Chapter 28
CHAPTER 28
I zzy stood in the shower, her head against the cool glass. She had yet to turn on the water.
What had just happened?
That was something else. It was out of this world insane. She’d never ever lost control like that before. Her lips throbbed from his hard kisses, her nipples tingled from his kneading, and her core pulsed with the lingering effects of her orgasm. Even now, she felt his hot seed trickling out of her.
It took several minutes of deep breathing before she could turn on the shower and climb under the cool water.
Viper.
Oh my god, Viper.
First in the pool, then on the lounge chair, and now in her hotel bed. Three orgasms in as many hours. And she still wanted more.
What was wrong with her?
Emily was right. With that man in her room, she might never leave.
He was sex on legs. A lethal hunk of a man with a physique a Norse god would be proud of, eyes that simmered like the depths of the ocean, and an intensity that had ignited her soul. Burned through her defenses.
Hell, who was she kidding? She'd never had any defenses where he was concerned.
She soaped herself up and rubbed all the sticky sunscreen, sweat, and remnants of their lovemaking off her body. Once clean, she turned off the hot tap and blasted herself with cold. That would kill any lingering desire she had for him.
Gasping, she stood there as long as she could, then turned off the water.
There, she was back in control.
This was just a hookup. An insanely hot hookup, amplified by their situation and what they'd been through.
She'd been kidnapped, for Pete's sake. Who wouldn't want life-affirming sex with a man like Viper afterward?
Twice.
He was her protector, her bodyguard, the man who'd saved her life. That was so sexy. It was sheer adrenaline and gratitude that had made her behave so wildly. She mustn't read more into this than that.
Stepping out of the shower, she pulled on the soft toweling robe and fastened it around her waist. Then she stared into the blurry image in the mirror and combed her hair back off her face. There was a freedom in not wearing any makeup. She hadn't since they'd gotten here. Didn't have any anyway. All her belongings were back in D.C. Emily had probably arranged for them to be sent back to her apartment.
Or to Robert's.
Christ, Robert.
What would he say if he knew?
She turned away from the mirror. It was none of his business what happened between her and Viper. She wasn't engaged to him. They'd made no promises to each other. Of course, she knew that's what he wanted, but she wasn't sure. That's why she hadn't let their relationship progress past a few dates and a chaste kiss on the lips.
What was good for the company wasn't what was best for her. She needed more than what Robert could give her. More passion. More excitement. More everything.
More Viper.
She took a deep breath and came to a decision. They had a few days here at the most. A few days without anyone else around. Without cell phones. Without email. Without social media. Without meetings and budgets and orders.
If this was all she was going to get with Viper, she was sure as hell going to make it count, inhibitions be damned. After this, she’d go back to D.C. and he’d go back to… She realized she didn’t even know where he lived.
Anyway, life would resume as normal. Her crazy, chaotic life that she loved, but that afforded her very little personal time. A life that he didn't fit into.
For these few days, it was going to be all about them. Decision made, she opened the door and went back into the room.
Viper stood in the middle of the room, a worried expression on his face. "Everything okay?" He'd put his shorts back on for modesty's sake. She could tell he was anxious about what had happened. He’d been shaken by the intensity of their lovemaking too.
She kissed him boldly on the lips. "Yes, perfect."
His eyes widened in surprise. "Um, okay. You don’t want to talk about what just happened?”
“No, why would I?”
He hesitated, then grinned. “Then I'll just go take a shower." And he disappeared into the steamy bathroom.
She put on a fresh dress, then sat on the bed and turned the television on to the CNN news channel. Home suddenly seemed very far away.
The reporter talked about the unseasonably hot weather and how the crowds were flocking to the country's beaches. How American Airlines had decided to strike right at the end of the vacation season, and how there was commuter chaos on the trains due to twisted railway tracks unable to stand the heat.
