Whatever It Takes (35 page)

Lowering his head, Eli took her mouth in a soft, tender caress. He wanted to go slow, savor every sigh, swallow every gasp. Her lips yielded under his as she wrapped her arms around his neck, sinking into him, surrendering. With sensual intent, he made love to her mouth as his hands slid over her body, loosening and removing clothing as he went. In less than a minute, her shirt, jeans, and underwear were scattered on the floor at their feet.

When he lifted his head, her eyes were brimming with warm laughter. “What?”

“Should I be worried that you can strip me without me even being aware of it?”

“Another one of my superpowers.”

“I hope you never use your superpowers on anyone else.”

“This one is reserved strictly for you.”

“I love you, Eli. More than I can ever say, ever communicate.”

“I know you do, and that’s why you’re going to let me have my way.”

“Oh yeah? And just exactly what do you want?”

“I want to love you until you’re breathless. Until every bone and muscle in your body is limp from pleasure. I want to be so deep inside you that my heartbeat will become yours. Will you let me?”

Her eyes were dreamy, already glazed with passion and heat. “Only if you let me return the favor.”

“Deal.” Scooping her into his arms, he carried her to the bed. Lowering her gently onto the pillows, Eli followed her down. Then, beginning at her forehead, he trailed kisses down her body, stopping and savoring tender or fragrant spots along the way. How he adored this woman. From the moment he’d seen Kathleen, he’d felt a connection with her unlike any other person he’d ever known. It was inexplicable, yet he had never been more sure of anything in his life. This woman was meant for him.

Supple skin, covered in a light dew of perspiration, pliant under his mouth, tasted like heaven. Breathy moans, groaning sighs of acceptance, were the most erotic sounds he’d ever heard. And were driving him crazy. 

Pulling away, he looked down at her and smiled. Eyes closed, skin flushed pink with arousal, she was undulating on the bed, almost as crazed as he was. He wanted her more crazed, hotter, needier than she’d ever been before. So consumed with desire, her only thought would be to let herself go, to lose herself in him.

He moved to the end of the bed.

She raised her head slightly. “What are you doing?”

“Loving you.” This time, he started from the bottom. Holding a slender foot in his hand, he peppered kisses down her arch, over her heel, and then up her firm, shapely calf.

“What are you doing to me, Eli?”

“I’m driving you as crazy as you drive me.”

“Come up here, and let’s drive each other crazy together.”

“Be right there.” Lifting her leg, he bent it forward, opening her up to his gaze. Strawberry-red curls covered her sex. Eli bent over her, inhaled the delicious scent of arousal and the delicate fragrance that was a natural part of her essence. 

“Eli, please.”

He blew softly over her curls, and she arched up, her body asking, seeking. He obliged. Burying his face between her legs, he plunged his tongue into her, loving her taste, the contractions of her soft as silk flesh as she came, the scream of his name from her lips.

No longer able to hold back, he went to his knees and slid his length deep into her. He groaned at the hot silk enveloping him. Leaning over her, balancing himself on his arms, he cupped her face in his hands and locked his gaze with hers. He wanted to watch her come again. See those amazing eyes go blank with pleasure.

“I love you, Kat.” He thrust hard, then held still. “You’re mine. Always.”

“Yes, I am. And you are—” Her breath hitched as she clenched around him.

“Say it, Kat. What am I?”

 “You are…” She let loose a scream as she came again.

Laughing his triumph, Eli thrust harder and then exploded. Burying his face against her neck, he growled, “I am what? Tell me, Kat. What am I?”

“My everything, Eli,” she whispered softly. “You’re my everything.”

Kathleen gave a luxurious stretch and opened her eyes. Deliciously slow loving, then a few hours’ sleep, and she now felt fabulous. She smiled as she remembered how incredible Eli had been. No one had ever treated her so tenderly, with such reverent passion. His hands and mouth had moved softly, slowly, sweetly over her body as if she were the most precious of jewels. She had felt cherished, treasured. They’d held on to each other for several moments afterward, cherishing the rare moment of peace and fulfillment. Seconds later, she had fallen into the sublime sleep of complete contentment. And now, every part of her body sang with supreme satisfaction.

