Hide and Seek - Lara Adrian Page 0,51

Kyle’s death, but the need to be near her was more than he could bear. Especially after all they’d endured—and narrowly survived—tonight.

He walked up without speaking, his footsteps the only sound as he crossed the stone tiles to where she stood. She knew he was there, neither of them needing words right now. Duarte placed a kiss in the curve of her neck and shoulder.

He held her in front of him for a long while, both of them watching the sun come up. Listening to the waves breaking against the shore. Finally, Lisa let out a soft sigh.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to forgive him?”

He couldn’t give her anything less than honesty. She’d always have that with him now. “I don’t know if I can. His betrayal cut deep. Cost lives. The damage he’s done to Phoenix by helping our enemies could be irreversible.”

“I know,” she murmured quietly. “I’m sorry, John. For what he did. For the fact that I didn’t want to believe you and Alec that Kyle might be capable. I’m... sorry.”

He kissed her soft skin again, breathing in her sweetness. “What your brother did tonight to help us get away, that was the old Kyle. The one I knew. That was the friend I could always count on. The one I miss already.”

She turned in his loose embrace. A fat tear slid down her cheek. He swept it away on the rough pad of his thumb, then leaned down to press his lips to her forehead. “I’m sorry for what you’re going through. I never wanted you to get hurt. Christ, I hate like hell that you’re hurting like this now.”

“I hurt because I loved him.” Her breath caught as she spoke. “I hurt because I always will love him, despite what he’s done.”

“I know, babe.” Duarte stroked her lovely face, his heart squeezing tight at her capacity to feel, to forgive. To love so unconditionally. He could only hope she might feel that way for him one day. He’d devote his life to proving himself worthy of her love.

“Do you hate him, John?”

He frowned, shook his head. “I can’t hate him. Because for all his betrayals, he also brought you back to me.” He brushed his lips over hers in a reverent kiss. “Stay with me this time, Lisa. It won’t be white picket fences and fairy tales, but I love you. Wherever I am, I want you in my life. Forever, if you can stand it.”

She smiled. “There’s nowhere else I want to be. There never was.” She kissed him now, long and slow and deep. “I love you, John Duarte.”

He growled, pleasure and relief pouring over him. “Christ, I like the sound of that. I want to hear you say that every day for as long as I live.”

She laughed softly, but her eyes were full of emotion. “I love you.”

They were still kissing when Alec cleared his throat behind them. “Are you two going to be making out every time you’re within a yard of each other?”

Duarte grunted, smiling against Lisa’s mouth. “Get used to it or get lost.”

Lisa put her fingers to her wet lips and glanced in Alec’s direction. “Everything all right, Alec? How are you doing?”

“I’m cool,” he said, ever the nonchalant one. “I just spoke with Mr. Zapata. We can stay here at the mansion as long as we need to. Obviously the safe house isn’t the best choice, and anyway, it’s in bad need of housekeeping.”

Alec strode over and glanced out at the early morning for a moment. “You know, that was straight up heroic, what Kyle did last night. I doubt we’d have made it out of there cleanly, if at all. He probably saved our lives.”

Lisa smiled sadly. “I only wish he’d had the chance to tell us more. I know he regretted what he’d done. He said he tried to get away. He didn’t want to help them anymore.”

“Too late for that,” Duarte said. “Whoever’s behind this isn’t playing games. They’ve got a plan and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve it.”

“I think Kyle knew that, too.” She frowned, going pensive now. “He said something strange to me... that he left something important with me.”

“What do you mean?”

“Some kind of backup plan, he said. He left it with me the last time he came to see me.”

“On your birthday,” Duarte recalled.

“Yes. When he gave me this bracelet.” She held up her wrist and the quirky gecko bracelet she’d been wearing since the night