That's how I feel with Viper around, she thought, staring at the melted, buckled steel. Today being a case in point. Still, she did feel great. Why should she be ashamed of that? Wasn't she always telling her followers to love their bodies? To live life to the fullest?
Well, that's what she was doing. At least for the next few days.
This wouldn't last, it couldn't, but until then, he was all hers.
On cue, Viper stepped out of the bathroom, a towel wrapped around his waist. She let her gaze roam over his perfect torso, his washboard abs, his smattering of chest hair, and those wonderfully broad and reassuring shoulders that had enveloped her on so many occasions, keeping her safe.
He noticed her gaze and a smile tugged at his lips. "Anything interesting happening?"
She glanced back at the TV. "The east coast is having a heat wave," she said, blowing a strand of hair off her face.
"Oh, yeah?" He pulled on his shorts and was about to reach for a shirt when Izzy whispered, "Don't."
He let it go.
She flushed. "I like seeing your body."
He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. "You're the boss."
The picture on the television changed and Izzy found she was looking at a photograph of herself. "Oh, my gosh. Look!"
She turned up the volume.
"...Isabelle Beaumont, who was abducted a week ago while on a yacht off the Californian coast has been found alive and well. Sources close to the social media entrepreneur and mining magnate say she's recovering with close friends and family and asks that the public respect her privacy at this difficult time."
"That's Emily's doing," she murmured.
"Miss Beaumont was kidnapped while on investment banker, Casper Montague's yacht in San Diego. Eyewitnesses reported four armed gunmen boarded the vessel and took Miss Beaumont captive after a short, but violent gunfight. One man was injured in the attack. It is not clear why Miss Beaumont was targeted or how she was rescued, but there are rumors that her personal protection team was involved. The FBI, who are investigating Miss Beaumont's abduction, have refused to comment. We'll have more on this breaking news story as events unfold."
"You're a breaking news story." Viper sat down next to her on the bed.
"I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but I'm used to being in the media." She turned to him with a rueful smile. "That doesn't faze me, but this will affect the share price. Robert's going to have his hands full pacifying the shareholders."
“I thought you owned the company?”
She leaned over and kissed his shoulder. “I own fifty-one percent of the company, the controlling share. That means nobody can buy me out, and I get to sign off on all the decisions.”
“What about Robert?”
“He owns a portion, as does my cousin, Raf, but the rest is owned by the public. It’s a listed company and my disappearance would have shaken confidence.”
Viper nodded. “What are you going to do?”
“Well, that press release Emily wrote will have helped. When I reappear, things will settle down.”
When she reappeared. Her stomach clenched, and she shook her head. She didn’t want to think about that now. They still had some time here. Even though she was well aware she was living in a blissful bubble, she didn’t want it to burst. Not quite yet.
"Enough about that. I'm starving. Let's order room service."
He chuckled. “You’ll get no argument from me there.” They browsed the menu, then deciding what they were going to have, placed their order.
They were about to eat when the room phone rang. Izzy glanced at Viper in alarm. Nobody knew they were here other than Phoenix and Pat.
Viper answered. “Hello?”
She saw his shoulders relax. “It’s Pat,” he mouthed.
She nodded and turned down the television so he could talk, and she could overhear the conversation.
“Yeah, we’re good. She’s good. Hanging in there.”
Izzy barely suppressed a grin.
“You want us to stay here for a few more days?” He nodded into the phone. “Sure, no problem.”
Her heart leaped. They weren’t being recalled. While she wanted this nightmare to be over, part of her didn’t want to leave the resort and go back to reality. She wanted to keep things just as they were, at least for a few days longer. It looked like she’d get her wish.
“Will do. You can count on it.”
He hung up and she raised an eyebrow. "Count on what?"
His blue eyes twinkled. “That I’ll do my very best to look after you.”
She laughed. “I’m sure that is not what Uncle Pat meant.”
He snorted. "He's my boss. Hard to picture him as Uncle Pat."
