Her teeth had hit home.

Good.

Let him feel some of the pain he’d caused her.

“Calm down,” he said again. She must have looked like a madwoman, and for a moment, hysterical laughter hovered right on the edge of her throat. She swallowed it back with no little difficulty. Listening and staying calm was the key to survival.

“What?” she asked after a long pause, her words sounding harsh and forced even to her.

“I’m not going to kill you,” he said. “I said you’re dead already because according to the newspapers in the United States, your body was found this morning, along with mine. Everyone thinks that we were killed together when our plane crashed. If you go back now, they’ll know I’m not dead.”

His words sank in slowly, and she shook her head.

“You can’t just do that,” she said. “I don’t know what bodies you’re talking about, but they’ll realize that it’s not me. I have dental records. They’ll figure it out.”

“No they won’t,” he said. “The people who would be figuring it out, the investigators, are the ones who planted the evidence. Sandra Vicars is dead, and she’ll be buried within a few days. Your family has been notified, as have your neighbors.”

She shook her head slowly, willing his words to go away.

“I don’t want that to happen,” she said slowly. “I was doing something with my life. It isn’t fair for you to simply step in and say that I can’t go back. You shouldn’t be able to take all that away form me.”

“It’s too late for that,” he said softly. “It’s already gone. You were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I’m sorry for what I did. I won’t go back, though. I’ve already been in jail too long for that. I’m done with that forever. I’m dead, too, and I’m starting life over as a new man.”

“Does that mean you’ll be giving back all the lovely money you earned in your old life?” she asked caustically. “Because this place doesn’t come cheap, I’m relatively certain of that. If you don’t kill me now, when do you plan to do it? After you finished fucking me?”

“That’s what I originally planned,” he said slowly, his eyes boring into hers with cruel honesty. “Then I decided I’d pay you off. Whores expect that. I figured I’d give you enough money to set yourself up some place new and we’d both go on our ways. But I somehow doubt that you’ll be willing to do that.”

She shook her head, thinking.

“Yes, I would,” she said suddenly. “If it means I get to live, I’ll do it in a heartbeat. Please, let me do it.”

“I might let you do that, but I doubt that Valzar would,” he said. “He doesn’t like to leave loose ends lying about, and you’re definitely a loose end. He’s already offered to take care of you for me.”

“Yes, I kind of picked upon that,” she said softly. To her disgust, she could feel moisture welling up in her eyes. She would not cry, not now. She needed to stay strong, to think things through. To convince him that he could trust her. It was her only shot.

“What if I just stay with you for now?” she asked, trying not to sound too coy. “Do we really have to figure all these things out right now? Can’t we just have fun?”

He assessed her coolly, nodding his head.

“We can do that.”

“Good,” she said brightly. “I saw that there was a swimming pool in the other courtyard. Would you like to go swimming?”

“No.”

“What do you want to do?”

“Why don’t we take a nap?” he asked, raising his hands to cup her head. He wiped at her cheeks with his large, strong thumbs, and she felt moisture there. Damn, she’d cried after all. “You seem worn out.”

“I don’t think I can sleep,” she said honestly. “This has been too much for me—my mind just races trying to figure everything out.”

He pulled her against his muscled chest with surprising tenderness.

“You don’t have to get everything figured out right now,” he said. “You can just relax. Sandra, I promise you, if you do as I say you won’t get hurt. But you’re going to have to trust me.”

Fat chance, she thought to herself, but she nodded her head against him. He saw her as helpless, as dependent on him for survival. While that might be true, there was no reason for her to give up that easily.

As long as she was alive, she could fight.

He released her and reached down with one arm behind her knees. Before she quite understood how he’d done it, she was in his arms, being carried across the room as if she were as light as a feather. He laid her down on the bed very gently, lowering himself beside her. He reached around her with one arm, spooning her and tucking her against his body.

“You don’t have to be afraid,” he said. “I’m going to take care of you. I’m not quite sure what we’ll do just yet, but I’ll find a way for you to stay safe. As long as you’re with me, nobody will be able to touch you.”

His words shouldn’t have been as comforting as they were. He was her enemy, her captor. If it weren’t for him, she wouldn’t be stuck in this situation. But her traitorous body didn’t seem to see things that way, and every particle of her being reveled in being held so close. He was big and strong, warm and safe. She felt so comfortable.

He nuzzled the back of her neck through her hair as his hand wormed its way up beneath her clothing to her breast. He cupped her, squeezing slightly, and her nipple hardened. It seemed unfair that it should feel so good. She felt secure with him touching her, happier than was decent under the circumstances.

His hand burrowed through her hair, and his lips became more insistent. She rolled over into his arms and gave herself up in the comfort of the moment. Life was short—she wanted to feel good.

He responded quickly, rolling her beneath him, and for one brief moment they forgot about the future.

Chapter Eight

Sean stared at the fax, eyes failing to focus.

Why now?

Life had been so perfect. He and Sandra had fallen into a blissful routine. Every morning they’d go swimming, followed by a breakfast on the terrace. In the afternoons they’d hike or read, or perhaps even watch a movie. Their dinners were magnificent, celebrations of wine and desire that seemed to go on for hours. Sometimes he’d take her right on the table, other times he’d slowly seduce her over the course of the evening, then whisk her away to their bedroom for nights of wild lovemaking.

