Seductive Secrecy (Shadows series) (38 page)

She’d reached out again to see if the plans were in motion. I told
her he was willing to meet her in Italy. I didn’t say any more than
that; I didn’t tell her that he’d said he loved her, too, or that he wanted to be with her. He needed to be the one to say those things. I simply gave her the address that Cameron had written down for me and she agreed to meet us there. Knowing what a slippery bitch she was, I
didn’t even stop to question how she would elude the police to
travel overseas. I imagined private jets and fake passports and all other kinds of deception. She was a master of this game, and during her time in the mansion, she’d worked side by side with another master: my father.

Maybe they really were made for each other.

***

My feet stepped along the cobblestone walk until we reached the small table and the two chairs that had been reserved for us. We
were in an open square between two buildings with slightly-
antiqued
facades. Their windows didn’t hold any glass; the deep green
shutters were ajar allowing the fresh air to enter their apartments. Clothes hung from lines just outside those shutters, and women and children
could be seen inside the units. Their smiles met my eyes. Fresh focaccia bread and coffee met my nose. Cameron’s hand met my
touch.

“I’m experiencing this trip through your eyes.” He brushed a piece of hair off my face and tucked it behind my ear. “I’ve been here before, but watching your expression, the way each sight shines over your face, it almost feels like I’m seeing it all for the first time again.”

My stare lowered and fell to his lips. “I can’t get enough.”

“I feel the same way about you.”

Before I had a chance to respond, a waiter came to our table. His accent was thick and sensual. He had dark stubble on his face and bits of hair sprouted from the collar of his shirt. He wasn’t as tall as Cameron, but his skin was just as dark, and he had a sleek sexiness to him. So did the women who passed our chairs; their tall, slender figures and long hair swung back and forth almost at the same pace as their hips.

Cameron ordered a bottle of red and several unfamiliar items
from the menu. Then he reached across the table again and clasped my hands in his as the waiter departed. “I’m glad I have you to myself for a few days before your father arrives…in whatever water you feel most comfortable.”

He was talking about the session we’d had in the shower right before we’d left for the restaurant. I hadn’t been able to get in the mood while we’d been in the pool, but he had made it impossible for
me to deny him once we made our way into the bathroom. We
needed more of this. We weren’t sure yet if my father would be staying with us or in a place of his own. He hadn’t really confirmed that. It would all be based on his safety. But I felt the same as Cameron: we needed some time alone during this trip.

“We won’t let anything—and I mean
anything
—
spoil the
romance,” I said. “Agreed?”

He smiled. “Agreed.”

“I’m so happy he wanted to meet us, though. I was afraid I’d never see him again.” Even with my mixed feelings about him and Victoria, I still longed to see my father.

“Do you think he’ll ever come back to the States?”

I shrugged “There hasn’t been much progress on the case. With the trial so far off and everything still up in the air, I don’t see how
he could.” The thought of it didn’t make me happy, but I wasn’t going to lie to myself, or to Cameron. “He’s gone for good, I think, especially with Victoria coming here. He has no reason to come
back.”

“I think he does, and I’m holding her hand right now.”

I squeezed his fingers. “If keeping him alive means having him far away, then I can live the rest of my life talking to him over the phone. No more death, Cameron. I can’t handle it.”

He nodded. “You know you’re going to make him as happy as you make me. How do you feel about that?”

The waiter returned to our table with a large plate of bread and a bowl of oil and fresh garlic that he set between us. He uncorked the bottle of red and poured a sample for Cameron to try. He humbly swallowed the small serving that was in his glass and nodded. He would have accepted the wine even if he hadn’t liked it as much as something he’d had in the past. That was just the type of person he was: genuine, unpretentious. True. 

“If Victoria is truly who he wants, then I guess I’m glad that I’m the one who gets to reunite them.” I rubbed my palms over my thighs to dry the sweat before I reached for the glass the waiter had poured for me. “He deserves to be happy, to feel what we do, even if it’s with her.”

“How fucked up is that? Even when you’re not in the mansion, she’s still telling you what to do.”

I shook my head. Cameron had never met her; he didn’t
understand her powers of manipulation. “I made the choice, but I didn’t do it for her; I did it for my father. I’m more relieved that he’ll have a chance to be happy. If it pleases him that she came here, then it was all worth it.” I took another long sip of my wine. “I honestly still can’t make any sense of it. She’s beautiful, she’s younger than him, she’s sexy…but I just expected him to be with someone else—anyone but her, I guess.”

Cameron ripped a small chunk of bread off the loaf and dipped it into the oil. Then he reached across the table again and fed it to me. I kept my eyes on him as I spread my lips to take it into my mouth. My tongue danced around the soft, white cloud of the center and the rough skin of the crust. His eyes told me how much my mouth had aroused him.

“Do you think you’ll ever be able to accept her?” he asked.

“I’m in no position to judge her, and I’ll never be okay with her. But I won’t have to spend any time with her. It’s not like she’s going to be my stepmom or anything.”

“I wouldn’t rule that out.”

“No more moms for me. I had one…it didn’t go well.”

I waited for Lilly to crawl into my head, like I’d summoned her somehow by mentioning the word “mom.” She’d been rather quiet lately. I braced for her response, but nothing came.

Maybe she was finally gone for good.

He squeezed my hand. “I think what you’ve done for them is
more than enough. I’m proud of you for being okay with that much.”

