Burned Hearts (Burned 3)

His fingertips tenderly grazed my bare arm, making my skin tingle. My fingers skated slowly, seductively, over his cut abs. Were I to slide them lower, I knew I’d find him hard and wanting me. The sexual pull between us was a powerful one, even if the emotional turmoil brewed steadily.

As much as I also wanted him, though, it was critical that he slept. Not that I expected him to, but I wouldn’t hinder his healing. So I closed my eyes and tried to clear my mind. Tried to concentrate on his breathing, listening carefully, making sure it remained strong and stable.

It took quite some time, but eventually I gave in to the exhaustion created by the harrowing day. I managed to sleep soundly.

Because of Dane.

Because of Amano.

Because of Kyle.

chapter 4

Dr. Forrester arrived first thing in the morning to check on Dane. Amano escorted him into the bedroom and I settled on the sofa during the exam, breathing several sighs of relief at the nods of approval and “looking goods” from the physician. Dane, however, wore an impatient expression.

He thought he was invincible. After everything he’d been through, I sort of suspected the same. That did not keep me from worrying about him.

When the doctor was done, I left Dane with his laptop, because there was no stopping his insatiable need to continue his work. I joined Kyle in the kitchen as he prepped breakfast. My eyes nearly rolled into the back of my head with his perfectly executed eggs Benedict. He’d make some woman deliriously happy one of these days. I just hoped he accepted soon that it wouldn’t be me.

Although, again, the thought of him leaving us was a tricky one to reconcile. Not that I had to resolve it this very moment. We were all still caught in the crosshairs and he’d proven he wasn’t going anywhere until all of this was said and done.

We had another visitor after lunch. Ethan Evans. He was the brilliant Harvard economics professor who’d recruited Dane into the Illuminati faction. Ethan was now retired from the university. He and Dane were close friends, and Dane had considered him a crucial mentor as he’d shaped his business goals.

Ethan was a good-natured sort with salt-and-pepper hair. Attractive, well dressed, refined. I always enjoyed his combination of i

mpeccable manners and off-the-cuff jokes.

“You look wonderful, Ari,” he told me with a kiss on the cheek.

“It’s so nice to see you, Ethan. It’s been much too long.”

“Your husband has been busy. Just keep in mind that if there’s ever anything you need, Jackson and I are both here for you.”

“For which I am eternally grateful.” I gave him a quick hug.

Ethan and our lawyer had been in on the secret wedding ceremony, along with Amano, Kyle, and my dad. My dear friend Tamera Fenmore had officiated, and Rosa had served during the reception and dinner. That’d been it. Seven people to bear witness to the most important and perfect day of my life.

Too bad that perfection had been shattered less than a month later. And we still hadn’t put all the pieces back together.

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure how we ever would.…

I shook that dismal thought from my head as Dane and Ethan took their intense discussion of what had transpired the day before at the estate into Dane’s office. An hour or so later, I delivered a decanter of brandy and snifters. They were in the middle of a conversation about the hard drive Dane couldn’t get to in Switzerland.

“It’s still not public knowledge that I’m alive,” he said. “I need to keep it that way for as long as possible. So my passport isn’t worth shit. And given everything that’s happened in the last twenty-four hours, I can’t rely on help from the network to get me out of the States and into Europe. Not to mention, the bank would likely consider me an imposter if I showed up with my key.”

I set the crystal on Dane’s mammoth desk, made of gleaming mahogany, and poured. I handed a glass to Ethan, who thanked me and said pregnancy suited me. It was impossible not to glow—I was carrying Dane’s baby, after all.

To my husband, I asked, “Have you taken any drugs today?”

He gave me a sardonic look. “No.”

“Just asking.” I smiled. Then poured a snifter for him.

Ethan inquired, “So what about the FBI?”

“I don’t want them touching the laptop when I’m not there with them. It needs to stay intact—no one trolling through files and possibly compromising information. The truth is, I’m not even sure what all is on it. I started backing up documentation when I got suspicious of the others years ago. I need to wade through it all, figure out what’s admissible in court, what will help each case, and then bring it forward.”

“Risky game to play. The Feds might consider that an obstruction of justice—withholding evidence from them.”