She went back for another kiss.
Hed been the kidnapper, but he didnt have all the power. She hadnt had any power in a long, long time. Shed been overwhelmed by everyone and everything. She was sick of it.
Being overwhelmed by sensation, now, was a different thing. That she could have power over him was enticing. Beyond enticing. Shed never remotely experienced feeling wicked before. She discovered that she liked it.
Possibly his back was breaking from the contorted posture hed been trying to maintain, because when she surged up to try another kiss, to steal another taste, he suddenly lost all that perfect control of his. One second, she was sweetly claiming his mouththe next second, hed taken a dive into the bed, on her, with her. In a swirl and twist of covers, she was suddenly tangled with him, length to length, his arms swooped around her this time, his mouth taking hers.
One of her arms got trapped between the tussle of blankets and bodies. It wasnt fair; he had both his arms free, one slivering through her hair, then stroking down her back, kneading and rubbing, spine to hip and back up again.
He kissed differently than she had. His kisses involved tongues and teeth. Pressure. Invitation. Demand. The I-Want was bold, not subtle, out there like an open plane door, a chance of skydiving with no parachute, all risk, all
All wonder.
All thrilling wonder.
Hey. He broke away suddenly, breathing like a racing engine. We cantyou cantI cant-hey. His face was flushed, his eyes on fire. For her. At her. His face looked as fierce as a warriors-but definitely not a happy warrior as he pushed up and away from her. He yanked the sheets up to her neck, and then hurled out of bed as if a fire were chasing him.
For a few seconds he stormed around the room, then whirled back, pointing the royal finger at her. The gesture for no was certainly crystal clear. Then he went out the door and slammed it.
Apparently this hearing thing was going to come and go indiscriminately, because she definitely heard the door slam. She could probably have heard it in Siberia.
Carolina wasnt sure what was going on-what she was doing, what she was risking or not risking. But she was positive about one thing. Her kidnapper was a fine man.
Shed heard his story, about how hed been estranged from his father and family for a long time. Except for Tommy. And Maguire knew her story, at least the part about her helping Tommy, and the how and why his father had left her with such an extraordinary hefty inheritance.
So Maguire certainly wasnt a kidnapper in the usual sense. He had more money of his own than he could ever need. And he obviously didnt begrudge her the chunk from his dad, since hed been treating her like a pampered princess.
She pushed up from the pillow, thinking that shed learned a lot of information yet seemed to have even more questions than she had before.
She kept having the strangest feelingthat Maguire was the one who needed her, instead of the other way around. Of course, that didnt make sense. Her head still wasnt right. Her heart, her head, her whole body seemed to be nonstop exhausted, in some fuzzy state where she couldnt think clearly no matter what.
She pushed up from the pillow, thinking that shed learned a lot of information yet seemed to have even more questions than she had before.
She kept having the strangest feelingthat Maguire was the one who needed her, instead of the other way around. Of course, that didnt make sense. Her head still wasnt right. Her heart, her head, her whole body seemed to be nonstop exhausted, in some fuzzy state where she couldnt think clearly no matter what.
Like now. With her mouth still feeling bruised from his kisses, her skin feeling electrified where hed touched, that sense of impending fall-off-a-cliff still skimming through her bloodshe closed her eyes and inhaled an amazing sense of contentment. She felt hungry for the first time in weeks. Within her, a smile was starting from the inside out, for the first time since she could remember.
Clearly she was still weak and crazy, and Maguire was the voice of sanity.
But just for that instantit didnt feel that way.
Two days later, Carolina found herself on a plane. Not the same fancy private jet theyd flown on before. This one was bigger, had a pilot and copilot up front, and a third man whod been functioning as a butler, bringing platter after platter from the jets galley.
Wilbur, the butler, had elegant white hair, the impeccable posture of a British lord, a face carved in strict expressionless lines and a fabulous wink. Hed started serving their dinner ten minutes ago. It was still coming. The table set up between her and Maguire was heaped with dishes. Lush bowls of hot butter. A tray of tools. Massive bowls of king crab. And initially, of course, bibs bigger than nightgowns.
Maguire was eating with her. But he wasnt talking. Hed barely said a word to her since those unexpectedly wild kisses two mornings ago. Hed been running around nonstop, scowling half the time, acting ultrabusy. Hed used the netbook to inform her they were flying east, a good trip, not to worry.
