Hunting April (25 page)

Rugakoff's other hand came around, his glove dripping with blood, a heavy, serrated
hunting knife in the assassin's fist. "I told you Angelo would pay dearly for your Wenzoor's
head." The knife hand disappeared. When it reappeared, it held Daniel's severed head spitted on
the blade.

When the woman screamed, April shot up as if catapulted, snapped upright into a sitting position. An instant later, the wood surrounding the lock of the communicating door splintered as the door flew open. The doorknob broke through the plaster wall from the force of the hit, leaving a puff of plaster dust.

"Daniel, what the hell is happening? Someone is screaming, there's a woman screaming, and your head,
omigod
, Daniel, your head on the knife—"

As he reached her side, she collapsed in his arms.

* * * * *

Something, someone, was nuzzling her hair, messing with her. April finally forced her eyes open, forced them to focus.

"Welcome back to the real world, angel." Daniel's voice. "You gave everyone quite the scare."

He sat propped against pillows on her bed. She snuggled against him, her head tucked under his chin, her cheek against his warm breast.

"
Omigod
, what happened? I heard a woman screaming—"

Daniel nuzzled her hair again. "You were screaming, dearest. Apparently, a nasty nightmare had you in its clutches, and you wouldn't wake up. Frightened the bejesus out of the staff."

She felt the chuckle in his chest.

"Then again, it could have been me, standing in my shorts with the Sig in hand."

"
Jeez
, that was me? I screamed? Bloody hell." Her body was stiff, so she straightened, sat up to look at him. She touched his face, his hair, his neck, making sure he was real, making sure his head was still attached to his body.

"It was the most awful thing. First it was Abigail's hand then it was Rugakoff's and he was killing everyone and he had your head on the point of his knife and there was blood dripping all over and he was going to kill my mom and dad and then come back for me but I was already dead and it was all my fault because I used the burn phone and called my mom because she was so worried and Angelo was laughing but it was really Rugakoff who was laughing and then—" Sobs caught in her throat, cutting off a further avalanche of words.

"It's all right, darlin' girl, 'tis but a dream." He pulled her tightly to him, rocked her. "Shush now, shush, no more blame need be laid on your head. You dealt with the problem, so no more recriminations, eh? You handled yourself brilliantly and took out the bad man. Everyone is safe now."

He kissed the top of her head. "You're not alone, dear heart, never again. I'm here, I'll not leave you again. Not ever."

April sat up, slid out of bed. She felt wobbly, but managed to stand upright with her hands on the mattress, supporting her. "Nice try, fella, but I've heard that before.

And you lied."

"I lied about what, exactly?"

"You told the concierge we were married."

He left the bed, stood to face her, the jeans he'd jumped into earlier still unzipped, showing an interesting bit of black curl.

"It doesn't need to be a lie. I rather like the way it sounded. When we're not trying to kill each other, we're quite suitable. We should be married."

He took her by the shoulders, held her at arm's length."So, what do you think?

Will you marry me?"

April stood, speechless.
He already left me once—does he really mean it? We slept
together, so sex can't be the reason . . . . How can I believe him?

"Daniel, I don't know what to say."

"Baby, this isn't incredibly difficult. Say yes."

Panic settled in her gut. She read the uncertainty in Daniel's face when she didn't do handsprings at his proposal.
What does he expect, fer chrissakes?
Her conscience battled between the good, the bad, the ugly. Mostly the ugly. Her first engagement hadn't exactly ended well. Because of it, she'd shot a man to death.
But Daniel isn't Angelo.
All right, fair enough.
Yes, but Daniel already walked out on me, accused me of terrible things
.

Mired in turmoil, she tried a cheerful voice. "Let's get through the next twenty-four hours before we consider making plans, all right?"

Without intending to, she'd snatched the wind right out of his sails. There'd been no easy way. Trying to banish the hurt look in his eyes, she reached up and held his face in her hands, pulled his mouth down to hers. He resisted at first, then leaned into the kiss. She fumbled with his jeans, sliding her fingers through his silky curls, taking advantage of his unzipped state.

