Chapter 19 #3
There was no way she would have been able to. The only reason I was able to get this for her was because of Andrew. He'd had it shipped overnight from Tiffany's.
"You don't need to give me anything," I told her. "Just open it."
She set her wine down, then took the box from me. Her eyes were wide as she lifted the lid, then gasped at what was inside. "Idaho, this is too much," she said as she pulled out a necklace with a diamond pendant.
I took it from her and moved around to her back. She stood so I wouldn't have to bend to put it on. It was impossible not to brush the backs of my fingers over her silky skin as I clasped the necklace in place. I stepped back so that I could see it hanging there glittering against her skin.
"It looks perfect on you, Duchess," I told her.
"Thank you," she whispered, turning and looking up at me with those gorgeous green eyes of hers.
"You're welcome."
Her hand lifted and she ran her fingers down the side of my face.
The urge to kiss her was overwhelming. We were frozen, caught in the moment, staring into each other's eyes and fuck if I could help myself.
I lowered my head, giving her a chance to stop me, but she didn't. She met me halfway, pressing her soft lips to mine.
It was a gentle touch, but it still sent fire shooting through my veins.
I wrapped my arm around her waist and hauled her closer, deepening the kiss until we were both breathless.
Her arms went around my neck as she held onto me tightly.
My cock was rock hard in my jeans, pressing against her stomach as I kissed her senseless.
"Fuck it," I muttered into her mouth. My free hand went to her ass and I lifted her up into my arms.
She wrapped her legs around my waist as I carried her back to my room and shut the door with my foot. I laid her on the bed, staring down at her as her hair fanned out over the comforter. There was acceptance and need in her eyes. It was all the permission I needed.
A sharp trilling sound interrupted the moment, making me frown.
It took me a minute to realize it was my phone.
Cursing, I pulled it out of my pocket and answered.
I was expecting it to be Lockout with news on Sloane and the baby.
What I wasn't expecting was for Eva to sit up and scoot until she was next to the side of my face I wasn't holding my phone to.
"Yeah?" My eyes narrowed when soft lips brushed over the side of my jaw. I glanced over and found her watching me, desire still burning in her gaze.
"Mr. Sharpe, it's James."
I blinked, trying to focus on what he was saying while Eva leaned forward again and began teasing me. The touches were light and uncertain, but fuck were they distracting. "Why are you calling me?" James was my PI. He was the one I had get started on tracking down the douchebags from the bar.
"Just wanted to give you an update."
"It's Christmas. I didn't expect you to work over the holiday."
"I don't have anyone to spend it with. The ex took the kids to her parents in Milwaukee for a few weeks.
This at least keeps me busy. Anyway, I already emailed over the background reports for Thomas Muller and Tatiana Desmet...
You realize she's the daughter of the Grand Duke of one of those tiny European nations... right?"
"I do."
"You realize that means he's the ruler of that country? His uncle is the king of The Netherlands. Not sure where you found this girl but she is connected."
"I know, James," I replied in a less than patient tone. Eva had stopped and pulled back, her eyes searching my face. I wasn't sure if she could hear what James was saying or if my tone was alerting her that something was up.
He cleared his throat. "Great. Uh. Also, does the name Richard Krier mean anything to you?"
Glancing over at Eva again, I asked, "You know a Richard Krier?"
Anger flashed in her eyes as they narrowed, answering my question.
"Yeah. We know him." I would anyway, just as soon as I hung up the phone. "What about him?"
"It took some digging, but I found a wire transfer to one, Gerald Green, for thirty thousand dollars two days before everything went down at the bar. Gerald Green was one of the men in the group that attacked your friends."
"How the hell did you find all this? And so quickly?" I asked. Though I shouldn't be surprised. James had a talent honed from years with the FBI. It was the whole reason I hired him. Still, sometimes he even shocked me.
"Had cameras at the bank across the road from where the fight went down and pulled the security footage. Ran it through the facial recognition database and got a hit for him and one of his friends. Do you really want to hear all this?"
"No," I sighed. "Tell me the rest."
"That's all I know for now, I just thought you'd want the head's up."
"I do. Thanks, James."
"No problem, Mr. Sharpe."
"Let me know as soon as you find out more." Hanging up the phone, I turned and faced Eva. The anger was gone, replaced by worry and fear. I hated seeing that look on her face.
Searching her eyes, I demanded, "Tell me who Richard Krier is."