Turning her head, she saw the empty pillow and frowned. She had hoped he would sleep longer. He’d had even less rest than she had last night and had to be exhausted.

She could barely comprehend that the nightmare was almost over. After living with intense fear every day when Eli was out of her sight for even a few seconds, she felt as light as a fluffy cloud, as though a tremendous weight had been removed from her shoulders. Yes, there were still unanswered questions, but within a few days, if not less, they should have all the answers they’d been searching for. And once they did, they would hunt down this man and end his evil.

After it ended…after it was over, Kathleen, Eli, Sophia, and Violet would be a family. She had no doubts about that. Was she terrified? Absolutely. This wasn’t what she’d ever thought to have…would ever allow herself to have. But now? She wanted nothing more. The joy of loving him, being loved in return, far outweighed the fear of losing them. One day or a hundred years, whatever amount of time she was given, she wanted to spend with Eli, and with Sophia and Violet.

She couldn’t wait to get started on their life together. 

Like a cloud that appears from nowhere and shadows the sun, an ominous darkness washed over her bright optimism. She didn’t know why, but she had the sudden compulsion to be with Eli. Almost as if he needed her with him this very moment.

Kathleen jumped out of bed and threw on the clothes Eli had taken off her earlier. In less than a minute, she was out the door. By the time she made it to the stairway, she was running. Practically flying down the stairs, she skidded to a stop in the foyer, unsure where he’d be. Soft music came from the small private dining room, and Kathleen headed toward it. If he wasn’t there, she’d find Teresa and ask her where he was. She told herself everything was okay. That she was in a panic for nothing.

She stopped at the door, startled at the scene before her. Her instincts must be way off, because this wasn’t Eli upset or in danger. This was Eli at his finest. Dressed in a pair of gray slacks and a royal blue cashmere pullover, standing at the head of the table, he was every woman’s fantasy. A wave of longing and immense love swept through her. How on earth had she gotten so lucky?

Tearing her eyes away from him, she took in the room. Candles flickered in the soft lighting, creating a romantic ambience. Dreamy, instrumental music played in the background, setting the mood for seduction. A bouquet of roses sat in the middle of the table, which was set with fine china, gleaming silverware, and sparkling crystal stemware. 

Eli moved toward her, the expression on his face one of tenderness and love. Kathleen figured she was going to melt on the spot. Never had anyone looked at her like that. 

“What’s all this?” she asked.

When he reached her, he took her hands in his, kissed her forehead, her nose, and then very softly, but thoroughly, kissed her mouth. Lifting his head, he said quietly, “You need to know how much I love you, adore you. If it were within my power, every day of your life would be filled with flowers, sunshine, music, and laughter.”

Emotions clogged her throat. She wanted to say something equally as eloquent and beautiful. She wanted him to know just how incredible he was and how very much she loved him. All she was able to manage was, “You’re like a dream come true.”

“I want to make all your dreams come true. Will you let me?”

“If you let me return the favor.”

“Deal,” he answered softly.

She glanced down at her clothes and grimaced. “I’m not dressed for anything fancy.”

“You’re beautiful in anything. Don’t you know that, Kat?”

If he said anything more, she was going to dissolve in a puddle in the middle of the floor. Hearing a slight sound, Kathleen peeked around Eli’s shoulder. Teresa stood in the doorway with a tray in her hand and a beaming smile on her face. 

“The table looks lovely, Teresa.”

“Oh, that wasn’t me. Mr. Eli insisted on setting it.” She laughed and added, “I supervised, though.”

Kathleen looked up at Eli. “It’s going to be a perfect night.”

Something flashed in his expression. Before she could decipher the look, he said, “You must be starving.”

Wanting to return to the earlier, sexy moment, she whispered so only Eli could hear, “In more ways than one.”

Heat and gentle amusement glittered in his eyes. “Let’s start here, and we’ll go somewhere else for dessert.”

Eli pulled a chair out for her and then seated himself. The plan was for Teresa to bring the entire meal to the table and leave. He had debated how to do this. There was no simple way to break someone’s heart. A part of him wanted to just say the words and get it done so he could start helping her heal. Another part of him wanted to delay for as long as he could. He was compromising. She’d had almost no food today. Half a pastry and coffee this morning and no lunch. The least he could do was provide her with sustenance to deal with what lay ahead.

