Hell Is Burning (39 page)

Tessa glanced over at her fiancé. “Actually, we’re going to be working all night, so we’re going to be crashing here.” Their earlier interlude was nothing compared to what Tessa had in mind.

She couldn’t help herself.

“Okay,” Greyson said, standing. “You keep doing the searches and get as much done as possible. Come Sunday, after you’re hitched, you’re off duty for a couple days.”

“We’re not taking our honeymoon until this is over,” Paris stated. “We can work to help close it.”

Greyson had something planned for them. They were getting an impromptu honeymoon in Vegas.

“We’ll discuss it Sunday,” he stated. “If something comes up, and you plan on leaving here, don’t go home. Head to Terrace Glen. I don’t want anyone else getting hurt, and you two are bullet magnets.”

Tessa laughed. “Yeah, we really are.”

Paris took her hand in his. “We’re going to order dinner and get back to work. Would you like to stay?” he asked.

“Thanks, Doctor,” stated Dimitri, “but they need to get back to the house. I don’t want to be out there after dark with this person gunning for them.”

Greyson stared at him. “Really? I think they were talking to us. Aren’t you supposed to silently watch us?”

He shrugged. “You’re supposed to let me do my job, and that’s what I’m doing.”

Emma could see a blowup coming.

No one told Greyson Croft what to do.

These two men were either going to be good friends, or someone was going to be shedding some blood. Her husband was the alpha dog in the room, and Dimitri was pushing his luck.

Greyson, somehow, found his control. “We’ll get going.” Later, he was going to have a private discussion with the man. It was going to involve keeping his mouth shut at the FBI building, and to stop hitting on the women in the room--specifically his wife.

As they headed out, he paused at the door to glance back at his agents. “Make sure you lock the damn door when you’re crawling all over him!”

Paris flushed, giving them away.

Tessa simply snorted.

Greyson Croft left them to their own devices. What he didn't know wouldn’t hurt him.

Or so he hoped.

       
                          
* * *
  Croft & Croft  * * *

Terrace Glen

When they arrived at the house, Greyson gave his wife the tour. She’d yet to see it now that it was done, and he wanted to walk through their new home together.

Of course, he thought they’d be doing it alone, not with so many people in the house, but circumstances were out of his control. Had he known that they’d be having one big party, he would have brought her here when no one was around.

This was supposed to be special.

This was supposed to be all about them.

He wanted to woo his wife, and show her all the secrets that he had built into the property. Money was absolutely an amazing thing when it came to making his wife their perfect little nest. Their house was spectacular.

And she deserved it.

Being married to him wasn’t exactly a pleasure cruise. The mess surrounding them was case in point.

As they climbed the stairs, he led her to their bedroom. Inside, she stared at the giant bed. It was huge, ornately carved, and made for the king and queen of a castle.

It was fitting, since the media had dubbed them that. When her husband picked it out, there was no doubt that Greyson wanted Emma to think of this as her kingdom.

“Wow, that’s some bed.” Granted, Greyson was a large man, and he needed room, but this was like a sea of green silk.

It was gorgeous.

“Do you like it?” he asked. “I had it specially made for us.”

She grinned. “How could I not? I can’t wait to break it in,” she teased. “Too bad we have so many people running around here. It would have been a great way to christen our new place.”

He was well aware.

That’s why he had a backup plan. Sometimes, it was good to be ‘king’.

“How about this…you check out the other bedrooms on this floor and give me about five minutes? I have something special planned for you, and I need time to set it up.”

She stared at him. “What?”

“It’ll be my surprise, Emma. I want to welcome my bride back to our cave.”

“I’m technically not a bride, since we’ve been married a full year.”

“Every day is like the first day of marriage. I couldn’t love anyone more.”

Crossing to him, she jumped up to wrap her legs around his hips. It must have shocked him because for once, his face said it all.

“You do that. I’ll go wander. It better be one hell of a surprise, Greyson.”

Then she kissed him.

Her mouth plundered.

Whenever his kitten showed her claws, he loved it. This was the one thing he lived for--her.

Screw the world.

Screw the FBI.

Screw the killer.

All he really wanted in life was right here in this room. She was his everything, and he couldn’t fail as long as he trusted in that one thing.

“Emma,” he muttered, his mouth being torn reluctantly from hers.

She set him free before hopping down and moving away from him. “Five minutes, Greyson, and no one better walk in on us.”

He wanted to shout in glee. When they had opted to rebuild the entire place inside, he had something special added. At first, it was a panic room.

Then it morphed.

If his wife saw a steel box in the center of their house, she’d really believe he’d lost it. Greyson couldn’t help it. After she’d been stalked through this place, nearly dying, a safe place for her to hide seemed appropriate.

So, he went there.

Only, he needed to soften it. Oh, it was still a panic room for them in case of an emergency, but now it was more…romantic.

He wanted to keep her safe forever, but there had to be that seduction there. Greyson believed he’d found the perfect mix.

