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“Taking a last stroll before bedtime—thought I might check things in the tech suite.” She shrugged.
Amber looked in no way convinced. “Had a good night?”
“Very good.” She relaxed as they exchanged a knowing smile. That was better. Amber guessing that she’d been with Diego was safer than guessing where she intended to go next.
“Is a replacement vehicle on its way?” she asked the head groom, trying not to sound too interested.
“Yes,” he confirmed. “But it won’t arrive tonight.”
“Were you thinking of going into town with them?” Amber queried as the grooms walked away. “You’re not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?”
“Like going into town for a drink?”
“You know what I mean,” Amber insisted. “Like launching a one-woman assault on the slavers?”
“As if I’d do that.” She laughed, but it sounded brittle and false. “Though, if I did go, I’d leave you clues so you could get the team to follow me.”
“Don’t even joke,” Amber warned.
“Who says I’m joking?” She forced another laugh.
“Just don’t.” Amber frowned. “I’ve got to go. Alexei’s expecting me.” She walked away but stopped halfway across the yard to throw a worried look at Celina.
Celina waved and hoped her expression was reassuring. If Amber knew her plan, she’d tell Alexei, and then Diego would find out.
“Hey…”
She smiled to see Diego jogging down the wide sweep of steps in front of his grand mansion. “Back to the party?” he suggested, swinging a protective arm around her shoulders.
She loved the way he made her feel. Any contact between them made her heart soar, but his increasing interest suggested he would find her clues, and he would act on them too. “I was going to drop by the tech suite.”
“No work tonight,” he said firmly.
“Okay.” She knew that look in his eyes. He was thinking of another type of celebration altogether, one that was exclusive to them. Anticipation of pleasure made heat flash through her veins. There was no chance of a lift into town, and she could still check her preparations in the morning.
“Back to mine?” he suggested.
“Why not?” she asked, nestling close as he led her back toward his imposing home.
Chapter Eight
She was shocked into silence by her first sight of the interior of Diego’s magnificent mountain retreat. As a member of staff, she’d had no cause to go inside his home. The scale alone was mind-numbing. The splendor of the vaulted hallway, with its burnished paneling, sweeping staircase, and stone arches that must have seen generations of his family pass beneath them, was breathtaking.
“It’s been in my family for centuries,” he explained, waiting as she stared around.
And that’s why you’re so grounded and confident, she thought. He was like a tree that could withstand whatever nature threw at it, because he knew his place in the world.
“It was a monastery at one time,” he added as she turned full circle, trying to take everything in. “I have my forebears to thank for preserving so many of the original features.”
If the yawning gulf between them hadn’t been obvious before now, it was currently slapping her in the face. “It’s fabulous.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he said as he urged her on across the hallway toward one of the many heavy polished doors. His study, she presumed as he opened the door. There was a beautiful polished mahogany desk that could have come straight from a palace, and a comfortable leather sofa with a couple of easy chairs either side of a grand inglenook. He’d no sooner closed the door behind them than he boxed her in with his arms braced either side of her face. “What are you hiding from me, Celina?”
She tensed. “I don’t understand.”
“I think you do, and I’m tired of asking you the same question. I believe I’m getting to know you, and then I realize I don’t know you at all.” His gaze dropped to her mouth. “You should trust me enough by now to share your concerns. Did I mention that you’re also a hopeless liar?”
She couldn’t meet his gaze and looked away.
