Intimate Betrayal. Donna Hill

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СКАЧАТЬ heart began to race with dread. He’d been expecting this call and hating its inevitability.

      “What can I do for you, sir?”

      “We’ve arranged to have a car pick you up at your home tomorrow morning at 0800 hours.”

      “Yes, sir.”

      “I hope this won’t pose a problem for you.”

      “No, sir. Of course not.”

      “Good. See you then, Colonel.” He broke the connection.

      James Knight had spent forty years of his life in the Special Forces unit of the Air Force. Taking orders without question was second nature. Slowly he replaced the receiver. Taking orders was the reason his life had never been his own, the reason that haunted him every day of his life for the past fifteen years—the reason why his son must never discover what those orders had commanded him to do.

      Claudia clutched the phone to her breasts and squeezed her eyes shut. When would they ever leave them alone? For fifteen years, they’d lived under the thumb of that demon from hell—Murphy. They’d never let James live in peace even after all that he’d done in their name. The military had stolen his spirit and Sukihara had stolen his heart.

      Chapter 6

      “After we check into the hotel, I need to head over to the office,” Maxwell announced, as they moved through Los Angeles International Airport.

      Reese and Carmen doubled their steps to keep up with his brisk, long-legged strides.

      “I’ll be going with you,” Reese stated. “So I’ll need a few minutes to freshen up.”

      Maxwell looked at her over his shoulder. He wanted to say that she looked fabulous just the way she was. Her raven mane was twisted into a fuss-free French roll, and her statuesque form was coated in a teal suit of micro-silk with a skirt that hit her just above those gorgeous knees. His eyes snaked down to those luscious legs that were shadowed by a sheer pair of black hose. Briefly he wondered if she wore pantyhose or real stockings with garter belts. In any event, there was no way she looked like she’d been on a plane for six hours.

      “If you think it’s necessary—to freshen up,” he qualified. “But I don’t have time to wait around all afternoon.”

      Reese and Carmen exchanged glances. “I’ll be sure not to keep you waiting—too long,” Reese coed sweetly.

      Once inside her hotel room, Reese was suitably impressed. This room outdid the Hilton by light years. The living area looked out onto rows of swaying palms and gentle breezes. The thick ecru carpet was so deep it tickled her ankles when she walked. She crossed the room and twisted the gold knob of the door.

      Her breath caught in her throat. A huge canopy bed of eggshell white demanded her immediate attention. Along the canopy’s posters, white diaphanous fabric was dramatically draped. She smiled. Maxwell Knight certainly knew how to do things with panache.

      Reese quickly tucked her suitcase and garment bag in the walk-in closet. She’d unpack later. She unzipped her garment bag and retrieved a pale peach suit of clinging rayon and silk. From another zippered compartment she took out a matching pair of low-heeled sandals. In record time, she’d changed clothes, repaired her minimal makeup, and tucked in some stray strands of hair.

      Satisfied with her transformation, she grabbed her purse and briefcase and headed out of the suite. As soon as she stepped off of the elevator, she spotted the unmistakable figure of Maxwell pacing among the lobby crowd. For a moment, a rush of electricity whizzed through her, and she stood still as an Egyptian statue. To watch him, unobserved, was to see raw energy barely contained beneath bone and sinew. What would it be like to unleash that energy, to see it reach its apex? How would she ever find the words to convey to the reader what was almost mystical, something that had to be experienced—not explained—especially now when her emotions were beginning to cloud her judgment?

      It was as if he sensed her presence, like a jungle cat becoming aware of a predator. He turned, not his whole body, just his head and looked straight at her with those incredible eyes.

      The sudden contact caused Reese’s heart to slam mercilessly in her chest. There was no mistake. What she saw in his eyes was pure, unadulterated hunger.

      The current that snapped back and forth between them was broken when Carmen approached Maxwell and tapped him on the shoulder.

      “The car is out front,” she said.

      Maxwell tore his gaze away from Reese and she was finally freed from the magnetic hold of his eyes.

      Putting on her best smile, she approached the duo. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

      The hot coals of his eyes raked over her, and it took all she had not to tremble.

      “Not at all. I just came down myself.”

      Reese couldn’t have been more stunned if he’d smacked her. Where were the cutting remarks, the sarcasm?

      Maxwell sat opposite Reese and Carmen in the limousine. “Did you talk with the housekeeper, Carmen?”

      “Yes. Everything is in order. You can have your things sent over whenever you’re ready.”

      “Great. Thanks. If you could take care of that for me while Ms. Delaware and I are at the office, I’d appreciate it.”

      “No problem.”

      Curiously, Reese looked from one to the other waiting for someone to clue her in on what was going on. No one did. So she did what came naturally. She asked.

      “Is there some reason why you’re not staying at the hotel, Max?”

      “Yes, there is.” One reason is because I don’t know how I’d be able to resist sneaking into your room each night, he thought. But instead he said, “I always promised myself that if I had to be away from home for long periods of time I’d have someplace I could call my own. I’m sure you’ll be quite comfortable at the hotel,” he added, seeming to want to assure her that the hotel was above reproach.

      How interesting, she mused and made a mental note to explore that little revelation at a later date. “I’d love to see it before we leave.”

      Maxwell cleared his throat. “I’ll make sure that you do,” he returned, his simple statement full of innuendo.

      Where the New York office was charged with an unmistakable energy, the L.A. contingent epitomized California cool. The techs ambled, never rushed, down the corridors. Everyone smiled and looked as though they were headed to the beach instead of one of the fastest growing engineering companies on both coasts.

      As they made their way around the winding maze of cubicles and labs, in and out of security checkpoints, it seemed that every staff member found a way to gain Maxwell’s attention. Everyone seemed thoroughly pleased that he’d returned.

      “Max, good to have you back,” enthused a fiftyish-looking engineer who stopped Maxwell just outside of his office.

      Maxwell actually beamed with warmth, Reese noticed, as the two men embraced in a hearty СКАЧАТЬ