Lost in Italy (33 page)

A half-hearted effort tightened his fingers in her hair, but he didn’t drag her away.  Not when he’d entertained more than one brief fantasy of this exact experience since seeing the woman yesterday.  Red hot desire overrode common sense.  The stimulating combination of her scent and taste triggered his response with a vengeance.  And not just in the thrust and parry of his tongue with hers.  His body hardened damn fast, too.

Eva deepened the kiss.  Pressed her chest to his.  A moan erupted from deep in his throat.  Partly from arousal, partly from her sensual, yet painful assault on his swollen bottom lip.  A frustrated tug on his still captive left hand yielded no result.  He wanted to crush her against him with both arms.  Feel her ripe body and the pleasure-pain of her hips against his straining erection.

Her hand slid along his right arm, skimmed over his bare forearm, and found his hand, fingers still entwined in her hair.  The other curled around his head before her nails raked along his scalp.  The passion in this one kiss promised incineration in bed.

Oh, but what a way to go.

All thoughts of her naked body writhing under his fled with the sudden jab of her knee to his groin.  Pain registered.  In his crotch and in the middle fingers of his right hand that she pulled from her hair and bent back almost to the breaking point.  He jerked forward in an attempt to relieve the pressure on his hand.  Her knee pressed harder into his groin.

“Jesus,” he gasped.  “Easy.”

Her breathing was as unsteady as his, but her brown eyes regarded him without apology.  “Do not attempt to take advantage of me again.”

“You kissed
me
, dammit. 
Ow
.”

Her brutal hold on his fingers directed his hand back to the arm of the chair.  Once the restraint was back in place and tight enough to prevent another escape, but not so snug as to cut off his circulation, she finally removed her knee.

Instead of moving away, she placed that knee on the chair against the outside of his thigh.  His pulse began a steady increase when her other knee mimicked the first on the opposite side, and she straddled him on the chair.  He fought the insane urge to thrust upward.  What the hell was wrong with him?  The woman was a sadist!

Starting at his hairline, she ran the fingers of both hands through his hair, down to the nape of his neck.  Her nails stimulated countless nerve endings on the reverse trip.  Tingles worked though his entire body.  That’s when she settled her weight onto his lap and smiled.

“You are easily excitable.”

Ben choked back a tortured groan.  “You’re a very exciting woman.”

He barely recognized his own voice.  Never had he been aroused to such a fever pitch before.  He’d heard danger could be a wild aphrodisiac, but this was nuts.

With a husky laugh, she rotated her hips in a slow circle.  “
Grazie
.”

His body throbbed.  The groan broke free.  “God, woman, what are you doing?”

“Exploring my power.”  Her throaty whisper gave the statement twice the punch.

He found himself pulled forward for another mind-numbing kiss that ended way too fast.  A ragged breath did nothing to bank the fire burning him from the inside out.  Staring into her darkened eyes, he admitted, “I’m completely at your mercy.”

“A fact you must not forget.”  She braced her hands on his shoulders and pushed off the chair.  While he scrambled to form a coherent thought, she smoothed the snug hem of her shirt over the curve her hips.  “Now that we have that settled, I will do what I can to satisfy your hunger.”

Was she serious?  He waited in breathless anticipation for her next move.

She spun on her heel and exited the room.  Somewhere in the distance a church bell rang the noon hour.  Ben gave a self-mocking laugh that ended in a low, agonized growl.

She was referring to hunger of the non-carnal variety.

****

Evalina’s knees wobbled the moment she closed the door, but thankfully, the wall offered necessary support.  Sweet mother of God.  What had come over her in there?  Anyone could’ve walked in.  Nino.  Zucchi.  Alrigo.

She shuddered at the last possibility.  His eyes made her skin crawl.  They’d undressed her too many times since hooking up with Nino here at the villa.  With God’s help, this would be over soon.

They needed that video.  It was imperative it didn’t fall into the wrong hands.  Ensuring their remaining bargaining chip did not escape was also crucial.  No matter the cost.  Or so she tried to tell herself.  Against her better judgment, she liked the American more with each visit to his room.  Sure, he was brash, and cocky, but when his sister had been here, she’d caught a glimpse of a pure heart.  He’d protected her more than once, and at great risk to his own life.  In her line of work, men like that were rare.

It did not help that he could make her insides quiver with a single look.  And that kiss.  Would she have had the same out of control reaction to him in a different setting?  Or was it just the unusual circumstances they were trapped in?

The lip-lock had started as a necessary move to get him restrained again, but…what came after.  On the chair.  She got warm all over again just thinking about her rash behavior.  Not to mention, his scalding response and the feel of his hard body beneath hers.

She leaned her head back against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Where the hell have you been?”

Nino’s annoyed question jerked her head up.  Erotic thoughts fled, leaving a flush of heat on her cheeks.  Aw, hell, when had she become such an amateur?

She straightened and hurried away from the door, self-consciously smoothing her messed hair.  Nino’s gaze narrowed as it swept over the length of her body.

“What’s going on?” Nino asked.

She took a deep breath and fisted her hands on her hips.  “You tell me.  What the hell were you thinking suggesting a ransom?  Are you deliberately trying to screw this up?”

“Easy money,” Nino stated.  “A sure bet Alrigo would go for.”

“Well, I don’t like it.”

“The ransom was to buy us some time.  We aren’t ready and you know it.”

Evalina stalked forward until she was right in his face. “And what if Tomlin can’t come up with the money?  What if he changes his mind?”

She stopped herself from asking a third question, but it didn’t matter.  The emotion that seeped into her voice allowed Nino to read between the lines with ease. 
What if Alrigo killed Ben?