It would all come to an end now.

The fax was from Valzar. He needed the safe house for someone else. He didn’t give any details, and Sean didn’t want to know them. He’d been there for a full month—it was past time for him to start pulling his life together.

It was too easy to relax here, nothing seemed very real to him. That kind of relaxation was dangerous.

The fax made a pointed reference to Sandra, too, Valzar offering once more to help Sean with his little liability. Sean leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes and trying to think.

Why had he brought her with him?

He’d told himself at the time that it was because she’d seen him, could identify him to the police. It was a valid concern, but they could have worked around it. More bodies could have been found in that plane crash. The real reason he’d taken her was because he wanted her; he could admit that to himself. He’d seen her, wanted her and decided to take her. He hadn’t cared about the consequences. All he’d cared about was getting her under him in bed.

Valzar had lost patience with his little obsession, though. And he was right. They couldn’t just stay here in the jungle forever, pretending they were on some kind of bizarre vacation. He could see the questions and the fear in her eyes sometimes, and he knew that it was always in the back of her mind. What would happen to her? Would he grow tired of her? Would he kill her?

Killing her wasn’t an option—he’d realized that long ago. He simply wouldn’t allow it to happen. She was too special, too beautiful. He wouldn’t let anyone hurt her.

At the same time, he didn’t know what to do with her. Even if he set her up in a new town with new money, he wasn’t entirely sure Valzar wouldn’t go after her. His friend was very loyal and very thorough.

He’d only held off this long because Sean was actually with the woman.

He had to keep her with him. There was no other option. Otherwise, she’d never be safe.

How it would work he couldn’t imagine. He had some ideas of what he wanted to do, but he wasn’t sure if she’d be interested. Hell, no matter what he did, he’d have to watch her like a hawk. If she got away her life would be forfeit, and he couldn’t allow that to happen.

He’d simply have to find a way to keep her with him all the time. It would be easiest on a boat, he’d decided weeks earlier. Hell, he’d always liked the idea of living on a boat. There was one waiting for him in the Cayman Islands already, along with his money. Valzar had invested it well, spreading it around the world with a diversity and thoroughness that was frightening. Financially, Sean was doing better than any time in his life.

He’d always wanted a sailboat, and now he could have his dream. He and Sandra could sail the seas together, exploring exotic ports, swimming in warm waters. All he had to do was convince her to go with him. And watch her every moment of every day when they were in port to make sure she didn’t run off.

Of course, none of that changed his central problem—he wasn’t entirely sure he could live without her.

That’s what scared him the most.

* * *

Sandra lay out by the pool, paging idly through one of the books she’d found in the library. It was surprising to her how many different English language volumes there were. Of course, the selections were a little out of date. Whoever the reader was, they hadn’t been coming here for a while. She suspected there was astory behind that, but she didn’t want to ask anyone. Rosa was hostile at the best of times, so light conversation wasn’t really an option.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the maid stalked out on to the patio, a grim look on her face.

“You’re getting fatter,” she said bluntly. “I was doing your laundry, and your shirt is all stretched out.”

Sandra rolled to one side and looked up her.

“It got stretched when Sean pulled it off me,” she said sweetly, unwilling to admit how much she enjoyed the disgusted look on Rosa’s face.

Rosa glared at her, and then spoke abruptly.

“Senor Sean wants to see you inside,” she said, a smug look stealing across her face. “Senor Valzar needs the house for someone else and Senor Sean has to leave. You know what that means for you?”

Rosa’s cold eyes glinted, and she drew one finger across her throat menacingly.

“If I’m lucky, he may even let me do it,” she added. With a flip of her hips she turned and left the patio.

Sandra felt frozen. She’d put off thinking about this for weeks now.

It had been so easy to just pretend she was on vacation, to simply fall back and relax into the glory that was her time with Sean. And it was glorious. She could hardly believe how little she missed her old life.

After all, aside from her neighbors and a few friends, she didn’t have anyone waiting for her at home. Her brother was in jail, long lost to her even before he’d been sentenced. Her Aunt and Uncle, the only other close relatives she had left, had never been close to her. They were cold people, and had always disapproved of her parents. In fact, she couldn’t remember seeing them since the funeral.

It was been easy to put all that out of her mind, along with her bills and her tiny apartment. The only living things that needed her were the houseplants, and she had no doubt that her kindly neighbors had divided those between them. It had been depressingly easy for her to drop out of sight. Twenty-seven years old, and nothing of value to show for it.

She shook her head, and stood up. That wasn’t true. Her life had value. She’d helped hundreds of people at the sports clinic, and had been building a clientele that included many elderly people who had been soothed by her touch. She had healing hands, and she knew how to use them. She had something of value to offer the world.

She pulled a swim cover-up over the string bikini she wore. It, along with an entire tropical wardrobe, had arrived just days after they’d reached the villa. She had no idea how he’d done it, but Sean had arranged for her to get everything she could possibly need.