My Sweet Isabella (The Ambassador Trilogy #3) (11 page)

“I don’t want you telling Izz yet. She has enough to worry about. Promise me you won’t say anything.” The sunlight streamed through the kitchen window and lit up her pale face. The light made the dark circles look more prominent on her. I knew what she was going to tell me.

“I’m rejecting the heart. I told Izz rejection was a possibility, but it’s inevitable. They keep telling me this new medication will work but this new stuff isn’t. I feel like I’m eighty years old. I don’t want to go through another surgery again. I can’t go through much more. Cherise doesn’t need that stress now with a new baby.”

“Did you get a second opinion?” I asked, holding her hand and whispering.

“I had a second and a third.” I swallowed hard. The thought of this made me feel like a complete fucking ass. Here I was complaining about a leg that was healing. My leg injury wasn’t going to kill me. I wasn’t fighting to live and yet, all I did was whine.

“What can I do for you? There has to be some connections I have I can pull?”

She laughed and spit out her coffee. “Connections to what, heaven? No. I mean I can’t go through any more of this heart business. It’s not something I have the strength for. I appreciate the offer, Pepe but I’m going to sit this one out. I’m telling you this because I need you to be there for Isabella. I don’t want her alone when and if I decided to exit. She is too important to me and I need to know you will be there for her.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You don’t have to make sure of that. I will never leave her. She’s my life, Avery. Please, Avery, I’m begging you to change your mind. You know I have grown to love you as well. And this baby. Don’t you want to be with the baby and Cherise?

Avery shrugged. Isabella walked in and we both quit talking.

“Look, two of my favorite people.” I walked over to her and grabbed her waist to bring her into me for a hug. I loved the hell out of her. I held her a little tighter to me aware that Avery’s weakening condition would bring her grief. I hated to see her hurting.

“Two of. We better be the only two faves, Izz. Who else compares to us?” Avery pointed her finger at me.

“No one. I should have said that correctly. Let me start over.” Isabella pulled away from me, went out the door, and quickly came back in. She had a surprised look on her face and opened her arms, laughing.

“Look, my two favorite people.”

Avery shook her head smiling. “Much better. What’s on the agenda today? Please don’t say more cooking. I’m tired of cooking.” Isabella walked into my arms again. Her hands were in my hair. If I felt better and Avery wasn’t sitting in the kitchen I would have put her on the counter and devoured her.

“What do you want to do, Avery? Maybe Fabrice will join us.” As nice as that idea was I didn’t want to go anywhere. I had more than enough work to get caught up on. Plus, they needed time alone. Maybe they would talk about Avery’s situation more without me lurking around.

“You girls go have fun. I have a ton of work to do and many calls to make.” I saw the disappointment in Isabella’s face when I said I wouldn’t be going. I think she wanted me to because she hated to leave me alone. I had to make sure Gustan was going with them wherever they went.

When Avery left after spending a week with us, I felt that things would be better in the vineyard. Things were better for a while. Isabella and I seemed to bask in the joy Avery left behind for a short time. Isabella was back in the kitchen, either with my mom or at her cooking classes learning new recipes and techniques. Also, I noticed Isabella missing her family more and more each day. I would find her skyping or talking to her sister and my heart broke as tears streamed down her face when she would look at her niece. The baby she hadn’t gotten to meet yet because she was in Paris with me since her sister gave birth to her. My heart broke knowing she didn’t get to spend time with her and the baby because of me.

Though she didn’t complain once, I could tell being away from them was hurting her. The Sunday dinners she loved to be a part of, were happening without her. Sundays always brought a quieter less happy, Isabella. That along with the new information I received on Andrea Noir was enough to push me to send Isabella back home. I knew I had to, but I didn’t want to. Maybe I was being selfish, but I didn’t want her to leave me yet. That was until one night when Gustan sent an urgent text message to me.

One evening while we were having dinner outside, my phone buzzed with a text from Gustan, saying it was urgent he meet with me that night. Though I had other things planned for the evening, one of them was bath time with Isabella, I had to see what he wanted. Usually, Gustan would wait until the morning to go over information. That night, he rushed into my office like a man with a purpose, like a man in trouble with his boss, and he wanted to explain himself.

“You aren’t going to sit down?” I asked, as he approached my desk once again, sweaty and out of breath.

“I don’t feel like sitting.”

“Gustan, why are you so out of breath? You need to go see a doctor.” I tried to lighten up the situation, but that wasn’t going to happen.

He moved closer to my desk and looked over his shoulder before he began speaking.

“Is Isabella close by?”

“No, she she’s in the bathtub waiting for me, so let’s hurry this up. What is wrong, Gustan?” I stood up and leaned up against the front of my desk.

“It’s Andrea Noir.” He wiped the sweat from his brow with a rag he carries in his pocket.

“What about her?” The sound of her name sent a rush of heat to my cheeks. My muscles tightened in a quiet response of stress.

“She’s disappeared.”

K
eeping
myself under control was difficult as I stared at him. For a few minutes I wasn’t thinking about my leg or my depression. I thought about where this woman could be and how to keep my Isabella safe.

“How do you know this?” I kept my eyes on him.

“From the guy we have trailing her. The last time he saw her was two days ago and she was with your brother, Romain. They were in Rome then.”

Gustan slid a folder across the desk. I opened the manila folder to see pictures of Andrea and Romain walking arm and arm through the city laughing, eating at an outside café, shopping at an open market, and then both of them going into an apartment.”

