Truth Is Found (28 page)

There was no calm.

There was no gentle.

There was only hunger.

Beau Christensen wanted, and he was going to take. No matter what his brain was screaming, he was letting another part of his anatomy take over.

For once, he was going to be wild and free.

When she moaned, her body rubbing wantonly against his, Beau never wanted to stop. He left little nips and bites from her neck, across her breasts, and to her navel. When he couldn’t hold her hands above her head anymore, he tugged them to her side.

She didn't fight.

She loved being trapped against him. Besides, he was teasing her into glorious submission. As far as Nyx was concerned, he could have all of her.

She was hungry for him too.

When her legs went over his shoulder, and he found her wet and ready, he really believed it was heaven.

Nothing tasted, felt, or was this damn good--only her.

His Nyx was amazing.

As he teased her with mouth and tongue, she moaned in ecstasy. No one had ever made her shake quite like this. As he drove her up, and over, Nyx shouted his name.

Only, he didn't hear her.

The monster in him, the one he’d kept locked away for so long, begged to be free. Beau did battle, as he continued to dine on her, refusing to set either free. She was trapped, and he liked her that way.

She was his.

“Beau!” she begged, her body arching from the pleasure he was forcing her to feel. It was amazing, and she never wanted him to stop.

This had to be heaven.

He could feel her shaking, whispering his name over and over as if it was some mantra.

It drove him crazy.

She drove him wild.

Nyx was more than he deserved, but at that point, Beau didn't care. He’d take all of her, making Nyx his for the rest of their lives. He didn't give a shit that they’d just met.

When you knew, you knew.

And Beau was more than certain.

The way she reacted was proof enough for him. Nyx was coming alive beneath him. As her second orgasm crested, shoving her off into the pleasure, he set her free only to pounce.

Together, they rolled around in the sheets getting tangled up. Her body was twined with his, and Beau’s was wrapped around her like she’d never be free again.

It was perfect.

It was magical.

It was meant to be.

“Nyxie,” he whispered, his mouth finding hers again. He couldn’t get enough. If they were to come together a million times, he’d still crave her.

“Please,” she begged. “I need you. I’ll always need you, Beau.”

Nyx meant it.

She craved what he had to offer
--himself.

He took that as his sign. While he wanted more foreplay--to erase in her head what other men had done to her--he couldn’t hold out. If he didn't sink into her body, finding that perfect peace, he’d go mad
.

Crazy.

Insane.

He found his addiction. Some soldiers came home and drank--well, he wanted to gulp in her radiance. She lit up his colorless world like the Fourth of July. Adrenaline had nothing on this moment, and he was so damn glad.

When her hand closed around him, he moaned. Beau had never felt anything so perfect as her slim fingers stroking him. He was pretty sure that they were dead.

She was his heaven.

One stroke.

Two.

By the fifth one, he was wild with need. Instead of letting her continue, he had to have her. If he didn't take Nyx, he would explode.

In truth, he needed to claim her. Some voice in his mind reminded him of what he needed to do. Once she was taken, they’d never go back.

“Nyx, I need this,” he muttered, mustering that one simple sentence.

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving his. “I’m yours.”

The tenuous threads of control snapped, and he plunged into the most amazing sensation in the world. As she tightened around him, he nearly lost his mind.

“Oh God!” she shouted, her body shattering apart at him impaling her on his erection.

Beau didn't move.

He couldn’t.

Instead, he rode out her orgasm. When her beautiful eyes flickered open, that’s when he took what he wanted.

Her.

All of her.

Their bodies came together, over and over again. The rhythm was there, the power was there.

Beneath it all, the love was there.

“More,” she begged, as he continued to ride her body. There was perspiration on his brow, and Nyx’s hands kept slipping from his strong shoulders.

He couldn’t hear past the buzz in his head. His body was on overload, and she was the cause.

“Oh, Nyx,” he muttered, knowing that this was as close to heaven as he was ever going to get.

And he was okay with that.

He’d live his perfection now, and pay the price later.

“Beau, I can’t hold on,” she whispered, her breath labored in her chest.

“Fall. I’m coming with you.”

With that, he slammed into her body, and they both ruptured apart. He exploded, filling her with everything he had. His body emptied, but his heart filled.

Nyx couldn’t see.

She was assaulted by his scent.

His touch.

Everything about him.

Then she could feel her body moving, and she realized that Beau was taking her with him. The room stopped spinning, and she was on his chest, their torso’s touching. Gently, his fingers moved up and down her back.

But he said nothing.

Nyx wasn’t sure if he was recovering, or getting ready to run. She hoped it wasn’t the latter.

“Are you okay?” he finally asked. There was trepidation in his voice.

