memory. His mouth on hers. The taste of her in the back of the limo. On the beach. He knew he was lost long before she stepped to him and, standing on tiptoe, gently touched her lips to his.
He didn’t move. Didn’t breathe.
She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. Desire burned in her gaze but so did uncertainty.
She kissed him again, this time parting her lips to touch the tip of her tongue to his. Desire rocketed through him, as hot and moist as her mouth on his.
His arms came around her. He dragged her to him with a sound like a curse or an oath. Or a prayer. His hands splayed across her strong back as he dragged her even closer and kissed her as if there was no tomorrow.
He knew better than to get involved with another woman with secrets. But he could no more stop kissing her than he could forget the way she’d looked when she’d opened the door.
Heat blazed through his veins. Every instinct told him to stop as he cupped her wonderful behind in his hands and pulled her tightly against him.
She let out a gasp against his mouth but her arms had found their way around his neck. She drew his lips down to hers again, her eyes sexy slits, as he lifted her and, kicking the motel room door closed, shoved her back against the wall.
He slipped her out of the slacks and slid his hand beneath the panties. She arched against him as his wet fingers took her to pleasure. Her own fingers found the buttons on his jeans and in moments he was driving into her. She cried out, her fingers twined in his hair. His mouth on one breast. He felt her release, a dam breaking. She slumped against him.
He wrapped her in his arms and carried her to the bed where he slowly made love to her again as the wind howled at the window and rain beat down in a steady torrent.
VICTOR CONSTANTINE made the call right after he saw the SUV careen over the side of the mountain and disappear into the trees. No one could have survived that.
He’d hoped for an explosion. Or at least to see flames. But he was convinced, even if they hadn’t died at once, they would be injured too badly to ever climb back up that mountain to the road.
“That nasty little problem you had is taken care of,” he said when his client answered. Victor had mixed feelings about it. He still wished he could have spent some quality time with Samantha Peters. He’d just have to find another woman like her and relieve this itch he had before he started his retirement.
“Good. Don’t call again. As far as I’m concerned you and I never did business.” The phone went dead.
Victor sat for a moment before he dialed his foreign bank. He couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him. Not until the bank representative took his password and told him his greatest fear had been realized. The client had wired money from an account which was then cleaned out and closed.
Another first for Victor Constantine. He’d been duped by a client. His last client.
He called the cell phone number the client had given him and wasn’t surprised to get nothing. Not even a ring. No doubt the client had destroyed the phone, believing it was the only connection between them.
Victor smiled to himself, more amused than angry. Did the fool really think Victor Constantine would just let this go? Was anyone that stupid?
Apparently his former client was.
Victor couldn’t wait until he found him, until he looked the man in the eyes and saw not just fear—but the realization that he was about to die a very painful death.
Chapter Fifteen
The phone woke Samantha from the most peaceful, contented sleep she could ever remember.
“Peters,” she said, after groping her cell out of her purse beside the bed and snapping it open.
She could see a sliver of gray daylight coming through the blinds. It took her a moment to remember where she was. Last night came back in a rush. Her skin warmed at the memory and she swung her legs over the side of the bed and headed for the bathroom with a glance over her shoulder at Alex.
He lay on his side, eyes closed, an indentation in the bed where she had been snuggled next to him.
A feeling of euphoria flooded her. Had she ever