Izzy was fond of the gruff former Commander. She’d always known he’d been a Navy SEAL, although that was a very long time ago now. "I've always known him as that. He's my godfather. He and my mother were close."
"How did they know each other?" He sat beside her on the bed.
She shrugged. "You know, I never did find out. When I was a girl, I remember barbecues at Pat and Val's house. I used to play in the backyard with their son, Joe."
"The one who died in Afghanistan?" Viper asked. He remembered Blade being particularly cut up about that.
She nodded sadly. "Yes, he was a good friend growing up, but then his mother got sick and died, and he joined the army. I think he was looking for something to replace her. Pat fell apart and my parents helped him out, or rather my mother did. My father was always down here, at the mines. She was a good friend to him. I think they knew each other from before, when Pat was starting out, but I could be wrong. Anyway, he was always at our house."
Viper pursed his lips.
Izzy shook her head. "I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong. I saw how devastated Pat was when Val died. He and my mother were just old friends. That's all there was to it."
"And then he lost his son."
She nodded. "That was tough. He was so proud of Joe. I lost touch with him when he joined the army, but he had a girlfriend by then. Lily, her name was. They met in high school and were inseparable. Still, it was a shock when he passed.”
“It always is.” He fell silent and she realized he must have lost friends and colleagues in his profession too. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze.
Room service arrived, and they sat around the small table, eating and talking. Izzy had ordered a bottle of wine, so she poured them each a glass. “My mother loved a glass of chilled Sauvignon Blanc in the evening,” she said, wistfully.
"What happened to your mother?" Viper asked, softly.
"She died in a car accident on Christmas Eve six years ago."
"A car accident? Like your father?"
"Ironic, isn't it? Although, her death had nothing to do with his. Dad was home for the holidays, but he'd been away a lot, and they’d had a row. I heard them yelling at each other from my bedroom. It was awful. My mother stormed out of the house. It was a freezing cold winter, and the roads were icy. She was going too fast and skidded out of control. She smashed into a tree and died instantly."
He put down his burger and stared at her. "Shit, that's awful. I'm sorry."
Izzy took a deep breath, letting the painful memories flow over her. She'd learned a long time ago not to bottle things up. Let it go , the grief counselor had said. Don't be afraid to feel.
Words she’d taken to heart.
Exhaling, she said, "For a long time, I blamed my father for her death. Of course, he didn't stick around long. As soon as we'd buried her, he was back here, doing what he does."
Viper shook his head. “Doesn’t sound like he was a very hands-on dad.”
“He wasn’t. Pat was always there for me, though. He helped me through it."
"Pat’s a good man," Viper said. “Or so I hear. I don’t really know him that well, to be honest. Only by reputation.”
"It’s all true. He’s been very good to me over the years.”
“So when did you start up your business?” Viper asked, before picking up his burger and taking a massive bite.
“Shortly after my mother’s death. Up until then, I'd been in the papers a lot, mostly because I was Astrid Beaumont's daughter. My mother was a famous Brazilian supermodel. People wondered if I'd follow in her footsteps, but that life wasn't for me.”
Viper’s eyebrows rose. “A model?”
“Yeah, can you believe it? Still, I had quite a following on social media, so I decided to put it to good use. I negotiated a few contracts with some fashion houses and became something of a brand ambassador. My following grew and it went from there. Now I try to help women look good no matter what their size or budget."
"You've done extremely well." The way he was looking at her. Pride mixed with something else. Something she didn’t want to put a name to.
“I like what I do. That helps. It doesn’t feel like work.”
“Do you miss it? Being here, unable to work?” His blue eyes flickered, but only momentarily.
“Viper?”
“Yeah?”
“I like having you here to myself. Let’s enjoy these next few days, before we have to go back to reality.”
“If you’re sure,” he said, his deepening blue gaze on her face as if he were trying to read her.
She reached across the table and took his hand. “Oh, I’m sure.”