“Doesn’t she travel a lot? Where is Romain?” I looked down at the pictures in front of me. Andrea was a plain looking woman. She was no beauty as most of the women Romain had been with in the past. She was tall and skinny, short dark hair, and somewhat masculine. She wore ripped jeans and bulky sweaters with combat boots in most of the pictures. Not what Romain would go for in his heyday? I have seen him with strippers and prostitutes so this was a big change. He looked happy when he was with her. I couldn’t help but think he might know what she was up to or who she was connected to.,

“Romain is in Rome right now. We have a guy on him. He has done nothing we need to worry about, yet. I still have my suspicions, but as of now, we don’t think he knows who she is. We lost her. If she were on a business trip, we would still be able to trail her. We can’t find her.”

Keeping those two idiots under surveillance was a pain in the ass. Those men cost me a fucking fortune, but I didn’t care. Money was not an issue when Isabella’s safety was involved. I had to believe in them and the job they were doing. Gustan finds the best. I was convinced they were doing a good job. I closed the folder and pushed it back towards Gustan.

“Now what?”

“We are staying glued to Romain like white on rice. His every move is being monitored. He can’t take a shit without us knowing. You and Isabella do what you’ve been doing. The sooner you can get back to Washington the better, Fabrice.”

I realized that now.

“Well, since that’s not possible right now with my doctors. What else can I do?”

“Don’t tell anyone about this. Show no fear or lead on like you don’t know anything.” I nodded, not happy with anything going on. I was in no mood to play games. I wanted that shit done and over with. I wanted to enjoy the time with Isabella and not have to worry about getting her back home.

“Goddamn it, Gustan.” He looked at me. I folded my arms across my chest. I was tired of the bullshit. How could she have disappeared? How could Romain get caught up in something like this? Was he that hard up for pussy? Being on drugs was one thing, being connected to a terrorist that tried to kill me was something totally different. For his sake he better not have known anything about this.

~~~~~~~~~~~

My hands slid up her muscular calf. She had been running again around the vineyard, and her body was even better than ever. I let my fingers roam up to her flat stomach, and she whimpered in her sleep. I loved sleepy sex when she was half awake and so accepting.

I was drowning in self-pity and depression. Fear was another issue I was now faced with for the first time. Not that I’m a wimp by any means. I feared almost nothing. What I feared was someone hurting Isabella. The rain against the windows told me the day would be sad and miserable on the vineyard. At least I could start the day off with a good round of sex with her. I wanted to make sleepy love to her that morning as the rain beat against the house.

Isabella whispered into me with her eyes still closed. “I love waking up like this.” The softness of her skin was incredible. I was hard as a rock as I caressed every part of her. My tongue found her mouth and I dipped inside. Even in the morning, she tasted sweet and delicious.

“I want breakfast in bed this morning,” I whispered into her mouth as she began to squirm under me.

“What would you like? Name anything, and I’ll make whatever you want.”

“No, no my sweet girl. I’m fine with what I have. You are what I want for breakfast.”

She laughed, and I pinned her down to the mattress. I was hungry for her and wanted nothing but her. All my love and emotions for her came roaring into me. I kissed her again, and I felt dizzy. She had that sort of effect on me. I inhaled her scent and tasted her skin as I worked my way down her warm and soft body. Her hands dug into my hair. I looked up at her as I made my way to her belly button. I smiled up at her and she smiled down at me as my tongue dipped in.

Gazing at her sleeping face made me realize how much I needed to make sure no one hurt her ever. My finger went inside her, and she moaned. Her moans were incredible. My fucking leg hurt as I put pressure on it, trying to crawl down her body and ease between her thighs. She arched her back and pushed her hips up to me. I pushed her thighs apart with my hands, keeping them there as I lowered my head and licked her clit. She cried out. Her fingers dug roughly into my hair; she loved this. Feeling her pussy quake around my tongue moved me to dive in deeper. My tongue tunneled through her pussy licking, fucking, and tasting her. I couldn’t get enough. She was like warm honey as I buried my face as deep as I could. Her hands pulled at my hair and the more I lapped her up the harder she grabbed on. I heard her say my name over and over. I pressed my tongue against her clit as I inserted one of my fingers into her. My cock wanted in, but first I would taste her and let her come on my face.

“God, yes.” She screamed and pushed my head into her deeper. Christ, I needed to come. I was so close. I felt my cock dripping with want. I stopped for a second. “Come on baby, come for me all over my face. I want to taste you all day.” I found out early on when I talked dirty to her she came even harder. She loved the dirty talk.

Within seconds she was trembling. I felt her come on my tongue, and I quickly rose up and thrust into her. Fuck, she was so tight.

“Isabella.” I didn’t realize I had called out her name. I was so close. I kissed her mouth and down her throat. She grabbed my ass and pushed me deeper.

“Come on baby, come inside me, Fabrice.” She milked my dick the way I loved. The orgasm wouldn’t stop. I filled her with me, and she sighed in pleasure. Making love to her that morning proved how much I loved her. She needed to be kept safe. As much as I lived for her, I had to let her go home. I couldn’t keep putting her in danger anymore. Her safety was my responsibility. I had her family to think about as well. They counted on me to keep her protected, to take care of her, and to love her. I loved her so much I had to live without her. Now was the time.