Dragon Song (11 page)

Tielle watched Stone while he watched her. When tears blurred her vision, she blinked them away not wanting to miss a moment of seeing him. His warm breath heated her lips. He muttered something she couldn’t understand, but her heart pretended he’d whispered words of love. Her head went back, eyes closed. Stone teased her neck with tiny kisses that led him lower and lower until he captured a nipple. All the time, he pumped into her hard, with deep grinds that sent her mind into overload. She cried out his name, and he took her harder.

Tielle’s climax built within her. She gasped and writhed. Every lick and suck Stone inflicted on her nipple drove her closer to the edge. When he stopped, she thought she would scream, but he switched to the other neglected bud and drove her even higher. All of a sudden, he released her hands, sat up and forced her legs higher. He pounded her tortured pussy and called out encouragement for her to come. His eyes seemed to blaze, but Tielle knew it must be her imagination since the man was doing things to her she didn’t remember him doing before. Had it been this good and she made them both take a break?
Insanity!

Stone increased his pace. He tossed both her legs over to one side, clipping her ankles together in one hand. She thought he was going to spank her, but instead he squeezed her hip and stroked her ass. That did it. She screamed and came hard, a spasm rocking her from head to toe. She cried out his name. Stone jerked, echoed her cries, and then his hot seed exploded into her. He kept up his pace until Tielle whimpered through a strong aftershock.

When he pulled out of her, Stone
laid
down on the bead and turned Tielle to face him. He encircled her in his arms. This time she didn’t fight to get free. She nuzzled her head beneath his chin and breathed in his scent, a heady mixture that she’d come to recognize as Stone’s unique makeup.

They cuddled in silence for a while with Tielle playing in Stone’s hair. He stretched his arms over his head after some time and rolled to his back. Tielle watched him but didn’t say anything. He seemed to be coming to a decision but hesitant to tell her what it was. She figured she knew. He was going to break it off between them, so he could avoid the responsibility of making sure she was safe.

She opened her mouth to tell him not to waste his breath, she got it, but he beat her to it. “It’s five a.m. I’m sure your friend isn’t sleeping for worrying about you. I called to tell her you’d be staying with me and needed to rest.”

Tielle gasped and sat up, amazed that she’d forgotten about Jamie. Her friend would be worried sick, and after Tielle had not returned to the library, she must have been out of her mind wondering what happened. “I need to call her. I can’t believe she accepted that I would be here, that she didn’t rush right over.”

His expression hardened. “I didn’t give her a choice in the matter. She doesn’t know where I live, and you needed rest.”

Tielle rolled her eyes. “End of story, right? Goodness, sometimes I wonder how I went for you as cold as your heart is. I need to use your phone to tell her I’m okay.” He didn’t say anything.
“Stone!”

He conceded. “I’ll have James pick her up and bring her here, but then we have to get ready.”

She narrowed her eyes at him.
“Ready for what?”

“To leave.
I’m taking you to my home in Ireland where I know I can better protect you. Until I get the man who grabbed you, I want you over there.”

Tielle stood up and put her hands on her hips. She wondered just how crazy she looked doing it butt naked, but right now she didn’t care. “You don’t get to tell me where I’m going and who can see me. I don’t know if men where you come from get all kinds of rights because they slept with a woman, but let me assure you, buddy, that’s not happening here.”

She swung around to look for her clothes but paused when she didn’t see them anywhere. “I’m leaving, Stone, so please give me back my clothes.”

He strolled over to the door, cracked it enough to expose
himself
but not her and called out, “James, please go and pick up Tielle’s friend I told you about. Bring her here, but first pass me the bag of things you collected for Tielle.”

“Aye, sir,” the unseen secretary answered.

Tielle fumed. “I’m talking to you, Stone. Did you hear me?”

He faced her with calm that made her want to slap him. She settled for digging her nails in her palms. Stone received the bag James handed him and closed the bedroom door again. He crossed the room in two strides. “These are for you. I’m sure you can use a shower. The sponge bath I gave you last night wouldn’t have been sufficient, not after our lovemaking.”