Instead of speaking, she lifted her head from his chest to gaze into his eyes. It was hard to concentrate. His hair was sexily tousled, and his skin was flushed.

Her soldier looked like he’d run a marathon.

Nyx sought his mouth and kissed him like she owned him. Tongues mated, hands slid across heated bodies, and she found herself on top of him. When she pulled away, she grinned wickedly.

He’d chased her demons away.

“That was amazing.”

He relaxed. “I happen to agree.”

“But…”

Beau blinked once. “But?”

“Since I’ve already made it into heaven, I can be greedy. It’s my turn.”

She caught him off guard, but he smiled wickedly. “Oh, the sins I’m paying for…”

With that, she showed him that he wasn’t the only one who had something wild inside.

Nyx took.

For the first time in her life, she found something that she really, truly wanted.

Him.

       
                    
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

Julian waited patiently for her to call. His wife should have been back, but she wasn’t. When she wouldn’t answer her phone, simply sending him a text, he was unnerved.

Had something happened?

Her message simply stated that she’d see him in the morning. There was work to do.

That made him even more edgy.

In the last year, he and Tori hadn’t slept apart, and now he was all alone in the room.

When he looked around, Julian knew he wouldn’t sleep, so he opted to work. It was night, and he was going to nose around the place.

First, he was curious.

“Bethany. Are you here?”

He waited to see if she replied.

There were no knocks.

Well, at least he didn't have to be creeped out. He was finally alone.

Heading for his door, he peeked out.

All the other guests would be asleep, and he couldn’t help but work. If he didn't occupy himself, he’d never rest. So, he crept from his room, sticking to the shadows around him. Once in the main room, he used the light of the moon to guide him. It streamed through the windows, lighting his way.

In the main foyer, he listened to the silence around him. He could hear two voices off in the distance, and he moved toward them to listen.

It sounded like Daniel Nelms and his wife.

They were discussing Richard Woodbury, and it was rather heated.

The man was insisting they fire him--right away. Sheila was more hesitant. She was concerned about the vineyard, and who would do the repairs.

It seemed like a fight was brewing.

As Julian listened, it got more heated. Just as he was about to intervene, the man jumped his wife.

And in a way, he didn't really care to watch.

It was time to go.

Julian hurried out of the room to avoid seeing them fornicating on the desk. Normally, he would have been amused, but the man didn't realize that he was getting some other guy’s sloppy seconds.

That grossed him out.

Heading across the room, he saw something outside, and it pulled his focus away from what he just saw. There was definite motion.

Something, or someone, was out there.

It appeared to be a shadow.

For a second, Julian wondered if it was Roman snooping around like he said he was planning to do. Maybe he was chasing a lead or working on the death of the priest.

Well, he wasn’t getting wrapped up in that one, and certainly not at this time of night. The man could do his investigating, and Julian would do his.

It was better that way.

He nearly went the other way, but something odd caught his attention.

The shadow was right next to the air conditioning unit. That couldn’t be right. There was a faint clanking as if it was being struck with a tool.

Heading to the door, he had a suspicion that it was the person trying to bury the vineyard. As he crept through the darkness, he saw the heating and cooling unit up ahead.

No one was there.

Shit!

He’d missed his chance.

How the hell did he lose him?

When he looked closer, something was shoved inside the unit, right where the motor would be. It appeared to be a rag.

Just as Julian was about to pull it free, a twig behind him snapped.

As he went to turn, pain exploded in his head above his right temple.

Everything went gray.

As he was slipping into the dark, he could feel himself being dragged across the ground by his ankles.

His last thoughts were of his wife and unborn child.

Julian was in deep shit, and there was nothing he could do about it.

He was being taken by the nothingness.

       
     
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

His heart was pounding.

He’d nearly been caught.

It was lucky for him that the door had creaked, alerting him to the approaching man.

What was he supposed to do?

If he had been caught fiddling with the air conditioner, the jig would be up. He was only going to make sure it didn't work. It would be easier to look around the place, searching for the hidden riches if everyone was gone.

This was his proof.

If the guests all went home, he could have free reign of the place. He might even be able to talk the Nelms into shutting down. After all, they were worried about Pearlie.

He nearly laughed thinking about it.

They’d never find her.

Now he had an unconscious man on his hands, and he was no further along in finding what he was looking for either.

This whole thing was on his last nerve.

As he stood over the man, he was about to bash his brains in when he heard it.

Someone was coming.

What was going on?

This was his point.

How was he supposed to search when pesky guests kept popping up?

Leaving the man behind, he rushed into the grapes to hide. If no one found the unconscious man, he’d go back for him. If someone did, well, he’d run for it.

A smart man knew when to retreat, and he was definitely smart. As he watched, his heart sank.