Yield to Me (20 page)

“Got it covered,” he said
confidently, scanning the area. Other than an old man standing in the threshold
of the bait shop watching them, all was quiet.

Before she realized what he was
thinking, she was caught up in his strong arms, and he was striding down the unsteady
wharf as if she weighed no more than a child did. Keeping her eyes tightly
shut, she turned her face against his chest, holding her breath until she heard
the sound of gravel crunching beneath his feet. She peered up at him with gratitude,
glancing at his strong jawbone, mesmerized by his strength, and caring.

He glanced down, catching her
looking at him. “You can put me down now.”

Without comment, he released her,
allowing her to glide down the front of him, the tips of her breasts grazing
his hard chest until her feet were planted firmly on the ground. She gasped
when his hands settled on her hips, holding her against him. What did he think
he was doing? She raised her face to his, blinking back the falling rain; her
tongue darted out to catch the warm moisture. The way he was watching her
caused her breath to catch. She was woman enough to recognize the brief flare
of desire in his eyes before he banked the fire.

“Thank you,” she murmured, feeling
awareness consume her.

Brent reached up and brushed his
thumb over her bottom lip.
“Any time, princess.
Now we
need to get out of here.” Just as he opened the truck door, his cell phone
began to ring. “What the hell is it now?” He mumbled beneath his breath. He
snatched it from his pocket and flipped it open.
“Yeah?”

His expression tightened and a hand
fell upon Sophie’s shoulder, keeping her close to him. “Hello, Lord.”

Jonathan! Sophie’s heart sank when
she realized he was on the phone. Her gaze searched the area with worry, expecting
to see him materialize from a location nearby.

“How did you track us down? I’m
usually pretty good about covering my trail.”

Sophie was close enough to hear
Jonathan’s end of the conversation.

“That’s not important. It’s just a
matter of time before we catch up with you. I suggest you release my fiancée
and disappear, because your life’s over.”

Sophie’s gaze met Brent’s. The threat
in Jonathan’s tone caused a ripple of fear to travel down her spine. He winked
at her, but it did nothing to dissolve the alarm churning in her belly.

“What, no trial by my peers?”

Jonathan snorted disdainfully. “You
won’t live long enough for the cops, or anyone else, to bring you in,” he threatened
in a deadly tone. “I’ll become a hero overnight, killing you and rescuing
Sophie. I imagine after that the senator will grant me whatever I want.”

“I’ve noticed you haven’t asked how
Sophie is holding up. You certainly have your priorities straight.”

“Don’t let my lack of concern
disturb you, Howard. If you’ve touched her, I’ll take great pleasure in seeing
you suffer before my men finish with you.”

“Really?
I’m surprised you’re threatening me while I still have Sophie as my
guest.”

Sophie wondered if Brent realized
his hand had smoothed down her back, as though to comfort her. It came to rest
on the curve of her bottom, caressing her lightly. She couldn’t help it. After
all, they’d experienced his touch made her yearn for more.

“You’re not going to kill her,”
Jonathan said confidently.

“You’re right, killing women is for
cowards.” Sophie stepped closer to Brent’s hard length, seeking the protection
she sensed she’d find in his arms. “Your beautiful lady is worth the forfeit of
ten million dollars,” he continued, surprising Sophie. Her gaze sought his,
only he was scanning the area again. Didn’t he realize he was taunting
Jonathan? “Of course, she might be a little used up by the time I get around to
releasing her.” He seemed to take perverse pleasure in baiting Jonathan.

Her mind drifted back to the bed. It
wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out why it was rumpled and torn
apart.

“You’re a dead man,” Sophie heard
Jonathan grate in a low, savage tone. She shivered wildly at his tone, fully believing
he meant what he said. Brent snorted, obviously not worried. “So you’ve said.”
He snapped the phone shut without another word.

“Jonathan knows who you are, now.
You can expect your picture and name to be plastered on the evening news,” Sophie
commented, blinking against the rain, which had turned into a light drizzle.

“You don’t know your fiancé, if you
think he’s interested in letting the police do their job. A man like him takes
it very personal when someone kidnaps his woman. Sleeping with you signed my
death warrant.”

“You don’t look very concerned, and
why did you practically tell him something like that?”

His sharp laughter caught her by
surprise. “You don’t understand how a man’s mind works. Once he’s on the boat,
lover boy will know soon enough that we’ve been intimate. A blind man would be
able to pick up the scent of the sexual encounter we shared on that bed.”

Sophie knew the heat crawling up her
neck was a sign of embarrassment. She started to pull away to slide into the
truck. “I’m glad you’re not worried about it, but have you thought what it
could mean for me?”

“What do you mean?” Brent’s hand
prevented her from getting into the truck. “Lord won’t hurt you.” His eyes bore
deeply into hers, as though searching for reassurance.

“Jonathan doesn’t have to touch me
to hurt me,” she confessed softly, before realizing her mistake. She lowered
her gaze.

I can’t hide the truth from Brent
much longer. He’s too smart for that. Sooner or later he’s going to figure out
how much I hate Jonathan.

And how much I
love
him
.

Chapter 17

Brent was gripping the steering
wheel so hard his knuckles were white. For the hundredth time he glanced at
Sophie, as she sat staring out the window. She looked soft, defenseless, and he
wanted to pull over to the side of the road and take her into his arms.

How am I going to find the strength to let her go when the time
comes? I want her and not just her body. Only thirty-one isn’t a time to start
thinking about changing my life. I like my freedom.
Without
responsibilities.
I can pick up and go when I want, and not worry about
messy things like a wife and kids. Besides, they are worlds apart.

