Fire and Desire (Arabesque) (28 page)

The look on Yasir’s face became strange, almost deranged. “I will never turn myself in. I’ll go somewhere where I can’t be found.”

He went over to the chair where Corinthians was sitting and began untying her. “You’re coming with me,” he snarled, pulling her forcibly from the chair.

Corinthians tried to resist him, but his hold was too strong. It was as if he had some sort of superhuman strength.

“Let her go, Yasir. Think of your honor and let her go,” Rasheed was yelling at the top of his voice. But his words didn’t do any good. The man didn’t intend to let Corinthians go. However, he made the mistake of dragging her past Rasheed’s chair while making his escape. In one quick movement, Rasheed kicked his leg out, tripping Yasir and making him loosen his hold on Corinthians.

“Run, Corinthians, run!” Rasheed shouted out to her.

Corinthians tried to free herself completely from Yasir’s hold, but the man’s hand caught hold of the hem of her dress and she felt herself falling with him.

Then suddenly, she heard a deep human snarl, and the next thing she knew she was being pulled from Yasir’s grasp by big, strong arms. They were arms she recognized immediately.

Trevor!

After placing her safely out of the way, Trevor turned his fury on the man who’d had the nerve to take his woman. All the anger he’d felt since finding Corinthians missing came back full-force with every punch and every blow he gave Yasir. The man didn’t stand a chance against his fury. Somehow, through his rage, he heard Corinthians calling his name, pleading for him to stop. Giving Yasir one last punishing blow, he dropped him to the ground.

He turned around. The federal authorities had arrived. Agents were everywhere. Rasheed Valdemon was being untied and his father, Sheikh Amin Valdemon, was being cared for by a group of paramedics. Trevor didn’t give any of them a second thought. His mind was on his woman. He quickly glanced around for her.

“Trevor!”

He turned toward the sound of her voice and caught her in a fierce, crushing embrace when she came racing toward him. He smothered her lips at first with demanding intensity, then slowly his mouth became softer, tender. He showered kisses around her lips and around her jaw, before taking her mouth again. He couldn’t get enough of the woman he had come so close to losing. She was his desire, his heart, his love.

Corinthians’s body quivered at the sweet tenderness of Trevor’s kiss. She devoured his fiery possession. His kiss was fire, burning her mouth and sending pleasure radiating through her body. He was her fire, her hero, the love of her life.

Trevor felt someone tap him on the back. He broke off the kiss long enough to check out the intrusion. Frowning, he turned to look up into Ashton’s smiling face. “The two of you are in the way here, Captain. Some of us have work to do.”

Trevor laughed. “Anything you say, Colonel.” He gathered Corinthians into his arms and began walking back toward the parked car. He stopped when he thought of someone and turned around.

“Sir Drake,” he called out to the man who was helping to put a badly bruised Yasir in the car.

When Drake looked in his direction, Trevor gave him a thumbs-up, wondering when would be the next time he saw his friend again. Drake Warren was a man on the run from a painful past.

Grinning, Drake returned Trevor’s thumbs-up before getting into a car with a group of federal agents.

“Trevor?”

Trevor looked down at Corinthians, thinking he had never seen anything so beautiful. He placed her on her feet then pulled her into his arms and held her close to him. He had no intentions of leaving her again or letting her leave him. Trouble seemed to always nip at his woman’s heels.

“We’re getting married as soon as we get back to Austin and it can be arranged. We’re not waiting any longer. We’ll make plans to have a huge reception to make up for it. You got that?” Trevor asked her.

Corinthians looked up at him, smiling. Through it all, somehow she had known her man would come for her. “Yes, I got it. Now, how about you getting this.” She reached up, pulled his mouth down to hers and fitted her body snugly to his. The kiss she gave him was a kiss for hearts and souls to entwine. All Trevor could do was succumb to the divine ecstasy he felt as she pressed her open lips to his and mated hotly with his mouth.

When Corinthians released his mouth, her lips curved into a sultry smile. “I think I still need to perfect that a little.”

Trevor thought if she perfected it any more, he wouldn’t be able to live to tell about it. He took her hand in his. “Come on, sweetheart, let’s go home. We have a quick wedding to plan.”

