The Sinner's Bargain (Contracts & Deceptions #2) (25 page)

The elevator chimed at the same time that her stomach growled, both a reminder of how long she’d been sitting at her desk without a break. Swiveling in her seat, Amara turned to see Brandon and Colin walking out of the elevator, her eyes glued on Colin’s smiling face.

“You two are sick. You need a break from each other,” Brandon said, rolling his eyes and laughing at Colin when his middle finger shot up in his direction.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Amara quipped.

“Don’t even bother trying to fool me again. Does this mean we can’t do lunch together anymore?” Brandon asked with a smile.

“You can, but I’m going with you,” Colin said, crossing his arms as he stood beside Amara’s desk, smiling at her.

“Scared I’m gonna try to move in on your girl? I’m a married man, Wolfe.”

“I’m not worried. I know you’re smarter than you look,” Colin said, winking at Amara as she laughed. “But I had a hell of a work out this morning, and I’m hungry as fuck.” Amara’s blushed deepened.

“Okay, TMI,” Brandon said, covering his face, pretending to be grossed out. “Let’s go kids. I’ve been wanting to try this new wok joint in Hell’s Kitchen.”

Colin offered Amara his hand and she took it, grabbing her purse with the other as she stood. They looked at each other for a moment, both smiling like love-struck fools. She knew they still had a lot to go through, but for the first time in her life, she felt… happy, at peace, complete. Home.

AMARA WOKE UP inside the safe cocoon of Colin’s arms, to a blaring alarm clock and a ringing cell phone. Groaning, she peeled his arms and legs away and rubbed her face as she sat up. Colin mimicked her movements and dropped a kiss on her naked shoulder as he sat up beside her.

“Who the hell is calling at this hour?” he grumbled, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Amara yawned. “It’s seven o’clock. We need to start going to sleep earlier.”

“But I like it when you keep me up late,” he said in a voice that promised trouble.

“Don’t start,” she said, getting up before he could pull her back into bed.

“I got an email from Molly yesterday,” Colin said to her back as she walked into the bathroom.

“Yeah, I know. I read it.”

He chuckled. “Good. I don’t want any crazy ideas in your head about me and her… or any other woman, for that matter.”

Amara rolled her eyes as she brushed her teeth, even though he couldn’t see her from where he sat. When she walked out of the bathroom she took a moment to appraise his naked chest, wishing she could jump back into bed with him just for a moment. Not wanting to be late, she thought better of it and checked her phone for the missed call, instead. The email from Molly had been very business-like, telling Colin she wished things had turned out differently, but wishing him the best and thanking him for everything. Amara wasn’t the type of woman that would worry about Molly or anybody else—especially when it came to Colin.

“I’m not worried about her.”

“You know I wasn’t going to marry her, right?” His statement made Amara pause and tear her gaze from her phone screen to him. Colin was stretched out in the bed, using his hands as a pillow. Her eyes traced the definition on his curled biceps just for a moment before meeting his amused gaze.

“What do you mean?”

“I would’ve let it get to the day of the wedding if that was what it took to get you back.”

“You were trying to pressure me into breaking up your wedding?”

Colin chuckled at the dirty look she shot him. “What is it they say, ‘all is fair in love and war’?”

Amara gasped and picked up a pillow, throwing it at his head. He caught it with a laugh. “That’s messed up, Colin.”

He shrugged, still laughing.

“You’re making me mad at you again.”

“Don’t tempt me with a good time, Mara. You know how much I love getting out of that dog house,” Colin said in a low rumble that made her stomach flip.

“You’re full of crap. Your mom would have killed you if you’d done that,” she said, taking a step back as he started to crawl toward her on the bed, looking like a predator waiting for his prey to make a wrong move.

“Once I got you here, I cared very little about what my mom said,” he answered, standing up now and taking slow strides toward Amara as she continued walking backwards. She hit the door, and Colin grinned.

“We don’t have time,” she warned, putting her hands up as a laugh bubbled up inside her. He licked his lips slowly, as if he could taste her on them. It turned her on and amused her at the same time. “You have an eight thirty meeting.”

His gaze flickered to the clock on the nightstand for a second. “It’s only seven fifteen.”

“Colin…”

“Amara…”

“You’re impossible,” she said, laughing as she shook her head.

“And you love me,” he said, lifting her up as he reached her. Her arms went to his neck automatically.

“I do.”

“Hmm… those words coming from your lips…”

“Colin.” It was a warning that made him smile harder. He was forever trying to convince her to marry him, and she was endlessly refuting his request. Maybe after the ordeal with Philip and the papers was over. Maybe once she felt completely at ease with everything.

Maybe.

Amara smiled as he dipped his face into her neck and breathed her in.

The phone rang in her hand again, and she began untangling herself from him when she saw Philip’s name on the screen. Colin’s demeanor changed when he saw it, he closed off quickly, but stood beside her as she answered the call.

“Amara, I’ve tried waiting as long as I could to call you,” Philip said on the line.

“Okay,” she said, not knowing what else to say as she waited for him to continue.

“You leave for Paris tomorrow morning. I’m already here. We’ll be going to Iran a couple of days after that. It should be a fast trip.”

“When will I be back?” she asked, watching Colin’s jaw work as he listened in.

“If everything goes well, we won’t take longer than a week.”

“Okay.”

“Be ready at seven o’clock tomorrow morning.”

