Love Found Me (A City Love Novel, Book 1) (25 page)

He was facing her. Waiting. Watching. Wondering could she tell he was inching to fire their passion back up from where they'd left off.

Roman caught a glimpse of bright orange and yellow slither beneath a slit in the hammered timber just before he looked at her flesh still percolating tiny remnants of sweat. It was making him hot. Even hotter the more he zoomed his eyes to her bronze shimmering.

He was still zoning in on her beauty amidst the aquatic ambience, his head swirling thoughts.
She's something quite special in fact
. But he knew there would be plenty of time for all of that later.

Pulling himself from his digression he said,  "Yep. Pure and simple-- fraud... They're all a bunch of money-grubbing asses--"

Her easy smile quickly shifted to a more serious point. "I can't believe all this time I've been--" she paused and took another deep breath, angling her sights past his shoulder. The yacht looked modest now from her vantage point. Not at all like the great behemoth that had always stood to dominate the entire harbor. She'd fought the emotions tending to rise up as she stared into its profile circling a captive audience in uniform.

Her gaze fixed onto the gently rolling waves with a contented sigh. But then, her eyes darted to the yacht and then back to him before she said, "I feel so stupid."

Before her morose could stir any further, he pulled her into his arms.

"These guys were smart," Roman interrupted, as she settled deeper into the stifling heat of his chest. She could feel his stubble bristle against her ear. "You can't blame yourself," he said.

Amazed at the fallout, she confirmed, "You're right. I don't know what I was thinking." She shifted a bit as she eased out of him saying, "They're definitely a bunch of asses alright."

She couldn't believe how relieved it made her feel to just belt the hostility right out. Without the help of any malleable ball of foam rubber... no pressure points to absolve any pent up tension-- of course. Not this time. She'd hadn't wanted any of it every since Roman's sentiment still echoed...
BREATHE
.

She started, "Hey, but what about--"

"Remember Finch Young's multi-million dollar client Strayhan," he told her. "Here's the thing. Well, a portion of those millions weren't without a little creative number crunching on Oliver Trumball's-- your former boss'-- part of the operation.”

"Yeah. I found--" Danielle cupped the back pockets of her jeans where she had stuffed the folded papers neatly into its tight crevice earlier.

Barely a second later she said, "It must have slipped my mind in all the raucous." She whipped the papers from her pockets and unfolded them, bonding with the sweat of her fingertips. The edges were slightly crumpled when she gestured to Roman, "See, right here is the evidence we need to pin them to the wall for good."

Roman was skilled in deciphering the unfamiliar. And when it came to finance, technology might well have been his secondary profession in another life. He glanced at the papers in awe of what she'd discovered. He knew she was most astutely the woman who knew her job inside and out. And it didn't surprise him that she'd proved to be even more of the feisty expert than she led on.

"You managed all that?" he said.

"It was a dizzying journey aboard that huge thing. But yeah," she said. "I came across the papers when I happened to stumble across a private office-- that same office housing Macgregor's reports. It was all right there. As if someone had left in a hurry. But now we know who... and why they were in such a hurry to run."

Roman looked up from the papers, as Danielle folded the facts supporting the cover-up and tucked them back into her pockets.

"We haven't mentioned Strayhan's involvement in all this. The man with his multi-millions, and what he'd do for a quick buck," she said.

"I was just getting to
him
." Roman cleared his throat just before he said, "Strayhan was just a patsy picking up the slack for
their headman, the mastermind--
Peterson who'd spent much of his time sailing around the world. Peterson was rarely seen, but always heard."

“They all did Peterson's dirty work using his yacht for transport. It seems Peterson had flown a massive fortune over here in Europe, but he had connections to the states to feed his feasting frenzy. It seems he pushed his luck," Roman grinned, but then his small smile quickly broadened.

Shaking his head in disgust at the entire situation, Roman said, "Billions in cash was a dollar for dollar discount to mark his greatest achievement... and that was cheapening Finch Young to the scum of the earth. And he'd almost hit the jackpot until the day he screwed my dad over.”

”And then there's Finch. He was too busy on the golf course to care. After Finchley senior left him in charge, the whole firm's reputation went downhill from there on. Nothing was what it appeared. He left all these guys-- his senior management guys and lest we forget, gals like you, pretty much in charge and turned his back on all of what his father had built forty-years ago."

Roman swallowed, trying not to fume his emotion. "Not to mention my father. Those jerks bamboozled my dad out of millions. This was my way of payback. We had to catch these guys so they couldn't hurt anybody else again."

"I had no idea... your father. I feel like such a fool." She lifted a hand to his shoulder.

"We couldn't trust anyone. I've had to take a pretty cautious and vigilant approach with whomever I came in contact with. There were only a handful of people who knew the real nuts and bolts of things."

"Top secret stuff. Yeah, I know." She had to admit she had never believed, nor had the willing composure to realize exactly why she'd posed such embarrassing behavior only to realize he'd felt the same way about her. He'd do anything for her.

Danielle's heart barely slowed from all the excitement, when it hit her--

"Oh my god Roman, I just remembered--" Danielle exhausted a heavy breath that forced her hair clear away from her face as she cupped her forehead. He heard her sigh before she said, "My--"

She could hardly edge the words feeling inauspicious when he said, "I know. Don't worry... I assure you." His lips pursed a smile. Only for some reason, she wasn't worried when she saw his eyes were steady on her, so full of desire. "Your purse and valise are safe back at the hotel." Danielle barely held back a sigh of relief as she pushed a hand through her long dark curls.

