Secret Seduction (5 page)

“I never did get to explain that.”

“Jason, you didn’t have to explain anything to me. It was written all over your face and was there in your eyes. I was drunk that night. God!” She closed her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest, laying her forehead on them. “How many times must we go through this?” Part of her wanted to cry, knowing that he didn’t think that way about her or that maybe their friendship had been ruined.

“Just once more, because you have yet to let me tell you my side of things.”

Taking a deep breath, she sat up straight, looked at him, and prepared herself for the worse.

“That night at Lynda’s party when you kissed me…” he started, and she held her breath and tried not to scream that they had to rehash one of the most embarrassing moments of her life over and over again.

“It’s true, I was caught off guard. I hadn’t thought of you, well, okay, I had, but I tried not to think of you in that way. I talked myself out of thinking of you that way. Then you were there and your lips were there…” He looked at her lips now and something shifted inside her, her stomach fluttered for reasons other than hunger. He was looking at her like she’d always wanted him to. “And I froze. My mind didn’t catch up with what had happened until after you had already stormed from the room. Then that day in the cafe, I was trying to explain when you received the call from your mother and, well, I never did get a chance to explain before you left to hike around the great unknown.” He was looking at his hands now and she realized she was still holding her breath.

“Jason, what exactly is it that you’re saying?”

He looked at her and for the first time since she’d met him, she couldn’t read what he was thinking. She’d never seen him looking so, so…what? Lost?

“I just need to try something out.” He started to lean closer to her, but before he got the chance, she pulled his head down to hers and placed her mouth on his. She couldn’t have stopped herself if she had tried, and she didn’t want to.

For the first time since that night at the party, she understood what it must have felt like being surprised at the contact. Instead of him just sitting there, unresponsive, he was actually pulling her closer as his lips moved slowly over hers. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think. His hands fisted in her hair and then he moved lightly, and on a moan, she closed her eyes and let the feeling of Jason kissing her take over.

How could she not get this? He was showing her everything he’d felt for her, his entire life, all wrapped up in one kiss. He didn’t want to lose her as a friend, he could never lose her, it would kill him. She smelled and tasted as good as he remembered and he wanted more of her. No, he
needed
more of her. Her hair felt so soft under his fingertips, and her skin was like silk. He ran his hand lightly down her cheek, running lower to the soft spot on her neck, then down her shoulder as he pulled her closer.

She melted against him and he heard her moan softly, almost making him lose complete control of himself. Pulling back slowly, he watched as her dark eyes focused on his face.

“I’ve tried not to think this way about you, tried not to want you for years.” He took her mouth again, this time running his hands up and down her back as she bowed and flexed under his touch. She was soft and when he pulled her farther down to the ground, a moan escaped his lips as he trailed hot kisses down her slender neck. Her hands were fisted in his hair and he could tell she had totally lost track of where they were, because she was moving under him, holding onto his hair, and the noises she was making sounded loud in the large field. He wondered what she would be like when he finally touched her, skin to skin.

My God! What would it be like when he took her? Would she scream? The thought made it almost unbearable to stop running his hands over her. But he slowly pulled away and looked down into her eyes. Her short dark hair was fanned out in the soft grass underneath them, her cheeks were the color of honey with a hint of pink, her lips… closing his eyes, he tried not to think about her lips again.

“Katie,” he opened his eyes to see her watching him cautiously, “we need to have that talk.” He sat up, removing himself from her soft body; he could get used to feeling it under his own.

He avoided looking at her to better control himself, and when he finally did look at her, he could see the hurt in her eyes. Putting his fingers under her chin, he pulled her face up until she looked at him.

“Don’t,” he said, softly. “I’m not sorry about the kiss, I actually want to do it again. But we have some things to talk about first, and I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. I was going to take us down the hill to that small town and see about getting some lunch.” He pointed off towards the left where she could see the small town.

“

Can you wait to get your answers until after we eat?”

She nodded her head as Jason stood up and puled her up behind him. Instead of letting her go, he pulled her into his arms and held onto her for just a minute. She smelled like flour with a hint of grass and heaven, which made him smile.

It was a short walk into the town, which sat on the side of a steep hill. The very old stone buildings were clustered within a three block radius. each well maintained and housing their own little shops.