“I will be.”

Colin was still staring at nothing in particular, grinding his teeth when Amara hung up the phone.“It’ll be a quick trip,” Amara said in a reassuring tone.

Colin nodded.

“I’ll probably be back by Saturday,” she said, running her fingertips over the scruff on his face when she reached him. “Talk to me,” she whispered against his chest, wrapping her arms around him. Finally, he hugged her back, squeezing her to him.

“I want to go with you,” he said, shocking Amara out of his arms.

“No. You can’t. It’s dangerous,” she said, her eyes wide.

“That’s why I want to go,” he said, his dark eyes narrowing on her.

Amara shook her head and looked away. His request, the worried look in his eyes, the thought of leaving him, it all weighed down on her heart. “You can’t, Colin. Please don’t.”

He crushed her back against his hard chest and held her, placing his chin on her head as he rocked slowly. “I should though,” he said, his voice barely audible.

“I’ll come back. I promise.”

“You better. And you need to call me every couple of hours if you don’t want me to hunt you down.” He pulled back so that she could feel the seriousness of his words. “I
will
hunt you down if you don’t call me,” he said, his voice stern so there was no room for doubt, and pulled her into his chest again.

“I love you,” she said, smiling against him.

“I love you more,” he answered.

Amara knew love couldn’t be measured, but she was sure that if it was, his love for her would register out of the metric system.

AMARA FLEW TO Paris on the first available flight. The way she saw it, either she stayed in New York with people chasing her, or she went to Paris and began the process of ending all this shit. Of course, Paris was only the first stop of the trip. The flight was long, and unlike the last time she flew to Paris, Amara got no sleep and couldn’t concentrate.
At least Colin knows where I am and why
, she thought. At least there was the possibility of him coming for her if she needed it. Eventually, sleep claimed her, and when Amara next opened her eyes, the Paris skyline greeted her. Taking a deep breath, she looked outside the airplane window. The lights were bright in the romantic city and she wished just for a moment that this was a trip of leisure, with Colin. It could be so beautiful here if she could share it with him.

Fishing her phone out of her purse, Amara switched it on and waited impatiently as it rang in her ear.

“Hey,” Colin said, his voice groggy from sleep.

“I just landed.”

“I was trying to stay awake until you did, but I guess I fell asleep.”

“It’s late over there. Go back to sleep, I just wanted to let you know I was here.”

He exhaled harshly into the phone and Amara shivered as if she felt it on her skin. “I miss you.”

“I miss you too,” she said, smiling as she pressed her face into the phone to her ear to hear him more clearly.

“Come back to me,” Colin said with a groan that made her insides swish.

“I will. I promise.”

“Okay. Call me as soon as you know what you’re going to do and where you have to go. Please be careful, Mara. I already told Philip if anything happens to you, I’m going to make him pay.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Keep your phone on you.”

“I will.”

“I love you.”

Those three simple words knocked the breath out of her each time he said them.

“I love you too. So much,” she said, laughing when he groaned.

“Call me, Amara, don’t make me fly over there to bring you back here. You know I will.”

Amara laughed, knowing damn well that he would. She was counting on it. By the time she spotted Joshua, who was waiting for her in baggage claim, Amara was ready to get everything over with. They exchanged pleasantries as he led her to the car. When he opened the door to the back seat, she wasn’t surprised to find Philip there. Speaking into his phone, he held his hand up as Amara scooted in beside him.

“How was your flight?” he asked as he ended the call.

“It was fine.”

“Good. Because the contents of the account have been moved and we’re not sure where; we need to head to Iran as soon as tomorrow.”

Amara’s stomach knotted up at the thought. “What do you think he’ll say when he sees me?”

“He is aware of your mother’s death, so I think this will go smoothly.”

“I just want to get this over with already,” she said, blowing out a breath as she leaned her head back onto the seat.

“You have no idea how much I want to get this over with, Amara.” The way he said it, with a distant tone in his voice, beckoned her attention. He was rubbing his forehead as if to relieve a headache.

“Why are you and Samuel always at each other’s throat?” she asked, gaining a surprised laugh from him.

“We’re not always at each other’s throats.” Philip sighed, when Amara gave him a look. “Perhaps it’s because we’re so similar, or maybe because we’re brothers.”

Amara gaped at him and he chuckled.

“Brothers-in-law, same difference.” He shrugged. “We’ve known each other for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been in love with Valentina for just as long.”

“Valentina is his sister?”

He nodded, his face suddenly somber.

“Did she… is she alive?”

“Oh, yes, although she wants nothing to do with me.”

“Because of Méchant?”

“She never had a problem with Méchant. She always knew that was just about money for me, never the girls or the sex.”

Amara gave him a look, raising her brows.

“Well, I have to have fun too, and I’m a single man,” Philip said with a shrug.

“Courtney told me once that you were always pining after the same woman. Is it her?”

Philip rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“But you divorced her?”

“No, she divorced me. There’s a difference. She served me divorce papers a week after she had a scare from one of my clients.” Amara stared at him, horrified, as he spoke. “It was a crazy lady who thought she and her husband had a connection with me. I’ll spare you the details.”

“Please do,” Amara said, giving him a look of disgust. She’d already heard he couldn’t function unless it was in a threesome, and Amara would rather not hear about it. She could tolerate Philip now, but only barely. “So you never tried to get her back or anything? You just moved on… with Courtney?”