"You know, when I found your pink suede, I was worried out of my mind. But then in my gut, I knew you were--" He hedged, "Let's just say I knew Barton had brought you aboard. And before you say anything, I already know what you're thinking. Believe me, I have my ways."

Danielle's grin told him that she'd been more than satisfied with his response. Roman was pleased that she'd warmed up to the not so obvious. No question about it.

"I was there to protect you. But it looks like you did a pretty good job of that on your own." Roman's words were kind. So kind in fact that she'd started to tingle across the same place he'd strewn a row of kisses up her collarbone during their passionate spa rendezvous.

Roman nodded at her, and his expression changed from reposed relief to regret.

"I'm so sorry I had to mislead you." Roman heard himself say out of nowhere. "I wasn't trying to give the wrong impression about myself."

Danielle empathized, fighting back a smile. Looking back at the yacht posed too many memories than she could count. Both good and bad. But especially the fact that she'd almost lost the one true thing that mattered most to her. All because of... well, more than a little misunderstanding. And what she
thought
she saw. What she believed. Here she was ridiculing him about trust, but she had done the same thing.

She knew what she had to do.

Danielle placed his hand in hers, sliding her other hand on top of his warmth. With honest eyes she looked up at him. "Roman, I'm sorry I ever doubted you. You were just doing your job."

He found himself almost smiling back at her, seeing how she had understood his grounds and rationale for the way he had acted.

"I totally get it... One slip up and the whole thing could've been blown," she added.

"Right. Did I mention that--" Roman paused. Now, he was holding her hand as he revisited the matter in clarification. "They needed someone to hack the system, so that's what I did. I was handling the tech side of things. I won't bore you with the details of all that technical jargon you don't care to hear about. But, our men were working four corners of the globe on this. Honey, we got it covered."

"You called me
honey
." Roman listened as her words rang soft in his ear the moment she'd echoed his sentiment.

Even though she was slicked in sweat and she stored the vision of him dripping buckets, the heat between them wasn't surprising. Her heart was pulsing out of her chest, beyond overdrive. His hand was smooth as he caressed her cheek, "You have nothing to worry about. Especially since I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere, that is-- if you
want me
to stay."

Roman winked his dimple at her just before he'd said, "Of course you're my
honey
. Sweet, sultry, and luscious." Danielle couldn't get enough of his sweet talk the second he added, "And tasting
so good
."

His fingers threaded into her hair, while his hand never left hers. "Danielle, I hope you know and always remember that..." His hand tightened around hers the moment he'd said, "You mean the world to me." He'd uttered the words before she'd seen it coming. Her heart had just about burst from the sentiment.

Moving their steps along the water's edge his hand moved behind her back and she blushed in a heartbeat. Gentle breezes swept their skin in a soft caress cooling the heat that had already built up a mountain of steam between them.

His hand felt warm smoothing against her leather, now that the modest breeze was starting to send a light chill up her spine and sleeves.

Shifting winds had become more evident so close to the water, as they both walked up the length of the dock towards land and lush valley.

But then he'd stopped midpoint of the pier as she turned to face him. Danielle looked up into Roman's eyes as he said softly, "Danielle, I know I told you earlier, but I just want to make sure you're okay about everything. I want to apologize properly."

Holding her waist with his strong hands he told her, "Honestly, I'm so sorry. About everything. I truly am." His little dimple perked up his smile, "Forgive me?" It was no surprise that she'd felt a tremor journey up her insides, coursing with his love.

She swallowed just before she said, "Roman, I'm sorry too. I mean for not telling you about the engagement."

Her eyes welled tears all at once. "The way my heart feels being with you," she said softly, "My heart never felt this way with Jack."

With tear-streaked cheeks, she asked, "You know that don't you?"

"He never really meant anything to me," she said in absolute honesty. "At least not what you mean to me." Her lilt softened and her guileless green eyes sparkled emerald the moment she added, "That probably came out the wrong way."

He moved closer to her, his hand tilted her chin just enough that her eyes linked with his as she looked up at him intensely.

"I totally understand." He said with equal softness. "I gotcha sweetheart." Roman was on a roll with all his catchy heartfelt euphemisms. The words purred off his tongue in a sensual arousal that had her hunger for his huskiness to permeate her soul. Danielle swooped her hands through her hair as a shiver of attraction rippled through her.

Roman could see it in the whisper of light that marbled her eyes like crystallized jade. He could feel it in his bones -- arousing every cell in his body -- Her love for him that was tantalizing his flesh out there in the middle of the pier.

He would have done anything for her. Given up everything for her. Roman had never met a woman that made him feel that love could be more than a casual affair. He'd never known love to be all-encompassing, the most pleasurable feeling that would cause a man to tie everyday to paradise, and wake with a smile on his face.

His hazel was glowing back at her when she said, "You mean everything--" She gently stroked his hair back that was feathering the tips of his lashes. Even if her touch was so smooth, angelic and gentle, he had to feel her love poured deeper than words.

"You mean the world to me Roman."

For a woman who'd shied away from her past... a woman who'd valued independence... and zoned in on one thing, and one thing only-- a career, he was touched. The loneliness she'd felt for a lifetime was eased, by the sense of finally having a love to share her life with. And, finally, she wouldn't have to dream it anymore.

Combing his hair with her fingers, she said, "I never thought that way about him, the way I feel about you. I mean the way my heart gets like some over-sentimental maudlin poet." She watched him try to grin. "Seriously Roman, I couldn't look at another man and feel the way that I feel about you."

She feathered his brow as he leaned toward her. Roman painted a lovely smile on his face, as he slipped his arm around her waist.