Ivan leaned over and kissed her. “You’re always so understanding of people, babe. You’ve got a good heart. Me – I mistrust everyone ‘til they prove themselves.”
“Then perhaps you’ve got more in common with Jake than you think.”
He ran his fingers down her cheek. “Perhaps. But I wonder if he has what it takes to be a Quinlan.”
“He is a Quinlan – if he’s telling the truth. And he does really look like you and your brothers. The family resemblance is clear.”
Ivan gazed in his rear-view mirror as Jake parked his car then started to walk over to join them. “Alright, let’s see if he can prove himself.”
They climbed out the truck and stood with Jake in the sunshine. Ivan draped his arm around Samira’s shoulders. Her body pounded with desire at his touch. “Ivan, stop it – Mr. Langdon might see.”
“Let him see. I’m taking you out of here – we just need your passport back. And Jake’s going to help. Right Jake?”
“As long as you pay me, I’ll do whatever you want. You should probably give me some gagging money, too. It would be horrible if–”
Ivan grabbed him by the shirt. “Listen, you mercenary piece of shit. I don’t care who you are or how we’re related – if you don’t keep your mouth shut, I’ll fucking rip your balls off.”
Jake laughed. That was something that really pissed Ivan off. He was so smug all time. Ivan guessed he’d probably been through a lot as a cop – as Samira had said. But still, he seemed unflappable, which was annoying.
Jake pulled himself out of Ivan’s grip. “I just thought it was time to discuss money, that’s all.”
Ivan released him. “Alright. Whatever Langdon’s paying you, I’ll double it.”
“Sounds good to me.”
Samira slung a hand to her hip. “Doesn’t it break your moral and professional code to take on clients with conflicting interests?”
“Yeah, but my morals are quite flexible, ma’am, depending on what’s on offer.”
Ivan rolled his eyes at Jake’s cocky levity. He’d always thought there could only be one Adam Quinlan in the world… now here was someone almost as bad. But he loved Adam – despite his stupid jokes. Ivan knew he himself tended to be on the serious side – more like Dylan. Well, perhaps it was time for him to show his light side too.
He turned to Samira and dropped to one knee. “Sweetheart, will you marry me?”
She almost fell over in shock, then she burst into laughter. “Of course!”
He stood up again, kissing her tenderly. “Great. Come on, let’s do it now.”
“Now? Ivan, have you gone crazy?”
“Isn’t she already married to Mr. Langdon?” Jake asked.
“Haven’t you been paying attention?” Ivan asked. “No, she’s not.”
Jake opened his mouth to argue, but Ivan got in there first. “That asshole’s been lying to you and everyone else on this ranch. And she never will marry him.” Ivan took ahold of Samira’s hands and gazed into her eyes. “I love you, okay. Let’s go to Vegas and do this right now. You get Quin. We’ll leave straight away.”
She grinned – still reeling from shock. “Ivan, it’ll take fifteen hours to drive to Nevada from here.”
“We’re not driving, baby. I’ll call my brother – he’s got a private jet based in San Antonio – we’ll find a pilot to fly us. We just need to drive to the airfield and we’ll be in Las Vegas in no time.”
Her beautiful face shone with happiness. “Are you actually serious about this?”
“Never been more serious. Go get our son and meet me back here. Don’t be long – we can buy whatever we need in Vegas. And obviously don’t talk to Langdon.”
She kissed him, then walked off – almost skipping. He watched her striding away in the sunshine – her short dress swayed as she walked, showing off her gorgeous curves.
He dragged his eyes away from her and slowly turned back to Jake, who was also watching Samira – a little too closely.
“She’s got a great body,” Jake said. “I bet she’s good in–”