Niko's Stolen Bride (22 page)

His face lightened with relief. “Yeah. That’s a good thing, right?”

“Sort of.” She shook her head back and forth, negating the words. “But I haven’t missed
you
.”

A deep breath expanded in his chest and he let it out in a ragged huff. “What do you mean? I’m here to patch things up and you’re giving me riddles. Just tell me yes or no – oh.” He stopped short as comprehension slowly edged across his face, smoothing the lines of anxiety that had settled there. “I get it.”

She studied his face. He really was a good-hearted man, though bewildered when it came to understanding women. He’d make someone a good husband one day. It should have made her sad to realize that someone wouldn’t be her, but it didn’t.

With a small start, she realized that Niko was wrong. It hadn’t taken her months or even years to heal from this relationship. It had only taken days. And one very special person. Him.

She held her hand out to Frank. They were both at fault, had misread the signs, seen too much in their companionship and taken it further than it should have gone. “Friends?”

He nodded, opening his arms to her. She stepped into a loose hug, resting her head against his shoulder as his stalwart arms enfolded her. Comfort. That was the word that sprang to her mind. Like the reassurance found in the embrace of an older brother or a father.

The gentle sway of the ship alerted Kara that someone had stepped aboard. Excitement coursed through her veins. Niko was back.

She eased out of Frank’s arms and moved to slide open the door in welcome. Through the dark tint of the glass, she saw Eduardo dressed in his familiar pale shirt and slacks and another man in a tan uniform. They were talking quickly, gesturing toward the tarp and then the narrow gangplank. She opened the door and stepped out.

Eduardo turned, surprise lightening the concerned frown that drew down his brows. “Kara. I thought you’d already be gone.” He walked quickly toward her as she descended the short flight of stairs to the aft deck, reaching for her hand as she came off the last step. He patted it with an affectionate gesture. “I’m glad to get the chance to say good-bye.”

Her fingers tightened on his as she tilted her head in confusion. “How did you know I was leaving?”

“Niko told me, because of the storm.” He gestured toward the main cabin behind her, his eyes narrowing as Frank emerged from the room and stood on the deck above them. “Should I get your bag for you? George has already gone to meet the car. They’ll be waiting.”

“But I wanted to talk to Niko before I left.” She glanced toward the contractor who was waiting patiently for Eduardo to return to their discussion. “He isn’t with you?”

The older man’s eyes softened and he patted her hand again before letting it drop back to her side. “I don’t think he’ll be back for several hours.” He jerked his head toward the uniformed man. “It will be noisy while they make the repairs.”

Frank stepped down the short flight of stairs to join them. He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Almost five. I was told the car would pick us up by the main hotel.” He pointed toward the tall coral-colored buildings of the Royal Towers. “Over there?”

Kara turned on him, frustration rushing through her. She was the only one who hadn’t been consulted about her plans for leaving. “What do you mean?”

He eased backward in the face of her fury. “Uh, I was asked to fly over and pick you up. That’s why I’m here.”

“Pick me up?” Red misted before her eyes as her fingers clenched in twin fists. “Like a runaway who needs to be escorted home?”

Suddenly she understood, and the blow was a physical thing, like a sledgehammer to her chest. Niko had planned it for days. He’d chartered a flight, called her father and asked him to arrange for her return to New York, even sent for Frank to guide her.

He wanted her out of his life. And what Niko Maragos wanted, he got.

She drew a ragged breath against the pain, willing it to subside. The two men exchanged glances over her head.

“I’ll get your bag,” Eduardo murmured, slipping past them.

Kara held out her hand to Frank. “Give me your cell phone. I didn’t pack the charger for mine and the battery is dead.”

Wordlessly, he handed it over. She punched in Niko’s number, her foot tapping against the teak deck as she waited for him to answer the phone call. It rolled over to voice mail. She listened to the timbre of his recorded voice message. The phone shook against her ear as a tremble crept over her. He had always intended to send her away. Everyone had known it but her.

Mortification crept over her as she waited for the beep that would let her know it was time to speak. Turning away from Frank and the curious repair man, she paced to the railing, staring down into the dark blue water next to the yacht. Even after the tone sounded, she hesitated, unsure whether to scream in anger or beg him to reconsider.

“Niko,” she said at last, her voice a low rasp. “I can’t believe you don’t have the guts to tell me good-bye in person. I expected better from you. Good-bye.”

* * *

Niko leaned against the cool concrete column near the hotel’s entrance, watching George who lounged against a black limousine, chatting with the driver hired for the ride to the airport. The younger man straightened and lifted his good arm in greeting to someone out of his line of sight. A moment later, Kara appeared from the path that circled toward the marina, the path he had taken moments before. Beside her was Frank Matthews. He had one hand at her elbow and carried her small overnight bag. Niko’s fingers curled reflexively into fists at the sight of the other man touching his woman. He forced himself to relax the tension in his hands. Not his anymore. He’d made sure she had this opportunity to reconcile with her former lover, but it still cut deeply to see them together, apparently reconciled.

Her stride was quick and he recognized the tense undercurrent of emotion that straightened her shoulders. Anger. There was little doubt that rage was directed at him, not Matthews. One day, perhaps, she would understand. He’d compelled her to leave, but he’d had the best of intentions. It was for her sake and his sanity.

