Authors: Corinne Davies
The tea wasn’t as good as the scotch, but it was pleasant enough and allowed him a clearer head to decide what his next move would be. His plans had changed. He was going to ensure that both the Kincaids trusted him, because he wanted them both in his bed as soon as possible. All that was left to decide was if he should attempt to seduce them at the same time or separately.
* * * *
Kass didn’t miss the appreciative looks that Miguel was giving her from his place on the sofa. He remained relaxed and stretched out like a cat in a ray of sunshine. But she could see the predator behind his lazy gaze. Truth be told, Miguel gave off a lot of false impressions. He looked like an overgarbed fop, but she could see his clothes had been carefully tailored to him, more so than any other noble person would’ve had them. Even if he hadn’t admitted to being a mercenary, she might have guessed. Then again perhaps not.
She idly rubbed the spot on her palm where he’d nipped her earlier. It didn’t hurt, but the memory of it remained, making her want to feel more. Her carefully cultivated mask of ice-cold indifference had been demolished by Julien earlier, and now she struggled to keep it in place.
Ever since she’d walked in the room and clapped her eyes on the enigmatic man, she’d envisioned herself between them.
“I’m sure it wasn’t simply the money that brought you all the way out here, Miguel. What else have you got up your sleeves?”
“You’re free to take off my shirt and look for yourself, Julien.”
Miguel looked at Julien like a feast in front of a starving man. She’d expected that Julien would find a lover at some point during their separation. That it wasn’t another woman was more than a little relief. She’d grown up in the New World surrounded by their moral outrage and strict rules regarding relationships, but she’d lived the darker side of that civilization. For all their self-righteous morality, the New World harbored a dark side. For the last few years she’d associated with Old World pirates and their common ménage relationships.
Looking back and forth between them she realized that more than anything she wanted to see the two of them together. It was not like she hadn’t been exposed to that before. She spent months on the
Apollo
learning how to navigate the skies, and Liam and Tristan couldn’t keep their hands off each other for more than a few hours. With Yzzi as their third, Kass imagined the three of them disappeared for days at a time. The love the three of them shared had made her wonder if Julien wanted the same thing in his life. He’d never mentioned it to her, but he’d hidden a lot of secrets from her.
Yzzi reminded Kass of herself, before she’d been torn apart and then carefully tied back together. Only it took one night for the knots to come loose and Kass had fallen apart again.
“Perhaps Kass might be more interested?”
She jerked her attention back to the conversation. Both Julien and Miguel looked at her. Being caught under their dual stare made her wet between the legs, and she automatically shifted to try to ease the pressure. Julien’s eyes narrowed as if he knew what she was doing while Miguel looked delighted.
“I’m sorry, all this male showboating was far too boring to keep my attention, and my mind wandered. Could you repeat the question?”
That angered both men, and Kass felt some relief. She could handle herself against anger, but when faced with hunger, she didn’t know what to do next.
“I’m beginning to understand why you were so angry when you entered the room, Julien.”
“I don’t think you understand half of what you think you do,” Kass shot back in defense. Miguel was a sly, observant man, but there was no way he was that good.
“She needs a good spanking or better yet a flogging.” Miguel brushed off his arm as he settled back against the cushions.
Kass flinched at that comment, and memories of the night she left
Atlantis
flooded back in a rush that left her nauseous. “I’ll put a bullet in
anyone
who attempts it.” She lifted her teacup and took a sip, trying hard to control the hammering of her heart. She’d left the saucer on the table in front of her. No point in giving away her true feelings by the sound of china rattling against itself.
“I believe you were talking about Dubrova and why he wants Julien dead. If you weren’t his lover,” she directed at Julien and did her best to ignore Miguel for the moment, “what business were you in together?”
“We’ve worked together to crush a few lines of human trafficking, but that’s all.”
He’s lying to me.
Kass knew that as sure as she knew that she would take the first opportunity to escape this place. Lying was a skill Julien had perfected, but she’d always seen through it. Which is why she’d run away that night two years ago. She couldn’t bear the thought that he would whip anyone so viciously. “If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I’m going to go freshen up and check on my crew.”
“Your crew is fine, Kassandra.” Julien sat back in his chair, a glass of scotch in his hand. “You’re to stay on this level unless I accompany you.”
“A prisoner once again I see.”
“You were never a prisoner, Kassandra. Until I know I can trust you, then you will stay where I can keep an eye on you.”
“Then we will be spending a great deal of time together,” she snapped as she got to her feet. “Mr. de La Vega, it was a pleasure meeting you. I wish you a safe journey on your travels.”
Miguel had risen to his feet when she stood up. “I hope this is not the last we see of each other, Kass.” He walked over to her and lifted her hand to his lips. She froze, uncertain what he planned to do. Her palm tingled where he’d nipped it before, but this time he pressed a soft kiss to the backs of her knuckles. She felt slightly disappointed when he let her go. Then she berated herself for being foolish.