Corinthians smiled. “Tell me honestly now, when you caught that garter at Clayton’s and Syneda’s wedding, did you have any idea that you would actually be the next one to be getting married?”

Trevor shook his head, grinning. “No. What about you? When you caught the bridal bouquet, did you actually think you’d be next?”

“No. Marrying anyone was the last thing on my mind, and definitely not getting married to you. We couldn’t stand each other, and you used to deliberately annoy me every chance you got.”

Trevor gave her a smooth smile, one that was without shame. “Yeah, I enjoyed getting a rise out of you,” he admitted.

Corinthians wrapped her arms around his neck and brought her body close to his. She was so close, she could feel his hardness pressed against her middle. Her lips began placing intimate kisses along the curve of his lips. “And I’m going to enjoy getting a
rise
out of you,” she whispered lightly against his lips. “But it will be a different kind of rise than the one you got out of me. This is the kind I’m going to enjoy getting out of you,” she said, feeling his body harden against her even more. She heard Trevor’s sharp intake of breath when she slid her hand down past his stomach and thigh to cup that very heated part of him in her hand.

“Think you’ll be able to handle it, Trevor Grant?”

Trevor was glad a number of parked cars shielded them from curious eyes. He swung Corinthians into his arms. He smiled down at her. “I plan to die trying.”

Two weeks later

T
revor Grant stood, leaning a shoulder against the wall, holding a half-filled champagne glass in his hand. As he looked around the crowded ballroom, he felt a moment of déjà vu. The last wedding reception he had attended had been for his friend, Clayton Madaris. Now here he was, less than three months later, attending his own. He smiled, happy for himself.

He and Corinthians had gotten married within days of returning to Austin, just enough time to assemble their families and close friends. Now tonight, two weeks later, both sets of parents had joined forces to host this gala event. After the reception, he and Corinthians would fly out of Houston to begin their honeymoon in the Cayman Islands, compliments of Senator Joshua Avery, who was still wiping egg off his face.

Trevor’s gaze swept over the ballroom. His smile deepened when he saw that Ashton had cornered Netherland Brooms off to the side. He could only imagine what he was saying to her.

His gaze shifted and lit on the Madaris brothers. All three were on the dance floor with their wives in their arms, holding them close as they swayed to the slow tune being played by the live jazz band.

Trevor shook his head when he saw his parents out on that same dance floor. Seeing them together was taking some getting used to. He was happy for them. They would get the chance to spend the rest of their lives together happily.

His gaze continued to sweep over the ballroom. When it rested upon a particular woman, it stopped. Once again he was struck by another moment of déjà vu.

Corinthians was a very beautiful woman. She was everything male fantasies were made of. He of all people should know since he was married to her and had the pleasure of making love to her each and every night before he went to sleep. He had discovered the real thing was better than any dream he’d ever had—and over the past two years, he’d had plenty.

As if sensing his gaze upon her, Corinthians’s head lifted. Her gaze met his and Trevor felt his breath swept away. The look she gave him was sultry, hot and filled with unspoken promises.

He gave her his most charming smile then lifted his champagne glass in a silent toast. With his gaze he communicated his thoughts, a silent, unsubtle message. The smile she gave him indicated she had deciphered his message loud and clear.

Trevor’s smile widened when he saw her excuse herself from the group she had been talking to and began walking toward him. She looked absolutely gorgeous dressed in a stunning off-white pant suit. He placed his champagne glass aside and began moving in her direction to meet her on the dance floor.

“Hello, Mr. Grant,” she said in a soft, sensuous voice.

“Hello, Mrs. Grant,” he replied in a husky tone. He glanced down at her stomach. “And hello, Baby Grant.”

He took Corinthians in his arms as they joined the others on the dance floor.

“What do you think about Rio?” Corinthians asked him moments later, savoring the feel of being held by her husband.

Trevor smiled at her question. Rio de Janeiro would always provide him with special memories. It was there that they had begun their South American adventure of a lifetime. One he would never forget.

“I like Rio. Why do you ask? Do you want to go back there soon?” he responded silkily.