“Thank you.” I squeezed back and met his stunning stare. “What do you have planned for the next few days?”

“You know I won’t tell you that.”

I laughed. He was the one chewing on his lip now. “Oh no?
What if
I kept something from you…withheld something I know you really want?”

His eyes opened wide. “You wouldn’t do that.”

I cocked an eyebrow. “Try me, Mr. Hardy.”

His mouth spread into a grin and he glanced in both directions, checking the faces of the people nearby. I wasn’t sure what he was doing until his eyes landed on me again…and his arm dipped under the table, hid by the long cloth. His fingers marched up my thigh. They stopped when they reached the sensitive spot right against my zipper. “It goes both ways, Ms. Williams. Don’t forget that…or how much you begged for my mouth back in that shower. You know how much I love giving it to you. Don’t make me keep
that
from
you
.”

Wetness began to pool under the spot that he rubbed. He knew
that’s all it took to turn me on. He was that strong, that seductive.
My
nipples began to ache for his touch. My mouth wanted to bite his
skin.

I lifted the wine glass off the table and finished the small amount that was left. “I think maybe I’m ready to take that swim with you.”

“In the ocean?”

I nodded.

“Now,” he insisted.

“Now?” He caught me by surprise. “But what about our
food…and our wine?”

“They can keep it,” he said as he downed the rest of the wine in his glass. He reached into his wallet and threw several bills on the table. “I’ll be eating out.”

That made me laugh out loud. “We’re not very good at this withholding thing, are we?”

“Nope,” he said, “not at all.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the table, leading us back in the direction of our villa. “In my whole life, I’ve never been so fucking happy to be so bad at something.”

CAMERON AND I ARRIVED AT THE CAFÉ
thirty minutes early. We wanted a chance to relax before my father and Victoria showed up, and maybe order a drink or two. I knew I was going to need something to help me through it. My father had chosen this spot; he wanted it to be a fairly public place in an open market while one of his security guards swept the villa we had rented. I didn’t question his choices; I just agreed to whatever he had requested on the phone and passed the information on to Victoria. I was nothing but their messenger in all of this.

We took our seats and quickly realized we wouldn’t get the chance to lighten the edge with a glass of wine…not without a little unwanted company. Before the waiter even appeared, Victoria had sat down at our table. She wore a low-cut sundress that hugged her waist and emphasized her breasts. Her makeup was subdued, her hair simple in a low ponytail. Her flat sandals made her about three inches shorter. It was as casual as I had ever seen her. I had almost expected her to be in disguise—a hat and sunglasses, at least, though it only would have drawn unwanted attention. This outfit—one that didn’t include a mask—was much more revealing; it showed me
how real she was, how small she could be. She looked almost
vulnerable.

And familiar…too familiar. Maybe it was her more natural look that was really emphasizing the contours and characteristics of her face.

I glanced at her as I made the introductions. “This is
”

“I already know,” she said, extending her hand in his direction. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Cameron.” Her tone and smile were just a bit flirtatious. “You’re very talented…I love your work.”

He blushed and looked away.

“I assume you had a good flight?” I asked.

She fidgeted with her bracelets. “It was long…and tiring. I’m glad to be back on solid ground.” I didn’t really mean for her to give a full explanation about how she felt. I should have known better than to ask, even if it was just to be polite.

A waiter came to our table and poured water in each of our glasses.

“Victoria, do you have a wine preference?” Cameron asked.

She used the menu to fan her face. It was hot outside, but it
wasn’t scorching. Even so, there was a thin layer of sweat above her lip and
across her forehead. “I’d rather have a Bellini,” she said to the
waiter. “And make it a strong one.”

Cameron ordered a bottle of pinot noir for us. I hoped the wine
would help settle the knots in my stomach. My belly had been tight all morning and I couldn’t get rid of the feeling. It was more than being anxious to see my father again; it was Victoria’s presence causing these emotions inside me. I still didn’t know what to make of her. But I wouldn’t let my guard down for a minute.

She leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs as the waiter left. Rather than making polite conversation or pretending to be interested in us, she reached inside her purse and removed a tissue, blotting it over her face. “This heat is just too much.”

Cameron and I just looked at each other.

“Do you plan on staying in Italy, Victoria?” Cameron asked. “Or is this just a stop in your travels?”

Her toes bounced on the ground, shaking her legs and rocking her body. “That depends entirely on what happens with Marvin. I’m hoping he’ll want me to stay.”

“You came all this way not knowing if he would?” I asked.

Her eyes slowly moved to me. I had always wilted a little under the intensity of her stare. It was even deeper now, more intimate and more revealing. But this time, I kept my eyes locked on hers without flinching.

“Your father is a peculiar man,” she replied. “I couldn’t begin to
predict his reaction to seeing me here.” She should have thought
about that before she flew across an entire ocean to get to him.

The waiter returned and began opening our bottle. My phone
rang just as the cork popped. It wasn’t my personal cell; it was the one my father had given me. My stomach instantly tightened even more and
my hands began to shake. I could even feel my forehead start to
sweat
like Victoria’s. There were still twenty minutes before he was
supposed to meet us.

I could only hope nothing had gone wrong.

“Hello?”

“Change of plans,” my father said. “Do you see the black
Mercedes parked to the left of where you’re sitting?”

I leaned forward, scanning the sidewalk and the cars parked all along. “Yes.”

“I want the three of you to slowly leave the table and get into the car. The driver will bring you to me.”