As she left, he headed for her closet. Pulling on one of the racks, which had been set up for shoes, it slowly swung out. This was going to be perfect.

He could tell.

Inside, he hurriedly lit the candles and put on the soft, seductive music. When he was finished, he stripped down into something far more comfortable.

If he was going to spend an hour seducing his wife, he might as well do it right.

After all, this would be her first impression of their home.

And he wanted it to be a good.

This was where they’d spend the rest of their married lives together.

As one.

       
         
* * *
  Croft & Croft  * * *

Emma, as she wandered the corridor, couldn’t believe how beautiful everything looked. From the simple details, to the grand structures, each room was beautiful. When this property was owned by Randall Mason, he never used the upstairs floors. He was alone, and liked to keep his base of operations on one floor, but now…

The mansion had come back to life.

It was grand.

It was large.

It was made for them.

Greyson had taken her ideas, and implemented them perfectly. She wanted a cozy place to call their own, and he’d given her exactly that.

This place was a mix of both of them.

The warm colors mixed and mingled with the masculine lines. It was perfect in every way.

She was proud of him.

Family would convene here, and Emma couldn’t wait to have everyone pick their rooms.

Every day, their circle grew. Before long, they’d have a packed house full of people. For some reason, she didn't mind. Yes, it cramped her husband’s style, but they could work around that.

They needed this. There was warmth and love here. Gone was the chill of death, and in its place, Emma found peace.

Heading back into the master suite, she was a little surprised that he wasn’t there. Maybe, he’d gone downstairs to get some champagne.

As she approached the bed, she could see something there--a note and a red silk robe--neither of which had been there before.

Picking up the note, she read it.

‘Emma,

Get naked, slip into something comfortable, and head into your closet. You’ll find me there. Welcome to the rabbit hole, Alice.

Love,

Greyson.
’

She wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but who was she to question it?

Closing their bedroom door, she stripped. When she slipped into the robe, she couldn’t help herself. Emma went over to the large standing jewelry box and dug through the contents.

Inside, she found the ‘C’ necklace that he’d given her. It was one of her treasured possessions. Emma loved it because when she wore it, she felt like she was his. Not to mention, Greyson always reacted to it. Her caveman liked seeing it dangling between her breasts.

The thought of that warmed her blood, forcing the heat to pool low in her body.

Slipping it on, she pulled her hair up on top of her head. With a flick of her wrist, she sprayed some perfume across her chest.

Emma was ready to stalk her sexy man prey. She knew what got her husband all hot and bothered, and she wasn’t above using it. Now, all she could hope was that the closet walls were sound proof.

Entering the closet, Emma was surprised to see no one there. Then she noticed a rack of shoes was slightly ajar.

That was odd.

Giving a light tug, it gave way, and to her surprise, right behind it was a doorway. Emma had no idea where it led, since Greyson had never mentioned it before.

She was confused.

It looked like someone had some tricks up his well-tailored sleeves.

Emma grinned when she saw his little offering on the floor. Sitting in the frame of the hidden doorway was a pair of racy red heels. They were her husband’s favorite ones. He loved seeing her in them whenever they were in the bedroom. Reaching down, Emma slipped into them. It was only then that she heard the music.

It beckoned her to follow it into the mysterious room. She was helpless to fight it. Curiosity was killing her, and she didn't doubt that was Greyson’s plan. She couldn’t help but be drawn to a mystery, and this was a huge one.

Following the soft, romantic tunes, she stepped through the doorway.

“Pull the closet closed behind you and close the door,” he said, from somewhere behind her.

Emma obeyed. When she turned around, she moved further into the space. It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the light, but they finally did.

“Greyson? What is this?” she asked, taking in the surroundings. The room was done in sexy jewel tones. There were purples, reds, and greens. While the bed outside the room was huge, this one was more average in size, but just as gorgeous. She wanted to run her hands over the bedding, testing the luxuriousness.

It looked like it would feel like heaven.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

How could she not? It looked like some sinful hideaway.

“I love it.”

“Welcome to our own little secret spot,” he said, lounging on the large bed. “I figured since our house is always a hub of activity, if we need to escape, we can come here. No one knows about it but us.”

She looked around.

Greyson had put a great deal of effort into this room. There was a bed, an armoire full of sexy things, and another door.

“It leads to a small bathroom. You know…in case we want to get all soapy.”

“I don’t know what to say,” she said, as she turned to stare at her husband. He was lounging on the bed in the flickering glow of candle lights. The shadows danced across his bare flesh, and he looked good enough to eat.

No, he looked amazing.

The glow from the candle light made him look like some powerful angel who’d fallen from God’s good graces. He looked wicked, wild, and like a dangerous pirate.

Heaven help her.

She wanted him.

“You made this for us?”

He grinned. “I would construct an entire world for you, Emma. This is nothing. The rest of our lives will be an adventure, and we can do whatever you want. This isn't the only hidden room. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives searching and finding the others. Together.”