HIGHER (The Indigo Lounge Series) (20 page)

By the time they reached his
limo, he could barely keep his hands off her. He had her on her back and
panty-less within seconds.

He was inside her a minute later.
He held himself deep inside her and watched pleasure darken her eyes.

“To what do I owe this keen
attention, Savage?” She licked the pad of the thumb he traced over her mouth.

He pulled out and slowly slid
back into her snug heat, burying himself so deep, he earned himself a sweet,
lusty groan. “What can I say, Peaches? Watching you work made me hot for you.”

Her mouth closed over his tongue
and sucked it deep. Then she reached down to where they were joined and boldly
cupped his balls. “Hmm.”

His vision blurred. “Fuck!”

He muttered, groaned, then
finally shouted that word before they got to his hotel.

***

Bethany wasn’t sure what woke
her. But the sense of déjà vu hit with frightening force. Only this time, Zach
was in a deep sleep, his head on the pillow just above her with both arms
tangled around her in a back to front unbreakable hold. She listened for several
minutes before she forced herself to breathe slowly, regulate her heartbeat.

Putting it down to strange sounds
in a strange city, she was just starting to drift back into sleep when she
heard it.

Her tablet. Sending out an alert
meant for her. Sheena had sent her several during the evening and probably
hadn’t stopped to work out the time difference.

The temptation to leave it till
morning was strong.

But as she found herself reaching
toward the bedside table for her iPad Mini, that lingering sense of impending
danger grew stronger.

The headline in the email from
the unknown sender hollowed out her stomach. But it was the paragraph that
followed that made her blood ran cold.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Savage Sets His Sight On Another Innocent.

Shall we pity Bethany Green or be bug-eyed with envy? New York events
organiser Bethany Green has landed herself the big fish in the form of Zach
Savage. But before women the world over start rending their garments, we advise
caution.

Savage has a history of turbulent relationships, one of which ended in
tragedy, intrigue and a cover up. Sources previously close to a deceased ex
have further revealed a major cover up including missing hospital records after
said ex’s death.

So before you lament the loss of this billionaire bachelor, perhaps you
should count yourself lucky to have escaped his dangerous snare…

Bethany swallowed and read the
email again, trying to keep the icy churning in her stomach at bay.

Missing hospital records…a cover up…

She noticed the attachment to the
email and activated it. The photo that opened up made her heart stop.

At least now she had a face to go
with the woman who has made such an impact on Zach.

Farrah Nisa was gorgeous. The
kind of hurt-your-eyes stunning that men like Zach Savage attracted with
minimum effort. Zach hadn’t been exaggerating there.

God, no wonder he’d built a
shrine for her.

Pain, jealousy and a healthy
amount of self-loathing for her very uncharitable thoughts congealed in a ball
of misery in her gut.

She stared harder at the sultry
Farrah’s photo, searching for answers she knew she wouldn’t find. Then she
scrolled back up and read the message again.

A full body shiver raked over
her.

“What the fuck are you doing?”
Zach rasped in her ear.

She jumped and slammed the tablet
shut. Or she tried to.

Besides the insane talents he’d
been blessed with, Zach also possessed super quick reflexes. He snatched the
iPad from her and flipped back the cover.

Heart in her throat, she watched
his face as he scanned the page.

“Who sent this to you?” he
demanded, his face as mask of pure, icy fury.

“I don’t know. There was no
identifiable email address. Just a bunch of numbers and figures.”

He threw back the sheets and
lunged out of bed. Tension gripped his body and stiffened his shoulders as he
stalked naked to the dressing room, her tablet still in his hand.

“Zach?”

He came out seconds later,
dressed in dark blue lounger pants. “I’ll deal with this.”

“How…who sent it?”

“I don’t know. But I’ll find
out.” He strode purposefully to the door of their suite and yanked it open.

Bethany scrambled out of bed,
threw on a robe and raced after him.

