Deadly Obsession (46 page)

Nic shook his head. “She doesn’t like horses.”

“So we have to think of something she wants enough that she’d go into the stables to get it,” Rachel said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Lauren saw Rémi exchange a look with Nic. Nic inclined his head and said, “Me.”

Lauren’s eyes widened. “You?”

“It makes sense,” Rémi said. “We’ve been talking about it. What better bait could we have? She’s stalking Nic because she wants him.”

“Sure. But it’s not like he can wave a red flag at her and shout ‘I’m here. Come get me.’”

His expression serious, Kaden finished off his tea then leaned forward to put the cup on the coffee table. “Vivian’s not stupid.” Lauren waited as he rested his elbows on his knees, and steepled his fingers. “Whatever you do, Nic, it has to be something believable.”

Nic shot Lauren a nervous glance. “I’ll come on to Vivian and ask her to meet me in the stables so we can have some private time.”

Lauren wanted to jump up and shout, “Are you crazy?” But she forced herself to remain seated, to appear calm. “So… uh, you’ll be acting, right?”

Nic’s gaze bore into her. “Yes, but she’ll believe every minute of it.” A lump formed in her throat. Of course Vivian would believe it. The danger was that Lauren might fall for his act, too.

She tore her eyes away from Nic when Kaden addressed her. “Lauren, you and Jake need to stay hidden. If Vivian finds out you’re here, she’ll know something’s wrong. Things could get very dangerous.”

She gulped. “I understand.”

“I’ll take your rental to my place,” Rémi added.

“Anything we forgot?” Rachel asked.

“The shoes.” Rémi and Rachel stared at her with identical puzzled expressions. “The stalker, Vivian, caught her foot in the photo she sent of Summer. She was wearing Christian Louboutin shoes. None of this is conclusive, but if Vivian’s got a pair of Louboutin’s with her, it’s one more piece of evidence.”

Nic nodded. “If she isn’t wearing them, one of us will need to check her room.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Kaden said. “We need to talk scenarios now. What happens when she confesses?”

“
If
she confesses,” Nic said.

“Okay, what happens if she confesses? She’ll probably be pretty pissed at that point. Do you want us to come in and restrain her?”

Rémi looked up, his smile a little too bright. “I’ve got zip ties.”

Kaden tapped his holster and grinned. “But I’ve got a gun.”

Rémi’s smile turned into a frown, making Lauren laugh despite the seriousness of the discussion.

Nic scrubbed his jaw, looking suddenly tired. “About that. Even if Vivian killed Summer….” He hesitated.

Lauren was pretty sure she knew what Nic was trying to say. “You don’t want her to be hurt.”

He nodded. “I want her to get the help she needs. I owe her that much. Without her, I’d probably still be flipping burgers.”

“You love her.”

“And I feel guilty. What if something I said or did set her off?” He averted his eyes. “Maybe I led her on somehow.”

“Don’t even go there,” Rachel said. “None of this is your fault.” The sternness of her tone surprised Lauren, but she completely agreed. Nic’s gaze fixed on his sister. After a few seconds of silent discussion, he nodded.

“Now that that’s out of the way, let’s summarize. After Vivian confesses, I get to tie her down with my zip ties.” Rémi’s eyes held a mischievous glint in them.

“Second scenario. She killed Summer with a knife. What if she pulls one on you, Nic?” Kaden asked.

“Unless my life is in danger, do nothing.”

Kaden bristled. “You hired me to protect you. If she pulls a knife, you’re in danger.”

“We could use a signal,” Jake suggested. When everyone turned to him, his voice lowered to a mumble. “It was just a thought….”

“That’s a good idea,” Kaden said. Jake smiled. They discussed various suggestions and finally decided that if Nic wanted the cavalry to charge in, he would say
slap shot
.

“But whatever you do, don’t come in with your guns,” Nic added.

Jake looked confused. “Why not?”

“In hostage situations, the bad guy always makes the cops give him their weapons. And the last thing I want is for Vivian to get one of your guns.”

Kaden eyed Nic. His jaw tight, he said, “Then we’ll have to shoot from outside the room.”

“But only on my signal.”

Rémi tapped the pencil on the pad. “When do you want this to go down?”

