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“Yes, you can,” he said calmly.
She screamed uncontrollably as pleasure hit her in a series of waves. “Amazing,” she managed to pant out when the shattering sensation finally subsided. “You’re amazing.”
“We’re good together,” Diego agreed as he rested back.
For how long, she wondered? Turning to imprint his face on her memory, she whispered groggily, “Check in with Amber in the morning.”
“Amber? What?” Sitting up, he stared at her as if she was mad. “I don’t think Alexei would appreciate that.”
“You can say hello, can’t you?”
“I’m always polite. What’s this about, Celina? You’re talking in riddles.”
“I’m tired,” she excused. “And I blame you for exhausting me.” Resting her head on the thick bank of pillows, she slanted a sleepy look at him. “Please? Be friendly to her. She’ll think you don’t like her. Just do this one thing. For me?”
“All right,” he agreed, frowning as he settled down at her side. “I still don’t see why I should make a special effort to speak to Amber.”
“Just because,” she murmured in reply.
~~o0o~~
The post-match debrief the following morning was a tense affair. He had woken shortly after dawn to find the bed empty. He hadn’t had a chance to speak to Amber, and even then she might not know anything. If she did, the thought that Celina trusted her friend more than him offended him. Thrusting his chair back, he swore viciously.
“Diego?”
He stared levelly at Alexei, and the big Russian backed off. They all knew when not to prod each other. Has she really gone? Was she taunting him last night, or asking him to follow her? The only clue she’d been in his bed were his sated muscles and the indentation on the pillow where she’d slept for at least part of the night. She was a no-show for work this morning too. He’d checked the estate and asked questions, but no one had seen her. She’d gone, one of the grooms told him when he searched the stables. Gone? Gone where? The groom’s guilty expression suggested Diego should be worried, but the groom had refused to betray Celina’s whereabouts. “Is she in danger?” Diego had demanded roughly, a victim to his mounting concern. “You’d better tell me if you know—”
“Do we have your attention, Diego?”
He fired a look at Cesar, the man asking the question, arguably the coldest member of their team. “You have it,” he responded in a tone that made the other team members glance at him with surprise.
The need to get away so he could find her was eating him alive, but this was a crucial annual meeting, and he had to see it through. He was glad when the spotlight switched to someone else and he could review what he knew about Celina, which was very little, he concluded, grimacing. Like everyone else, he knew what she’d been through prior to working for Blood and Thunder. People talked. Gossip was rife in the stables. He couldn’t blame her friends for their loyalty, but he had to have something to go on. Her clothes were still hanging in the wardrobe. Her bed was neatly made. Her room was spotless. There was even a small arrangement of newly picked wildflowers on the dressing table that made it seem as if she’d just stepped out. She hadn’t left a note. That stung like hell. Celina Petrovka had exited his life in the same unorthodox manner in which she’d entered it.
“Could you stop that, please?”
He looked up as Alexei, the big, granite-jawed hardman of the team, addressed him. “What am I doing now?” he demanded, bristling.
“Tapping your pen so hard on the table that you’re making the coffeepot shake,” Alexei warned him.
“Moi izvineniya. My apologies Alexei. I was not aware of it,” he growled in English, the chosen language of the team. “I didn’t have much sleep last night.” As his colleagues shifted position as if to say they knew what he’d been up to, he added, “I’m a little distracted this morning,” in a harsher tone.
Everyone around the table had the good sense not to reply.
So where was she? He got curious looks when he growled with frustration and frowned.
“Celina?” Alexei asked him when the meeting drew to a close.
“Have you seen her?” He stared at each of his colleagues in turn.
“She’s out there somewhere,” Cesar commented unhelpfully.
“Cesar,” Dante reprimanded with a look. Dante Formosa, Diego’s Argentinian teammate, was another recent convert to the world of romance. “For God’s sake, show some heart.”
“How can Cesar do that when he doesn’t have one?” Alexei commented dryly.
This produced a half-hearted laugh, but Diego didn’t rise to the bait. Even if he was the only one who was worried about Celina’s disappearance, the team could at least pretend to be concerned. She was still their employee. They had a duty of care.
“All right, all right! I give in! What’s bugging you, Diego?” Alexei asked.