Nino grasped her shoulders and pushed her against the wall.  “That man in there is a means to an end, nothing more.”

“He didn’t do anything to anyone.”

A door further down the hall opened, and Eva saw Tony step out.  She’d heard about the espresso Trent Tomlin had tossed in his face at the cafe and the guy’s face still showed the effects of the scalding liquid.  Knowing he was in league with Alrigo, she couldn’t find it in her to care about his pain.

He paused when he saw the two of them.  Nino leaned in close to Evalina, threading his fingers into her hair while his thumbs rested along her jaw.  His lean, muscled body unnecessarily held her in place.  She knew she had to keep up appearances, though the longer they were here, the harder it became to endure his touch.

Nino’s lips brushed hers, and then skimmed across her cheek to rest against her ear.  She closed her eyes against the sight of Tony watching.

“Careful, Eva,” Nino breathed.  “Or you’ll be the one to screw everything up.”

His hot breath sent a shiver down her spine, but it chilled to the bone where Ben’s had warmed and excited.

Proving Nino was absolutely right.

Chapter 18

Halli paused in the doorway of Simone’s front room as Trent spoke into his cell phone.

“No, I figured you’d heard the news already, but I swear to you, I did not kill that cop.  We were friends.  He was helping me investigate Sean’s death.”

The muscles in his back were as tense as his voice, but then his shoulders relaxed a bit.

“Thanks—your belief means more than you’ll ever know,” he continued.  “Which is why you’re the only one I trust with the money.  I don’t care what you have to do, just so it’s ready when I call tomorrow.  I’m dead serious about this, Brad.  Waterproof bag, and someone
you’d
trust with your daughter’s life.  Yeah.  Thanks.”

The ransom money.  Hearing him make the arrangements solidified Halli’s growing remorse for doubting him.  If he intended to keep the video for himself, he’d have been gone already, right?  She watched him flip the phone shut and slip it into his jeans pocket, his back still to the doorway.  She searched for an opening line, but he spoke first without turning around.

“Are you here to accuse me of ulterior motives again?”

She’d intended to apologize, but instead went on the defensive.  “I had to ask.”

He ran his hands through his hair, frustration evident as his fingers clenched at the nape of his neck.  Was that an existing habit, or newly formed, she wondered, stepping into the room.  Then he pivoted to face her as he leaned back against the window sill, and she forgot all about the errant thought.

“I’d like to say I’ve looked at it from your point of view, Halli, that I get where it came from, and, dammit, I do.  It’s just…I thought we were past that.”

He couldn’t really be as offended as he sounded, could he?  Unless he didn’t truly understand where she was coming from.

“I’m sorry.”  She lifted her hands, then dropped them back to her sides with a feeling of helplessness.  “I’m more grateful than you’ll ever know for what you’ve done for me, and Rachel, but I still have to think about my brother.  Can you honestly tell me you didn’t consider the fact that you’d be turning over the one piece of evidence that proves you’re innocent?”

“Of course I considered it.  Can
you
honestly tell me you think I’d choose to let your brother die?”  His hand rose, palm out.  “Forget it, you already answered that question.”

Heart pounding, she lifted her chin and stated, “No,
you
answered that question when you stole the SD card from my camera.”

“
What?
  You think that’s...”  He leaned his head back, and swore at the ceiling.  Then he met her gaze dead on.  “I did not steal the card.  It’s in a safe place.”

“And where’s that, in your pocket?”

Hurt flashed, then his gaze sharpened as his features turned to granite.  “On the
boat
, Halli.  I had a bad feeling about the consulate so I hid the card to ensure
your
safety in case anything happened.”

“Oh.”  Remorse was an understatement now.  “Why didn’t you say something?”

“You were excited about seeing your family.  We’d had a good morning and I didn’t want to ruin it by worrying you in case I was wrong.  And God do I wish I would’ve been wrong.”

When he pushed away from the window and walked past her toward the living room, she cleared her throat to find her voice.  “Trent...”

He kept walking.

“
Trent
.”

This time he stopped, and when he swung around, his expression was cautious.

“I’m sorry.”

All she got was a tight nod.

Blinking away the moisture blurring her vision, she smoothed her damp palms down the sides of her newly borrowed jeans.  “About the money…”

“What about it?”

“I’ll probably never be able to repay you, but I’ll do whatever I—”

“Christ, Halli, I don’t give a damn about the money!”

“It’s a million dollars.”

“Which is peanuts compared to what I make on one Shain West movie.  Hell, I’d pay ten times what the bastard asked for.  What does it take for you to believe in someone?”

A sound in the doorway brought them both around.  Simone stood behind the couch where she’d settled Rachel to rest after giving her a mild sedative.  The petite Italian woman’s gaze shifted between them before settling on Trent.

“You need a new bandage,” she said quietly.

“Okay if I shower first?”

She nodded and Halli stared after his back as he walked away from her yet again.  After she forced her gaze from his long stride and the  ripple of muscles across his shoulders, she caught Simone watching her watch him.  The older woman offered a sad smile, fresh tears in her eyes.

Halli walked over and gave her another hug.  Despite being strangers, she felt Simone’s loss and feared what she and Rachel might face in the next twenty-four hours if they didn’t get Ben back.  The comfort worked both ways.

Neither of them said a word as they cleaned up the mess in the kitchen.  After they’d finished, Halli returned to the living room by Rachel.  Her sister slept, leaving her alone with her thoughts and guilt.

The first sixteen years with her parents taught her to look for ulterior motives, especially when money was involved.  The past ten years struggling on her own taught her to only depend on herself.  So it wasn’t that she didn’t
want
to trust Trent, but a lifetime of hard lessons was almost impossible to set aside in two days.  She’d done it once and was already second-guessing herself.