Yet he couldn’t help wondering what
it would be like spending his life with her, loving her every day, and every
night. It dawned on him that he’d let his guard down, allowing her to crawl
under his skin and dig her way to his heart. He was getting tired of all the
lies. His friendship and loyalty to the senator prevented him from breaking a
confidence. He hoped in another day or two he could release her and get on with
his life, but for now they had to remain one-step ahead of Lord.

The wind was picking up; he could
feel it against his truck. He checked out the rain clouds building in the sky
again. Why hadn’t he noticed how much darker it had turned? The answer came all
too easily, because he was enamored with a bewitching redhead with blue eyes.
In spite of her disheveled appearance and the trouble she caused, he found
Sophie refreshing. She was a strange mix; her haughty sometimes-innocent
demeanor amused and challenged him, while the she-cat in her during their
heated confrontations satisfied the male animal in him.

Including satisfying me in bed.
He had to admit they were a perfect match when it came to their sexual prowess.
The thought of her with Lord made his blood boil. Was she as giving with him?
Christ! He had to get that thought out of his head!

His thoughts drifted back to the
boat, and their intense lovemaking. Sophie had matched him every step of the
way and had nearly driven him mad with her skillful hands and mouth. He’ll
never forget the pleasure of her mouth on his cock, loving him to completion.
She’d proven that even a sophisticated lady could let down her hair in the bedroom.

And enjoy it.

He gave his head a vigorous shake.
He could daydream about her all he wanted, but some other time. Right now they
needed to get as far away from there as possible.

* * * *

“What makes a man like you turn to
kidnapping?” Sophie asked out of the blue about an hour after they’d left the marina.
“You appear to be well-educated and intelligent; you carry yourself as though
used to the good things in life.”

“What makes a beautiful,
well-educated woman like you turn to the likes of Jonathan Lord?” he tossed
right back, watching her eyes flare with surprise. Before giving her the
chance, he answered for both of them.
“Money, princess.
Plain and simple.”

She didn’t bother denying it. “What
will you do after you get it? Where will you go?”

“I have plans,” he replied, thinking
about taking his boat to the other side of the world. Will that be far enough
away to forget her? “A criminal on the run can’t afford to divulge his escape
plans. What about you?”

She sighed heavily, as though
resigned to circumstances beyond her control. “I suppose we’ll marry as soon as
possible.”

“And live happily ever after?” She
hesitated for so long he demanded, “Tell me the truth, Sophie,
it’s
plain to see you’re not exactly thrilled over marrying
him. Whatever it is, get it off your chest. Talking helps and might make you
feel a hell of a lot better.” For a moment, she looked startled, like wondering
why he was saying such things.

“The truth?
So, you’re a counselor now?” The vulnerability in her eyes tore at
Brent’s heart. “A jack-of-all-trades?” she continued softly.

He couldn’t control the smile in his
voice, doing everything in his power to keep his gaze on the road and not look
into her beguiling eyes again.
“When I need to be.
My
sister has given me plenty of practice over the years.”

“Your sister lives here?” she
questioned with genuine interest.

“Yes, and don’t change the subject,”
he growled, angry with himself for telling her the truth.

He glanced at her long enough to see
the timid smile brush across her mouth. “Why does it matter so much to you why
I’m marrying Jonathan? I should think the only thing on your mind would be
getting the ransom and rid of me.”

“It just does,” he returned without
thinking. He could hardly tell her the truth. That he’d broken a hard fast rule
about getting involved and had fallen for her. “Tell me,” he insisted, sensing
she was close to opening up.

“Sacrifices.”
She sighed finally, so softly that Brent thought he might have
imagined it. “Have you ever loved someone so much that you’d do absolutely
anything to protect them?”

Brent knew his answer would matter.
“Yes.”

“My father is the only family I have
left, Brent.”

Straightening his back against the
seat, he was careful not to show too much eagerness. The last thing he wanted
was to frighten her off. “Are you saying you’re marrying Lord because your
father wants you to?”

A sarcastic sound escaped her. “Not
at all, my father hates Jonathan.”

“I don’t understand; what does he
have to do with you marrying Lord? Has Lord got something on him?” He sensed he
was close to finding something out. “Or has he got something on you? Is he
blackmailing you with something?” He knew there was more to it than that,
unless the senator had lied to him, which he seriously doubted. “Or is it all
about money?”

Sophie shook her head, turning her
gaze back to the passing scenery. “I don’t need Jonathan’s money,” she stated
softly. “My grandmother left me a trust fund when she died six years ago.”

Brent looked at her long and hard
before a bump in the road pulled his attention back to the slick pavement. “In
that case I guess we’re even, princess.
Because I don’t need
you for the money, either.”

His statement obviously caught her
off-guard. “Then why?” she gasped. “Or do you have a personal vendetta against
Jonathan?”

“Never met the man, but I know of
him. And let’s just say I don’t like what I know.” His gaze bore into her until
she glanced away. Her reaction and the soft color flooding her cheeks caused
his mouth to turn up in a grin.
Is she
thinking about us naked and fucking our brains out?
Because, I am.
“If
it’s not his money, then what?”

Sophie lowered her face. Brent
couldn’t help wondering if it was done in an effort to conceal the truth from
him. “Why does it matter what my reasons are? I’m just a means to an end,
aren’t I?”

He shrugged. “Let’s just say I’m
curious.”

She lifted her shoulders in return.
“Let’s just say it’s a good business arrangement, then.”