Only Raven mattered—
CHAPTER 14
The gray haze of winter's morning shone through the draperies of Christian's bedroom as he opened his eyes. It took his mind a moment to remember the trunk filled with the awful truth. His world had come to a grinding halt. An uneasy sadness dampened his spirit. The foundation of what he had believed lay crumbled in the wake of Fiona's lie.
Seek the truth, Christian. The message pinned to the body of Mickey Blair taunted him. Who could have engineered such a thing? And for what purpose? He still felt no closer to that answer.
Just when the venom of bitterness threatened to contaminate his day, the warm body next to him stirred. He gazed upon Raven as she nestled into his shoulder, strands of dark hair lying across her pale cheek. Asleep, she looked like an innocent child. How had a guy like him gotten so lucky? He smiled as he gently pulled back the hair from her face with a finger. A sweet moan reminded him of his change in fortune. He didn't feel alone anymore.
With her skin next to his, his body reacted, stiffening with the memories of last night still fresh in his mind. Gently, he kissed the top of her head, then rolled to his side. He cradled her in his arms, his lips in search of his favorite places.
"Hmmm ... so good." Her voice sounded throaty and suggestive as he nuzzled her ear. "You an early riser?" A smile graced her lips, warming his heart. She kept her eyes closed as her hand reached for him.
"Always," he answered, her velvet touch inspiring him. "I believe in rigid discipline." A faint gasp escaped his mouth as her hand came to rest. "Oh, yeah."
"I see that," she purred. "Let me put you through your paces. Nothing like an early-morning workout."
This time, it would be about Raven. Christian would learn the subtleties of her body, giving her the pleasure she deserved. And with Raven, he forgot the ugliness of his past, no longer dwelling on the crippling pain of it.
For the first time, he felt whole, brimming with hope for his future.
With the shower still going. Christian grinned, remembering how Raven had joined him earlier. She taught him the lost art of "sudsing," as she called it. Her "workout" routine left him drained, but completely relaxed. Laughing aloud had never felt so good.
Wearing only his thick navy bathrobe, he headed for the kitchen to start the coffee, a grin still on his face. But when he stepped through the door of the master suite, all that changed. Reality hit hard.
The contents of the old trunk lay strewn on the floor of his living room. His discovery harsh in the morning light. To punctuate the blow, the abrasive sound of his cell phone reminded him that life went on. Retrieving his phone from the coffee table, where he'd left it the night before, he answered the call.
"Delacorte."
"Yeah, boss. Bill Edwards here." He recognized the voice of his trusted security man at Dunhill. "I just heard from the hangar. You wanted me to keep you informed on the whereabouts of Mrs. Dunhill."
"Yeah. Something new?" Christian kept his tone steady, but his heart was another matter.
"The pilot has got a flight plan returning to the Dunhill hangar. She's heading back to Chicago. Her ETA is four this afternoon. She's asked for a pickup." Bill cleared his throat, broaching an opinion. "I figured if she called for a ride from security, she hadn't contacted you. What do you want me to do?"
He closed his eyes. And so it began. Fiona was coming home.
A part of him felt relieved to finally know her whereabouts. But an even bigger part was angry as hell at her gall. She'd left him to deal with the murder, intentionally holding back her secrets. Why come back now? Since she hadn't called him, did she have any intention of contacting him at all?
"No pickup, Bill. I'll do it myself. Thanks for the heads-up." He ended the call and tossed the phone onto the sofa, then pulled a hand through his damp hair. "Damn," he muttered.
"Something wrong? You look upset." Raven's voice came from behind him. Dressed in his white bathrobe, she towel-dried her hair.
"No, just something at Dunhill Tower. I'm gonna have to drive to the city this afternoon." He busied himself with the coffee and hoped she hadn't seen his uneasiness.
His meeting with Fiona had to be one-on-one. Even though he had a personal connection to Raven, she still worked for the police. His instincts told him to honor the loyalty to his . . . to Fiona. The word "mother" stuck in his craw. At this point, he wasn't sure he could ever bring himself to call her that. Yet before all this, he would have been honored by the privilege.
"You'll be safe here while I'm gone. I'll leave instructions with my men before I take off. It'll only take a few hours."
"Oh no, you don't. You're not gonna ditch me again," she teased with a smirk. "If you're going into Chicago, I'd like to hitch a ride. Can you drop me off at the station house?"
Her suggestion was not unreasonable. Unreasonable would have been her insisting that she drive her own car in total disregard for her own personal safety. But her compromise took him by surprise. His mind raced with how this scenario might play out. He finally thought of a way to keep Raven off his scent and meet with Fiona alone. The execution of his plan would be tricky.
"I've got a better idea. You drop me off at the tower, then you can have my SUV. But I need to know where you'll be. No deviations. If you're at work, I figure you can't be any safer than that. But promise me you won't deviate from the plan." Stepping closer, he trailed a finger down her cheek and stared into those dark eyes. "And I want your cell phone number, so I can find you when I'm ready to leave."
His smile felt forced. Christian hoped she wouldn't notice. He hated lying to her.
"Okay. I understand. But I can take care of myself, you know." Raven crooked an eyebrow and lowered her eyes to his chin.
He stared at her for a moment, then chuckled, rubbing his jaw. "Yeah, I found that out the hard way."
"That was just a little love tap." She raised up on tiptoe and kissed his bruised lip. "Something I learned from the WWE."
"I should have figured you for a girl into wrestling." He kissed her cheek, then whispered in her ear. "When we hook up later, I'll show you some of my patented moves. No spandex required."
"My, you are a man of many talents. Hunk Hogan move over."
"I believe that's Hulk Hogan," he murmured.
"Whatever."
Wedging herself between him and the counter, she undid the tie to his robe, sliding her fingers to his bare skin. He slipped his hands under her robe, allowing them to stray. He closed his eyes and nuzzled her neck, drinking in the smell of her skin.
The woman made it damned hard for him to ignore her. Yep, Raven made it damned hard, always.
By midafternoon, the sun speared through the dark clouds only sparingly, dashing Christian's hope for a better day. He followed Raven out the front door of his cottage, setting the alarm and locking it behind him. The air smelled heavy with moisture. Today's forecast called for thunderstorms later in the afternoon. On his front step, he turned up the collar to his long black overcoat and heaved a sigh. His eyes fixed on the gathering clouds overhead. Even Mother Nature had conspired against him.
With his mind being so troubled, he wondered how he'd ever hide it from his beautiful passenger.
He should have enjoyed the ride into Chicago. Raven did her best to distract him. Somehow, even with a ruthless killer stalking her, with murder and mayhem blowing his life to smithereens, the intriguing woman at his side made their time together feel normal. Idle conversation should have been a welcome respite from the scenarios jumbling in his brain. Yet all he thought about was Fiona. He had no idea how this would play out. The uncertainty wrenched his gut.