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She couldn’t look away. It was weird as hell to be staring at him while he kissed her, but his features were so harsh they could have been cast from bronze, and his eyes burned back into hers. He was fierce, scorching hot, and in this moment, he was all hers.
Primal satisfaction swelled within her. She didn’t understand why he wanted her. He was thoughtful, protective, and a magnificent specimen of manhood. She was just… her. A woman who’d made too many mistakes, and would no doubt make many more. But when his slumberous gaze skimmed down her body, followed by his hands, then—dear God—his mouth, she was a seductress. One who moaned and whimpered and pressed ever closer.
Gradually, their kisses slowed, changing in temperament from desperate to tender. Their tongues danced, mouths mated, and after a long while, he just held her, positioning her head on his chest. She relaxed into him, listening to his heartbeat.
“Not yet,” he murmured, kissing her forehead. She didn’t know whether he was talking to her, or to himself. “We’ll get there. For now, let’s take it slow.”
Her body was alight for him, and her core throbbed with the memory of his face buried between her thighs, but she nodded and counted off the thuds of his heart. He stroked her hair, and held her like he never wanted to let go. She was on board with that. She’d be happy to stay here in his arms forever. But was that really a possibility?
25
The morning sunfiltered through the clouds, warming the top of Megan’s head as she played in the garden with Zee. She’d been teaching the dog how to navigate Bella’s seesaw, and while progress was slow, it was very rewarding, especially when she’d managed to lead her over it successfully while a couple of children watched, buzzing with excitement. Zee was still not fully grown, and she was too exuberant to follow directions for long.
Megan lobbed a ball and watched her race after it. A breeze stirred the air, and she tugged the sleeves of her jersey down to cover her hands, poking her thumbs through the holes in the cuffs. She’d never have gotten away with wearing something so scruffy when she lived with Charles. Not even to sleep in. Now, she relished it. Being inside the secondhand jersey felt like being in a warm embrace. She tucked her chin into the collar and rolled her eyes as Zee picked up the ball but refused to bring it back.
“Megan?”
She glanced over her shoulder at the sound of Kat’s voice. “Hey.”
Kat held up her phone. “Your brother is on the line.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t been expecting a call, and less than twenty-four hours had passed since her family left, so she accepted it with a little trepidation. “Hi, Mark, how are you?”
Kat went back inside to give her privacy.
“I’m okay.” He sounded distracted. “But Meg, there’s something you need to know. You might want to sit down.”
“Give me a moment.” She let herself in through the foyer, gestured to Kat that she was still using the phone, and paced down the hall to her room. Once inside, she locked the door and settled on the bed. It was unusual for Mark to be so serious, and she didn’t want their conversation to be interrupted. “I’m sitting down. What’s wrong?”
He sighed, and she pictured him raking a hand through his hair as he often did when he was distressed. “You’re going to be upset, so I’ll open with the best of the bad news.”
Her pulse seemed to speed up and slow down simultaneously. “What is it?”
“After you called Mum last week, I hired a private investigator to look into the Wentworths.”
Finally, she allowed herself to breathe. That wasn’t so bad. Perhaps she’d let herself get worked up about nothing. “Oh?”
“She found plenty to hint that the family is involved in shady dealings, but there’s no concrete evidence she could nail them with.”
Megan deflated, but wasn’t surprised. The Wentworths were careful. Especially Charles Senior, whose prominent position in the legal community made him a tempting target for blackmailers and criminals. “I guess it was too much to hope that they’d have slipped up somewhere.”
“Yeah.” He didn’t sound any more at ease than when he first called. “It gets worse. When we visited you, I called the P.I. and asked her to run background checks on Katarina Hopa and Tione Kingi to see if anything popped.” His words started to run together. “I just wanted to make sure you were safe. I didn’t expect her to find anything.”
Dread settled in the pit of Megan’s stomach. “But she did.”
“Yeah, she did.”
She rubbed her forehead, her fingers cold against her skin, and tasted something sour. “What?”
“Kat got a clean bill of health.”
She tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry. “And Tione?”
Mark was quiet. Seconds passed, but they felt like minutes. Finally, he said, “I just want you to know I’m sorry. I know you like this guy, but you’re my sister, and I’ve done a shitty job of keeping you safe. Better late than never, right?”
She noticed she was shaking her head, and stopped. “What are you on about? Get to the point, please.”
“Okay.” He exhaled shakily. “Have you ever heard of Michele Franklin?”
