Seduced By A Steele (Forged of Steele #12) - Brenda Jackson Page 0,68

on tiptoe to brush a kiss across his lips. He was about to slant his mouth over hers when she said, “And just so you know, I already love you. I love you so much, Mercury.”

Surprise lit his eyes and he smiled before taking her lips in an open-mouth kiss that seemed to last forever. When he finally released her mouth, she buried her face against his neck.

Mercury closed his eyes and inhaled her scent. He was thankful for the misadventures that had brought her into his life. However, there was something he had to tell her. Something she needed to know that Quade had found out.

Lifting her off her feet, he held her securely in his arms, carried her over to the sofa and sat down with her in his lap. “There is something I need to tell you. It’s about your father.”

She lifted a brow. “What?”

“I told you that my cousin Quade, who used to work for the CIA, was investigating your father for me.”

“Yes, you told me that.”

“Well, Quade called me right before I came over here.”

She nodded. “And?”

“Your father is being blackmailed. That’s why he needs money. He’s borrowed as much as he could get and now you’re the only source he has left. Namely your trust fund. That’s why he needs you to marry Cunningham.”

“Why is he being blackmailed? What has he done?”

Mercury paused and then said, “A couple of years ago, he and a couple more bankers took what was supposedly a business trip to this island off the Caribbean. The entire weekend they were sexually involved with underage girls who’d been kidnapped to pleasure them. Some as young as eleven.”

Sloan’s hand flew to her mouth. “No!”

“Yes. What these businessmen didn’t know was that cameras had been installed in the bedrooms to deliberately blackmail them later. All the businessmen who participated in the orgy have received calls demanding money in exchange for the blackmailers’ silence.”

Anger flared in Sloan’s eyes. “How could any of those men have participated in such a thing?” She then said, “If your cousin found out about it, that means...”

“Yes, the FBI is on it, and it’s just a matter of time before arrests are made. That will include your father and I just wanted you to be prepared.” He paused again. “And I wanted you to know I will be here for you. In fact, all the Steeles will be. My family loves you as much as I do.”

“Oh, Mercury.” He saw tears shimmering in her eyes. In the future he would put more smiles than tears in her eyes.

He then leaned in and captured her mouth again before standing with her in his arms and heading for the bedroom.

At twenty-five Sloan finally knew how it felt to be loved by a man. To be totally cherished. And when Mercury placed her on the bed and stood back and stared at her, she knew how it felt to be desired.

She didn’t have to sense his need for her. She saw blatant evidence of it. Then there was the look in his eyes that held so many sexual promises. She knew she was in for a wild ride. And a very satisfying one at that.

“What are you thinking about, sweetheart?” he asked her.

She couldn’t help but smile. “I’m thinking about how much I love you. How grateful I am for having you in my life and how I’d give anything if you stayed.”

A serious expression appeared in his features. “I’m not going anywhere. Neither are you. We’re stuck in this crazy thing called love together.”

Yes, they were stuck in it together.

She reclined into a comfortable position and watched as he began removing his clothes. She always enjoyed this part, which left her wondering how any man could be so well toned, so powerfully built and so masterfully sexy. She wished she could concentrate on other things, but when he removed his clothes, his body always had her full attention. And when he finally stood in front of her, splendidly naked, she couldn’t help but be in awe of his