“Tomorrow evening. Sunday’s the blackmail deadline, so this has to end before then. Vivian’s plane lands at four. I’ll have a limo waiting, so she’ll probably get here around five.”

Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “Phew, at least the kids will be gone by then.”

Everyone sat back.

“Shit,” Nic said, his tone exasperated. “I hadn’t even thought about that.”

“As they say,” Jake said. “Thank God for small favors.”

Rémi shook his head sadly as he met Rachel’s gaze. “Not another one.” They burst out laughing while Kaden and Jake eyed them as if they’d lost their minds.

“Hey!” Nic laughed as he reached for his beer.

“Another one what?” Lauren asked.

“On his last trip here, Nic was crowned the King of Fortune Cookie Crap, but Jake here might be able to challenge him for the title.”

Laughter rang out across the room. Even Jake smiled. Before the laughter had completely died down, Nic stood up and reached for Lauren’s hand and led her to the stairs. “I think we’re done here. Goodnight everyone.”

Lauren looked over her shoulder at the group in the living room. A flush crept across her cheeks. Everyone knew why Nic was so eager to get her upstairs. But when he ran his thumb over her palm, the heat in his eyes melted away any lingering embarrassment. She grabbed his shirt, intending to tug it out of his pants. But he stopped her and whispered, “Catch me if you can,” then turned and ran up the stairs.

Laughing, she took off after him. She’d already caught him.

And she’d never let him go.

CHAPTER 22

As Nic reached the steps leading up to his attic suite, he pretended to stumble. He landed with his butt on the steps and waited. Lauren careened around the corner and flew into his arms. “Gotcha.” He grinned.

She wrinkled her nose at him. “I thought I was supposed to catch you.”

“Does it matter?”

Laughing, she looped her arms around his neck. “Not one bit.”

“I missed you so much,” he whispered in her ear and groaned at the feel of her stomach pressing against his cock. As if they had a mind of their own, his hands slid under her shirt. Nic wanted to shout out with relief when he felt the softness of her breasts against his palms. Several times over the past few days, he thought he’d never feel her silky skin again or hear her sexy moans. But here she was.

Where she belonged.

But the clothes had to go. He grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it up over her head. Her bra soon followed. With his hands on her waist, he lifted her higher so he could taste her ripe nipples. Hearing the sounds of pleasure she made at the back of her throat, his hips jerked against hers. But when he reached for the snap of her cargo pants, she stopped him. “Nic, we’re on the stairs.”

Christ, he’d done it again. “Everything disappears when I’m with you.”

She smiled. “Let’s go to your room.”

Nic had all the best intentions in the world, but after kicking the door to his suite shut, he didn’t want to take another step. Naked from the waist up, she was beautiful. Turning, he backed her against the wall. He wanted her. And he couldn’t wait until they got to the bed.

Kneeling before her, he undid the snap and zipper on her pants and tugged them off. Tonight, she wore a lacy green thong. It was the color of her eyes and sexy as hell. He nuzzled her through the thin material, relishing her moans of delight.

Her breathing hitched as she speared her fingers through his hair, pulling him tighter against her. Inch by inch, he lowered her panties, his tongue trailing a wet path in their wake. She writhed as if anticipating the pleasure he would soon give her. He’d wanted to drag things out, to tease her a little. But where she was concerned, he was a weak man.

Desperate for the taste of her, he yanked off the tiny scrap of material, nudged her legs apart and brought his mouth to her pink flesh.
Oh man
. She tasted even better than he remembered. He’d been crazy to give in to the stalker’s demands, even for one minute.

As he thrust his tongue into her opening, she tugged on his hair. He resisted. She tugged a little harder. “I need you inside. Now.” He raised his eyes to her and she groaned. “Seeing you like that… you’re killing me. Come here,” she insisted, again.

The sight of her so aroused and demanding made him grin. It would be his pleasure to satisfy her tonight and for the rest of their lives. In one smooth movement, he stood up, lifting her at the same time. Her legs wrapped around his hips, while her hands worked to undo the fly of his jeans. When her hand closed around his cock and started stroking him, he stopped breathing. And like some hormonally challenged teenager, he had to fight not to come in her hand. “Condom… wallet,” he said, praying she’d understand.