“No, I want to name our baby Rio, if it’s a boy, and Ria if it’s a girl. I think that would be fitting, don’t you?”

Trevor chuckled. “Definitely.”

He pulled Corinthians closer to him, loving the feel of her in his arms. He thought about the bottle of champagne that was on ice in their hotel room, compliments of Sir Drake. He had sent it from Iceland, of all places.

Trevor leaned down and brushed a light kiss across Corinthians’s mouth. “I love you,” he said softly, quietly.

“And I love you, too, Trevor.”

He gathered her closer into his arms, silently thanking God for giving him friends that had been there for him when he had needed them most, and for this very special woman whom he would love forever. She was his woman, his dream, his passion, the root of his fire and the fulfillment of his desire.

Corinthians wrapped her arms around his neck. She gazed up at him, love clearly shining in the depths of her eyes. “I think the music has stopped.”

Trevor smiled. “For us the music will never stop, because we will always make our own.”

His hands came up and cupped her face. In the presence of family and friends, on a dance floor where they were the only remaining couple, he leaned down and kissed her. It was a kiss that held promises of a future that would be filled with both fire and desire.

One month later

“W
e hope your stay at our hotel is a pleasant one, Mr. Grant.”

“Thanks, I’m sure it will be,” Trevor replied as he took the room key that was handed to him. Although he had tried sounding cheerful to the hotel clerk, in truth, a hotel room in Phoenix was the very last place he wanted to be. He preferred being home with his wife. He missed her already.

Upon reaching his hotel room, Trevor was glad to see that at least he’d been given a room with a nice view, since he would be spending the next five days in it. His meeting with Lowell Petroleum Company had been set up months ago, before his wedding. He had tried talking Corinthians into making the trip with him, but she was working on a special project at Remington Oil and couldn’t get away. Her project was a joint venture between Remington Oil and the government of Mowaiti. If because of her research, oil was discovered in Mowaiti, Remington Oil and Mowaiti would have joint rights to it for the first five years. Then all rights would go to the people of Mowaiti. It was the first type of agreement ever drawn between an American-owned oil company and a foreign nation.

Corinthians had approached S. T. Remington with the idea after realizing how far Prince Valdemon would go to help his people. Mr. Remington had even agreed to let her do most of her research out of their field office in Houston. She only had to travel to Austin occasionally. Already, according to Corinthians, the core samples she had analyzed so far had looked promising.

After doing a couple of stretches to work a few kinks out of his body, Trevor went into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He would place a call home later to let Corinthians know he had arrived in Phoenix safely. He had hated leaving her at the airport when she had taken him there to catch his flight.

Undressing, he went into the bathroom to take his shower, closing the door behind him.

“This is Corinthians Grant. Has Trevor Grant checked in yet? Oh, he has? Thanks.”

Corinthians hung up the telephone, smiling. Going over to the full-length mirror, she looked at herself. She didn’t think it was possible to get any more daring than this. It was a good thing she was already a married woman.

She knew it was time to make her move when she heard the shower going in the connecting room. Tonight, unlike the last time she’d tried this, some things would be different. There would be no robe for her to wear and no condoms to hide in the pockets. However, one thing would be the same—the man.

Unlike before, no uncertainties crept into her head. She was going to give Trevor Grant a night to remember. Before she had been abducted from her home that night, he had asked her for a favor—to show him just how much she wanted him. Well, tonight she had plans to do just that.

A huge smile covered her face as she opened the door and walked into Trevor’s room.

Trevor stepped out of the shower and began toweling himself off. He wasn’t in the mood to go downstairs to the restaurant so he thought he’d order room service.

He raised a brow, thinking he’d heard something, then shrugged, dismissing the thought. Wrapping the towel around his middle, he walked out of the bathroom and stopped short when he saw Corinthians standing next to his bed. He blinked. At first he thought he was seeing things, that he was missing her so much he was actually imagining her there. But then after shaking his head a few times to clear his muddled mind, he realized she was actually there, in his hotel room, dressed in…nothing?

Visions of that night nearly two years ago came back, and he thought that tonight she looked even more beautiful and even more sensuous. Remembering that night, he repeated the first words he had ever spoken to her.