They quickly found the town’s deli and ordered some freshly made spinach leek pie. Jason had always enjoyed trying new foods; for the most part he hadn’t found anything that he hadn’t liked so far.

“Why is it that the food here is so much better than what I remember back home?” Katie said after swallowing a large mouth full of the crispy crust.

“Back home all you ever did was eat cheese pizza and drink mocha. How is your mocha addiction going, by the way?”

“Oh, I stopped drinking it except for special occasions. It took almost a month for the shakes to stop.” She smiled up at him.

“Well, what do you say about having some diples pastry for desert?”

“Oh, I love diples, as long as I can have two.”

The diples were the best he’d ever had; the large honey roll was still warm and tasted like heaven. Katie enjoyed them so much, she tried to steal several bites of his. He swatted her hands away lightly, laughing at her face as she pouted.

He had been impressed when she had spoken Greek and placed their order to the older women behind the counter. He’d been in the country less than a month and had only picked up some basic words. She must have guessed his thoughts from the way he was looking at her.

“So, I bought a translation book. It’s not like I expect everyone to speak English.” He’d actually found out that a lot of people did speak English everywhere he’d gone. So far he’d only had to learn a handful of useful words in French, Spanish, Italian, and Greek.

Sometimes Katie was the same old Katie he’d known forever. Other times he saw that the last year had done something to her, changed her. He would see her eyes cloud over and she’d become distant, and he could see the sadness overcoming her. He understood the betrayal she’d suffered; it’s not everyone that finds out their mother was married to someone else while they were married to your father. To be hit double with the knowledge that the man who’d raised you wasn’t actually your biological father, Jason had seen firsthand what it had done to her.

After she found out via the phone call from her mother, she’d passed out cold on the floor of the coffee shop.

Once she’d woken, thanks to some smelling salts from an emergency kit in the bakery, he’d driven her home. She had looked like a ghost and hadn’t said a word during the short drive. Her eyes seemed hollowed out, her skin, which was normally a light tan, had been pale and clammy. He’d hated seeing her that way. Less than a month later, she’d taken off and left the country.

He knew it was in part due to her friends turning on her. Even he had felt betrayed by some of the things everyone else had said about Katie and his relationship, none of it true at the time.

Now, as she excused herself and headed to the back of the place towards the bathrooms, he watched the busy room to make sure no one watched them. He’d been cautious walking into town, and he figured the place was small enough that he could spot anyone who appeared out of place.

Taking this moment, he pulled out his cell phone and decided instead of a lengthy call he would just text his message instead.

– Made contact – someone tried to grab her – she’s safe

–
Where are you?

–
Just outside Patra – change of plans, coming to you – taking a plane tomorrow – should be there soon

–
Be careful

He tucked his phone back into his jeans and waited for Katie to come back out of the restroom.

“I told you they’d be trying to make it back here.” The accent was so thick, it was hard for him to make out what the voice was saying over the disposable phone he’d been given. “They are in Patra, heading to the airport. Find them. I don’t have to tell you how important it is that she doesn’t make it here.”

The man rolled his eyes and squinted in pain when he remembered the black eye and broken nose he’d received the night before. He’d been hearing how important it was that Katie Derby didn’t make it to Rome ever since he’d been hired two weeks ago. So far, the only chance he’d gotten to grab the girl had ended badly and now he had a broken nose and two chipped teeth to show for it.

“I know where she is, and I told you I’d get her. She’s with a man and he knows how to fight. It may end up costing you double because of him, and I might have to hire a couple more guys.”

“Do what you must, just stop her from getting to Rome.”

He heard a click and felt like tossing the small phone through the window of the moving car. He knew how to do his job, and he’d be damned if he would sit by and let some little girl slip through his fingers, especially considering the amount of money he was about to make. He looked over at his partner and saw the large lump on his forehead that he’d received last night. He’d been doing jobs like this his whole life and knew who he could trust and who he couldn’t. Watching his partner, he knew the man was one that he trusted completely. They’d been working together since they’d been kids.

“Raul, they’re in Patra. I told you that tracking device would come in handy.” He watched the small screen of the device that was showing him exactly where Katie Derby was. “Damn thing is not very reliable, keeps cutting out.”

“I told you we should have bought the more expensive one,” Raul said.