With her sudden change of tactics, April tried to gauge Daniel's feelings by reading his expression. She failed. He wasn't giving anything away. Clothes dropped to the floor. He stood naked; she posed in her tank top and hip-hugging panties, then pulled her top over her head, flung it on the floor.

He was so ready for her, his big hard body tense, his heavy cock at full mast.

"Now, there's an outfit to which I could gladly become accustomed." He grabbed her hips, pulled her close, then turned her so her naked back pressed against his chest.

April pushed her buttocks against his cock, sliding her slinky panties against his skin.

"What the fuck?" Daniel spun her around to face him as he took a step back.

"What the fuck?"

Stunned, April reacted instinctively, folded her arms across her breasts. "Daniel, what's wrong?"
Fer chrissakes, why can't I ever learn?
Then it hit her. O
migod
, the scars!

Serendipitously, he'd never seen her undressed in full light.

She grabbed his hands. "Daniel, please, wait, listen to me . . . ."

His visage terrified her. His voice dripped hate, loathing. "Martone did this to you? He did this to you? While I guarded the bastard? While I worked for him? Why didn't you come to me for protection—why didn't you tell me? I would have taken you away—"

"
Whoa
, big fella. Think about it. I didn't know you. You were just another one of Angelo's hired goons, better dressed, with better manners, and a really sexy voice. He threatened my parents, I needed to protect them."

She refused to release his hands. "I escaped. Remember that. I got away from him."

Anguish creased his face. "The stories. I heard the stories. I didn't know you were involved. By all the bloody saints in heaven, I swear I didn't know!"

And now you'll never know the horrors Angelo had in store for me—Tony M will see to
that. I couldn't just disappear suddenly like those other poor women—my new husband would
have taken years to kill me, a little at a time.

Without releasing Daniel's hands, April led him to the bed, pushed him backward until he had to sit. She forced herself between his thighs.

"You banished the horror of Angelo. With you, I forgot the floggings, forgot the threats, forgot the abuse. In your arms, I felt safe, I felt wanted. I didn't need to hide—

with you. You brought me to a better place."

She took his face in her hands again, kissed his forehead, the bridge of his nose, finally, his lips. She realized it wasn't an act, wasn't just to bolster his ego. Every word was true. He
had
brought her to a better place.

"Daniel, that horrible life ended, thanks to you. Don't let him destroy anything else."

"My angel, I
will
kill him for what he's done to you, I swear it." He tried to rise.

April placed her palms flat against the broad expanse of his naked chest. "No.

There's nothing to be done. Uncle Antonio has everything under control. That's why I needed to see him, me, alone, alive, and in person. As much as it pains me to be responsible for ending another person's life, Angelo will not survive to be a threat to anyone. I won't have you in prison, or on the run, because of scum like him. Please, baby, trust me. I did what needed doing. For all of us."

She slid her panties down, kicked out of them.

Daniel pulled her close, rested his forehead against her breasts.

"Move so I can hop up." April pushed against him. "Go on, shove over."

His body still tense, he hesitated, then did as she said.

With her new braveness, April straddled him, pressing against the ridge of his shaft with her pussy, sex rubbing against sex. When she felt ready, moving carefully, she slowly settled on his cock. Unbidden, Black Crow's words came back to her.
Yes,
Daniel's big cock is almost too much—but not enough to make me stop taking what he gives me
.

His broad hands embraced her hips as he thrust up to meet her. "Angel, April, why won't you marry me? You admitted you love me, unless you dared lie to Tony M."

"Daniel, I do love you. As trite as it sounds, I love you with every fiber of my being."

"Damn it, then what the hell is the bloody problem?"

She met his eyes. "And if you decide to leave me again? What's going to stop you from suspecting Glennon once more, or some other man?"

She slid along his cock.
This may be the last time, and it's gonna be tough to give up
this incredible feeling
. "I can't live like that, not knowing if you're going to walk out and shred my heart. There's more than one way to be wounded. I learned the physical wounds heal more quickly."

April twisted her pelvis, settled, forced him deep into her.
Just one more time,
baby, let me have you one more time.