Philip appeared in the doorway as
she reached the living room and she saw Zach hand him her tablet. “…source of
the email. It may have been hacked. Have it checked out.”

The thickset man merely nodded,
unruffled by the fact that he’d been woken in the middle of the night.

“And the LA situation needs to be
escalated,” Zach added. The cold menace in his voice made the hairs on her nape
quiver.

Another nod and Philip calmly
shut the door behind him.

“What’s the LA situation?”
Bethany blurted, unable to stop the shivers that raked her body.

He slowly turned and faced her.
His face was a mask of fury and deadly control. “Karim.”

“What are you going to do?”

“He came after you. All bets are
off.”

Her hand tightened over her belt.
“What does that mean? In plain English, please.”

“It means he will be given one
last opportunity to deal with my lawyers. Or he’ll have to deal with me. Only a
handful of people have the information in that email. It’s designed to look
like a newspaper article but I’m certain it won’t be published anywhere. He’s
an attorney, he knows the law.”

“So this was supposed to scare
me
?”

 
His jaw tightened. “Yes.”

Fear clambered up her gut and
lodged in her chest. “What are you going to do?”

Her emotions must have
communicated themselves to him because he paused in his pacing and came over to
her.

He grabbed her waist in a tight
grip and pulled her into his body. “Nothing that will jeopardise us, I promise.
But he needs to know that he can’t mess with you.”

“Zach, I can take care of
myself.”

“Then why are you shaking? Why do
I see pain in your eyes?” His voice was husky with worry and fury and barely
leashed control.

“Because…my imagination fell far
short of grasping just how beautiful Farrah was. Now I know…and I…”

A rough sound jerked from his
throat. “
That’s
what you’re worried
about?”

“I’m worried about other things.
But I know you’ll tell me what you can when you can.” She held her breath. “The
hospital records going missing. Is it true?”

His mouth compressed. “Yes,” he
answered tersely.

She shut her eyes and breathed
out shakily. “Did you have something to do with it?”

“No. Not directly.” His tone
pleaded for her to stop her line of questioning.

She placed her hand on his naked
chest and felt his heartbeat jolt at her touch. “It’s okay, I won’t ask
anymore. I can go back to trying to deal with how gorgeous Farrah was and how
awful I feel for hating her because she had you first.”

He speared his fingers in her
hair and angled her face up to his. “Don’t do this to yourself. I belong to
you, Bethany. Do you need a reminder fuck? Because I can oblige if it helps you
stay grounded in the fact that I’m yours and you’re mine.”

“God, Zach…” she sighed out his
name and he groaned and pressed her back against the doorway.

His lips brushed the corner of
her mouth. “Keep saying my name like that and I’ll throw in a
Christ-you-undo-me fuck too.”

She laughed. “How many categories
are there?”

“We can work our way through it
and find out.” He cursed as a knock came at the door.

Reluctantly he dropped his hands
and walked over to open it. Philip silently handed him her iPad, nodded and
retreated.

“Does he have anything?”

Zach’s mouth tightened and he set
her tablet on a console table. “He will by morning. Go back to bed, Peaches.
I’ll join you shortly.”

“I don’t…”

“It’s okay, I’ll behave. For now.
I just need to make a couple of calls.” He caught her to him and kissed her
long and deep, then pushed her toward the hallway leading to the bedroom.

She turned and watched him walk
away, her heart in her throat.

Every time she fooled herself
into thinking they were making strides forward, something happened to set them
back.

Frustration and fear had her
altering her course, choosing another small hallway in the suite that led to
the balcony outside.

Rome was spread out before her
and in the distance the large, imposing dome of The Vatican loomed. She gripped
the railing and tried to infuse hope into her heart.

She fell short.

Would they make it? Would they
survive? Hospital records destroyed. Someone out there knew what Zach had done.
The possibility of losing him rose like the dome before her, threatening to
shatter her.

