muscles convulsed around him. She clung to him while her body went up in flames again.
Byron's hair brushed her face as he leaned close to help her into her slacks.
You are my lifemate, always in my care.
He was fully clothed.
I don't think I can breathe. Carry me upstairs. Let's run away together.
His mouth settled over hers, a long, leisurely kiss.
"What in the world is this?" Tasha picked up the package lying in the middle of the floor. There was a smear of blood on the brown wrapper.
I fear it is too late, my love.
Byron moved them so that they appeared together, walking around a giant potted palm, hands linked. Tasha found the package, and we need to know what is inside of it. We must reveal ourselves.
Antonietta tried to appear calm and cool and not at all as if she'd been having wild sex only moments earlier. Laughter was bubbling up, a very unlike Antonietta characteristic. She hardly recognized herself anymore.
"
Grazie, Tasha." Byron took the package right out of her hands and gave it to Antonietta. "I was not certain where we left that. Good evening, Captain Vantilla." Byron bowed low at the waist.
"Signer Justicano, its good you were there to rescue Signora Scarletti."
Tasha made a sound of annoyance. "Diego, didn't you listen to a single word I said? What were you doing wandering the grove so late at night, Byron?"
"Tasha, you go too far," Antonietta said quietly. "I want you to stop. There is more at stake here than your petty jealousies."
Tasha's breath hissed out. "Call it what you will. That man is dangerous, and I refuse to allow you get involved with him."
Byron studied her scarlet face. She was humiliated in front of the captain, yet she persisted in spite of Antonietta's warning. It seemed at odds with her sense of self-preservation.
Could she really be afraid for you? You're the one who reads minds. She would know. If I push beyond her barriers, she would know I was there. I am uncertain if I could fog her memory enough to make it worthwhile. Who knows why Tasha does and says the things she does?
Antonietta sounded weary enough that Byron swept his arm around her and dragged her to him, giving her shelter against the steady rhythm of his heart.
"You do not seemed surprised, Captain," Byron said. "Is this the first kill? You must tell us what you know."
The captain pushed his hand through his hair, a clear sign of agitation. "This is not the first person killed in this way."
"Do you mean to say you've known of this creature, and you didn't warn everyone?" Antonietta was outraged.
"It has been in the newspapers, signorina. We brought in the best trackers we could find. The cat has not been found."
"In the meantime, my cousin's wife could have been killed. That's completely unacceptable." There was a soft whip in Antonietta's voice. "I have employees who walk from the city to my home daily. I don't want to lose any of them to such a hideous fate as a wild animal killing them."
"It doesn't bear thinking about," Tasha contributed with a shudder. "Marita had blood all over her. No wonder she collapsed."
"No one should be walking around alone at night." The captain pinned Tasha with a steely eye. "There is no reason to be in the grove until this animal is found. I believe the gentleman we found is most certainly one of your grounds-keepers. Signor Franco Scarletti identified him."
"Oh, no." Antonietta's fingers curled around Byron's, hung on tight. "One of ours? We must hire security to escort our people back to their houses until this creature is caught."
"And this has been going on for some time?" Byron prompted, his voice a compulsion for truth.
"Unfortunately, yes. In other areas for some time. Our first discovery was a young woman's body by the sea with her throat torn out. We have plaster of the paw prints. It was identified as a jaguar, a rather large one. The general belief at the time was that someone had one of these cats as a pet, and it either escaped or, like so many others when the laws went into effect against exotic pets, it was dumped in the middle of the night."
Tasha sank into a chair. "Our grounds are extensive, the wildest country around, and little Vincente and Margurite play all the time in the maze. They were in such danger, and we never knew."
Diego put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "I have three