In a surprise move, Daniel turned her onto her back, slid his hands under her bottom and buried himself to his balls.

"Angel, I couldn't leave you again. Leaving you would tear me in two. I never felt jealousy before. Couldn't identify the sensation, didn't know what to do about it.

Baby, I was wrong." He thrust into her again, then hit an easy rhythm."Marry me, darling girl. Marry me. Meet my parents. Travel to Scotland with me, so my grandfather can know you. He'll adore you."

Daniel kissed her hard, then more softly, dipping his head to mouth her breasts.

The walls of her pussy instantly clenched as he suckled her nipples, pulled at the hard nubbins with his lips. He moaned in response to her reactions.

"Marry me. And stop taking the bloody pill."

April stilled under him, stared into his face. "I beg your pardon?"

"April Hall, there is nothing I want more at this very moment than to get you pregnant." His brogue suddenly emerged through his well-cultured voice. "Settle wi' ye, raise bairns wi' ye. Be here for ye."

"But what about your job? Your life? You're a nomad, a traveler in your own way."

"I have no need to wander. Everything I want is right here. I'm retired, as of this very moment. My needs have been modest, so I have enough tucked away to keep us comfortably for quite some time. If I need work, consulting is available." He grinned."I can always ask Tony M for a referral. Maybe a job."

"That's not the least bit amusing."

She still felt a frown on her face, when Daniel resumed thrusting into her, his pace slow and easy. The movement of his hips caused tingles to shoot all over her body.

Hot, sensual tingles.

"Fella, this is a hell of a position to be in while we carry on a life-altering conversation. I can barely form rational thoughts while you're doing what you're doing.

Mmm
. All right, then what about my life, my job? I'm a businesswoman now, if I so choose. Antonio gave me Angelo's marketing firm." She wiggled her hips under his massive male body."As a gesture of appreciation."

Daniel reared up on stiff arms, massive biceps bulging, his elbows locked. He stayed buried, but stopped thrusting.

"A gesture of appreciation? And when were you going to impart that wee bit of news?"

April's body was too close to nirvana for him to stay buried but motionless—she twisted under him, urged him to move again. "I really haven't had the opportunity now, have I?"

She thrust upward, moaned softly.

He glared down at her."We had hours to talk in the car. You ignored me."

"Could we possibly finish this conversation another time?"

"No."

"Fine. I wasn't exactly ignoring you. I needed to think, come to terms with everything that's happened in the last couple of weeks."

He pulled out, then sank into her again. "Well?"

"Well, what?"

"You didn't answer me. Would you consider becoming pregnant with a rowdy, terribly adventurous, but brilliant child of mine? Maybe the first one of several?"

April couldn't speak past the lump in her throat. She settled for a nod. A vision burned in her brain of the joyful expressions on her parents' faces when she made such an announcement.

Okay, what just happened to this being the last time we have sex?
She wrapped her legs around the back of his thick thighs, gripped his muscled buttocks with her fingers to hold him tighter. "You'd better begin right away, Daniel Faolan Wyndsor-Leeds.

Come with me. Now! No more words, no stopping! Now!"

April pulled Daniel into her frantic vortex, pulled him into the rhythm of her body as her pussy burst with wild pulsations. The walls squeezed his shaft tightly, milked every last drop of his hot seed as he emptied against the mouth of her womb.

When normal breathing resumed, his expression of incredulity met hers.

"Does this mean you'll marry me? Live with me? Have my children?" He kissed her softly, gently."Baby, I love you so much it makes my chest ache."

"Well, now, how could any woman resist a line like that?"

She wrapped her arms around his corded neck, kissed his willing mouth, his strong face, his sexy throat. "Yes, I will marry you. Yes, I'll be your wife. Your very pregnant wife, if you promise to practice properly and practice often."

"About your new business . . . ."

"Darling Daniel, no. Not now. No more talk.
Our
businesses, what we'll do, where we'll live. None of it matters at the moment. We'll work it all out."

Shoving Daniel so he moved to the side, April rolled on top of him, keeping him buried inside her.