She wasn’t sure how long she
stood there, trying to fight back the black hopelessness but she felt his
presence the moment he stepped onto the wide space.

“You’re supposed to be in bed.”

He came toward her, tucking his
cell phone into his pocket before strong arms bracketed her.

“All done with your call?”

He nodded. “We’re meeting on
Friday.”

“
We
?”

“Yes. It’s time, Bethany.”

She swallowed and calculated
quickly. “The IL trip wouldn’t be finished.”

“We’ll be done with Thailand and
the guests. We’ll take a break and finish the private tour after we meet with
the attorney.”

She hugged him tight and waited,
knowing there was more.

“It could turn ugly, baby. But
I’ll protect you, no matter what.”

Her fear escalated. “What are the
options?”

He shrugged. “Breaking the
agreement could possibly mean getting sued, maybe jail time. I don’t care about
that--”

“I do!” She reared back and stared
into his face. “I do,” she reiterated forcefully.

“Fuck, baby, I didn’t mean it
like that. I won’t accept anything that takes me away from you. But I don’t
want this thing between us any more. I’m not prepared to take that risk. But we
need to do it right. Regardless of anything Karim’s trying to pull, his family
have suffered enough. Hell, he’s lashing out because he’s in pain, much as I
want to tear him a new one. I’m going to do my best to make things right all
round.”

That core of integrity that had
been the first pull to her falling in love with him tugged harder at her heart.
He drove her mad with his secrets and veils but from the first, Zach wore his
integrity with unashamed pride.

How could she fault him for that
now simply because it stood in the way of her truly knowing the man behind the
enigma?

She burrowed into his chest and
breathed him in, her heart sighing in contentment at just being this close to
him. “You know I would never betray your trust, don’t you?”

He tugged her head up and kissed
her, long and deep. When he raised his head, they both gulped in much needed
oxygen. “I know. And if it were up to me, you’d know everything by now, fucked
up bits and all.”

“You call it fucked up. I call it
the building blocks of who you are today.”

“You must really, really like me,
Peaches. Because only you will see things that way.”

She smiled. “I do really, really
like you.”

His eyes darkened. “Come inside.
I need to fuck you again.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight

They flew by helicopter to the
Amalfi Coast and Zach’s place right on the water shores of Lake Como.

The red brick palazzo was another
stunning masterpiece that left her slack-jawed.

“Can you believe this place?” Angela,
who’d accompanied them with Gabriel, asked as they moved from room to
breath-taking room. “I hear it once belonged to a famous opera singer.”

The statuesque African American
beauty shaded her eyes as they gazed back at the palazzo from the jetty where
they’d wandered. Behind them, Zach was showing Gabriel the workings of his
speedboat.

A big boy with his toy.

As if he caught her thoughts, he
raised his head and slanted a heart-stopping smile her way.

“Shit. That smile shouldn’t be
legal,” Angela murmured under her breath. “And you two really need to stop with
the
I-wanna-fuck-your-brains-out-right-now
looks. It’s a health risk to the rest of us trying to keep up.”

Bethany face flamed. Knowing how completely
besotted Angela and Gabriel were with each other made it easy to join in when
Angela’s smirk turned to outright laughter.

“You glad we ditched Olga the
Ogre?” She waggled her eyebrows.

Bethany laughed again. “It’s
certainly nicer without her around.”

Angela’s eyebrow arched. “Right.
You’re the diplomatic type. I think Mike’s about to ditch her. I say the bitch
deserves to be ditched right all right. From like thirty thousand feet above
the Atlantic.”

Bethany’s eyes widened.

Angela shrugged. “Yeah, I’m
hating on her. She tried to make a play for Gabe too.”

“Well, in that case, when the
time comes, I’ll bring the wire cutters.”

Angela smiled speculatively.
“You’re a keeper. We should hook up when we get back to New York.”

Bethany smiled. “I’d like that.”

The men joined them and they headed
in for lunch of roast peppers stuffed with shredded lamb and pasta.