She blinked at him. “Sponge…” Grunting, she snatched the bag and headed toward the bathroom. She’d deal with him when she was decent. His arrogant ass would not bully her into doing what he wanted, even if she did feel a tremor in the pit of her stomach thinking about going home alone. She couldn’t allow herself to be weak. Stone’s arms were inviting and strong, but she could stand on her own two feet. She’d escaped the kidnapper on her own. She could protect herself from here on out, now that she knew what she was up against. Breaking up with him was probably the best move as well. In a little while, her life would go back to normal. She’d see to it.

Chapter Fifteen

“Are you sure you’re okay, sweetie?” Jamie asked her for the millionth time. She hadn’t stopped hugging Tielle since she arrived, and Tielle did feel a sense of normalcy having Jamie there. From what she’d seen so far of Stone’s place, the man lived in the lap of luxury. Outside his floor to ceiling windows which took up an entire wall in his living room, he had an insane view of the city. Everyone on the ground looked like ants.

The furnishings were top of the line as
well,
the bronze leather sofa so luxurious, its softness was sinful to sit on. She’d almost moaned feeling it beneath her ass, and Stone had watched her reaction as if he imagined what activities other than sitting they could do on it. No way. The piece alone had to be more than two thousand.

Now Jamie clung to her, wide eyes almost round with worry. Tielle reassured her. “Yes, I’m fine. No, I don’t need a doctor.” She glanced in Stone’s direction. “However, I am ready to give the police my statement about what happened. Did you get a name of whoever’s in charge of the case?” She tried to sound matter-of-fact about it, take charge, but the last few words wavered when she spoke them. Something told her neither Stone nor Jamie were fooled.

“I’m handling it,” he responded. “You don’t have to worry about the case. But I would like to talk to you about what happened and get a description of the man who grabbed you.” His mention of the kidnapper had Tielle on edge, and the sentiment seemed to be reflected in his dark, angry eyes. He clenched his fists at his sides like he couldn’t wait to beat the man to bloody pulp. Tielle didn’t dare let that go to her head.

“What do you mean you’re handling it? It would be better if I explained it to the police, and you can listen in for the details if you want.” She untangled herself from Jamie’s hold and stood up. “Now, please give me the name you got, or I can just call on my own.”

Not waiting for an answer, she moved toward the table where she spotted a cordless phone. Thoughts of replacing her cell ran through her head, along with wondering why Stone was being so hedgy. He could have no profit in kidnapping her, could he? No, he was above that sort of thing from his attitude alone. Stone would face his enemies head on and wouldn’t need to threaten hurting a third party to get to whom he really wanted. So what was he hiding?
Illegal activity?
She shivered at that thought.

Lifting the phone, she prepared to dial the non-emergency number the city had set up, but Stone covered her hand and then removed the phone from her grasp. She was about to protest, but he cut her off. “Jamie, you can stay until we leave, but right now I need to talk to Tielle in private.”

He all but dragged her back to the bedroom and snapped the door closed. Foreboding washed over Tielle. She spun to face him, putting on a braver front than she felt. “What the hell is this about, Stone? You act like you don’t want me to go to the police, and if that’s the case, it must mean you’re doing something illegal.”

His eyebrows rose. “Does it?” She gritted her teeth when he didn’t disabuse her of that thought. “As I said before, it’s safer for you at my family’s estate. I’ve already made arrangements for the private jet to meet us at the airport. James has packed you clothing enough to wear for a few days, and if there’s anything more you’ll need, that will be supplied once we’re settled in Dublin. As for the police, I am handling that aspect of the situation.”

“Aspect of the situation,” she screamed. She wanted to rip her hair out—or his. “This is more than an ‘aspect’ or a ‘situation’, damn it. I want answers. I want to know what’s going on.”

Stone remained still for a few moments, watching her. Under his scrutiny, Tielle fiddled with her clothes. She adjusted her blouse, pulled her pants higher, and then yanked them lower on her hips. The button at her waist annoyed her, so she pinched it open and closed while scanning the bedroom and registering unimportant facts about its décor.

“Several weeks ago,” Stone began, startling Tielle to pay attention to what he said. “My uncle was attacked. At first we gathered it was someone just looking to get their hands on some extra money. My uncle was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Further investigation suggested a lover’s spouse who wanted retribution for my uncle for fucking his wife. All evidence pointed to such being the case.”