She wasnt worried and hadnt asked. Shed wanted to think about that unexpected sexual encounter herself before tackling Maguire again. But once they started stuffing themselves with the rich, juicy, succulent crab-one of her favorite meals in the universe-she started talking.
My hearings coming back again, she announced.
He looked up. Good.
He added nothing else, but that was fine with Carolina. She wanted to be the one to direct the conversation this time.
I was hoping you wouldnt mind telling me some more about how Tommys doing.
He hesitated, but not for long. Since last summer, I think youd find his progress has been amazing. Hell never be normal-
Normals a meaningless word, as far as Im concerned. He was always happy by nature.
He still is. But hes talking now. Not perfectly, but hes able to communicate. He stopped having the seizures, the fierce headaches. Something is seriously weird about his brain wiring. Nobody seems to be able to completely identify or fix it. But hes amazingly better, thanks to you, with a much happier picture for a future.
I wasnt looking for thanks, Maguire. I just remember him. I care whats been happening with him.
Maguire was far more skilled at handling the crab than she was.
She had to work twice as hard to scoop out half as much of the sweet white meat-but damn. It was fun.
My father always claimed to love Tommy, but his method of caring was to throw treatments and programs at him. Nothing was too expensive. But typical of my dad, that meant that Tommy was primarily seen and raised by various professional people. Strangers. Not people who were really listening to him, looking at him, day by day. You listened.
Quit it, Maguire. I wasnt looking for praise or thanks. I wanted to hear more about the progress hes made since the surgery. What programs hes part of now.
He nodded. Hopefully, sometime over the next couple weeks youll get a chance to see him.
Really? Id love that. For a few seconds she was diverted from eating the butter-dripping crab. Im not sure if hell still remember me, but-
Trust me. He remembers you.
Wilbur had brought bowls, warm water with squeezed lemons, for them to wash their hands. She didnt want to give up eating, but she didnt expect to have Maguire trapped like this forever. So she rinsed, wiped, removed the gigantic bib and sat back. Youre clearly happy with what I did for Tommy. But I still find it upsetting that you leaped into my life since I turned intowell, into a fruitcake. So Id like to explain the fruitcake thing.
You dont have to.
She said quietly, Yeah. I really do. She took a breath and then just started in. The day the lawyer called, to tell me about the inheritance, I wasbeyond stunned. Obviously I know I helped your little brother. But its not as if I did anything brave or spectacular. It was justluck. I work with enough special kids to notice those different symptoms in Tommy.
Luck might have been part of it. But you cared enough to step in. To fight for him, Maguire said brusquely.
Well. Whatever. The point iseveryone in my world was thrilled for me. My parents. My sister. Aunts and uncles, friends, everyone. We never had much growing up, so the first thing I did for my dad was buy him a new car. Hed never had a new one before. He always bought used, so new was a treat. And my momfor years shed been dreaming about having a new kitchen with a double oven. I started out having so much fun with the money, I cant begin to tell you. Only, that changed. Pretty quickly.
Maguire finally finished eating, sank back while Wilbur took away the evidence of their feast and then disappeared into the front cabin with the crew. Carolina doggedly talked on.
I started getting nonstop calls. One was a school for special kids, who wanted me to donate the money for a wing. Then my dad. He got really upset because he thought I should make him into my manager, instead of hiring an accountant. Then my sistershe asked me to fund her two kids college educations. I did. In fact, I was happy to do that. Onlyit just went on and on
Maguire handed her a soda, as if sensing her throat was dry.
It was. But that didnt stop her from talking.
I had one second cousin-twice removed-who had a son who got in trouble with the law. Im not trying to be funny. The relationship was so distant that I barely knew who he was, and I had only met him once in my life. But he wanted me to pay the attorney fees. Then my sister wanted a new house. I was getting phone calls almost 24/7. Life insurance. Security. Real-estate people. Stockbrokers. Cancer, heart, diabetes, prosthetics, Lou Gehrigs diseaseIm not sure how all these strangers knew Id gotten this inheritance. And theyre all good causes, Maguire. Things I do care about. But my life just gotinsane. I couldnt take a bath or read a book. I couldnt come home at all, without the phone ringing or someone pounding at the door. She lifted a hand. I woke up one morning to find a homeless woman on my doorstep.
Maguire didnt interrupt, just kept looking at her with those silvery blue eyes, as if the only thing on his mind or in his heart was to listen to her.