She turned and jerked to a stop when she came face-to-face with Julien. He’d silently moved behind her while Miguel had kept her attention. “Dinner will be served at seven. Try not to get into trouble between now and then.”
Kass inclined her head but refused to say anything. She stepped past him and out of the door. Once the door slid shut behind her, she took in a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She hadn’t realized how much their presence had affected her until she’d gained some space.
“Try not to get into trouble…” She parroted Julien’s posh tone and warning, and she strode down the hallway. If he thought for one moment that she would remain on this level when her crew was somewhere else on the ship, he truly had gone insane.
Relying on her memory, she navigated her way around a series of corridors until she found what she was looking for, the stairwell to the lower levels.
Atlantis
was set up like a labyrinth deliberately as a defense against invasion. Only a crew member with intimate knowledge of the layout could successfully navigate, and anyone else would easily lose their way around.
Her hand was on the handle when she paused. This was too easy. He would expect her to defy him right away and head down there. She wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if he had a guard on the other side of this door or one waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. She could push the issue right now or bide her time. Her crew would be well taken care of. Julien was a bastard, but he wasn’t completely evil. She stepped away from the door and continued on her way down the hallway.
She’d turned two more corners when she almost ran into one of Julien’s men. She didn’t recognize him. He was built like a black bear and resembled one as well. Broad chested with long black hair and a beard, he lifted his eyebrows as if he hadn’t expected to come across her. “Mrs. Kincaid?”
“Please call me Kass,” she automatically replied. Being referred to as Mrs. Kincaid felt like someone poking a tender bruise on her heart.
“My name is Grizz. The captain asked me to escort you to your room.”
“I would greatly appreciate that.” She gave the man her best innocent smile. “I haven’t been here in years and completely forgot my way around. It’s very confusing with all the corridors.”
“That’s understandable, ma’am.” He smiled back, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Come this way please.”
He held out his arm, and she laid her hand on his thick forearm. As they moved she chatted about how much things had changed since she’d been here and how much she was looking forward to getting to know everyone again. Meanwhile she planned her next move. Grizz was far too observant, and while he was obviously willing to play the game, she didn’t think he believed her “lost” story.
When Grizz stopped at Julien’s private quarters, her temper started to boil. “Why are we stopping here?”
“This is where you will be staying.”
“No. Please escort me to one of the guest chambers and I’ll be quite comfortable there.”
“Sorry, Mrs. Kincaid, Captain specifically requested you stay here. Some of your belongings have already been transferred from your ship to this room. We’ll see to the rest shortly.”
She frowned up at him for using her married name and set her molars together before she snapped at him, “Please, don’t rush on my account. There isn’t much aboard my ship that I need, and I’m sure what has been brought here already is fine.”
Grizz nodded his head. “Have a nice evening, ma’am.”
“You, too, Grizz. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
The big man turned and headed down the corridor as Kass hit the entrance button with her fist. “High handed. Arrogant. Bossy.” She started listing off Julien’s qualities that annoyed her most. Looking around the room made one thing abundantly clear. She needed a plan for a quick escape. His room had not changed a whit since the day she left. There were too many memories in here.
She ran her hand along one of the four posts that stood at each bed corner. Closing her eyes made the memories harder to withstand. In her naiveté she’d seen Julien as her hero. A man who whisked her away from slavery, who gave her a place to call home, safety, and security, and she loved him body and soul. He had secrets. She’d known that but had been willing to overlook it.
He’d handfasted with her, something she’d been certain would never happen considering she’d been a den slave. It’d been luck that she’d been slated to be auctioned off the day Julien had raided the pits holding her. Something about him…she’d known she could trust him the moment he scooped her up and handed her a gun, telling her to shoot every slaver she saw.
A sharp knock at the door yanked her out of her musings. She strode out of the bedroom and into the sitting area, curious who was on the other side. Julien would’ve walked in without any warning. “Come in.”
The door whisked open and a different guard stepped into the room. Kass casually dropped her hand to her hip and slipped her fingers into the slit in the material, easing her gun out of the holster strapped to her leg.
“Captain asked me to bring these up here, ma’am.”
“Yes, of course.” Kass backed to the side but kept her weapon in her hand. Three uniformed men carried a trunk each and placed it in the bedroom. She’d be willing to bet that Julien had her trunks searched before bringing them up here. He wasn’t a stupid man, but she’d learned a couple tricks over the years.
Chapter Four
Julien fought the urge to follow Kassandra out into the hallway. He imagined she would make a beeline straight for her ship or sit quietly and plan. Personally he hoped she headed for her ship. It would be much easier to deal with her then.
He walked over to the sideboard and picked up the intercom. He waited as it buzzed twice on the other end. “Yes, sir,” a voice answered.
“Grizz, have men posted at the bottoms of all the stairwells leading to the lower levels. My wife is aboard and is confined to this level for now. Have Gabe and Raz return her crew to the
Aphrodite
and send them to the surface on the mission we discussed.”
“Right away, sir.”
“Oh, Grizz, don’t underestimate Kassandra. If she smiles and acts completely calm, she’s planning something.”