Determined that she relax and enjoy the meal, Eli concentrated on light topics. Where would she most like to go on holiday, favorite books, movies, music. Even though he had an agenda, he was enjoying himself, too. Watching her eyes dancing with amusement, that beautiful, mobile mouth curve in a sweet smile, seeing her completely relax and be herself was a gift.

All too soon the salad, lasagna, and wine had been consumed. He’d refilled her glass a couple of times. He didn’t want her drunk, but he had the hope that the alcohol would numb the pain, at least a little.

She relaxed in her chair with a happy sigh. “Hands down, best meal ever.” She glanced at his plate and frowned. “Did you not like it?”  

He’d barely eaten a bite. A lump of dread had almost blocked his ability to swallow. “I had a snack when I woke up so I’m not that hungry.”

Placing her napkin beside her plate, she pushed her chair back. “I’m going to let Teresa know how fabulous the meal was, then we’ll clean this up.”

Eli stood. “You can tell Teresa tomorrow. And she said to not worry with the dishes, she’ll take care of them.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. I—” Concern darkened her eyes. “Eli, what’s wrong? Do you not feel well?”

Reaching for her hand, he pulled her from the room. “I’m fine. I—” Eli shook his head to clear it. If he weren’t careful, he’d screw this up worse than it already was. “While you were sleeping, I did a little more digging. Found something else.”

“Really? What?”

As inane as it sounded, he’d fretted over where to tell her this news. The place he told her would most likely taint it with the memory of devastation. He didn’t want any room in the house to have a bad memory for her. But there was one place they could go that was already contaminated. “Let’s go to the conference room.”

She let him lead her, a worried little frown still on her face. Hoping to lighten the mood, he said, “Once this is all over, I’m going to have this room gutted. Maybe even replace it with something else.”

They stopped at the door, and she gave him a crooked, awkward smile, so unlike the natural ones during dinner. Despite his efforts, she sensed whatever he had to tell her would upset her.

“Sounds good to me. If I never have to see this room again, it’ll be too soon for me.”

“Agreed.” He opened the door, and they walked in together.

She was nervous and had no idea why. Eli’s somber, serious expression told her whatever he’d learned was more than some tidbit of information they hadn’t had before. And he believed it would upset her.

“Let’s sit down.”

“You’re scaring me, Eli. Whatever it is, just tell me. Okay?”

“I’m sorry. That’s the last thing I want. It always struck me as strange that the woman who approached Teresa at the store wanted her to poison you, too. The more I thought about it, the more it got me to wondering.”

He glanced down at a small stack of paper on the table. “There were dozens of names on the list of contributors to the Grinstead Foundation.” 

Kathleen nodded. “I never went through the whole list, but I figured there were probably others. This guy was too smooth to only have a handful of people he was blackmailing.”

“There was another name on that list. I didn’t catch it at first, because the amount was much less than for Mathias, Braden, and the three others. But the name caught my eye, so I did some more digging, and I’m now certain an additional man was involved in the robberies.”

“Really? Why didn’t you say so? Who is he? What do you know about him? Did he—” She stopped abruptly when she saw the truth in his eyes. She shook her head slowly, denying.

“The name was Daniel Callahan. Sweetheart, I believe your father participated in those hold-ups.”

Her legs shaky, she dropped abruptly onto the sofa, barely noting that Eli sat down beside her, took her hand in his. 

“But how is that… I don’t understand how… He never said… In Nebraska…where? I don’t…” She knew she was rambling incoherently, but for the life of her, she couldn’t seem to piece together a complete sentence. 

Eli’s voice, deep and reassuringly calm, broke into her stuttering mind. “He would have been a little younger than Mathias. Maybe nineteen. Likely before he even met your mother.”

Her heart set up a loud pounding in her chest as reality slapped her in the face. “He was the first one killed, wasn’t he? The payments stopped thirteen years ago. My father was found dead thirteen years ago.” 

She closed her eyes as the awful truth slammed through her. “It wasn’t an accident. He didn’t fall from that bridge.”