Tielle’s throat had gone dry. She crossed the room and laid a hand on Stone’s arm. “I’m so sorry. I hope he’s okay.”

He didn’t acknowledge her sympathy. “Pair what happened to my uncle with the fact that I was attacked in the alley the night we met, and then now you are kidnapped in order for the person to get to me.”

Tielle began to shake. “D-Doesn’t it come with the territory? I mean I can tell that you have a lot of money with where you live, how you dress, and what you drive. You all are used to this kind of thing. I’m not. I bet if you let it be known that we broke up, and we don’t see each other any more, they’ll use some other way to try to get to you. All you need to do is hire bodyguards or whatever.”

“Do you assume it’s about extorting a few hundred thousand dollars out of me, Tielle?”

She swallowed. “You’re saying it’s not?”

He hesitated and then blurted, “Most of my uncle’s blood had been taken from him with no ransom. He’s dead.”

“B-B-Blood?”
Tielle’s knees gave out under her. She would have dropped to the floor if Stone hadn’t caught her. He whipped her up into his arms and moved to the bed to sit down with her on his lap. She pressed her eyes closed, her head pounding all of a sudden. Fear seemed to choke the strength from her. Head slumped against Stone’s shoulder, she concentrated on breathing. “What’s so special about your blood?” she whispered.

“What’s important for you to know is that this person will not stop at getting money.”

“I saw his face,” she sobbed. “The man who took me never covered his face. Not once. That means he will…” She cried harder, and Stone crushed her to him, stroking her back and crooning something she couldn’t hear over her moans.

After some time, Stone raised her chin to peer down at her. “I promise, Tielle. I will find this man. You tell me everything you know, and I will track him down. After that, I’ll make sure he never comes near you again. But for now, I need you safe. Do you understand? The best way I know to accomplish that while I search out this bastard is to put you with my family. Will you go?”

Tielle noticed he never admitted to why he didn’t want the police in on this. She understood how they did it in the movies, the kidnapper telling the family they better not contact the authorities or the person would be killed. But she was back now, so what was the big deal about bringing them in? They were the professionals. They had resources that she and maybe Stone didn’t have for all his money. Then again, she had never been involved with anyone who could afford what Stone could. Maybe he did have resources she could only dream about.

And what about the blood?
Why would someone take his uncle’s blood—
or his!
The memory of the night in the alley came flooding back to her. That man who’d attacked Stone had a vial of Stone’s blood before she bumped him and made him drop it. Not thinking anything of it, she hadn’t mentioned the fact to Stone. She considered telling him now, but hesitated. They hadn’t been lovers for very long, although they’d spent almost every afternoon and night together since the beginning. Still, she knew little about him. A trip to his family’s estate could reveal more about the man she had begun to fall for.

For now, she decided to keep the drawn blood to herself. Stone might already know anyway, and if someone was trying to kill him, Tielle wanted to be near him, to help in some way to save his life if necessary. She looked up at him. “I’ll go on one condition.”

His eyebrows rose, and Tielle had the feeling she didn’t have a choice in the matter. Her condition meant zip to him. “And that is?” he said.

“We stay here until I graduate. It’s less than a month, and then I’ll have my nursing degree. I’ve come so far, Stone. You can’t take that away from me.
Please
.”

He sighed. “Okay, fine, but you stay here at my apartment, and I will have one of my men watch you when I cannot. You do not give him the slip or do anything else stupid. Got it?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’ll do what I want to do, and if your man can’t keep up, that’s his problem. He shouldn’t be on the payroll otherwise. I just hope it’s not James because he has no subtlety whatsoever. Plus he’s old.”

Stone chuckled and kissed her. “It won’t be James. Now, tell me everything about the man who took you from when you first saw him until you got away.”

* * * *

The time leading to Tielle’s graduation and then her flight to Dublin, Ireland seemed to fly by rather than inch along as she had expected. After a tearful good-bye to Jamie and a promise to see her soon, she directed a glare in Stone’s direction. He assured her it was unlikely the kidnappers would go after Jamie, but just in case, he’d give her protection. Tielle had informed him that she’d cut his thing off in the middle of the night if anything happened to her friend. Stone didn’t look worried.