He’d meant to let her go without another word. No chance to talk him into changing his mind. Her cell phone message had changed that. She was disappointed in him, thought him a coward. It was a blow to his honor. Unfortunately, it was also the truth.

George opened the car door with as much flourish as possible for a man with one arm in a sling. Kara stood there with her hand on the edge of the door, speaking to him while Matthews went around the other side of the vehicle. Niko pushed away from the column and moved toward the group. A few swift steps and he put his hand on George’s shoulder. The young Greek turned, and the words he was speaking died on his lips.

Niko motioned for him to get in the front seat. George flashed him a thumbs-up sign as he complied.

Matthews spoke from the other side of the car. “What are you doing here, Maragos? I’ve got this under control.”

Kara turned to glare at the shorter man across the top of the vehicle. “Keep out of this, Frank.”

Niko noticed that the man’s cheeks were crimson with annoyance as he got into the car, slamming the door behind him like a cross child. Niko grimaced. He didn’t like Kara’s fiancé on any level. Mostly, though, he didn’t like the fact that the man had hurt her. Heaven help him if he ever found out that he’d done so again.

Niko turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. She was dressed in the jeans and faded band logo tee-shirt that she’d brought with her. He’d never been fond of the band’s music, but it might be destined to become his favorite. Her eyes were nearly brown, the green almost extinguished by strong emotion. Inhaling deeply, he tried to catch one last whiff of the perfume she wore. He spoke before she could, not wanting to hear her blast him with words of contempt. “I was detained at Harbor Control.”

“You mean there’s someone who doesn’t let you order them around? Dictate where they’ll go and when?”

The resentment in her tone made him clench his jaw. “Kara, I–”

She cut him off with an abrupt movement. “Forget it. I’m going. It’s what you wanted, and what you want, you get. Right?”

He shrugged, unsure how to answer. The hard glitter in her eyes was unfamiliar territory, urging caution.

Stepping around the car door, she reached up to pull his head down to hers. His breath nearly stopped in his chest as he resisted the pressure. Her fingers tangled in the hair at his nape, urging him closer. She rose on the tip of her toes, her breasts pressed against his chest. With her lips nearly touching his, he couldn’t resist savoring her sweetness one last time. Loosening his muscles, he allowed her to pull him down, wanting it more than anything.

Her lips brushed his gently and he softened his, hoping for harder contact. It was as if she’d read his mind. Their mouths merged, hot and wet and he barely restrained his groan of satisfaction. She tasted like heaven. The thrust of her soft tongue against his roused memories better kept in the privacy of his dreams.

She drew back first and he kept his fists clenched tightly at his sides, refusing to move until she held out her hand. Their fingers touched for a second as she slipped something into his palm and stepped away. His fingers closed on the anklet he’d had made for her in Key West, the small glass beads resting cool and hard against his palm. He’d have preferred that she keep it, but he wouldn’t toss it out. He was going to need all the luck he could get.

Standing in the opening between the vehicle and the door, her gaze met his. “Now this is over.”

He recognized the words, so close, yet so different to those he’d said to her days ago and knew the response he must give. “Yes it is. It definitely is.”

Kara had never been so exhausted in her life.

Though the flight to Miami was short, the line for Customs had been long, winding down a hallway and around the corner. George had said goodbye earlier as he was not a U.S. citizen and had to wait in a different area. That left her with Frank, standing in silence until they reached the cordoned secured area. There, the noise increased to annoying levels, made more so by the television screens playing overhead. The storm system Niko had referred to had turned into a Category 2 hurricane. The red cone flashed on the screen again and again, heading straight for the Bahamas. She fretted for Niko and Eduardo, but knew the island withstood several such storms annually. Though the doors of the ship had been repaired in time, they were too smart to stay on the yacht. They would evacuate to a safe place.

Not that it was any of her business, she reminded herself with a shrug she had learned from Niko. Turning her back on the screens, she tried to tune out the news and the images it evoked.

On the long car ride through the Everglades to Sanibel, down the Interstate nicknamed Alligator Alley, she kept assuring herself that this was the hardest part, the first step toward returning to the real world. She touched her fingers to her lips. Niko’s last kiss had been short but so incredibly sweet. She’d wanted to melt into him, to breathe in the fragrance of him and run her palms over his hard muscles. The spark of desire that he’d ignited was what made her draw back. He didn’t want her in return, had gone to great lengths to send her away. She refused to beg or even cry in front of him. If she’d stayed in his embrace a moment longer, she would have done both.

There was nothing left to do but pick up the pieces of her life. As Niko had said, her lovely holiday would become a distant memory. For a moment, she regretted that she didn’t have any photos of him, but then she changed her mind. Better that there was no physical reminder. It was the reason she’d handed him the small anklet he’d had made for her. Seeing it would only bring back thoughts best left masked by time. He’d said it would take her months or even years to recover from Frank’s betrayal. Instead, she would spend that endless time trying to forget a stubborn, sexy Greek man.

When they reached the resort on Sanibel, she spotted her father, waiting in a lounge chair in the lobby. As he stood, she walked into his arms, so glad to see him that she had to clench her eyes shut to keep the tears from seeping under their edges.

After a moment, he pulled back, but kept an arm loosely around her shoulders. She blinked away the moisture in her eyes and realized that he looked tanned and more relaxed than usual. It seemed that his vacation had turned out well.