“Who the hell are you?”

The smile she gave him was irresistibly sexy. “Your wife,” she answered matter-of-factly in a hot, seductive voice. “And who the hell are you?” she asked him right back, trying hard to suppress her grin.

“Your husband.”

Corinthians nodded, liking the sound of that. And she liked seeing him with the towel wrapped around his waist. However, if she was going to be daring and bare all, so was he. She slowly began walking toward Trevor as a ripple of desire surged through her body.

“I think we can dispense with this,” she said, unhooking the towel from around his waist and letting it fall to the floor between them. “We don’t have any secrets between us, do we?” she asked, standing on tiptoes and wrapping her arms around his neck.

“None that I know of.” He glanced down at their nude bodies. “In fact, right now we have nothing between us.”

“Good.”

She leaned up and let her tongue trace the soft fullness of his lips, glorying in the sharp breath he took. When he parted his lips, she placed her mouth over his, giving herself freely to the passion and the desire she felt. Since their marriage, he had shown her that she could be as prim and proper as she wanted to be in the boardroom of Remington Oil. But in the privacy of their bedroom, he wanted prim and proper replaced with sexy and seductive.

Trevor returned Corinthians’s kiss with an intensity that nearly shattered his world. Their kiss was slow, thoughtful, hungry. He pulled her to him, loving the feel of being skin to skin with her. He tried to throttle the rush of heated desire racing through him and discovered he couldn’t. She had ignited the fire within him to full flame, and he wanted her now.

He gathered her into his arms and placed her on the bed and began his attack. Ruthlessly, he tormented her, placing hot, fiery kisses everywhere on her body, searing her flesh wherever he touched. He loved the feel of the fire leaping on her skin, and he felt a driving need to make love to her in a hot and wild way. Just like he had done in the jungles of South America.

Corinthians’s body shuddered from the sensations Trevor was making her feel. She ached for the taste of him, the feel of him. She wanted to be lifted higher than she’d ever been lifted before.

And she was.

She ached, crying out his name when his body joined with hers. This was her husband, her soul mate, her hero, her man. He was all she ever wanted, even when she didn’t know what she had actually wanted. Her life with him would be one great adventure. He would give her joy, happiness and more babies. She would give him her undying love, respect and the honor that he was due. He was a proud, hardworking man, born of a race that had endured much. He deserved all the adoration his woman could give him.

She melted in his arms as he continued to drive her toward the point of mindless ecstasy. Her hips raised repeatedly to meet his and in this joining, this very special mating, she knew that together they would live the rest of their lives content and happy.

“Corinthians!”

She heard her name whispered from his lips as the power of love shook them both, plunging them into an oceanic wave of fire and desire.

For the longest moments, neither of them had the energy to move. When finally, Trevor was able to life his head, he looked at her, love clearly shining in the depths of his eyes.

“I thought I left you at the airport in Houston,” he whispered, touching his lips to hers.

She smiled up at him. “You did.”

“But how?”

Corinthians snuggled closer to him. “I caught a straight flight.”

Trevor lifted a brow, frowning. “There weren’t any straight flights from Houston to Phoenix.”

Corinthians’s smile widened. “Yes, there were. You weren’t supposed to know about them. In order to beat you here, I had to depend on your two-hour layover in Dallas.” She grinned. “Pretty sneaky, huh?”

Trevor shook his head smiling. “Yeah, that’s pretty sneaky. And I guess you’ve had this planned for a while.”

“Ever since you mentioned you were coming. The baby and I thought we would tag along and keep you company. What do you think of our idea?”

“I love it.” Trevor leaned over and placed a kiss on her stomach where his baby rested inside. “And I love you, Mrs. Grant.”

Corinthians’s smile became seductive. “Now it’s your turn.”

He raised a dark brow. “For what?”

“To do me a favor.”

“Which is?”

“Show me,” she demanded in a soft, sultry voice. “Show me how much you love me.”

And he did.

Hours later, wrapped in each other’s arms as they watched the beautiful sunset over the desert valley from their hotel room, Trevor and Corinthians decided that when they had another child, boy or girl, it would be named Phoenix.