Cursed (22 page)

     By the time she
reached the hotel lobby most of her anger had dissipated. Once outside, she
heaved a deep breath of the icy, night air and headed for a line of taxis
waiting to ferry departing guests. As she settled into the back of the cab, a
smile curved her lips. She couldn’t wait to see Cullinan’s face when he saw her
at the airport.

* * *

     Nick slammed his
palm against the front door of the hotel and stepped outside just in time to
see Cullinan and Hope drive away. Quickly, he sprinted to his vintage Mustang
to follow them.

     Hope and Cullinan
pulled into Centennial Airport, a private airstrip, exited their car and walked
toward the small jet waiting on the runway. Just as he climbed out of his car,
a taxi pulled up. The passenger door flew open and Tess O’Brien practically
leaped from the back seat. He watched her run toward the jet calling for
Cullinan. When she reached the plane, she flung her arms around his neck and he
lifted her from the ground twirling her in a circle.

     Nice little reunion.
Nick started toward the plane. “Hold it.”

     Cullinan, Hope and
Tess turned around and stared at him. Cullinan wrapped his arm around Tess’s
waist, pulling her close to him.

     Nick glanced at Hope.
He remembered every second of their intense lovemaking session in the shadowy
alcove of the ballroom. His skin retained the smell of her body, and her taste
still coated his tongue. Even his fingers tingled with the warm sensation the
touch and feel of her aroused in him. Now here she was running away like a
thief in the night—just like her brother. The terrifying realization that he
had fallen hopelessly in love with her enveloped his heart and soul. However,
he had to put his personal feelings aside and act like a cop rather than a
lovesick fool. He tore his gaze away from Hope and glared at Cullinan.
“Benedict, I believe the department told you not to leave town.”

     “Nick, please, it
isn’t what you think.” Hope’s pleading voice tore at him. Her violet eyes held
ever memory of the sex they’d shared, every hot, sweaty minute of it.

     “What am I
thinking?” His voice wasn’t that of a cop questioning a suspect but of a man
questioning his lover.

     “You think my
brother is trying to flee but that’s not—”

     “You bet, Counselor.
He was asked not to leave town. You’re an officer of the court which means
you’re aiding and abetting.” He saw her stiffen at the harsh tone in his voice
but he had a job to do.

     Hope’s gaze pierced
the few feet that separated them. “Don’t quote the law to me, Detective.”

     Good, he’d made her
angry. Maybe she’d come to her senses and uphold the law instead of breaking
it. Instead, she glanced at Cullinan. “Tell him.” A gentle urgency imbued her
voice but at the same time, Nick felt it was something she really didn’t want
Cullinan to reveal.

     Anticipation curled
through Nick. What could it possibly be? “Tell me what?” Relieved that he
sounded like a cop again, Nick shifted his gaze from Hope to Cullinan.

     Tess looked at Nick.
“Cullinan isn’t the thief, Detective. My pendant has been returned, and Hope
and Cullinan are going to help me get it back where it belongs—in the monastery
in Scotland. If you want to hear the whole story, it’s a long one and you’ll have
to wait until we get back unless you have a passport handy.” An uncompromising
tone filled her tired voice. “I’ll tell you everything on the way. Otherwise,
you’d better take out your gun and shoot all of us because that’s the only
thing that will keep us from leaving tonight.”

     What choice did he
have? Nick retrieved his passport from the glove box of his car that he’d left
there for safekeeping after his recent trip to Canada. As he stepped onto the
plane and settled in a seat beside Hope he knew he had no choice, but to go
with them because he wasn’t about to let the woman he loved fly off into
possible danger without him.

Chapter Twelve

     Nick glanced out of the
window in the lounge car. A cold rain mixed with sleet tapped at the pane of
glass as the train sped rapidly into the dark Scottish night. His head still
spun with everything Cullinan and Hope had told him concerning the pendant. He
couldn’t believe he’d stepped on that plane and gone with them, but he’d had no
choice. As a result, he and Cullinan had reached a temporary truce. He’d told
himself he did it to follow the pendant but in truth, he did it to follow Hope.
After what had happened that day in the park, the thought of her exposed to
possible danger without him there to protect her scared him to death.

     He took a sip of his
vodka and tonic. The liquid flowed like an icy stream down his throat, soothing
the ragged edge of his anxiety. Hope’s beautiful face loomed like a beacon in
his mind calling for him to reach out, hold her close and never let her go.

     Every memory of
their time together over the past few weeks burned indelibly in his brain. From
the first minute she’d strolled into her brother’s antique shop through every
kiss, every touch, every moment of making love together would stay in his mind
forever. Suddenly his muscles tensed and a hard lump rose into his throat. To
his horror, tears sprang into his eyes but he blinked them away. He raised his
glass to his lips with a shaky hand, sipped and swallowed hard.

     He finished his
drink and rose from his chair. She’d asked him to give her some time alone to
relax and he’d given it to her. However, he needed to see her, hear her voice
and hold her in his arms. Now. When he reached their door, he slipped his key
card into the door’s slot. When he heard the click, he opened the door and
stepped inside.

     Hope, wrapped in a
chenille robe, sat on the bed amid clean white sheets and a thick blanket. She
laid aside the magazine that she’d been reading and smiled at him. Caring and
love eased through his body. He closed the door at his back and absorbed the
sight of her. Her dark, glossy hair was pulled up in a ponytail, her face
scrubbed free of makeup. Nick had napped on the plane with Hope wrapped in his
arms, her head nestled on his shoulder. He hadn’t slept that soundly in
years...not since Rachel died.

     He’d waited for the
lingering grief and sadness to fill him but it was gone. He still loved Rachel
but loving her didn’t hurt anymore. He could think of her without feeling the
sting of heartbreak slice through him.