As they enjoyed coffee, Zach
caught her hand in his and trailed his lips over her skin.

Her phone beeped. She ignored it,
caught up in the intense gaze of the man who commanded her emotions so very
effortlessly.

“You like the house?” He seemed a
little nervous.

“Yes, I do.”

He nodded. “Good.

She raised a brow. “Good? Is this
some sort of audition?”

A corner of his mouth tilted.
“Maybe.”

“I hate it when you’re cryptic.”

“It’s okay, Peaches,” he murmured
for her ears alone. “You can work out your frustrations on me later.”

Her phone beeped again. Zach
plucked it off the table, glanced at the screen and inserted it in his pocket.
He ignored her arched look and stood.

“You work for me. The only person
who should be commandeering your time is me.” He took her hand and pulled her
up.

Gabriel and Angela followed and
they headed back to the chopper.

Easy banter accompanied the ride
back to Rome but every now and then, she caught a look on Zach’s face that made
her nape tingle.

In the rush of getting packed to
head to the airport, she forgot to ask for her phone back.

Three hours after take off, he
lowered his superb body over hers, pinning her to their king-size cabin bed.
“You want to try out the sky deck? I still have a promise to keep. Something
about fucking you as we race toward the stars?”

She tried to lift her hand to
smooth back his hair but her hand flopped uselessly back down as her
sweat-slicked body shuddered through the afterglow of yet another orgasm. “Give
me a year, Zach. I’m sure I’d have caught my breath back by then.”

He laughed, pure arrogance and
male satisfaction throbbing through his voice. “You have an hour.”

“Oh…joy.” Her eyes drifted shut
as he turned sideways and tucked her into his side. His steady heartbeat
beneath her cheek lulled her deeper into sleep. With a sigh, she gave in.

***

Zach held his breath until he was
sure she was asleep. Then he released the anger locked inside him.

Karim had taken the situation to
a whole different level. The second message he’d sent to Bethany’s phone had
contained more clues as to what happened six years ago. His ex-brother in law
was skating dangerously close to breaching the terms of the agreement he was
fighting Zach to protect.

He meant to threaten Zach. And
damn if it wasn’t working.

A trace of panic flared alongside
his anger. Because he knew Karim couldn’t have chosen a better bull’s-eye to
aim for by choosing to set his sights on Bethany. But what he didn’t realise was
that Zach would protect the most important thing in his life - Bethany - at all
costs.

The fact that his
ex-brother-in-law may not also know the whole truth had crossed his mind. It
was the reason Zach had gone against his own rigid principles and placed the
call to Farrah’s parents earlier this evening.

His message had been simple. And
succinct.

Now he needed to wait and see
what shook out. If they could half the juggernaut that their son was
dangerously close to overturning.

And he had to keep Bethany
occupied and away from any communication devices.

He sighed. There would be hell to
pay when she found out. He had no intention of keeping it from her long-term.
Only until he knew he could come clean without jeopardising her safety.

She sighed in his arms and his
heart turned over.

He fucking adored her. She was
the blood in his veins. The light in the darkness that he’d never thought he’d
escape.

She was his life.

She stirred and he realised he
held her too tightly. Forcing himself to loosen his hold, he listened to her
sleep.

Nothing could be allowed to touch
her.

Nothing.

***

“We've organised your chefs to
prepare your meals at eight. Please let your hostesses know if you'd prefer to
change the time.”

“I hope the chefs make more than
just Thai noodles. I'm off carbs for the foreseeable,” Olga pouted, more than a
trace of malice in her eyes as she watched Bethany.

As far as she was concerned she'd
made her point with Olga. So Bethany smiled. “I'll personally let the chef know
to keep the carbs off your menu, Olga.”

“Then we head out for cocktails
at the Vertigo Bar before midnight.”

They’d been in Bangkok for half a
day. Everyone had had a chance to relax at the exclusive hotel spa and napped
for a couple of hours to offset jet-lag.