Later, the flight in Stone’s jet would take a little over seven hours. She wasn’t looking forward to that part of her journey until she caught sight of the inside of the plane. Her jaw dropped to the floor. “You’ve got to be kidding me? This is nicer than my apartment. Well, not that it was all that, but I was impressed when I found it. Thought I’d gotten a steal at that price. But this…”

What Stone told her was called the forward gallery held what looked like a giant china closet. All shiny wood and various compartments, the thing even had a touch screen control panel. Next to it in the middle galley was where Tielle discovered the espresso machine. Like an excited child, she whirled to Stone. “Can I have one?”

He looked at her like she’d gone crazy but nodded and made an indication to the woman waiting to serve them. They kept moving until they were in the mid-cabin facing aft, and Stone selected one of the spots with overstuffed cream-colored leather chairs and a table between them. On a narrow ledge between the windows and the table and chairs, a screen extended up to hover above the table. Tielle’s mouth formed an
O
when Stone manipulated the arm beneath to pull the screen closer to him. He pulled several packets of paper from his briefcase and then did something she didn’t see beneath the table. All of a sudden, she understood that this was a computer. Soon, Stone was lost in work and talking on the phone with a client, speaking in fluent French.

This went beyond anything she’d ever experienced and rather than being impressed, it terrified her. People with too much money were often corrupted by it or were used by others who had been corrupted. When the attendant brought her espresso, Tielle sipped it while studying Stone. What had money done to him? Was his heart good deep inside, or did it keep him from falling in love? The thought that maybe rich people couldn’t love was ridiculous, given that people were people, but it didn’t stop her from fearing it might be true.

After a while, Stone paused in his conversation to focus on her. “You’re bored?” He didn’t wait for her answer but leaned across to press a few buttons on her side of the wall panel. A compartment opened, and another screen glided up. He pushed more buttons to reveal her keyboard and pointed. “Right here, you can select from a series of movies. Here you can access the Internet, and here you can watch TV or play music. Earphones are in this compartment.”

“Damn,” she exclaimed.

All of it was commonplace to him. Stone went back to his work, and Tielle decided to hop on the Internet and check her email. She’d send Jamie a message and maybe even take a few pictures of all this on the new phone Stone had purchased for her after she told him the kidnapper kept hers. She’d refused his offer, but he’d come home anyway with a new, fancier one than her old one. The man did what he pleased whether she liked it or not. Explaining to him that spoiling her with all this stuff was not a good idea for when the danger was past and they were no longer seeing each other. He had gotten a strange look on his face that she could not decipher and had given up trying.

Out of curiosity, Tielle decided to look up the cost of the plane. She knew the style was a Bombardier Global XRS and was fairly certain that it was brand new. After several minutes searching, she could find nothing other than a brochure from the manufacturer, Jetcraft Corporation, but an older similar model someone was selling was going for twenty-seven million. Tielle almost choked on her coffee.

Stone glanced up again. “What’s wrong?”

She waved a hand and rushed to clean up the mess she’d made on the table.
“Oh nothing.
Nothing at all.”

He frowned. “Let Lucy get that.”

“I’ll do it. I can clean up after myself, thank you very much.”

Stone went back to work, and Tielle continued to wipe up the table, all the time wondering how she would get through the next few—what?
Weeks?
Months?
Stone had been vague about how long he thought it would take to find the men responsible for snatching her. She’d told him about the guy saying he had to go call his boss, and although Stone didn’t bother telling
her
, she’d overheard him speaking with the guard he’d given her. The kidnapper had been found dead a couple days after she escaped. Since Stone sounded surprised, she didn’t think he’d killed the man or paid someone to do it. That must mean the boss him killed.
Probably for failing or for showing his face.
She wasn’t sure which. The fact solidified that this was serious business. Tielle had gone along with Stone’s plans too scared to do otherwise.

After they landed and moved on to a waiting limo—something Tielle thought was unnecessary but didn’t comment on—Stone told her he needed to stop in Dublin to visit his office, but it wouldn’t take long. Afterward, they would head out to the Hughes castle.
Castle
, she’d mused. Maybe that’s what Europeans called a mansion, she thought. It couldn’t be a castle.