While she fiddled with his wallet, searching for a condom, he pressed his cock against her core in a rhythmic grind. Each small bump elicited a soft “Ah” from her that ratcheted up his desire. It was pure torture, but he couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop. After what felt like years, she dropped the wallet on the floor and waved a shiny wrapper in front of his face. “Got it!”

Moments later, with his cock enclosed in latex, he pressed her back against the wall and slammed home, making them both gasp.

When she wiggled her bottom, he gripped it and began to move. She was hot and tight, and he wouldn’t last long. The smooth column of her neck drew his attention and he raked the pale skin gently with his teeth. Her moans almost pushed him over the edge. Trailing his lips along her jaw, he took little nips along the way. She worked her fingers through his hair and pressed her mouth against his.

Her lips opened, and he deepened the kiss, sucking her tongue into his mouth. Each time he nibbled the tip or stroked his tongue against hers, she made one of her wonderful sweet sounds that were like music to him. Her muscles contracted, heat bathed his cock. The pressure sent him reeling. But she was close and he wanted her to come before him.

Resting one hand on the wall beside her head for balance, he lifted her a little higher with the other. When he thrust into her from this new angle, her eyes shot open. “Oh!”

Oh, was right. A tingle began at the base of his spine and he knew the end was near. Slowly, he withdrew until only the tip of his cock remained inside her. “Look down,” he said. When she did, he pressed into her, watching as she swallowed him into her body. Her muscles tightened around him, gripping him like a warm wet fist. He felt her legs tremble.

“Do it again,” she whispered.

He pulled out of her, letting her see his cock lengthen. But this time, as his cock disappeared inside her core, he pressed a finger against the small opening in her rear. Her eyes flew to his face. “I’m coming.”

He caught her words with his lips and thrust hard. Her body clenched, her muscles clamping down on him, a velvet vise. She spasmed around him. His own pleasure spiraling out of control, he pressed his face into the crook of her neck and inhaled her sweet apple scent. His hips jerked and he released inside of her.

As they drifted back to their senses, he tugged on one of her curls. “
Je t’aime
, Lauren.” If he hadn’t known it before, he knew it now: he couldn’t live without her. And what was more, he didn’t
want
to live without her. She was his love, his life. His soul. Without her, there was nothing.

After rezipping his jeans, he took her hand. “Come, I have something to show you.”

She grinned. “I think you’ve already shown me everything.”

As they passed the bathroom, Nic reached in to grab the bathrobe off the hook and handed it to her. “Wouldn’t want you catch a chill. I have lots of plans for you,
chérie
.”

Once he got her bundled up and seated on the bed, he stepped into the walk-in closet. With butterflies in his stomach, he reached into the red hatbox on the top shelf and pulled out a small box. He ran his thumb over the velvet material before stuffing the box in his pocket.

His heart started pounding like a jackhammer and his mouth felt dry. Was it too soon? Maybe, but it didn’t matter. She owned a piece of his soul, and he needed to know what she meant to do with it.

After running through a few breathing exercises to settle his pulse, he walked back to Lauren. She stared, eyes wide as he knelt in front of her and wrapped his arms around her waist, putting them at eye level. With a slightly unsteady hand, he reached into his pocket to pull out the small jeweler’s box. “Will you marry me,
chérie
?”

Eyes locked on her face, he held his breath. Her answer would determine his future. Either he’d spend it living on a cloud or in the pits of hell. When she smiled, he started to breathe again. Capturing his face in her hands, she whispered against his lips, “Yes. I’d love to be your wife.”

His eyes burned as he held her in his arms. Lauren had agreed to be his, to spend the rest of her life with him. He wanted to open the windows and shout it out to the world. But first, he had to put a ring on her finger.

He opened the box and held it so she could see the antique diamond ring. “We can have it fitted.” When she raised her gaze, her eyes glistened with unshed tears. He removed the ring and slipped it onto the third finger of her left hand. It was a perfect fit.

She threw her arms around him. “It’s beautiful.”

Losing his balance, he tumbled backwards onto the floor, his fiancée on his chest. “It’s a family ring, handed down through the generations from father to son. When my mother died, she left it to me in her will with the admonishment that I carefully choose its next owner.”

Lauren pressed her face against his chest. “I don’t know what to say, except maybe, thank you. I wish I’d known her.”