Four hours ago, a designer
arrived to take the female guests’ measurements for evening gowns which were
due back at six.

When they were returned at six, Bethany
personally delivered each gown and got a kick out of seeing the women's
delight. She was trying on her own after dinner and a quick shower when Zach
walked in.

The red and gold gown was made of
heavy silk with a thigh split that showed a whole lot of leg when she moved. The
high neck and collar were demure enough, but the severe cut at the shoulders
left her arms and most of her back bare.

“You're looking pretty pleased
with yourself, Peaches.”

Her gaze connected with his in
the mirror and her heart did another crazy whirling. “I haven't fucked up your
trip so far. So yes, I'm pleased.”

He stopped behind her, pulled up
her zipper and slid his hands over her hips.

“Have a little faith in yourself.
I do.”

Her heart skipped several beats
as his hands gripped her hips in a possessive hold. “You on a brownie point
hunt, Savage?”

His eyes remained serious and
intense. “Always. I never want to run out.” His drifted down her body. “That
dress looks incredible on you,” he breathed in her ear.

She shivered. “Thank you. You
don’t look so bad yourself.” His evening jacket sat perfectly on his
broad-shouldered frame and the open collar of his grey silk shirt gave him an
air or urbane sophistication that would most definitely draw female eyes. She
tried not to think about that. “I thought you'd gone up to the Krug and cigar
bar with the guys?”

“No,” he answered simply. They
remained like for another minute, devouring each other and letting their eyes
say they words neither was ready to spill yet. Zach's hand drifted down to the
bracelet he'd given her for her birthday. He raised her wrist and placed a soft
kiss on her skin just below the bracelet.

Again she sensed that air of
restless watchfulness about him that she’d caught occasional glimpses since
they left Amalfi.

“Is something wrong, Zach?” She
shook her head and corrected herself. “Something else I should know about?”

One corner of his mouth twisted
up as he trailed his fingers up her arms. “Would you be satisfied with
a-same-bullshit-different-day answer?” Despite his offhand remark, a dark
emotion throbbed in his voice that made her anxiety escalate.

“General bullshit or specific?”
She didn’t think that outside of what was happening with Farrah’s brother and
the non-disclosure situation, Zach was the sort of man to worry about the outcome
of any problem.

He loved challenges. He thrived
on the adrenaline rush of tackling the impossible and besting it. It was what
had made him the powerful, charismatic man he was today.

The only thing he didn’t relish
was tackling the subject of jeopardising the fragile connection they were
building.

That thought made her heart swell
and ache for him at the same time. He was fighting for them. She couldn’t deny
that. And her love for him grew each time he showed her that.

“Specific,” he admitted with a
harsh exhale.

“What can I do?”

He watched her silently in the
mirror, then his lids slid down, veiling his expression. “You’re already doing
it. You’re here with me.” He linked his fingers through her and kissed her
exposed neck.

She got the strong impression
that hadn’t been his intended answer but she let it go. She was learning fast
which battles to pick and which to concede.

“Have you seen my phone?”

He tapped his breast pocket. “I
have it, but you won’t be needing it tonight.”

She raised an eyebrow at him.
“You plan to keep me busy all night?”

His mouth twitched sexily. “Now
there’s an idea. Any chance of convincing you to ditch the others and play
hooky with me?”

“Nope. And you say that but I
know you want this trip to be a success as much as I do. Failure is not an
option for you.”

“No, but I also can’t help but
wish this trip were over. I feel like we’re suspended over a goddamn cliff,” he
grated out.

She faced him and he pulled her
closer, as desperate for contact with her as she was for him.

“Three days, Zach. I’m sure we
can find a way to forget about the future and make the next seventy-two hours memorable,”
she supplied.

His mouth slowly curved in a
wicked smile. Her heart kicked into gear and began to race.

“Ah, baby. You want memorable? I
can give you memorable. I just hope you can take it.”