     Hope’s violet eyes
appeared soft and a little sleepy. She had healed his wounded heart and it made
him love her even more. He wanted to touch her but he knew if he did, one
caress would lead to much more. He couldn’t help smiling as he surveyed their
once neat and tidy room. Clothes, shoes and other girl stuff was scattered
everywhere. “You’ve been busy.”

     She exhaled a long,
audible breath. “Just getting comfortable. Sorry about the mess.”

     He wanted to get
comfortable beneath the sheets with Hope, forget the pendant and lose himself
in making love with her. But he had something to say first. “We need to talk.”

     “Okay.” Her smooth,
husky voice made his skin quiver. She patted the spot beside her. An
irresistible, sexy smile curved her tempting lips. “Come...talk to me.”

     At her words, desire
curled through him. He chuckled softly and shook his head. “Not that kind of
talking...although I look forward to seeing what you have on under that robe.”

     A twinkle of
mischief lit her eyes. She reached for the belt. “I can show you now if you’d
like.”

     He raised a hand
stopping her. He would like nothing better than to sink into the softness of
her body and make love to her properly. The three times they’d had sex had
occurred in public places without benefit of a mattress. “Not yet. I have
something to say and I’ll never say it if you distract me.”

     Hope threw back the
covers, scooted to the end of the bed and lowered her legs over the side. She
stuffed her hands into the pockets of her robe and looked at him with a teasing
expression on her face. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.” Her voice lowered
to a throaty tone. “For now.”

     Nick stepped over to
the bed and sat on the edge beside her. The light from the nightstand fell
softly over her face, a face he wanted to look at for the rest of his life.
Love for her nearly overwhelmed him. He splayed his hands over the top of his
thighs, turned and gazed into her violet eyes. “I don’t know where to start.”

     “Try the beginning.”
Her voice was patient and gentle.

     He brushed a strand
of hair away from her face then let his finger trail over her left cheek before
lowering his hand to his thigh. Her sensual, feminine scent wafted over him,
threatening to weaken his resolve. He searched her face and eyes as if he could
delve into her thoughts and immerse himself into the emotions of her heart.

     Oh, please, God, let
her love me in return
. “The
thing is this, when Rachel died, I never thought I would care for another woman
again much less love one.” When he said the word love, her lips parted and a
gasp escaped. Her eyes grew soft and dreamy. He grasped his knees with his
hands to keep from reaching for her. “She filled my world and I expected to
spend the rest of my life with her. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out
the way we want it to. When she got sick I thought I’d never be happy again.”

     Nick looked down at
Hope’s feet peeking out from beneath the robe. Her toenails were painted red.
He suddenly had an urge to kiss those toes, the arch of her foot, the back of
her knees, her thighs, then... He pushed away his libidinous thoughts and
glanced up at her. “Then I met you and you complicated the hell out of my
life.”

     She raised her
brows. “You didn’t exactly simplify mine.” Her voice was teasing.

     He took her hand and
closed his fingers around hers. Her touch, the delicate feel of her skin calmed
his spirit. Clear and bright with emotion, her eyes appeared darker in the
subdued light, her hair slightly mussed. He liked her face free of makeup, her
skin fresh and glowing. “Remember the night we went to the bar for a drink and
I took you home?”

     A sensuous light lit
her eyes. She reached out and traced his lips with her finger. Her gaze
followed the movement of her hand. “How could I forget? We were in a major lip
lock when my brother interrupted us.”

     Her caress made his
lips tingle. A flash of excitement flickered through his veins. He wanted
nothing more at this moment than to sample the flavor of her mouth again
bringing back every delicious memory of their snow-filled kiss, but he had more
to say before he could put the past behind him. “The next morning, I went by
the cemetery to visit Rachel’s grave.” To his own ears, his voice was tremulous
and thick. He kept his gaze on hers savoring every nuance of emotion filling
the unfathomable depths of her eyes.

     Her face softened
with sympathy and compassion. She squeezed his fingers briefly. “I’m so sorry
about what happened to your wife.” Her voice was gentle and sincere. “Visiting
her grave must be difficult for you.”

     More than she knew. “Yeah,
it doesn’t comfort me the way it does when I visit my grandmother’s grave.” He
glanced away then back at her. “This might sound crazy but I talk to my
grandmother, tell her things about my life...afterward I feel better. But it’s
different with a spouse.”

     She nodded but
didn’t say anything, silently asking him to continue.

     “The headstone was
covered with snow. It looked so hard and cold. I knelt down and wiped the frost
away so I could read her name and I hurt all over again. The loneliness that
had opened up in my life when I lost her came rushing back.” As he said the
words, he looked down at their clasped hands. Then he lifted his head and
looked directly at her. “But I felt something else too. That night when I took
you in my arms, held you and kissed you, for the first time since her death, I
felt myself coming alive again. Something eased inside me as if she was telling
me it was okay to move on.”

     He brought Hope’s
hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers.

“Please understand that I will always care
for and love her, but it doesn’t hurt anymore. And that’s because of you.”

     “Because of me?” Her
voice was soft and raspy. A slight expression of surprise mingled with
tenderness covered her face.  A current of happiness flowed through him.
He nodded. “I love you, Hope. I don’t know if you could ever care for me too,
but—”

     Tears filled her
eyes and a smile trembled over her lips. She touched his cheek. “I love you
too.”

     Her words made a
bright light of happiness turn on inside of him. A warm, giddy feeling engulfed
him. Nick reached out, held her face between his hands and brought her mouth to
his. He kissed her slowly, softly and almost reverently. “I can’t believe you
love me too. I never thought I’d get another chance.”    He grabbed
her in a fierce hug and held her tightly in his arms. After a moment he drew
back. “There’s one more thing.”