrow night he’d have her out of the estate and on her way back to her parents.

As soon as they arrived in their room, the first thing Nicole did was take off a silver bracelet from around her wrist—a piece of jewelry he knew for a fact she hadn’t been wearing earlier. Next, she kicked off her shoes, her movements jerky and angry.

“Nicole?” he asked, knowing she’d hear the concern in his voice.

She shook her head, telling him with that gesture that she didn’t want to talk—or couldn’t talk about what was really on her mind in a room that might be bugged. “I need a shower.”

She also needed time to calm down, and he let her go, giving her a few minutes to herself while he checked in with Caleb. He sent his boss a text message, letting him know he’d made contact with Angela and that he was planning on extracting her tomorrow night, along with the discovery that Sloane was also trafficking the girls. Less than a minute later Caleb responded that he was going to call Angela’s parents and give them the update, and they’d deal with the trafficking issue as soon as they were safely off Sloane’s estate. Nathan promised to remain in touch as his plans progressed.

By the time Nathan entered the huge, decadent bathroom, Nicole was done shampooing her hair and was rinsing a conditioner from the strands. Knowing this was the best place for them to talk, he closed and locked the door, then took a moment to appreciate the sight of Nicole standing naked beneath the rush of water free-falling from the large, square grid built into the ceiling.

The glass-enclosed shower was luxurious and designed for sensual pleasures, with handholds built into the walls and ledges for sitting. The display of switches on the wall made him curious enough to see what they did. When he pressed a few of the buttons, the main lights went off, but the shower grid glowed with soothing colors of blue and amber, illuminating the falling water and giving the illusion that Nicole was standing beneath a canopy of rain at night.

Nathan grinned, amazed by the spectacular sight and innovative design. “Okay, that’s really cool.”

“Yeah, it is,” she agreed, looking like a sensual water nymph as the luminous water sluiced over her firm breasts and along her lush curves. “Leave it like that. It makes me feel like I’m somewhere other than where I really am.”

He understood, and gave her the escape she seemed to need. He quickly stripped off his clothes and joined her under the stream of warm water, already thoroughly, achingly aroused. As much as he wanted to take advantage of the erotic setting and make love to Nicole, there were things they needed to discuss first.

“What happened tonight?” he asked, keeping his voice low as he reached for a large sponge and poured a generous amount of liquid soap on top. Then he motioned for Nicole to turn around so he could scrub her back.

“Where do I start?” she said with a sigh as he began buffing the soapy sponge across her shoulders and the scent of ripe peaches filled the steamy air. “He gave me a bracelet, tried to kiss me, then issued a threat—that it was up to me whether things between the two of us went gently, or roughly, and he didn’t seem to mind the latter if that’s what it came down to.” She shuddered.

Nathan clenched his jaw as he glided the sponge over her bottom, hating that she’d had to endure even a moment of Sloane’s vulgar personality. “Did he hurt you?” he asked, kneeling to wash her legs.